Lawlok — The Cidhach of St. Coluniba. 251 



Punctuation marks by the original scribe are not numerous. There was 

 indeed little need for them ; for, as a rule, each clause is written in a 

 separate line. When, as sometimes happens, a clause ends in the middle of 

 a line, and the next clause begins in the same line, a mark resembling a 

 colon (:) is placed after the first : but some of these may be later insertions. 

 We also find a mark (^) at the close of a group of two or three clauses, and 

 thus most commonly at the end of a modern verse. This mark, however, was 

 almost certainly added after the manuscript was completed. It is written in 

 inferior ink, and is often above the line, or in the wrong place. Thus, for 

 example, when a clause ends on the line above thai on which it begins, the 

 mark is sometimes placed in the margin, opposite the lower line ; and, there- 

 fore, before the end of the clause.' Moreover, though it resembles the obelus 

 which, as we shall see, was used by the original scribe, a careful comparison 

 reveals differences between the two symbols such as we might expect if they 

 were written by different hands. It should be added that obviously in many 

 cases this mark has disappeared through fading of the ink or mutilation of 

 the manuscript. 



The end of a psalm was in many cases indicated by a group of dots and 

 commas. The psalms are usually divided into sections, the end of each 

 section (except the last) being marked by a cross, preceded and followed by 

 similar arrangements of dots and commas. Similarly the psalms in the 

 Southampton Psalter (S) are divided into sections, and " the end of a section 

 is apt to be marked with a cross. "^ These marks may be set out in a table. It 

 will be observed that the cross never appears at the end of a psalm. 

 Psalm endings. Section endings. 



■.-...,.. ..., + 



., + . 

 ., + . 



; + ; 



, + , 



., + , 



:, + 

 , + 

 : + 

 : + : 



1 See, e.(/., f. 27', 11. 7, 8 ; f. 29% 11. 16, 17. 



2 M. R. James, " Cat. of mss. St. John's College, Cambridge," No. 59. 



[37^- ] 



