fol. 54r (cont.)I
xj us us pass
us xj us x[i]j us undecim us [duo]decim
de visione vt s
upra—
—
— Passus
fol. 54vI
ye []R.12.11:
R's is a unique addition to the text of ye. Bx
while þow miȝt þow hast ben warned ofte .
Amende þe diligo castigo m Que
—
R.12.14: Alpha
omits two lines attested in beta at this point (KD12.13-13α):
Virga tua & baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt &c. And dauid in þe sauter seith of suche þat loueth Ihesus
Virga tua & baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt &c. And dauid in þe sauter seith of suche þat loueth Ihesus
e makyngR.12.17:
Though M supports alpha's singular, the other beta copies read or
makynges. mastryes and miȝtest go sey þi
saut . er
And þow medlest þe with acR.12.21:
This is a unique reading in R; all the other manuscripts have . and
somwhat me to excuse .
¶ I seiȝ wel he seide me soth AndR.12.22:
Alpha seems to have been uncomfortable with the enjambment of here,
but alpha's extra conjunction ( Bx), instead of smoothing, actually breaks
the syntactic pattern of the statement. And seide catou conforted his sone
þat clerk þouȝ he wer n e
m- tyme andR.12.23:
R's is shared uniquely with F, but F rewrites the following half-line
completely; beta has and. as I do whan ich make .
To solasen hym suR.12.25: Most other manuscripts here read, B holy men of; R shares the omission of the preposition
with Hm (and, originally, with C) by convergence. holy men I e her qd I how þei otherwile . uo
And a place .R.12.26: For R's , beta has a place. Both
versions of the b-verse are obviously corrupt, causing F to rewrite it totally: places. in here prayeres after
Pleiden þe parfiter to be in many ȜifR.12.27:
The evidence of both beta and F indicates that R has here dropped a word; F begins the line
, while beta begins it Nou if. Ac if
þer were any e witR.12.27:
This is a unique form in R; most of the other manuscripts have .
However, R's wight probably does not represent a substantive difference from
the majority reading. wit, OED2
s. v., documents wight for the fifteenth century and
wyt(e) for the fourteenth century as variant spellings of wite. wight, MED
s. v., also lists wight as a variant spelling but
offers only one example, from the thirteenth century. wit(e) þat wolde me telle
.
With poule in his pistlesR.12.31:
R is unique in reading the plural , but the serious error of this
line, the addition of the preposition pistles at line head, must reflect a
problem in alpha, since F's With also reads Paul's name as the
line's second word. See Poulis qd he p uoueth what is
dowel . re
¶ R.12.33: Reflecting the difference
with alpha in the Latin citation from the previous line, beta has
before and. alle
alle ben goed .
Feith hope and charite R.12.40KD.12.37
R.12.40: A new strophe is marked by the usual in the margin next
to R12.41, but the scribe did not skip a line between 12.40 and 41. This is frequently his
habit when the last line of a page begins a new paragraph. cc
And holde þe vnder obedience þat heiȝ waye is to
heuene .ȝow be þ mayde & toR.12.41:: Beta reads for
R's maiden to; F's mayde & to confirms
that alpha also read Mayde meeke &. mayde marie and miȝt wel
cotynewe . n
¶ And if fol. 55rI
R.12.44KD.12.41
otherR.12.44:
R's is unique; F and beta read other. or sampson
his strengthe .
Or salomon his sapience R.12.52KD.12.49
men
may IR.12.52:
R's is a unique addition to the text of men. Beta
transposes alpha's phrase, Bx, to may I. I may /
myght rede of men & of women m
Of many suche lorde bit
lesen e e ȝourR.12.58:
For R's (a unique reading), F reads ȝoure and beta has here
owen. her soules .
And loue hem nauȝt as ourR.12.60KD.12.55
So catel and kende wit acombreth ful many . The first half-line in R (12.60a) differs
considerably from the text of F, which reads . The beta manuscripts entirely omit R12.60 (= KD12.55) and the four following
lines. The & þerfore catel & vnkynde
wit manuscripts include the first three of these alpha
lines. C
Sapience seith þe bokeR.12.63:
R's a-verse phrasing differs markedly from F's, which reads . Þe book seiþ þat
sapyence swelleth a mannes soule .
graceR.12.66:
R's redundancy appears to derive from alpha; F notices the problem but his simply substitutes nonsense for the original error. Beta agrees with grate, reading Cx. grasse
fore e þerR.12.66:
R's is shared exclusively with F; beta has þerefore. þerof agrees with alpha. Cx þo greuaunces to
abate .
Ac grace is a w ro ith g
R.12.67: Hand2 has supplied the appropriate reading in
the right margin, implying that should be cancelled, but the
original reading was never marked as cancelled, either by striking through or by
subpuncting. greueth nauȝt but amonges lowe .
Ac grace ne greuethR.12.68KD.12.61
Of pacienceR.12.68:
is a unique reading in R; F omits the entire line, and beta begins the
line with Of. Pacience and poute þe place is
þere it groweth . er
gifteR.12.70:
Before , R uniquely omits a determiner; F has gifte
while beta has þat. þe of þe holy goste as þe gospel telleth
.
And þurȝ fol. 55vI
e clerke how it cometh forth ne
kend er wit hisR.12.78:
F reads the possessive as for R's witys. Beta
has wit his. witte þe weyes .
Knewe neure telleth ettR.12.83: Manuscript
G reads the opening of the b-verse exactly as R does, but beta shows at the head of the b-verse; F rewrites the entire b-verse, reading þat
was. þe
lawe so was to þe Iewis was þe lawe of iewes .
In þe olde lawe as þe lR.12.84KD.12.74
man were in m deuoutrieR.12.84:
R's form is unique here (beta and F attest ). But cf. KD 2.176,
where R's auoutrie is accepted for alliterative reasons over the beta
reading, deuoutrie. Since F agrees with R at this point, and since the same
base form shows as archetypal at auoutrie2.187 ( C),
there seems no reason to doubt that it represents an example of contemporary usage.
deuoutours, MED
s. v., and devoutrie, OED2
s. v., both cite only devoutour, labelling the form
as a variation / corruption of Piers Plowman. auoutrie taken
wer
e heR.12.84:
R's form for the third-person singular feminine pronoun here is the one commonly preferred by
this scribe and is, as usual, unique. F and beta agree on . she
riche or pore .
Þat what wo to e dede .R.12.85: R's is unique but not ungrammatical or
substantially different in meaning from the other to dede manuscripts, which
read B. Cf. to dethR.3.262:
(KD3.267), where R's phrasing is paralleled by many beta manuscripts: . Alpha omits the following line from brenne
hem to dede: Bx
. A womman as we fynden was gulty of þat dede
With stones men schulde hire striken and stonen
hir. A womman as we fynden was gulty of þat dede
andR.12.86:
R's is unique; beta omits the conjunction while F completely rewrites
the b-verse. and þoruȝ clergie hir saued . e
Ac crist of his curteisie cristes carectusR.12.87:
For alpha's , beta reads cristes carectus. carectus þat cryst
wrot þe iewes knewe hem- seluen .
For þoruȝ chercheR.12.91:
Though Hm and B agree with alpha's , beta itself here reads cherche. kirke knoweth þis þat cristes writyng saued
. e
Holi AcR.12.97:
R's is unique; cf. F's Ac and beta's But. As cristes carette coforted and bothe coupable
schewed . n
siȝtes .R.12.109: Beta reads , which is also the reading of eyghen; F has the singular Cx. syghteR.12.109: The final <s> of
appears to have been written over an erasure; it is, moreover, the tall <s>, which this
scribe almost never deploys in word terminal position (cf. the same word at R12.146). Its
form also seems abbreviated, with the descender entirely absent. Nevertheless, the ink
appears indistinguishable from that used by the scribal hand. siȝtes
For as a man may nauȝt se þat misseth his R.12.112KD.12.102
n maR.12.112: With the exception of OC, which agree with alpha, the
beta manuscripts here show 2. men agrees with
beta. Cx scholde write .
And seynt spiriȝt þe saumplarie & seyde what
fol. 56rI
lerethR.12.114: Beta has at this point. ledeth,
however, agrees with alpha. Cx letterur lewed men to reson . e
Riȝt so e berR.12.115: R's verb form is unique; and Bx
read Cx. bereth wepne to fiȝte .
And as a blinde man in bataile wedded manR.12.117: R's almost nonsensical (in place of
beta's kende wedded man) reflects alpha corruption, while F's omitting kyndewitted man and substituting kynde represents an attempt to
make sense of the half-line. lewid man but clerkes hym teche .
Na more can a kende ne pR.12.119: Either the scribe or an
early reader caught an error here ( for kene) and
added a light descender in the same ink as that of the scribe. The shape of the descender
matches that of the scribe's authentic <p>. kepe þe keyes .
Whiche is þe coffre of cristes tresor and clerkes ke ForR.12.121: R is clearly defective here syntactically; but F's grammar seems equally
elliptical, and one must conclude that both are responding to some confusion in alpha. Once
again, the source of confusion may lie in the fact that this line is enjambed from the
previous one. Cf. R's and F's completely different For to beta's &
graunteþ. At this point Ȝyue
supports beta, reading C. To ȝeue mcy for her
mysdedes if men it wole aske . er
he sacrifised sorwe hym be- tydde . These lines are
omitted by the beta manuscripts. F's rendering of these lines is sufficiently different from
R's that F's lines should be cited here in their entirety (cf. Appendix 1, R12.126-36, for
details and any cross-references to the version): C
& hise sones also / for þat synne myschevedyn
& manye mo oþire men / þat weryn none levites.
þat with archa dei wentyn / with worchepeful reuerencis.
& leyde on hond / & lyfte it vp / & lurn here lyf after.
For- þy ; y conseyle alle creatures / no clergye ȝee dispise.
Ne settiþ lyght be here scyence / what so þei do hem- selue.
Tak here wordis at worþ / here wytnesses be trewe.
& medle not meche with hem / to meve hem to wratthe.
Leest Charyte be chased owt / þan ech man choppeth oþir.
. [N]olite tangere Cristos meos Saul for his mys-sacrifyse / sorwe hym by-tydde.
¶ Saul for & hise sones also / for þat synne myschevedyn
& manye mo oþire men / þat weryn none levites.
þat with archa dei wentyn / with worchepeful reuerencis.
& leyde on hond / & lyfte it vp / & lurn here lyf after.
For- þy ; y conseyle alle creatures / no clergye ȝee dispise.
Ne settiþ lyght be here scyence / what so þei do hem- selue.
Tak here wordis at worþ / here wytnesses be trewe.
& medle not meche with hem / to meve hem to wratthe.
Leest Charyte be chased owt / þan ech man choppeth oþir.
. [N]olite tangere Cristos meos Saul for his mys-sacrifyse / sorwe hym by-tydde.
na
ot
kynge and keper eR.12.137: For alpha's compounded phrase, beta reads simply . Alpha's exact reading here is uncertain; cf. F's kepere. keye &
kepere vnder crist of heuene .
¶ For clergie is - foren vs
vsede to make .R.12.141: Alpha and Cr read , which makes no sense; cf. beta's
make. marke
¶ Liueres to fol. 56vI
bouȝteR.12.145: The error here, for bouȝte, is found in both R and F and derives from alpha. brouȝte be
her bokes to blisse ne to ioye . e
Ne phetes ro repreuethR.12.147: R's is unique; F has a different form of the
plural with repreueth, while beta reads repreven.
Though two repreued(en) copies affirm a present-tense verb here, it is obvious that
C agrees with beta's preterite. R's tense marking may not, however,
represent a difference of intention from beta's. Cf. the Introduction Cx. III.2.2.10 her science . e
Patriarkes and pR.12.148KD.12.137
e wisdomeR.12.148: Beta has the plural ; F reads wisdomes. Though four scyence copies support R's singular, the vast
majority of C manuscripts agrees with beta. C was but a folie .
And seide here wordes ne her mu usdi
stulticia ap n . udR.12.150: One might construe R's script at the end of this citation as
agreeing with the other witnesses if <ap> were taken as and <d>+backslash were seen as an abbreviation for ap(ud). Neither Kane-Donaldson nor I read it that way, however. The R
scribe never elsewhere uses such an abbreviation for d(eum)
and, in fact, no such abbreviation is recognized by Capelli ( deum) nor by Walther ( Dizionario di
Abbreviature latine ed italiane Lexicon Diplomaticum). Instead R customarily spells the form as
(six times out of seven—the seventh form is
deu(m)). Moreover, Capelli recognizes the actual form
written by R, d(eu)m d, as a late
fourteenth-century form for ap. apud
&c . etera Sapiencia huiR.12.150: Here alpha omits eleven lines present in
beta (and also found in a revised form in ): Cx
And loue shal lepe out after into þis lowe erthe
And clennesse shal cacchen it and clerkes shullen it fynde
Pastores loquebantur ad inuicem
He speketh þere of riche men riȝt nouȝt ne of riȝt witty
Ne of lordes þat were lewed men but of þe hexte lettred oute
Ibant magi ab oriente &c.
If any frere were founde þere Ich ȝif þe fyue shillynges
Ne in none beggares cote was þat barne borne
But in a burgeys place of bethlem þe best
. Set non erat ei locus in diuersorio & pauper non habet diuersorium For þe heihe holigoste heuene shal to-cleue
And loue shal lepe out after into þis lowe erthe
And clennesse shal cacchen it and clerkes shullen it fynde
Pastores loquebantur ad inuicem
He speketh þere of riche men riȝt nouȝt ne of riȝt witty
Ne of lordes þat were lewed men but of þe hexte lettred oute
Ibant magi ab oriente &c.
If any frere were founde þere Ich ȝif þe fyue shillynges
Ne in none beggares cote was þat barne borne
But in a burgeys place of bethlem þe best
. Set non erat ei locus in diuersorio & pauper non habet diuersorium For þe heihe holigoste heuene shal to-cleue
anR.12.151: Beta has in place of alpha's þe.
an agrees with beta. Cx angel .
¶ To pastoures and to poetes appered syngenR.12.153: R's infinitive (or present tense) is unique among
the syngen copies; F and beta have B. However, the
song(en) manuscripts are divided by major groups on this reading, with the X
family supporting F/beta while the P family agrees with R. C a songe of solace
ia in excelsis deo . or gl
And Þo it schon to schepherdesR.12.155: R and F differ here (F = ), but R's version of this phrase agrees with that found in the Whan to shepperdis a sterre
shon manuscripts. C a schewer of blisse .
R.12.156KD.12.153
AndR.12.156: Beta omits . And agrees with
beta. Cx clerkes knewe it wel and comen with her
p esentes . re
abely to hym
þat was almiȝti . ourR.12.157: There is red offset from R12.91 (fol. 57r) partially covering
the last word of this line.
And deden here homage hone ac se in
m e whaner .R.12.162: The correct reading is beta's ; R here
presumably mirrors a loss of text in alpha while F ( what manere) attempts
to guess at a suitable correction. an ensample
¶ And þow seydest soth of somR.12.164KD.12.161
R.12.164: Most beta
witnesses read , but L agrees with R's form (as did M until
"corrected" into conformity with the CrW family). sikerer þan other .
And bothe naked as a nedele her non sikere
dede swymme . erR.12.171: Immediately hereafter, alpha omitted a line found in beta:
. Þat swymme can nouȝt I seide it semeth to my wittes
And is in drede to drenche þat neu. Þat swymme can nouȝt I seide it semeth to my wittes
sannoreR.12.173:
, "sooner," <OE Sannore. This form appears
in the Z text and it, sāna, and sanere appear in the
sannour version. See Joseph S. Wittig, C (London and New York:
Athlone Press, 2001), Piers Plowman: Concordance.
Will's Visions of Piers Plowman, Do-Well, do-better and do-best: A Lemmatized Analysis of
the English Vocabulary of the A, B and C Versions as Presented in the Athlone Editions, with
Supplementary Concordances of the Latin and French Macaronics.
s. v., p. 609. soone arise .
Þat he þat knoweth clergie can R.12.174: Though Cr agrees with R's reading, beta
omits (F rewrites the entire phrase as he).
to be saf agrees with beta. Cx be safe þouȝ he senegeR.12.174: R's unique is not an error but, according to
senege, OED2
s. v. and sin, MED
s. v., a legitimate thirteenth and fourteenth-century variant for sinnen. sin shows the same form as R at this point. Cf.
similar forms at CxR.17.242: and . ofte .
Out of synne and he þe
saut n er As þow seest iR.12.177: A black ink stain partially obscures the <s> of . sauter
fol. 57rI
in er psalme on or tweyne .R.12.178: At the top right margin of this page, there is a smudged word
written in black, beginning with what may be a <D>.
As þow seest in þe sautR.12.180KD.12.177α
remisse sunt iniquitates
& quor um tecta sunt umcat ec a p . Beati quorR.12.180: Though Hm supports alpha, beta itself omits the last word of this citation,
. peccata
kennethR.12.181: The beta reading is also that of . Cx hym fram wanhope .
And þis conforteth vch a clerke and R.12.184KD.12.181
on ar he come to schrifte
i and canR.12.184: R's phrase manifests a unique omission; cf. F's and beta's for þereof ne
can. Although the & þanne can
copies show a number of variations here, the predominant reading is that of beta. C he
litel telle .
And hath no contricson or parisch preste
and par er- auenter bothe .R.12.186: Beta omits . There appears to have been a
line-division problem at this point in bothe, and Kane-Donaldson recast the
first word of the next line of Bx ( Bx) as the
final stave word of this line. Vnconnynge
And þat is after pR.12.188KD.12.185
cecus ducit cecu m
&c m . etera DuR.12.188: Hereafter alpha omits a line found in beta:
. Wo was hym marked þat wade mote with þe lewed
. Wo was hym marked þat wade mote with þe lewed
a
/
not
sette to scole .R.12.189: F reads this b-verse as .
Beta has þat sette hym fyrst to skole. The beta reading, which alliterates
correctly, is also that of þat hym to boke sette. Cx
¶ Wel may þe barne blisse þat hym ce of god a gode
friday as þu speke . raR.12.194: A black ink blot intervenes between the final word of this line
and the punctus.
Þe thef þat hadde gR.12.195: M here agrees with R on
the stave word (), but the beta majority's reading, supported by
recreant, is Cx. F omits the term entirely. creaunt to
crist & vpon a crosR.12.195: In place of R's , beta has vpon a cros. F omits the entire phrase. Though the end of the b-verse is different in
on þe
crosse &, its version of this line parallels C up to this
point and reads B. Was for A ȝeld hym creaunt to crist
knowlechedR.12.195: R uniquely omits before hym. gulty gulty .R.12.195: Hereafter alpha omits a line preserved in beta:
. And grace axed of god and he is euer redy
Was for he ȝelde hym recreant. And grace axed of god and he is euer redy
R.12.197: A red smudge partially covers ; the same red
smudge appears on the facing page, partially obscuring the heiȝ of R12.163.
No boxing occurs nearby either, so the probable cause is mere spillage of a drop of the
rubricator's ink. to blisse .
¶ Ac þouȝ þat thef hadde heuene he hadde non
heiȝn and other seintes þat
ass aued erR.12.198: R shares this form with L alone; F and beta agree on . The deserued tradition is divided, but the surviving
evidence suggests that that P subarchetype read as RL while the X subarchetype had either C or serued. deserued hadde bette
. er
As Seint Ioh man ȝeue me mR.12.199:
There is a superfluous loop above the <m> of , in a darker ink
than the text hand. me mete and sette me amydde þe flore .
Riȝt as soR.12.204KD.12.203
n a Ioh neR.12.204: R's (1) is unique among the ne
copies; beta omits the word, while F rewrites the line completely. The B
manuscripts are split, the X family agreeing with R while the P family supports beta's
omission. C Symond ne Iude .
He sitt noither with neR.12.205: R's is a unique reading, the negative
being omitted by beta (F has ne confessoures). The b-verse of the cognate
ne with Maydenys line has been revised, but it still begins with C, as with alpha. ne confessoures ne widewes .
Ne with maidenes ne with martires R.12.208KD.12.207
R.12.208:
Immediately below this line, and above R12.209, there is a scribally cancelled line which
reads iuxta
op uea sua er reddite vnicuiq. And .
And iuxta op uea sua er reddite vnicuiq
And as lawe liketh to lyue or to deyeAnd iuxta op uea sua er reddite vnicuiq
rewardeR.12.211: Nearly all the other copies (including F) attest B at this point, but rewarde hem agrees with R in
omitting Cx. hem bothe I- liche .
It were nother reson ne riȝt to j i us
fol. 57vI
lorde ne hadde hym liȝtliche oute
so leue I e þe be i heuene . nR.12.213: Alpha was clearly missing the key word of the b-verse,
, a fact which F, as is his custom, attempts to cover over ( thef). Beta reads this b-verse precisely as does R, with
one addition: so leve y it be in hevene. so leue I þe thef be in heuene
Þat our Ac whi þt on thef a vponR.12.217: In this a-verse, R's and Ac are
unique among the vpon copies. For the former, F has B
while beta reads But. For the latter, F and beta concur in reading And. Though eight on manuscripts support the latter
reading, it seems likely that C agreed on both variants with R. Cx
þe cros creaunt hym ȝelde .
¶ stonesR.12.227: R uniquely omits before þe. stones and of þe sterres þow studiest as I leue .
And of R.12.232KD.12.228
e þerR.12.232: Beta omits alpha's (2). þere to buylde and brede
.
Þat þere þe thorne is thikkest fol. 58rI
neR.12.245: R's seems to be a unique addition to the text
witnessed by the other ne manuscripts, but it may in fact be the alpha
lection, if F misread his exemplar's B as ne. he
may nouȝt fle heye .
For þe pecok and men pursuen hym kepeth .R.12.249: R's is an alpha form (F = kepeth); cf. beta's kepiþ. kepe
¶ Riȝt so þe riche if he his ricchesse R.12.260KD.12.258
R.12.260: Both L
and Cr concur in this verb form; F and most beta manuscripts read . enuenymeþ þoruȝ his atter .
And alle þe othere þere it lith enuenymed vnderstondedR.12.261: R's is a unique form. Most of the other vnderstonded manuscripts have B. vnderstonde as I
haue lerned in auynet .
By þe po feet is e glosingR.12.271: R's non-alliterating stave, , is descended from
alpha. Cf. F's glosinge and beta's glose. Although the
line is partially revised in the logyk version, the key term, C, agrees with beta's stave word. logyk þe lest foule oute .
Þus he likeneth in his
e souleR.12.277: R's is an alpha variant (cf. F's soule). Beta reads a plural, sowle, the same reading found in soules. Cx reste .
Þat god for his grace gyue herj ij us
fol. 58vI
saluabitur vix iustus in die iudicij
. And seyde R.12.283: The left side of this boxed line is left open,
unconnected.
AcR.12.287: Cf. F's and beta's But. Among the
For copies, UcTChNc agree with F's reading and most the of the P family
simply omit the opening conjunction, but most of the X family manuscripts support R's C. Ac þere is fullyng of fonte and
fullyng e in blode schedyng e . e
treutheR.12.290: Here alpha omitted an essential relative pronoun; cf. beta's trespassed þat. Beta's reading is also that of trewth . C trespased neue ne
transu ersed aȝen his lawe . er
¶ Ac lyued as his lawe tauȝteR.12.291: Beta's version of this a-verse shows present-tense verb forms: and lyueth. Though a few copies of techeth
agree with beta on these tenses, the preponderance of evidence from the C manuscripts supports the originality of R's readings. C and leueth
þer be no bettere . e
But e trewe god but er treweR.12.293: Beta omits , presumably because it was sensed as
redundant with the following noun. F strikes the entire phrase (i.e., trewe) and replaces it with trewe
treuthe. his wil
agrees with R. Cx treuthe wer alowed . e
Ne wolde neu The scribe has skipped approximately
five spaces here to allow for a diagonal tear in the parchment; it extends down into the next
line, where extra spaces are allowed between and kepe. Cf. note at with , which
describes the textual position of the same imperfection on the opposite side of this
sheet. and wisdom qd þ uot weye aR.12.299:
, "person, being, man." Weye was su m- tyme tresor .
And wit