Scottish Text Society publications > New series > Maitland folio manuscript > Volume 1, 1919

VI
PREFACE.
absolute certainty, or have altogether disappeared, are
enclosed in round brackets. Insertions in square brackets
are purely editorial; these words are not, and never have
been, in the manuscript. The absence of punctuation,
except in a small number of pieces, is in accordance
with the original.
Few of the pieces in the manuscript have headings,
but the authorship of the great majority is stated in
the usual way by a colophon beginning with “ quod.”
To help in the identification and study of the texts, num¬
bered headings have been inserted before each, with a
reference (in most cases) to a previous printed version,
whether this has been taken from the Maitland MS. or
from some other source.1
The text has been printed from a careful transcript
by Mr A. Rogers of the University Library, Cambridge;
and the proofs have been closely collated with the
manuscript by Mr Rogers and myself. In making this
collation, special attention was given to unusual or
suspicious forms, and to readings which were found to
differ from those adopted by previous editors.
Special thanks are due to the Master and Fellows of
Magdalene College for permission to print the entire
manuscript, and to the Librarian of the College for
his kindness in affording ready access to it on several
occasions.
W. A. CRAIGIE.
Oxford, Jan. 1919.
1 In these headings the following abbreviations have been employed :—
S.T.S. = Scottish Text Society’s edition.
P. = Pinkerton, Ancient Scotish Poems, &c., 1786.
M.C1. =the Maitland Club edition of Sir R. Maitland’s poems.
Sch. =:Schipper’s edition of Kennedy’s poems, 1901.