fol. 89v (cont.)I
xvj us us pass
j us xvj us xv[ii]j us septimus
decim us [octauus] decim de visione
vt sup . ra—
— Passus
R.18.0: An early user
has attempted to correct the scribal passus number (which is now undercounted by two) by
adding a single brown <j> after the <vj> of the heading.
W
R.18.4KD.18.4
slepeR.18.4:
The other witnesses read B for R's eft to. Eight efte manuscripts agree with R's omission of C but to presumably read as the Cx
majority. B .
Til I wex weri of þe worlde and wilned efte eR.18.11: Only Cr agrees with R's form. Cf. beta's . F reads pryke, a variant that makes little sense.
Presumably, in a copy between alpha and F someone had substituted the synonymous springe for alpha's spurringe e, a mistake
magnified by F's misreading. The reading of prikyng here is uncertain, but a
majority of the X family copies agree with R. Cx .
Barefoet on an asse bake boteles cam
prikyng fol. 90rI
R.18.14:
After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing
verse strophes. No reason beyond oversight is apparent.
To geten hym gulte spores or galoches ycouped .R.18.20KD.18.19
iusteR.18.20:
After , R uniquely omits ho. sholde confirms that this omission is an error. Cx in iherusalem ihesus he
seyde .
And ho fecchethR.18.21:
Cf. F's and beta's fettyn. fecche agrees with beta. Cx þat þe fende claymeth peres fruit þe
plowma . n
And andR.18.31:
For alpha's , beta reads and. A majority of or witnesses agrees with beta, but the P family subarchetype may have read
C. oþer loketh in londe or in water .
Alle þat lyueth R.18.32KD.18.31
likthR.18.32:
Among the beta manuscripts, only L shares alpha's , a variant of lykth. Russell-Kane do not record any lieth manuscripts with
this spelling. C and leith his lif to wedde .
Lif seith þat he - inne thre dayes .R.18.33: An early reader has marked this line in the right margin with a
small red cross or star.
Þat for al þat deth can do withR.18.36KD.18.35
forbiteR.18.36:
R's reading is unique; both F and beta show ; some beta copies have
corrupted this to forbete. In the for to bete tradition,
three X family manuscripts and most of the P family agree with R's reading. C and doun
bringe bale deth for euere .
And mors mors tua ero . —
O R.18.37: R's
phrasing here is unique; the rest of the manuscripts read B; however, the majority of the X family of O mors ero mors tua reads the line as R does. C
e beitherR.18.39:
R's is a unique form; F has beither; LWHm read boþe; M and Cr botheres have 1. There
is a similarly wide variety of lections in the boþes manuscripts at this
point, but none of them shows R's form. However, at C2.69 (Russell-Kane), manuscript F has
C. beither riȝte .
To se how douȝtiliche deth schulde do & deme
herus of oure esR.18.43: Here alpha omitted a
stave word; cf. beta's . iewes temple
temple iapede and despisede .
Þis ihR.18.44KD.18.42
it n inR.18.44:
R's is an alpha variant; beta has in. Though four
on manuscripts agree with RF, it is clear that C
agrees with beta. Cx a day and in thre dayes after .
To fordou fol. 90vI
- lofte aR.18.47:
Cf. F's and beta's on lofte. bi loft agrees with R. Cx and bi grounde .
Bothe as longe and as large R.18.52KD.18.50
q Aue rabid uo þeR.18.52:
In this noun phrase, R's is unique; F has þe and
beta has þo. þat agrees with beta. As for the
following noun, the plural is an alpha variant; beta shows Cx and rybaud concurs. Cx
ribaudes and threwe redes at hym .
four e
R.18.53: At this point, beta reads while F has thre. Hand2 has written fowre
in the left margin and placed a caret before foure (the R scribe's choice).
However, thre has not been struck through nor erased, and we see no
evidence for Hand2's having had supervisory authority in the production of MS R. The marginal
note engages a famous medieval controversy about the details of the Crucifixion. Skeat notes
that a "long essay might be written on the wholly unimportant question whether thre or three were used in the Crucifixion." four (Oxford:
Clarendon, 1886): 2.251. Because of the commonplace nature of the nail dispute, the reading
of alpha itself must remain in doubt, but the usual patterns of copying in R and F suggest
that alpha was much likelier to have read The
Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, in Three Parallel Texts than thre. Kane-Donaldson certainly saw it that way: since R's original reading has not
been subpuncted or struck out, they treat R's intended reading as foure,
ignoring the marginal thre. foure nailes naked - on vpR.18.53:
R's is unique; the other vp-on witnesses show B. Nevertheless, on may well represent vp-on here since the X family of Bx manuscripts also attests this
reading (the P family agrees with beta). C þe rode .
Nayled hym with thre putteR.18.54:
R reads this line in harmony with beta except that after , R uniquely
omits putte from the beta phrase. It is true that F also omits this word, but
that fact has no importance for assessing the archetypal reading since F completely
transposes the entire vp line. The X family of Bx
agrees with beta on this lection, but the P family agrees with R in omitting C. vp to his lippes .
And poyson on a pole þei Til loreR.18.61: F begins this line with ; beta reads simply Tyl þe lord. For the spelling Þe lorde, see Richard Jordan,
lore, translated and revised by
Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974): §199, remark 3. Cf. Handbook of Middle English Grammar: PhonologyR.5.409: and R.14.184: .
of lif and of liȝt þo leyde his eyȝes to- gidres .
R.18.64KD.18.62
hereR.18.64:
Alpha had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting
for here (the reading of beta and of depe). Cx
graues .
Dede men for þat dene come oute of R.18.72KD.18.69
me seyde he was a wicche gode is
m assayeR.18.72:
The beta b-verse (presumably = ) is Bx. From this phrase, F omits good is þat we
assaye and R leaves out þat. þat we agrees with beta. Cx .
And soR.18.76KD.18.73
AcR.18.76:
F begins the line with ; beta omits both conjunctions and opens with
But a. The P family of A manuscripts reads C, but the X family agrees with beta. Qikliche cam a a cacchepol cam forth
and craked bothe her legges .
fol. 91rI
owe r th .R.18.79: For alpha's , beta has throwe.
Although beta's reading seems clearly inferior, tyme agrees with
it. Cx
For he was kniȝt and kynges sone kynde forȝaf
þat R.18.80KD.18.77
R.18.80: Here F
reads the plural while R's singular form agrees with beta. R's
phrase, hondys, adds the determiner to an hand's text
(which reads Bx); the addition of leyne hande is shared
by convergence with Bo, whose corrector caught and deleted it. an vppon hym .
Þat non harlot were so hardy to leyn an hand stede .R.18.86: For alpha's redundant noun , beta attests the verb
stede. Although the stode line is revised, its sense and
its final stave agree with beta's C. stode
For alle þei were vnhardi þat houed on hors or toucheR.18.87:
The beta phrase is . Though this line is slightly revised in
the To touche hym version, it is clear that C agrees with beta
on this variant. Cx or to taste hym or take hym doun of rode .
To R.18.88KD.18.85
e þatR.18.88:
Some beta copies omit ; others read þat. þanne agrees here with alpha. Cx bar hym thoruȝ þe
herte . e
But þis blinde bacheler opned
R.18.89: Alpha
had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting the common synonym for beta's opned. vnspered reads
as beta. Cx þe kniȝtes eyȝes .
Þe blode sprange doune be þe spere & u es ihR.18.90:
Cf. F's and beta's crist. hym
agrees with R. Cx mercy .
Þan fel þe kniȝte vpon knes and criede R.18.96KD.18.93
hemR.18.96:
Beta omits the second from this line. hem agrees
with beta. Cx for euere .
Called hem caytyues acorsed R.18.104KD.18.101
- do
deth worth - venkesched I .R.18.104: In place of alpha's , beta's
b-verse reads deth worth I-venkesched. his deth worth avenged agrees with
alpha. Cx
For be this derkenesse IR.18.112KD.18.109
þe kyngdomR.18.112: R's is unique; F shows þe kyngdom while beta reads to his
kyngdom (though the CrWHm subset
attests her kyngdom). of hir kyngdom þe croune schulde
n lese .
Whan crist cam n ii us ijR.18.112: A fragment of a signature remains at the bottom right margin of this
leaf: . n ii
fol. 91vI
veniat sanct m
us um sanctorR.18.113: Alpha omits the rest of the verse, which beta completes by adding . The beta version of this citation is also that
of the P family of cessabit vnxio vestra manuscripts; the X family shows more internal
variation, with some of the best witnesses ending the citation at C. cessat . Cu
þoR.18.114: R's is unique; F and beta have þo.
Some þe manuscripts read C, but thes agrees with beta and F. Cx fals iewes .
¶ What for fere of þis ferly and of in e þatR.18.118: R's is unique; F and beta read þat.
þe agrees with the Cx majority. B weye
to helwarde sche lokede .
Cam walkyng And whanR.18.125: Beta omits alpha's . And agrees
with beta. Cx þis maydenes mette mcy and treuthe . er
R.18.128KD.18.124
swichR.18.128: For alpha's , beta reads swich.
which agrees with beta. Cx a liȝte and a lem lay byfor
helle .
And kendeR.18.133: For alpha's , beta reads kende.
kynnes reads either Cx (X family) or kynde (P family). kynde of creatur co eseyued
thoruȝ speche . n
Of any fol. 92rI
e þat ȝone liȝte
hem on lofte erR.18.149: In place of alpha's , beta reads on lofte. alofte agrees with beta. Cx brynge .
Leue þow neu but trufle þat þow telleste R.18.151: Beta begins the b-verse with a reiterated
pronoun reference: treuth wote I. agrees with beta. Cx
treuthe wote þe sothe .
It is R.18.156KD.18.151
ience q erd he I
hope uo þow schaltR.18.156: R's is unique; F has þow schalt
while beta reads y shal. þei shal agrees with
beta. Cx be saued .
Þoruȝ exp fallereth falleret R.18.166: This obvious Latin spelling mistake is probably attributable to the same
general pattern of final <-t> being often equated to final <-th> in this
tradition's English spellings (discussed in the Introduction . III.2.2.10 Ars vt artem
R.18.172KD.18.168
cometh pesR.18.172: R's phrase is reversed in F and beta to , but
pees cometh agrees with R. Cx pleyinge in pacience I- clothed .
Where to what place
e heR.18.178: R's is an alpha variant; beta has he, and she agrees with beta. Cx wolde .
And preied pes to tel hir fol. 92vI
R.18.183: Alpha
omits the following line from : Bx
. This beta-attested line also occurs in the And I shal daunce þerto do þow so sustre version. C
Moyses and many mo mercy schal haue .. This beta-attested line also occurs in the And I shal daunce þerto do þow so sustre version. C
man suche
l mres ett heR.18.186: R's is unique among the he me
copies, the others all omitting B. However, a majority of the X family of
he reads this phrase in agreement with R. The other C manuscripts agree with beta. C me sent .
Loue þat is my le mercyR.18.187: Alpha has obviously dropped a stave. Beta manuscripts add after my
sustre. mercy agrees with beta. Cx
and I mankende schulde saue .
Þat R.18.202: Hereafter, alpha omits a line preserved in beta and in most version witnesses: C
. A related problem is that the single best Aȝeines resoun I riȝtwisnesse recorde þus with treuth witness, manuscript L, reads B rather than I in the middle of the line, a superior choice also attested by a select group of the and manuscripts (XYcI). C
And folwed þat þe fende tauȝte & his felawes
wille .. A related problem is that the single best Aȝeines resoun I riȝtwisnesse recorde þus with treuth witness, manuscript L, reads B rather than I in the middle of the line, a superior choice also attested by a select group of the and manuscripts (XYcI). C
R.18.206: L and Y join R in merely implying, rather than stating, the
pronoun subject here, but F agrees with the other beta copies in reading explicitly . And I shal agrees with F and the beta
majority. Cx schal preieR.18.206: R's is an alpha variant. Beta has preie. preue agrees with alpha. Cx qd pees
her uo peyne mote haue ende . e
¶ AndR.18.208KD.18.205
þei wisteR.18.208: Beta reads þei wist had. Almost
certainly alpha omitted since the only evidence for it in that family
is in the form of a supralinear correction in the scribal hand of F, which, as a result,
reads had wiste hadde. þey agrees
with beta. Cx of no wo wele hadde þei nauȝte knowe .
For fol. 93rI
R.18.220KD.18.217
nouȝteR.18.220: R's is unique; F shows is nouȝte, while beta has it
is. is ynough agrees with
beta, reading Cx. is ynow to mene .
Wote no wiȝte as I wene what is R.18.224KD.18.221
isR.18.224: Beta has the past form, . was
agrees with beta. Cx kendeliche to knowe it .
To wite what wele is and
blisse eR.18.230: R's agrees only with G; F omits the word, merging
this b-verse with the next line, while beta has blisse. lisse agrees with beta. Cx with- outen ende .
Schal lere hem what langour menR.18.237: Alpha's breaks the alliterative pattern of the
a-verse; cf. beta's men. Cr may have consulted both alpha and beta copies
and tried to split the difference with its wyse. wise men agrees with beta. Cx
in þis worlde in o witt acordeden .
Þat alle þe R.18.238: R's is supported only by W; all other þe copies, including
F, omit it. However, B agrees with RW on the presence of Cx here. þe cite
Þat swilk a barn was yborn in bethlem þe þatR.18.247: R's is unique; the other þat
witnesses have B. þe agrees with the Cx majority. B wat wel hym knewe and seyde . er
And as he wente on fol. 93vI
moneR.18.250: Beta reads in place of alpha's se. mone agrees with beta. Cx made .
Whan sche sey hym suffre þat sonne and R.18.252KD.18.248
& al e biquascheR.18.252: R's is an alpha variant; beta shows a preterite
form, biquasche. Though many biquasht manuscripts agree with
beta on the tense of the verb (= C), the best X family copies, as
well as some in the P family, read toquasched, agreeing with alpha. toquasch
þe roche .
Quakede as quikke thyng lucifer it lucifer [lese] itR.18.255: R uniquely omits an essential word at this point; the beta manuscripts read
while F reads leue. leese
agrees with beta. Cx þow hym lothe thenke .R.18.255: Immediately hereafter,
alpha omitted the following lines from : Bx
To breke & to bete dounn þat ben aȝeines ihesus. A revised version of these two lines appears in the For gygas þe geaunt with a gynne engyned version. C
And now schal To breke & to bete dounn þat ben aȝeines ihesus. A revised version of these two lines appears in the For gygas þe geaunt with a gynne engyned version. C
a manR.18.257: Beta omits the determiner, reading simply . of man
and his moder gladie .
In alle miȝtes of AR.18.263: Beta begins this line with ; How a
agrees with alpha in omitting Cx. How spiriȝt speketh to helle
and bitt vnsperre þe ȝates .
R.18.264KD.18.262α-263
portas a uoys loude i Attollite þ nt liȝt
to lucifer crieth . aR.18.264: Beta reads this passage as two lines, dividing alpha's line
between the Latin and the English. Though most manuscripts agree with
the line division of beta, some of the best X family witnesses (XIP CK)
agree with alpha. 2
R.18.267: Alpha's form (i.e., R's ), though semantically identical to beta's siȝede, was
sufficiently unfamiliar to the F scribe to cause him to flounder, producing syked. However, seyde's Cx is clearly
identical to alpha (phonologically) and distinct from beta. syhed sathan and seide
to helle .
¶ Þanne siȝede hemR.18.271: Beta reads in place of alpha's it.
hem agrees with beta. Cx þere lazar is and liȝtliche me bynde .
And lede schalR.18.273: For alpha's , beta reads schal.
Although a few shulde manuscripts support beta, C
agrees with alpha. Cx lede he all m he enes
. n
Þat swhich a lorde and a liȝte R.18.276KD.18.275
þis lordeR.18.276: For alpha's phrase, , beta reads þis lorde. hym agrees with alpha. Cx dere ne no deueles
queyntise .
May no deth weyeR.18.277: R uniquely omits a word here; all but one of the other copies, including F, read B; Bm transposes to is his waye. his is agrees with the Cx
majority. B ac ware hym of þe pils . er
And where he wil is fol. 94rI
R.18.284KD.18.283
AndR.18.284: R uniquely omits from the he
phrase Bx þat he. And was
already lacking an alliterating initial stave. Bx þt sothenesse is
seide þese wordes . a
- sessedR.18.285: The
readings of alpha and of are doubtful here. Cf. F's Bx. Beta reads Sytthe y was sesed. And sitthen I seised
þise seue hundreth wynter .
And I sitthen IR.18.292KD.18.291
- so alR.18.292: R's - so is the alpha
reading; beta has al. The X family of so agrees with
beta. The P family reads C at this point. Thus þow haddest hem oute
and hider atte laste .
And he wente abouteR.18.297: Cf. alpha's to beta's he wente aboute. Beta's reading is obviously defective in alliteration. hath
he gone
agrees here with alpha. Cx & pchede . re
¶ Þis thretty winter as I wene someR.18.298: In place of alpha's , beta reads some. sometyme agrees with beta. Cx I asked .R.18.298: RF's
basic agreement here attests that alpha read (F reads the b-verse
as I asked). summe y have hym asked agrees with R, reading
Cx. By contrast, beta (reflected by LMW) appears to have
construed this form as a past-participle, ich askede. yasked
Ich haue assailed hym with synne and . e In the right margin opposite these lines, there is a
partially erased and illegible (under ultraviolet light) note in a near-contemporary hand. It
is ten lines long: 4 lines + a signature line and then the same pattern repeated with the
same signature, which might be or Robert Smith. Robin
Swift
Where he were god or godes sone he gaf me schorte
answerR.18.300KD.18.299
he hathR.18.300: Beta transposes this phrase as . hath he agrees with beta. Cx trolled forth þis to and thretty wynter
And þus andR.18.309: Beta reads . & with agrees
with beta. Cx grete liȝte god it is I wote wel .
With glorie with þe . These verses are attested only in alpha, beta having lost them by
eyeskip. In addition, only R shows the final phrase of 314b, . The
with þe version attests the authenticity of alpha's phrases in a revised
version, where the second of these half-lines is clearly derived from a source common with
alpha (cf. Russell-Kane 20.348: C). And now for a later lesynge
For we leuede þi lesynges we loupen oute alle nceps ridi hui n us muR.18.317: R here shows a unique transposition of the
phrasing, Bx. huius mundi agrees with
Cx majority on the order of this phrase. B eicitur foras
. Nunc pR.18.317: In the left margin, beginning at this point, the leaf was torn
on an inward and downward diagonal for a space of some 5.5 cm.; it was long ago repaired by
stitching. No text is affected.
fol. 94vI
R.18.320KD.18.317α, 318
þe liȝte Rex glorie seide þe lord of miȝt & of ma & all n
man e v ertues . er Alpha obviously had a different
arrangement of text here from the beta witnesses, which read:
And lorde of myȝte & of mayne & al manere vertues.
Dominus virtutum
Dukes of þis dym place anon vndo þis ȝates. Rex glorie þe liȝte sone seide
By contrast, R makes two lines of the passage, omits beta's before sone (as does F) and, with W, reads seide for beta's ma(n) (F here reads mayne). F deviates from the line division found in R (which presumably reflects alpha) and abbreviates the passage, omitting man(er)e. Dominus virtutum
And lorde of myȝte & of mayne & al manere vertues.
Dominus virtutum
Dukes of þis dym place anon vndo þis ȝates. Rex glorie þe liȝte sone seide
By contrast, R makes two lines of the passage, omits beta's before sone (as does F) and, with W, reads seide for beta's ma(n) (F here reads mayne). F deviates from the line division found in R (which presumably reflects alpha) and abbreviates the passage, omitting man(er)e. Dominus virtutum
us
v omintutu ir . m D
DukR.18.321: The singular is an alpha variant; beta has . Among
the Dukes manuscripts, the P family agrees with alpha while the X family
agrees with beta. C of þis dym place anone vndo þis ȝates .
kyngesR.18.322: Here R shows a unique omission; the other witnesses
have B kynges sone þe. agrees
with the Cx majority. B sone of heuene .
Þat crist may come in brasteR.18.323: The beta variant here is , which agrees with the
reading of brake. Cx with belialles barres .
And with þat breth helle R.18.344KD.18.341
- do
I man wol amende itR.18.344: R's is unique in line-terminal position and is
entirely omitted by beta. Nevertheless, while R's phrasing here differs from F's, their
common witness to the presence of the pronoun indicates that alpha's b-verse, unlike that of
beta, attested it. it, which is revised here, also
shows the pronoun in line-terminal position, reading Cx. to amenden it
.
And al þat man hath mys it
e neuerR.18.351: For alpha's , beta reads neuere. nouȝte agrees with beta. Cx lucifer
aȝeyne þe lawe I fecche hem . e
So leue fol. 95rI
legem sed e implereR.18.353: R's verb here is unique; the other manuscripts read
B. adimplere also reads Cx. adimplere Non veni soluer
n resouR.18.354: In place of R's , the beta phrase reads resoun while F shows al resoun. ryght & resoun .
Þow fetteste myne in my place aȝeynes turneR.18.363: Beta reads ; torne aȝeine
agrees with alpha. Cx to lyue .
Adam and alle þoruȝ a tre schule and
e e gretter .R.18.367: Rather than repeat as alpha does, beta reads grettere. wyder agrees with beta. Cx
And my grace to growen ay gretterR.18.372KD.18.367
R.18.372: The verb form is that of
alpha, but it also occurs in L; cf. the majority beta form . The
inflectional ending of þursteþ (= Cx) agrees with
the prevalent beta form. fursteth ȝut for mannes soule sake .
I fauȝte so me thurstesR.18.380KD.18.375
AcR.18.380: R's is unique among the Ac
witnesses; F has B while beta reads But. However, And is also the reading of Ac. Cx
merciableR.18.380: R's reading is unique, presumably because alpha here suffered a loss of
text; cf. beta's merciable to be." F weakly attempts
a repair with merciable not so. agrees with beta. Cx to man my kende þanne itR.18.380: Beta shows a transposed form of R's phrase: . F rephrases the entire b-verse as þanne my
kynde. my keende may not aske agrees with beta. Cx asketh .
onR.18.385: R's preposition is unique; the other witnesses show
B. Nevertheless, though a few in manuscripts support
the C majority reading, B agrees here with
R. Cx erthe to hangen a feloun .
It is nouȝt vsed fol. 95vI
andR.18.389: In place of alpha's , beta reads and. if agrees with alpha. Cx he loked on hym .
Lawe wolde he ȝaf hym lif mayR.18.395: L here uniquely joins the alpha reading (the other beta copies omit ). may agrees with alpha and L. Cx do mercy
þoruȝ riȝtwisnesse and alle my wordes trewe .
I R.18.396KD.18.390
R.18.396: In place of R's , beta reads wil I I þat. wil agrees with beta. Cx be wroke of hem pat deden ille .
And þouȝ holy writ wil IR.18.400KD.18.393
R.18.400: There is a long, superfluous bar extending from above the <-en> of far into the right margin beyond the vertical ruling. bretheren
And my mercy schal be schewed to many of my bretheren
. hisR.18.402: Beta omits . his agrees with
beta. Cx blode blede but hym rewe .
Ac blode may nouȝte se lucifer þat þow
lowe eR.18.411:
This form, found in alpha and L, is an obsolete past tense and past participle of LIE (= "to
tell an untruth"); the majority beta reading, , is substantively the
same. leighe's form for this verb is the same as in alpha and L. Cx to
eue .
And for þi lesing☞
scharpestR.18.421: Beta reads . Though a few sharpe
manuscripts concur with beta's reading, C agrees with alpha's Cx. scharpest schoures qd pes moste
schene is þe sonne . uo
After desuntR.18.422: In
the bottom right margin of this page, there is a symbol resembling a modern script capital H,
beneath which is written the word in what appears to be
an early-modern italic hand. The note was clearly intended to draw attention to the textual
gap that occurs here. Leaves including the last twenty-three lines of Passus 18, all of
Passus 19, and the first twenty-six lines of Passus 20 were detached from R and lost long
ago. desunt