20-07-2023, 10:54 PM
I am a big fan of the pen trials explanation, simply because it makes a lot of sense: last page, disconnected fragments...
So I do agree with you in that we don't need to look for a unified explanation for the whole thing: that is likely impossible, and in my opinion probably counterproductive.
A very interesting thing about pen trials is that they also don't need to contain a grand statement. Sometimes they would just writ the alphabet, or the words "pen trial" or something similar. Sometimes a monk would write a phrase from a common prayer.
When something else is written as a pen trial, it may provide us with some insight into what the scribe had on his mind. In this case, we can see that he had been reading or even copying recipes at one point, because he opted for a "so nim" fragment. That is why I would find a disconnected "ingredient" fragment still more likely than an expletive.
That said, the use of x may point in the expletive direction. But more research into this particular use of x must be done first.
So I do agree with you in that we don't need to look for a unified explanation for the whole thing: that is likely impossible, and in my opinion probably counterproductive.
A very interesting thing about pen trials is that they also don't need to contain a grand statement. Sometimes they would just writ the alphabet, or the words "pen trial" or something similar. Sometimes a monk would write a phrase from a common prayer.
When something else is written as a pen trial, it may provide us with some insight into what the scribe had on his mind. In this case, we can see that he had been reading or even copying recipes at one point, because he opted for a "so nim" fragment. That is why I would find a disconnected "ingredient" fragment still more likely than an expletive.
That said, the use of x may point in the expletive direction. But more research into this particular use of x must be done first.