CCCC 012

This manuscript sets out Alfred the Great's preface to and Old English translation of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care. It represents one of only five extant Anglo-Saxon manuscripts to contain the entirety of Gregory's work. CCCC 12 was likely produced in the tenth century, as part of Alfred's campaign to translate and disseminate the texts he considered "most necessary for men to know." Pastoral Care outlines Gregory's sixth century prescriptions for the clergy, while Alfred's preface explicates his own educational policy. The text is written in a bold insular minuscule and layed out into single columns. There are very few enlarged capitals and these are sparse in presentation. Occasionally, a blank space—undoubtedly left for a title that was never inserted—will introduce a new section. Other than these spaces, and a few rubrics, there is little to visually guide a reader through the text. In addition to being remarkable as the work of Alfred the Great, CCCC 12 is also notable for its glosses by the Tremulous Hand of Worcester—a thirteenth century monastic and glossator famous for his shaky handwriting.