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The Testament of John Lydgate:
Long Melford Verses

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Sixth Panel
Compare Witnesses: •
Though thou be myghty þou art eke mercyable •
to alle folkis that mekely theym repente •
we wrecchis contrarious1 and culpale •
to alle outragis redy to assent •
but of hool herte and will in oure entent •
of olde and newe all vicious gouerance2 •
of youthe or3 age and of tyme mys spent •
graunte orwe deye shrifte hosill and repentance •
Notes
  1. This reading is unique to Long Melford. ↩
  2. While this line is damaged across the top, enough of the letters (in some cases, only the finishing strokes of the minims) remain to make out the scribal intent, including the pointed bottom of the v in “vicious.” There is also a a “de” ligature here—a form that can be seen more clearly in the “de” of “deye” in the final line. ↩
  3. This abbreviation is especially interesting because the scribe places the suspension mark above the “r”, but retains the form of the r that is only found in the “or” ligature. ↩

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The transcription of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. All rights to the images, however, are reserved as a courtesy to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Long Melford, which partially relies on donations for its upkeep. Please contact the editor with any requests.