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The Testament of John Lydgate:
Long Melford Verses

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North Wall (View Model)
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First Panel1
Compare Witnesses:
Saue vs thyn seruantes olord in thyn mercy2
for lak of whiche late vs not be confundid
for [..] [...] [...] oure hope stant fynally3
[...] [...] [...] [....] [..] the ihesu is groundid
for oure [......] [......] ihesu thou were woundid4
naked on the roode by mortall gret penauannce
by whiche the power of satan was confundid
graunte or we deye shrifte hosell and repentaunce
Notes
  1. This is the third of the five-stanza sequence of verses found in Bodleian Laud 683, BL Harley 218, and BL Harley 2255 that is also at Long Melford. In those witnesses, where it is verse 70, it reads "Saluum me fac in misercordia tua domine" [“Save me in your mercy, Lord”]. The verse is from Psalm 30:17.
  2. The number of minims in “seruants,” the lack of a any indication of a suspension mark, and the lack of the finishing stroke on the leftmost minim on the remnant of the fourth letter indicates that this is the intended spelling. Likewise, the rightmost minim of the third letter of the second word indicates that this should be “saue” rather than “save,” which is consistent with scribe’s decisions between the two in the rest of the chapel. Additionally, slight remnants of the terminal “d” and the unique descender of the “r” in the “or” ligature in the word “lord” can be seen, making it likely “olord” rather than the two words separately. See “hosell” at the bottom of the panel for an example of how the scribe connects “o” to letters with tall ascenders.
  3. While the “or” in “for” is largely missing, enough of the ligature remains to make it clear this is the intended word. Likewise, the initial “o” in “oure” is missing, but the remaining partial minims indicate that is the intended word. Unfortunately, a portion of the panel has been cut out and what remains is insufficient to determine spelling or placement of words in the missing section.
  4. The final word in this line is significantly damaged, but enough remains – the top portion of the initial “w,” the “o”, the tops of both “d’s”, and the tittle for the “i” between them – to determine that “woundid” is the intended word here.