British Library MS Arundel 95

British Library MS Arundel 59 stands as a pivotal witness to Thomas Hoccleve’s Regiment of Princes, a fifteenth-century didactic poem composed for Prince Henry (later Henry V). The variant collation tables derived from this manuscript offer a meticulous mapping of textual divergences, shedding light on the poem’s transmission and Hoccleve’s compositional process.
Dating to c. 1410–1420, Arundel 59 is a richly illuminated parchment codex, its 134 folios containing not only the Regiment but also other works by Hoccleve, including his Series and Complaint. What distinguishes this manuscript is its proximity to the author; scholars hypothesize it may have been a presentation copy or closely linked to Hoccleve’s own workshop, given its consistent orthography and marginal annotations that echo the poet’s voice.
The collation tables for Arundel 59 systematically compare its text against other key witnesses, such as London, British Library MS Harley 4866 and Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Laud Misc. 581. These tables highlight variations ranging from minor orthographic shifts (e.g., “kyng” vs. “king”) to substantive revisions in syntax and imagery. For instance, in lines addressing princely virtue, Arundel 59 includes an additional couplet on mercy absent from later copies, suggesting a possible authorial revision.
Such variants are critical for reconstructing Hoccleve’s evolving intent. The tables reveal how scribes mediated the text, adapting it to shifting political contexts or personal interpretive lenses. Arundel 59’s preservation of archaic spellings and unique glosses also underscores its role as a bridge between Hoccleve’s original composition and the poem’s wider circulation.
In essence, these collation tables transform Arundel 59 from a static artifact into a dynamic record, inviting scholars to trace the Regiment’s journey from royal commission to medieval bestseller, and to ponder the interplay of authorship, scribal practice, and cultural memory in late medieval England.