The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 1: Oxford, Corpus Christi College, MS 201 (F) – Passus 2William LanglandEdited by Robert Adams, Hoyt N. Duggan, Eric Eliason, Ralph Hanna, John Price-Wilkin, and Thorlac Turville-Petre Associate Editors: M. Gail Duggan and Catherine A. Farley Graduate Research Assistants William O. Albertini, Patricia Bart, Michael Blum, Cristina Maria Cervone, John H. Chaffin, Nancy L. Renwick Clendenon, Christopher J. Copeland, David Cox, Stephen C. Martin, Stephen J. Ramsay, and Dominique Woodall. Computer Consultants and Programmers Oludotun Akinola, Robert W. Bingler, David Cosca, Karen Dietz, Susan Gants, Nigel Kerr, Susan Munson, Daniel Pitti, David Seaman, Thornton Staples, John Unsworth, and Peter Yadlowsky.Medieval Academy of America Cambridge, MA ISBN: 0-472-002???

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copyright 2002, by SEENET

2002

SEENET A.1

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, MS 201

 late 14th or early 15th century Source copy consulted: Oxford, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, MS 201

Attribute Values brown ink anglicana bastarda italic Lombard Cap ornamented capital, N lines high rubricated touched in red textura underlined underlined in red green ink blue ink

LatinFrenchGermanpoetry masculine 199901 cataloger Jackie Shieh New header created This folio marker does not represent a leaf boundary at this point, but it is included to make it possible to display the facsimile image from this passus file. Incipit Passus Secundus. WhatF.2.1: The ornamented capital is done in red ink with green flourishes extending in the left margin from the top into the bottom margin of the written space. þis Mounteyn meneþ / & þe derke dale.& þe feld ful of folk / y shal faire ȝow shewe. A Love lady of leere / in lynene y-clothed.Com fram a Castel / & callede me fayre.& seyde sone slepistow / seest þou þis peple.How bysely þat þey been / a-bowtyn þe mase.Þe mooste partye of þis peple / þat pasen on ertheHave þey worchepe in þis world / þey wilnen no bettre.Of othir hevene þan here / holde þey no tale.I was a-ferd of here face / þey she fair were.& seyde Mercy Madame / what is þis to mene.Quod she  In þe tour vpon þe toft / trewthe is þere-Inne.He wolde þat men wroghte / as his woord tellyþ.For he . ys fader of feyþ / & formed hem alle.Boþe with fel / & with face / he ȝaf ȝou fyve wyttys.For to worchepe hym with / whyles ȝee been here.& þerfore he hyghte þe erthe / to helpe ȝou ecchone.Of wollene / & lynene / & lyflode at neede.In mesurable maner / to make ȝow ateseat ese.He comaundide of his curtesye / in comoun þre þyngys.None needfullere þan þo / & nempne hem y þynke.& rykene be resoun / reerse ȝee hem after.Þe fyrste ys vesteure / fram chele þe to save.Þe toþir ys mete at meel / for myssese to the.Þe thryddeF.2.25: The scribe began to write þredde and then changed the <e> to <y>. He nowhere writes "third" as þredde. ys drynk whan þou dryest / but do it in resoun.Þat þou ne worthȝ þe wors / whan þou werche sholdest.For looth in hise lif dayes / þorghȝ lykynge of drynke.Dyde by his dowhteres / þat þe deuel lykede. For he delytyd hym in drynk / as þe deuel wolde.F.2.29: "IIus" with red flourishes is written in the top right margin to identify the passus.& leccherye hym lawhte / & he lay by hem bothe.& al he witte it wyȝn / þat wykkede dede.Inebriamus eum uino . dormiamusque cum eo.Vt seruare possumusposs[i]mus . de patre nostro semen.For þorghȝ wyȝn & wommen / þere was Looth a-cumbryd.& gat with gret glotenye / gerlys þat wheryn cherlys.For-þy  drede delytable drynk / & þou shalt do þe bettre.For Mesure ys Medycyne / þey þou mychel ȝeerne.It ys nowht al good to þi goost / þat þy gut askeþ.Ne lyflode to þy lykame / þat leef is to þy sowle.F.2.39: F and G omit the following line from Bx: "Lef nauȝt þi licame for a liere hym techeþ."For þat ys þe wrecchede world / he wolde þe be-traye.& þe fend / & þy flesshȝ / folwe þe to-gydre.Þese thre / sewe þy sowle / to shende it þey casten.F.2.42: F's b-verse is unique. Bx probably read "seith it in þin herte."& for þou sholdest ben war / y wysshe þe beste. A Madame mercy quod y  me lykeþ wel ȝoure wordys.But þe Mone on þis Molde / þat men so faste kepe.F.2.45: Alpha is responsible for kepe. Beta witnesses have holdeþ.Telle ȝee me to whom / þat tresor a-pendyþ./ [¶] Quod she  go to þe gospel / þat god seyde hym-selue.Whan þe peple with a peny / a-posed hym in þe temple.Wheyþir þey sholden þerwith / worchepe kyng Cesar.& cryst askede þere hem / of whom spak þe lettre.& þe ymage was lyȝk / þat þere-Inne stondiþ.Alle þey seyden . Cesar / we seen it wel ecchone.Reddite cesari quod crystF.2.53: "Quod cryst" was written first in red and then erased. The tail of the <y> is just visible over the <o> in "or ellis" in the following line.  þat cesari to falleþEt que sunt dei deo  or ellis / ȝee don ylleFor ryghtful resoun / sholde rewle ȝow alle.& kende wit be wardeyn / ȝoure welthe to kepe.& tutor of ȝoure tresor / & take it ȝow at nede.For he & husbondrye / holden to-gydres./ [¶] Þanne y fraynede hire faire / for hym þat hire made.Of þe dungoun in þe dale / þat ys so dirk to syghte.What may it be-mene / Madame ȝee me telle./ [¶] It ys þe Castel of Care quod she  who-so komeþ þer-Inne He may banne / he bore was / to body or to sowle.For þere-Inne woneþ . a wyght / þat wrong ys y-hote.He is fadir of falshed / he foundid hym-selue[yt] hymselue.For boþe Adam & Eve / he eggyd hem to Ille.& he conseylede Caym / to kyllyn his broþir.& to Iudas he Iapede / with þe Iewys syluer.& sytthen on an ellerne tre / he hongide hym-selue.He is lettere of love / & by-lyȝeþ hem alle.Þey þat triste on his tresor / be-trayed are sunnest. Þan hadde y wonder in my wit / wat womman she were.F.2.72: An otiose curl appears above the first <e>.Þat swyche wyse wordys / of holy wryt shewede.& y halsedeF.2.74: F alone reads halsede. R has hasked, an inverse spelling for Bx's asked. hire on þe hyȝe name / er she þens wente.What she was wyttyrly / þat wyssed me so fayre./ [¶] Quod she  y am holy chirche / þou awhtist me to knowe.ForFor [y] vndir-fongyd þe fyrst / & þe feyþ þe tawhte.Þow browhtest me borwes / my byddynge to fulfille.& to love leelly meF.2.79: The order "lelly me" is owed to alpha. / whylys þy lyf dureþ. Þan y kurblyde[kurbyd] doun on knees / & cried hire of grace.& prayede hire pytously / to praye for myn synnes.& also kenne me kendely / on crist to be-leve.F.2.82: Alpha omits the following line from Bx: "That I myȝte werchen his wille þat wroȝte me to man."& teche me to no tresor / but teche me þe soþe.How y may save my sowle / þat seynt art y-holde.Whan alle tresor ys tryed . quod she  trewþe is þe beste.I do it on deus caritas / to demen þe sothe.ÞatF.2.87: Þat is owed to alpha. it ys as derworþy a drewry / as dere god hym-selue.He þatF.2.88: He þat is unique to F. Beta has Whoso and R has He." ys trewe of his tunge / & telleþ non oþir.& doþ werke þer-with / & wylneþ no man ylle.He ys a god / by þe gospele / on grownde & on lofte.F.2.90: FH omit the following line from Bx: "And ylik to oure lord by Seint Lukes wordes." Þe Clerkys þat knowe þys / sholde kenne it a-bowte.For cristene & vncristene / cleyme heuene ecchone./ [¶] Kyngys & knyghtes / sholde kepe it be reson.& ryden & rappe doun / in rewhmes a-bowte.& taken transgressores / & teyȝen hem faste.Tyl trewþe hadde determyned / here trespas to ende.& þat ys þe professioun properly / þat apendiþ to knyghtys.& nowht to fasten a fryday / in fyve skore wynter.But holde with hym / er with hire / & so wolde trewthe.NeF.2.100: Alpha is responsible for Ne. Beta manuscripts have And. neuere leue hem for love / ne for lacchynge of syluer. For dauid in hise dayes / dubbede knyghtes.& dyde hem swere on a swerd / to serue trewþe euere.& who þat passede þat poynt / a-postata was holde.But Cryst kynggene kyng / knyghted ten oþere.F.2.104: F omits the following line from Bx: "Cherubyn and Seraphyn swiche seuene & oþere." & ȝaf hem myght of his mageste / þe meryere hem þowhte.& ouer hise meene meyghne / he made hem archangelis& tawhte hem of þe trinnyte / trewþe to knowe.&F.2.108: Alpha is responsible for the &. Beta manuscripts have To. be buxum at his byddynge / he bad hem nowht ellis./ [¶] Þan Lucyfer with legyonys / leerned yt in helle.F.2.109: Bx reads heuene. The scribe reversed the sense without attention to the context. Cf. F5.633.TilF.2.110: Alpha is responsible for Til. Beta manuscripts have But for. he brak buxumnesse / þan blysse gan he tyne.& fel fram þe felachepe / in-to þe feendys lyknesse.In-to þe derke helle / to dwelle þerinne for euere.& mo þowsende with hym / þan ony man can numbre.Lopen doun with lucyfer / in a lothly forme.For þey be-levede on lucyfer / þat lord hym-selue made.F.2.115: F alone among B manuscripts supplies alliterating lucyfer. It also differs from all other B witnesses by altering the b-verse and by omitting a Latin quotation. Bx reads as follows: . . . þat lyed in þis manere Ponam pedem in aquilone & similis ero altissimo.& alle þat hopede it myghte be so / heuene ne myghte hem holde.But fyllyn owt foule feendis / nyghne dayes complet.Tyl god of his goodnesse / gan stable hem to stynte.& made hevene be steke a-geyn / & stonden in quyete. But whan þo wikkyde wentyn out / wondir-wyse þey fellyn.Summe in þe erthe / summe in þe eyȝr / & summe in þe helle depe.But in helle lyþ lucyfer / lowest of hem alle.For Pride þat he pitte owt / his peyghne haþ non ende./ [¶] & alle þat after wrong wirchen / wenden þey shulle.After here deþ-day / toF.2.125: Alpha is responsible for to. All beta manuscripts except H have and. dwellyn with þat shrewe. & þo þat wel wirchen / as holy writ hem techeþ.Þey enden / as eer[I] eer seyde / in trewþe / for þe beste.Þey mowe be syker / þat here soule / shal styȝen into heuene.Þere trewþe ys with þe trinnyte / þat shal savenF.2.129: The error occurred in alpha. Bx reads "and troneþ hem alle." hem alle./ [¶] For-þy  y seyȝ ȝyt / as y seyde eer / be þe same tixtys.F.2.130: Alpha is responsible for the b-verse. Beta manuscripts have "by siȝte of þise textes."Whan alle tresorys ben tried / trewþe ys þe beste.LereF.2.132: Alpha and G omit beta's it after lere. þys / ȝee lewide men / for lettrid men it knowen.Þat trewþe ys þe fayrest tresor / & tristest on erthe. I have no kyȝnde knowynge quod y  y coueyte lerne bettre.F.2.134: Alpha is responsible for the b-verse. Beta manuscripts have "yet mote ye kenne me bettre." R reads "ȝette mote I lerne bettre."By what craft in my corps / it comseþ & where./ [¶] A þou dotyst quod she / to dulle ben þyne wittys.To lytil latyn þou lernedist / leede in þyn ȝowthe.Heu michi quod sterilem  duxi uitam iuuenilem. Þat is a kyȝnde knowyng quod she  þat comeþ in þyn herte.For to love þyn lord / leevere þan þy-selue.& non / dedly synne don / dyȝe þey þou sholdist.Þis y trowe is good trewþe / who can teche þe bettre.Loke þou suffre hym to seyȝe / & sytthe lerne it soone.For þus witnesseþ his word / worche þou þer-after./ [¶] For trewþe telliþ / þat love / ys triacle of hevene.Þere may synne[no] synne / be on hym sene / þat that spyce vseþ.Alle hise wirkys be wroghte / with love / at his lykyng.& lerned it to moyses / for leveF.2.148: Bx reads "for þe leueste þyng." / & most lyk to hevene.& also plente of pees / ys moost precious of vertues.For hevene myghte not holde it / so was it hevy hym-selue.Tyl it hadde of þe erthe / y-hetyn al his fylle. & whan it hadde of manhode / fleshȝ & blood take.Was neuere leef vpon lyȝnde / lyghtere þere-after.F.2.153: F omits the following line from Bx: "And portatif and persaunt as þe point of a nedle." ÞerF.2.154: The scribe used this form of <r> on the first folio and very infrequently indeed after that point. It is his usual form in the Ushaw fragment. myghte non armoure yt lette / ne non hyȝe wallys.Þerfore ys love ledere / of þe lordis folk of hevene. & as þe Meyȝre is meene / be-twene þe kyng & comonys.Ryght so / ys love a ledere / & þe Lawhe shapeþ.Vpon man / for hise mysdedis / & mercyment he askeþ.& for to knowe it kyndely / yt comseþ be myghte.& in þyn herte is þe heved / & þe hyȝe welle.For in kyȝnde knowynge in herte / þere myght by-gynneþ.& þat falleþ to þe fadir / þat formede faire vs alle.He lookede on vs with love / whan he leet his sone dyȝe.Meekly for oure mysdedis / to a-mendyn vs alle.& ȝyt wolde he no woo  to þo þat wrowhte hym peyne.But meekly with mowþe / Mercy he be-sowhte.To have pyte on þe peple / þat pyned hym to dethe. Here myght þou seen ensample / in hym-selue oone.Þat he was myghtful & meeke / & mercy gan graunte.To hem / þat hongyn hym on hyȝ  & his herte þryllyd. For-þy  y rede þe ryche / have mercy on þe pore.Þey ȝee been myghtful to moote / be ȝee meke in herte.For be þe same mesure / þat ȝee metyn / a-mys oyþer ellys.Ȝee shulle be weyȝe þer-with / whan ȝee wendyn hennys.Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis  remecietur uobis. For þey ȝee ben trewe of tunge / & trewly selle.& as chast as þe chyld / þat in þe chirche wepiþ.& but ȝee love ȝoure neyhebore / & leene or gyve þe poore.Of swiche goodis / as god ȝow sent / goodly with hem ȝe parte.Ȝee have no more meryght / of Messe ne of howresÞan Malkyn of hire Maidenhod / þat alle men dysyren.F.2.181: Either a scribe or the F redactor miscomprehended the comparison. Beta family manuscripts read: "þat no man desireþ."For Iemes þat Ientyl man / Iuggede in hise bookys.Þat feythȝ withoutyn fewte / ys no-þyng worthy.But as ded / as dore tre / but if dedys sewen.Fides sine operibusF.2.185: The abbreviation for <er> is unusual for this scribe.  mortua est.For-þy  Chastite with-outyn Charite / worþ cheyned in helle.It is lewed as þe lampe / þat no lyght ys Inne. Fele Chapeleynys be chast / but charite is a-weye.Þere ben non averouserere þan þey / whan þey ben a-vawncyd.& vn-kyȝnde to here ken / & to alle cristene peple.Þey chewyn here charite / & chydyn after moore.Swich chastite with-outyn charite / worþ cheyȝned in helle. Fele Curaturys kepe hem-self / klene of here bodijs.But þey ben a-cubrida-cu[m]brid with coueytise / þey kunne out crepe.So harde haþ Averyce / y-haspid hem to-gydres.& þat ys not trewthe of þe trinnyte / but treccherye of helle.& lernynge to lewid men / þe lattere to leve synne.For-þy  þese wordis ben y-wrete / weel in þe gospel. Date & dabitur uobis / for y dele with ȝow alle.F.2.199: "IIIus," flourished in red, appears in the top right margin to indicate the passus.For date is / þe look of love / þat leetiþ out my grace.To conforte þe kareful / þat is a-cumbred with synne.For love is leche of lyf / & neest oure lord in heuene.& it ys / þe grayþ gate / þat goodgoo[þ]F.2.203: Though this instance is probably to be attributed to scribal error, some late East Anglian scribes displayed a tendency to substitute <d> for <þ>. See M. C. Seymour, "A Fifteenth-Century East Anglian Scribe," Medium Ævum 37 (1968): 116-67. in-to blysse.For-þy / y seyȝ / as y seide / eer by þe tyxtys.Whan alle tresor is triȝed / ȝyt trewþe ys þe beste.Now have y told þe / what trewþe ys / tak it if þou lyke.F.2.206: F's b-verse is unique. Bx reads "þat no tresor is bettre."I may no lengere lenge þe with / oure lord looke þe euere. Explicit passus Secundus de visione Petri plouhman