Rochester Institute of Technology Leaf 47

This leaf is from a Book of Hours made in the area of the Netherlands in the late fifteenth century. It measures 18 x 13 cm. The borders on these leaves come in two forms. Some are composed of a firmly-defined rectangle filled to its edge with solid color (dominated by cinnamon, deep sky blue, and gold) rendered in a decorative conceit (triangles, waves, bars) and framing simple flower sprigs. Other borders are less boldly outlined and are not filled with solid colors; instead, a speckled background hosts a strong acanthus vine and a wildflower spray in which a live creature (a bird, a human, a zoomorph) may lurk. While this leaf may have been created in the Netherlands, its rubricated headings are in French. See Denison University Leaf 47 for more information about this manuscript.

Text: This leaf contains text from Psalms 119. A scan of the verso is not currently available.

Rochester Leaf 47 Recto

Rochester Institute of Technology Leaf 47 Recto

Rochester Leaf 47 Recto Transcription

linguam dolosam?
Sagittae potentis acutae: cum carbonibus desolatoriis.
Heu mihi, quia incolatus meus prolongatus est, habitavi cum habitationibus Cedar: multum incola fuit anima mea.
Cum his, qui oderant pacem, eram pacificus: cum loquebar illis, inpugnabant me gratis.

Rochester Leaf 47 Recto Translation

[from Psalms 119] ...a deceitful tongue? The sharp arrows of the mighty: with coals of desolation. Woe is unto me, that my sojourning is prolonged, I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar: my soul hath been much a sojourner. With them, that hated peace, I was peaceable: when I spake to them, they impugned me without cause.