This manuscript contains one of only two non-fragmentary surviving
manuscripts of the poem Heliand , an account of the life of Jesus
in Old Saxon epic verse. It ends imperfectly, in the middle of the
account of the journey to Emmaus. The volume includes: f. 1: part
of a memorandum dated 1371-72 written in Anglo-Norman French, with
instructions in English for binding a manuscript written underneath
in an early modern hand. There are two unfoliated leaves between
ff. 1 and 2. f. 2: early modern table of contents. ff. 3-10,
containing leaves from a Psalter, have been removed and are now
contained in Cotton MS Caligula A VII/1. ff. 11-175v: Heliand , an
Old Saxon Biblical epic copied perhaps in England in the middle or
2nd half of the 10th century. There is an unfoliated, blank leaf
between ff. 175 and 176. ff. 176r-178r: a charm for fields and to
ensure fruitful land ( Æcerbot ), copied in the 1st half of the
11th century. Decoration: Zoomorphic initials in blue, red, yellow,
pink and green (ff. 11r, 21v, 35r, 36v, 39r, 41v, 43v, 132r).
Zoomorphic initial in black (f. 46r). Display capitals in red on
yellow and blue backgrounds (ff. 11r, 132r). Initials with red and
yellow fills and decoration (ff. 13r, 15r, 17r). Initials in black,
some with penwork decoration (ff. 19v, 24r, 26v, 28v, 30v, 32v,
49r, 51v, 54r, 56v, 58r, 60r, 62v, 64v, 66v, 68v, 70r, 72r, 74r,
77r, 79r, 81v, 84r, 87r, 89r, 91v, 93v, 95r, 96v, 99r, 101v, 105r,
107r, 109v, 112r, 114r, 116v, 119v, 122r, 124v, 127r, 129v, 134v,
137v, 139v, 142v, 145v, 148v, 150v, 152v, 154v, 157r, 159v, 162v,
165r, 167v, 170v, 172r, 174v). Small initials in red (f. 12v) and
black (f. 112v). Capitals filled in red and yellow (ff. 11r-19r,
36v, 132r). Numbers in red (ff. 13r, 15r, 17r). Numbers in red on
blue or yellow backgrounds (ff. 35r, 36v, 39r, 41v, 43v, 132r).
Numbers in black (ff. 19v, 21v, 24r, 26v, 28v, 30v, 32v, 46r, 49r,
51v, 54r, 56v, 58r, 60r, 62v, 64v, 66v, 68v, 70r, 72r, 74r, 77r,
79r, 81v, 84r, 87r, 89r, 91v, 93v, 95r, 96v, 99r, 101v, 105r, 107r,
109v, 111v, 114r, 116v, 119v, 122r, 124v, 127r, 129v, 134r, 137r,
139v, 142v, 145v, 148v, 150v, 152v, 154v, 157r, 159v, 162v, 165r,
167v, 170v, 172r, 174v). Stylized letters at the end of text blocks
(ff. 40v, 74r, 74v, 175v).
