The text samples provided in this section have been selected from across the text of the Seven Sages of Rome. Their purpose is to show different features of scribal language, presentation, and layout. Abbreviations used by the scribes are expanded in italics.
- Text Sample 1 provides manuscript transcriptions that correspond to lines A120–159 of this edition of the Seven Sages. The transcriptions are from the Auchinleck Manuscript and the Egerton Manuscript, presented in parallel for comparison. The passage gives the point early in the narrative where the emperor employs the seven sages to instruct his son.
- Text Sample 2 provides a transcription from the Auchinleck Manuscript of the passage that corresponds to lines 1169–1218 in this edition. It is provided in parallel with the edited text, which is here re-lineated for ease of comparison. This passage features the link to inset Tale 5, gaza, and the dialogue between the emperor and empress.
- Text Sample 3 provides manuscript transcriptions that correspond to lines 2755–2770 and lines 2755–E2805 of this edition. The transcriptions provided are from the Auchinleck Manuscript and give the point at which the manuscript ends imperfectly; the text of the Egerton Manuscript is presented in parallel for comparison. This passage is from inset Tale 13, Roma.
Students and teachers of Middle English might like to consider the following questions in relation to these extracts:
- How many variations can you observe between the language of the Auchinleck Manuscript and the Egerton Manuscript?
- At which levels of language (spelling, grammar, lexis, punctuation, visual layout, phrases) do variations between the manuscript texts occur?
- What are the possible reasons for these kinds of manuscript variations?
- How do these manuscript transcriptions compare to the edited text of the Seven Sages of Rome prepared for this edition? What decisions and changes have the editors of this edition made?
A recommended introduction to language variation and change that is relevant to these questions is Horobin and Smith, An Introduction to Middle English.