A Lexical Comparison of Four Prick of Conscience Group-IV Manuscripts

Authors

• Edurne Garrido-Anes Universidad de Huelva

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51814/nm.109898

Keywords:

Prick of Conscience, manuscripts, lexicon, stemma

Abstract

Dublin, Trinity College, 157 (D.4.11) (MV 21), London, Lambeth Palace, 492 (MV 48), London, Sion College, Arc. L. 40. 2/E. 25 (MV 49) – from line 2,850 – and Shrewsbury, School, III (Mus. III. 39) (MV 95) were recently grouped together as the TLS₁S₂ subset within the Prick of Conscience Group-IV manuscripts. Apart from often showing identical – or closely related – deviant readings, these copies also display a fairly consistent shared pattern of significant textual omissions (author forthcoming). However, vocabulary variants – whether inherited or idiolectal, intentional or inadvertent, and stylistically or geographically conditioned – are by no means unusual across these four manuscripts. By providing a lexical comparison and analysis of the said copies, this paper aims to shed some light on individual scribal habits towards their presumed exemplar(s), thereby giving further insight into the TLS₁S₂ subgroup’s textual relations. The present analysis contributes to refining the history of this particular Group-IV branch through the identification of up to six different lexical layers.