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| Below is a medieval manuscript of Abelard's Historia. (Description: MS 2085 in Latin on vellum, France, ca. 1350, 74 ff., in a compressed Gothic book script of medium grade and quality, from the Schoyan Collection.) Look at the decorated, rubricated capital 'C'. If you like to follow the Latin text from that point, it is at the right of the image. The printed text is from a critical edition so the abbreviations are filled out. Beyond abbreviations, look for differences.... In English, our Penguin edition starts that sentence out on page 36, "But then all the people," and the printed text to the right of the ms below runs to, "Paula comes to Jerusalem." (The ms finger points to three lines right below the word 'Paula'.) This is what medievalists do. Enjoy! |
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Cum autem omnes earum vicini vehementer me culparent quod earum inopie minus quam possem et deberem consulerem, et facile id nostra saltem predicatione valerem, cepi sepius ad eas reverti, ut eis quoquomodo subvenirem. In quo nec invidie mihi murmur defuit, et quod me facere sincera karitas compellebat, solita derogantium pravitas impudentissime accusabat, dicens me adhuc quadam carnalis concupiscentiae oblectatione teneri, qua pristine dilecte sustinere absentiam vix aut numquam paterer. Qui frequenter illam beati Jheronimi querimoniam mecum volvens qua ad Asellam de fictis amicis scribens, ait: "Nichil mihi obicitur nisi sexus meus, et hoc nunquam obiceretur nisi cum Jherosolimam Paula profisciscitur." |
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