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This copy of 'The Canterbury Tales' was produced in the 1430s. Credit: Brigade Piron / Wikipedia Commons The page is divided into two columns of Gothic script, written in a careful, black ink hand. The text is in Middle English, in the dialect of Geoffrey Chaucer’s original work. Margins are generous, a sign of a high-quality manuscript. The first letter of the text or sections features large, decorative initials in blue and red, often highlighted with white detailing and gold leaf. These initials are sometimes framed or flourished with vines and patterns that extend into the margins.