Medieval Latin Abbreviation
Paul Mackenzie
I have come across the following latin abbreviation in an english
medieval document
+t'
The first part is similar to a cross, the next looks like a t, finally
followed by an abbreviation in the shape of an apostrophe.
Any comments.
Regards
Paul
John Briggs
Yes - did it not occur to you that the context might be essential?
--
John Briggs
Paul Mackenzie
Yes, it did occur to me, though it was used in many contexts, so I did
not include the specific context. The following extract comes from
legal proceedings before the Kings Bench during 1346.
..........Et p[re]d[ic]tus Joh[ann]es p[ro]testando non cognov[i]to
aliquod mah[ere]m[iu]m +t' dicto quod quid Will[elmu]s fil[ius]
Will[elm]i West ip[su]m Joh[ann]em ibide[m] die + anno p[re]d[ic]tis
insultavit ad v[er]b[er]and[um] et vuln[er]and[um] ad unkn
insultu[] accessit p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s et sit mah[]n quod idem
Nich[olau]s ibide[m] recipit si q[uo]d fuit hoc fuit p[er] infortunium
+t' Et non ex felonia seu unkn precogitata Et petit unkn si
p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s aliqui[] unkn in p[er]sona ipsuis Joh[ann]is
assignare possit +t' Et p[re]d[ic]tus.....
Kind Regards
Paul
B. T. Raven
Do you have an image of the manuscript that you could ftp to your webspace?
Maybe the symbol is a fylfot. "unkn" looks like some form of malum. Who
added the letters in brackets?
Eduardus
Aug. de Man
> aliquod mah[ere]m[iu]m +t' dicto quod quid Will[elmu]s fil[ius]
> Will[elm]i West ip[su]m Joh[ann]em ibide[m] die + anno p[re]d[ic]tis
> insultavit ad v[er]b[er]and[um] et vuln[er]and[um] ad unkn
> insultu[] accessit p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s et sit mah[]n quod idem
> Nich[olau]s ibide[m] recipit si q[uo]d fuit hoc fuit p[er] infortunium
> +t' Et non ex felonia seu unkn precogitata Et petit unkn si
> p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s aliqui[] unkn in p[er]sona ipsuis Joh[ann]is
> assignare possit +t' Et p[re]d[ic]tus.....
I think + is "et": die + anno predictis
and +t' is in fact +c' = etc.
AugdM.
John Briggs
That looks highly plausible - it certainly doesn't seem to be adding any
meaning.
--
John Briggs
Paul Mackenzie
Hi All
The image is on the AALT website reference Edw. 1360 KB27/401 image 5989
[see below]. I have added the letters in brackets expanding the
abbreviations e.g. qd to q[uo]d. "unkn" is a word I don't know or can't
decipher at the moment. This is my first pass at it and I come back to
these unknown words during the second pass , where I try to translate
the passage. The words in question occur on lines 20,23,24 and elsewhere.
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/E3/KB27no401/aKB27no401fronts/IMG_5989.JPG
Kind Regards
Paul Mackenzie
B. T. Raven
>>> ..........Et predictus Johannes protestando quod non cognovit
>>> aliquod mali omnium ad dictum quod quid Will[elmu]s fil[ius]
>>> Will[elm]i West ip[su]m Johannem ibidem die + anno predictis
>>> insultavit ad v[er]b[er]and[um] et vuln[er]and[um] ad omnes [omnem??]
>>> insultum accessit predictus Nicholaus et sic malum quod idem
>>> Nicholaus ibidem precepit si quod fuit hoc fuit per
>>> infortunium quod [quia?] Et non ex felonia seu malitia precogitata
[malice aforethought] Et petit iisdem??
>>> si predictus Nich[olau]s aliqui[] unkn in p[er]sona ipsius
>>> Johannis assignare possit +t' Et p[re]d[ic]tus Nicholaus dicit quod
Extremely difficult. I may have gotten a couple more words in the paragraph
above.
Eduardus
Larry Swain
The "+" is definitely the E T ligature....see the loop that comes off
the top of the ascender, loops left and connects to the left horizontal
stroke? That's all that is left of the loop of the "e" in this script.
And remember that it is an E T ligature, that is it may be used
anywehere the scribe needs an "et", not just the conjunction et.
As for some of the other words, I'm not sure I can help, but I'll take a
stab. Et petit...I don't think its iisdem...the two first letters are
most likely "in" and the third a "d". It looks to me (though I admit
other possibilities) like he's written indin with a macron above the
second "in". or perhaps indiu with a macron. Not sure what that might
be in context and it might be two words....not sure that helps any....
the "fuit per infortunium" is followed by another abbreviation and I
don't think it can be a quod or quia. It looks to me like the first is
our "et" ligature followed by "r" and "ur" or "er" abbreviation (the
round loop that comes up), that suggests something like aeternaliter,
perhaps he meant aeternalem; anyway, "hoc fuit per infortunium
aeternaliter" seems to make some sense to me, though I'm sure you'll
all correct me.
...Nicholaus aliq....looks to me like the letters are aliqm or aliqin
with possibly an "et" written over the top, not sure at all there. The
next letters look to me like inui...the final bit might be a "p",
frankly it looks like an Anglo-Saxon wynn which would be far too out of
place here, but really no idea at the moment, but you might at least
start out with it as inui...and see where that gets you.
In the last line, the possit something, I don't think that's an "et".
We don't have there the left loop coming off the ascender curving to the
left cross stroke....probably a "t" though the bottom looks oddly shaped
for that letter, possibly a "b", though it isn't shaped like the
scribe's other "b"s...the second letter looks to me like an "e" with
what is usually an abbreviation for "ur" or "er" or "or"...though I'm
not sure.
I don't know that I've helped any, but it is interesting, and I'd like
to see what we all come up with in the end.
Aug. de Man
This is not about "maheremium" (timber) and certainly not about
"mali omnium" but about "mahemium" ("mayhem")!
http://www.lawmart.com/pubs/blkstnsam-4.pdf
"mayhem is properly defined to be ... the violently depriving another
of the use of such of his members, as may render him the less
able in fighting, either to defend himself, or to annoy his adversary"
My guess:
Et
p[re]d[ic]tus
Joh[ann]es p[ro]testando quod non cognov[i]t aliquod
mah[ere]m[iu]m & dicto quid quid Will[elmu]s fil[ius] Will[elm]i
West ip[su]m Joh[ann]em ibide[m] die & anno p[re]d[ic]tis
insultavit ad v[er]b[er]and[um] et vuln[er]and[um] ad omne
insultu[m] accessit p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s et sic malu[m] quod idem
Nich[olau]s ibide[m] recipit si
q[uo]d fuit hoc fuit p[er] infortunium &c. et non ex felonia seu malissia
precogitata et
petit iudi[ci]u[m] si p[re]d[ic]tus Nich[olau]s aliqui[d] iniur[ie] in
p[er]sona
ipsius Joh[ann]is assignare possit &c.
August de Man
>> >>> ..........Et predictus Johannes protestando quod non cognovit
>> >>> aliquod mali omnium ad dictum quod quid Will[elmu]s fil[ius]
>> >>> Will[elm]i West ip[su]m Johannem ibidem die + anno predictis
>> >>> insultavit ad v[er]b[er]and[um] et vuln[er]and[um] ad omnes [omnem??]
>> >>> insultum accessit predictus Nicholaus et sic malum quod idem
>> >>> Nicholaus ibidem precepit si quod fuit hoc fuit per
>> >>> infortunium quod [quia?] Et non ex felonia seu malitia precogitata
>> [malice aforethought] Et petit iisdem??
>> >>> si predictus Nich[olau]s aliqui[] unkn in p[er]sona ipsius
>> >>> Johannis assignare possit +t' Et p[re]d[ic]tus Nicholaus dicit quod
> The "+" is definitely the E T ligature....see the loop that comes off the top