Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.06.1997, Side 118

CXVI
The manuscript begins with a gathering of four leaves containing the title-
page, the verso of which is blank, and a preface (‘Formáli’) paginated III-
VIII. The preface introduces each saga in turn, and the remarks about Mír-
manns saga are worth quoting in full, as a typical piece by Magnús Jónsson
and for their relevance to the present edition:
Þat er nockut einkennilegt með þessa sögu hón hefir verit víða til hér á
vestrlandi, og ek hafði skrifað hana mörgum sinnum fyrir ýmsa, þuí at
efni hennar hefr þótt merkilegt, og sagan er falleg. En suo kom sú sem
prentuð uar fyrir nockrum árum, sem er suo forn ok ólík hinni at
orðfæri at þær eiga ecki saman nema nafnið, en þó er efnið beggja at
mestu leiti hið sama. Þessi sem hér er skrifuð, er skrifuð orðrétt eptir
þeirri prentuðu en hina á eg líka til á annari bók. Saga þessi er merkileg
ok gömul, ok þykir ein su bezta af riddarasögum.
There is no trace now of the many copies MJ says he made before the saga
was printed, nor of the copy of that kind he says he still had. It can be con-
firmed, however, that this copy is from a printed text (EÞ); but it will be
shown below that it is not a direct copy.
After the preface the manuscript contains seven sagas, paginated <9>-800.
The first begins on the first page of a gathering of eight leaves, the normal
size for the manuscript (though some are of four). The preface, on its separate
gathering of four leaves, was presumably written last.
In two places in the middle of the manuscript the end of a saga coincides
with the end of a gathering (in each case a gathering of normal size). The first
two sagas go together, the third stands by itself, and the last four go together,
as follows:
<I>-VIII Title-page and Preface
<9>-376 Þorkels saga aðalfara (9-222) Filpuss saga fagra (223-376)
377-456 Gríshildar saga þolinmóðu
457-800 Haka saga og Hagbarðs (457-554) Arnljóts saga Upplendingakappa (555-644) Mírmanns saga (645-740) Gests saga og Gnatuss (741-800).