Grime on the Patient Mariners

During the clean-up operation following a flood in a garage in Sawston, near Cambridge, a set of three scrolls was discovered. These were taken to an expert from the University of Oxford, who recognized their antiquity. Despite suffering severe water damage, the scrolls were identified as the 'Grime on the Patient Mariners', a chronicle of an Oxford Ball. Furthermore, it appeared that the scrolls in question were the original writings. Although one translation of these MSS (the Lingate) is preserved in a private collection, other translations, along with the originals, were thought to be lost.

A team of experts worked to restore the scrolls, restoring as much of the damage as possible. Unfortunately some parts of the MSS were beyond repair, but judicious comparison with the Lingate has enabled the complete reconstruction of the text.

The finished work is presented here for the benefit of the public. Although the precise identity of the original author(s) is unknown, other records of the period suggest that the chronicle was a result of a collaboration between three or four scholars at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. The unique insights afforded by these MSS shed light on an important period of English history.

The work is divided into three sections. These are presented here as chapters, faithful to the division by scroll. The text has been transcribed to facilitate reading, but facsimiles of the originals are also provided. Links to these are in the text chapters. The individual scrolls are further divided into 'pages' (following the stitching of the original) to reduce file sizes, and thumbnails are provided for rapid browsing. The page facsimiles are not overly compressed, in order to retain an impression of the original MS quality, and so the full-scale pages are somewhat large, up to about 100 k. The MSS is illuminated; larger scale views of some of the more interesting illustrations are also presented.

The transcribers made every effort to be faithful to the original - as the reader may verify for herself - and annotations to the text are provided only where the original was unclear. In such cases the Lingate was consulted, and indicated thus; L. Irregularities in spelling or punctuation, despite their strangeness to modern readers, have not been altered. In keeping with this philosophy, Latin phrases in the text are emphasized but not translated. Every effort has been made to maintain the line breaks, paragraph structure and punctuation of the original. 'Page' breaks in the scrolls, being divisions of material rather than content, are indicated thus; P, to facilitate comparison with the facsimiles. Some comments and notes are provided separately

 

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