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The Oak Book of Southampton, of c. A. D. 1300. Transcribed and Edited from the unique MS. in the Audit House, with Translation, Introduction, Notes, Etc. By P. Studer

Weeks, R.

This volume takes favorable position among the publications of the Southampton Record Society. It will be followed by a second and final volume. Because.of the rarity in America of the publications of the Record Society, it is well to draw the attention of Romance scholars and students of law and customs to this valuable book. The MS. which Mr. Studer publishes has been preserved at Southampton for six centuries. It derives its name from being bound in oak. The editor identifies this MS. with one frequently mentioned earlier under the name of the Paxbread." The first portion of the MS. appears to date from about 1300. The oldest entries are in Norman-French; others are in a medieval Latin which is but thinly disguizd French; only a few later notes are in English. The text offers a clear impression of the government of the town, of the powers and privilèges of the Guild Merchant. The language, of course, is of interest to the filologist, and adds not a little to the volume of publisht Norman-French. An idea of the value of the text may be obtained from an article which Mr.Studer has recently publisht in the Modern Language Review, vol. VI, pp. 174-82: Etude sur quelques Vocables Anglo-Normands.

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Romanic Review

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French and Romance Philology
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December 4, 2015