Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1970, Page 351
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of a given Ms. of this binding-type appearing to correspond with
any other is 2 in 54 (less than 4 per cent), and the chance that
it will then agree with a specific one among the other 53 is 1 in 53
(less than 2 per cent), the chance of two given Mss. of this binding-
type seeming to agree with each other is about 2 per cent of 4
per cent, or 0.08 per cent. When we combine this with the coin-
cidence needed for our two fragments to show this kind of binding
at all, there is a chance of something like 0.08 per cent of 1 per cent,
or 8 in a million, that it is all coincidence. To this may be added
the chance of the fragments of Viga-Gtums saga fitting together,
as they do, and the chance of their also agreeing in column-height
and width and in orthography. The act of faith required to believe
that all this is coincidence is too great to be taken seriously;
it must be regarded as virtually certain that the two fragments
originate from the same codex.
7.1. But there is another Ms. fragment whose binding-holes cor-
respond with those of AM 445c,I and AM 564a. This is AM 445b,
4to, an eleven-leaf fragment dated by the Arnamagnæan Catalogue
to the 15th century40, and containing—
1. The two surviving fragments of the Melabok version of Land-
ndmabåk (ff.1-2).
2. Vatnsdæla saga—one fragment (f.3).
3. Floamanna saga—two fragments (ff.4-5rb5).
4. Eyrbyggja saga—six fragments, the last followed by the be-
ginning of Ævi Snorra Goda (ff.5rb6-ll).
7.2. When the column-heights and widths in this fragment are
compared with those in the other two, the following figures emerge—
Inner col. width
Outer col. width
Aggregate width
Column height
Average col. height
(*—shrunken leaf)
AM 445b, 4to
98-108 mm.
82-93 mm.
183-200 mm.
190*-223 mm.
207 mm.
AM 445c,I, 4to
100-107 mm.
82-93 mm.
185—195 mm.
204-206 mm.
205 mm.
AM 564a, 4to
91-97 mm.
86-93 mm.
182-190 mm.
203-217 mm.
208 mm.
In every case, the measurements in AM 445b correspond almost
exactly with those in at least one of the other two fragments,
40 Katalog over Den Arnamagnceanslce Håndskriftsamling, Vol. 1, p. 641.