PROJECT RESOURCES / MANUSCRIPT DESCRIPTION
London, British Library, MS Egerton 826
Described by: Described from microfilm by Ryan Perry.
Source:
Revision Date: June 1st, 2010
Heading
Book to a Mother, late C14- early C15.Condition of the MS
There are signs of water damage, and perhaps due to this, some of the running titles are smudged. There are a total of six missing leaves in the book, and if the book once contained a full text many quires have been lost from the rear of the book.Number of Items
1Title(s) of Pseudo-Bonaventuran Text(s)
Book to a Mother, text ends imperfectly through loss of through loss of quires at rear (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2); the catchwords '& aftur' (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2) indicate that the text continued beyond this point.Incipit
--Colophon
N/ASecundo Folio
--Explicit
Ends imperfectly on fol. ??, 'and absteyne him from alle synne.' (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2)Languages of the MS
English text; there is some Latin writing by a reader.Detailed Description of Contents
1Estimated Date of Production
Estimates vary from late-C14 to early C15.Writing Support
Parchment.Foliation
1Dimensions of Page and Writing Space
Folio size: 143.5 x 96.5 mm approx. 106.5-113.5 x 67.5-71.5 mm approx. (area increases during scribe A's stint. Collation
18 -2 (lacks 2-3), 28, 38, 48, 58, 68 -2 (Lacks 7-8), 78 -2, 88. ??Layout
1 column, ? lines;Rubrication/ Ordinatio
?-line spaces left for initials with guide letters only; red paraphs provide subdivisions in first quire but are subsequently discontinued. There is discontinuity and irregularity in other features of the ordinatio, such as the intermittent inclusion of running titles (in red ink), which may thus either indicate portions of text of particular interest to the patron, or that the exemplar also included a partial set of titles; text in the first quire also includes headings in red-ink within the text; the use of headings at this early part of the transcription is partly explainable by the fundamental and recognisable material included in this part of Book to a Mother, such as the Pater Noster, Ave Maria and Creed; there is also evidence of that fairly common tendency to dress the opening of a volume more completely than its subsequent parts.
The execution of running titles and punctuation marks such as double punctus strokes (for paraphs), single punctus strokes (commas) and the use of punctus elevatus marks appears to be fairly consistent between the scribal stints.Illustration
N/ANumber of Scribal Hands
3
A: fols 1-??
B: fols ??-
C: fols Style of Hands
All hands write in unaccomplished textura scripts; hand C pens a less attractive script than A in what appears to be darker ink; interestingly, each scribe pens his own rubrics/ running titles, perhaps suggesting that the work was split between scribes for completion of both text and rubrics before being compiled.Estimated Date of Hands
Late-C14 to early C15.Scribal Annotation
1Notable Dialect Features
Hand A has been profiled in LALME, vol. I, p. 109; vol. III, pp. 523-5, LP 4682. Grid 411 280.Localisable on Google Earth
(click markers to view sample dialect forms)
Annotation and Marginalia
1Graffitti
1Names recorded, signatures, ex libris marks
Among other less decipherable writing is the name 'John mayffeld', fol. 22v, late C15-C16.
'Wyllyim Knyght of Stoke gentyllman', inverted in lower margin, fol. 48r; interestingly, the 'K' of the surname has been fashioned into what may be a Merchant's Mark, late C15-C16. Notes
1References and Other Resources
Adrian McCarthy, Book to a Mother: An Edition with Commentary, (Salzburg, 1981).
James Morey, Book and Verse: A Guide to Middle English Biblical Literature, (Urbana; Chicago, 2000) pp 231-233.
Heading
Book to a Mother, late C14- early C15.
Condition of the MS
There are signs of water damage, and perhaps due to this, some of the running titles are smudged. There are a total of six missing leaves in the book, and if the book once contained a full text many quires have been lost from the rear of the book.
Number of Items
1
Title(s) of Pseudo-Bonaventuran Text(s)
Book to a Mother, text ends imperfectly through loss of through loss of quires at rear (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2); the catchwords '& aftur' (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2) indicate that the text continued beyond this point.
Incipit
--
Colophon
N/A
Secundo Folio
--
Explicit
Ends imperfectly on fol. ??, 'and absteyne him from alle synne.' (McCarthy, p. 66, l. 2)
Languages of the MS
English text; there is some Latin writing by a reader.
Detailed Description of Contents
1
Estimated Date of Production
Estimates vary from late-C14 to early C15.
Writing Support
Parchment.
Foliation
1
Dimensions of Page and Writing Space
Collation
18 -2 (lacks 2-3), 28, 38, 48, 58, 68 -2 (Lacks 7-8), 78 -2, 88. ??
Layout
1 column, ? lines;
Rubrication/ Ordinatio
?-line spaces left for initials with guide letters only; red paraphs provide subdivisions in first quire but are subsequently discontinued. There is discontinuity and irregularity in other features of the ordinatio, such as the intermittent inclusion of running titles (in red ink), which may thus either indicate portions of text of particular interest to the patron, or that the exemplar also included a partial set of titles; text in the first quire also includes headings in red-ink within the text; the use of headings at this early part of the transcription is partly explainable by the fundamental and recognisable material included in this part of Book to a Mother, such as the Pater Noster, Ave Maria and Creed; there is also evidence of that fairly common tendency to dress the opening of a volume more completely than its subsequent parts.
The execution of running titles and punctuation marks such as double punctus strokes (for paraphs), single punctus strokes (commas) and the use of punctus elevatus marks appears to be fairly consistent between the scribal stints.
The execution of running titles and punctuation marks such as double punctus strokes (for paraphs), single punctus strokes (commas) and the use of punctus elevatus marks appears to be fairly consistent between the scribal stints.
Illustration
N/A
Number of Scribal Hands
3
A: fols 1-??
B: fols ??-
C: fols
Style of Hands
All hands write in unaccomplished textura scripts; hand C pens a less attractive script than A in what appears to be darker ink; interestingly, each scribe pens his own rubrics/ running titles, perhaps suggesting that the work was split between scribes for completion of both text and rubrics before being compiled.
Estimated Date of Hands
Late-C14 to early C15.
Scribal Annotation
1
Notable Dialect Features
Hand A has been profiled in LALME, vol. I, p. 109; vol. III, pp. 523-5, LP 4682. Grid 411 280.
Localisable on Google Earth
(click markers to view sample dialect forms)
Annotation and Marginalia
1
Graffitti
1
Names recorded, signatures, ex libris marks
Notes
1
References and Other Resources
Adrian McCarthy, Book to a Mother: An Edition with Commentary, (Salzburg, 1981).
James Morey, Book and Verse: A Guide to Middle English Biblical Literature, (Urbana; Chicago, 2000) pp 231-233.
James Morey, Book and Verse: A Guide to Middle English Biblical Literature, (Urbana; Chicago, 2000) pp 231-233.