You’re most welcome, Carole! I had done some reading recently on Caroline & Gothic scripts and so was familiar with a few of the conventions. Aside from the index, the actual text is quite legible. Once I figured out I was in the 2nd volume, it was just a matter of going back to MDZ and looking for the first volume. Herr Hassler had already done the “heavy lifting”; all I had to do was find the appropriate section and compare the original text with Hassler’s. Anyway, it was fun! I really enjoyed doing it.
With respect to spectaret, I have to defer to mwh’s opinion that this was probably a scribal error and should be the infinitive spectare. When it comes to grammar (and most things classical for that matter), he is without peer.
P.S
Here’s a link to a good introduction to paleography:
http://guindo.pntic.mec.es/jmag0042/LATIN_PALEOGRAPHY.pdf
Check out page 51 and following.