Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1960, Blaðsíða 158

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script called Ferjubok (AM 163d, fol.), yet 1003 and Ferjubok can
neither of them be copied from the otber; the only conclusion
possible is that they are derived from a common original, a copy
of Oddabok.
Now although 1003 is not a direct copy of Oddabok, Påll Sveins-
son did nonetheless copy it. For in the margin at the foot of f. 51 v
of Oddabok there is a scribbling which, brief though it is, seems to
be quite certainly in the handwriting of Påll Sveinsson as it is
known from 1002-3. It reads: fa Jm omak fo driug fem J>ii ertt |
\)ad mm J>eim Joikia sem epter pier klorar. This implies fairly cer-
tainly that Påll Sveinsson made a copy of Oddabok; and there is a
manuscript in the Ama-Magnæan Collection, AM 396, fol., which
could be this copy. Textually 396 may well be the common original
of 1003 and Ferjubok and intermediate between them and Oddabok;
and as far as the handwriting is concerned, 396 and 1003 might be
written by the same man, i.e. Påll Sveinsson, though the hand-
writing is not exactly the same.
In the case of Njåls saga, then, Påll Sveinsson probably copied
his own copy of a vellum that was not very far away at Oddi.
The subsequent history of the two manuscripts in Iceland is not
known, but at least it was short and probably unadventurous. Only
a little over 20 years after they were written the manuscripts came
into the Royal Library in Copenhagen. They were in fine condition,
showing little sign of use, and since the Icelander who presented the
manuscripts to the king was living at that time at Oddi it is likely
enough that the manuscripts had not previously been out of Sou-
thern Iceland.
It has always been known that the manuscripts came to the Royal
Library from Bjorn Lorleifsson, who had just succeeded his father
as vicar of Oddi. The letter he wrote to accompany his gift to the
king is preserved inside the front cover of 1002. The gist of the letter
is given in Kålund’s catalogue, but to complete the story of the
manuscripts the letter is given in full here. Bjorn wrote it in Copen-
hagen on January 29th, 1692, and he evidently took some thought
in composing it and some care in writing it out—though it is not
entirely free from error.