fol. 4r (cont.)I
Passus tercius de visione petri plowman .
vt supra &cetera .
I schal assay hire my-selue and
couthlicheR.3.5:
R's couthliche is a unique variant, probably reflecting an alpha error
(beta = sothelich); F smooths this mistake to sotilly
hire. appose .
What man of þis worldR.3.6:
The beta reading is molde. However, the entire a-verse represents a
problem. F's rendering of this half-line, What wyȝe of þis world, may
be the original, descended vertically from alpha. If that were the case, R (which is usually
much more faithful to copytext than F) would have slipped into the same modernized form for
the first stave word as beta did (man) but preserved the second as
rendered in alpha and Bx, (i.e., worlde), creating an instance of faulty
alliteration. By contrast, having modernized wyȝe out of this line,
beta would then have gone on, in the interest of alliterative regularity, to invoke the
archaism molde as a replacement for the original worlde. Unfortunately for this theory, the evidence from the other versions fails to
provide it with much support. The evidence of the A witnesses
overwhelmingly favors man as the first stave of this half-line. And a
significant majority of the same manuscripts supports worlde as the second
stave (RaUHaEKWa = molde), agreeing exactly with the testimony of
manuscript R in the B tradition (against both F and beta). Among the C copies, the agreement with R's non-alliterating phrase is universal. If
Langland's metrics seem too embarrassed by this evidence, it is still possible to theorize
that he intended the first stave word of the line to be What rather than
man, but this hypothesis remains awkward since it would require an
elevation of were in the b-verse from its apparent position in a
dip. þat hire were leuest .
R.3.8KD.3.8
I wile for-gyue hire þis gultesR.3.8:
The beta reading is gilte. Ax agrees with beta, but
Cx agrees with alpha. so me god helpe .
fol. 4vI
For alle consience crafte and castR.3.19:
R's phrase, crafte and cast, represents the alpha order for this pair (cf.
F's craft or cast); in beta manuscripts they are reversed. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's order. as I trowe .
R.3.20KD.3.20
¶ Mildliche medeR.3.20:
Here R uniquely omits þanne (F attests this adverb's presence at the head
of the a-verse rather than the tail, as in beta). Both Ax and the X
family of C agree with beta's reading. The P family of C positions the adverb as in beta, but reads it as þo.
merciede hem alle .
Rynges with rubies and ricchesseR.3.23:
Beta shows the plural, ricchesses. Both variants are available in the A tradition, but a significant majority of A witnesses
agrees with beta's reading. manye .
To loue ȝowR.3.30: F and most beta manuscripts show hem here (M has been erased and overwritten to match this majority reading), but L
uniquely agrees with R's ȝow. Although two A
manuscripts (RaU) agree with the LR reading, it seems clear that Ax
supports the F/beta variant. However, the A majority continues in the
following line with third-person plural references (RU again dissenting), but a large cluster
of fairly reliable B manuscripts (MCOF, as well as the BmBoCot set) all
suddenly shift to second-person plural pronouns at this point, coming back into alignment
with LR. It appears likely, then, in the light of this attestational pattern, that LR are not
randomly agreeing in error but witnessing, at R3.30, what actually appeared in Bx, that the other B copies, by contrast, are merely
drifting along with the third-person references established in previous lines of this passage
and fail to notice, until the next line, the sudden shift in viewpoint caught here by the two
most careful B scribes. lely and lordes to make .
R.3.32KD.3.32
Schal no lewednesse lette þe clerkesR.3.32:
Although alpha's third stave shows defective alliteration (cf. beta's leode, which is also the reading of Ax), alpha's clerkes is supported by Cr and universally by the C version. The
possibility that alpha and C have randomly converged in error here, both
chancing upon the same word that neither alliterates in its line nor is an equivalent for the
word replaced, seems unlikely—especially since this particular pattern of alpha / C agreement in editorial change is one that recurs frequently throughout
the developing narrative.
Only two explanations seem plausible for this array of variants and for many similar ones; however, at this distance the two explanations are almost indistinguishable: (1) While he was working on B, Langland began to be much more concerned about his London readers not understanding obsolescent words like leode than about small metrical lapses and therefore entered a series of marginal "updatings" into Bx's exemplar, moving it away, at times awkwardly, from original A readings in order to meet his changed perception of audience needs. When confronted with such evidence of authorial ambiguity in his exemplar, the scribe of Bx usually hedged his bets by copying the text unaltered, with the authorial change reproduced in his own margin (perhaps thinking it a gloss). In the final stage of this process, alpha and beta followed their respective proclivities, with alpha normally taking such an entry as authorial revision and using it to supplant the original text while beta usually took it as a mere gloss, ignored it, and copied what he saw in the body of the line of Bx. Or, (2) like its many anomalous relatives in other "revised" lines, clerke(s) was indeed a purely scribal gloss in the immediate ancestor of Bx and had no warrant from the author, but still seemed sufficiently ambiguous to the Bx scribe to deserve exact reproduction. The roles of alpha and beta in this scenario remain the same as in the first. But what is painfully evident is that, by the time he began using the exemplar of Bx to create the C text, Langland either didn't care anymore about such small aesthetic matters or had completely forgotten who had authored clerkes—or both! þat I louye .
Only two explanations seem plausible for this array of variants and for many similar ones; however, at this distance the two explanations are almost indistinguishable: (1) While he was working on B, Langland began to be much more concerned about his London readers not understanding obsolescent words like leode than about small metrical lapses and therefore entered a series of marginal "updatings" into Bx's exemplar, moving it away, at times awkwardly, from original A readings in order to meet his changed perception of audience needs. When confronted with such evidence of authorial ambiguity in his exemplar, the scribe of Bx usually hedged his bets by copying the text unaltered, with the authorial change reproduced in his own margin (perhaps thinking it a gloss). In the final stage of this process, alpha and beta followed their respective proclivities, with alpha normally taking such an entry as authorial revision and using it to supplant the original text while beta usually took it as a mere gloss, ignored it, and copied what he saw in the body of the line of Bx. Or, (2) like its many anomalous relatives in other "revised" lines, clerke(s) was indeed a purely scribal gloss in the immediate ancestor of Bx and had no warrant from the author, but still seemed sufficiently ambiguous to the Bx scribe to deserve exact reproduction. The roles of alpha and beta in this scenario remain the same as in the first. But what is painfully evident is that, by the time he began using the exemplar of Bx to create the C text, Langland either didn't care anymore about such small aesthetic matters or had completely forgotten who had authored clerkes—or both! þat I louye .
Þat
heR.3.33:
Only the two alpha manuscripts here omit ne before the verb. The A version here agrees completely with beta. worth furst vaunsedR.3.33:
R's vaunsed is a unique form among the B witnesses
but dominates the X family of C. The P family tends to agree with the
F/beta reading, auaunced. As would be expected, MED, s. v.
vauncen, categorizes vaunsed as a clipped form derived
from the verb avauncen. Citations for this form are mostly from the
fifteenth century (but the passage from manuscript R is also cited as well as one from Robert
Manning). for ich am by-knowe .
R.3.36KD.3.36
To mede þis mayde he mellud þisR.3.36: R's phrase þis mayde is unique. F's has
þat Mayde while beta reads þe mayde. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta. wordes .
And seyde ful sotelyR.3.37:
R's sotely is unique; the other B witnesses read softly; the C version is revised at this point, but Ax agrees with the B majority and no A copy agrees with R . in schrift as it were .
And
falsedeR.3.39:
Cf. F's Fals and beta's falsenesse. Though all three
variants are available in the A tradition, Ax
almost certainly agreed with R. As for C, the manuscript support in that
version for R's lection is almost universal. hauede I-folwed þe al þis fifty wynter .
fol. 5rI
Waldestow glase þat gable and graue þereR.3.49:
R's þere is unique; the other B
manuscripts have þere-inne. However, almost all C
witnesses agree with R. þi name .
¶¶ Wist I þat quatz mede þere nys wyndow no wowȝ .R.3.51: Beta's version of the b-verse reads I wolde nouȝt
spare. It seems likely that the long passage of damaged or missing text in alpha after
this point (cf. R3.52) may actually begin with this b-verse.
R.3.52KD.3.51.1
Þat I ne wolde make and amende it with of myne . These two lines are offered by alpha instead of eleven lines preserved in
beta (= KD3.52-62); it appears that the beta passage is archetypal but was somehow overlooked
or unavailable to alpha and that the two lines in their stead were introduced to patch the
resulting incoherence, adapted from two cognate lines in A (= Kane
3.50-51). Beta's cognate lines are as follows:
Wist I that quod þat womman I wolde nouȝt spare
For to be ȝowre frende frere and faille ȝow neure
Whil ȝe loue lordes þat lechery haunteþ
And lakkeþ nouȝt ladis þat loueþ wel þe same
It is a frelete of flesche ȝe fynde it in bokes
And a course of kynde wher-of we komen alle
Who may scape þe sklaundre þe skaþe is sone amended
It is synne of seuene sonnest relessed
Haue mercy quod Mede of men þat it haunte
And I shal keure ȝowre kirke ȝowre cloystre do maken
Wowes do whitten and wyndowes glasen.
Wist I that quod þat womman I wolde nouȝt spare
For to be ȝowre frende frere and faille ȝow neure
Whil ȝe loue lordes þat lechery haunteþ
And lakkeþ nouȝt ladis þat loueþ wel þe same
It is a frelete of flesche ȝe fynde it in bokes
And a course of kynde wher-of we komen alle
Who may scape þe sklaundre þe skaþe is sone amended
It is synne of seuene sonnest relessed
Haue mercy quod Mede of men þat it haunte
And I shal keure ȝowre kirke ȝowre cloystre do maken
Wowes do whitten and wyndowes glasen.
Þat vch aR.3.54:
For alpha's vch a, beta reads eury. Alpha's reading is
supported by a majority of A witnesses, but beta's variant agrees with
C. segge schal IseR.3.54:
This form (cf. F's see) is an alpha reading that agrees with both Ax and Cx against beta's seye(n) (=
modern "say"). Ich am suster to ȝow alle .R.3.54: R's to ȝow alle is from alpha; beta reads of ȝowre hous. Both Ax and Cx
here support beta, the former by complete agreement, the latter by being an obvious revision
of the beta phrase (C = of ȝoure ordre).
For godR.3.58:
R's god fails to alliterate properly (cf. the F/beta reading, crist, which does alliterate). Nevertheless, all the C
witnesses agree with R against F and beta. knoweth þi consience and þi kende
wille .
ÞiR.3.59:
The opening of this line in F reads Boþe þe coost; cf. beta's And þi coste. However, the P family of C agrees with R's
line opening (the X family has no reading here at all as a result of an earlier error that
merged two lines in its subarchetype). cost and þi coueytyse and who þe catel
owȝte .
R.3.64KD.3.72α
Nesciat sinistra quid faciat dextera
R.3.64: The right end of this red boxing has been cropped.
To ponysch vpponR.3.70:
Beta reads on. Ax clearly agrees with beta here, but
the C families are divided, the P group supporting beta while the X
group agrees with alpha's vppon. pilaries and
pynynge stoles .
fol. 5vI
R.3.72KD.3.80
For þese aren men vppounR.3.72:
Beta reads on. C is revised at this point, but the
A version attests an identical line, in which witnesses are mostly
divided between beta's reading and of þis molde þat moste
harme werchen .
¶
And alsoR.3.74:
R's And also is unique but may derive from alpha; cf. beta's For they and F's &. C is revised at this
point, but the A version attests an almost identical line, in which
nearly all manuscripts agree with beta's opening phrase. poysene þe poeple
priuelich and ofte .
Ne bouȝte none burgeageR.3.78:
R's use of the singular burgage is unique but may reflect alpha (beta
attests the plural); cf. F's bargayn. Although manuscripts EWa of the A version agree with R's singular, it seems clear that both Ax and Cx read as beta does here. be yeR.3.78: Beta has
ȝe. F and G clearly have þe, but R's y and þ show sufficient overlap that the scribe's
intentions here are ambiguous. ful certeyne .
Rynges other othere ricchesseR.3.82: This awkward phrase, other othere richesse, almost
certainly derives from alpha; cf. F's smoothing omission, or rycchesse.
Beta has or other ricchesse. þe regratoures
to meyntene .
¶ For my lordR.3.83:
Beta reads loue, which is also the reading of Ax in
an identical line. The C version is revised at this point, but an
analogous line (Loue hem for my loue quod this lady mede) confirms the
originality of beta's variant. quod þat lady loue hem vchone .
R.3.88KD.3.96
Ignis deuorabit
tabernacula eorum qui libenter.R.3.88: Beta finishes the citation with a phrase omitted by alpha: accipiunt munera. &cetera
.
Amonge þis letterede ledeR.3.89:
R's lede (a unique reading) is to be construed as a collective singular
(="these lettered folk"); the other B manuscripts witness the plural ledes. Both Ax and Cx attest a completely
different word for this alliterative stave: lordes. þis
latyn is to mene .
And ofsent hire alswitheR.3.94: Only L (= alswythe) and M (= alsswythe) agree precisely with R in attesting this exact phrase and writing it as a
single word (cf. manuscript O = als wythe, WC = as
swiþe, and F = swyþe). However, both OED2
s. v.
alswith and MED in a quotation from the early
fourteenth-century King Alexander
s. v.
certe and smert(e), attest the phrase's occurrence in
this merged form in the fourteenth century, the former in Kyng Alisaunder (He þonked Kyng Alisaundre þerof, certe, And starf alswiþe,
wiþouten smerte) and the latter in Barbour's Bruce (His ansuer he tald alswith VIII. 153). The same a-verse occurs in the A version, where the archetypal reading appears to be that found in manuscripts WC of
B, but one of the oldest of the A copies, Vernon,
merges the words, reading aswiþe. The LMR form is likely to be that
of Bx. with seriantes manye .
AcR.3.99: The cropped word cannot be supplied with
confidence, since F has synonymous But in place of beta's Ac. wors wrouȝtestow neuere þan þo þow fals toke .
fol. 6rI
Hennes to þi deth-day to doR.3.101:
R's to do is a unique variant. Most betas read simply do; cf. F's yf þou do. The same phrase occurs in A, where its form agrees with that found in beta. so namore .
R.3.104KD.3.112
¶¶ Ȝee lord quatz þat lady lord
it me for-bede .R.3.104: R's b-verse is unique in the B tradition ; F and beta
read lorde forbede elles, which agrees with Ax.
However, R's phrasing is identical to that found in Cx.
For sche is ofR.3.111:
Here R omits a key word; beta reads is fayne of þi
felawship. The fact that F appears to try smoothing this passage (is of
fair shap) suggests that R's omission was inherited from alpha. Both Ax and Cx read the phrase as beta does. þi
felaschippe for to be þi make .
For sche is frele of hire feyth and fykelR.3.114: R's and fykel is paralleled by Hm and H in the beta tradition; however, beta
itself omitted the conjunction. F reads & fals. The beta reading
agrees with that of Ax, but R's phrasing is identical to that found in
Cx (emended out of the Athlone text by Russell and Kane). of
hire speche .
Ȝoure fader heR.3.119:
He, "she." R's he, repeatedly deployed by the scribe in
this passage, is uncommon in form among the B manuscripts but not
substantive; OED2, s. v.
heo, and MED, s. v.
he (pron. 2), indicate that he is a variant for heo between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. feelde
þoruȝ faireR.3.119:
R's faire is an alpha variant. Cf. beta's fals. The
same line occurs in A, where the original reading is clearly the same as
in beta; however, three A witnesses, VHaMa, agree with alpha's
variant. beheste .
R.3.120KD.3.128
And hath appoysond popes and appayrethR.3.120:
R's present tense for this verb is unique among the B copies ; the
others show its form as a preterite. However, Cx clearly agrees with R's
verb form and the A manuscripts are split between present and past-tense
forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on a
potential ambiguity of tense marking in R. holy cherche
By-twene heuene and helle
andR.3.122:
Beta reads in, but Ax and Cx
both agree here with the reading of alpha. eerthe þeyȝ men souȝte
For sche is tykil of hire taile tale-wise of tongeR.3.123: R's phrase at the end of this line represents the alpha reading; beta has talwis of hir tonge. However, Cx
clearly agrees with alpha's phrasing while the A manuscripts are split
between the alpha and beta lections. .
Sche latR.3.129:
R's lat is unique in form and appears, at first glance, to be a preterite;
the other B witnesses show a common present-tense inflection (e.g.,
LMCrWHmOGF = leteth); however, MED attests this form as 3rd
sing. pres., and it seems clear that R intends the same meaning as the other B manuscripts rather than a preterite (cf. payeth later in this
line). In the C version, lat is actually the
predominant reading among the X family. A similarly inflected form also appears in several
A manuscripts. See the Introduction III.2.2.10 for a full discussion of ambiguities in R's tense
marking. passe prisonsR.3.129:
R's prisons is uniquely spelled (F and beta read prisoneres); however, MED, s. v.
prisoun, verifies that the R form is viable as a variant of the Bx word. The plural, prisons (= "prisoners"), actually
appears in Bx at R7.30: Pore poeple or prisones
fynden hem here fode. R's form is also found in some A witnesses at this point, and is the predominant form in the cognate line of the C version. and payeth for hem ofte .
fol. 6vI
R.3.132KD.3.140
And taketh trewtheR.3.132: R's trewthe is an alpha
variant. Beta has þe trewe. Both phrasings occur in the other two
versions. They seem almost equally distributed in the A copies, while a
majority of C manuscripts, including the most important members of the X
family, agrees with alpha (but a significant minority, especially among the P family, agrees
with beta). by þe toppe and teyeth hym faste .
¶
He blisseth þes bisshopes and prestes am.eyntenetha m.eynteneth .R.3.141: R's phrasing in this line represents a unique compression of two lines from
Bx, apparently necessitated by textual loss in alpha since F also
improvises at this point. Beta, which here appears to reflect Bx better, reads:
She blesseth þise Bisshopes þeiȝe þey be lewed
Prouendreth persones, and prestes meynteneth.
Nevertheless, when R and F witness an alpha variant in this last half-line, with their inclusion of a reasserted pronoun (cf. F's & prestys she meynteneþ), they are presumably attesting Bx accurately since both the A and C versions agree on this point.
She blesseth þise Bisshopes þeiȝe þey be lewed
Prouendreth persones, and prestes meynteneth.
Nevertheless, when R and F witness an alpha variant in this last half-line, with their inclusion of a reasserted pronoun (cf. F's & prestys she meynteneþ), they are presumably attesting Bx accurately since both the A and C versions agree on this point.
To haue lotebies and lemmanesR.3.142:
R here offers a reversal of the beta phrase, lemmannes and lotebies; F
uniquely omits and lotebies. Both the A and C versions agree with beta on this phrase. alle here
lif-dayes .
¶ By ihesus with hire ieweles þeR.3.146:
Beta reads ȝowre, which agrees with Ax. The
alpha reading is supported by Cx. iustices heo schendeth .
With-owten presentz otherR.3.153:
R's other is unique; the other B witnesses read or. Nevertheless, R's reading may well be original here since it agrees with
the majority of C witnesses, including the best copies from the X
family. pans heR.3.153:
He, "she." pleseth fulR.3.153: R's ful is an alpha
variant shared with F; beta has wel, which agrees with the lection found
in half of the A manuscripts. Most of the other A
copies agree with RF, as does the archetype of the C version.
fewe .
And alle þe comoun in care þat
coueyten lyfR.3.155: R's lyf is unique among the manuscript witnesses of the
B version but is shared with Cr2-3. The other B copies read lyue. in trewthe .
R.3.161:
Because the left margin has been lost to cropping, it is not possible to be confident that it
lacked the parasign that appears in LMWHmO. The scribe frequently fails to skip a line
between strophes when the last line falls at the foot of a page.
Þanne mornede mede and mened
hire to þe kynge .
fol. 7rI
And þatR.3.169:
Only RF attest þat; beta omits it. The A version
agrees with beta; by contrast, a majority of C manuscripts attests the
presence of þat, but most of these omit þow. XIFc read
þat knowestou. þow knowest consience I cam nouȝt to
chyde .
For kuld I neuere no kniȝtR.3.178:
R's kniȝt is an alpha reading; cf. beta's kynge.
Both Ax and Cx agree with beta. ne
conseyled þere-after .
Wendest þat wynter wold a lastR.3.183: R's last is matched only by Hm; F and beta read (y)lasted.
Nevertheless, the Ax form agrees with RHm. euere .
fol. 7vI
R.3.196KD.3.205
Þe leste brol of his londR.3.196:
Here alpha's alliteration fails; cf. beta's blode, a reading which is also
found in Ax and Cx. a barounes pere
.
ÞurȝR.3.205:
Beta reads For, but both Ax and Cx agree with alpha. ȝiftes han ȝoumenR.3.205:
Beta's phrase is ȝonge men, a reading also found in Ax; however, Cx agrees with alpha. to ȝernenR.3.205:
Here beta reads synonymous renne. Ax agrees with this
non-alliterating reading, as does the P family of the C tradition, but
the X family clearly agrees with alpha's ȝernen, a choice endorsed by
both Russell-Kane and Schmidt. and to ride .
Men þat techetR.3.213:
Here most B witnesses (including F) read teche(n).
Manuscript C reads techeþ, which may be what was intended by R (C's form
is used by R on many other occasions). MED, s. v.
techen, acknowledges techet as a possible 3rd sing.
pres. inflection of techen, but the few citations are almost all from the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries. children crauen of hem mede .
¶ Prestes þat preche þe poeple
to godR.3.214:
Here beta reads gode, but Hm agrees with alpha, specifically with F (= of god). Ax agrees with beta. asken mede .
fol. 8rI
R.3.220KD.3.229
Mede is worthyR.3.220: Beta reads wel worþi while F revises the entire a-verse,
producing Now ys Meede worthy. Ax reads this verse
exactly as R does, and though the C version introduces a phrasal
revision in mid-line, it also omits beta's qualifier before worthi,
supporting the originality of R's reading. þe maystrie to haue .R.3.220: The
eighth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the
right edge of the writing area for a space of some 12.5 cm, from R3.229-49.
Þere arn to manere of medes my lord byR.3.222:
Beta reads with, but Ax agrees with alpha.
ȝoure leue .
Þe prophite precheth þere-offe and putte it in þe sauterR.3.225: In the right margin, just
inside the ruling, someone has added an oversized punctus for this line in a darker shade of
ink than that used by the original scribe.
Lord who schal wonie in þi wones withR.3.227:
Beta reads and with; the line does not appear in either A or C. þi holy seyntes .
psal xivR.3.230: The appropriate
scriptural reference has been inscribed in the right margin by an early
reader.
mor wmR.3.235: In the right margin are the remains of what appears to have been
a pen trial.
Þat taked mede and mone for masses þat þei songen .R.3.247: R's past-tense verbs in this line are unique; all other B manuscripts use present-tense forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's problematic tense marking. Both the A and C versions of this line agree with Bx on these verbs being in the present tense.
fol. 8vI
It nisR.3.251:
The negative verb is unique to R; all other B manuscripts read is. no maner mede but a mesurable hire .
It isR.3.253: Beta reads a
permutacioun. This is also the reading found in the other two versions.
permutacion apertly a peny-worth for another .
Þat agag of amalec andR.3.257:
In the B tradition, R uniquely omits al before the
phrase his poeple. However, though Ax reads the
phrase exactly as the B majority, a significant, closely interrelated
set of A manuscripts (TDChH2) also omits al at this point. The same phenomenon can be seen among the C witnesses, a small minority reading with R while most agree with F/beta. his
poeple after .
R.3.260KD.3.265
Þe be buxum at myR.3.260:
Beta reads his biddynge, which is also the reading
found in the A version, but the C text agrees with
alpha's my. byddynge his wille to fulfille
.
R.3.272KD.3.277
And alle his seed for þat synne schentfulliche endede .R.3.272:The RF usage of past tense here (beta = ende) reflects
alpha and is shared by convergence with Hm. Though both A and C traditions attest—in isolated manuscripts—preterite forms
for this verb, it is obvious that the beta uninflected base form is archetypal in both of the
poem's other versions.
R.3.276KD.3.281
AunterR.3.276:
Beta opens this line with An auenture; F begins it with For
hap. The witness of the other two versions is in favor of An
aunter. it nuyed men non eende wille I make .
IR.3.286: In the extreme right margin, beyond the
pricking, is what appears to a modern eye to be a barred 9, probably an <I> or <Q> in this hand, though it is unclear
what it signifies.
R.3.296KD.3.301
And suche peesR.3.296:
Beta reads such a pees; the C
version agrees with alpha. amonge þe poeple and a parfit trewth .
fol. 9vI
R.3.320KD.3.324
And what smyth þat any smithieR.3.320:
R's smithie is the alpha variant; most of the beta copies attest either
smyþeþ (e.g., WO) or smyteth (LC). be
smiten þere-with to dedeR.3.320:
R's dede is a unique variant, but its meaning is identical to the common
reading (dethe) found in other witnesses, both from the B and the C traditions. .
R.3.324KD.3.327
And þe meddel of a mone schal make þe Iewes torneR.3.324:
Cf. beta's Iewes to torne; but the C reading clearly agrees with alpha's omission of to. .
And sarasyns for þe siȝte þere-offeR.3.325:
R's þe siȝte þere-offe reflects alpha;
cf. beta's þat siȝte. The C reading is identical
to beta's. schul synge gloria
in excelsis .
I can latynR.3.329: R's omission of the negative in this phrase is unique among the extant B manuscripts but is shared by convergence with Cr3. quatz sche clerkes wote þe sothe .
See what salomon seith in sapiencesR.3.330:
R's genitive sapiences is unique; F and beta both attest the unmarked
possessive form. bokes .
Had sche loked þat other half and þe lef I-turnedR.3.338:
R's I-turned reflects an alpha reading; cf.
beta's torned. The Cx reading is identical to
beta's. .
Heo schulde aR.3.339:
R's a is unique in form but represents the same semantic element as the
majority's haue. founde fele wordes folwyng
þere-after .
fol. 10rI
And þat is animam
autem aufert accipientiumR.3.347: After this Latin tag (completely omitted by F), beta adds &c.. Cx agrees with R in omitting it. .
R.3.348KD.3.351
And þat is þe taile of þe tixt of þat þat
ȝe schedeR.3.348:
R's schede is unique in form but probably represents the same intention as
beta's schewed (F omits the entire line). Nevertheless, neither
MED, s. v.
sheuen (v. 1), nor OED2, s. v.
show, acknowledges R's form as a viable inflected spelling for the verb in
question. .
Þat þow we wynne worchipe and with meR.3.349:
Alpha introduced the error of me for original mede. haue victorie .