Variant heading CV-1419(r&g):A

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Variant readings for a Brut heading in group CV-1419[r&g]: A

Of Kyng Henry þat was þe Emperesse sone, in whos tyme Seynt Thomas of Kaunterbery was Chaunceller. ¶ Capitulo ¶ Centesimo xl primo. (Brie, 147:27-9)

The reading recorded in Brie (from MS. Rawlinson B.171) is closely matched in the following MSS. from the group, (and from the ‘Doubtful manuscripts’ which may belong to the group, see Matheson, PB, 113-4):

Hunter MS. 228

Beinecke MS. 323

Trinity College Cambridge MS. O.10.34

CUL MS. Kk.12.1.2

Harley MS.2248

BL Royal MS. 17D. xxi

Hunter MS. 61

BL Royal Ms. 18.B.iii

Berkeley MS. 152

BL Addit. 26746

Bibliothéque Royale MS. IV.461

It has not been possible, thus far, to compare the readings for:

Longleat House MS. 183a

Fitzwilliam Museum MS. McClean 186

Takamiya MS. 87

Bodley MS. 231

Rylands MS. 104

Several manuscripts in the group preserve variants; Rawl MS. B. 216 has a, botched and truncated version of this heading, ‘Of Henry that was and Thomas of Caunterbery was Chaunceler’; College of Arms MS. Vincent 421 adds, ‘..and martyred’ to the standard heading.
Harvard MS. Eng. 587, has suffered erasures at this point from a C16 reader, but it is clear that the text represents an elaboration of the standard form of the heading:

Of Kyng Harry the seconde* that was the Emperesse sone, in whose tyme [Seynt Thomas of Kaunterbery was Chaunceller] of Englonde** and also in this tyme he was slayne [ __ ___ ___?] ¶ Capitulo (Harvard, Eng. 587, fol. 54r)

The bracketed text marked [ __ ] has been erased, but the first block of erased text, it may be conjectured, read as here presented; the second block of erased text probably consisted of 2-3 words.

I have found an example of this passage in NLW 21608D (a PV-1437/61 text) which bears similarities to the Harvard variant: Of kyng Henry [th]e seconde [th]^t was the Emprise sonne yn whos tyme seynt Thomas of Caunterbury was slayn and martired. (Fol. 74v)

* Douce MS. 290 likewise adds ‘…þe seconde’ to the standard heading, but with no other additions.

** Douce MS. 323 (a CV-1333 text) similarly adds ‘…of England’ to the standard heading, but does not continue further.