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About This Work
The page displays a complex 'computus' or Paschal table used to calculate the date of Easter, accompanied by months marked with runic-like symbols. Below the tables are two hymns with medieval neume musical notation, one concerning poetry and the other regarding the first man (Adam). The right side features a decorative red and black inscription formally beginning the 'Garden of Delights,' an encyclopedic work designed for the education of nuns.
The Hortus Deliciarum is a premier example of the medieval encyclopedic tradition, bridging the gap between sacred scripture and natural philosophy. The inclusion of the Paschal tables highlights the importance of the science of time (computus) in the medieval intellectual curriculum, reflecting the belief in a mathematically ordered cosmos.
Inscriptions
Tab. X. Paschale’s dies Jan Feb De poetis. quoz op’ poema dr. Poeta a greco poio pois ide opor ul' fingo. poeta i- fictor cui’ op’s poema dicit Vates a v’y mentis uo cant. Juvi poete a greco lirm l. varietate carminū Stē de nat dñi Sol oritur occasus nescius. & filiẹ sit patris filius. De primo homine. Rythmus. Primus parens hominū lumen cernens celestiu ita fuit conditul acul ut anglicul. Consort esset illiul INCIPIT HORTVS. DE LICIARVM. In quo collectis flori bus scripturarū, alli due jocūdetur tur mula adolescentu la-rū.