Benedictio thalami super nubentes ... Oratio super eos qui secundo nubunt Quando vel quomodo implevit Dominus vii gradus ecclesiasticos De peccatis ad infernum ducentibus De tempore nativitatis Christi De omnibus cursibus De Symbolo apostolorum : : 185 193 196 PREFATORY NOTE. THE preparation of the text of the Bobbio Missal now issued to the Members of the Henry Bradshaw Society has been much hindered by causes resulting from the late war, among which must be mentioned, as its effect has been the most important, the prolonged absence from England of the Editor, who was engaged in work for the United States' Government in Washington during the latter years of the war, and with whom, in consequence, those who were endeavouring to assist in his editorial work naturally found it very difficult to communicate. In view of the long delay which has thus been brought about, it has been thought best to issue the text, which it had been intended to have ready for distribution within a very short time from the issue of the facsimile volume, presented to Members by Dr. Wickham Legg, as a separate volume, without waiting to include those discussions of the palæography and the contents of the manuscript which are still in preparation, but which the Council hope soon to be able to issue as a third and final instalment of the work. The transcript from which the text has been printed was made by the Editor, after careful study of the original manuscript in Paris, during the summer of 1914. The manuscript itself of course ceased, upon the outbreak of the war, to be available for comparison and for the revision and correction of the proofs. But the work of revision was carried on by the aid of the facsimile as soon as this was ready for use and in this task much labour was spent by the late Dr. Bannister, who, with the Secretary of the Society, the Rev. H. A. Wilson, had very kindly undertaken to assist in the editorial work, and also by Mr. Thomas Bruce, who at the Editor's request kindly examined the proof during the Editor's absence in America. The suggestions and queries resulting from this triple scrutiny have been considered by the Editor in his own work of revision, and the text now issued is believed to be as correct, at the moment when it is finally committed to the care of the printers, as it is possible to make it. The footnotes dealing with palæographical matters are of course the work of the Editor of the text; it has been thought expedient, in the interest of those Members of the Society who may not be already acquainted with the book in any of its earlier editions, to add a small number of liturgical footnotes, and to supply such headings for various parts of the text as may make its order more readily intelligible. These portions of the work have been furnished by the late Dr. Bannister and the Secretary, the latter of whom wishes to be regarded as responsible for their present form, and for any errors which they may contain. The index-matter of the volume is entirely the work of the Secretary. To him and to the late Dr. Bannister the Editor wishes to express his sincere appreciation of their generous and valuable assistance. OXFORD, April 30, 1920. |