The Vespasian Psalter

The Vespasian Psalter dates back to the first quarter of the 8th century and is now in the British Library. It is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, surviving manuscript with historiated initials. It also contains an Anglo-Saxon gloss on the Latin text and again is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, surviving examples of translation of part of the Bible into English. The Medieval Writing site has more information about Psalters (click the links in the text to go to the very useful glossary of terms), while Fathom's Introduction to Medieval Manuscripts sets t the Vespasian Psalter in a wider context.

The manuscript came to the British Library from Sir Robert Cotton's library. Each bookcase contained the bust of a Roman emperor and this particular Psalter was in the case which had the bust of Vespasian, hence its name.



The above picture shows King David as the author of the Psalms (public domain image from wikicommons). The British Library's Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts (scroll down) shows the same page in its context opposite a historiated initial for Psalm 26 (27 in the usual numbering for English Bibles) showing David and Jonathan.

The Vulgate text of the Psalm:

1. David Dominus lux mea et salutare meum quem timebo Dominus fortitudo vitae meae quem formidabo
2. cum adpropinquarent mihi maligni ut comederent carnem meam hostes mei et inimici mei ipsi inpigerunt et ceciderunt
3. si steterint adversus me castra non timebit cor meum si surrexerit contra me bellum in hoc ego confidam
4. unum petivi a Domino hoc requiram ut habitem in domo Domini omnibus diebus vitae meae ut videam pulchritudinem Domini et adtendam templum eius
5. abscondet enim me in umbra sua in die pessima abscondet me in secreto tabernaculi sui
6. in petra exaltabit me nunc quoque exaltabit caput meum super inimicos meos qui sunt in circuitu meo et immolabo in tabernaculo eius hostias iubili cantabo et psallam Domino
7. audi Domine vocem meam invocantis miserere mei et exaudi me
8. tibi dixit cor meum quaesivit vultus meus faciem tuam Domine et requiram
9. ne abscondas faciem tuam a me ne declines in furore tuo a servo tuo auxilium meum fuisti ne derelinquas me et ne dimittas me Deus salvator meus
10. pater enim meus et mater mea dereliquerunt me Dominus autem collegit me
11. ostende mihi Domine viam tuam et deduc me in semita recta propter insidiatores meos
12. ne tradas me Domine animae tribulantium me quoniam surrexerunt contra me testes falsi et apertum mendacium
13. ego autem credo quod videam bona Domini in terra viventium
14. expecta Dominum confortare et roboretur cor tuum et sustine Dominum