MS. Bodl. 578

Hand(s)

Written in a clear Anglicana. We find the distinctive two compartment a (alongside a Secretary one). The letter d has two forms, one Anglicana with a looped ascender, the other a form with a triangular body, and an ascender consisting of the lengthening of the right hand side of the triangle. This ascender is straight and has no loop, and shows the Secretary influence in the hand. The g is still the typical 8-shaped two compartment one of Anglicana. Of the letter r we find four forms, the long r, and three 2-shaped varieties, resembling v, z and 3 respectively. Initially and medially we find long s, finally short s. The letters y and thorn are clearly distinguishable. The y is not dotted but has a descender curving to the right and is differently shaped from the thorn. Yogh is used and has the flat-topped 3-shape, much like the z. This hand does not feature any Anglicana forms of w, but consistently has the simple Secretary variety. It is a firm and clear, upright script. The loops are generally rounded rather than angular. These features combine to suggest a date around the middle of the fifteenth century (Blom-smith, 'The lyf of oure Lord and the Virgyn Mary', p. lvi)