E includes a title for the text written over three lines linked by a bracket: This boke ys / callyd the vij / sages of Rome. The title is written in the outer margin, has an initial rubricated capital T, and is enclosed within an inked frame drawn with cross-hatching and rubricaton.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceDioclician. The initial D is an enlarged capital in blue ink, with red-ink decoration, two lines high. The scribe of A indented the text at lines 127–28 to allow space for this enlarged letter to be added subsequently. Further penwork initials of this kind appears throughout the Seven Sages in A, at lines 209, 255, 287, 341, 457, 511, 551, 623, 645, 675, 701, 787, 843, 933, 967, 1003, 1103, 1169, 1219, 1275, 1329, 1351, 1401, 1511, 1549, 1645, 1663, 1933, 1955, 2015, 2057, 2155, 2189, 2265, 2311, 2329, 2417, 2467, 2519, 2553, and 2741. The scribe of A allowed indented spaces in the text of two or three lines high (switching from 2- to 3-lines deep from folio. 98v onwards) and included guide letters for the artist (as is visible beneath the decoration of the initial at line 843). All of these penwork initials are by the same hand, added as a single batch. The penwork is finely drawn by an accomplished artist using linear and foliate designs (there are no zoomorphic or anthropomorphic elements and no gilding). Blue ink is used for each letter, with red ink reserved for the decorative penwork surrounds and infills. The penwork includes lines, loops, lobes, dots, spirals, cross-hatch, quatrefoils, hooked and serifed finials, extended calligraphic tendrils, and tapering hairline strokes reaching into the margins (up to 17 lines in each vertical direction, above and below).
back to note sourcegentil. A: genal.
back to note sourceAnd. A: An.
back to note sourcefounden. A: fomden.
back to note sourcemetrike. A: mutike.
back to note sourceyer. A: ȝe.
back to note sourcewexen. A: weren.
back to note sourcemight. A: mit.
back to note sourcethe barons had. Erasure between the and had in A, which may have been the word þemperour but is now illegible. Emended from E: barons. B: conselle.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourcefalsenesse to torne. A: falsenesse torne.
back to note sourcesikerli. A: sikeli.
back to note sourcefram me hedde. A: fram hedde.
back to note sourceending. A: eding.
back to note sourcethousend. A: þounsed.
back to note sourceThere is a mark or smudge that extends across lines 288–92 and partially obscures the words to, toforn, and with his.
back to note sourceThemperour. A: Þenperour.
back to note sourceThe. A: Þ.
back to note sourcewald with wit. A: wald wit.
back to note sourcehit. A: hi.
back to note sourcedestrers. A: destres.
back to note sourceAnd in hire1. A: And hire.
back to note sourcemaidenhod. A: maindenhod.
back to note sourcehadde. A: dhadde.
back to note sourcehad. A: ad.
back to note sourceis. A: his.
back to note sourceappel tres and of. A: appel-tres and and of.
back to note sourcesolas. Erasure of one letter in A after this word.
back to note sourcelight. A: liȝ.
back to note sourceSeste. Erasure of one or two letters in A after this word.
back to note sourceiket. A: ikest.
back to note sourceHit is so. A: Hit so.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceferste. r added above in A.
back to note sourcedeciple. A: deciphe.
back to note sourceThere is an in initial paraph mark in blue ink.
back to note sourcehale. Erasure of one letter or space between a and l in this word in A.
back to note sourcesoukeying. A: souke ȝing.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourceTher. A: Þ.
back to note sourcewal. Deletion or damage after wal.
back to note sourcestrong. g added above in A.
back to note sourcegreihound. A: greihoun.
back to note sourceRight. t added above in A.
back to note sourceforth goth. A: goþ forþ.
back to note sourceand. d added above in A.
back to note sourceAnd1. A: & and.
back to note sourcesweting. g added above in A.
back to note sourceThere is a mark on the a of was.
back to note sourceEch dai he. A: Ech he.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourceAnd nyste what . . . wombe fulle withalle. Not in A. These lines are supplied from E (folio 16r).
back to note sourceTho. A: Þ.
back to note sourceherd. A: bor.
back to note sourcestrengthe. A: strengye.
back to note sourcenight. t added above in A.
back to note sourceunlek. A: unkek.
back to note sourceThan. A: Þþan.
back to note sourcehim sle bi. A: him bi.
back to note sourceYpocras. A: Þpocras. The initial letter Þ, sometimes with a dot above, appears several times and is transcribed here as Y.
back to note sourceschal. A: scha.
back to note sourcelere. A: l altered from another letter.
back to note sourcething. A: ȝing.
back to note sourceschal. A: scha.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceand2. A: a.
back to note sourceTo is written in the separated initial column.
back to note sourcenas. A: was.
back to note sourceThere is fading or smudging on hi of his.
back to note sourcewas. A: wa.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceAn. A: A.
back to note sourcehe. A: ȝhe.
back to note sourceForth. A: For.
back to note sourcethe. A: þe þe.
back to note sourcebi store. A: bistore.
back to note sourceischent. t added above in A.
back to note sourcelouerdes. A: loruedes.
back to note sourcean. A: and.
back to note sourcehis fet faste. A: his fet fet faste.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourcemight. A: miȝ.
back to note sourceAnd. d added above in A.
back to note sourcesikerlik. A: sikerklik.
back to note sourceDamage or smudge in A over Lentilioun.
back to note sourceneyhebours. A: neþhebours.
back to note sourcehusbounde. A: bounde.
back to note sourcefolk. A: fokk.
back to note sourceand3. A: an.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourcegive thee kare. A: ȝiue kare.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourcean. A: and.
back to note sourcehim in ar. A: him ar.
back to note sourceanswered. A: answere.
back to note sourceThere is no rubrication of the initial separated letter of these lines, as is found throughout this text. These are the final 15 lines of folio 92v, column a, in A and the rubrication recommences at the start of the next column.
back to note sourceWimmen he loved swithe. A: Wimmen he louede he louede swiþe.
back to note sourcesodomighte. A: so do miȝte.
back to note sourcewith hire plai. A: with plai.
back to note sourceBihot. A: Bi hot.
back to note sourceme. A: þe.
back to note sourcewhiderward. A: whideward.
back to note sourceagain. Second a corrected from o in A. A: agoin.
back to note sourceuprape. A: vrape.
back to note sourcewinning. A: winnng.
back to note sourcewhil. A: til.
back to note sourceof. Altered from oþ in A.
back to note sourceold and wis. A: old wis.
back to note sourceAnd bad him. A: And him.
back to note sourceand2. d added above in A.
back to note sourcehath. A: had.
back to note sourceympe. A: þmpe.
back to note sourceympe. A: þmpe.
back to note sourcelouerd. A: louer.
back to note sourceafterward. A: afterwar.
back to note sourceknif and smot. A: knif and here smot.
back to note sourceOf. A: O.
back to note sourceunderstonde. r added above in A.
back to note sourcemisdedes. A: misddedes.
back to note sourceAnd. A: An.
back to note sourceveyn. A: vreyn.
back to note sourcenou red me red. A: nou red me red me red.
back to note sourcewroth. A: wroȝt.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourceon a donjoun. A: on o donioun.
back to note sourceymage. A: þmage. The initial letter Þ, sometimes appears several times and is transcribed here as y.
back to note sourceThe. A: Þ.
back to note sourcebiwraid. A: bi wraid.
back to note sourceAnd. A: An.
back to note sourceelder. A: elderer.
back to note sourcegave. A: haue.
back to note sourceand. d added above in A.
back to note sourceThe. A: Þ.
back to note sourceThai. A: Þa.
back to note sourceStaining in A over night.
back to note sourcehir wete and his. There is a word missing in A, with a space of around four letters hire . . . and his; wete is supplied from E.
back to note sourcethee sschal despise. A: þe spise.
back to note sourcefourten. A: r added above.
back to note sourcething. A: king.
back to note sourceSir is written in the separated initial column.
back to note sourcewel have. A: wel wel haue.
back to note sourcethemperour. A: þempour.
back to note sourceFro. A: For.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourceThat. A: Þa.
back to note sourceIch. A: Iich.
back to note sourceAnd had a yong. A: And ȝong.
back to note sourcelovede hire has. A: louede has.
back to note sourcehis. A: hir.
back to note sourceHe. A: Ȝhe.
back to note sourcehe. A: sche.
back to note sourcehir2. A: him.
back to note sourceand. A: an.
back to note sourceconfort. A: confor.
back to note sourcehire. A: him.
back to note sourceHe thought that. A: He þat.
back to note sourcehe. A: ȝhe.
back to note sourceBlot or stain in A over the u of thousand.
back to note sourceThe explicit is marked with a rubricated paraph mark.
back to note source