Legislative texts for the Birgittine order: Regula Salvatoris. Petrus Olavi, Additiones ad regulam Salvatoris. Declaraciones dominorum. Liber usuum. Decisions from the General Chapter in 1487.
Sweden, Vadstena monastery, 15th century, second half
Legem statuit ei in via quam elegit Elegimus namque non tamen latam viam mandatorum dei ymmo artam semitam consiliorum que ergo nobis statuta est in legem seruandam ad salutem Hec via et semita electa continentur in regula sancti saluatoris, et Augustini, addicionibus prioris, declaracionibus doctorum, libro vsuum, et actis capituli hec omnia in tabula
ABbatissa eligatur et sit caput et domina omnium
Christus ihesus est dator regule sancte huius ordinisque fundator 1 b c Ipse enim est principium et finis alpha et o deus et homo ipsi honor et gloria in seculis
The index refers to the contemporary foliation and paragraphs in the manuscript.
2(ff. 12r–24v)Regula Salvatoris (The Birgittine Rule, the first-person version)
Regula sancti saluatoris in prima persona. Narratur hic modus qualiter domina Birgitta habebat reuelaciones diuinas (...) Capitulum 1 prologi
In dominio Regis noruegie qui est ad septentrionem omnium regium
10(ff. 83r–88v)Confirmation of the decisions made at the Birgittine general chapter in Gnadenberg 1487
Vilhelmus dei gracia Eystetensis alias Aureatensis ecclesie Episcopus Sacrosancte Maguntinensis Sedis Cancellarius
presentibus ibidem venerabili et religiosis deuotis nobis in christo dilectis fratribus Iohanne priore monasterii sancti Iohannis Baptiste in Rebdorff dicte nostre diocesis ordinis sancti Augustini canonicorum regularum et Wolfgango Zannazeller accolito dicte Augustinensis dyocesis testibus ad premissa vocatis specialiter et rogatis
f. 88vEt ego Iohannes Vogt Clericus Eystetensis dyocesis publicus apostolica et imperiali auctoritatibus notarius dictique reuerendissimi in christo patris domini Vilhelmi Episcopi Eystetensis Executoris et Commissarii Scriba Iuratus Quia ... signavi rogatus et requisitus in fidem et testimonium omnium et singulorum premissorum
Occasional stains, for example on f. 8r. Holes on f. 14rf. 16rf. 38rf. 64rf. 69r. Some of the holes are circled with red ink. Repaired tear masked with leaf-shaped drawing on f. 18r.
(LCI)
Top, in black ink by a modern hand: ‘A 11. Regula S. Salvatoris in prima Persona’. Top left corner: National Library book label with the current signum in black ink.
In brown ink by a modern hand: ‘N 93’.
In brown ink by a medieval hand: a reference to the contents of the volume: ‘Hiis diebus confessor ministrabit sororibus corpus Christi’ followed by a list of days.
(ff. 1r–1v)
Lower right side, in dark ink by a medieval hand: ‘R’
(ff. 89r–89v)
Prayers, most likely a contemporary addition. Incipit: ‘(R)epelle a nobis’. Empty space for initials noted with letters in light brown ink and a sharper pen. Words in the right margin by the same hand.
(RCI)
Middle, in dark ink, annotations by a later scribe, possibly 16th or 17th century. Bottom right, in brown ink: the name ‘Lars Hanson’ followed by a sentence in Swedish.
Textblock
(ff. 74v–81v)
Annotations in pencil by a modern hand, with reference to years and dates.
(ff. 85r–87v)
In the margin: annotations and pointing hands by a contemporary scribe, perhaps the same hand as the main text.
Decorations
Binding/Endleaves
(f. 1r): Bookmark in brown leather sewn on to page.
Textblock
Main text in brown-black and red ink. Initials in red. Paragraphs in red. Capitals touched in red.
Plain initials in red ink over 2-5 lines throughout the volume. Plain initials in red ink with interior reserved shapes over 3 lines, for example on(f. 25r)(f. 43v)(f. 47r)(f. 79v). Penwork initials in red ink over 4-5 lines, extended along the margin, on (f. 63r)(f. 77r)(f. 79r).
(f. 2r): Bookmark in brown leather sewn on to page. (f. 12r)(f. 25r)(f. 26r)(f. 44r): Traces of bookmarks. (f. 18r)(f. 83r): Traces of a green bookmark.
(f. 64r)(f. 68v): Pen-drawn flowers in the lower margin.
(f. 88v): Notarial sign.
Binding
Original late medieval binding. Light brown leather over wooden boards. Five raised bands on the spine. Two bosses of bone (traces of a third) on RCO. Metal catches remaining on LCO and RCO.
The Antiquities Archive. Current signum, A 11, first established in Helin’s catalogue from the 1720s (U 91:2:2). Also mentioned in the following catalogues and inventories: U 90:2, f. 8v, ‘no. 93’; U 90:4, p. 44, ‘no. 95’.