fol. 35v (cont.)I
sus
us de
& cetera .
Passus nonus  de visione vt supra . R.9.0: At the extreme left margin of the same line as the passus heading, there is the cropped fragment of a small brown guide, illegible except for the ends of three lines: sus
us de
& cetera
.

Sire dowelleth dwellisR.9.1: Manuscript C also reads dwelles, but the A and C versions attest the same present-tense verb form as F and most beta copies: dwelleth. R's original reading, before editorial correction to dwellis, was a grotesque error involving the accidental merger of two words (dowelleth), but the form of that error makes clear that R's copytext attested the same verb form as that now found in F and most other manuscripts. quod witt  nauȝt a day hennes .
In a castel þat kende made  of foure manerR.9.2: Beta reads kynnes, which agrees with both Ax and Cx. þinges .
Of erthe and heyer is it made  medeled to-gyderes .
R.9.4KD.9.4
With wynde and with water  witterly enioyned .
Kende hath closed þere-inne  craftily with-alle .
A lemman þat he louyeth  y-liche to hym-selue .
fol. 36rI
Anima sche hatteth  ac enu.ye hire hateth .
R.9.8KD.9.8
A proude prikere of fraunce  princeps huius mundi .
And wold wynne hire awey  with wiles and he miȝte .
And kende knoweth þis wel  and kepeth hire þe bettere .
And hath I-doR.9.11: F and some beta copies (e.g., CrWHm) here read dooþ; LMGO, by contrast, read hath do(on). R's hath I-do is almost identical to the reading of L. The predominant readings among both A and C witnesses are small variations of the RLMOG phrase, but six manuscripts from the P family of C attest the same reading as FCrWHm. hire withR.9.11: Beta reads with sire dowel. This reading is also found in Ax and Cx. dowel  is duk of þeR.9.11: Cf. F's þat and beta's þis. Beta's reading is also that of Ax and Cx. marches .
R.9.12KD.9.12
Do-bet is hire damoisel  sire doweles douȝter .
To serue þis lady lely  both late and rathe .
Dobest is abouteabo[u]e bothe  a bischopes pere .
Þat he bit motebemote be do  he reuleth hem alle .
R.9.16KD.9.16
Anima þat lady  is lad by hys lernyng .
¶ Ac þe constable of þat castel  þat kepeth alle þe wacche .
Is a wise kniȝt with-alle  sire inwitt he hatte .
And hath fyue faire sones  by his furst wyue .
R.9.20KD.9.20
Sire sewel and saywel  and sireR.9.20: Beta omits alpha's sire from this b-verse. Ax agrees with beta in this omission, but a majority of C manuscripts, including the best X family witnesses and most of the P family, agree with alpha here. here-wel þe hende .
Sire werche wel with þin hand  a wiȝt man of strengthe .
And sire godefrey go-wel  a grete lordR.9.22: In place of alpha's singular (a grete lord), beta opts for the plural: gret lordes. Beta's choice agrees with the reading of both Ax and Cx. for-sothe
Þise fyue ben sette  to saue þisR.9.23: Beta reads the phrase as þis lady anima. anima .
R.9.24KD.9.24
Til kende come or sende  to saue hire for euere .
¶ What kynne thynge is kende quod I  kanst þow me telle .
¶ Kende quod witt is aR.9.26: Although M agrees with R in the omission of the determiner (in both copies by what appears to be an editorial erasure of the word a originally written), most beta copies and F agree in reading is a creatour. However, the overwhelming majority of A and C manuscripts agrees with the "corrected" (i.e. the erased) version of RM. creatour  of alkynne þinges .
Fader and formeor  of alle þat euer was maked .R.9.27: There is a cross in the left margin here, but it is much heavier and thicker than the similar crosses used by the scribe to mark Latin tags for later boxing. This cross is presumably a correction mark; there is no mistake in 9.27, but the mark may refer to 9.28's gete, which was never corrected.
R.9.28KD.9.28
AndR.9.28: R uniquely omits a phrase immediately after And. In beta, the phrase is þat is; F omits And, beginning the line with He is. Ax confirms the authenticity of beta's phrase. þe geteg[r]ete god þat gynnyng had neuere .
Lord of lif and of liȝt  of blisseR.9.29: The group of witnesses joining R in attesting blisse (a non-alliterating synonym of authorial lisse) includes F, as expected, and five typical beta manuscripts: Cr1, G, and B (Bm, Bo, and Cot). Cr1 and G are late, and exposed to extensive lateral transmission, so that their agreement in this reading is not problematic. Likewise, the B group is so textually inferior in its common source as to be an unsurprising ally. However, what is mildly surprising is that M also has been "corrected" into agreement with this alpha error. This fact suggests that blisse was already present in Cr1's exemplar (beta2), because Cr1's exemplar was almost certainly the copy that had been used long before to "correct" M into agreement with the WHmCr sub-family. and of payne .
Angeles and alle þing  aren at his wille .
Ac man is most hymR.9.31: This phrase occurs in beta in transposed order as hym moste. The cognate line in Ax is identical to beta's version, and Cx, in a revised line, repeats the word order of beta's phrase. like  of marke and of schafte .
R.9.32KD.9.32
For þoruȝ þe worde þat he spake  wexen forth bestes .
Dixit et facta sunt 
¶ And made man I-likest to hym-self one .
And eue of his ribbe-bon  with-outen any mene .
R.9.36KD.9.36
For he was singulere hym-selue  seydeR.9.36: R uniquely omits and before seyde; F reads he in place of and. Faciamus .
¶ As ho sey more mote hereto  þanne my worde one .
fiiijus
fol. 36vI
My miȝt mote helpe  now with my speche .
Riȝt as a lord schulR.9.39: R's form here, schul, is unique and may represent either a present or past tense inflection; F and beta both attest a past-tense form, sholde. make lettres  and hym lakked parchmyn .
R.9.40KD.9.40
Þouȝ he coude write neuer so wel  ȝif he had no penne .
Þe lettere for alle þe lordschippe  I leue were neuer I-maked .
¶ And so it semedR.9.42: R's apparently past-tense inflection is unique; Bx has semeth. Cf. the discussion of R's problematic tense marking in the Introduction III.2.2.10, where this example is categorized. by hym  as þe bible telleth .
Þeere he seyde dixit et facta sunt .
R.9.44KD.9.44
He moste werche with his worde  and his witt schewe .
And in þis maner was man made  þoruȝ miȝt of god almiȝty .
With his word and werkmanschippe  and with lif to laste .
And þus god gaf hym a goste  of þe goddedR.9.47: Godded, "godhead." of heuene .
R.9.48KD.9.48
And of his grete grace  graunted hym blisse 
And þat is lif þat ay schal laste  to alle hisR.9.49: R's his is an alpha variant; although W agrees with alpha in attesting the presence of this possessive adjective, the other beta manuscripts omit it. Nevertheless, Ax supports the RFW reading here. lynage after .
And þisR.9.50: R's þis is unique; the other B witnesses read þat. Ax agrees with beta here. is þe catelca[s]tel þat kende made  caro it hatte .
And is as muche to mene  as man with a soule .
R.9.52KD.9.52
And þat he wrouȝt with werke  and with his wordesR.9.52: R's plural is unique among the B manuscripts; the others read worde. Moreover, beta omits his. Ax agrees with beta on the omission of his, but the A witnesses are divided on whether the following noun is singular (as in F and beta) or plural (as in R). bothe .
Þoruȝ miȝt of þe mageste  man was I-maked .
¶ Inwitt and alle wittes  I-clothedR.9.54: R's I-clothed is unique; the other B copies read closed. Both Ax and Cx support the majority B reading. ben þere-inne .
For loue of þe lady anima  þat lif is Inempned .
R.9.56KD.9.56
Oueralle in mannes body  he walketh and wandreth .
Ac in þe herte is hire home  and hire moste reste .
Ac inwitt is in þe hed  and to þe herteR.9.58: Only Cr and R omit he before loketh. loketh .
What anima is lef or loth  he lat hire at hireR.9.59: R's hire is unique; both beta and F read his. wille .
R.9.60KD.9.60
For after þe grace of god  þe grettest is Inwitt .
¶ Muche wo worth þat wiȝtR.9.61: Beta reads man, and Cx revises to hym.  þat mys-rewleth his Inwitt .
And þat beth glotones globares  here god is here wombe .
Quorum deus venter est .
R.9.64KD.9.63
For þei seruen sathan  here souleR.9.64: Most beta copies and F agree in rendering this variant as a plural (soules), but the support of LM for R's singular suggests that the reading of alpha, and of Bx, was soule. schal he haue .
Þat lyuen synful lyf here  here soule is liche þe deuel .
And alle þat lyuen gode lif  aren likeR.9.66: Only L and R omit a preposition before god. F's version of the b-verse is lyk after goddis techyng, while the other beta manuscripts read lik to god almiȝti. god almiȝty .
Qui manet in caritate in deo manet &cetera .
R.9.68KD.9.66
¶ Allas þat drink schal fordo  þat god dere bouȝte
And doth god forsaken hem  þat schope hemR.9.69: In place of alpha's schope hem, beta reads he shope. to his liknesse .
fol. 37rI
Amen dico vobis nescio vos .R.9.70: F omits the entire Latin tag; beta's version of the tag continues beyond R's end, reading: vos & alibi et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum.
¶ Foles þat fauten Inwitt  I fynde þat holy cherche .
R.9.72KD.9.70
Schulde fynden hem þat fautethR.9.72: Beta reads hem þat hem fauteth / fauted. F's rendering of this a-verse, Ne knowe no(n) defawhte, is too different to make comparison relevant.  and faderles childeren .
And wydewes þat haue nauȝt where-with . to wynnen hem here fode .
Madde men and maydenes  þat helples were .
Alle þise lakken Inwit  and lore byhoueth .
R.9.76KD.9.74
¶ Of þis matire I miȝte  make a longe tale .
And fynde fele witnese  amonges þe foure doctoures .
And þat I lye nauȝtR.9.78: Alpha here omitted a syntactically important phrase present in the beta manuscripts: of þat. In a second stage of corruption, F characteristically sacrifices from the mangled a-verse of alpha (as attested in R) an alliterating phrase that now makes little sense (I lere the) and adds weight to the b-verse with seynt luc. I lerethelere the  luk bereth witnesse .
¶ Godfader and godmoder  þat sen here god-children .
R.9.80KD.9.78
Þat isR.9.80: In place of R's Þat is, F reads In while beta reads At. mys-heise and at mischief  and mowe hem amende .
Schal haue penaunce in purgatorieR.9.81: This word is partially erased, and the erasure is very old though presumably not contemporary. Despite the attempted erasure, the word remains entirely readable.  but ȝif þei hem helpe .
For more by-longeth to þe litel barne  ar he þe lawe knowe .
Þan nempnyng of a name  and he neuere þe wisere.
R.9.84KD.9.82
¶ Schulde no cristene creature  crien atte ȝate .
AndR.9.85: Beta reads Ne. faile payn and potage  and prelates dide as þei schulde .
A Iew wolde nouȝt se a Iew  go Iangelynge for defaute .
For alle þe nobelesR.9.87: R's alliteration fails here; cf. beta's moebles, which clearly reflects Bx. F's effort to repair the alliterative pattern with the easy and obvious mone suggests that R's error was derived from alpha. of þis molde  and he amende it miȝte
R.9.88KD.9.86
¶ Allas þat a cristene creature  schal be vnkende til annother .
Sitthen Iewes þat we Iugen  Iudas felawes .
Þat ayther helpeth other  of hem þat hym nedeth .R.9.90: A series of small variations differentiates beta from alpha in this line, making it most efficient simply to show the beta line in its entirety: Ayther of hem helpeth other of þat þat hym nedeth. F renders the line thus: þat ech helpiþ oþir of hem / of good þat hem neediþ.
¶ Why ne wil we cristene  of cristes goed be as kende .
R.9.92KD.9.90
As Iewes þat ben oure lores-men  toR.9.92: Beta omits R's to; F reads It is. schame to vs alle .
Þe comune for here vnkendenesse  I drede me schul abye .
¶ Bischopes schul be blamed  for beggeres sake .
He is wors þan Iudas  þat ȝiueth a iapere siluer .
R.9.96KD.9.94
And bitR.9.96: F reads byddis; beta has biddeth. þe begere go  for his broke clothes .
Proditor est prelatus cum iuda qui patrimonium christi minus distribuit .
Et alibi . Perniciosus dispensator est  qui res pauperum christi invtiliter consumit .
fol. 37vI
He doth nauȝt wel þat doth þus  ne drad nauȝt god almiȝty
R.9.100KD.9.96
Ne loueth nauȝt salomones sawes  þat sapience tauȝte .
Inicium sapiencie timor domini .
¶ Þat drad god he doth wel  þat dradR.9.102: In both instances in this line where R reads drad, Bx has dredeth. hym for loue .
And drad hym nauȝt for loue of vengeance  to do þe bettere .R.9.103: Beta's line reads And nouȝt for drede of veniaunce doth þerfore þe bettere. R's And drad hym is unique; F has he dredyþ.
R.9.104KD.9.99
He doth best þat with-draweth hym  by day and by nyȝte .
To spille any speche  or any space of tyme .
Qui offendit in verboR.9.106: R's verbo is almost certainly authorial, albeit not an accurate Vulgate citation; L is the only other B witness that completely agrees with R, but M probably did originally (by erasure and correction M now reads vno). F tries to split the difference between alpha's verbo and the common beta reading, vno, by adopting a reading of vno verbo. in omnibus est reus .
¶ Lesynge of tyme trewth wote þe sothe 
R.9.108KD.9.102
Is most I-hated vp erthe  of hem þat ben in heuene .
And secheR.9.109: F reads all swiche, which looks as though it is somehow related to R's seche but is equally devoid of sense. The likeliest explanation for these variants is that alpha's <c> and <t> were indistinct and that alpha had intended sethe. Beta's correct reading is sitthe. to spille speche  þat spire is of grace .
And godes gleman  and a game of heuene .
Wold neuere þe faithful fader  his fithel were vntymbred .R.9.111: For R's unique form, vntymbred, Bx reads vntempred. There is no semantic difference in R's form, merely a changed spelling produced by the voicing of an unvoiced consonant in the middle of a voiced consonant cluster.
R.9.112KD.9.106
Ne his gleman a gedelynge  a goere to tauernes .
¶ To alle trewe tydy men  þat trauail desiren .
Oure lord loueth hem and lent  loude other stille .
Grace to go to hem tilleR.9.115: R's hem tille is a unique reading. Beta simply reads hem. However, F offers a different unique reading at this point, hem to, suggesting that both R and F are mirroring an alpha variant.  and agoon here liflode .
R.9.116KD.9.109α
Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono .
¶ Trewe wedded libbyng folke  in þis world is dowel .
For þei mote werche and wynne  and þe world susteyne .
For of here kende heR.9.119: he, "they." Beta and Cx read þei. come  þat confessoures ben nempned .
R.9.120KD.9.113
Kynges and kniȝtes kaiseres and cherles .
Maydenes and martires  oute of o man come .
Þe wif was mad þe weyR.9.122: Weye, "husband, man."  for to helpe werche .
And þus was wedlok I-wrouȝt  and god hym-self it madeR.9.123: Alpha omits the following lines from Bx through eye-skip on identical a-verses:
. . . with a mene persone
First bi þe faderes wille and þe frendes conseille
And sytthenes bi assent of hemself as þei two myȝte acorde
And thus was wedloke ywrouȝte . . . .
R.9.124KD.9.120
In erth þereR.9.124: For R's þere, beta reads þe; F reads here heuen is  hym-self was þe witnesse .
¶ Ac fals folk andR.9.125: Beta omits and. faithles  theues and lieres .
Wastoures and wreches  oute of wedlok I trowe .
Conseyued ben IuelR.9.127: R uniquely omits in before Iuel. tyme  as caym was on eue .
R.9.128KD.9.125
Of suche synful schrewes  þe sauter maketh mende .
Concepit doloremR.9.129: R's dolorem is the alpha variant—to which Hm has been "corrected" by a second hand (the other beta manuscripts read in dolore). This variation ultimately reflects a discrepancy in the textual tradition of the Vulgate itself, but the predominant reading among A copies of Piers Plowman is the same as alpha's, while the overwhelming preference among C manuscripts is for the beta reading. et peperit iniquitatem .
fol. 38rI
And alle þat come of þat caym  come to euel ende .
For god sent to sem  and seyde by an aungel
R.9.132KD.9.128
Þin Issu in þin Issu  I wil þat þei ben wedded .
And nauȝt þi kende with caymR.9.133: Beta reads caymes.  I-coupled ne I-spoused .
¶ Ȝet somme aȝeyne þe sonde  of oure saueoure of heuene .
Caymes kende and his kynde  coupled to-gyderes .
R.9.136KD.9.132
Til god wrathed for here werkes  and such a worde seyde .
Þat I maked man  now it me þinketh .R.9.137: All other B manuscripts here read either athynketh or forthynketh. F shows the latter reading, as does Ax. For the sense of R's reading, see MED, s. v. thinken (v.[2], 10 [a]).
Penitet me fecisse hominem .
¶ And come to noe a-none  and bad hym nauȝt lette .
R.9.140KD.9.135
Swithe go schape a schippe  of schides and of bordes .
Þi-self and þi sones thre  and sitthen ȝoure wiues .
Buske ȝow to þat bote  and bydeth ȝe þere-Inne .
Til fourty dayes ben fulfilled  þat floed haue Iwasted .R.9.143: For alpha's Iwasted, beta reads ywasshen. Both Ax and Cx confirm the correctness of the beta reading.
R.9.144KD.9.139
Clene away þe cursed bloed  þat caym hath I-maked .
¶ Bestes þat now ben  schal banne þe tyme .
Þat euer þat cursed caym  come on þis erthe .
Alle schal deye for his dedes  by dales and hilles .
R.9.148KD.9.143
And þe foules þat fleth  forth with other bestes .
Excepte onlyche  of onR.9.149: Beta reads eche; Cr and F have euery. Cx's vch supports beta's variant. kende a couple .
Þat in þisR.9.150: Beta reads þi . . . shippe; F omits the entire line. Ax reads þe . . . ship, but Cx agrees with beta. schingeled schippe  schal ben I-saued .
Here a-bouȝte þe barne  þe belesires giltes .
R.9.152KD.9.147
And alle for here forfaderes  þei ferden þe worse .
Þe gospel is here-a-geyne  in on degre I fynde
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris nec paterR.9.154: Instead of alpha's nec pater, beta reads & pater non portabit . iniquitatem filij .
¶ Ac I fynde if þe fader  be fals and a schrewe .
R.9.156KD.9.151
Þat somdel þe sone  schal haue þe sireR.9.156: Though C joins R in attesting the uninflected form, F and the other beta copies read sires. tacches .
¶ Impe vp-onR.9.157: Beta reads on. an ellerne  and if þin appel be swete .
Muchel merueile me thenketh  and more of a schrewe .
Þat bringeth forth any barne  but if he be þe same .
R.9.160KD.9.155
And haue a sauour after þe sire  selde seste þow other .
fol. 38vI
Numquam colligitur de spinis vuas  nec de tribulis ficus .
¶ And þus þorȝ cursed caym  come care vppe-on erthe .
And alle for þei wrouȝten  wedlokes aȝeyne goddes wille .
R.9.164KD.9.158
For-þi haue þei maugre forR.9.164: Although most beta copies read of, LM agree with R in reading for. here mariages  as men marien now her childeren .R.9.164: Beta's b-verse reads þat marye so her childeren. F has for maryagys vnkende.
For somme as I se now  soth forto telle .
For coueytise of catel  vnkendeliche ben wedded .
As careful concepcioun  cometh to þat mariages .R.9.167: R's b-verse is obviously corrupt, and may include two mistakes at separate stages of transmission; in any case, the R scribe shows his characteristic timidity toward emending patent error. The beta manuscripts here read of suche mariages. Alpha probably generated at least one component of the error shown in R; F appears to adapt to the error in alpha with typical adroitness: of þat Maryage.
R.9.168KD.9.162
As bifel of þat folkeR.9.168: Beta reads of þe folke. In a parallel but not identical line, Ax reads this phrase in agreement with beta.  þat I before of tolde .R.9.168: Two lines present in beta manuscripts (and in the C version) immediately after this one are omitted by alpha:
For goode shulde wedde goode þough hij no good hadde
I am via & veritas seith cryst I may auaunce alle
.
R.9.168: A text line appears to have been erased immediately below this one.
¶ It is an vncomely couple  by IhesusR.9.169: Beta reads cryst, which maintains the line's alliterative pattern. Ax agrees with beta. as me thenketh .
To ȝeue a ȝonge wenche  to an olde feble .
Or wedden any wydewe  for welth of hire godes .
R.9.172KD.9.168
Þat neuer schal barne bere  but if it be in armes .
Many apairea paire sitthen þe pestelence  haue pliȝt hem to-gyderes .
Þe fruit þat þei bringen forth  aren foule wordes .R.9.174: Alpha omits the following line attested by beta witnesses (and by both the other versions):
In ialousye ioyeles and ianglyng on bedde.
Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt re-arrange the lines, placing this line after R9.172.
Haue þei non children but iangelyngeR.9.175: Here alpha's alliteration fails; beta properly reads cheste, a reading confirmed by both Ax and Cx.  & gayingR.9.175: R's gaying makes no sense. Beta probably read choppyng. The entire line in F is garbled, presumably by loss of the end of the a-verse. As a result, F reads the line thus: þey have no children / but Ianglyng hem be-twene. hem bitewene .
R.9.176KD.9.173
And forto go to dunmowe  to fecche hom here bakon . R and F here depart extensively from the text witnessed by beta, but R and F differ between themselves at many points regarding the underlying alpha text. Beta for these three lines reads as follows:
And þough þei don hem to donmowe but if þe deuel help
To folwen after þe flicche fecche þei it neuere
And but þei bothe be forsworne þat bacoun þei tyne.

F 's version of these lines reads as follows:
Þey sholde gon to Dunmowe & fecche þere bakoun
But for þe caryage is karkful þey dore non fecche .
But lyven þus in Ianglyng þoru þe develys loore .
And whan þei haue brouȝt it hom  to whom is best to selle it .
And þus þei lyuen in coueytise  þe deuel and þei to-gyderes .
¶ For-þi I conseille alle cristene  coueite nauȝt toR.9.179: Though Cr and M agree with R in reading to here, most B manuscripts, including F, omit it. Nevertheless, nine A-version witnesses attest the presence of to at this point. By contrast, only two C copies agree with R on this issue. be wedded .
R.9.180KD.9.177
For coueitise of catel  ne of kenrede riche .
Ac maydenes and maydenes  makeR.9.181: R's reading is unique. Beta reads macche, while F has marye; Cx agrees with F. ȝow to-gyderes
Wydeweres and wydewesR.9.182: Beta reads Widwes and widwers, reversing alpha's phrasal order; Ax agrees with alpha, but the C manuscripts are divided here by family, with the P family supporting alpha's order while the X family agrees with beta.  wercheth þe same .
For no londes but for loue  loke þatR.9.183: R's þat is unique. The b-verse of most other B manuscripts reads loke ȝe be wedded. ȝe be wedded .
R.9.184KD.9.181
And þanne gete ȝe graceR.9.184: In place of alpha's grace, beta reads þe grace. of god  and god Inow to lyue with .R.9.184: Hereafter alpha omits seven lines found in beta (and in slightly revised form in the C version):
And euery maner seculer þat may nouȝt continue
Wysly go wedde and war hym fro synne
For leccherye in likyng is lymeȝerde of helle
Whiles þow art ȝonge and þi wepne kene
Wreke þe with wyuynge ȝif þow wil ben excused
Dum sis vir fortis ne des tua robora scortis
Scribitur in portis meretrix est ianua mortis

Whan ȝe haue wyued bewar and worcheth in tyme
Nouȝt as Adam & Eue whan caym was engendred
.
AndR.9.185: R's And is unique; the other B manuscripts read For. in vntyme trewely  bi-twene man and womman .
Ne schulde no berde a-beddeR.9.186: Bx itself may be marginally corrupt here: F has lyggyn In bedde, while beta reads bourde on bedde. Both Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt emend this beta phrase to the reading of Cx, which is bedbourde. However, a key component of the larger textual conundrum is the meaning of R's berde. It seems completely implausible as a spelling of beta's bourde. Far likelier is a bland meaning such as "a youth." Cf. MED, s. v. bird(e) (n. 1[3]): "A man of noble birth; scion, lord . . . also, any young person." The omission and garbling here in R and F suggest an intention, on alpha's part, to bowdlerize the entire passage, as at R3.52, by omitting most of the offensive sexual material (here the lines are KD9.182-88, with their hypothetical reference to the reader's youthful, "keen weapon" and the untimely engendering of Cain) and patching together what remains. be  but if þei bothe were clene .
OfR.9.187: Beta has Bothe of while F reads Boþe in. lif and of soule  and in parfite charite .
R.9.188KD.9.192
Þat ilke derne dede  do noman schuldeR.9.188: R uniquely omits ne before schulde. F cannot be compared since it completely rephrases the b-verse. In slightly different version of this line, Cx reads the phrase in question precisely as R: do no man sholde. Moreover six A witnesses (UDChVKWa) also agree with R's version. .
And if þei ledden þus here lif  it likedR.9.189: F reads wolde lyke; most beta copies show likeþ, but L agrees exactly with R. god almiȝti .
For he made wedlok furst  and hym-self it seyde .
Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat .R.9.191: The beta copies are fuller, ending the citation with propter fornicacionem, which is also the reading of the C version.
R.9.192KD.9.195
And þei þat othergates ben geten  for gede-lynges ben holden .
fol. 39rI
AndR.9.193: Beta reads As. Cx agrees here with alpha. fals folke fondelynges  faitoures & lyeres .
Vngracious to gete gode  or loue of þe poeple .
Wandren and wasten  whatte þei cacche mowe .
R.9.196KD.9.199
Aȝein deweld[o]welR.9.196: R's dewel is a unique error presumably induced by anticipation of deuel later in this line. þei don euele  and þe deuel serue .
And after her deth-day  schullen dwelle with þe deuel .R.9.197: In place of R's þe deuel, F reads here Mayster and beta reads þe same. The Ax version of this phrase agrees with beta.
But god ȝif hem grace here  hem-self to amende .R.9.198: Hereafter alpha omits the following lines attested by beta family manuscripts (and in slightly different form by the C version):
Dowel my frende is to don as lawe techeth
To loue þi frende and þi foo leue me þat is dobet
To ȝiuen and to ȝemen bothe ȝonge and olde
To helen and to helpen is dobest of alle
.
¶ And þus is dowelR.9.199: Beta reads And dowel is. F's reading is identical to R's, except for the omission of the initial conjunction. Cx agrees here with R. to drede god  and dobet to suffre .
R.9.200KD.9.208
And so comes dobest of both  and bringeth a-don þe mody .
And þat is wikked wille  þat many werkesR.9.201: Beta has the singular werke, which is also the reading of Ax. schendeth .
And driueth awey dowel  þoruȝ dedliche synnes .
MED