Lowe Elias Avery, Codices Latini Antiquiores. A palaeographical guide to latin manuscripts prior to the ninth century. Part VII: Switzerland, Oxford 1956 (Osnabrück 1982), p. 25.
- Punctuation: the semicolon marks the main pause, the medial point lesser pauses.
- Omissions, supplied by an eighth-century hand, are indicated by in the text answered by before the insertion in the lower margin (p. 19), or by signes de renvoi.
- Abbreviations: b; (and b:), q; (and q:) = bus, que; aū = autem; ƀ = ber; ec̄ = ecce; ē and ·ē· = est; fr̄s = fratres; = men; = non; ni = nostri; os = omnis and omnes; ꝑ, = per, prae; q = quod; ꞇ̄ = ter; the abbreviation-stroke is a horizontal or vertical flourish.
- Spelling, unusually barbarous, shows confusion of c and g, e and i, o and u, d for t, ci for ti, and ss for s.
- Script is a small, distinct pre-Caroline minuscule considered typical of Breisgau, and for the most part probably in the hand of Liutfrit, the scribe of several St. Gall charters (e.g., the charter of A.D. 754): open ɑ is the rule; the head of g is closed; i-longa is frequent initially; majuscule N occurs here and there at the beginning of words; the top of ꞇ forms a loop to the left; the ro ligature is noteworthy, as it ends in a dot above the o; Ɛ is used for hard ti; the script on part of p. 173 is in manifest imitation of Insular majuscule, even to the wedge-shaped ascenders (see plate).
- Running titles on some openings, in small uncial preceded and followed by lines and points.
- Colophons in black uncial.
- Headings in red or black bold uncial, occasionally daubed with red or yellow.
- Initials in bold black or filled with red or yellow.
- Ink dark brown.
Partly palimpsest, secondary script (for the primary script containing 153 -160, 163-170, 177, 178 are ter scripti; their intermediate script showing traces of an unidentified theological text is so similar to the present uppermost script that it must have been written in the same centre only a short time before; pp. 89 f., 99 f., 109 f. ,119 f., 127 f., 131 f., 135 f., 141 f., 145 f., 149 f., 179 f. have no lower script).
' Divinae Institutiones in uncial saec. V, see next item; pp.- No punctuation, a blank space of 2 or more letters marking sense-pauses and setting off.
- Abbreviations seen are B·, Ɋ· and the normal forms of Nomina Sacra; but ꝹI and ꝹO also occur written out; sanctus is abbreviated (SC̄S) only when accompanied by SP̄S. Omission of M and N occurs at line-end and is marked by a short horizontal over and after the vowel. A larger letter begins most pages - a sign of antiquity. Ink left yellowish traces.
- Script is an excellent early uncial; the eye of is open; N is broad; various ligatures occur at line-ends.
Palimpsest, primary script (for the secondary script, containing Gregory's Dialogues, etc., and, in parts of the manuscript, for the intermediate script containing an unidentified theological text, both in pre-Caroline minuscule saec. VIII, see preceding item).