The Editors of Ex scriptore are grateful to Taylor Editions for permitting Ex scriptore to share their platform. We are particularly thankful to Emma Huber and Jens Müller for making this possible.
Ex scriptore was created in 2017 by three scholars based in the University of Oxford, Dr Matthew Mills, Dr. Anne Mouron, and Dr. Edmund Wareham, working respectively in medieval theology, Middle English and Medieval French literature, and Medieval German and Dutch literature. Dr. Matthew Mills has now moved on to pastures new, and we want here to express our thanks to him for his involvement in the project through the years.
In 1865, an article on The Early English Text Society in The Times called for a national effort to make medieval manuscripts more widely available. In recent years, much has been achieved as digitisation projects at research facilities across the world have brought to light many hidden treasures from the archives.
In reality, though, few people have the necessary institutional support or the skills to access original manuscripts, and whilst many scholars transcribe texts for their own work, they do not always have the time or inclination to produce critical editions.
The purpose of Ex scriptore is to provide a platform for sharing transcriptions of medieval and early modern religious texts, for the benefit of the scholarly community and the general public, and to inspire a new generation. These texts exist in many languages, and therefore it is appropriate to host them on the Taylor Editions website, which makes digitised texts relating to languages and cultures available for reuse. However, although we may include digitalisations from the Taylor Institution’s early collections, the bulk of our editions will be from other institutions in the United Kindgom and beyond.
Ex scriptore permits academics and postgraduate students alike to make their own ‘semi-diplomatic’ transcriptions available to others, as easily as possible. For this reason, style guidelines have been kept to a minimum. There is no need for knowledge of xml encoding to contribute to the Ex Scriptore project. Your transcription will be encoded by the project team.
In its first phase, the project is focusing upon religious texts and the editors invite submissions of individual works or mixed manuscript collections in Latin, English, French, German or Dutch. These could include pastoral and didactic manuals, lives of saints, prayers, devotional treatises, or mystical literature addressed to lay and/or religious readers.
The editors hope that, over time, it will be possible to compile a library of texts for scholars and the general public. These will provide a valuable resource for research, a staging post in the creation of critical editions, and – hopefully – an entry point into the rich and varied world of pre-modern religious literature to inspire a new generation of scholars.
Digital Editions and Transcriptions
- Einsin comme la beste sauvaige est enclose entre les roiseus. France, 14th century.
- Didactic material in a Carthusian Manuscript. England, ca. 14th-15th century.
- Le chappellet d'amour divine. France, Monastery of the Celestines of Metz, 15th century.
- C’on doit faire lai jornee. France, 14th century.
- A notable and profitable tretis techyng unto divers statis of man the governance and ledyng of his lijf . England, 1425-1450
- Une orison belle et devote, lequelle le royne Jehanne avoit par especiale. France, 14th century.
- Prose treatise on the mass. Early 14th century.
- Les sept épis trouvés dans la Passion de Jésus-Christ. France, 15th century.
- A sermon on Images. England, Middle of 16th century.
- Bonne doctrine pour devotes fames. 1406.
- Le jardin esperituel pour religieux et religieusez fort devot. 15th century.
- Le dyalogue de la duchesse de Bourgongne a Jhesu Crist. 15th century, between 1468 and 1477.
- Le Cueur devot de saincte Mechtilde, religieuse vierge de Germanie. France, first quarter of 16th century.
Editorial Committee
Dr Anne Mouron, primary contact for texts in Middle English or French, anne.mouron@regents.ox.ac.uk
Dr Edmund Wareham, primary contact for texts in German or Dutch, edmund.wareham@rhul.ac.uk
Dr Amy Ebrey, primary contact for texts in Latin, amy.ebrey@queens.ox.ac.uk
Mrs Emma Huber, project coordinator and webmaster, emma.huber@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Submissions
The editors of Ex scriptore welcome transcriptions from texts/whole manuscripts in Latin, Middle English, French, German and Dutch. We are concentrating at first on works of a religious/devotional/moral nature, including saints’ lives, prayers, mystical texts, biblical exegesis, accounts of pilgrimages, etc. Texts can vary in length from a few lines to a lengthy treatise.
Submissions can be transcribed from manuscripts or early printed texts, but we would normally accept only works that are not currently available in modern editions (post-1950). Exceptions may be made if a transcription is from a new/special manuscript with a substantial number of variants, or if just a few texts in a mixed collection have been independently published.
Before submitting a transcription, please check your text carefully, ensuring that it follows our style guidelines. Submissions, including an electronic copy of the original/permalink, should be sent to the relevant editor (see above). The editors will acknowledge receipt and conduct spot checks for accuracy/compliance, before posting.
Thank you for supporting this project.
Contact
Any enquiries should be send to Anne Mouron or Edmund Wareham.