Nodicia de kesos

In the early 20th century, Zacarías García Villada discovered the Nodicia de kesos on the backside of a tenth-century parchment recording a gift to the monastery of San Justo y Pastor, which was located in either Chozas de Abajo or Ardón del Esla in the Kingdom of León.^[1] It is a list of the cheeses used up by the monastery in various activities, either as food or as payment. Its orthography is reflective of early Iberian Romance pronunciation and diverges sharply from classical Latin. It is of interest as being perhaps the first surviving text in the Leonese dialect, but more probably it represents an Iberian Romance predating any useful distinction between Leonese and Castilian.^[2] The conventional title of the list comes from its first three words (incipit) and means "list of cheeses", similar to modern Spanish noticia / lista / relación de (los) quesos.

The document is currently Manuscript 852 in the Cathedral of León.

Text

1st column

Nodicia de /kesos que /espisit frater /Semeno: jn labore /de fratres jn ilo ba- /celare /de cirka Sancte Ius- /te, kesos U; jn ilo /alio de apate, /II kesos; en [que] /puseron ogano, /kesos IIII; jn ilo /de Kastrelo, I; /jn ila vinia majore, /II

List of /cheeses that spent friar /Semeno: in the work/ of the friars in the vi /neyard /near Saint Just,/ 5 cheeses; in the /other of the abbot, /2 cheeses; in [the one that]/ they put this year, / 4 cheeses; in the one /of Castrillo, 1; /in the main vineyard, 2

2nd column

/que lebaron en fosado, /II, ad ila tore; /que baron a Cegia, /II, quando la talia- /ron ila mesa; II que /lebaron Lejione; II /..s...en /u...re... /...que... /...c... /...e...u /...alio (?) /... /g... Uane Ece; alio ke le /ba de sopbrino de Gomi /de do...a...; IIII que espi- /seron quando llo rege /uenit ad Rocola; /I qua salbatore ibi /uenit

/that they took as war tribute, /2, to the tower; that they took to Cea, /2, when they car- /ved the table; 2 that /they took to León; 2/..s...en /u...re... /...que... /...c... /...e...u /...other (?) /... /g... Uane Ece /another that to /ok Gomi's nephew /de do...a...; 4 that they spe- /nt when the king /came to Rozuela; /1 when Salvador /came there.

References