Anno Mundi MMMMMMMDXXXIV · xviii id. Aug. Brother Damianus the Lenten Triodion, with neumes

On the Cinnabar of f. clxxvi: A Pigment Note

"The notary sleeps; the corrector keeps watch."

Notarius dormit; corrector vigilat.

Abstract

Working through the Lenten Triodion, with neumes in the present quarter, Br. Damianus encountered at f. clxxvi v a marginal note left by an earlier hand. The note is here transcribed and briefly discussed; further investigation is welcomed but not, on present resources, planned.

Context

Such notes are easily dismissed as ephemera; we are not in the business of dismissing things. The smallest marginalium tells us, often, what the principal text declines to.

Paleographic Note

The hand here is upright minuscule of the late-eleventh-century convention, with the characteristic narrow alpha-loop and the slightly hooked tau crossbar. The ink, examined under low magnification, shows uniform density, indicating a freshly-cut nib; we infer either a draught from the cloister door or a tired hand at the close of the office, with the corrector preferring the latter.

Notes

Vespers interrupted the preparation of this footnote; we resume.
The relevant exemplar is in the closed press; consultation is by appointment.

This folio was completed in two sittings, with one cup of wine and three small interruptions. We thank Br. Methodios for the second interruption, which proved useful. Si error est, gratia Dei est, non scriptoris.

Other Hands

Annotations by other scribes, in the order in which they were entered into the margins.

Pangur ad f. clxxvi r, lin. ix

[Pangur was here; the parchment knows]
Br. Nikephoros ad f. clxxvi r, lin. xxviii

On reflection: the cat may have been at the desk during the original copying.
Br. Anastasios ad f. clxxvi r, lin. x

The marginalium is sound; the editor is suspicious.