Handwriting in translated Roman manuscript resembles that of Queen Elizabeth I

According to a recent study, it is believed that Queen Elizabeth I, was the one who translated the manuscript of Tacitus’s Annals. She was well-versed with the Roman accounts of events and the infighting among the Roman emperors. The translation of the manuscript details the events which date back to AD 14-68.

Manuscript preserved at Lambeth Palace Library

The translated manuscript is preserved at the Lambeth Palace Library and was translated by the Virgin Queen according to a Study. It is considered that the text was translated in the late 16th century, and the writings have resemblance with the handwriting of Queen Elizabeth according to a former researcher at East Anglia University. Another researcher, John-Mark Philo, who is at the Harvard University Centre for Italian Renaissance Studies, further explored the findings and conducted analysis which included several variables like it’s paper stock, style and handwriting.

READ: The Crown: Season 4 To See Claire Foy Reprising Her Character Queen Elizabeth?

He concluded that there were many similarities between the translated text and the handwriting of the queen. He emphasizes the on certain alphabets which were particular in the way of Queen Elizabeth’s writing like the horizontal, 'm' the top stroke of ‘e’ and the way she wrote the alphabet, 'd'. The manuscript also consisted of a featured watermark with initials of a GB and a rampant lion, which is a symbolic representation of the court context.  

READ: Queen Cancels Prince Andrew's Birthday Party Amids 'Jeffrey Epstein' Controversy

During the research, Dr Philo also found a crossbow which particularly represented the Elizabethan secretariat in the 1590s. He further found that the paper used by Queen Elizabeth of her personal use and for the translation were both the same. According to Phil, the literary tools used in the translation, which include the tone and the style resembles the earlier known works of the queen. Phil noted that the Queen managed to retain the “density of Tacitus’s prose and brevity” due to which the findings became even more accurate. The style of translation in the manuscript followed contours of the Latin syntax, which made it difficult to translate in English. 

READ: Meghan Markle Duchess Of Sussex Breaks Protocol To Hug Kate Robertson

READ: Lorraine Kelly: 'Duke & Duchess Of Sussex Brought It Upon Themselves'