Considering how short and how clearly written the Gaelic entries, nos. I-VI, and the Latin charter, no. VII, really are it is surprising how many misreadings and misinterpretations have appeared in the various editions listed above in the Preface. This may be due in part to what appears to be the fact, that not one of the editors examined the manuscript itself; that some used the unsatisfactory facsimiles published by Innes and Stuart; and that others merely copied their predecessors' texts. Stokes must have worked from a transcript sent him by Bradshaw, and even Fraser used photographs, though he acknowledges the help of Mr N. Ker, then of Magdalene, in‘a careful examination of certain parts of the MS’. This being so, it has seemed desirable to print here a ‘diplomatic’ edition of the texts, arranged as they stand in the MS (whether marginal or otherwise), with all the contraction marks, etc., reproduced unexpanded, followed by palaeographical notes; and after that an ‘edited’ text (partly for the use of students), a translation, and a full commentary, both general and linguistic. Further linguistic notes will be found in the discussion of the language and spelling, pp. 125ff., and in the Glossarial Index.

It should be mentioned that all the texts except the Latin of no. VII are liberally sprinkled with what appear to be acute accents, such as are normally used to indicate long vowels or diphthongs in Irish and Scottish Gaelic MSS. This cannot be their purpose here, however, since many of them are written over short vowels, and others even over consonants.