Hi! Below I will (1) show the punctuation marks from each manuscript line and explain, in easy steps, what each mark does for the meaning of that line, and then (2) give a clean modern English paragraph that joins the two manuscript lines while keeping the manuscript punctuation marks shown in brackets so you can see where scribes paused or marked things.
1) Line-by-line: highlight each punctuation mark and what it does
Manuscript M (11th century) — quoted pieces with punctuation highlighted:
Original pieces (I mark the punctuation in [brackets] so you can spot them):
- "Quoniam de civitatis vtrivsque[.] terrenae scilicet et caelestis[,]"
- "...deinceps mihi uideo disputandum s prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi ratio patitur[,]"
- "argumenta mortalium[.] quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius uitae infelicitate moliti sunt[,]"
- "ut ab eorum rebus uanis spes nostra quid differat quam deus nobis dedit[.] & res ipsa hoc est uera beatitudo quam dabit i non tantum auctoritate diuina[.] sed adhibita etiam ratione qualem propter infideles possumus adhibere[,] clarescat."
What each bracketed mark means (simple explanation):
- [.] = period or full stop. It tells the reader to stop and take a breath. It usually ends a complete thought or sentence.
- [,] = comma. It shows a small pause inside a sentence. It keeps ideas together but separates parts so the sentence is clearer.
- [&] = ampersand (means "and"). Scribes wrote this sign instead of the word "and" to save space or time.
Manuscript N (14th century) — quoted pieces with punctuation highlighted:
Original pieces (punctuation in [brackets]):
- "Quoniam de ciuitatis vtriusque terrene scilicet et celestis[.]"
- "...deinceps mihi uideo disputandum t prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi facio patitur [.]"
- "argumenta mortalium[,] quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius uite infelicitate moliti sunt[•]"
- "ut ab eorum rebus uanis spes nostra quid differat [/] quam deus nobis dedit et res ipsa [/] hoc est uera beatitudo [/] quam dabit [/] non tantum auctoritate diuina[•] sed adhibita eciam racione [/] qualem propter infideles possumus (adhibere) clarescat[-]"
What each bracketed mark in N means (simple explanation):
- [.] = period / full stop. Same as in M: a clear stop for a sentence or big thought.
- [,] = comma. A small pause inside a sentence so ideas don’t all run together.
- [•] = a middle dot or paragraph mark. Scribes used this to show a stronger break than a comma — closer to a little pause like starting a new short sentence or idea.
- [/] = slash. In these manuscripts the slash often splits parts of a sentence or shows short line-breaks or smaller stops between phrases. Think of it as a sign that says "now a new short idea or phrase comes."
- (adhibere) in parentheses = the scribe or corrector added this word later or showed it as an extra reading. Parentheses show additions or editorial notes.
- [-] = dash or line ending. It can show the line finished with a cut-off or that the scribe ran out of room; sometimes it marks the end of a copied section.
Short overall note for a 10-year-old: Medieval scribes used punctuation to help readers know when to pause, when ideas ended, and when something was added later. Different scribes used different marks, so one manuscript might put a dot, another a slash or a middle dot where both mean "stop or take a breath."
2) A clean modern English paragraph combining the two manuscript lines (manuscript punctuation kept in brackets)
Below is a plain English version that joins the meaning of both manuscripts. After the words where the medieval scribes placed pauses or marks, I put the original manuscript punctuation in [brackets] so you can see their signals while reading the modern sentence.
Because I must speak about the city of both kinds — the earthly and the heavenly[.] I now see that I should go on to discuss the proper limits and duties involved[,]
and first I must explain how much work is needed to finish this project and why the reasoning allows it[,][.] The arguments of ordinary people show how they have tried to make themselves happy in the miseries of this life[,][•] so that from their empty things our hope might be different from what God has given us[/] and the thing itself is true happiness[/] which he will give[/] not only by divine authority but also — when reason is used — in a way we can apply against the unbelievers[•] (adhibere)[-]
Note: In the paragraph above I used normal modern English so the idea is easy to understand, and I left the manuscript punctuation exactly as the scribes used it by putting those marks in [brackets]. That way you can see where a scribe wanted a big stop ([.]), a small pause ([,]), a stronger break ([•]), short phrase separators ([/]), an added word in parentheses ((adhibere)), or a line ending ([-]).
If you want, I can also make a version that colors each bracketed mark and shows how the reading changes if you remove or move the mark — that helps show why punctuation matters for meaning.