George Hickes and the Invention of the Old English Maxims Poem

Abstract

This study explores the implications of three overlooked asterisks penciled into the margins of the Exeter Book of Old English Poetry by the antiquarian-scholar George Hickes in the eighteenth century. Comparing Hickes's editorial treatment of the punctuation of the so-called Maxims poems in his print Thesaurus with the punctuation of their medieval manuscript contexts, I argue, demonstrates his enduring influence on the Maxims and their generic categorization as poetry, touching on recent debates over lyric. The essay analyzes the punctuation of the Maxims poems as a test case for scholars interested in the Old English gnomic corpus, and thus offers a prolegomenon for future editors.