Vespasian Psalter

Early MedievalLatin
OriginCanterbury, England
Language or scriptLatin
Holding institutionBritish Library, London

Overview

An 8th century Psalter made in Canterbury, among the earliest English manuscripts with historiated initials, including David playing the harp among his musicians. In the 9th century a scribe added an interlinear gloss in Old English, the oldest surviving English translation of any part of the Bible. Its name comes from the bookcase in Sir Robert Cotton's library topped by a bust of the Roman emperor Vespasian.

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