Paper.

This work was originally bound in one volume alongside Adv.MS.19.2.2(i).

The following details are taken from Ian Cunningham's report of 1973:

In November 1967 the front board of the volume became detached, and it was decided to take the opportunity, since repair was necessary, to have the book examined in detail; in particular to try to determine if it had originally consisted of two volumes, as was suspected for various reasons.

The book had been roughly, but effectively, put together. Sewing was with four of five strands of thread (a specimen has been preserved); no details could be observed, as the adhesive which had been used still adhered strongly, and the sewing had to be cut away in this condition. The paper had been thoroughly repaired; several leaves were in effect inlaid, others had small holes covered and edges replaced, and every sheet had been strengthened along the inside of the fold. No earlier holes were to be seen: therefore the volume had not previously been bound, or more probably the earlier holes were reused. The cover, which has been preserved, is plain brown leather, with some simple tooling on the spine. It dates from the 18th century. The volume had later been rebacked, the original spine being laid down and labels added, probably early in the 19th century.

The old repairs to the paper were removed wherever possible and replaced with modern material. As the original gatherings were too large to allow a satisfactory book to be made, they have been broken down into more manageable sizes. Each poem has been bound separately in blue calf, the Bruce to be known as Adv.MS.19.2.2(i) and the Wallace as Adv.MS.19.2.2(ii). The repairs and binding were carried out by H.M. Stationery Office Bindery, Edinburgh.

The evidence for each poem’s originally having been contained in a separate volume may be summarised as follows: The watermark changes; each poem begins and the ‘Bruce’ ends with incomplete gatherings; each poem has its own foliation, which is old and probably contemporary; each poem has a colophon; that of the ‘Bruce’ is dated 1489, that of the ‘Wallace’ 1488; the last page of the ‘Bruce’, which was the first item in the volume, is covered with ownership inscriptions.

The signatures in the manuscript, the continuous sequence of which implies one volume, are comparatively recent – after the repairs – and inaccurate. The worm-holes were made after the two poems had been connected, but before the rebacking (the endpapers are not affected). The existence of only one old press-mark (A.1.23) implies that they were connected when they came to the Advocates’ Library.

Cunningham has identified the watermark as:

(1) a Gothic letter ‘p’ with stroke (Briquet, nos 8571-81, France Netherlands, Germany, 2nd half of 15th century; most like no 8576)

(2) a hand (Briquet, nos 11399-410, France Netherlands, 2nd half of the 15th century; most like number 11402).

(1) occurs in gatherings a-d and the three outside sheets of e; (2) in the rest of e and in f.