Passus septimus de visione vt supra

Treuthe herde telle her-of · and to peres heBx.7.1: he: Omitted in CrHmGO and inserted in L. The support of MWC and alpha establishes it for Bx, though it is omitted in AC. sent
To taken his teme [·] and tulyen þe erthe
And purchaced hym a pardoun · a pena & a culpa
Bx.7.4KD.7.4
For hym and for his heires · for euermore after
And bad hym holde hym at home · and eryen his leyes
And alle þat halpe hym to erie · to sette or to sowe
Or any other myster · þat myȝte pieres auaille
Bx.7.8KD.7.8
Pardoun with pieres plowman · treuthe hath ygraunted
¶ Kynges and knyȝtes · þat kepen holycherche
And ryȝtfullych in reumes · reulen þe peple
Han pardoun thourgh purgatorie · to passe ful lyȝtly
Bx.7.12KD.7.12
With patriarkes and prophetes · in paradise to be felawesBx.7.12: felawes: The plural is supported by LMG and alpha.
¶ Bisshopes yblessed · ȝif þei ben as þei shulden
Legistres of bothe lawesBx.7.14: bothe lawes: So alpha and WHmCr (beta2), supported by Ax Bisshopis þat blissen & boþe lawes kenne (K.8.13). However LM and beta4 (GOC) read bothe þe lawes, which could be right. · þe lewed þere-with to preche
And in as moche as þei mowe · amende alle synful
Bx.7.16KD.7.16
Aren peres with þe apostles · þusBx.7.16: þus: LM and alpha, against þis in others. pardoun Piers sheweth
And at þe day of dome · atteBx.7.17: atte: "at the", as in all beta mss. except M with at. R also has at, with F reading on. MR could be right. Ax reads instead at here deis. heigh deyse to sytte
¶ Marchauntz in þe margyne · hadden many ȝeres
Ac none a penaBx.7.19: none a pena: Beta is supported by Ax; alpha's no pena is shared with the X family of C; the P family has a pena. & a culpa · þe Pope noldeBx.7.19: nolde: Following the negative in the a-verse, Bx has a second negative in the b-verse, either nolde in beta or wald nauȝt (F wille not) in alpha. Many A mss. also have nolde. C mss. have wolde or nolde depending on whether they include or omit no in the a-verse. hem graunte
Bx.7.20KD.7.20
For þei holde nouȝt her halida[y]Bx.7.20: haliday: The distributive sg. of M and alpha is more likely to have given rise to the plural than vice versa. AC show similar variation. · as holicherche techeth
And for þei swere by her soule · andBx.7.21: by her soule and: Replaced in alpha by ofte, but supported by AC and by alliteration. so god mosteBx.7.21: moste: Omitted by M and alpha, but supported by AC. hem helpe
Aȝein clene conscience · her catel to selle
¶ Ac vnder his secret seel · treuthe sent hem a lettre
Bx.7.24KD.7.24
That þey shulde bugge boldely · þat hem best likedBx.7.24: liked: The beta reading, against the present in alpha. Cx supports the past tense; A mss. are divided. In the context of present-tense verbs, the past tense is more likely to have given rise to the present.
And sithenes selle it aȝein · and saue þe wynny[n]geBx.7.25: wynnynge: Beta's distributive sg. is shared with most A mss., while most C mss. have alpha's plural.
And amende mesondieux þere-[with]Bx.7.26: þere-with: The alpha reading is supported by the AC versions. Beta's þere-myde is perhaps prompted by the alliteration. For similar variation in this situation, cf. Bx.5.77 and note, 6.67 (= RK.8.68), 6.161 (= K.7.145 and RK.8.155), 15.144. There appears to be no settled pattern. · and myseyse folke helpe
And wikked wayes · wiȝtlich hemBx.7.27: hem: Supported for Bx by LMHmO and alpha; dropped in others. Yet Ax has to; Cx rewrites. amende
Bx.7.28KD.7.28
And do bote to brugges [·] þat to-broke were
Marien maydenes · or maken hem nonnes
Pore peple and prisounes · fynden hem here fode
And sette scoleres to scole · or to sommeBx.7.31: somme: Omitted in alpha, but supported by Ax and required by alliteration. other craftes
Bx.7.32KD.7.33
Releue Religioun · and renten hem bettere
Bx.7.33: Alpha has a paraph.And I shal sende ȝow my-selue · seynt Michel myn archangel
Þat no deuel shal ȝow dere · ne fere ȝow in ȝowre deying
And witen ȝow fro wanhope · if ȝe wil þus worche
Bx.7.36KD.7.37
And sende ȝowre sowles in safte · to my seyntes in ioye
¶ Þanne were Marchauntz mery · many weptenBx.7.37: Marchauntz mery · many wepten: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's manye marchauntz . þat wopen. for ioye
And preyseden Pieres þe plowman · þat purchaced þis bulle
[¶]Bx.7.39: : The spacing in LM indicates that a paraph was intended, as in WHmC. Men of lawe lest pardoun haddeBx.7.39: hadde: The line ended here in alpha, with F filling out this line, and both RF independently supplying a b-verse for the next line. [·] þat pleteden for Mede
Bx.7.40KD.7.41
For þe sauter saueth hem nouȝte · such as taketh ȝiftes
And namelich of innocentz [·] þat none yuel neBx.7.41: ne: Supported by LWCrG and alpha against omission in others. kunneth
Super innocentem munera non accipiesBx.7.42: The Latin line, omitted by alpha, appears in A. The passage is revised in C.
Bx.7.43: The paraph in WHmC is perhaps prompted by the Latin line above, though R also begins a line group.Pledoures shulde peynen hem · to plede for such anBx.7.43: an: "and". Cf. l. 46. helpe
Bx.7.44KD.7.44
Prynces and prelates · shulde paye for her trauaille
A regibus & pryncipibus erit merces eorum
¶ Ac many a iustice an iuroure · wolde for Iohan do more
Þan pro dei pietate · leue þow none other
Bx.7.48KD.7.47
Bx.7.48: WHmC begin with a paraph, and R begins a new line group, as at l. 43.Ac he þat spendeth his speche [·] and spekeþ for þe pore
Þat is Innocent and nedy · and no man appeireth
ConfortethBx.7.50: Conforteth: Alpha begins And conforteth, but beta is supported by Ax. hym in þat cas · with-oute coueytise of ȝiftes
And scheweth lawe for owre lordes loue · as he it hath lerned
Bx.7.52KD.7.51
Shal no deuel at his ded-dayBx.7.52: ded-day: LCGR have this form, though the usual form is deþ-day. Cf. l. 127. · deren hym a myte
Þat he ne worth sauf and his sowle · þe sauter bereth witnesse
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo &c ·
¶ Ac to bugge water ne wynde · ne witte ne fyre þe fierthe
Bx.7.56KD.7.54
Þise foure þe fader of heuene · made to þis folde in comune
Þise ben treuthes tresores · trewe folke to helpe
Þat neuere shal wax ne wanye · with-oute god hym-selue
¶ Whan þei drawen on to deyeBx.7.59: on to deye: LMWCrG have the verb; HmO and R have the noun deþ. F's to þe deþ is also the reading of Cx. Drawen to (þe) deþ is common (MED drauen 3b (a)), but note Cleanness 1329 drawes to dyȝe. · and Indulgences wolde haue
Bx.7.60KD.7.58
H[is] pardoun is ful petit · at h[is]Bx.7.60: His ... his: In the a-verse R shares the sg, with beta4, but only R has the sg. in the b-verse. However Cx has the sg. in both cases. (Ax also has a sg. pronoun, but the context is different, K.8.59.) The plural pronouns are obviously attracted to the pronouns of the surrounding lines, providing the motive for beta and F independently to rationalise. partyng hennes
Þat anyBx.7.61: any: Omitted only by R, but it is not in Cx. Ax supports the reading of all other mss. Mede of mene men [·] for her motyng taketh
ȜeBx.7.62: Ȝe: Beta is supported by Ax against alpha's Þe. (KD report R's Þe and þe in this line as Ȝe and ȝe.) legistres and lawyeres · holdeth þis for treuthe
Þat ȝif þat I lye · Mathew is to blame
Bx.7.64KD.7.60.1
For he bad me make ȝow þis · and þis prouerbe me tolde
Quodcumque vultis vt faciant vobis homines · facite eis
¶ Alle lybbyng laboreres · þat lyuen with her hondes
Þat trewlich taken · and trewlich wynnen
Bx.7.68KD.7.63
And lyuen in loue and in lawe · for her lowe hert[e]Bx.7.68: herte: Alpha's distributive sg. is supported by many A mss. There is no parallel in C. Cf. l. 20, 10.420.
Haueth þe same absolucioun · þat sent was to peres
¶ Beggeres ne bidderes · ne beth nouȝte in þe bulle
But if þe suggestioun be soth · þat shapeth hemBx.7.71: hem: R's hym is also the reading of the X family of C; the P family and Ax support beta's plural. to begge
Bx.7.72KD.7.67
For he þat beggeth or bit · but if he haue nede
He is fals with þe fende · and defraudeth þe nedy
And also he gilethBx.7.74: gileth: R's reading is supported by AC. The form is less common than bigileth (elsewhere only 20.125 in Bx, where HmO read bi-). We assume that beta and F alter to the commoner form, as on several other occasions in this passage. þe gyuer [·] ageines his wilBx.7.74: wil: Quite possibly a miswriting for wille, as in all except LCrG, and as the word is always otherwise spelt in L. Cable (1988), 54, argues on metrical grounds that the difference is substantive.
For if he wist he were nouȝte nedy · he wolde ȝiue þat an other
Bx.7.76KD.7.71
Þat were more ned[ier]Bx.7.76: nedier: For alpha's double comparative, cf. e.g. Bx.11.165 (passage in alpha only) and 15.206. M here reads nediere with -ere erased. þan he · so þe nediest shuld be hulpe
Catoun kenneth menBx.7.77: men: Beta2 and GO read me. The line is not in AC. þus · and þe clerke of þeBx.7.77: þe (2): Established for Bx by LM and alpha, but omitted by beta1. stories
Cui des videto · is catounes techyng
And in þe stories he techeth · to bistowe þyn almes
Bx.7.80KD.7.75
Sit elemosinaBx.7.80: elemosina: LM and alpha against elemosina tua in others. See Alford (1992), 54. F follows with a line of its own. The passage to l. 96 is not in AC. in manu tua donec studes cui des
¶ Ac Gregori wasBx.7.81: was: R has is; F rewrites. a gode man · and bad vs gyuen alle
Þat asketh for his loue · þat vs alle leneth
Non eligas cui miserearis · ne forte pretereas illum qui meretur accipere
Bx.7.84KD.7.77β
Quia incertum est pro quo deumBx.7.84: deum: This is clearly the Bx reading. M corrects deum to deo, in line with the reading of WHmG. For the quotation see Alford (1992), 54-5. magis placeas
¶ For wite ȝe neuere who is worthi · ac god wote who hath nede
InBx.7.86: In: R has Alle in, and F For in. hym þat taketh is þeBx.7.86: þe: Omitted by alpha, perhaps correctly. treccherye · if any tresoun walke
For he þat ȝiuethBx.7.87: ȝiueth: KD (p. 145) explain alpha's ȝift as "variation through misreading of an -eth suspension". It might also be noted that MED yeven records syncopated forms ending -th and -t. ȝeldeth · and ȝarketh hym to reste
Bx.7.88KD.7.81
And he þat biddeth borweth · and bryngeth hym-self in dette
ForBx.7.89: For: Alpha's Forthi perhaps anticipates Bx.7.92. beggeres borwen euermo · and her borgh is god almyȝti
To ȝelden hem þat ȝiueth hem · and ȝet vsure more
Quare non dedisti peccuniam meam ad mensam vt ego veniens [& cetera]Bx.7.91: veniens & cetera: So M. L ends veniens cum vsuris exigerem, but the variant readings suggest that scribes expanded an abbreviated quotation from Luke 19.23. Alford (1992), 55. ·
Bx.7.92KD.7.84
¶ For-þi biddeth nouȝt ȝe beggeres · but if ȝe haue gret nedeBx.7.92: gret nede: Established for Bx by LMR as well as beta2. The others omit the adjective.
For who-so hath to buggen hym bred · þe boke bereth witnesse
He hath ynough þat hath bred ynough · þough he haue nouȝt elles
Satis diues est qui non indiget pane
Bx.7.96KD.7.87
¶ Late vsage be ȝowre solace · of seyntes lyues redyng
Þe boke banneth beggarie · and blameth hemBx.7.97: hem: Omitted by beta4. F rewrites. in þis manere
Iunior fui etenim senui · et non vidi iustum derelictum nec semen eius &cBx.7.98: semen eius &c: So LW; M ends with derelictum &c, R with iustum. CrHmCOF complete the verse from Psalm 36.25, ... nec semen eius querens panem &c. Evidently scribes expanded a familiar quotation, as in l. 91.
Bx.7.99: : The paraph in LWHm (with a new line-group in M), though not alpha, is appropriate. For ȝeBx.7.99: ȝe: AC have third person in this passage (K.8.72-3, RK.9.167). Bennett (1972), 221, explains that the following lines "represent an attempt to return to the original theme from which 71-88 [Bx.7.75-97] (new in B) are a digression. The digression has involved the use of the 2nd person, which is retained up to 94, though the original 3rd person forms are kept in 93 [Bx.7.103]". Though all B mss. have second person here, except for F which alters to beggeres, the situation is more complicated than Bennett suggests, since scribes altered to bring the pronouns into line. See notes to ll. 100, 103, 104. lyue in no loue · ne no lawe holde
Bx.7.100KD.7.91
Many of ȝowBx.7.100: of ȝow: As in the previous line, F alters, reading man, and consequently adopting sg. womman in the b-verse. See next note. ne wedde nouȝt · þe wommenBx.7.100: wommen: The plural is supported by LMR as well as CrG. A mss. vary (K.8.73); Cx has the plural in a revised line (RK.9.168). þat ȝe with delen
But as wilde bestis with wehe · worthen vppe and worchen
And bryngeth forth barnes · þat bastardes men calleth
Or þe bakke or some bone · he breketh in hisBx.7.103: he ... his: Beta has sg. pronouns, but alpha has plural. A mss. have his bak, his bon and his ȝouþe, but rather oddly many have þei rather than he at the beginning of the b-verse. Cx brings the pronouns into line with the surrounding plurals. ȝouthe
Bx.7.104KD.7.95
ABx.7.104: A: "And". sitthe gon faiten with ȝoureBx.7.104: ȝoure: Beta represents Bx's half-hearted attempt to put the passage into the second person; see note to l. 99. O and alpha resolve the difficulty by altering back to third person, thus aligning with AC. fauntes · for euermore after
Þere is moo mysshape peple · amongeBx.7.105: amonge: WMO and alpha have the form in -es. Either could be Bx. AC mss. also vary. þise beggeres
Þan of alle maner men · þat on þis molde walketh
[Þo]Bx.7.107: Þo: R only, but supported by AC. F adds For, while beta has And þei. þat lyue þus here lyf · mowe lothe þe tyme
Bx.7.108KD.7.99
Þat euere he was manBx.7.108: he was man: Beta2 reads þei were men, but this is not supported by Ax. wrouȝt · whan he shal hennes fare
¶ Ac olde men & hore · þat helplees ben of strengthe
And women with childe · þat worche ne mowe
Blynde and bedered · and broken her membres
Bx.7.112KD.7.103
Þat taketh þis myschiefBx.7.112: þis myschief: The sg. is established for Bx by agreement of LMR (F myssese) and Ax, though Cx has the plural. mekelych · as meseles and othere
Han as pleyne pardoun [·] as þe plowman hym-self
For loue of her lowe hertis · owre lorde hath hem graunted
Here penaunce and here purgatorie · here [vp]onBx.7.115: vpon: In AC the b-verse reads vpon þis pur erþe. Bx has lost the alliterating adjective. R retains vpon, the alpha reading which F garbles, while beta reads on. þis erthe
Bx.7.116KD.7.107
¶ Pieres quod a prest þo · þi pardoun most I rede
For I [shal]Bx.7.117: shal: Alpha's reading expressing necessity (cf. most in the line above) is more appropriate than the volition expressed by beta's wil. Most A mss. support alpha. Cx has can (RK.9.282). construe eche clause · and kenne it þe on englich
¶ And pieres at his preyere · þe pardoun vnfoldeth
And I bihynde hem bothe · bihelde al þe bulle
Bx.7.120KD.7.111
Al in two lynes it lay · and nouȝt a leef more
And was writen riȝt þus · in witnesse of treuthe
Et qui bona egerunt ibunt in vitam eternam
Qui vero mala in ignem eternum ·
Bx.7.124KD.7.115
¶ Peter quod þe prest þo · I can no pardoun fynde
But dowel and haue wel · and god shal haue þi sowle
And do yuel and haue yuel · hope þow non other
ÞatBx.7.127: Þat: LM and alpha, supported by Ax. Other beta mss. have But. Lines 127-52 are not in C. after þi ded-dayBx.7.127: ded-day: LCG have this form, though the usual form is deþ-day. Cf. note to l. 52 where R also has the form. · þe deuel shal haue þi sowle
Bx.7.128KD.7.119
¶ And pieres for pure tene · pulled it atweyne
And seyde si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis · non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es
¶ I shal cessen of my sowyng quod pieres · and swynk nouȝt so harde
Ne about my bely-ioye · so bisi be namore
Bx.7.132KD.7.124
Of preyers and of penaunceBx.7.132: penaunce: For variation with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211. · my plow shal ben her-after
And wepen whan I shulde slepe · þough whete bred me faille
¶ Þe prophete his payn ete · in penaunce and in sorwe
By þat þe sauter seith · so dede other manye
Bx.7.136KD.7.128
Þat loueth god lelly · his lyflode is ful esy
Fuerunt michi lacrime mee · panes die ac nocte
¶ And but if Luke lye · he lereth vs bi foulesBx.7.138: bi foules: "(instructs us) by birds"; so beta, anticipating ll. 142-3. Alpha's line means "Unless Luke lies or teaches us to be fools", which cannot be the sense intended. Schmidt accepts beta's he in place of alpha's or, and alpha's foles in place of beta's foules, and this indeed makes sense in reference to Luke's fool as the man who tells his soul to rest now he has laid up treasure for it: "Dixit autem illi Deus: Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te. ... Nolite solliciti esse animae quid manducetis" (Luke 12.20, 22, abbreviated in l. 140). See Schmidt (1995), 376-7. It is worth noting, however, that leren is followed by a to infin. in the closest parallel "alle he lered to be lele" (Bx.19.256). A is no help, with the variant readings by foules, by birdes, be folis, to ben foles. We retain copy-text.
We shulde nouȝt be to bisy · aboute þe worldes blisse
Bx.7.140KD.7.131
Ne solliciti sitis · he seyth in þe gospel
And sheweth vs bi ensamples · vs-selue to wisse
Þe foules onBx.7.142: on: Choice is difficult. The LM reading is generally reliable for beta. R's of may represent alpha, but F has in as do the remainder of the beta mss. The situation is further complicated by the apparent corruption of Bx; the gospel has volatilia caeli (Matt. 6.26), which Ax translates as foulis in þe firmament (K.8.115), suggesting that on þe felde is a Bx error prompting scribes to improve. We follow copy-text. þe felde · who fynt hem mete atBx.7.142: at: Supported by LMWCOR against the repetition of in in CrHmF, even though A mss. have either in or a. wynter
Haue þei no gernere to go to · but god fynt hem alle
Bx.7.144KD.7.136
¶ What quod þe prest to perkyn · peter as me þinketh
Þow art lettred a litel · who lerned þe on boke
¶ Abstinence þe abbesseBx.7.146: þe abbesse: Lost in alpha but supported by Ax and necessary for the alliteration. quod pieres · myne abc me tauȝte
And conscience come afterward · and kenned me moche more
Bx.7.148KD.7.140
¶ Were þow a prest pieres quod he · þow miȝte preche where þow sholdestBx.7.148: sholdest: The beta reading. R's woldest is perhaps easier; F revises. Ax has þe likide.
As deuynour inBx.7.149: in: G and alpha have of, perhaps rightly. Cf. of diuinite Maistres (Bx.15.396). There is no parallel in Ax. deuynyte · with dixit insipiens to þi teme
¶ Lewed lorel quod Pieres · litel lokestow on þeBx.7.150: þe: Supported by Ax. R's þi is perhaps prompted by þi in the same position in the line above. bible
OnBx.7.151: On: Beta is supported by Ax against R's And (F rewrites). salomones sawes · selden þow biholdest
Bx.7.152KD.7.143α
EcceBx.7.152: Ecce: The reading of all A and most B mss. OF "correct" to Eice (KD mistranscribe MR as Eice). For this line from Prov. 22.10, "Eiice ['eject'] derisores ...", see Alford (1992), 57. derisores et iurgia cum eis ne crescant &c
¶ Þe prest and perkyn · apposeden eyther other
And I þorw here wordes awoke · and waited aboute
And seighe þe sonne in þe south [·] sitte þat tyme
Bx.7.156KD.7.147
Metelees and monelees · on Maluerne hulles
Musyng on þis meteles · [a]Bx.7.157: a: "on": Since AC read a myle wey, we conjecture that R's a my wey, supported by M's on my way, represents the corrupt Bx, understood as and my waye by most scribes, and characteristically expanded by F to as y my way. my waye ich ȝede
Many tyme þis meteles · hath maked me to studye
Of þat I seigh slepyng · if it so be myȝte
Bx.7.160KD.7.151
And also for peres þe plowman · ful pensyf in herte
And which a pardoun peres hadde · alle þe peple to conforte
And how þe prest impugned it [·] with two propre wordes
Ac I haue no sauoure in songewarie · for I se it ofte faille
Bx.7.164KD.7.155
Catoun and canonistres · conseilleth vs to leue
To sette sadnesse in songewarie · for sompnia ne cures
¶ Ac for þe boke bibleBx.7.166: þe boke bible: This rather odd expression, altered by HmCGOF, is confirmed by Cx and paralleled by Bx.10.93, though Ax reads þe bible. · bereth witnesse
How danyel deuyned · þe dremesBx.7.167: dremes: Some A mss. have the sg. as in WHmR. The X family of C has the plural, the P family has dremels (as in l. 169). of a kynge
Bx.7.168KD.7.159
Þat was nabugodonosor · nempned of clerkis
Daniel seyde sire Kynge · þi dremelesBx.7.169: dremeles: "dream-vision" (sg. or pl.). A word only recorded in Langland. As in Bx.13.14 (where F is absent), CrHmCF corrupt to dremes. bitokneth
Þat vnkouth knyȝtes shul come · þi kyngdom to cleueBx.7.170: cleue: LMGO against easier cleyme in beta2 and C, and hence the beta reading. Alpha has reue, but the sense of cleue is continued in departed in the next line, and confirmed by Daniel 5.28, "divisum est regnum tuum". Yet all A mss. except one have cleyme. Probably the comparative difficulty of cleue (MED cleven v.(2), 4, "break up, dismember") led scribes to alter it. The line is not in C.
Amonges lowere lordes · þi londe shal be departed
Bx.7.172KD.7.163
And as danyel deuyned [·] in dede it felle after
Þe kynge lese his lordship · and lower men it hadde
¶ And ioseph mette merueillously · how þe mone and þe sonne
And þe elleuene sterres · hailsed hym alle
Bx.7.176KD.7.167
Bx.7.176: W and Alpha here have a paraph.Þanne Iacob iugged · iosephes sweuene
Beau filtz quod his fader · for defaute we shullen
I my-self and my sones · seche þe for nede
¶ It bifel as his fader seyde · in pharaoes tyme
Bx.7.180KD.7.171
Þat ioseph was iustice · egipte to loken
It bifel as his fader tolde · his frendes þere hym souȝteBx.7.181: þere hym souȝte: R has the order hym þere souȝte, and F has sowtyn þere. In Cx the equivalent b-verse is hym for nede souhte (RK.9.316).
And al þis maketh me · on þis meteles to þynke
¶ And how þe prest preued · no pardoun to dowel
Bx.7.184KD.7.175
And demed þat dowel · indulgencesBx.7.184: indulgences: CR's indulgence may also be plural. See note to Bx.3.23 and variants in l. 209. passed
Biennales and triennales · and bisschopes lettres
And how dowel at þe day of dome · is dignelich vnderfongen
And passeth al þe pardoun · of seynt petres cherche
Bx.7.188KD.7.179
Bx.7.188-96: : O omits the paragraph. Now hath þe pope powere ·Bx.7.188: RM punctuate the line after pardoun, reflecting uncertainty over the very heavy b-verse which F abbreviates. pardoun to graunte þe peple
With-outen eny penaunce · to passen in-to heuene
Þis is owre bileue · as lettered men vs techeth
Quodcumque ligaueris super terram · erit ligatum et in celis &c ·
Bx.7.192KD.7.182
And so I leue lelly · lordes forbode ellis
Þat pardoun and penaunce · and preyeres don saue
Soules þat haue synned · seuene sithes dedly
Ac to trust to þise triennales · trewly me þinketh
Bx.7.196KD.7.186
[It]Bx.7.196: It: Alpha's resumed subject is perhaps more likely to have been lost than added. A and C also vary, though It is supported by the X family of C. is nouȝt so syker for þe soule · certis as is dowel
¶ For-þi I rede ȝow renkesBx.7.197: renkes: Alpha has no difficulty with the seven other instances of renk. · þat riche ben on þis erthe
Vppon trust of ȝowre tresoure · triennales to haue
Be ȝe neuere þe balder · to breke þe x hestes
Bx.7.200KD.7.190
And namelich ȝe maistres · mayres and iugges
Þat han þe welthe of þis worlde · andBx.7.201: and: Alpha supported by AC over and for in LMWHmCr. wyse men ben holden
To purchace ȝow pardoun · and þe popis bulles
At þe dredeful dome · whan ded shullen riseBx.7.208: rise: LW and alpha, against arise in others. Most C mss. have the former, most A mss. the latter.
Bx.7.204KD.7.194
And comen alle bifor cryst · acountisBx.7.204: acountis: Alpha begins the b-verse with and, but this is not supported by AC. to ȝelde
How þow laddest þi lyf here · and his lawes keptest
And how þow dedestBx.7.206: dedest: Beta's past tense is supported by AC against alpha's present. day bi day · þe dome wil reherce
A pokeBx.7.207: poke: For R's form pouhȝ see MED pough(e, but both forms derive from OE pohha. R's less common form is paralleled among A mss. by V powhe, and among C mss. by X pouhe. ful of pardoun þere · ne prouinciales lettres
Bx.7.208KD.7.198
Theigh ȝe be founde in þe fraternete · of alle þe fourefyueBx.7.208: foure / fyue: Ax supports beta and F with foure, but R has fyue. Here and twice elsewhere (RK.8.191, 9.344, 15.80) Cx refers to the five mendicant orders (the usual four plus the crutched friars). Probably R represents a revision, with F reverting to the more usual number of orders. ordres
And haue indulgences double-folde · butBx.7.209: but: Alpha is supported by AC against beta's but if. dowel ȝow help
I sette ȝowre patentes and ȝowre pardou[n]Bx.7.210: pardoun: The sg. is supported by Cx; L's plural is the result of a later correction. F omits the line. [·] at one pies hele
¶ For-þi I conseille alle cristene · to crye god mercy
Bx.7.212KD.7.202
And Marie his moder · be owre mene bitwene
Þat god gyue vs grace here · ar we gone hennes
Suche werkes to werche · whileBx.7.214: while: Beta is supported by Ax and the P family of C. The X family, however, has þe while as alpha. we ben here
Þat after owre deth-day · dowel reherce
Bx.7.216KD.7.206
At þe day of dome · we dede as he hiȝte
MED