Title and imprint from colophon (leaf [10]/2r): Here endeth the book named the dictes or sayengis of the philosophhres [sic] enprynted / by me William Caxton at Westmestre the yere of our lord .M.CCCC.Lxxvii. Whiche book is late translated out of Frenshe into englyssh. by the Noble and puissant lord Lord Antone Erle of Ryvyers lord of Scales [and] of the Ile of Wyght ...
The Rylands copy has an additional colophon with the date 18 Nov. 1477. Lotte Hellinga argues that the date is valid for the Rylands copy only, see Caxton in Focus (1982), pp.77-80, and BMC XI 109.
Printed in Caxton's type 2:135B.
Collation: [1-9⁸ 10⁶]: 78 leaves, leaves [1]/1, [10]/5, and [10]/6 blank.
Paper format: Chancery folio
Originally compiled in Arabic by Mubashshir ibn Fātik.
Translated from the French of Guillaume de Tigonville by Anthony Wydeville (or Woodville), Earl Rivers.
PML 673 has a press correction in [1]/4r and a later resetting of [4]/2.7, see BMC XI 109 & 327.
PML 673 leaf dimensions: 28 x 19 cm, trimmed.
PML 673 missing 3 leaves: [1]/1, [10]/5, and [10]/6 (blanks). Worm holes at end affecting some text.
Dictes and sayings of the philosophers
Hand decoration: Rubricated, red lombards and paragraph marks (looped-C type). Rubricator's signature(?): FL in rubricator's red (leaf [8]/7r, line 15). Annotations: Some contemporary and later notations (mostly NB marks) and pentrials. Inscriptions: "The heatthens in auld time did feate good [??] theyn the english now dad (leaf [2]/3r); "Ipocras great wysedomm hadd as storyes dat[?] declare and also loving did not wante..." (leaf [3]/1r); "sciamus es iamus" (leaf [4]/1r); "the condicion off this [?] oblygacion is such that [??] the above London(?) the white [??] (leaf [4]/1r); "I wold to god that as maney as in this booke shall red / that to the same they wold take good hedd / And that they wold not sett no store by covetusnes & pryd in so ding they may the better spedd" (leaf [5]/4r); another note on "obligacion" (leaf [6]/2r).