The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 8: Cambridge, Cambridge University Library MS Gg.4.31 (G)

The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 8: Cambridge, Cambridge University Library MS Gg.4.31 (G) – Passus 6William LanglandEdited by Judith JeffersonTechnical Editor: Patricia Bart and Daniel Pitti Graduate Research Assistants Michael Blum, John Ivor Carlson, and Nancy Renwick Clendennon. Computer Consultants and ProgrammersSusan Gants, Worthy Martin, Daniel Pitti, Thornton Staples, and John Unsworth.The Medieval Academy of America Cambridge, MA ISBN: 0-472-00

Commercially available:

???? Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS Gg.4.31

late 14th or early 15th century Source copy consulted: Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS Gg.4.31

Attribute Values br brown ink ab anglicana bastarda it italic lc Lombard Cap o[number] ornamented capital, N lines high rb rubricated tr touched in red tx textura ul underlined ur underlined in red gr green ink bl blue ink

LatinFrenchGerman30 Nov 2007 Gen. Ed. Hoyt N. Duggan New header created and corrections to file. hic incipit Petrus P......lowmande visione liber primusG.1.0: The two lines of the heading are bracketed together on the right. The script is more formal than that used in the body of the text and the heading may have been added by WH. See Introduction I.12. Compare finitur visionem in the left hand margin on f.32v

G.8.217.m.1. InG.1.1: The is in a different ink from that of the original transcription, and appears to have been added at the same time as the heading, and therefore probably by WH. See note to head. a someressomer seyson when soft was the sonne I shoope me In srowdes as I a shepe were In habyte as a heremyte vnholy off werkes went wyde yn thys world wonders to here & on a may mornyng on maluverne hylles me befell a ferly off fayry Inme thoght I was wery for-wandred & went me to rest vndre a brood bank by G.1.8: A virgule has been added to separate the words by and a, which were originally written without an intervening space. The ink used is very similar to that used for the to <v> changes and it therefore seems probable that this and other virgules may have been added by the original scribe (i.e. by hand1.1) as part of his later programme of corrections (see Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3). a bornebornes syde and as I lay & leyned & loked vponinon the waters I slomered In-toin a slepyng InG.1.10: The scribe altered In to Itt but then crossed through and rewrote as yt. yt sweyd so merye then gan I to meten a meruvelouvs sweuvene that I was In wyldernes wyst I neuere where as I beheld In-to þe est on heygh to the sonne I seyghe a touvr on a toft tryelyche y-maked a depe dale byneth a dongeon thereynne wyth depe dychys & derke & dredefuvll off syght a fayre feld full off folke fond I þer-betwene off all maner off men þe meyne & þe ryche worchyng & wanderyng as þe world asketh some puvtten theym toto þe plogh / pledenpleyedG.1.20: The G Cr1 reading pleden could be a form of "played" (the reading of remaining B manuscripts) with northern loss of the dipthong, but it could also be read as the present tense of the verb "to plead" (="wrangle"?). full selde In settyng & In sowyng swonken full harde And wynnenwonnen that wasters Inwith glotonye dystroyen someAnd some puvtten theym to pryde & appareledapparailedG.1.23: Though not recorded as a G variant by Kane and Donaldson, the ampersand is definitely present, bringing G's reading into line with that of F and H. See George Kane and E. Talbot Donaldson, eds, Piers Plowman. The B Version: Will's Visions of Piers Plowman, Do-Well, Do-Better and Do-Best. An Edition in the Form of Trinity College Cambridge MS B.15.17, Corrected and Restored from the Known Evidence, with Variant Readings, rev. ed. (London: Athlone Press; Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988). No other B manuscripts read & appareled (all lack "and"). theym therafter In covntenance off clothyng comen dysgysed In preyers & pennance puvtten þeim manye for þeAl for louve off ouvr lord lyuveden full streyte In hope to hauve afterhaue þerafterhaue to hyrehaue heuven-rych blysse &As ankers & heremytes þat heldholden þeim In þer selles & couvetenG.1.29: In addition to the alteration of to <v> in coueten, the loop of the first <e> has been re-outlined in brown ink. noght In contrey to cayren abowteG.1.29: Consideration of the scribe's usual practice suggests that the curl attached to the <t> of abowte is a residual <e> rather than an abbreviation mark. For no lycorouvs lyuvelod theyrG.1.30: The <r> of theyr is in slightly darker ink and may be a later addition. Note that it takes up most of the space between words and that the preceding <y> lacks the rising hairline stroke which normally precedes a following letter (compare the same word at G.1.34). lygham to please someAnd somme chosen chaffere þei cheuvene þe better as ytt semyth to ouvr syght þat suvch men thryuven and some myrthys to make as mynstrelles donneconneth & getten gold wyth theyr glee / synnles I troweleueG.1.34: The G H reading trowe (for remaining manuscripts leue) corresponds to that of Ax. buttAsAc Iapers & Ianguvlers Iuvdas chyldesren Feynen þem fantysyes & Foles themG.1.36: The minims here are ill-defined; it is possible that the scribe wrote theim rather than them, but the latter would be a more usual form for the G scribe. maken & hauve þer wytt att wyll to worche yff þei shuvld þat paule preychyth off them I wyllnel prouvenought preue ytt here qui loquitur turpeloquium ys lucyfers hyneA bydders & beggers fast abovte yeyd Wyth þer belyesbely & þer bagges obff bred G.1.41: The alteration from ob to off appears to have been made after the following word, bred, had already been written, since it uses up most of the space between the two words. fuvll cruvmmedycrammed fast faytenFayteden for þer fode fouvghten atte ale In glotonye god woot goo þei to bedde & rysen wyth rybawdye astho roberdes knauves slepandslep and sorye slowthe shewythsewethG.1.45:The G reading shewyth, shared with Cr12 C, may be a genuine variant but note that, since the spellings <sh> and <s> are to some extent interchangeable in G, especially in the earlier sections of the text (see Introduction III.4.1), the G spelling here may represent seweth, as in most remaining B manuscripts. theym euver pylgrimmes & palmers plyghten þem to-gedder for to seke seynt Iames and seyntes att rome þei went forth In þer way wyth many wyse tales & had leuve for to lye all þer lyuvyslyf after I seygh some þat seydon þat theyþei had soghtysouȝt seyntes to yche a tale þeiþat þei told ther tong was tempered to lye more þen to say soth / ytt semed by þer speche heremytes on a hepe wyth hoked stauvys wenten to walsyngam & þer wenchys after greyte lobyes & long þat loth were to swynke clothed þem In copys to be knowen from other and shoopen theym heremytes theyre easse for toto hauveIG.1.58:This is one of the capitals which indicate the beginnings of chapters. See the corresponding summary in the Table of Contents at f.101v

(the account of the second chapter of the first passus) and see also C. David Benson and Lynne S. Blanchfield, The Manuscripts of <title>Piers Plowman: the B-version (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1997), 133. The large capital is presumably intended to replace the inline smaller capital. For large and decorated capitals at the beginnings of other chapters see Judith A. Jefferson, "Divisions, Collaborations and other topics: the table of contents in Cambridge University Library, MS Gg.4.31" in John A. Burrow and Hoyt N. Duggan, eds, Medieval Alliterative Poetry: Essays in Honour of Thorlac Turville-Petre (Dublin:Four Courts Press, 2010), 140-152, esp.141-44, and for evidence suggesting that the majority of such capitals may have been added by WH, see Jefferson, "Divisions", 148-50. This particular example, however, appears to have been added by the original scribe at the time of writing; presumably he recognised his error in failing to leave a space for a larger capital. I fond there freres all þe fouvre orders þat preychend Preched þe pepole for profytt off theym-seluven & glosen& glosedenGlosed þe gospell as þem gode lykythelyked For couvetes off copes construved asit as þem lykedþei wolde many off thes masters moweFreris mowe clothe theym att lykyng for þer money & marchandyce marchen to-gedders for sythe charyte washaþ be chapman & chefe to shryuveG.1.64: The first of these alterations (whereby sryue becomes shryue) appears to have been made by the original scribe and later re-outlined in brown ink. The faint mark of the original correction is still visible at the bottom of the tail of the <h>. Compare the similar - and also very faint - addition by the original scribe at G.1.89. lordes many farlyes hauve fallen In a fewe yeres but yffBut holye chuvrche & they hold notholde better to-gedders þe most myscheyfe on mold ys mouvnyttyng vpvp welwelG.1.67: G's reading vp for most manuscripts wel was originally shared by O. However, O adds wel to give vp wel, a reading shared with C2. fast þer prechyd a perdoner as he a prest were brouvght forth a bull wyth manywith bysshopes seylles & sayd þat hym-selffe myght assoylen theym all off falsnesfalshed&and ofof fastyng & off a-wowes brokenybroken lewed men leuved hymhym wel & lyked hys wordes comen vp knelyng to kyssen hys bulles he buvnched þem wyth hys breyuvett & bleyred theyre eyne & rauvght hymwith hys ragman rynges & broches þus they gyuven theymhere gold glottuons to kepe & lenvenlouenbelevenlenethG.1.77: In the case of G, the G Cr12 reading leven results from the mistaken identification by the to <v> corrector (hand1.1) of the letter <n> as a (Most manuscripts read leneth). It seems possible that the reading in Cr12 was taken from G or from a G-related manuscript; see Introduction II.2.1.2. ytt suvch loseles þat leychyrye hawnten were þe bysshop ye blessedyblissedG.1.78: G misreads the y- past participle prefix as ye (cf. most manuscripts yblissed). For G's treatment of this prefix, see Introduction III.1. orand worth both hys yeres hys seyle shuvld not be sent to deceyue the poeple butAc ytt ys noght buttby þe bysshope þat þeiþe bothboy preychythe for þe peryche prest & þe perdoner perten þe syluver that þe perycyonersporaille of þe parisch pore porayle of þe parisch shuvld hauve yff they y ne were persones & peryche prestes pleyned theym to the bysshop that theyr perychys were pore syth the pestelence tyme to hauve a lycence & leuve att london to dwell & syngen there for symonye syluverfor siluer ys sois swete bysshopes & bachelers both masters & doctores that hauve cuvre vnder cryst and crownyng In tokne & sygne that they shuvlden shryuveG.1.89: The ink of the <h> added to sryue to give shryue is paler than that of the rest of the word, but exactly the same colour as the <as> of masters two lines above, and the form corresponds to that used elsewhere by the original scribe. It therefore seems likely that the correction was made by the original scribe. See also G.1.64. theyr perychynoresparoschienes preychen & preyen for theym & forand þe pore fede lyggen at london In lenten & elles some seruven the kyng & hys syluver tellen In checker & In chauncerye chalangen hys dettes off wardes & wardemotes weyuvys and streyuvys someAnd some seruven as seruvantes lordes & ladyes & yn þein styd off stuverdes sytten & demen theyr messe & theyr matyns & many off þeir houvrs are done vndeuotelyche drede ys att þe last lest cryst In constoryeconstryConsistorie a-cuvrse full many I perceyuved off þe poyer þat petuvr had to kepe to bynden & vnbynden as the boke tellyth how ~~þat~~ he ytt laft wyth louve as ouvr lord hyght amongest fowre wertews bestþe best off all wertuves that cardynales bene called & ~~and~~ closyng gates there cryst ys In kyngdome to close & to shette & to open ytt to them & heyuven blysse shewe butAc off þe cardynales att couvrte þat kaught off that name & power presuvmed In theym a pope for toto make to hauve þat power þat petur had Impuvngen I nyll for In louve & letteruvre the electyon belongyth for-thy I can & can noght off þatof þeofG.1.111: The brownish ink of added þat appears to be the same as that used for the change from to <v> in the following word. couvrt speke more Then cam þer a ~~knyght~~G.1.112: The original word replaced by kyng is unclear but the final <t> is visible. kyng knygthode hym ledde myght off the comuvnes made hym to reynge ~~and~~thenAnd þanneG.1.114: Kane and Donaldson do not record G then for most manuscripts And þanne as a variant. came kynd wytt & clerkes he made for to covncell þe kyng and the comuvne sauve the kyng & knyghthode and clargye bothe casten þat the comunmvneG.1.117: As far as it is possible to tell, the original G reading was comune (as at G.1.115). However, the way the <v> has been written over the minims has obscured the <n>, making it necessary for the corrector to provide an abbreviation mark. shuvld theym-selfenhem-self fynd þisÞeG.1.118: Kane and Donaldson do not record this as a variant, and, since the superscript letters are rather unclear, it is possible that the G scribe did in fact intend to write þe. communvne contryuved off kynd wytt craftes & for þefor profett off þealle þe people plomen ordened to tyll & to trauvell as treweG.1.120: Added <e> on trewe appears to be in the same ink as the alterations of to <v>. lyve askethe the kyng & þe comuvne & kynd wytt þe thyrd shop G.1.122: The loop of the <h> in shop has been enlarged in brown ink. law & loyalte ych man to know hys owene G.1.122: The majority of B manuscripts have final <e>, but hand1's preferred form elsewhere is without -e. See G.5.157, G.6.595, G.7.86 etc., though note the forms with final <e> at G.17.190 and G.17.199. Note also the similar deletion at G.1.207, where it seems possible that the deleted letter may have been an <s>. This deletion is in black ink. then loked vp a luvnatyke a leleneG.1.123: As far as the deleted letters before lene are concerned, it is possible that the scribe originally wrote <ke>-, but it seems more likely that the first letter was an <l> but that the second letter, i.e. the <e>, may have been ill-formed, that an attempt has been made to correct it, and that this has been abandoned. thyng wyth-all & knelyng to þe kyng clargeally he sayde cryst kepe the syr kyng & theþiG.1.125: O originally had þe þi for G the, most manuscripts þi, but in O þe has been cancelled. M's reading þi results from correction. kyngryche and lene the leyde thy land So loyalte þe louve and for þi ryghtfull reuvllyng be rewarded In heyuvun and sythen In þe eyre an heyhthiegh a angell off heyuven lowed todydLowed to G.1.129: In G's original reading (lowed to, which is also the reading of most B manuscripts) lowed is a verb (="descended"). The alteration to lowed dyd results from misinterpretation of lowed as an adverb, something which also occurs in F, where the a-verse reads & lowhde spak in Latyn. speke In latyn for lewde men ne koude Iangle ne Iuvgge þat Iuvstyfye theym shuold butt sufferen & seruven forthy seyd the angell sum rex sum princeps neutrum fortasse deinceps O qui Iura regis cristi specialia regis hoc vtquodG.1.134: The G Hm reading vt (for most manuscripts quod) is also present in the C version. In Hm this reading appears as part of a long passage written over an erasure (this particular section is written by Hm's Hand3, who is also the Hm rubricator). See note to this line in Michael Calabrese, Hoyt N. Duggan and Thorlac Turville-Petre, eds, The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol.6: San Marino, Huntington Library MS HM 128 (Hm, Hm2) (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer for SEENET and the Medieval Academy of America, 2008), and for further discussion of the relationship between Hm and G, see G's Introduction II.2.1.2. agas melius Iustus es esto pius nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate qualia vis metere talia grana sere si Ius nudatur nudo de Iure metatur si seritur pietas de pietate metas then greuved hym a golyerdes a gloton off wordes & to the angell on heyhe answered after dum rex a regere dicatur nomen habere nomen habet sine re studeat nisinisi studetG.1.142: In Hm the reading studeat nisi, which is shared with G (most manuscripts read nisi studet) appears over an erasure. Iura tenere then gan all þe commuvne crye In vers off latyn to the kynges covncell constrewe wo-so wold precepta regis sunt nobis vincula legis wyth that ran there a rouvte off rattons att onsþe profycy & small myse wyth theym mow then a thowsand off þe catt & comen to a covncell for the comuvn profytt For a catt off a covntreycourte come when hym lykedSG.1.150: The letter <S> is formed from a series of linked dots. This and similar marks enable the reader to find sections referred to in the table of contents. See f.101v.

As Benson and Blanchfield point out (Manuscripts, 132), the mark is referred to in this table, so it has clearly been added as part of the original preparation of the manuscript. The form of the letter, however, suggests the possibility that such marks were the work of WH rather than the original scribe; see the form of the capitals used by WH on ff.69v,

72v

and 103r,

and see further Jefferson, "Divisions," esp. 148-50. & ouverlepe theym lyghlycheG.1.150: Spellings of "lightly" without <t> are recorded by the MED. & laghte theym att hys wyll & pleyde wyth theym perylouvslyche & possed a-bovte for dovte off dyuers drededredesG.1.152: Kane and Donaldson observe that the error in G's reading drede (for most manuscripts dredes) is "noted" but it is difficult to see what they mean unless they are referring to the following added virgule, something which would raise questions about other similar additions. /G.1.152: Once again, the colour of the added virgule is the same as that of the to <v> changes and it therefore seems likely that it was made by the original scribe at a later date (see further Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3). Virgules are frequently omitted in the earlier stages of the original transcription but become more frequent as the text progresses. we dare not well loke butAnd yff we gruge attof hys gamme he wyll greuve vs all crache vs or clawe vs and In hys clochys hold that vs lothes owreþe lyfe or he lett vs passe myght we wyth any wytt hys wyll wythstand we myght be lordes a-loft & lyuven att oure easse A raton off reynowne most reynable off tonge seyd for a souvereyne help to hym-seluvenG.1.159: A brown-ink flourish, apparently an abbreviation for <n>, has been added to the final <e> of original selue. This is in the same ink as the earlier alteration of to <v>. The addition brings G's reading into line with that of O C2. Kane and Donaldson do not record this G reading, though they do record the readings of O and C2. I hauve senvese[n]eysein G.1.160: The form of the alteration from sene to seve is unusual and it is possible that the corrector realised his mistake and tried to remedy it. seggys quodh he In the cyte off london beyren ~~bees~~ beȝes full bryght a-bovte theyre neckes & some colers wythof crafty werke vncovpeled they wentenwendenG.1.162: M originally had wenden, as most manuscripts; the M reading wenten (shared with G Cr W Hm) results from correction. both In warren & In wast where theym-seluveleue lykedlykethG.1.163: In M the <d> of "liked" (a reading which M shares with G Cr1 W H) is written over an erasure. Most manuscripts read lyketh. and other wyle they are elles-were as I here tell were ther a bell on hyshere beygh by IohnIhesu as me thynkyth men myght wytt were they went & a-wey renne & ryght so quod theþat ratonG.1.167: The minims at the end of raton are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read rato. reyson me sheweth to bygen a bell off bras or off bryght syluver and .. knytten on a coler for ouvr comen profytt G.1.169: G Cr1 W Hm omit a line at this point: "And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals · þanne here we mowen." whereG.1.170: The <w> of where is slightly odd and it seems possible that the scribe originally started to write an initial <h>. he ryt or rest or rennyth to playe and yff hym lyst for to layke / then loke theywe mowen and peren In hys presence wyleþer-while hym pl play lykyth and yff he wrath hymhe wrathhe be wrothhim wrattheth beware and hys wasy shonye andAlle thys rouvte off ratons to thys reyson assented buttAc thogh þe bell was broghtybrouȝtybouȝtG.1.175: W's reading ybrouȝt, which is also the reading of a number of C manuscripts, is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson and Schmidt. Most B manuscripts have some form of "bought." & on the beygh hanged there nasne was rotenr[a]tonratoun Inin alle the rouvte for all the realme off france that duvrst hauve bouvnden þe bell a-bovte þe cattes neck ne hangenhang it abovte þe cattes hales all england to wynne and helden theym vnhardy and theyre covncell feble and letten theyre labouvr lost & all theyre long studye a movsce þat moch good covld as me thome thoght stroke forth sternely & stode before theym all and to þe rouvte off ratons rehersed thes wordes thogh we kyllenG.1.184: Cr W Hm Y H also use the present tense of the verb "to kill." Remaining B manuscripts have either the preterite or the pluperfect. þe catt yet shallsholde theyreG.1.184: Very residual <e> on theyre. come a-nother to kachen vs & all our kynd / thogh we crepe vndre benchys forthy I covncell all the commuvne to lett the catt pasworthe & be we neuer so bold the bell hym to shewe for I herde my syre seyneseyn is seyuven yersȝere passedypassed there the catt ys a kyten ysþe courte is full elenge that wyttnessyth woly wrytt wo-so wyll ytt rede ve terre vbi rex puerpuer rex est & cetera. For may no renvkere[n]kerenke there rest hauve for ratons by nyght the wyle he caccheth conyngesG.1.193: For the dropping of the g of unaccented -yng in original conynges, see H. C. Wyld, A History of Modern Colloquial English, 3rd ed. (Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1953), 289-90, E. J. Dobson, English Pronunciation 1500-1700, 2 vols (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1957), 950-1, Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hauge: Mouton, 1974), § 175. Jordan suggests that the change occurred in the fourteenth century in the North and North Midlands, but in the fifteenth century in the South. he couvytyth not our cayrencar[y]encaroyne butt fedyth hym all wyth weneson defame we hym neuer buttFor better ys a lytull losse then a long sorowe theyÞe mase amonge vs all thoght we mysse a shreweG.1.196: The alteration from srewe to shrewe has been made in brown ink and is therefore clearly a later change. The form of the alteration, however, corresponds to that of similar changes made by the original scribe, see, e.g., that at G.1.89. for many mennes malt we mysse wold dystroy & also the rovte off ratons rend mennes clothys noere the catt off the couvrte þat canne youG.1.199: The minims at the end of you are residual; basically just a horizontal line. ouer ~~..pe~~ lerypefor had ye ratonsrattes your wyll ye covld not reuvle you-selueȝowre-selueG.1.200: Once again, G's minims are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read yo for G you. I say for me quod the movsce I se so mykyll after shall neuer cattþe cat ne kytonþe kitoun by my covncell be greuved ne carpyng off thys colorescolerG.1.203: The alteration which results in colores brings G into line with the C version manuscripts. Remaining B manuscripts read coler. that costed me neuer & thogh yttit had cost meme catel beknow Iit I nold but suffer as hym-selfe wyllwolde to do as hym lykyth couvplede & vncouvplede to cache watt they mowe forthy ech a wyse wyght I warne wytt well hys oweneG.1.207: Compare with the apparent deletion of final <e> on owene at G.1.122. However, the presence of a hairline riser may suggest that the original final letter here was a sigma <s>. / watt thys metallmeteles bemeneth ye menne that be merye deuvyneG.1.209: The alteration of to <v> which results in devyne is in a different ink from the main body of such corrections and the form of the letter is more elaborate. ye for I ne dare by dere god In heyuvenG.1.209: The alteration of to <v> in original heyuen has become just a residual brown smudge. yet houved there a huvndreth in howuves off sylke sargeantes theymþeyit semed þat seruvenserueden att the barre pleydenPletenPlededen for peynespen[y]espenyes and powndes the lawe and noght for þefor louve off our lord vnlose theyre lyppes onsce thow myghtest better mete mysteG.1.214: Final <e> on myste has been added half above and half below the cross of the <t> so that this now also forms the cross of the <e>. on maluveren hylles then gett a muomme off hyshere ~~moth.~~ mowthe tyllbut money be shewed barons & buvrgesysburgeis & bondemen alsoals I sagh In þis assemble as ye shall here hereafterafter baxtersBaxsteres & brewsters and bochers many wollen websters & weyuvers off lynnen taylyouvres tynkersand tynkeresG.1.220: Kane and Donaldson adopt G's reading "tinkers" (for remaining B manuscripts and tynkeres). The majority of A manuscripts also lack "and" at this point in the line, but their reading is otherwise different. & tollers In markettes masones & mynvoresmy[n]oresmynours & many other craftys off alkynnesalkin laborerslibbyng laboreres loppen forth some as dykers & deluvers that done þeir dedes allille & dryuve forth þe long day wyth / dieu soitvous saue dame emmnvyeEmme G.1.224: The third and fourth minims of original emme have been changed to a <v> and a tail has been added to the fifth and sixth. cokes & theyr knauves cryencrieden wott pyes wott good gees & grysesgris gowego we dyne gowego we tauerners vntyll theym told the same wyte wyne &of ossey & red wyne off gascoygne off þe ryne & theof þe rochell the rost to defyen all thys I saghseiȝ I slepyng & seyuven sythes moreexplicit primus passus de visione Iet couvrbed II courbed on my knes & cryed hyr off grace and sayd marcy madame for mercyMarie louve off heyuven that bare that blysfull barne that boght vs onon þe rode kenne me by some craft for toto kenneknowe the false loke vpon thy left haluve loand lo where he stondyth both false & fauinellfauelG.3.6: The number of minims in the middle of "favel" varies considerably in G and it is not always clear what was intended. See G.3.43, G.3.66, G.3.81, G.3.146, G.3.152, G.3.160, G.3.165, G.3.168, G.3.186, and G.3.195. Possibly the word was unfamiliar to the scribe (according to the OED, it died out in the sixteenth century). and theyr fers many I loked on my left haluve as the ladye me tavght and was warre off a voman wonderslychewortheli clothedyclothed puvrfelyd wyth pelouvre the fynest vpon yertheG.3.9: The cross in the bottom right hand margin is in modern pencil. coronedYcrounede wyth a crovne the kyng hath no better FeytlycheFeyt[is]lycheFetislich hyr fyngers were fretted wyth ryngesgolde wyre & ther-on red ruvbyes as red as any glede and dyamontes off derrest pryce & dowble maner saphyres oryentales and ewages enue.nymes to dystroye hyr robe was full ryche off red skarlett Ingreyned wyth rybandes off red gold & off rych stonys hyr arrey me rauvyshed suvch ryches saghtG.3.17: The form saght is recorded by LALME as the main form of "saw" in LP497 (i.e. in the West Riding of Yorkshire) and as a minor form in other Northern locations. It therefore seems likely that this was one of a number of Northern forms present in the G scribe's exemplar (see Introduction III.4.1). I neuer I had wondre watt she was & woos wyfe she were watt ys thys woman quod I so worthyly attyred that ys mede the maydenMayde hathquod she hath noyed me fuvll offt and lakkedylakked my lemman that loyalte ys hoten and bealyedbilowen hyr towythto lordes that lawys have to kepe In the popes ~~....~~ palys she ys pryuve as my-seluve butt sothnes wold not so / for she ys a bastard for falseeG.3.25: The original <e> at the end of false is small and the added <e> may simply be an attempt to clarify. was hyr father that hath a fykle touvnge and neuer soth sayd sythen he cam to yerthe and mede ys manerryd after hym ryght as kynd asketh qualis pater talis filius bonaG.3.28: There appears originally to have been some sort of tail on the <a>, partly erased. arbor bonum fructum facit I owght ben hyer then she I cam off thea better my father the greyte god ys & grouvndregrounde off all graces on god wyth-ovt begynnynggynnynge & I hys ownegode doghter and hath gyuven mercyme mercyG.3.32: Though M's initial reading is the same as that of G (i.e. "mercy" rather than "me mercy," which is the reading of the remaining B manuscripts), the missing word me is later supplied by the M corrector (hand2). to mary wyth my-seluven and watt man be marsyfull and leally me louve shalbeshal be my lord and I hys leefe In the ~~hey~~ he heyuven & watt man taketh mede my heyd dare I ley that he shall lese for hyr louve a lomplappe off leallof charytecaritatis how construvedconstrueth dauid the kyng off men that take mede & men off thys mold that meynteyne truvght & how ye shuoldshal sauve youvr-selffe þe sauvter beyryth wyttnes domine quis habitabit In tabernaculo tuo & cetera and now worth thys mede maryedymaried tovntoal toG.3.41: All C manuscripts share the G M F H reading to, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read vnto or al to. aa mansed shrewe to on fals fykell touvnge a feendes feerebiȝete FauvuellG.3.43: For "favel," see note to G.3.6 above. The number of minims used in this particular example is (unusually) correct. thruvgh hys fayre spech hath þis folke Inchanted and all ys lyers ledyng that she ys thuvs weddedywedded to-morow worth I-made the meydenmaydenes brydall therAnd þereG.3.46: All A manuscripts share the G H reading ther, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read And þere. myghtest þoumiȝte þow wytt yff þou wylt wyche þei bynne all that longen to that lordshyp the lasse & the more know theym ther yff þou kannest & kepe thow thy tonhge & lack theym noght but lett theym worth tyll loyalte be Iuvstece and hauve poyer to puvnnyche theym þatþanne put forth thy reason now I bekenne the cryst quod she & hys cleyne modre & lett no conscyence combreacombre þe for couvetyse off mede Thuvs leyft me þat ladye lyggyng on slepe and how mede was maryedymaried In meytayles me thoght that all the rych reytennvnaunceG.3.55: The corrector appears to have mistaken the first <n> of original reytenaunce for a and therefore overwritten it with a <v>, realised his error, attempted to correct his correction and then finally added a bar to indicate the <n>. þat reynyth wyth the fals were bydenbodenG.3.56: The G form of the past participle (i.e. byden) is unique; most manuscripts have forms in medial <o>. However, there is no change in meaning, and, given the confusion surrounding the verbs which descended from OE beodan and biddan, it would be reasonable to argue that this is not a substantive variant. to the brydeale on bothG.3.56: The loops of the s of both brydeale and both have been enlarged in brown ink. to sydys off all maner off men þe meyne & the ryche to marye thys meyden was many man assembled as off knygtes and off clerkes & other comen poeple as sysouvrs & somonors shreyuvys & theyr clarkys bydyles & belyffs and brodIors off chaffeyre Forgoers & vyteklersvitaillers and / aduvocatesvokates off þe arches I can not rekne þe rouvte that ranne a-bovte mede butAc symonye and cyuvyll & sysouvrs off ~~corn~~ couvrtesG.3.64:The original G reading here (corn- or possibly coru-) corresponds neither to B "courts" nor to C "countries" and seems likely to be simply an error. were most pryuvye wyth mede off any men me thoght buttAc fauvuellfauel G.3.66: For "favel," see note to G.3.6 above. was þe fuvrst þat settfette hyr ovte off bowre and as a brodger broght hyr / to be wythG.3.67: The scribe originally wrote superscript <t> above the <w> (for wyth) but then decided that this was not clear enough and added <yth>. The superscript letter <t> has not been deleted. fals enIoyned when symonye & scyuvyllG.3.68: For the alteration of the <s> of original syuyll to a <c>, see also G.3.144. ~~sey~~seyd toseiȝG.3.68: The alteration resulting in seyd to does not appear to be in the hand of the original scribe. There is a backward <s> and the script is altogether more angular. For hand2, see marginalia on ff.69v,

70,

71,

72v

and 103,

as well as the note on f.106v.

According to the OED, forms of "saw" with weak ending date from the eighteenth century onwards, but the corrector may, of course, have intended "said." It seems possible that an attempt was made to alter the original word before the correction was written above. thhere G.3.68: The erasure here has resulted in a hole in the paper. both t~~youvr~~h..reboþer G.3.68: The original G reading was both your. The corrector has made the usual change of to <v> but the word your has then been altered again. The added initial <t> is clear and the <y> has been altered to an <h> but it is difficult to be certain what exactly the second corrector intended after that. The <o> does not appear to have been altered, but may have been intended to be read as an <e>. Kane and Donaldson read the corrected form as theire. wylleswille they assented for syluver to say as both wold then lepe lyer forth & sayd low here a charter that gyle wyth hys greyte othys gave them to-gedder & preyd symonyecyuile to se & cyuvyllsymonye to reede ytt then symonye & cyuvyll standen forth both & vnfoldyth the feoffament that fals hadhathG.3.74: A few A manuscripts as well as Cp share the G Hm H reading had (for remaining B manuscripts hath). mademakedymaked & thuvs begynnen thes gomes to gredengredenG.3.75: It is not really possible to be certain who carried out the alteration from greden to reden, but the ink colour suggests hand1.1. full hye SiantS[c]iantSciant presentes et futuri et cetera wytteth & wyttnessyth that wonien vponvpon þis yerth that mede ys maryed more for hyr goodes then for any vertuve off fayrnes or any fre kynd falsnes ys feyne off hyr for he woott hyr ryche & fauvinellfauelG.3.81: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. wyth hys FylkeFy[k]lefikel speche Feyffyth by hysþis charter to be pryncys In pryde and pouverte to dyspysse to backbytouvrsbakbite & to bosten & beyre fals wyttnes to scorne & to skold and sclandre to make vnbuxome & bold to breke the tenne hestys and the erldome off enuvye & wrath to-gedders wyth þe chastylett off chest & chateryng ovt off reason the couvnnteG.3.88: The original word was counte, though the minims of the <n> in particular were somewhat indistinct. Presumably this is why the corrector felt the need to add a macron. off couvetouscoueitise & all the costes a-bovte that ys vsure & auvaryce all I theym grauvnte In bargaynes &and inG.3.90: Approximately half the C manuscripts share the G Cr23 Hm F H reading &, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read and in. brokages wyth all þe burgh off theyft & all the lordshyp off leychery In lenght & In breyde as In workes and In wordes & weytyngwaityngesG.3.92: All C manuscripts except X P Dc Ec share the G Hm F reading weytyng, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts have the plural. offwithG.3.92: All C manuscripts share the G Hm reading off, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read with. eyene and In wedes & In wysshynges & wyth Idle thoghtys ther as wyll wold & workmanshyp faylyth glotonye he gaffe them yke & greyte othes to-geddre and all day to drynke att dyuers tauerens and ther to Iangell &and to Iape & Iuvge theyr euven-crystyen and onin fastyngG.3.98:There appears to have been an otiose abbreviation mark over the <n> of fastyng which has been smeared out. days to freet er full tyme were and then to sytten & sowpen tyll slepe theym assayle and breden as buvrgh swyne & bedden theym eassely tyll sloghte and slepe sleken hys sydes and then wanhope to awake theymhym wythso with no wyll to amend for he leuveth to bebe lost þis ys theyre last end andAnd þei to hauve & to hol~~...~~dG.3.104: Something strange has happened to the last letter of hold, which has clearly been re-outlined. This may have been because the paper at this point is very thin (because of the erasure at G.3.68). & theyr heyrs after a dwellyng wyth þe deuvell and damned forbe for euer wythWiþ al þe appuvrtenancespurteinaunce off puvrgatory toin-to the paynpyne off hell yeldyng for thys thyngG.3.107: Kane and Donaldson read thyg but the word should probably be read as thyng. There is plenty of space for an <n>, it just that, as is often the case in this manuscript, the minims are poorly defined. att on yers end theyre soules vn-toto sathan to suffer wyth hym peynes or& wyth hym to wonne wythin wo / wyle god ys yn heyuven In wyttnes off wych thyng wrong was the fuvrst & pers þe perdoner off pauvlyns doctryne bett þe byddell off bBuvkyngam-shyreG.3.112: The first letter of what seems to be Bvkyngam-shyre is such a mess that it is difficult to be certain about ink colour or hand. It would be unusual, however, for the original scribe or the to <v> corrector (who are probably one and the same) to use a capital in this position. reynold the reuve off ruvttland sokne muvnd þe mylner &G.3.114: It is possible that the deleted ampersand was originally written as or and then partly corrected. Note the problem with the ampersand five lines above at the beginning of the line. & many mo other In þe date off þe deuvell thys dede I Insealeassele by syght off syr simonye & cyuvyles leyuve then tened hym theologie when he þis tale herd and sayd to cyuvyle now sorow mote youþowG.3.118:Kane and Donaldson interpret G's reading here as þou but for that the scribe would normally have written thorn plus superscript . The use of inline <ou> makes it clear that the scribe intended "you." For the scribe's usual practice as far as the written forms of these two words are concerned, see G.1.199, G.2.2, G.2.14, G.2.15, G.2.17, G.2.19 etc. (for "you"), and G.2.5, G.2.36, G.2.43, G.3.46, G.3.48 etc. (for "thou"). The rule, in the case of these as well as other words (such as "the" and "ye") is that <þ> is always followed by superscript letters, and <y> by inline letters. That the scribe did sometimes confuse <y> and <þ> when they appeared in his exemplar is clear, for example, from the reading at G.3.204 where he writes <the> for <ye>. At G.4.351 the scribe himself corrects an error of this type, crossing out superscript <e> and replacing it with inline <e> (the correct reading is ye). hauve suoyche weddyngweddingesG.3.119: All A manuscripts except E N Ma share the G C2 reading weddyng, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts have the plural. C too has the singular but preceded by the indefinite article. to worche to wrath wyth truvght and er thys weddyng be wroght wo the betyde For mede not ays ais mulyer & offof amendes engendred and god grauvntyth to gyue mede vn-toto trught and thow hast gyuven hyr to a gylouvrgyloure now lordgod gyuve þe sorowe theThi texte tellyth þe natt so truvght wott þe sothe for dignus est operarius hys hyre for toto hauve & thow hast fast hyr wythtoG.3.126: All C manuscripts except Nc and all A manuscripts except for K Wa Ma share the G F reading wyth (for remaining B manuscripts to), and this is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. In C, however, the half-line differs in other ways. false fye on thy lawe for all by leysynges þou lyuvest & leycherouvs workes simony & thy-seluven shenden holye churche theesÞe notaryes & ye noyen offt noyeth the poeple ye shall byggenabiggen yt both by god þat me made well ye wytten wernerdes butt yff your wytt fayle þat fals ys Faythles & fykell In hys workes and was a bastard borneybore off belsabuvbes kynne and mede ys ais muvlyer a meyden off good and myght kysse þe kyng for cosyn & she shuvldwolde forthy worchyth by wyssdome & ~~wytt~~ by wytt also and leyde hyr to london there ys yttlawe isit is y-shoyde yff any law wyll loke they lyggen to-gedder and yffþouȝ Iuvstyces Iuvggen hyr to be Ioyned towith Fals yet be ware off theof weddyng for wytty ys trught and coscyenceco[n]scyenceconscience ys aof his couvncell & knowyth you echonne and yff he Fynd you In defauvte & wyth þe Fals hold ytt shalbe sytt shal besytt your souvles full soresoureG.3.143: The C manuscripts X I P2 Uc Dc Rc Nc and all A manuscripts except J La K Wa N Ma share the G Cr reading sore (for remaining B manuscripts soure). attheat the last hyr-to assentyth scyuvyleG.3.144: See the similar alteration of syuyll to cyuyll at G.3.68. buttac simonye ne wold tyll he had syluver for hys servyce & also þe notaryes then fett FauivvnellfauelG.3.145: For "favel," see note to G.3.6 above. forth floreynsesfloreynes ynowe & bad gyle go gyuve gold all a-bovte & namelych to þesþe notaryes þat theym non fayle and feoffe fals wyttnes wyth florensesflorencefloreines Inowe for þei mayG.3.150: This addition (may, in black ink) could conceivably have been made by the original scribe, but note the clear definition of the minims. Resemblences to the italic hand on, e.g. f.96v,

and in particular the hairline tail on the <y>, suggest hand3.G.3.150: The addition of may brings G into line with Bx. mede masteramaistrye & maken att my wyll tho thys gold was geuve greyte was þe thankyng to fals & to FauuvvnellfauelG.3.152: For "favel," see note to G.3.6 above. For þer fayre gyftes & came to comforten from care the Fals and seyden certes syr ceasse shall we neuer tyll mede be thy weddyd wyffe thrught wytt wittisG.3.155: All A manuscripts except Wa (which lacks this b-verse) share the G F H reading ("wit" in the singular), which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts have the plural. off vs all for we hauve medeG.3.156: Once again, this alteration (the addition of mede) seems likely to have been made by the italic hand (hand3). See note to G.3.150 above.G.3.156: Added mede brings G into line with Bx. mastredamaistried wyth ouvr mery speche that she graaunt.ythG.3.157: The G scribe often provides an otiose superscript <a> in addition to the letters <ra>, perhaps because of confusion as to the significance of the former. See further Introduction IV.1.1. to goon wyth a good wyll to london to k loke yffȝif þat the lawe wold Iugge you Ioyntly In Ioy for euer then was falsnes Fayne & FauuvvnellfauelG.3.160: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. as blythe toAnd lett somone all thealleG.3.161: Most A manuscripts share the G R reading all the (for remaining B manuscripts alle). seggys In þe shyreschires abovte and bad theym all to bebe bowne beggers & other to wend wyth theym to westmynsterG.3.163: The MED records spellings of "Westminster" without <n> so G's original spelling may not actually be an error. The original G spelling also appears in Hm and Cr1. to wyttnes þis dede butAc then cared they for caples to caryen theym thydder and FauivvnellfauelG.3.165: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. fatt forthforth þanne fooles Inowe and sett mede onvponG.3.166: All A manuscripts share the G F reading on (for most B manuscripts vpon). a shreuve shod all a-newenewe and fals sat on a sysour þat softlye trottyd and fauivvnellfauelG.3.168: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. on a flatterer feytlychefetislich attyred tho had notaryes non / anoyyd therewythþei were for ~~then~~ G.3.170: The scribe intended to add the word then to the line below, q.v., but made a mistake which he then partially erased. simony & cyuvyll shuold on theyre feette gang andAc then G.3.171: For added then, see note to G.3.170. sware symonye & cyuvyll both that somoners shuvld be sadeled & seruve þem echonne and lett apparellapparaille þisG.3.173: In the case of Hm, the shared G Hm F H reading apparell (for most B manuscripts apparaille þis) is the result of correction (original thes has been deleted). prouvysours In palfreys wyse syr symonye hym-seluve shall sytt onvpon theyr backes deynes & subdeanes draw you to-gedders archdeykens & offycyalles & all your ~~wolle~~ regesters lett sadle theym wyth syluver our synnyssynne to suffer as avovtrye & deuvorses and derne vsurye to beyre bysshopes a-bovte a-brode In wysytyng paulynes poeplepryuesG.3.180: All A manuscripts share the G F reading poeple (for most B manuscripts pryues). .For pleyntes In constoryeconsistorieG.3.180: Most A manuscripts share the G F H spelling constorye (for remaining B manuscripts consistorie). See also note to G.4.143. shuvldShul seruve my-selue that cyuvyll ys neuenvedneue[n]ednempned and cartsadle our comoy.ssary our cart shall he leyde and facchen vs wytayles att fornycatouvrsfornicatoresG.3.183: Most A manuscripts share the G spelling of "fornicators" (i.e. with -our). However, the majority B spelling fornicatores does not necessarily imply that the word was thought of as Latin; the OED lists this particular usage by Langland (with this particular spelling) as the first instance of this word in English. and make off lyerslyer a long carte to leyden all þes other as freres and feytouvrs þat on theyr fete rennen and thuvs fals & fauivvnellfauelG.3.186: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. faren forth to-gedders and medeG.3.187: There is a line over the <m> of mede but this does not seem to be deliberate; possibly it is a mirror image of the crossing out on the opposite page (at G.3.228). In the mydyst & all thys meynyþise menþes oþere after I hauve no tome to tell youtelle the talylle that hyrhem folowytheG.3.188: G Cr1 W Hm omit a line here ("Of many maner man þat on þis molde libbeth"). buttAc gyle was forgoer & gydedgyedG.3.189: Some A manuscripts share the G Cr reading gyded (for most B manuscripts gyed), but the variation could well to be due not to the influence of these but to date; guy became less frequent than guide after the fifteenth century (see OED guy, v.1 and guide, v.). theym all sothnes seetheseiȝ þem well and seyd butt lytell and pryked hys palfrey & passed theym all and came to þe kynges couvrt & conscyence toldit tolde and conscyence to the kyng karped ytt after now by cryst quod the kyng yffand I cache myght Fals &or fauivvnellfauelG.3.195: For "favel," see note to G.3.6. or any off theyrehis feres I wold be wroken onof tho wrecchys þat worchen so yll & done theym hang by þe hals & all that theym meynteyntheG.3.197: The final letters of ?meynteynthe are unclear because they are written over the pricking in the top right hand corner of the writing space. shall neuer man on thys mold meympryceG.3.198: Given the G scribe's carelessness with minims, the second <m> of meympryce may be an error. However, the OED records forms with <m> from the Middle English period to the fifteenth century. the lest butt ryght as the lawe wyll looke lett fall on theym all and commaundecomandedG.3.200: The difference between commaunde (as G Cr1) and comanded (as remaining B manuscripts) may not originally have been substantive, since command was a possible form of the preterite in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (see OED command v.). a conestable þat heþat come att the fyrst to attache tho tyrantes for any thyng I hoote & fetter fast falsnes For anykynsany kyns gyftes and gyrd off gyles heyd & let hym go no fuvrther and yff theyȝeG.3.204:The original scribe has misread the letter <y> of ye as a thorn, giving the. See note to G.3.118. lache lyer / let hym not eskapen er he be putt on the pyllorye for any preaerpreyere I hote and bryng mede vn-toto me mavgre theym all drede at the dore stoode and the dome herd howAnd how the kyng commanded constables & sergeantes falsnes & hys felawshyp to fettren &and to bynden then drede went wythlyche & warned the fals and bad hym flee for fere and hys felowys all falsnes for ferefere þanneG.3.212: M originally shared the G Hm Hm2 F reading fere (for remaining B manuscripts fere þanne), but þanne has been added above the line by M's hand2. Most A manuscripts have Þanne at the beginning of the line. The C manuscripts P Ec Rc Mc Vc Ac Q Sc Kc Gc Nc share the G Hm Hm2 F reading. fleydd to the freres and gyle doyth hym to go agast for to dye butAc marcheantes mett wyth hym & made hym abyde & settbishetten hym In theyre shoppes to shoeuen theyr ware appareled hym as a prentys the poeple to seruve lyghtlyche lyer lept a-wasy thenceþanneG.3.217: All A manuscripts except E A Wa Ma share the G H reading thence as do a number of C manuscripts. Most B manuscripts read þanne. luvrkyng thruvgh lanys . to-luvgged off many he was morenawhere wellcome for hys many mery talestales ouver all I omytedyhowtedG.3.220: B manuscripts vary between forms of "hunten" and "houten" and it is not always possible to tell which is intended. A form in —ow- seems most likely to have given rise to the G reading I omyted. & hotedyhote to cuvrsetrusse tyll perdoners had pyte & puvlled hym In-to houvse theyG.3.222: The final <y> here is not in the scribe's usual form and may be an addition. See, e.g., the form of <y> used by WH on f.72v

. wysshen hym & wypenwyped hym & wond hym In clouvtes and senttddensente G.3.223: The alteration of sentten to sendden is difficult to see at first because of the tails of the letters above. The change brings G into line with the A manuscripts D V Ha La K. Remaining B manuscripts read sente. hym wyth seales on sondays to chuvrches and gaffe perdon for pence pouvndemayleG.3.224: The <y> added by hand1.1 (giving -mayle) has been squeezed in between the <a> and the <l>, making use of the <v> shape formed by the downward stroke of the former and the beginning of the upward stroke of the latter. abovte then louvred leches & letters they sent that he shuvld wone wyth theym waters to looke spycers speken wyth hym to spyen theyr ware For he couvthe off theyr crafte & ~~kew~~ G.3.228: The final stroke of the <w> of deleted kew is missing. knewe many goomesG.3.228: The reading goomes may be an error ("men" for "gums") but the OED records goome as a post-medieval (6-7) spelling of "gum" (see OED s.v. gum, n.2). butAc mynstrelles & messyngers mett wyth hym onnes & heldenhelden hym a halfe yere & a-leyuven days freres wyth fayre speche fett hym thence & for knoyng off commers coped hym as a frere butAc he hath leyuve to lepe ovt as oft as hym lykyth and ys welcoem when he wole & wonnyth wyth theym oft all they restAlleG.3.235: The script of added rest appears slightly more angular than that normally used by the original scribe, but this is probably simply because the word has had to be squashed in. fledden for fere & flyenflowen to In-to hernes sauve mede the meyde duvrst no mona mo durst abyde buttAc truvlye to tell she tremled for drede & eke wept & wrong when she was attachedexplicit tercius passus de visione Cessethe seyythe the kyng I suvffer yeȝow no lenger ye shall saghtell forthefor thefor sothe & seruve me bothe kysse hyr quod the kyng tokynge conscyence I hoote nay by cryste quod conscyence congey me rather but reason rede me there-to rather wole I dye IAnd I commauvnde G.5.6: The <n> of "command" has in fact three minims, the result of characteristic carelessness in this matter on the part of the original scribe. the quod þe kyng to conscyence then rape the to ryde & reason þou fecche commavnde hym þat he come my couvnseyle to here for he shall reuvle my realme & reyde me þe best and accouvnte wyth the conscyence so me cryste helpe how þou lernest the poeple þe lered & the lewde I am fayne off that forward sayde the freyke then & rydyth ryght to reason & rowneth In hys yere and seyde as the kyng bad & sythen toke hys leyuve I shall arrey me to ryderide quod resoun rest the a whyle and called caton hys knauve couvrtes off speche and also thome trew tong tell me no tales noNe leysyngeslesyng to laghe off for I louved theym neuer and sett my sadle vp-on suffer / tyll I see my tyme and lett warrock hym well wyth wyttye wordes garthes and hang on hym the heyuvy brydle to hold hys heyde lowe for he wyll make wehe twyes er he comecomytbe there then conscyence onvpponG.5.23: All A manuscripts share the G H reading on, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read vppon. hys caple caryeth forthe faste and reason wyth hym rytt rounyng to-gedders wyche mastryes mede makethe on thys yerthe oon warryn wyssdome & wytty hys fere folowyd hymhem fast for they had to done In þe checker & þein þe chancerye to be dyscharged off thynges and ryden fast for reason shuolde reyde theym the best for to sauve them for syluver from shame & from harmes and conscyence knew theym well þei louved couvetyse and bad reason ryde fast & reycche off themher neyther theyÞere are wyles In þer wordes & wyth mede they dwellen there as wrothewrattheG.5.34: The G spelling wrothe might conceivably reflect rounding after w plus r, but if so it would be an exceptionally early example; see Dobson, English Pronunciation, section 53 and note 7. It seems more likely that what we have here is a nominal use of the adjective, see OED wroth, n.1. & wrastylyngwranglyng ys þer wynne þei syluver butAc there ys louve & loyalte they wole not come there contricio et Infelicitas In viis eorum et cetera they ne gyuve not off god a goose wynge non est timor dei ante oculos eorum et cetera for woote god they wold do more for a dozene chyckens or as many capones or for a seyme off otes then for thefor louve off ouvr lord &or all hys leuve seyntesforthy reyson lett them ryde / theþo ryche by them-seluven for conscyence knoythe theym noght nononne cryst as I trowe and þen reason rode fast the ryght hygh gate andAs conscyence hym kenned tyll heþei cam to þe kyng couvrteyslyche þe kyng then came ageynst reason betweneAnd bitwene hym-selfe & hys sonne sett hym on benche and wordeden well wysely a greyte whyle to-gedders and then came peas In-to parlement & puvt forthe a byll how wrong agaynst hys wyll had hys wyffe taken and how he rauvysshed rose reynaldes louve and margarett off hyr meydenhode mauvgre theyrehere chekes both my gees & my grysesgrys hys gadelynges fecchen I dare not for fere off theymhym fyght ne chyde he borowed oft mymyof me bayard he broght hym whom neuer ne no ferthyng therfore for ought that II cowld pleyde he menteynyth hys men to morther my hewen Forstalleth my Fayrs & fyghtethe In my cheypyng and breykyth vp my barne dores & beyrythe a-way my weyte and taketh hymme by but a taylle offfor ten quarters ootes yetAnd ȝet he bett me thereþer-to & lyeth by my meyde I am not hardye for hym vnnethe to looke the kyng knewe he sayd sothe for conscyence hym tolde that wrong was a wyked luvstluft & wroght moche sorowe wrong was afeyrde then & wyssdome he soght to make peasce wyth hys pence & profered hym manye and seyde had I louve off my lordlorde þe kynge lytle wold I recche thogh peasce & hys power pleyned theymhym euver tho went wyssdome & syr warryn the wyttye for þat wrong had wroghtywrouȝte so wyked a dede & warned wrong tho wyth suoyche a wyse tale wo-so worchethe by wyll wrathe maketh offt I say ytt by my-selffe þou shalt ytt well fynd but yff mede ytt make þi myscheffe ys vppe for both þi lyfe & þi land lyeth bothelyth In hyrhis grace then wowed wrong wyssdome fuvll yerne to make hys peasce wyth hys pence In hand handi-dandi payed wyssdome & wytt þen wenten to-gedders & tooke mede wythe theym marcy to wynneG.5.79: There is a smudge in the right margin, but this comes from the following page. See note to G.5.118. peasce put forthe hys heyde & hys panne blodye wyth-owte gylt god yt woote gettgatG.5.82: Though preterites of "get" in <a> do occur in G (see, e.g., G.2.35), it seems likely that the form gett is also intended as a preterite, cf. the preterite in <e> at G.19.292. The G reading here is therefore probably not a substantive variant, even though most remaining B manuscripts read gat. I thys skathe conscyence & the commuvne knowen the sothe butAc wyssdome & wytt where a-bowte fast to ouver-come the kyng wyth catell yff they myght the kyng sware by cryst & by hys crone bothe that wrong for hys workes shuold wo thole and commauvnded a constable to casten hym In yrenns and lett hym not thys seyuven yere seene hys fete onesce god woote quod wyssdome that were nat the best and he amendes mow make lett meymprysseG.5.90: For meymprysse with medial <m>, see note to G.3.198. hym hauve and be borowe for hys bale & byggen hym boote and so amend that ys myssdo & euer-more the better wytt accorded therwyth and seyde the same better ys þatG.5.94: The <þ> of þat has been altered in black ink, enlarging the head. boote bale a-downe bryng then baale be ybett / & boote neuer the better and then ganne medeMede to meuvemengen hyr & mercy besoght and profered peasce a present all off puvre gold hauve þis manman of me quod she to amend thy scathe for I wole wage for wrong he wole do so no more pytyouvsly peasce then preyd to the kyng to hauve marcy offon þat man þat myssdyd hym offtso ofteG.5.101: In the case of M, the shared G M reading offt involves erasure and correction, and the original M reading may well have been so ofte (the reading of remaining B manuscripts). All A manuscripts except J share the G M reading, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. For he hath waged me well as wyssdome hym taght and I forgyuve hym þat gylt wyth a good wyll so that þe kyng assente I can sey no better ~~nay quod the kyng~~For mede hatheG.5.105: The form of the letters -ede in mede differs from that normally used by hand1 in the body of the text, but resembles that used in the more formal rubricated sections. See Introduction I.7. me amendys mademade me amendes I may no more aske nay quod the kyng tho so me c.ryst G.5.106:Possibly the second letter of cryst was originally a 2-shaped rather than a long <r>. helpe wrong wendeth not so a-way orarst wil y wytt more For loope he so lyghlyeG.5.108: For "lightly" without medial <t>, see note to G.1.150. he laghen he wold and ofterefteG.5.109: The majority of A manuscripts read "oft" rather than ofter (as G) or efte (as remaining B manuscripts), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. bolderþe balder be to beyte my menhewen but reason hauve ruvweth offon hym he shall rest In þemy stockes alsAnd þat as long as he lyuvythe but lownes hym borowe some men redde reason tho to hauve rewthe offon þeþat ~~shewe~~G.5.112: An attempt has been made to correct shewe to shrewe before deletion and rewriting. shrewe & for to counseyle þe kyng & conscyence after that mede myghtmoste be meympernouvre reason þei besoght rede me not quod reason rewthe for tono reuthe to hauve tyll lordes & ladyes louven all trewthe and haten all harlotrye to here or to mowthe ytta profycy The word profycy looks at first sight as if it may have been crossed out, but it is simply smudged. tyll pernelles puvrfyll be puvtt In huvr huvcche & chyldren charysshyng bybe chastysyng wyth yerdes & harlottes holynes be holden for an hyne andTil clerkes couvetyse be to ch clothe þe poere & fede and relygyouvs romers recordare In theyr cloysters as seynt benett theym badde bernarde & frauvnceys and totil preychers plreychyng be proued offon theym-seluven tyll the kynges couvnceyle be the commuvne proffett tyll bysshopps byardes be beggers chambers theyre hauvkes & theyre houvndes help to pore rylygyouvse and tyll seynt Iame be soght there I shall assynge that no man go to gales but yff he go for euer and all rome renners for robbers byȝonde beyre no syluver ouer sheyseeG.5.131:The use of <sh> for <s> (in G shey, cf. most manuscripts see) probably reflects earlier Northern or East Midlands influence. See Introduction III.4.1 and Dobson, English Pronunciation, section 373 and notes. þat sygne off kyng shewythe nether grauve ne vngrauve gold nether syluver onVppon forfatuvre off that fee whowho-soG.5.133: A high proportion of A manuscripts share the G F reading who, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read who-so. fynd hym att douer but yff he be marchant or hys man or meysenger wyth letters prouvysour or preeste or penauvnte for hys synnes and yet quod reason by the rode I shall no rewthe hauve wyle mede hath the mastrye In thys mote halle butAc I may shewe Insamples as I see other-whyleswhile I sey ytt by my-selffeself quod he & yffandG.5.139: Perhaps because the use of "and"="if" is confusing for him, the G scribe does sometimes have "and if" for B "and," as here. See also G.14.121 and G.15.29. At G.3.194, G.10.9 and G.18.243, G has "if" for "and." Occasionally these readings correspond to the readings of F or H (in this particular case, F shares G's original reading), but this is not always the case and such agreement therefore cannot be used as evidence of a relationship. ytt so were that I were kyng wyth crowne to kepe þea realme shuold neuer wrong In thys worlde that I wytt myght bynne vnpuvnnyshed In my power for perell off my souvle ne gett my grace for gyftes so me god helpesaue ne for no mede hauve marcy buvt mekenes ytt make for nullum malum the man mett wyth Impunitum . and badde nullum bonum bene irremuneratum lett youvr confessor syr kyng constrew you thysþis vnglosed and yff youȝeG.5.148: The vast majority of A manuscripts read "thou," which is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson and which may have given rise to the G reading you (with misreading of the thorn as a <y>). However, most B manuscripts read ȝe and it is worth remembering that the G scribe does employ "you" for the nominative plural elsewhere; see note to G.2.180. worchen thatit workein werke I wedde my heyrs that law shalbeshal be a laborer & leyde a-felde donge & louve shall leyde thy land as the leefe lykethe clerkes þat were confessouvrs couvpled theym to-gedders all to constrew thys clauvse for þe kynges profytt butAc noght for comforte off þe comen ne for þe kynges souvle for I sygh mede In þe mote halle on men off lawe wynke and they laghyng loope to hyr & left reason many warren wyssdome wynked vpon mede & sayd madame I am your owenman wat so my mouvthe tellytheiangleth I fall In florenzysfloreines quod þat freyke & fayle speche offte all ryghfullG.5.159:This spelling of "rightful" (without medial <t>) is recorded by the MED. For a similar spelling of "lightly," see G.1.150 and note. recorded that reason trewthe told and wytt accorded therwythe & commendyd hys wordes & þe most poeple In the hall & many off þe greyte and letten mekenes a maystryemaistre & mede a mansed ~~sre~~ shrewe louve lete off hyr lyght & loyalte yet lasse and sayd ytt so hye that all the halle ytt herd who-so wylnethe hyr to ~~welthe~~ wyffe / for welthe off hyr goodes but he beknowebe knowe for a cokewold kuvtt off my nose mede mouvrned tho & made heyuvy chere For the most comen off þat couvrte called hyr a hoore buvtAc a sysouvr &and a somnouvr suvede hyr fast and a shreyuvys clerke beshrewyd all the rouvte FullFor ofte hauve I quod he holpen you att the barre and yet gauve ye me neuer the worth off a rysshe the kyng called conscyence & after-ward reason and recorded that reason had ryghtfullyche shewed and modelyche vp-on mede wyth myght þe kyng loked and gan wexe wrothe wyth lawe for mede had nyghealmoste had shente ytt and seyde thruvghe your lawelawe as I leuve I leese many cheytes mede ouermasterethe lawe & moche trewthe lettythe butAc reason shall reyken wyth you yff I reygne any wyle and deme you by þis day as ye hauve deseruved mede shal not meympryce you bybi þe mary off heyuen I wole hauve loyalte yn lawe & lett be youvral ȝowre Ianglyng and as most folke wyttnessyth wrongwel wronge shalbeshal be demed quod conscyence to þe kyng but þe commen assentewil assent ytt ys full herd by my heyd here-to / to bryng ytt all youvr leyge leedes to leyde thuvs euvereuene by hym that raght on the rode quod reason to þe kyng but yff I reuvle thysþusG.5.188: For the G scribe's use of "this" for most manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. youvr realme rende ovte my guvttes yff ye byden boexomenes be off myne assente and I assente quod þe kyng by seynt marye my ladye byBe my couvnseyle comen off clerkes & off erles buttAc reydylye reason þou shalt not ryde me frofro me For as long as I lyuve leyuvelete þe I nyll I am all reydy quod reason to rest wyth you euver so conscyence be offof owre couvnseyle I kepe no better and I grauvnt quod the kyng godgoddesG.5.196: Bm originally shared the majority B reading goddes but the inflexion was later erased, bringing Bm's reading into line with the G M Cr23 F H reading god. forbyd ytt fayle as long as our lyffe lastethe lyuve we to-geddersexplicit quintus passus de visione G.5.197: The cross at the bottom right hand corner of the page is in modern pencil. The kyng & hys knyghtes to the kyrke went to here matyns off the day & the masse after then waked I offof my wynkyng & wo was wyth-all that I ne hadde slept sadder & seeneyseiȝen more &Ac or I had faren a forlonge afourlonge feyntnesfeyntise me hente that I myght nomyth nouthne myȝte fuortherferther a foot for defauvte off slepyng and satt softlye a-downe & seyde my beleuve and so I babbeled on my beydes they brouvght me a-slepe and þen saghe I moche more then I before told IFor I seghe the felde fuvll of forfolke / that I erebifore off sayde howAnd how reason gan arreyne hym all the realme to preache an and wyth a cros a-fore the kyng comsed þus to teychen he prouved þat theyreþise pestylences were for puvre synne and þe southewesteren wynd on sayterday att euvene was pertelyche for puvre pryde & for no poynte elles pyreys & plomtrees / were pvffedG.6.16: The <v> of pvffed may possibly be a correction; the scribe appears to have started to write a two-shaped <r> and then altered it. to the yerthe In ensample ye segges ye sholde do the better beeches & brode ookes were blowen to the grouvnde tuorned vpward theyre tayles In tokenyng off drede that dedelydedly synne ~~att~~ ar domesday / shall fordone theym all off thys matter I myght mamele full long butAc I shall say as I saghe so me god helpe how pertly afore the poeple reason begannegan to preyche he bad waster go worche watt he best couvlde and wynnen hys wastyng wyth some maner crafte heAnd preyyd pernell hyr puvrfell to lete and kepe ytt In hyr cofre for catell att nedehire nedeG.6.27: The G F H reading nede (for remaining B manuscripts hire nede) is also the reading of Ax, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. thome stowue he taght to take two stauves and fecche Felyce hoome fro the wyuen pyne he warned watt hys wyffe þatwyfG.6.30: It seems possible that added þat is in the wrong place and that the G corrector meant to place it before hys, which would give a reading corresponding to that of B (the majority B reading is his). was to blame hyrÞat hire heyd was worth halffe a maremarke / hys hoode not aworth a grote and bad bette kuvtte a bowe other tweyne & bett kytonebetoun therwyth but yff she wold worche & then he charged chapmen to chastenchastisen theyre chyldre lett no wynnyng theym wanyeforweny wyle they be yonge ne for no postpousteG.6.36: G and Cr23 are alike in that they lack the final syllable (the e) of most manuscripts pouste (presumably the transcriber thought of the <e> as representing schwa rather than [i:]). off pestylence pleasse theym ovtenouȝte out off reason my syre seyd so to me & so dyd my dame that the leuvere chylde the more lore behouvethe and salamon seyde the same that sapyence made qui percitparcit virge odit filium et ceterafilium the englysshe off thys laten ys wo-so wyll ytt knowe wo-so sparethe the spryng spylleth hys chydlldren & sythen he preyyde plG.6.43: Presumably the deleted <pl> is the result of failure to notice the abbreviation for re in prelates. Part of the <a> following the <l> also appears to be present. See following note. prelates & prestesG.6.43: The <r> of prestes is odd and may have started life as an <s>, once again, presumably, because of failure to notice the abbreviation mark. to-gydders that ~~they~~ ye preychen to the poeple prouve onit on yourseluven and dothe ytt In dede ytt shall drawe you to good G.6.45: The G scribe normally distinguishes between god="god" and good="good." See Introduction III.2. yff e ye woleȝe lyuven as ye leyren vs we wyllshal leuve you þe better and sythen he radde relygyone theyr rewle to holde lest þe kyng & hysG.6.48: The <y> of hys is partly obscured by a brown ink stain caused by the alteration of brought to brovght on the previous page (at G.6.8). couvnceyle the commuvneȝowre comunes apeyre and be stuerdes off your steedes totil ye be rewled better and sythen he counseylyd the kyng the commuvne to louve ytt ys thy tresouvr yff treyson ne were and tryakell att þi nede and sythen he prayyd the pope to hauvehaue pyte off theofon holye churche and are he gyffe any grace goueren fuvrst hym-seluve and ye þat haue lawes to kepe lett trewthe be your couvytyse more then gold other gyftes yff ye woldwil god pleasse For wo-so contraryethe trewthe he telleth In the gospell that god knoweth hym noght ne no seynte Inof heyuven amen dico vobis quia nescionescio vos. & ye that seke seynt Iames & seyntes atof rome seketh seynt trewth for he may sauve you all qui cum patre et filio that fayre theym befall that shewenG.6.62: Remaining B manuscripts read suweth for G shewen. For the use of <sh> for <s> in G, see Introduction III.4.1. my sermon & thuvs sayd reyson then ranne repentance & rehersed hys teeme and gerte wyll to wepe water wyth hys eyenesuperbia PeronelleG.6.65: Note the combination of barred <l> and final <e> in Peronelle. prouvde herte platte hyr to the yerthe and leye long or she loked &G.6.66: The top half of the ampersand is not visible and has to be inferred. lord mercy cryed and byhyght to hym that vs all made she shuolde vnsowen hyr serke and sett there aG.6.68: There seems to be no particular reason for the deletion of <a>; the letter is not blotted. an heyre to affayten hyr flesshe that freylefierce was to synne shall neuer heghe herte me hente but holde me lowe and suoffer to be myssayde and so dyd I neuer but now wyll I meke me & mercy byseche for all thys I hauve hated In my herteluxuria then lychouvre seyd alas & on our ladye cryedhe cryedG.6.74: Kane and Donaldson adopt the G Hm O C2 H reading cryed (for remaining B manuscripts he cryed). No A or C version manuscripts have he. to make mercy for hys myssdedes betwene god & hys souvle wyth þat he sholde þe saterday seyuven yere þer-after drynke but myd the doke & dyne but onesce Inuidia enuvye wyth heyuvy herte asked after shryffte and carefullyche mea culpa he comsed to shewe he waswas as pale as a pelet In þe palsye hymhe semed & clothed In a kauvrymauvrye I couvld ytt not dyscryuve In kyrtell & couvrtyby and a knyffe by hys syde off a freres frocke were þe forsleues and as a leeke . hadde ~~i lye l~~G.6.84: The scribe first decided to emend to i-lye by supralinear addition, but then crossed the whole thing out and re-wrote. I-lye long yn þe sonne so loked he wyth leyne chekes lowryng fouvle hys ladyebody was bolleto-bolle for wrathe that he boote hys lyppes wryngyngAnd wryngynge he wentȝede wyth þe Fyst wreyketo wreke hym-selfe he thoght wyth workes &or wordeswith wordes when he seghe hys tyme echeEche a word þat he werpedwarpedwarpe was off a neddres tong off chydyng & off chalengyng was hys cheffe lyuvelodewyth bakbytyng & bysmer & beyryng falsof fals wyttnes thys waswas al hys couvrtysye where þatþat euere he shewed hym I wold be shryuve quod thys shrewe & I for shame dorste I wold be gladder by god þat gybbe had myschance then Iþouȝe I had thys weeke wonneywonne a weye off essex chesse I hauve a neyghbouvr nye me I hauve anoyede hym oft & lyen on hym to lordes to done hym leese hys syluver and made hys frendys hysben his foone / thrugh my fals tong hys grace & hys good happes greuvedgreueth me full sore betwene many & many I make debate oft that both lyffe and lymme ys lost thruvgh my speche and when I mete hym In merkett þat I moste hate I haylsedhalsydhailse hym hendelyche as I hys frende were for he ys dooghtyer then I I dare do non other butAc had I maystrye & myght god wott my wyll and when I come to the kyrke & shold knele to þe rode and prey for þe pepole as the prest teychyth for pylgrymes &and for palmers &for all the poeple after then I crye on my knees that cryst gyuve hymhemG.6.109: G Cr hym, rather than the majority B reading hem, is clearly correct. There is confusion in the A manuscripts too, but a high proportion read "him," and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. sorowe that bare a-wey my bolle & my broken shete away from þe awter then torne I myn eyne & behold how hellen hath a new cote I wysshe þatþanne ytt were myne & all the webbe after offAnd of menes lesyng I lagh that lyketh my herte & for theyr wynnyng I wepe & weyle the tyme and deme that þei done yll / whereþere I do well worse wo-so vndremoiynethe meme here-of I hate hym deydly after I wold that eche a wyght were my knave for wo-so hath more then I þat angreyth me sore & thysþusG.6.120: For the G scribe's use of "this" for "thus," see note to G.4.76. I lyuve louveles lyke a lyther dogge that all my bodye bolneth For bytter off my gall I myght not eyte many yers as a man oghte For enuvye & euvell wyll ys euvell to defyen mey no suvker ne swete thyng swageasswage my swellyng ne no dyapenidyon dryuve ytt from my herte ne neyther shryffte ne shame but wo-so sharpeschrape my mawe yes reydyly quod repentance & d radde hym to the best sorow off synnes ys saluvatyon off sowles I am sorye quod þat segge I amam but seld other thatAnd þat maketh me thysþusG.6.130: For the G scribe's use of "this" for "thus," see note to G.4.76. meygre for II ne may me not wengevenge a-mong buvrgeysys hauve I bynne dwellyng att london and madegert backbytyng be a broker to blame mennes ware when he sold & y noght then was I reydy to lye onand to loure on my neghbouvr & to lacke hys chaffeyre I wyll amend thys yff I mey thruvgh þeþorw myght off god allmyghtye Now awaketh wrathe wyth too wyte eyneIra & sneuvelyngnyuelynge wyth þe nose & thehis necke hangyng I am wrathe quod he I was some-tyme a frere and the couventes gardener for gryftenfor to graffeG.6.139: Forms of "graft" with <t> (as G gryften beside remaining manuscripts graffe) are first recorded by the OED at the end of the fifteenth century (see OED graft, v.1). yp ympesG.6.139: There is a superscript over the <y> of ympes. on lymytouvrsG.6.140: The alteration of lymytours to lymytovrs is in the original grey-black ink rather than the brown ink of most to <v> changes, and it therefore appears to have been made by the original scribe at the time of writing and not as part of his later corrections. Note that the original is not well formed - there is only one minim - so this may be the reason behind the change. & lysters leysynges I ymped tyll they bare leyuvys off low speche lordes to pleasse and sythen they blossomed a-broode In bower to here shryftes and now ys fall thereþer-of a frrvyte þat folke handhanG.6.143: A loop and tail have been added to the <n> of original han in brown ink, probably by hand1.1 (giving had). Compare the resultant <d> with the <d> written by the scribe as part of his original transcription at the end of the first line on f.17v

and with the <d> added by hand1.1 (i.e. the same scribe, making later corrections) at G.6.89. well leyuvere showe theyr shryftes to them thenþan shryue to theyre persouns & now persones hauve perceyuvyd that freresG.6.145: It is unusual for the G scribe to write <fr> (as in freres) without a long <r>, but the use of a 2-shaped <r> at this point is probably due to the fact that the addition lacks space. parte wyth theyme thees possessyoners preyche & deprauve the freresfreres & freres fynden theym In fauvtedefaute as folke beyre wyttnes that when they preyche the poeple In manye places abouvte I wrath walke wyth theym & wysse them off my bokes thuvs theG.6.150: The form the is the unstressed form of the pronoun "they." See also note to G.2.164 and the readings at G.6.195, G.12.235 etc. speken off my spiritualte þat eyther dysspyseth other tyll þei be both beggers & by my spiritualte ~~lywbben~~G.6.151: The scribe clearly did not immediately recognise lybben, which is a predominantly western form, and he appears to have written some other letter, possibly <w> for double . He then abandons this and writes what is presumably his own form lyven. lyven or eles all ryche & . ryden a-bowte I wrath rest neuer þat I ne mvste folowe thys wyked folke for suoyche ys my grace I haue an auwnte to nonne & an abbesse bothe hyr hadwere leyuer swoneswoweG.6.156: G's reading could conceivably be swoue, which would correspond to the reading of most B manuscripts. However, G uses "swoon" elsewhere, where his reading cannot be in doubt (see G.15.339 and G.19.59). The verb "swow" is unusual and is not recorded by the OED after Langland (see OED swow, v.1). or swelte þen suffer any peyne I hauve bynne koke In þehir kechyne and the couvent seruved manye monvthesmonthes wyth theym & wyth monkes bothe I was þe pryoresse portagerpotagerpotagere & other poere ladyes and made þem Iowetes off Ianglyng þat dame Iohan was a bastard and dame claryce a kyngesknyȝtes doghter aAnd a kockwold was hyr syre & dame peronell a prestes fyle pryoresse worthesworth she neuver For she had chyld In cheryetyme all our chapter ytt wyst off wykked wordes I wrathe theyre wortes made tyll þou lyest & þou lyest lopen ovte att onesce & eyther hytt other vndre-neythevnder the cheeke had they had knyuvesknyues bi cryst eyther had kylled other seynt gregory was a goode pope & had a good forwytt that no pryoresse were preest for that he ordened þei had ben euvell losedþanne ben infamis forþe firste day þei cancan so heyle noyuel hele couvnseyle among monkes I motmiȝte be butac many tymestyme I shony for þer be many fell freykes my feres to aspye both pryouvr & subpryouvr & ouvr pater abbas & yff I tell any tales they taken theym to-gedders and do me fast frydays to breyde & to water &And am chalenged Inin þe chapterhouvse as I a chylde were & baleced on þe bare arsce & no breche betwene Forthy I hauvehaue I no lykyng wyth tho leedes to wonne I eyte þer vnthend fysshe and feble ale drynke butAc other whyle when wyne comythe whenandþanne I drynke wyneit at euve I hauve a fluvx orofG.6.181: The Bm reading "or" (as also G) is over an erasure. Most B manuscripts read of. a fouvle mouvthe well .v.fyue days after all þe wykkednes þat I woott by any off yourowre brethren I cowthecouth it yn yourowre cloyster þat all yourtheowre couvent woote ytt now repent quodþe quod repentance & reherce thow neuer couvnseyle þat þou knowest by couvnteynance ne by nyghtriȝte & drynk not ouer dylycately ne to deepe nother that thy wyll be cauvse thereoff to wrathe mygheG.6.187: The spelling myghe is not necessarily an error; the OED records migh as a sixteenth century form of the past indicative and subjunctive of the verb "may" (OED may v.1, Spellings.4). torne esto sobrius he seyde and assoyled me after & bad me welne to wepe my wykednes to amend And then cam couvetyse can I hym noght dyscryuveauaricia so hongerly & holowe syr henryheruy hym loked he was bettell-browed & blabberbaber-lyppedG.6.192: According to the OED, the combination "blabber-lipped" occurs first in 1483 (OED blabber, a.). also wyth too bleyred eyne as a blynd hagge and as a leythren puvrsce lolled hys chekes well sydder þen hys chyn theG.6.195: The form the is a weak form of the pronoun "they;" see also G.6.150, G.12.235. cheuveled for elde asAnd as a boundman off hys bacon hys berd was bedrauveled wyth a hoode on hys heyde a losye hatt abouve and In a tawny tabberd off tweluve wynter age all to-torne & bawdye & full off lyes crepyng but yffif þat a lowse couvlde hauve lopen the better she shold noght hauve walked theronG.6.201: The Bx reading for G theron is "on þat welche" ("welche"= "Welsh flannel"), but this causes trouble for the scribes and is found only in L and R. M, Cr1 and W have "welthe" for "welche;" Cr23 has "welte;" and most of the remaining manuscripts have either "there" or, as in G, "thereon." so was ytt threde-bare I hauve byn couvetyngcoueytouse quod thys keytyffe I beknowe ytt here for some-tyme I seruved symme att h the style and was hys prentys plyghtypliȝte hys profytt to weyte Fuvrste I lerned to lye a leeffe other tweyne wyckedlyche to wey was my fuvrste lessone to wye & to wynchester I went to the feyre wyth many maner merchandyse as my master me hyght ne had þe grace off gyle gonne among my chaffer ytt had byn vnsolde þis seyuven yere / so me god helpe then drew I tome amonges drapers my donett to lerne to drawe þe lystlyserG.6.212: A high proportion of A manuscripts share the G F reading lyst, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read lyser. a-long the lenger ytt semed among þe ryche reyes I rendered a lesson to broche theym wyth a packnelde & plettplayte þem to-geddres and puvt theym In a presse & pynned theym therynne tyll .xen.ten yerdes or .xijffe.twelffe had told owte thyrtene my wyffe was a webbsterwebbe & wollen clothe made she spake to spynsters to spynnen ytt owte butAc the pownd that she payyde by paysed a quvartren more then myne owne auvncer / wo-so weyyd trewthe I boght hyr berly malte she brewedbreweG.6.221: According to the OED, the strong forms of the past tense of "brew" did not survive into the sixteenth century, hence G Cr brewed for remaining manuscripts brewe. toit to sell pennye ale & puvddyng ale she pouvred to-gedders For laborers & for lowlowe folke þat ley by them-seluve þe best ale lyeG.6.224: The OED records lye as a possible fifteenth century form of the preterite of the verb "to lie." Remaining manuscripts have lay. See also G.14.21, G.17.266. In my bouvre or yn my bed-chambre and wo-so buvmmed theroff boght ytt there-after a galon for a grote god wote no lesse and yet ytt cam yn cvpmele þis craft my wyfe vsed rose þe regrater was hyr ryght name she hathe holden huv~~cce~~kkerye all hyr lyuve tyme butAc I shreweswere now so þe yk / þat synne vo wole I lete and neuer wykedlyche ~~way~~ wey ne falscewicked chaffere vse andBut wenden to walsyngam & my wyfe als and byd the rode off bromholem bryng me ovte off dett repentest thow euver quod repentance or restytuvcyon made onesceȝus ones I was herbored quod heeG.6.235: F shares G's original reading (herbored for most manuscripts herberwed quod he). wythe a heype off chapmen I ros when they were att restarest & ryfeled theyr males that was no restytuvtyon quod herepentance buvt a robbers thefte thow haddest bynne better worthy ben hanged therfore then for all þat þouat þouG.6.239: Cr23 Hm C C2 Y B share G's original reading (þat þou). Most remaining manuscripts share G's corrected reading (þat þat þou). hast here shewed afore /shewed I wend ryfuvllyng had bynwere restytuvtyon Iquod he I lerned neuer on boke and canI can no frenche buttin feith but off þe farrest end off norfolke vsedest thowe euer vsuvrye quod herepentaunce In all thye lyuve tyme nay sothely he seyde sauve In my youvthe I lerned among lomberdes & Iwes a lessone to wey pence wyth a peyse and pare the heyuvyest & leyne ytt for louve off the crosse to lygge a wed & lesseG.6.246: The form lesse is probably just a spelling variant (remaining B manuscripts read lese="lose"). The G scribe does often use <ss> to represent /z/. See Introduction III.2. ytt suoyche dedes I dyd wryte yff he hys day breyke I hauve nomo maners thruvgh reragys þen thruvgh / miseretur et comodat I hauve lent lordes & ladyes my chaffer and ben þer broger after & boght ytt my-selfe eschanges & cheuvysances wyth suche chaffer I deyle and leyne folke that leese wole a lyppe att euery noble and wyth lomberdes letters I ledde gold to rome and toke ytt by teyle herehere and tolde hem þere lasse Lentestow euere lordes for louve off hyr meyntenance yet hauve IȜe I haue lent lordes louved me neuer after and hauve made many a knyghtknyȝte bothe mercer & draperG.6.256: G omits a line at this point ("Þat payed neuere for his prentishode · nouȝte a peire gloues"). hastowe pyte on pore men that mostmote nedes borowe I hauve as moche pyte on powre men as pedder hath onof cattes that wold kyll theym yff he myght for couvetyse off þer skynnes art thow manlyche among þi neghbouvrs off meyte & drynke I am holden as hendeas heende quod he also hende quod hequod he as hende as homydeho[un]dehounde Inis in the kechynnekychyne among my neghbouvrs namely suoyche a name I hauve godNow god lenvelene neuere quod repentance but þou repent the rather the grace offon thys grouvnd thy good welle to besette ne thy heyrs after þe hauve Ioy off þat þou wynnest andNe thyne execuvtorsG.6.266: There may be hyphen after the <ex> of execvtors but it is difficult to be certain that this is not just the result of continuous writing. Hyphens are unusual in G. wyllwel besett þiþe syluer þat þouþow hem leyuvest and þat was wonne wyth wrong wyth wycked menmen be dyspende yttdespended for were I frere off that houvse þer goode faythe & charyte ys I nold cope vs wyth thyereþiG.6.269: It is possible that the <r> plus flourish which completes the word thyere in G may be a later addition: it appears to have been squashed in, leaving no room between words. catell ne ouvr kyrke amend ne hauve a pennye to my pyttance so godof þyne bi my souvle helpehele For þe best boke yn ouvr houvse thoghe goldbrent golde were the leyuvys andAnd I wyst wytterly þou were swyche as thowe tellest seruus es alterius cum sercula[f]ercula pinquapinguia queris pane tuo pocius vescere liber eris thow artart an vnkynd creatuvre &I kan the noght assoyle tyll þou make restytuvtyon & rekne wyth theym all and sythen þat reason rolle ytt In þe regestre off heyuven tyllFor tilThat þou hast made eche man goode I may þe noght assoyle non dimittitur peccatum donec restitueatur ablatum for all that hauve off thy goode hauve god my troghe be holden att the heye dome to helpe þe to restytuvterestitue and wo-so leuveth not thys be sothe loke In the sawter bokeglose In miserere mei deus where I meane trewthe ecce enim veritatem dilexisti et cetera. shall neuer workemanwerkman in þis worlde thryuve wyth þat thowe wynnest cum sancto santussan[c]tussanctus eris constrewe me þat ynon englysshe then waxt þat ~~sre~~ shrew In wanhope & wold hanghaue hanged hym-selfe ne had repentance ratherþe rather comfortedreconforted hym In thys manere hauve mercy In þi mynd & wyth thy mouvthe beseche ytt for goddes mercye ys more þen all hys other werkes and all the wykkednes In þis world þat man myghtmyȝte worche or thenche ysNe is no more to þe mercy off god then In þe see a gleede onniso[m]nisOmnis Iniquitas quantum ad misericordiamG.6.293: For the G scribe's use of superscript <a> (which appears as the abbreviation mark in misericordiam), see note to G.4.156 and Introduction IV.1.1. dei. est quasi sintilla In medio maris forthy hauve mercy In þi mynd & marchandyse louveleue ytt for thow hast no good grownde goto geyte þe wyth a wasteyle but yff ytt were wyth thy tonge or eles wyth thyþi two handes for þe good þat þou hast goten began all wyth falshed and as long as þou lyuvest thowþer-with þow yeldest noght but borowest and yff thow wytt ~~not~~ neuer to which ne whom to restytuvterestitue beyre ytt to þe bysshope & byd hym off hys grace bysett ytt hym-selfe as best ys for thye souvle For he shall answere for þe att þeiþeG.6.303: The form þei for "the" is recorded by LALME in Warwickshire (LALME 4, item 1), so this may simply be a spelling variant. However, it seems more likely that it is a back spelling resulting from the frequent use in G of "the" for "they" (see note to G.6.150). heye dome For the & for many mo þat man shall gyuve a reykenyngG.6.304: Part of the <g> of reykenyng is missing because of cropping. watt he lerned you In lent leuve þou non other andAnd what he lent you off ouvr lordes goode to lett you fro synneCG.6.306: The letter <C> has also been written in the bottom right hand corner in modern pencil. Nowe bygynnyth gloton for to go to shryftgula and kayryth hym to theto kyrke-ward hys synnescoupe to shewe butAc beton the brewster bad hym good morowe and asked off hymhym with þat wydderward he wolde to holye churche quod he for to here masse and sythen I wylbewyl be srhryuven & synne no more I hauve good ale gossepgossib quod she glottone wylt þou assey hast þou oght In thy puvrsce anye hoote spyces I hauve peppuvr and pyones quod he aand a pouvnd off garlycke a farthyng-worthe off feynell seede for fastyng-dayes then goyth glotone Inne & greyte othes after Cysse þe souvrseressesouteresse sat on þe benche watt þe werner & hys wyffe bothe thomeTymme& Tomme þe tynker & tweyne off hys prentecesprentis hycke þe hakneyman and huvgh the nedeler claryce off cokeslane & þe clerek off þe chuvrche daw þe dyker & a dozynne other syr pyers off prydePridie and puvellePeronelle off flanders a rybybouvr a ratoner a raker off þeof cheype a roper a redyngkyng & rose þe dysshersdissheresdyscheredissheres douȝter godfrey off garlykhethe / & gryffen þe welche and vpholdres a heype / yerly by þe morowe gyuven gloton wyth glad chere good ale to hansell clement þe cobler cast off hys cloke & att þe newfayrenew fayre he neuenvedneue[n]ednempned ytt to sell hycke þe hackneyman casthitte hys hood after & bad bett þe bocher bene on hys syde þer were chapmen chose þis chaffre to prycepreise wo-so hauveth þe hoode shallshuld hauve a-mendes off þe cloke too rysen vp In þisin rape & romedrouned to-gedders and preysed þes penyworthes a-parte by theym-selffe þei couvldG.6.338: The <l> of "could" is blotted. not by þer conscyence acorden In trewthe tyll robyn þe roper aroose by the souvthe and nyuenvednyue[n]ednempned hym for an nouvmpere þat no debate werenere hycke þe hosteler had þe cloke In couvenauvantG.6.342: An otiose superscript <a> has been added above the second <n> of "covenant" in brown ink. For treatment and use of superscript <a> in G, see Introduction IV.1.1. þat clement shallshulde þe coovppeG.6.342: The colour of the ink suggests that this particular correction of coope to covpe has been made by hand1 as part of his original transcription. fyll & hauve hyckes h..oode hosteler & holden hym seruved & wowho þatwho-so repented rathest shuvld aryse after and grett syr ..G.6.345: As far as the deletion after syr is concerned, it seems possible that the scribe began to write <pyers> as at G.6.324. gloton wyth a galon off aleale there was laghyng & lowryng & lett go þe cuppe & syttenseten G.6.347:The G Cr R form sytten has been recorded as a variant reading (most B manuscripts read seten) because it may be in the present tense. However, preterites with medial i/y are possible. See MED sitten (v.). Though Cr23 share the G R spelling, their reading differs in other ways (they read so sytten they, cf. C Y so setyn þey). See also G.6.538. so tyll euvensong & songen some-wylevmwhile tyll gloton had I-globbed a galon & a gyll hys guvttes began to gowlegothlen as toogredyetoo gredye sowes he pyssed a potell In a pater noster whyle & blew hys rownd rowett att þehis ryggbones end that all þat herd þat horne held theyre nosesnoseG.6.352:In the case of M, the -es inflexion on "noses" (which brings M's reading into line with that of G W Hm Cot) has been written over an erasure. Remaining B manuscripts read nose. after and wysshend ~~had~~ ytt had be wexed wyth a wysspe off frysesf[yr]sesfirses he myght nether steppe ne stand tyllerG.6.354: The shared G Bm reading tyll is by correction in Bm. Remaining manuscripts read er. he yhys staffe had thenAnd þanne gan he to go lyke .G.6.355: As far as the deletion after lyke is concerned, Kane and Donaldson read this as <a> without deletion, but the original letter appears to have had a long tail. glewmanes byche and someSommetyme a-syde & some-tyme arere as wo-so leyethe lynes for to kacchelacche fowles & when he drew to þe dore þen dymneddym[m]eddymmed hys eyne he stomeled on þe thressfold & threwe to þe yerthe clement þe cobler kaght hym by þe mydle for to lyft hym a-loft & leyde hym-selfehim on hys knees butAc gloton was a greyte karlecherleG.6.362:Since "karl" is of Scandinavian origin, its use may well be linked to the fact that one of G's ancestors clearly had Northern connections. See Introduction III.4.1. & grym In þe lyfftyng & coghed vp a kaudell In clementes lappe ys non so hongrye houvnde In herdfordshyre dorste lape off þeþat leyuvynges so vnlouvely they weresmauȝteG.6.365: The past tense of "smatch" (see most manuscripts smauȝte for G were) is not recorded by the OED after the fifteenth century, although the present tense continues in use for some time. wyth all þe wo off thys worlde hys wyffe & hys wence bare hym hoome to hys bed & broght hym therynne and after all þis exses he had a acxcesaccidie that he slepteG.6.369: The majority of B manuscripts have the strong form of the preterite, i.e. slepe. The weak form (as G slepte) is, however, found in a high proportion of A manuscripts and note also Bm shleppet. saterday & sonday tyll sonne went toȝede to rest then waked he off hys wynkyng & wyped hys eyne þe fuvrst worde þat he warpedwarpe / was where ys þe bolle hys wytt gan edwyte hym tho how wyckedlyche G.6.372: The middle of wyckedlyche is difficult to read and there may have been some alteration, probably by the original scribe. he lyuved & repentance ryght thoþoo soso rebuvked hym þat tyme as þou Inwith wordes & werkes hast wroght euvell In þi lyffe shryuve þe & be shamed &þer-of and shew ytt wyth þi mouvthe I glotone quod heþe gromegome gyltye me yelde that I hauve tresspassed wyth my tong I can not tel how offt swaresworenG.6.378: The use of medial <a> in G sware probably reflects the influence of bare, the preterite of bear. See OED swear v. godes souvle & so god me helpe & halydome there no nede was neyne huvndrethe tymes & ouversaye me at my soper & some-tyme att onesnonesG.6.380: There is a brown smudge over G ones and it may have been altered to once as part of the scribe's later programme of spelling corrections. The ascender of the original sigma <s> is not very clear and may have been partially erased. that I gloton gyrte ytt vp er I had gone a myle and I-spylt þat myght besparedbe spared & spendyd on þe sommehongrye ouer-dylycately on fastyng-dayes dronken & eyten bothe & satte some-tyme so long there þat I slept & ete att onesce For louve off tales In tauerens to drynke þe more I dyned and hyed to þe meyte or none when fastyng-days were thys shewyng fuvrstshrifte quod repentance shalbe shal be merytt to þe andAnd þanne gan glotone grete & greyte dole makedto make For hys lyther lyuve þat he lyuved had and awowed fastto fastG.6.390: Manuscript M originally shared the G L R reading fast, but to has been added above the line, bringing M's reading into agreement with that of the remaining B manuscripts (i.e. "to fast"). for hongre or for thruvste Shall neuer Fyche on frydayesFriday dyfyne In my wombe tyll abstynence myne auvnyteG.6.392: Examination of the minims suggests that the original (altered by hand1.1. to the correct reading avnte) may well have been amyte, i.e. the original scribe misread the four minims of his exemplar as an <m> and an . hauve gyuven me leyuve and yet hauve I hyr hatedhated hir all my lyuve tymeaccidia Than came slewthe albeal be-slaueredal bislabered wyth two slymye eyne I muvst sytt sayd þatþe segge or elles muvstshulde I nappe I mey not stond ne stowpe ne wyth-owte stoolea stoleG.6.396: Most C manuscripts share the G Hm R F reading stoole, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read a stole. knele were I broghte a-bedde buvt yff my talenttaille-ende made yttit made shuold no ryngyng do me ryse er I were rype to dyne he began benedicite wyth a bolke & hys brest knocked and roxed & rored & ruvtted at the last awake renvkere[n]kerenke quod repentance & rape þe to shryfte yff I shuold dye by þis day me lyst not to loke I can not perfytlye my pater noster as þe prest yt syngethe but I can rymes off robyn hood & randolfe erle of chester butAc neþer off our lorde ne our ladye þingþe leste þat euer was made I hauve made wowes fouvrtye & forgett þem on þe morowe I performed neuer pennance þatas þe preste me hyghte ne ryght sorye for my synnes yet was I neuver and yff I byd myany beydes but yff ytt be In wrathe þat I tell wyth my tonge ys two myle from my herte I am ocuvpyed eche day halyday & other wyth ydle tales att þe ale & other-whyle yn chuvrchecherches godes peyne & hys passyonpassioun ful selde thynke I þeronne I wysyted neuer feble men ne fettered menfolkeG.6.414: The majority of C manuscripts read man for G M Hm men; remaining B manuscripts read folke. Kane and Donaldson adopt the G M Hm reading. In pyttes I hauve lyuver herehere an harlotrye or a somer game off sowters or leysynges to laghe att orand belye my neghbouvrs then all þat euer maryeMarke made mathew luvkeIohan or& Iohnlucas and vygylles & fastyngdayes all thes lett I passe and lygge yn beddeabedde In lentuon myan my lemman In my armes tyll matyns & masse be done & then go to þe freres come I to Ite missa est I am wellholde me welholde me I-seruved I am not shryuven some-tyme but syknes ytt make noght twyes In too yeresȝere & then vponvp gesse I ~~sryu~~ shryuve me I hauve bene preste & person xxxtithritti wynters passyngpassynge thretti wynter yet can I nother solfe ne syng ne seyntes lyuvelyues l reede yet kan IBut I can fynd In a felde or ain a forlong a hare better then yn beatus vir or yn beati omnes constrew on clauvse well & kenne ytt to my perochenys I kan hold louvedayes & here a rewyuevsrewy[ve]sReuesG.6.429: Presumably the aim was to alter the of original reyues to <v> but the scribe has misplaced his correction.G.6.429: According to the OED, the form reyue (i.e. G's original form) is Southwest Midlands. rekenyng butAc In canon ne yn þein decretalles I can not rede a lyne yff I beggebiggeG.6.431: G Cr1 R begge could be a variant spelling of "buy" (most manuscripts read bigge), but it may have been intended as "beg." See also G.4.82. orand borow owght but yff yt be tayled I forgett ytt as euveneȝerne yffand ȝif men me ytt aske syxe sythes or seyuven I forsake ytt wyth othes and thuvs tene I trew men ten huvndreth tymes and my seruantys some-tyme þer salarye ys beynde reuvthe ys to here the rekenyng when we redeshal rede accomptes so wyth wycked wyll & wrathe my workemen I pay yff any man do meme a byenfayte &or helpe me at myat nede I am vnkynd ageynst hys couvrtysye & can not vndrestand yt for I hauve & hauve had somedeale hauvkes maners I am noght leyredlured wyth louve but oght lygge vndre þe thombe þe kyndnes that myne euven-crystyen kydde me fernȝere syxtye sythes I slothe haue forgett ytt sythen In speche &and in sparyng off speche I-spylte many a tyme both flesshe & fysshe & many other wytayles both bred & ale buvtter mylke & chesse Forslouvthed In my seruvyce tyll ytt woldmyȝte seruve no man I ran a-bouvte In youvgh & gauve me noght to lerne and euer syth I hauve be begger for my fowle slouvghe heu mihi quia sterilem duxi vitam Iuuenilem // repentest þou not quod ~~.......~~repentance && riȝte wyth þat he sowned tyll G.6.452: There may have been an erasure here; there is a long gap and a smudge between tyll and vigillate. Possibly the scribe originally failed to change the colour of his ink.vigillate þe weyle fette water at hys eyne and fell flattflatte itG.6.453: According to the OED, the use of the word "flat" (from OF flatir/flater) to mean "to cast suddenly" or "to dash" had died out by the end of the fourteenth century (see OED flat, v.1), hence G fell flatt for most manuscripts flatte it. on hys face & fast on hym cryed & sayd war the fro wanhope wold the betrey I am sory for my synnes say to thy-selfe & beyte þi-selfe on þe brest & byd hym off grace for ys no gylt here so greyte butbut þatþat hys goodnes ys more then satt slouvthe vp & seyned hym swythe and made a wowe beforeto-fore god for allfor hys fouvle slouvthe shall no sonday be þis seyuven yere but syknes ytt lett that I ne shall do me ar day to þe dere chuvrcheG.6.461: The second half of "church" has been written over a smudge and possibly over an erasure. However, it is difficult to see what the original could have been. and here masse & mattynscematines and masseG.6.462: The additional <t> in "matins" is added by placing a downstroke over the line joining the original <t> and the <y>. as I a monke were shall non ale after meyte holde me thence tyll I hauve euvensong herd I hootehote nowbehote to þe rode and yet wyll I yelde a-geyne yff I so moche hauve all that I wykkedly wanne sythen I wytt had and thouvgh miny lyuvelodeG.6.467: The ink here is very faint and part of the <d> and the whole of the <e> of -lode have been re-outlined, probably by the original scribe. lakkenlakke leten I nyll that eche man shall hauve hys ar I heythenhennes wende and wyth theþe residue and þe remnaunt by þe rode off chester I shall seke trewthe erst ar I see rome robert þe robber on reddite loked ForAnd for ther was noght wheroff he wept swythe sore butAc yet þe synfull shrew seyde to hym-seluve cryst þat on caluverye vp-on þe cros dyed tho dismas my brother by-soght you off grace and haddest mercy on þat man for memento sake so rewe on þis robbereG.6.477: The final <e> of robbere has been written over the ascender of the long <r>. G.6.477:As far as the addition of final <e> to "robber" is concerned, it seems possible that the scribe may have been influenced by the original omission and later addition of the <e> on reddere later in the line, i.e. the scribe appears to have treated the word "robber" as if it too were a Latin infinitive. that reddereG.6.477: The final <e> of reddere has been added over the ascender of the long <r>. See previous notes. ne hauve ne neuer wene for toto wynne wythe crafte þat I sheeweowe but for þi mochemykel mercy mytygatyon I beseche ne damme me not onat domesday for my dedesþat I did so ylle what befell onof þis fellone I can not fayre shewe well I wotte he wept fast water wythe hysboþe his eyne and knolegyd hys gylt to crystecryst ȝete eft-sones that penetencia hys pyke he sholde pullysshe newe and leype wyth hym ouvere land all hys lyuve tyme for he had leynveleyne by latro luvcyferes auvnte thenAnd þanne had repentance reuvthe & redde þem all kneleto knele For I shall beseche ~~all~~ for all synfull our sauvyouvre off grace to amend vs off ouvr myssdedes & .do mercy to vs all now godgod quod he þat off þi goodnes gan all theþe worlde make and off noght madest oght & man most lykeliche to thy-seluve and sythen soferdest tofor to synne a syknes to vs all allAnd al for þe best ~~þe boke~~ as I beleuve wattG.6.492:Added watt is in paler ink than the words immediately adjoining it, but seems to be in the script of the original scribe. soeuere the boke tellethe O felexfel[i]xfelix culpa o nescessarium ade peccatumpeccatum ade //G.6.494: All B manuscripts apart from G Cr23 R and F end this line with & cetera. for thruvgh that synne þi sonne seyntsentG.6.495: Probably G seynt is just a spelling variant for remaining manuscripts sent (see Introduction III.2). was to þeþis yerthe and became man off a meyde mankynde to sauve and madest þi-selfe wyth þi sonne & vs synffull I-lyche faciamus hominem ad Imaginem et similitudinem nostramG.6.498: There is an otiose minim at the end of the word nostram. : et alibi . qui manet In charitate In deo manet & deus In eo: and sythen wyth thye seluve sone In ouvr suvyte dyedest On goodfrydaygood fryday for mannes sake at full tyme off þe day there thyselfe &ne thy sone no sorowe In dethe feldest but In our secte was þe sorowe & þi sone ytt ladde captiuam duxit captiuitatem // the sonne for ~~for~~ sorowe þeroff lost syght att þatfor a tyme attAboute mydday when most lyght ys & meyle tyme off seyntes Feddest wyth thye flesshe &fresche blouvde our forfaders In derknes populus qui ambulabat In tenebris vidit Lucem magnam // & thruvgh þe lyght that camlepe offoute of the luvcyfer was blente & Blew all thy blyssed In-to þe blysse off paradyse the thyrd day after þou wendestȝedest In ouvr suvyte a synnfull maryeG.6.512: The deletion of final <e> oon marye, both here and later in the line, is in black ink. Compare uncorrected <marye> at G.6.515. þe seghe or seynte marye þi motherdame & all to solas synfull þou sufferedest ytt so welewere non veni vocare Iustos sed peccatores ad penetentiam . & all þat maryeMarke hathe madeymade mathewe luvkeIohan & IohanlucasG.6.515: The <a> in G Iohan is superscript and has been treated as an abbreviation mark. For use and treatment of superscript <a> in G, see Introduction IV.1.1. off þi doghtye dedes were done In ouvr armes verbum caro factum est et habitauit In nobis & bybi so moche me semethe þe sykererwesykerer weG.6.518: The addition of the second <er> of sykerer has left no space between words.G.6.518: Cr1 Y F share G's original reading syker. Most B manuscripts share the corrected reading sykerer. mowe byd & byseche yff ytt be thy wyll þat arte our father & our brother be mersyfullmerciable to vs and hauve rewthe offon þes rybauvdes þat repentrepente hem sorehere soreG.6.521: Kane and Donaldson adopt the G Cot R F reading sore, which is also the reading of almost all C manuscripts (CQ reads soree). Most B manuscripts read here sore. þat euer they wrathed the Inin þis worlde in word thoght or dede þen hente hope a horneG.6.523: The heads of the <h>s of hente, hope and horne are similar to those of rubricated letters in this manuscript (see Introduction I.7). off deus tu conuersus vivificabis nosviuificabis and blew ytt wyth beati quorum remisse sunt Iniquitates thenÞat all þealle seyntes In heyuven songen att onesce homines et Iumenta saluabis quemadmodumG.6.526 The scribe has added an supralinear minim in ordinary grey ink to correct original quenadmodum to quemadmodum. // multiplicasti miserecordiam tuam deus et cetera a thowsand off men tho thruvnged to-gedders cryed vpward to cryst toand to hys cleyne mother to hauve grace to go wyth theym thG.6.530: An attempt appears to have been made to alter the <h> of original <th> to a long <r> but this has been abandoned and the letters have been crossed out. trewthe to seke andAc þer was wyght non so wyse þe way thydder couvldeG.6.531:The added <v> of covlde has faded. but bluvsterenblustreden forthe as bestes ouere bankes & hyllys tyll late was & long þat they a lede mett appareled as a peynym In pylgrymes wyse he bare a bouvrden I-bouvnde wyth a brode lyst In a wythywyndes wyse I-wyonvnden a-bowte a bolle & a bagge he bare by hys sydessyde an huvndrethe off appuvllesampullesG.6.538: Kane and Donaldson record G's reading here as arpulles, but compare the same word in G.6.623. on hys hatt sytensetenG.6.358: The G form syten has been recorded as a variant reading of remaining B manuscripts seten because it could be a present tense form. It may, however, be a variant spelling of the preterite. See note to G.6.347. sygnes off syney / and shelles of galyce and many a crouvche on hys cloke & keyes off rome &G.6.541: Benson and Blanchfield (p.132) see the ampersand here as a "reader's mark; possibly 'nota,'" but comparison with the scribe's usual form of the ampersand and with the reading of other B manuscripts makes it clear that the letter is <&>. The G scribe makes other, similar additions at, e.g., G.4.115, G.6.5. the wernakell before for men shold knowe and se by hys sygnes whome he soght had thys folke freynyd hym fuvrst from whence he cam fro syney he sayde & from our lordes sepuvlker In bethelem and In babyloyne I hauve bene In bothe In Iermonyeermonye yn alysandre In many other places ye mey se by my sygnes that sytten on my hatt that I hauve walked wydeful wyde In wete & In drye & souvght good seyntes for my souvle helthe knowesthowe oght a corseynt þat men call trewthe couvldesthowe wysshenwissenG.6.551: In the case of G at least, the shared G Cr F reading wysshen (for remaining manuscripts wissen) need not necessarily be considered to be a substantive variant. For the use of <sh> for <s> in G, see Introduction III.4.1. vs the wey bwhereG.6.551: For the deletion of and its replacement with <w> in where, compare the confusion over <bb> in lybben at G.6.151. þat he dwellythe nay so me god helpe seyde þe gome then I seghe neuer palmere wyth pyke n ne wyth skryppe axen after hym er tyll now In þis place petre quod ploumana plowman & puvtt forthe hys heyd I know hym as kyndly as clerecler[k]eclerke dothe hys bokes conscyence and kyndwyttkynd wytt kennede me to hys place and dyd me suvren hym sykerly to seruven hym for euer bothe to sowe & to sett whyleþe whileG.6.559: All C manuscripts except P2 share the majority B reading þe while but Ax agrees with G M F whyle and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. I swynke myght I hauve bene hys folower all thys fyftye wynterswyntreG.6.560: The G scribe replaces remainng manuscripts wyntre with an inflected plural. See note to G.2.100. bothe sowen hys seede & suvensued hys bestes wyth-ynne & wyth-ouvte weytyd hys profytt I dyke & deluveI delue & doI do þat trewthe hotethe some-tyme I sowe & some-tyme I thresshe In teylyers crafte & tynkers whatcrafte what trewthe can deuvyse I weue & I wynde & do watt trewth hootethe For thogh I sey ytt my-selfe I seruve hym to pay I hauve myne hyre well and other-whyles more he ys þe preystest payer þat poere men fyndenknoweth he wythholdytheG.6.570: The M corrector alters to the form of the present tense used by G (i.e. M's corrected reading is withholdeþ). Remaining manuscripts have with-halt. non hyneheweG.6.570: The Hm reading hyne (shared with G Bo Cot) is a correction over an erasure. The majority manuscript reading is hewe. hys hyre butþat hehe ne hath yt at euven G.6.570: The scribe originally wrote euen but, because of the pricking in the manuscript at the corner of the writing space, it was not easy to write legibly and therefore a bar has been used in addition to make it clear that final <n> is intended. he ys as lowe as a lambe & louvelyche off speche and yff ye wylnen to wytt where that he dwellythe I shall wysshe you wytterly þe wey to hys place LeuveȜe leue pyers quod thes pylgrymes & profered hym hyre For to wend wyth theym to trewthes dwellyng place nay by my sowles helthe quod pyers & gan for to swere I nold fang a farthyng for seynte thomas shryne trewthe wold louve me lasseþe lasse a long wyletyme after butAc yff ye wylneth to wende well / þis ys þe way thydder youȜeG.6.580: For the G scribe's use of you instead of Ȝe for the nominative form of the pronoun, see note to G.2.180. mote go thruvgh mekenes both men & wyues tyll ye coevmG.6.581: Forms of "come" with medial <oe> occur twice in the early part of the G text, at G.3.234 (welcoem) and at G.4.56 (coemmen). Such forms were clearly not the preferred form of the original scribe, who presumably found the <ov> spelling useful for correction, although his usual form is com-. to conscyence þat cryst wytt þe sothe that ye louven our lord god leuvest off all thynges and þen youvr neghbouvrs next In non wysse apeyre other-wyse then þou woldest behe wroght to thy-seluve andAnd so bowethe forthe by a broke / be boxome off speche tyll ye fynden a ~~forthe~~G.6.586: Spellings of "ford" with <th> rather than <d> are found in L O R F and originally in M where the corrector alters to <d>. As far as the G scribe was concerned, the <the> spellings were probably outdated (they are not recorded by the OED after the fifteenth century). forde your fadres honerythe honora patrem et matremG.6.587: A virgule has been added at this point to separate matrem and et. It does not appear to have been intended as a punctuation or metrical mark. et cetera // wadeth In that water & wasshe yeȝowG.6.588: G's use of ye here may simply be an example of the extension of "ye" from the nominative to the objective (the opposite of what happens with "you" at, for example, G.6.580). Remaining manuscripts read ȝow. However, a nominative would be possible in this construction, as at G.6.592 (where the majority of manuscripts read come þow for β4 come). The meaning of the b-verse would then be "and wash well there" rather than "and wash yourselves well there." well there and ye shall leype the lyghtlyerliȝtloker all your lyuve tyme soAnd so shall thowe se sweyre noght butbut ifG.6.590: The majority of A and C manuscripts share the G B F reading but (for remaining B manuscripts but if), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. ytt be for nede and namelyche Inan Idle þe name off god almyghtye then shalthowe come by a crofte but come not therynne þeThatG.6.593: The majority of A and C manuscripts share the G R F reading þe, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read That. crofte hett couvett noght mennes catell ne theyr wyuves ne non off theyr seruvantes þat noyen theym myght loke ye breke no bowys there but yff þeiit be your owen two stockes there stonden butac stynt ye not there they hett / steyle not / &ne sley not / G.6.597: The G scribe often appears to use brackets or virgules as highlighting marks. This is especially the case with names (as here: / steyle not / etc). See also the similar highlighting of thought in the Table of Contents (at the top of f.102v)

. stryke forthe by bothe and leyuve theym on þeþi left haluve & loke not therafter and hold well thyne halyday hyghe tyll euvene then shalthowe blenche att a bryggebergh / beyre no fals wyttnes /G.6.600: For the use of virgules and brackets for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. he hys frytthed In wyth floreyns & other fees manye loke þou pluvcke no plant þer for perell off þi souvle then shall þouȝe se / say sothe /G.6.603: For the use of use of virgules or brackets for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. so ytt be to done done ~~well~~ In no maner elles noght for no mannes byddyng then shalthowe come to a couvrte as clere as þe sonne the mootte ys off mercy the maner all a-bowteaboute and all þe walles byn off wytt / to holden wyll owte and kyrnelled wyth crystendome mankynd to sauveeG.6.609.m.1:There seems to be no codicological reason for added <e> here. botrased wyth byleuve / so or þou best not sauved and all þe houvses byn hylled halles & chambres wyth no leyde but / wyth louve /G.6.611: Once again, the virgules here are probably being used as a means of highlighting rather than punctuation. See note to G.6.597.& low speche as brethrene the brygge wasis off / byd well /G.6.612: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. þe better mey þou spede eche aEche pyllore ys off / pennnvancepen[n]ancepenaunce /G.6.613: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. off preyers offto seyntes off / almes dedes /G.6.614: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. are þe hookes þat þe gate hangythgates hangen on grace hett þe gateward / a good man for sothe hys man hett / a-mend you /G.6.616: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. for many men þemhim knowen tellyth hym þis toknneG.6.617: Possibly the corrector reads original tokne as tokue and emends to tokune. þat trewthe wyte þe sothe I perfouvrmed þe pennnvancepen[n]ancepenaunce þe preste me InIoyned IAnd am full sorye for my synnes & so shallI shal euver when I thynke þeron thogh I were a pope byddyth amend you meke hym to hys master onesce to weyue vp þe wykett that þe woman shuvtte tho adam & euve eyten appuvlles vnrosted per euam cuntiscun[c]tisG.6.624:Forms of cunctis without medial -c- also occur in L W O C2 and F. clausa est: et per mariam virginem patefacta est. for he hath þe kay offand the clykett thogh þe kyng slepe & yff grace grauvnt þe to go In afterin G.6.626:Added after does not appear to be in the hand of the original scribe. Note the double-sectioned <a>, and compare the note on f.106v

and the marginalia on ff.69v,

70,

71,

72v

and 103.

thys wyse thow shalt se In þi-selfe / trewtht Insitte in thy hert In a cheyne off charyte as þou a chyld were to suvffer hym & toand sey noght ageyn þi syres wyll beAc be ware þen off wrath þewratthe that ys a wycked shrewe he hath enuvy to hym þat In thy herte syttethe and prykkethpokeþ forthe pryde to preyse thy-seluven þe boldnes off þi byenfaytes make þe blynd then þenAnd þanne beest þouworstow dryuven out as dewe & the dore closed keyyd & klyketed to kepe þe wyth-owten happyly a huvndrethe wynterswyntreG.6.636: For the G scribe's treatment of the uninflected plural wyntre (as all other manuscripts), see note to G.2.100. er þou eft enter þus myghtesthowe lesen hys louve to lete well by þi-seluve & neuer happylyche eft entre but þoubut grace hauveþow haue butAc þer are seyuven systrens þat seruven trewthe euver and are porters off the posternes þat to þe place longethe theÞat on hett / abstynece / & huvmylyte /G.6.641: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. a-nother /charyte & / chastyte /G.6.642: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. bene hys cheffe meydens /pacyence / & peasce /G.6.643: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. moche poeple they helpen /largenes /G.6.644: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. þatþe ladye she lettyth In fuvll manyeG.6.644: The added <e> on manye is forward-facing and is not the form normally used by the main scribe, even in the rubricated sections. The letter is also in very black ink, and seems likely to have been added by the annotator responsible for the marginal comments on 42v, 44v and 72v. she hathe holpen a thowsand out off þe deuvelles pynfold and wo-so ys sybbe to thes seyuven so me god helpe he ys wonderlyche welcome & fayre vnderfongen butAnd but yff ye be sybbe to some off þes seyuven ytt ys full hard by my heyd forquod Peres for any off you all to gett Ingong att any gate ther but grace be þe more now by cryst quodquod a cuvttpuvrs / I haue no kynne there nor I quod an apeward / by oght þat I knowe woldA woldeWite god quod a wafererwafrestre wyst I þusþisG.6.653: G þus for remaining manuscripts þis is probably a back spelling, cf. frequent G "this" for "thus" and see note to G.4.76. for sothe shuvld I neuer forther a foote for no freres preychyng yes quod pyers the plouvman & pryckedpikkedpokud þemhem alleG.6.655: A version manuscripts read hym for B hem alle, G F þem. Kane and Donaldson adopt the A reading. to good mercy ys a meyden there hath myght ouer all and she ys sybbe to all synfull & hyr sonne also & thruvgh þe helpe off theym two ~~helpe~~ hopehope þow non other thow myght gett grace there so þou go betyme by seynt powle quod a perdoner I troweparauenture I be not knowe þer I wyll go fecche mymy box with my breyuvettes & a buvll wyth lettersbisshopes lettres by cryst quod a comen woman thy company wyll I folowe þou ~~mast~~ meystshalt say I am þi suvster I notne wot where they becomeexplicit sextus passus de visione Thys were a wycked way ~~bote~~G.7.1: The first stroke of the <w> of "whoso" is written here and crossed out. but wo-so had a gyde that wold folowen vs echeeche aG.7.2: The majority of A and C manuscripts share the G Cot reading eche, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read eche a. foote þus þis folke hehem menvedmened quod perkyn þe plouvman by seynt petre off rome I hauve an haluve acre to erye by the hygh way had I eryede thys halfe acre and sowen ytt after I wold wend wyth you & youand the way teyche thys were a long lettyng quod a ladye In a sklayere whenWhat shold we wymmen ~~.....~~worche toþe whyles some sholdshal sowe þe sacke quod hePiers / for shedyng off þe weyte & youȝeG.7.10: For the G scribe's use of you for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. louvely ladyes wythe your b longe fyngers that ye hauve sylke & sendell s to sowe when tyme ys chesybleys for chapleynes cherchers to honouvre wyuves & wydowes woleleG.7.13: The scribe has added an extra <l> to indicate that the vowel in wolle="wool," is short; see Dobson, English Pronunciation, p.509, note 2. The correction leaves little space before the following ampersand and the overwriting of original <e> results in a second <l> which resembles a . For the G scribe's spelling practices, see Introduction III.2. & flax spynnethe makethe clothe I couvnsell you & kyennyth so youvr doghters the nedye & þe naked taketakesnymmeth heede howe they lyggen & castethe theym clothes for so commauvndedcomaundeth trewthe for I shall leynvenlene þemnhem G.7.17: The final minim of the superscript <m> of original G þem has been crossed out in brown ink (the same ink as that used for the alterations from to <v>). lyuveloode / but yff þe land fayle Flesshe & breed bothe to ryche and to poere as long as I lyuve for the lordes louve off heyuven and all maner menof men that thruvgh meyte & drynke lyuven helpe theymhym to worke wyghtlyche þat wynnenwynneth your foode by cryst quod a knyght tho he kennyth vs the best butAc on þe teme trewly tawght was I neuver ~~butAc kenne me quod the knyght &~~ but kenne me quod the knyght & I wyll assayG.7.24: It is impossible to be certain of the reading of the second half of the line but the tails of two consectutive long <s>s appear to be present. by seynt powle quod perkyn ye profre you so fayre that I shall sweyteswynke & swynkeswete & sowe for vs bothe and other laborosur do for þi louve all my lyfe tyme In couvenaunt G.7.28: For the use of superscript <a> as an abbreviation mark in G, see Introduction IV.1.1. þat þou kepe holychurche & my-seluve from wasters & from wykked men þat þis world stroyen and go hyvnte hardelyche attto hares & attto foxes to borres & to brockes þat breken downeadown mennesmenmyne heggys and go assey þeaffaite þi fawkenes wyld fouvlefoules to kyll for suoyche comen to my crofte & coroppen my weyte couvrtyslyche þe knyght þen comsed thes wordes by my power pyers quod he I plyght þe my troght to fuvssllfyll thys forward thogh I fyght shuolde as longe as I lyuve I shall the menteygne heȜe & yet a poynte quod pyers I prey you off more loke ye tene no tenant but trewtheG.7.39: The first vowel of what is transcribed here as trewthe may perhaps be an <o>, but see yeld at G.7.44. wyll assente & thogh ye mowe a-mercy them lett mercy be taxouvre and mekenes þi master maugre medes chekes and thogh porepore men profre you presentes & gyftes nym ytt noght In auentuvre ye may ytt not deseruve for youyeþowG.7.44: It is impossible to tell whether the G reading you results from misreading of "thou" as "you" (most B manuscripts read þow) or from the extension of "you" from the accusative to the nominative (Cr Hm read ye). See note to G.2.180. shallshalt yeld ytt a-gayne att on yeres end In a full perylycheperillousG.7.45: Neither the OED nor the MED records the G form perylyche. Remaining manuscripts read perillous. place puvrgatorye ytt hett and myssbyd noght þi bouvndmen þe better mey þou spede thogh he be þi vndrelyng wellhere wel mey happe yn heyuven that he worthyer syttsette & wyth more blysse amice assende superius & ceterasuperius for In chernelscharnel at chuvrcheschirche cherles been yllyuel to knowe or a knyght from a knauve knowe þis In þi herte & be trew off thy tong & tales thoweþat þow hate butBut if þei be wyssdomeof wisdome or wytt thy workemen to chaste hold wyth non herlottes ne here not theyre tales & namelyche atatteG.7.55: Most A manuscripts share the G O C2 Y reading (at rather than atte= "at the"), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. meyte suoche men eschewe for þeiit þeben þe deuvelles dysouvrs I do þe to vndre-stond I assent by seynt Iame quodseyde the knyght then for to worchen by þi wordes whyleþe while my lyuve duvrethe and I shall apparell me quod perkyn In pylgrymes wyse and wende wyth you I wyll tyll we fynd trewthe & cast on my clothes clouvtedyclouted & hole my cokkers & my cuvffes for cold off my nayles and hang my hopper at my halsce In styd off a scryppe a buvsshellbusshel of breeyd corne bryng me therynne For I wyll sowe ytt my-seluve & sythe wole I wende to pylgrymespylgrymage &as palmers done perdone tofortoG.7.66: The G O C2 F reading to is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read forto. hauve butAc wo-so helpeth tome to erye or sowen er I wende shall hauve leyuve by our lorde to lese therynhere in heruvest & make þem merye ther-myd / maugre wo-so gruvggethe and askffenoralkynG.7.70: G originally read asken, presumably altered by the corrector to as ffor because it does not make sense. craftyescraftyG.7.70: Note the similar correction from crafty to craftyes at G.4.226. men / that can lyuve In trewthe I shall fynd them foode þat faythfullyche lyuven saue Iacke þe Ioygoler & Iohenett off the stewes and danyell þe dyssepleyer & dyotedenote þe bawde and frere þe faytouvr & folke off hys ordre and robyn þe rybauvder for hys rouvstye wordes trewthe told me onesce & bad me tell ytt after deleantur de libro viuentium I shuvld not deale wyth þem For holy churche ys hoote off theym no tythestythe to take quia cum Iustis non scribantur // they been eskaped good auventuvre / god þem amend dame worche when tyme ys pyers wyffe hyght hys doghter hyght do ryght so or þi dame shall þe beyte hys sonne hett / suffer þi suffereyns to hauve theyr wyll deme þem not for yff þou do þou shalte ytt deere byggeabugge lett god worcheyworth wyth all for so hys worde teychythe for now am II am olde and hoor & hauve myneof myn owen to pennvancepen[n]ancepenaunce & pylgrymage I wyll pas wythwith þise other Forthy I wyll or I wende wrytedo wryte my bequvest In died[e]idei nomine amen I make ytt my-seluven he shall hauve my souvle þat best hathe I-seruved ytt and fro þe fend ytt defend for so I beleuve tyll I come to hys acomptes asas my credo me tellythe to hauve a relees &and aG.7.93: Most A and C manuscripts share the G O C2 Cot reading &, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read and a. remyssyon on þat rentall I ley.uve G.7.93: The <y> of original leyue has been written over the pinhole in the corner of the writing space and both it and its replacement are therefore difficult to read. The erased tail, however, is still clearly visible. For the spelling with <y> see, e.g., G.7.278. the kyrke shall hauve my caryon & kepe my bonnys for off my corne & catell he crauved the tythe I payd ytt hym prestlye for peryll off my souvle forthy he ysFor-thy is he holden I hope to hauve me In hys masse and mengen In hys memorye among all crystyen my wyffe shall hauve off þat I wanne wyth trewthe & no more and deale among my doghters & my deer chyldren For thogh I dye to-day my dettes are quvyte I bare whom þat I borowed er I to bed yede & wyth the resydewe & þe remnauvnte by þe rode off luvkes I wole worshype ther-wyth trewthe by my lyuve & been hys pylgrym att plouvgh for poere menesG.7.105: C Y R share G's original reading men. Remaining B manuscripts share G's corrected reading menes. sake my plowe-foote shalbeshal be my pykestaffe & pyche atwo þeG.7.106: Parts of atwo and þe (both originally very faint) have been re-outlined in blacker ink. rotes and helpe my cuvltur to keruve & clence þe forowes now ys perkyn & hys pylgymespylg[r]ymespilgrymes to þe plouvgh faren to erye hysþis halffe acre holpen hym many dykers & deluvers dygged vp the balkes therwyth was perkyn apayde & preysed hymhemG.7.111: The minims of G hym lack definition. Kane and Donaldson read hyn. fast other workemen þer were þat wroghten full yerne eche man In hys maner made hym-seluve to done & some to pleasse perkyn pyked vp the wedes att hygh pryme / pyers lett the plowe stand to ouerseen þem hym-selffe & wo-so best wroghte he shuold be hyred þerafter when heruvestheruest tyme cam and þen seten some & songen atte nale and helpenhulpen erye hys halfe acre / wyth howe troly loly byNow bi þe peryll off my souvle quod pyers all In puvre tene but ye aryse the rather & rape you to worche shall no greyne þat growethe glade you att nede and yffþough ye dye for doole þe deuvell ytthaue þat recchethe tho were faytouvrs afered & feyned theym blynd some leyde þer legges a-lyrye / as swyche loselles canne & made þer mone to pers & preyed hym off grace weFor we hauve no lymmes to labouvre wyth lord gracedygraced be ye &Ac we pray for you pyers & for youvr plowe bothe that god off hys grace your greyne muvltyplye & yelde you forof your almesse þat ye gyuve vs here for we may not swynke ne sweyte suoche syknes vs eylythe yff ytt be sothesoth quod Piers þat youȝeG.7.132: For the G scribe's use of you for most manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. seyne I shall ytt sone espye ye been wastors I wott well & trewthe wottethewote þe sothe and I am hys old hyne & hyght hym to warne wyche þei were In þis worlde hys workmen ympeyrenapayrethappeyredG.7.135: It is not entirely clear whether G's form ympeyren should be considered the same lexical item as that used by R and F (i.e. apayreth). See OED appair, apair, v. and impair, v.. Most B manuscripts have the preterite. ye wasten þat men wynnen wyth trauvell & wyth tene butAc trewthe shall teyche youG.7.137: The minims of you lack definition; they are basically just a straight line. hys teme to dryue G.7.137: A horizontal line runs from the end of the <e> of dryue into the margin. or ye shall eyte barlye bred & off þe brooke drynke but yff he be blynd or broken-legged or bolted wyth yrens he shall eyte wheyte bred & drynke wyth my-seluve tyll god off hys goodnes amendement hym send butAc ye myght trauvell as trewthe wold & take meyte & hyre to kepe kyen In the felde the corne from þe bestes dyken or deluven &or dyngen vp thevppon sheyuvys or helpe make morter or beyre muvckeG.7.145: An additional minim has been added to the beginning of mucke, in the same ink as the original. Without it, there would only be four minims. a-feldese In lecherye & losyngerye ye lyuven & In slothe and all ys thruvgh suvfferance þat wengeance you ne takethe butAc ankers & herymytes that eyten nat butbut at onscenones and no more er morowe myne almes shall they hauve & off catell to kepecope þem wyth þat hanve cloyesters & chuvrches butAc / robert renabowte /G.7.151: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. shall not hauve off myne ne posteles but þei preyche kan & hauve power off þe bysshoppe they shall hauve payne & potage to & make theym at easse yttFor it ys an vnreasonable relygyon þat hathe noghtriȝte nouȝte off certeyne and then gan a wastouvr to wrathe hym & wold hauve foghte & to pyers the plowman he profered hys glouve a brettonerG.7.157: There is a brown ink stain over the <tt> of brettoner. / a bragger /G.7.157: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. he bostedabostedeG.7.157: G's he bosted is not necessarily a variant reading; the reading found in most manuscripts (i.e. abostede) represents the only instance of the verb aboast recorded by the OED and the a- may well be just a form of "he." pyers alsce & bad hym go pysse hym wythwith hys plowe forpyned shrewe wylt þou or nylt þou we wyll hauve our wyll off thye flower & off thye flesshe fecche when vs lykethe & maken vs merye therwyth mauvgre thy chekes then pyers þe plouvman pleynyd hym to the knyght to kepe hym as couvenaunt was from cuvrsed shrewys & fro þeþis wastouvrs off woluveswolues kyndkynnes þat make þisþe worlde deere for þeiþo wasten & wynne noght & that ylke whyle worthe neuer plente amonge þe poeple whyleþe while my plow lyggetheG.7.166: A virgule has been placed between plow and lyggethe (apparently by the main scribe) in order to separate the words. couvrteyslye þe knyght then as hys kynd wold G.7.167: The ink has been growing gradually fainter and the first three letters of wold have been overwritten in blacker ink. warned wastouvr & wyssed hym better or þou shalt abye by þe lawe by þe ordre that I beyre I wroght neuerwas nouȝt wont to worche quod wastouvre & nowe I nyll begynne & lett lyght off the lawe & lasse off the knyght & sett pyers att a peyse & hys plowe bothe and maneced peres & hys men yff they metemetteG.7.173: Though the G scribe was clearly aware of the possibility of using single and double consonants to indicate preceding long and short vowels, his practice in this respect is not consistent and the use of a single <t> in mete does not therefore necessarily indicate a present rather than a preterite. For the G scribe's spelling practices, see Introduction III.2. eft-sonessone byNow by þe peryll off my souvle quod pyers I shall apayre you all and calledhouped affter honger þat herd hym at þe Fuvrste awreke me off thes wastouvrs thatquod he þat þis worlde shenden hongre In hast tho hente wastouvre by þe mawe & wrong hym so by þe wombe þat hysbothe his eyne watered he buvffeted the bretoner a-bowte botheabouteG.7.179: Added bothe is in black ink. It is not impossible that it was written by the original scribe (for the form of the <h>, see, e.g., the second <h> of trughthes (G.8.57 f.30v,

l.7)). However, the form of this letter also resembles that used by WH (see, e.g., Byschoppes in the note in the right hand margin on f.103r)

and since the script used for the addition is altogether more angular than that normally used by hand1, it seems probable that it was in fact made by WH. See also G.7.183. the chekes that he loked lyke a lanterne all hys lyuve after he bett þem so bothe he brast nyenere theyre guvttes ne had pyers wyth a peyse loofe preyed hongre to ceasse they had be doluven depebothe neG.7.183: The ink colour of added depe here is the same as that of the addition at G.7.179. Once again, it seems likely that it may have been made by WH: though the script is not dissimilar to that used by the original scribe, it is more angular and more upright. deme þou non othersuffer theym lyue he seyde & lett theym eyte wyth hogges or elles beaensbe[a]nsG.7.185: The first <e> of original beens has been altered to an <a> by the addition of a downward stroke on the right hand side of the letter. Presumably the wrong vowel has been altered. See beanes at G.7.198. & branne bakenybaken to-gedders or elles mylke & meane ale thus preyed pyers for theym Faytouvrs for feere thereher-oftherof ~~fledde~~ flowen In-to bernes & flapten on wyth fleyles from morowe tyll euven that hongre was not G.7.189: Added not appears to be in the hand of the original scribe. Compare, however, the additions at G.7.183 and G.7.179. hardyeso hardyG.7.189: Almost all C manuscripts and a high proportion of A manuscripts share the G R F reading hardye, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read so hardy. on theym for to loke For a pott fuvll off peyses þat poyers had madeymaked an heype off herymytes hente theym spades and kuvtten þer copes & couvrtypyes theym made and went as workemen wyth spades & wyth shouvelles and doluven & dyggendykeden to dryuve a-way hongre blynd & bedreden were botened a thowsande that syttensetenG.7.196: For G Cr C2 sytten (remaining manuscripts seten), see note to G.6.347. to begge syluver sone were they heyled for þat was bake for bayarde was bote for manye hongrye and many a begger for beanes boxome was to swynke and echeeche a poere man ~~haue~~wellG.7.199: The ink of well is blacker than might be expected but this is probably due to the fact that erasure has damaged the surface of the paper. payed to hauve peyse for hys hyre & watt pyers preyed þem doto do as prest as a sparrhauvke & theroff was pyers prowde & puvtt theym to worche gauveAnd ȝaf þem meyte as he myght a-forthe aand meysuvrable hyre then had pyers pyte & preyed hongre to wende home toin-to hys owen yerthe & holden hym there for I am well I-wrookeawroke off wastouvrs thruvgh thye myght butAc I prey þe or thowe pas quod pyers vn-toto hongre off beggers & off bydders wat best be to done for I wote wele be þou weynte þei wole worche yllful illeG.7.208: Manuscript M originally shared the majority B reading ful ille but M ful has been erased, thus bringing M's reading into line with that of G (i.e. yll). The G M reading is also that of a high proportion of A manuscripts, and is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. for myscheffe ytt makethe they be so meke nowenoutheG.7.209: For the G Cr C C2 reading nowe for remaining manuscripts nouthe, see note to G.4.295. & for defauvte off þeir foode / þis folke ys att my wyll they are mymy blody brethren quod pyerspieres for g~~uod~~odG.7.211:The scribe appears to have begun by misreading the initial <g> of "god" as a <q> (and has thus initially misread the whole word as quod). boght vs all treuvght taght me onsce to louven theym echone andAnd toG.7.213: All A manuscripts and most C manuscripts share the G Cr reading and, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B mansucripts read And to. helpen offhem of all thyng ay as theym nedethe and nowe wold I wyttenwiten of þe wherewhat were the best & how I myght mastreamaistrien theym & make þem to worche here nowe quod hongre & hold ytt for a wyssdome bold beggers & bygge þat mow þer brede byswynke wyth hoondes bred & hors brede hold vp theyr hartes abateAbate hem wyth beanes for bollyng off theyr wombe and yff þe gomes gruvge byd theym go swynke & he shall souvpe swetter when he hathe deseruved yttit hath deseruid and yff þou fynd any freyke þat fortuvne hath apayred or any maner falsce men fond þou suoyche to knowe comfort theym wyth thye catell for crystes louve off heyuven louve theym & leyne theym so þe lawe off god teychethe alter alterius onera portate et ceteraportate // and all maner off men that thow myght aspye that nedye been & noghtnoȝt hannauȝty / G.7.228: This virgule is at an unusual angle and may simply be present to separate words. helpe theym wyth thye goodes louve þem & lacke theym noght lett god take the wengeance thogh they done euvell lett god worcheyworþe michi vindictam et ego retribuam et ceteraretribuam // & yff þou wylt be gracyouvs to god do as the gospell teychythe belouveAnd biloue þe amongest lewdelow men so shalt þou lacche grace facite vobis amicos de mammona Iniquitatis et ceterainiquitatis // I noldewolde nouȝt greuve god / pers seydequod piers / for all þe good on grouvnde myght I synles do as þou seyest seyd pers then IȜe I þe hootebihote þeG.7.237: Kane and Donaldson read ye for G's þe, but in G superscript <e> normally only occurs after a thorn. See note to G.3.118. quod hongre or elles the byble lyethe go to genesis þe geant þe engenderouvr off vs all In swetesudore & In swynke þou shalt thye mete tylye & labouvr for thy lyuvelode & so our lord hyght and sapyence sayethe the same G.7.241: There is a smudge on the final <e> of same and the letter may have been re-outlined. I sawe ytt In þe bybleG.7.241: The cross in the bottom right hand corner of the page is in modern pencil. piger pro frigore no felde nold tylye & þerfore he shall begge & byggebidde & no man bete hys hongre mathewe wyth mannes face mouvthed thes wordes that seruus nequam had a beysantMnamG.7.245: Mnam, the majority B reading, is glossed besaunt in L M W Hm, and this may well be the source of the G Cr12 reading beysant. & for he wold not chaffare he had maugre off hys master euver-more after & bynam hym hys beysantMnam for he noldne woldeG.7.247: Almost all A manuscripts share the G M Cot reading nold, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read ne wolde. worche & gaffe þat besantMnam to hym þat ten besantesMnames hadde & wyth þat he seyde þat holy chuvrche ytt harde he þat hadhath shall hauve & helpe þer ytt nedythe & he þat hathe noghtnouȝt hath noght shallshal nouȝt hauve & no man hym helpe & þat he weneth well to hauve I wyll ytt hym bereyuve kynd wytt wolde þat eche a wyght wroght G.7.253: The ink used for wroght was very faint and the word has been re-outlined in black ink. otherOr In dykyng or In deluvyng or trauvelltrauaillynge In preyers contemplatyuve lyffe or actyuve lyffe cryste wold þei wroght the sauvter seyethe In þe sauvlme off vbeati omnes // the freyke þat fedeth hym-selffe wythwith his feythfull labouvr he ys blessyd by the boke in bodye & yn souvle labores manuum tuarum et cetera // YetG.7.260: The form of the decorated capital <Y> is unusual, but since the word "yet" is elsewhere consistently spelled with initial <y> it seems likely that this, rather than, say, a capital must be the letter here. I prey you quod pyresG.7.260: The <r> of pyres appears to have been added in the wrong place. See, however, G.14.240. par charyte yffand youþouȝeG.7.260: G's reading you could conceivably be a misreading of þou, as F, but it may also be an alternative form of the nominative plural, ie. equivalent to ȝe, which is the reading of the remaining B manuscripts. See note to G.2.180. can any leyffe off lechecrafte lere ytt me my dere For some off my seruvantes & my-seluve bothe off all a weeke worche not so our wombe akethe I wote well quod hongre watt syknes you ayelethe ye hauve yeytenmaunged ouver moche & þat makethe your grone butAc I hoote þe quod hongre ~~þat~~as þou ~~........~~ thyn heale wylnest that þou drynke no day or þou dyne somwatt eyte nat I hoote þe / er honger the take and send the off hys sauvce to sauvore wyth thye lyppes & kepe some tyll suoppertyme & sytt not to long & ryse vp er appetyte hathehaue eyten hys fyll lett noght syr suvrfett sytten att thy borde leuve hym . notnouȝt for he ys leycherouvs & lykorouvs off tong & after manye maner meytes hys mawe ys a-hongred & yff þou dyote þe þus I dare legge my eyres þat fysyke shall hys fuvrred hoodes /for hys foode sell & hys cloke off calabre wyth all hysþe knapes off gold & be fayne by my faythe fysykehis phisik to leyuvelete & lerne to labouvr wyth lond for lyuvelode ys swete for mortherers are many leches our lordlorde þem amend they do men to dyedeye thruvgh þer drynkes er destynye wold by seynt powle quod pyers thes are profytable wordes wende now hongre when þou wylt wellþat wel be þou euver for þis ys a louvely lesson lord ytt þe foryelde I hooteBy-hoteG.7.285: Kane and Donaldson adopt the reading I bihote (found in BB and in all C and most A manuscripts) for G F I hoote, most manuscripts By-hote. god quod hongre hennsce ne woldwil I wendeG.7.285: The word wende was originally very faint and has been re-outlined in black ink. tyll I hauve dyned by þis day and y drynkeydronkeG.7.286: G's reading y drynke (for most manuscripts ydronke) is probably at least partly influenced by confusion about the y- past participle prefix, see Introduction III.1.4. bothe I hauve no pennye quod pyers puvllettes to bygge ne neyther gees ne grysesgrys but two grene cheses a fewe cruvddes & creyme & a hauver kake and two louves off beanes & branne bakeybake for my fauvntes & yet I sey by my souvle I hauve no salte bakon ne no kokeney by cryst colopes for to make butAc I hauve percyle & porrettes & manye cole plantes andAnd eke a cowe & a calffe & a carte mare to drawe a-feld my dong whyleþe whileG.7.295: The majority of A manuscripts share the G B F reading whyle, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read þe while. þe drouvght lastethe and by þis lyuvelode we movstemotG.7.296: Though Cr and F share the G form of the verb ("must" rather than remaining manuscripts "mot"), they both, unlike G, have a singular subject. lyuve tyll lammas tyme & by þat I hope hauveto haue heruvest In my crofte & then may I dyght þi dynner as myme dere lykethe all the pouvere poeple thenþo peyscoddes fecchenfecchedenfetten beynes & baken appuvlles þei broght yn theyr lappes chybolles & ~~rype~~ cheruelles & rype cheryes manye & profered pyers þis present to please wyth hongre all hongre ete In hast & asked after more then pouvere folke for fere fed hongre ȝerne wyth grene porrett & peasone to poysone ~~þem ..~~hym þei thoghtG.7.305: The added words hym þei have had to be squashed in. Note the virgule inserted after þei in order to separate it from thoght. by þat hytt neghyd neynere heruvest newe corne cam to cheypyng þen was folke feyne & fed hongre wyth þe best wyth good ale as gloton taght & garte hongre togoG.7.308: The majority of A manuscripts share the G Cr3 Hm C2 reading to, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read go. slepe thoAnd þo wold wastouvr not worche but wandre a-bowte ne no begger eyte bred þat beanes yn were but off cokett &or cleremeyneclerematyn or elles off cleyne wheyte ne non halpenye ale In no wyse drynke butBut of þe best & theof þe brounest þat yn bruvghe ys to sell laborers þat hauve no land to lyuve on but þer handys deyned noght to dyne a day / nyht olde wortes may no penny ale theym pay none no pece off bakon but yff ytt be fresshe flesshe orother fysshe fryed orother bake and that clauvdec[h]audechaude & pluvs chauved for chyllyng off þer mawe and but yff he be hyghlyche hyred elles wole heG.7.319: The letter <h> of he may have been altered, though it is difficult to tell what the original might have been. Certainly the <e> of he appears to be a later addition: the form is that normally used by the scribe in rubricated Latin passages and it uses up the space between words. chyde and þat he was workeman wroght waylle þe tyme ageynst catons couvnseyle comsethe he to Iangell paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento // he greuvethe hym ageynst god & gruvggethe ageynst reason andAnd þanne cauvsethecurseth he þe kyng alland al hys couvnseyle aftersuoyche r lawes to loke laborers to greuve butAc whyle hongre was here master / non off þem woldnot one of hem woldþere wolde none of hem chyde ne stryuve ageynst þeishisG.7.327: The <s> of corrected G þis appears over the <e> of original þe, the in front of it.G.7.327: Bo Cot and F share G's original reading þe, and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. The majority B reading is his. statuvte so sternleche he loked butAc I warne you workemen wynne wyle ye meyowe for hongre hydderward hastethe hym fast he shall awake wyth watre wastouvrs to chaste er fyue be fullfylled suoyche fanynefa[m]ynefamyn shall aryse thruvgh fluvddes & fouvle wedders fruvytes shall faylea profecy and so seyde satuorne þatand seynt you to warneG.7.334: A scribe has added a

decorated cross in the margin. This corresponds to a similar cross in the table of contents (on f.102)

and is one of a number of signs clearly intended to help the reader find particular items in the text. See Introduction I.10. when ye se þe sonne a-mys & two monkes heydes and yaG.7.335: Note the use of what is, for this scribe, an unusual double-lobed <a> for overwriting. The ink is the same as the original. meyde hauve þe mastrye & muvltyplye by heyght þen shall dethe wyth-drawe & derthe be Iuvstece & daw þe dyker dye for hongre but yff god off hys goodnes graunt vs a treweexplicit septimus passus de visione //hic incipit primus passus de dowell Thuvs I robbedyrobedG.9.1: The majority B reading is yrobed. Whether G Bm I robbed is actually a substantive variant is unclear. Although the G scribe was clearly aware of the practice of using a double consonant to indicate a preceding short vowel, his practice in this respect was by no means consistent (see Introduction III.2). On the other hand, G's general problems with the y- past participle prefix (see Introduction III.1.4) suggest that he may well have misread this as a pronoun. In ruvssett I romed abowte all a somer seyson tofor to seeke dowell and freyned full ofte off folke þat I metteG.9.3: The second (added) <t> of mette is formed by a brown ink line crossing the horizontal line linking the first <t> and the <e>.G.9.3: Cr1 shares G's original reading mete. The correction brings G's reading into line with that of remaining B manuscripts. yff any wyght knewewiste whare dowell was att ynne & what man he myght be off many man I axed was neuer wyght as I went þat me wvysse couvlde where þis lede lenged lasse ne more tyll ytt befell on a fryday twoo G.9.8: A virgule has been added at this point to separate twoo and freres. freres I mette masters off þe mynouvrs men off greyte wytt I heylsed þem hendly as I had lerned & preyed theym par charyte or they passed forther yff they knewe In anyany contrey c or costes as they went where þat / doowell /G.9.13: For the G scribe's use of virgules for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. dwellythe doythe me to wytten for they be men onof thys molde þat most wyde walken & knowen contreys & couvrtes & manye kynnes places bothe pryncys paleyspaleyses & pouvere menes cootes and do well & do euvell & wherewhere þei dwell bothe amongest vs quod þe mynouvrs / þat man ys dwellyng & euer hathe as I hoope & euer shall here-after contra quod I as a clerecler[k]eclerke & comsed to dyspuvten and seyd þem sothely sepcies In die cadit Iustus seyuven sythes seyethe þe boke synnethe the ryghtfull and wo-so synnethe I seyde dothe euvell as me thynkethe & dowell & doeuvell may noght dwell to-gedders ergo he ys noght alway among you freres he ys other-wyle elles-where to wvysse the poeple I shall sey þe my sonne sayde þe frere thensimilitudo howe seuven sythes þe sad man on a day synnethe by a forbyzyne quod þe frere I shall þe fayre shewe lett bryng a man In a bootteG.9.30: The downward stroke of the second (added) <t> of bootte has been written across the line joining the first <t> to the <e> in browner ink. amydest þe brod water the wynd & þe water & þe bootteG.9.31: For the alteration of added boote to bootte, see note to previous line. waggyng makethe a man many a tyme to fall & to stande for stand he neuer so styffe he stomelythe yff he mouvethe and yet ys he sauve & sonvnde soand so hym behouvethe for yff he ne arysse the rather & raght to þe stere the wynd wolde wyth þe water þe bootteG.9.36: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. ouerthrowe thenAnd þanne were hys lyffe lost thruvgh lacches off hym-seluve & þus ytt farethefallethG.9.38: The G F reading farethe, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, is also that of the A version. Remaining B manuscripts read falleth. quod þe frere by folke here on thyson yerthe the water ys lykened to þe worlde þat wanyethe & waxethe the goodes off þis grounde are lyke to þe greyte wawes þat as wyndys & wedders walkethe a-bowte þe bootteG.9.42: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. ys lykened to our bodye þat brytyll ys off kynde that thruvgh þe fende þeand þe Flesshe & the freyle worlde synnethe þe sad man on a daya day seyuven tymessythes butAc deydly synne dothe he nat for dowell hym kepethe and þat ys charyte þe chapman þechampioun cheffe helperhelp ageynst synne for he strenghythe man to stond & sterethe mannes souvle thoghAnd þowgh þeþi bodye bowe as bootteG.9.48: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. dothe In þe water ay ys þeþi souvle sauvfe but yff þi-selffe wole do a deydly synne & drenche þeþi souvle god wyll suffer well þi slought yff þi-seluve lykethe for he gauve þe ato yeresgyfte to semeȝeme well þi-seluve & þat ys wytt & frewyll to euery wyght a portyon to flyeng fowles to fysshes & also to beystes andAc man hathe most theroff & most ys to blame but yff he worche well þerwyth as dowell hym teychythe I hauve no kynd knoyng quod I to conceyuve all your wordes butAc yff I mey lyuve & loke I shall go lerne better I bekenne þe cryste þat onon þe crosse dyed & I seyd þe same sauve you from myschance & gyuve you grace on thys grouvnde goode men to worthe & þus I wente wyde-whare walkyng myne oone by a wylde wyldrenes & by a woddys syde blysse off þe bryddes broght me a-slepe and vndre a lynde onvppon a lauvnde leynydeG.9.65: The first <e> of leynyde appears to be a correction. It seems likely that the scribe began to write <ly>- but realised his mistake before he had written the descender of the <y>. I a stouvnde to lythe þe leyes tho louvelyche fouvlefoules made myrthe off theyre mouvthes made me þer to slepe the meruvyolouvseste meytelles mett me then that euer dreymyd wyght In worlde as I wenvewe[n]ewene a moche man as me thoght & lyke to my-seluve came & called me by my ryghtkynde name watt arte þou quod I tho / þat þou my name knowest that þou wootest well quod he & no wyght better woot I whatt þou arte thoght seyde he then I hauve suvede þe þis seyuven yere syegh þou me no rather Art þou thoght quod I tho þou coudest me wisse where þat dowell dwellythe doand do me that to knowedowell dowell & dobettre & dobest þe thyrde quod he arne there fayre wertuves & be not farre to fynde wo-so ys trewe off hys tong & off hys too handes & thruvghe þehis labouvre offCr23 C O C2&or þorugh hys handyslondehand hys lyuvelode wynnethe and ys truvsty offof his taylleende & takethetaketh buvt hys owen and ys not dronnkelewe ne dysdeynouvs dowell hym folowethedobettre As Benson and Blanchfield point out (pp.42 and 132.1) the form of the letters here suggests that the scribe and rubricator are the same using different scripts. See also Introduction I.7. dobet dothe ryght þus & he doythe ryght mochemoche more he ys as lowe as a lambe & louvelyche off speche and helpethe all men after þat þeim nedethe the bagges & þe bygerdelles he hathe brokento-broken þem all that þe ~~yel~~ erle auvarouvs helde & hys heyres & þus wyth mammones money he hathe made hym frendes & ys ronne to relygyon & hathe rendered þe byble & preyched to þe poeple seynte powles wordes libenter suffertis insipientes cum sitis ipsi sapientes and suvffer þe vnwysse wythe you tofortoG.9.93: A high proportion of A manuscripts share the G F reading to (for remaining B manuscripts forto),and this is the reading which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. lyuve & wyth gladde wyll do þem goode for so god you hoothethedobest dobest ys abouve bothe & beyrythe a bysshopes crosse ys hoked on þeþat on hende to halye men from hell ~~that weyten any wyckednes dowell to tene~~ G.9.96: This deleted line has been written in the wrong place and appears as G.9.98 below. a pyke ys on þe potente to puvt a-downe þe wycked that wayten any wyckednesse dowell to teene& dowell & dobetter amonge G.9.99: Kane and Donaldson apparently interpret the final backward curve on the <g> of "among" as an abbreviation for <es> (unless they do not consider the form amonge to be a variant). However, G would normally have a loop for such an abbreviation, and it seems more likely that the final letter should be read as a residual <e>. Compare the form of "among" at G.12.51. þem ordeynyd to crowne on to be kyng to reuvlen þem bothe that yff dowell or dobet dodiddoþ ageynst dobest then shall þe kyng come & cast theym In Irens & but yff dobest byd for theym þei beto be þer for euver thuvs dowell & dobetter & do-best þe thyrde crowned on to be kyng to kepen theym all & to reuvle þe realme by theyre thre wyttes & noon other wyse buvt as they therthre assentyd I thanked thoght tho / þat he me thuvs taght butAc yttȝete sauverythe me noght thy seggyng &I couveyte to lerne how dowell dobetter & dobestG.9.110: Kane and Donaldson record that G shares Cr's variant reading dobetter (for remaining B manuscripts dobest). However, the penultimate letter in G is a long <s>, giving dobest. doon amogestamo[n]gestamonges þe poeple wyttBut witte can wysse þe quod thoght / where tho thre dwell elles woote I non þat kanne þat now ys a-lyuve thoght / & . y / thuvs thre dayes yedene dyspuvtyng vpon dowell day after other & er we were I-warrewar wyth wytt gan we mete he was long & leyne & lycheliche to non other was no pryde Inon hys apparell ne pouverte nother sadde off hys semblant & off softe chere I dorste moue no matter to make hym to Iangell but as I bad thoght tho be meane betwene & putt forthe some purpose to prouven hys wyttes what was dowell fro dobetter & dobest from þem bothe then thoght In þat tyme seyde thes wordes where dowell do-better & dobest be In lande thereHere ys wyll wold wytt / yff wytt couvde hym teycheteche hymG.9.125: G's reading, hym teyche, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, provides a metrically more satisfactory b-verse than the majority B reading teche hym (though see Duggan, "Notes on the Metre"). & wether he be man or woman þis man wold aspye and worchen as þei þerthre wold þis ys hys Intentexplicit primus passus de dowell SIr dowell dwellythe quod wytt noght a day hence In a castell þat kynde made off fouvr kynnes thynges off yerthe & eyre ys ytt made meydeled to-gedders wyth wynd & wyth watre wytterlye enIoygnede kynd hathe closed þerynne craftylye wyth-all a lemman þat he louvethe lyke to hym-seluve anima she hatte butac enuvye hyr hatethe a prouvde prycker off france princeps huius mundi // & wold wynne hyr a-way wyth wyles yffand he myght butAc kynd knowethe hyrþis well & kepethe hyr þe bettre & hathe done hyr wyth syr dowell duvkeis duke off thes merches dobetter ys hyshir damosell syr dowelles doghter to seruve hyrþis ladye leally bothe late & rathe dobest ys a-bouve bothe a bysshopes pere that he byddethe movste be done he reuvlethe þem all anima þat ladye ys ladde by hys lernynglerynge butAc þe constable off that castell þat kepethe all þe wacche ys a wysse knyght wyth-all syr In-wytt he hatte & hathe fyuve fayre sones by hys fyrste wyffe syr se well & sey well & here well the hende syr worche well wyth thye hande a wyght man off strenght & syr godfray go well / greyte lordys for-sothe thes fyuve be sett to sauve þis ladye aG.10.23: The deletion of <a> results from a failure to recognise the need for a change of ink.anima tyll kynd come or send to sauven hyr for euer what thyng ys kynd quod I canste þou me tell kynd quod wytt ys a cratouvrcr[e]atourcreatour ~~all~~off all kynnes thynges fader & formouvr off all / þat euer werewas maked and that ys þe greyte god / þat gynnyng had neuer lord off lyfe & off lyght / off blysse & off payne angelles & all thyngesþingG.10.30: G uses thynges rather than the old uninflected plural þing (found in all other manuscripts). See Introduction III.1.1. are att hys wyll butAc man ys hym most lyke off marke & off shapepeschafteG.10.31: The G Cr C C2 reading "shape" (for most B manuscripts schafte) is also the reading of all A manuscripts except Ma, H and A, and is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. C2 originally shared the majority reading, but this has been corrected to schape in a different ink. for thruvgh þe worde þat he spake wexen forthe bestes dixit et facta sunt //et cetera // and made man lykest to hym-seluve one and euve off hys rybbe boone wythe-owten any meane for he was synguvler hym-seluve & seyde faciamusG.10.36: The bar is missing from the <f> of faciamus. as wo seyseith more moste þertohere-to then my worde oone my myght myghtmote helpe now wyth my speche ryght asas a lord shuolde make letters & hym lacked perchement thogh he couvld wryte neuer so well yff he had no penne þe letter for all þe lordshyppe I leuve / were neuer makedymaked soAnd so ytt semethe by hym as þe boke tellethe there he seyethe dixit et facta sunt et ceterasuntG.10.43: M originally shared the majority reading sunt, but & cetera has been added in a different hand and in a different ink, bringing the M reading into line with that of G and Y. // he most worche wyth hys worde & hys wytt shewe & In þis maner was man made trhruvgh myght off god almyghtye wyth hys worde & workemanshyppe & wyth lyffe to laste & þus god gaffe hym a goste off þe godheyde off heyuven & off hys greate grace grauvnted hym blysse & þat ys lyffe þat eueray shall laste to all lynages after & þat b ys the castell þat kynde made caro ytt hyghte and a ys as moche to meane as man wythe a souvle & þat he wroght wyth werke & wyth worde bothe thruvgh myght off þe magestee man was makedymaked Inwytt & all wyttes closed be therynne for louve off þe ladye anima þat lyffe ys y-neuenvedy-neue[n]edynempned ouer all In mannes bodye he walkethe & wanderethe butAndAc In þe herte ys hyr home / & hyr most rest butAc Inwytt ys yn þe heyde / & to þe herte he lokethe whatt anima ys leuve or lothe he lett hyr at hys wylle for after þe grace off god þe greatest ys Inwytte moche wo worthe þat man þat mysruvlethe hys Inwytt and þat be glotons globbers theyr god ys theyre wombe quorum deus venter est et ceteraest // for þei seruven sathan theyre souvles shall he hauve that lyuven synfull lyffe here theyre souvle ys lyke þe deuvelle and all þat lyuven good lyffe are lyke to god almyghty qui manet In caritate In deo manet et cetera // alas þat drynke shall fordeford[o]for-do þat god dere a-bouoghte and doythe god forsaken theym þat he shope to hys lykenes amen dico vobis nescio vos et alibi et dimisi eos secundum disederia & ceteraG.10.70: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. Foles þat fauvten Inwytt I fynd þat holy chuvrche sholde fynden theym þat theym fauvtethe & faderles chyldren & wydowes þat hauve noght wheronwher-with to wynnen þeirhem her foode madde men & meydens þat helples were all þes lacken In-wytt & loore by-houvenbihouethG.10.75: The -en ending of G byhouen means that G's verb must be plural, whereas the verb as it appears in the majority of B manuscripts (bihoueth) could be either singular or plural. See the Kane and Donaldson reading [hem] bihoueþ, which interprets the verb as singular and impersonal. Off þis mattyer I myghte make a longe tale & fynd fellfeleG.10.77: For G's treatment of fele (the reading of the remaining B manuscripts), here appearing as G fell, see note to G.4.349. wyttnes amonge þe fouvre doctors & þat I lye not (off þat I leere þe) luvke beyryth wyttnes godfadre & godmodre þat sene theyr god-chyldrene &At myssease & mysscheffe & mowe þem amende shall hauve pennvancepen[n]ancepenaunce In puvrgatorye but þei þem helpe For more longerbilongeth to þe lytull barne er he þe lawe knowe þen neuenvyngneue[n]yngnempnyng off a name & he neuer þe wyser shuolde no crystyen creatuvre cryen att þe gate ne fayle payne &ne potage / & prelates dyd as þei shuolde a Iewe wold noght seen a Iewe go Iangleiangelyng for defauvte for all þe movebleysmoebles Inon þis worldemolde & he amend ytt myght alas þat a crystyen creatouvre shalbeshal be vnkynd to an-other sythen Iewes þat we Iuvggen Iuvdas felowes eyther off theym helpethe other off þat þat theymhym nedythe wye nyll we crystyen off crystes goode be as kynde as Iewes þat beene our loores men shame to vs all they comeÞe comuneG.10.93: G's reading, they come, for the majority reading Þe comune, probably results in part from the scribe's use of the as a weak form of "they" (see, e.g., G.6.150, G.6.195, G.12.235). ~~thrugh~~ for þeir vnkyndnes I drede me shall abye bysshopes shalbeshal be blamed for beggers saake he ys wors þen Iuvdas that gyuvethe Iapers ~~beggers~~ syluver & byd þe beggersbegger go for hys brooke clothes proditor est prelatus cum Iuda qui patrimonium cristi minus distribuit: et alibi : perniciosus dispensator est qui res pauperum Invtiliter consummitG.10.97: The rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. he doythe not well þat doyethe þus & nene dredethe not god almyghty ne louvethe nat salomones sawes that sapyence taght Inicium sapientie timor domini // G.10.101: G shares the reading of this line with remaining β4 manuscripts (except that all these apart from G read & þou doste wel for G doest well). The remaining B manuscripts have a two-line version.drede god for louve doest well / but not for venIange & þou doest better thow doest best yff þou wythdrawe by day & by nyght to spyll any speche or any space off tyme qui offendit In vno In omnibus est reus : // lesyng off tyme trewthe wootethe þe sothe ys most hated onapon yerthe off theym þat be In heyuven & sythe to spyll speche þat spyre ys off grace and godes gleeman & a game off heyuven wold neuer þe faythfull fadre / hys fythyll were vntempered now ysNe his gleeman a geydelyng & aa goer to tauernes to all trewe tydymen that trauvell desyren our lorde louvethe theym & lent louvde other styll grace to go to theym / & agon theyr leyuvelode Inquirentes autem deumdominum non minienturmin[u]enturminuentur omni bono .// trew wedded lyuvyng folke In thys worlde ys dowell for þei mote worche & wynne & þe worlde suvsteyne for off theyr kynde they cam / þat confessouvrconfessoures be neuenvedneue[n]ednempned kynges & knyghtes kaysers & chuvrles meydens & martoers owte off a man cameD þe wyffe was made þe way for to helpe to worcheworche & þus was wedlocke wroghtywrouȝt wythe a meane persone Fyrst by þe faders wyll & þe freendes counseyle & sythe by assente off theym-selfe as þei two myght acorde & þus was wedlocke wroghtywrouȝte godand god hym-selffe ytt made In yerthe þe heyuven ys hym-seluve was þe wyttnesG.10.125: The corrector appears to have altered the last letter of wyttnes to <ce> and then changed his mind and altered it back again. butAc falsce folke faytheles theuves & lyers wasters & wrecches owte off wedlocke I trowe conceyuved be In euvell tyme as chayme was on euve off suoyche synfull shrewes þe sauvter makethe mynde concepit In dolore et peperit Iniquitatem iniquitatem & cetera:// & all þat came off þat kayme cam to euell ende for god send to seem & seyd by an angell thyn yssuve In thyn yssuve I wyll þat þei be wedded & nat þi kynd wyth kaymes couvpledycoupled ne spouvsed yet some ageyne þe sond off ouvr sauvyouvr off heyuven kaymes kynd & hys kynd couvpled to-gedders tyll god wratthed wyth þeir workes & suoyche a worde sayde that I maked man nowe me ytt forthynkethe penetet me fecisse hominem & ceterahominem.// & cam to noye a-non & badde hym noght lett swythe go shape a shyp off shydes & off boordes thye-selfe & þi thre sones & sythen youvr wyuves boske you to that bootteG.10.143: For the alteration of boote to bootte, see note to G.9.30. & bydythe yeeG.10.143: As far as "ye" is concerned, the G scribe's usual practice means that superscript <e> implies a preceding thorn whereas an inline <e> implies a preceding <y>. The correction here therefore brings G's reading into line with that of the majority of B manuscripts (i.e. ȝe). See also note to G.3.118. therynne tyll fortye G.10.144: The <y> of fortye has been re-outlined in black ink. dayes be fuvllfylled þat floode hauve y-wasshen cleane a-way þe couvrsed bloode þat kame hath makedymaked beystes þat now be shall banne the tyme þat euer cuvrsedþat cursedG.10.147: The majority of A version manuscripts share the G Hm reading "cursed," which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read þat cursed. kayem cam on thys yerthe all shall dye for hys dedes by dales & by hylles & þe fowles þat flyen forthe wyth other beestes excepte onlyche off yche kynd a couvple þat In þi syngledG.10.150: Given the occasional use of forms with <s> for <sh> in G (see Introduction III.4.1), it seems unlikely that syngled (for remaining manuscripts shyngled) is a lexical variant . shyppe shall beene y-sauved therHere boghtabouȝt þe barne þe belsyresyres gyltes & all for þeir fornefadresforfadres þei farden the worsce þe gospell ys þerhere-agayne In on degre I fynde filius non portabit Iniquitatem patris et pater nonnon portabit iniquitatem filij & cetera. // butAc I fynd yff þe fadre be falsce & a shrewe þat somedeale þe sone shall hauve the syres tacches ympe offon a eller & yff thyne appuvll be swete moche meruveyle me thynkethe & more off a shrewe that bryngethe forthe any barne butbut if he be the same and hauve a sauvouvr after þe syre seylde seest þou other nunquam colligimus de spinis vuas nec de tribulis ficus .// & þus thruvgh cuvrsed kayem cam care vp-on yerthe & all for they wroght wedlocke ageynst goddes wyll forthy hauve þei mauvgre G.10.165: At this point, β4 manuscripts lack "of/for their marriages."&þat so maryen theyre chylder for some as I see nowe sothe for to tell for couvetyse off catell vnkyndly be weddyd aAs carefull conceptyonnG.10.168: G's original spelling of the suffix of "conception" was presumably -youn. comythe off suoyche maryeges as befell toof þe folke asþat I before off tolde for good shulde wed goode thogh they no goode had I am via et veritas seyeth cryste I may auvaunce all ytt ys an vncomely couvple by cryste as me thynkethe to gyuven a yonge wenche to an old feble or wedden any wydowe for weltheG.10.174: The <h> and the <e> of welthe have been rewritten, apparently because the originals were very faint (they are only just visible). There does not appear to be any alteration here and the hand appears to be that of the original scribe. off hyr goodes that neuer shall barne beyre butbut if ytt be In armes many a pairyre sythe þe pestylence hauve plyght þem to-geddres þe fruvte þat they bryng forthe are fouvle wordes In Ielosye IoyeslesIoyelesioyeles Iangelyngand ianglyng Inon bedde hauve þei no chyldren but chest & choppyng theym betwene & thogh they do theym to donmowe butbut if þe deuvell helpe to folowen after þe flycche / fecche they ytt neuer & but þei bothe be forsworne that bakon they tyne forthy I couvnseyle all crystyen couveyte not be wedded for couvetyse off catell ne off kyndred ryche butAc meydens & meydens mache you to-geddres wydowes & wydoers worchethe the same for no landes but for louveG.10.187: The form of the <l> of "love" at first sight suggests a capital, but in fact it simply corresponds to the lower case form of this letter as used in the rubricated sections. See, e.g., the second letter of alterius at G.6.273 (f.20r).

The G scribe does sometimes use the more formal script in the non-rubricated passages, for no evident purpose. See, e.g., the first letter of beyte at the top of f.22v

(G.6.456). loke ye be wedded and þen gett ye þe grace off god & good ynoghe to lyuve wyth and euery maner seculer that may not contynewe wysely go wedde & warre þehym fro synne for leychery In lokyng ys ais lymeyarde off hell wyle þou art yong & thye weypen kene wreke þe wyth wyvyng yff þou wylt beene excuvsed cum sis vir fortis ne des tua robera scortis scribitur in portis meretrix est Ianua mortisG.10.195: The two rubricated lines are bracketed in red on the right. when ye hauve wyved beware & worche In tyme noght as adam & euve when kayem was Ingendred for In vntyme trewly betwene man & woman ne shuold no bouvrde Inon bed be but yff þei bothe were cleane bothe off lyfe & off souvle & In perfytt charyte þat ylke derne dede do no man ne sholde butAndAc yff þei leyden þisþusG.10.202: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. theyre lyfe yt lykethe god almyghty for he made wedlocke fuvrste & hym-seluve ytt seyde bonum est vt vnuusvnusvnusquisqueG.10.204: Kane and Donaldson record 8 minims between the <v> and the <s> of vnuus; in fact there are only 6. vxorem suam habeat propter fornicationem & þei that other-gates be getten for gedelynges beene holden as falsce folke / fondlynges faytouvrs & lyers vngracyouvse to gett good or louve off the poeple wandren & wast what þei cacche mowe ageynst dowell þei do ~~elu~~ euvell & þe deuvell seruve & after þer deyd day shall dwell wyth the same but god gyuve þem grace here theym-seluve to amend dowell my frend ys to done as the lawe teychethe to louve þi frende & thy foo leuve me þat ys do-better to gyuven & to ȝemen bothe yong & olde to healen & to helpen ys dobest off all dowellAnd dowel ys to drede god & doo better ys to suvffer G.10.216: The initial s of "suffer" could perhaps be interpreted as a double letter (i.e. a capital), but such usage would be unusual for the G scribe. & so semeythecometh doo-best off bothe & bryngethe downeadoun þe modye & þat ys wycked wyll that manye worke shendythe & dryuvethe a-way dowell thruvgh deydly synneexplicit secundus passus de dowell Then had wytt a wyfe w~~ych~~asG.11.1: Kane and Donaldson read G was altered to wych, but in fact the <a> and the sigma <s> with a long riser have clearly been written over the <y>and the <ch> respectively. hoote dame studye that leyne was off leyer & off lyche bothe she was wonderly wrogheG.11.3: Spellings of the adjective "wroth" with <gh> for <th> (as G wroghe) are recorded by the OED for the fourteenth century. LALME records "earth" with the spelling <ergh> in the East Riding of Yorkshire and "north" with the spelling <norgh> in North Yorkshire (LALME 4, items 107 and 194), but since neither item is recorded for the South, it is difficult to be certain of the distribution of these spellings. Brunner suggests that the use of yogh for thorn resulted from errors by Anglo-Norman scribes; see Karl Brunner, An Outline of Middle English Grammar, trans. Grahame Johnston (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1963), 38, note 5. þat wytt me þus taght &And al staryng dame studye sternelyche she saydeseyde well art thow wyse quod she ~~any~~ to wytt G.11.5: A virgule has been added at this point to separate wytt and any. any wyssdomewysdomesG.11.5:The second half of wyssdome has been written in small letters, presumably because the error earlier in the line has resulted in a lack of space. to tell to flaterers or to foles that frantyke beene off wyttes & blamed hym & banned hym & bad hym be stylle wyth suoyche wyse wordes to wysse any sottes & seyd noli mittere man mageryema[r]geryemargerye pearles amongest hogges þat hawes hauvehan hawes Inoweat wille they doone but dryuvell theron / draffe were þem leuer then all þe preycyouvse pyrrye þat In paradyse wexethe I sey ytt by suoyche quod she þat showen by theyre workes that them were leuver londe & lordshype on yerthe or ryches or rentes & rest att theyre wyll then all þe sothe sawes that salamon seyde euver wyssdome & wytt nowe ys not worthe a kerse butBut ifG.11.18: Most A manuscripts and all C manuscripts share the G M F reading but (for remaining B manuscripts But if), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. ytt be carded wyth couvetyse as clothyers kemben wole wo-so can contryuve deceytes / ande conspyre wronges and leyde forthe a louve-day to lett wyth trewthe he þat suoyche craftes can to couvnceyle ys cleped they leyde lordes wyth leysynges & belyethe trewtheIob Iob þe gentyle In hys gestgestes greatly wyttnessythe that wycked men welden þe welthe off þis worlde andAnd þat þei be lordes off eche lande þat ow~~ght~~t off lawe lyuven quare impij viuntvi[v]untviuunt bene est hominibus qui preuericantur & Inique agunt // the sauvter seyethe the same by suoyche þat done yll ecce e ipsi peccatores habundantes In seculo obtinuerunt diuitiasG.11.28: Most of the final <s> of diuitias has been lost as a result of cropping but the very bottom of the letter is still visible. lo sayeth holye letteruvre suoychewhiche lordes are thees shrewes thylke þat god most gyuvethegeueth mostemoost good gyuethmost greueth leyst good they delenynedele[n]deleth & most vnkynd to þe commuvne þat most catell welden que perfecisti destruxerunt Iustus autem & cetera // herlottes for theyre herlotrye may hauve off theyre goodes and Iapers & Iogelers & Iangelers off gestes butAc he þat hathe wholye wrytte aye In hys mouvthe and can tell off thobye & off the tweluve apostelles or preychen off pennance þat pylate wroght to Iessu þe gentyll that Iewes to-drewen Lytuyll ys he louved þat suoyche a lessone shewethe or dauvnted toor drawe forthe I do ytt on god hym-seluve but tho þat faynen theym fooles & wyth faytyng lyuven ageyne þe lawe off our lorde & lyen on theym-seluve spytten & spewen & speyke fouvle wordes drynken & dryuvylen & do men tofor to gape kykne[l]ykneLickne men and lyen on theym þat leynethe þem no gyftes they can no more mynstrallcye ne muvsyke men to gladde thenG.11.47: Originally the final letter of then appears to have had three minims, the last of which has been crossed out by the original scribe. muvnde þe mylner off / multa fecit deus. // ne were theyre vyle harlotrye haue god my trewght shuvld neuer kyng ne knyght ne chanon off seynt pouvles gyuve theym to theyr rewardeȝeresȝiue þe walewȝifteG.11.50: All A manuscripts except K Wa J share the G O C2 Y reading "value" (for most B manuscripts ȝifte), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. off a groote butAc myrthe & mynstrallcye ys among menamonges men is nowenoutheG.11.51: For the G scribe's replacement of most manuscripts nouthe with nowe, see note to G.4.295. leychery & losengerye & loselles tales glotony & greyte othes thys myrthe they louven butAc yff þei carpyn off cryst clerkesþis clerkis & lewedeþis lewed at meyte In myrthes when mynstrelles byn stylle then tell they off þe trynyte a tale other twey & bryng forthe a bald reason & taken bernard to wyttnes & putten forthe a presuvmpsyon to prouve the sothe thuvs þei dryuvell att þer dynneredeyse þe deyyte to knowe & gnawen god wyth the gorge when þer guvttes er fylledfulleG.11.60: Most B manuscripts have readings with the verb "to be" followed by the adjective "full" (or, in the case of G, the past participle fylled). The readings of A and C, however, suggest an original with "full" as an active verb (as W guttes fullen="bellies grow full"). buttAc þe carefull may crye & carpen att þe gate bothe a-hongred & a-thuvrste & for chele quvake ys noone to nymen themhym neere hys noye to amend but heonG.11.64: For heon, see MED heuen (v.3),"to shout" or "to halloo." on hym as an houvnde & hoten þemhym go thence lytull louveth he þat lorde þat lent hym all þat blysse that thus pertethe wyth the pouvre a percell when þemhym nedythe ne were mercy In meane men more then In ryche mendymantes meytles myght go to bedde god ys moche In þe gorge off theþise greyte mastermaystres buttAc amongestG.11.70: The bar over the <o> of amongest is only faintly visible. meane men hys mercy & hys workes G.11.70: The last letter of workes is odd, a cross between an <e> and an <s>. It is possible that it was added after the manuscript had been bound, which would explain the awkwardness of the writing (i.e. it is in the gutter). & þusso sayethe the sawter I haue sene ytt offte ecce audiuimus eam In effrata : Inuenimus eam In campis silue // clerkes & otherothere kynnes men carpen off god fast & haue hym moche yn þerþe mowthe butac meane men In herte freres & faytouvrs haue fonde suoyche quvestyons to pleasse wyth prouvde men syth þe pestylence tyme and preychen attat seint poules for puvre enuvye off clerkes that folke ys not fyrmed In þe faythe ne fre off þer goodes ne sory for theyre synnes so ys pryde wexen In relygyon &and in all the realme botheamonges ryche & pouvre that preyers haue no power þe pesteylence to lett & yet þesþe wrecches off thys worlde ys non y-warre by other ne for drede offof þe dethe wythdrawe noght theyreG.11.83: The <r> in theyre appears to have been re-outlined. The small hook at the end of the word has been interpreted as a residual <e>, but it could be an abbreviation mark. pryde ne be plenteouvse to þe pore as puvre charyte wolde but In gaynes & glotonye forglotte theyre goodes theyr-seluvegoode hem-selue & breykyth not to the begger as þe boke teychythe frange esurienti panem tuum et cetera // & þe more he wynnethe & welte welthes & ryches and lordethe In landes the lasse goode he dealethe thobye tellethe you not so take hede theȝe ryche how þe boke off þe byble off hym beyryth wyttnes G.11.92: G.11.92 and G.11.93 are bracketed together in red on the right.si tibi copia sit habundanter tribue si autem exiguum impertireimpertiri stude libenter // wo-so hathe moche spende moche meanetheso seiþmeþsemeþseyþso meneth thobye & wo-so lytle weldythe reuvle hym therafter for we haue no letter off our lyfe how long yt shall duvre suoyche lessons lordes shuolde louve to here & howhow he myght moste meannemeynmeyne manlyche fynde & natNouȝt to fare as a fydeler or a frere tofortoG.11.99: Kane and Donaldson adopt the G Cr Hm R reading to. Remaining B manuscripts read forto. seke feastes homelyche att other mens houvses & haten theyre owne elenge ys þe halle eche day In the weeke there þe lord & the ladye lykethe not to sytte now hathe eche ryche a reuvle to eyte by hym-seluve In a pryuvye parlouvr for powerG.11.104: G power is recorded by the OED as a possible spelling of "poor" (which is the reading of Bx) and this is therefore probably not a substantive variant. menes saake or In a chambre wyth a chymney & leyuve þe cheffe halle that was made for meales men to eyten ynne & all to spare to spyll þat spend shall a-nother I hauve herd hygh men eytyng att the table carpen as þei clerkes were off cryst & off hys myghtes & leyden fauvtes on þe fadre that fouvrmed vs all & carpen a.geyneG.11.111:The <g> of ageyne has been written over a deleted letter - possibly the scribe began to write "carpen as," as in G.11.109. clerkes crabbed wordes why wolde our sauvyouvr suffre soche a worme In hys blysse that begyled þe woman & þe man after thruvgh wyche wyles & wordes they wente to hell & all theyr seede for theyre synne þe same dethe suvffered here lyethe your loore thees lordys gangynneth dyspuvte off þat þe clerkes vnv[s]vs kenne off cryste by þe gospell filius non portabit Iniquitatem patris & cetera // why shuold we þat now beene for þe werkes off adam roten & rende reason wold ytt neuer vnusquisque portabit onus suum et cetera // suoyche motyuves þei move þes masters In theyre glorye & make men In myssbeleuve þat muvse moche on þer wordes ymagynatyve here-afterwarde shall answere to your puvrposce auguvstyneAusten to suoyche arguveers tellethe thys teeme non plus sapere quam oportet et cetera // wylneth neuer to wytt why that god wolde suoffer sathan hys seede to begyle butAc beleuveth loyally yn þe loore off holychurche and prey theymhym off perdone & pennaunce In þi lyuve & for hys moche marcy to amende you here for all þat wylnethe to wytt þe /whyesweyes/G.11.132: For the virgules here, see note to G.6.597. off god almyghty I wold hys eye were In hys arsce & hys fynger after that euer wylnethe to wytt why þat god wolde suvffer sathan hys seede to begyle or Iuvdas to the Iewes Iesu bytraayeG.11.136: The G scribe writes the <ra> of "betray" out in full but he also provides an otiose superscript <a>. See note to G.3.157. all waswas as þou woldest lorde worshyped be thowe and all worthe as þou wolt what-so-euerwhat-sowhat-euere we dyspuvte and tho þat vsenvseth þis hauvylounvshavylou[n]shanyloweshauelounes to blynde mennes wyttes what ys do-well fro do-betterG.11.140: The abbreviation for <er> (giving better) is present though not recorded by Kane and Donaldson. now deefe maymote he worcheworthe sythe he wylneth to wytt wyche þei beene bothe but yff he lyuve In þe lyfe þat longethe to dowell For I dare be hys bolde borowe þat dobetter wyll he neuere thogh dobest drawe on hym day after other & when þat wytt was warreywar watt þatwhat dame stuodye tolde he became so confuvse he cowthe not looke and as doumbe &as deaffedeth & drewe hym arere & for no carpyng I couvlde after ne knelyng to þe grouvnde I myght gett no greyne off hys greate wyttes but all laghynge he lowted & looked vp-on stuodye In sygne þat I shuolde beseche hyr off grace & when I was warre off hys wyll to hys wyffe gan I lowte & seyd mercy madame your man shall I worthe as long as I lyuve bothe late & rathe for to worche your wyll þe whyle my lyffe duvrethe wyth þat ye kenne me kyndlye to knowe whatt ys dowell For thy mekenesmekenesse man quod she & for þi mylde speche I shall kenne þe to my cosyn þat claregy ys y-hootenhoten he hathe wedded a wyffe wyth-yn þis syx monethes ys sybbe to þe seyuven artes scryptuvre ys hyr name they two as I hoope after my teychyng shall wysshen þe to do-well I adare ytt vndertake then was I asalso fayne as fowle off fayre morowe and gladder þen the gleeman þat gold hathe to gyfte & axked hyr þe hye way wherewhere þatG.11.165: All A manuscripts except A and K share the G F reading where, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read where þat. clargye dwelte & tell me some tokne quod I for tyme ys þat I wende axe þe hye way quod stuodye hence to suvffer bothe well & wo & yffȝif þouþat þow wylt lerne & ryde forthe by rychesce &ac rest not therynne for yff þou couvplecouplest þe þerwyth to claregye comesthowe G.11.170: A virgule has been added at this point to separate comesthowe and neuere. neuere & also þe lycorouvs lauvnde þat lechyrye hatte leyuve ytt on þi lefte halfe a large myle & more tyll þou come to a couvrte kepe well þi tonge from leasynges & lyther speche & lycorouvs drynkes þen shalthowe see / sobryete /G.11.175: For the virgules here, see note to G.6.597. & symplenessymplete off speche that eche wyght be In wyll hys wytt þe to shewe þusAnd þus shalthowe come to clargye þat kanne manye thynges sey hym þis sygne I sett hym to scole & þat I grete well hys wyffe Ifor I wroote hyr many bokes & sett hyr to sapyence & to the sauvter & glosseG.11.180: The letter which precedes glosse is not entirely clear and, in any case, it appears to have been crossed out. Kane and Donaldson read ?iglosse. logyke I lerned hyr & manye other lawes and all þe muvsons In musyke I made hyr to knowe plato þe poet I puvtt hym fuvrste to booke arestotell & other mo to arguve I taght gramere for gerles I garte furste wryte & bett þem wyth a baleyes butbut if þei wolde lerne off alkynnes craftes I contryuved tooles off carpenterscarpentrieG.11.188: All A version manuscripts share the G Cr3 F reading carpenters, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most C manuscripts share the majority B reading carpentrie. &of keuruvers and compassede masons & lerned þem leyuvell & lyne thogh I looke dymme theologie hathe tened me ten score tymes þe more I muvse therynne þe mystyer ytt semethe & þe depper I dyuvyne þe derker me ytt thynketheNotaG.11.193: The reading Nota is that suggested by Benson and Blanchfield. The mark is, as they point out (132.IV.C), different from that on f.23v

G.6.541, but see note to that line. ytt ys no syence forsothe / for to sotyle ynne a full leythy thyng ytt were / yff þat louve nere and for yt let best by louve I louve ytt the better for ther þat louve ys / leydre /G.11.196: For the virgules here, see note to G.6.597. therne lackethe no grace looke þou louve loyally yff þe lykethe dowell for dobetter & dobest be off louves kynne In other sapyencescience ytt seyethe I segh ytt In caton qui simulat verbis nec corde est fidus amicus tu quoque fac simile sic ars deluditur arteG.11.200: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. wo-so glosenglosethG.11.201: The G scribe, or more probably an ancestor (see Introduction III.1.4), has mistakenly read B "gloseth" as a plural verb and has replaced it with glosen. as gylouvrs doone do theym þe same & so shalthowe falsce foolke & faythles begyle thys ys catons kennyng to clerkes þat he lernedlernethlernelereth theololgyeAc theologye teycheth noght so / wo-so taketh ȝeyme & kennythe vs þe contrarye ageynst catons wordes for he byd vs beene as brethren & bydde for our enmyes & louven þem þat lyen on vs & leyne þem when þem nedethe & do goode agaynstaȝeines euvell god hym-seluve yt hootethe dum tempus habemus operemur bonum ad omnes maxime aivtemG.11.209: At first sight the change resulting in avtem appears to be one of the usual changes of to <v>, but in fact this particular alteration seems to have been prompted by a shortage of minims, i.e. it is instead a change of to <v>. ad domesticos fideiG.11.209: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. pauvle preyched the poeple þat perfettnes louved to doG.11.211: The loop on the <d> of do appears to have been added later in brown ink. good for godes Louve & gyuve men þat askene & namlyche to suvyche asþat showenschewethsueth our byleuve and all þat lakken vs or leyndlyeth vs god teycheth vs to louve and notnouȝt to greuve theym þat greuve vs god þat forbyddethe michi vindictam et ego retribuam & cetera // forthy loke þou louve as long as þou duvrest for ys no ~~con~~scyenceG.11.217: G's original reading conscyence as well as the correction to the majority B reading "science" are also present in Bm. The original, uncorrected reading remains in C O C2 Y. vndre sone so souereygne for þiþe souvle butAc astronamye ys a harde thyng & euvyll for to knowe geomytrye & geomysye ys gylefullginful off speche wo-so thynkethe worche wyth tho two / thryuvethe full late For sorcerye ys þe souereygesouereyg[n]esouereyne boke þat to thatþoþeG.11.221: Most A manuscripts share the G B reading that, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read þe or þo. scyence longethe yet are ther fybyches yn forcers off fellefeleG.11.222: For G's treatment of fele (the majority B reading, here appearing as G M Cr C felle), see note to G.4.349. In M, the reading fell results from correction. menes makyng experymentes off alkanamye the poeple to deceyuve yff þou thynke to do well deale therwyth ~~ner~~ neuere all þes scyences I my-seluve subtyled & ordyned & fouvnded þem formost folke to dysceyuve tell clargye thes tokens & scrypture after I couvnseale þe kyndlye to knowe what ys dowell I sayd grauvnt mercy ma-dame & mekelyche hyr grette and went wyghtlye a-way wyth-oute more lettyng and tyll I cam to clargye I couvlde neuere stynt and grette þe goodman well as stodye me taght and after-warde þe wyffe & worshyphyde þem bothe and tolde þem þe toknes þat me taght were was neuer goome vp-on grouvndeþis grounde sythe god made þe worlde fayrer vnderfongen ne frendlyker att easse then my-seluve sothlye soone so he wyste þat I was off wyttes houvsse & wyth hys wyffe dame stodye I seyde to hym sothely þat sent was I thydder dowell & dobetter & dobest to lerne ytt ysis a comenlyecomune quodlyf quodG.11.241: Although both G and F read quod rather than lyf quod (as remaining B manuscripts), the preceding -lye ending on G comenlye (most manuscripts comune) suggests that some form of "life" was in fact present in G's exemplar. clargye on holy chuvrche to beleuve wyth all þe artycles off þe faythe þat fallethe to be knowe & þat ys to beleuve loyally bothe lered & lewde on þe greate god þat gynnyng had neuverG.11.244: The alteration of to <v> in "never" has become a residual brown smudge. and on þe sothfast sonne þat sauved mankynde fromFro þe deydly dethe & þe deuvelles power thruvgh helpeþe helpe off þe holye gooste wychþe whiche gooste ys off bothe thre persones butac noght In þein pluvrell nombre For all ys but on god & eche ys god hym-seluve deus pater deus filius deus spiritus sanctus .// god þe fadre god þe sonne god þe holyholi gost off bothe maker off mankynd & off bestes bothe auguvstyneAustyn þe olde hereoff made bookes and hym-seluve ordened to sadde vs In beleuve waosG.11.255: The scribe began to write was then realised his error and altered it to wo. was hys auwter all þe fouvre euangelystes & cryste cleped hym-seluve asso þe euangelyst beyrythe wyttnesG.11.256: There may be a vowel between the second <t> of wyttnes and the <n>. ego in patre et pater in me est & qui videt me videt & patrem meum et ceterameum // all þe clerkes vndre cryste ne couvlde þis assoyle but þisþusþus itG.11.259: For G's use of "this" for "thus," see note to G.4.76. longethebilongeth to byleuve to men þat wole dowell For had neuer freyke fyne wytt þe feythe to dyspuvte ne man had no meyrett myght ytt beene y-prouved fides non habet meritum vG.11.262: This letter <v> has been smudged and therefore re-written. vbi humana racio prebet experimentum .// then ys dobett to suffer for thye souvles sake &Al þat þe boke byddethe by holycherche teychyng & þat ys man by þi myght for mercyes saake loke þou worche ytt yn worke þat þi worde shewethe suoyche as þou semest In syght be In assay fouvndeyfounde appare quod es vel esto quod appares ..// & lett no bodye be by thy beyryng begyled but suoyche In þi souvle as þou semest wyth-owte then ys dobest to be bolde to blame the gyltye sythe þou seeste thy-selffe as In souvle cleane butAc blame þou neuer bodye & þou be blame-worthye G.11.274: G.11.274 and G.11.275 are bracketed together in red on the right.si culpare velis culbabiliscul[p]abilisculpabilis esse cauebis dogma tuum sordet cum te tua culpa remordet god yn þe gospell grymly reprouvethe all þat lakken any lyffe & lakkes haue þem-seluve quid consideras festucam In oculo fratris tui trabem & cetera // why mouveste þou þi mode for a moete ys ynin þi brothers eye sythen a beame yn thyne owne ablyndethe þi-seluve eice primo trabem de oculo tuo et cetera // wych lettethe þe to looke lesse other more I rede echeeche a blynd bosarde do boote to hym-seluve for abbottes & pryouvrs & all maner prelates as persones & perysshe prestes þat preche sholde & teyche all maner men to amend by theyre myght theThis text was tolde you to bewarre er youȝeG.11.287: For G's use of "you" for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. taghte that ye were suoyche as ye seyde to saluve wyth other for goddes worde wolde not be lost for þat worchethe euer yff ytt auveyled not þe comen / ytt myght auveyle your-seluve butAc ytt semethe sothelynow sothly to þe worldes syght that goddes worde worchethe not on lerede nene on lewde but In suoyche maner as marke menvethemeviþmeneth yn þe gospell dum cecus ducit cecum ambo In foueam cadunt // lewde men mowe lykne you / þeþat þeG.11.295: M's original reading was þat þe (as most B manuscripts), but the word þat has been deleted, bringing M into line with G F reading þe. beame lyethe yn your eyne and þe festuve ys fallen for your defauvte In all maner off menmen thrugh mansed preestes the byble beyrethe wyttnes that all the folke off ysraell bytterlyFul bitterliByttere boght þe gyltes off two bad preestes offyne & fynees for theyre couvetyse archa dei mysshapedG.11.301: Most B manuscripts read myshapped, but use of a single in G mysshaped does not necessarily imply a substantive variant: the G scribe was clearly aware of the possibility of using single and double consonants to indicate preceding long and short vowels, but his practice in this respect was by no means consistent. See further Introduction III.2. & hely brake hys necke forthy correctouvrs clowethe þerheron correctethand corecteth fuvrste your-seluve & þen may youȝeG.11.303: For G's use of "you" for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. sauvely say as dauyd made the sauvter G.11.304: G.11.304 and G.11.305 are bracketed together in red on the right.existimasti inique quod ero tui similis arguam te et statuam contra faciem tuam þen sholdeshal borell clerkes be asshamedabasched to blame you oror to greuve & carpen noght as þei do nowe & call youdomeyou dome houvndes canes non valentes latrare : // & drede to wrathe you In any worde your workmanshyp to lett & be prestyer att your preyer þen for a pouvnde off nobles & all for your holynes haue youȝeG.11.311: For G's use of "you" for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. þis In herte In scole there ys a scorne / but yff a clerke wyll learne & greate louve & lykyng for eche off þem louvethe other & now ys relygyon a rydre a romer by stretes G.11.315: Lines G.11.315 and G.11.316 appear in reverse order in the manuscript. Line G.11.316 has a square bracket placed round it in the left hand margin, i.e. it is marked for reversal in the original ink. The numbering of these lines and the order in which they appear in this edition reflects the intention thus indicated.a leyder off . louvedayes & a land buyggerG.11.315: In addition to the alteration from bugger to bygger, there appears to have been some attempt to alter the medial <gg> but the intention here is unclear; possibly the corrector wished to write byer. G.11.315: See note to G.11.315.a prycker on a palfray from maner to manereG.11.315: The cross in the bottom right hand corner is in modern pencil.A treweG.11.317: The addition A trewe also appears in the top left hand corner, partially erased. It appears to be a comment on the marginal addition below. See G.11.318.m.1. an heype off houvndes att hys arsce as he a lorde wereprofycy off & but yff hys knauve knele þat shall hymhym þehis covppe bryngerelygyon he louvrethe on hym & askethe wo taght hym couvrtysyeIG.11.320: This capital corresponds to a similar mark in the table of contents, see f.102v,

and is intended to help the reader find particular material in the text. lytell had lordes to done to gyuve land fro þer heyres to relygyouvse þat haue no reuvthe thogh yt reygne on þer auvters In many places þerþer hij persones be / by theym-seluve att easse off þe pouver haue þei no pyte & þat ys theyre charyte & þei letten them as lordes þer lond lyethe so broodenota bene butAc þer shall come a kyng & confesse you relygyouvseG.11.325: It seems likely that, as Benson and Blanchfield suggest (p.132.IV.B), the underlining of this line and of the following lines was carried out by the scribe who added the marginalia (i.e. by hand3). The colour of the ink, however, is not quite the same. & beyte you as þe byble tellethe for breykyng off your ruvelle & amend monales monkes & chanons & put þem to theyr pennance ~~ad pr~~ ad prestinumpr[i]stinumpristinum statumstatum ire// & lBarons G.11.329: The use of the capital on "Barons" is unusual and it appears that the scribe has written an <l> and then altered it and that the capital is used for the sake of clarity. & ~~elr~~ erlesErles beten hem thurugh . beatus vir . teychyng that theyr ~~barons~~ barnsG.11.330: Note the Cr1 reading barons for G and remaining manuscripts barns. It seems possible that "barons" was the original G reading, either because the scribe was copying from an exemplar with this reading or because his eye was caught by "barons" in the line above (the Cr1 reading may perhaps suggest the former). There seems to have been some attempt to alter original barons by overwriting, which is why the middle letters are particularly unclear. cleymen / & blamen ~~fowle~~ you fowle hij in curribus & hij in equis ipsi obligati suntsunt & cetera .// & then freres yn þeir fratour shall fynden a key ~~þat gregoryes good chyldren~~ off constantynes coffercoffres In G.11.333: The ink has spread in this first half line; the surface of the paper may have been damaged by the erasure process. wyche ys the catell þat gregoryes goodgodG.11.334: Though the use of double and single vowels in G is not altogether consistent, the distinction between "god" with a single <o> and "good" with <oo> is normally maintained. See Introduction III.2. Hm F R share G's reading good, but remaining manuscripts read god. chyldren haue euvell dyspendydehabbott of thenAnd þanne shall þe abbott off abyndon & hysal his yssuve for euereabyngdoun haue a knocke wythof a kyng & vncuvrableincurable þe wouvnde that þis worthe sothe seke ye þat offte ouver-se þe byble quomodo cessauit exactor / quieuit tributum contriuit dominus. baculum impiorum & virgam dominancium credencium plaga Insanabili . butAc er þat kyng come kayem shall awake and dowell shall dyng hym downeadoune & dystroye hys myght then ys dowell & dobettdobet quod I dominus & knygthoode I nyll not scorne quod scryptuvre but yff scryuvynorsscryueynesG.11.342: G's use of "scrivener" may well be due to date. According to the OED, this form replaced "scrivein" in the first half of the fifteenth century. lye kynghoode & knygthoode by noght I can awayte helpethe not to heyuven-ward not aone heyres end ne ryches ryght nat ne ryallte off lordes paule preuvethe ytt vnpossybleinpossible ryche men haue heyuven salomon sayethe also þat syluver ys worste to louve nichil impiusiniquius quam amare peccuniam . // & caton kennethe vs to couveyten noght but vs neditheas nede techethas it nedes dilige denariosdenarium sed perce dilige formam .// & patryarkes & profettes & poettes bothe wryten to wyssen vs to wylne no ryches & preysed pouerte wyth pacyence þe appostelles wyttnessenbereth witnesse that þei haue heyrytage In heyuven & by trewe ryght there ryche men no ryght mey cleame but off ruvthe offand grace contra quod I by cryste that kan I reprouve & prouve ytt by petur & by pouvle bothe that beene baptysed ben sauved be þei ryche or pouvre that ys In extremis quod scryptuvre amongamonges saresens & Iewes they mow be sauved so & þat ys our byleuve thenÞat a vncrystyen yn þat case mey crysten a heythen & for hys loall beleue when he þe lyuve tynethe haue þe herytage off heyuven as any man crystene butAc crystyen men wyth-owte more mey not come to heyuven for þat cryst for crystyen men dyeede & confyrmed þe lawe that wo-so wold orand wylnethe wyth cryste to aryse si cum cristo surrexistis & cetera // he sholde louve & leyndelene & the lawe fullfyll that ys louve þi lorde god leuvest abouve all thyng & after all crystyen creatuvres In comen eche man other & thuvs belongethe to louve þat leuvethe to be sauved and butt we do þisþusG.11.372: For G's use of "this" for "thus," see note to G.4.76. Cr1 shares the G reading. In dede or þe day off dome ytt shall besytten vs full soresoure þe syluver þat we kepen and our ~~backes~~BaggesbakkesG.11.374: Compare the form of the <g>s in Bagges with the <g> found in the marginalia on the previous page.G.11.374: In C2 as in G, the reading baggis (for most manuscripts bakkes) results from a later correction. þat moghteyten beene & se beggers go naked or delyte vs In wyne orand wyllfouvleG.11.375: For a similar spelling of "wildfowl," see the sixteenth century wyelfoyle recorded by the OED s.v. wild-fowl. & wott any In defauvte for euery crysten creatuvre shuolde be kynd to antil-other & sythen heypenhey[þ]enhethen to helpen In hoope off amendement god hootethe bothe hyghe & lowe þat no man huvrte other & seydeseith sley not þat semblyable ysis to myne owne lyknes but yff I send þe some tokne / & seyth non mnechaberismechaberisnecabisG.11.380: In both G and L, original mechaberis (as most B manuscripts) has been altered to nechaberis by the delition of the first minim. Cr23 Y share this reading.: // ys sley not but suffer and all for the best for I shall puvnnysshe þem In puvrgatorye or In þe pytt off hell eche man for hys myssdedes but mercy ytt lett thys ys a long lesson quod I & lytle am I the wyser where dowell ys or dobetter derklyche ye shewen many tales ye tell that theologye lernethe & þat I man made was & myne name entredyentred In þe legend off lyffe long ere I were orOr elles wrytenvnwriten for wyckednes as holy wrytt wyttnessythe nemo ascendit ad celum nisi qui de celo descendit. // I leuve yt well by our lord quod he I & noon no letteruvre better for salomon þe sage that sapyence taght god gauve hym grace off wytt & all hys goodes after he demed well & wysely as holye wrytt tellethe arestotell & he wo wyssed men bettre masters þat off goddes mercyesmercy preychentechen men & techenprechen off theyr wordes they wyssen vs for wysest ynas in þeir tyme & all holye churche hold þem bothe y-damned & yff I shuolde worche by hyshere workes to wynne me heyuven þat for þer workes & wytt now wonnethe yn paynepyne þen wroght I vnwysely what-so-euer youȝeG.11.401: For G's use of "you" for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. preyche and off fellfeleG.11.402: For G's treatment of fele (the reading of all other manuscripts, here appearing as G fell), see note to G.4.349. wytty In faythe lytle farlye I haue thogh theyr gost be vnhappyvngraciouse god for to pleasse for many beenemen on þis molde more sett theyr hertes In good then In god sythefor-þi þem grace faylethe butAtAc þe most myscheffe when they shall lyuve leete as salomon dyd & suoyche other þat shewed greate wyttes butAc hysher workes as holye wrytte seyethe was euer þe contrarye forthy wyse wytted men & well letteredylettred clerkes as þei seyen theym-seluve seelde do there-after super cathedram moysi et cetera .// butAc I wene yt worthe off many as was In noyes tyme tho he shoope þat shyppe off shydes & boordes was neuer wryght sauved that wroght þeron ne other workman ellesG.11.414: The line overruns the space available and elles is boxed in below the line proper. but bryddes & beastes & theyþeG.11.415: For G's use of "they" for "the," see note to G.6.303. blyssed noy & hys wyfe wyth hys sonnes & also theyre wyuvesG.11.416: A line is omitted by β4 manuscripts at this point ("Of wriȝtes þat it wrouȝte was none of hem ysaued"). god lenvelene ytt fare noght so by folke þat þe faythe teychen off holy cherche þat harborowe ys / & goddes houvse to sauve & shyld vs fro shame þerynne / as noyes shyppe dyd bestes & men þat made ytt / amyd þe floode dreyntenadreynten the colouvrculorum off þis clauvse curatouvrs ys to meane that be carpynters holycherche to make for crystcrystes owne bestes homines et iumenta saluabis dominedomine & cetera : // on good fryday &I fynd a fellon was sauvedysaued that had lyuved all hys lyffe wyth leasynges & wyth thefte & for he beknewe on þe crosse & to cryste shrouve hym he was sonner sauved then seynt Ihon the baptyst and er adam or ysay or any /G.11.428: This virgule is smudged and may have been partially erased. off thesþe profettes that had leyneyleineleyȝen lowe wyth lucyfer manye long yeres a robber was rauvncsa~~eun~~eonydeG.11.430: The second half of this word (corresponding to modern English "ransomed") has been so comprehensively fiddled about with that it is hard to tell what is going on. Note that the original has an apparently otiose superscript <a> with a long bar over it, presumably present in the scribe's exemplar as an abbreviation, but reproduced here apparently without understanding. See note to G.3.157. rather þen they all wyth-oute pennance off puvrgatory to perpetuvall blysse & mary magdelyne watt woman dyd worsceG.11.432: Note the spelling of "worse" in the following line. &Or wo wors þen dauyd þat vryes dethe conspyred or poule the apostell that no pyte hadde moche crysten kynd to kyll to theto dethe & nowe beben þise as soueregnes & seyntes In heyuven tho þat wroght wyckedest In worlde tho they were and tho þat wysely wordeden & wryten many bookes off wytt & off wyssdome wyth dampned souvles wonne that salomon sayeth I trowe be sothe & certen off vs all siue Iusti atque sapientes & opera eorum In manu dei sunt . // ther er wytty & well lyuvyng & there workes byn hydde yn þe handys off allmyghty god & he woote þe sothe wherforewher fore louve aG.11.444: The <a> here ends with a dot and it appears that a second letter may have been anticipated, but none has been written. man / worthe a-lowed þer / & hys leele workes or elles for hys euvell wyll & enuvye off herte & be alowed as he lyuvedelyued so / forby lyther men knowe þe good & were-by wyttywistG.11.447: B manuscripts have a wide variety of readings for G wytty, some the result of correction. Most, however, have some form of "witen." men wyche ys wyte yff all thyng blake were & wo were a good man but yff Iþere were some shrewe forthy lyuve we forthe wyth lyther men &I leuve fewe be good for quvant oportet comethe In place il nad quique pati & he þat moeyG.11.451: An additional loop has been placed on top of original <o> to form a backward facing <e> in mey. all amende haue mercy on vs all þeForFor þe sothest worde þat euer god seyde was tho he sayde nemo bonus .// clergye tho off crystes mouvthe commendyd was lytle for he sayde to seynt petur & to suoyche as he louved dum steteritis ante reges et presidespresides & cetera . // thogh c ye come before kynges & clerkes off þe lawe beythe not abasshed for I shalbeshal be In your mouvthes & gyuve you wytt & wyll & connyng to concluvde them all þat ageynst you off crydendomecry[st]endomecrystenedome dyspuvten dauid makethe mencyon he spake amongest kynges & myght no kyng ouercome hym byas bi kennyngkunnyng off speche but wytt ne wysdome ne wannewan neuer the mastrye when man was att mysscheffe wythowte þe more grace þe doghtyest doctor & dyuvynouvr off the trynyte was auguvstyneAusten þe olde & þeand hyest off þe fouvre sayd þouþus In a sermon I segh ytt wrytten onesce ecce Ipsi idiote rapiunt celum vbi nos sapientes in Inferno mergimur . // G.11.467: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. & tois to meane Intoon englyshe to more & to lasse ere non rather rauvesshed frfomrfro þe ryght byleuveG.11.469: G omits two lines at this point ("Þan ar þis cunnynge clerkes · þat conne many bokes | Ne none sonner saued · ne sadder of bileue"). then plowmen & pastouvrs & other comen laborersnota sowters & shepperdes & suoche lewde Ideottesiottes percen wyth a pater nosterG.11.473: What looks as if it may be a punctus after noster is in fact simply the point at which the scribe has lifted his pen from the paper. þe paleyes off heyuven & passen puvrgatorye pennanceles att þer hence partyng In-to þe blysse off paradysse for þeir puvre byleuve that imperfetly here knewe & eke lyuved ye men knowe clerkes / þat hauve cuvrsed þe tyme þat euer yeþeiþe couvlde on þe boke more þen credo in deum & pryncypallye theyr pater noster manymany a person hath wysshed I see ensampleensamples myselfe & so may many other þat seruvantes þat seruven lordes seylde fall yn arerage but tho þat kepen þe lordes katell clerkes & rentesreues ryght so lewde men & off lytle knowyng seld fall þei so fo.wle & so farre In synne as clarkes off holychurche þat kepe crystes treasore þe wych ys manes sowle to sauve as god seyeth yn þe gospell Ite vos In vineam meam et cetera //explicit tercius passus de dowell I am ymagynatyve quod he Idle was I neuer thogh I sytt by my-seluve In syknes & yn helthe I haue folowed þe In feythe þis fyuve & fortye wynterswyntreG.13.3: For the G scribe's replacement of remaining manuscripts wyntre (an uninflected plural) with the inflected plural wynters, see note to G.2.100. & many tymes haue mouved the to thynke on thye end & howe fellfeleG.13.5: For G's treatment of B fele (here appearing as G C fell), see note to G.4.349. fenvenyeresfe[r]n[e]yeresfernȝeres ere faren & so fewe to come & off thy wylde wantonnesse tho þou yong were to amend þeit In þi mydle age lest myght þe fayle In þin old elde þat yuvell can suffer pouverte or pennance or preyers bydde sG.13.10: This letter <s> has simply been abandoned. The scribe appears to have had rather too much ink on his pen. si non In prima vigilia nec In secundasecunda & cetera :// amend þe whyle þou myghteste þou hast be warned offte wyth poostes off pestelences wyth pouverte & wyth angres & wyth thes bytter baleyzes god beytethe hys dere chyldren quem diligo castigo ·// forAnd dauyd In the sauvter sayethe off suoyche asþat louve Iesus. virga tua et baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt .// allthoghe þou stryke me wyth þi staffe . wyth stycke or wyth yarde ytt ys but muvrthe as for me to amend my souvle and þou medelest þe wyth mastryes & myght go say G.13.19: A virgule has been added at this point to separate say from the. theþi sauvter & byd for þem þat gyuvethe þe bred for there are bokes Inowe to tell men whatt dowell ys dobetter & dobest bothe & preychars to prouve whatt yt ys / off manyemany a peyre freres I syghe well he sayde me sothe & somewhatt me to excuvse sayd caton comforted hys sonnesone þat clerke thoghe he were to solace hym some-tyme as I doo when I make Interpone tuis Interdum gaudia curis ·// & off holy men I herde howequod I how þei other-whyle pleyden þe perfytter to beene In manye places buttAc yff þer were any wyght þat wold me tell what were dowell and dobetter and dobest at þe last wold I neuer do worke but wende to holy churche and there byddeG.13.32: Both <d>s in bydde have been re-outlined in black ink. The word is very faint. my beades but when I eyte or slepe pauvle In hys epystlepistle quod he prouvethe watt ys dowell spes fidesFides spes charitas & maior horum & cetera // faythe hope & charyte and all beene goode & sauve men sondrye tymes butac non so sone as charyte for he dothe well wyth-oute douvte þat doethe as leallte teychethe that ys yff þou be man maryed þi make þou louve & lyuve forthe as lawe wyll whyle ye lyuven here ryght so &if þou be relygyouvse renne þou neuer forther to rome ne to rochemadoure but as þi ruvle teychethe & hold þe vndre obedyence that hyghe way ys to heyuvenG.13.43: Each of the following three added lines (G.13.43, G.13.44 and G.13.45) is immediately followed by a horizontal line across the margin, indicating that the line in question is complete. & yf yeþow be meyden to marye & myghtest contyneweseke yeþow neuer seynt further for no soule heyltheG.13.44: The line break after he- (the first two letters of "health") means that the rest of this word starts at the very edge of the page. There may possibly have been another letter before the <y> (an <l>?), but cropping makes it impossible to be certain.for wat made luvcyfer to lese the hye heyuven or salomon hys sapyence or sampson hys strenght Iob þe Iewe hys Ioy dere yttdere it hedere he it a-bouvghte arystotell & other mo ypocras & wyrgyll alysandre þat all wanne elenglyche endede catell & kynde wytte was combracecombra[n]cecombraunce to theym all Felyce hyr feyrnes fell hyr all to sklandre & rosamound ryght so rewfully besette the beauvte off hyr bodye In badnes she dyspendyd off manye suoyche I myght rede bothe offof men & off wymen that wyse wordes can say & worche þe contrarye sunt homines nequam de virtute bene loquentes . // & ryche rennvkesG.13.57: The brown ink corrector has altered the <n> of renkes to <v> and hand3 has then crossed this out and added a macron above the <e>. This macron is nothing like that normally used by the original scribe or WH. Compare the similar abbreviation which appears as part of the marginalia on f.96v.

ryght so gardydengaderen & spardensparen & tho men þat þei most haten mynystren att þeit atte lestlasteG.13.58: G C lest and remaining manuscripts laste are probably the same word, the variation in vowel simply resulting from the date of shortening (see Brunner, Outline, section 9, note). & for þei sufferen & se so manye nedye folkes & louven þem noght as god bytdbytte lesen theyre souvles date et dabitur vobis et cetera ·// & ryches ryght so but yff þe roote be trewe butAc grace ys a gresse þeroff þe greuvance to abate butAc grace ne growethe noght but amongest lowe pacyence & pouerte þe place ys whereþereG.13.65: The G reading where for remaining manuscripts þere probably results from the date of the G copy. According to the OED, the use of "there" meaning "where" died out during the sixteenth century; see OED there, adv. (a., n.) II.9. ytt growethe & In leall lyuvyng men & In lyfe holye & thrughe þe gyffte off þe holyegosteholye goste as þe gosspell tellethe spiritus vbi vult spirat et cetera claregye & kynd wytt comethe off syght & teychyng as þe boke beyrethe wyttnes to buvrnes þat can rede quod scimusG.13.71: The second letter of scimus is odd and could conceivably be a minim but since there is a dot over the it would be impossible to read the word as sumus. loquimur quod videmusvidimus testamur. // off quod scimus comethe connyng & clargyeclergye and connynge off heyuven & off quod videimusG.13.73: G's original reading, with the present tense (videmus) instead of the perfect (vidimus, as remaining B manuscripts), parallels that found at G.13.71. commethe kynd wytt &of syght of dyuers poeple & grace ys a gyffte off god & off greate louve spryngethe knewe neuer clerke howe ytt comethe forthe ne kynd wytt þe wayesG.13.75: The line wraps around and the last two words are boxed in grey at the end of the following rubricated line. nescit aliquis vnde venit audG.13.76: Probably not "and" (as Kane and Donaldson) but aud, i.e. a form of "aut," (note that the word is rubricated). For this spelling, see, e.g., Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, ed. Otto Prinz, with the assistance of Johannes Schneider (Munich: C. H. Beck, 1967), s.v. aut. quo vadit & cetera // &Ac yett ys clargye to commend & kynd wytt bothe & namely clargeye for crystes louve þat off clargye ys roote for moyses wytnessethe þat god wrote for to wysse the poeple In þe olde lawe as þe lettre tellethe wasþat was þe lawe off þeof Iuves þat what woman were In awowtre taken ryche other pouvre wyth stones men shuold hyr stryke & stonon hyr to dethe a woman as we fynden was gyltyffe off þat dede butAc cryste off hyrsG.13.84: The scribe anticipated more about the actions of the woman mentioned in the previous line and so began to write "her" but then altered this to the correct reading "his." couvrtesy thrughe clargye hyr sauved For thrugh carectes þat cryste wroghtwrot þe Iewes knewe þem-seluve more gyltyeGultier as beforeafor god & gretter In synne þen þe woman þat þer was & went a-way for shame þe clargye þat there was comforted the woman holye kyrke knowethe þis þat crystes wrytyng sauved so claregye ys comforte to creatuvres þat repenten & to mansed men myscheffe att theyre ende for goddes bodye myght noght be off bred wyth-ouvte clargye the wyche bodye ys bothe boote to the ryghtffull & dethe & dampnatyon to theym þat dye yuvell as crystes carectes conforted & bothe cuvlpable shewed the woman þat þe Iewes broght þat Iesus thoght to sauve nolite Iudicare et non Iudicabimini · & cetera.// ryght so goddes bodyebody bretheren but ytt be worthylye taken dampnethe vs att þe day off dome as þe carectes dyd þe Iewes forthy I couvnseyle þe for crystes sake clargey to louve for kynd wytt ys off hys kynne & nyghe cosuvns bothe to our lorde leuve me / louve þem forthyfor-þi loue hem I redde for bothe be as myrrouvrs to amend our defauvtes & leyders for lewde men & for lettered bothe forthy lack þou neuer logyk law ne theshis costomes ne contrepleyde clerkes I couvnseyle þe for euver for as a man may noght see þat myssethe hys eyne no more can ano clarke butbut if he caght yttit first thrugh bokes all-thogh men made bokes god was þe master & seynt spyryte hys samplarye & sayde whatt men shuolde wryte & ryght as syght seruvethe a man to see þe hye streete ryght so leydethe lettuvreletterure lewde men to reason & as a blynd man In batell beyrethe weypen to fyght & hathe no happe wyth hys axe hys enmye to hytte no more can a kynd wytted man but clerkes hym teyche come for all hys kynd wytte to creystendome & be sauved whyche ys þe coffre off crystes treasouvr & clerkes kepe þe kayes to vnlocken ytt atotG.13.118: Note the double-lobed <a>, in att, a letter form not normally used by the original scribe but occasionally employed for corrections (presumably because it was clearer). tlheyr ~~poeple~~lykyngeG.13.118: The final backward curving flourish on the <g> of lykynge has been interpreted as a residual <e>. The original reading of the first half line appears to have been to vnlocken ytt to ley poeple. & to þe lewde poeple gyffe mercye for þer myssdedes yff men ytt wole aske boxomeleche & benynglyche and bydden ytt off grace archa dei / In þe old lawe leuvytes ytt kepten had neuer lewde man leuve to ley hand on þe cheyste but he were preste or prestes sonne / patriarke /or prophete for claregy ys keper vndre cryste off heyuven was þer neuer no knyght but claregye hym made buttAc kynd wytt comethe off alkynnes syghtes off bryddes & off bestes off tastes off trewthe & of deceytes lyuvyers beforeto-forn vs vseden theto marke the selcouvthes þat þei see þer sonnes tofor toG.13.129: L originally shared the G reading to for remaining manuscripts forto, but for has been added above the line. teyche and helde anit an hyghe scyence theyr wyttes to knowe asAc thrugh theyr scyence sothely was neuer solewle sauved ne broght by þer bokes to blysse ne to Ioy for all theyre kynd knowyng comethecomeG.13.133: As far as the majority of manuscripts are concerned, the verb (come) is presumably in the preterite, though for some (L M Cr W Hm) where come follows a plural subject the present tense plural is possible. The G scribe, who uses -e or-en or zero for the plural, clearly intends a present tense singular. but off dyuers syghtes patryarkes & prophetes reprouved theyre scyence & seyden þer wordes ne þer wyssdomes were notnas but a folye & asAndAs to þe clargy off cryste ys couvnted but a tryfuvll sapientia huius mundi stulticia est apud deum et ceteradeum // for þe hyghe holygoste holy goste heyuven shall to-cleuve and louve shall leype oute after In-to þis lowe yerthe and cleynnesses shall cacchen ytt & clerkes shall yt fynd pastores loquebantur ad Inuicem et cetera // he speykethe þer off ryche men noght ne off ryght wyttye ne off lordes þat were lewdemenlewde men butbut of þe hyeste lettered oute Ibant magi ab oriente et cetera // yff any frere were fond there I gyuve þe fyuve fyngersshillynges ne In no beggers cote was þat barne borne but In a burgeys place off bethelem the best set non erat locus In diuersorio & pauper non habet diuersorium. // to pastouvrs & to poeetes appered the angell & bad theym go to bethelem goddes byrthe to honouvre & song a song off solasce / gloria in excelsis deo .// clerkes knewen ytt well & came wyth theyr presentes & dyd theyr homage honerably to hym þat was almyghtye G.13.154: This line, found only in β4 manuscripts, is treated by Kane and Donaldson and Schmidt as spurious.& goddys sonne þat syttethe yn heyuven & shall sauve vs all whye I haue tolde þe all þis I toke full good hede howe þou contraryest clarelgy wyth crabbed wordes how þat lewde men lyghlyerliȝtloker G.13.157: For the G spelling lyghlyer (without medial <t>), see note to G.1.150.þen lettered were sauved then clerkes or kynd wytted men off crysten poeple & þou seydest sothe off some butac se yttsese ȝit yn whatt manereremaneremanereG.13.159: G's original manere has been re-outlined in black ink. The new version adds an unnecessary abbreviation and the mark for this is more elaborate than is usual. See note to G.13.57. take two strong men & In temse cast them botheAnd bothe naked as a nelde nonher none sykerer then other þeÞat on hathe connyng & can smwymmyn & dyuven þeÞat other ys lewde off þat labour & lernedlerned neuer to swymme wyche trowesthowe off þesþo two In temse ys yn most drede he þat neuer dyuved ne noght can off swymmynge or þe swymmere þat ys sauve sobi so hym-seluve lyke therysÞereG.13.167: Kane and Donaldson record G's reading here as an alteration of thes to ther. However, the <s> does not appear to have been deleted and the addition above the line is clearly ry (note the dot above the <y> and the tail curling round to the right). It seems likely that this is an erroneous correction and that the resultant ys duplicates following hys (cf. M There is felawe beside the L reading Þere his felaw). The scribe may have become confused because of the form of the pronoun. Forms without h- in G are clearly not his own although they do occur occasionally (as at G.13.257) and were presumably found in his exemplar. hys felow fletethe forthe as þe flouvde lykethe & ys In drede to drenche þat neuer dyd swymme þat swymme can noght yttI seide it semethe to my wyttes ryght so quod þe renvkere[n]keRenke reason ytt showethe that he þat knowethe claregy can soner aryse oute off synne & be sauve thoghe he synne offte yff hym lykethe & lyst þen any lewde leally for yff aþe clerke be connyng he knowethe what ys synne and how contrycyon wyth-owte confessyon confortethe þe souvle þouAs þowand þu seest yn þe sauvter In psalmes on or twey how contrycyon ys commendyd yttfor it cacchethe away synne beati quorum remisse sunt Iniquitates et quorumquorum tecta et cetera // & þis confortethe echevch a clerke & couerethe hym fro whanhope In wyche floode þe fende fondethe a man hardest there þe lewde lyenlith styll & lokenloketh after lentenlente & hathe no contrycyon er he gocome to shryfte þen& þanne can he lytle tell & as hys loores man lernetheleres hym beleuvethe & trowethe & þat ys after persone or perysshe preeste & perauventure vnconnyng to leere lewde men as luke beyrethe wyttnes dum cecus ducit cecum et cetera ·// wo was hym marked þat wade motvste wyth the lewde well may þe berne blysse þat hym to boke sette þat lyuvyng G.13.189: There is a vertical mark in the text between "living" and "after," possibly the first stroke of a letter which was then abandoned. after letterure sauved hym lyuve & souvle dominus pars hereditatis mee & cetera ys a myry versett that hathe taken fro tyburne xxtitwenti strong theuves ther lewde theuves ben ~~saued~~ lolled vp loke how þei be sauved the theffe þat had grace off god on good fryday as þou spake was for he yolde hym creante to cryste on þe cros & knew hym gylty & grace axed off god & he ys euver redye þat boxomely byddethe ytt &and ben In wyll to amend hymhem and thogh þat theffe had heyuven he had no hygh blysse as seynt Ihon & other seyntes þat deseruved ytthadde better ryght as some men gyuve me meyte & syttsette me amydde þe floore Iche haue meyte more þen Inoghe butac not so moche worshyppe as tho þat sytten at þe table wythor with soueregnes ynof the hall but sytt as beggers bredlesbordelees by my-seluve on the grownde so ytt farethe by þat felon þat on goodfrydaygood fryday was sauved he syttethe notneither by seynt Ihon nether symonSymondene Symond ne Iuvde ne wyth meydens ne martyres confessouvrs ne wydowes byBut by hym-selfe as a soleyn and seruved on the yerthe for he þat ys onesce a theffe ys euer-more In dauvngere and as lawe lykethe to lyuve or to dye de peccato propiciato noli esse sine metu & ceterametu // and for to seruve a seynte & suoyche a theffe to-gedders ytt were nether reason ne ryght to reward þem bothe ylyche and asriȝt as troianus þe trewe knyght tylde not depe In hell butÞat our lorde hadne had hym lyghtlyche oute so leuve I þe theffethef be yn heyuvenG.13.213: The line is too long and wraps around. The last two words are written underneath the rest of the line and are boxed in grey ink. for he ys In þe lowest heyuven yff our byleuve be trewe & well lowselyche he lollethe þer byby þe law off holye churche omniaQuiaQui reddit vnicuique Iuxta operaG.13.216: It seems probable that the need for the line through the tail of the of opera was recognised by the scribe as he wrote the following line i.e. when he had already returned to his ordinary ink. sua & cetera // & why þat on theffe on the cros creauntG.13.217: For the G scribe's treatment and use of superscript <a> (the abbreviation mark here), see note to G.4.156. hym yelded rather then þeþat other theffe thogh þou wold apposse all þe clarkes vndre cryste ne couvld þe skylle assoyle quare placuit quia voluit et ceteravoluit // and so I say by þe þat sekest after þe whyes and reasonedestaresonedest reason a rebukyng as ytt were & off þe flouvres yn þe frythe & off þierG.13.223: The spelling of þier is unusual for the G scribe ("their" usually has -ei- rather than -ie-) and the position of the immediately before the supralinear abbreviation for <er> suggests that it is an afterthought and that the scribe originally read the word as þer="there." feyre hewes whereoff þei cacche theyr colouvrs so fayreclere & so bryght & wyllest of bryddes & bestes & off þeir bredyng knowe whye some be a-lowe & some be a-loftealofte þi lykyng yt were & off þe stones &and of þe sterres / thow studyest as I weneleue how eueryeuere beaste or byrde hathe so breeme wyttes clargye ne kynd wyttwitte ne knewe neuer the cauvse butAc kynd knowethe yttþe cause hym-seluve & no creature elles he ys þe pyes patrone & puttethe In hyshire yere that þer þe thorne ys thyckest to bylden & breede & kynd kennethe þe peycocke to kauken In suoyche a kynde & kenned adam to knowe hys pryuvye membres and taght hym & euve to hyllen þem wyth leyuves lewde men manye tymes masters apposen why adam hylled not furste hys mouvthe or þatþat heteG.13.237: The G scribe's reading or þat (for most manuscripts þat) followed by deleted <h> suggests that he anticipates a line with the meaning "Why Adam didn't cover his mouth before he ate the apple" instead of Bx's "Why Adam didn't cover his mouth that ate the apple." The scribe writes or þat for "before" and is about to write he but realises this is not in his exemplar and changes it to ete. þe apple rather then hys lykhame a-lowe / lewde axen thuvs clerkes kynd knowethe whye he dyd so & no clerke elles butAc off bryddes & off beastes men offby olde tyme ensamples token & termes as tellen thees poettes~~& that the fayrest sothell off flyght ys þat flyethe or swymmethe~~ & that the fayrest sothelyfouleG.13.241: The <y> of G sothely, which has had to be squashed in and which is therefore very small, is clearly a later addition. It is, however, in the same ink as the original and presumably results from the scribe's attempt to make sense of sothel, a misreading of fowel. þe fowlest Ingenderethe & febelest fowle off flyght ys þat flyethe or swymmethe thatAnd þat ys the peycock & þe powen prouvde ryche men þei betokene forFor þe peycock yffand men pursewe hym may noght flye hyghe forFor þe trauvylyngtraillyng off hys teyle ouver-taken ys he sone & hys flesshe ys fowle flesshe & hys feete bothe & vnlouvelyche off leden / & laythe for to here ryght so the ryche yff he hys ryches kepe & dealedeleth ytt noght tyll hys dethe day hysþe tayle off all sorowe ryght as þe pennes off þe peycock peinedpaineth hym In hys flyght so ys possessyon peyne off peynnes orand off nobles to all þem þatþat it holden totil þeir tayllestaille be pluvcked & thogh þe ryche repent þen & rewebirewe the tyme þat euer he gadered so greate & gauve þeroff so lytle thogh he crye to crystecryst þanne wyth kene wyll I leeuve ys leden ys In our lordys yereG.13.257: The deletion of initial <y> of yere is in black ink. It seems unlikely to be have been carried out by the original scribe since he regularly uses <yere> for "ear" (and note his addition of <y> to eyre ("ear") at G.21.131). Since hand3 uses black ink, he may have been responsible for this alteration. lyke a peysepyesG.13.257: G's muddle over B pyes (="magpie's"), which he transcribes as peyse, probably results at least in part from the loss of the following word ("chittering" or "chattering") from a high proportion of B manuscripts (L C G O C2 Y B R). At G.13.231 G shares the majority reading pyes. & when hys caryonG.13.258: The double-lobed <a> in caryon is unusual and may result from a correction (from <o>?). shall come In cauve to be buryed I leuve yt flauvmbe full fowlefoule þe folde all abowte & all otherþe other þer heit lyethe enuvenymethe thrugh hys actera[t]terattere by þe poo feete ys vndrestand as I lerned In auynette execuvtors false frendes þat fullfylnotfullfyl not hys wyll that was wryten & þerþei wyttnes to worche as yt wolde þisÞusG.13.264: For the G scribe's use of "this" for most manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. þe poett prouvethe þat þe peycock for hys feythers ys reuverensed G.13.264: The cross at the bottom right hand corner of the page is in modern pencil. ryght so ys þe ryche by þebi reasonG.13.265: The word reason has been re-outlined in blacker ink. off hys goodes the larke þat ys a lasse fowle ys more louvelyche off leden & well away off weyngeG.13.267: The <y> of wynge has been touched up by the brown ink corrector who has partly filled in the loop left by the original <e>. swyfter þen the peycocke and off flesshe by fellfeleG.13.268: For G's treatment of B fele (here G Cr fell), see note to G.4.349. folde fatter & swetter to lowe lyuvyng men þe larke ys resembeled alyzandreArestotle þe greate clerecler[k]eclerke suoyche tales tellethe thuvs he lykenethe hyn hys logyk þe leeste soghellfouleG.13.271: The G scribe, or an ancestor of this scribe, presumably interpreted Bx foule as a form of "soul," hence soghell. ouvte & whedre he be sauve or noght þe sothe whoote þeno clargye ne off sortes ne salomon no scrypture can tell butAc god ys so good I hope þat sythen he gauve þem wyttes to wyssen vs wayes wythþere-with þat wysen vs to be sauved & þe better for theyr bokes to bydde we be holden that god for hys grace gyuve theyr souvles rest for lettered men were lewde yet nereG.13.278: The type of abbreviation used for final <e> on nere (a bar over the <r>) is unusual for this scribe. loore off þeir bokes all þes clarkes quod I tho that on crysteG.13.279: The second, fourth and fifth letters of cryste have all been re-outlined in black ink. leeuven syggen yn þer sermones þat no sarezenes ne Iewes ne no creature of crystes lyknes wythoute crystendome worthe sauved contra quod Imagynatyuve &þo and comsed tofor to louvre and seyde saluabitur virvix Iustus in die Iudicij ergo saluabitur quod he & sayd no more laten troianus was a trew knyght & toke neuer crystendome & he ys sauve so sayethe the booke & hys souvle In heyuven for þer ys fullyng off fonte and fullyng In bloodshedyngblood shedyng & thrugh fuyreG.13.288: The two dots over the <y> of fyre are unusual but are presumably present to make it absolutely clear what letter the corrector intended. ys fullyng and þat ys ferme byleuve aduenit ignis diuinus non comburens set illuminans & cetera // butAc trewthe þat tresspassed neuer ne trauversed ageynst hys lawe andBut lyuvethe as hys lawe teychethe & leuvet.h þer be non bettre and yff þer were he wolde amend & In suoche wyll dyethe ne wolde neuer trewe god but trewthe were alowed and were ytt worthe or noghtworth nouȝt þe byleuve ys greate of trewthe and an hope hangyng þer-yn to hauve mede for hys trewthe quia deus dicitdicitur quasiquasi dans vitam eternam suis hoc est fidelibus et alibi si ambulauero In medio vmbre mortis et cetera // the glosse grauvntethe vs onvpon þat vers a greate medeG.13.298: The <d> of mede has been re-outlined in grey ink. to trewthe & wytt & wyssdome quod þat vyȝewyeG.13.299: G's vyȝe may simply be a back spelling; note the frequent use of <w> for <v> (see Introduction III.4.2). was some-tyme treysoryetresore to kepe wythe a comen no catellkatel was holden better & moche muvrthe & manhoode & ryght wyth þat he wanesshed explicit quintus passus de dowell . // YG.15.1: For the interpretation of the first letter in the line as a <Y>, see note to G.7.260. haue but on hoole hater quod haukyn I am þe lasse to blame thogh ytt be soyled and fowle I slepe þerynne on nyghtes alsoAnd also I haue a wyffe hewene & chyldren vxorem duxi & ideo non possum venire et cetera // that wold be mouvlledbymolen itG.15.5: Kane and Donaldson record G's reading as bemoulled but there is a clear break after be. many tymestyme mauvgre my chekes ytt hathe ben lauved In lent and oute off lent bothe wyth þe soope off sycknes that sekethe wondre depe & wyth þe losse off catell lothe for to aguvlte god or any good man by ought þat I wyste & was shryuven off þe preste heþat gauve me for my synnes to pennacepenna[n]cepenaunce pacyence & pouvre men to feede &Al for couvetyse off my crystendome yn cleynnes to kepe ytt & couvld I neuer by cryste kepekepen it cleane an houvre that I ne soyled ytt wyth syght or some ydle speche or thrugh workeoffor worde or wyll off myne herte but y ne sloberedflobersloberflobered ytt fowle fro morowe totyl euve & I shall kenne þe k quod conscyence off contrycyon to make that shall clawe þi cote off alkynnes fylthe cordis contricio & cetera // dowell whasshe ytt and wryng ytt thrugh a wyse confessor oris confessio & cetera // dobetter shall beyten ytt & bouvke ytt as bryght as any skarlett & engreynnen ytt wyth good wyll & goddes grace to amende the &And sithen send þe satysfactyon for to sowen ytt after satisfactio et cetera // dobest shall neuer myst bymouvllen neit ne mooght after byten ytt ne fende ne falsce man defowlen ytt yn þi lyuve shall no harrouavde ne harper hauve a fayrer garment then haukyn þe actyuve man & yffand þou do by my teychyng ne no mynstrell be more worthe amonge pore & ryche then haukyns wyffe waffrereþe wafrere wyth hys / actiua vita:// and I shall puvrwye þe paste quod pacyence þo no plowgh errye and flower to feede folke wyth as best be for þi souvle thogh neuer greyne growed ne grape vpon vyne all þat lyuvethe & lacketheloketh lyuveloode wolde I fynde and þat ynoghe shall non Fayle thyngof þinge þat theym nedethe we shold not be to buvsye abouvte our lyuveloode ne soliciti scitissitissitis & cetera volecresvol[u]cresvolucres celi deus pascit & cetera pacientes vincuntvincunt & cetera then laghed haukyn a lytle & lyghtlye gan sweyre wo-so leuvethe you by our lorde &I leuve not he be blyssed no quod pacyence pacyently & oute off hys pooke hente wytayles off greate vertuves for all maner beastes & seyde low here lyuveloode ynoghe yff our byleuve be trewe for lent neuer was lyffe but lyuvelood were shape wheroff or wherfore or wherbye to lyuve furstG.15.46: An otiose superscript <2>appears above the <r> of furst. In the scribe's exemplar this may well have been an abbreviation for <ur>, but, though he copies it, the scribe does not appear to grasp its significance (for similar treatment of superscript <a>, see note to G.3.157 and Introduction IV.1.1). Alternatively, it is possible that the scribe originally omitted the <r> and squashed it in later - the letters appear to be crammed together - and, if this is the case, the superscript 2 might simply be present to make sure that the reading is unambiguous. þe wylde worme vndre wheete yetrthe Fysshe to lyuve In þe floode and In þe fyre þe krykett þe cuvrlew by kynd off þe eyre most cleaneclennest flesshe off byrdes & beastes by gras & granyneG.15.49: The first four letters of grayne were originally gran but the scribe then added a tail to the minims of the <n> to form the letter <y>. & by greene rootes In meanyng þat all men myght do the same lyue thrughe leall byleuve & louve as god wyttnessythe quodcumque pecieritis a patre in nomine meo & cetera et alibi: non in solo pane vivit homo set in omni verbo quod procedit & ceterade ore dei but I loked whatt lyuveloode ytt was þat pacyence so preysed and then was ytt a pece off the pater noster: fiat voluntas tua haue haukyn quod pacyence & eyte þis when the hongerethe or when þou clomsest for colde or clyngest for drye shall neuer gyves þe greuve ne greate lordes wrathe pryson ne payne for : pacientes vicuntvi[n]cuntvincunt :// soBi so þat þou be sobre off syght & off tonge yn eytyng & yn handylyng & all thye foyuve wyttes there theDarstow neuer care for corne ne lynnen clothe ne wollen ne for drynke dreede no dethene deth drededeþ drede but dye as god lykethe or thrughe hongre or thrughe heyteG.15.63: The loop of the <h> of heyte has been re-outlined in brown ink. att hys wyll be ytt For yff thow lyuve after hys loore þe shorter lyffe þe better si quis amat Cristum mundumG.15.65: There were originally too many minims in the first part of the word mundum; the first two have been blocked in by the original scribe to form one. non diligit istum forFor þorw hys breythe beastes wexen and abroode yeden dixit et facta sunt : et cetera // ergo thrugh hys breythe may men & beastes lyuven as holy wrytt wyttnessythe G.15.69: A virgule has been added at this point to separate wyttnessythe and yt. yt whenwhan men sayen þer graces aperis tu manum tuam & imples omne animal benedictione: ytt ys fouvnden þat fouvrty wynterswynter folke lyuved wyth-oute tyllyng and oute off þe flynt sprang þe floode þat folke & beastes dronke and In elyes tyme heuven was I-closed that no reyne ne reyneronereynydG.15.74: Kane and Donaldson read G reynd rather than reyne, but the second <e> is exactly the same as those elsewhere in the line. G.15.74: According to the OED, forms such as rone (preterite of rine and the reading found most B manuscripts) were not used after the end of the fourteenth century, hence the G reading (see OED rine v.2). þus rede men In bokes that manye wynters men lyuvyden & no meytemete ne tyllyden seyuven slept as sayetheG.15.76: The final <e> on sayethe appears to have been an afterthought and is not continuous with the <h>. Compare hundrethe later in the line. The addition of the <e> has filled the space between words and the following thorn has therefore been deleted and rewritten. þ þe boke seyvyne huvndrethe wynterswynter & lyuvyden wyth-oute lyvelode & att þe last they woken and yff men lyuved as measure wolde shold neuer be defauvte amongest crysten creatures yff crystes wordes be trewe butAcG.15.80: Though G and F share the reading but (for most manuscripts Ac), in all other respects F has a completely different a-verse. vnkyndnes caristia makethe amogesamo[n]gesamonges crysten poeple & ouer pleynte makethe pryde among poere & ryche butAc measure ys so moche worthe ytt may notgh be to dere For þe myscheffe & þe myschance amonges men off sodome wasWex thrugh plentye off foodepayn & off pure slothe osiositas et abundantia panis peccatum turpissinumturpissi[m]umturpissimum nutriuitG.15.85: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together on the right in red. for þei measured noght þem-seluve off þat þei eyte & drynkedronke dyden deydly synne þat the deuvell lyked so wengeance fell vpon theym for þeir fowlevyle synnes they sonken In-to hell the cytees echonne forthy measure vswe vs well & make our feaythe our shyltren & thrugh faythe commythe contrycyon conscyence woote well wyche dryuvethe a-way dedlye synne & doethe ytt to be weynyall and thogh a man myght not speke contrycyon myght hym sauve and bryng hys soule to blysse so þat faythe beyre wytnes that whyles he lyuvedlyuede he bileuedbe-levede þe loore off holy cherche he beleuvedcherchechirche he leevede ergo contrycyon fayhte & coscyenceco[n]scyenceconscience beis kyndlyche dowell and surgyens for deydly synnes when shryfte off mouvthe faylethe butAc shryfte off mouvthe more worthye ys yff man be verylycheilicheynliche contryte for shryfte off mouvthe sleyethe synne be ytt neuer so dedlye per passionemconfessionem to a preeste peccata occiduntur there contrycyon dothe but dryuvedryueth yttit doun toin-to a ~~deadly~~venyall synne and dauyd sayethe yn þe sauvter . et quorum tecta sunt peccata :// butAc satysfactyon sekethe oute þe roote & bothe sleyethe & woydethe and as ytt neuer had y-be to noght bryngethe deydly synne that ytt ys neuer efte seene ne soore but semethe a wouvnd heyled where wonnethe charyte quod haukyn I wyst neuer In my lyuve man þat wyth hym spake as wyde as I haue passed there perfytte trewthe & pore herte ys & pacyence off tonge ther ys charyte þe cheffe chambre for god hym-seluve whether pacyencepacyence orpacience andpaciente pouerte quod haukyn be more plesant to our lordedriȝteG.15.110: In the case of G, the G R variant lorde (for most manuscripts driȝte) may reflect the manuscript's late date: according to the OED, the word dright(en was no longer used after the end of the fifteenth century. then ~~rygh~~ ryches ryghtfullyche wonne & resonableresonablelichG.15.111: The -le ending on G resonable could be a form of -ly, in which case G too would have the adverb (cf. remaining manuscripts resonablelich and see LALME 4, item 278). spente ye quis est ille quod pacyence quyk et laudabimuslaudabimus eum : thogh men rede off ryches ryght to þe worldes ende I wyst neuer renvkere[n]kerenke that ryche was þat when he rekne sholde when he drewe to hys deyd day þat he ne drad hym sore and att þeþat atte rekenyng yn a-rerage fell rather þen ovte off dette there þe pore dare pleade & prouve by puvre reason to haue alowance off hys lorde byby þe lawe he ytt claymethe Ioy þat neuer Ioy had off ryghtfull Iuvge he askethe & sayethe low bryddes & beastes þat no blysse ne couvthe and wylde wormes yn woddes thrugh wynters þou þem greuvestG.15.121: G omits a line at this point ("And makest hem welnyegh meke · and mylde for defaute"). and after þou sendest them somer that ys theyr souveregne Ioy and blysse to all þat be bothe wylde & tame then may beggers & beastes after heatebote weyten that all þeir lyffe haue lyuved In languvor &and inG.15.125: All C manuscripts except Dc and Nc share the G B reading &, and this reading is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B mansucripts read and in. defauvte but god sendsentwold sendeG.15.126: G's send (for most B manuscripts sent) could be read as a present subjunctive (cf. F's periphrastic reading wold sende), but G does in fact have forms of "send" in -d for the preterite (see note to G.14.251). The majority of C manuscripts have forms with <d>. them some-tyme some maner IoyG.15.126: G omits a line at this point ("Other here or elles-where · kynde wolde it neuere"). for to ouer moche wowrotherhele was he wroght þat neuer was Ioy shapen angelles þat In hell nowe beene had Ioy some-tyme and diues yn dentyes lyuved & yn (dovce vie) ryght so reason ~~she~~ shoythe þat þo men þat were ryche and theyr makes also lyuved In mocheher lyf in myrthe butAc god ys off a wondre butwille by þat kynd wytt shewythe to gyve many manmen hys mercymoney or he ytt haue deseruved ryght so farethe god by suoyche someryche reuvthe me yt thynkethe for þei haue theyre hyre here and heyuven as ytt were and ys greate lykyng to lyuve wyth-oute lyabour off bodye and when he dyethe be dyssalowed as dauid sayeth yn þe sauvtre dormierunt et nichil inuenerunt and In a-nother stydde also velut sompnum surgentium domine:// In ciuitate tua et ad nichilum rediges:// alas þat ryches shall reuve & robbe mannes soule fro þe louve off our lorde att hys last end hewen þeiþat haue theyr hyre beforeafore / oere euermore nedy seldenAnd selden dyeth ~~þei~~he ovte off dett þat dynenth or ~~þei~~he deseruve ytt & tyll he haue done hys & deuvoyre & hys dayes Iouvrney &For when a werkman hathe wroght þen may men se þe sothe what he were worthy for hys worke & what he hathe deseruved and not to fong before for drede off dyssalowyng so I say by you ryche ytt semethe noght þat ye shall haue heyuven here yn your beyryngG.15.150: Scribes had difficulty with this a-verse and there are various versions. The Kane and Donaldson a-verse reads as follows: "Haue heuene in youre her[berw]yng." G's reading of the a-verse is also found in Hm. & heyuven therheralso þerafter ryght as a seruvant takethe hys salarye before / & sythen wold cleym moreG.15.151: The line wraps round and the last two words are written below it and boxed in grey. as he þat hadnone hadde & hathe hyre att the last ytt may noght be ye ryche men or mathew on god lyethe de delicijs ad dilicias difficile est transire :// and yff þeye ryche haue ruvthe & rewarde well þe pore and lyuvethe as lawe teychethe doone laoyalte to þem all cryste off hys couvrtysye shall conforte you attatte laste and rewarde all douvble ryches þat reuvfull hertes haue and as an hyne þat had hys hyre or he to worche begannebygonnebygonne to wurchehis werk bygynne & when he hathe done hys deuvoyre well men done þemhym other bouvnte gyuvethe hym a cote aboue hys counaunt ryght so cryst gyuvethe heyuven bothe to ryche & to noght ryche þat reuvfullyche lyuven & all þat done þeir deuvoyr well haue douvble hyre for þeir trauveylle forgyvnesHere forȝyuenesse off hysherG.15.164: Kane and Donaldson do not record G hys as a variant, but the last letter is definitely a sigma <s>. synnes and heyuven blysse after butAc ytt ys but selde seene as by holysayntesholy sayntes bokes that god rewarded douvble rest to any ryche wyghtwye for moche muvrthe ys amonges þe rycheriche asas in meyte & clothyng & moche myrthe yn may ys amongest wylde beastes and so forthe whyle somer lastedthe þeir solace endurethedureth butAc beggers aboute mydsomer bredles they souvpe & yett ys wynter for them worsce for wettshodde þei gange a-thurste soore & a-hongered & fouvlyche rebuked & arated off ryche men þat reuvthe ytt ysis to here now lorde send them somer and some maner Ioy heyuven after theyre hence goyng þat here haue suoyche defauvte for all myghtest þou haue made non meaner then other and y-lyche wyttye & wyse yff thy wyll had lyked and haue reuvthe off thes ryche men þat rewarde not thye prysoners off thyþe good þat þou theym gyuvest ingrati beene manye butAc god off þi goodnes gyuve þem grace to amend For may no derthe be them dere drought ne wete netherNe noyther heate ne heyle haue they theyre heale off that þei wylne & wolde þem wantethewanteth hem noght here butAcBut þe pouvre poeple &þiin prysoners lorde yn þe pytt off myscheffe comforte þo creatures þat moche woocare sufferen thrughe derthe & druvght all theyr dayes here wo In wynter tymes for wantyng off clothes & In somer tyme selde souvpe to the full comfort thye carefull chryste In thy ryche forFor how þou comfortest all creatures clerkes beyren wyttnes conuertimini ad me et salui eritis ..// thuvs In genere off gentryse Iesu cryste sayed to robbers & to reyuvers to ryche & to poere thow taghtest þem yn þe trynyte to take baptesme and be cleane thrugh þat crystynyng off alkynnes ~~thynges~~ synnes and fellvs fel thrughe folye to fall In synne after confessyon & knolegyng & crauvyng thy marcye shold amend vs as many sythes as man wold desyre butAndAc yff þe pope wolde pleyde therehere-ageyn & punnysshe vs In conscyence he shuold take þe quvyttanceacquitance as quvyke / & to þe quvede shewedschewe ytt pateat & cetera per passionem domini et cetera // and puvtten of þe pouvke & pynnenpreuen vs vndre borowe butAc þe perchemyn off thys patent off pouverte be movste and off pure pacyence & perfytt byleuve off pompe & off pryde þe perchemyn decowrethe & prynsypallyche off all poeple but they be pouvre Inof herte elles ys all Inan Idle all þat euver we wryten pater noster and pennance & pylgrymagespilgrimage to rome but our spenses & spendyng spryng off a trew wyell elles ys all. ~~yn Idle~~ our labouvr lost loo howe men wryten In fenestres attatte freres yff falsce be þe fouvndment for þeFor-þi crystyen shuolde be en comen ryche / non couveyte for hym-seluve for seyuven synnes þer be þatþat þere benther be assaylen manvs euver the fende folowethe theyme all & fouvndethe þem to helpe butAc wyth ryches þat rybalde l rathest theymmen begylethe for þer þat ryches reygnethe reuverence folowethe & þat ys pleasant to pryde In pouvre & yn ryche & þe ryche ys reuerensed by þeby reason off hys ryches there þe poere ys putt byynde & perauventure can more off wytt & off wyssdome þat farre a-wasyG.15.220: There is evidence of improvement of the left side of the head of the <y> in a different ink. ys better then ryches or ryalte ~~þat~~ and rather herde In heyuven for þe ryche hauehathG.15.222: As far as G haue for remaining manuscripts hath is concerned, it is often the case that G has an -e(n verb ending for other manuscripts -eth where this is simply a matter of accidentals, i.e. where both verbs are plural. However, the expected plural form for "have" in L etc. would be habbeth or han and it seems to be the case here that, while G treats the subject ryche as a plural, the remaining manuscripts treat it as singular. moche to rekne offrekene and ryght softe walkenwalketh the ryghtheigh way to heyuven-warde ofte ryches lettethe Ita possibile diuiti et cetera // there the pore pressythe before þe ryche wyth a packe at hys rygge opera enim illorum sequntur eosillos// bantalychebata[n]tlycheBatauntliche as beggers doone & baldelyche he g.crauvethe G.15.227: Probably the original G reading was grauethe and the corrector altered the <g> to <c> and then simply re-outlined the <r>. G.15.227:The alteration brings G's reading into line with the remaining B manuscripts. for hys pouverte & pacyence a perpetuall blysse beati pauperes spiritupauperes quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum :// & pryde yn ryches reygnethe rather þen In pouverte arste In þe master then In þe man some mansyon he hathe butAc yn pouerte þer pacyence ys pryde hathe no myght ne non off þe seyuven synnes sytt mowne mowe þer long ne haue power In pouerte yff pacyence ytt folowe For þe pore ys ay prest to pleasse þe ryche & buxome att hys byddyng for hys broken louves and buxomnesse & booste are euer-more att warre and either hatethe other In all maner workes yff wrathe wrestelethewrastel wyth þe pouvre he hathe þe worsce end for yff þei bothe pleyne the pouvre ys but feble & yff he chyde or chattre hym cheuvethe þe woarsceG.15.241: This and the following line (where erroneous and lined-through "worse" also has <o> altered to <a>) are the only places where G has a form of "worse" with this spelling. As this is also one of only two places where the B manuscript C has "worse" with medial <a>, it seems possible that there may be some connection. & yff couvetyse cacche þe pouvre ~~he hathe þe woars end~~ þei may noght come togeddres & by neþe neck namlye nonher none may hent other for men knowe well þat couvetyse ys off a kene wyll and hathe handes & armes off a long lenghte and pouverte ys but a petyt thyng / ytt peretheappereth not to hys nauvell and louvely layke was neuer betwene þe long andand þe shorte and thogh auvaryse wold angre þe pouvre he hath but lytle myght for pouverte hathe but pookes to putten yn hys goodes ther auvaryze hathe almbyryes and yren bond coffres & whether be lyghter to breyke lasse bost ytt makethe a beggers bagge þen an yren bouvnden coffer leycherye louvethe hym not hefor he gyuvethe but lytle syluver ne donitheG.15.254: The of doithe is formed by dotting the first minim of the original <n> of done. The <t> is added above the line with a caret mark and the <h> is written over the remainder of the <n>. hym noght dyne dylycately ne drynke wyne offte a strawe for þe stewes ytt stoode noght I trowe had þei noghtno þing but off pouvre men / theyre houvses stoode vntyled thoghAnd þough slouvght sewe pouerte & seruve not god to pay mescheyffe ys hys master & makethe hym to thynke that god ys hys greatest helpe & no gome elles and hys seruvant as he sayethe and off h.ys seutessute bothe and wheydre he be or noght bebe nouȝte / he beyrethe þe sygne off pouerte and In that secte our sauvyouvre sauved all man-kynd forthy all pouerte þat pacyent ys may cleymen & asken after theyr endyng here heyuven-ryche blysse moche hardyer may he asken þat here myght haue hys wyll In lond & In lordshyppe and lykyng off bodye & for goddes louve leyuvethe all & lyuvethe as a begger and as a meyde for mannes louve hyr modre forsakethe hyr fadre & all hyr freendes & folowethe hyrG.15.269: The third example of the word hyr has been re-outlined in black ink. make moche ys asuche a meyde to louve off hym þat suoche on takethe more þen a meyden ys þat ys maryed thrugh brogage and by assent off sondrye partyes & syluver to boote more for couvetyse off good þen kynd louve off bothe so ytt farethe by aeche a persone þat possessyon forsakethe & puvttethe hym to be pacyent & pouerte weddethe the wyche ys sybbe to god hym-seluve & so to hys seyntes haue god my trought quod haukyn ye preyse fast pouerte whatt ys pouerte wyth pacyence quod he properlye to meane paupertas quod pacience est odibile bonum : remocio curarum : possessio sine calumpnia : donum dei: sanitatis mater :absque solicitudine semita : sapiencie temperatrix : negotium sine dampno inctainc[er]taIncerta : fortuna absque solicitudine felicitas :G.15.279: The final word appears on the right hand side of the page beneath solicitudine and is boxed in red to separate it from G.15.280. These rubricated lines are bracketed in red on the right. I can not constrewe þis quod haukyn ye moste sayG.15.280: B manuscripts have a wide variety of readings for G say: kenne þis (L M Cr), kenne me þis (W R), telle þis (Hm), seye it (O C2 B), kenne it (F), and say (G C Y). en englysshe In englysshe quod pacyence ytt ys well harde towel to expouvnd butAc somedeale I shall say ytt soby so þou vndrestande pouerte ys þe furst poynt þat pryde most hatethe then ys yttG.15.284: C shares G's original reading (ys for most manuscripts is it). good by good skyll all þat agastethe pryde ryght as contrycyon ys comfortableconfortable þinge conscyence woote well and a sorowe toof hym-seluve / and solas to þe souvle so pouerte properlyche pennance & Ioy ys to the bodye pure spyrytuall healthe ergo paupertas est odibile bonum & contrycyon conforte and cura animarum þe second selde syttethe pouerte þe sothe to declare or as Iuvstece to Iuvgge men enIoyned ys no pouerrepoureporeG.15.292: There is an otiose abbreviation mark over the of poure; presumably the scribe anticipated pouerte. See G.15.298 and G.16.158 and compare with other B manuscripts. ne to be meyre aboue men ne mynystre vndre kynges seld ys any pore put to punnysshe theany poeple remocio curarum : ergo pouverte & pouvre men perfourmen þe commandementescomaundement nolite Iudicare quemquam : the thyrde seld ys any pouerteporeG.15.298: For the G reading pouerte for remaining manuscripts pore, see also G.15.292 and G.16.158. ryche off anybut of ryghtfull herytage wynnethe he noght wyth falsce weyghtesweghtes falsweight false ne vnsealed measuvres ne borowethe off hys neghbouvrs but þat he may well pay possessio sine calumpnia the forthe ys a fortuvne þat flouvresshethe þe souvle wyth sobreyete from all synne & also yet more ytt affaytethe þe flesshe from folyes full manye a colaterall conforte crstescr[y]stescrystes owen gyfte donum dei : the fyfte ys mother off helthe a frende In all fondynges & for þe lewde euer a leche a lemman offof al cleannes sanitatis mater : þe syxt ys a pathe off peasce þeȝe G.15.310: The use of superscript rather than inline <e> indicates that the scribe has misread ye as þe, as at G.14.229. For the G scribe's treatment of thorn and <y> and the letters which follow, see note to G.3.118. thrughe paasseþe pas toof aulton pouerte myght pas wyth-oute perylle off robbyng for þer þat pouverte passethe peas folowethe after and euer þe lasse þat he beyrethe þe harderhardyerG.15.313: C2 originally shared the G Cr1 C reading harder but in C2 this has been corrected to the majority reading hardyer. he ys off herte forthy seyethe / seneca pauperteasG.15.314: In order to make his correction to paupertas clear, the scribe has used a double lobed <a>. est absque solicitudine semita : & an hardye man off herte amonge an heape off theuves cantabit paupertas coram latrone viator : þe seyuventhe ys well off wyssdome & fewe wordes shewethe For lordes alowen hym lytle or lystenethe to hys reason he temperythe þe tong to trewthwarde & no treasure couvetythe sapientie temperatrix the eghte ais a leele laboure and loothe to take more then shehe may well deseruve In somer or In wynter and yff he chaffere he chargethe / no losse mey he charite wynne negotium sine dampno: þe y neynthe ys swete to þe souvle & nono suger swetter for pacyence ys payn for pouerte hym-seluve and sobryete sweete drynke and good leche In sycknes thysÞusG.15.328: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. lered me a lettered man for our lordys louve seynt augustyne hadaustynaustyn ledde ~~had~~ a blyssed lyuve wyth-oute buvsynes for body & soule / absque sollicitudine felicitas :// now god þat all good gyuvethe grauvnt hys souvle rest that þus furst wroote to wysse men what pouerte was to meane alas quod haukyn þe actyuve man þenþo / þat after my crystendome I ne had be dede & doluven for dowelldowelesde wel sake so hard ytt ys quod haukyn to lyuve & to doo ~~synne~~ wellsynne synne sewethe vs euver quod he and sory gan wexe & wepte water wyth hys eyene & wayled the tyme that euer he dyd dede þat heþat deere god dyspleased swowned & sobbedde & sykedde full offte that euer he had land or lordshyppe lasse orother more or mastrye ouer any man mo þen off hym-seluve I were not worthye goquod haukyn to weyre anye clothes ne neyther shurte ne shoone sauve for shame oon to couer my carryon quod he & cryed fast mercye & wepte & wayled & therewyth I wakedawaked explicit septimus et vltimus passus de dowellIncipit primus passus de dobetter ButAc after my wakyng ytt was wondre long er I couvlde kyndly knowe whatt was dowell and so my wytt vexe & vanyed tyll I a foole were and some lacked my louyve & alowedallowed ytt fewe and leten for a lorell ~~to serue lordes & ladyes~~ & lothe to reuerensen lordes or ladyes or any lyffe elles as psounsp[er]sounspersones In pelouvr wythe pendantz off syluver to sergeantes ne to suoyche seyde noght oonesce god looke you lordes &ne louvted fayre that folke helde me a foole & In that folye I rauved tyll reason had reuvthe on me and rocked me a-slepe tyll I seygheG.16.12: There is a faint otiose bar over seyghe. as ytt sorcerye were a subtyle thyng wyth-all oon wythoute tong & teethe tolde me whydre I sholde & wheroff I came & what kynd I coniuIvred hym at þe last yff he were crystes creature for crystes louve me to tell I am crystes creature quod he & crysten In manymany a placesplace In crystes couvrte I-knowe well & off hys kynne apartea partea partyeG.16.17: For G parte for "party," see note to G.2.7. ys nether petur þe porter ne poule wyth hys fawchoune that wole defend me þe doore dyng I neuer so late att mydnyght att mydday my voycevoice so ys wellis I-knowe that echeeche a creature off hys couvrte welcomethe me fayre what are ye called In þat couvrte quod I amogestamo[n]gestamonges crystes poeple wyleÞe whiles I quycke was In þe corps quod he called am I anima and when I wylne & wold animus I hatte forAnd for þat I can & knowe called am I mens & when I make moone to god memoria ys my name & when I deme domes & doo as trewthe teychethe then ys ratio my ryght name andname reason Inan englysshe & when I feele þat folke tellethe me mymy namefirste name ys :sensus: & þat ys wytt & wyssdome þe well off all craftes and when I chalenge or chaleng noght cheape or refuvse then am I conscyence called goddes clerke & hys notarye and when I louve leally our lord & all other then ys leall louve my name and In latyn amor & when I flee fro þe Flesshe and forsake þe caroygne then am I spyryte specheles /spiritus/ þen I hatte augustyneAustyn & Isodorus & eytherayther off theym bothe neuenvedneue[n]edNempned me þus to name now thowe maymyȝte chosse how þou couvetyst to call me nowe knowesthowe myalle my names anima pro diuersis accionibus diuersa nomina sortitur /: dum vivificat corpus anima est : dum vult animus est : dum scit mens est: dum recolit memoriamemoria est: dum Iudicat ratio est: dum sentit sensus est: dum amat amor est: dum negat vel conscentit conscientia est: dum spirat spiritus est: ye been asG.16.41: Bo Cot share G's original omission of as. a bysshoppe quod I all bouvrdyng that tyme for bysshops y-blessedd beyre many namesG.16.43: A scribe has added

an arabic <5> with a line through it, followed by ten medieval forms of this number as pen trials. See Benson and Blanchfield p.43. presul and pontifex and metropolitanus and other names an heape ashepe episcopus and pastor that ys sothe seyde he nowe I see þi wyll thow woldest knowe & konne ~~theyre names~~ þe cauvse off all þeir names & off myne yff þou myghtest me thynkeþinketh by thye speeche ye syr heI sayde soby so þat nono man were greuved all þe scyences vndre sonne & all þe subtyle craftes I wold knoweI knewe & konnecouth perfytelychekyndely In my herte then arte thow vnperfytt quod he & on off prydes knyghtes for suoche a luvst & lykyng ~~bucy~~G.16.52: There appears to have been an attempt to add an upright stroke altering the of bucy to an <l> but this attempt has been abandoned. lycyfer fell from heyuven ponam pedem meum in aquilone et similis ero altissimo : ytt were ageynst kynd quod he & alkynnes reason that any creature shuolde konne all except cryste a-loneone ageynst suoche salamon speykethe & dyspysethe theyre wyttes and seyethe / sicut qui mel comedit multum non est ei bonum : sic qui scrutator est magestatis opprimitur a gloriaG.16.58: The two rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. to englysshe men thys ys to meane þat may speake & here the man þat moche hony eytethe hys mawe ytt englaymethe and þe more þat a man off good matter heyrethe but he do therafter ytt dothe hym douvble skathe beatus virest sayethe senynteG.16.63: The first three letters of seynte were originally sen- but the scribe has added a tail to the <n> and a bar above. bernarde qui scripturas legit et verba vertit in opera fullyche to hys power couvetyse to konne & to knowe scyence put oute off paradyse adam & euve scientie appetitus hominem immortalitatis gloriam spoliauit butAnd ryght as hony e ys yuvell to defye & engleymethe þe mawe ryght so þat thrughe reason wolde þe roote knowe off god & off hys myghtes hys grace ytt lettethe for yn þe lykyng lyethe a pryde & In a lykehames couvetyse ageynst crystes couvnseyle & all clerkes teychyng that ys non plus sapiresap[e]resapere quam oportet sapere : freres &and fele other masters that to þe lewed men preychen mouven matters vnmeysurablesinmesurables to tellen off þe trynyte that offte tymes þe lewde poeple off þeir byleuve dowten bettre to leyuve were many doctouvrs suoyche teychyng & tell men þeof þe tenne commandementz & touvche þe seyuven synnesG.16.78: G, C and B omit a line at this point ("And of þe braunches þat burgeouneth of hem · and bryngeth men to helle"). & how þat folk In folyes myspenden theyr fyuve wyttes G.16.79: The cross in the bottom right hand margin is in modern pencil. as well freres as other folke folysshlychefolilichfolichfolish spenden In howsyng yn hatteryng ynintoand in-toand hygh claregye shewyng more for pompeG.16.82: The final <e> of pompe, though in the original ink and in the hand of the original scribe, has been squashed in as an afterthought; a virgule has then been added to separate pompe from the following word. thern for pure charyte þe poeple woote þe sothe that I lye noght loo / for lordesG.16.83: The word lordes has been re-outlined, apparently in the original ink and by the original scribe. ye pleysen and reuverensen þe ryche the rather for theyr syluver confundantur omnes qui adorant sculptilia & cetera et alibi: vt quid diligisdilig[it]isdiligitis vanitatem & queritis mendatiumG.16.86: The two rubricated lines have been bracketed together in red on the right. go yeGo to the glose off the werse ye greate clerkes &G.16.88: The ampersand is clearly in the hand of the original scribe, but it may be an addition as it appears in the margin. yffIf I lye on you to my lewde wytt leydethe me to brynnyng for as ytt semethe ye forsake no mannes almes off vserers off hoores off auvarouse chapmen & louvten to thes lordes þat may lenvelene you nobles ageyne your ruvle & relygyon I take recorde off Iesus that seyde to hys descyples ne sitis personarum acceptores: off thys mattyer I myght make a long byble butAc off curatouvrs off crystyen poeple as clerkes beyren wytnes I shall tell ytt for trewthetruthes sake take hede wo-so lokethelyketh as holynes and honeste owte off holy churche spreydethe thrugh leall lyuvyng men / that goddes lawe teychen ryght so owte off holy churcehe all euvellyuelesG.16.99: In Bm, the shared G Y B reading "evil" (for remaining manuscripts yueles) may result from a correction, since the word is followed by an erasure. spreydethe there ymperfytt preesthoode ys preychouvrs & teychouvrs and se ytt by ensample In somer tyme on trees there some bowes beene leyuved and some beyre non there ys a myscheffe In the more off suoyche maner bowes ryght so persones & prestes and preychouvrs off holycherche holy cherche that are rootesrote off thethe riȝte faythe to ~~reule~~ reuvle þe poeple butAc there þe roote ys roten reason woote þe sothe shall neuer flower ne fruvyte ne fayre leyffe be grene for-thy wold ye lettered leyuve / þe leccherye off clothyng and be kynd as fellbifel for clarkes & couvrteyse of crystes gooddes trewe off your tongestonge & off your talestaille bothe & hate to here harlottrye & not to vndrefong ~~the~~ tythes off trewevntrewe thyng tylyedytilied &or chaffered loothe were lewde men but they your ruvlelore folowed and amende þem þat myssdoone more thrughfor your ensamples then for to preyche & prouve ytt noght ypocrasy ytt semethe for ypocrysy yn latyn / ys lykened to a duvnghyll that were bysnowed wyth snowe & snakes wythynne G.16.117: G Hm C B omit a line at this point ("Or to a wal þat were whitlymed · and were foule wyth-inne"). ryght so many preestes preychers & preelates ere enblauvnchede wyth ( beale paroles)G.16.119: For the G scribe's use of brackets for highlighting, see note to G.6.597. & wyth clothes also butAc your werkes & wordes thervndre be vnlycheful vnlouelichG.16.120: Most manuscripts read ful vnlouelich for G vnlyche. Y Bo Cot share G's omission of ful but no manuscripts apart from G read vnlyche. Iohannes crisostomus off clerkes speykethe & preestes sicut de templo omne bonum egreditur / sic de templo omne malum procedit si sacerdotium integrum fuerit tota floret ecclesia : si autem corruptum fuerit omnisomniumG.16.122: Kane and Donaldson do not record G "omnis" (for remaining manuscripts omnium) as a variant. fides martida est : si sacerdotium fuerit In peccatis totus populus couertiturco[n]uertiturconuertitur ad peccandum : siSicut cum videris arborem martidam et pallidam intelligis quod vicium habet In radice: Ita cum videris populum indisciplinatum & irreligiosum sine dubio sacerdotium eius non est sanum:// yff lewde men wyst what þis laten meanethe and wo was myne auvtore moche wondre me thyngkethe but yff manye a preeste beyre for hys baselardhere baselardes & hyshere brooches a payre beydes In hysher hand & a boke vndre hysher arme syr Ihon & syr geffrey hauve a gyrdell off syluver a baselarde & a ballock knyffe wyth botons ouer-gylte butAc a portuvos sholdeþat shulde be hys plowe placebo to sygge had he neuer seruvyce to sauve syluver þerto / seyethe ytt wyth ydle wyll alas ye lewde men moche leese theyȝe on preestes butAc þing þat wyckedlyche ys wonne & wyth falsce sleyghtes wold neuer off wytty god þe wyt / but wyked men ytt hadde wycheÞe which are preestes ymperfytt and preychouvrs after syluver sectouvrs & souvthdeanes somonouvrs & theyre lemmanes thys that wyth gyle was gotten vngracyouvslye ys spended so harlotes and hoores ere helpen wyth suoyche gooddes & goddes folke for defauvte theroff forfaren and spyllen cuvratouvrs off holychurcheholy churche as clerkes þat beene auvarous lyghtlyche þat they leyuven loselles ytt hauvethe or dyethe Intestate & þen the bysshoppe enterethe and makethe myrthe therwythe & hys men bothe and say he was a nygarde that no goode myght spare to frend ne to frembde the fende haue hys souvle for a wrecched hoouvse he helde all hys lyffe tyme and þat he spared & byspared spend we yn myrthe by lered & byby lewde þat lothe areisben to spende thysÞusG.16.148: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. goon theyre gooddes / bybe e the goost faren butAc for goode men god woote greate doole ~~..y~~menG.16.149: The word replaced by men is barely visible, but it seems possible that a small mark beneath the <n> may represent the remains of a <y>, in which case it may have been "they." maken & by-meannen good meyte-gyuvers & In mynd hauven yeIn prears &and in pennance and yn perfytt charyte whatt ys charyte quod I tho / a chyldysshe thyng he sayde nisi efficiamini sicut paruuli non intrabitis in regnovm celorum wythoute fauvntelte or folye a fre lyberall wyll where sholde menmen fynde suoche a frende wyth so fre an harte I haue lyuved In londe quod I my name ys long wyll and fouvnde I neuer full charyte byfore ne beynde men beene mercyable to mendynantz & to pouerrepoure botheporeG.16.158: There is an otiose expansion mark over the of poure as if the scribe anticipated "pouerte." See note to G.15.292 and the reading at G.15.298. & wyll leane there þei leuve leally to be payde butAcBut not for charyte þat paule preysethe best & most pleasethe our sauvyour nonAs nonIs nonG.16.161: C shares the G C B reading non, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read As non or Is non. inflatur non est ambiciosa non querit que sua sunt I seygh neuer suoche a man so me god helpe that he ne wolde aske after hys & other-whyle couveyte thyng þat nedythe hym noght & nyme yt yff he myght clerkes kenne me that cryste ys In all places butAc I segheG.16.166: The words I seghe have been re-outlined in darker ink. hym neuer sothely but as my-selfe yn a myrrouvr Ita in enigmate tunc facie ad faciem: & so I trowe trewly by þat men tell off charyte ytt ys nonouȝtG.16.169: Hm's reading no, shared with G F, is over an erasure. Remaining manuscripts read nouȝt. champyons fyght / ne chaffayre as I trowe charyte quod he ne chafferethe noght ne chalegethechale[n]gethechalengeth ne crauvethe as prouvde off a peny as off a pouvnd off golde & ys as glade off a gowne off a grey ruvssett as off a tuvnycle off tarce or off tryedtrye skarlett he ys gladde towith all gladde & goode totil all wycked & lenvythebeleviþleneth & louvethe all þat our lorde made cuvrsethe he no creature ne he can beyre no wrathe ne no lykyng hathe to lye ne lauvghe men to scorne & allAl þat men seyne he letethelet it sothe & yn solace takethe & all maner myscheffes In myldenes he sufferethe couvetethe he non yerlyerthlyerlyG.16.180: Since in G an initial letter <y> is often added to words beginning with <e> (see Introduction III.4.4), it seems likely that G's reading yerly (for most manuscripts erthly) is effectively the same as the reading in F (i.e. erly). goode but heyuven-ryche blysse hathe he any rentes or ryches or anyany riche frendes off rentes ne off ryches recchethe he neuver for a frende þat fyndethe hym fayled hym neuer at nede fiat voluntas tua : fynt hym euver-more & yff he souvpe he eytethe but a soppe off spera in deo he can pourtrye well þe pater-noster & paynte yt wyth auvees & other-wyle he wonthe is wonedis his wonehe is wonne to wendwend on pylgyrymages there pore men & prysoners lyggen ther perdone to haue thogh he beyre theyme noG.16.189: The G reading here could possibly be ne rather than no. bred he beyrethebereth hem swetter lyuveloode louvethe ashem as our lorde byddythe & lokethe how they fare & when he ys wery off that worke þen wole he some-tyme laboren yn lauvendrye well þe lenght off a myle and yerne In-to trouvghtþoutȝouthe & ȝepelyche speke pryde wyth all þerþe appuvrtenancys & packen þem to-gydders & bouvken theym att hys brest & bowkenbeten theym cleyne & lyggenleggen on long wyth laboraui in gemitu meo : & wyth warme water att hys eyen wasshen theym after & þen he syngethe when he doethe so & some-tyme sayethe wepyng cor contritum et humiliatum deus non dispicies : butBy cryst I wolde Iþat I knewe hym no creature leuvere wyth-oute helpe off pyers plowman quod he hys person seeste þou neuer where clerkes knowe hym quod I þat kepen holy cherche clerkes haue no knowyng quod he but by workes & wordes butAc pyers þe plowman perceyuvethe more depper where ys þe wyll & wherfore þat many amanyG.16.205: C2 originally shared the majority B reading many, but a superlinear a has been added, bringing C2's reading into line with that of G O (i.e. many a). wyght sufferythe et vidit deus cogitationes eorum :// for þer are full prouvde herted men pacyent off tong and buxome as off beyryng to burgesys & to lordes & to pouvre poeple haue peppur In þe nose and as a lyon he lokethe ther men lakken hys workes for þer are bugeysysbu[r]geysysbeggeresG.16.211: For the G spelling bugeysys, see also G.4.164. & bydders beydemen as ytt were loken as lambren & semyn lyffe-holy butAc ytt ys more to haue þer meyte In suoyche maneresy manere then for pennance or perfyttnes the pouverte þat suoche takethe therfore by colouvr ne by clargy knowe shalt þou hym neuer nether thrugh wordes ne workes but thrugh wyll aloneone & þat knoethe no clerke ne creature yn yerthe but pyers þe plowman : :petrus id est cristus : for he ys noght yn lollers ne yn lewdelande lepers hermytes ne at ankers there a box hangethe all suoyche þei fayten Fye vp-onon Faytouvrs and onin fautores suos for charyte tois goddes champyon & as a goode chylde hende & þe meryest off mouvthe att meyte wher he syttethe the louve þat leyethe yn hys herte makethe hym ~~hym~~ lyght of speche & ys compaygnable & confortyveconfortatyf as cryst bytt hym-seluve nolite fieri sicut ipocrite tristes :// for I haue seene hym in sylke & some-tyme InG.16.227: Capital plus abbreviation mark is unusual as a spelling of "in" in this manuscript, and it seems likely that the scribe anticipated a clause with I as subject. ruvssett bothe yn grey & yn grys and yn gylte harnes and as gladlyche he ytt gaffe to goomes þat ytt neded edmuvnd & edward ether were kynges and seyntes y-sett tyll charyte theym folowed I haue seene charyte also syngen & reden byddenRyden & rennen yn ragged weedes forAc byddyng as beggers doonebeggeres byheld I hym neuer butAc In ryche roobes rathest he walkethe y-called & crymaylledycrimiled & hys crowne shauve & clenlyche y-clothed In cypres & In tartaryne and In a freres frocke he was fouvnde oonesce butAc ytt ys fare a-goo In seynte franceyes tyme and In þat secte ~~sylde~~ sythe to selde hathe he be knowen ryche men he recommendythe &and of theyre robes takethe that wythowten wyles leyden theyre lyuves beatus est diues qui et cetera// yn þeIn kynges couvrte he comethe oft þer þe counseyll ys trewe butAc yff couvetyse be offof þe couvnseyle wehe wyll not comme þerynne In couvrt among Iapers he comethe butnot butG.16.246: Kane and Donaldson emend to the G L M R reading but, which is also the reading of Cx, though the latter has a different a-verse. Most B manuscripts read not but. selde For brauvlyng & backbytyng & beyryng off falsce wyttnes InIn þe consystorye before þe commyssorye he comethe not full ofte for þer lawe duvrethe ouer long but yff þei lacche syluver & matrymoygne for ~~off~~ money maken & vnmaken and þat coscyenceco[n]scyenceconscience & cryste hathe knyttyknitte faste they vndone yt vnworthylye þesþo doctouvrs off lawe butAc I ne lack no lyffe but lord amend vs all & gyve yvs grace good god charyte to folowe for wowho-so myght mete wyth hym suoche maners hym aylethe nether he bannethe ne blamethe ne bostethebosteth ne preysethe G.16.257: This and the following line appear in reverse order in Bx. All β4 manuscripts share G's order.crauvethe ne couvetythe ne cryethe after more lackethe ne losethe ne lookethe vp sterne In pace inidipsumin idipsum dormiam et requiescam& cetera& requiescam & cetera :// þe most loyuveloode he lyuvethe by ys louve yn goddes passyon nether he byddethe ne beggethe ne borowethe to yelde myssdoethe he no man ne wyth hys mouvthe greuvethe amongest crystyen men thys mylednes shuolde laste In all maner angres haue þis Inat herte that thogh þei suffered all thys godG.16.265: The form of the <d> in god resembles that used in the rubricated sections of the text. fsufferedG.16.265: Possibly the initial letter of suffered was originally <ff>. In any case, this letter has been blocked in so that the cross-bar is no longer visible. for vs more In ensample we shuolde do soo and take no wengeance off our foos þat doone vs falssnes that .ys our fadres wyll for well may euery man wytte yff godgod hadde wolde hym-seluve shulde neuer Iudas ne Iewe haue Iesu doone on roode ne haue martered petur ne poule Inne inG.16.270: M originally shared G's reading In, but supralinear ne has been added by M's hand2, giving ne in, which corresponds to the reading of remaining B manuscripts. pryson holden butAc he suffered yn ensample þat wewe shulde suffre also and seyde to suoyche þat suffer wolde þat pacientes vincunt : verbi gracia quod he & verrey ensamples manye In ligenda sanctormsanctor[u]msanctorum the lyffe off holy seyntes what pennance & pouverte & passyon theþeiG.16.275:The G scribe regualarly uses the weak form of the pronoun, "the," for remaining B manuscripts "they." See note to G.6.195. suffered yn hongre & yn heate yn all maner angres antony & egydy & other holy fadres woneden In wyldernes amongest wylde beastes monkes & mondynantzm[e]ndynantzmendynauntz men by theym-seluve In spekes & speklonvkesspelo[n]kesspelonkesG.16.280:The original shared G C Y B misreading (speklonkes for spelonkes) has been corrected in Cot. seelde speke to-gyddres butAc neuernoyther antonye ne egydy ne herymytesheremite þat tyme off lyons nene of leopardes no lyuveloode ne tooke but off fouvles þat flyghen þus fynd men In bookes except þat egyde after an hynde cryed and thrughe þe mylke off þat mylde beaste þe man was susteyned and day by day had he hyr noght hys hongre for to slake but seldeselden & sondrye tymes as sayethe þe boke & teychethe antonye a dayes abouvte noone tyme had a bryd þat broght hym breyd þat he by lyuved & thoghe þe goome had a gest : god fond theym bothe poul primus heremita had parrokked hym-seluve that no man myght hym see for mosse & for leyuves Fouvhles hym fedde fellfeleG.16.293: For G's treatment of B fele (appearing here as G Cr fell), see note to G.4.349. wynters wythe all tyll he fownded freres off auvguvstynesaustines ordre poule after hys preychyng panȝers he made and wanne wyth hyns G.16.296: A curved stroke has been added to the bottom of the <n> of original hyn, forming a loop, and this then continues upwards to form the riser of a sigma <s>. handys þat hys wombe nedetheneded petur fysshed for hys foode & hys felowe andrewe some þei solde & some they soothe / & so they lyuved bothe & also marye magdalyne by moores lyuved & dewes butAc most thrughe deuvotyon and mynd off god almyghtye I shold not thys seyuven dayes seggen theym all that lyuvyden thysþusG.16.302: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. for oure lordys louve many long yeres butAc there ne was lyon ne leoparde that on landeslaundeslondeG.16.303: The G Cr B reading landes may simply be a variant spelling of the majority reading laundes. See OED laund. wenten netherNoyther bere ne borre ne other beaste wylde that ne fell to theyre feete and fauvned wyth þerþe tayles and yff þei couvlde haue carpedycarped by cryste as I trowe they wold haue feeddey-fed þat folke byfore wylde fowles butAc god send þem foode by foughles & by no wyldefierse beastes In meanyng þat meke thyng / mylde thyng sholde feede as wo seyethe relygyouvse ryghtfull men sholde fynde and lawfull men to lyffholy men lyuveloode bryng & þen wolde lordes & ladyes be lothe to agylte & to take off theyre tenantes more then trowgh wolde Fond þei þat freres wold forsake theyre almes & bydden them beyre ytt þer ytt was y-borowed for we be goddes fowheles & abyden allway tyll bryddes bryng vs meate þat we shuolde lyuve by For had ye potage & payne &ynough and penny ale y-nogheto drynke and a meyse þer-mydde off any maner kynd ye had ryght ynowghe ye rylygoyouvse soand so your reuvle me tolde numquam dicit Iob rugit onager cum herbam habuerit : aut : mugiet bos cum ante seante plenum presepe steterit: brutorum animalium natura te condemnat: quia cum eis pabulum comune sufficiat ex adipe prodijt iniquitas tua://G.16.322: The following nine lines have been bracketed by WH, who has added a note in the margin. See G.16.325. yff lewde men knewe thys laten: þei wolde loocke towhom þei gyuve and auyse þem a-forebifore fyuvea fyue dayes ~~off~~ or syxe er they amortysed to monkes &or chanons þer rentesWH nota hic alas lordes & ladyes lewde couvnceyle haue yede Religione to gyuve fro your heyres þat your ayeles hadȝow lefte and gyuvethe to bydde for you to suoche þat beene ryche and beene fouvnded & feastedfeffed eke to bydde for other who perfouvrnethe þis profecye off þe poeple þat nowe lyuvethe dispersit dedit pauperibus://nota de fratribus This marginal comment is in the same hand as the addition by WH at the bottom of the previous page. A vertical line in the same ink runs from G.16.333 to G.16.347. yff any poeple perfomeperfo[r]meperfourme þis texte ytt are þe pore freres For þat þei beggen aboute In beeldyng they spendespenespend itit spendeG.16.332: Kane and Donaldson emend to the G C2 B R reading "spend." Remaining B manuscripts read spene, spend it or it spende. onAnd on theyrehem-seluve some & onand suoche as beene þeir laborouvrs & offof hem þat haue þei taken and gyve theym þat ne hauvethe butAc clerkes & knyghtes & comuvners þat beene ryche feele howFele ofG.16.336: For G's treatment of B fele (appearing here as feele), see note to G.4.349. you faren / &as yff I a forest hadde that were full off fayre trees & y fouvnded & caste G.16.337: Parts of the last two words of this line appear to have been re-outlined in black ink. how I myght moo therynne amonges þem sett ryght so rycheȝe riche ye robbe þem þatþat be ryche & helpen þem þat helpen you & gyuvethe there no nede ys as wo-so fyllede a tonne off a fresshe ryuver & went forthe wyth þat water / to awokewoke wyth tensmsse ryght so ye ryche robbetheG.16.343: The majority of manuscripts share G's reading "robbeth," but the correct reading is clearly "robeth," i.e. "clothe." The G scribe himself was clearly aware of the possibility of indicating long and short vowels by means of single and double consonants, but his practice in this respect was by no means consistent and it is therefore unclear which word he intended (see Introduction III.2). & fedethe them þat haue as ye haue yehem ȝe make att ease buttAc relygyouvse þat ryche beene shuolde rather feaste beggers then burgesys þat ryche beene as þe booke teychethe quia sacralegium est res pauperum non pauperibus dare: Item peccatoribus ~~est~~ dare est demonibus immolare : Item: monache si indiges & accipis pocius das quam accipis: si autem non eges et accipis rapis : porro non indiget: monacus si habeat quod nature sufficit ://G.16.347: The rubricated section is bracketed in red on the right. Although some of the line breaks coincide with the end of a quotation, this is not true of all and the arrangement therefore does not seem to be deliberate. forthye I couvnseyle all crystyen to confouvrme them to charyte For charyte wythoute chalyngyng vnchargethe þe souvle & many a prysonerprisoneprisoners fro puvrgatorye thrugh hys preyers delyuerythebutAc þer ys a defauvte yn þe folke þat the lawefaith kepe wherfore folke ys the febylyer & not fyrme off byleuve and In luvsburwes ais a lyther a-lay / aand yete lokethe he lyke a sterlyng the merke off þat money ys good / butac þe meytell ys feble & so ytt farethe by some folke nowe þei haue a fayre speche crowne & crystendome the kynges merke off heyuven butAc þe mettell þat ys mannes souvle wyth synne ys fowle alayedG.16.358: G C B F omit a line at this point ("Bothe lettred and lewede · beth allayed now with synne"). that no lyfe nelyf louvethe other ne our lorde as ytt semethe for thrugh warre & wycked workes & wedders vnreasonable wytherWeder wysse shyppmen & wytty clerkes also haue no byleuve to þe . lystlifte / ne to þe loore off phylossophers astronomyens all day In theyre artesarte fayllen that wyllhome warned byfore what shuolde fall after shypmen & sheppardes that wyth shypp & shepe wenten wysten by þe welkne what sholde betyde as off wedders wyndesand wyndes they warned men ofte tylyers þat tylyed þe yerthe toolden theyre masters by þe seede þat þei sheweseweG.16.368: Given the variation beween <s> and <sh> spellings in G (see Introduction III.4.1), G shewe for remaining manuscripts sewe may be a spelling variant rather than a separate lexical item. / what they sell myght & what to leyuve & what to lyuve by þe lande was so trewe now faylethe þe folke off the floode & off the land bothe shepperdes & shypmen & so do thes tylyers netherNoither þei konne ne knowenG.16.372: The last two words of this half line are in a slightly more formal script: the riser of the <k> in particular resembles those of letters used in the rubricated sections. oon couvrse a-forebi-for a-nother astromonyens also are att theyr wyttes ende off þat was calclede off þe elymentes þe contrary þei fynde gramere þe grounde off all bygylethe now chyldren For ys non off þes newe clerkes who-so nymmethe hede that canne versyfye fayre orne fouvrmelyche endyte ne not on amonge an huvndrethe anþat an auvtour can constrewe ne rede a l.etter In any langage but latyn & enghlysshe go now to any degre butand but yff gyle be mastre & flatterer hys felowe vndre hym to fouvrme moche wondre me thynkethe among vs all doctouvrs off decrees / & off dyuynyte masters that sholde konne & knowe alkynnes clargye and answere to arguvmentes and also to a quodlibet I dare not segge ytt for shame yf suoche were apposed they sholde fayle ynof þeir phylosophy & yn þeirin physyck bothe wherfore I am a-ferde off folke off holy churche lest þei ouerhyppen as other done yn offyce & yn houvrs butAc yff þei ouerhyppe as I hope noght our byleuve suffysethe as clerkes yn corpus cristi feaste syngen & reden that sola fides sufficit to sauve suochewith lewde poeple and so may sarazenes be sauved scrybes & Iewes alas þen but our loorsmen lyuven as þei teycheleren vs þatAnd for þeir lyuvynglyuynge þat lewdmenlewd men bebe þe lother god to agylteagulten For sarazenes haue somewhat semyng to our byleuve For þei louve & byleuve In on person almyghty and we lered & lewde In on god byleuve and on (macomethe)G.16.399: For the G scribe's use of brackets, see note to G.6.597. a man yn myssbyleuve broght sarazenes off surre and see In whatt maner theys macomethe was crystyen & for he myghtmoste not be p.apeG.16.401: The scribe uses an unusual double-lobed <a> for the alteration to pape. In-to surre he soght & thrugh hys subtyle wyttes he davn.tedDaunted a dove and day & nyght hyr fedde the corne þat she cropped / he cast ytt yn heys eyre and yff he among þe poeple preyched / or yn place came then wolde þe cuvluver come In-toto the clerkes eyre menyng as after meyte (þus macomethe) hyr enchanted and dyd folkefolke þanneG.16.408: Manuscript O originally shared the G Cr Y F reading folke (for remaining manuscripts folke þanne), but supralinear þanne has been added in O. fall on knees / for he sware In hys preychyng that þe cuvluver þat came so came from god off heyuven as mesenger to macomethe men for to teyche & þus thrugh wyles off hys wytt and a whyte dowe macchomett yn myssbyleuve men & wemen broght þat lered & lewde yett leeuen on hys lawes & sythe our sauvyour suffered þe sarazenes so begyled thrugh a cuvrsedcrystene clerke acuvrsed In hys soulenota bene Marginal nota bene has clearly been written by WH. For an initialled marginal addition in this hand, see G.16.325.m.1. & for drede off detheþe deth I dare nott tell þe trewthetreuthe how englysshe clerkes a coluver feden þat couvetouvsecoueityse hatte & bynne manered after macomethe þat no man vsethe trewthe ancres & heremytes moonkesand monkes & freres peren to appostels thrugh þeir perfytt lyuvyng wold neuer þe feythfull father þat hys mynysters sholde off tyrantes þat teene trew men taken any almesse but doone as antony dyd domynycke & fraunceys benett & bernard wycheþe which theym furst taght to lyuve by ly.ttulleG.16.425: The first <t> of "little" apparently started out as another letter; the upright stroke rises above the usual level and the top has been lined through in brown ink. & yn lowe howses / by leelle menes almesse grace shold growe & be greene thrugh þeir good lyuvyng & folkes sholde fynde þat been In greatedyuerse sycknes the better for theyr byddyngbyddynges In bodyesbody & yn souvlessoule theyr preyers & theyre pennances to peasce sholde brynge all þat bynne att debate and redemen beenbedemen were trewe petite et accipietis & cetera// salt sauvethe catell seggen thes wyuves vos esteis sal terre et cetera the beydesheuedes off holy churche and þei holye were cryste callethe þem salt for crysten soules et si sal euanerit in quo salietur : butAc fresshe flessehe other fysshe when ytt salt faylethe ytt ys vnsauery for-sothe y-soothe or bakeybake so ys mannes soule sothely þat seethe no good ensample off theym off holycherche þat þe hyghe way sholde teyche and be gyde & go before as a goode baner & hardye þem þat be beyndebihynde ben / & gyuve þem goode euvydence elleuene holye men all þe worlde tuvrned In-to leele byleuve þe lyghtlyerliȝtloker me thynkethe shold all maner men / we haue so many masters prestes & preychouvrs & a pope above that goddes salte sholdbeshold be / to sauve mannes soule all was hethenes some-tyme england & wales tyll gregory madegerte clerkes to go & to preyche auguvstyneAustyn att cantuvrbury crystyned þe kyng & thrugh myracles as men mowe rede all þat marche touvrnedhe torned to cryste & to crystendome þeand cros to honore and fulled folke fast and þe faythe taghte more thrugh myracles þen thrugh moche preychyng as well thrughe hys werkes as wyth hys woly wordes & seyde þem what fullyng & faythe was to meane clothe þat commethe fro wetyngþe weuyng ys not comelye to weyreG.16.457: What may appear to be an extra character at the end of the line is red ink transferred from the opposite page. tyll ytt be fulled vndre foote or yn fullyng stockes whassen well wyth water & wyth taseles cracched y-touvked & y-teynted & vndre teylyouvrs hande & soo ytt farethe by a barne þat borne ys off wombe tyll yt be crystyned In crystes name & consermedcon[f]ermed ofof þe bysshope ytt ys heythen as to heyuvenwarde & helples to þe soule heythen ys to meane after hethe & vntyled yerthe as In wylde wyldernes wexen wylde beastes ryvde & vnreysonable rennyng wyth-owte crepreskeperescropierscropers ye nymmethetakemenenmennenmynnen well whathow mathew sayethe how a man made a feaste he fedde þem wyth no weneson ne pheysandes y-bake but wyth fouheles þat from hym nolde but folowed hys wystylyng ecce altilia mea et omnia parata sunt et cetera : & wythe caluves flesshe he fedde þe folke þat he louved the calffe betokenethe cleynnes In theym þat kepe þekepeth lawes for as þe kowe thrughe ..kynd mylke þe calffe norysshethe totil an oxe so louve & lealte lewdelele men susteyane and meydens & mylde men marcy desyren ryght as þe kowe kalffe coueytythe sweete mylke so doone ryghfull men mercy & trewthe G.16.477: Fourteen lines which appear at this point in Kane and Donaldson's edition (KD.15.472-85) are found only in R. butAc who beene þat excuvsen þem / þat are persones & preestes that hedes off holye churche beene / þat haue þeir wyll here wythoute trauvell þe tythe doledel / þat trewe men byswynken they wylbewyl be wrothe þat I wrootefor I write þisþusG.16.481: Once again, in the case of G at least, it is possible that "this" (for remaining manuscripts "thus") is simply a spelling variant. See note to G.4.76. / butac to wyttnes I take bothe mathewe & marke & memento domine dauid:// what pope or prelate nowe perfouvrmethe þat cryste hyght Ite in vniuersum mundum et predicate et cetera :// alas þat men so longe on machomethe shoolde byleuve so many preelates to preche as þe pope makethe off nazarethe off nynyuve off neptalyn offand damaske that þei ne went as cryst wyssethe sythe þei wyll hauve name to be pastouvrs & preyche þe passyon off :Iesus : & as hym-selffe sayde toso to lyuve & dye bonus pastor animam suam ponit & cetera // and seyde ytt yn saluvatyon off sarazenes & Iewesother for crystene & vncrystene cryst sayde to preychers Ite vos in vineam meam et cetera & sythe þat þes sarazenes scrybes and Iewes haue a lyppe off our byleuve / þe lyghtlyer me thynkethe þei sholde torne wowho-so trauveyle wolde to teyche þem off þe trynyte querite et inuenietis et cetera //G ytt ys reuvthe to rede howe ryght-wysmenwys men lyuvyden how þei defouvlled þeir flesshe forsooke theyr owen wyll farre fro kythe & from kynne yuvell clothedyclothed yeden badly cladeybedded no booke but conscyence ne no ryches but þe roode to reiIoyce theym ynne absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri et cetera // and þo was pleynte & peasce among pouvre & ryche and now ys reuvthe to rede how þe redde noble ys reuerensed are þe roode receyued for þe worthyer then crystes cros þat ouercame dethe & deadly synnessynneWH prophycie WH also adds the bracket around the following six lines. & nowe ys warre & wo & who-so whye askethe For couvetyse after cros þe crowne stand In golde bothe ryche & relygyouvse that roode they honoren that yn þe grotegrotes ys I-grauaeG.16.512: For the G scribe's treatment of superscript <a>, see note to G.3.157. / & yn þein gold nobles For couvetyse off þat cros men off holye kyrke shall torne as templers dyd þe tyme approchethe fast wote ye nat ye wyssewyse men howe þo men honored more treasure þen trewthe I dare not tell þe sothe reason & ryghtfull dome þo relygyouvse demed ryght so ye clerkes for your couvetyse er long shall þei deemen / dos ecclesie / & your pryde depoosseG.15.519: The original <o> of deposse is blotted so the supralinear <o> may simply be there to replace it. There is no caret mark. deposuit potentes de sede & cetera // yff kynghthoodek[ny]ghthoodeknyȝthod & kynd wytt & comuvne conscyence to-geddres louve leely leuvethe ytt well ye bysshopes the lordshyppe off landelondes for euver ye shall lese and lyuven as leuvytesleuitici as our lorde you teychethe per primitias et ~~diuitias~~decemasG.16.525: G's original reading diuitias is also the reading of C Y B. Remaining B manuscripts share G's corrected reading decemas. & cetera when constantyne off couvrtesye holy cherche dowed wyth landes & leedes lordshyppes & rentes an angell men herd an hyghe att rome crye dos ecclesie thys day hathe dronkeydronke wenome and þo þat haue peturs power are empoysonedapoysoned allnota bene a medycyne movste þerto þat may amend preelatespro episcopis that shold pray for þe peas possessyon þem lettethe take theyre landes ye lordes & lett þem lyuve by þeir dymesdymes yff possessyon be poysone & ymperfytt þem make good were to dyscharedyschar[g]edischargen þem for holy cherches sake & puvrgen þem off poyson er more peryll fall yff preesthoode were perfytt þe poeple woldshulde amend that contraryen crystes lawe & crystendome despyse for all paynemes preyen & perfyttlye byleuven In þe holy greate god and hys grace þei asken & make þeir moone to macomethe þeir message to shewe thus In a faythe ~~lyue~~ leeuve þat folke / & yn a falsce meane & þat ys reuvthe for ryghtfull men þat yn þe realme wonynenG.16.543:The tail of the <y> of original wonyen (altered to wonnen) is faintly visible. For other class II weak verbs in G, see Introduction III.4.3. & ynin aa perell forto þe pope & preelates þat he makethe that beyre bysshoppes names off bethelem & off babylon that hyppe a-bowte en englande to halowe mennes awtres & crepe amonge curatouvrs confessyonconfessen / g ageynst þe lawe nolite mittere falcem in messem alienam :// many man for crystes louve was martered yn romaygne er any creystendome was knowe þ.er / or any cros honouvred euery bysshoppe þat beyrythe cros by that he ys holden thrugh hys prouvynce to passe & to hys poeple shewe hym tellen þem & teychen þem on þe trynyte to byleuve & feden þem wyth gostlye foode & gyuve there ytt nedethe In domo mea non est panis neque vestimentum et ideo nolite constituere me in regemG.16.556: These two rubricated lines have been bracketed together in red on the right. ozias sayethe þat forfor suoyche asþat seeke bene & feble Inferte omnes decimas in orreum meum vt cibus in domo & cetera// butAc we crysten creatures þat on þe cros byleuven are fyrme enas in þe feythe godgoddesG.16.560: M originally shared the majority B reading goddes, but the genitive inflexion -us has been deleted, giving god, as also G Cr23 Hm. forbydeforbode elles & haue clerkes to kepe vs therynne / & þem þatþat shal comethecome after and Iewes leyuvenG.16.562: For original G leuen, compare C2 leuen, F beleven. Most B manuscripts have lyuen. See also note to G.14.102. In leele lawe / our lorde wrote hym-seluve In stonne for ytt stydfaste ys & stand shallsholde for euereure dilige deum et proximum : ys perfytt Iewes lawe heAnd heAc heAndG.16.565: Kane and Donaldson do not record G's variant he; presumably they read it as <&>. In fact it is a careless <h> followed by a backwards facing <e>. Contrast with the two ampersands immediately below. toke ytt moyses to teyche men tyll messye came & on þat lawe þei leeuven yett & letten ytt þe best & yett knowe þei cryste þat crystendome taghte for a perfytt prophete þat moche poeple sauved off selcouvthe soores þei seyen ytt offte botheBothe of myracles & merweles & howe he men feasted wyth two fysshes & fyuve looves fyuve thowsand poeple & by þat mangerye men myght seewel se þat messye he semed & when he lyffte vp lazar that leyde was yn grauve and vndre stonne deyde & stanke wyth styffe woyce &hym called lazare veni foras : dyde hym ryse & roomvnerov[m]erowmeG.16.576: The corrector has written <v> over the second <o> of original roome and the first minim of the <m>, but the intention was probably to end up with rovme. ryght before þe Iewes butAc þei seyden & sware wyth sorcyrye he wroght and stuvdyeden hym to stroyeto stroyen hym and stroiden þemseluve and thrugh pacyencehis pacyence þeir powere to puvre noght he broght pacientes vincunt : danyell off þeir vndoyng dyuvyned & seyde cum sanctus sanctorum veniat cessabit vnccio vestra : & yett wenen þo wrecches þat he were pheudop[s]eudopseudo-propheta : and þat ys loore be leysynges & lakken ytt all & hoope þat he be to come þat shall þem releuve mosyes efte or messye theyr masters þei dyuvynenȝet deuyneth butAc sarazenes pharaseyessarazens and pharaseespharesewes and sarsenes scrybes & greekes ere folke off on faythe þe fadre god they honouvren & sythe þat þe sarazenes & also þe Iewes cane þe furste clauvse off our byleuve credo In deum patrempatrem omnipotentem prelates andof crysten prouvyncez sholde prouve yff þei myght lere þem byhem lytlelitlum & lytlelytlum et in Iesum cristum filium eius & cetera: tyll þei couvlde speeke & spell et in spiritum sanctum & cetera & d redenreden it & recorden ytt wyth remissionem peccatorum carnis resurrexionem et vitam eternam amenexplicit primus passus de doobetter Nowe fayre fall you quod y þo / for your fayre shewyng for haukyns louve þe actyuve man euer I shall you louve butAc yett I am In a were / whate charyte ys to meane ytt ys a full tryedtrye tree quod he trewly to tell mercy ys þe more þeroffe þe mydle stokke ys reuvthe þe leyuves beene leele workdesG.17.6: The correction of work- to word- has affected the <s> of speche in the line below. / þe lawe off holy cherche þe blossomes beene buxome speche & benyng lokyng pacyence hatt þe puvre tree & puvre symple off herte & so thrugh god & good men growethe þe fruvte charyte I wold trauvell quod I þis tree to se xxtitwenti honderethe mylesmyle & to haue my wyllfylle off þat fruvyte forsake all other sauvleessaulee lorde quod I yff any wyght wytte whydre owte ytt growethe ytt growethe yn a garden quod he þat god made hym-seluve amyddes mannes bodye the more offis of þat stocke herte hatte þat herbouvre / þat yn yttit in growethe and liberum arbitrium: hathe þe lande to ferme vndre pyers þe plowman to pyken ytt & weden ytt pyers þe plowman quod I þo & all for puvre Ioy that I harde nyuynvenyuy[n]enempne hys name anon I swoned after & lay long yn a louve dreame & at þe last me thoght that pyers þe plowman all þe place me shewede & bad me toten on þe tree on top & on roote wyth ~~theyr~~iijthreG.17.23: It looks as if some attempt may have been made to overwrite (i.e. to alter theyr to thre) but this has been abandoned and iij has been added above the line. pyles was ytt pyght vndrevnder-piȝte I perceyuvyd ytt soone pyers quod I I pray þe whoy stand thes pykespiles here for wyndys wyllthowe w~~ith~~ytte quod he to wytten ytt from fallyng cum ceciderit Iustus non collidetur quia dominus supponit manum suam and yn bloowyng tyme abyte thees flowers but yf þes pyles helpe the worlde ys a wycked wynde to þem þat wyllen trewthe couvetyse comethe off þat wynde & crepethe amonge þe leyuves and forfreytethe neghe þe fruvyte thrugh many fayre syghtes then wyth þe fuvrste pyle I pull hym downe potentiaþat is potencia dei patris: the flesshe ys a fell wynd & yn floweryng tyme thrugh lykyng & luvstes so lowde he gynnethe blawe þat norysshyngit norissheth nyce syghtes & some-tyme wordes & wycked werkes theroff wormes off synne and forbytethe þe blossomes ryghte so the bare leyuves then sett y to þe second pyle sapientia dei ~~patris~~ : filijjpatris that ys þe passyon & þe power off our prynce Iesu thrugh prears & pennances & goddes passyon yn mynd I sauve ytt tyll I se ytt rype & somedeale y-fruvyted & þen fondethe þe fende my fruvyte to dystroye wyth all þe wyles þat he can & wacchethewaggeth the roote & castethe vp yn-toto þe croppe vnkynd neghbouvrs bakbyters breyke-crheste brauvlers & chydres & leyethe a ladder therto off leysynges are þe longesronges and facchethe a-way my flowersfloures sumtyme beforeafor bothe myne eyne butAc liberum arbitrium lettethe hym some-tyme that ys leuvetenauntG.17.48: For the G scribe's treatment of superscript <a> (here used as an abbreviation for <n>), see note to G.4.156. to loke ytt well by leyuve off my-seluve videatis qui peccat in spiritum sanctum numquam remittetur et cetera hoc est idem qui peccat per liborum arbitrium non renpugnatrepugnatrepugnat:G.17.49: The rubricated lines are bracketed together in red on the right. butAc when þe fende & þe flesshe & forthforth wyth þe worlde manasetheG.17.51: The <s> of manasethe is heavily filled in in black ink and there may be some overwriting here. byhynde me my fruvyte for to fecche then liberum arbitrium lacchethe þe fuvrste plante and pallothe downeadown þe pouke puvrelyche thruvghe grace and helpe off þe holye gooste and þus hauve I the mastrye now fayre fall you pyers quod y so fayre youȝeG.17.55: For the G scribe's use of you for remaining manuscripts ȝe, see note to G.2.180. dyscryuve the power off þes postes & theyre propre myght and y haue thoghtes a ~~the~~Fevethreve off thes thre pyles In what woode þeþeiG.17.58: For the G scribe's use of the weak form of the third person plural pronoun (i.e. "the" for remaining manuscripts "they"), see note to G.6.150. wexenwoxenwaxenG.17.58: The verb as it appears in G M Y (i.e. wexen, for most manuscripts woxen) could be in either the preterite (as Bx) or the present tense. & where þat they growed for allalle ar þei ylyche longe non lasse then other & to my mynde as me thynkethe on oone more þei growegrowedgrewe & of oon greytnes & grene of greyne they sementhat ys sothe quod pyers soso it myghtmay byfalleI shall tell þe as tyte whatt þis tree hatte the grownde þer ytt growethe goodnes ytt hyght IAnd I haue tolde þe whatt ytt hyghthiȝte þe tree þe trynyte ytt meaneth & egrelyche he loked on me & þerfore y spared to aske hym any more þeroff & bad hym full fayre to descryuve þe fruvte þat so fayre hangethe hereHere now byneythe quod yhe þo / yff y nede hadde & matrymoygneMatrymonye I may y nymme a moyst fruvyte wythall þatÞanne conscyencecontenence ys nere þe croppe as kalawey basterde then beyrythe þe croppe kynde fruvyte & cleynnesclenneste off all mayden-heyde angeles pyeres & rathest wylbewyl be rype & swete wyth-oute swellyng soresoure worthe ytt neuver I preyed pyers to pull downeadown an appuvll & he wolde & suffer me to assay what sauvoyre ytt hadde & pyeres cast to þe croppe / & þen comsed ytt to crye & wagged wydowhoode & ytt wepte after & when ytt mouved matrymoygne ytt made a fowle noyse that y hadde ruvethe when pyers rogged yt greadeG.17.80: For the G scribe's treatment of superscript <a>, see note to G.3.157. so rewfullyche for euer as þei dropped downeadown þe deuvell was redye & gadered theyme all to-gedders bothe greate & smale adam & euveabraham & ysaye þe ~~profete~~prophete sampson & samuvell & seynte Ihon the baptyst bare theym forthe boldly no bodye theymhym letted & made off holye men mynehis hoorde in limbo inferni : there ys derknes & derede & the deuvell master & pyers for puvre teene þat oone pyle he lauvghte & henthitte after hym h~~ent~~appe howe ytt myght filius by the fadre wyll & frenesse off spiritus sanctussanctiG.17.90: It is difficult to be certain what is intended here. Both "spiritus" and "sanctus(?)" end with the same abbreviation (a backward curve rising from the bar of the <t>). : to go robbe þat ragman & reyuve þe fruvyte from hym & then spake spiritus sanctus : In gabryelles mowthe to a mayde þat hyght marye a meke thyng wyth-all that oon Iesu a Iuvstyce sonne most Ioyuvke yn hyr chambre tyll plenitudo temporis fully come were that pyers fruvyte flouvred & fell to be rype and then sholde Iesu Iuvst therfore by Iuvgment off armes whether sholde fong þe fruvyte the fende or hym-seluve the maydenmayde ~~mydl~~ myldelyche þo / þe messangre graunted G.17.99: For the G scribe's treatment of superscript <a> (here treated as an abbreveiation for <n>), see note to G.4.156. & seyde hendlyche to hym lowe me hys hand meyden for to worchen hys wyll wyth-owte any synne ecce ancilla domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum : & yn þe wombe off þat wenche was he fouvrty wekes tyll he wexe a fauvnte thruvgh hysher flesshe & off fyghtyng ~~koug~~couvthe to haue foght wyth þe fende ere full tyme came & pyers the plowman perceyuved plenere tyme & lered hym lechecrafte hys lyve for to sauve þat thogh he were wouvnded wyth hys enmye to warrysshe hym-seluve & dyd hym assay hys suvrgerye on þem þat syke were tyll he werewas perfytt practysouvr yff any perell fell & soght owte þe syke & synnfull bothe & sauvedsalued sycke & synnfull bothe blynde & croked & commen women conuerted & to good touvrned non est sanis opus medicinemedicus set in & cetera: bothe mesels & dombemute & yn þe menycen blodye oft he heyled suoyche he ne held ytt nofor no mastrye sauve tho þat he hadþo he leched lazar þat had lyeyleye yn grauve quatriduanus quvelt quvyk dyd hym walke butAc as he made þe mastrye mestus cepit esse & wepte water wyth hys eyene / þer syhen ytt many some þat þe syght seen / seyd that tyme that he was leche off lyfe & lorde off hygh heyuven Iewes Iangeled þerageynst and Iuvgged lawes & sayed he wroghtG.17.124: The word wroght has been re-outlined, apparently in the original ink. See also G.17.126. wyth wychcrafte & wyth the deuveles myght demonium habeshabes & cetera: then are ye cherles quod y & your chyldre G.17.126: The word chyldre appears to have been re-outlined in black ink. bothe & sathan your sauvyoure / your-seluve nowe ye wyttnes for y haue sauved your-selfe seyethe cryste & youvr sonnes after your bodyes your beastes & blynd men holpen & fedde you wyth fysshes & wyth fyuve louves & lafte baskettes full off brooke bredde beyre a-way wo-so wolde & myssayede þe Iewes manlyche & manaced þem to beyte & knocked on theym wyth a corde & cast downeadown theyre stalles that yn cherche chaffereden or chalengedchaungeden any money & sayed ynit in syght off theym all so þat all harden I shall ouer-torne thys temple & adowne throwe & yn thre dayes after edyfyed ytt newe & make asit as moche orother more yn all maner poyntes as euer ytt was & as wyde wherfore I hoote you off preyers &and of perfyttnes thys place þat ye call domus mea domus orationis vocabitur:// enuvy & yuvell wyll was yn þe Iewes þei cast & contryuvyden to kyll hym when þei myght eche day after other theyre tyme they waytedawaited tyll ytt byfell on a fryday a lytle byfore þe pasquePaske the thursday byfore there he made heys mauvnde syttyng att hysatte supper he sayde thes wordes I am sold thrugh on off you he shallshal þe tyme rewe that euer he hys sauvyour solde for syluver or elles Iudas Iangled þer-ageynst butac Iesu hym tolde hytt was hym-seluve sothely & sayed tu dicis then went forthe þat wykked man and wyth þe Iewes mette & tolde t.hem a token tohow toG.17.153: G's reading "to" is clearly preferable to most manuscripts "how to," and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. k.nowe wyth Iesu & wyche token to thys day ys to mocheto moche is vsed that ys kyssyng & fayre couvntenance & vnkynd wyll & so was wyth Iuvdas tho he Iesu betrayede ave raby: quod þat rybavde & ryght to hym he yede & kyst hym to be cauvght þerby / & kylled off þe Iewes then Iesu to Iuvdas & to the Iewes seyde falssnesce I fynde yn thye falsyreG.17.160: F shares G's original reading false. G's corrected reading fayre corresponds to the reading of remaining B manuscripts. speche & gyle yn thye gladde chere / & gall ynis in þi laghyng thow shalt be myrrouvr to manye men the poeple toto deceyuve butAc þe worsce forand thy wyckednes shall worthe onvpon thy-seluve necesse est vt veniant scandulascand[a]lascandala ve homini illi & ceteraper quem scandalum venit // thogh I by treason be take att your owne wyll sufferethe myne apposteles yn peascepays and yn peasce gang on a thrusday yn thesternesse / thuvs was he taken thrugh Iudas & Ii Iewes Iesu was hys name that on þe fryday folowyng for mankynd sake Iuvsted yn Ieruvsalem a Ioy forto vs all on cros vp-on caluarye cryste toke þe battayle ageynst dethe & þe deuvell to dystroyedestruyed bothe theyrher botheres myghtes deyde & dethe fordyd & day &of nyght made & I awaked therwyth & wyped myne eyene & after pers plowman pryed & stared estwarde & westwarde I wayted after faste & yede forthe as an Ideotte yn contrey to aspye after pyers þe plowman many a place heyG.17.178: The loop of the <h> of deleted he has been erased and the <e> may also have been subject to erasure (though as it was already very faint erasure may have been thought unnecessary). It seems likely, in fact, that the original reading was y and that this has been partially altered to he and then changed back again. The <e> seems to have been squashed in between the <y> and soght, while he is written in the margin, apparently by the original scribe (for the form of the <h>, see he at G.17.180), in order to indicate the required correction. soghtA scribe has drawn a

scroll-like pattern in the right-hand margin extending downwards for approximately 7 lines. & þen mette I wyth a man on mydlenten sonday as hoore as an hawthorne & habraham he hyght y frayned hym furste from whennces he came & off whennces he were & wedre heþat he thoght I am faythe quod þis freyke ytt fallethe not to lye & off abrahams house an harauvde off armes I seke after a segge þat y ~~seghones~~ seghe oonesce a fulde bolde bacheler I knoweknewe hym by hys blasen what beyrethe þat barne quod y tho so blysse þe betyde thre leedes on oone lyethe non lengre then other off oone mochell & myghtG.17.189: The word myght looks at first sight as if it may have been altered but in fact it appears more likely that the paper has not taken the ink well (because the surface was greasy?) and that some re-outlining has been necessary. & maIeste ynin measuvre &and in lenght that oon doethe all doone & eche doethe by hymhis owene the fyrst hathe myght & mageste maker off all thyngeesG.17.191: β4 manuscripts and R share G's original reading "thing." Remaining B manuscripts share the form with plural inflexion which results from G's correction. For the G scribe's treatment of uninflected plurals, see Introduction III.1.1. pater ys hys name oone persone by hym-seluve the second ys off that syre sothefastenes filius wardeyn off þat wyttewitte hath was euer wythe-owte gynnyng þe thyrde hatte þe holye gost a person by hym-seluve þe lyght off all þat lyuve hauehath on land & on watre confouvrtor off creatuvres off hym cometh all blysse so thre bylongen for a lorde þat lordshyppe cleamethe myght and a meane to knowe hys owene myght off hym & off hys seruvant & what þei suffer bothe so god þat gynnyng had neuer but tho hym goode thoght sent forthe hys sonne as for seruvante þat tyme to ocupyen hym here tyll ysseuve were spronge that ys chyldren off charyte & holye cherche þe modre patryarkes and prophetes & apposteles were þe chyldrene & cryste & crystendome and crysten holy cherche yn meanyng þat man moste on oon god byleuve & there hym lyked & louved yn thre persones hym shewed & þat ~~þat~~G.17.209: Kane and Donaldson record that G has the word þat twice, but the second of these is very definitely lined through. ytt may be so & sothe manhoode ytt shewethe wedlocke & wydowed wyth virgynyte I-neuenvedI-neue[n]edynempned In tokenyng off þe trynyte was taken owte offof oG.17.211: Though G M Cr W and F all read of for most manuscripts of o, Cr and W have a different word order from that found in G, and F has mankynde for G man. G's closest relationship here is therefore with M. man adam our aller father euve was off hym-seluve & þe yssuve þat he had ytt was off theym bothe & ether ys otherotheres Ioy yn thre sondrye persones and yn heyuven & here on synguvler name & þus ys mankydmanky[n]dmankynde or manhoode off matromoygne y-sprong G.17.216: β4 manuscripts omit a line at this point ("And bitokneth þe Trinite · and trewe bileue"). myght ys matromoygne þat muvltyplyethe þe yerthe and bytokenethe treuvly tell ytt yff y dorste he þat furste fouvrmed all þe father off heyuven þe sonne ys yff I dorste say resembelant to þe wydowe deus meus deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me : that ys creatouvr waswex creatuvre to knowe what was bothe aAs wydow wyth-owte wedlock was neuer yete y-say no more myght god be man but yff he modre hade so wydowe wyth-oute wedlocke may noght well stande ne matromoygne wyth-oute muvlyere ys not moche to preyse malidictus homo qui non reliquit semen in israell : thuvs yn thre persones ys perfyttlyche manhoode that ys ais man & hys make & muvlyere chyldren yttAnd ys not but gendredgendre off generatyon byfore Iesu Incryst in heyuven so ys þe fadre forthwythe þe sonne & frewyll fre wyll off bothe spiritus procedens a patre et filio et cetera // wyche ys þe holye gost off all & all ys but on god thuvs ynin a somer y hym syghe as y satte yn my porche y rose vp & reuerensed hym & ryght fayre hym grette thre men to my syght I made well att easse wysshe þeir feete & wyped theym & afterwarde þei eyten caluves flesshe & kakebred & knewe what y thoght full trewe tokens betwene vs arebenis to tell when me lykethe furste he fonded me yff y louved better hym or ysacke myne heyre þe wyche he badhiȝte me kyll he wyst my wyll by hym he wyll yttme it alowe I am full syker yn souvle þeroffe & my souvlesone bothe I cyrcumsysed my sonne sythe for hys sake my-seluve & my menye & all þat malesmale were bledenBleddenG.17.246: Although the G scribe was clearly aware of the possibility of using single and double consonants to indicate preceding long and short vowels, his practice in this respect is by no means consistent (see Introduction III.2), and it is therefore difficult to be certain whether the G scribe considered bleden to be in the present tense or (like remaining manuscripts Bledden) in the preterite. bloode for þat lordes louve & hope to blysse þe tyme my affyance & my faythe ys fyrme yn þis byleuve for hym-seluve byhyght to me & to myne ysseu bothe lond & lordshyppe & lyffe wythowten ende to me & to myne yssue more yett he me grauvnted mercy for our myssdedes as many tymestyme as we askene quam olim abrahe promistiprom[is]istipromisisti & semini eius :// and sythe he send me to saye I sholde do sacrafyce & done hym worshyppe wyth bredde & wyth wyne bothe & called me stottfote off hys faythe hys poeplefolke for to sauve & defendyddefende þem from þe fende folke þat on me leuved thuvs haue y beene hyrs harauvde here & yn hell & conforted many carefull þat after hys commyng wayten & þus y seeke hym he seyde for y harde seyne late off a barne þat baptysed hym Iohn babptyst was hys name thatÞat to patryarkes & prophetes & other poeple yn derknes sayde þat he seghe hymhere þat sholde sauve vs all ecce agnus dei et cetera I had wondre off hys wordes & off hys wyde c..lothes for yn hys bosome he bare a thyng þat he blessed euver and y loked on hys lappe a lazare lyeG.17.266: The verb lye may be a preterite. See G.14.21 and note to G.6.224. Remaining manuscripts read lay. therynne among patryarkes & prophetes pleyeng therepleying to-gedders what weytesthoweawaytestow quod he & wotewhat woldesthowe hauve I wold wytt quod y tho what ys yn your lappe loo quod he & lett me see lorde mercye y seyde thys ys a present off moche pryce what prycePrynce shall ytt haue ytt ys a precyouvse present quod he butac þe pouvke ytt hathe attatched ~~tyll he come þat y carpe off cryste ys hys name~~G.17.273: The deleted line appears below. See G.17.276. & me þer-wythmyde quod þat man may no wedde vs quvyte ne no barne be our borowe ne bryng vs fro hys danger oute off þe pouvkes pynfolde ne no meynpryce may vs facche tyll he come þat y carpe off cryste ys hys name that shall dyleuer vs some day owte off þe deuveles power and better wedde for vs lyggelegge þen we be all worthye that ys lyuve for lyuve or lygge þus euer lollyng yn my lappe tyll suoche a lorde vs facche alas y seyde þat synne so long sholdeshal lett the myght off goddes mercy þat myght vs all amend I wept wyth thesfor his wordes wyth þat y saghesawe I an-other rapelyche renne forthe þe ryght way he went and yI frayned hym furste from whence he came & whatt he hyght & whedre he wolde & wyttelychewightlich he toldeexplicit secundus passus de dobetter YG.18.1: For the interpretation of the first letter of this line as a <Y>, see note to G.7.260. am spes quod he a spye & spure after a knyght þat toke me a mandement vp-on þe monvtmo[n]tmounte off synay to reuvle all realmes wyth y beyre þe wrytt here ytts ysttG.18.4: Cr C2 Cot share G's original reading ytt ys. Remaining manuscripts share G's corrected reading ys ytt. ensayled heI sayde may men se þe letters nay he sayethesayde y seeke hym þat hathe þe seale to kepe & þat ys cros & crystendome & cryst þeron to hange & when ytt ys ensaeledasseled so / I wote well þe sothe þat lucyfers lordshyppe shall lastlaste shal no lengre lett vsLate se þeþi letters quod I we myght þe lawe knowe then pluvcked he forthe a patent a pece off an harde roche wheron were wryten two wordes on thys wyse glosedyglosed dilige deum et proximum tuum et cetera thys was þe texte trewly I tooke full goode ȝeme the glose was gloryouvsly wryten wyth a gylt penne In hijs duobus mandatis tota lex pendet et prophete :// beene þerhere all thye lordes lawes quod y / ye leuve meme welG.18.16: Most C manuscripts share the G Cr R F reading me (for majority B me wel), and this is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. he sayede who-so worchethe after þis wrytt I wyll vndretake shall neuer deuvell hym deere ne dethe yn souvle greuve for thoghe y say ytt my-seluve y haue sauved wyth þis charme off men & off women many score thowsandes he sayethe sothe sayde þe harauvde I haue fouvnden ytt ofte loo here yn my lappe þat leuved on þat charme Iosuve & Iuvdethe & Iuvdas machabeuvs ye & andandand syxtye thowsand bysyde forthe þat beene noght seene here your wordes beene wondrefull quod y / wyche off you ys trewest & leelest to leeuve on for lyuve & For souvle habraham sayethe þat he see holye the trynyte thre persones yn percelles depertable from other & all thre but on god thus abraham me taght & hathe sauved þat byleeuvebileued so / & sorye for þer synnes he can not segge þe some & some are yn hys lappe what nedethe ytt þen / a new lawe to begynne sythe þe furste suffysethe to saluvatyon & to blysse & now comethe spes & speykethe þat aspyedhath aspied þe lawe & tellethe noght off þe trynyte þat toke hym þeshis lettres to byleuve & louve yn on lord allmyghtye & sythe ryght as þimy-seluve so louve all poeple the goome þat goethe wyth a staffe he semethe yn greater heale then he þat goethe wyth two stauves to syght off vs all and ryght so by þe roode reason me shewethe ytt ys lyghter to lewde men a lessone to knowe then for to teychen þem two & hardeto harde to lere þe lest ytt ys full harde for any man on abraham toabraham byleuveG.18.43: The cross in the bottom of the right hand margin is in modern pencil. & wellaway worsce yet for to louve a shrewe ytt ys lyghlyerliȝtorG.18.45: For the spelling of "lightlier" without a <t>, see note to G.1.150. to leeuve / yn thre louvelye persones then for to louve & leenvelene aswellas well lorelles as leales go thy gate quod I spes so me god helpe tho þat lernen þi lawelawe wel lytle wyle wsen ytt & as we went þus byin þ.e way we wordyng togeddres then seghe we a samarytan syttyng on a muvle rydyng full rapely þe ryght way we yedene comyng fro a contrey þat men called Ierico to a Iuvstyceiustes yn Ierusalem he chased a-way faste bothe þe herauvde & hope & he mette at oonesce where a man was wouvnded & wyth theuves y-taketaken he myght nether steppe ne stand ne styrre foote ne handes ne helpe hym-seluve sothely / for semyvyf / he semed & as naked as a nedle & noon helpe abowte hym feythe had furst seght off hym butac he flygh on syde & woldnolde not nyghe hym by nyen landes lenghte hoope came hyppyng after / &þat had so y-boosted howe he wyth moyses mandement had many manmen yholpe butAc when he had syght off þat segge asyde he gangan hym drawe dredfully by þis day as ducke doethe fro þe fawkon butAc so sone so þe samarytane had syght off þis leede he lyght downeadown off lyarde & lad hym yn hys hand & to the waywye he went hys wouvndes to beholde & perceyuved by hys pouce / he was yn perell to dye & but he had recouererecouererG.18.69: The G Cr23 C2 reading recouere may well result from a failure to notice an abbreviation, but, in any case, as far as G and Crowley are concerned, it is worth noting that, according to the OED, the use of "recoverer"="remedy" dies out during the fifteenth century (see OED recoverer, n.1). the rather ryseþat rise shold he neuer wyth wyne & wyth oyle hys wouvndes he wasshed enbalmed hym & bond hys heyde & yn hys lappe hym leyde & lad hym so forthe toon lyarde to lex cristi a grauvnge well syx myle or seyuven frobiside þe new markett harbored hym at an hostrye & to þe hosteler called & seyde haue kepe þis man tyll I come fro þe Iuvsteceiustes & . loo here syluer he sayde for saluve to hys wouvndes & he toke hym too pence to lyuvelode as ytt were & sayde what he spendethe more I make þe goode hereafter for y may not lett quod þat leede and l..yarde he bestroode & raped hym to Ierusalem-warde þe ryght way to ryde faythe folowed after fast and fouvnded to mete hym and spes spaklyche hym spedde / spede yff he myght to ouer-take hym & talke to hym er þei to towne came & when I seye þis / I soiouvrned nat / but shoope me to renne and suved þat samarytan / þat was so full off pyte & grauvnted hym to be hys goomegromeG.18.86: Bm also originally shared the G R F reading goome, but in Bm this has been corrected to grome, as all other manuscripts. / grauvnt mercy he sayede butAc thy frende &and þi felowe thowe fyndest me att nede & y thanked hym tho & sythen he meI hym tolde howe þat feythe flede a-way and spes hys felowe bothe for syght off þe sorowfull man / þat robbed was wyth theuves haue theym excuvsed quod he / theyr helpe may lytle auvayle may no medycyne on molde / þe man to heale bryng nether faythe ne fyne hoope / so festered beene hys wouvndes wyth-oute þe bloode off a barne borne off a meyde & he be bathed yn þat bloode baptysed as ytt were & þen plastered wyth pennance ~~wyth~~ G.18.96: A downward stroke, possibly that of the of passyon but also possibly the downward stroke of a thorn (see the F reading with þe passioun), has been written and deleted after deleted wyth. & passyon off þat bodybabi he sholde stande & steppe butac stallworthe worthe he neuer tyll he haue eyten all þe berne & hys bloode y-dronke for went neuer wyȝe In þis ~~word~~ world thrugh þat wyldernes that he ne was robbed or ryfelde / rode he þer or yede sauve faythe & hys felow spes & y mymy-seluve and thy-seluve nowe & suoyche as suvene our workes for owtlawes yn þe woodde & vndre bancke lowtethelotyethlowten & mowe eche man see & good marke take who ys behynd & who yswho before & who beene on horse for he þathe holdethe hym herdyer on hors þen he þat ys on foote for he seytheseethseigh me aþat am samarytan sewe faythe & hys felowe on my caple þat hette caro off mankynd I tooke ytt he was vnhardye þat harlott & hydde hym in inferno : butAc are thys day thre dayes I dare vndretake þat he worthe fettered þat fellone fast wyth cheynes & neuer efte greuve goome þat goethe by thysþis ilke gate & then shall faythe be forster here & yn þis frythe walke and kenne comuneout comune men þat knowe not þe contrey wyche ys þe way þat I went & wherforthe to Ierusalem & hoope þe hostelers mane shalbeshal be / þer þe man lyethe toan healehelynge & all þat fyeble & faynte beene / þeþat faythe may not teyche hoope shall leyde theym forthe wyth louve / as hys letter tellethe & hostyle þem & heale themhele hymhele / & þen shall I retorneþorw holicherche bileueG.18.119: G's b-verse is taken from the following line (KD.17.122b). tyll y haue saluve for al syk & þen I shallshal I G.18.120: The G scribe has the correct word order (shall I rather than I shall) in his erroneous use of this b-verse in the previous line (G.18.119). re-torneG.18.120: A line extending from the box indicates the place where this material should be inserted. & come agayne by þis contrey & conforte all sycke that crauven ytt or couveyten ytt & cryen therafter for þe barne was borne yn bethelemG.18.123:The remainder of this line in the majority of manuscripts reads þat with his blode shal saue, material which does not appear in G until the following line. G's reading of the b-verse is shared, with some minor differences, with C C2 Y and B. The result of added material both here and later means that these manuscripts have three lines instead of two. onof a cleane meyde G.18.124: For G's a-verse (the b-verse of KD.17.125), see note to previous line (G.18.123).that shall wyth hys bloode sauve all þat lyuven yn faytheG.18.124: G's b-verse here is the a-verse of KD.17.126. G's reading of this line is shared with C C2 Y B. See note to G.18.123. & folowen þe teychyng off hoope that ys hys felowehis felawes techyngeG.18.125: The G C C2 B reading expands on most manuscripts his felawes techynge in order to turn what was originally only a half line (the b-verse of KD.17.126) into a full line; the a-verse found in most manuscripts has already been used in G.18.124. See also note G.18.123. Y also shares the G C C2 B reading, except that Y has holpe for G C C2 B hoope. a swete syr seyde yI seyde tho where shall y byleuve andAs faythe & hys felow enfouvrmethe me bothe In thre persones depertablesdepartable / þat perpetuvell were euver & all thre but on god thuvs abraham me taght & hoope afterwarde badhe bad me to louve on god wyth all my good / & all myalle goomes after louve theym lyke my-seluve butac our lorde abowe all after abraham quod he þat harauvde off armes sett faste thye faythe & fyrme byleuve & as hoope hyght þe I hoote þat þou louve thyne euvyncrysten euer-more euven forthe wyth thy-seluve & yff conscyence carpe cherysshymþere-aȝein / or kynd wytt other or herytykes wyth arguvmentes thyn hand þou hym showe for god ys after an hand y-here nowe & knowe ytt the fadre f was furst a fyst wyth on fynger foldyng tyll hym louved & lyst to vnlosen hys fynger & profer fortheit forth as wyth a pavme to what place yt sholde the pavme ys puverly þe hand & proferethe forthe þe fyngerfyngres to mynysteer & to make þat myght off hand knowethe & betokenethe treuvly tell who-so lykethe the holy gost off heyuven he ys as þe pavme the fyngers þat fre beene to folde & to seruve bytokenethe sothely þe sonne þat sent was to þetil yerthe þat towched & tasted all þeat teychyng off þe pavmbe seynt mary a meyde & mankynd kaghtlauȝte qui conceptus est de spiritu sancto natus et ceteraet cetera// the fadre ys then as a fyst wyth fyngre to touvche quia omnia traham ad meipsum et cetera// all þat þe pavme perceyuvethe profytable to feele thuvs are they all but on as ytt an hand were & thre sondrye syghtes yn on shewyng the pavme for he puttethe forthe fyngers & þe fyst bothe ryght so redylye reason meit shewethe how he þat ys holy gost syre & sonne prouvethe & as þe hand holdeth hard & all thyng fast thrugh four fyngers & a thombe forthe wyth the pavme ryght so þe father & þe sonne & seynt spyryte þe thyrde holdethe all þe wyde worlde wythe-ynne þem thre bothe þeBothe welkyn & þe wynd water & yerthe heyuven & hell & all þat þerynne ys thysÞusG.18.166: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. ytt nedethe no man trow non other that thre thynges beylongen In our lorde off heyuven and ere sereplessere[l]e[p]esG.18.168: The G scribe's erroneous spelling sereples is shared by Hm C C2 Y B (Hm by correction). Cr23 have Serples. Only L and M have the correct spelling. by theym-seluve sondreyeasondry were they neuer no more þen myne hand may move wyth-ovte my fyngers and as my fyst ys full hand foldenyfolde to-gedders so ys þe fadre a full god fouvrmore & shaper tu fabricator omnium & cetera// all þe myght wythmyd hym ys yn makyng off all thynges the fyngers fouvrmen a full hand to pouvrtrey or paynte keruvyng & compassyng as crafte off þe fyngers ryght so ys þe sonne þe scyence off the fadre & full god as ys þe fadre no febelre ne no better the pavme ys purelyche þe hand hathe power by hym-seluve otherwyse þen þe whrythen fyst or workmanshyppe off fyngers for þe pavme hathe power to putt ovte all þe Ioyntes & to vnfoslden þe folden fyst asatte þe fyngers wyll so ys þe holy gost god nether greater ne lasse then ys þe syre & þe sonne & yn þe same myght & all they arear þei but on god asas is myne hand & my fyngers vnfolden or folden my fyst & my pavme all ys but on hand euvene In the ~~myddest~~ myddesG.18.186: The b-verse of KD.17.186 and the a-verse of KD.17.187 ("how-so I torne it Ac who is herte in þe hande") are omitted by G W Hm C C2 Y B (as a result of eyeskip on hand). This omission was originally also present in M but has been corrected. KD.17.188 ("He may receyue riȝt nouȝte · resoun it sheweth") is omitted by G C C2 Y B. for þe fyngers þat folde sholde & the fyst make for payne off the pavme power them faylethe to cluvche or to clawe to clyppe or to holde were þe myddell off myn hande ymaymed or perysshydde y shold receyuve ryght noght off þat I G.18.191: A virgule has been added to separate I from reyche. reyche myght butAc thogh my thombe & my fyngers bothe were to-shuvllene & þe mydle off myne hand wythe-oute male-easse In many kynnes manermaneres I myght my-seluve helpe bothe moeue & amend / thogh all my fyngars oke by thys skyll me thynkethe y see an euvydence that wo-so synnethe yn / sente spyryte / assoyled worthe he neuere nether here ne elles-where as y herd tell qui peccat in spiritu sancto et cetera// for he pryckethe god ynas inG.18.200: C originally read as in, as most manuscripts. However, as has been cancelled, bringing C's reading into line with that of G C2 F. The line in C is, however, so different from that of other B manuscripts, including G, that it seems unlikely that this change indicates a relationship. þe pavme þat peccat in spiritu sancto:// for god þe fadre ys as þea fyste þe sonne asis as a fynger the holye goste off heyuven ys / as ytt were þe pauvme &So wowho-so synneth yn seynt spyryte ytt semethe þat he greuvethe god þat he grypethe wyth and wold hys grace quvenche and to a torche or a taper þe trynyte heis lykened as waxe & a weyke were twyned to-geddres & then a fyre flamyng forthe oute off bothe and as waxe & weyke & wooteG.18.208: G's spelling of "hot" here (i.e. woote) results from the extension (from the fifteenth century onwards) of wh- spellings to words with initial h- followed by an o sound, a spelling retained in words such as whole. See note to G.14.426, and OED under wh. For the use of <w> for wh, see Dobson, English Pronunciation, section 414 (Dobson sees it as a dialect development), and note also G's use of <wo> for "who" at, e.g., G.2.146. fyre to-geddres fostreenG.18.209:The deletion of the original e of fostren is not intentional; the original <e> has been blotted and the addition has been made to clarify the reading. forthe a flauvmbe and a fayre lyghtleye so done þe syre & þe sonne & also spiritus sanctus: fostren forthe ~~as leele~~ amonges folke louve & leele byleuvebileue that alkynnes crysten clenseth off synnes & as þou seest some-tyme sodenlyche a torche the blasse þeroff blowenyblowe owte yet brynnethe þe weyke wyth-oute leye or lyght that þe smacchemacche swelethebrenneth so ys þe holy gost god and grace wyth-oute mercye to all vnkynd creatuvres þat couveten to dystroye leele louve other lyffe þat our lord gaveshapte & as a glowyng gleede ne gladengladieth nouȝte þes workmen that worchen & walkenwaken In wynters nyghtes as doethe a kex or a candell þat cauvghtG.18.221: The alteration of to <v> in "caught" is in a different colour ink from the usual hand1.1 corrections, but the form is exactly the same. hathe fyre & blasethe no more dothe syre ne sonne ne seynt spyryte to-geddres grauvnt no grace ne forgyvenes off synnes tyll þe holy gost gynne to glowe & to blasse so þat þe holy gost glowedegloweth but as a glede tyll þat leele louve lygge on hym & blowe & then flamethe he as fyre on paterfader & on filius & meltethe theyr myght toin-to mercy as men may see yn wynter yse-ykeles yn euveysynges thrugh heate off þe sonne meltethe yn a mynuvte whyle to myste & to water so grace off þe holye goste / þe greate myght off þe trynyte meltethe to mercye to marcyable & to non other and as waxe wyth-oute more / on a warme gleede wyll brenne & blasse be they to-geddres & solacen þem þat may se þat sytten yn derknes so wyll þe fadre forgyve / folke off mylde hertes þat rufullyche repenten & resytutyon make In as moche as þei mowen / amenden & payen forAnd yff ytt suffyce noght for a seghtassetz / þat yn suoyche wyll dyethe mercy for hys mekenes wyll make good þe remnant & as þe weyke & fyre wyll make a warme flammbe for to myrthe men wyth þat yn marke sytten so wyll cryste off hys couvrtysye yffand men crye hym mercye bothe forgyuve / & forgett / & yett byd for vs to þe fadre off heyuven forgyvenes to haue butAc hewe fyre att a flynt fouvre hondrethe wynterswyntre but þou haue towe to take ytt wyth / tyndre or broches all þi labouvr ys lost & all þi long trauvayle for may no fyre flauvmbe make / fayle yt hys kynd so ys þe holy gost god / & grace wyth-owte mercye to all vnkynd creatures / cryste hym-seluve wyttnessythe amen dico vobis / G.18.251: This may be a deleted letter rather than a virgule. nescio vos & cetera // be vnkynd to y thyne euven-crystyen & all þat þou canst bydde deylen or do pennance day & nyght euver & puvrchace all þe perdone off pampylyon & rome and Indulgences y-nowe / & be ingratus to thy kynde the holy gost herethe the noght / ne helpe may þe by reason for vnkyndnes quvenchethe hym / þat he ne canecan nouȝte shyne ne brenne ne blasse clere / for blowyng off vnkyndnes paule þe apostle prouvethe where y lye si linguis hominum loquar & cetera forthy beethe warre ye wyse men þat wyth þe worlde dealen þat ryche beene & reason knowen / reuvlethe well your soule beethe noght vnkynd I couvnseale you to your euvencrystyen for many off you ryche men / by my souvle men tellen ye brenne but ye blase noght / that ys a blynd beyken non omnis qui dicit domine domine & cetera// diues dyed dampned for hys vnkyndnes off hys meyte & off hys money to men þat ytt neded echeVch a ryche I redderedeG.18.270: The G form redde (for remaining manuscripts rede) does not necessarily imply a substantive variant. The G scribe was clearly aware of the possibility of using single and double consonants to indicate preceding long and short vowels, but his own practice in this respect was by no means consistent (see Introduction III.2). / rewarde att hym take & gyuvethe your good to þat god / þat grace off arysethe for þei þat beene vnkynd to hys / hoope I non other but þei shallþei dwell þer diues ys dayes wyth-owten ende thus ys vnkyndnes þe conrtrarye / þat quvenchethe as .ytt were the grace off þe holye gost goddes owne kynde for þat kynd doethe vnkynd fordoethe / as thes cuvrsed theuves vnkynd crysten men for couvetyse ~~off~~&G.18.277: G's original reading off is also found in C2. G's corrected reading & is that of the rest of the B manuscripts. enuvye sleyethe a man for hys moebles / wyth mouvthe &or wyth handes for þat þe holy gost hathe to kepe / theþo harlottes destroyen the wyche ys lyffe & louve / þe lyghtleye off mannes bodye for euery maner good man / may be lykened to a torche or elles to a taper / to reuverence þe trynyte & wo-so morderethe a good man / me thynkethe by my wytteInwyt he fordoethe þe leuvest lyght / þat our lorde louvethe forAc yet yn many mo maners men offend þe holy goste butAc þis ys þe worst wayeswyse þat any wyght myght synnen ageyne seynt spyryte / assenten to destroye for couvetyse off any thyng offþyng / that cryste dere boghtG.18.288: G W Hm C C2 Y B omit a line at this point ("How myȝte he axe mercy · or any mercy hym helpe"). that wyllfullychewykkedlich & wyckedlychewillefullich / wold mercy anyentyce Innocence ys next god / and nyght & day ytt cryethe Wengeance Wengeance / forgyve be ytt neuver that shent vs & shedde our bloode forshapte vs as ytt were G.18.293: The first stroke of the <v> of vindica has been written in grey-black ink and then cancelled and rewritten in red. vindica sanguinem Iustorum & ceteraiustorum /// thuvs wengeance wengeance verray charyte askethe & sythe holy cherche & charyte / chargethe thys so sore leuve y neuer þat our lorde wyll louve / þat charyte ~~askethe~~ lakkethe ne haue pyte for any preyer / there þat he pleynethe I pose I had synned so / & shold ~~not~~ dye & now am sory þat y so / þe seynt spyryte agylte confesse me & crye hys grace / god þat all made & mydldelyche hys mercye aske / myght y not be sauved thusȜus sayde þe samarytan so well / þou myght repente that ryghtyouvsnes thrughe repentance to reuvthe myght torne butbut ȝetAc ytt ys but seldome seene / þer sothenes beyrethe wyttenes any creature þat ys cuvlpable afore a kynges Iuvstece be rauvnsomed for hys repentance / þer all reason hym dampnethe for þer þat partye puvrsuvethe þe poeple ys so huvge that þe kyng may do no mercy totil bothe men acorde & ether haue equvyte as holy wrytte tellethe nunquam dimittitur peccatum et cetera / / thuvs ytt farethe by suoche folke / þat falsly all þeir lyuves yuvell lyuven & leete noght tyll lyfe theym forsake goode hoope & þat G.18.313: The scribe clearly noticed the omission of þat when he was in the process of transcribing the rubricated material at G.18.317, and he has corrected in red ink. helpe sholde / to whanhoope touvrnethe noght off þe non-power off god / þat he ne ys myghtfull to amend all þat amys ys / and hys mercy greater then all our wycked werkes / as holy wrytte tellethe misericordia eius super omnia opera eius & cetera / / butAc er þishis ryghtfulnes to reuvthe torne some restytuvtyon behouvethe hys sorowe ys satysfacyton for hym þat may noght pay thre thynges there beene / þat done a man by strenght fleenForto fleen hys owne houvse / as holye wrytte shewethe that on ys a wycked wyffe þat wyll not be chastysed hyr feere flyethe from hyr / for fere off hyr tong & yff hys houvse be vnhylled & reyne on hyrsG.18.324: The original alteration (replacement of long <r> of hyr by supralinear sigma <s>) is in the main scribe's usual grey ink. However, the crossed-out <r> has later been erased and replaced with an inline sigma <s> in brown ink which partly encroaches on the supralinear <s>. bedde he sekethe all abovte tyll he lyggeliggithslepe drye & when smoke or smodresmolder / smytethe yn hys syght ytt doethe hym wors þen hys wyffe / or wete to slepe for smoke & smoldre smytethesmyteth inG.18.328: M originally shared the G L C reading smytethe, but supralinear in has been added after the verb, bringing M's reading into line with that of remaining B manuscripts. hys eyne tyll he be bleyre-eyed or blynd / & hoos G.18.329: Kane and Donaldson too read G hoos but there is a mark above this word, possibly a later addition, which may be intended as an abbreviation for -er-. While β4 manuscripts read hoos; other manuscripts read hors. yn þe throte he coghetheThan Coughethe heþan kenely heCougheth & cursethe / þat cryst gyue hym sorowe þat shold bryng yn better wode / or bloweblowe it tyll ytt brent thes thre þat y tell off beene þisþusG.18.332: For the G scribe's use of "this" for remaining manuscripts "thus," see note to G.4.76. to vndrestande the wyffe ys our wyked flesshe / þat wyll not be chastysed for kynd cleuvethe on hym euer / to contrarye þe souvle & thogh ytt fall ytt fyndethe skylles / þat freylte ysit made & þat ys lyghtlyche forgyuven & forgeten bothe to aTo man þat mercy askethe / and amend thynkethe the reyne þat reynethe þer we rest sholde been sycknes & sorowes þat we sufferen offte as paule þe apostell to þe poeple taght virtus in infirmitate perficitur et cetera // & thogh þat men make moche dole yn theyre angre and ympacyentzinpacient yn þer pennance pure reason knowethe that they haue cauvse to þeto contrarye by kynd off þer syknes & lyghtlyche our lorde att ourher lyuves ende hathe mercy on suoyche men þat so yuvell may suffer butAc þe smoke & þe smoldre þat smyte yn oure eyne ys couvetyse & vnkyndnes þat quvenchethe goddes mercy for vnkyndnes ys þe contrarye / off alkynnes reason for þer y nys sycke ne sory ne non so moche wreche þat he ne may louve & hym lyke / and lenvelene off hys herte good wyll & good worde bothe wysshen & wyllen all maner men mercy & forgyvenes and louvethelouye them lyke hym-seluve / & hys lyve amend I may no lenger lett quod he & harde prycked & went a-way as þeas wynd & therwyth I wakedawaked explicit tercius passus de doobetter G.18.356: There is a small <e> in the right hand margin. There appears to be no codicological reason for this, but note the small <c> in the same position at the beginning of G14 (f.55r).