9. Hrabanus Maurus. "Nate patris summi qui tela ferocia frangis [Carmen XV]," c. 835.
Published here in: Magnencij Rabani Mauri De lavdib[us] Sanctae Crucis opus Eruditione versu prosaq[ue] mirificum. Phorçheim: Thomas Anshelm, 1503.
Rare Book Collection Folio.Presented by the Hanes Foundation for the Study of the Origin and Development of the Book. (Physical exhibit displays facsimile.)

At the center of this poem stands the Lamb of God, surrounded by animals representing the four evangelists; naturally, the overall arrangement of the figures is cruciform. One can see here that Maurus left some positions in the letter grid blank, particularly to the left of the lamb and to the right of the ox. Also evident are occasional abbreviations and contractions, as in the "que" at the end of line 11 and the "tu" in the lower left quadrant. It appears that Maurus opted to maintain poetic integrity, rather than shoehorn in awkward wording for the sake of a visually perfect grid as his forebears sometimes did.