Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preliminary: On Editions
- 1 Collecting the Witnesses
- 2 Finding a Copy-text and Transcribing it
- 3 Comparing the Witnesses, or Collation
- 4 The Examination of the Variants
- 5 Annotation
- Richard Rolle, ‘Super Canticum’ 4: Edition, Collation, and Translation
- Appendix: The Manuscripts
- Notes
- Index
Appendix: The Manuscripts
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preliminary: On Editions
- 1 Collecting the Witnesses
- 2 Finding a Copy-text and Transcribing it
- 3 Comparing the Witnesses, or Collation
- 4 The Examination of the Variants
- 5 Annotation
- Richard Rolle, ‘Super Canticum’ 4: Edition, Collation, and Translation
- Appendix: The Manuscripts
- Notes
- Index
Summary
As I point out above, any edition requires a bibliographical description of the witnesses to the text. As my initial listing of relevant manuscripts of ‘Super Canticum’ 4 indicates, this task has been performed very well for most of the copies. However, there are omissions, and I fulfil my editorial responsibility by here describing those five copies without published formal descriptions. The examples I offer here differ in format and detail from many of the published accounts of other copies; they deliberately offer you a model for the kinds of information useful for literary readers. Here I adopt one form of abbreviation formal catalogues would avoid: I cite Rolle's works in bold-face and by title only – references to some editions appear in nn. 26–8 and 42.
B Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 861
s. xv in. (parts of text 1 dated 1410–11, and other indications imply 1409–11). Paper, folded in folio; there are two stocks, one of very limited use:
A Leopard: identified by Allen as Briquet 3552 (dated 1408, with numerous variants in wide French use 1400–10); but more narrowly Piccard 15, ii (Raubtiere), nos 1354–67, paper from Troyes or Champagne, probably specifically his nos 1361–4, recorded from Arnhem 1411: the sole stock of quires 1–2, 5–14, and two sheets in quire 3: 72 full sheets and four unwater-marked halfsheets.
B Unicorn: one of Piccard 10 (Fabeltiere), nos 1561–1615, all very similar marks, again associated with Troyes, in wide use 1396 × 1410: the sole stock of quire 4 and four sheets in quire 3: ten full sheets.
Fols ii (numbered iii–iv) + 168. Overall 290 mm × 210 mm (writing area 220–225 mm × 150–165 mm, up to 170 mm in Booklet 1). With the exception of fols 128vb/28–132ra, later additions, written in a single very cursive anglicana with secretary a and rather pointy secretary ductus. In double columns, around 60–5 lines (68 at fol. 133r) to the page.
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- Editing Medieval Texts , pp. 141 - 160Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2015