10

I can't seem to find this in any books about medieval scribal abbreviations.

Manuscript: http://bdh-rd.bne.es/viewer.vm?id=12826&page=246

page 223/1613 2 1

They can be found all throughout the manuscript. As stated in my other question, I've been making the manuscript into a font, so want to know if there's a MUFI codepoint for these three diagonal dots & what they mean.

Fredrick Brennan
  • 355
  • 1
  • 6
  • 2
    The dots are being used in three ways; abbreviations; footnote links (as at the bottom of p242); punctuation. The triple dots in the lower example, question marks, are (N.B.) each in a group of four "What did you go out to see; A reed shaken by the wind ? But what did you go out to see ? A man in soft clothing ?" – Hugh Jul 08 '19 at 14:13

1 Answers1

9

These triple dots appear to be serving two separate purposes.

  1. The passive -ur ending: In your first image, the word intended is perficientur, and the same triple dot is used on page 224 for cognoscentur.

  2. An interrogative sign: The first triple dot in your first image, and the succession of triple dots in your second, all seem to indicate that the preceding is a question:

    Et unde hoc michi: ut veniat mater domini mei ad me?

    And your second image:

    Quid existis in desertum videre? Arundinem vento agitatam? Sed quid existis videre? Hominem mollibus vestitum?

I have only limited experience with paleography, but I've not seen triple dots used in this way before.

brianpck
  • 40,688
  • 5
  • 94
  • 204
  • Is it that the question-mark dots are besides the preceding letter, and the -ur dots are above it? – Rafael Jul 09 '19 at 01:30
  • 1
    @Rafael The Q. dots are next to the letter only to make room for the Full-stop/Period placed below them. – Hugh Jul 09 '19 at 12:28