8 MSS: A (23r-v) Marcabruns, C (171v172r) Marcabru (C Reg. marc e bru), I (117r) Marcabrus, K (103r) Marcabrus, N (271r) no heading, R (8v) marc e bru, d (302v-303r) Marcabrus, z (2 col. G), no heading

Analysis of the manuscripts

The transmission is on the whole uniform, the main division falling between AIK and CR with Nz showing some affinities with each group, (Dejeanne saw the division as AIKN and CR; Ricketts, AIK and CNR.) Archetype errors occurred in 2 and (probably) 54.

Common errors appear in CNRz 15 (tenon) and 24 (lay), CR 76, and NRz 5. CR also converge in 11, 37, 85 and 93, NRz in 29, and CNRz against AIK in 33 (scrdes/sordeis). IKNz are joined in error in 34 and KNz converge in 2, CRz in 37, 48, 85 and 93, IKRz in 79. CNRz. do not offer a suitable base: C has a large number of isolated and often unintelligent or fantastical errors (3–4, 9, 14, 21–22, 24, and so on) and individual readings (6, 20, 26, 27, 31, and so on), some of which suggest that its source contained illegible patches. N has isolated errors (4, 21, 29, 35, 36) and transmits only the first four stanzas; R has numerous mainly careless errors (10, 12, 13,14, 32, and so on), and isolated readings in 26 and 31; zy closely allied to N (with a common error in 4, a similar error in 21, common readings in 6, 24, and 29 showing how N’s error occurred), contains numerous errors (for example a further one in 4, plus 12, 14, 26, 31, 35, 37, 39 and so on) and no obviously mitigating features.

In the AIK family, isolated errors fall in A 2, 13 and 79, 11, K75, and IK 32, with individual readings in A 32, 49 (right), 51 and 69 (right), 142, and IK 3, 40, 44, and 70. A therefore has marginally more positive features than IK, and is taken as base.

Versification and melody

Frank, Repértoire, 266.1: a4’ b6 a4’ b6 a4’ b6 b4 a6’ c4. Ten nine-line stanzas and tornada, cohlas doblas, unicum; alternatively 82a, note: alO alO alO blO c4, though see Ricketts’s arguments against this (‘Lo vers, p. 1). Frank wrongly gives the ‘c’ rhyme as -or. Kendrick (Game, p. 41) argues that in his poem VI, Bernart Marti deliberately echoes Marcabru’s rhymes.