Manuscript Description London, British Library MS Harley 372 | |
Title: | Anelida and Arcite, Regiment of Princes |
Author: | Chaucer and Hoccleve |
Contents: | Several booklets bound together to form this volume which includes; Lives of Saints Edmund and Fremund; Anelida and Arcite (ff57-60); Regiment of Princes (acephalous copy). |
Language: | English |
Date Range: | 1450-1475 |
Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. |
Material: | Paper |
No of Folios: | 114 |
Quiring: | 1(20), 2(24), 3(12), 4(14), 5(18 missing 1), 6(20) plus 5 folios possibly all singles. |
Signatures: | Only signatures on ff45-56. The arabic numbers 1-6 in the lower right corners of the folios. |
Catchwords: | Only by the Hammond scribe. |
Page Size: | 295 x 210 which appears to be completely uncropped |
Frame: | Square of brown crayon or dry-point; 2 x vertical, 2 x main horizontals but on some folios it is possible to see 5 horizontal guide lines for the six stanzas on the folio. |
Writing Space: | 210 x 120 but varies when glosses are included |
Incipits and Explicits: | Incipit by scribe in right margin 'Here begynneth the Compleynt of faire Anelida & fals Arcite final abbreviated 'Ex(t)' inside a bracketted box in the centre of f60v below the text. |
Marginal Headings: | Usually marginal by the scribe. On f. 57 'Here begynneth the Complaynt of faire Anelida & fals Arcite' (note that acephalous text did run before this: three lines of previous section of text are at top of page 71, once covered by pasted-on piece of paper with 17-18th c. writing, 'The author of this Treatise w[ ] Thomas Hoccliue Scholler to Geffrey Chaucer'. |
Paragraph Marks: | Red and blue paraphs on ff1-44 and f51-52. |
Flourished Initials: | Space left for initial 'T' to open the text with small guide letter visible; no adornment at all for the Chaucer text. |
Other Names (not owners): | Owned by Sir Symond d'Ewes. Went to Harley in 1705. |
Miscellaneous Info: | Hand 1 ff1-56; Hand 2 ff57-70; Hand 3 ff71-112 is the Hammond Scribe; Hand 4 f113; Hand 5 f114. We have examined Hands 2 and 3, responsible for copying Chaucer and Hoccleve. |
Further Information: | Harley Catalogue, 1.217; Seymour: I 37-38. |