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Manuscript Description
London, British Library, Sloane 2578
 
Title:Piers Plowman
Author:Langland
Contents:Langland, Piers Plowman, B-text; prophecies in verse and prose, mostly in English.
Language:English and Latin
Date Range:Late 15th or 16th century, based on the script.
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Material:Paper
No of Folios:4 new heavy paper flyleaves, first of which marbled on recto + 4 paper flyleaves + texts on ff5-111v + 6 more paper leaves now ff112-117 + 4 heavy paper flyleaves last of which marbled on verso.
Pagination:Modern pencil 1-117 including flyleaves at front and back, not including heavy paper modern flyleaves; an older ink foliation begins with a symbol on f5, and number 1 on f6, continuing 5 lower through the volume to '107' on modern f112 which is blank on recto and begins the index at back on verso.
Quiring:8s or 12s; difficult to tell.
Signatures:Signatures(?) lower edge of page 21 (old foliation 16) on recto near the gutter, 'd
and on f23 both '6' and 'f', on f24 both '7' and 'g', on f25 both '8' and 'h'.
Catchwords:None
Page Size:203 x 152
Frame:2 x vertical lines to edges, drypoint, or only left and it shows through from one side to the other; allows wide space at outer edge for notes, glosses, of which majority are cross-references to folios and a or b to lead reader to other prophecies of similar content(?)
Writing Space:188 x 102 on f107v
Index:Alphabetical index on flyleaves at front and back referring to folios and a for recto and b for verso. Written late 15th or 16th century.
Marginal Headings:Not many, occasionally to content, as 'The egle' on f70v at beginning of a new prophecie beginning, 'The same prince faire of face'
Other Names (not owners):Many names in the prophecies.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP