EN1
Facsimile
Transcription
Seint Dunston was of enguelonde : i come of guode more
miracle ore louerd dude for him : þe ȝuyt he was unbore
for þo he was in his moder wombe : In a candel masse day
þat folk was muche at churche : ase hit to þe tyme lay
As huy stoden alle with heore liȝt : riȝt also men stondeth ȝuit nou
heore liȝt queincte ouer al : þat no mon nuste hou
here þat liȝt barnde swiþe wel : and here it was al oute
þat folk stod al in gret wonder : and weren in grete doute
And bi speken ech to oþur : in ȝwuche mane it were
þat it queinte so sodeinliche : al þat liȝt þat huy bere
Also huy stoden and þar of speken : in gret wonder ech on
Seint Dunstones moder taper : a fuyre werth a non
þat heo huld in hire hond : heo nuste ȝwannes it cam
þat folk stod and þat bi huld : and gret wonder þar of it nam
No man nuste fro ȝwannes it cam : bote þoru ore louerdes grace
þarof huy tenden alle heore liȝt : þat weren in þe place
Notes and Questions
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The initial letters of each line in this manuscript are separated from the line itself. These letters, so-called litterae notabiliores, have a decorative purpose.
The most of initial letters and letters after colons have red stains. Probably, they are also used in decorative way.
This spacing and red-pricking technique is used in other Middle English poetry manuscripts too: the Auchinleck manuscript (National Library of Scotland, Advocates MS 19.2.1 I think) is full of it. It may have helped the scribe avoid line-skipping when looking back and forth to an exemplar?