This brings us to the _errors_ of Domesday. For comparison's sake, I here tabulate them like those of the I.C.C.:
Folio Page i. 189 (_b_) 2. 'mancipium', _for_ 'inuuardum' (I.C.C.) 4
i. 195 (_b_) 1. 'Terra est ii. carucis et ibi est', _for_ 'Terra est i. carucæ et ibi est' 15
i. 199 (_b_) 1. 'xxx. acras', _for_ 'xx. acras' (I.C.C.) 15
i. 196 (_a_) 2. 'iiii. villani ... habent iii. carucas', _for_ 'iiii. villani ... habent iiii. carucas' 21
i. 199 (_b_) 1. 'De hac terra tenet', _for_ 'adhuc in eadem villa tenet' (?)[32] 29
i. 198 (_a_) 1. 'tenet Harduuinus i. virgatam' _for_ 'tenet Hardeuuinus dim. virgatam' (I.C.C.) 38
i. 194 (_b_) 1. 'ii. hidas et i. virg. terræ', _for_ 'ii. hidas et una virg. et dimidiam' (I.C.C.) 64
i. 199 (_b_) 2. 'xvi. sochemanni', _for_ 'xv sochemanni' 65
i. 198 (_b_) 1. 'tenet Durand ... i. hidam et i. virg.', _for_ 'tenet Durand i. hidam et dim. virg.' 67
i. 200 (_a_) 1. 'In dominio ii. hidæ et dim', _for_ 'In dominio ii. hidæ et dim. virg.'[33] 67
i. 200 (_b_) 2. 'tenet Radulf de Picot iii. virg.', _for_ 'tenet Radulf de Picot i. virg.' 80
i. 196 (_b_) 2. 'tenet Robertus vii. hidas et ii. virg. et dim.', _for_ 'tenet Robertus vii. hidas et i. virg. et dim.' 74
i. 200 (_a_) 1. 'vii. homines Algari comitis', _for_ 'vi. homines Algari comitis' 84
Comparing the omissions and errors, as a whole, in these two versions of the original returns, it may be said that the comparison is in favour of the Domesday Book text, although, from the process of its compilation, it was far the most exposed to error. No one who has not analysed and collated such texts for himself can realize the extreme difficulty of avoiding occasional error. The abbreviations and the _formulæ_ employed in these surveys are so many pitfalls for the transcriber, and the use of Roman numerals is almost fatal to accuracy. The insertion or omission of an 'x' or an 'i' was probably the cause of half the errors of which the Domesday scribes were guilty. Remembering that they had, in Mr Eyton's words,[34] to perform 'a task, not of mere manual labour and imitative accuracy, but a task requiring intellect--intellect, clear, well-balanced, apprehensive, comprehensive, and trained withal', we can really only wonder that they performed it so well as they did.