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Manuscript Description
Cambridge, Trinity College MS R.3.14 (594)
 
MS Appellation:M. R. James catalogue 594
Title:Piers Plowman, AC hybrid
Author:Langland
Contents:Piers Plowman; ends half-way down f74v with rubric 'Explicit'
Language:English and Latin
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:Parchment
No of Folios:2 original parchment flyleaves (to first recto attached a letter from Skeat) + text folios 1-74 + parchment stub + 1 paper flyleaf
Pagination:Modern pencil in upper outer corners recto, counting the flyleaf at front that has picture of plowman as 1, text on 2 to 74; older foliation shows there was another portion of MS at beginning, 22 leaves long: roman numerals on versos foliating beginning 'xxiii' on the leaf with picture (both number and picture on the verso) and continuing to 81 shown as iiij with two 'x's over and a 'j' after; thereafter either stopped or cropped or came back to complete later since occasionally uses arabic (82 is arabic 4 with two 'x's over and arabic '2' after, and sometimes using romans but smaller and darker ink, continues to verso of f74 (last leaf) with cvij.
Quiring:Generally 12s
Signatures:Modern pencil signatures just letter in lower outer corner first leaf each quire, 'b' on f14, 'c' on f26, 'd' on f38, 'e' on f50, etc.
Catchwords:Mostly cropped, but see f13v where top of catchword survives, in box with what looks like Pinkhurst knotted tremolo to right.
Page Size:285 x 167
Frame:2 x vertical, 2 x horizontal, ruled within, in fine grey lines, mostly invisible; top line of text sits on top of the top frame line, or the frame line runs through it; no pricking survives.
Writing Space:248 x 130
Marginal Headings:By scribe same ink and script as text, red washed initial and red underlined, eg 'Passus quartus de dowel' on f36. Passus headings preceded by red triangle that forms left side of a box of fine red line around the heading, eg 'Primus passus de visione' on f3r.
Miniatures:Miniature on f1v whole top half of page, showing the plowman with plough drawn by two oxen, wife alongside with prod in hand, above it in red, same slightly orange-red of the decoration in text, is written 'God spede (thorn)e plou(yogh): & sende us korne I now'
Flourished Initials:6-line initial 'I' in red on f2r at beginning of text, red penwork around red letter, forming face on left side, penwork extending up and down in margin; thereafter plain 2-line red initials. Ascenders of top line on f2 are extended into top margin and decorated; initials of Latin lines are coloured in/smeared over with red and some underlined as well.
Other Names (not owners):Given by Thomas Nevile (bookplate on f1v below picture). NB. On verso first flyleaf mostly cropped so just bottoms of letters at top edge of page, perhaps Constat magi[ ] or miche ?
Further Information:James Catalogue, 3. 64-65. James cites Skeat's letter from flyleaf, but also his edition in which Skeat calls this 'mixed text, group c. The oldest MS. Of the largest group.' (James III.64). This is the MS with splendid picture of plowman on front flyleaf, f1v.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP