Manuscript Detail

Parchment and paper (fols 1-1ter).

The manuscript consists of the following gatherings:

• I: 10 (fol. 2, from the sixteenth century, replacing a missing leaf),
• II: 9,
• III-VI: 8 (a lacunae on several leaves follows),
• VII: 4,
• VIII: now 3 single leaves,
• IX: 6 (the last 2 cut out),
• X: 7,
• XI: 2 conjoint leaves.

Initials, rubrics and (partly) running titles in red. The, often incorrect, initials seems to be added later (U for N, T for Þ).

The original manuscript is written by one Icelandic Gothic book hand throughout. The orthography is not regularly Icelandic, as the scribe now and then have complied with the orthography of the original.

Fols. 1-1ter were written by the mayor of Bergen, Mikkel Jenssøn who was in possession of the manuscript.

Dots over the i's and strokes over the u's have been added later.

The Mikkel Jenssøn, has made corrections and additions in the text and the margin, partly in Old Norse (especially from Jónsbók), partly in Danish.

Fol. 1r has:

• Thenne Bog hører mig Michel Jenssøn till met Rette oc Skæill, oc kiøpte hender aff Jens Nielssøn, som thientte Claus Skiell anno 1579; oc gaff ieg 4: daller for hinde
• Ingen glede wden sorrig
• Si quis furetur in tribus lignis pendetur
• Si quis queratur Michaell Joannes vocatur
• Si patrem queris Michaell nomen haberis
• Axell Fredericksøn's peom: Werre skal mader maadelige glader, |raadig oc røuster wiinfaster oc trouster, |oc holde siig saa udi ald midell maade |oc ald høigferdighedt skulle wi forlade |Hvad heller weden ganger ta atter eller fram |tha haffuer tu hæder oc ingenn Skam.

There are six AM-slips: The first two, designated a and b, are pasted between the fly-leaf and fol. 1. On these Árni Magnússon wrote:

• (a) Ex auctione Gabelianâ 1709
• (b) 15. Gulaþingsbok Magnus konungs, og þar i, á mille Kaupabalks og Þiofabálks: Biarkỏyar rettur (Biỏrgvinnar lỏg) mad farmanna lỏgun aptanvid. Rettarbætur nockrar. Bokin er i 4to storu, og keypte eg hanna anno 1709 á auction epter sal. Vicestatholder Gabel. Aptanvid bokina voru Rettarbætur margar og ỏnnur þvilik statuta á pappir, med eigi gammalle hendi, kannske skrifad circa annum 1580 eda nockru þar efter. Þar á medal var Saudabrefed færeyska.
• An third slip pasted between fols 64 and 65 reads: Hier eru utskoren 2 blỏd eda 3. þar á hefur staded þad sem hier vantar framan vid farmannalỏgen. Hier lá annars i bokinne Dỏnsk translation af þeim Capitulum farmanna laga sem hier vantar. Enn af þeirre translation var aptur burtskored capita 1. 2. 3. og prior pars capitis 4ti. Eg tok þessa translation burt hiedan, so sem mier onyta (fols 2-4 of AM 61 b 4to).
• Two AM-slips pasted between fols 71 and 72 read: Hier á mille vantar ad visu 3 blỏd, sem eru utan af arke þvi er þau 2 epterfylgiande blỏd innst ur eru. Hafa þar á vered Rettarbætur. Hier var innbundinn Dỏnsk translation af Rettarbot Eriks konungs, um umbod yfir kirkiu fe, Olafstoll, hionabands lysningar etc. Item Dỏnsk translation af þvi sem vantar framanvid Rettarbot Hakonar konungs um heitingar. Tog eg þetta hier burt, med þvi þad mier onytt var.
• The last slip, appended to fol. 73, reads: Hier aptan vid voru 30 blỏd a pappir, hvar á skrifadar voru Rettarbætur og annad fleira Rusl, sumt i Dỏnsku, sumt i afbadkadre Norsku. Var skrifad snemma i C 4ti tid og var hỏndin hin sama sem a þeire apostilla "om fælagsgierdt", sem hier stendr a sidurstu sidunni, og a þeim bokarinnar additamentis, sem ere med þeirre sỏmu hendi. hỏnden er Michel Jenssens, som kiøbte bogen 1579. Framanvid bokina voru 3 pappirsblỏd og þad 4da var burtrifid. Aptanvid þesse 2 blỏd innst ur arkenu [i.e. fols 72-73] vantar 3 blỏd eda fleiri, sem tỏpud eru, adur bokin mier i hendr kom.

Possibly written in Norway in 1350-1370 and the sizteenth century.

• The bulk of the manuscript (1quaterr-v, 3r-73v) originate from 1350-1370 (Seip 1955 218, 233) Kålund's dating: the first half of the fourteenth century.
• Fol. 2 is from the sixteenth century (Storm 1885 549).
• Bl. 1-1ter are written in the end of the sixteenth century by Mikkel Jenssøn who acquired the manuscript in 1579.

According to Mikkel Jenssøn's account on fol. 1r he bought the manuscript for 4 daler in 1579 of Jens Nielssøn, a man who was serving Claus Skiell. Later it came into Frederik Gabel's possession.

According to Árni Magnússon's account on the AM-slips, he purchased the manuscript at Frederik Gabel's auction in 1709.