Thirty-eight manuscripts have been added to the Vatican digital archives this week, probably the last for some time due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Of these, one of the more unusual is Borg.cin.520, a letter in Japanese to the Christians of Japan by the superior of the Fransiscans in the country. There is a late 19th C translation into French appended to it, and a note in English explaining the translation. Also included are some of the more common classes of manuscript, another volume of letters to Guglielmo Sirleto, Vat.lat.6190.pt.1, some Cicero, Vat.lat.7306 and Vat.lat.3876, the second one being glossed, and two works by Abbot D. Benedetto of S. Mauro Stella on timekeeping, Vat.lat.7349 and Vat.lat.7366.

Vat.lat.7336 has a lovely hand-drawn title page, see f.IIIr to the right, clearly imitating the style of engraved frontispiece common in printed books. The text is a history of the Canonical Hours, explaining their symbols and a commendation to the ascetic by one D. Joanne Bona, Reformed Cistercian Monk. The detail is clear enough that although the book the Angels are singing from is just a bunch of dots, the volume at the bottom has rather chear Greek and Hebrew text. The Hebrew appears to be a list of various names for G-d.