fol. 32v (cont.)I
PassusB 8
hic incipit primus passus de dowell
Thuvs I robbedG.9.1: The majority B reading is yrobed. Whether G Bm I robbed is actually a substantive variant is unclear. Although the G scribe was clearly aware of the practice of using a double consonant to indicate a preceding short vowel, his practice in this respect was by no means consistent (see Introduction III.2). On the other hand, G's general problems with the y- past participle prefix (see Introduction III.1.4) suggest that he may well have misread this as a pronoun. In ruvssett I romed abowte
all a somer seyson to seeke dowell
and freyned full ofte off folke þat I metteG.9.3: The second (added) <t> of mette is formed by a brown ink line crossing the horizontal line linking the first <t> and the <e>.G.9.3: Cr1 shares G's original reading mete. The correction brings G's reading into line with that of remaining B manuscripts.
G.9.4KD.8.4
yff any wyght knewe whare dowell was att ynne
& what man he myght be off many man I axed
was neuer wyght as I went þat me wvysse couvlde
where þis lede lenged lasse ne more
G.9.8KD.8.8
tyll ytt befell on a fryday twoo G.9.8: A virgule has been added at this point to separate twoo and freres. freres I mette
masters off þe mynouvrs men off greyte wytt
fol. 33rI
I heylsed þem hendly as I had lerned
& preyed theym par charyte or they passed forther
G.9.12KD.8.12
yff they knewe In any contrey c or costes as they went
where þat / doowell /G.9.13: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. dwellythe doythe me to wytten
for they be men on thys molde þat most wyde walken
& knowen contreys & couvrtes & manye kynnes places
G.9.16KD.8.16
bothe pryncys paleys & pouvere menes cootes
and do well & do euvell & where þei dwell bothe
amongest vs quod þe mynouvrs / þat man ys dwellyng
& euer hathe as I hoope & euer shall here-after
G.9.20KD.8.20
contra quod I as a clerecler[k]e & comsed to dyspuvten
and seyd þem sothely sepcies In die cadit Iustus
seyuven sythes seyethe þe boke synnethe the ryghtfull
and wo-so synnethe I seyde dothe euvell as me thynkethe
G.9.24KD.8.23
& dowell & doeuvell may noght dwell to-gedders
ergo he ys noght alway among you freres
he ys other-wyle elles-where to wvysse the poeple
I shall sey þe my sonne sayde þe frere then
similitudo
G.9.28KD.8.27
howe seuven sythes þe sad man on a day synnethe
by a forbyzyne quod þe frere I shall þe fayre shewe
lett bryng a man In a bootteG.9.30: The downward stroke of the second (added) <t> of bootte has been written across the line joining the first <t> to the <e> in browner ink. amydest þe brod water
the wynd & þe water & þe bootteG.9.31: For the alteration of added boote to bootte, see note to previous line. waggyng
G.9.32KD.8.31
makethe a man many a tyme to fall & to stande
for stand he neuer so styffe he stomelythe yff he mouvethe
and yet ys he sauve & sonvnde so hym behouvethe
for yff he ne arysse the rather & raght to þe stere
G.9.36KD.8.35
the wynd wolde wyth þe water þe bootteG.9.36: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. ouerthrowe
then were hys lyffe lost thruvgh lacches off hym-seluve
& þus ytt faretheG.9.38: The G F reading farethe, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, is also that of the A version. Remaining B manuscripts read falleth. quod þe frere by folke here on thys yerthe
the water ys lykened to þe worlde þat wanyethe & waxethe
G.9.40KD.8.39
the goodes off þis grounde are lyke to þe greyte wawes
þat as wyndys & wedders walkethe a-bowte
þe bootteG.9.42: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. ys lykened to our bodye þat brytyll ys off kynde
that thruvgh þe fende þe Flesshe & the freyle worlde
fol. 33vI
G.9.44KD.8.43
synnethe þe sad man on a day seyuven tymes
but deydly synne dothe he nat for dowell hym kepethe
and þat ys charyte þe chapman þe cheffe helper ageynst synne
for he strenghythe man to stond & sterethe mannes souvle
G.9.48KD.8.47
thogh þe bodye bowe as bootteG.9.48: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. dothe In þe water
ay ys þe souvle sauvfe but yff þi-selffe wole
do a deydly synne & drenche þe souvle
god wyll suffer well þi slought yff þi-seluve lykethe
G.9.52KD.8.52
for he gauve þe a yeresgyfte to seme well þi-seluve
& þat ys wytt & frewyll to euery wyght a portyon
to flyeng fowles to fysshes & also to beystes
and man hathe most theroff & most ys to blame
G.9.56KD.8.56
but yff he worche well þerwyth as dowell hym teychythe
I hauve no kynd knoyng quod I to conceyuve all your wordes
but yff I mey lyuve & loke I shall go lerne better
I bekenne þe cryste þat on crosse dyed
G.9.60KD.8.60
& I seyd þe same sauve you from myschance
& gyuve you grace on thys grouvnde goode men to worthe
& þus I wente wyde-whare walkyng myne oone
by a wylde wyldrenes & by a woddys syde
G.9.64KD.8.64
blysse off þe bryddes broght me a-slepe
and vndre a lynde on a lauvnde leynydeG.9.65: The first <e> of leynyde appears to be a correction. It seems likely that the scribe began to write <ly>- but realised his mistake before he had written the descender of the <y>. I a stouvnde
to lythe þe leyes tho louvelyche fouvle made
myrthe off theyre mouvthes made me þer to slepe
G.9.68KD.8.68
the meruvyolouvseste meytelles mett me then
that euer dreymyd wyght In worlde as I wenvewe[n]e
a moche man as me thoght & lyke to my-seluve
came & called me by my ryght name
G.9.72KD.8.72
watt arte þou quod I tho / þat þou my name knowest
that þou wootest well quod he & no wyght better
woot I whatt þou arte thoght seyde he then
I hauve suvede þe þis seyuven yere syegh þou me no rather
G.9.76KD.8.76
Art þou thoght quod I tho þou coudest me wisse
where þat dowell dwellythe do me that to knowe
dowell
dowell & dobettre & dobest þe thyrde quod he
fol. 34rI
arne there fayre wertuves & be not farre to fynde
G.9.80KD.8.80-81
wo-so ys trewe off hys tong & off hys too handes
& thruvghe þe labouvre off hys handys hys lyuvelode wynnethe
and ys truvsty off taylleende & takethe buvt hys owen
and ys not dronnkelewe ne dysdeynouvs dowell hym folowethe
dobettre As Benson and Blanchfield point out (pp.42 and 132.1) the form of the letters here suggests that the scribe and rubricator are the same using different scripts. See also Introduction I.7.
G.9.84KD.8.85
dobet dothe ryght þus & he doythe ryght moche more
he ys as lowe as a lambe & louvelyche off speche
and helpethe all men after þat þeim nedethe
the bagges & þe bygerdelles he hathe broken þem all
G.9.88KD.8.89
that þe yel erle auvarouvs helde & hys heyres
& þus wyth mammones money he hathe made hym frendes
& ys ronne to relygyon & hathe rendered þe byble
& preyched to þe poeple seynte powles wordes
G.9.92KD.8.93
libenter suffertis insipientes cum sitis ipsi sapientes
and suvffer þe vnwysse wythe you toG.9.93: A high proportion of A manuscripts share the G F reading to (for remaining B manuscripts forto),and this is the reading which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. lyuve
& wyth gladde wyll do þem goode for so god you hoothethe
dobest
dobest ys abouve bothe & beyrythe a bysshopes crosse
G.9.96KD.8.97
ys hoked on þe on hende to halye men from hell
that weyten any wyckednes dowell to tene G.9.96: This deleted line has been written in the wrong place and appears as G.9.98 below.
a pyke ys on þe potente to puvt a-downe þe wycked
that wayten any wyckednesse dowell to teene
& dowell & dobetter amonge G.9.99: Kane and Donaldson apparently interpret the final backward curve on the <g> of "among" as an abbreviation for <es> (unless they do not consider the form amonge to be a variant). However, G would normally have a loop for such an abbreviation, and it seems more likely that the final letter should be read as a residual <e>. Compare the form of "among" at G.12.51. þem ordeynyd
G.9.100KD.8.101
to crowne on to be kyng to reuvlen þem bothe
that yff dowell or dobet do ageynst dobest
then shall þe kyng come & cast theym In Irens
& but yff dobest byd for theym þei be þer for euver
G.9.104KD.8.107
thuvs dowell & dobetter & do-best þe thyrde
crowned on to be kyng to kepen theym all
& to reuvle þe realme by theyre thre wyttes
& noon other wyse buvt as they ther assentyd
G.9.108KD.8.111
I thanked thoght tho / þat he me thuvs taght
but ytt sauverythe me noght thy seggyng &I couveyte to lerne
how dowell dobetter & dobestG.9.110: Kane and Donaldson record that G shares Cr's variant reading dobetter (for remaining B manuscripts dobest). However, the penultimate letter in G is a long <s>, giving dobest. doon amogestamo[n]gest þe poeple
wytt can wysse þe quod thoght / where tho thre dwell
fol. 34vI
G.9.112KD.8.116
elles woote I non þat kanne þat now ys a-lyuve
thoght / & . y / thuvs thre dayes yedene
dyspuvtyng vpon dowell day after other
& er we were I-warre wyth wytt gan we mete
G.9.116KD.8.120
he was long & leyne & lyche to non other
was no pryde In hys apparell ne pouverte nother
sadde off hys semblant & off softe chere
I dorste moue no matter to make hym to Iangell
G.9.120KD.8.124
but as I bad thoght tho be meane betwene
& putt forthe some purpose to prouven hys wyttes
what was dowell fro dobetter & dobest from þem bothe
then thoght In þat tyme seyde thes wordes
G.9.124KD.8.128
where dowell do-better & dobest be In lande
there ys wyll wold wytt / yff wytt couvde hym teycheG.9.125: G's reading, hym teyche, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, provides a metrically more satisfactory b-verse than the majority B reading teche hym (though see Duggan, "Notes on the Metre").
& wether he be man or woman þis man wold aspye
and worchen as þei þer wold þis ys hys Intent
explicit primus passus de dowell
MED