fol. 89v (cont.)I
passus
xvjus
Passus xvjjusxv[ii]jusseptimus
decimus[octauus] decimus de visione
vt supra . —
—
R.18.0: An early user
has attempted to correct the scribal passus number (which is now undercounted by two) by
adding a single brown <j> after the <vj> of the heading.
W
R.18.4KD.18.4
Til I wex weri of þe worlde and wilned efte slepeR.18.4:
The other B witnesses read eft to for R's efte. Eight C manuscripts agree with R's omission of to but Cx presumably read as the B
majority. .
Barefoet on an asse bake boteles cam
prikyngeR.18.11: Only Cr agrees with R's form. Cf. beta's pryke. F reads springe, a variant that makes little sense.
Presumably, in a copy between alpha and F someone had substituted the synonymous spurringe for alpha's prikynge, a mistake
magnified by F's misreading. The reading of Cx here is uncertain, but a
majority of the X family copies agree with R. .
fol. 90rI
To geten hym gulte spores or galoches ycouped .R.18.14:
After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing
verse strophes. No reason beyond oversight is apparent.
R.18.20KD.18.19
And ho iusteR.18.20:
After ho, R uniquely omits sholde. Cx confirms that this omission is an error. in iherusalem ihesus he
seyde .
And fecchethR.18.21:
Cf. F's fettyn and beta's fecche. Cx agrees with beta. þat þe fende claymeth peres fruit þe
plowman .
Alle þat lyueth andR.18.31:
For alpha's and, beta reads or. A majority of C witnesses agrees with beta, but the P family subarchetype may have read
oþer. loketh in londe or in water .
R.18.32KD.18.31
Lif seith þat he likthR.18.32:
Among the beta manuscripts, only L shares alpha's lykth, a variant of lieth. Russell-Kane do not record any C manuscripts with
this spelling. and leith his lif to wedde .
Þat for al þat deth can do with-inne thre dayes .R.18.33: An early reader has marked this line in the right margin with a
small red cross or star.
R.18.36KD.18.35
And forbiteR.18.36:
R's reading is unique; both F and beta show forbete; some beta copies have
corrupted this to for to bete. In the C tradition,
three X family manuscripts and most of the P family agree with R's reading. and doun
bringe bale deth for euere .
O mors mors tua ero . —
R.18.37: R's
phrasing here is unique; the rest of the B manuscripts read O mors ero mors tua; however, the majority of the X family of C reads the line as R does.
To se how douȝtiliche deth schulde do & deme
here
beitherR.18.39:
R's beither is a unique form; F has boþe; LWHm read botheres; M and Cr1 have boþes. There
is a similarly wide variety of lections in the C manuscripts at this
point, but none of them shows R's form. However, at C2.69 (Russell-Kane), manuscript F has
beither. riȝte .
Þis ihesus of oureR.18.43: Here alpha omitted a
stave word; cf. beta's iewes temple.
temple iapede and despisede .
R.18.44KD.18.42
To fordoun it inR.18.44:
R's in is an alpha variant; beta has on. Though four
C manuscripts agree with RF, it is clear that Cx
agrees with beta. a day and in thre dayes after .
fol. 90vI
Bothe as longe and as large a-lofteR.18.47:
Cf. F's on lofte and beta's bi loft. Cx agrees with R. and bi grounde .
R.18.52KD.18.50
Aue rabi quod þeR.18.52:
In this noun phrase, R's þe is unique; F has þo and
beta has þat. Cx agrees with beta. As for the
following noun, the plural is an alpha variant; beta shows rybaud and Cx concurs.
ribaudes and threwe redes at hym .
foure
Nayled hym with threR.18.53: At this point, beta reads thre while F has fowre. Hand2 has written foure
in the left margin and placed a caret before thre (the R scribe's choice).
However, thre has not been struck through nor erased, and we see no
evidence for Hand2's having had supervisory authority in the production of MS R. The marginal
note engages a famous medieval controversy about the details of the Crucifixion. Skeat notes
that a "long essay might be written on the wholly unimportant question whether three or four were used in the Crucifixion." The
Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, in Three Parallel Texts (Oxford:
Clarendon, 1886): 2.251. Because of the commonplace nature of the nail dispute, the reading
of alpha itself must remain in doubt, but the usual patterns of copying in R and F suggest
that alpha was much likelier to have read thre than foure. Kane-Donaldson certainly saw it that way: since R's original reading has not
been subpuncted or struck out, they treat R's intended reading as thre,
ignoring the marginal foure. nailes naked vp-onR.18.53:
R's vp-on is unique; the other B witnesses show on. Nevertheless, vp-on may well represent Bx here since the X family of C manuscripts also attests this
reading (the P family agrees with beta). þe rode .
And poyson on a pole þei putteR.18.54:
R reads this line in harmony with beta except that after putte, R uniquely
omits vp from the beta phrase. It is true that F also omits this word, but
that fact has no importance for assessing the archetypal reading since F completely
transposes the entire Bx line. The X family of C
agrees with beta on this lection, but the P family agrees with R in omitting vp. to his lippes .
Til loreR.18.61: F begins this line with Tyl þe lord; beta reads simply Þe lorde. For the spelling lore, see Richard Jordan,
Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by
Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974): §199, remark 3. Cf. R.5.409: and R.14.184:.
of lif and of liȝt þo leyde his eyȝes to-gidres .
R.18.64KD.18.62
Dede men for þat dene come oute of hereR.18.64:
Alpha had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting here
for depe (the reading of beta and of Cx).
graues .
R.18.72KD.18.69
And somme seyde he was a wicche gode is
assayeR.18.72:
The beta b-verse (presumably = Bx) is good is þat we
assaye. From this phrase, F omits þat and R leaves out þat we. Cx agrees with beta. .
R.18.76KD.18.73
AcR.18.76:
F begins the line with But a; beta omits both conjunctions and opens with
A. The P family of C manuscripts reads Qikliche cam a, but the X family agrees with beta. a cacchepol cam forth
and craked bothe her legges .
fol. 91rI
For he was kniȝt and kynges sone kynde forȝaf
þat throwe .R.18.79: For alpha's throwe, beta has tyme.
Although beta's reading seems clearly inferior, Cx agrees with
it.
R.18.80KD.18.77
Þat non harlot were so hardy to leyn an handR.18.80: Here F
reads the plural hondys while R's singular form agrees with beta. R's
phrase, an hand, adds the determiner to Bx's text
(which reads leyne hande); the addition of an is shared
by convergence with Bo, whose corrector caught and deleted it. vppon hym .
For alle þei were vnhardi þat houed on hors or stede .R.18.86: For alpha's redundant noun stede, beta attests the verb
stode. Although the C line is revised, its sense and
its final stave agree with beta's stode.
To toucheR.18.87:
The beta phrase is To touche hym. Though this line is slightly revised in
the C version, it is clear that Cx agrees with beta
on this variant. or to taste hym or take hym doun of rode .
R.18.88KD.18.85
But þis blinde bachelere þatR.18.88:
Some beta copies omit þat; others read þanne. Cx agrees here with alpha. bare hym thoruȝ þe
herte .
Þe blode sprange doune be þe spere & opned
R.18.89: Alpha
had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting the common synonym opned for beta's vnspered. Cx reads
as beta. þe kniȝtes eyȝes .
Þan fel þe kniȝte vpon knes and criede ihesuR.18.90:
Cf. F's crist and beta's hym. Cx
agrees with R. mercy .
R.18.96KD.18.93
Called hem caytyues acorsed hemR.18.96:
Beta omits the second hem from this line. Cx agrees
with beta. for euere .
R.18.104KD.18.101
For be this derkenesse I-do
deth worth I-venkesched .R.18.104: In place of alpha's deth worth I-venkesched, beta's
b-verse reads his deth worth avenged. Cx agrees with
alpha.
R.18.112KD.18.109
Whan crist cam þe kyngdomR.18.112: R's þe kyngdom is unique; F shows to his
kyngdom while beta reads her kyngdom (though the CrWHm subset
attests of hir kyngdom). þe crounne schulde
lese .
n iiijusR.18.112: A fragment of a signature remains at the bottom right margin of this
leaf: n ii.
fol. 91vI
Cum veniat sanctus
sanctorumR.18.113: Alpha omits the rest of the verse, which beta completes by adding cessabit vnxio vestra. The beta version of this citation is also that
of the P family of C manuscripts; the X family shows more internal
variation, with some of the best witnesses ending the citation at cessat. .
¶ What for fere of þis ferly and of þoR.18.114: R's þo is unique; F and beta have þe.
Some C manuscripts read thes, but Cx agrees with beta and F. fals iewes .
Cam walkynge in þatR.18.118: R's þat is unique; F and beta read þe.
Cx agrees with the B majority. weye
to helwarde sche lokede .
And whanR.18.125: Beta omits alpha's And. Cx agrees
with beta. þis maydenes mette mercy and treuthe .
R.18.128KD.18.124
And swichR.18.128: For alpha's swich, beta reads which.
Cx agrees with beta. a liȝte and a lem lay byfor
helle .
Of any kendeR.18.133: For alpha's kende, beta reads kynnes.
Cx reads either kynde (X family) or kynde of (P family). creature conseyued
thoruȝ speche .
fol. 92rI
Leue þow neuere þat ȝone liȝte
hem on lofteR.18.149: In place of alpha's on lofte, beta reads alofte. Cx agrees with beta. brynge .
It is but trufle þat þow telleste R.18.151: Beta begins the b-verse with a reiterated
pronoun reference: I treuth wote. Cx agrees with beta.
treuthe wote þe sothe .
R.18.156KD.18.151
Þoruȝ experience quod he I
hope þow schaltR.18.156: R's þow schalt is unique; F has y shal
while beta reads þei shal. Cx agrees with
beta. be saued .
Þe furst venymouste þoruȝ vertueR.18.161: For alpha's vertue, beta reads venym.
Cx agrees with alpha. of hym-sulue .
Ars vt artem fallerethfalleret R.18.166: This obvious Latin spelling mistake is probably attributable to the same
general pattern of final <-t> being often equated to final <-th> in this
tradition's English spellings (discussed in the Introduction III.2.2.10.
R.18.172KD.18.168
Where cometh pesR.18.172: R's phrase is reversed in F and beta to pees cometh, but
Cx agrees with R. pleyinge in pacience I-clothed .
And preied pes to tel hire to what place
heR.18.178: R's he is an alpha variant; beta has she, and Cx agrees with beta. wolde .
fol. 92vI
Moyses and many mo mercy schal haue .R.18.183: Alpha
omits the following line from Bx:
And I shal daunce þerto do þow so sustre. This beta-attested line also occurs in the C version.
And I shal daunce þerto do þow so sustre. This beta-attested line also occurs in the C version.
Loue þat is my lemman suche
lettres heR.18.186: R's he me is unique among the B
copies, the others all omitting he. However, a majority of the X family of
C reads this phrase in agreement with R. The other C manuscripts agree with beta. me sent .
Þat mercyR.18.187: Alpha has obviously dropped a stave. Beta manuscripts add my
sustre after mercy. Cx agrees with beta.
and I mankende schulde saue .
And saue mannes soule suster wene þowR.18.194: Beta omits alpha's þow. Cx agrees
with beta. it neuere .
And folwed þat þe fende tauȝte & his felawes
wille .R.18.202: Hereafter, alpha omits a line preserved in beta and in most C version witnesses:
Aȝeines resoun I riȝtwisnesse recorde þus with treuth. A related problem is that the single best B witness, manuscript L, reads I rather than and in the middle of the line, a superior choice also attested by a select group of the C manuscripts (XYcI).
Aȝeines resoun I riȝtwisnesse recorde þus with treuth. A related problem is that the single best B witness, manuscript L, reads I rather than and in the middle of the line, a superior choice also attested by a select group of the C manuscripts (XYcI).
¶ AndR.18.206: L and Y join R in merely implying, rather than stating, the
pronoun subject here, but F agrees with the other beta copies in reading explicitly And I shal. Cx agrees with F and the beta
majority. schal preieR.18.206: R's preie is an alpha variant. Beta has preue. Cx agrees with alpha. quod pees
here peyne mote haue ende .
R.18.208KD.18.205
For þei wisteR.18.208: Beta reads had þei wist. Almost
certainly alpha omitted had since the only evidence for it in that family
is in the form of a supralinear correction in the scribal hand of F, which, as a result,
reads þey hadde wiste. Cx agrees
with beta. of no wo wele hadde þei nauȝte knowe .
fol. 93rI
R.18.220KD.18.217
Wote no wiȝte as I wene what is nouȝteR.18.220: R's is nouȝte is unique; F shows it
is, while beta has is ynough. Cx agrees with
beta, reading is ynow. to mene .
Sette hym in solace and in souereyne ioye .R.18.222: Beta has myrthe in place of alpha's ioye. Cx agrees with beta.
R.18.224KD.18.221
To wite what wele isR.18.224: Beta has the past form, was. Cx
agrees with beta. kendeliche to knowe it .
Schal lere hem what langoure is and
blisseR.18.230: R's blisse agrees only with G; F omits the word, merging
this b-verse with the next line, while beta has lisse. Cx agrees with beta. with-outen ende .
Þat alle þe menR.18.237: Alpha's men breaks the alliterative pattern of the
a-verse; cf. beta's wyse. Cr may have consulted both alpha and beta copies
and tried to split the difference with its wise men. Cx agrees with beta.
in þis worlde in o witt acordeden .
Þat swilk a barn was yborn in bethlem þeR.18.238: R's þe is supported only by W; all other B copies, including
F, omit it. However, Cx agrees with RW on the presence of þe here. cite
And as he wente on þatR.18.247: R's þat is unique; the other B
witnesses have þe. Cx agrees with the B majority. water wel hym knewe and seyde .
fol. 93vI
Whan sche sey hym suffre þat sonne and moneR.18.250: Beta reads se in place of alpha's mone. Cx agrees with beta. made .
R.18.252KD.18.248
Quakede as quikke thynge & al biquascheR.18.252: R's biquasche is an alpha variant; beta shows a preterite
form, biquasht. Though many C manuscripts agree with
beta on the tense of the verb (= toquasched), the best X family copies, as
well as some in the P family, read toquasch, agreeing with alpha.
þe roche .
And now schal lucifer itlucifer [lese] itR.18.255: R uniquely omits an essential word at this point; the beta manuscripts read
leue while F reads leese. Cx
agrees with beta. þow hym lothe thenke .R.18.255: Immediately hereafter,
alpha omitted the following lines from Bx:
For gygas þe geaunt with a gynne engyned
To breke & to bete dounn þat ben aȝeines ihesus. A revised version of these two lines appears in the C version.
For gygas þe geaunt with a gynne engyned
To breke & to bete dounn þat ben aȝeines ihesus. A revised version of these two lines appears in the C version.
In alle miȝtes of a manR.18.257: Beta omits the determiner, reading simply of man.
and his moder gladie .
AR.18.263: Beta begins this line with How a; Cx
agrees with alpha in omitting How. spiriȝt speketh to helle
and bitt vnsperre þe ȝates .
R.18.264KD.18.262α-263
Attollite portas a uoys loude in þat liȝt
to lucifer crieth .R.18.264: Beta reads this passage as two lines, dividing alpha's line
between the Latin and the English. Though most C manuscripts agree with
the line division of beta, some of the best X family witnesses (XIP2K)
agree with alpha.
¶ Þanne siȝedeR.18.267: Alpha's form (i.e., R's siȝede), though semantically identical to beta's syked, was
sufficiently unfamiliar to the F scribe to cause him to flounder, producing seyde. However, Cx's syhed is clearly
identical to alpha (phonologically) and distinct from beta. sathan and seide
to helle .
And lede hemR.18.271: Beta reads it in place of alpha's hem.
Cx agrees with beta. þere lazar is and liȝtliche me bynde .
Þat swhich a lorde and a liȝte schalR.18.273: For alpha's schal, beta reads shulde.
Although a few C manuscripts support beta, Cx
agrees with alpha. lede hem alle hennes
.
R.18.276KD.18.275
May no deth þis lordeR.18.276: For alpha's phrase, þis lorde, beta reads hym. Cx agrees with alpha. dere ne no deueles
queyntise .
And where he wil is weyeR.18.277: R uniquely omits a word here; all but one of the other B copies, including F, read is his waye; Bm transposes to his is. Cx agrees with the B
majority. ac ware hym of þe perils .
fol. 94rI
R.18.284KD.18.283
AndR.18.284: R uniquely omits he from the Bx
phrase And he þat. Bx was
already lacking an alliterating initial stave. þat sothenesse is
seide þese wordes .
And I sitthen I-sessedR.18.285: The
readings of alpha and of Bx are doubtful here. Cf. F's Sytthe y was sesed. Beta reads And sitthen I seised.
þise seue hundreth wynter .
R.18.292KD.18.291
And al-soR.18.292: R's al-so is the alpha
reading; beta has so. The X family of C agrees with
beta. The P family reads Thus at this point. þow haddest hem oute
and hider atte laste .
¶ Þis thretty winter as I wene he wente abouteR.18.297: Cf. alpha's he wente aboute to beta's hath
he gone. Beta's reading is obviously defective in alliteration. Cx
agrees here with alpha. & prechede .
Ich haue assailed hym with synne and someR.18.298: In place of alpha's some, beta reads sometyme. Cx agrees with beta. I asked .R.18.298: RF's
basic agreement here attests that alpha read I asked (F reads the b-verse
as summe y have hym asked). Cx agrees with R, reading
ich askede. By contrast, beta (reflected by LMW) appears to have
construed this form as a past-participle, yasked.
Where he were god or godes sone he gaf me schorte
answere . In the right margin opposite these lines, there is a
partially erased and illegible (under ultraviolet light) note in a near-contemporary hand. It
is ten lines long: 4 lines + a signature line and then the same pattern repeated with the
same signature, which might be Robert Smith or Robin
Swift.
R.18.300KD.18.299
And þus he hathR.18.300: Beta transposes this phrase as hath he. Cx agrees with beta. trolled forth þis to and thretty wynter
With glorie andR.18.309: Beta reads & with. Cx agrees
with beta. grete liȝte god it is I wote wel .
For we leuede þi lesynges we loupen oute alle with þe . These verses are attested only in alpha, beta having lost them by
eyeskip. In addition, only R shows the final phrase of 314b, with þe. The
C version attests the authenticity of alpha's phrases in a revised
version, where the second of these half-lines is clearly derived from a source common with
alpha (cf. Russell-Kane 20.348: And now for a later lesynge).
Nunc princeps mundi huiusR.18.317: R here shows a unique transposition of the Bx
phrasing, huius mundi. Cx agrees with
B majority on the order of this phrase. eicitur foras
.R.18.317: In the left margin, beginning at this point, the leaf was torn
on an inward and downward diagonal for a space of some 5.5 cm.; it was long ago repaired by
stitching. No text is affected.
fol. 94vI
R.18.320KD.18.317α, 318
Rex glorie þe liȝte seide þe lord of miȝt & of man & alle
maner vertues . Alpha obviously had a different
arrangement of text here from the beta witnesses, which read:
Rex glorie þe liȝte sone seide
And lorde of myȝte & of mayne & al manere vertues.
Dominus virtutum
Dukes of þis dym place anon vndo þis ȝates.
By contrast, R makes two lines of the passage, omits beta's sone before seide (as does F) and, with W, reads ma(n) for beta's mayne (F here reads man(er)e). F deviates from the line division found in R (which presumably reflects alpha) and abbreviates the passage, omitting Dominus virtutum.
Rex glorie þe liȝte sone seide
And lorde of myȝte & of mayne & al manere vertues.
Dominus virtutum
Dukes of þis dym place anon vndo þis ȝates.
By contrast, R makes two lines of the passage, omits beta's sone before seide (as does F) and, with W, reads ma(n) for beta's mayne (F here reads man(er)e). F deviates from the line division found in R (which presumably reflects alpha) and abbreviates the passage, omitting Dominus virtutum.
Dominus
virtutum .
DukR.18.321: The singular is an alpha variant; beta has Dukes. Among
the C manuscripts, the P family agrees with alpha while the X family
agrees with beta. of þis dym place anone vndo þis ȝates .
Þat crist may come in kyngesR.18.322: Here R shows a unique omission; the other B witnesses
have þe kynges sone. Cx agrees
with the B majority. sone of heuene .
And with þat breth helle brasteR.18.323: The beta variant here is brake, which agrees with the
reading of Cx. with belialles barres .
R.18.344KD.18.341
And al þat man hath mys-do
I man wol amende itR.18.344: R's it is unique in line-terminal position and is
entirely omitted by beta. Nevertheless, while R's phrasing here differs from F's, their
common witness to the presence of the pronoun indicates that alpha's b-verse, unlike that of
beta, attested it. Cx, which is revised here, also
shows the pronoun in line-terminal position, reading to amenden it.
.
So leue it
neuereR.18.351: For alpha's neuere, beta reads nouȝte. Cx agrees with beta. lucifere
aȝeyne þe lawe I fecche hem .
fol. 95rI
Non veni soluere legem sed implereR.18.353: R's verb here is unique; the other B manuscripts read
adimplere. Cx also reads adimplere.
Þow fetteste myne in my place aȝeynes resounR.18.354: In place of R's resoun, the beta phrase reads al resoun while F shows ryght & resoun. .
Adam and alle þoruȝ a tre schule turneR.18.363: Beta reads torne aȝeine; Cx
agrees with alpha. to lyue .
And my grace to growen ay grettere and
grettere .R.18.367: Rather than repeat grettere as alpha does, beta reads wyder. Cx agrees with beta.
R.18.372KD.18.367
I fauȝte so me thurstesR.18.372: The verb form is that of
alpha, but it also occurs in L; cf. the majority beta form þursteþ. The
inflectional ending of Cx (= fursteth) agrees with
the prevalent beta form. ȝut for mannes soule sake .
R.18.380KD.18.375
AcR.18.380: R's Ac is unique among the B
witnesses; F has But while beta reads And. However, Ac is also the reading of Cx.
merciableR.18.380: R's reading is unique, presumably because alpha here suffered a loss of
text; cf. beta's to be merciable." F weakly attempts
a repair with not so merciable. Cx agrees with beta. to man my kende þanne itR.18.380: Beta shows a transposed form of R's phrase: þanne my
kynde. F rephrases the entire b-verse as my keende may not aske. Cx agrees with beta. asketh .
It is nouȝt vsed onR.18.385: R's preposition is unique; the other B witnesses show
in. Nevertheless, though a few C manuscripts support
the B majority reading, Cx agrees here with
R. erthe to hangen a feloun .
fol. 95vI
Lawe wolde he ȝaf hym lif andR.18.389: In place of alpha's and, beta reads if. Cx agrees with alpha. he loked on hym .
I mayR.18.395: L here uniquely joins the alpha reading (the other beta copies omit may). Cx agrees with alpha and L. do mercy
þoruȝ riȝtwisnesse and alle my wordes trewe .
R.18.396KD.18.390
And þouȝ holy writ wil IR.18.396: In place of R's wil I, beta reads wil þat I. Cx agrees with beta. be wroke of hem pat deden ille .
R.18.400KD.18.393
And my mercy schal be schewed to many of my bretheren
.R.18.400: There is a long, superfluous bar extending from above the <-en> of bretheren far into the right margin beyond the vertical ruling.
Ac blode may nouȝte se hisR.18.402: Beta omits his. Cx agrees with
beta. blode blede but hym rewe .
Þo þat IR.18.410: For alpha's I, beta reads me. Cx agrees with alpha. louede & leuede in
my comynge .
And for þi lesinge lucifer þat þow
loweR.18.411:
This form, found in alpha and L, is an obsolete past tense and past participle of LIE (= "to
tell an untruth"); the majority beta reading, leighe, is substantively the
same. Cx's form for this verb is the same as in alpha and L. to
eue .
☞
After scharpestR.18.421: Beta reads sharpe. Though a few C
manuscripts concur with beta's reading, Cx agrees with alpha's scharpest. schoures quod pes moste
schene is þe sonne .
desuntR.18.422: In
the bottom right margin of this page, there is a symbol resembling a modern script capital H,
beneath which is written the word desunt in what appears to be
an early-modern italic hand. The note was clearly intended to draw attention to the textual
gap that occurs here. Leaves including the last twenty-three lines of Passus 18, all of
Passus 19, and the first twenty-six lines of Passus 20 were detached from R and lost long
ago.