Sacramentarium Leonianum (The Leonine Sacramentary)

The “ Leonine ” Sacramentary 1 was, as is well known, discovered in the Chapter library at Verona by Joseph Bianchini and first published by him in the 4th volume of his uncle Francis Bianchini’s edition of Anastasius Bibliothecarius (1735). I* st iN remains among the treasures of the same library bound in white parchment uniformly with the rest of the Bianchini MSS. and books. It is only a fragment, but originally consisted of 20 gatherings (each containing 8 leaves) and 3 additional leaves at the end. Of these the first three gatherings are missing and the MS. begins towards the middle of Missa vi for April. Each leaf is about 9 \ in. high by 8f in. wide. The first remaining page is rather soiled and the writing is very indistinct : in the left-hand top comer is a thick red cross about 1 in. high by i in. broad followed by a short thick line about J in. long. The third specimen photograph shows the state of the last page but one, where the sacramentary proper suddenly breaks off : the writing on the last page of all, which is probably by the same hand as the latter part of the last page but one, is, if anything, more indistinct than that on the first. The document is otherwise on the whole in good preservation and has been comparatively little tampered with and seldom in such a way as to obliterate the original text. The specimen photographs give an accurate idea of the excellence of the handwriting, which hardly varies at all from first to last : it is in uncials