fol. 60v (cont.)I
Ater FF.11.1: The ornamental capital is in blue with red flourishes. The scribe has run flourishes from top to bottom of the page in
a russet ink not otherwise used in the manuscript. my wakynge / it was longe after.
F.11.4KD.15.4
su &me mF.11.4: The scribe's intention here is not clear. His usual form for "some" used as a collective subject is (cf. 1.19, 21, 31, 86, etc.), and that is consonant with summe. However, a tilde appears over the final <e>, and the scribe perhaps intended to write Bx me m? n su lakkede my lyf / þer a e- lowed it fewe.
fol. 61rI
whan y make moone to god / my name is & Memorye.F.11.25: "" with red flourishes is written in the top right margin to indicate the passus number. XI
F.11.28KD.15.25
for þ &t y can a y knowe / callyd [and] knowes men y am ofte.F.11.28: In , this line appears after 11.24. Bx
wstyn & Ambrose / have brevid on her a bookis. eF.11.37: F's reading is unique. reads "Austyn and Ysodorus eiþer of hem boþe." Bx
Þu woldist knowe & ku one / þe cause of all n my e nF.11.51: FW alone read . myn has Bx. hire names.
A- geyn wiche salomo S spekiþ / & disputiþ nF.11.62: F's is unique. disputiþ has Bx. despiseþ her wittis e
fol. 61vI
e ma Þ nF.11.66: An otiose curl appears over the <m>. þt mychel hony eet / his mawe mote be engleymed. a
tit v erba erF.11.70: Alpha is responsible for the word order. Beta witnesses have " verba vertit." i op na er & v / holly to his powher.
¶ ryght as hony is evil to defie / & & engleyme engleyme[þ]F.11.74: We have taken the error to have been the work of the immediate scribe, but the redactor possibly understood the verb to be
parallel to the infinitive form in the a-verse. þe mawe.
F.11.84KD.15.75
þe brawnces þ &t burgoneþ of hem / & bry ageþ nF.11.84: An otiose curl appears above the <g>. me to hell n e
F.11.96KD.15.85
f vsereris / of horis / & OF.11.96: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have & alone. Curiously, R has of without and, so F's reading is unique. of of averous chapmen.
þt seyd a to hise dissip elis / e nescitis accept [ne sitis] p oressonar er. um F.11.99: Alpha is responsible for the word order. Beta witnesses have " personarum acceptores."
F.11.104KD.15.93
orghȝ leell Þ lyvynge men / þ et godd a lawes isF.11.104: Alpha is responsible for plural . Beta witnesses have lawes. lawe techen.
fol. 62rI
er Þ inp efyȝt p arsthod ys / & reF.11.106: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses lack it. & pchouris & techeris re
or a myschef is in þe maist F roote / þ ert is ca a of þe bowis. mF.11.109: F is unique among manuscripts. B has "Ther is a meschief in þe more of swiche manere bowes." Bx
¶or F- þy wolde þe lettred / leven leccherye & cloþy egg n. eF.11.114: reads "Forþi wolde ye lettrede leue þe lecherie of cloþyng." The substitution of Bx for þe occurred in alpha, and occurred again in the BmBoCot group. F noted the inconsistency and two lines below changed both instances
of ye to youre. here
F.11.116KD.15.105
trewe of her & tu ege / & of her n tayl e e- ende.F.11.116: Though Langland's reference in 's "and of youre tail boþe" is sexual, it seems likely that F took the reference to be to "accounts, reckonings." For the
form, cf. 6.78 above. Bx
f tythis of t Owe þy regis nF.11.118: F's a-verse is unique. Most manuscripts have "Tiþes of vntrewe þyng." B / y- tylijd or y- chaffared.
¶or ypocrisie in latyn / ys lykned to a dongou F. nF.11.122: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses read dongoun. It is perhaps curious that F uniquely introduces dongehill, "dung," in 11.124 and did not correct his exemplar here. dunk
ȝour & werkis & ȝour e wordis / þ ee er- vndir ben al foxly.F.11.127: F's is unique. R has foxly, and beta has wlueliche. unloueliche
e bonu n procedit. m Sicut de templo omF.11.129: The form procedit is from alpha. Beta witnesses read progreditur.
dociu er i mtegru n fuerit . tota floret ecc mia. Si a les corupta utemF.11.131: The form corupta is from alpha. Beta witnesses read corruptum. fuerit . omi fides marcida e n . Si sac stdos erF.11.131: The form sacerdos is from alpha. Beta witnesses read sacerdocium. fuerit i p ncc eis . tot at pop usl us uu contit er ad p urcc em atuF.11.131: Alpha is responsible for , though the reading is shared by Cr peccatum. Beta and 2,3 witnesses have C. peccandum . Sic videris arbore ut pallida m & marcida m . Intelligis q md viciu uo h mt i abe radice. n Si sacF.11.131: F alone omits the following: Ita cum videris populum indisciplinatum & irreligiosum sine dubio sacerdocium eius non est sanum." "
ut eu By p erst sholde ber re / for here broode baselardis. eF.11.134: F's line is unique, revised in the light of a probably confused exemplar. Most beta witnesses have "But if many a preest
beere for hir baselardes and hir broches," where the alliterative pattern suggests that was already corrupt. R reads "But if many preste bere for here broches and for here baselardes." The R scribe's placement
of a punctus elevatus after Bx shows that he did not take "and for here baselardes" to have constituted the b-verse, though that is possible. bere
peyr A of bedis in her e hond / or eF.11.135: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have or. and a book to bydde on.
fol. 62vI
F.11.140KD.15.126-127
f he hadd I no s euyse ne syluer / w ert i evil will h he will e sy ege. nF.11.140: F is unique. Beta witnesses have "Hadde he neuere seruice to saue siluer þerto seiþ it with ydel wille." R is similar to
beta, though its b-verse ("seith it with euel wille") suggests that alpha is responsible for . evil
¶llas . ȝee lewid me A / mychil leese ȝee on nF.11.141: An otiose curl appears above <o>. reestes. p
olde neu We wit / of witty god / but vn er- witty me he n made. mF.11.143: is alpha's reading. Beta manuscripts read Made. hadde
ben seketour &s of sowlis good / & su enowris w mt i her h feeris. eF.11.145: F is unique. has "Executours ( Bx sectours) and Sodenes Somonours and hir lemmannes." or
F.11.148KD.15.135
ut BF.11.148: Alpha is responsible for . (R has But.) Beta witnesses have Ac. And godd folk for defawte / for is- faren & spyllyn.
¶f curatoures of holy cherche / & OF.11.149: Alpha and have C. Beta witnesses have &. as clerkis þt ben auerous. a
Þt þey sparen lyghtly aF.11.150: F's a-verse is unique. has "Lightliche þat þei leuen." Bx / loselys it habbeþ.
F.11.168KD.15.154
or me F be not m ncyable / to mendynau ert n ne to poor is. eF.11.168: F's reading is unique. Other manuscripts read: "Men beþ merciable to mendinauntz and to poore." B
f þyng þ Ot hy a needid mF.11.174: Alpha is responsible for this word order. Beta witnesses have "neded hym." nowht / & nyme it if he myghte.
fol. 63rI
e beleviþ HF.11.185: Alpha and Y have for beta's He. F uniquely has And for beleviþ's Bx (or leneþ). leueþ & loveþ all þo / þ et our a lord god made. e
F.11.196KD.15.181
e can portreyȝe wel þe H Pater noster / & peyte it w nt i h ave.F.11.196: Alpha has the singular form. Beta and witnesses have C. Aues
ut Bers plowhman / parseyveþ mor p deppere. eF.11.214: The comparative form here reflects normal shortening of the vowel before a doubled consonant.
fol. 63vI
Þt is why & wherfor a / for many whyȝt y e- knoweþ.F.11.215: reads "What is þe wille and wherfore þat many wight suffreþ." Alpha had omitted Bx before þe, and L agrees with alpha in reading wille in place of Þat, but the remaining differences are attributable to F. What
y on þo faytoures / & on F factoresF.11.231: F alone reads factores. Other manuscripts have B fautores. suos.
þe meriest of mowþ / at mete wher & he syttyþ. eF.11.233: F omits the following line from "The loue þat liþ in his herte makeþ hym liȝt of speche." Bx
F.11.240KD.15.224
now be þey &ey stis sette / so nF.11.240: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have so or til. for charite he he[m]F.11.240: Though is possibly written for "they," it is not the scribe's usual form, and in view of he's Bx it is more likely to reflect error than to be a relict form. hem folwede.
F.11.248KD.15.232
in þ &t seut aF.11.248: Curiously, the <u> is corrected from <n>, though in general the scribe does not distinguish the two graphies. sytthen / selden haþ he be knowe.
fol. 64rI
or her F lawe dureþ longe / but if þey lacche syluer. eF.11.257: F omits the following line from "And matrimoyne for moneie maken and vnmaken." A large drypoint "X" appears in the right margin, probably an unheeded corrector's
mark to indicate the skipped line. Bx
F.11.260KD.15.244
¶ Wt i hisshopis BF.11.260: An otiose curl appears over the <B>. & abbotys / & platis of holy chirche. re These five lines appear only in alpha.
c &stis parsymonye riF.11.262: This is the first appearance we have found in the language of "parsimony." has no entry, and the earliest citation in the MED is 1432. OED reads Bx. patrymonye to þe por / p ecel ar- mel þey deltyn.
god grau &te vs g nce / þ rat charite may vs folwe. aF.11.266: The a-verse is written over an erasure, and a small hole follows , but no text is lost. god
e c Nueþ ne coueytiþ / ne c raȝeþ aft ri moor er. eF.11.270: Alpha omitted the following line attested by beta witnesses: " In pace in idipsum dormiam &c."
F.11.280KD.15.264
holde neu Se Iudas þ ert aF.11.280: Alpha has (F) or þat (R). Most beta witnesses have þe. ne Iew / have doon on roode. Iesu
seyd & to swiche þ et suffre wolde / þ at at. n Pacientes vincuF.11.283: The scribe left a full line for rubrication, wrote and then scraped it out, leaving one empty line. The reading is archetypal. Verbi gracia
fol. 64vI
n Iaues & in spelu Cses nF.11.291: Cf. OF , cited by espelunce, s. v. MED. spelunkes / & seelde spoke to- gydrs. e
ut of þe BF.11.294: Alpha has , which is omitted in beta. þe fowlis þt fleyȝ / þus is fownde in bookis. a
F.11.296KD.15.280
be þe melk of þe &F.11.296: F is unique. R has "þat meke." Beta witnesses have "þat mylde." beeste/ þe man was susteyned.
ut seelden & sundry tyme BF.11.298: Alpha is responsible for singular . tyme / as seyþ þe book & techiþ.
¶ey St nntonye on a day AF.11.299: Alpha is responsible for "on a day." Beta witnesses have . adayes / A- bowte noon tyme.
F.11.300KD.15.284
e hadde a brid þ Ht browte hy a to / breed to his lyfloode. mF.11.300: F's line is unique. Most witnesses have "Hadde a brid þat brouȝte hym breed þat he by lyuede." B
þey þ &t goome hadde a gest / god fedde aF.11.301: Alpha is responsible for . Beta manuscripts have fedde. fond hem boþe.
¶owl Pm ri heremyta us / hadde parokkid in pF.11.302: Alpha is responsible for , which is absent in beta. in hy m- selue.
yl þ Tt he was fowndour a of frerys / of fraunces eF.11.305: F alone reads , and fraunces has Bx. The verse in Austynes is rewritten. C ordre.
su &me þei solden & su mme þei eety m nF.11.309: Alpha's replaces eetyn, "seethed," which appears in beta manuscripts. soden / & so lyveden boþe.
¶ also &arie Magdeley M / be mores & by nF.11.310: Alpha omitted before the lyuede and added & after it. by dewis.
Þt lyvedyn þus for our a lordis love / a e- mongis wyȝlde beestis.F.11.313: The b-verse reading occurred in alpha; beta witnesses read "many longe yeres."
¶ut god sent hem foode by folis / & by no wyȝlde BF.11.321: FG alone have . wyȝlde has "fierse." Bx beestys.
fol. 65rI
s who A- so seyþ religious / ryght- ful me sholde feede. nF.11.323: FW alone read . All other feede witnesses have B. A drypoint "X" in the right margin may have been intended to call attention to the error. fynde
taken of her & tenau etis / moor n þan trewþe wolde. eF.11.326: A drypoint "X" appears in the right margin, but the reason for its appearance is not apparent.
Ȝee hadde ryght y- now ȝee religious / & so ȝour ordr e eF.11.333: Beta witnesses have correctly alliterating against alpha's rule. ordre techiþ.
q md d uit Iob . Rugiet onager cu ici habuerit herbam aut mugiet bos cu m an m plenu te p msepe steterit reF.11.334: Alpha omitted the following words from the middle of the Latin quotation: " brutorum animalium natura te condempnat quia cum eis pabulum commune sufficiat." ex adipe prodijt iniquitas tua. Nu
sit dedit paup erib er Iusticia ei us manet i us s nc el um s uc eli. u DispF.11.343: F alone adds " Iusticia . . . seculi."
F.11.352KD.15.336
¶yght so ȝee ryche / ȝee robbe þem / þ Rt be not ryche. a These lines are botched in alpha and in several beta manuscripts with , "to give a robe," confused with roben, "to rob, steal." robben probably read: Bx
Right so ye riche ye robeþ þat ben riche
And helpeþ hem þat helpeþ yow and ȝyueþ þer no nede is.
Right so ye riche ye robeþ þat ben riche
And helpeþ hem þat helpeþ yow and ȝyueþ þer no nede is.
s who A- so fellyþ a tune / ful of a ryver. nF.11.354: F is unique. Beta witnesses have "As whoso filled a tonne of a fressh ryuer." R has a similar a-verse. Note that beta
lacks alpha's at the beginning of the b-verse, but R perhaps reflects an error in alpha when it replaces ful with a second fressh. ful
F.11.356KD.15.340
ich R[yght] RF.11.356: The erroneous reading is the only instance in this manuscript of the word spelled with <i>. The remaining 80 instances all are spelled with <y>
and a final <e>. The scribe has perhaps misread the common East Anglian form Rich, "right," confusing <t> with <c>. rith so ȝee ryche me / ȝee robben nF.11.356: The same confusion of with robben noted at line F11.352 continues here. roben & feedyn.
fol. 65vI
ut religious þ Bt ryche been / shulde rather a feede eF.11.358: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have feede. feeste beggeris.
many a p &soner fram p rigatorie / þorghȝ p uryere ben dylyu raed. erF.11.365: Alpha is responsible for a form of plus the past participle. Beta witnesses have be. (he) deliuereþ
F.11.372KD.15.353
ut þe metal / þ Bt is ma anys soule / w nt i sy hne is so a n- layed.F.11.372: F and manuscripts BCG omit the following line from : "Boþe lettred and lewed beþ alayed now wiþ synne." Bx
F.11.376KD.15.358
ey have no be Þ- leeve to cst riF.11.376: F's is unique. crist has Bx. þe lifte / ne to þe loor of philosofres. e
chipme S w nt i schippis / & schepp hd er w ist i scheep wentyn. hF.11.379: F's line is unique. Most manuscripts have "Shipmen and shepherdes þat wiþ ship and sheep wenten." B
f þ Ot was calkuled of cleme at nF.11.389: This passage caused scribes some confusion. Beta witnesses read B. Alpha's þe element along with clement's C reveals the probable reading. clymat / þe contrie nou þey fynde. ra
fol. 66rI
e rede NF.11.394: An otiose curl appears above the first <e>. a lettr in ony langage / but in latyn or englyschȝ. e
F.11.396KD.15.379, 378
flat &rere his felawe / to formen his speche. erF.11.396: F's b-verse is unique, and is corrupt, reading "vnder hym to fourmen." Bx
ut þey oon hippe as y hope B nowht / our do be e- leve sufficitF.11.405: Alpha is responsible for sufficit. Beta manuscripts have . suffiseþ
so c &stene / & vnc ristne / in oon god ri ben-leven. beF.11.414: This line is attested only in alpha.
F.11.420KD.15.402
þe corn þ &t sche croppede / he cast it in his eere. aF.11.420: Alpha omitted two lines attested by beta witnesses:
And if he among þe peple preched or in places come
Thanne wolde þe coluere come to þe clerkes ere.
And if he among þe peple preched or in places come
Thanne wolde þe coluere come to þe clerkes ere.
enynge as after mete / þ M machameþ hir us chawnteþ. eF.11.421: F's is unique. chawnteþ has the preterite form, though alpha is responsible for apheretic Bx in place of beta's chaunted. enchauntede
F.11.424KD.15.408
&F.11.424: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have &. As essag M to makameþ / me er for to techen. n
fol. 66vI
F.11.428KD.15.412
sytthyn our & saviour e suffrede / e so / þe sarsynes by gylid. toF.11.428: The erasure, the additional solidus, and the inserted suggest some confusion on the part of the scribe. to reads for the b-verse "þe Sarzens so bigiled." Bx
ut doon as sey Bt nntonye dyde / or dominik or AF.11.437: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have or. F is alone in beginning the b-verse with and. or Frances.
r benyȝt or OF.11.438: Alpha is responsible for this . Beta witnesses have or. F is alone in beginning the verse with and. Or ernard / þe wheche hem fyrst tawhte. b
o lyve be lytyl in lowe howses / be leele me Tnys fyndy ng. nF.11.439: Beta witnesses read in place of alpha's almesse. fyndyng
F.11.440KD.15.424
race sholde g Gwe & be grene / þorghȝ her ro leel eF.11.440: The error appears in alpha. Beta witnesses have correctly alliterating . goode lyvynge.
here p &yeres & her ra penau eces / to pees sholde he n mF.11.443: An alpha reading. Beta witnesses omit . hem brynge.
rite & i ueue nietis . p nlsate. u Petite & accipietis . qF.11.445: F alone among manuscripts reads " B querite . . . pulsate."
/ [¶]alt saveþ þe Satell C / as seyn sadde wyves. eF.11.446: F omits the following 68 lines, reflecting the contents either of a single leaf or (more likely) opening from his exemplar.
E. Talbot Donaldson noted this fact in "MSS R and F in the B-Tradition of ," Piers Plowman (1955): 185 n. 19, rightly attributing the error to a copyist between F and alpha. More recently Sean Taylor, "The F Scribe
and the R Manuscript of Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences B," Piers Plowman 77 (1996): 530-48, reminds us that this lacuna coincides with the opening of fols. 78 English Studies-79 v in R and argues, we think unconvincingly, that F was copied directly from R. The omitted lines follow: r
Vos estis sal terre &c.
The heuedes of holy chirche and þei holy were
Crist calleþ hem salt for cristene soules
Et si sal euanuerit in quo salietur
Ac fressh flessh ouþer fissh whan it salt failleþ
It is vnsauory forsoþe ysoden or ybake
So is mannes soule sooþly þat seeþ no good ensample
Of hem of holi chirche þat þe heighe wey sholde teche
And be gide and go bifore as a good Banyer
And hardie hem þat bihynde ben and ȝyue hem good euidence
Elleuene holy men al þe world tornede
Into lele bileue þe lightloker me þinkeþ
Sholde alle maner men we han so manye maistres
Preestes and prechours and a pope aboue
That goddes salt sholde be to saue mannes soule
Al was hethynesse som-tyme Engelond and Walis
Til Gregory garte clerkes to go here and preche
Austyn at Caunterbury cristnede þe kyng
And þoruȝ miracles as men mow rede al þat marche he tornede
To crist and to cristendom and cros to honoure
And follede folk faste and þe feiþ tauȝte
Moore þoruȝ miracles þan þoruȝ muche prechyng
As wel þoruȝ hise werkes as wiþ hise holy wordes
And seide hem what fullynge and feiþ was to mene
Clooþ þat comeþ fro þe weuyng is noȝt comly to were
Til it is fulled vnder foot or in fullyng stokkes
Wasshen wel wiþ water and wiþ taseles cracched
Ytouked and yteynted and vnder taillours hande
And so it fareþ by a barn þat born is of wombe
Til it be cristned in cristes name and confermed of þe bisshop
It is heþene as to heueneward and helplees to þe soule
Heþen is to mene after heeþ and vntiled erþe
As in wilde wildernesse wexeþ wilde beestes
Rude and vnresonable rennynge wiþ-outen cropers ( keperes) or
Ye mynnen wel how Mathew seiþ how a man made a feste
He fedde hem wiþ no venyson ne fesauntz ybake
But wiþ foweles þat fram hym nolde but folwede his whistlyng
Ecce altilia mea & omnia parata sunt &c.
And wiþ calues flessh he fedde þe folk þat he louede
The calf bitokneþ clennesse in hem þat kepeþ lawes
For as þe Cow þoruȝ kynde mylk þe calf norisseþ til an Oxe
So loue and leaute lele men susteneþ
And maidenes and mylde men mercy desiren
Right as þe cow calf coueiteþ swete melke
So doon riȝtfulle men mercy and truþeThe text for the next fourteen lines is from R, though without its pointing or indication of abbreviations. Beta witnesses lack this passage.
And by þe hande fedde foules his folk vnderstonde
Þat loth ben to louye with-outen lernynge of ensaumples
Riȝt as capones in a court cometh to mennes whistlynge
In menynge after mete folweth men þat whistlen
Riȝt so rude men þat litel reson cunneth
Louen and byleuen by lettred mennes doynges
And by here wordes and werkes wenen and trowen
And as tho foules to fynde fode after whistlynge
So hope þei to haue heuene þoruȝ her whistlynge
And by þe man þat made þe feste þe mageste bymeneth
That is god of his grace gyueth al men blisse
With wederes and with wondres he warneth vs with a whistlere
Where þat his wille is to worschipen vs alle
And feden vs and festen vs for euere more at ones
Ac who beþ þat excuseþ hem þat arn persons and preestes
That heuedes of holy chirche ben þat han hir wil here
Wiþ-outen trauaille þe tiþe deel þat trewe men biswynken
They wol be wrooþ for I write þus ac to witnesse I take
Boþe Mathew and Marc and Memento domine dauid
Ecce audiuimus eam in effrata &c.
What pope or prelat now parfourneþ þat crist highte
Ite in vniuersum mundum & predicate &c.
Allas þat men so longe on Makometh sholde bileue
Vos estis sal terre &c.
The heuedes of holy chirche and þei holy were
Crist calleþ hem salt for cristene soules
Et si sal euanuerit in quo salietur
Ac fressh flessh ouþer fissh whan it salt failleþ
It is vnsauory forsoþe ysoden or ybake
So is mannes soule sooþly þat seeþ no good ensample
Of hem of holi chirche þat þe heighe wey sholde teche
And be gide and go bifore as a good Banyer
And hardie hem þat bihynde ben and ȝyue hem good euidence
Elleuene holy men al þe world tornede
Into lele bileue þe lightloker me þinkeþ
Sholde alle maner men we han so manye maistres
Preestes and prechours and a pope aboue
That goddes salt sholde be to saue mannes soule
Al was hethynesse som-tyme Engelond and Walis
Til Gregory garte clerkes to go here and preche
Austyn at Caunterbury cristnede þe kyng
And þoruȝ miracles as men mow rede al þat marche he tornede
To crist and to cristendom and cros to honoure
And follede folk faste and þe feiþ tauȝte
Moore þoruȝ miracles þan þoruȝ muche prechyng
As wel þoruȝ hise werkes as wiþ hise holy wordes
And seide hem what fullynge and feiþ was to mene
Clooþ þat comeþ fro þe weuyng is noȝt comly to were
Til it is fulled vnder foot or in fullyng stokkes
Wasshen wel wiþ water and wiþ taseles cracched
Ytouked and yteynted and vnder taillours hande
And so it fareþ by a barn þat born is of wombe
Til it be cristned in cristes name and confermed of þe bisshop
It is heþene as to heueneward and helplees to þe soule
Heþen is to mene after heeþ and vntiled erþe
As in wilde wildernesse wexeþ wilde beestes
Rude and vnresonable rennynge wiþ-outen cropers ( keperes) or
Ye mynnen wel how Mathew seiþ how a man made a feste
He fedde hem wiþ no venyson ne fesauntz ybake
But wiþ foweles þat fram hym nolde but folwede his whistlyng
Ecce altilia mea & omnia parata sunt &c.
And wiþ calues flessh he fedde þe folk þat he louede
The calf bitokneþ clennesse in hem þat kepeþ lawes
For as þe Cow þoruȝ kynde mylk þe calf norisseþ til an Oxe
So loue and leaute lele men susteneþ
And maidenes and mylde men mercy desiren
Right as þe cow calf coueiteþ swete melke
So doon riȝtfulle men mercy and truþeThe text for the next fourteen lines is from R, though without its pointing or indication of abbreviations. Beta witnesses lack this passage.
And by þe hande fedde foules his folk vnderstonde
Þat loth ben to louye with-outen lernynge of ensaumples
Riȝt as capones in a court cometh to mennes whistlynge
In menynge after mete folweth men þat whistlen
Riȝt so rude men þat litel reson cunneth
Louen and byleuen by lettred mennes doynges
And by here wordes and werkes wenen and trowen
And as tho foules to fynde fode after whistlynge
So hope þei to haue heuene þoruȝ her whistlynge
And by þe man þat made þe feste þe mageste bymeneth
That is god of his grace gyueth al men blisse
With wederes and with wondres he warneth vs with a whistlere
Where þat his wille is to worschipen vs alle
And feden vs and festen vs for euere more at ones
Ac who beþ þat excuseþ hem þat arn persons and preestes
That heuedes of holy chirche ben þat han hir wil here
Wiþ-outen trauaille þe tiþe deel þat trewe men biswynken
They wol be wrooþ for I write þus ac to witnesse I take
Boþe Mathew and Marc and Memento domine dauid
Ecce audiuimus eam in effrata &c.
What pope or prelat now parfourneþ þat crist highte
Ite in vniuersum mundum & predicate &c.
Allas þat men so longe on Makometh sholde bileue
o manye S platis ben to p reche / as þe bible reF.11.447: The scribe first wrote and corrected it with a cross above the line and added peple in the margin. The bible reading is Bx, which is doubtless correct. pope makþ meende.
as hy & m- selue seyde / to lyve / & dyȝe for oþe. irF.11.451: F omits the following line from : " Bx Bonus pastor animam suam ponit &c."
to c &stene & to vnc ristene riF.11.453: Beta's a-verse reads "For cristene and vncristene." Alpha is responsible for in place of to before for and for adding cristene before to, but F alone begins the line with vncristene. & / cst seyd ri on þis wyse. e
F.11.456KD.15.502
aven a lyppe of our H be e- leve / þe lyghtloker it semeþ. eF.11.456: Alpha is responsible for "it semeþ." Beta witnesses have "me þynkeþ."
or alle paynymes p Fyen / to oon p rasone of helpe. erF.11.459: The b-verse is owed to alpha. Beta witnesses read as follows: "and parfitly bileueþ."
F.11.460KD.15.505
on . &. god þey gredyn / & his g oce asken. raF.11.460: Alpha is responsible for the line, though R lacks line-initial . Beta witnesses have "In þe holy grete god and his grace þei asken." &
us in a feyþ lyveþ ÞF.11.462: The manuscripts are divided between , "believes," (most beta witnesses) and some form of leue(þ) (alpha and CrL). liven þt folk / & in fals meene. a
þ &t is rewthe for ryght a- ful men / þt in þe rewme dwell a. eF.11.463: F omits the following line from : "And a peril to þe pope and prelates þat he makeþ." Bx
fol. 67rI
han þe hyȝe kyng of heuene / sente his sone to erþe. W These lines are attested only in alpha. For further discussion, see Ralph Hanna, III, (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996), pp. 215-29. Some corroborative evidence for Hanna's position is provided by
Stephen Justice, "Introduction: Authorial Work and Literary Ideology," in Pursuing History: Middle English Manuscripts and Their Texts, eds. Stephen Justice and Kathryn Kerby-Fulton (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997), pp. 5-9. Written Work: Langland, Labor, and Authorship
nowht to hoppe her & & þeer e / for halwen awteris. eF.11.483: The scribe originally wrote and corrected it to nawteris. awterisF.11.483: F's reading is unique. R reads "And nauȝt to huppe aboute here in englande for to halwe autres." Beta witnesses have "That
huppe aboute in Engelond to halwe mennes Auteres."
r c Estendom wer ri knowe þer e / or ony cros honowred. eF.11.487: Alpha omitted the following lines, attested by beta manuscripts. For the ordering in see the discussion in Kane-Donaldson, p. 176. Bx
It is ruþe to rede how riȝtwise men lyuede
How þei defouled hir flessh forsoke hir owene wille
Fer fro kyth and fro kyn yuele ycloþed yeden
Baddely ybedded no book but conscience
Ne no richesse but þe roode to reioisse hem Inne
Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri &c.
And þo was plentee and pees amonges poore and riche
And now is rouþe to rede how þe rede noble
Is reuerenced er þe Roode receyued for þe worþier
Than cristes cros þat ouercam deeþ and dedly synne
And now is werre and wo and who-so why askeþ
For coueitise after cros þe croune stant in golde
Boþe riche and Religious þat roode þei honoure
That in grotes is ygraue and in gold nobles
For coueitise of þat cros men of holy kirke
Shul torne as templers dide þe tyme approcheþ faste
Wite ye noȝt yeThe reading here is uncertain, since good manuscripts from beta both omit (BCC BxLMOY) and include (CrGHmW) 2. ye wise men how þo men honoured
Moore tresor þan trouþe I dar noȝt telle þe soþe
Reson and rightful doom þo Religiouse demede
Right so ye clerkes for youre coueitise er longe
Shal þei demen dos ecclesie and youre pride depose
Deposuit potentes de sede &c.
If knyghthod and kynde wit and commune by conscience
Togideres loue leelly leueþ it wel ye bisshopes
The lordshipe of londes for euere shul ye lese
And lyuen as Leuitici as oure lord yow techeþ
Per primicias & decimas &c.
Whan Costantyn of curteisie holy kirke dowed
Wiþ londes and ledes lordshipes and rentes
An Aungel men herden an heigh at Rome crye
Dos ecclesie þis day haþ ydronke venym
And þo þat han Petres power arn apoisoned alle
A medicyne moot þer-to þat may amende prelates
That sholden preie for þe pees possession hem letteþ
Takeþ hire landes ye lordes and leteþ hem lyue by dymes
If possession be poison and inparfite hem make
Good were to deschargen hem for holy chirches sake
And purgen hem of poison er moore peril falle
If preesthode were parfit þe peple sholde amende
That contrarien cristes lawe and cristendom dispise.
F.11.487: A large drypoint <X> appears in the right margin, perhaps noting the omission of this passage, though the loss had occurred in alpha and therefore could not have been in the immediate scribe's exemplar.
It is ruþe to rede how riȝtwise men lyuede
How þei defouled hir flessh forsoke hir owene wille
Fer fro kyth and fro kyn yuele ycloþed yeden
Baddely ybedded no book but conscience
Ne no richesse but þe roode to reioisse hem Inne
Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri &c.
And þo was plentee and pees amonges poore and riche
And now is rouþe to rede how þe rede noble
Is reuerenced er þe Roode receyued for þe worþier
Than cristes cros þat ouercam deeþ and dedly synne
And now is werre and wo and who-so why askeþ
For coueitise after cros þe croune stant in golde
Boþe riche and Religious þat roode þei honoure
That in grotes is ygraue and in gold nobles
For coueitise of þat cros men of holy kirke
Shul torne as templers dide þe tyme approcheþ faste
Wite ye noȝt yeThe reading here is uncertain, since good manuscripts from beta both omit (BCC BxLMOY) and include (CrGHmW) 2. ye wise men how þo men honoured
Moore tresor þan trouþe I dar noȝt telle þe soþe
Reson and rightful doom þo Religiouse demede
Right so ye clerkes for youre coueitise er longe
Shal þei demen dos ecclesie and youre pride depose
Deposuit potentes de sede &c.
If knyghthod and kynde wit and commune by conscience
Togideres loue leelly leueþ it wel ye bisshopes
The lordshipe of londes for euere shul ye lese
And lyuen as Leuitici as oure lord yow techeþ
Per primicias & decimas &c.
Whan Costantyn of curteisie holy kirke dowed
Wiþ londes and ledes lordshipes and rentes
An Aungel men herden an heigh at Rome crye
Dos ecclesie þis day haþ ydronke venym
And þo þat han Petres power arn apoisoned alle
A medicyne moot þer-to þat may amende prelates
That sholden preie for þe pees possession hem letteþ
Takeþ hire landes ye lordes and leteþ hem lyue by dymes
If possession be poison and inparfite hem make
Good were to deschargen hem for holy chirches sake
And purgen hem of poison er moore peril falle
If preesthode were parfit þe peple sholde amende
That contrarien cristes lawe and cristendom dispise.
F.11.487: A large drypoint <X> appears in the right margin, perhaps noting the omission of this passage, though the loss had occurred in alpha and therefore could not have been in the immediate scribe's exemplar.
o telly T & scheven nF.11.489: Though <v> can be written for <w> in East Anglian dialects (see Richard Jordan, , trans. and rev. Eugene J. Crook (The Hague and Paris: Mouton, 1974), § 300), it is rarely done in this manuscript after
front vowels. However, since Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology is clearly the (erroneous) reading of alpha, it must have been what the scribe intended. Beta manuscripts have schewen. techen / on þe tnnyte to be ri- leeve.F.11.489: In relation to this line and the next are transposed. Bx
feeden &F.11.491: The <d> is written over an erasure, possible a long <s>. he w mt i goostly foode / & nedy folk to h feeden. f[yn]den These lines are attested only in alpha, probably because of eye-skip in beta on . F omits goostly foode after the second foode. goostly
Þt no man shold be bisschop / but if he hadde boþe. aF.11.493: A drypoint <X> appears in the right margin.
est panis . neq n vestime uetu n. m
& ideo nolite stituere me rege con. ysa. 3 m. o In domo mea noF.11.495: Alpha and L alone cite the source.
& ideo nolite stituere me rege con. ysa. 3 m. o In domo mea noF.11.495: Alpha and L alone cite the source.
re formed AF.11.499: Alpha is likely to have been responsible for , if not the preterite form. R has forme. Beta witnesses have for me. ferme as in þe feyþ / goddis forbode ellys.
¶e Iewes be Þ- levenF.11.501: F's is unique. Most other be-leven witnesses have B. lyuen in leel lawe / our lord wrot it hy e m- selue.
fol. 67vI
F.11.504KD.15.585
took it Moyse to teche it hem &F.11.504: Alpha is responsible for . Beta witnesses have correctly alliterating hem. men / tyl messias come.
by þ &t mangery þey aF.11.511: Alpha has in place of beta's þey. men myghte seen / þt messias he were. a
F.11.520KD.15.599
¶ut Banyel of here doenge DF.11.520: FCrM alone have . Most doenge manuscripts have B. vndoynge / dyvynede & seyde.
veniat s mc anus s tc anor t. um Cu F.11.521: The reading is owed to alpha. Beta witnesses read " Cum sanctus sanctorum veniat cessabit vnxio vestra."
unne þe firste clawse / of our K beleeve. eF.11.529: F makes two lines of 's one. Bx reads "Konne þe firste clause of oure bileue Bx Credo in deum patrem omnipotentem."
yl þey cowden speken & spelly T / nr C edoF.11.533: F alone reads . Beta witnesses have Credo et, and R has . and i nm s irituc anm tu sp.
fol. 68rI
Passus icit. us .xi Expl "" with red flourishes
appears in the top right margin to indicate the passus number. XII