Texts Level:  Rubric

Definition:  Author- and/or title-like information in the manuscript, often set off from the main body of the text by red ink, underlining, display script or spacing.

Comment:  The opening rubric of a text often contains the words "incipit" or "here begins" or the like, and thus risks being mistaken for the incipit; the physical display mechanisms listed above are not in and of themselves sufficient to meet the definition of "rubric" which must have some sort of title-page-like information. See the Comment for the field Incipit regarding matters of transcription. Note that DS doesn't provide a field for the closing rubric, at the end of a text, which may also contain author/title information; nor does DS offer a field for the scribal colophon. In both cases, if the inputter/cataloguer decides that there is material of interest, he could include an image of the leaf with the final rubric or colophon, and if desired, transcribe either one in the image's caption.

Example:

• [rubric] Here begins the Dominical Prayer, [incipit] Our father who art in heaven . . .
• [rubric] Incipit oratio dominica, [incipit] Pater noster qui es in celis . . .

Properties:  Data type: Memo (changed 2009-05-04 for vers. 9.0.2; previously: Data type: text. Field size: 255 characters).

Required?:  No.