1797'] 
magne, and his two fucceffors, is well 
known to have furpaffed that of the pre- 
ceding and following ages, in the fingular 
beauty and elegance of its characters. 
The magnificent bible prefented to 
Charles the Bald, one of the kings of 
France, by the abbot and canons of St. 
Martin de Tours, and which was writ- 
ten either in the eighth or ninth century, 
has been highly extolled as to its execu- 
tion in thofe refpeéts. The oncial let- 
ters, however, written in gold, of this 
manufcript of St. Sernin, are not ail in- 
ferior to the abovementioned fplendid 
bible, either in the exquilite ftyle or pre- 
fervation of the character. The vulgate 
verfion of the gofpels, written in letters 
ef gold upon vellum, and preferved in the 
library of the ci-devent monaftery of St. 
Martin desChamps, at Paris, has alfo been 
extolled by antiquarians in the warmett 
language of commendation; this manu- 
feript of St. Sernin, however, befides its 
poffefling an equal claim to praife in ail 
other refpeéts, poffefles the extra advan- 
tage of having a certain date. 
This very beautiful work is, in fize, of 
2 {mall folio, and is covered on the backs 
with green velvet; there are four filver 
clafps appended to the corners, and an 
additional one in the middle, the fiyle of 
the engraving of which is but meédiocre. 
Jt contains one hundred. and twenty-fix 
leaves, each leaf being eleven inches and 
fix lines long, ‘and fix inches and fix lines 
broad. 
The leaves are of yeilum, with a purple 
ground ; and the letters are all written 
in gold. Every leaf is divided into two 
columns. The margins are decorated 
with a number of different ornaments, 
mterwoven with palms; the colour of 
which is alfo that of gold. The four 
évangelifts are painted on the four fa- 
gades of the two firft leaves. The defign 
and the colouring of thefe figures are, it 
muft be admitted, ina very inferior ftyle, 
and prove an entire decay of ‘the arts in 
the eighth.century. On the third leaf 
is pourtraved a Jcfus; and on the back 
of the leaf is depicted a fort of altar, un- 
der a canopy, fupported by pillars, and 
furmounted with a crofs. About the al- 
_tar are drawn birds of different kinds; 
two cocks, two peacocks, and a flag. On 
the top of the page is infcribed, in letters 
of gold: In vigilia natalis Domini flatio 
ad fanéiam Mariam. Horé nona. 
The initial letters of all the principal 
feftivals throughout the yar, are uncom- 
monly large; fome reaching from the 
top of the page to the bottom. The 
Wisting is in oncial letters, the thape of 
MS. Copy of the N. Toft. of the VIIIth Century. 
29 
which throughout is remarkably well 
conceived. ‘The gold is extremely bril- 
liant, and in the higheft ftate of prefer- 
vation. With a little previous attention 
to the figure of the letters, and the ab- 
breviations, the whole of the manufcript 
may be read very currently, and dif- 
tinctly. aie 
The four gofpels are arranged accord- 
mg tothe order of different feftivals. The 
titles of the feftivals, thofe of the calen- 
dar, of the months, and the moveable 
feafts, have been all written in letters of 
filver ; the filver of which has either dif- 
appeared, or is fo completely tarnifhed, 
that only the traces of it are now dif- 
cernible; neither can the writing be 
read without the affiftance of a magnify- 
ing gla{s, and very clear ftrong day light, 
That the letters of thefe titles have been 
written originally in filver, and no other 
colour, is demonftrable froin the follow - 
ing verfe, to be met with at the end of the 
Work : 
. Argentique figuratur fplendore micantis. 
The calendar commences on the back of 
the one hundred and nineteenth leaf. 
The days of the month are divided into 
calends, nones, and ides, and are mark- 
ed on the margin by Roman cyphers, 
correfponding to the number of days in 
that ancient divifion. Thus, the circum- 
cifion is on the firft of January, &c. 
In the gofpel of St. Luke, the follow- 
ing words, dv clo tempore exut edictum, 
and thefe, Ho quod effet de domo et familia 
David, no where appear. 
In St. Matthew’s gofpel, the chapter 
eginning with Dicebat Fejus turbis Ju- 
dgorum,is marked, cap. C.C. XI.: which 
evidently fhows, that the writer of this 
manufeript followed a divifion of chap- 
ters much more numerous than that 
which is now obferved. 
In one of the tables of epatts, &c, 
which follow the calendar, is the follow- 
ing very remarkable note, written in let- 
ters of gold: XV. D.C.C, XVI. {nro 
anno fut rex dominius Carolus ad fancium 
Petrum & baptifatus eft filius gus Pipinus a 
domino apoftolico. ‘This table appears alfo 
to have contained the dates of all the 
principal epochs, in regular progredlion, 
from the time of Charlemagne, to that of 
the date of writing the manufcript; but 
as only the traces of a number of the 
filver letters remain, this matter is not 
yet completely deciphered and afcertain- 
ed. Here, it may be observed, in paff- 
ing, that no other manufcript than this 
has been yet difcovered which contain 
words written in letters of filver. 
{Here follow the celebrated Latin 
» GAGs 









