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Hand 2
 
Current Manuscript:London, British Library MS Egerton 2726
Folios:49-55 (except for lines 1-8 on f49); 64-270v (except for 111r).
Sampled Folios:156v
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A
Usage: mannes
anglicana and secretary forms of 'a' are used by this scribe in roughly equal proportion. The top of anglicana 'a' stands above the level of the other letters. The graph is straight-sided with cross-bar.
Usage: haden
single compartment 'a' with hair-line.
Usage: At
upper case 'A' at the beginning of a line.
Usage: Arueragus
 
D
Usage: maydens
typical shape of 'd'.'d' is always looped.
Usage: 'defouled
a more rounded version.
Usage: defouled
'd' with long tag used in final position.
Usage: haden'
unlooped 'd' on the top line of verse.
 
G
Usage: Cartage
typical anglicana 'g' found almost exclusively.
Usage: wight
the only secretary tailed 'g' on this folio.
Usage: Arueragus
'g' takes on the shape of a rounded number 8.
  
 
H
Usage: Than
'h' has an open head when used in initial position or when not otherwise joined to a preceding letter. The short tag at the lower left end of the shaft is frequently present when 'h' stands alone.
Usage: children
the 'ch' combination here shows the closed top when 'h' is combined with 'g', 't' etc. Although the tail-stroke almost always curls round smoothly, the scribe occasionally ends by flicking it to the right.
Usage: Han
initial letter of the line. The form of this upper case letter is similar to that of Hand 1 in this manuscript.
Usage: Hasterubales
upper case 'H' within the text.
 
R
Usage: byraft
long 'r' used as well as modern 'r'. The lower fork of the letter is sometimes in line with the lower line of previous and following letters but sometimes falls well below this level.
Usage: rather
where modern 'r' occurs at the end of a word there is usually a flourish attached.
Usage: stories
again 'z' shaped 'r' used after 'o'.
Usage: Romaynes
upper case 'R'.
 
S
Usage: soch
sigma 's' used in both initial and final positions.
Usage: best
long 's' always used in medial position and occasionally initially.
Usage: despit
extended top of long 's' when used on the top line.
Usage: maydens
where 's' is the final letter of a word and the word is followed by a virgule, the virgule is attached to the letter.
 
W
Usage: Now
this scribe appears to have so many different forms of 'w' it is difficult to choose. Here the elaborate finishing stroke may be because the word occurs on the top line.
Usage: Wele
although in initial position in this word, this cursive form of 'w' is used elsewhere in the text as a lower case letter.
Usage: sawe
the same form as in version 1 but with closed top stroke.
Usage: wele
another different version.
 
Y
Usage: thynketh
'y' is frequently dotted as here. The shape of 'y' is mainly consistent throughout this folio.
Usage: yslayn
note the virgule which here is attached to the 'y' at the beginning of the word.
    
 
Face decoration.
Usage: Now
the opening word on the folio with face decoration.
  
    
 
Flourishes and macrons
Usage: Romayn
a simple flourish over the 'n'.
Usage: children
here it extends over two letters.
Usage: sleyn
last letter of line with macron extending way into the margin.
Usage: toun
again the last word of the line with flourish over the entire word.
 
Thorn
Usage: þe
occasional use of thorn.
Usage: þat
the stem of thorn is long and tapering.
    
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP