Garrett Library Chaucer Stow Edition (1561) Manuscript Notes

        The Garrett Library (Johns Hopkins University at Evergreen) contains several Renaissance editions of Chaucer's collected works.  While examining them for signs of readers' interactions, we have found two copies ("A" and "B") of John Stow's 1561 edition, The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newlie printed, containing manuscript notes in several hands.  In different places in each copy, a similar, lengthy annotation appears.  The images below represent the extended note, and samples of hands 1 and 2 in the "A" copy, in which the larger annotation survives with greater clarity and completeness.  Clicking on each image will take you to a full-sized version of the JPEG file which produced it.  Try to answer the first question, and as many of the others as you can, but more importantly, explain what you did in order to answer each question, including sources used, and reasons for using those specific sources.

        What does the larger annotation say and in what languages?  Are the notes original or copies of something in Chaucer's text, or from some other text?  What purpose does each note appear to serve for its author?  Do we have evidence that either Hand 1 or Hand 2 produce the longer annotation, and can we date, approximately, either Hand 1 or Hand 2?  If you cannot completely answer these questions from looking at these digital surrogates, what is your next move as a researcher?

Folio ccclv verso

Hand 1 Fo. cclxxviii verso

Hand 2 Fo. ccclxiiii recto

(These photographs are reproduced by permission of The John Work Garrett Library, Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University.)