The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 9: The B-Version Archetype of Piers Plowman
author: William Langland
edition published: 2011
language: lat; fre; ger
availability: Commercially available: copyright 2011, by SEENET Published in the United Kingdom by Boydell and Brewer for The Medieval Academy of America and SEENET Manufactured in the United Kingdom No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

Incipit liber de Petro Plowman

In a somer seson · whan soft was the sonne
I shope me in[to][^1] shroudes · as i a shepe were
In habite as an heremite · vnholy of workes
Went wyde in þis world [·] wondres to here
Ac on a May mornyng · on Maluerne hulles
Me byfel a ferly · of fairy me thouȝte
I was wery forwandred · and went me to reste
Vnder a brode banke · bi a bornes side
And as I lay and lened · and loked [o]n[^2] þe wateres
I slombred in a[^3] slepyng · it sweyued[^4] so merye

[^1: Bx.P.2: into: In the absence of R in Bx.P.1-124 and 1.142-2.41, we are obliged to rely on F for alpha readings. This is problematic, partly because of F's eccentricity, and more importantly because its text is evidently contaminated from A. (See Introduction III.10.) We have therefore been very cautious in adopting readings from F, but have accepted F in agreement with A when it offers a superior text, and also taken the agreement of F with AC against beta as evidence in favour of the F reading. In this line, although L has in, the agreement of CrWHm (and M revised) with F insecurely establishes into, which is confirmed by Ax (into a shroud) and Cx.]

[^2: Bx.P.9: on: As with into in l. 2, the reading of MCrWHm and F is supported by Ax. LCO have in, G vpon. Cx rewrites.]

[^3: Bx.P.10: in a: The reading of LMCO is challenged by CrWHmG in-to a and F into. A mss. read variously on a, in a, a, into a, into. There is no equivalent in Cx.]

[^4: Bx.P.10: sweyued: This is probably the beta reading, supported by LCO, and probably original M, where swei... (three or four letters erased) has been altered to sweyed, in line with beta2 and GF. See MED sweiven, "whirl, sweep", a rare verb cited elsewhere only from Patience and Cleanness. But the noun sweuene in the next line might have given rise to the reading. The variant sweyed is MED sweien v.(1), "sound", or the commoner v.(2), "move along (of water)." There is the same variation in Ax.]

[¶][^5] Thanne gan I to meten · a merueilouse sweuene
That I was in a wildernesse · wist I neuer where
As I bihelde in-to þe est · an hiegh to þe sonne
I seigh a toure on a toft · trielich[^6] ymaked
A depe dale binethe · a dongeon þere-Inne
With depe dyches & derke · and dredful of sight
A faire felde ful of folke · fonde I there bytwene
Of alle maner of men · þe mene and þe riche
Worchyng and wandryng · as þe[^7] worlde asketh
Some put hem to þe[^8] plow · pleyed ful selde
In settyng and in[^9] sowyng · swonken ful harde
And wonnen that [þese][^10] wastours · with glotonye destruyeth

[^5: Bx.P.11-40: ¶: L has no paraphs on fol. 1r because of the decoration running down the left margin, but it has blank spaces before ll. 11, 23, 25, 31 and 40.]

[^6: Bx.P.14: trielich: So LWG and original M. A scribes also have trouble with the adverb (from adj. trie), and Cx rewrites.]

[^7: Bx.P.19: þe: So beta, supported by the P family of C, but F's this is supported by the X family.]

[^8: Bx.P.20: þe: Dropped in GF. There is the same variation between to þe and to in AC.]

[^9: Bx.P.21: in (2): So LHmCG; dropped in others. There is the same variation in AC.]

[^10: Bx.P.22: þese: F has support from AC. All other manuscripts omit it.]

[¶] And some putten hem to pruyde · apparailed hem þere-after
In contenaunce of clothyng [·] comen disgised

[¶] In prayers and in[^11] penance[^12] · putten hem manye
Al for loue[^13] of owre lorde · lyueden ful streyte
In hope forto haue[^14] · heueneriche blisse
As ancres and heremites · that holden hem in here selles
And coueiten nought in contre [·] to kairen[^15] aboute
For no likerous liflode · her lykam to plese

[^11: Bx.P.25: in (2): Agreement of LMCOF is good support for Bx, but it is not in Ax or Cx.]

[^12: Bx.P.25: penance: The plural of WHmF is probably prompted by prayers; C mss. are similarly split, but Ax has sg. For variation with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211.]

[^13: Bx.P.26: loue: Beta2 (CrWHm) and GF have the loue. AC mss. are split.]

[^14: Bx.P.27: forto haue: Beta2 (CrWHm) and G read to haue after. This is also the reading of two A mss. Cx is revised.]

[^15: Bx.P.29: kairen: So LMGOF, supported by Ax and Cx; CrWHm regularly alter to carien; e.g. Bx.4.23, 5.310.]

[¶] And somme chosen chaffare · they cheuen[^16] the bettere
As it semeth to owre syȝt · that suche men thryueth
And somme murthes to make · as mynstralles conneth
And geten gold with here glee · synneles I leue
Ac[^17] iapers & iangelers · Iudas chylderen
Feynen hem fantasies · and foles hem maketh
And han here witte at wille · to worche ȝif þei sholde
That Poule precheth of hem · I nel nought preue it here
Qui turpiloquium loquitur · &c[^18]

[^16: Bx.P.31: cheuen: In all three versions the present tense varies with the past. LMGOF support the present for Bx.]

[^17: Bx.P.35: Ac: So LWHm, with GF's regular substitution of But. MCrCO have As. A mss. split between Ac and But. Cx has no equivalent line.]

[^18: Bx.P.39: &c : The absence of the b-verse in L, original M, Cr1C (F misses the line) suggests that the English completion was added to the Latin phrase from other versions. WHmG is luciferes hyne is Ax; O's is lucifers knaue (which is added in Cr23) is Cx. A later hand has added est seruus diaboli in M.]

[¶] Bidders and beggeres · fast aboute ȝede
With her bely and her bagge[^19] · of bred ful[^20] ycrammed
Fayteden for here fode · fouȝten atte ale
In glotonye god it[^21] wote · gon hij to bedde
And risen[^22] with ribaudye · tho roberdes knaues
Slepe and sori sleuthe · seweth hem eure

[^19: Bx.P.41: bely ... bagge: The distributive sg. as in LM is supported by Cx; A mss. vary. F misses the line.]

[^20: Bx.P.41: of bred ful: Presumably an error in beta or Bx for AC bretful.]

[^21: Bx.P.43: it: Supported by LMHmCO though omitted by CrWG and Ax (Cx rewrites). F's reversed a-verse also omits it. For a parallel, see Bx.4.81.]

[^22: Bx.P.44: risen: Cx has ryseþ. F's rysen vp is Ax.]

¶ Pilgrymes and palmers · pliȝte[n][^23] hem togidere
To seke seynt Iames · and seyntes in rome
Thei went forth in here wey · with many wise tales
And hadden leue to[^24] lye · al here lyf after
[^25] I seigh somme that seiden · þei had ysouȝt seyntes
To eche a tale þat þei tolde · here tonge was tempred to lye
More þan to sey soth · it semed bi here speche

[^23: Bx.P.46: pliȝten: The form could represent the past tense or the present. LMO with pliȝted take it as past, in line with the verbs in ll. 48-61, but the form receives no support from Ax or Cx.]

[^24: Bx.P.49: to: MGOF's for to has limited support from A mss. and none from Cx.]

[^25: Bx.P.50-54: These five lines are omitted in F by eyeskip from after to after.]

¶ Heremites on an heep · with hoked staues
Wenten to walsyngham · and here wenches after
Grete lobyes and longe · that loth were to swynke
Clotheden hem in copis · to ben knowen fram othere
And shopen hem heremites · here ese to haue

¶ I fonde þere Freris [·] alle þe foure ordres
Preched[^26] þe peple · for profit of hem-seluen
Glosed þe gospel · as hem good lyked
For coueitise of copis · construed it as þei wolde
Many of þis maistres[^27] [·] mowe clothen hem at lykyng
For here money and[^28] marchandise · marchen togideres
For sith charite haþ be chapman · and chief to shryue lordes
Many ferlis han fallen · in a fewe ȝeris
But holychirche and hij[^29] · holde better togideres
The moste my[s]chief[^30] on molde · is mountyng[^31] faste

[^26: Bx.P.59: Preched: AC have the pres. part., as W, and Hm by correction. Schmidt (1995), 363 explains the source of what is presumably an error in Bx as "the unexpectedness of a participle in a sequence of preterites".]

[^27: Bx.P.62: maistres: The reading also of Ax, meaning "learned professional theologian" (Kane, 2005), cf. Bx.13.25. The retention of the pl. form maistres in L suggests that Freris was an interlinear gloss in beta, but not present in alpha. Cx's explanatory revision "Mony of þise maistres of mendenant freres" (RK.P.60) might imply that the gloss was in his exemplar.]

[^28: Bx.P.63: and: Beta2 (CrWHm) has and her. AC show the same variation.]

[^29: Bx.P.66: hij: The form in L, original M, and WC is necessary for alliteration. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^30: Bx.P.67: myschief: In L the line is marked for correction.]

[^31: Bx.P.67: mountyng: F has mountynge. The beta reading is mountyng wel, though GO share the reading vp with AC. We suppose, with Schmidt (1995), 364, that Bx dropped vp, and beta supplied the adverb for the metre. F's final -e compensates for the omission of the adverb, avoiding the x / x / x b-verse rhythm, but there is no reason to suppose it represents Bx. See note to l. 104.]

¶ Þere preched a Pardonere · as he a prest were
Brouȝte forth a bulle · with bishopes seles
And seide þat hym-self myȝte · assoilen hem alle
Of falshed of[^32] fastyng · of vowes[^33] ybroken

[^32: Bx.P.71: of (2): LMWHmCO in agreement with Cx; CrGF have and or and of. A mss. vary in the same way.]

[^33: Bx.P.71: vowes: LMCrCO in agreement with Cx; others have auowes. A mss. vary in the same way.]

¶ Lewed men leued hym wel · and lyked his wordes
Comen vp knelyng · to kissen his bulles
He bonched hem with his breuet · & blered here eyes
And rauȝte with his ragman · rynges and broches[^34]
Thus þey geuen here golde · glotones to kepe
And leneth [it][^35] such loseles · þat lecherye haunten
Were þe bischop yblissed · and worth bothe his eres
His seel shulde nouȝt be sent · to deceyue þe peple
Ac it is nauȝt by þe bischop · þat þe boy precheth[^36]
For the parisch prest and þe pardonere · parten þe siluer
That þe poraille[^37] of þe parisch · sholde haue ȝif þei nere

[^34: Bx.P.75: F follows this with two lines not supported by AC.]

[^35: Bx.P.77: it: Supported by AC as well as by sense. Omitted by LC and original M, presumably taking the verb as leueth, "believe": see F's be-leven on.]

[^36: Bx.P.80: F follows this with a line not supported by AC.]

[^37: Bx.P.82: poraille: Not elsewhere in the poem. O expands to pore porayle to explain the word; M perhaps originally read pore peple, which is the reading of Ax and Cx. F's pore men seems a typical avoidance of a difficult word, as is Cr's pouerty. However, the reading of Bx lacks alliteration in the b-verse.]

¶ Persones and parisch prestes · pleyned hem to þe bischop
Þat here parisshes were pore · sith þe pestilence tyme
To haue a lycence and leue[^38] · at London to dwelle
And syngen þere for symonye · for siluer is swete

[^38: Bx.P.85: leue: LC have a leue, induced by a lycence. A few AC mss. have the same error.]

¶ Bischopes and bachelers · bothe maistres and doctours
Þat han cure vnder criste · and crounyng in tokne
And signe þat þei sholden · shryuen here paroschienes
Prechen and prey for hem · and þe pore fede
Liggen in[^39] London · in lenten an[^40] elles
Somme seruen þe kyng · and his siluer tellen
In cheker and in chancerye · chalengen his dettes
Of wardes and[^41] wardmotes · weyues and streyues[^42]

[^39: Bx.P.91: in (1): Supported by Cx. Beta2 and G have at, perhaps influenced by the same phrase six lines above. Lines 87-210 are not in A.]

[^40: Bx.P.91: an: "and". See Introduction V.3.1. The form has been corrected in L in the line above.]

[^41: Bx.P.94: and (1): LMCrCG, and so likely to be beta. WF have and of, which is probably the Cx reading. HmO have of.]

[^42: Bx.P.94: F's additional line is from A (KProl.95).]

¶ And some seruen as seruantz · lordes and ladyes
And in stede of stuwardes · sytten and demen
Here messe and here matynes · and many of here oures
Arn don vndeuoutlych · drede is at þe laste[^43]
Lest crist in constorie · acorse ful manye
I parceyued of þe power · þat Peter had to kepe
To bynde and to vnbynde · as þe boke telleth
How he it left[^44] wiþ loue · as owre lorde hight
Amonges foure vertues · þe best of alle vertues[^45]
Þat cardinales ben called · & closyng[^46] ȝatis
Þere crist is in[^47] kyngdome · to close and to shutte
And to opne it to hem · and heuene blisse shewe
Ac of þe cardinales atte[^48] Courte · þat cauȝt of þat name
And power presumed[^49] in hem · a Pope to make
To han þ[e][^50] power þat peter hadde · inpugnen I nelle
For in loue and[^51] letterure · þe eleccioun bilongeth
For-þi I can and can nauȝte · of courte speke more

[^43: Bx.P.98: An entirely different line referring to Sarum Use replaces this and the next line in F.]

[^44: Bx.P.102: it left: This word-order is supported by Cx.]

[^45: Bx.P.103: þe best of alle vertues: Beta alliterates aa/xa with /f/ + /v/ alliteration. F's reading, most vertuous of hevene, might represent alpha. See KD, p. 180, for discussion. It could be that the Cx b-verse, most vertuous of vertues (RK.P.131), was also Bx, with alpha and beta taking different action to avoid the repetition.]

[^46: Bx.P.104: closyng: We have retained L's spelling, though final -e as in MWHm would improve the metre; see Duggan (1988), 143 and n. 58, and for the disyllabic ending in Hoccleve, see Burrow (1999), liii. F characteristically rewrites to avoid the short b-verse. Among C mss., X has and closyng ȝates thare, P has and closynde yates.]

[^47: Bx.P.105: in: WHmF have in his, not supported by Cx.]

[^48: Bx.P.107: atte: "at the", as usual in L. The reading of LMHmCF establishes this as Bx, even though at in CrWGO is the Cx reading.]

[^49: Bx.P.108: presumed: Beta has pa.t. (or ppl.) following from cauȝt in l. 107. F's present tense appears to have support from Cx, but in Cx this follows from cauȝt han.]

[^50: Bx.P.109: þe: Beta has þat, but F is supported by Cx.]

[^51: Bx.P.110: and: WF have and in, not supported by Cx.]

¶ Þanne come þere a kyng · knyȝthod hym ladde
Miȝt of þe comunes · made hym to regne
And þanne cam kynde wytte · and clerkes he made
For to conseille þe kyng · and þe comune saue

¶ The kyng and knyȝthode · and clergye bothe
Casten þat þe comune [·] shulde hem-self fynde

¶ Þe comune contreued · of kynde witte craftes
And for profit of alle[^52] þe poeple · plowmen ordeygned
To tilie and [to] trauaile[^53] · as trewe lyf askeþ
Þe kynge and þe comune · and kynde witte þe thridde
Shope lawe & lewte · eche [lyf][^54] to knowe his owne

[^52: Bx.P.119: of alle: LCrWCO, and probably beta, but MHmGF drop alle. There is no help from the revised line in Cx. We retain copy-text.]

[^53: Bx.P.120: to trauaile: All mss. have this second to except LCO. For the same pattern with initial "to", cf. Bx.2.83-4, 5.134, etc. This passage is dropped in C.]

[^54: Bx.P.122: lyf: So F. Although the reading could derive from two lines above, it is probable that non-alliterating man is a substitution in beta.]

¶ Þanne loked vp a lunatik · a lene þing with-alle
And knelyng to þe kyng · clergealy he seyde
[^55] Crist kepe þe sire kyng · and þi kyngriche
And lene þe lede þi londe · so leute þe louye
And for þi riȝtful rewlyng · be rewarded in heuene

[^55: Bx.P.125: R begins with this line.]

¶ And sithen in þe eyre an hiegh · an angel of heuene
Lowed to speke in latyn · for lewed men ne coude
Iangle ne iugge · þat iustifie hem shulde
But suffren & seruen · for-thi seyde þe angel
Sum Rex sum Princeps · neutrum fortasse deinceps
O qui iura regis · cristi specialia regis
Hoc quod agas melius · iustus es esto pius
Nudum ius[^56] a te · vestiri[^57] vult pietate
Qualia vis metere · talia grana sere
Si ius[^58] nudatur · nudo de iure metatur ·
Si seritur pietas · de pietate metas ·

[^56: Bx.P.135: ius : Alpha picks up vis (in the sense "force") from the line below (where it means "you wish", from volo), and it is an easy minim error. Beta is supported by Cx.]

[^57: Bx.P.135: vestiri : Alpha has vestire, but beta is supported by most C mss.]

[^58: Bx.P.137: ius : Alpha again has vis. See note to l. 135.]

¶ Thanne greued hym a Goliardeys · a glotoun of wordes
And to þe angel an heiȝ · answeres[^59] after
Dum rex a regere · dicatur nomen habere
Nomen habet sine re · nisi studet iura tenere ·

[^59: Bx.P.140: answeres: All mss. except LR have the past tense following greued, though both MHm probably shared the present before correction. Lines 139-45 are not paralleled in Cx.]

¶ And[^60] þanne gan alle þe comune · crye in [a][^61] vers of latin
[^62] To þe kynges conseille · construe ho-so wolde
Precepta Regis · sunt nobis vincula legis ·

[^60: Bx.P.143: And: LRC only; others omit. Although this is strong evidence for Bx, it could of course be coincidental error.]

[^61: Bx.P.143: a: "one". R probably represents alpha, obscured by F's rewriting. Beta's omission loses the sense, "one line", referring to Bx.P.145.]

[^62: Bx.P.144: The line is omitted by alpha. The passage differs in Cx.]

¶ Wiþ þat ran þere a route [·] of ratones at ones
And smale mys with[^63] hem [·] mo þen a þousande
And comen to a conseille · for here[^64] comune profit
For a cat of a courte[^65] · cam whan hym lyked
And ouerlepe hem lyȝtlich · and lauȝte hem at his[^66] wille
And pleyde wiþ hem perilouslych · and possed [hem][^67] aboute
For doute of dyuerse dredes · we dar nouȝte wel loke
And ȝif we grucche of[^68] his gamen · he wil greue vs alle
Cracche vs or clowe vs · and in his cloches holde
That vs lotheth þe lyf · or he lete vs passe
Myȝte we wiþ any witte · his wille withstonde
We myȝte be lordes aloft · and lyuen at owre ese

[^63: Bx.P.147: with: W has mid, an interesting case of scribal improvement to the alliteration. Cx also has with. Cf. Bx.1.117 and note.]

[^64: Bx.P.148: here: LMCOR supported by Cx.]

[^65: Bx.P.149: courte: The reading of LCO and alpha is obviously right and supported by Cx. Beta2 (CrWHm), joined by G, read contree, either a simple misreading or avoidance of a politically sensitive reference. M's contre is a correction, but apparently just a respelling.]

[^66: Bx.P.150: his: omitted in F and also Cx.]

[^67: Bx.P.151: hem (2): Supported by alpha (though F switches to first-person pronoun in both instances in the line), as well as by MCO. Cx includes hem in a revised b-verse.]

[^68: Bx.P.153: grucche of: "complain about". Alpha drops of, but beta is supported by Cx.]

¶[^69] A raton of renon [·] most renable of tonge
[^70] Seide for a souereygne · help to hym-selue[^71]
I haue ysein segges quod he · in þe cite of london
Beren biȝes ful briȝte · abouten here nekkes
And some colers of crafty werk [·] vncoupled þei wenden
Boþe in wareine & in waste · where hem leue lyketh[^72]
And otherwhile þei aren elles-where · as I here telle
Were þere a belle on here beiȝ · bi Ihesu as me thynketh
Men myȝte wite where þei went · and awei renne
And riȝt so quod þat ratoun · reson me sheweth
To bugge a belle of brasse · or of briȝte syluer
And knitten [it][^73] on a colere · for owre comune profit
[^74] And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals · þanne here we mowen
[^75] Where he ritt or rest · or renneth[^76] to playe
And ȝif him list for to laike · þenne loke we mowen
And peren in his presence · þer-while hym plaie liketh
And ȝif him wrattheth be ywar · and his weye shonye

[^69: Bx.P.158: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F. The line is at the top of the page in R.]

[^70: Bx.P.159: L has an otiose paraph. The line is at the top of the page.]

[^71: Bx.P.159: hym-selue: Skeat (1886) translates: "`Said for a sovereign remedy for himself'; i.e. as far as himself was concerned". Alpha's hem alle is suspiciously easier, and credits the rat with a community spirit which he probably does not deserve. The line is not in Cx.]

[^72: Bx.P.163: leue lyketh: So LCOR. F altersleue to the superlative, best; beta2 and G corrupt to the common phrase. CrWG switch to the past tense both here and in the previous line; the M corrector alters both verbs from present to past.]

[^73: Bx.P.169: it: LCGO omit, and M adds. Probably lost by beta and supplied by individual scribes. Cx also reads hit.]

[^74: Bx.P.170: The line is lost in beta2 (CrWHm) and G.]

[^75: Bx.P.171-72: Alpha omits two lines as a result of eyeskip.]

[^76: Bx.P.171: renneth: Y has the C reading rometh, by contamination or coincidence.]

¶ Alle þis[^77] route of ratones · to þis reson þei assented
Ac þo þe belle was ybouȝt[^78] · and on þe beiȝe hanged
Þere ne was ratoun in alle þe route · for alle þe rewme of Fraunce
Þat dorst haue ybounden þe belle · aboute þe cattis nekke
Ne hangen [it][^79] aboute [his][^80] hals · al Engelonde to wynne
And helden hem vnhardy · and here conseille feble
And leten here laboure lost · & alle here longe studye

[^77: Bx.P.175: þis (1): Beta is supported by the X family of C, alpha's þe by the P family.]

[^78: Bx.P.176: ybouȝt: Beta2 and G read (y)brouȝt. The P family of C have the former, most of the X family the latter.]

[^79: Bx.P.179: it: Omitted by LG and added in M, but supported by Cx. As in l. 169 it was probably lost by beta and supplied by individual scribes.]

[^80: Bx.P.179: his: Beta has þe cattes, but the alpha reading is supported by Cx.]

¶ A mous þat moche good · couthe as me thouȝte
Stroke forth sternly · and stode biforn hem alle
And to þe route of ratones · reherced þese wordes
Thouȝ we [had] culled[^81] þe catte · ȝut sholde þer come an-other
To cracchy[^82] vs and al owre kynde · þouȝ we croupe[^83] vnder benches
For-þi I conseille alle þe comune · to lat þe catte worthe
And be we neuer so bolde · þe belle hym to shewe
For I herde my sire seyn · is seuene ȝere ypassed
Þere þe catte is a kitoun · þe courte is ful elyng
Þat witnisseth holiwrite · who-so wil it rede
Ve terre vbi puer [est rex][^84] &c
For may no renke þere rest haue · for ratones bi nyȝte
Þe while he caccheþ conynges · he coueiteth nouȝt owre caroyne
But fet hym al with venesoun · defame we hym neuere
For better is a litel losse · þan a longe sorwe
Þe mase amonge vs alle · þouȝ we mysse a schrewe
For many mannus[^85] malt · we mys wolde destruye
And also ȝe[^86] route of ratones · rende mennes clothes
Nere þ[e] cat of þ[e][^87] courte · þat can ȝow ouerlepe
For had ȝe rat[ones][^88] ȝowre wille · ȝe couthe nouȝt reule ȝowre-selue
I sey [it][^89] for me quod þe mous · I se so mykel after
Shal neuer þe cat ne þe kitoun · bi my conseille be greued
Ne carpyng of þis coler · þat costed me neure
And þouȝ it coste[^90] me catel · biknowen it I nolde
But suffre as hym-self wolde · to do as[^91] hym liketh
Coupled & vncoupled · to cacche what thei mowe
For-þi[^92] vche a wise wiȝte I warne · wite wel his owne

[^81: Bx.P.185: had culled: Beta2 (CrWHm) and G have the present tense, other beta mss. the past, and alpha the pluperfect, as does Cx.]

[^82: Bx.P.186: cracchy: As in Cx. M alters to cacche, the reading of beta2, G and F.]

[^83: Bx.P.186: croupe: The various spellings of the verb may all be understood as past tense, "crept".]

[^84: Bx.P.192: est rex : The order in HmOR and Cx; reversed in others. Scribes tend to copy quotations in the form with which they are familiar.]

[^85: Bx.P.198: mannus: The gen. sg. of LMCR is supported by Cx against the plural of others.]

[^86: Bx.P.199: ȝe: LMW + alpha; among C mss. the P family has ȝe and the X family þe.]

[^87: Bx.P.200: þe ... þe: So HmGF and Cx; MCrW have þe ... þat, reversed in R; LO have þat ... þat. No certainty is possible.]

[^88: Bx.P.201: ratones: The form in alpha and G, supported by Cx against rattes in others.]

[^89: Bx.P.202: sey it: R is supported by Cx. F has sey þis, and beta drops it.]

[^90: Bx.P.205: coste: Beta's had coste is not supported by Cx.]

[^91: Bx.P.206: do as: F's slen what shows his propensity to correct alliteration. The line is rewritten in Cx. See Schmidt (1995), 364-5.]

[^92: Bx.P.208: For-þi: The beta reading. R has For, F has &. The line is not in AC.]

¶ What þis meteles bemeneth · ȝe men þat be merye
Deuine ȝe for I ne dar · bi dere god in heuene

¶ Ȝit houed þere an hondreth · in houues of selke
Seriauntz it semed · þat serueden atte barre
Plededen for penyes · and poundes þe lawe
And nouȝt for loue of owre lorde · vnlese[^93] here lippes onis
Þow myȝtest better mete myste[^94] · on maluerne hulles
Þan gete a momme of here mouthe · [er][^95] monoy [be][^96] shewed

[^93: Bx.P.214: vnlese: LR, so good evidence for Bx. Formally a different verb from vnlose (MED vnlesen v.(2) and unlosen). A mss. also vary, but Cx (RK.P.164) has the latter. At Bx.17.142 the reading is vnlosen.]

[^94: Bx.P.215: myste: So alpha + WG and the X family of C. Other mss. supply þe, as the scribe of O does. A mss. are split.]

[^95: Bx.P.216: er: LMCO support for but suggests this is the reading of beta, though comparison of AC versions suggests that the choice lies between alpha er and til in beta2 and G. The X family of C has the former, but most A mss. read til, as does the P family of C. We suppose til arises by contamination or coincidence.]

[^96: Bx.P.216: be: So beta2, GOF (R has hem by), against were in LMC. Ax seems to have be (K.P.89); the P family of C also have be, though the X family probably read wer (RK.P.166).]

¶ Barones an burgeis · and bonde-men als
I seiȝ in þis assemble · as ȝe shul here after
Baxsteres & brewesteres · and bocheres manye
Wollewebsteres · and weueres of lynnen
Taillours and tynkeres · & tolleres in marketes
Masons and mynours · and many other craftes
Of alkin[^97] libbyng laboreres · lopen forth somme
As dykers & delueres · þat doth here dedes ille
And dryuen forth þe dere[^98] day · with dieu vous[^99] saue dame Emme ·

[^97: Bx.P.223: alkin: The beta reading has force in a list of labourers, but it is challenged by alpha's alle, shared by Z (Bodley 851). AC versions do not have the line.]

[^98: Bx.P.225: dere: The choice is not obvious. The fact that L has dere and that M's longe is a correction (apparently of a shorter word) suggests the possibility that beta1 derives longe by contamination with A or by coincidental error. Alpha is uncertain: F's fayre day has no support, but R's here dayes here is supported by Cx her days. See Donaldson (1955), 197. We retain copy-text by default.]

[^99: Bx.P.225: vous : So Bx, though omitted by CrWG, Ax and the P family of C.]

[¶][^100] Cokes and here knaues · crieden hote pies hote
Gode gris a[^101] gees[^102] · go we dyne go we

[^100: Bx.P.226: Alpha and W here start a paragraph (the line is at the top of the page in M).]

[^101: Bx.P.227: a: "and", as also at Bx.7.104, 8.53, 13.88 etc. See MED a conj.]

[^102: Bx.P.227: gris ... gees: this order has the support of LMC + alpha, but is challenged by AC.]

¶ Tauerners vn-til hem · tolde þe same
White wyn of Oseye · and wyn[^103] of Gascoigne
Of þe Ryne and of[^104] þe Rochel · þe roste to defye
[^105] Al þis seiȝ I slepyng · and seuene sythes more

[^103: Bx.P.229: wyn (2): Beta reads red wyn, making explicit the contrast with White wyn in the a-verse. Alpha omits the adjective (R's b-verse, though defective, is also that of the P family of C), as do the AC versions.]

[^104: Bx.P.230: of (2): Beta is supported by AC.]

[^105: Bx.P.231: The line is omitted in WF. It is in AC.]

Passus primus de visione

What this montaigne bymeneth · and þe merke dale
And þe felde ful of folke · I shal ȝow faire schewe
A loueli ladi of lere · in lynnen yclothed
Come down fram a castel · and called me faire
And seide sone slepestow · sestow þis poeple
How bisi þei ben · abouten[^106] þe mase
Þe moste partie of þis poeple · þat passeth on þis erthe
Haue þei worschip in þis worlde · þei wilne[^107] no better
Of other heuene þan here · holde þei no tale

[^106: Bx.1.6: abouten: The variation is between trisyllabic abouten in L, unrevised M, C and alpha, and alle aboute in corrected M, CrWHmG. Both are metrical, the former supported by Ax and Cx.]

[^107: Bx.1.8: wilne: G has kepe from Ax.]

¶ I was aferd of her face · þeiȝ she faire were
And seide mercy Madame · what is þis to mene

[¶][^108] Þe toure vp[^109] þe toft quod she · treuthe is þere-Inne
And wolde þat ȝe wrouȝte · as his worde techeth
For he is fader of feith · fourmed[^110] ȝow alle
Bothe with fel and with face · and ȝaf ȝow fyue wittis
Forto worschip hym þer-with · þe while þat[^111] ȝe ben here
And þerfore he hyȝte þe erthe · to help ȝow vchone
Of wollen of lynnen · of lyflode at nede
In mesurable manere · to make ȝow at ese

[^108: Bx.1.12: ¶: The paraph in WHm is supported by the new line-group in R (the paraph and first word are lost).]

[^109: Bx.1.12: vp: CrF have vpon, WHmG have on. Prepositional vp is not uncommon, but usually altered to vpon by W and later texts: e.g. Bx.9.109. Though it is certainly Bx, it is not here supported by AC mss.]

[^110: Bx.1.14: fourmed: LMCOR, so Bx. Others read and formed (WF), that formede (HmG), and former of (Cr). Cr shares the reading of Cx. A mss. vary between and fourmide and that formed.]

[^111: Bx.1.16: þe while þat: LMCR, contested by WHm whil þat. Ax and the P family of C have whyle or whyles; the X family has þe whiles.]

¶ And comaunded of his curteisye [·] in comune þree þinges
Arne none nedful but þo · and nempne hem I thinke
And rekne hem bi resoun · reherce þow[^112] hem after
That one is vesture · from chele þe to saue
And mete atte[^113] mele · for myseise of þi-selue
And drynke whan þow dryest · ac do nouȝt out of resoun
That þow worth þe werse · whan þow worche shuldest

[^112: Bx.1.22: þow: Supported by LWCR, against ȝe in CrHmOF and in M as an addition. In ll. 13-19 Holychurch addresses her remarks to the world at large; here and in the next lines she directs her attention to Will. Ax supports þow; Cx rewrites.]

[^113: Bx.1.24: atte: "at the" (see Bx.19.110, 487, etc.). Supported by LMCR, though Ax has at, as do CrWHmGOF.]

¶ For loth in his lifdayes · for likyng of drynke
Dede bi his douȝtres · þat þe deuel lyked
Delited hym in drynke · as þe deuel wolde
And lecherye hym lauȝt · and lay bi hem boþe
And al he witt it wyn[^114] · þat wikked dede
Inebriamus[^115] eum vino · dormiamusque cum eo
Vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen
Thorw wyn and þorw women · þere was loth acombred
And þere gat in glotonye · gerlis þat were cherlis
For-þi drede delitable drynke · and þow shalt do þe bettere
Mesure is medcyne · þouȝ þow moche ȝerne
It is nauȝt al gode to þe goste · þat þe gutte axeþ
Ne liflode to þi likam · [þat lief is to þi soule[^116]
Leue not þi likam ·] for a lyer him techeth
That is þe wrecched worlde · wolde þe bitraye
For þe fende and þi flesch · folweth þe[^117] to-gidere
This and þat see[th][^118] þi soule · and seith it in þin herte
And for þow sholdest ben ywar · I wisse þe þe beste

[^114: Bx.1.31: wyn: LG and alpha, with beta2 and MC reading þe wyn. Most A mss. have the former; Cx has the latter.]

[^115: Bx.1.32: Inebriamus : ROC correct to the subjunctive, "Let us get him drunk". C mss. vary similarly.]

[^116: Bx.1.39-40: LMWHmC dropped the b-verse of l. 39 and the a-verse of l. 40 through eyeskip on likam. M is later corrected. Cr dropped l. 39 altogether; FG dropped l. 40.]

[^117: Bx.1.42: folweth þe: WHmG omit þe, as do Ax and Cx. Bx perhaps picked it up from the previous line.]

[^118: Bx.1.43: seeth: The beta reading is supported by Cx (RK.1.39), though alpha has sueth (F sewe). Ax has instead shendith.]

¶ Madame[^119] mercy quod I · me liketh wel ȝowre wordes
Ac þe moneye of þis molde · þat men so faste holdeth[^a1][^120]
Telle me to whom Madame[^121] · þat tresore appendeth

[^a1: holdeth (beta Ax) | kepeth (alpha Cx)]

[^119: Bx.1.45: Madame: F's interjection A is in agreement with AC. Probably it is derived from an A text.]

[^120: Bx.1.46: holdeth / kepeth: Beta agrees with Ax; alpha's kepeth is in agreement with Cx. See Introduction II.2.]

[^121: Bx.1.47: Madame: This is secure for Bx, though it is not in either Ax or Cx. Its position in the line is uncertain. It is likely enough, as KD argue (p. 168), that it is caught up from two lines above. As in that line, F's agreement with Ax may reflect contamination, as Schmidt (1995), 365, suggests.]

¶ Go to þe gospel quod she · þat god seide hym-seluen
Tho þe poeple hym apposed · wiþ a peny in þe temple
Whether þei shulde þer-with · worschip þe kyng Sesar
And god axed of hem · of whome spake þe lettre
And þe ymage ilyke [·] þat þere-inne stondeth
Cesaris[^122] þei seide [·] we sen hym wel vchone

[^122: Bx.1.53: Cesaris: Of those that have a genitive, LOR have the Vulgate form (Matt 22.21), while M and beta2 (CrWHm) have Cesares.]

¶ Reddite cesari quod god · þat cesari bifalleth
Et que sunt dei deo · or elles ȝe done ille
For riȝtful[^123] reson · shulde rewle ȝow alle
And kynde witte be wardeyne · ȝowre welthe to kepe
And tutour of ȝoure tresore · and take it ȝow at nede
For housbonderye & hij[^124] · holden togideres

[^123: Bx.1.56: riȝtful: The adjective seems clearly the Bx reading, but W shares the adverb with Ax and Cx. The latter is superior in sense; possibly an independent correction in W.]

[^124: Bx.1.59: hij: The plural in beta, referring to Reason and Kind Wit, probably represents Bx. Alpha, taking the reference to be to Kind Wit alone, alters to the singular, with fem. in R (perhaps as alpha), masc. in F as in AC. If Bx had read he, it would be difficult to understand that causing confusion.]

[¶][^125] Þanne I frained hir faire · for hym þat hir[^126] made
That dongeoun in þe dale [·] þat dredful is of siȝte
What may it be to mene[^127] · ma-dame I ȝow biseche

[^125: Bx.1.60: ¶: The paraph in WHm is supported by a new line-group in alpha.]

[^126: Bx.1.60: hir (2): LMCO and alpha, as in AC. Beta2 and G have me.]

[^127: Bx.1.62: be to mene: Schmidt (1995), 365, suggests GF's bemene is from AC versions.]

¶ Þat is þe castel of care · who-so cometh þerinne
May banne þat he borne was · to body or to soule
Þerinne wonieth a wiȝte · þat wronge is yhote
Fader of falshed · and founded it hym-selue
Adam and Eue · he egged to ille
Conseilled caym · to kullen his brother
Iudas he iaped · with iuwen[^128] siluer
And sithen on an eller [·] honged hym after[^129]
He is letter of loue · and lyeth hem alle
That trusten on his tresor · bitrayeth he[^a2][^130] sonnest

[^a2: bitrayeth he (beta) | bytrayed aren (alpha)]

[^128: Bx.1.69: iuwen: CrG and alpha have Iewes or þe Iewys. There is some variation in AC, but iuwen is probably archetypal in all three versions.]

[^129: Bx.1.70: hym after: The variation hym-selue as in WF is also in A. The b-verse is revised in C.]

[^130: Bx.1.72: bitrayeth he/bytrayed aren: The beta reading is essentially that of Cx, he bytrayeth. Alpha's reading bytrayed aren is shared with Ax. G's reading is presumably contaminated from an A source (Schmidt (1995), 365).]

¶ Thanne had I wonder in my witt · what womman it[^a3][^131] were
Þat such wise wordes · of holywrit shewed
And asked[^132] hir on þe hieȝe name · ar heo[^133] þennes ȝeode
What she[^134] were witterli · þat wissed me so faire

[^a3: it (beta) | she (alpha)]

[^131: Bx.1.73: it/she: Beta agrees with Ax; alpha's fem. pronoun is in agreement with Cx.]

[^132: Bx.1.75: asked: F alone has halsede, probably by contamination from A; see Schmidt (1995), lxiii. C mss. have halsede or halsnede. The verb does not occur elsewhere in the poem, and it was perhaps obsolescent.]

[^133: Bx.1.75: heo: The form is secure for Bx, with LMR support.]

[^134: Bx.1.76: she: R alone has the form he. See also l. 87 and note to l. 77.]

¶ Holicherche I am quod she[^135] · þow ouȝtest me to knowe
I vnderfonge þe firste · and þe feyth[^136] tauȝte
And brouȝtest[^137] me borwes · my biddyng to fulfille
And to loue me lelly[^138] · þe while þi lyf dureth

[^135: Bx.1.77: she: R again has he, as in the previous line. The form is not necessary for the alliteration.]

[^136: Bx.1.78: þe feyth: The apparent agreement of Hm and F recorded by KD, þe feyþ þe, is not significant, since Hm's reading results from a misdivision of feythe.]

[^137: Bx.1.79: brouȝtest: Bx idiomatically lacks the subject pronoun, added in CrHmGOF, bringing them into line with AC versions.]

[^138: Bx.1.80: me lelly: Reversed in alpha. Beta is supported by Ax. Cx rewrites.]

¶[^139] Thanne I courbed on my knees · and cryed hir of grace
And preyed hir pitousely · [to][^140] prey for my synnes
And also ken[n]e[^141] me kyndeli · on criste to bileue
[^142] That I miȝte worchen his wille · þat wrouȝte me to man
Teche me to no tresore · but telle me þis ilke
How I may saue my soule · þat seynt art yholden

[^139: Bx.1.81: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F. The line is at the bottom of the page in R.]

[^140: Bx.1.82: to: Omitted by beta. Alpha is supported by Ax and Cx, though the addition of to before an infinitive is a common scribalism.]

[^141: Bx.1.83: kenne: L has kende, with the line marked for correction.]

[^142: Bx.1.84: The line is attested by beta and Ax, but omitted in alpha and Cx.]

¶ Whan alle tresores aren tried quod she · trewthe is þe best
I do it on deus caritas · to deme þe soþe
It[^143] is as derworth a drewery · as dere god hym-seluen

[^143: Bx.1.89: It: Alpha's Þat it has no support from AC.]

¶ Who-so[^144] is trewe of his tonge · & telleth none other
And doth þe werkis þer-with · and wilneth no man ille
He is a god bi þe gospel · agrounde and aloft
And ylike to owre lorde · bi seynte lukes wordes
Þe clerkes þat knoweþ þis · shulde kenne it aboute
For cristene and vncristne · clameþ it vchone

[^144: Bx.1.90: Who-so: The beta reading, but alpha has He (R) or He þat (F). Ax supports beta; in C the P family begins For who, the X family has For he.]

¶ Kynges & kniȝtes · shulde kepe it bi resoun
Riden and rappe down[^145] · in reumes aboute
And taken tran[s]gressores · and tyen hem faste
Til treuthe had ytermyned · her trespas to þe ende
And þat is þe professioun appertly · þat appendeth for[^146] knyȝtes
And nouȝt to fasten a fryday · in fyue score wynter
But holden wiþ him & with hir · þat wolden[^147] al treuthe
And[^148] neuer leue hem for loue · ne for lacchyng of syluer

[^145: Bx.1.97: down: This varies in all three versions with adoun, though Ax has the former and Cx the latter.]

[^146: Bx.1.100: for: So LCR, which is good evidence for Bx. But AC have the obvious to, as in all other mss.]

[^147: Bx.1.102: wolden: G's alliterating asketh is from Ax. Cx rewrites.]

[^148: Bx.1.103: And: The beta reading is supported by AC against alpha's Ne.]

¶ For dauid in his dayes · dubbed kniȝtes
And did hem swere on here swerde · to serue trewthe euere
And who-so passed þat poynte · was apostata in þe ordre

¶ But criste kingene kynge · kniȝted ten
Cherubyn and seraphin · suche seuene and an othre[^149]
And ȝaf hem myȝte in his maieste · þe murger hem þouȝte
And ouer his mene meyne · made hem archangeles
Tauȝte hem bi þe Trinitee · treuthe to knowe
To[^150] be buxome at his biddyng · he bad hem nouȝte elles

[^149: Bx.1.108: an othre: The reference is to the ten orders of angels at Creation; see the comprehensive note in Skeat (1886), ii. 24-5. Beta2 and R (perhaps additionally confused by preceding and) miss the point and drop an, but AC support an othre.]

[^150: Bx.1.112: To: Beta has the support of Ax against alpha's And. Nevertheless, the latter may be the better reading: "God taught them to know truth and be obedient".]

¶[^151] Lucifer wiþ legiounes · lerned it in heuene
[Til][^152] he brake buxumnesse · his blisse gan he tyne
And fel fro þat felawship · in a fendes liknes
In-to a depe derke helle · to dwelle þere for eure
And mo þowsandes wiþ[^153] him · þan man couthe noumbre
Lopen out wiþ Lucifer · in lothelich forme
For þei leueden vpon hym · þat lyed in þis manere
Ponam pedem in aquilone · et similis ero altissimo[^154] ·

[^151: Bx.1.113: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F. The line is at the bottom of the page in R.]

[^152: Bx.1.114: Til: Alpha is supported by Ax against beta's But for. Bx lost the preceding line, "And was þe louelokest of siȝt aftir oure lord" (K.1.110), leaving the argument that Lucifer learned obedience until he lost it. Beta rewrote to avoid nonsense. See Donaldson (1955), 208-09.]

[^153: Bx.1.117: wiþ: As at Bx.P.147, W alters to myd to create the standard alliterative pattern, on the model of Bx.4.79. The line is not in AC. See also Bx.17.243.]

[^154: Bx.1.120: et ... altissimo : R omits, and F loses the line. Beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ And alle þat hoped it miȝte be so · none heuene miȝte hem holde
But fellen out in fendes liknesse · nyne dayes togideres
Til god of his goodnesse · gan stable and stynte
And garte þe heuene to stekye · and stonden in quiete

¶ Whan thise wikked went out · wonderwise[^155] þei fellen
Somme in eyre somme in erthe[^156] · & somme in helle depe
Ac lucifer lowest [·] lith of hem alle
For pryde þat he pult out[^157] · his peyne hath none ende
And alle þat worche with wronge · wenden hij[^158] shulle[^159]
After her deth-day · and[^160] dwelle wiþ þat shrewe
[^161]Ac þo þat worche wel · as holiwritt telleth
And enden as I ere seide · in treuthe þat is þe best
Mowe be siker þat her soule[^162] · shal wende to heuene
Þer treuthe is in Trinitee · and troneth[^163] hem alle
[^164]For-þi I sey as I seide ere · bi siȝte of[^165] þise textis
Whan alle tresores arne[^166] ytried · treuthe is þe beste
Lereth it þis[^167] lewde men · for lettred men it knowen
Þat treuthe is tresore · þe triest on erþe

[^155: Bx.1.125: wonderwise: Beta2 has in wonderwise, as does the P family of Cx in a revised line.]

[^156: Bx.1.126: eyre ... erthe: The versions vary, with Ax having the order of most beta mss., and Cx the order as in MO and alpha. The beta order is more logical.]

[^157: Bx.1.128: pult out: The West Midlands form pult appears only in LCr, while R has the spelling pelt. Ax has put out as do the remaining B mss; Cx has pokede. MED pilten v., 3(b) glosses the phrase pult out as "exhibit (pride), display", though records no other instance of this sense. In Bx.8.97 LR again read pulte/pelte against pull or putte in other B witnesses. See also note to Bx.15.66.]

[^158: Bx.1.129: hij: Only LC, though M's þei is a correction. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^159: Bx.1.129: Alpha has a new line-group here.]

[^160: Bx.1.130: and: Supported by AC against alpha's to.]

[^161: Bx.1.131: W and alpha have a paraph here.]

[^162: Bx.1.133: soule: Beta2 and G have the plural, and M is altered to that reading. Ax supports the distributive sg.]

[^163: Bx.1.134: troneth: Alpha has non-alliterating saue. Beta's b-verse reproduces Ax; Cx rewrites.]

[^164: Bx.1.135: Alpha has a new line-group here.]

[^165: Bx.1.135: siȝte of: Alpha's b-verse is defective; beta is supported by Ax. The line is repeated at Bx.1.210.]

[^166: Bx.1.136: arne: Beta's form is supported by most A mss. Cx revises.]

[^167: Bx.1.137: it þis: So LWCO. M is corrected to it ye; CrHm read on thys; GF have thys ye, and R this. The variation reflects a Bx error, since AC read it þus.]

¶ Ȝet haue I[^a4][^168] no kynde knowing quod I · ȝet mote ȝe kenne me[^169] better
By what craft in my corps · it comseth and where

[^a4: Ȝet haue I (beta) | I haue (alpha)]

[^168: Bx.1.139: Ȝet haue I/I haue: The beta reading is that of Ax, whereas alpha (and Cr) is Cx.]

[^169: Bx.1.139: ȝet mote ȝe kenne me: Presumably R represents alpha, and F repairs the alliteration. For some reason A mss. have much trouble with this b-verse, and C mss. only slightly less, though there the X group has the beta reading we take to be Bx, while the P group has ȝe mot kenne me, as does W here.]

[^170] ¶ Þow doted daffe quod she · dulle arne þi wittes
To litel latyn þow lernedest · lede in þi ȝouthe
Heu michi qu[od][^171] sterilem duxi vitam iuuenilem

[^170: Bx.1.141: This is the last line of the Lansdowne fragment of R; the Rawlinson ms. begins with Bx.2.42. On editorial policy where R is lacking, see note to Bx.P.2.]

[^171: Bx.1.143: quod : The quotation is repeated in this form at Bx.5.452. In both cases alpha's quod for beta's quia is also the wording in Cx. See Alford (1992), 35-6.]

¶ It is a kynde knowyng quod he[^172] · þat kenneth in þine herte
For to louye þi lorde · leuer þan þi-selue
No dedly synne to do · dey þouȝ þow sholdest
This I trowe be treuthe · who can teche þe better

[^172: Bx.1.144: he: "she".]

¶ Loke þow suffre hym to sey · and sithen lere it after
For thus witnesseth his worde · worcheth þow þere-after[^173]
For trewthe telleþ þat loue · is triacle of heuene
May no synne be on him sene · þat [þat spise vseth][^174]
And alle his werkes he wrouȝte · with loue as him liste
And lered it Moises for þe leuest þing [·] and moste like to heuene
And also þe plente[^175] of pees · moste precious of vertues

[^173: Bx.1.149: The line is lost by beta2 (CrWHm) and G. It is in Ax but not Cx.]

[^174: Bx.1.151: þat þat spise vseth: F's inverted order is metrical, and perhaps authorial, with K.7.137 þat no werk vsiþ (alliterating on /n/) providing a parallel. Even so, it may be a scribal sophistication, and this is one of the occasions where R is sorely missed. The line is not in AC.]

[^175: Bx.1.154: plente: "fullness"; and cf. the proverb "peace maketh plenty" which may have influenced the Bx scribe. Cr's plant may have been taken from his C ms.; it is probably also Ax. See Adams (1991), 7-15.]

¶ For heuene myȝte nouȝte holden it · it was so heuy of hym-self
Tyl it hadde of þe erthe · yeten[^176] his fylle

[^176: Bx.1.156: yeten: "eaten". See Schmidt (1995), 366. Cr's yoten it-selue (MED yeten v.3, "poured out") is the reading of Cx.]

¶ And whan it haued of þis folde [·] flessh & blode taken
Was neuere leef vpon lynde · liȝter þer-after
And portatyf and persant · as þe poynt of a nedle
That myȝte non armure it lette · ne none heiȝ walles

¶ For-þi is loue leder [·] of þe lordes folke of heuene
And a mene as þe Maire is · bitwene þe kyng and þe comune
Riȝt so is loue a ledere · and þe lawe shapeth
Vpon man for his mysdedes · þe merciment he taxeth
And for to knowe it kyndely · it comseth bi myght
And in þe herte þere is þe heuede · and þe heiȝ welle

¶ For in kynde knowynge in herte · þere a myȝte bigynneth
And þat falleth to þe fader · þat formed vs alle
Loked on vs with loue · and lete his sone deye
Mekely for owre mysdedes · to amende vs alle
And ȝet wolde he hem no woo · þat wrouȝte hym þat peyne
But mekelich with mouthe · mercy he bisouȝte
To haue pite o[n][^177] þat poeple · þat peyned[^178] hym to deth

[^177: Bx.1.173: on: MCrHmGO as well as F (= alpha?) are supported by AC versions against of in LWC. Yet the latter might be Bx; cf. l. 177 for a similar case, and note that MCrHmGOF have pity on for pity of in Bx.5.260.]

[^178: Bx.1.173: peyned: A mss. have predominantly pinede (MED pinen), as do MHmF, whereas C mss. have paynede (MED peinen), but the verbs were often confused.]

¶ Here myȝtow see ensamples[^179] · in hym-selue one
That he was miȝtful & meke · and mercy gan graunte
To hem þat hongen him an heiȝ · and his herte þirled

[^179: Bx.1.174: ensamples: The singular of WCGF varies with the plural in all three versions. For the argument that the plural is "more exact", see Schmidt (2008), 316.]

¶ For-thi I rede ȝow riche · haueth reuthe of[^180] þe pouere
Thouȝ ȝe be myȝtful to mote · beth meke in ȝowre werkes

[^180: Bx.1.177: reuthe of: The beta reading, as in LMWCO. HmCrG have the more usual ruthe on (as in Bx.4.110, 112, 5.523, 14.180, 15.11), agreeing here with AC, by coincidence or contamination. F has mercy on.]

¶ For þe same mesur[e][^181] þat ȝe mete · amys other elles
Ȝe shullen ben weyen þer-wyth · whan ȝe wende hennes
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis · remecietur vobis ·

[^181: Bx.1.179: mesure: LMWCGO (hence beta) have the plural, but CrHmF have sg., as AC. The plural is presumably a beta error, since the word is sg. in the Latin, l. 181.]

¶ For þouȝ ȝe be trewe of ȝowre tonge · and trewliche wynne
And as chaste as a childe · þat in cherche wepeth
But if[^182] ȝe louen lelliche · and lene þe poure
[Of] such[^183] goed as god ȝow sent [·] godelich parteth
Ȝe ne[^184] haue na more meryte · in masse ne in houres
Þan Malkyn of hire maydenhode · þat no man desireth

[^182: Bx.1.184: if: Dropped by MF, but supported by Cx. A mss. vary.]

[^183: Bx.1.185: Of such: Of is easily lost, as in beta. F is supported by AC.]

[^184: Bx.1.186: ne (1): Dropped by MCrGF, but supported by AC.]

¶ For Iames þe gentil · iugged in his bokes
That faith with-oute þe faite[^185] · is riȝte[^186] no-þinge worthi
And as ded as a dore-tre · but ȝif þe dedes folwe
Fides sine operibus mortua est &c

[^185: Bx.1.189: þe faite: G reads dede, F has fewte, and in M the definite article is inserted by the corrector. The article in this phrase is more easily lost than added, and beta probably had it. Ax is without the article; Cx is divided, though the best representatives of the X family have it. We follow copy-text.]

[^186: Bx.1.189: riȝte: F's omission of the word may represent Bx, but the b-verse is corrupt in any case. The AC reading is is feblere þan noȝt.]

¶ For-thi chastite with-oute charite · worth cheyned in helle
It is as lewed as a laumpe · þat no liȝte is Inne

¶ Many chapeleynes arne chaste · ac charite is awey
Aren no men auarousere[^187] þan hij · whan þei ben auaunced
Vnkynde to her kyn · and to alle cristene
Chewen here charite · and chiden after more
Such chastite wiþ-outen charite · worth cheyned in helle

[^187: Bx.1.195: no men auarousere: G's non herder is by contamination from AC. F's non for beta's no men may be from A, but may represent Bx.]

¶ Many curatoures kepen hem · clene of here bodies
Thei ben acombred wiþ coueitise · þei konne nouȝt out crepe[^a5][^188]
So harde hath auarice · yhasped hem togideres
And þat is no treuthe of þe trinite · but treccherye of helle
And lernyng to lewde men · þe latter for to dele[^189]

[^a5: out crepe (F alpha) | nouȝt don it fram hem (beta)]

[^188: Bx.1.200: nouȝt out crepe: Beta has nouȝt don it fram hem, with G's not cry ovte an independent improvement or indebted to AC, which both have variously not crepe out and not out crepe. This supports F's out crepe (omitting nouȝt by oversight), though it may be by contamination.]

[^189: Bx.1.203: for to dele: The beta reading, though G omits for, aligning it with most A mss. F has to leve synne. C rewrites.]

¶[^190] For-þi þis wordes [·] ben wryten in þe gospel[^191]
Date & dabitur vobis · for I dele ȝow alle
And þat is þe lokke of loue · and[^192] lateth oute my grace
To conforte þe careful · acombred wiþ synne

[^190: Bx.1.204: ¶: L's paraph is shared only with C, but the line is at the top of the page in M (which marks paraphs only with a blank space).]

[^191: Bx.1.204: Because of the short line, scribes misplaced the punctus. Only L has it awkwardly after ben. We follow MWCO.]

[^192: Bx.1.206: and (2): Clearly the beta reading, supported by the X family of C. CrGF have þat (M is revised to that reading), as does Ax and the P family of C. Again, F may be alpha or an A reading.]

¶ Loue is leche of lyf · and nexte owre lorde selue
And also þe graith gate · þat goth in-to heuene
For-þi I sey as I seide · ere by þe[^193] textis
Whan alle tresores ben ytryed · treuthe is þe beste
Now haue I tolde þe what treuthe is · þat no tresore is bettere
I may no lenger lenge þe with[^194] · now[^195] loke þe owre lorde

[^193: Bx.1.210: by þe: G's alliterating by syght of thes is supported by AC, but is derived by contamination and is not Bx. See KD p. 154, Schmidt (1995), 366. Alpha also omits siȝte of in the same b-verse at Bx.1.135.]

[^194: Bx.1.213: þe with: In omitting the phrase G again shows contamination from A.]

[^195: Bx.1.213: now: Supported by Ax though omitted by F and replaced by but in G. Cx is rewritten.]

Passus secundus de visione vt supra

Ȝet I courbed on my knees · and cryed hir of grace
And seide mercy Madame · for Marie loue of heuene
That bar þat blisful barne · þat bouȝte vs on þe Rode
Kenne me bi somme crafte · to knowe þe fals

¶ Loke vppon[^196] þi left half · and lo where he[^197] standeth
Bothe fals and fauel · and here[^198] feres manye

[^196: Bx.2.5: vppon: Beta shares the C reading. F's on is the A reading.]

[^197: Bx.2.5: he: O anticipates the appearance of Mede in l. 8; hence sche, so that her in l. 6 is perhaps feminine in O, whereas it is plural in other mss. A mss. vary, with masc., fem. and pl.]

[^198: Bx.2.6: here: "their"; clearly Bx. Ax has hise, referring to fals. Cx rewrites the b-verse, but has here in its following line.]

¶ I loked on my left half · as þe lady me taughte
And was war of a womman · wortheli[^199] yclothed
Purfiled with pelure · þe [purest on][^200] erthe
Ycrounede[^201] with a corone · þe kyng hath non better
Fetislich hir fyngres · were fretted with golde wyre[^202]
And þere-on red rubyes · as red as any glede
And diamantz of derrest pris · and double manere safferes
Orientales and ewages · enuenymes to destroye

[^199: Bx.2.8: wortheli: G's wonderslyche is from A or C.]

[^200: Bx.2.9: purest on: F shares this reading with Ax, whereas Cx revises to non puyrere on. The non-alliterating beta reading fynest vpon may of course be a Bx error.]

[^201: Bx.2.10: Ycrounede: Beta has support from Ax; F's addition of And is supported by Cx and may represent alpha.]

[^202: Bx.2.11: golde wyre: G's rynges is from A. Cx rewrites. F omits the line.]

¶ Hire robe was ful riche · of red scarlet engreyned
With ribanes of red golde · and of riche stones
Hire arraye me rauysshed · suche ricchesse saw I neuere
I had wondre what she was · and whas wyf she were

¶ What is þis womman · quod I so worthily atired

¶ That is Mede þe Mayde quod she · hath noyed me ful oft
And ylakked my lemman · þat lewte is hoten
And bilowen hire[^203] to lordes · þat lawes han to kepe
In þe popis paleys · she is pryue as my-self
But sothenesse wolde nouȝt so · for she is a bastarde

[^203: Bx.2.22: bilowen hire: "made herself pleasing to" (MED biloven); cf. Bx.6.233 where LMR have the -w- form. Both KD and Schmidt emend to bilowen h[ym], "slandered him" (MED bilien v.(2)). A has And lakkide my lore to lordis aboute (K.2.17); Cx has And lakked hym to lordes þat lawes han to kepe (RK.2.21, who emend), with ylow on my lemman in the previous line.]

¶ For fals was hire fader · þat hath a fykel tonge
And neuere sothe seide · sithen he come to erthe

¶[^204] And Mede is manered after hym · riȝte as kynde axeth
Qualis pater talis filius · bonus[^205] arbor · bonum fructum facit
I auȝte ben herre þan she · I cam of a better

[^204: Bx.2.27: ¶: Only LM indicate a new paragraph here. WHmCF have a paraph in the line above.]

[^205: Bx.2.28: bonus : LMWF treat arbor as masc.; the others alter to the more usual feminine. At RK.10.244b the X family of C similarly have bonus. F's expansion of the Latin is not supported.]

¶[^206] Mi fader þe grete god is · and grounde of alle graces
O god with-oute gynnynge · & I[^207] his gode douȝter
And hath ȝoue me mercy · to marye with my-self
And what man be merciful · and lelly me loue
Shal be my lorde and I his leef · in þe heiȝe heuene

[^206: Bx.2.30: ¶: L's paraph is supported by a new line-group in M.]

[^207: Bx.2.31: & I: F has & y am, as does Cx but in the a-verse.]

¶ And what man taketh Mede · myne hed[^208] dar I legge
That he shal lese for hir loue · a lappe[^209] of caritatis
How construeth dauid þe kynge · of men þat taketh Mede[^210]
And men of þis molde · þat meynteneth treuthe
And how ȝe shal saue ȝow-self · þe Sauter bereth witnesse
Domine quis habitabit in tabernac[u]lo tuo &c

[^208: Bx.2.35: hed: MO read lif. Presumably this is coincident error in a common phrase. Nevertheless, Cx reads my lif y dar (or dar y) wedde. Cf. Bx.18.162, I dar my lyf legge.]

[^209: Bx.2.36: lappe: This must be the Bx reading, with Cr taking lippe from a C text. The P group of C have lappe, the X group lippe. MED cites lippe n.(2), "a little bit", only from Langland. Probably lappe is a scribal substitution of an easier word, as again at RK.11.224 where two mss. read lappe in the same context. It is likely enough that the word developed the sense "small piece"; see MED lap(pe, 3.]

[^210: Bx.2.37: F has revised the line to improve the alliteration, though the reversal in the b-verse might represent alpha. The line has no parallel in A C.]

¶ And now worth þis Mede ymaried · to[^211] a mansed schrewe
[^212] To one fals fikel tonge[^213] · a fendes biȝete
Fauel þorw his faire speche · hath þis folke enchaunted
And al is lyeres ledyng · þat she is þus ywedded

[^211: Bx.2.41: to: F's reading probably represents alpha, and is supported by Cx. Beta must be al to since it has the support of LMCO, though al is subsequently erased in M. Beta2 reads vnto.]

[^212: Bx.2.42: Here R resumes.]

[^213: Bx.2.42: tonge: The beta reading has support from RK.2.6 over alpha's of tonge.]

¶ To-morwe worth ymade · þe maydenes bruydale
And þere miȝte þow wite if þow wolt · which þei ben alle
That longeth to þat lordeship · þe lasse and þe more
Knowe hem þere if þow canst · and kepe þi[^214] tonge
And lakke hem nouȝt but lat hem worth · til lewte be iustice
And haue powere to punyschen hem · þanne put forth þi resoun

[^214: Bx.2.48: þi: So LCR, and probably M before correction. It seems likely that other scribes filled out a short line with þou þi or wel þi. AC read kepe the fro hem alle.]

¶ Now I bikenne þe criste quod she · and his clene moder
And lat[^215] no conscience acombre þe · for coueitise of Mede

[^215: Bx.2.52: lat: Probably R's at represents alpha, interpreted by F as that. C mss. have Acombre neuere thy Conscience or And acombre thow ....]

¶ Thus left me þat lady · liggyng aslepe
And how Mede was ymaried · in meteles me þouȝte
Þat alle þe riche retenauns · þat regneth with þe false
Were boden to þe[^216] bridale · on bothe two sydes
Of alle maner of men · þe mene and þe riche
To marie þis maydene[^217] · was many man assembled
As of kniȝtes and of clerkis · and other comune poeple
As sysours and sompnours · Shireues and here clerkes
Bedelles and Bailliues · and brokoures of chaffre
Forgoeres and vitaillers · and vokates of þe arches[^218]
I can nouȝt rekene þe route · þat ran aboute mede

[^216: Bx.2.56: þe: Beta is supported by Ax and the X family of C, while R's þis (F has his) is supported by the P family.]

[^217: Bx.2.58: maydene: The form varies with mayde throughout; there is no equivalent line in AC. Although MED has separate entries, they are different forms of the same word and are listed together by Wittig (2001).]

[^218: Bx.2.62: After this F adds a line that is obviously scribal.]

¶ Ac symonye and cyuile · and sisoures of courtes
Were moste pryue with Mede · of any men me þouȝte
[^219]Ac fauel was þe first · þat fette hire out of boure
And as a brokour brouȝte hir [·] to be with fals enioigned
[^220]Whan symonye and cyuile · seiȝ here beire[^221] wille
Thei[^222] assented for siluer · to se[i][^223] as bothe wolde
[^224]Thanne lepe lyer forth · and seide lo here a chartre
That gyle with his gret othes · gaf hem togidere
And preide cyuile to se · and symonye to rede it
Thanne symonye and cyuile · stonden[^225] forth bothe
And vnfoldeth þe feffement · þat fals hath ymaked[^226]
And þus bigynneth þes gomes · to greden ful heiȝ
Sciant presentes & futuri &c ·

[^219: Bx.2.66: Alpha has a paraph here.]

[^220: Bx.2.68: Beta2 has a paraph (a paragraph in Cr), as does R.]

[^221: Bx.2.68: beire: Genitive of bo, synonymous with boþere in MWO and bethere in R.]

[^222: Bx.2.69: Thei: Alpha has And, continuing the subordinate clause, but contradicting this syntax with a paraph before the following line. Cx has Thei.]

[^223: Bx.2.69: sei: Falsely corrected to se in L.]

[^224: Bx.2.70: Here and at l. 73 WHm and alpha have a paraph.]

[^225: Bx.2.73: stonden: The past tense as in MF is also a minority form in AC.]

[^226: Bx.2.74: F omits the line.]

¶ Witeth and witnesseth · þat wonieth vpon þis erthe
Þat Mede is ymaried · more for here goodis
Þan for ani vertue or[^227] fairenesse · or[^228] any free kynde
Falsenesse is faine of hire · for he wote hire riche
And fauel with his fikel speche · feffeth bi þis chartre
To be prynces in pryde · and pouerte to dispise
To bakbite and to bosten · and bere fals witnesse
To scorne and to scolde · and sclaundere to make
Vnboxome and bolde[^229] · to breke þe ten hestes

[^227: Bx.2.79: or (1): HmCGO read of. The line is not paralleled in AC, though C alters to a line with the same structure, Then for holynesse oþer hendenesse oþer for hey kynde (RK.2.84).]

[^228: Bx.2.79: or (2): LCrWCG and alpha. The parallel line in Cx would give some support to MO or for.]

[^229: Bx.2.85: Vnboxome and bolde: Beta's order is supported by Cx against alpha's reversal.]

¶ And þe Erldome of enuye · and wratthe togideres
With þe chastelet of chest[^230] · and chateryng oute of resoun[^231]
Þe counte of coueitise · and alle þe costes aboute
That is vsure and auarice · alle I hem graunte
In bargaines and in[^232] brokages · with al þe borg[h]e[^233] of theft

[^230: Bx.2.87: chest: i.e. "strife". Supported by Cx against alpha's non-alliterating gestes.]

[^231: Bx.2.87: resoun: Again supported by Cx. Alpha's reading is probably R's tyme. F rewrites the b-verse to alliterate on /j/ in a-verse.]

[^232: Bx.2.90: in (2): The key witnesses LMR are supported by CrWCO. It is omitted by most C mss.]

[^233: Bx.2.90: borghe: L writes borgthe.]

¶ And al þe lordeship of lecherye · in lenthe and in brede
As in werkes and in wordes · and[^234] waitynges with eies
And in wedes[^235] and in wisshynges · and with ydel thouȝtes
There as wille wolde[^236] · [and] wermanship failleth

[^234: Bx.2.92: and (2): So LMCGOR. Yet CrWHm have and in as the X family of C; F has in as the P family.]

[^235: Bx.2.93: wedes: The reading of beta; C mss. divide between wedes and woldes. R's wedynges is probably alpha's misreading influenced by the general context, although F offers the attractive and appropriate variant wenyngis, glossed "hopes" by Schmidt (1995).]

[^236: Bx.2.94: and: The line is marked for correction in L. Original wolde and has been revised by the addition of ne before wolde and the subpunction of and, giving the reading of C. A couple of C mss. have the same reading. Possibly the supervisor intended the correction of wermanship instead, though it is not an uncommon spelling and is repeated at this point in the C text by X.]

¶ Glotonye he gaf hem eke · and grete othes togydere
And alday to drynke · at dyuerse tauernes
And there to iangle and to[^237] iape · and iugge here euene-cristene
And in fastyngdayes to frete · ar ful tyme were
And þanne to sitten and soupen · til slepe hem assaille
[^238] And bredun as burgh-swyn · and bedden hem esily
Tyl sleuth and slepe · slyken his sides
And þanne wanhope to awake hym so · with no wille to amende
For he leueth be lost · þis is here last ende

[^237: Bx.2.97: to (2): Supported by Cx against omission in WHmG.]

[^238: Bx.2.100-03: There is disagreement about number in this passage. Alpha switches to the sg. in l. 100 with a burgh swyne and hym. In l. 101 alpha is joined by LWCGO in his, against hyr in CrHm and corrected M. In 102 alpha + LMCO have hym against pl. hem in CrWHmG. In the a-verse of 103 all mss. except CrHm have sg. he, while in the b-verse beta has pl. here while R has his and F þe. Meanwhile, in the parallel but rewritten passage in Cx, there is also a switch in number, with pl. pronouns throughout except in RK.2.108 (=Bx.2.103), For a leueth be lost when he his lyf leteth. It looks as though scribes made rather ineffective attempts to rationalise number. We follow copy-text, partly on the grounds that it is the least consistent.]

¶ And þei to haue and to holde · and here eyres after
A dwellyng with þe deuel · and dampned be for eure
Wiþ al þe purtenaunces[^239] of purgatorie · in-to þe pyne of helle
Ȝeldyng for þis þinge · at one ȝeres ende
Here soules to sathan · to suffre with hym peynes
And with him to wonye with[^240] wo · whil god is in heuene

[^239: Bx.2.106: purtenaunces: L and alpha have the aphetic form (initial a- is deleted in R). Other beta mss. vary, as do C mss.]

[^240: Bx.2.109: with (2): Alpha has in; beta probably has with, though MCO read in. Probably this is reversion to the commoner phrase, as in Bx.19.203, though of course this parallel could also be cited in support of in. Ax has "Þere to wone wiþ wrong" (K.2.71).]

¶ In witnesse of which[^a6][^241] þing · wronge was þe first
And Pieres þe pardonere · of paulynes doctrine
Bette þe bedel · of Bokyngham-shire
Rainalde þe Reue · of Rotland[^242] sokene
Munde þe Mellere · and many moo other
In þe date of þe deuel [·] þis dede I assele[^243]
Bi siȝte of sire symonye · and cyuyles leue

[^a6: which (beta) | þis (alpha)]

[^241: Bx.2.110: which / þis: Beta is supported by Ax and by the alliteration, but alpha's non-alliterating þis is undoubtedly also the Cx reading.]

[^242: Bx.2.113: Rotland: Rutland, according to beta. Alpha's Rokeland, also a variant in a few A mss., is Rockland in Norfolk.]

[^243: Bx.2.115: I assele: This must be Bx, though HmC ys aseled is the AC reading.]

¶ Þenne tened hym theologye · whan he þis tale herde
And seide to cyuile · now sorwe mot þow haue
Such we[d]dynges[^244] to worche [·] to wratthe with treuthe
And ar þis weddyng be wrouȝte · wo þe bityde

[^244: Bx.2.119: weddynges: LC have wendynges, but the line is marked for correction in L.]

¶ For Mede is moylere · of amendes engendreth[^245]
And god graunteth[^246] to gyf · Mede to treuthe
And þow hast gyuen hire to a gyloure · now god gyf þe sorwe
Th[e][^247] tixt telleth þe nouȝt so · treuthe wote þe sothe
For dignus est operarius · his hyre to haue
And þow hast fest hire to fals · fy on þi lawe
For al by lesynges þow lyuest · and lecherouse werkes
[^248]Symonye and þi-self · schenden holicherche
Þe notaries and ȝee · noyeth þe peple
Ȝe shul abiggen it bothe · bi god þat me made
Wel ȝe witen wernardes · but if ȝowre witte faille
That fals is faithlees · and fikel in his werkes
And [as][^249] a bastarde ybore · of belsabubbes kynne
And Mede is moylere · a mayden of gode
And myȝte kisse þe kynge · for cosyn an she wolde

[^245: Bx.2.121: engendreth: Agreement of LR (together with C) indicates that this is an error in Bx, with the obvious correction made by other scribes. A spelling such as engendrit as in some A mss. could have caused the error in Bx.]

[^246: Bx.2.122: graunteth: COF have past tense. There is the same variation in A.]

[^247: Bx.2.124: The: Alpha is supported by Ax against beta's Thi.]

[^248: Bx.2.128: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^249: Bx.2.133: as: Alpha is supported by AC against beta's was.]

¶ For-þi worcheth bi wisdome · and bi witt also
And ledeth hire to londoun · þere lawe is yshewed
If any lawe wil loke · þei ligge togederes
And þouȝ Iustices iugge hir · to be ioigned with[^250] fals
Ȝet beth war of [þe][^251] weddyng · for witty is truthe
And conscience is of his conseille · and knoweth ȝow vchone
And if he fynde ȝow in defaute · and with þe fals holde
It shal bisitte ȝowre soules · ful soure atte laste

[^250: Bx.2.139: with: Supported by Ax against CrWHmG to. Cx rewrites.]

[^251: Bx.2.140: þe: Alpha's article is supported by AC. The line in L is an addition by another scribe.]

¶ Here-to assenteth cyuile · ac symonye ne wolde
Tyl he had siluer for his seruise · and also þe notaries

¶ Thanne fette fauel forth · floreynes ynowe
And bad gyle to[^252] gyue · golde al aboute
And namelich to þe notaries · þat hem none ne[^253] faille
And feffe false witnes · with floreines ynowe
For he[^254] may mede amaistrye · and maken at my wille

[^252: Bx.2.147: to: So LMCrWCR, hence Bx. HmGOF have go, the reading of Ax and the P group of C, presumably by coincident variation or contamination. Crowley "improves" with go in Cr3.]

[^253: Bx.2.148: ne: Supported by LWCR, but dropped in others. It is not in most AC mss.]

[^254: Bx.2.150: he: Established for Bx by LRF and probably original M, as well as AC. The referent is unambiguously plural in MW (witnesses), sg. in L (contrast witnesses Bx.9.77), and ambiguous in other mss.]

¶ Tho þis golde was gyue · grete was þe þonkynge
To fals and to fauel · for her faire ȝiftes
And comen to conforte [·] fram care þe fals
And seiden certis sire · cesse shal we neuere
Til Mede be þi wedded wyf · þorw wittis of vs alle
For we haue Mede amaistried · with[^a7][^255] owre mery speche
That she graunteth to gon [·] with a gode wille
To Londoun to loke · ȝif þat þe[^256] lawe wolde
Iugge ȝow ioyntly · in ioye for euere

[^a7: with (beta) | þorw (alpha)]

[^255: Bx.2.156: with / þorw: The beta reading is supported by most A mss.; alpha's thorȝ, though it may have been picked up from the previous line, is also the reading of Cx.]

[^256: Bx.2.158: ȝif þat þe: So LMCOF. Beta2 and G drop þat, R drops þe. A mss. vary similarly; Cx has if.]

¶ Thanne was falsenesse fayne · and fauel as blithe
And leten sompne alle segges · in schires aboute
And bad hem alle be bown · beggeres and othere
To wenden wyth hem[^257] to westmynstre · to witnesse þis[^258] dede

[^257: Bx.2.163: hem: Referring to Fals and Favel. Beta's reading is shared with Ax and the P family of C. Alpha and the X family have hym. Beta seems more appropriate.]

[^258: Bx.2.163: þis: A mss. similarly split between þis and þe. The line is not in C.]

¶ Ac þanne cared þei for caplus · to kairen[^259] hem þider
And fauel fette forth þanne · folus ynowe
And sette Mede vpon[^260] a schyreue · shodde al newe
And fals sat on a sisoure · þat softlich trotted
And fauel on a flatere[^261] · fetislich atired

[^259: Bx.1.165: kairen: So LM + alpha; other scribes substitute the easier carien, as also at Bx.P.29, 4.23, 5.310. Note, however, that Ax also has carien.]

[^260: Bx.2.166: vpon: GF read on, as does Ax; R has vppe.]

[^261: Bx.2.168: flatere: So LF. MED distinguishes between flatour (OF flatour) and flaterer (from the verb).]

¶ Tho haued notaries none · annoyed þei were
For symonye and cyuile · shulde on hire fete gange

¶ Ac þanne swore symonye · and cyuile bothe
That sompnoures shulde be sadled [·] and serue hem vchone
And lat apparaille þis[^262] prouisoures · in palfreis wyse
Sire symonye hym-seluen · shal sitte vpon here bakkes

[^262: Bx.2.173: þis: FG omit, and R reads þe. A mss. also vary, but most support beta.]

¶ Denes and suddenes · drawe ȝow togideres
Erchdekenes and officiales · and alle ȝowre Regystreres
Lat sadel hem with siluer · owre synne to suffre
As [de]uoutrie[^263] and deuoses · and derne vsurye
To bere bischopes aboute · abrode in visytynge

[^263: Bx.2.178: deuoutrie: The alliterating alpha synonym for beta's easier auoutrie. There is no parallel line in AC, although Cx has deuoutours at RK.2.187. R again has deuoutrie at Bx.12.86. MED does not record either de- form otherwise, but note OED devoterer, with an instance from 1550.]

¶ Paulynes pryues[^264] · for pleyntes in þe consistorie
Shul serue my-self · þat cyuile is nempned
And cartesadel þe comissarie · owre carte shal he lede
And fecchen vs vytailles · at fornicatores

[^264: Bx.2.180: pryues: "parties to suits" (Alford (1988), 120-1). GF's peple is an A reading.]

¶ And maketh of lyer a l[a]nge carte[^265] · to lede alle þese othere
As [fobberes][^266] and faitours · þat on here fete rennen
[^267]And thus fals and fauel · fareth forth togideres
And Mede in þe myddes · and alle þise men[^268] after

[^265: Bx.2.184: lange carte: Wittig (2001) lists the spelling lange once in each of the three versions, for this line only. WR always elsewhere have longe, and presumably the archetypal scribes recognised this as a technical expression for the longa caretta, a "four-wheeled military cart" (Galloway (2006), 278).]

[^266: Bx.2.185: fobberes: "cheats". Alpha's reading has support from Cx fobbes (related to fobben vb.). Beta's Freres is much easier; most A mss. have folis.]

[^267: Bx.2.186: W and alpha have a paraph here.]

[^268: Bx.2.187: men: LCrWHmR supported by Cx. G has the Ax reading meyny. Oddly, the disparate group MCOF have oþere.]

¶ I haue no tome to telle [·] þe taille þat hem folweth
Of many maner man · þat on þis molde libbeth[^269]
Ac gyle was forgoer · and gyed hem alle

[^269: Bx.2.189: The line is lost in beta2 and G.]

¶[^270] Sothenesse seiȝ h[e]m[^271] wel · and seide but a litel[^272]
And priked his palfrey · and passed hem alle
And come to þe kynges courte · and conscience it tolde
And conscience to þe kynge · carped it after

[^270: Bx.2.191: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F. The line is at the bottom of the page in R.]

[^271: Bx.2.191: hem: The beta reading is probably hym, though CrWG and alpha have the plural, supported by AC.]

[^272: Bx.2.191: a litel: Apparently Bx, though omission of a in MCrWG is shared with Cx and most A mss.]

¶ Now by cryst quod þe kynge · and I cacche myȝte
Fals or[^273] fauel · or any of his feres
I wolde be wroke of þo wrecches · þat worcheth so ille
And don hem hange by þe hals · and alle þat hem meynteneth
Shal neure man of[^274] molde · meynprise þe leste
But riȝte as þe lawe wil loke · late falle on hem alle

[^273: Bx.2.196: or (1): Alpha reads other / eyþir, with R alone reading other for the second or. AC mss. vary in both instances.]

[^274: Bx.2.199: of: Secure for Bx, in L, original M, C and R. The variants of þis (corrected M, CrW), on (OF), on thys (G) and vpon (Hm) may be prompted by the oddity of the phrase man of molde, as well as by l. 189 above. A mss. vary, but Cx has on þys.]

¶ And comanded a constable · þat come atte furst
To[^a8][^275] attache þo tyrauntz · for eny thynge[^276] I hote
And fettereth fast falsenesse · for enykynnes ȝiftes
And gurdeth of gyles hed · and lat hym go no furthere
And ȝif ȝe lacche lyer · late hym nouȝt ascapen
Er he be put on þe pilorye · for eny preyere I hote
And bryngeth Mede to me · maugre hem alle

[^a8: To (beta) | Goo (alpha)]

[^275: Bx.2.202: To / Goo: Beta shares To with Ax; alpha's Goo is also Cx. Cf. the variants in Bx.2.147 above. The direct speech of "Goo atache ... I hote" is attractive; perhaps it suggested itself as an authorial or scribal improvement.]

[^276: Bx.2.202: thynge: Presumably an error, but undoubtedly Bx. AC have tresour.]

¶ Drede atte dore stode · and þe dome herde
And how þe kynge comaunded · constables and seriantz
Falsenesse and his felawschip · to fettren an to bynden
Þanne drede went wiȝtliche · and warned þe fals
And bad hym flee for fere · and his felawes[^277] alle

[^277: Bx.2.212: felawes: F's feerys is probably from A. It is also the reading of Cx which however avoids the pun on fere by altering the a-verse to And bad falsenesse to fle (RK.2.222).]

¶ Falsenesse for fere þanne · fleiȝ to þe freres
And gyle doþ hym to go · agast for to dye
Ac marchantz mette with hym · and made hym abide
And bishetten hym in here shope[^278] · to shewen here ware
And[^279] apparailled hym as a prentice · þe poeple to serue

[^278: Bx.2.216: shope: The distributive sg. is supported by LMCOR. Ax has the plural; C mss. vary.]

[^279: Bx.2.217: And: Ax is without it, as are CrWHmG; it is the reading of Cx.]

¶ Liȝtlich lyer · lepe awey þanne[^280]
Lorkynge thorw lanes · to-lugged of manye
He was nawhere welcome · for his manye tales
Ouer al yhowted[^281] · and yhote trusse
Tyl pardoneres haued pite · and pulled hym in-to[^282] house
They wesshen hym and wyped hym · and wonden hym in cloutes[^283]
And sente hym with seles · on sondayes to cherches
And gaf pardoun for pens · poundmel aboute

[^280: Bx.2.218: þanne: i.e. "from there". Both beta and alpha forms represent MED thenne adv.; cf. LALME 4.262.]

[^281: Bx.2.221: yhowted: "shouted at". Beta2 has yhonted, an easy error, though supported by AC. On Crowley's revisions here, see Hailey (2007), 152-4.]

[^282: Bx.2.222: in-to: This must be Bx, supported by the X family of C, despite MHmF support for the Ax reading to.]

[^283: Bx.2.223: cloutes: Hm and alpha have clothes. A mss. vary; Cx has cloutes, though five C mss. read clothes.]

¶ Thanne loured leches · and lettres þei sent
Þat he sholde wonye with hem · wateres to loke
[^284]Spiceres spoke[^285] [to][^286] hym · to spien here ware
For he couth o[n][^287] here craft · and knewe many gommes

[^284: Bx.2.228: W and alpha have a paraph.]

[^285: Bx.2.228: spoke: The form speken in CrWGR is also past plural; cf. Bx.15.285 for a clear instance, where L also has speken.]

[^286: Bx.2.228: to (1): The alpha reading is also that of Cx; A mss. divide. The beta reading with is likely to have been influenced by the line above.]

[^287: Bx.2.229: on: Both Ax and Cx agree with alpha here against beta's of.]

¶ Ac mynst[r]alles and messageres · mette with hym ones
And helden hym an halfȝere[^288] · and elleuene dayes

[^288: Bx.2.231: an half: Beta is challenged by alpha half a. Cx has no article; A mss. vary between all three possibilities.]

¶ Freres with faire speche · fetten hym þennes
And for knowyng of comeres · coped hym as a frere
Ac he hath leue to lepe out · as oft as hym liketh
And is welcome whan he wil · and woneth wyth hem oft

¶ Alle fledden for fere · and flowen in-to hernes
Saue Mede þe Mayde · na mo[^289] durst abide
Ac trewli to telle · she trembled for [fere][^290]
And ek[^291] wept and wronge · whan she was attached

[^289: Bx.2.237: mo: R has man, as do four A mss.]

[^290: Bx.2.238: fere: Beta's reading drede is also that of four A mss., but the others have fere, as do alpha and Cx.]

[^291: Bx.2.239: ek: The beta reading is supported by Ax against alpha's also. Cx has bothe.]

Passus tercius de visione vt supra

Now is Mede þe Maide · and namo of hem alle
With bedellus & wiþ[^292] bayllyues · brouȝt bifor þe kyng
The kyng called a clerke · can I nouȝt his name
To take Mede þe mayde · and make hire at ese
I shal assaye hir my-self · and sothelich[^293] appose
What man of þis [worlde][^294] · þat hire were leueste
And if she worche bi my[^295] witte · and my wille folwe
I wil forgyue hir þis gilte[^a9][^296] · so me god help

[^a9: gilte (beta) | giltes (alpha)]

[^292: Bx.3.2: wiþ (2): Supported for Bx by LR and WHmC, against MCrGOF (F reverses the half lines). Yet neither Ax or Cx repeats the preposition (Cx has Thorw Bedeles).]

[^293: Bx.3.5: sothelich: Beta supported by AC though the word (meaning "openly, plainly"? or "effectively"? as glossed by Kane (2005)) causes some problems in all versions. R's couthliche is presumably the alpha reading, improved by F to sotilly. See Hanna (1996), 227.]

[^294: Bx.3.6: worlde: R's reading is supported by AC. The beta reading molde is prompted by the common alliterative formula, just as F alters man to wyȝe for the same consideration. Alliteration may fall on What.]

[^295: Bx.3.7: my(1): Omitted by beta2 and some A mss.; C rewrites.]

[^296: Bx.3.8: gilte / giltes: Though beta and Ax have the sg., alpha and Cx have the pl. Hanna (1996), 228, regards this as "a possible product of Langlandian revision".]

¶ Curteysliche þe clerke þanne [·] as þe Kyng hight
Toke Mede bi þe Middel · and brouȝte[^297] hir in-to chaumbre
A[c][^298] þere was myrthe and mynstralcye · Mede to plese

[^297: Bx.3.10: brouȝte: F's alliterating mente has no parallel in any version. Cx rewrites the b-verse. Following this line, F alone has a line without support from other versions.]

[^298: Bx.3.11: Ac: R is supported in the less obvious reading by the X family of C. The P family omits the conjunction. Beta and F (where the beginning of the line is revised) read And, as do some A mss. (varying with But, Ac, Þan). Kane (2005), in a subtle entry for ac, glosses "moreover" here.]

[¶][^299] They þat wonyeth [at][^300] westmynstre · worschiped[^301] hir alle
Gentelliche wiþ ioye · þe Iustices somme
Busked hem to þe boure · þere þe birde dwelled
To conforte hire kyndely · by clergise leue
And seiden mourne[^302] nought Mede · ne make þow no sorwe
For we [wil][^303] wisse þe kynge · and þi wey shape
To be wedded at þi wille · and where þe leue liketh
For al conscience caste · [and] craft[^304] as I trowe

[^299: Bx.3.12: ¶: In L the paraph is indicated by cc, but not inserted. The line is at the top of the page.]

[^300: Bx.3.12: at: The reading of MG + alpha is supported by Ax. Cx rewrites.]

[^301: Bx.3.12: worshiped: So LR and CrHmCO. C mss. and A mss. also divide between past and the easier present.]

[^302: Bx.3.16: mourne: MHmO have mourne þow, a minor variant in all three versions.]

[^303: Bx.3.17: wil: The omission in L, original M, and CO is probably a beta error corrected in other mss.]

[^304: Bx.3.19: caste and craft: AC support beta's word-order against alpha's, and alpha's and against beta's or.]

¶ Mildeliche Mede þanne · mercyed hem alle
Of þeire gret goodnesse · and gaf hem vchone
Coupes of clene golde · and coppis of siluer
Rynges with rubies · and ricchesses[^305] manye
The leste man of here meyne · a motoun of golde
Thanne lauȝte þei leue · þis lordes at Mede

[^305: Bx.3.23: richesses: As a romance loan ending in a sibilant, alpha's reading without -s can also be a pl. form. See notes to Bx.3.101, 10.90, 223, 227, 19.73, etc.]

¶ With that comen clerkis · to conforte hir þe same
And beden hire be blithe · for we beth þine owne
Forto worche þi wille · þe while þow myȝte laste[^306]

[^306: Bx.3.28: þow myȝte laste: Hm's thy lyfe lasteth is the reading of some A mss. For þow myȝte CrG have we moune / we may, the reading of the P family of C.]

[¶][^307] Hendeliche heo þanne · bihight hem þe same
To loue ȝow[^308] lelli · and lordes to make
And in þe consistorie [at][^309] courte · do calle ȝowre[^310] names
Shal no lewdnesse lette · þe leode[^a10][^311] þat I louye
That he ne[^312] worth first auanced · for I am biknowen
Þere konnyng clerkes · shul clokke bihynde

[^a10: leode (beta) | clerkes (alpha)]

[^307: Bx.3.29: ¶: Though L has no paraph, the scribe leaves a blank line, and WHmC have the paraph. In R the left margin is cropped.]

[^308: Bx.3.30: ȝow: Only LR switch to direct address with this line. M probably did too originally, though the corrector altered to hem, the reading of all other B mss., and also of AC. See note on ȝowre in the next line. Cr's additional line is from C (RK.3.33).]

[^309: Bx.3.31: at: CrHmOR, supported by AC, against atte and at þe in LMWCG and in þe in F. (In L the form atte consistently represents "at the".) But cf. Bx.P.107n.]

[^310: Bx.3.31: ȝowre: Beta2 and G continue with the 3rd person pl., as does Ax. Cx has ȝoure.]

[^311: Bx.3.32: leode / clerkes: The beta reading (alliterating aa/aa) is shared with Ax, but alpha's clerkes is shared with Cx (alliterating aa/xa), though Cx has the sg., whence Cr's clerke.]

[^312: Bx.3.33: ne: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's omission.]

¶ Þanne come þere a confessoure · coped as a Frere
To Mede þe[^313] mayde · he mellud þis wordes
And seide ful softly · in shrifte as it were
Theiȝ lewed men and lered men · had leyne by þe bothe
And false[hede][^314] haued yfolwed þe [·] al þis fyfty wyntre
I shal assoille þe my-selue · for a seme of whete
And also be þi bedeman · and bere wel þi message
Amonges kniȝtes and clerkis · conscience to torne

[^313: Bx.3.36: þe: Beta is supported by AC against R's þis and F's þat.]

[^314: Bx.3.39: falsehede: (For the spelling cf. Bx.5.300.) R's falsede presumably represents alpha (with F reading Fals) and is supported by AC. Beta reads falseness. (F's variants þey and fyftene are from A.)]

¶ Thanne Mede for here mysdedes · to þat man kneled
And shroue hire of hire shrewednesse · shamelees I trowe
Tolde hym a tale · and toke hym a noble
Forto ben hire bedeman · and hire brokour als[^315]

[^315: Bx.3.46: hire brokour als: G's hyr bavd after is contamination from A.]

¶ Thanne he assoilled hir sone · and sithen he seyde
We han a wyndowe a-wirchyng wil sitten vs [ful][^316] heigh
Woldestow glase þat gable · and graue þere-inne[^317] þi name
Siker sholde þi soule be · heuene to haue

[^316: Bx.3.48: ful: Only L has wel.]

[^317: Bx.3.49: þere-inne: R's þere merits consideration, since it is the reading of some A mss. and of Cx. Hanna (1996), 228, suggests the reading þere-inne arose from dittographic attraction, þ'in þi-n|ame.]

[^318] [¶][^319] Wist I that quod þat womman[^320] · I wolde nouȝt spare
For to be ȝowre frende frere · and faille ȝow neure
Whil ȝe loue lordes · þat lechery haunteþ
And lakkeþ nouȝt ladis · þat loueþ wel þe same
It is a frelete of flesche · ȝe fynde it in bokes
And a course of kynde · wher-of we komen alle
Who may scape þe sklaundre · þe skaþe is sone amended
It is synne of seuene[^321] · sonnest relessed

[^318: Bx.3.51-62: In place of these twelve lines in beta, alpha has three lines garbled from two lines of A (K.3.50-1). C has the expanded passage from B, but rewrites Bx.3.50-1 as RK.3.53-4. The Bx archetype may have had the cancelled A lines which had been rendered illegible, with an expanded passage on a separate sheet, followed by beta but for some reason not available to alpha. Or alpha's exemplar may have lost the passage by eyeskip from one paraph to the next. On the other hand Hanna (1996), 316 n.26, suggests that the omission "may be an outright case of shocked scribal censorship with partial restoration", pointing out that "the memorial quality of this reading [in alpha] implies quite precisely that the archetypal scribe had no direct access to a manuscript version of A" (217).]

[^319: Bx.3.51: ¶: The paraph is attested by alpha and WHmC and an indented line in Cr. It is the first line on the leaf in L, where a paraph is sometimes missed, as on the previous leaf ( Bx.3.12).]

[^320: Bx.3.51: þat womman: MCr's þe womman could be correct, since it is supported by Ax. Cx rewites.]

[^321: Bx.3.58: seuene: So LMC; beta2 and GO have þe seuene. Cx has as of seuene.]

¶ Haue mercy quod Mede · of men þat it haunte
And I shal keure ȝowre kirke · ȝowre cloystre do maken
Wowes do whitten · and wyndowes glasen
Do peynten and purtraye · and paye for þe makynge
That eury[^322] segge shal se[e]n[^323] · I am sustre of ȝowre hous[^324]

[^322: Bx.3.63: eury: The beta reading, supported by Cx. Alpha's vch a finds some support in A mss.]

[^323: Bx.3.63: seen: Alpha is supported by Ax and by the X family of C; the P family has see and seye. On grounds of sense, seen is preferable to beta's seyn.]

[^324: Bx.3.63: of ȝowre hous: Beta is supported by Ax and by the derived of ȝoure ordre in Cx against alpha's weak to ȝow alle.]

¶ Ac god to alle good folke · suche grauynge defendeth
To writen in wyndowes · of here wel-dedes
On auenture pruyde be peynted þere · and pompe of þe worlde
For crist[^325] knoweþ þi conscience · and þi kynde wille
And[^326] þi coste and þi coueitise · and who þe catel ouȝte

[^325: Bx.3.67: crist: The reading of all except R, whose god might have been picked up from l. 64, although it is also the reading of Cx (the passage is not in A). K-D argue, perhaps rightly, that R's reading is original, and that F's agreement with beta is the common variation of a more explicit reading (p. 168 and n. 89).]

[^326: Bx.3.68: And: As in the previous line, R's reading without And is unique in B mss. but it is the reading of the P family of C (the X family conflate this line with the previous). Here F has Boþe þe for And þi.]

¶ For-þi I lere ȝow lordes · leueþ suche werkes
To writen in wyndowes · of ȝowre wel-dedes
Or to greden after goddis men · whan ȝe delen doles
An auenture ȝe han ȝowre hire here · and ȝoure heuene als
Nesciat sinistra quid faciat dextra ·
Lat nouȝte þi left half · late no rathe
Wyte what þow worchest · with þi riȝt syde
For þus bit þe gospel · gode men do here almesse

¶ Meires and maceres · that menes ben bitwene
Þe kynge and þe comune[^327] [·] to kepe þe lawes
To punyschen on[^328] pillories · and[^329] pynynge stoles
Brewesteres and bakesteres · bocheres and cokes
For þise aren men on[^330] þis molde · þat moste harme worcheth
To þe pore peple [·] þat parcel-mele buggen

[^327: Bx.3.78: comune: F regularly has comounys with its political implications (see MED communes), e.g. at Bx.P.115, 117, 118, 121, 143, usually joined by Cr. Here F is joined by GO.]

[^328: Bx.3.79: on: Beta supported by Ax and the P family of C, against alpha's vppon and the X family.]

[^329: Bx.3.79: and: F's & on may be from A. Yet C mss. have and on or and vppon.]

[^330: Bx.3.81: on: Alpha again reads vppoun; A mss. divide between on and of (as in HmC); Cx rewrites.]

¶ For they[^331] poysoun þe peple · priueliche and oft
Thei rychen þorw regraterye · and rentes hem buggen
With þat þe pore people [·] shulde put in here wombe[^332]
For toke þei on trewly · þei tymbred nouȝt so heiȝe
Ne bouȝte non burgages[^333] · be ȝe ful certeyne

[^331: Bx.3.83: For they: Beta is supported by Ax against alpha's & or And also.]

[^332: Bx.3.85: wombe: The distributive sg. is supported by AC.]

[^333: Bx.3.87: burgages: The plural is supported by AC against the sg. in alpha (F bargayn).]

¶ Ac Mede þe Mayde [·] þe Maire hath bisouȝte
Of alle suche sellers · syluer to take
Or presentz withoute pens · as peces of siluer
Ringes or other ricchesse · þe regrateres to maynetene

¶ For my loue[^334] quod that lady loue [·] hem vchone
And soffre hem to selle · somdele aȝeins resoun

[^334: Bx.3.92: loue (1): Beta is supported by Ax and by Cx (RK.3.119), against alpha's lord, perhaps substituted to avoid repetition.]

¶ Salamon þe sage · a sarmoun he made
For to amende Maires · and men þat kepen lawes
And tolde hem þis teme · þat I telle thynke
Ignis deuorabit tabernacula eorum qui libenter accipiunt munera &c[^335]
Amonge þis lettered ledes · þis latyn is to mene
That fyre shal falle and berne · al to blo askes
The houses and þe[^336] homes · of hem [þat][^337] desireth
Ȝiftes or ȝeresȝyues · bi-cause of here offices[^338]

[^335: Bx.3.97: Alpha's version of the quotation, omitting the last two words, is not supported by AC.]

[^336: Bx.3.100: þe: Omitted by Beta2 and G, but supported by AC.]

[^337: Bx.3.100: þat: Omitted in L, although a corrector's mark appears in the margin.]

[^338: Bx.3.101: offices: As a romance loan ending in a sibilant, alpha's form may represent a distributive sg. or a plural. See note to l. 23. There is no parallel in AC.]

¶ The kynge fro conseille cam · and called after Mede
And ofsent hir alswythe · with seriauntes manye
That[^339] brouȝten hir to bowre · with blisse and with ioye

[^339: Bx.3.104: That: W's agreement with Ax on And is presumably coincidental.]

¶ Curteisliche þe kynge þanne · comsed[^340] to telle
To Mede þe mayde · melleth þise wordes
Vnwittily womman · wrouȝte hastow oft
Ac worse wrouȝtestow neure · þan þo þow fals toke
But I forgyue [þe][^341] þat gilte · and graunte þe my grace
Hennes to þi deth-day · do so namore[^342]

[^340: Bx.3.105: comsed: R has the present, presumably by attraction to melleth, yet it agrees with Ax. The verb is past tense in the rewritten passage in Cx.]

[^341: Bx.3.109: þe (1): Omitted in L and added in W. Supported by AC.]

[^342: Bx.3.110: The short b-verse of beta is expanded variously in G, R and F. Ax has do þou for Bx do.]

¶ I haue a knyȝte conscience · cam late fro biȝunde
Ȝif he wilneth þe to wyf · wyltow hym haue

¶ Ȝe lorde quod þat lady · lorde forbede[^343] elles
But I be holely at ȝowre heste · lat hange me sone

[^343: Bx.3.113: forbede: LCrCGOF are supported by Ax; WHm read forbede it, and M is corrected to that reading. R's b-verse is that found in Cx. It may therefore represent alpha, and an authorial revision to avoid metrical demotion of the verb. However, since F agrees with beta, R's reading is more probably attracted to the b-verse of l. 121 below.]

¶ And þanne was conscience calde · to come and appiere
Bifor þe Kynge and his conseille · as clerkes and othere
[^344]Knelynge conscience · to þe kynge louted
To wite what his wille were · and what he do shulde

[^344: Bx.3.117: W and alpha have a paraph.]

¶ Woltow wedde þis womman quod þe kynge · ȝif I wil assente
For she is fayne of þi felawship · for to be þi make

¶ Quod conscience to þe kynge · cryst it me forbede
Ar I wedde suche a wyf · wo me bityde
For she is frele of hir feith · fykel[^a11][^345] of here speche
And maketh men mysdo · many score tymes
Truste of hire tresore · treieth[^346] ful manye
Wyues and widewes · wantounes[^347] she techeth
And lereth hem leccherye · that loueth hire ȝiftes
Ȝowre fadre she felled · þorw fals[^348] biheste
And hath apoysounde popis · [ap]peired[^349] holicherche
Is nauȝt a better baude · bi hym þat me made
Bitwene heuene and helle · [and][^350] erthe þough men souȝte
For she is tikil of hire taile · talwis of tonge[^351]
As comune as a cartwey · to eche a knaue þat walketh
To monkes to[^352] mynst[r]alles · to meseles in hegges
Sisoures and sompnoures · suche men hir preiseth
Shireues of shires · were shent ȝif she nere
For she doþ men lese here londe · and here lyf bothe
She leteth passe prisoneres[^353] · and payeth for hem ofte
And gyueth þe gailers golde · and grotes togideres
To vnfettre þe fals [·] fle where hym[^354] lyketh
And takeþ þe trewe[^355] bi þe toppe · and tieth hym[^356] faste
And hangeth hym[^357] for hatred · þat harme dede neure

[^a11: fykel (beta) | and fykel (alpha)]

[^345: Bx.3.123: fykel / and fykel: fykel is the beta reading, despite Hm; supported by Ax. R's and fykel is the alpha reading (F has & fals), supported by Cx.]

[^346: Bx.3.125: treieth: CrWG have betrayeth, a reversion to the commoner form. AC are not parallel here.]

[^347: Bx.3.126: wantounes: MED records this as a spelling of wantonness, and cf. the CrHm spellings of the word at Bx.12.6.]

[^348: Bx.3.128: fals: Beta is supported by Ax, though three mss. agree with alpha's variant faire. The common proverb "Fair behest maketh a fool glad" (MED bihest(e 1b.(b)) may have prompted the reading. Cf. Bx.11.62 and 20.118 for faire beheste.]

[^349: Bx.3.129: appeired: Alpha and most beta mss. read and (ap)peired, but L, original M, and C are without and, as is Ax, which suggests that scribes supplied it for a smoother reading. Most beta mss. have the aphetic form of the verb, but appeired is the form in alpha + Hm, supported by Cx and the majority of A mss. R's present tense may represent alpha, since it is shared with Cx.]

[^350: Bx.3.131: and (2): R's reading appears to represent alpha. It is supported by most A mss. (though five have in) and the X family of C (the P family has alle). The apparent illogicality of the expression (what lies between heaven, hell and earth?) perhaps prompted beta to revise to in and F to revise to þey men al erthe sowhte. Schmidt (1995) and Kane (2005) interpret and as "if".]

[^351: Bx.3.132: tonge: Beta reads hir tonge, prompted by the parallel of hire taile, but alpha's omission of the pronoun is paralleled by many A mss. and by Cx.]

[^352: Bx.3.134: to (2): R's and to may represent alpha (cf. F), joined by Cr. Beta seems to have the support of AC, though some mss. have and.]

[^353: Bx.3.138: prisoneres: R has prisons again at Bx.7.30 (together with most B mss.), 14.180 and 186, and 15.190 (together with LM). See MED prisoun, n. 7. All three versions have both variants here. We follow copy-text.]

[^354: Bx.3.140: hym: Supported by most AC mss. against the plural in MC.]

[^355: Bx.3.141: þe trewe: Alpha has trewthe, perhaps rightly, but cf. notes to ll. 155 and 247. There is similar variation in A and C mss. The X family of C has treuthe, with the P family reading trewe or improving to þe trewe.]

[^356: Bx.3.141: hym: MWG have plural (cf. l. 140). The sg. is supported by A and the X family in C.]

[^357: Bx.3.142: hym: MCrWG have plural (cf. ll. 140-1). The sg. is supported by A and the X family of C.]

¶ To be cursed in consistorie · she counteth nouȝte a russhe[^358]
For she copeth þe comissarie · and coteth his clerkis
She is assoilled as sone · as hir-self liketh
And may neiȝe as moche do · in a moneth one[s][^359]
As ȝowre secret seel · in syx score dayes
For she is priue with þe pope · prouisoures it knoweth
For sire symonye and hir-selue · seleth hire[^360] bulles

[^358: Bx.3.143: russhe: The reading is supported by AC against bene in beta2 and G. Langland repeats the phrase at Bx.11.450.]

[^359: Bx.3.146: ones: Alpha, supported by Ax and the X family of C, against the probable beta reading one.]

[^360: Bx.3.149: hire: LMWCOR, supported by Cx, against þe. A mss. split.]

¶ She blesseth þise bisshopes · þeiȝe þey be lewed[^361]
Prouendreth persones · and prestes [she][^362] meynteneth
To haue lemmannes and lotebies · alle here lif-dayes
And bringen[^363] forth barnes · aȝein forbode lawes
There she is wel with þe kynge · wo is þe rewme
For she is fauorable to þe[^364] fals · and fouleth trewthe ofte

[^361: Bx.3.150-51: R's conflation into one line represents loss in alpha, which F makes good by invention.]

[^362: Bx.3.151: she: Alpha, despite the disruption, retains the pronoun, supported against beta by AC.]

[^363: Bx.3.153: bringen: The infinitive is supported by most A mss., but Cx has bringeth as does beta2.]

[^364: Bx.3.155: þe: Beta2 and GF are without the article, treating fals as a personification. This is attractive and appropriate, and has the support of Ax and the P family of C. However, the most reliable B mss. (LMR) and CO read þe fals, with the support of the X family of C. Cf. þe fals in l. 140 above, and the note to l. 141.]

¶ Bi ihesus with here ieweles · ȝowre[^a12][^365] iustices she shendeth
And lith aȝein þe lawe · and letteth hym þe gate
That feith may nouȝte haue his forth · here floreines go so þikke
She ledeth þe lawe as hire list · and louedayes maketh
And doth men lese þorw hire loue · þat lawe myȝte wynne
Þe mase for a mene man · þouȝ he mote hir[^366] eure
Lawe is so lordeliche · and loth to make ende
With-oute presentz or pens · she pleseth wel[^367] fewe

[^a12: ȝowre (beta) | þe (alpha)]

[^365: Bx.3.156: ȝowre / þe: The beta reading ȝowre is shared with Ax; alpha's þe is shared with Cx.]

[^366: Bx.3.161: hir: A Bx error, dropped by GF, presumably by contamination from AC or on grounds of sense. The verb mote, "litigate", is intransitive.]

[^367: Bx.3.163: wel: CrR have ful, perhaps by alliterative attraction, though it is shared with Cx and half the A mss.]

¶ Barounes and burgeys · she bryngeth in sorwe
And alle þe comune in kare · þat coueyten lyue in trewthe
For clergye and coueitise · she coupleth togideres
Þis is þe lyf of that lady · now lorde ȝif hir sorwe
And alle that meynteneth here men · meschaunce hem bityde
For pore men mowe haue no powere · to pleyne hem þouȝ þei smerte
Suche a maistre is Mede · amonge men of gode[^368]

[^368: Bx.3.170: F drops this line.]

¶[^369] Thanne morned Mede · and mened hire to the kynge
To haue space to speke · spede if she myȝte

[^369: Bx.3.171: ¶: The paraph is in beta, with an enlarged rubricated capital in F. The margin is lost in R, and the line is at the bottom of the page.]

¶ The kynge graunted hir grace [·] with a gode wille
Excuse þe ȝif þow canst · I can namore seggen
For conscience acuseth þe · to congey þe for euere

¶ Nay lorde quod þat lady · leueth hym þe worse
Whan ȝe wyten witterly · where þe wronge liggeth
There þat myschief is grete · Mede may helpe
And þow[^370] knowest conscience · I cam nouȝt to chide
Ne depraue þi persone · with a proude herte
Wel þow wost wernard · but ȝif þow wolt gabbe
Þow hast hanged on myne half · elleuene tymes
And also griped my golde · gyue[^371] it where þe liked
And whi þow wratthest þe now · wonder me thynketh
Ȝit I may as I myȝte · menske þe with ȝiftes
And mayntene þi manhode · more þan þow knoweste

[^370: Bx.3.179: þow: So beta and Ax; alpha has þat þow, reflected in Cx þat. With þat þow, Mede refers back to the previous line.]

[^371: Bx.3.183: gyue: FG and gyue is from AC. For pp. gyue, cf. Bx.2.151.]

¶ Ac þow hast famed me foule · bifor þe Kynge here
For kulled I neuere no kynge[^372] · ne conseilled þer-after
Ne dede as þow demest · I do [it] on[^373] þe kynge

[^372: Bx.3.188: kynge: Mede is answering the accusation of Bx.3.128. Beta reads as AC; alpha's kniȝt perhaps avoids a dangerous topic.]

[^373: Bx.3.189: do it on: "refer it to" (MED don 6(f)), as in Bx.1.88. The lack of the object in LMC suggests a beta error made good in other mss. It is in Ax.]

¶ In normandye was he nouȝte · noyed for my sake
Ac þow þi-self sothely · shamedest hym ofte
Crope in-to a kaban · for colde of þi nailles
Wendest þat wyntre · wolde haue lasted euere
And draddest to be ded · for a dym cloude
And hiedest homeward · for hunger of þi wombe

¶ Wiþ-out pite piloure · pore men þow robbedest
And bere here bras at þi bakke · to caleys to selle
There I lafte with my lorde · his lyf for to saue
I made his men meri · and mornyng lette
I batered hem on þe bakke · and bolded here hertis
And dede hem hoppe for hope · to haue me at wille
Had I ben Marschal of his men · bi Marie of heuene
I durst haue leyde my lyf · and no lasse wedde
He shulde haue be lorde of þat londe · a[^374] lengthe and a brede
And also Kyng of þat kitthe · his kynne for to helpe
Þe leste brolle of his blode[^375] · a barounes pere

[^374: Bx.3.204: a (1 & 2): We follow copy-text and CRO (M has been altered in the second case) against the in of most other mss. in all three versions. The archetype is not determinable, but preservation of the less usual form (contrast Bx.2.91) in the two most reliable mss. is at least a guide.]

[^375: Bx.3.206: blode: Supported by AC against alpha's non-alliterating lond.]

¶ Cowardliche þow conscience · conseiledest hym þennes
To leuen his lordeship · for a litel siluer
That is þe richest rewme · þat reyne ouer-houeth

¶ It bicometh to a kynge · þat kepeth a rewme
To ȝiue Mede to men · þat mekelich hym serueth
To alienes and to alle men [·] to honoure hem with ȝiftes
Mede maketh hym biloued · and for a man holden
[^376]Emperoures and Erlis · and al manere lordes
[Thorw][^377] ȝiftes han ȝonge men[^a13][^378] · to [ȝerne][^379] and to ride
The pope and alle[^380] prelatis · presentz vnderfongen
And medeth men hem-seluen · to meyntene here lawes
Seruauntz[^381] for her seruise · we seth wel þe sothe
Taken Mede of here maistre[s][^382] · as þei mowe acorde
Beggeres for here biddynge[^383] · bidden men Mede
Mynstralles for here murthe · mede þei aske
[^384]Þe kynge hath mede of his men · to make pees in londe
Men þat teche chyldren · craue of hem mede
Prestis þat precheth þe poeple · to gode[^385] asken mede
And masse-pans and here mete · at þe mele-tymes
Alkynnes crafty[^386] men · crauen Mede for here prentis
Marchauntz and Mede · mote nede go togideres
No wiȝte as I wene · with-oute Mede may libbe

[^a13: ȝonge men (beta) | ȝoumen (alpha)]

[^376: Bx.3.214: WHm and alpha have a paraph, as do W and alpha for l. 216 and W and R for l. 218. Cf. note to l. 222.]

[^377: Bx.3.215: Thorw: Alpha has firm support from AC against beta's For.]

[^378: Bx.3.215: ȝonge men / ȝoumen: These are perhaps just forms of the same word (see MED yong man and yeman). Beta has the former, agreeing with Ax. Alpha has the latter, agreeing with Cx.]

[^379: Bx.3.215: ȝerne: A metathesised form of renne, as in OE, used for the alliteration but frequently altered by scribes. Here beta and Ax have the non-alliterating form, while alpha and Cx have ȝerne.]

[^380: Bx.3.216: alle: LMCOR, as Cx; CrWG supply the, Hm his. Ax has wiþ his.]

[^381: Bx.3.218: Seruauntz: Beta2 (CrWHm) + G have Sergeauntz, which is a corrected reading in M, as does the P family of C. Otherwise AC agree on seruauntz.]

[^382: Bx.3.219: maistres: The distributive sg. of LOF, though generally to be preferred, is not supported by AC.]

[^383: Bx.3.220: biddynge: Alpha's beggynge is not supported by Ax; Cx rewrites.]

[^384: Bx.3.222: W and alpha have a paraph here, as do W and R at ll. 224 and 226.]

[^385: Bx.3.224: to gode: "to (adopt) good behaviour" (rather than an inflected form of "God", which is not found in L). It is supported by AC against alpha + Hm to/of god, though in AC Asken mede begins the next line.]

[^386: Bx.3.226: crafty: Supported by AC against craftes in CrWG.]

¶ Quatȝ þe kynge to conscience · bi criste as me thynketh
Mede is worthi[^387] · þe maistrye to haue

[^387: Bx.3.230: worthi: Beta has wel worthi, probably to beef up the alliteration, but the adverb is not supported by AC. Ax has the a-verse as in R; Cx improves the alliteration by adding me thinketh.]

¶ Nay quod conscience to þe Kynge · and kneled to þe erthe
There aren two manere of Medes · my lorde [bi][^388] ȝowre leue
Þat one god of his grace · graunteth in his blisse
To þo þat wel worchen · whil þei ben here
The prophete precheth þer-of · and put it in þe sautere
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo
Lorde who shal wonye in þi wones · and[^389] with þine holi seyntes
Or resten on[^390] þi holy hilles · þis asketh[^391] dauid

[^388: Bx.3.232: bi: Alpha has support from Ax against beta's with. Cx rewrites. The phrase does not recur, though cf. Bx.3.15.]

[^389: Bx.3.237: and: Alpha omits; there is no parallel in AC, and nothing to choose between the variants.]

[^390: Bx.3.238: on: The reading of LM + alpha; others have in. Notice that two lines above F quotes the Vulgate, "in monte sancto eius", memory of which may have prompted the reading of other mss.]

[^391: Bx.3.238: asketh: Alpha has past tense; there is no parallel in AC, though the present has the support of the surrounding context.]

¶ And dauyd assoileth it hym-self [·] as þe sauter telleth
Qui ingreditur sine macula · & operatur iusticiam
Tho þat entren of o colour · and of on wille
And han wrouȝte werkis · with riȝte and with reson
And he þat ne[^392] vseth nauȝte · þe lyf of vsurye
And enfourmeth pore men · and pursueth treuthe
Qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad vsuram & munera super innocentem &c ·[^393]
And alle þat helpeth þe innocent · and halt with þe riȝtful
Withoute mede doth hem gode · and þe trewthe[^394] helpeth
Suche manere men my lorde · shal haue þis furst Mede
Of god at a[^395] grete nede · whan þei gone hennes

[^392: Bx.3.243: ne: So LCOR; omitted by beta2 and GF.]

[^393: Bx.3.245: F omits the line.]

[^394: Bx.3.247: þe trewthe: R's þe trewe must be alpha (F has trew men). There is no parallel in AC. Cf. Bx.3.141n.]

[^395: Bx.3.249: a: CrHm read her, with M altered to that reading. F has his and GO omit.]

[¶][^396] There is an other Mede mesurelees · þat maistres desireth
To meyntene mysdoers · Mede þei take
And þere-of seith þe sauter · in a salmes ende
In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt [·] dextera eorum repleta est muneribus
And he þat gripeth her golde · so me god helpe
Shal abie it bittere[^397] · or þe boke lyeth

[^396: Bx.3.250: ¶: The paraph, certainly appropriate, is recorded in WHmC and alpha.]

[^397: Bx.3.255: bittere: FGO bitterly is easier and perhaps from A; R expands to ful bitter. For the same a-verse see Bx.18.418, where FGO again have bitterly.]

¶ Prestes and parsones · þat plesynge desireth
That taketh Mede and mone · for messes þat þei syngeth
Taketh here mede here · as Mathew vs techeth
Amen amen recipiebant[^398] mercedem suam ·

[^398: Bx.3.259: recipiebant : There is variation in the form of the verb in all three versions (as at K.3.64a). The Vulgate has receperunt.]

¶ That laboreres and lowe[^399] folke · taketh of her maistres
It is no manere Mede · but a mesurable hire
[^400]In marchandise is no mede · I may it wel avowe
It is a[^401] permutacioun apertly · a penyworth for an othre

[^399: Bx.3.260: lowe: Beta, as against alpha and Hm lewed. A mss. vary similarly. The a-verse Laboreres and lowe folke is repeated at Bx.5.223 (K.5.135, RK.6.227), where there is similar variation in A but not in BC.]

[^400: Bx.3.262: WHm and R have a paraph.]

[^401: Bx.3.263: a (1): Dropped in alpha, but supported by AC.]

¶ Ac reddestow neuere Regum · þow recrayed Mede
Whi þe veniaunce fel · on saul and on his children
God sent to saul · bi samuel þe prophete
Þat agag of amaleke · and al his peple aftre
Shulde deye for a dede · þat done had here aldres

¶ For-þi seid samuel to saul · god hym-self hoteth
The[^402] · be boxome at [my][^403] biddynge · his wille to fulfille
Wende to amalec with þyn oste · and what þow fyndest þere slee it
Biernes and bestes · brenne hem to ded
Wydwes and wyues · wommen and children
Moebles and vnmoebles · and al þat þow myȝte fynde
Brenne it bere it nouȝte awey · be it neuere so riche
For mede ne for mone · loke þow destruye it
Spille it and spare it nouȝte · þow shalt spede þe bettere

[^402: Bx.3.270: The: Undoubtedly Bx; LWM follow it with punctuation in response to the line-break between verb and object. HmO have The to. AC instead have To. For discussion see Duggan (1987), 47.]

[^403: Bx.3.270: my: Alpha, against beta's his, which arises by attraction to the pronoun of the b-verse and ignoring the shift to direct speech. The line is revised from Ax, with alpha reading as Cx. Further support for alpha's my biddynge is provided by the source, in which Saul says to Samuel after his disobedience: "Peccavi quia praevaricatus sum sermonem Domini et verba tua" (1 Kings 15.24).]

¶ And for he coueyted her catel · and þe kynge spared
Forbare hym and his bestes bothe · as þe bible witnesseth
Otherwyse þan he was · warned of þe prophete
God seide to samuel [·] þat saul shulde deye
And al his sede for þat synne · shenfullich[^404] ende[^405]
Such a myschief Mede made [·] saul þe kynge to haue
That god hated hym for euere · and alle his eyres after

[^404: Bx.3.282: shenfullich: The word causes problems to scribes of all versions. Neither the adj. or adv. occurs elsewhere in the poem.]

[^405: Bx.3.282: ende: The past tense in alpha and Hm occurs in isolated mss. in the other versions.]

¶ The culorum of þis cas · kepe I nouȝte to shewe[^406]
An auenture it noyed men · none ende wil I make
For so is þis worlde went · wiþ hem þat han powere
That who-so seyth hem sothes[^407] · is sonnest yblamed

[^406: Bx.3.285: shewe: LMCOR, supported by AC, against telle of Beta2 (CrWHm) and G; F has expowne. There seems no explanation for the variation.]

[^407: Bx.3.288: sothes: Pl. noun, or less probably adverb. WG's soþest is easier and prompted by sonnest in the b-verse, although it is the reading of Cx. Galloway (2006), 362, cites other versions of the saying.]

¶ I conscience knowe þis · for kynde witt me it[^408] tauȝte
Þat resoun shal regne · and rewmes gouerne
And riȝte as agag hadde · happe shul somme
Samuel shal sleen hym · and saul shal be blamed
And dauid shal be diademed · and daunten hem alle
And one cristene Kynge · kepen hem alle[^409]

[^408: Bx.3.289: me it: LHmCRF (and unrevised M); it is differently placed in other B mss. and omitted in C and most A mss.]

[^409: Bx.3.294: hem alle: Before correction L read alle, and M may have had the same, revised to hem echone in line with Cr. R has hem alle, as do all others except F which alters inventively. Bx is in error (as several times in these lines), repeating the end of the previous line. AC read vs ichone.]

¶ Shal namore Mede ·[^410] be maistre as she is nouthe
Ac loue and lowenesse · and lewte togederes
Þise shul be maistres on molde · treuthe to saue

[^410: Bx.3.295: LR punctuate after Mede, having regard to alliteration; others punctuate after maistre, paying more attention to rhythm. The phrase as she is nouthe replaces Ax on erþe, with a metrical revision in Cx.]

¶ And who-so trespasseth ayein treuthe · or taketh aȝein his wille
Leute shal don hym lawe · and no lyf elles
Shal no seriaunt for here[^411] seruyse · were a silke howue
Ne no pelure in his cloke · for pledyng atte barre
Mede of mys-doeres · maketh many lordes
And ouer lordes lawes · reuleth þe rewmes

[^411: Bx.3.300: here: Even if not strictly grammatical, this is clearly Bx, as in L, original M, HmOC and R. CrWG have corrected to his, followed by the corrector of M. Most AC mss. read þat.]

¶ Ac kynde loue shal come ȝit · and conscience togideres
And make of lawe a laborere · suche loue shal arise
And such pees[^412] amonge þe peple · and a parfit trewthe
Þat iewes shal wene in here witte · and waxen wonder glade
Þat Moises or Messie · be come in-to þis erthe
And haue wonder in here hertis · þat men beth so trewe

[^412: Bx.3.306: pees: So alpha, supported by Cx; beta adds the article. Ax does not have this or the succeeding lines to the end of the passus.]

¶ Alle þat bereth baslarde [·] brode swerde or launce
Axe [o]ther hachet · or eny wepne ellis
Shal be demed to þe deth · but if he do it smythye
In-to sikul or to sithe · to schare or to kulter
Conflabunt gladios suos in vomeres &c
Eche man to pleye with a plow · pykoys or spade
Spynne or sprede donge · or spille[^413] hym-self with sleuthe

[^413: Bx.3.316: spille: Alpha has non-alliterating lese. Beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ Prestes and parsones · with placebo to hunte
And dyngen vpon dauid · eche a[^414] day til eue
Huntynge or haukynge · if any of hem vse
His boste of his benefys · worth bynome hym after
Shal neither kynge ne knyȝte [·] constable ne Meire
Ouer-lede þe comune · ne to þe courte sompne
Ne put hem in panel · to don hem pliȝte here treuthe
But after þe dede þat is don · one dome shal rewarde
Mercy or no mercy · as treuthe wil acorde

[^414: Bx.3.318: eche a: LMCR and O (corrected), against eche WHmG or euery CrF. The line is not in AC.]

¶ Kynges courte and comune courte · consistorie and chapitele
Al shal be but one courte · and one baroun be iustice
Thanne[^415] worth trewe tonge a tidy man · þat tened me neuere
Batailles shal non be · ne no man bere wepne
And what smyth þat ony smyt[hie][^416] · be smyte þer-with to dethe
Non leuabit gens contra gentem gladium &c ·

[^415: Bx.3.328: Thanne: Undoubtedly Bx. Cx reads That.]

[^416: Bx.3.330: smythie: Cx supports alpha's subjunctive. LC's smyteth has no support.]

¶ And er þis fortune falle [·] fynde men shal þe worste
By syx sonnes and a schippe · and half a shef of arwes
And þe myddel of a mone · shal make þe iewes torne[^417]
And saracenes for þat siȝte[^418] · shulle synge gloria in excelsis &c
For Makomet & Mede · myshappe shal þat tyme
For melius est bonum nomen quam diuicie multe

[^417: Bx.3.334: torne: Alpha + G, supported by Cx, against beta's to torne.]

[^418: Bx.3.335: þat siȝte: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's þe siȝte þere-offe.]

¶ Also wroth as þe wynde · wex Mede in a while
I can no latyn quod she · clerkis wote þe sothe
Se what salamon seith [·] in sapience bokes
That hij[^419] þat ȝiueth ȝiftes · þe victorie wynneth
& moche[^420] worschip had[^421] þer-with · as holiwryt telleth
Honorem adquiret qui dat munera &c

[^419: Bx.3.341: hij: The form is supported by LMCR against þei in others. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^420: Bx.3.342: moche: So LMCO + alpha, supported by Cx, against moost in beta2 (CrWHm) and G.]

[^421: Bx.3.342: had: CrHmF have the expected present tense. The form in the other mss. may be understood as an absolute past participle: "With much honour gained" (Mustanoja, (1960), 559).]

¶ I leue wel lady quod conscience · þat þi latyne be trewe
Ac þow art like a lady · þat redde a lessoun ones
Was omnia probate · and þat plesed here herte
For þat lyne was no lenger [·] atte leues ende
Had [she][^422] loked þat other half · and þe lef torned
[She][^423] shulde haue founden fele[^424] wordis · folwyng þer-after
Quod bonum est tenete · treuthe þat texte made

[^422: Bx.3.348: she: The reading is obviously correct and supported by Cx, but here and in the next line the reading of L is ȝe and M's original reading is altered to she. This suggests that beta had an ambiguous form for she, perhaps even ȝe, recorded in Gloucs. and Worcs. (LALME, 4, 8).]

[^423: Bx.3.349: She: See note to previous line.]

[^424: Bx.3.349: fele: CrG have fel, as in three C mss.]

[^425] ¶ And so ferde ȝe madame · ȝe couthe namore fynde
Tho ȝe loked on sapience · sittynge in ȝoure studie
Þis tixte þat ȝe han tolde · were gode for lordes
Ac ȝow failled a cunnyng clerke · þat couthe þe lef haue torned
And if ȝe seche sapience eft · fynde shal ȝe þat folweth
A ful teneful tixte · to hem þat taketh Mede
And þat is animam autem aufert accipientium · &c ·
And þat is þe taille of þe tixte · of þat þat ȝe[^426] schewed
Þat þeiȝe we wynne worschip · and wiþ mede[^427] haue victorie
Þe soule þat þe soude taketh · bi so moche is bounde

[^425: Bx.3.351-58: A series of lines that alliterate irregularly in Bx. The lines are omitted or heavily revised in C. F makes several b-verse improvements for the sake of alliteration, but they cannot be regarded as derived from Bx. F's reading in 352 is an easy substitution of seyȝe for loked; ȝee takyn nout þe ende in 353, and þat ȝe to me pitte (356) are inspired by 358 which F omits. F also omits l. 357.]

[^426: Bx.3.358: ȝe: Beta2 (CrWHm) + G read she, and M is altered to that reading, evidently ending Conscience's speech at l. 354, with the remainder as a narrator's comment. There is no parallel in AC. F omits the line.]

[^427: Bx.3.359: mede: Alpha's me is clearly an error.]

Passus quartus de visione vt supra

Cesseth sei[de][^428] þe kynge · I suffre ȝow no lengere
Ȝe shal sauȝtne for-sothe · and serue me bothe
Kisse hir quod þe kynge · conscience I hote

[^428: Bx.4.1: seide: The past tense in alpha and Hm is shared with AC.]

¶ Nay bi criste quod conscience · congeye me for euere[^429]
But resoun rede me þer-to · rather wil I deye

[^429: Bx.4.4: for euere: This is secure for Bx, though A has rather, as does beta4, with F reading rather sone, presumably by contamination or by anticipation of the next line. The three best mss. of the X family of C have are, "sooner", but all others have rather.]

¶ And I comaunde þe quod þe Kynge · to conscience þanne
Rape þe to ride · and resoun þow fecche
Comaunde hym þat he come · my conseille to here
For he shal reule my rewme · and rede me þe beste[^430]
And acounte with þe conscience · so me cryst helpe
How þow lernest þe peple · lered and lewede[^431]

[^430: Bx.4.9: Following this line, O (supported by Cr23C2Y) has the line "Of Mede & of moo oþere . & what man schal hir wedde", adopted from AC but absent from Bx.]

[^431: Bx.4.11: lered and lewede: The reading of R (= alpha?) supported by Cx, and by seven A mss. Beta includes the definite article twice, presumably in response to a short b-verse. F has boþe ... & þe.]

¶ I am fayne of þat forwarde · seyde þe freke þanne
And ritte riȝte to resoun · and rowneth in his ere
And seide as þe kynge badde[^432] · and sithen toke his leue

[^432: Bx.4.14: seide ... badde: F has tolde hym as þe kyng seide. Cx has sayde for both verbs. Ax has Seide ... sente.]

¶ I shal arraye me to ride quod resoun [·] reste þe a while[^433]
And called catoun his knaue · curteise of speche
And also tomme trewe tonge · telle me no tales
Ne lesyng to lawȝe of · for I loued hem neuere
And sette my sadel vppon suffre · til I se my tyme
And lete warrok it[^434] wel · with witty wordes gerthes
And hange on hym þe heuy brydel · to holde his hed lowe
For he wil make wehe · tweye[^435] er he be there

[^433: Bx.4.15: L omits punctuation, and its position varies in other mss. W and alpha have it after resoun, MO after ride.]

[^434: Bx.4.20: it: The reference is to the saddle securely fastened with girths. This is clearly the reading of Bx. Burrow (1990), 139-44, calls the text "hopelessly confused", and discusses the possibility of taking vppon in l. 19 as an adverb. Galloway (2006), 381 considers this further. Beta2 and GF smooth by altering it to him, as in AC.]

[^435: Bx.4.22: tweye: The form is supported by LMR; see Adams (2000), 176.]

¶ Thanne conscience vppon his caple · kaireth[^436] forth faste
And resoun with hym ritte · rownynge togideres
Whiche maistries Mede · maketh on þis erthe[^437]

[^436: Bx.4.23: kaireth: Sound support from LM and alpha against the form carieth in beta2 and G. For the same variation, see Bx.P.29, 2.164, 5.310.]

[^437: Bx.4.25: erthe: The reversed word-order in alpha is an error; both the alliterative scheme and the order in the revised line in Cx support beta.]

¶ One waryn wisdom · and witty his fere
Folwed hem[^438] faste · haued[^439] to done
In þe cheker and at[^440] þe[^441] chauncerie · to be discharged of þinges
And riden fast for resoun [·] shulde rede hem þe beste[^442]
For to saue hem for siluer · fro shame and fram harmes

[^438: Bx.4.27: hem: The attestation of LMO + alpha, with support from AC, guides choice of this reading over CrWHmG hym.]

[^439: Bx.4.27: haued: It looks as though Bx lost for þei before haued. The obvious omission is corrected, perhaps partly on the basis of Ax, in all but the two most reliable mss., LR. Note, however, that M, also independent at this stage, expands to for he, probably by conjecture. The line is marked for correction in L.]

[^440: Bx.4.28: and at: The reading of Bx is uncertain. L's and at has support from R's atte, and LR agreement is usually decisive. However, MGF have and, which could be the archetypal reading, expanded differently by other scribes. Yet Beta2 and CO are supported by Ax with and in (the line is not in C), and also by the same a-verse in Bx.P.93 (and RK.P.91).]

[^441: Bx.4.28: þe (2): Not in MHmF. Most A mss. have neither instance of þe in the line. Cf. the same a-verse in Bx.P.93 (without either article) and RK.P.91 (where readings vary).]

[^442: Bx.4.29: Following the punctuation of CO + alpha. L has nothing and MWHm punctuate after shulde.]

¶ And conscience knewe hem wel · þei loued coueitise
And bad resoun ride faste · and recche of her noither
Þere aren wiles in here wordes · and with Mede þei dwelleth
There as wratthe and wranglyng is · þere wynne þei siluer

¶ Ac þere[^443] is loue and lewte · þei wil nouȝte come þere
Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum &c
Þei ne gyueth nouȝte of god · one gose wynge
Non est timor dei ante oculos eorum
For wot god þei wolde do more · for a dozeine chickenes
Or as many capones · or for a seem of otes
Þan for loue of owre lorde · or alle hise leue seyntes
For-þi resoun[^444] lete hem ride · þo riche bi hem-seluen
For conscience knoweth hem nouȝte · ne cryst as I trowe

[^443: Bx.4.35: þere(1): "where"; beta2 and F have where.]

[^444: Bx.4.42: resoun: Alpha omits, losing the alliteration.]

[¶][^445] And þanne resoun rode faste · þe riȝte heiȝe gate
As conscience hym kenned · til þei come to þe Kynge

[^445: Bx.4.44: ¶: Alpha's paraph finds support from the paragraph in Cr.]

¶ Curteisliche þe kynge þanne · come aȝein resoun
And bitwene hym-self and his sone · sette hym on benche
And wordeden wel wyseli · a gret while togideres

¶ And þanne come pees in-to parlement · and put forth a bille
How wronge aȝeines his wille · had his wyf taken
And how he rauisshed Rose · Reginoldes loue
And Margarete of hir maydenhode · maugre here chekis
Bothe my gees & my grys · his gadelynges feccheth
I dar nouȝte for fere of hym[^446] · fyȝte ne chyde
He borwed of me bayard · he[^447] brouȝte hym home neure
Ne no ferthynge þer-fore · for nauȝte[^448] I couthe plede
He meyneteneth his men · to morther myne hewen
Forstalleth[^449] my feyres · and fiȝteth in my chepynge
And breketh vp my bernes dore[^450] · and bereth aweye my whete
And taketh me but a taile · for ten quarteres of otes[^451]
And ȝet he bet me þer-to · and lyth bi my Mayde
I [am][^452] nouȝte hardy for hym · vneth to loke

[^446: Bx.4.54: hym: Only WHm have hem (theym G). There is the same variation in A mss.]

[^447: Bx.4.55: he (2): Thus beta, against alpha + CrHm and. Most A mss. have the alpha reading, as does the P family of C, but the X family has the beta reading. We follow copy-text.]

[^448: Bx.4.56: nauȝte: LM + alpha give this strong support for Bx against ought in all other mss. AC also have nouȝt.]

[^449: Bx.4.58: Forstalleth: So beta and Ax; R has He forstalleth, and F & to for-staleþ (sic). Cx begins the line with And.]

[^450: Bx.4.59: bernes dore: So LWHmR, against berne dore in MCrF, and berne dores in GO. AC vary similarly.]

[^451: Bx.4.60: of otes: Agreement of LR (together with WCO) suggests that this is perhaps the Bx reading, though since Ax and Cx have otes only, this could equally represent Bx.]

[^452: Bx.4.62: am: LC have nam but all others are supported by AC. (M originally had ham, with h altered to n). The alliteration of the line is on /h/ and vowel, not /n/. Cf. Bx.5.424, 443.]

¶ The kynge knewe he seide sothe · for conscience hym tolde
Þat wronge was a wikked luft[^453] · and wrouȝte moche sorwe[^454]

[^453: Bx.4.64: luft: "evil person". This unusual nominal use (MED lift adj. 3(b)) provokes confusion and avoidance among the scribes. Cx simplifies to man.]

[^454: Bx.4.64: wrouȝte moche sorwe: Perhaps Cx inherited R's word order, muche sorwe wrouȝte, altering sorwe to wo for the alliteration.]

¶ Wronge was afered þanne · and wisdome he souȝte
To make pees with his pens · and profered hym manye
And seide had I loue of my lorde[^455] þe kynge · litel wolde I recche
Theiȝe pees and his powere · pleyned hym[^456] eure

[^455: Bx.4.67: my lorde: Cr and Alpha omit, losing the alliteration. This heavy a-verse is Ax, but Cx drops þe kynge.]

[^456: Bx.4.68: hym: HmR have hem (G theym). A mss. are split; Cx rewrites as he pleyne(de). The more obvious pl. suggest that powere was understood as "supporters" (so Kane (2005), s.v.), rather than "legal power" (so Alford (1988), 199).]

¶ Þo wan[^457] wisdome · and sire waryn þe witty
For þat wronge had ywrouȝte · so wikked a dede
And warned wronge þo · with suche a wyse tale
Who-so worcheth bi[^458] wille · wratthe maketh ofte
I seye it bi þi-self[^459] · þow shalt it wel fynde
But if Mede it make · þi myschief is vppe
For bothe þi lyf and þi londe · lyth in his grace

[^457: Bx.4.69: wan: So LCR, as well as the parallel a-verse in A (K.4.53); Kane (2005) glosses "profited". M is corrected to wente, the reading of the other B mss. See Adams (2000), 181. F omits this and the next three lines.]

[^458: Bx.4.72: bi: Supported by Ax against the variants by my in MO and my in C.]

[^459: Bx.4.73: þi-self: So LO + alpha. The a-verse means "I say that with reference to you". M is altered to my-self, the reading of CrWHmCG and some A mss., on the basis of the phrase recorded in Bx.4.139, where it means "I give it as my own opinion".]

¶ Thanne wowed wronge · wisdome ful ȝerne
To make his pees with his pens · handi-dandi payed
[^460]Wisdome and witte þanne [·] wenten togideres
And toke Mede myd hem [·] mercy to winne

[^460: Bx.4.78: WHm and R have a paraph.]

¶ Pees put forþ his hed · and his panne blody
Wyth-outen gilte god it wote · gat I þis skaþe
Conscience and þe comune · knowen þe sothe

¶ Ac wisdom and witte · were about faste
To ouercome þe kynge · with catel ȝif þei myȝte

¶ Þe kynge swore bi crist · and bi his crowne bothe
Þat wronge for his werkis · sholde wo þolye
And comaunded a constable · to casten hym in yrens
And late hym nouȝte þis seuene ȝere · seen his feet ones

¶ God wot quod wysdom · þat were nauȝte þe beste
And he amendes mowe make · late meynprise hym haue
And be borwgh for his bale · and biggen hym bote
And so amende þat is mysdo · and euermore[^461] þe bettere

[^461: Bx.4.92: euermore: The beta reading, supported by AC.]

¶ Witt acorded þer-with · and seide þe same
Bettere[^462] is þat bote · bale adoun brynge
Þan bale be ybette · & bote neuere þe bettere

[^462: Bx.4.94: Bettere: The beta reading, supported by AC against alpha's Þat bettere.]

¶ And þanne gan Mede to me[k]en[^463] here · and mercy she[^464] bisought
And profred pees a present · al of pure golde
Haue þis man of me quod she · to amende þi skaþe
For I wil wage for wronge · he wil do so namore

[^463: Bx.4.96: meken: The alpha reading, supported by AC against beta's mengen, which nevertheless makes good sense, "get involved" (MED 3(c)).]

[^464: Bx.4.96: she: Clear support as Bx, though not in Ax or most C mss.]

¶ Pitously pees þanne · prayed to þe kynge
To haue mercy on þat man · þat mys-did hym so ofte
For he hath waged me wel · as wisdome hym tauȝte
And I forgyue hym þat gilte · with a goode wille
So þat þe kynge assent · I can seye no bettere
For Mede hath made m[yn][^465] amendes · I may namore axe

[^465: Bx.4.105: myn: The alpha reading, supported by AC against beta's me.]

¶ Nay quod þe Kynge þo · so me cryst[^466] helpe
Wronge wendeth nouȝte so awaye · arst wil I wite more
For loupe he so liȝtly · laughen he wolde
And efte þe balder be · to bete myne hewen
But resoun haue reuthe on hym · he shal rest in my stokkes
And þat as longe as he lyueth · but lowenesse hym borwe

[^466: Bx.4.106: cryst: So beta, against alpha's non-alliterating god. In Ax the b-verse is so god ȝiue me blisse (K.4.91); in Cx the line is revised to Nay by crist quod þe kyng for Consiences sake (RK.4.99).]

¶ Somme men redde Resoun þo · to haue reuthe on þat schrewe
And for to conseille þe Kynge · and conscience after
That Mede moste be meynpernour · resoun þei bisouȝte

¶ Rede me nouȝte quod resoun · no reuthe to haue
Til lordes and ladies · louien alle treuthe
And haten al harlotrye · to heren it[^467] or to mouthen it
Tyl pernelles purfil · be put in here hucche
And childryn cherissyng · be chastyng[^468] with ȝerdes
And harlotes holynesse · be holden for an hyne[^469]
Til clerken coueitise be · to clothe þe pore and to fede[^470]
And religious romares · recordare in here cloistres
As seynt Benet hem bad · Bernarde and Fraunceys
And til prechoures prechyng · be preued on hem-seluen
Tyl þe kynges conseille · be þe comune profyte
Tyl bisschopes baiardes · ben beggeres chambres
Here haukes and her houndes · helpe to pore Religious ·

[^467: Bx.4.117: it(1): So LCO and alpha, as well as the X family of C; erased in M, in line with beta2 + G, together with the P family of C.]

[^468: Bx.4.119: chastyng: "chastisement" (MED chastiinge); clearly Bx, with HmF chastised the easier reading though also that of Ax. Cx has chasted.]

[^469: Bx.4.120: an hyne: lit. "servant", in context something of small consequence. R replaces it with nauȝte, F with vanyte. Beta is supported by Ax but Cx revises. For discussion see Galloway (2006), 405-6; Turville-Petre (2006), 233-4.]

[^470: Bx.4.121: to fede: Despite the scribal tendency to add to with an infinitive, the agreement of LR (+ CO) suggests that this is Bx, with other scribes dropping to from a b-verse that is already heavy. There is no parallel in A, and C is revised to be cloth for þe pore (RK.4.114).]

¶ And til seynt Iames be souȝte · þere I shal assigne
That no man go to Galis · but if he go for euere
And alle Rome-renneres · for robberes of[^471] byȝende
Bere no siluer ouer see · þat signe of kynge sheweþ
Noyther graue ne vngraue · golde noither siluer
Vppon forfeture of þat fee · who-so fynt hym[^472] at Douere
But if[^473] it be marchaunt or his man · or messagere with lettres
Prouysoure or prest · or penaunt for his synnes

[^471: Bx.4.130: of: So LMCOR, supported by Ax, revised in C.]

[^472: Bx.4.133: hym: i.e. "if anyone catches him". Beta2 corrupts to it; A mss. vary between the two pronouns, while C mss., although split between hym and hem, effectively support Bx.]

[^473: Bx.4.134: if: The agreement of LR and CrWCGO would suggest that this is from Bx, though MHmF without it are paralleled by AC.]

¶ And ȝet quod resoun bi þe Rode · I shal no reuthe haue
While Mede hath þe maistrye · in þis moot halle
Ac I may shewe ensaumples · as I se other-while
I sey it bi my-self quod he · and it so were
That I were kynge with crowne · to kepen a Rewme
Shulde neuere wronge in þis worlde · þat I wite myȝte
Ben vnpunisshed in my powere · for peril of my soule
Ne gete my grace [þorw][^474] giftes · so me god saue
Ne for no Mede haue mercy · but mekenesse it make[^475]

[^474: Bx.4.143: þorw: Alpha's preposition is supported by AC against beta's for.]

[^475: Bx.4.144: make: Alpha (with CrHm) has the past tense. A mss. are similarly split, and C rewrites.]

¶ For nullum malum þe man · mette with inpunitum
And badde nullum bonum · be irremuneratum

¶ Late ȝowre confessoure sire Kynge · construe þis vnglosed
And ȝif ȝe worken it in werke · I wedde myne eres
That lawe shal ben a laborere · and lede a-felde donge
And loue shal lede þi londe · as þe lief lyketh

¶ Clerkes þat were confessoures · coupled hem togideres
Alle to construe þis clause · and[^476] for þe kynges profit
Ac nouȝte for conforte of þe comune · ne for þe kynges soule

[^476: Bx.4.152: and: This has the support of LR and WHmC, though F reads al and MCrGO omit, presumably reacting to its oddity. In both A and C the b-verses are quite different.]

¶ For I seiȝe mede in þe moot halle · on men of lawe wynke
And þei lawghyng lope to hire · and lafte resoun manye

¶ Waryn wisdome · wynked vppon Mede
And seide Madame I am ȝowre man · what-so my mouth iangleth[^477]
I falle in floreines quod þat[^478] freke · an faile speche ofte

[^477: Bx.4.157: iangleth: Alpha + WHm have subjunctive, which may be right, but the indicative is not uncommon in such expressions. See Mustanoja (1960), 468, and cf. "what-euere þe boke telleth" ( Bx.5.495). The line is not in AC.]

[^478: Bx.4.158: þat: So beta, against alpha's þe. Either could be Bx. See KD, p. 143.]

¶ Alle riȝtful recorded · þat resoun treuthe tolde
And witt acorded þer-with · and comended his wordes
And þe moste peple in þe halle · and manye of þe grete
And leten mekenesse a maistre · and Mede a mansed schrewe

¶ Loue lete of hir liȝte · and lewte ȝit[^479] lasse
And seide it so heiȝe [·] þat al þe halle it herde
Who-so wilneth hir to wyf · for welth of her godis
But he be knowe for a kokewolde · kut of my nose

[^479: Bx.4.163: ȝit: Beta is supported by Cx against wel in Hm and alpha.]

¶ Mede mourned þo · and made heuy chere
For þe moste comune of þat courte [·] called hire an hore
Ac a sysoure and a sompnoure · sued hir faste
And a schireues clerke · byschrewed al þe route
For ofte haue I quod he[^480] · holpe ȝow atte barre
And ȝit ȝeue ȝe me neuere · þe worthe of a russhe

[^480: Bx.4.171: he: F takes the form to be feminine, referring to Mede, and MHm alter to she, but the reference is obviously to the sheriff's clerk.]

¶ The kynge called conscience · and afterwardes resoun
And recorded þat resoun [·] had riȝtfullich schewed
And modilich[^481] vppon Mede · with myȝte þe Kynge loked[^482]
And gan wax wrothe with lawe · for Mede almoste had shent it
And seide þorw ȝowre lawe as I leue · I lese many chetes
Mede ouer-maistrieth lawe · and moche treuthe letteth
Ac resoun shal rekene with ȝow · ȝif I regne any while
And deme ȝow bi þis day · as ȝe han deserued
Mede shal nouȝte meynprise ȝow · bi þe Marie of heuene
I wil haue leute in lawe · and lete be al ȝowre ianglyng
And as moste[^483] folke witnesseth wel[^484] · wronge shal be demed

[^481: Bx.4.175: modilich: In L a corrector has added <w> to read mowd-.]

[^482: Bx.4.175: Alpha's b-verse is perhaps a response to the clumsy reading of Bx, as recorded by beta. Cx patches to "many tyme lokede" (RK.4.167).]

[^483: Bx.4.183: moste: There seems nothing to choose between beta and alpha's alle except the scribal tendency to exaggerate. There is no parallel line in AC.]

[^484: Bx.4.183: wel: R's a-verse presumably represents alpha, with F's as alle wyȝes witnesse an effective attempt to improve the alliteration.]

¶ Quod conscience to þe kynge · but þe comune wil assent
It is ful hard bi myn hed · here-to to brynge it
Alle ȝowre lige[^485] leodes · to lede þus euene

[^485: Bx.4.186: lige: In omitting the adjective, R probably represents alpha, with F attempting to improve alliteration, as in l. 183. Beta is supported by AC.]

¶ By hym þat rauȝte on þe rode · quod resoun to þe kynge
But if I reule þus ȝowre rewme · rende out my guttes
Ȝif ȝe bidden buxomnes · be of myne assente

¶ And I assent [quod][^486] þe kynge · by seynte Marie my lady
Be my conseille comen [·][^487] of clerkis and of erlis
Ac redili resoun [·] þow shalt nouȝte ride fro me
For as longe as I lyue · lete þe I nelle

[^486: Bx.4.190: quod: Support is strong from alpha + HmGO, together with Ax. M's seith is a correction. On the other hand, the alliterative pattern would support seith as in LCrWC. In C the line is rewritten to alliterate on /w/ (RK.4.183).]

[^487: Bx.4.191: L misplaces the punctuation after clerkis.]

¶ I am aredy[^488] quod resoun · to reste with ȝow euere
So conscience be of owre[^489] conseille · I kepe no bettere
And I graunt quod the kynge · goddes forbode [he][^490] faile
Als longe as owre lyf lasteth[^491] · lyue we togideres

[^488: Bx.4.194: aredy: LMOR have this form; Cr has redy (as does Ax); WHmCGF have al redy.]

[^489: Bx.4.195: owre: M's yowre is paralleled in a number of A mss.]

[^490: Bx.4.196: he: R shares this reading with Ax. Both F (with þou) and beta (with it) miss the reference to Conscience.]

[^491: Bx.4.197: lasteth: There is no particular reason to prefer alpha's subjunctive form. For not very precise parallels, cf. Bx.6.295, 20.211.]

Passus quintus de visione vt supra

The kyng and his knightes · to the kirke wente
To here matynes of þe day · and þe masse after
Þanne waked I of my wynkynge [·] and wo was with-alle
Þat I ne hadde sleped sadder · and yseiȝen more
Ac er I hadde faren a fourlonge · feyntise me hente
That I ne myȝte ferther a foot · for defaute of slepynge
And sat softly adown · and seide my bileue
And so I[^492] babeled on my bedes · þei brouȝte me a-slepe

[^492: Bx.5.8: so I: Omitted by R, but F has y bablede so, and beta is supported by Ax. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ And þanne saw I moche more · þan I bifore tolde
For I say þe felde ful of folke · þat I bifore of seyde
And how resoun gan arrayen hym · alle þe reume to preche
And with a crosse afor[^493] þe kynge · comsed þus to techen

[^493: Bx.5.12: afor: On five occasions alpha and random beta mss. read the preposition as byfor; the others are Bx.5.23, 16.46, 17.311, 20.130. Probably this is regression to the commonplace, since afor is uncommon in the poem. Only in 12.91 does it have support from both branches. At 14.145 the adverb reads afore in beta, but tofore in alpha.]

¶ He preued þat þise pestilences · was[^494] for pure synne
And þe southwest wynde · on saterday at euene
Was pertliche for pryde[^495] · and for no poynt elles
Piries and plomtrees · were puffed to þe erthe
In[^496] ensample ȝe segges · ȝe[^497] shulden do þe bettere
Beches and brode okes · were blowen to þe grounde
[And][^498] torned vpward her taille[^499] · in[^500] tokenynge of drede
Þat dedly synne ar domesday · shal fordon hem alle

[^494: Bx.5.13: was: LMCOR have this as the plural form. It is also the form in Cx (RK.5.115) and some A mss. For parallels see Bx.13.368, 17.11, 19.47, 19.96.]

[^495: Bx.5.15: pryde: Beta adds pure (from l. 13); alpha is supported by AC.]

[^496: Bx.5.17: In: Alpha begins the line with And in, but AC support beta.]

[^497: Bx.5.17: ȝe segges ȝe: WHm have þat ȝe segges. F's we is also the reading of Cx (RK.5.119). A mss. show considerable variation.]

[^498: Bx.5.19: And: Dropped in beta, but supported by AC.]

[^499: Bx.5.19: taille: As often, the distributive sg. is to be preferred. In this case alpha is supported by AC.]

[^500: Bx.5.19: in: Dropped by alpha, but supported by AC.]

¶ Of þis matere I myȝte · mamely ful longe
Ac I shal seye as I saw · so me god helpe
How pertly afor[^501] þe poeple · resoun gan[^502] to preche

[^501: Bx.5.23: afor: See note to Bx.5.12 for variation with byfor.]

[^502: Bx.5.23: gan: Strong support from LMR against bigan. F's word-order improves the alliteration of the b-verse, but cannot be archetypal. No doubt the order in Bx is a reminiscence of l. 11. The line is not in the other versions.]

¶ He bad wastoure go[^503] worche · what he best couthe
And wynnen his wastyng · with somme manere crafte[^504]

[^503: Bx.5.24: go: Only R has to, which is, however, the reading of the X family of C.]

[^504: Bx.5.25: crafte: Ax also has the sg.]

¶ And[^505] preyed peronelle · her purfyle to lete
And kepe it in hir cofre · for catel at hire nede

[^505: Bx.5.26: And: Clear support from LMR and HmCO, against He in CrWGF. A mss. vary, but Cx has He, possibly the source for CrG by contamination.]

¶ Thomme stowue he tauȝte · to take two staues
And fecche filice home · fro wyuen[e] pyne[^506]

[^506: Bx.5.29: wyuene pyne: Having lost -e (OE -ena), beta adds the article to correct a short b-verse. A few AC scribes do the same.]

¶ He warned watt · his wyf was to blame
Þat[^507] hire hed was worth halue marke[^508] · his[^509] hode nouȝte[^510] a grote
And bad bette kut · a bow other tweyne
And bete betoun þer-with · but if she wolde worche
[^511]And þanne he charged chapmen · to chasten[^512] her childeren
Late no wynnynge [forweny hem][^513] · whil[^514] þei be ȝonge
Ne for no pouste of pestilence · plese hem nouȝte out of resoun

[^507: Bx.5.31: Þat: Also the A reading. WHm For is also the C reading (RK.5.133).]

[^508: Bx.5.31: halue marke: LCrCG include the indefinite article, and M is corrected to include it. But alpha and WHmO are without it, as is Cx. Ax has a mark.]

[^509: Bx.5.31: his: CrWHmF have and his, as also do AC. But probably Bx omitted and, since it is not attested by LR and CGO. In M it is first added by the corrector and then deleted.]

[^510: Bx.5.31: nouȝte: The reading nouȝte worth looks suspiciously scribal. Six A mss. omit worth, as do all except one of the C mss. But attestation for Bx is uncertain: only HmG and R omit it. We follow the readings of R throughout this line.]

[^511: Bx.5.34: WHm and alpha have a paraph, though it is not particularly appropriate.]

[^512: Bx.5.34: chasten: The form supported for Bx by LR and CrCG, as well as Cx and five A mss. Others have chastisen.]

[^513: Bx.5.35: forweny hem: Beta has hem forweny. The word-order of alpha is uncertain, since R omits the pronoun, but F's for-wayne hem is the order of AC.]

[^514: Bx.5.35: whil: R alone has þe while, though it is in the X family of C.]

¶ My syre seyde so to me · and so did my dame
Þat þe leuere childe · þe more lore bihoueth
And Salamon seide þe same · þat sapience made
Qui parcit virge odit filium
Þe Englich of þis latyn is · who-so wil it knowe
Who-so spareth þe sprynge · spilleth[^515] his children

[^515: Bx.5.42: spilleth: Alpha includes the pronoun he, but beta is supported by Cx. The line is not in A.]

¶ And sithen he preyed[^516] prelatz · and prestes togideres
Þat ȝe prechen to þe peple · preue it on ȝowre-seluen
And doth it in dede · it shal drawe ȝow to good
If ȝe lyuen as ȝe leren[^517] vs [·] we shal leue ȝow þe bettere

[^516: Bx.5.43: preyed: Evidently the beta reading, supported against the variants by AC.]

[^517: Bx.5.46: leren: This varies with lerne also in A, but is supported by Cx.]

¶ And sithen he radde Religioun · here reule to holde
Leste þe kynge and his conseille · ȝowre comunes appayre
And ben stuwardes of ȝowre stedes · til ȝe be ruled[^518] bettre

[^518: Bx.5.49: ruled: An obvious substitution in Bx for alliterating stewed, "governed", in AC.]

¶ And sithen he conseilled þe kynge · þe[^519] comune to louye
It is þi tresore if tresoun ne were[^520] · and triacle at þi nede

[^519: Bx.5.50: þe (2): This is secure for Bx, though beta2 his is the Cx reading (RK.5.180).]

[^520: Bx.5.51: ne were: R's loss of ne suggests that alpha may have read nere, as in F, which would be a little less clumsy. The line is not paralleled in AC.]

[¶][^521] And sithen he prayed þe pope · haue pite on holicherche
And er he gyue any grace · gouerne firste hym-selue

[^521: Bx.5.52: ¶: The parallel with the paraphs for lines 43, 47 and 50 also beginning And sithen supports the paraph recorded in WHmCOR (with a new line-group in M).]

¶ And ȝe that han lawes to kepe · late treuthe be ȝowre coueytise
More þan golde or other[^522] gyftes · if ȝe wil god plese
For who-so contrarieth treuthe · he telleth in þe gospel
That god knoweth hym nouȝte · ne no seynte of heuene
Amen dico vobis nescio vos ·

[^522: Bx.5.55: or other: M and beta2 (CrWHm) drop other, but it has support from LCHm and alpha. The line is not in AC.]

¶ And ȝe þat seke seynte Iames · and seintes of Rome
Seketh seynt treuthe · for he may saue ȝow alle
Qui cum patre & filio · þat feire hem bifalle
Þat suweth my sermon · and þus seyde resoun

¶ Thanne ran repentance · and reherced his teme
And gert wille to wepe · water with his eyen

¶ Peronelle proude-herte · platte hir to þe erthe
And lay longe ar she loked · and lorde mercy cryed
Superbia ·

[Bx.5.67: The beta scribes have Latin titles for the sins in the main hand in the margin, and marked out by rubrication from other marginal annotations, but the alpha scribes do not have them.]

And byhiȝte to[^523] hym · þat vs alle made
She shulde vnsowen hir serke · and sette þere an heyre
To affaiten hire flessh · þat fierce was to synne
Shal neuere heiȝe herte me hente · but holde me lowe
And suffre to be myssayde · and so did I neuere
But now wil I meke me · and mercy biseche
For al[^524] þis I haue · hated in myne herte

[^523: Bx.5.67: to: Supported by Ax (K.5.47) and Cx (RK.6.5) against MO vn-to.]

[^524: Bx.5.73: al: Dropped by alpha, but supported by AC and alliterating.]

¶ Þanne lecchoure seyde allas · and on owre lady he cryed
Luxuria ·
To make mercy for his mis-dedes · bitwene god and his soule
With þat he shulde þe saterday[^525] · seuene ȝere þere-after
Drynke but [with][^526] þe doke · and dyne but ones

[^525: Bx.5.76: þe saterday: R's on þe day probably represents alpha. Beta is supported by Ax and alliteration.]

[^526: Bx.5.77: with: Alpha is supported by A and C (RK.6.174); elsewhere (e.g. Bx.4.79) Langland uses myd to provide alliteration. For discussion of this variation, see note to Bx.7.26.]

Inuidia
¶ Enuye with heuy herte · asked after scrifte
And carefullich mea culpa · he comsed to shewe[^527]
He was as pale as a pelet · in þe palsye he semed
And clothed in a caurimaury · I couthe it nouȝte discreue
In kirtel and kourteby · and a knyf bi his syde
Of a freres frokke · were þe[^528] forsleues
And as a leke hadde[^529] yleye · longe in þe sonne
So loked he with lene chekes · lourynge foule

[^527: Bx.5.79: shewe: R has schrewe, F has shryue, but beta is supported by Ax. The line is revised in Cx.]

[^528: Bx.5.83: þe: Beta is supported by the majority of A mss., but six read his with alpha.]

[^529: Bx.5.84: hadde: Beta2 (CrWHm) read þat hadde, supported by the majority of A mss., though four omit þat. It is more probably supplied than dropped. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ His body was to-bolle for wratthe · þat he bote his lippes
And wryngy[ed][^530] with þe fiste · to wreke hym-self he þouȝte
With werkes or with wordes · whan he seighe his tyme
Eche a worde þat he warpe · was of an addres tonge
Of chydynge and of chalangynge · was his chief lyflode
With bakbitynge and bismer · and beryng of fals witnesse
Þis was al his curteisye · where þat euere he shewed hym[^531]

[^530: Bx.5.87: wryngyed: R (= alpha?). A has wroþliche he wroþ his fest (K.5.67) and C reads A wroth his fuste vppon wrath (RK.6.66). Apparently Bx misunderstood the pun (wroth from writhen, and wrath), and substituted the past tense of wringen. Beta's wryngynge he ȝede is an expansion. Elsewhere in B the past tense of wring is wrong, as in F here.]

[^531: Bx.5.92: F entirely rewrites the line with much more emphatic alliteration. W omits. Lines 91-5 are not in AC, and lines 96-121 are not in C.]

¶ I wolde ben yshryue quod þis schrewe · and I for shame durst
I wolde be gladder bi god · þat gybbe had meschaunce
Than þouȝe I had þis woke ywonne · a weye of essex chese

¶ I haue a neighbore neyȝe me · I haue ennuyed[^532] hym ofte
And lowen on hym to lordes · to don hym lese his siluer
And made his frendes ben his foon · thorw my false tonge
His grace and his good happes · greueth me ful sore
Bitwene m[eyne] and m[eyne][^533] · I make debate ofte
Þat bothe lyf and lyme · is lost þorw my speche

[^532: Bx.5.96: ennuyed: The spellings anoyed, noyed, enuyed are all forms of "annoyed".]

[^533: Bx.5.100: meyne and meyne: We take R's reading ("retinue") to represent alpha, supported by Ax hym & his meyne. F thus revises, perhaps partly on the basis of A; beta regresses to the commonplace.]

¶ And whan I mete him in market · þat I moste hate
I hailse hym hendeliche · as I his frende were
For he is douȝtier þan I · I dar do non other
Ac hadde I maystrye and myȝte · god wote my wille

¶ And whan I come to þe kirke[^534] · and sholde knele to þe Rode
And preye for þe pople · as þe prest techeth
For pilgrimes and for[^535] palmers · for alle þe poeple after
Þanne I crye on my knees · þat cryste ȝif hem sorwe
Þat bar awey my bolle · and my broke schete

[^534: Bx.5.106: kirke: Hm and alpha have non-alliterating cherche. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^535: Bx.5.108: and for: Support from LR and CrWCO, though MHmG lack for. F instead lacks and, as in Ax.]

¶ Awey fro þe auter þanne ·[^536] turne I myn eyghen
And biholde how [H]eleyne[^537] · hath[^538] a newe cote
I wisshe þanne it were myne · and al þe webbe after

[^536: Bx.5.111: The alpha scribes punctuate the line before þanne.]

[^537: Bx.5.112: Heleyne: F perhaps notices the unlikelihood of Envy envying a woman's coat, and substitutes Hervy. Initial H- is presumably archetypal: Ax has the male name, Heyne (cf. Bx.5.114-15).]

[^538: Bx.5.112: hath: Alpha's hath on is not supported by Ax. Following this line F adds rather a vivid line.]

¶ And of [his][^539] lesynge I laughe · þat liketh myn herte
A[c][^540] for h[is][^541] wynnynge I wepe · and waille þe tyme

[^539: Bx.5.114: his: Bx alters the coatwearer from male (Ax has Heyne) to female Heleyne, and faces scribes with a problem, which they deal with characteristically. Beta and F revise to mennes, but R copies his exemplar regardless, ignoring the inconsistency. Ax also reads his, but there is nowhere evidence that R is contaminated by an A text. See notes to ll. 115 and 116.]

[^540: Bx.5.115: Ac: There is the same common variation with But in A mss., with three reading And, as beta does here.]

[^541: Bx.5.115: his: Again R follows his copy-text, and on this occasion F is content to do the same, whereas beta logically replaces with her, "their". Ax again reads his.]

¶[^542] And deme [men][^543] þat hij don ille · þere I do wel worse
Who-so vndernymeth me here-of · I hate hym dedly after
I wolde þat vche a wyght · were my knaue
For who-so hath more þan I · þat angreth me sore
And þus I lyue louelees · lyke a luther dogge
That al my body bolneth · for bitter of[^544] my galle

[^542: Bx.5.116: ¶: The inappropriate paraph is in LR, with a new line-group in M, and so is apparently a Bx error.]

[^543: Bx.5.116: men: Again R is supported by A, with F supplying the object hem instead. Since beta already has a plural referent, men is unnecessary and is therefore dropped.]

[^544: Bx.5.121: of: Probably R's in represents alpha (F has ys). Ax supports of.]

¶ I myȝte nouȝte eet many ȝeres · as a man ouȝte
For enuye and yuel wille · is yuel to defye
May no sugre ne swete þinge · asswage my swellynge
Ne no diapenidion · dryue it fro myne herte
Ne noyther schrifte ne shame · but ho-so schrape my mawe

¶ Ȝus redili quod repentaunce · and radde hym to þe beste
Sorwe of synnes · is sauacioun of soules

¶ I am sori[^a14][^545] quod þat segge · I am but selde other
And þat maketh me þus megre · for I ne may me venge
Amonges Burgeyses haue I be · dwellynge at Londoun
And gert bakbitinge be a brocoure · to blame mennes ware
Whan he solde and I nouȝte · þanne was I redy[^546]
To lye and to loure on my neighbore · and to lakke his chaffare[^547]
I wil amende þis ȝif I may · þorw myȝte of god almyȝty

[^a14: sori (beta) | euere sory (alpha)]

[^545: Bx.5.129: sory / euere sory: Beta agrees with Ax, while alpha's euere sory agrees with Cx.]

[^546: Bx.5.133: redy: R has aredy which may be right. It is the Cx form (RK.6.97). The passage Bx.5.131-89 is not in A.]

[^547: Bx.5.134: chaffare: Alpha's ware presumably arises by eyeskip from l. 132, where F actually reads to lakke mennys ware. For the reverse situation see l. 209 and note. Cx is rewritten.]

Ira ·
¶ Now awaketh wratthe · with two whyte eyen
And nyuelynge with þe nose · and his nekke hangynge

¶ I am wrath[^548] quod he · I was sum-tyme a frere
And þe couentes Gardyner · for to graffe ympes
On limitoures and listres · lesynges I ymped
Tyl þei bere leues of low speche · lordes to plese
And sithen þei blosmed obrode[^549] · in boure to here shriftes
And now is fallen þer-of a frute · þat folke han wel leuere
Schewen her schriftes to hem · þan shryue hem to her persones

[^548: Bx.5.138: wrath: Alpha's wrothe is perhaps here the adjective, "I am angry"; alternatively it is the adjective used as a noun (see MED wroth), as in R's spelling in l. 136. The X family of C also has this form.]

[^549: Bx.5.142: obrode: Dropped by alpha, but supported by alliteration.]

¶ And now persones [han][^550] parceyued · þat Freres parte with hem
Þise possessioneres preche · and depraue freres
And freres[^551] fyndeth hem in defaute · as folke bereth witnes
That whan þei preche þe poeple · in many place[^552] aboute
I wrath walke with hem · and wisse hem of my bokes
Þus þei speken of spiritualte[^553] · þat eyther despiseth other
Til þei be bothe beggers · and by my spiritualte[^554] libben
Or elles alle riche [·] and riden aboute
I wrath rest neuere · þat I ne moste folwe
This wykked folke · for suche is my grace

[^550: Bx.5.145: persones han: "Now that parsons have perceived" (as in beta2 and G), rather than, with the word-order in CO and alpha, "Now have parsons perceived". Either order could be Bx. L drops the auxiliary, while M drops the phrase, and persons han is added above the line in another hand. The line is not in AC.]

[^551: Bx.5.147: freres: Alpha drops the word, but the following line refers to the peripatetic activity of friars.]

[^552: Bx.5.148: place: This is probably the beta form. As a romance loan ending in a sibilant, it may be singular or plural.]

[^553: Bx.5.150: spiritualte: Beta2 (and M by correction) and GR supply my, by contamination with the next line. It makes no sense here. See note on l. 151.]

[^554: Bx.5.151: by my spiritualte: Hm and alpha drop my, by confusion with the previous line. F, observing nonsense, revises to by almesse.]

¶ I haue an aunte to nonne · and an abbesse[^555]
Hir were leuere swowe or swelte · þan soeffre any peyne
I haue be cook in hir kichyne · and þe couent serued
Many monthes with hem · and with monkes bothe[^556]
I was þe priouresses[^557] potagere · and other poure ladyes
And made hem ioutes of iangelynge · þat dame Io[n]e[^558] was a bastard
And dame Clarice a kniȝtes douȝter · ac a kokewolde was hire syre
And dame Peronelle a prestes file · Priouresse worth she neuere
For she had childe in chirityme · al owre chapitere it wiste

[^555: Bx.5.155: abbesse: R is supported by Cx. Beta's addition of bothe and F's of eek are responses to the unusually light b-verse.]

[^556: Bx.5.158: bothe: R's alse probably represents alpha (F rewrites), but beta is supported by Cx (RK.6.131).]

[^557: Bx.5.159: priouresses: LMR and Hm have this form of the genitive, whereas other mss. have the unmarked form, as do most C mss.]

[^558: Bx.5.160: Ione: So MCrO and alpha, as well as C mss. It is the usual feminine form of the name in Middle English.]

¶ Of wykked wordes I wrath · here wortes I-made[^559]
Til þow lixte and þow lixte · lopen oute at ones
And eyther hitte other · vnder þe cheke
Hadde þei had knyues bi cryst · her eyther[^560] had killed other

[^559: Bx.5.164: I-made: Past tense; MED imaken. The prefix recorded in LOR makes the b-verse regular.]

[^560: Bx.5.167: her eyther: "each of them". LMWR include the genitive pronoun.]

¶ Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope · and had a gode forwit
Þat no Priouresse were prest · for þat he ordeigned
Þei had þanne ben infamis þe firste day[^561] · þei can so yuel hele conseille

[^561: Bx.5.170: þe firste day: Dropped by M, G (in a rewritten line) and O to shorten a long a-verse. Cr replaces with two invented lines. The line is not in AC.]

¶ Amonge monkes I miȝte be · ac many tyme I shonye
For þere ben many felle frekis · my feres to aspye
Bothe Prioure an supprioure · and owre pater abbas
And if I telle any tales · þei taken hem togyderes
And do me faste frydayes · to bred and to water
And am[^562] chalanged in þe chapitelhous · as I a childe were
And baleised on þe bare ers[^563] · and no breche bitwene
For-þi haue I no lykyng · with þo leodes to wonye
I ete there vnthende fisshe · and fieble ale drynke
[^564]Ac otherwhile whan wyn cometh · whan[^565] I drynke w[el][^566] at eue
I haue a fluxe of a foule mouthe · wel fyue dayes after
Al þe wikkednesse þat I wote · bi any of owre bretheren
I couth it in owre cloistre · þat al owre[^567] couent wote it

[^562: Bx.5.176: And am: R's ȝeet, "furthermore", may be right, even though not in F. It gives good sense and has some support from Cx Ȝut am I.]

[^563: Bx.5.177: ers: Beta is confirmed by Cx. R initially read hers, altered to the euphemism bak by the correcting hand. F also reads bak.]

[^564: Bx.5.180: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^565: Bx.5.180: whan (2): So LMR and G; W has þanne, the others read and or omit.]

[^566: Bx.5.180: wel: Beta's repetition of wyn gives weaker sense, though wel is repeated in the following line. Perhaps both alpha and beta are making up for a loss in Bx, since Cx has late instead (RK.6.160).]

[^567: Bx.5.183: owre (2): The distribution of variants is odd here. LM, the two most reliable beta witnesses, are joined by CrW with owre; the other mss., including F, have þe, except for G with your and R which has nothing. It may be that R is faithfully copying a Bx error, with other scribes supplying the obvious omission. Cx has þe.]

¶ Now repent þe quod Repentaunce · and reherce þow neure
Conseille þat þow cnowest · bi contenaunce ne bi [speche][^568]
And drynke nouȝte ouer-delicatly · ne to depe noyther
Þat þi wille bi cause þer-of [·] to wrath myȝte torne
Esto sobrius he seyde · and assoilled me[^569] after
And bad me wilne to wepe · my wikkednesse to amende

[^568: Bx.5.185: speche: Alpha's reading is obviously correct and supported by Cx.]

[^569: Bx.5.188: me: Here and in l. 189 Cr has third person pronouns in line with Cx, and M is altered to the same readings.]

Auaricia ·
¶ And þanne cam coueytise · [I can][^570] hym nouȝte descryue
So hungriliche and holwe · sire henri[^571] hym loked
He was bitelbrowed · and baberlipped also
With two blered eyghen · as a blynde hagge
And as a letheren purs · lolled his chekes
Wel sydder þan his chyn · þei chiueled for elde
And as a bondman of his bacoun · his berde was bidraueled
With [his][^572] hode on his hed · a lousi hatte aboue
And in a tauny tabarde · of twelue wynter age
Al totorne and baudy · and ful of lys crepynge
But if[^573] a lous couthe · l[epe][^574] þe bettre
[H]e[^575] sholde nouȝte walk[e][^576] on þat welche[^577] · so was it thredebare

[^570: Bx.5.190: I can: Alpha's word-order is supported by AC.]

[^571: Bx.5.191: henri: There is reasonable support for this as Bx from LR and CG, and possibly M before correction, but AC have heruy, agreeing with WHmOF. Although F may have derived the correction from A, it is difficult to see how the other three mss. got it, although Bennett (1972), 163 quotes a parallel from Skelton, possibly an indication that Hervy was a traditional name for a miser.]

[^572: Bx.5.197: his: Alpha's reading is in agreement with Cx against beta's indefinite article.]

[^573: Bx.5.200: if: Beta has if þat; AC agree with alpha.]

[^574: Bx.5.200: lepe: Comparison with AC suggests that R represents Bx, with F and beta expanding an uncomfortably short line. A mss. show considerable variation in the b-verse, and Cx offers a desperate repair: But ȝif a lous couthe lepe y leue it as y trowe (quoting Skeat C.7.204).]

[^575: Bx.5.201: He: Whether masc. or fem., alpha's reading is supported by AC.]

[^576: Bx.5.201: walke: Beta's haue walked follows on from its reading of the previous line. Alpha's infinitive is supported by AC, which, however, have wandre.]

[^577: Bx.5.201: welche: "Welsh cloth", the reading of LR and AC, but mistranscribed or avoided by the other B scribes.]

¶ I haue ben coueytouse quod þis caityue · I biknowe it here
For some-tyme I serued · symme atte stile
And was his prentis ypliȝte · his profit to wayte
[^578]First I lerned to lye · a leef other tweyne
Wikkedlich to weye · was my furst lessoun
To wy and to wynchestre · I went to þe faire
With many manere marchandise · as my Maistre me hiȝte
Ne had þe grace of gyle [·] ygo[^579] amonge my ware[^580]
It had be vnsolde þis seuene ȝere · so me god helpe
¶ Thanne drowe I me amonges draperes · my donet to lerne
To drawe þe lyser alonge [·] þe lenger it semed
Amonge þe riche rayes · I rendred a lessoun
To broche hem with a bat-nedle[^581] · and plaited hem togyderes
And put hem in a presse · and pyned[^582] hem þerinne
Tyl ten ȝerdes or twelue · tolled[^583] out threttene

[^578: Bx.5.205: WHm and R have a paraph.]

[^579: Bx.5.209: Only LW punctuate the line after ygo.]

[^580: Bx.5.209: ware: A good example of the superiority of LMR (joined by F here), supported in this reading by AC, against chaffare in other beta mss. (i.e. beta1). See Adams (2000), 176, and for the same variation see l. 134.]

[^581: Bx.5.214: bat-nedle: The form in L and alpha, with M corrected to the majority beta form, paknedle. Adams (2000), 181. A mss. have the same variation, with the majority reading p- (K.5.126).The P family of C also has p-, but the X family has b-, and plaited is revised to bande so that the line alliterates on /b/ (RK.6.218). MED lists only this instance for bat-nedle.]

[^582: Bx.5.215: pyned: "subjected to stress" in the presse, which is apparently a stretching frame. Schmidt (1995), 72, glosses "tortured". The reading is supported by LW and alpha against the easier and less appropriate pynned, glossed as "kept fastened" in Kane (2005). A mss. vary, but Cx has pynned.]

[^583: Bx.5.216: tolled: LM and alpha, supported by AC; other scribes supply hadde. MED v.(1) interprets tollen as "stretch out to" (OE *tollian), while Kane (2005) glosses "tease, coax". It varies with tolde in A; in C the X family reads tolde, the P family has tilled.]

¶ My wyf was a webbe · and wollen cloth made
She spak to spynnesteres[^584] · to spynnen it oute
Ac þe pounde þat she payed by · poised[^585] a quarter[^586] more
Than myne owne auncere · who-so weyȝed treuthe

[^584: Bx.5.218: spynnesteres: Alpha has the sg. A mss. are split, but Cx has the plural. Athlone adopts the sg. in all versions.]

[^585: Bx.5.219: poised: A variant of peised, though given a separate entry by MED.]

[^586: Bx.5.219: quarter: Beta has quateroun (MED quartroun), but alpha is supported by AC.]

¶ I bouȝte hir barly[^587] · she brewe it to selle
Peny ale and podyng ale · she poured togideres
For laboreres and for[^588] low folke · þat lay by hym-[^589]selue

[^587: Bx.5.221: barly: Though all B mss. except for R read barly malte, R is supported by AC. We assume that the easy addition was made by beta and F, with R as usual reproducing his exemplar.]

[^588: Bx.5.223: for (2): Not in MCrCOF, or in most AC mss.]

[^589: Bx.5.223: hym-: LWHmR have sg.: "was set aside on its own", So in Cx, while A mss. vary with the plural. The odd use of hym to refer to a barrel of ale (cf. Cr it) perhaps confused scribes.]

¶ The best ale lay in my boure · or in my bedchambre
And who-so bummed þer-of · bouȝte[^a15][^590] it þer-after
A galoun for a grote · god wote na lesse
And ȝit it cam in cupmel · þis crafte my wyf vsed[^591]
Rose þe regratere · was[^592] hir riȝte name
She hath holden hokkerye · al hire lyf-tyme

[^a15: bouȝte (beta) | he bouȝte (alpha)]

[^590: Bx.5.225: bouȝte / he bouȝte: Beta, without the pronoun, agrees with Ax; alpha and Cx, add the pronoun he.]

[^591: Bx.5.227: vsed: Beta's past tense is supported by AC.]

[^592: Bx.5.228: was: Beta's past tense is supported by AC.]

¶ Ac I swere now so the ik · þat synne wil I lete
And neuere wikkedliche weye · ne wikke[^593] chaffare vse
But wenden to walsyngham · and my wyf als
And bidde þe Rode of bromeholme · brynge me oute of dette

[^593: Bx.5.231: wikke "dishonest". So LMW. Particularly in context, the wikked of alpha and others is likely to be a scribal substitution. A mss. exhibit some uncertainty over the word; the line is not in C.]

¶ Repentestow[^594] euere quod repentance · ne[^595] restitucioun madest

[^594: Bx.5.234: Repentestow: Representing the past tense, as more "properly" in WHmR. (See MED repenten for pa.t. repente). C mss. show the same forms. In Bx.5.453 WHm again "improve" to Repentedestow, falsely on that occasion. LM (= beta?) treat the verb as reflexive, but þe is not in R (= alpha?) or C. HmF include þe but drop the subject pronoun. For a similar set of variants see Bx.5.453 and note. The passage Bx.5.234-308 is not in A.]

[^595: Bx.5.234: ne: Another example of LMR presenting a superior reading, here agreeing with Cx. See Adams (2000), 176. The syntax is, however, odd.]

¶ Ȝus ones I was herberwed quod he · with an hep of chapmen
I roos whan þei were arest · and yrifled[^596] here males

[^596: Bx.5.236: yrifled: The form, though unmetrical (x x / x x / x), is supported by LR.]

¶ That was no restitucioun quod repentance · but a robberes thefte
Þow haddest better[^597] worthy · be hanged þerfore
Þan for al þat · þat þow hast here shewed

[^597: Bx.5.238: better: Although most mss. have be better, LR and original M give secure evidence for Bx, with be in the b-verse governing both worthy and hanged. Bx might have lost be in this context, with other scribes restoring it conjecturally, just as the M corrector did. Adams (2000), 183 judges this instead to be an accidental omission in RL. Cx revises the a-verse to "Thow wolt be hanged heye þerfore" (RK.6.238).]

¶ I wende ryflynge were restitucioun quod he · for[^598] I lerned neuere rede on boke
And I can no frenche in feith · but of þe ferthest ende of norfolke

[^598: Bx.5.240: quod he for: Probably in response to the length of the line, MHmGF drop quod he, while CGO drop for. The line is not in AC.]

¶ Vsedestow euere vsurie quod repentaunce · in alle þi lyf-tyme

¶ Nay sothly he seyde · saue in my ȝouthe
I lerned amonge lumbardes · [a lessoun and of iewes][^599]
To wey pens with a peys · and pare þe heuyest
And lene it for loue of þe crosse · to legge a wedde and lese it
Suche dedes I did wryte · ȝif he his day breke
I haue mo maneres þorw rerages[^600] · þan þorw miseretur & comodat

[^599: Bx.5.244: a lessoun and of iewes: The word-order in alpha is alliteratively correct, and R's reading is shared with Cx. Beta simplifies; F revises.]

[^600: Bx.5.248: rerages: Alpha's regages is an obvious error.]

¶ I haue lent lordes · and ladyes my chaffare
And ben her brocour after · and bouȝte it my-self
Eschaunges and cheuesances · with suche chaffare I dele
And lene folke þat lese wol · a lyppe at euery noble
And with lumbardes lettres · I ladde golde to Rome
And toke it by taille here[^601] · and tolde hem þere lasse

[^601: Bx.5.254: here: R alone reads þere, presumably by anticipation. Lines 247-51 and 254 have no parallel in AC.]

[¶][^602] Len[t]estow[^603] euere lordes · for loue of her mayntenaunce

[^602: Bx.5.255: ¶: The line is at the top of the page in L, and the rubricator presumably missed the paraph which is in WHmC and alpha, with a new line-group in M, to mark the opening of the speech.]

[^603: Bx.5.255: Lentestow: L's present tense Lenestow is not supported by Cx.]

¶ Ȝe I haue lent lordes · loued[^604] me neuere after
And haue ymade many a[^605] knyȝte · bothe mercere & drapere
Þat payed neuere for his prentishode · nouȝte a peire gloues

[^604: Bx.5.256: loued: Alpha alone has quod he, but it is not in Cx. CrHmOF supply the subject pronoun that, as in Cx, but its omission, supported by LMWCGR, is idiomatic.]

[^605: Bx.5.257: a: Not in COR, but in Cx.]

¶ Hastow pite on pore men · þat mote nedes borwe

¶ I haue as moche pite of[^606] pore men · as pedlere[^607] hath of cattes
Þat wolde kille hem yf he cacche hem myȝte · for coueitise of here skynnes

[^606: Bx.5.260: of (1): The reading of LR and WC, against on, likely to have been prompted by the phrase in the previous line.]

[^607: Bx.5.260: pedlere: Alpha has þe pedlere, which is perhaps over-specific. For want of guidance from other versions, we follow copy-text.]

¶ Artow manlyche amonge þi neiȝbores · of þi mete and drynke

¶ I am holden quod he as hende · as hounde is in kychyne
Amonges my neighbores namelich · such a name ich haue

¶ Now god lene neure quod repentance · but þow repent þe rather
Þe grace on þis grounde · þi good wel to bisette
Ne þine [v]sue[^608] after þe · haue ioye of þat þow wynnest
Ne þi excecutours wel bisett · þe siluer þat þow hem leuest
And þat was wonne with wronge · with wikked men be despended
For were I frere of þat hous · þere gode faith and charite is
I nolde[^609] cope vs with þi catel · ne owre kyrke[^610] amende
Ne haue a peny to my pitaunce of þyne[^611] [·] bi my soule hele[^612]
For þe best boke in owre hous · þeiȝe brent golde were þe leues
And I wyst wytterly · þow were suche as þow telle[st][^613]
Seruus es alterius · cum fercula pinguia queris
Pane tuo pocius · vescere liber eris ·

[^608: Bx.5.267: vsue: This is the initial spelling in L, then corrected to ysue. R and possibly uncorrected M share the word, against heires in all others mss. except F with houswif! R spelling vssue explains F's reading as an attempt to make sense of vssue via hussie. Schmidt (1995), lxvii-iii, supposes this is shared error in LR; and see Adams (2000), 181-2. We take it to represent the reading of Bx, despite the fact that Cx has heyres, by error or revision.]

[^609: Bx.5.271: nolde: Beta shares this reading with the P family of C, against alpha's wolde nouȝt. At RK.7.202 the P family again has nolde, as do all B mss. ( Bx.5.578) against ne wol(d) in the X family.]

[^610: Bx.5.271: kyrke: Alpha has the non-alliterating cherche.]

[^611: Bx.5.272: of þyne: Well supported by LMCOR, though omitted by beta2 and GF, presumably because of its metrical clumsiness. The C reviser's text evidently had the phrase, for the line is rewritten as Ne take a meles mete of þyn and myn herte hit wiste (RK.6.289). LC, confused by its clumsiness, punctuate before the phrase; MOR punctuate after it.]

[^612: Bx.5.272: bi my soule hele: Clearly Bx, despite its lack of alliteration. Beta2 and G have so God my soul help, with W increasing alliteration by altering the verb to saue.]

[^613: Bx.5.274: tellest: L has telleth, though the line is marked for correction. Following this line CO have the line Or elles þat I kouþe knowe it by any kynnes wise, and it is supplied in Cr23. It is the first of four spurious lines recorded by CO in this passus; see notes to Bx.5.308, 342, 580.]

¶ Thow art an vnkynde creature · I can þe nouȝte assoille
Til þow make restitucioun[^614] · and rekne with hem alle
And sithen þat resoun rolle it · in þe regystre of heuene
That þow hast made vche man good · I may þe nouȝte assoille
Non dimittitur peccatum · donec[^615] restituatur ablatum &c

[^614: Bx.5.278: restitucioun: Only R adds quod repentaunce as a second alliterating stave in the a-verse. The Bx reading without it seems to have been the basis for the revision in C alliterating on ymad ... myhte ... men.]

[^615: Bx.5.281: donec : Perhaps alpha and Cr alter the reading to nisi on the basis of a well-known maxim of canon law; see Alford (1992), 46. In Bx.17.316, RK.6.257a and RK.19.290a the quotation is in many mss. abbreviated to Numquam dimittitur peccatum &c. (the form recorded in the Speculum Christiani), with some mss. expanding to donec.... and others to nisi.... On this occasion the former is marginally more appropriate than the latter ("until" vs. "unless"; cf. l. 278 Til). Not in AC.]

¶ For alle þat hath[^616] of þi good · haue god my trouthe
Is[^617] hold[ynge][^618] at þe heighe dome · to helpe þe restitue[^619]
And who-so leueth nouȝte þis be soth · loke in þe[^620] sauter glose
In miserere mei deus · where I mene treuthe
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti &c[^621]

[^616: Bx.5.282: hath: LMR have the sg., "everyone who has", smoothed to the pl. after alle in other mss. See next line.]

[^617: Bx.5.283: Is: LMR continue with the sg., as does F, although rewriting the line. Many C mss. have Is here, though they have the pl. in the previous line.]

[^618: Bx.5.283: holdynge: "obliged". R's curious pres. ppl. form, revised out by F, must represent alpha, since it is also the form in the X family of C. Indeed R's whole line is reproduced by that family. See next note.]

[^619: Bx.5.283: restitue: Beta has to + infinitive, but R is supported by Cx.]

[^620: Bx.5.284: þe: Beta supported by Cx, against R's a. F has four unsupported lines in place of this one.]

[^621: Bx.5.286: The line that follows this in alpha, Þere is no laborere wolde leue with hem . þat knoweth peres þe plowman, appears to be spurious. Its reference to peres þe plowman who has not yet been introduced "relates the immediate discussion to a consideration earlier and subsequently expressed" (KD, p. 193).]

¶ Shal[^622] neuere werkman in þis worlde · þryue wyth þat þow wynnest
Cum sancto sanctus eris · construe me þat on englische

[^622: Bx.5.287: Shal: Alpha begins For schal, tying this line to the added line preceding it. There is no parallel for this passage in AC.]

¶ Thanne wex þat[^623] shrewe in wanhope · and walde haue hanged himself
Ne hadde repentaunce þe rather · reconforted[^624] hym in þis manere
Haue mercye in þi mynde · and with þi mouth biseche it
For goddes mercye is more · þan alle hise other werkes
Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius &c ·[^625]

[^623: Bx.5.289: þat: Beta, against alpha's þe. We follow copy-text.]

[^624: Bx.5.290: reconforted: R (= alpha?) loses alliteration with conforted (as do HmG independently). F repairs with reersyd.]

[^625: Bx.5.293: The Latin line is only in LMOR. It is translated in l. 292 above (which KD exclude), but that does not seem sufficient explanation for other mss. to lose it. For the first eius (as in the Vulgate) R reads domini, which gives a precise translation of l. 292 and may be right. The verse is quoted again as Bx.17.325, where both R and F read domini.]

¶ And al þe wikkednesse in þis worlde · þat man myȝte worche or thynke
Ne is no more to þe mercye of god · þan in þe see a glede
Omnis iniquitas quantum ad misericordiam dei · est [quasi][^626] sintilla in medio maris

[^626: Bx.5.296: quasi : Omitted in L and added in M, but in all other B and C mss. For the source see Alford (1992), 47.]

¶ For-þi haue mercy in þi mynde · and marchandise leue it
For þow hast no good grounde · to gete þe with a wastel
But if it were with thi tonge · or ellis with þi two hondes
For þe good þat þow hast geten · bigan al with falsehede
And as longe as þow lyuest þer-with · þow ȝeldest nouȝte but borwest

¶ And if þow wite neuere to whiche · ne whom to restitue[^627]
Bere it to þe bisschop · and bidde hym of his grace
Bisette it hym-selue · as best is for þi soule
For he shal answere for þe · at þe heygh dome
For þe and for many mo · þat man shal ȝif a rekenynge
What he lerned ȝow in lente · leue þow none other
And what he lent ȝow of owre lordes good · to lette ȝow fro synne[^628]

[^627: Bx.5.302: restitue: The form is supported by Cx (RK.6.344) against GR restitute and CrF restore. See l. 283.]

[^628: Bx.5.308: The line following this in CO is obviously scribal, to compensate for the error his goode for owre lordes goode.]

Gula ·
¶ Now bigynneth glotoun · for to go to schrifte
And kaires hym to kirke-ward · his coupe to schewe

¶ Ac Beton þe brewestere · bad hym good morwe
And axed of hym with þat · whiderward he wolde

¶ To holicherche quod he · forto here masse
And sithen I wil be shryuen · and synne namore

¶ I haue gode ale gossib quod she · glotown wiltow assaye
[^629]Hastow auȝte in þi purs · any hote spices

[^629: Bx.5.316: W and alpha have a paraph here to mark the start of direct speech.]

¶ I haue peper and piones quod he[^630] · and a pounde of garlike
A ferthyngworth of fenel-seed · for fastyngdayes

[^630: Bx.5.317: he: We preserve copy-text's form for "she". It was beta, though, not alpha, since it is the original form in M, and also survives in CrCG (by misunderstanding?).]

¶ Þanne goth glotoun in · and grete othes after
Cesse þe souteresse · sat on þe benche
Watte þe warner · and his wyf bothe
Tymme[^631] þe tynkere · and tweyne of his prentis[^632]
Hikke þe hakeneyman · and hugh þe nedeler
Clarice of cokkeslane · and þe clerke of þe cherche
[^633] [Sire[^634] Piers of Pridie · and Peronelle of Flaundres
Dawe þe dykere [·] and a dozeine other]
A ribibour a ratonere · a rakyer of chepe
A ropere a redyngkyng · and Rose þe dissheres[^635]
Godfrey of garlekehithe · and gryfin[^636] þe walsh
And vpholderes an hepe · erly bi þe morwe
Geuen glotoun with glad chere · good ale to hansel

[^631: Bx.5.322: Tymme: The probable source of the variants Tomme and Symme. A and C mss. vary similarly; see note to Kane's A Version, p. 443.]

[^632: Bx.5.322: prentis: The plural form of a romance loan ending in a sibilant.]

[^633: Bx.5.325-6: We follow the order of alpha; beta reverses the two lines. Line 325 is not in Ax; Cx has the alpha order, although adding a line between these two.]

[^634: Bx.5.325: Sire: Alpha begins And sire, but without support from Cx.]

[^635: Bx.5.328: dissheres: See MED disheresse. Alpha supposes it is genitive of dishere, and so adds douȝter. AC have disshere.]

[^636: Bx.5.329: gryfin: Both this and R's grifyth are forms of Welsh Gruffudd. Ax and the P family of C have the former, while the X family has the latter.]

¶ Clement þe cobelere · cast of his cloke
And atte[^a16][^637] new faire · nempned[^638] it to selle
Hikke þe hakeneyman · hitte his hood after
And badde bette þe bochere · ben[^639] on his side
Þere were chapmen ychose · þis chaffare to preise
Who-so haueth[^640] þe hood · shuld[^641] haue amendes of þe cloke

[^a16: atte (beta) | to þe (alpha)]

[^637: Bx.5.333: atte / to þe: Beta's atte is the reading of Ax (K.5.169). R's to þe is the reading of Cx (RK.6.377).]

[^638: Bx.5.333: nempned: The reading of R. Beta and F (by convergence?) add the pronoun he, but it is not supported by AC.]

[^639: Bx.5.335: ben: Alpha's to ben is found in some AC mss.]

[^640: Bx.5.337: haueth: WHmO have the past tense, as in AC.]

[^641: Bx.5.337: shuld: M has shal, though it is an addition above the line; R has schul, which is probably present tense, though LALME 4, 41, records examples of this as a past-tense form. AC have the past.]

¶ [Þo][^642] risen vp in rape · and rouned togideres
And preised þese[^643] penyworthes · apart bi hem-selue[^644]
Þei couth nouȝte bi her conscience · acorden in treuthe
Tyl Robyn þe ropere · [arise] þe southe[^645]
And nempned hym for a noumpere · þat no debate [w]ere[^646][^647]

[^642: Bx.5.338: Þo: The reading of R (= alpha, with F glossing as Þan.) Beta reads Two. Choice is difficult, since A and C mss. also have both readings, with Tho the majority A reading, and Two the majority C reading. Perhaps scribes felt the lack of a subject; note that F supplies a pronoun.]

[^643: Bx.5.339: þese: So beta and the X family of C, but alpha's þe is the reading of Ax and the P family. We follow copy-text.]

[^644: Bx.5.339: hem-selue: Original M, Hm and alpha have hym-, as do a few C mss.]

[^645: Bx.5.341: arise þe southe: R's nonsensical b-verse explains the attempts by F and beta to correct it, but it is a corruption of Cx aryse they bisouhte (RK.6.387). Ax has was red to arisen (K.5.178). See KD, p. 90; Hanna (1996), 217.]

[^646: Bx.5.342: were: The reading of HmGR, and probably the alpha reading (F rewrites). It agrees with the majority of A mss. and all C mss. but one. Beta's nere is perhaps due to alliterative attraction.]

[^647: Bx.5.342: Following this line, a non-alliterating line occurs in Cr23 and OC.]

¶ Hikke þe hostellere · hadde þe cloke
In couenaunte þat Clement [·] shulde þe cuppe fille
And haue hikkes hode hostellere · and holde hym yserued
And who-so repented rathest · shulde arise after
And grete sire glotoun [·] with a galoun ale

¶ Þere was laughyng and louryng · and let go þe cuppe
And seten so til euensonge · and songen vmwhile
Tyl glotoun had yglobbed · a galoun an a Iille
His guttis gunne to godly[^648] · as two gredy sowes
He pissed a potel · in a pater noster while
And blew his rounde ruwet · at his rigge-bon[es][^649] ende
That alle þat herde þat horne · held her nose after
And wissheden it had be wexed · with a wispe of firses

[^648: Bx.5.351: godly: The form is supported for Bx by LMR, and 11 C mss. have -d- forms. See MED gothelen, and the variants for Bx.13.95, where LR again have god(e)le.]

[^649: Bx.5.353: rigge-bones: Scribes vary in treating one or both parts of the compound as appositive or genitive. Most AC mss. support rygbones.]

¶ He myȝte neither steppe ne stonde · er he his staffe hadde
And þanne gan he go[^650] · liche a glewmannes bicche
Somme-tyme aside · and somme-tyme arrere
As who-so leyth lynes · forto lacche foules

[^650: Bx.5.357: go: The infinitive without to, as in LMC and alpha, is supported by Cx and most A mss.]

¶ And[^651] whan he drowgh to þe dore · þanne dymmed his eighen
He trembled[^652] on þe thresshewolde · an threwe to þe erthe
Clement þe cobelere · cauȝte hym bi þe myddel
For to lifte hym alofte · and leyde him on his knowes
Ac glotoun was a gret cherle · and a grym in þe liftynge
And coughed vp a caudel · in clementis lappe
Is non so hungri hounde · in Hertford-schire
Durst lape of þe[^653] leuynges[^654] · so vnlouely [it][^655] smauȝte

[^651: Bx.5.360: And: R's Ac has no support from AC, and may be picked up from l. 364.]

[^652: Bx.5.361: trembled: The word is supported for Bx by LR, with the M corrector revising to stombled in line with beta1 to make better sense in context. The word that lies behind this must be the rare verb thromblede, "tripped", as in the X family of C, which causes confusion in all versions. OED needlessly divides thrumble into two verbs, though it is true that the predominant sense recorded is "to crowd in, to jostle". The line in L is marked for correction, but probably this refers to an for and.]

[^653: Bx.5.367: þe: LMR against þat or þo in other mss. (F rewrites). But Cx has þat.]

[^654: Bx.5.367: leuynges: R has the sg., as does Cx, and may be right. See next note.]

[^655: Bx.5.367: it: Supported by MHm and alpha as well as Cx. Presumably other beta scribes altered to plural in concord with the plural subject. See MED hit 4a(b) for its use as the grammatical subject relating to an abstract plural.]

¶ With al þe wo of þis worlde · his wyf and his wenche
Baren hym[^656] to his bedde · and brouȝte hym þer-inne
And after al þis excesse · he had an accidie
Þat he slepe saterday and sonday · til sonne ȝede to reste
[^657]Þanne waked he of his wynkyng · and wiped his eyghen
Þe fyrste worde þat he warpe · was where is þe bolle
His witte[^658] gan edwite hym þo · how wikkedlich he lyued
And repentance riȝte so · rebuked hym þat tyme

[^656: Bx.5.369: hym (1): Beta has hym home, but alpha is supported by AC.]

[^657: Bx.5.372: A paraph would be appropriate here, but only WR have one.]

[^658: Bx.5.374: witte: The reading of all B mss. except wif in CrW and revised M. Ax has wife, but Cx has His wyf and his inwit. See Schmidt (1995), 371, who suggests that Bx corrupted the reading represented in Cx.]

¶ As þow with wordes and werkes · hast wrouȝte yuel in þi lyue
Shryue þe and be [a]shamed[^659] þer-of · and shewe it with þi mouth

[^659: Bx.5.377: ashamed: CrHmO and alpha have the prefix, as do the equivalent lines in AC (K.5.206, RK.6.422). There are only two other examples of either form: Bx.3.191 shamedest, and Bx.20.284 ashamed.]

¶ I glotoun quod þe gome · gylti me ȝelde
[Of][^660] þat I haue trespassed with my tonge · I can nouȝte telle how ofte
Sworen goddes soule [and his sydes][^661] · and so [help me god][^662] and halidom
Þere no nede ne[^663] was · nyne hundreth tymes

[^660: Bx.5.379: Of: In the absence of F which misses the line, the presumed alpha reading which is also that of Cx. The passage Bx.5.378-89 is not in A.]

[^661: Bx.5.380: and his sydes: R is supported by the X family of C. The P family drops the pronoun as does F, while beta omits the phrase altogether.]

[^662: Bx.5.380: so help me god: Alpha's word-order is also that of Cx. M's agreement, with selpe me god, is probably coincidental. Otherwise beta, having lost the second alliterating stave in the a-verse, brings the noun forward so that the line alliterates on /g/ rather than /s/.]

[^663: Bx.5.381: ne: Dropped by beta2 (CrWHm), and GF. C mss. vary.]

¶ And ouer-seye me at my sopere · and some-tyme at nones
Þat I glotoun girt it[^664] vp · er I hadde gone a myle
And yspilte þat myȝte be spared · and spended on somme hungrie
Ouerdelicatly on fastyng-dayes · drunken and eten bothe
And sat some-tyme so longe þere · þat I slepe and ete at ones
For loue of tales in tauernes · to drynke þe more I dyned[^665]
And hyed to þe mete er none · whan fastyng-dayes were

[^664: Bx.5.383: it: LR and WHmG, but omitted in MCrCO (F rewrites as vp a-geyn). The line is not in C.]

[^665: Bx.5.387: to drynke þe more I dyned: R and F are flummoxed by the sense. Bennett (1972) translates the line: "I dined in taverns, where I could hear tales, in order to satisfy my thirst more easily". Lines 386-89 have no parallel in AC.]

¶ This shewyng shrifte quod repentance · shal be meryte to þe

¶ And þanne gan glotoun grete[^666] · and gret doel to make
For his lither lyf · þat he lyued hadde
And avowed fast[^667] · for hunger or for thurst
Shal neuere fisshe on þe[^668] fryday · defien in my wombe
Tyl abstinence myn aunte · haue ȝiue me leue
And ȝit haue I hated hir · al my lyf-tyme

[^666: Bx.5.390: grete: HmR have to grete.]

[^667: Bx.5.392: fast: The idiomatic use of infinitive without to is found in LRG and original M. Nevertheless, Ax has to faste. Donaldson (1955), 198, takes faste as adverb. There is no parallel in C. See Adams (2000), 182.]

[^668: Bx.5.393: þe: Supported by LR only. AC mss. are split.]

Accidia
¶ Þanne come sleuthe al bislabered · with two slym[ed][^669] eiȝen
I most sitte seyde þe segge · or elles shulde I nappe
I may nouȝte stonde ne stoupe · ne with-oute a[^670] stole knele
Were I brouȝte abedde · but if my taille-ende it made
Sholde no ryngynge do me ryse · ar I were rype to dyne
[^671]He bygan benedicite with a bolke · and his brest knocked
And roxed and rored · and rutte atte laste

[^669: Bx.5.396: slymed: The form in alpha and many C mss., with beta adopting the commoner form slymy. The passage Bx.5.396-453 is not in A.]

[^670: Bx.5.398: a: HmC and alpha drop the article. C mss. are split (RK.7.3).]

[^671: Bx.5.401: Alpha has a paraph.]

[¶][^672] What awake renke quod repentance · and rape þe to shrifte

[^672: Bx.5.403: ¶: The paraph in WHmC (with a new line-group in M) and alpha marks the speech-opening. Cf. l. 255.]

¶ If I shulde deye bi þis day[^673] · me liste nouȝte to loke
I can nouȝte parfitly my pater noster · as þe prest it syngeth
But I can rymes of Robyn hood · and Randolf erle of Chestre
Ac neither of owre lorde ne of owre lady · þe leste þat euere was made

[^673: Bx.5.404: day: Alpha adds quod he, as in the P family of C. Beta reads as the X family. Schmidt (1995), 372, argues that the phrase is required for its liaison alliteration on /d/. Cx has a revised b-verse.]

¶ I haue made vowes[^674] fourty · and forȝete hem on [morwe][^675]
I parfourned neure penaunce · as þe prest me hiȝte
Ne ryȝte sori for my synnes · ȝet[^676] was I neuere
And ȝif I bidde any bedes · but if it be in wrath
Þat I telle with my tonge · is two myle fro myne herte
I am occupied eche day · haliday and other
With ydel tales atte ale · and otherwhile in cherches[^677]
Goddes peyne and his passioun · ful selde þynke I þere-on

[^674: Bx.5.408: vowes: This is the form of Cx, against avowes in WHmF.]

[^675: Bx.5.408: on morwe: O, F (= alpha?) and corrected M have this form, which receives support from Cx amorwe(n). R has uniquely or morwe, C has at morwe, LCrWHmG supply the definite article.]

[^676: Bx.5.410: ȝet: F supplies soþly for the alliteration of the b-verse, which Cx rewrites.]

[^677: Bx.5.414: cherches: Beta2, G and alpha have the sg., but the plural is supported by Cx.]

¶ I visited neuere fieble[^678] men · ne fettered folke in puttes
I ha[dd]e[^679] leuere here an harlotrie · or a somer game of souteres
Or lesynges to laughe [of][^680] · and belye my neighbore[^681]
Þan[^682] al þat euere Marke made · Mathew Iohan & lucas
And vigilies and fastyng-dayes · alle þise late I passe
And ligge abedde in lenten · an my lemman in myn armes
Tyl matynes and masse be do · and þanne go to þe freres
Come I to ite missa est · I holde me yserued
I [am][^683] nouȝte shryuen some-tyme · but if[^684] sekenesse it make
Nouȝt tweies in two ȝere · and þanne vp gesse I s[ch]ryue me

[^678: Bx.5.416: fieble: There is no support for alpha's non-alliterating seke. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^679: Bx.5.417: hadde: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's present tense.]

[^680: Bx.5.418: of: Alpha is supported by Cx, though in a revised line in which the phrase to lauhen of comes finally (RK.7.22).]

[^681: Bx.5.418: neighbore: LM and alpha agree on the sg. (though F has another noun).]

[^682: Bx.5.419: Þan: Beta's conjunction (supported by Cx) is necessary to the sense.]

[^683: Bx.5.424: am: Alpha and Cx against nam, probably beta.]

[^684: Bx.5.424: if: LR and beta2 (CrWHm) and Cx, but omitted by MCGOF.]

¶ I haue be prest and parsoun · passynge thretti wynter
Ȝete can I neither solfe ne synge · ne seyntes lyues rede
But I can fynde in a felde · or in a fourlonge an hare
Better þan in beatus vir · or in beati omnes
Construe [it] clause[mel][^685] · and kenne it to my parochienes
I can holde louedayes · and[^686] here a Reues rekenynge
Ac in canoun ne in þe[^687] decretales · I can nouȝte rede a lyne

[^685: Bx.5.430: it clausemel: Beta's oon clause wel is prompted by the unusual compound, "clause by clause". KD omit it, on the grounds that it lacks a referent (p. 186). Note that the L scribe left spaces for oon and wel which were later written in, suggesting that he was unable to read or make sense of his copy. Cx rewrites, blending Bx.5.430 and 432 as one line, RK.7.34.]

[^686: Bx.5.431: and: Alpha reads or. Cx has and in a revised line.]

[^687: Bx.5.432: þe: LMR and G, but omitted in others. Cx's revised line offers no evidence.]

¶ Ȝif I bigge and borwe it[^688] · but ȝif it be ytailled
I forȝete it as ȝerne · and ȝif men me it axe
Sixe sithes or seuene · I forsake it with othes
And þus tene I[^689] trewe men · ten hundreth tymes

[^688: Bx.5.433: it (1): Despite the auȝt of beta2 (CrWHm) and G, Bx appears to have read it, and shares the reading with the X family of C. The P family has the more specific ouht.]

[^689: Bx.5.436: tene I: So beta; the phrase is reversed in alpha. C has haue y tened and so offers no grounds for choice.]

¶ And my seruauntz some-tyme · her salarye is bihynde
Reuthe is to here rekenynge[^690] · whan we shal rede acomptes
So with wikked wille and wraththe · my werkmen I paye

[^690: Bx.5.438: rekenynge: So LM and alpha, supported by the X family of C. Other B mss. and the P family add the definite article.]

¶ Ȝif any man doth me a benfait · or helpeth me at nede
I am vnkynde aȝein his curteisye · and can nouȝte vnderstonde it
For I haue and haue hadde · some-dele haukes maneres
I [am][^691] nouȝte lured with loue · but þere ligge auȝte vnder þe[^692] thombe

[^691: Bx.5.443: am: The form is supported by Cx. LMO have nam. Cf. ll. 424, 459.]

[^692: Bx.5.443: þe: Alpha omits, as does the P family of C. The X family, however, has the article.]

¶ The kyndenesse þat myne euene-cristene · kidde me farnere
Sixty sythes I sleuthe · haue fo[r]ȝete it sith
In speche and in sparynge of speche · yspilte many a tyme
Bothe flesche & fissche · and many other vitailles
Bothe bred and ale · butter melke and chese
Forsleuthed in my seruyse · til it myȝte serue noman

¶ I ran aboute in ȝouthe · and ȝaf me nouȝte to lerne
And euere sith be[^693] beggere · for my foule sleuthe
Heu michi qu[od][^694] sterilem vitam duxi Iuuenilem

[^693: Bx.5.451: be: So LR and original M. The M corrector inserts haue, in line with other mss. (haue I in WHmO). Cx includes haue I be in a reordered a-verse.]

[^694: Bx.5.452: quod : For the same quotation see Bx.1.143. In both cases alpha's quod for beta's quia is also the form in Cx. See Alford (1992), 35-6.]

¶ Repentest þe[^695] nauȝte quod repentance · and riȝte with þat he swowned
Til vigilate þe veille · fette water at his eyȝen
And flatte it on his face · and faste on hym criede
And seide ware þe fram[^696] wanhope · wolde þe bitraye
I am sori for my synnes · sey so[^697] to þi-selue
And bete þi-selue on þe breste · and bidde hym of grace
For is no gult here so grete · þat his goodnesse [i]s[^698] more

[^695: Bx.5.453: Repentest þe: The reading of alpha and Cx. LM presumably record the form of beta, Repentestow þe, which the other witnesses simplify by dropping the reflexive pronoun. Cf. the variants at Bx.5.234, where we again follow alpha and Cx.]

[^696: Bx.5.456: fram: CrWO read for, and CrW punctuate after þe (1), taking for as a conjunction. AC mss. are divided.]

[^697: Bx.5.457: so: LM and alpha, thus secure for Bx, but AC are without it.]

[^698: Bx.5.459: is (2): Supported by AC against L, corrected M, and W nys. See ll. 424 and 443 for LM's preference for the negative forms of the verb. In l. 474 M alone has the negative.]

¶ Þanne sat sleuthe vp · and seyned hym swithe
And made avowe to-fore god · for his foule sleuthe
Shal no sondaye be þis seuene ȝere · but[^699] sykenesse it lette
Þat I ne shal do me er day · to þe dere cherche
And heren matines and masse · as I a monke were
Shal none ale after mete · holde me þennes
Tyl I haue euensonge herde · I behote to þe Rode
And ȝete wil I[^700] ȝelde aȝein · if I so moche haue
Al þat I wikkedly wan · sithen I wytte hadde

[^699: Bx.5.462: but: MHmR have but ȝif, as in the X family of C, but not in Ax. F omits the line.]

[^700: Bx.5.467: And ȝete wil I: Beta is supported by Ax. The a-verse is rewritten in C (RK.6.309). R's reading, What I nam, apparently represents alpha, revised by F.]

¶ And þough my liflode lakke · leten I nelle
Þat eche man shal[^701] haue his · ar I hennes wende
And with þe residue and þe remenaunt · bi þe Rode of chestre
I shal seke treuthe arst · ar I se Rome

[^701: Bx.5.470: shal: Alpha and HmGO; the presumed beta reading is ne shal in LMCrWC, but with little support from AC. Cf. ll. 424, 443, 459 for the preference for an extra negative.]

¶ Robert þe robbere · on reddite lokede
And for þer was nouȝte where-of [·][^702] he wepe[^703] swithe sore
Ac ȝet þe synful shrewe · seyde to hym-selue
Cryst þat on caluarye · vppon þe crosse deydest
Tho dismas my brother · bisouȝte ȝow of grace
And haddest mercy on þat man · for memento sake
So rewe on þis robbere[^704] · þat reddere ne haue
Ne neuere wene to wynne · with crafte þat I [kn]owe[^705]
But for þi mykel mercy · mitigacioun I biseche
Ne dampne me nouȝte at domesday · for þat I did so ille

[^702: Bx.5.474: All except L punctuate the line after where-of.]

[^703: Bx.5.474: wepe: LM and alpha use the strong form of the past tense. (In M it is respelt.) Contrast l. 484, where all mss. have the weak form.]

[^704: Bx.5.479: þis robbere: Certainly Bx, though F has me Robbere, and Hm is altered to that reading. Most mss. of A have þis Robert, though four A mss. and the P family of C have me Robert, while the X family has simply Robert (K.5.241, RK.6.321). See Schmidt (2008), 351.]

[^705: Bx.5.480: knowe: The reading of alpha, Ax and Cx (from where Cr derives it). Beta has owe.]

¶ What bifel of þis feloun · I can nouȝte faire schewe
Wel I wote he wepte faste · water with boþe his eyen
[^706] And knowleched his gult · to cryst ȝete eftsones
Þat penitencia his pyke · he shulde polsche newe
And lepe with hym ouer londe · al his lyf-tyme
For he had leyne bi latro · luciferes aunte

[^706: Bx.5.485: The line is omitted by alpha, but it is in AC.]

¶ And þanne had repentaunce reuthe · and redde hem alle to knele
For I shal biseche for al synful · owre saueoure of grace
To amende vs of owre mysdedes · and do mercy to vs alle

¶ Now god quod he þat of þi goodnesse · gonne þe worlde make
And of nauȝte madest auȝte · and man moste liche to[^707] þi-selue
And sithen suffredest [hym][^708] to synne · a sikenesse to vs alle
And al for þe best as I bileue · what-euere þe boke telleth
O felix culpa o necessarium peccatum ade[^709] &c

[^707: Bx.5.493: to: LR and WHmCO, but not in MCrGF or most C mss. (RK.7.123). Bx.5.489-528 are not in A.]

[^708: Bx.5.494: hym: Beta reads for, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^709: Bx.5.496: peccatum ade : The word-order ade peccatum in MGO is also recorded in four C mss.]

[¶][^710] For þourgh þat synne þi sone · sent was to þis[^711] erthe
And bicam man of a mayde · mankynde to saue
And madest þi-self with þi sone · and vs synful yliche
Faciamus hominem ad ymaginem et similitudinem nostram
Et alibi qui manet in caritate · in deo manet & deus in eo

[^710: Bx.5.497: ¶: The paraph has support from WHmCR.]

[^711: Bx.5.497: þis: Better supported for Bx than þe in MCrG. F omits, as does Cx.]

¶ And sith with þi self sone · in owre sute deydest
On gode fryday for mannes sake · at ful tyme of þe daye
Þere þi-self ne þi sone · no sorwe in deth feledest
But in owre secte was þe[^712] sorwe · and þi sone it ladde
Captiuam duxit captiuitatem

[^712: Bx.5.505: þe: Alpha has þat. Without a parallel in C, we follow copy-text.]

¶ Þe sonne for sorwe þer-of · les syȝte[^713] for a tyme
Aboute mydday whan moste liȝte is · and mele-tyme of seintes
Feddest [þo][^714] with þi fresche blode · owre forfadres in derknesse
Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris · vidit lucem magnam
[^715]And thorw þe liȝte þat lepe oute of þe · lucifer [it][^716] blent
And blewe alle þi blissed [þennes][^717] · in-to þe blisse of paradise

[^713: Bx.5.507: syȝte: So LHmCG and alpha, and secure for Bx. M (corrected) and CrWO read light; if this is an error picked up from the following line, as the alliterative pattern suggests, it nevertheless became Cx.]

[^714: Bx.5.509: þo: Alpha's reading is supported both by sense ("at that time fed ...") and by Cx.]

[^715: Bx.5.511: WHm and R have a paraph.]

[^716: Bx.5.511: it: R's reading of the b-verse is supported by Cx, which revises the a-verse to avoid the syntactic difficulty (what does it refer to?), which is smoothed in different ways by beta and F.]

[^717: Bx.5.512: þennes: Alpha's adverb is included in the revised line in C.]

¶ Þe thrydde daye after · þow ȝedest in owre sute
A synful Marie þe seighe · ar seynte Marie þi dame
And al to solace synful · þow suffredest it so were
Non veni vocare iustos · set peccatores ad penitenciam

¶ And al þat Marke hath ymade [·] mathew Iohan and lucas
Of þyne douȝtiest[^718] dedes · were don in owre armes
Verbum caro factum est et habitauit in nobis
[^719]And bi so moche [it][^720] semeth · þe sikerere we mowe
Bydde and biseche · if it be þi wille
Þat art owre fader and owre brother [·] be merciable to vs
And haue reuthe[^721] on þise Ribaudes · þat repente hem[^722] sore
Þat euere þei wratthed þe in þis worlde[^723] · in worde þouȝte or dedes[^724]

[^718: Bx.5.518: douȝtiest: LM and alpha have the superlative; a good example of the superiority of LMR in representing Bx. All except four C mss. also have the superlative. See Adams (2000), 177.]

[^719: Bx.5.520: WHm and R have a paraph.]

[^720: Bx.5.520: it: Alpha's reading, supported by Cx against beta's me.]

[^721: Bx.5.523: reuthe: Alpha's mercy is obviously a substitution.]

[^722: Bx.5.523: hem: Most beta mss. have hem here, but we do not include here since it is not supported by Cx. On the other hand the adverb would easily be dropped from the phrase, and it pertinently foreshadows in þis worlde, on which see note.]

[^723: Bx.5.524: in þis worlde: The inclusion of the phrase, omitted by alpha, gives the usual alliterative pattern. It may, however, represent beta's desire to emphasise here, added in the previous line. It is not in the heavily revised line in C.]

[^724: Bx.5.524: dedes: The plural is supported by LWR. The rest have sg., as does C in a revised line.]

¶ Þanne hent hope an horne · of deus tu conuersus viuificabis [nos][^725]
And blew it with Beati quorum · remisse sunt iniquitates
Þat alle seyntes in heuene · songen at ones
Homines & iumenta saluabis quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam deus &c ·

[^725: Bx.5.525: nos : Dropped in beta (supplied in CrG); supported by Cx. A prayer from the Mass; see Alford (1992), 50.]

¶ A thousand of men þo · thrungen togyderes
Criede vpward to cryst · and to his clene moder
To haue[^726] grace to go with hem [·] treuthe to seke

[^726: Bx.5.531: To haue: Since beta's reading is supported by Cx, alpha (= R?) must have offered a defective a-verse rewritten by F.]

¶[^727] Ac þere was wyȝte non so wys · þe wey þider couthe
But blustreden forth as bestes · ouer bankes and hilles
Til late was and longe · þat þei a lede mette
Apparailled as a paynym · in pylgrymes wyse
He bare a burdoun ybounde · with a brode liste
In a withewyndes wise · ywounden aboute
A bolle[^728] and a bagge · he bare by his syde
An hundreth of ampulles · on his hatt seten
Signes of [a-sise][^729] [·] and shelles of galice
And many a cruche on his cloke · and keyes[^730] of Rome
And þe vernicle bifore · for men shulde knowe
And se bi his signes · whom he souȝte hadde

[^727: Bx.5.532: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^728: Bx.5.538: bolle: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's bulle (K.6.7, RK.7.164).]

[^729: Bx.5.540: a-sise: i.e. Assisi, on which see Skeat (1886), 101. This is R's reading alone, but probably represents alpha. F rewrites, and beta has synay. Most A mss. have the beta reading, but a few (including Bodley 851 (Z)) refer to Assisi instead. Cx has syse. The reference to synay in l. 545 may have prompted beta's reading here; alternatively alpha may record an authorial revision.]

[^730: Bx.5.541: keyes: Alpha has the definite article, but it is not supported by AC.]

¶ Þis folke frayned hym firste · fro whennes he come

¶ Fram synay he seyde · and fram owre lordes sepulcre
In bethleem and in babiloyne · I haue ben in bothe
In ermonye in alisaundre · in many other places
Ȝe may se bi my signes · þat sitten on myn hatte
Þat I haue walked ful wyde · in wete and in drye
And souȝte gode seyntes · for my soules[^731] helth

[^731: Bx.5.550: soules: MHmG and alpha have the uninflected genitive, as in Ax and most C mss. For the same expression, again with variation of the genitive form, see Bx.10.265, 11.239, 12.44.]

¶ Knowestow ouȝte[^732] a corseint · þat men calle treuthe
Coudestow auȝte[^733] wissen vs þe weye · where þat wy dwelleth

[^732: Bx.5.551: ouȝte: CrF have not / nawht.]

[^733: Bx.5.552: auȝte: LMWR and revised Hm, so presumably Bx, repeated from the line above. A few A mss. include the word, but it is not in C. The repetition perhaps prompted the other B scribes, CrCGOF, to drop it.]

¶ Nay so me god helpe · seide þe gome þanne
I seygh neuere palmere · with pike ne with scrippe
Axen after hym er [·] til[^734] now in þis place

[^734: Bx.5.555: er til: MF drop er and CO drop til. L's mispunctuation of the line suggests why scribes found one or other otiose. Ax has er only; C mss. divide between er and but.]

[¶][^735] Peter quod a plowman · and put forth his hed
I knowe hym as kyndely · as clerke doþ his bokes
Conscience and kynde witte · kenned me to his place
And deden me suren hym[^736] sikerly · to serue hym for euere
Bothe to sowe and to sette [·] þe while[^737] I swynke myghte
I haue ben his folwar · al þis fourty[^738] wyntre
Bothe ysowen his sede · and sued his bestes
With-Inne and with-outen · wayted his profyt
I dyke and I delue · I do þat [he][^739] hoteth
Some-tyme I sowe · and some-tyme I thresche
In tailoures crafte and[^740] tynkares crafte · what treuthe can deuyse
I weue an I wynde · and do what treuthe hoteth

[^735: Bx.5.556: ¶: The line is at the top of the page in L, and the rubricator presumably missed the paraph which is in WHmC and alpha, with a new line-group in M.]

[^736: Bx.5.559: hym(1): Alpha's plural recognises the two characters of the previous line, but receives no support from AC.]

[^737: Bx.5.560: þe while: In dropping þe, MGF have the reading of Ax; the other mss. have the Cx version.]

[^738: Bx.5.561: fourty: LM and alpha, against fifty in other mss. Support from AC again demonstrates the superiority of this set of mss. See Adams (2000), 177.]

[^739: Bx.5.564: he: Alpha has some support from the parallel b-verse of K.6.33: & do what he hiȝte. The line is not in C. Beta's treuthe is likely to have been picked up from l. 567.]

[^740: Bx.5.566: and: In the absence of AC parallels, R's in remains a possibility as the less obvious reading.]

¶ For þouȝe I seye it my-self · I serue hym to paye
Ich haue myn huire [of hym][^741] wel · and otherwhiles more
He is þe prestest payer · þat pore men knoweth
He[^742] with-halt non hewe[^743] his hyre · þat he ne hath it at euen[^744]
He is as low as a lombe · and loueliche of speche
And ȝif ȝe wilneth to wite · where þat he dwelleth
I shal wisse ȝow witterly · þe weye to his place

[^741: Bx.5.569: of hym: Alpha's phrase, omitted by beta, is supported by AC.]

[^742: Bx.5.571: He: Beta has He ne, but it is not supported by Cx or by most A mss.]

[^743: Bx.5.571: hewe: Clearly beta's reading, though avoided by CrG, and revised by Hm. Alpha has men. See variants at Bx.4.109 for similar avoidance. The majority A reading is hyne; C mss. have hewe and higne.]

[^744: Bx.5.571: at euen: Presumably alpha corrupted to a none, understood by R as "anon" and very characteristically improved by F to soone. Though Ax has the same b-verse as beta, Cx drops þat he ne hath it.]

¶ Ȝe leue Pieres quod þis pilgrymes · and profered hym huire
For to wende with hem · to treuthes dwellyng-place

¶ Nay bi my soules [perel][^745] quod pieres · and gan forto swere
I nolde fange a ferthynge · for seynt Thomas shryne
Treuthe wolde loue me þe lasse · a longe tyme þere-after[^746]
Ac if ȝe wilneth to wende wel · þis is þe weye thider[^747]

[^745: Bx.5.577: soules perel: The reading of R (= alpha?), with support from AC which both read bi þe perel of my soule. The beta reading was probably the commonplace soule(s) helth (cf. Bx.5.550 and note), with helth lost in CO, possibly as a result of misunderstanding an endingless genitive. On this assumption, F dropped perel, perhaps to accentuate alliteration on /s/.]

[^746: Bx.5.579: þere-after: Supported for Bx by LR and WHm and Cr (therfor after), although other mss. omit þere. But either Bx itself or LR and beta2 may have added the word to improve an unmetrical (x / x / x) b-verse, since there is no support from AC.]

[^747: Bx.5.580: CO follow this with a line that is certainly spurious.]

¶ Ȝe mote go þourgh mekenesse · bothe men and wyues
Tyl ȝe come in-to conscience [·] þat cryst wite þe sothe
Þat ȝe louen owre lorde god · leuest of alle þinges
And þanne ȝowre neighbores nexte · in non wise apeyre
Otherwyse þan þow woldest · he wrouȝte to þi-selue

¶ And so boweth forth bi a broke · beth buxum of[^748] speche
Tyl ȝe fynden a forth · ȝowre fadres honoureth
Honora patrem & matrem &c ·
Wadeþ in þat water [·] and wascheth ȝow wel þere
And ȝe shul lepe þe liȝtloker · al ȝowre lyf-tyme
And so shaltow se swere nouȝte · but if it be for nede
And namelich an ydel · þe name of god almyȝti

[^748: Bx.5.586: of: Alpha's of þi is not supported by Ax. Cx rewrites the b-verse.]

¶ Þanne shaltow come by a crofte · but come þow nouȝte þere-Inne
[Þe][^749] crofte hat coueyte nouȝte · mennes catel[^750] ne her wyues
Ne none of her seruauntes · þat noyen hem myȝte
Loke ȝe[^751] breke no bowes þere · but if it be ȝowre owne

[^749: Bx.5.594: Þe: Alpha's reading is supported by Cx, although A mss. split between this and beta's reading That. We take into account the scribal tendency to emphasise.]

[^750: Bx.5.594: mennes catel: Another very characteristic example of the practices of the two alpha scribes. It appears that R represents alpha in reading men, and F rewrote inventively, no doubt puzzled by the non-scriptural imputation of homosexuality.]

[^751: Bx.5.596: ȝe: R alone (= alpha?) has þow (F rewrites), but it is supported by AC. However ȝowre in the b-verse in all B witnesses suggests that a-verse ȝe is also Bx. The odd, apparently random, switching to the sg. in Piers' speech, when he is speaking to the group, is a feature of all three versions. Ax matches Cx except at K.6.52 (sg.) = RK.7.212 (pl.) = Bx.5.585 (sg.). But Bx differs from the other two versions with pl. in Bx.5.596-7 and 604 (despite the surrounding sg.).]

¶ Two stokkes þere stondeth · ac stynte ȝe nouȝte þere
They hat stele nouȝte ne slee nouȝte [·] stryke forth by bothe
And leue hem on þi left halfe · and loke nouȝte þere-after
And holde wel þyne haliday [·][^752] heighe til euen
Thanne shaltow blenche at a bergh · bere no false witnesse[^753]
He[^a17][^754] is frithed in with floreines · and other f[e]es[^755] many
Loke þow[^756] plukke no plante þere · for peril of þi soule

[^a17: He (beta) | --- (alpha)]

[^752: Bx.5.600: L misplaces the punctus after heighe.]

[^753: Bx.5.601: Following this line F alone has a rather competent line.]

[^754: Bx.5.602: He / ---: Beta and Ax have the pronoun, but R and Cx are without. F smooths to It.]

[^755: Bx.5.602: fees: So WHmCG and alpha supported by Cx as well as most A mss. LMCrO have foes, which may be a beta error.]

[^756: Bx.5.603: þow: Alpha has ȝe, and R has ȝoure soules in the b-verse (F rewrites). Beta is supported by AC. See the note to l. 596, and note the plural in the next line.]

¶ Þanne shal ȝe se sey soth · so it be to done
In no manere ellis nauȝte · for no mannes biddyng

¶ Þanne shaltow come to a courte · as clere as þe sonne
Þe mote is of mercy · þe manere aboute
And alle þe wallis ben of witte · to holden wille oute
And kerneled with crystendome · [þat] kynde[^757] to saue
Boterased with bileue so · or þow beest nouȝte ysaued[^758]

[^757: Bx.5.609: þat kynde: "that essential substance, distinctive feature" (of the courte). All B mss. apart from R have man kynde, but R has the reading of AC. Both beta and F made the easy error.]

[^758: Bx.5.610: ysaued: Though the prefix creates two long dips in the b-verse (x x / x x / x), it is supported by LMR (and Hm has be-). Some C mss. have it also.]

¶ And alle þe houses ben hiled · halles and chambres
Wit[h][^759] no lede but with loue · and lowe speche as bretheren
Þe brugge is of bidde wel · þe bette may þow spede
Eche piler is of penaunce · of preyeres to seyntes
Of almes-dedes ar þe hokes · þat þe gates hangen on

[^759: Bx.5.612: With: L has Wit, with the line marked for correction. It is the same at Bx.20.119.]

¶ Grace hatte þe gateward · a gode man for-sothe
Hys man hatte amende ȝow · for[^a18][^760] many man[^761] him knoweth
[^762]Telleth hym þis tokene · þat treuthe wite þe sothe
I parfourned þe penaunce · þe preest me enioyned
And am ful sori for[^763] my synnes · and so I shal euere
Whan I þinke þere-on · þeighe I were a pope

[^a18: for (beta) | --- (alpha)]

[^760: Bx.5.617: for / ---: Beta and Ax have the conjunction, but alpha and Cx are without it.]

[^761: Bx.5.617: man (2): LM and alpha, supported by AC. The other mss. have the plural.]

[^762: Bx.5.618: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^763: Bx.5.620: for: So beta and Ax, but alpha and some C mss. have, less expectedly, of. Cf. Bx.5.410, 457.]

¶ Biddeth amende ȝow meke him · t[o][^764] his maistre ones
To wayue vp þe wiket · þat þe womman shette
Tho Adam and Eue · eten apples vnrosted
Per euam cuntis clausa est · & per mariam virginem [iterum] patefacta est[^765]

[^764: Bx.5.622: to: MGO and alpha, against til in LCrWHmC. Although there is total support in favour of to from AC, that cannot in this case determine the reading of Bx. Some mss., notably HmCrGF, commonly have to when others have til in the sense "to", but R is not generally among them. See Bx.9.88, 10.390, 11.390, 17.149, 18.69, 18.417 (where alpha has to), and 19.429. In Bx.5.144 R has til (2x) against to in others; in 5.632 CO have til against to in others.]

[^765: Bx.5.625: iterum patefacta est : Alpha has iterum, beta has patefacta est, and Cx has both. The line is not in A. See Alford (1992), 51.]

¶ For he hath þe keye and þe clikat · þouȝ þe kynge slepe
And if grace graunte þe · to go in in[^766] þis wise
Þow shalt see in þi-selue · treuthe sitte in þine herte
In a cheyne of charyte · as þow a c[h]ilde were
To suffre hym and segge nouȝte · aȝein þi sires wille

[^766: Bx.5.627: in in: So the best beta mss., LM, but the second in is almost inevitably lost in all others including R (F omits the line). Half the A mss. and the majority of C mss. are also without it.]

¶ Ac bewar þanne of wrath þe[^767] · þat is a wikked shrewe
He hath enuye to hym · þat in þine herte sitteth
And pukketh forþ[^768] pruyde [·] to prayse þi-seluen
Þe boldnesse of þi bienfetes · maketh þe blynde þanne
And þanne worstow dryuen oute as dew · and þe dore closed
Kayed and clikated · to kepe þe with-outen
Happily an hundreth wyntre · ar þow eft entre
Þus myght þow lesen his loue · to late wel by þi-selue
And neuere happil[i]che efte entre · but grace þow haue

[^767: Bx.5.631: þe: So LWHmGR, but not supported by AC, and presumably a result of false division in Bx (wraþþe as in O > wraþ þe). Note, however, that wrath can be reflexive, and that Schmidt (2008), 360-1, adopts the reading.]

[^768: Bx.5.633: forþ: Omitted by alpha (and part of a correction in L), but supported by most A mss. and by Cx, as well as by sense.]

¶ Ac þere ar seuene sustren[^769] · þat seruen treuthe euere
And aren porteres of[^a19][^770] þe posternes · that to þe place longeth
Þat one hat abstenence · and humilite an-other
Charite and chastite · ben his chief maydenes
Pacience and pees · moche poeple þei helpeth
Largenesse þe lady · heo[^771] let in ful manye
Heo hath hulpe a þousande oute[^772] · of þe deueles ponfolde

[^a19: of (beta) | ouer (alpha)]

[^769: Bx.5.640: sustren: Beta is supported by AC. R's ȝiftes probably represents an alpha error, smoothed by F to seruauntys.]

[^770: Bx.5.641: of / ouer: Beta and Ax have of, but R and Cx have ouer. F reads at.]

[^771: Bx.5.645: heo: Probably the h- form is Bx, here and in the next line. In both cases R has he(o) and M is altered to she, the form in other mss. (AC omit the pronoun). Elsewhere in L heo is preserved in lines alliterating on /h/: Bx.1.75, 3.29. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^772: Bx.5.646: OF punctuate this line of uncertain structure before oute. It has no parallel in AC.]

¶ And who is sibbe to þis seuene · so me god helpe
He[^773] is wonderliche welcome · and faire vnderfongen
And but if[^774] ȝe be syb · to summe of þise seuene
It is ful harde bi myne heued quod Peres[^775] · for any of ȝow alle
To geten ingonge at any gate þere · but grace be þe more

[^773: Bx.5.648: He: R has Heo and F rewrites. Ax has He and Cx omits the pronoun.]

[^774: Bx.5.649: if: Omitted by MCrF, and by nine A mss. (the line is not in C).]

[^775: Bx.5.650: quod Peres: Not in AC, dropped in G by contamination, and anticipated in the previous line by F.]

¶ Now bi cryst quod a cutpurs · I haue no kynne þere
Ne[^776] I quod an apewarde · bi auȝte þat I knowe

[^776: Bx.5.653: Ne: The form is supported by LM and alpha and AC against Nor in others.]

¶ Wite god quod a wafrestre[^777] · wist I þis for[^778] sothe
Shulde I neuere ferthere a fote · for no freres prechyng

[^777: Bx.5.654: wafrestre: Ax has waferer, as do MGO, but Cx has the female.]

[^778: Bx.5.654: for: R omits, and F is essentially the same. Some mss. of the other versions agree with alpha, but Ax and the X family of C have the beta reading.]

¶ Ȝus quod Pieres þe plowman · and pukked hem alle to gode
Mercy is a maydene þere · hath myȝte ouer hem[^779] alle
And she is syb to alle synful · and her sone also
And þoruȝe þe helpe of hem two · hope þow none other
Þow myȝte gete grace þere · bi[^780] so þow go bityme

[^779: Bx.5.657: hem: Omitted by WHmCGO, but supported by AC.]

[^780: Bx.5.660: bi: Omitted by MWG, and treated as the second element of therby in CrC. The word is not in AC. The phrase bi so means "provided that", as at Bx.11.76, 12.183.]

¶ By seynt Poule quod a pardonere · parauenture I be nouȝte knowe þere[^781]
I wil go fecche my box with my breuettes · and a bulle with bisshopes lettres

[^781: Bx.5.661: knowe þere: Alpha instead reads welcome. Neither reading is compelling: beta's is prosaic, but on the other hand welcome is not elsewhere used to end a line. The line is not in AC.]

[¶][^782] By cryst quod a comune womman · þi companye wil I folwe
Þow shalt sey I am þi sustre · I ne wot where þei bicome

[^782: Bx.5.663: ¶: The usual paraph at the start of a speech is supported by WHmC and alpha.]

Passus Sextus de visione vt supra

This were a wikked way · but who-so hadde a gyde
That wolde folwen vs eche a fote · þus þis folke hem mened
[^783]Quatȝ Perkyn þe plouman · bi seynt Peter of Rome
I haue an half acre to erye · bi þe heigh way
Hadde I eried þis half acre · and sowen it after
I wil[^784] wende with ȝow · and þe way teche

[^783: Bx.6.3: WF have a paraph and R starts a new line group.]

[^784: Bx.6.6: wil: The reading of LR and C. The past tense is to be expected after Hadde, and so wolde is more likely to be scribal. Ax probably has the latter, as do most C mss., but XYJ have wol.]

¶ Þis were a longe lettynge · quod a lady in a sklayre
What sholde we wommen · worche þere-whiles[^785]

[^785: Bx.6.8: þere-whiles: So LM and alpha; see MED ther-whiles. Other mss. have þe while(s), the AC reading. Adams (2000), 177.]

¶ Somme shal sowe [þe][^786] sakke quod Piers · for shedyng of þe whete
And ȝe louely ladyes · with ȝoure longe fyngres
Þat ȝe han silke and sendal · to sowe whan tyme is
Chesibles for chapelleynes · cherches to honoure

[^786: Bx.6.9: þe (1): Dropped in L, but supported by all B mss. except M, which has the plural noun.]

¶ Wyues and wydwes · wolle & flex spynneth
Maketh cloth I conseille ȝow · and kenneth so ȝowre douȝtres
Þe nedy and þe naked · nymmeth hede how hij[^787] liggeth
And casteth hem clothes · for so comaundeth treuthe
For I shal lene hem lyflode · but ȝif þe londe faille
Flesshe and bred bothe · to riche and to pore
As longe as I lyue · for þe lordes loue of heuene

[^787: Bx.6.15: hij: LM. R records the reduced form a (its reading hym in the next line suggests the scribe took it as a sg.). Other mss. have þei.]

¶ And alle manere of men · þat þorw mete and drynke lybbeth
Helpith hym to worche wiȝtliche · þat wynneth ȝowre fode

¶ Bi crist quod a knyȝte þo · he kenneth vs þe best
Ac on þe teme trewly · tauȝte was I neuere
Ac kenne me quod þe knyȝte · and bi cryst I wil assaye

¶ Bi seynt Poule quod Perkyn · ȝe profre ȝow so faire
Þat I shal swynke and swete · and sowe for vs bothe
And oþer labour[er]es[^788] do for þi loue · al my lyf-tyme
In couenaunt þat þow kepe · holikirke[^789] and my-selue
Fro wastoures and fro[^790] wykked men · þat þis worlde struyeth

[^788: Bx.6.27: laboureres: The misspelling (presumably an otiose abbreviation) is corrected by most beta mss. (visibly in G) to laboures. The Hm corrector alters the line to make sense, and F revises similarly. R copies faithfully, as usual.]

[^789: Bx.6.28: kirke: On alpha's non-alliterating cherche see Introduction IV.1.]

[^790: Bx.6.29: and fro: Support from LR and beta2 (CrWHm) + G against and. AC mss. vary similarly.]

¶ And go hunte hardiliche [·] to hares and to foxes
To bores and to [b]ockes[^791] · þat breketh adown myne hegges
And go affaite þ[i][^792] faucones · wilde foules to kille
For suche cometh to my croft · and croppeth my whete

[^791: Bx.6.31: bockes: "bucks". Beta has the easy error brockes, "badgers", perhaps anticipating br- in the b-verse. R (= alpha?) is supported by AC; F rewrites.]

[^792: Bx.6.32: þi: So also Cx. Only LCrG have the definite article.]

¶ Curteislich þe knyȝte þanne · comsed þise wordes
By my power Pieres quod he · I pliȝte þe my treuthe
To fulfille þis forward · þowȝ I fiȝte sholde
Als longe as I lyue · I shal þe mayntene

¶ Ȝe and ȝit a poynt quod Pieres · I preye ȝow of more
Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt · but treuthe wil assent
And þowgh ȝe mowe amercy hem[^793] · late mercy be taxoure
And mekenesse þi mayster · maugre medes chekes
And þowgh pore men profre ȝow · presentis and ȝiftis
Nym it nauȝte an auenture · [þow][^794] mowe it nauȝte deserue
For þow shalt ȝelde it aȝein · at one ȝeres ende
In a ful perillous place · purgatorie it hatte

[^793: Bx.6.40: hem: Beta's reading is more satisfactory in sense and metre, yet alpha's men receives some support from C's a-verse And when ȝe mersyen eny man (RK.8.37), where it is needed for the alliteration.]

[^794: Bx.6.43: þow: Alpha is here supported by AC. The pl. forms in ll. 38, 39, 40 and 42 are also in Cx (but Ax has sg.); F alters to sg. throughout, and R alters to pl. in 41.]

¶ And mysbede nouȝte þi bonde-men[^a20][^795] · þe better may þow spede
Þowgh he be þyn vnderlynge here · wel may happe in heuene
Þat he worth worthier sette · and with more blisse
Amice ascende superius
For in charnel[^796] a[t][^797] chirche · cherles[^798] ben yuel to knowe
Or a kniȝte fram a knaue þere · knowe þis in þin herte
And þat þow be trewe of þi[^799] tonge · and tales þat þow hatie
But if þei ben of wisdome or of witt · þi werkmen to chaste
Holde[^a21][^800] with none harlotes · ne here nouȝte her tales
And nameliche atte mete · suche men eschue
For it ben þe deueles disoures · I do þe to vnderstande

[^a20: men (beta) | man (alpha)]

[^a21: Holde (beta) | Holde nauȝt (alpha)]

[^795: Bx.6.46: -men / -man: Beta has the Ax pl. while alpha has the sg. as Cx.]

[^796: Bx.6.50: in charnel: R probably represents alpha with the amusing error in a chanel, "gutter", sensibly revised to in a chapel by F.]

[^797: Bx.6.50: at: LMHm have atte, which represents "at the" in L (see Bx.P.107, 3.31, 6.55, etc.). CrWGR have at, which has some support from C's At churche in the Charnel.]

[^798: Bx.6.50: cherles: Supported by C and by alliteration against alpha's clerkes.]

[^799: Bx.6.54: þi: Beta is supported by Ax and the X family of C against alpha's omission. The P family reads hys.]

[^800: Bx.6.54: Holde / Holde nauȝt: Beta agrees with Ax, against Holde nauȝt in alpha and Cx.]

¶ I assente bi seynt Iame · seyde þe kniȝte þanne
Forto worche bi þi wordes · þe while my lyf dureth

¶ And I shal apparaille me quod Perkyn · in pilgrimes wise
And wende with ȝow I wil · til we fynde treuthe

¶ And cast on me[^801] my clothes · yclouted and hole
My cokeres and my coffes · for colde of my nailles
And hange myn hoper at myn hals · in stede of a scrippe
A busshel of bredcorne · brynge me þerinne
For I wil sowe it my-self · and sitthenes wil I wende
To pylgrymage as palmers don · pardoun forto haue

[^801: Bx.6.61: me: Although attested only by LR, it is more likely to have been lost than added, and has support from the Cx third-person version, caste on hym his clothes (RK.8.58). However, Adams (2000), 183, sees me as "random convergence".]

¶ Ac who-so helpeth me to erie · or sowen here[^802] ar I wende
Shal haue leue bi owre lorde · to lese here in heruest
And make h[y]m[^803] mery þere-mydde · maugre who-so bigruccheth it[^804]

[^802: Bx.6.67: here: Good support from LMR and WHm, strengthening the alliteration of the b-verse, though dropped in CrGOCF. A and C have different b-verses.]

[^803: BX.6.69: hym: Alpha's sg. is supported by AC over beta's plural.]

[^804: Bx.6.69: bigruccheth it: So LMCrW, and so probably beta. The X family of C has bigruchen hit, but the P family is without hit, as are beta4 and F (in Hm it appears to have been erased). Scribes may have been uncomfortable with two unstressed syllables at line-end. In R and Ax the pronoun precedes the verb. We follow copy-text.]

¶ And alkyn crafty men · þat konne lyuen in treuthe
I shal fynden hem fode · þat feithfulliche libbeth

¶ Saue Iakke þe iogeloure · and Ionet of þe stues
And danyel þe dys playere · and denote þe baude
And frere þe faytoure [·] and folke of his ordre
And Robyn þe Rybaudoure · for his rusty wordes
Treuthe tolde me ones · and bad me tellen it after
Deleantur de libro viuencium [·] I shulde nouȝte dele with hem
For holicherche is hote [·][^805] of hem no tythe to [aske][^806]
Quia cum iustis non scribantur
They ben ascaped good auenture · now[^807] god hem amende

[^805: Bx.6.78: The line is punctuated after hote in MCrC and alpha, after hem in LWO. The former is supported by the alliterative pattern.]

[^806: Bx.6.78: aske: The reading of R is supported by AC. That F agrees with beta take makes the Bx reading uncertain, but it is an easy error, typical of F in increasing the alliteration, especially in a line where the pattern puzzles some scribes, and indeed it is found as a minor variant in both A and C mss.]

[^807: Bx.6.80: now: So LM and alpha, supported by AC.]

¶ Dame worche whan tyme is · Pieres wyf hiȝte
His douȝter hiȝte do riȝte so · or þi dame shal þe bete
His sone hiȝte suffre þi souereynes · to hauen[^a22][^808] her wille[^809]
Deme hem nouȝte for if þow doste · þow shalt it dere abugge
Late god yworth with al · for so his worde techeth

[^a22: to hauen (beta) | hauen (alpha)]

[^808: Bx.6.83: to hauen / hauen: Beta includes to as Ax, which alpha and Cx omit.]

[^809: Bx.6.83: The line alliterates aaa/xx, which prompts OR to punctuate the line after suffre (which F drops), disregarding the syntactic break after souereynes.]

¶ For now I am olde and hore · and haue of myn owen
To penaunce and to pilgrimage · I wil passe with þise[^810] other
For-þi I wil or I wende · do wryte my biqueste
[^811] In dei nomine amen · I make it my-seluen
He shal haue my soule · þat best hath yserued[^812] it
And fro þe fende it defende[^813] · for so I bileue
Til I come to his acountes · as my cred[e][^814] me telleth[^a23][^815]
To haue a relees and a remissioun · on þat rental I leue

[^a23: me telleth (beta) | telleth (alpha)]

[^810: Bx.6.87: þise: The demonstrative, which seems preferable in terms of sense, is supported by L (but not M), by CrW (but not Hm), by R (but not F). AC mss. vary in the same way.]

[^811: Bx.6.89-91: These three lines in beta are set out as two in alpha, divided after soule and dropping for so I bileue. AC set the lines as beta.]

[^812: Bx.6.90: yserued: LCGOR, and so Bx. But M and beta2 have deserued, as does A. C rewrites the b-verse.]

[^813: Bx.6.91: Beta's version of the a-verse is confirmed by AC.]

[^814: Bx.6.92: crede: Alpha's form is supported by AC.]

[^815: Bx.6.92: me telleth / telleth: Beta reads as Ax, while alpha and Cx omit me.]

¶ Þe kirke shal haue my caroigne · and kepe my bones
For of my corne and catel · he[^816] craued þe tythe
I payed it hym prestly · for peril of my soule
For-thy is he holden I hope · to haue me in his masse
And mengen[^817] in his memorye · amonge alle crystene

[^816: Bx.6.95: he: In a clear example of sophistication, CrW alter to she, but the following lines confirm the masculine.]

[^817: Bx.6.98: mengen: F adds me by contamination from AC.]

¶ My wyf shal haue of þat I wan · with treuthe and nomore
And dele amonge my douȝtres · and my dere children
For þowgh I deye[^818] to-daye · my dettes ar[^819] quitte
I bare home þat I borwed · ar I to bedde ȝede

[^818: Bx.6.101: deye: Beta's present is supported by AC, though a few mss. in all versions have the past. Cf. l. 123.]

[^819: Bx.6.101: dettes ar: R's sg. is also the reading of the X family of C.]

¶ And with þe residue and þe remenaunte · bi þe Rode of Lukes
I wil worschip þer-with · treuthe bi my lyue
And ben his pilgryme atte plow · for pore mennes sake
My plow-[p]ote[^820] shal be my pyk-staf · and picche atwo[^821] þe rotes
And helpe my culter to kerue · and clense þe forwes

[^820: Bx.6.106: -pote: Alpha has support from AC (K.7.95, RK.8.64), though in all three versions the second element of the compound is also recorded as fote, bat, and staf. MED, recording no other instance, supposes the implement is probably "to remove earth adhering to a plow, or to chop roots" (plough, 1c (e)). Kane (2005) glosses as "ploughman's staff used to give added thrust to the coulter".]

[^821: Bx.6.106: atwo: Beta's reading is also that of Cx, though two mss. have at (as R) and two away (as F). Though Kane's A text has putte at, both verb and preposition vary widely, though no ms. has atwo.]

¶ Now is perkyn and [þ]is[^822] pilgrymes · to þe plowe faren
To erie þis halue acre · holpyn hym manye
Dikeres & delueres · digged vp þe balkes
Þere-with was perkyn apayed · and preysed hem faste
Other werkemen þere were · þat wrouȝten ful ȝerne
Eche man in his manere · made hym-self to done
And some to plese perkyn · piked vp þe wedes

[^822: Bx.6.108: þis: The X family of C agrees with R. Most A mss. and the P family of C share F's reading þe. We suppose that Bx þis is a slightly more likely source than þe of beta's his.]

¶ At heighe pryme peres · lete þe plowe stonde
To[^823] ouersen hem hym-self · and who-so best wrouȝte
He shulde be huyred þer-after · whan heruest tyme come

[^823: Bx.6.116: To: R's And ȝeed to must represent alpha (cf. F), but it has no support from AC.]

¶ And þanne seten somme · and songen atte nale
And hulpen[^824] erie his half acre · with how trolli lolli[^825]

[^824: Bx.6.119: hulpen: There is no support for R's ho helpen to.]

[^825: Bx.6.119: F's additional line is unusually amusing as well as metrical, but it has no parallel in any version of the poem.]

¶ Now bi þe peril of my soule quod Pieres · al in pure tene
But ȝe arise þe rather · and rape ȝow to worche
Shal no greyne þat groweth · glade ȝow at nede
And þough ȝe deye[^826] for dole · þe deuel haue þat recch[e][^827]

[^826: Bx.6.123: deye: As in the parallel l. 101, R has the past tense, but it is not supported by AC.]

[^827: Bx.6.123: recche: Alpha's subjunctive is supported by AC.]

¶ Tho were faitoures aferde · and feyned hem blynde
Somme leyde here legges aliri as suche loseles conneth
And made her mone to pieres · and preyde hym of grace
For we haue no lymes to laboure with · lorde ygraced be ȝe

¶[^828] Ac we preye for ȝow pieres · and for ȝowre plow bothe
Þat god of his grace · ȝowre grayne multiplye
And ȝelde ȝow of[^829] ȝowre almesse · þat ȝe ȝiue vs here
For we may nouȝte swynke ne swete · suche sikenesse vs eyleth

[^828: Bx.6.128: ¶: The paraph is recorded in LR and marked by a space in M.]

[^829: Bx.6.130: of: Beta2 (CrWHm) and G have for, as do a few AC mss.]

¶ If it be soth quod pieres þat ȝe seyne · I shal it sone asspye
Ȝe ben wastoures I wote wel · and[^830] treuthe wote þe sothe
And I am his olde hyne · and hiȝte hym to warne
Which þei were in þis worlde · his werkemen appeyred[^831]

[^830: Bx.6.133: and: R's omission is not supported by Ax. R has three unique readings in this line.]

[^831: Bx.6.135: appeyred: GR have the present (F has wolde a-peyre). The parallel line in A, Suche wastours in þis world his werkmen distroyeþ (K.7.124), is too different to offer support.]

¶ Ȝe wasten þat men wynnen · with trauaille and with tene
Ac treuthe shal teche ȝow · his teme to dryue
Or ȝe shal ete barly bred · and of þe broke drynke
But if he be blynde [or][^832] broke-legged · or bolted with yrnes
He shal ete whete bred · and drynke with my-selue
Tyl god of his goodnesse · amendement hym sende
[^833]Ac ȝe myȝte trauaille as treuthe wolde · and take mete & huyre
To kepe kyne in þe felde · þe corne fro þe bestes
Diken or deluen or dyngen vppon sheues
Or helpe make morter · or bere mukke afelde

[^832: Bx.6.139: or (1): There is no support for L's and in any version, though note that and probably underlies the correction or in M.]

[^833: Bx.6.142: Hm and alpha have a paraph.]

¶ In lecherye and in losengerye · ȝe lyuen and in sleuthe
And al is þorw suffrance · þat venjaunce ȝow ne taketh

¶ Ac ancres and heremytes · þat eten but at nones
And namore er morwe · myne almesse shul þei haue
And of my[^834] catel to cope[^835] hem with · þat han cloistres and cherches
[^836]Ac robert renneaboute · shal nouȝte haue of myne
Ne posteles but þey preche conne · and haue powere of þe bisschop
They shal haue payne and potage · and make hem-self at ese
For it is an vnresonable Religioun · þat hath riȝte nouȝte of certeyne

[^834: Bx.6.150: of my: LM and alpha. Beta2 (CrWHm) and G drop my; CO drop both words. This passage is not in AC.]

[^835: Bx.6.150: cope: LMR and CO, with F revising to kouere. Beta2 (CrWHm) and G read kepe. For the collocation with catel, "provide resources for clothing", see Bx.5.271.]

[^836: Bx.6.151: WHmCF have a paraph.]

¶ And þanne gan a wastoure to wrath hym · and wolde haue yfouȝte
And to Pieres þe plowman · he profered his gloue
A Brytonere a braggere · a bosted[^837] pieres als
And bad hym go pissen with[^838] his plow · for-pyned schrewe
Wiltow or neltow · we wil haue owre wille
Of[^839] þi flowre and of þi flessche · fecche whan vs liketh
And make vs myrie þer-myde[^840] · maugre þi chekes

[^837: Bx.6.157: a bosted: As one word in all except CrCGOF. Presumably not all scribes recognised this as "he threatened" but took it as an unparalleled compound verb. Ax has he bostide. RK.8.152 records abostede, but it is questioned by Kane (2005) s.v.]

[^838: Bx.6.158: with: Beta supported by AC. Alpha tones down the vulgarism.]

[^839: Bx.6.160: Of: Alpha probably read And of. Beta is supported by Ax, but alpha by the X family of C; the P family has Boþe.]

[^840: Bx.6.161: þer-myde: M is joined by HmCG with þere-with. The half-line is repeated from l. 69 where HmC have the variation. Ax has -wiþ, but the best C mss. read -myde. See note to Bx.7.26, and cf. 15.144.]

¶ Thanne Pieres þe plowman · pleyned hym to þe knyȝte
To kepe hym as couenaunte was · fram cursed shrewes
And fro þis wastoures wolueskynnes · þat maketh þ[is][^841] worlde dere
For þo waste and wynnen nouȝte · and þat ilke while
Worth neuere plente amonge þe poeple · þer-while[^842] my plow liggeth

[^841: Bx.6.164: þis (2): R represents alpha since F drops the line, and is supported by Cx (RK.8.158) against beta's þe. G also has þis.]

[^842: Bx.6.166: þer-while: So LMC, and probably beta. R, which may be right, has þe while in line with other mss.; F reads while. Cx has and. Cf. 6.8n.]

¶ Curteisly þe knyȝte þanne · as his kynde wolde
Warned wastoure · and wissed hym bettere
Or þow shalt abugge by þe lawe · by þe ordre þat I bere

¶ I was nouȝt wont to worche quod wastour · and now wil I nouȝt bigynne
And lete liȝte[^843] of þe lawe [·] and lasse of þe knyȝte
And sette Pieres at a pees · and his plow bothe
And manaced pieres and his men · ȝif þei mette eft-sone

[^843: Bx.1.171: liȝte: Alpha with Hm have the adverbial form liȝtly, but beta has the form recorded in AC and elsewhere in the poem.]

¶ Now[^844] by þe peril of my soule quod Pieres · I shal apeyre ȝow alle
And houped after hunger · þat herd hym atte firste
Awreke me of þise wastoures quod he · þat þis worlde schendeth[^845]

[^844: Bx.1.174: Now: Supported by AC, despite alpha's omission.]

[^845: Bx.6.176: schendeth: Plural, as schende(n) in alpha.]

¶ Hunger in haste þo · hent wastour bi þe mawe
And wronge hym so bi þe wombe · þat [al wattered] his eyen[^846]
He buffeted þe Britoner [·] aboute þe chekes
Þat he loked like a lanterne · al his lyf after
He bette hem so bothe · he barste nere here guttes
Ne hadde Pieres with a pese lof · preyed hunger cesse[^847]
They hadde ben doluen bothe · ne deme þow non other
Suffre hem lyue he seyde · and lete hem ete with hogges
Or elles benes and bren · ybaken togideres
Or elles melke and mene[^848] ale · þus preyed pieres for hem

[^846: Bx.6.178: We adopt R's b-verse, which is that of AC, and conforms to the standard alliterative pattern, though it is unmetrical (x x / x x / x). If R reproduces alpha, this leaves the question of how F shares the beta reading. In fact four A mss. have the same reading as beta, and five more have the same noun-verb word-order omitting bothe. Either F is contaminated, or else the scribe independently corrupted to the easier reading ("prose order", KD, p. 168 n. 89) just as some A scribes did.]

[^847: Bx.6.182: cesse: Beta has to cesse, and it may be right, but to is perhaps supplied to fill a short b-verse. Cf. 3.334, but for a counter-example cf. 1.82. AC have preyed hym beleue.]

[^848: Bx.6.186: mene: "inferior" (MED mene adj.(1), 3(a)). But CO and alpha have meyne which, in R at least, is used only as a spelling of MED meine n., "household"; cf. meine 1(b) ~ bord, referring to a more humble table. MED does not record the compound meine-ale. The line is not in AC and is rejected by KD.]

¶ Faitoures for fere her-of · flowen in-to bernes
And flapten on with flayles · fram morwe til euen
That hunger was nouȝt hardy[^849] · on hem forto loke
For a potful of peses · þat peres hadde ymaked

[^849: Bx.6.189: hardy: Beta has so hardy, but alpha is supported by Cx. A mss. are split.]

[¶][^850] An heep of heremites · henten hem spades
And ketten here copes · and courtpies hem made
And wenten as werkemen · with spades and with schoueles
And doluen and dykeden · to dryue aweye hunger

[^850: Bx.6.191: ¶: The paraph is in WHmC and alpha. In LM the paraph was easily missed since the line is at the top of the page in both. Though evidently Bx, it is inappropriate in splitting 190 from 191.]

¶ Blynde and bedreden · were botened a þousande
Þat seten to begge syluer · sone were þei heled
For þat was bake for bayarde · was bote for[^851] many hungry
And many a beggere for benes · buxome was to swynke
And eche a[^852] pore man wel apayed[^853] · to haue pesen for his huyre
And what pieres preyed hem to do · as prest as a sperhauke
And þere-of was peres proude · and put hem to werke
And ȝaf hem mete as he myȝte aforth · and mesurable huyre

[^851: Bx.6.197: bote for: So beta and Cx (line not in A). R has bote to.]

[^852: Bx.6.199: eche a: Supported by LR and WCO, against eche in others. A standard variant; cf. Bx.3.318n, 5.89, etc. The line is not in AC.]

[^853: Bx.6.199: apayed: Supported by LR and CrWHm, against paied in others.]

¶ Þanne hadde peres pite · and preyed hunger to wende
Home in-to his owne erd[^854] · and holden hym þere
For I am wel awroke now[^855] · of wastoures þorw þi myȝte
Ac I preye þe ar þow passe · quod Pieres to[^856] hunger
Of beggeres and of bidderes · what best be [to][^857] done
For I wote wel be þow went · þei wil worche ful ille
For myschief it maketh · þei beth so meke nouthe
And for defaute of her fode · þis folke is at my wille
[It][^858] are my blody bretheren quod pieres · for god bouȝte vs alle
Treuthe tauȝte me ones · to louye hem vchone
And to helpen hem of alle þinge · ay as hem nedeth
And now wolde I witen of þe · what were þe best
An[^859] how I myȝte amaistrien hem · and make hem to worche

[^854: Bx.6.204: erd: The form in LR and original M, from OE eard. Beta2 (CrWHm) and revised M have yerd, from OE geard.]

[^855: Bx.6.205: now: Supported by LMOC and alpha, but omitted by beta2 (CrWHm) and G, as also (coincidentally?) by Cx. The line is not in A.]

[^856: Bx.6.206: to: Alpha may be right with þo to, creating a long dip, as G does independently with vn-to. A and C have two different versions of the b-verse.]

[^857: Bx.6.207: be to: L alone drops to. Most C mss. have the subjunctive as in beta; most A mss. have the phrase as in F, though five have R's order.]

[^858: Bx.6.211: It: All other mss. have Þey, but R is supported by AC. For the formal it as equivalent to "they", see Mustanoja (1960), 132-3; and cf. Bx.6.56, where GF again read þei for it.]

[^859: Bx.6.215: An: "and".]

¶ Here now quod hunger · and holde it for a wisdome
Bolde beggeres and bigge · þat mowe her bred biswynke
With houndes bred and hors-bred · holde vp her hertis
Abate hem with benes · for bollyng of her wombe
And ȝif þe gomes grucche · bidde hem go swynke[^860]
[^861] And he shal soupe swettere · whan he it hath deseruid

[^860: Bx.6.220: go swynke: For the idiom, cf. 5.24 go worche, 7.104 gon faiten, 9.143 go shape. Alpha has go and swynke; the same variation is found in AC.]

[^861: Bx.6.221: The line is dropped by alpha. It is attested by AC.]

¶ And[^862] if þow fynde any freke · þat fortune[^a24][^863] hath appeyred
Or any maner fals men · fonde þow suche to cnowe
Conforte h[e]m[^864] with þi catel · for crystes loue of heuene
Loue hem and lene hem · so lawe of god techeth
Alter alterius onera portate
And alle maner of[^865] men · þat þow myȝte asspye
That nedy ben and nauȝty · helpe hem with þi godis
Loue hem and lakke hem nouȝte · late god take þe venjaunce
Theigh þei done yuel · late þow[^866] god aworthe[^867]
Michi vindictam & ego retribuam ·
And if þow wil be graciouse to god · do as þe gospel techeth
And bilow[^868] þe amonges low men · so shaltow lacche grace
Facite vobis amicos de mamona iniquitatis

[^a24: fortune (beta) | falshed (alpha)]

[^862: Bx.6.222: And: R has Ac, which may be right. There is the same variation in AC.]

[^863: Bx.6.222: fortune / falshed: An interesting case. Alpha's false or falshed is clearly an error in view of fals men in the next line. And yet it was presumably the basis for Cx, which reads þat fals men han apayred and drops the next line. Beta shares fortune with Ax.]

[^864: Bx.6.224: hem: Beta probably had hym, as in LCrWHm, with MGO correcting. (Note HmO man in the line above.) AC have the plural, as in alpha.]

[^865: Bx.6.227: maner of: R omits of. AC scribes vary, though the most authoritative of C also omit.]

[^866: Bx.6.230: þow: Only in LR; dropped by other scribes perhaps on the basis of l. 85. Presumably it carries the alliteration of the b-verse. The line is not in AC. Adams (2000), 183.]

[^867: Bx.6.230: aworthe: The rare form is supported by LMR.]

[^868: Bx.6.233: bilow: As at Bx.2.22, LMR presumably reproduce the spelling of Bx. F wrongly takes the verb to be formed on lowen, "be humble". The Latin of the next line makes it clear that it means "make (yourself) loved" (MED biloven), and beta1 reads biloue. The line replaces K.7.212 Make þe Frendis þermid. Adams (2000), 178.]

¶ I wolde nouȝt greue god quod piers · for al þe good on grounde
Miȝte I synnelees do as þow seist · seyde pieres þanne

¶ Ȝe I bihote þe[^869] quod hunger · or ellis þe bible lieth
Go to Genesis þe gyaunt · þe engendroure of vs alle
In sudore and swynke[^870] · þow shalt þi mete tilye
And laboure for þi lyflode · and so owre lorde hyȝte
And sapience seyth þe same · I seigh it[^871] in þe bible
Piger pro frigore · no felde nolde[^872] tilye
And þerfore he shal begge and bidde · and no man bete his hunger

[^869: Bx.6.237: þe (1): Alpha's god is not supported by AC, but cf. l. 285.]

[^870: Bx.6.239: and swynke: Alpha has and in swynke and beta's reading is uncertain. Ax has the reading adopted here, and Cx has a Latin line (altered from Genesis) in the form In sudore & labore (or vice versa).]

[^871: Bx.6.241: it: Omitted in R (= alpha?) but supported by Ax.]

[^872: Bx.6.242: nolde: This seems to be the beta reading (M is corrected), with alpha reading wolde, probably the reading of Ax. Either could be Bx.]

¶ Mathew with mannes face · mouthe[th][^873] þise wordis
a besaunt
Þat seruus nequam had a nam[^874] · and for he wolde nouȝte chaffare
He had maugre of his maistre · for euermore after
And binam [hym][^875] his Mnam · for he ne wolde[^876] worche
And ȝaf þat Mnam to hym · þat ten Mnames hadde
And with þat he seyde · þat holicherche it herde
He þat hath shal haue · and helpe þere it nedeth
And he þat nouȝt hath shal nouȝt haue · and no man hym helpe
And þat he weneth wel[^877] to haue · I wil it hym bireue

[^873: Bx.6.244: moutheth: Alpha's present tense is that of Ax, and is supported by C's Mathew maketh mencioun (RK.8.246). Beta's past tense may be unconscious substitution of -thed for -theth.]

[^874: Bx.6.245: nam : Alpha has man, and beta probably here had the spelling nam rather than Mnam, which WHmC have corrected from Luke 19.24 and from ll. 247-8. Cf. the spelling variants there. The gloss besaunt which appears in LMWHm and as a variant in CrG must have been in beta.]

[^875: Bx.6.247: hym: Not in L and added in M, so probably absent in beta. Other beta scribes make an obvious correction.]

[^876: Bx.6.247: ne wolde: Ax has nolde, which carries the alliteration, but it is supported for Bx only by MG.]

[^877: Bx.6.252: wel: Alpha has for and loses the alliteration. Beta has the support of Ax and the X family of C, though the P family omit wel to.]

¶ Kynde witt wolde · þat eche a wyght wrouȝte
Or in dykynge or in deluynge · or trauaillynge in preyeres
Contemplatyf lyf or actyf lyf · cryst wolde men[^878] wrouȝte
Þe sauter seyth in þe[^879] psalme · of beati omnes
Þe freke þat fedeth hym-self · with his feythful laboure
He is blessed by þe boke · in body and in soule
Labores manuum tuarum &c ·

[^878: Bx.6.255: men: So LMR; beta1 has þei and F has we. AC are different.]

[^879: Bx.6.256: þe: Alpha has a, which could be right, since there are several Beati omnes psalms. There is similar variation in A mss.]

¶ Ȝet I prey ȝow quod pieres · par[^880] charite and ȝe kunne
Eny leef of lechecraft · lere it me my dere
For somme of my seruauntz · and my-self bothe
Of al a wyke worche nouȝt · so owre wombe aketh

[^880: Bx.6.260: par : The spelling in LWR (and abbreviated in MCG). See note to Bx.8.11.]

¶ I wote wel quod hunger · what sykenesse ȝow eyleth
Ȝe han maunged ouer-moche · and þat maketh ȝow grone
Ac I hote þe quod hunger · as þow þyne hele wilnest
Þat þow drynke no day · ar þow dyne somwhat
Ete nouȝte I hote þe[^881] · ar hunger þe take
And sende þe of his sauce · to sauoure with þi lippes
And kepe some tyl soper tyme · and sitte nouȝt to longe
Arise[^882] vp ar appetit · haue eten his fulle
Lat nouȝt sire surfait [·] sitten at þi borde
Leue him nouȝt for he is lecherous · and likerous of tonge
And after many manere metes · his maw is afyngred

[^881: Bx.6.268: þe (1): Supported by Ax, but R omits, as does Cx.]

[^882: Bx.6.271: Arise: So LMR supported by alliteration and Ax; F has But a-ryse, the others And ryse, evidently misinterpreting A as "And".]

¶ And ȝif þow diete þe þus · I dar legge myne eres
Þat phisik shal his furred hodes · for his fode selle
And his cloke of calabre · with alle þe[^883] knappes of golde
And be fayne bi my feith · his phisik to lete
And lerne to laboure with londe · for lyflode is swete
[Þer aren mo morareres þan] leches[^884] · lorde hem amende
Þei do men deye þorw here drynkes · ar destine it wolde

[^883: Bx.6.277: þe: Alpha omits; A mss. vary similarly.]

[^884: Bx.6.280: Þer aren mo morareres þan leches: We take R to represent a corrupt Bx. We suppose that B read as A does: Þer arn mo liȝeris þan lechis (K.7.257). The nonce word morareres resulted from dittography of mo. F's moraynerys (from moreine, "death"?) is a desperate attempt to make sense of this. Beta's revision to For morthereres aren mony leches is more radical and more sensible. The line is rewritten in C. See Schmidt (1995), 375.]

¶ By seynt Poule quod pieres · þise aren profitable wordis
Wende now hunger whan þow wolt · þat wel be þow[^885] euere
For þis is a louely lessoun · lorde it þe forȝelde

[^885: Bx.6.283: be þow: R reverses and F alters. A few C mss. agree with R.]

¶ By-hote[^886] god quod hunger · hennes ne wil I wende
Til I haue dyned bi þis day · and ydronke bothe

[^886: Bx.6.285: By-hote: GF's I hoote is an A reading, introduced to correct the omission of I in Bx.]

¶ I haue no peny quod peres · poletes forto[^887] bigge
Ne neyther gees ne grys · but two grene cheses
A fewe cruddes and creem · and an hauer cake
And two loues of benes and bran · ybake for my fauntis
And ȝet I sey by my soule · I haue no salt bacoun
Ne no kokeney bi cryst [·] coloppes forto maken
Ac I haue percil and porettes[^888] · and many kole plantes[^889]
And eke a cow and a kalf · and a cart mare
To drawe afelde my donge · þe while þe drought lasteth
And bi þis lyflode we mot lyue · til lammasse tyme
And bi þat I hope to haue · heruest in my croft
And þanne may I diȝte þi dyner · as me dere liketh

[^887: Bx.6.287: forto: LR and CrCO, challenged by to in MWHmG. Cx has the former, Ax the latter. We follow copy-text.]

[^888: Bx.6.293: porettes: So beta and F; R has sg. porett. A mss. vary similarly; Cx revises to poret plontes.]

[^889: Bx.6.293: kole plantes: Probably R queynte herbes represents the alpha b-verse, which F alters to alliterate. Beta is supported by Ax; Cx revises to improve the alliteration.]

[¶][^890] Alle þe pore peple þo · pesecoddes fetten
Benes and baken apples · þei brouȝte in her lapp[e][^891]
Chibolles and cheruelles · and ripe chiries manye
And profred peres þis present · to plese with hunger

[^890: Bx.6.299: ¶: The paraph in HmW and alpha is appropriate here.]

[^891: Bx.6.300: lappe: We prefer the distributive sg. of R, supported by Cx and the A witnesses TDCh.]

¶ Al hunger eet in hast · and axed after more
Þanne pore folke for fere · fedde hunger ȝerne
With grene poret and pesen · to poysoun hunger[^892] þei þouȝte
[^893]By þat it neighed nere heruest · newe[^894] corne cam to chepynge
Þanne was folke fayne · and fedde hunger with þe best
With good ale as glotoun tauȝte · and gerte hunger go slepe

[^892: Bx.6.305: hunger: Beta2 (CrWHm); G (corrected) and F read hym. This is an agreement by coincidence or contamination with Ax. The line is not in C.]

[^893: Bx.3.306: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^894: Bx.6.306: newe: Again W (with F here) has a reading which is probably not Bx but agrees coincidentally with another version. & newe is the reading of Cx and of five A mss.]

¶ And þo wolde wastour nouȝt[^895] werche · but wandren aboute
Ne no begger ete bred · þat benes Inne were
But of coket or[^896] clerematyn · or elles of clene whete
Ne none halpeny ale · in none wise drynke
But of þe best and of þe[^897] brounest · þat in borgh is to selle

[^895: Bx.6.309: wolde wastour nouȝt: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's wolde no wastour.]

[^896: Bx.6.311: or (1): R has or of; for which AC offer no support.]

[^897: Bx.6.313: and of þe: LR + beta2 (CrWHm), as the X family of C. The P family omits of þe, as F. Ax omits of, as MG and O corrected.]

¶ Laboreres þat haue no lande · to lyue on but her handes
Deyned nouȝt[^a25][^898] to dyne a-day · nyȝt-olde wortes
May no peny-ale hem paye · ne no pece of bakoun
But if it be fresch flesch other fische · fryed other bake[^899]
And þat chaude or[^900] plus chaud · for chillyng of here[^901] mawe
[^902] And but if[^903] he be hieghlich huyred · ellis wil he chyde
And þat he was werkman wrouȝt · waille þe tyme
Aȝeines catones conseille · comseth he to iangle
Paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento

[^a25: Deyned nouȝt (beta) | Deyned (alpha)]

[^898: Bx.6.315: Deyned nouȝt / Deyned: See MED deinen v.(1) & (2) for the two related verbs meaning "condescend, see fit" and "disdain". In beta it is the former, in alpha, omitting nouȝt, the latter. Ax supports beta, but it seems clear that Cx supports alpha (with X significantly adding noȝt as a correction). The only other use in the B text is Bx.10.82, recorded only in alpha, in the sense "condescend" in F (deyneþ not vs to here), but in R in the sense "disdain" (deyneþ his heres to opne)! In the corresponding line in C, some mss. read deyneth nat vs to here, but as many omit nat (RK.11.59).]

[^899: Bx.6.317: Alpha runs this and the next line together, omitting the b-verse of l. 317 and the a-verse of l. 318.]

[^900: Bx.6.318: or: WHmG have and, supported by AC. We rely on LM, and suppose that G is likely to be contaminated and the reading of the WHm ancestor coincidental. In the absence of alpha, certainty is impossible.]

[^901: Bx.6.318: here: R may be right with sg. his, which is the reading of four A mss. and the X family of C.]

[^902: Bx.6.319: Only LM have a paraph, and it is not particularly appropriate.]

[^903: Bx.6.319: but if: So LR and CrWG; others drop if (M is rewritten). AC vary similarly.]

¶ He greueth hym aȝeines god · and gruccheth aȝeines resoun
And þanne curseth he þe kynge · and al his conseille after
Suche lawes to loke · laboreres to greue
Ac whiles hunger was her maister · þere wolde none of hem[^904] chyde
Ne stryue aȝeines his statut · so sterneliche he loked

[^904: Bx.6.326: none of hem: In A the b-verse reads wolde þere non chide; C reverses the first two words, ther wolde non chyde, with the P family omitting ther. Despite the variations, none of the B mss. exactly matches any of these.]

¶ Ac I warne ȝow werkemen · wynneth while ȝe mowe
For hunger hideward[^905] · hasteth hym faste[^906]
He shal awake with water[^907] · wastoures to chaste
Ar fyue [ȝere][^908] be fulfilled · suche famyn shal aryse
Thorwgh flodes[^909] and[^910] foule wederes · frutes shul faille
And so sayde saturne · and sent ȝow to warne
Whan ȝe se þe sonne amys · and two monkes hedes
And a Mayde haue þe maistrie · and multiplied[^911] bi eight
Þanne shal deth withdrawe · and derthe be iustice
And dawe þe dyker · deye for hunger
But if god of his goodnesse · graunt vs a trewe

[^905: Bx.6.329: hideward: There is no need to emend L's spelling, since hideward is not uncommon. See MED. In the other example in Bx.18.313, all scribes including L use the regular spelling, although in the C version of the line (RK.20.341) three mss. including X have hidward.]

[^906: Bx.6.329: faste: Alpha's ful faste is not supported by AC.]

[^907: Bx.6.330: water: A good example of R blindly following his exemplar, and F rationalising to make sense.]

[^908: Bx.6.331: ȝere: We suppose that beta omitted the word and that HmO supplied it by conjecture. A mss. generally have the word, though oddly five omit it; C revises to fewe ȝeres. Alternatively, it is possible that the riddling fyue was AB, with scribes making what must have seemed an obvious correction.]

[^909: Bx.6.332: flodes: R's sg. has some support from A mss.]

[^910: Bx.6.332: and: LWHm have and þourgh. The variant is also found in AC.]

[^911: Bx.6.335: multiplied: The past participle (i.e. "and everything increased eightfold") is in LM and alpha, though it is a correction in M. Probably the other scribes took it as an imperative.]

Passus septimus de visione vt supra

Treuthe herde telle her-of · and to peres he[^912] sent
To taken his teme [·] and tulyen þe erthe
And purchaced hym a pardoun · a pena & a culpa
For hym and for his heires · for euermore after
And bad hym holde hym at home · and eryen his leyes
And alle þat halpe hym to erie · to sette or to sowe
Or any other myster · þat myȝte pieres auaille
Pardoun with pieres plowman · treuthe hath ygraunted

[^912: Bx.7.1: he: Omitted in CrHmGO and inserted in L. The support of MWC and alpha establishes it for Bx, though it is omitted in AC.]

¶ Kynges and knyȝtes · þat kepen holycherche
And ryȝtfullych in reumes · reulen þe peple
Han pardoun thourgh purgatorie · to passe ful lyȝtly
With patriarkes and prophetes · in paradise to be felawes[^913]

[^913: Bx.7.12: felawes: The plural is supported by LMG and alpha.]

¶ Bisshopes yblessed · ȝif þei ben as þei shulden
Legistres of bothe lawes[^914] · þe lewed þere-with to preche
And in as moche as þei mowe · amende alle synful
Aren peres with þe apostles · þus[^915] pardoun Piers sheweth
And at þe day of dome · atte[^916] heigh deyse to sytte

[^914: Bx.7.14: bothe lawes: So alpha and WHmCr (beta2), supported by Ax Bisshopis þat blissen & boþe lawes kenne (K.8.13). However LM and beta4 (GOC) read bothe þe lawes, which could be right.]

[^915: Bx.7.16: þus: LM and alpha, against þis in others.]

[^916: Bx.7.17: atte: "at the", as in all beta mss. except M with at. R also has at, with F reading on. MR could be right. Ax reads instead at here deis.]

¶ Marchauntz in þe margyne · hadden many ȝeres
Ac none a pena[^917] & a culpa · þe Pope nolde[^918] hem graunte
For þei holde nouȝt her halida[y][^919] · as holicherche techeth
And for þei swere by her soule · and[^920] so god moste[^921] hem helpe
Aȝein clene conscience · her catel to selle

[^917: Bx.7.19: none a pena : Beta is supported by Ax; alpha's no pena is shared with the X family of C; the P family has a pena.]

[^918: Bx.7.19: nolde: Following the negative in the a-verse, Bx has a second negative in the b-verse, either nolde in beta or wald nauȝt (F wille not) in alpha. Many A mss. also have nolde. C mss. have wolde or nolde depending on whether they include or omit no in the a-verse.]

[^919: Bx.7.20: haliday: The distributive sg. of M and alpha is more likely to have given rise to the plural than vice versa. AC show similar variation.]

[^920: Bx.7.21: by her soule and: Replaced in alpha by ofte, but supported by AC and by alliteration.]

[^921: Bx.7.21: moste: Omitted by M and alpha, but supported by AC.]

¶ Ac vnder his secret seel · treuthe sent hem a lettre
That þey shulde bugge boldely · þat hem best liked[^922]
And sithenes selle it aȝein · and saue þe wynny[n]ge[^923]
And amende mesondieux þere-[with][^924] · and myseyse folke helpe
And wikked wayes · wiȝtlich hem[^925] amende
And do bote to brugges [·] þat to-broke were
Marien maydenes · or maken hem nonnes
Pore peple and prisounes · fynden hem here fode
And sette scoleres to scole · or to somme[^926] other craftes
Releue Religioun · and renten hem bettere
[^927]And I shal sende ȝow my-selue · seynt Michel myn archangel
Þat no deuel shal ȝow dere · ne fere ȝow in ȝowre deying
And witen ȝow fro wanhope · if ȝe wil þus worche
And sende ȝowre sowles in safte · to my seyntes in ioye

[^922: Bx.7.24: liked: The beta reading, against the present in alpha. Cx supports the past tense; A mss. are divided. In the context of present-tense verbs, the past tense is more likely to have given rise to the present.]

[^923: Bx.7.25: wynnynge: Beta's distributive sg. is shared with most A mss., while most C mss. have alpha's plural.]

[^924: Bx.7.26: þere-with: The alpha reading is supported by the AC versions. Beta's þere-myde is perhaps prompted by the alliteration. For similar variation in this situation, cf. Bx.5.77 and note, 6.67 (= RK.8.68), 6.161 (= K.7.145 and RK.8.155), 15.144. There appears to be no settled pattern.]

[^925: Bx.7.27: hem: Supported for Bx by LMHmO and alpha; dropped in others. Yet Ax has to; Cx rewrites.]

[^926: Bx.7.31: somme: Omitted in alpha, but supported by Ax and required by alliteration.]

[^927: Bx.7.33: Alpha has a paraph.]

¶ Þanne were Marchauntz mery · many wepten[^928] for ioye
And preyseden Pieres þe plowman · þat purchaced þis bulle

[^928: Bx.7.37: Marchauntz mery · many wepten: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's manye marchauntz . þat wopen.]

[¶][^929] Men of lawe lest pardoun hadde[^930] [·] þat pleteden for Mede
For þe sauter saueth hem nouȝte · such as taketh ȝiftes
And namelich of innocentz [·] þat none yuel ne[^931] kunneth
Super innocentem munera non accipies[^932]
[^933]Pledoures shulde peynen hem · to plede for such an[^934] helpe
Prynces and prelates · shulde paye for her trauaille
A regibus & pryncipibus erit merces eorum

[^929: Bx.7.39: ¶: The spacing in LM indicates that a paraph was intended, as in WHmC.]

[^930: Bx.7.39: hadde: The line ended here in alpha, with F filling out this line, and both RF independently supplying a b-verse for the next line.]

[^931: Bx.7.41: ne: Supported by LWCrG and alpha against omission in others.]

[^932: Bx.7.42: The Latin line, omitted by alpha, appears in A. The passage is revised in C.]

[^933: Bx.7.43: The paraph in WHmC is perhaps prompted by the Latin line above, though R also begins a line group.]

[^934: Bx.7.43: an: "and". Cf. l. 46.]

¶ Ac many a iustice an iuroure · wolde for Iohan do more
Þan pro dei pietate · leue þow none other
[^935]Ac he þat spendeth his speche [·] and spekeþ for þe pore
Þat is Innocent and nedy · and no man appeireth
Conforteth[^936] hym in þat cas · with-oute coueytise of ȝiftes
And scheweth lawe for owre lordes loue · as he it hath lerned
Shal no deuel at his ded-day[^937] · deren hym a myte
Þat he ne worth sauf and his sowle · þe sauter bereth witnesse
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo &c ·

[^935: Bx.7.48: WHmC begin with a paraph, and R begins a new line group, as at l. 43.]

[^936: Bx.7.50: Conforteth: Alpha begins And conforteth, but beta is supported by Ax.]

[^937: Bx.7.52: ded-day: LCGR have this form, though the usual form is deþ-day. Cf. l. 127.]

¶ Ac to bugge water ne wynde · ne witte ne fyre þe fierthe
Þise foure þe fader of heuene · made to þis folde in comune
Þise ben treuthes tresores · trewe folke to helpe
Þat neuere shal wax ne wanye · with-oute god hym-selue

¶ Whan þei drawen on to deye[^938] · and Indulgences wolde haue
H[is] pardoun is ful petit · at h[is][^939] partyng hennes
Þat any[^940] Mede of mene men [·] for her motyng taketh
Ȝe[^941] legistres and lawyeres · holdeth þis for treuthe
Þat ȝif þat I lye · Mathew is to blame
For he bad me make ȝow þis · and þis prouerbe me tolde
Quodcumque vultis vt faciant vobis homines · facite eis

[^938: Bx.7.59: on to deye: LMWCrG have the verb; HmO and R have the noun deþ. F's to þe deþ is also the reading of Cx. Drawen to (þe) deþ is common (MED drauen 3b (a)), but note Cleanness 1329 drawes to dyȝe.]

[^939: Bx.7.60: His ... his: In the a-verse R shares the sg, with beta4, but only R has the sg. in the b-verse. However Cx has the sg. in both cases. (Ax also has a sg. pronoun, but the context is different, K.8.59.) The plural pronouns are obviously attracted to the pronouns of the surrounding lines, providing the motive for beta and F independently to rationalise.]

[^940: Bx.7.61: any: Omitted only by R, but it is not in Cx. Ax supports the reading of all other mss.]

[^941: Bx.7.62: Ȝe: Beta is supported by Ax against alpha's Þe. (KD report R's Þe and þe in this line as Ȝe and ȝe.)]

¶ Alle lybbyng laboreres · þat lyuen with her hondes
Þat trewlich taken · and trewlich wynnen
And lyuen in loue and in lawe · for her lowe hert[e][^942]
Haueth þe same absolucioun · þat sent was to peres

[^942: Bx.7.68: herte: Alpha's distributive sg. is supported by many A mss. There is no parallel in C. Cf. l. 20, 10.420.]

¶ Beggeres ne bidderes · ne beth nouȝte in þe bulle
But if þe suggestioun be soth · þat shapeth hem[^943] to begge
For he þat beggeth or bit · but if he haue nede
He is fals with þe fende · and defraudeth þe nedy
And also he gileth[^944] þe gyuer [·] ageines his wil[^945]
For if he wist he were nouȝte nedy · he wolde ȝiue þat an other
Þat were more ned[ier][^946] þan he · so þe nediest shuld be hulpe
Catoun kenneth men[^947] þus · and þe clerke of þe[^948] stories
Cui des videto · is catounes techyng
And in þe stories he techeth · to bistowe þyn almes
Sit elemosina[^949] in manu tua donec studes cui des

[^943: Bx.7.71: hem: R's hym is also the reading of the X family of C; the P family and Ax support beta's plural.]

[^944: Bx.7.74: gileth: R's reading is supported by AC. The form is less common than bigileth (elsewhere only 20.125 in Bx, where HmO read bi-). We assume that beta and F alter to the commoner form, as on several other occasions in this passage.]

[^945: Bx.7.74: wil: Quite possibly a miswriting for wille, as in all except LCrG, and as the word is always otherwise spelt in L. Cable (1988), 54, argues on metrical grounds that the difference is substantive.]

[^946: Bx.7.76: nedier: For alpha's double comparative, cf. e.g. Bx.11.165 (passage in alpha only) and 15.206. M here reads nediere with -ere erased.]

[^947: Bx.7.77: men: Beta2 and GO read me. The line is not in AC.]

[^948: Bx.7.77: þe (2): Established for Bx by LM and alpha, but omitted by beta1.]

[^949: Bx.7.80: elemosina : LM and alpha against elemosina tua in others. See Alford (1992), 54. F follows with a line of its own. The passage to l. 96 is not in AC.]

¶ Ac Gregori was[^950] a gode man · and bad vs gyuen alle
Þat asketh for his loue · þat vs alle leneth
Non eligas cui miserearis · ne forte pretereas illum qui meretur accipere
Quia incertum est pro quo deum[^951] magis placeas

[^950: Bx.7.81: was: R has is; F rewrites.]

[^951: Bx.7.84: deum : This is clearly the Bx reading. M corrects deum to deo, in line with the reading of WHmG. For the quotation see Alford (1992), 54-5.]

¶ For wite ȝe neuere who is worthi · ac god wote who hath nede
In[^952] hym þat taketh is þe[^953] treccherye · if any tresoun walke
For he þat ȝiueth[^954] ȝeldeth · and ȝarketh hym to reste
And he þat biddeth borweth · and bryngeth hym-self in dette
For[^955] beggeres borwen euermo · and her borgh is god almyȝti
To ȝelden hem þat ȝiueth hem · and ȝet vsure more
Quare non dedisti peccuniam meam ad mensam vt ego veniens [& cetera][^956] ·

[^952: Bx.7.86: In: R has Alle in, and F For in.]

[^953: Bx.7.86: þe: Omitted by alpha, perhaps correctly.]

[^954: Bx.7.87: ȝiueth: KD (p. 145) explain alpha's ȝift as "variation through misreading of an -eth suspension". It might also be noted that MED yeven records syncopated forms ending -th and -t.]

[^955: Bx.7.89: For: Alpha's Forthi perhaps anticipates Bx.7.92.]

[^956: Bx.7.91: veniens & cetera : So M. L ends veniens cum vsuris exigerem, but the variant readings suggest that scribes expanded an abbreviated quotation from Luke 19.23. Alford (1992), 55.]

¶ For-þi biddeth nouȝt ȝe beggeres · but if ȝe haue gret nede[^957]
For who-so hath to buggen hym bred · þe boke bereth witnesse
He hath ynough þat hath bred ynough · þough he haue nouȝt elles
Satis diues est qui non indiget pane

[^957: Bx.7.92: gret nede: Established for Bx by LMR as well as beta2. The others omit the adjective.]

¶ Late vsage be ȝowre solace · of seyntes lyues redyng
Þe boke banneth beggarie · and blameth hem[^958] in þis manere
Iunior fui etenim senui · et non vidi iustum derelictum nec semen eius &c[^959]

[^958: Bx.7.97: hem: Omitted by beta4. F rewrites.]

[^959: Bx.7.98: semen eius &c : So LW; M ends with derelictum &c, R with iustum. CrHmCOF complete the verse from Psalm 36.25, ... nec semen eius querens panem &c. Evidently scribes expanded a familiar quotation, as in l. 91.]

¶[^960] For ȝe[^961] lyue in no loue · ne no lawe holde
Many of ȝow[^962] ne wedde nouȝt · þe wommen[^963] þat ȝe with delen
But as wilde bestis with wehe · worthen vppe and worchen
And bryngeth forth barnes · þat bastardes men calleth
Or þe bakke or some bone · he breketh in his[^964] ȝouthe
A[^965] sitthe gon faiten with ȝoure[^966] fauntes · for euermore after
Þere is moo mysshape peple · amonge[^967] þise beggeres
Þan of alle maner men · þat on þis molde walketh
[Þo][^968] þat lyue þus here lyf · mowe lothe þe tyme
Þat euere he was man[^969] wrouȝt · whan he shal hennes fare

[^960: Bx.7.99: ¶: The paraph in LWHm (with a new line-group in M), though not alpha, is appropriate.]

[^961: Bx.7.99: ȝe: AC have third person in this passage (K.8.72-3, RK.9.167). Bennett (1972), 221, explains that the following lines "represent an attempt to return to the original theme from which 71-88 [ Bx.7.75-97] (new in B) are a digression. The digression has involved the use of the 2nd person, which is retained up to 94, though the original 3rd person forms are kept in 93 [ Bx.7.103]". Though all B mss. have second person here, except for F which alters to beggeres, the situation is more complicated than Bennett suggests, since scribes altered to bring the pronouns into line. See notes to ll. 100, 103, 104.]

[^962: Bx.7.100: of ȝow: As in the previous line, F alters, reading man, and consequently adopting sg. womman in the b-verse. See next note.]

[^963: Bx.7.100: wommen: The plural is supported by LMR as well as CrG. A mss. vary (K.8.73); Cx has the plural in a revised line (RK.9.168).]

[^964: Bx.7.103: he ... his: Beta has sg. pronouns, but alpha has plural. A mss. have his bak, his bon and his ȝouþe, but rather oddly many have þei rather than he at the beginning of the b-verse. Cx brings the pronouns into line with the surrounding plurals.]

[^965: Bx.7.104: A: "And".]

[^966: Bx.7.104: ȝoure: Beta represents Bx's half-hearted attempt to put the passage into the second person; see note to l. 99. O and alpha resolve the difficulty by altering back to third person, thus aligning with AC.]

[^967: Bx.7.105: amonge: WMO and alpha have the form in -es. Either could be Bx. AC mss. also vary.]

[^968: Bx.7.107: Þo: R only, but supported by AC. F adds For, while beta has And þei.]

[^969: Bx.7.108: he was man: Beta2 reads þei were men, but this is not supported by Ax.]

¶ Ac olde men & hore · þat helplees ben of strengthe
And women with childe · þat worche ne mowe
Blynde and bedered · and broken her membres
Þat taketh þis myschief[^970] mekelych · as meseles and othere
Han as pleyne pardoun [·] as þe plowman hym-self
For loue of her lowe hertis · owre lorde hath hem graunted
Here penaunce and here purgatorie · here [vp]on[^971] þis erthe

[^970: Bx.7.112: þis myschief: The sg. is established for Bx by agreement of LMR (F myssese) and Ax, though Cx has the plural.]

[^971: Bx.7.115: vpon: In AC the b-verse reads vpon þis pur erþe. Bx has lost the alliterating adjective. R retains vpon, the alpha reading which F garbles, while beta reads on.]

¶ Pieres quod a prest þo · þi pardoun most I rede
For I [shal][^972] construe eche clause · and kenne it þe on englich

[^972: Bx.7.117: shal: Alpha's reading expressing necessity (cf. most in the line above) is more appropriate than the volition expressed by beta's wil. Most A mss. support alpha. Cx has can (RK.9.282).]

¶ And pieres at his preyere · þe pardoun vnfoldeth
And I bihynde hem bothe · bihelde al þe bulle
Al in two lynes it lay · and nouȝt a leef more
And was writen riȝt þus · in witnesse of treuthe
Et qui bona egerunt ibunt in vitam eternam
Qui vero mala in ignem eternum ·

¶ Peter quod þe prest þo · I can no pardoun fynde
But dowel and haue wel · and god shal haue þi sowle
And do yuel and haue yuel · hope þow non other
Þat[^973] after þi ded-day[^974] · þe deuel shal haue þi sowle

[^973: Bx.7.127: Þat: LM and alpha, supported by Ax. Other beta mss. have But. Lines 127-52 are not in C.]

[^974: Bx.7.127: ded-day: LCG have this form, though the usual form is deþ-day. Cf. note to l. 52 where R also has the form.]

¶ And pieres for pure tene · pulled it atweyne
And seyde si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis · non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es

¶ I shal cessen of my sowyng quod pieres · and swynk nouȝt so harde
Ne about my bely-ioye · so bisi be namore
Of preyers and of penaunce[^975] · my plow shal ben her-after
And wepen whan I shulde slepe · þough whete bred me faille

[^975: Bx.7.132: penaunce: For variation with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211.]

¶ Þe prophete his payn ete · in penaunce and in sorwe
By þat þe sauter seith · so dede other manye
Þat loueth god lelly · his lyflode is ful esy
Fuerunt michi lacrime mee · panes die ac nocte

¶ And but if Luke lye · he lereth vs bi foules[^976]
We shulde nouȝt be to bisy · aboute þe worldes blisse
Ne solliciti sitis · he seyth in þe gospel
And sheweth vs bi ensamples · vs-selue to wisse
Þe foules on[^977] þe felde · who fynt hem mete at[^978] wynter
Haue þei no gernere to go to · but god fynt hem alle

[^976: Bx.7.138: bi foules: "(instructs us) by birds"; so beta, anticipating ll. 142-3. Alpha's line means "Unless Luke lies or teaches us to be fools", which cannot be the sense intended. Schmidt accepts beta's he in place of alpha's or, and alpha's foles in place of beta's foules, and this indeed makes sense in reference to Luke's fool as the man who tells his soul to rest now he has laid up treasure for it: "Dixit autem illi Deus: Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te. ... Nolite solliciti esse animae quid manducetis" (Luke 12.20, 22, abbreviated in l. 140). See Schmidt (1995), 376-7. It is worth noting, however, that leren is followed by a to infin. in the closest parallel "alle he lered to be lele" ( Bx.19.256). A is no help, with the variant readings by foules, by birdes, be folis, to ben foles. We retain copy-text.]

[^977: Bx.7.142: on: Choice is difficult. The LM reading is generally reliable for beta. R's of may represent alpha, but F has in as do the remainder of the beta mss. The situation is further complicated by the apparent corruption of Bx; the gospel has volatilia caeli (Matt. 6.26), which Ax translates as foulis in þe firmament (K.8.115), suggesting that on þe felde is a Bx error prompting scribes to improve. We follow copy-text.]

[^978: Bx.7.142: at: Supported by LMWCOR against the repetition of in in CrHmF, even though A mss. have either in or a.]

¶ What quod þe prest to perkyn · peter as me þinketh
Þow art lettred a litel · who lerned þe on boke

¶ Abstinence þe abbesse[^979] quod pieres · myne abc me tauȝte
And conscience come afterward · and kenned me moche more

[^979: Bx.7.146: þe abbesse: Lost in alpha but supported by Ax and necessary for the alliteration.]

¶ Were þow a prest pieres quod he · þow miȝte preche where þow sholdest[^980]
As deuynour in[^981] deuynyte · with dixit insipiens to þi teme

[^980: Bx.7.148: sholdest: The beta reading. R's woldest is perhaps easier; F revises. Ax has þe likide.]

[^981: Bx.7.149: in: G and alpha have of, perhaps rightly. Cf. of diuinite Maistres ( Bx.15.396). There is no parallel in Ax.]

¶ Lewed lorel quod Pieres · litel lokestow on þe[^982] bible
On[^983] salomones sawes · selden þow biholdest
Ecce[^984] derisores et iurgia cum eis ne crescant &c

[^982: Bx.7.150: þe: Supported by Ax. R's þi is perhaps prompted by þi in the same position in the line above.]

[^983: Bx.7.151: On: Beta is supported by Ax against R's And (F rewrites).]

[^984: Bx.7.152: Ecce : The reading of all A and most B mss. OF "correct" to Eice (KD mistranscribe MR as Eice). For this line from Prov. 22.10, "Eiice ['eject'] derisores ...", see Alford (1992), 57.]

¶ Þe prest and perkyn · apposeden eyther other
And I þorw here wordes awoke · and waited aboute
And seighe þe sonne in þe south [·] sitte þat tyme
Metelees and monelees · on Maluerne hulles
Musyng on þis meteles · [a][^985] my waye ich ȝede
Many tyme þis meteles · hath maked me to studye
Of þat I seigh slepyng · if it so be myȝte
And also for peres þe plowman · ful pensyf in herte
And which a pardoun peres hadde · alle þe peple to conforte
And how þe prest impugned it [·] with two propre wordes
Ac I haue no sauoure in songewarie · for I se it ofte faille
Catoun and canonistres · conseilleth vs to leue
To sette sadnesse in songewarie · for sompnia ne cures

[^985: Bx.7.157: a: "on": Since AC read a myle wey, we conjecture that R's a my wey, supported by M's on my way, represents the corrupt Bx, understood as and my waye by most scribes, and characteristically expanded by F to as y my way.]

¶ Ac for þe boke bible[^986] · bereth witnesse
How danyel deuyned · þe dremes[^987] of a kynge
Þat was nabugodonosor · nempned of clerkis
Daniel seyde sire Kynge · þi dremeles[^988] bitokneth
Þat vnkouth knyȝtes shul come · þi kyngdom to cleue[^989]
Amonges lowere lordes · þi londe shal be departed
And as danyel deuyned [·] in dede it felle after
Þe kynge lese his lordship · and lower men it hadde

[^986: Bx.7.166: þe boke bible: This rather odd expression, altered by HmCGOF, is confirmed by Cx and paralleled by Bx.10.93, though Ax reads þe bible.]

[^987: Bx.7.167: dremes: Some A mss. have the sg. as in WHmR. The X family of C has the plural, the P family has dremels (as in l. 169).]

[^988: Bx.7.169: dremeles: "dream-vision" (sg. or pl.). A word only recorded in Langland. As in Bx.13.14 (where F is absent), CrHmCF corrupt to dremes.]

[^989: Bx.7.170: cleue: LMGO against easier cleyme in beta2 and C, and hence the beta reading. Alpha has reue, but the sense of cleue is continued in departed in the next line, and confirmed by Daniel 5.28, "divisum est regnum tuum". Yet all A mss. except one have cleyme. Probably the comparative difficulty of cleue (MED cleven v.(2), 4, "break up, dismember") led scribes to alter it. The line is not in C.]

¶ And ioseph mette merueillously · how þe mone and þe sonne
And þe elleuene sterres · hailsed hym alle
[^990]Þanne Iacob iugged · iosephes sweuene
Beau filtz quod his fader · for defaute we shullen
I my-self and my sones · seche þe for nede

[^990: Bx.7.176: W and Alpha here have a paraph.]

¶ It bifel as his fader seyde · in pharaoes tyme
Þat ioseph was iustice · egipte to loken
It bifel as his fader tolde · his frendes þere hym souȝte[^991]
And al þis maketh me · on þis meteles to þynke

[^991: Bx.7.181: þere hym souȝte: R has the order hym þere souȝte, and F has sowtyn þere. In Cx the equivalent b-verse is hym for nede souhte (RK.9.316).]

¶ And how þe prest preued · no pardoun to dowel
And demed þat dowel · indulgences[^992] passed
Biennales and triennales · and bisschopes lettres
And how dowel at þe day of dome · is dignelich vnderfongen
And passeth al þe pardoun · of seynt petres cherche

[^992: Bx.7.184: indulgences: CR's indulgence may also be plural. See note to Bx.3.23 and variants in l. 209.]

¶[^993] Now hath þe pope powere ·[^994] pardoun to graunte þe peple
With-outen eny penaunce · to passen in-to heuene
Þis is owre bileue · as lettered men vs techeth
Quodcumque ligaueris super terram · erit ligatum et in celis &c ·
And so I leue lelly · lordes forbode ellis
Þat pardoun and penaunce · and preyeres don saue
Soules þat haue synned · seuene sithes dedly
Ac to trust to þise triennales · trewly me þinketh
[It][^995] is nouȝt so syker for þe soule · certis as is dowel

[^993: Bx.7.188-96: ¶: O omits the paragraph.]

[^994: Bx.7.188: RM punctuate the line after pardoun, reflecting uncertainty over the very heavy b-verse which F abbreviates.]

[^995: Bx.7.196: It: Alpha's resumed subject is perhaps more likely to have been lost than added. A and C also vary, though It is supported by the X family of C.]

¶ For-þi I rede ȝow renkes[^996] · þat riche ben on þis erthe
Vppon trust of ȝowre tresoure · triennales to haue
Be ȝe neuere þe balder · to breke þe x hestes
And namelich ȝe maistres · mayres and iugges
Þat han þe welthe of þis worlde · and[^997] wyse men ben holden
To purchace ȝow pardoun · and þe popis bulles
At þe dredeful dome · whan ded shullen rise[^998]
And comen alle bifor cryst · acountis[^999] to ȝelde
How þow laddest þi lyf here · and his lawes keptest
And how þow dedest[^1000] day bi day · þe dome wil reherce
A poke[^1001] ful of pardoun þere · ne prouinciales lettres
Theigh ȝe be founde in þe fraternete · of alle þe foure[^a26][^1002] ordres
And haue indulgences double-folde · but[^1003] dowel ȝow help
I sette ȝowre patentes and ȝowre pardou[n][^1004] [·] at one pies hele

[^a26: foure (beta) | fyue (alpha)]

[^996: Bx.7.197: renkes: Alpha has no difficulty with the seven other instances of renk.]

[^997: Bx.7.201: and: Alpha supported by AC over and for in LMWHmCr.]

[^998: Bx.7.208: rise: LW and alpha, against arise in others. Most C mss. have the former, most A mss. the latter.]

[^999: Bx.7.204: acountis: Alpha begins the b-verse with and, but this is not supported by AC.]

[^1000: Bx.7.206: dedest: Beta's past tense is supported by AC against alpha's present.]

[^1001: Bx.7.207: poke: For R's form pouhȝ see MED pough(e, but both forms derive from OE pohha. R's less common form is paralleled among A mss. by V powhe, and among C mss. by X pouhe.]

[^1002: Bx.7.208: foure / fyue: Ax supports beta and F with foure, but R has fyue. Here and twice elsewhere (RK.8.191, 9.344, 15.80) Cx refers to the five mendicant orders (the usual four plus the crutched friars). Probably R represents a revision, with F reverting to the more usual number of orders.]

[^1003: Bx.7.209: but: Alpha is supported by AC against beta's but if.]

[^1004: Bx.7.210: pardoun: The sg. is supported by Cx; L's plural is the result of a later correction. F omits the line.]

¶ For-þi I conseille alle cristene · to crye god mercy
And Marie his moder · be owre mene bitwene
Þat god gyue vs grace here · ar we gone hennes
Suche werkes to werche · while[^1005] we ben here
Þat after owre deth-day · dowel reherce
At þe day of dome · we dede as he hiȝte

[^1005: Bx.7.214: while: Beta is supported by Ax and the P family of C. The X family, however, has þe while as alpha.]

Passus octauus de visione & hic explicit & incipit inquisicio prima de dowel

Thus yrobed in russet · I rowmed aboute
[^1006] Al a somer sesoun · for to seke dowel
And frayned ful oft · of folke þat I mette
If ani wiȝte wiste · where dowel was[^1007] at Inne
And what man he miȝte be · of many man I axed

[^1006: Bx.8.2: F omits the line.]

[^1007: Bx.8.4: was: alpha's subjunctive were is not supported by AC.]

¶ Was[^1008] neuere wiȝte as I went[^1009] · þat me wisse couthe
Where þis lede lenged · lasse ne more

[^1008: Bx.8.6: Was: LMWHm begin a paragraph here. Alpha instead begins And was (R) or But þere was (F), but beta is supported by AC.]

[^1009: Bx.8.6: as I went: R's in þis worlde is also the reading of Cx, and so could possibly represent a revision, but F has the beta reading. Schmidt (1995) conjectures that R's reading is contaminated from Cx or is "a coincidental substitution of a familiar phrase" (377). The latter seems likely.]

¶[^1010] Tyl it bifel on a fryday · two freres I mette
Maistres[^1011] of þe Menoures · men of grete witte
I hailsed hem hendely [·] as I hadde lerned
And preyed hem par[^1012] charitee · ar þei passed forther
If þei knewe any contre[^1013] · or costes as[^1014] þei went
Where þat dowel dwelleth · doth me to wytene

[^1010: Bx.8.8: ¶: The paraph is in LR (M has a line-space).]

[^1011: Bx.8.9: Maistres: Alpha begins And maistres, without support from AC.]

[^1012: Bx.8.11: par : LMWG; HmOF have pur (though in fact abbreviated in all except WHm). MED treats various forms as the same word (s.v. par prep.), and all scribes in all versions vary freely. CrCR have for, but this is not supported by AC. Cf. Bx.6.260, 13.30.]

[^1013: Bx.8.12: contre: Alpha's courte is a misreading; beta is supported by AC. For the reverse error see Bx.P.149.]

[^1014: Bx.8.12: as: Perhaps a little more pointed in its reference to friars than alpha's þer. AC have instead costes aboute.]

[^1015] ¶[^1016] For þei ben men on[^1017] þis molde · þat moste wyde walken
And knowen contrees and courtes · and many kynnes places
Bothe prynces paleyses · and pore mennes cotes
And dowel and doyuel · where þei dwelle bothe

[^1015: Bx.8.14-17: These four lines omitted in alpha are not paralleled in Ax but are in Cx. Here the omission can be accounted for as a result of homeoarchy (dowel and dwelle 8.13, 17) and skipping a paraph.]

[^1016: Bx.8.14: ¶: In the absence of alpha, the paraph is only in LC, with a line-space in M.]

[^1017: Bx.8.14: on: The LM reading (supported by G) generally secures beta and hence Bx (in the absence of alpha). However, of in beta2 and CO is also the reading of Cx. We retain copy-text.]

¶ Amonges vs[^1018] quod þe Menours · þat man is dwellyng
And euere hath as I hope · and euere shal here-after

[^1018: Bx.8.18: Amonges vs: F has the Ax reading Marye, and its b-verse is also from A. For other lines in this passus which suggest F's contamination from an A text, see notes to ll. 25, 28, 38, 43, 45, 49, 74, 76, 78, 79, 87, 100-05, 106, 109, 121, 124.]

¶ Contra quod I as a clerke · and comsed to disputen
And seide sothli[^1019] sepcies · in die cadit iustus
Seuene sythes seith þe boke · synneth þe riȝtful
And who-so synneth I seyde · doth yuel as me þinketh
And dowel and do yuel · mow nouȝt dwelle togideres
Ergo he nys[^1020] nauȝt alway[^1021] · amonge ȝow freres
He is otherwhile ellis-where · to wisse þe peple

[^1019: Bx.8.21: seide sothli: The reading of LM is supported by Cx. The other beta mss. add a pronoun object. R has no pronoun and loses the alliteration by omitting sothli. F drops the line. Since both LM place the punctuation after sepcies (R is without punctuation here), that is probably beta or archetypal error.]

[^1020: Bx.8.25: nys: LMW against is in other mss. AC mss. vary similarly. We retain copy-text.]

[^1021: Bx.8.25: alway: F's alwey at hoom is the AC reading.]

¶ I shal sey þe my sone · seide þe frere þanne
How seuene sithes þe sad man · on þe[^1022] day synneth
By a forbisene quod þe frere · I shal þe faire shewe

[^1022: Bx.8.28: on þe: LM and alpha, against on a in beta1. F's word-order is that of AC.]

¶ Lat brynge a man in a bote · amydde a[^1023] brode water
Þe wynde and þe water · and þe bote waggynge
Maketh þe man many a[^1024] tyme · to falle and to stonde
For stonde he neuere so styf · he stombleth ȝif he moeue
Ac ȝit is he sauf and sounde · and so hym bihoueth
For ȝif he ne arise þe rather · and rauȝte to þe stiere[^1025]
Þe wynde wolde wyth[^1026] þe water · þe bote ouerthrowe
And þanne were his lyf loste · þourgh lacchesse of hym-self

[^1023: Bx.8.30: a (3): LR supported by AC, against þe in other mss.]

[^1024: Bx.8.32: many a: CrOR have many, as do AC.]

[^1025: Bx.8.35: stiere: The beta reading, vs. alpha (and Hm) sterne. Both words mean "rudder", and are used to translate "clavus" in Prov.23.34 from which the friar's example comes. Neither is used elsewhere in the poem. See MED ster(e n.(2) and stern(e n.(2). A mss. also vary.]

[^1026: Bx.8.36: wyth: R's and is probably alpha, altered for sense to on by F. Beta is supported by Ax.]

¶ And[^1027] þus it falleth[^1028] quod þe frere · bi folke here on erthe
Þe water is likned to þe worlde · þat wanyeth and wexeth
Þe godis of þis grounde aren like ·[^1029] to þe grete wawes
Þat as wyndes and wederes · walweth[^1030] aboute
Þe bote is likned to owre body · þat brutel is of kynde
Þat þorugh þe fende and þi[^1031] flessh · and þe frele[^1032] worlde
Synneth þe sadman · a day seuene sythes

[^1027: Bx.8.38: And: F's Ryght is from Ax.]

[^1028: Bx.8.38: falleth: GF's fareþ is the AC reading.]

[^1029: Bx.8.40: Scribes vary in their placement of the punctus before or after aren like, responding to the awkwardness of the line. The hesitation is visibly expressed in M, with a punctus elevatus erased before the phrase and inserted after it.]

[^1030: Bx.8.41: walweth: The LM reading, which is therefore likely to represent beta. It is supported by Ax and the better C mss. against walketh in alpha and four mss. of C. KD, 154 and n. 73, argue that in context walweth is "an easier reading"; nevertheless it is a rarer word. The primary sense of walken is "roll about" (MED walken v.(1), 1) rather than "go on foot" (3a). For the same variation see Bx.9.56.]

[^1031: Bx.8.43: þi: LR, and so presumptively Bx. But choice is difficult. F has oure, perhaps from the previous line but also the reading of Cx, while the other beta mss. have þe, the reading of Ax. We follow copy-text.]

[^1032: Bx.8.43: þe frele: The beta reading. F has þe false, which is the Ax reading. R has þis frele, the reading also of Cx. Possibly R's reading is a revision. We follow copy-text.]

¶ Ac dedly synne doth he nouȝt · for dowel hym kepith[^1033]
And þat is charite þe champioun · chief help aȝein synne
For he strengtheth man to stonde · and stereth mannes soule
[Þat][^1034] þowgh þi[^1035] body bow · as bote doth in þe water
Ay is þi soule sauf · but[^1036] þi-self[^1037] wole[^1038]
Do a dedly synne · and drenche so þi soule[^1039]
God wole suffre wel þi sleuthe[^1040] · ȝif þi-self lyketh
For he ȝaf þe to ȝeresȝyue · to ȝeme wel þi-selue
And þat is witte a[^1041] fre wille · to euery wyȝte a porcioun
To fleghyng foules · to fissches & to bestes
Ac man hath moste þerof · and moste is to blame
But if he worche wel þer-with · as dowel hym techeth

[^1033: Bx.8.45: kepith: F has the AC reading helpiþ.]

[^1034: Bx.8.48: Þat: The alpha reading is also that of Ax. Lines 46-56 are rewritten in Cx.]

[^1035: Bx.8.48: þi: LMCO and alpha, supported by Ax, against þe in WHmG.]

[^1036: Bx.8.49: but: LMR are supported by Ax against but if in the others.]

[^1037: Bx.8.49: þi-self: M reads þou þi-seluen as does Ax; WCr alter the word-order to þow wole þi-selue to the detriment of the alliteration.]

[^1038: Bx.8.49: Following this line, F introduces a line from A (K.9.45).]

[^1039: Bx.8.50: soule: R alone has selue, perhaps from the previous line, though it is the reading of all but three A mss.]

[^1040: Bx.8.51: sleuthe: Alpha and Hm read soule, perhaps picked up from 49-50. F revises to make sense of this. The line is revised from Ax.]

[^1041: Bx.8.53: a (1): "and" (LM). See note to Bx.P.227. KD, pp. 193-4, take Bx And þat is to be an interpolation, and their emendation makes much clearer sense of to ȝeresȝyue "(wit and free will) as a gift". Hence the variants two ȝeresȝevis in CrF and a yeresȝyue in WG in l. 52. In M, wit is a correction, possibly of with a fre wille.]

¶ I haue no kynde knowyng quod I · to conceyue alle [þi][^1042] wordes
Ac if I may lyue and loke · I shal go lerne bettere
[^1043]I bikenne þe cryst[^a27][^1044] · þat on þe crosse deyde
And I seyde þe same · saue ȝow fro myschaunce
And ȝiue ȝow grace on þis grounde · good men to worthe

[^a27: cryst (beta) | cryst quod he (alpha)]

[^1042: Bx.8.57: þi: Alpha agrees with Ax against beta ȝowre. Cx has this speche.]

[^1043: Bx.8.59: W and alpha here supply a paraph, and also (see next note) have quod he, recognising that the speaker has changed. It may be, therefore, that the paraph was added to Bx to make this clear.]

[^1044: Bx.8.59: cryst / cryst quod he: Alpha and WHm are supported by quod he in Cx, making clear that the friar is the speaker rather than Will. However, most beta mss. are supported by Ax. R's plural pronoun is presumably an error, though indeed there are two friars.]

¶ And þus I went wide-where [·] walkyng myne one
By a wilde wildernesse · and bi a wode-syde
Blisse of þ[e][^1045] briddes · [abide] me [made][^1046]
And vnder a lynde vppon a launde · lened I a stounde
To lythe þe layes · þ[e][^1047] louely[^1048] foules made
Murthe of her mouthes · made me þere to slepe
Þe merueillousest meteles · mette me þanne
Þat euer dremed wyȝte · in worlde as I wene

[^1045: Bx.8.64: þe: Though this is the reading of most mss., LHmR give strong support to þo. However the birds have not been previously mentioned, and þe is supported by AC (but see next note).]

[^1046: Bx.8.64: abide me made: Alpha's reading is obviously correct, since beta's brouȝte me aslepe sends the dreamer to sleep too early. Alpha is supported by Ax (made me abide) and Cx (RK.10.63). Beta's reading, anticipating l. 67, is puzzling, since the line is identical to K.9.58. The passage in A reads: Blisse of þe briddes made me abide And vndir a lynde vpon a launde lenide I me a stounde To lerne þe laies þat [var. þat þe] louely briddes [var. foulis] maden Blisse of þe [var. þise] briddis brouȝte me a slepe (K.9.55-8).]

[^1047: Bx.8.66: þe (2): The reading of alpha. The beta reading is uncertain, since LCrWGO have þo against þe in MHmC. The latter has some support from A mss. (see previous note); Cx is revised.]

[^1048: Bx.8.66: louely: Lost in alpha, but supported by AC and necessary for the alliteration.]

¶ A moche man as me þouȝte[^1049] · and lyke to my-selue
Come and called me · by my kynde name
[^1050]What artow quod I þo[^1051] · þat þow my name knowest
[^1052]Þat þow wost wel quod he · and no wyȝte bettere

[^1049: Bx.8.70: me þouȝte: R drops me, anticipating the identification as Thought. F replaces the phrase with he was. Beta is supported by AC.]

[^1050: Bx.8.72: WHmC and alpha have a paraph to mark Will's question. Cf. ll. 59, 73.]

[^1051: Bx.8.72: þo: Omitted only by R, though Cx and many A mss. also omit, so it is perhaps added by beta and F.]

[^1052: Bx.8.73: W and alpha have a paraph to mark Thought's answer.]

¶ Wote I what þow art [^1053] ·[^1054] þought seyde he þanne
I haue suwed þe þis seuene ȝere · sey þow me no rather

[^1053: Bx.8.74: what þow art: F's who art þou is the AC reading.]

[^1054: Bx.8.74: The punctus elevatus after art in LMOR and F (rather than his usual virgule) must be archetypal, perhaps to indicate the question. LMO also have a punctus following þought. On Hoccleve's use of the punctus elevatus to mark this sort of question, see Burrow (2002), 184-5.]

¶ Art þow thought quod I þo · þow couthest me wisse[^1055]
Where þat dowel dwelleth · and do me þat[^1056] to knowe

[^1055: Bx.8.76: wisse: F's telle is the reading of Ax.]

[^1056: Bx.8.77: þat (2): The beta reading, where alpha has hym. AC have neither pronoun. We follow copy-text.]

¶ Dowel and dobet · and dobest þe thridde quod he[^1057]
Aren three faire vertues · and beth nauȝte fer to fynde[^1058]
Who-so is trewe of his tonge · and of his two handes
And þorugh his laboure or þorugh[^1059] his londe · his lyflode wynneth
And is trusti of his tailende · taketh but his owne
And is nouȝt dronkenlew ne dedeignous[^1060] · dowel hym folweth

[^1057: Bx.8.78: quod he: F's placement of this after Dowel is that of Ax.]

[^1058: Bx.8.79: The line that follows in F only is from A (K.9.71).]

[^1059: Bx.8.81: þorugh (2): Clear support for Bx from LMWHmR. It is not in Ax. Cx rewrites.]

[^1060: Bx.8.83: dedeignous: CF have the aphetic form deygnous, and R subpuncts initial de-. The best X family mss. of C have dedeynus, but the P family and Ax have deynous.]

¶ Dobet doth ryȝt þus · ac he doth moche more
He is as low as a lombe · and loueliche of speche
And helpeth alle men · after þat hem nedeth
Þe bagges and þe bigurdeles · he hath to-broken[^1061] hem alle
Þat þe Erl auarous · helde and his heires
And[^1062] with Mammonaes mone · he hath made hym frendes
And is ronne in-to[^1063] Religioun · and hath rendred þe bible
And precheth[^1064] to þe poeple · seynt Poules wordes
Libenter suffertis insipientes[^1065] · cum sitis ipsi[^1066] sapientes
And suffreth þe vnwise · with ȝow forto libbe
And with gladde wille doth hem gode · for so god ȝow hoteth

[^1061: Bx.8.87: to-broken: WCO have to-broke which improves the metre of the b-verse. There is the same variation in C mss. HmGF have broke(n), as do A mss.]

[^1062: Bx.8.89: And: Beta's And þus is not supported by AC.]

[^1063: Bx.8.90: in-to: The reading of LM and alpha, with support from some A mss. and the best C mss. of both families.]

[^1064: Bx.8.91: precheth: Beta4 and R have the past tense, but AC support the present.]

[^1065: Bx.8.92: insipientes : Several C mss. share with alpha the spelling incipientes (as if from incipio).]

[^1066: Bx.8.92: sitis ipsi : Reversed in alpha. Ax quotes only the first two words of the verse; many C mss. omit the second clause.]

¶ Dobest is aboue bothe · and bereth a bisschopes cro[c]e[^1067]
Is hoked on þat one ende · to halie men fro helle
A pyke is on þat potente · to pulte[^1068] adown þe wikked
Þat wayten any wikkednesse · dowel to tene
[^1069]And dowel and dobet [·] amonges hem ordeigned
[^1070][^1071] To croune one to be kynge [·] to reule hem bothe
Þat ȝif dowel or dobet [·] did aȝein dobest
Þanne shal þe kynge come · and casten hem in yrens[^1072]
And but if dobest bede for hem · þei to be þere for euere

[^1067: Bx.8.95: croce: "crosier", the reading of MO and alpha (OFr croce), to be distinguished from cross (OE and ON from Irish) in other mss. The description is clearly that of a crosier rather than a cross. In Bx.15.598, however, the bishop's crosse is presumably a pectoral cross, unless a pun is intended on crosse in 15.608.]

[^1068: Bx.8.97: pulte: The reading in LOR (MED pilten), the source of putte or pul in other mss. There is the same variation in C mss. (RK.10.95).]

[^1069: Bx.8.99: R has a paraph (F drops the line).]

[^1070: Bx.8.100: to reule hem bothe: The b-verse (beta only) is defective in alliteration and metre, and is presumably corrupted from K.9.98-9, Corounid on to be kyng & be here counseil werche / And rewele þe reaum. Bx has reversed the positions of the parallel lines 100 and 105 (= K98 and 91). The reversal is retained in Cx, which however repairs the alliteration by completing this line to kull withoute synne (RK.10.101).]

[^1071: Bx.8.100-05: Alpha as represented by R is here deficient, omitting through eyeskip from kynge to kynge five lines present in beta, so omitting 100b-105a. The lines in beta are a revised version of Ax, K.9.91-8, omitting 9.93 and 95, and replacing 9.98 with 91. F repairs the gap from his A text, thus: F.6.96 And þus dowel . & dobet . & dobest þe thrydde. (K.9.97) F.6.97 Haue crowne oon to be kyng / & be here conseyl wirche (K.9.98) F.6.98 & to rewle al þe rewhme / be reed of hem alle. (K.9.99) F.6.99 & be non oþir-wyse / but as þey þre wille assente. (K.9.100) F.6.100 For if þat dowel or dobet / dyden a-geyn dobest. (K.9.92) F.6.101 & weryn vn-buxum to don his byddyngge / & bown to do Ille. (K.9.93) F.6.102 Þanne sholde þe kyng come / & comawnde hem to presoun. (K.9.94) F.6.103 & pitte hem þere in penawnce / with-oute pite or grace. (K.9.95) The lines are rewritten in Cx.]

[^1072: Bx.8.102: yrens: Ax has presoun, which is also F's reading. See note to ll. 100-05.]

¶ Thus dowel and dobet · and dobest þe thridde
Crouned one to be kynge · to kepin hem alle
And to reule þe Reume · bi her thre wittes[^1073]
And none other wise · but as þei thre assented

[^1073: Bx.8.106: bi her thre wittes: F again follows Ax (K.9.99). Cx follows Bx, despite the defective alliteration.]

¶ I thonked thouȝt þo · þat he me þus tauȝte
Ac ȝete[^1074] sauoureth me nouȝt þi seggyng · I coueite to lerne[^1075]
How dowel dobet and dobest · don amonges þe peple

[^1074: Bx.8.109: ȝete: Lost in R, but supported by AC.]

[^1075: Bx.8.109: I coueite to lerne: Bx has evidently conflated two lines in A, which F restores (K.9.102-3).]

¶ But witte conne wisse þe quod þouȝt · where þo thre dwelle
Ellis wote I none þat can · þat now is alyue

¶ Þouȝte and I thus · thre days we ȝeden
Disputyng vppon dowel · day after other
And ar we were ywar[^1076] · with witte gan we mete
He was longe and lene · liche to none other
Was no pruyde on his apparaille · ne pouerte noyther
Sadde of his semblaunt · and of soft chiere
I dorste meue no matere · to make hym to iangle
But as I bad þouȝt þo · be mene bitwene
And[^1077] put forth somme[^1078] purpos · to prouen his wittes
What was dowel fro dobet · and dobest fram hem bothe

[^1076: Bx.8.115: were ywar: R 's order war were may be right, since it is that of Ax as well as the X family of C. Beta and F are in line with the P family. We follow copy-text.]

[^1077: Bx.8.121: And: Also the reading of Cx. F's To follows Ax.]

[^1078: Bx.8.121: somme: Supported by AC against R's his.]

¶ Þanne þouȝt in þat tyme [·] seide þise wordes
Where[^1079] dowel[^1080] dobet [·] and dobest ben[^1081] in londe
Here is[^1082] wille wolde ywyte · ȝif witte couthe teche hym
And whether he be man or [no] man[^1083] · þis man fayne[^1084] wolde aspye
And worchen as þei thre wolde · þis is his entente

[^1079: Bx.8.124: Where: R interprets this as Whether, which, in this case, it is not.]

[^1080: Bx.8.124: dowel: F's dowel & may be from Ax, but it is also the Cx reading.]

[^1081: Bx.8.124: ben: Lost in alpha, with F recasting to make sense. It is added above the line in M, suggesting the possibility that the omission was a Bx error, with beta scribes making the obvious correction.]

[^1082: Bx.8.125: is: R (= alpha?) loses this, and F rewrites.]

[^1083: Bx.8.126: no man: L's man is obviously an error, though it may represent confusion in beta or Bx, with other scribes repairing. Alpha and C have no man; most beta mss. have womman. The line is not in AC.]

[^1084: Bx.8.126: fayne: Dropped in Hm and beta4, and erased in M.]

Passus nonus de visione vt supra & primus de Dowel

Sire dowel dwelleth quod witte · nouȝt a day hennes
In a castel þat kynde made · of foure kynnes[^1085] þinges
Of erthe and eyre is it[^1086] made · medled togideres
With wynde and with water · witterly enioyned
Kynde hath closed þere-Inne · craftily with-alle
A lemman þat he loueth · like to hym-selue
Anima she hatte · ac enuye hir hateth
A proude pryker of Fraunce · prynceps huius mundi
And wolde winne hir awey · with wyles and he myȝte

[^1085: Bx.9.2: kynnes: Alpha's non-alliterative maner is not supported by AC (K.10.2, RK.10.219)]

[^1086: Bx.9.3: is it: The order is reversed in HmOF. AC also vary.]

¶ Ac[^a28][^1087] kynde knoweth þis wel · and kepeth hir þe bettere
And hath do[^1088] hir with sire[^1089] dowel · is[^1090] duke of þis[^1091] marches
Dobet is hir damoisele · sire doweles douȝter
To serue þis lady lelly · bothe late and rathe
Dobest is aboue bothe · a bisschopes pere
Þat he bit mote be do · he reuleth hem alle
Anima þat lady · is ladde bi his lerynge[^1092]

[^a28: Ac (beta) | And (alpha)]

[^1087: Bx.9.10: Ac / And: The beta reading is Ac, supported by Ax. Alteration to And in CrC is characteristic (cf. Bx.9.17, 57 etc.). But here the alpha reading is also And, and it is in turn the reading of Cx.]

[^1088: Bx.9.11: hath do: So LMR and GO, as in Ax and most C mss.; beta2 and CF have the simple present tense, as in some of the P family of C.]

[^1089: Bx.9.11: sire: So AC, though omitted by alpha.]

[^1090: Bx.9.11: is: Certainly Bx, though omitted by GOF and AC.]

[^1091: Bx.9.11: þis: So AC. R has þe and F þat.]

[^1092: Bx.9.16: lerynge: The beta reading (though M is a correction), with the late texts CrG altering as usual to lerneing. But alpha also has lernyng. The better C mss. have leryng.]

¶ Ac þe constable of þat castel · þat kepeth al þe wacche
Is a wys kniȝte with-al · sire Inwitte he hatte
And hath fyue feyre sones · bi his first wyf
Sire sewel and saywel · and herewel[^a29][^1093] þe hende
Sire worche wel wyth þine hande · a wiȝte man of strengthe
And sire godfrey gowel · gret lordes[^1094] for-sothe
Þise fyue[^1095] ben sette · to saue þis lady[^1096] anima
Tyl kynde come or sende [·] to saue hir for euere[^1097]

[^a29: herewel (beta) | sire herewel (alpha)]

[^1093: Bx.9.20: herewel / sire herewel: Beta is supported by Ax, but alpha's addition of sire is also in Cx. Beta alliterates aaa/bb, alpha aaa/abb.]

[^1094: Bx.9.22: gret lordes: Beta's plural is supported by AC against the sg. in alpha.]

[^1095: Bx.9.23: fyue: F's sixe is from A; it includes the constable. Cx has five.]

[^1096: Bx.9.23: þis lady: Alpha drops lady, with F rewriting the b-verse. Cx for to saue Anima may offer slight support for R's reading. (Ax reads to saue þe castel.)]

[^1097: Bx.9.24: saue hir for euere: Agreement of beta and R confirms this as the Bx reading even if corrupt. F's kepen hire hym-selue is the AC reading, taken by F from his A ms.]

¶ What kynnes thyng is kynde quod I · canstow me telle

¶ Kynde quod witte is a[^1098] creatour · of alle kynnes þinges
Fader and fourmour · of al þat euere was maked
And[^1099] þe gret god [·] þat gynnynge had neuere
Lorde of lyf and of lyȝte · of lysse[^1100] and of peyne
Angeles and al þing [·] aren at his wille
Ac man is hym moste[^1101] lyke · of marke and of schafte
For þorugh þe worde þat he spake · wexen forth bestes[^1102]
Dixit & facta sunt

[^1098: Bx.9.26: a: Clearly established for Bx, though omitted by Cx and most A mss. KD record it as omitted in MR, but in both it is erased. Misunderstanding in Bx may have been caused, or further compounded, by reading creatour as creature (as in HmCO), though the spelling of the two words is often confused; see MED creatour and creature.]

[^1099: Bx.9.26: And: Beta1 reads And þat is, supported by Ax. M reads And þis is. But L originally agreed with R before correcting to the beta1 reading. F rewrites the a-verse. Cx rewrites as The which is.]

[^1100: Bx.9.29: lysse: Alpha spoils alliteration with blisse, as does the corrector in M. The two late texts CrG adopt the easier reading to avoid the obsolete synonym.]

[^1101: Bx.9.31: hym moste: Alpha reverses, but beta's order is supported by AC. From here to the end of the passus C is rewritten or heavily revised.]

[^1102: Bx.9.32: F follows with three unique lines, the third of which is based on K.10.34, and omits Bx.9.33.]

id est adam

[Bx.9.34: id est adam : This gloss appears above the line in LM, and was incorporated into the text in CrHmF. It was therefore presumably a feature of the archetypal text. In R man is a correction in a second hand, perhaps indicating the scribe's confusion.]

¶ And made man likkest · to hym-self one
And Eue of his ribbe-bon · with-outen eny mene
For he was synguler hym-self · and[^1103] seyde faciamus
As who seith[^1104] more mote here-to · þan my worde one
My myȝte mote helpe · now with my speche
Riȝte as a lorde sholde make lettres · and hym lakked parchemyn
Þough he couth write neuere so wel · ȝif he had no penne
Þe lettre for al þe lordship · I leue were neuere ymaked

[^1103: Bx.9.36: and: R (= alpha?) omits, and F has he. The passage is not in AC.]

[^1104: Bx.9.37: seith: CrCGR have subjunctive sey. The line is not in AC.]

¶ And so it semeth bi hym · as þe bible[^1105] telleth
Þere he seyde [·] dixit & facta sunt[^1106]
He moste worche with his worde · and his witte shewe
And in þis manere was man made · þorugh myȝte of god almiȝti
With his worde and werkemanschip · and with lyf to laste
And þus god gaf hym a goost · of þe godhed of heuene
And of his grete grace [·] graunted hym blisse
And þat is lyf þat ay shal last · to al [his][^1107] lynage after
And þat is þe castel þat kynde made · caro it hatte
And is as moche to mene · as man with a soule
And þat he wrouȝt with werke · and with worde[^1108] bothe
Þorugh myȝte of þe maieste · man was ymaked

[^1105: Bx.9.42: bible: Beta4 has book.]

[^1106: Bx.9.43: dixit & facta sunt : (Psalm 148.5), repeating l. 33. L punctuates after dixit, but the punctuation after seyde in other mss. is more appropriate. F's faciamus hominem ad ymaginem &c (Gen.1.26), is from A (K.10.41a), where it follows the line equivalent to Bx.9.53. Cf. also Bx.9.36.]

[^1107: Bx.9.49: his: Lost in beta though independently restored by W on grounds of sense (Cr adds our instead). Alpha is supported by Ax.]

[^1108: Bx.9.52: worde: Alpha's his word(es) is not supported by Ax.]

¶ Inwit and alle wittes [·] closed ben þer-inne
For loue of þe lady anima · þat lyf is ynempned
Ouer-al in mannes body · he[^1109] walketh and wandreth
Ac[^1110] in þe herte is hir home · and hir moste reste
Ac Inwitte is in þe hed · and to the herte he[^1111] loketh
What anima is lief or loth · he lat[^1112] hir at his wille
For after þe grace of god · þe grettest is Inwitte

[^1109: Bx.9.56: he: "she". See Introduction IV.1.]

[^1110: Bx.9.57: Ac: Supported by LO and alpha (since F alters to his usual But), and by Ax (K.10.45). After this line AC offer only sporadic correspondences with Bx until l. 191.]

[^1111: Bx.9.58: he: Omitted by CrR.]

[^1112: Bx.9.59: lat: The variants confirm this as a form of "leads".]

¶ Moche wo worth þat [wiȝte][^1113] · þat mys-reuleth his Inwitte
And þat be glotouns globbares · her god is her wombe
Quorum deus venter est
For þei seruen sathan · her soule[^1114] shal he haue
Þat liueth synful lyf here · her soule is liche þe deuel
And alle þat lyuen good lyf · aren like[^1115] god almiȝti
Qui manet in caritate in deo manet &c

[^1113: Bx.9.61: wiȝte: Though not an unusual word, wiȝte is sporadically replaced by man (e.g. Bx.P.208 (R), 5.118 (F), 8.53 (Hm), 8.73 (O)). Alpha's alliterative pattern is aaa/xa (on /w/); beta's man gives the standard alliterative pattern aa/ax (on /m/). Cx does not help to establish the reading, but indicates dissatisfaction with whatever it was, reversing the b-verse: "And moche wo worth hym þat inwit myspeneth" (RK.10.175).]

[^1114: Bx.9.64: soule: The reading of LMR is enough to establish Bx against the more obvious plural in other mss. Cf. the distributive sg. again in the next line.]

[^1115: Bx.9.66: like: The agreement of LR supports this against like to in beta1. Both locutions are used elsewhere. M originally read vnto, corrected to to, and F has lyk after.]

¶ Allas þat drynke shal for-do · þat god dere bouȝte
And doth god forsaken hem · þat shope [hem][^1116] to his liknesse
Amen dico vobis nescio vos · & alibi et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum[^1117]

[^1116: Bx.9.69: shope hem: Beta's he shope gives an unmetrical b-verse (x x / x x / x), and the alpha reading is syntactically difficult enough to have generated it. However, KD, p. 143, ascribe the alpha reading to "parallelism induced by preceding forsaken hem".]

[^1117: Bx.9.70: & alibi et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum : This (Psalm 80.13) is not in alpha: in fact F drops both quotations. It finds it way into Cx at this point (RK.10.165a).]

¶ Foles þat fauten Inwitte · I fynde þat holicherche
Shulde fynden hem þat hem[^1118] faute[th][^1119] · and faderelees children
And wydwes þat han nouȝte wher-with · to wynnen hem her fode
Madde men and maydenes · þat helplees were
Alle þise lakken Inwitte · and lore bihoueth

[^1118: Bx.9.72: hem (2): Not in R (F is different).]

[^1119: Bx.9.72: fauteth: So CGO and R. LMW have the past tense, but the present seems required by sense.]

¶ Of þis matere I myȝte · make a longe tale
And fynde fele witnesses[^1120] · amonges þe foure doctours
And þat I lye nouȝt of þat[^1121] I lere þe · luke bereth witnesse

[^1120: Bx.9.77: witnesses: The form in alpha and CGO is also plural. See note to Bx.2.150.]

[^1121: Bx.9.78: of þat: Lost in alpha, and F further abbreviates to make sense of the omission.]

¶ Godfader and godmoder · þat sen her godchildren
At[^1122] myseise and at[^1123] mischief · and mowe hem amende
Shal haue penaunce in purgatorie · but ȝif þei hem helpe
For more bilongeth to þe litel barne · ar he þe lawe knowe
Þan nempnyng of a name · and he neuere þe wiser
[^1124]Shulde no crystene creature · crien atte ȝate
Ne faille payn ne[^1125] potage · and prelates did as þei shulden
A Iuwe wolde nouȝte se a Iuwe · go iangelyng for defaute
For alle þe moebles[^1126] on þis molde · and he amende it miȝte

[^1122: Bx.9.80: At (1): The alpha reading is uncertain.]

[^1123: Bx.9.80: at (2): Not in MCGOF.]

[^1124: Bx.9.84: CO and alpha have a paraph.]

[^1125: Bx.9.85: Ne ... ne: Alpha has And ... and.]

[^1126: Bx.9.87: moebles: HmR nobles is a good example of coincidental error.]

¶ Allas þat a crestene creature · shal be vnkynde til[^1127] an other
Sitthen Iuwes þat we iugge · Iudas felawes
Ayther[^1128] of hem helpeth other · of þat þat hym[^1129] nedeth
[^1130]Whi nel we cristene · of cristes good be as kynde[^1131]
As Iuwes þat ben owre lores-men · shame[^1132] to vs alle
Þe comune for her vnkyndenesse · I drede me shul abye

[^1127: Bx.9.88: til: So LWHmR against to in others.]

[^1128: Bx.9.90: Ayther: Alpha's reading was evidently that of R, with F making a typical attempt to repair the line. See KD p. 142.]

[^1129: Bx.9.90: hym: Beta2, G and F repeat hem from the a-verse.]

[^1130: Bx.9.91: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^1131: Bx.9.91: kynde: The M corrector uniquely adds willed at the end of the line, perhaps to correct the alliterative pattern. See Duggan, YLS 1 (1987), 66.]

[^1132: Bx.9.92: shame: R (= alpha?) has to schame, with F altering to It is shame.]

¶ Bisschopes shul be blamed · for beggeres sake
He is worse þan Iudas · þat ȝiueth a iaper siluer
And biddeth þe begger go · for his broke clothes
Proditor est prelatus cum Iuda · qui patrimonium cristi minus distribuit // & alibi
Perniciosus dispensator est · qui res pauperum cristi inutiliter consumit
He doth nouȝt wel þat doth þus · ne drat nouȝt god almiȝty
Ne[^1133] loueth nouȝt salamones sawes · þat sapience tauȝte
Inicium sapiencie timor domini ·

[^1133: Bx.9.100: Ne: Beta2 and F repeat He from the previous line.]

¶ Þat dredeth god he doth wel · þat dredeth hym for loue[^1134]
And nouȝt for drede[^1135] of veniaunce · doth þer-fore[^1136] þe bettere
He doth best þat with-draweth hym · by day and bi nyȝte
To spille any speche [·] or any space of tyme
Qui offendit in verbo[^1137] in omnibus est reus

[^1134: Bx.9.102-03: Beta4 abbreviates these two lines and runs them together.]

[^1135: Bx.9.103: And nouȝt for drede: Alpha is derived from the previous b-verse.]

[^1136: Bx.9.103: doth þer-fore: Following on from its error in the a-verse, alpha reads to do.]

[^1137: Bx.9.106: verbo : This is probably Bx since it is the reading of LR and probably original M, corrected to vno in conformity with James 2.10. Beta1 also has vno, while F includes both words, vno verbo. The reading verbo is presumably Langland's adaptation of the quotation for the context, with some scribes reverting to the biblical text. (The line in L is marked for correction, perhaps significantly.) The quotation also occurs at Bx.11.326, where no ms. has verbo. While verbo must have been present in Bx, it may alternatively have been in the form of an interlinear gloss to vno. See Donaldson (1955), 198-9; Schmidt (1995), 379-80; Burrow (2003), 191-2.]

¶ Lesyng of tyme · treuthe wote þe sothe
Is moste yhated vp[^1138] erthe · of hem þat beth in heuene
And sitthe to spille speche · þat spyre[^1139] is of grace
And goddes gleman · and a game of heuene
Wolde neuere þe faithful fader · his fithel were vntempred
Ne his gleman a gedelyng · a goer to tauernes

[^1138: Bx.9.108: vp: Supported by LCR and original M. For prepositional vp, cf. Bx.5.425.]

[^1139: Bx.9.109: spyre: "offspring", as in L, beta4 and R, evidently puzzled other scribes.]

¶ To alle trew tidy men · þat trauaille desyren
Owre lorde loueth hem and lent · loude other stille
Grace to go to hem[^1140] · and agon[^1141] her lyflode
Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono

[^1140: Bx.9.115: to hem: R has to hem tille and F has hem to. The reversal could be right.]

[^1141: Bx.9.115: agon: "earn". W restores the more "correct" form ofgon (OE ofgan).]

¶ Trewe wedded libbing folk · in þis worlde is dowel
For þei mote worche & wynne · and þe worlde susteyne
For of her kynde þei[^1142] come · þat confessoures ben nempned
Kynges and kniȝtes · kayseres and cherles[^1143]
Maydenes and martires · out of o man come
Þe wyf was made þe weye[^1144] · for to help worche
And þus was wedloke ywrouȝt · with a mene persone[^1145]
First bi þe faderes wille · and þe frendes conseille
And sytthenes bi assent of hem-self · as þei two myȝte acorde
And thus was wedloke ywrouȝte · and god hym-self it made
In erthe þe heuene is[^1146] · hym-self was þe[^1147] witnesse

[^1142: Bx.9.119: þei: Alpha has the form he. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^1143: Bx.9.120: cherles: F's clerkys is the A reading (K.10.137).]

[^1144: Bx.9.122: weye, "man, husband". Perhaps only F understood the word, for the usual spelling in L and elsewhere is wye. However C mss. regularly spell it wey(e).]

[^1145: Bx.9.123b-26a: Alpha omits as a result of homoarchy (And þus was wedloke ywrouȝt 123a, 126a).]

[^1146: Bx.9.127: þe heuene is: The syntax of the a-verse, "the heaven (of wedlock) is on earth", puzzled alpha (þere / here heuen is) and CrW (and in heuene). M is altered to CrW's reading.]

[^1147: Bx.9.127: was þe: WCF have bereþ, attracted to the common collocation ( Bx.2.39, 7.53, 7.93, etc.).]

¶ Ac fals folke [and][^1148] faithlees · theues and lieres
Wastoures and wrecches · out of wedloke I trowe
Conceyued ben in yuel[^1149] tyme · as caym was on Eue
Of such synful shrewes · þe sauter maketh mynde
Concepit in dolore[^1150] et peperit iniquitatem &c
And alle þat come of þat caym [·] come to yuel ende
For god sent to seem · and seyde bi an angel
Þyne issue in þyne issue · I wil þat þei be wedded
And nouȝt þi kynde with caymes[^1151] · ycoupled ne yspoused

[^1148: Bx.9.128: and: Alpha is supported by Ax (K.10.139).]

[^1149: Bx.9.130: yuel: Certainly the Bx reading, though Ax has alliterating cursid.]

[^1150: Bx.9.132: in dolore : The beta reading is that of Cx (RK.10.212a) while alpha (and Hm by correction) have dolorem, as do some A mss. (K.10.150). The adaptation of scriptural dolorem (Job 15.35, Psalms 7.15) on the model of l. 130 in yuel tyme suggests scribal hypercorrection in alpha, as demonstrated directly in Hm. See Alford (1992), 61-2.]

[^1151: Bx.9.136: caymes: Alpha has caym, but the possessive is supported by Ax (K.10.158).]

¶ Ȝet some[^1152] aȝein þe sonde [·] of owre saueoure of heuene
Caymes kynde & his kynde · coupled togideres
Tyl god wratthed for[^1153] her werkis · and suche a worde seyde
Þat I maked man · now it me athynketh[^1154]
Penitet me fecisse hominem

[^1152: Bx.9.137: some: The reading of Bx; Cr has Sem on the basis of l. 134, and M is corrected to that reading.]

[^1153: Bx.9.139: for: The reading of L, beta2 and R; it is perhaps harder than MGOF with, which however has some support from Ax was wroþ wiþ (K.10.161).]

[^1154: Bx.9.140: athynketh: LMCO. It may have given rise to R's þinketh and the commoner forþynkeþ as in WHmCrGF. The form is secure at Bx.18.92. Yet Ax has forþinkeþ (K.10.164). We follow copy-text.]

¶ And come to Noe anon · and bad hym nouȝt lette
Swithe go shape a shippe · of shides and of bordes
Þiself and þi sones three · and sithen ȝowre wyues
Buske ȝow to þat bote · and bideth ȝe þer-inne
Tyl fourty dayes be fulfilde · þat flode haue ywasshen[^1155]
Clene awey þe cursed blode · þat caym hath ymaked

[^1155: Bx.9.146: ywasshen: Beta is supported by AC against alpha's Iwasted.]

¶ Bestes þat now ben · shulle banne þe tyme
Þat euere þat cursed caym · come on þis erthe
Alle shal deye for his dedes · bi dales and[^1156] hulles
And þe foules þat fleeghen · for[th][^1157] with other bestes
Excepte oneliche [·] of eche kynde a couple
Þat in þi[^1158] shyngled shippe · shul ben ysaued
Here abouȝt þe barne · þe belsyres gultes
And alle for her forfadres · þei ferden þe worse
Þe gospel is here-ageine · in o degre I fynde
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris & pater non portabit iniquitatem filij &c[^1159] ·

[^1156: Bx.9.150: and: So M and R (=alpha?), supported by Ax and most C mss. against and bi in L and beta1. F drops the line.]

[^1157: Bx.9.151: forth: L has for.]

[^1158: Bx.9.153: þi: R has þis (F omits the line). Ax has þe; Cx supports beta.]

[^1159: Bx.9.157: & pater non portabit iniquitatem filij &c : Ezek. 18.20. Alpha abbreviates. We follow copy-text, though it is quite likely that Bx ended the quotation at patris, as Cx does, and as at Bx.10.119.]

¶ Ac I fynde if þe fader [·] be false and a shrewe
Þat somdel þe sone · shal haue þe sires tacches

¶ Impe on[^1160] an ellerne · and if þine apple be swete
Mochel merueile me þynketh · & more of a schrewe
Þat bryngeth forth any barne · but if he be þe same
And haue a sauoure after þe sire · selde seestow other
Numquam colligitur de spinis vuas[^1161] · nec de tribulis fycus

[^1160: Bx.9.160: on: So beta, though Hm has vpon, C in and G off. Alpha has vp-on. The line is not in AC.]

[^1161: Bx.9.164: colligitur de spinis vuas : So LM and R, therefore Bx. F has the Vulgate reading "colligunt de spinis uvas" (Matt. 7.19). Other scribes correct to a grammatical reading in which vua is subject of colligitur (beta2 and corrected M), or vuas object of colligimus (CGO).]

[¶][^1162] And þus þourw cursed caym · cam care vppon erthe
And al for þei wrouȝt wedlokes · aȝein goddis wille
For-þi haue þei maugre for[^1163] here mariages · þat marye so[^1164] her childeren
For some as I se now · soth forto telle
For coueitise of catel [·] vnkyndeliche ben wedded
As careful concepcioun [·] cometh of suche mariages[^1165]
As bifel of þe[^1166] folke · þat I bifore of tolde

[^1162: Bx.9.165: ¶: There is no paraph in L, but the line appears at the top of the leaf and the rubricator probably missed it. WHmR have a paraph and M a line break.]

[^1163: Bx.9.167: for: Supported by LMR. Other mss. have of.]

[^1164: Bx.9.167: þat marye so: R has as men maryen now; F rewrites.]

[^1165: Bx.9.170: of such mariages: R's to þat mariages presumably represents alpha, with F altering for sense.]

[^1166: Bx.9.171: þe: Beta is supported by Ax (K.10.185) against alpha's þat.]

id est boni id est bonas
[^1167] ¶[^1168] For goode shulde wedde goode[^1169] · þough hij no good hadde
I am via & veritas seith cryst · I may auaunce alle

[^1167: Bx.9.172-3: Both lines are omitted in alpha skipping from paraph to paraph (though R has an erased line after l. 171). They are not present in Ax but are transmitted to Cx (RK.10.254-5). See Hanna (1996), 217.]

[^1168: Bx.9.172: ¶: The paraph, in L alone, is perhaps not archetypal, yet eyeskip from paraph to paraph would account for the loss of ll. 172-3 in alpha. See Burrow (2010), 24-6.]

[^1169: Bx.9.172: goode (1) and (2): Glossed id est boni and id est bonas above the line in LM in the main hand, suggesting that this was a feature of beta. Although the line is not in alpha, we take this to be derived from Bx and include the glosses in the text. Cf. the gloss above l. 34.]

¶ It is an oncomely[^1170] couple · bi cryst[^1171] as me þinketh
To ȝyuen a ȝonge wenche · to an olde feble
Or wedden any widwe · for welth of hir goodis
Þat neuere shal barne bere · but if[^1172] it be in armes
Many a peire sithen þe pestilence · han pliȝt h[e]m[^1173] togideres
Þe fruit þat þei brynge forth · aren foule wordes
In ialousye ioyeles · and ianglyng on bedde[^1174]
Haue þei no children but cheste[^1175] · an[^1176] choppyng[^1177] hem bitwene

[^1170: Bx.9.174: an oncomely: L originally wrote an comely, but the line is noted for correction and then corrected. F also has an komely. M omitted the adjective altogether, then correcting a to an vncomely above the line.]

[^1171: Bx.9.174: cryst: Alpha has Ihesus, but beta is supported by Ax and by the alliteration.]

[^1172: Bx.9.177: if: As in LCrWCOR, though omitted by MHmG (F rewrites) and Ax.]

[^1173: Bx.9.178: hem: L's form hom is perhaps a miswriting; the scribe uses it nowhere else.]

[^1174: Bx.9.180: The line is omitted by alpha, but is in AC.]

[^1175: Bx.9.181: cheste: "strife". Beta is supported by AC and alliteration against alpha's synonym iangelynge.]

[^1176: Bx.9.181: an: "and".]

[^1177: Bx.9.181: choppyng: "striking". So LCGO. CrW read clappyng and Hm carpynge. M is revised to chidynge, Alpha was probably even more confused, since R has gaying (sic), and F omits altogether. AC have choppes.]

[^1178][^1179] 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

[^1178: Bx.9.182-4: Beta's readings of these lines on the Dunmow flitch are supported by AC. Lines 182b-4 in RF are clearly scribal replacements. Perhaps they were damaged in alpha and were invented independently by R and F, but this is unprecedented behaviour for R. Furthermore, although they are independent, there are enough similarities to suggest a common original. 182b to fecche hom here bakon (R), & fecche þere bakoun (F) must be alpha, and it signals the disruption. 183 is quite different in the two mss., but similarities in 184 are þus þei lyuen in (R), lyven þus in (F), and þe deuel (R), þe develys (F).]

[^1179: Bx.9.182: The paraph, in LC only (with a new line-group in M), interrupts the argument.]

¶ For-þi I conseille alle crystene · coueite nouȝt be[^1180] wedded
For coueitise of catel · ne of kynrede riche
Ac maydenes and maydenes · macche[^1181] ȝow togideres
Widwe[r]s and widw[e]s[^1182] · worcheth þe same
For no londes but for loue · loke ȝe be wedded
And þanne gete ȝe þe grace[^1183] of god · and good ynogh to lyue with

[^1180: Bx.9.185: be: MCrR read to be. AC mss. vary similarly, but while Ax is perhaps the latter, Cx is certainly the former.]

[^1181: Bx.9.187: macche: Beta, supported by Ax. F's marye probably reflects dissatisfaction with alpha's synonym make (as in R), yet it is the reading of Cx.]

[^1182: Bx.9.188: Widwers and widwes: Alpha's word-order has the support of Ax and the P family of C, though the X family has beta's order.]

[^1183: Bx.9.190: þe grace: Alpha has grace. In the absence of a parallel in AC, this could be right, but þe is easily lost after ȝe.]

[^1184] ¶ 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[^1185] ben excused
Dum sis vir fortis · ne des tua robora scortis
Scribitur in portis · meretrix est ianua mortis

[^1184: Bx.9.191-9: These nine lines are omitted in alpha. They are not in Ax, but are transmitted to Cx. The cause of the omission is not obvious. KD, p. 68, suggest eyeskip from maner ... man 191 to man and womman 200, but this is unconvincing, especially as man 191 is their emendation and not Bx. More probably alpha jumped from the paraph at 191, since at the point of resumption alpha (but not beta) has a paraph.]

[^1185: Bx.9.195: wil: For this subjunctive form in L, cf. Bx.6.232. The other beta witnesses have the indicative. The line is not in A, and the b-verse is revised in C.]

¶ Whan ȝe haue wyued bewar · and worcheth in tyme
Nouȝt as Adam & Eue · whan caym was engendred
[^1186]For in vntyme trewli · bitwene man & womman
Ne shulde no bourde on bedde[^1187] be · but if þei bothe were clene
Bothe of lyf and[^1188] of soule · and in parfyte charitee
Þat ilke derne dede [·] do noman sholde[^1189]
And if þei leden þus her lyf · it liked[^1190] god almiȝti
For he made wedloke firste · and him-self it seide
Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat propter fornicacionem[^1191]

[^1186: Bx.9.200: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^1187: Bx.9.201: bourde on bedde: "fun in bed". Beta's reading is the basis of the RF variants, and is supported by AC bedbourd (K.10.203; RK.10.290).]

[^1188: Bx.9.202: and (1): L has & and in error.]

[^1189: Bx.9.203: sholde: Beta has ne sholde, but Cx supports alpha (though F is revised) without ne. A mss. are divided. Beta needs to lengthen the b-verse as a result of placing the punctuation after do rather than before it. See Smith (2008), 90-1.]

[^1190: Bx.9.204: liked: The LR reading, supported by F's wold lyke against the present tense of other mss. The line is not in AC.]

[^1191: Bx.9.206: propter fornicacionem : Omitted in alpha, but beta is supported by Cx.]

¶[^1192] And þei þat oþergatis ben geten · for gedelynges ben holden
A[nd][^1193] false folke fondelynges · faitoures and lyars
Vngracious to gete goode · or loue of þe poeple
Wandren and wasten · what þei cacche mowe
Aȝeines dowel þei don yuel · and þe deuel serue
And after her deth-day · shulle dwelle with þe same[^1194]
But god gyue hem grace here · hem-self to amende

[^1192: Bx.9.207: ¶: The paraph is in LWHm, with a new line-group in M. In R the line is at the foot of the page.]

[^1193: Bx.9.208: And: Alpha is supported by AC against beta's As.]

[^1194: Bx.9.212: þe same: Beta is supported by Ax. R (= alpha?) repeats þe deuel from the previous line, with F, here Mayster, varying the expression. Cx has instead dwellen shollen in helle.]

[^1195] ¶ Dowel my frende is ·[^1196] 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

[^1195: Bx.9.214-17: Lines omitted in alpha, skipping from Dowel to dowel and from paraph to paraph. Once again they are not in Ax, but are transmitted to Cx. Compare the same situation in Bx.9.172-3 and 191-9. In all three instances skipped paraphs are involved.]

[^1196: Bx.9.214: Scribes have understandable uncertainty about the placing of the mid-line punctus.]

¶ And [þus is] dowel[^1197] to drede god · and dobet to suffre
And so cometh dobest of bothe · and bryngeth adoun þe mody
And þat is wikked wille · þat many werke[^1198] shendeth
And dryueth away dowel · þorugh dedliche synnes

[^1197: Bx.9.218: And þus is dowel: Alpha's word-order is supported by Cx. Ax has Þanne is dowel.]

[^1198: Bx.9.220: werke: Beta's distributive sg. is supported by Ax.]

Passus decimus de visione & secundus de dowel

Thanne hadde witte a wyf · was hote[^1199] dame studye
Þat lene was of lere · and of liche bothe
She was wonderly wroth · þat witte me þus tauȝte
And al starynge dame studye · sternelich seyde
Wel artow wyse quod she to witte · any wysdomes to telle
To flatereres or to folis · þat frantyk ben of wittes
And blamed hym and banned hym · and badde hym be stylle
With suche wise wordes · to wissen any sottes
And seyde noli mittere man · margerye perlis
Amanges hogges þat han · hawes at wille
Þei don but dryuele þer-on [·] draffe were hem leuere
Þan al þe precious perre · þat in paradys wexeth
I sey it bi suche quod she [·] þat sheweth bi her werkes
Þat hem were leuer londe · and lordship on erthe[^1200]
Or ricchesse or rentis · and reste at her wille[^1201]
Þan alle þe sothe sawes · þat salamon seyde euere

[^1199: Bx.10.1: hote: Alpha has called (R) or klepid (F), but beta is supported by AC (K.11.1; RK.11.1).]

[^1200: Bx.10.14: on erthe: Alpha reads here, but beta is supported by Ax. The line is rewritten in Cx.]

[^1201: Bx.10.15: In this passage F omits ll. 15 and 21-2, and supplies two spurious lines after l. 25.]

¶ Wisdome and witte now [·] is nouȝt worth a carse
But if it be carded with coueytise · as clotheres kemben here[^1202] wolle
Who-so can contreue deceytes · an[^1203] conspire wronges
And lede forth a loue-day · to latte with[^1204] treuthe
He þat suche craftes can · to conseille is clepid
Þei lede lordes with lesynges · and bilyeth treuthe

[^1202: Bx.10.18: here: Omitted by alpha and CGO, perhaps to lighten a heavy b-verse. It is supported by Ax and the X family of C, though the P family also omit it.]

[^1203: Bx.10.19: an: "and".]

[^1204: Bx.10.20: to latte with: R's and letten þe may be right; Ax has to lette þe treuþe, and cf. K.3.146 & lettiþ þe treuþe. On the other hand, "to hinder truth with (the loveday)" makes excellent and slightly more difficult sense, and seems to be the basis of the revision in Cx: "And lette with a loueday treuthe and bigile" (RK.11.17).]

¶ Iob þe gentel [·] in his gestes witnesseth
Þat wikked men þei[^1205] welden · þe welthe of þis worlde
And þat þei ben lordes of[^1206] eche a londe · þat oute of lawe libbeth
Quare impij viuunt bene est omnibus qui preuaricantur & inique agunt

[^1205: Bx.10.24: þei: Omitted in HmCGOF, though Hm probably included it before erasure. The line is not in AC.]

[^1206: Bx.10.25: of (1): Hm and R (= alpha?) have in; F rewrites. The line is not in AC.]

¶ Þe sauter seyth þe same · bi suche þat don ille
Ecce ipsi peccatores habundantes in seculo optinuerunt diuicias[^1207]
Lo seith holy letterrure [·] whiche lordes beth þis shrewes
Þilke þat god moste[^1208] gyueth[^1209] · leste good þei deleth
And moste vnkynde to þe comune · þat moste catel weldeth
Que perfecisti destruxerunt · iustus autem &c ·
Harlotes for her harlotrye · may haue of her godis
And iaperes and iogeloures · and iangelers of gestes

[^1207: Bx.10.28: diuicias : Omitted in alpha. C mss. end with peccatores or habundantes.]

[^1208: Bx.10.30: god moste: So LG and alpha. M has moost good god; O has god most good which is the reading of Cx. See next note.]

[^1209: Bx.10.30: gyueth: Alpha and C have greueth, which loses the sharp contrast with the b-verse. There seems to have been some confusion in Bx since, in revising the line for Cx, the poet had a text with both verbs, and recast to Tho þat god most goed ȝeueth greueth most riht and treuthe (RK.11.25). Schmidt restores B by including both verbs, but the resultant a-verse seems impossibly heavy; see Schmidt (2008), 386-7. It may be that Bx wrote greueth, corrected to gyueth (in the margin?), with alpha following one and beta the other.]

¶ Ac he þat hath holy writte · ay in his mouth
And can telle of Tobye · and of þe twelue apostles
Or prechen of þe penaunce · þat pilat wrouȝt
To Ihesu þe gentil · þat Iewes to-drowe
Litel is he loued · þat suche a lessoun scheweth
Or daunted or drawe forth · I do it on god hym-self

¶ But þo þat feynen hem folis · and with faityng libbeth
Aȝein þe lawe of owre lorde · and lyen on hem-selue
Spitten and spewen · and speke foule wordes
Drynken and dryuelen · and do men for to gape
Lickne men and lye on hem · þat leneth hem no ȝiftes
Þei conne namore mynstralcye · ne musyke men to glade
Than Munde þe mylnere · of multa fecit deus
Ne were here vyle harlotrye · haue god my treuthe
Shulde neuere Kyng ne kniȝt · ne chanoun of seynt Poules
Ȝyue hem to her ȝeresȝiue · þe [worth][^1210] of a grote

[^1210: Bx.10.50: worth: Alpha is closer to the Ax reading value (whence perhaps GO), and the alliteration aaa/xx is satisfactory. Beta's ȝifte is prompted by alliterative attraction to ȝeresȝiue; for the collocation see Bx.3.101 and 13.195. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ Ac murthe and mynstralcye · amonges men is nouthe
Leccherye [and][^1211] losengerye · and loseles tales
Glotonye and grete othes · þis murthe[^1212] þei louieth

[^1211: Bx.10.52: and (1): Supported by Ax, but lost in L and (coincidentally?) in CrW.]

[^1212: Bx.10.53: murthe: Secure for Bx. Both M and F alter for the alliteration. Ax has a different b-verse.]

¶[^1213] Ac if þei carpen of cryst · þis clerkis and þis lewed
Atte mete in her murthes[^1214] · whan mynstralles ben stille
Þanne telleth þei of þe trinite · a tale other tweyne
And bringen forth a balled resoun · and taken Bernard to witnesse
And putten forth a presumpsioun · to preue þe sothe
Þus þei dryuele at her deyse [·] þe deite to knowe
And gnawen god with þe gorge · whan her gutte is fulle[^1215]

[^1213: Bx.10.54: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1214: Bx.10.55: murthes: The plural is secure for Bx, though beta2 shares the sg. with Ax.]

[^1215: Bx.10.60: gutte is fulle: So LR, and probably M before correction. AC read guttis fullen, "are full", as do WHm.]

¶ Ac þe careful may crye · and carpen atte ȝate
Bothe afyngred and a-thurst[^1216] · and for chele quake
Is none to nymen hym nere[^1217] · his noye amende[^1218]
But heon[^1219] on hym as an hounde · and hoten hym go þennes
Litel loueth he þat lorde · þat lent hym al þat blisse
Þat þus parteth with þe pore · a parcel whan hym nedeth
Ne were mercy in mene men · more þan in riche
Mendinantz meteles · miȝte go to bedde
God is moche in þe gorge[^1220] · of þise grete maystres
Ac amonges mene men · his mercy and his werkis
And so seith þe sauter · I haue yseye[^1221] it ofte
Ecce audiuimus eam[^1222] in effrata · inuenimus eam in campis silue
Clerkes and other kynnes men[^1223] · carpen of god faste
And haue [hym][^1224] moche in þe mouthe · ac mene men in herte

[^1216: Bx.10.62: a-thurst: CrW alter to a-furst for the alliteration; it is the dominant form in C mss., while A has a different a-verse. The collocation with afyngred is repeated at Bx.14.174, where most mss. have A-fyrst.]

[^1217: Bx.10.63: nere: Presumably the meaningless Bx reading is a corruption of Ax in ne, which the M corrector adopts by conjecture or contamination as In nor. This and the next line are rewritten in C.]

[^1218: Bx.10.63: amende: It is likely that F and beta supply to before amende in the b-verse to make some sense of the line, and that R's omission (as in Ax) represents Bx.]

[^1219: Bx.10.64: heon: "shout out" (MED heuen v.(3)); the reading of L, beta4 and alpha. The commonplace variant hunten in Beta2 (CrWHm), with M corrected to that reading, is less appropriate.]

[^1220: Bx.10.69: gorge: Alpha has the pl., but beta's sg. is supported by AC (K.11.44; RK.11.39)]

[^1221: Bx.10.71: yseye: For the same b-verse see Bx.11.455.]

[^1222: Bx.10.72: eam (1 & 2): So AC against alpha's eum. At Bx.15.511 (R only), R again has eum. See Alford (1992), 64, and Schmidt (1995), 443.]

[^1223: Bx.10.73: other kynnes men: So beta, with alpha dropping kynnes. Ax has kete men, while Cx has knyhtes. Perhaps alpha reproduces Bx which has avoided the rare adjective kete, with beta then supplying the alliteration.]

[^1224: Bx.10.74: hym: Not in LHm. Easily lost, of course, and four A mss. omit it, as does the X family of C.]

¶ Freres and faitoures · han founde suche questiouns
To plese with proude men · sithen þe pestilence tyme[^a30][^1225]
And prechen at seint poules · for pure enuye of clerkis
Þat folke is nouȝte fermed in þe feith · ne fre of her goodes
Ne sori for her synnes · so is pryde[^1226] waxen
In religioun and in alle þe rewme · amonges riche & pore
Þat preyeres haue no power · þ[is] pestilence[s][^1227] to lette
[^1228] [For god is def now-a-days . and deyneth not vs to here[^1229]
Þat gerles[^1230] for here gyltes . he for-grynt[^1231] hem alle]
And ȝette þe wrecches of þis worlde · is none ywar bi other
Ne for drede of þe deth · withdrawe nouȝt her pryde
Ne beth plentyuous to þe pore · as pure charite wolde
But in gaynesse and in[^1232] glotonye · for-glotten her goode hem-selue
And breken nouȝte to þe beggar · as þe boke techeth
Frange esurienti panem tuum &c ·
And þe more he wynneth and welt · welthes & ricchesse[^1233]
And[^1234] lordeth in londes · þe lasse good he deleth

[^a30: pestilence tyme (beta) | pestilence (alpha)]

[^1225: Bx.10.76: pestilence tyme / pestilence: Alpha omits tyme. Beta is supported by Ax; however Cx reads pestelences. Cf. l. 81 below.]

[^1226: Bx.10.79: is pryde: Beta's word-order is supported by Cx. Lines 77-110 are not in A.]

[^1227: Bx.10.81: þis pestilences: Beta has þe pestilence, presumably understanding the noun as sg., although the form can also represent the plural (see MED pestilence). Alpha and Cx have the demonstrative article followed by an unambiguous plural. Cf. l. 76 and note.]

[^1228: Bx.10.82-3: These two lines are in Cx. KD, p. 66, suggest that beta dropped them through eyeskip (Þat ... Þat); censorship is another possible explanation.]

[^1229: Bx.10.82: not vs to here: The readings diverge in the b-verse. Most unusually, F is supported by Cx, and so we adopt its reading. It must be observed, however, that R offers the less commonplace reading. In F deinen has the sense "condescend"; in R it means "disdain". See MED deinen v.(1) & (2) for these two related verbs, and cf. note to Bx.6.315. The most authoritative C mss. read deyneth nat vs to here (i.e. deinen (1)) but as many omit nat (i.e. deinen (2)), allowing for the possibility that Bx was also without not.]

[^1230: Bx.10.83: gerles: R only. F's gystys is probably a misreading. Cx has gode men instead.]

[^1231: Bx.10.83: for-grynt: "grinds to pieces". The compound is not recorded in MED; Cx has togrynt.]

[^1232: Bx.10.87: in (2): LCrWHmR; others omit. C mss. divide similarly.]

[^1233: Bx.10.90: ricchesse: The form may be sg. or plural. For other examples see notes to Bx.3.23, 19.73.]

[^1234: Bx.10.91: And: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's Euere as he.]

¶ Thobye te[ch]eth[^1235] ȝow nouȝt so · take hede ȝe riche
How þe boke bible[^1236] · of hym bereth witnesse
Si tibi sit copia habundanter tribue · si autem exiguum illud impertir[e] [libenter stude][^1237]
Who-so hath moche spene manliche · so meneth Thobie
And who-so litel weldeth · reule him þer-after
For we haue no lettre of owre lyf · how longe it shal dure
Suche lessounes lordes shulde ·[^1238] louie to here
And how he myȝte moste meyne [·] manliche fynde
[^1239]Nouȝt to fare as a fitheler or a frere ·[^1240] forto seke festes
Homelich at other mennes house[s][^1241] · and hatyen her owne
Elyng is þe halle [·] vche daye in þe wyke
Þere þe lorde ne þe lady [·] liketh nouȝte to sytte
Now hath vche riche a reule · to eten bi hym-selue
In a pryue pa[r]loure · for pore mennes sake
Or in a chambre with a chymneye · and leue þe chief halle
Þat was made for meles · men to eten Inne
And al to spare to spille · þat spende shal an other

[^1235: Bx.10.92: techeth: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's telleth.]

[^1236: Bx.10.93: boke bible: For the expression, altered by CrHm, beta4 and F, see Bx.7.166 and note.]

[^1237: Bx.10.94: impertire libenter stude : Alpha's form of the infinitive verb is supported by most C mss., and the order of the last two words is that of Cx. Alford (1992), 64, quotes the last three words in the verse from Tob.4.9 in the form impertiri stude libenter, as in beta.]

[^1238: Bx.10.98: LWCR punctuate after shulde; MHmO after lordes. F rewrites. Lines 95-110 are not in AC, and ll. 111-45 are not in C.]

[^1239: Bx.10.100: Beta has a paraph, but it interrupts the argument.]

[^1240: Bx.10.100: LMWOF punctuate the line before forto, with forto supplying the long dip in the b-verse. CrHmGR have to instead.]

[^1241: Bx.10.101: houses: LF have house, probably in error, though possibly derived from the OE unchanged plural; see MED. Elsewhere both scribes use the marked plural.]

¶ I haue yherde hiegh men [·] etyng atte table
Carpen as þei clerkes were · of cryste and of his miȝtes
And leyden fautes vppon þe fader · þat fourmed vs alle
And carpen aȝeine clerkes · crabbed wordes
Whi wolde owre saueoure suffre [·] suche a worme in his blisse
Þat bigyled þe womman · and þe man after
Þorw whiche wyles and wordes · þei went[en][^1242] to helle
And al her sede for here synne · þe same deth suffred

[^1242: Bx.10.115: wenten: Only LCr have went; WHmG have wente, the others wenten. The second syllable avoids a b-verse stressed x / x / x. See Introduction V.3.5.]

¶ Here lyeth ȝowre lore · þise lordes gynneth dispute
Of þat ȝe[^1243] clerkes vs kenneth · of cryst by þe gospel
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris &c ·
Whi shulde we þat now ben · for þe werkes of Adam
Roten and to-rende[^1244] · resoun wolde it neuere
Vnusquisque portabit onus suum[^1245] &c
Suche motyues þei moeue · þis maistres in her glorie
And maken men in mysbileue · þat muse moche on her wordes

[^1243: Bx.10.118: ȝe: So LMOR against þe in CrWHmCGF, which misses the switch back to reported speech.]

[^1244: Bx.10.121: to-rende: LW (to-rent Hm); the most probable origin of the variants rende MCGOF, to reade Cr, and to-reue R.]

[^1245: Bx.10.122: portabit onus suum : Alpha has the order honus suum portabit cited by Alford (1992), 64, from Gal.6.5.]

¶ Ymaginatyf her-after-ward · shal answere to ȝowre purpos

¶ Augustyne[^1246] to suche argueres · he telleth hem[^1247] þis teme
Non plus sapere quam oportet
Wilneth neuere to wite · whi þat god wolde
Suffre sathan [·] his sede to bigyle
Ac bileue lelly · in þe lore of holicherche
And preye hym of pardoun · and penaunce in þi lyue
And for his moche mercye · to amende ȝow here
[^1248]For alle þat wilneth to wyte · þe weyes[^1249] of god almiȝty
I wolde his eye were in his ers · and his fynger after
Þat euere wilneth to wite · whi þat god wolde
Suffre sathan · his sede to bigile
Or iudas þe iuwe[^1250] · ihesu bytraye
Al was as [he] wolde[^1251] · lorde yworschiped be þow
And al worth as þow wolte · what-so we dispute

[^1246: Bx.10.126: Augustyne: The form of the name in Bx is not determinable. As at l. 485, LM (so beta?) have the full form, but alpha has the more usual Austyn. Ax has a quite different line with the short form. Cf. note to l. 485 below.]

[^1247: Bx.10.126: he ... hem: The two words are omitted by WCGO. Cr omits hem.]

[^1248: Bx.10.133: Hm and alpha have a paraph.]

[^1249: Bx.10.133: weyes: The reading of LCrWHm and alpha, as well as the Ax reading. M, joined by GO and a 16th-century A ms., have the reading whyes (cf. whi in 135). The adoption of the latter reading by K (see K, pp. 163-4), KD and Schmidt is a classic case of modern sensibilities overcoming the logic of attestation. Contrast Bx.12.238, where the noun whyes is secure, despite variants.]

[^1250: Bx.10.137: þe iuwe: Alpha supported by Ax against beta's to þe iuwes.]

[^1251: Bx.10.138: he wolde: Alpha supported by Ax against L's þow wolde, which the other beta scribes correct to þow woldest.]

¶ And þo þat vseth þis hauelounes · to blende[^1252] mennes wittes
What is dowel fro dobet · now def mote he worthe
Sitthe he wilneth to wyte · whiche þei ben [alle][^1253]
But if he lyue in þe lyf · þat longeth to dowel
For I dar ben his bolde[^1254] borgh · þat dobet wil he neuere
Þeigh dobest drawe on hym [·] day after other

[^1252: Bx.10.140: blende: "mislead". Cr, beta4 and F have the related verb blinde.]

[^1253: Bx.10.142: alle: Referring to the triad including dobest as in l. 145 below. Alpha is supported by Ax against beta's bothe, which does, however, logically follow from the previous line.]

[^1254: Bx.10.144: bolde: Dropped by alpha, but supported by Ax.]

¶ And whan þat witte was ywar [·] what[^1255] dame studye tolde
He bicome so confus · he couth nouȝte loke
And as doumbe a[s] deth · and drowe hym arrere

[^1255: Bx.10.146: what: Beta's reading has support from Cx, what studie menede (RK.11.81). Alpha's reading, how dame studie tolde, loses the b-verse alliteration which in Ax how his wif tolde (K.11.93) is carried by the noun.]

¶ And for no carpyng I couth after · ne knelyng to þe grounde
I myȝte gete no greyne · of his grete wittis
But al laughyng he louted · and loked vppon studye
In signe þat I shulde · biseche hir of grace

¶ And whan I was war of his wille · to his wyf gan I loute
And seyde mercy madame [·] ȝowre man shal I worthe
As longe as I lyue · bothe late & rathe
Forto[^a31][^1256] worche ȝowre wille · þe while my lyf dureth
With þat ȝe kenne me kyndely · to knowe what is dowel

[^a31: Forto (beta) | And forto (alpha)]

[^1256: Bx.10.156: Forto / And forto: Beta's reading is that of Ax (K.11.102) while alpha's And forto is that of Cx (RK.11.88)]

¶ For þi mekenesse man quod she · and for þi mylde speche
I shal kenne þe to my cosyn · þat clergye is hoten
He hath wedded a wyf · with-Inne þis syx monethes
Is sybbe to þe seuene artz · scripture is hir name
Þei two as I hope · after my techyng
Shullen wissen þe to dowel · I dar [wel][^1257] vndertake

[^1257: Bx.10.163: wel: R's reading, which carries the alliteration, is that of Ax. That F agrees with beta in reading it probably indicates independent substitution, since the R scribe rarely corrects for alliteration. The line is not in C.]

¶ Þanne was I also fayne · as foule of faire morwe
And gladder þan þe gleman · þat golde hath to ȝifte
And axed hir þe heighe weye · where þat clergye dwelte
And telle me some token quod I · for tyme is þat I wende

¶ Axe þe heighe waye quod she · hennes to suffre
Bothe wel & wo · ȝif þat þow wolt lerne
And ryde forth by ricchesse · ac rest þow nauȝt þerinne
For if þow couplest þe þer-with · to clergye[^1258] comestow neuere

[^1258: Bx.10.171: clergye: R's odd cherche probably represents alpha, with F varying further. Beta is supported by AC.]

¶ And also þe likerouse launde · þat leccherye hatte[^1259]
Leue hym[^1260] on þi left halue · a large myle or more
Tyl þow come to a courte · kepe wel þi tonge
Fro lesynges and lither speche · and likerouse drynkes
Þanne shaltow se sobrete · and symplete of speche[^1261]
Þat eche wiȝte be in wille · his witte þe to shewe
And þus shaltow come to clergye · þat can many þinges

[^1259: Bx.10.172: hatte: Beta's reading is confirmed by Ax against is hote in alpha.]

[^1260: Bx.10.173: hym: So LMHmR and Ax; unsurprisingly altered to it in other B mss.]

[^1261: Bx.10.176: speche: Beta is supported by Ax against alpha's berynge.]

¶[^1262] Saye hym þis signe · I sette hym to scole
And þat I grette[^1263] wel his wyf · for I wrote hir many bokes
And sette hir to sapience · and to þe sauter glose[^1264]
Logyke I lerned hir · and many other lawes
And alle þe musouns in mu[si]ke · I made hir to knowe

[^1262: Bx.10.179: ¶: The paraph is in beta only. In R the line is at the foot of the page.]

[^1263: Bx.10.180: grette: The unambiguously past tense form is supported for Bx by LMOR. Ax has grete as does the P family of C, but the X family has grette.]

[^1264: Bx.10.181: glose: Hm (as well as BmBoCot) has the ppl. glosyd; this cannot be archetypal, even though AC both have sauter yglosid. Cf. Bx.5.284.]

¶ Plato þe poete · I put hym fyrste to boke
Arestotle and other moo[^a32][^1265] · to argue I tauȝte
Grammer for gerles · I garte first wryte[^1266]
And bette hem with a baleis · but if þei wolde lerne
Of alkinnes craftes · I contreued toles
Of carpentrie of[^1267] kerueres [·] and compassed masouns
And lerned hem leuel and lyne · þough I loke dymme

[^a32: other moo (beta Ax) | other (alpha Cx)]

[^1265: Bx.10.185: other moo / other: Beta has the former, alpha the latter. Beta's reading is that of Ax, while alpha's is that of Cx.]

[^1266: Bx.10.186: wryte: M and Beta2(CrWHm) add to, as do a few mss. in all three versions.]

[^1267: Bx.10.189: carpentrie of: The Bx reading is also that of Cx. GF have the reading of Ax, carpenteris &.]

¶[^1268] Ac theologie hath tened me · ten score tymes
The more I muse þereInne · þe mistier it semeth
And þe depper I deuyne · þe derker me it þinketh
It is no science for-sothe · forto sotyle[^1269] Inne
A ful lethy þinge it were · ȝif þat loue nere
Ac for it let best by loue · I loue it þe bettre
For þere þat loue is leder · ne lacked neuere grace
Loke[^1270] þow loue lelly · ȝif þe lyketh[^1271] dowel
For dobet and dobest · ben of loues kynne

[^1268: Bx.10.191: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1269: Bx.10.194: sotyle: Beta's reading is that of Ax, while the b-verse is rewritten in Cx. Alpha's reading sauȝtele (MED saughtelen) means "become reconciled, settle".]

[^1270: Bx.10.198: Loke: R's Love probably reflects an alpha error which F rewrites for sense.]

[^1271: Bx.10.198: þe lyketh: Alpha's þow thenke is an easy error, but (coincidentally?) it is shared with Ax (K.11.144), which itself is deficient in alliteration. The line is revised in Cx as Lerne for to louie yf þe like dowel (RK.11.132).]

¶ In other science it seyth · I saye it in catoun
Qui similat[^1272] verbis vel[^1273] corde est fidus amicus
Tu quoque fac simile · sic ars deluditur arte
Who-so gloseth as gylours don · go me to þe same
And so shaltow false folke [·] and faythlees bigyle
Þis is catounes kennyng · to clerkes þat he lereth
Ac theologye techeth nouȝt so · who-so taketh [gome][^1274]
He kenneth vs þe contrarye [·] aȝein catones wordes
For he bit vs be as bretheren · and bidde for owre enemys
And louen hem þat lyen on vs · and lene hem whan hem nedeth
And do good aȝeines yuel · god hym-self it hoteth
Dum tempus [est][^1275] operemur bonum ad omnes maxime autem ad domesticos fidei

[^1272: Bx.10.201: similat : The spelling of L and alpha is found also in mss. of A. Lines 200-31 are not in C.]

[^1273: Bx.10.201: vel : Alford (1992), 64, quotes the line from Cato with nec, the reading of M (corrected from vel) CrHmCGO and most A mss., but LWR and original M establish Bx (at the expense of Cato's meaning).]

[^1274: Bx.10.206: gome: "notice". R's rare word is a synonym of beta's ȝeme and F's heede (MED gome n.(4)). Cf. Bx.17.13, where R again has gome, supported in that case by C.]

[^1275: Bx.10.211: est : The alpha reading is supported by the majority of A mss. where the same quotation is given at a later point (K.11.245a). Alford (1992), 64 cites the Vulgate as habemus, to which beta corrects.]

¶ Poule preched þe peple [·] þat parfitnesse loued
To do good for goddes loue · and gyuen men þat asked[^1276]
And nameliche to suche · þat sueth[^1277] owre bileue
And alle þat lakketh vs[^1278] or lyeth vs · owre lorde techeth vs to louye
And nouȝt to greuen hem þat greueth vs · god hym-self for-badde it
Michi vindictam & ego retribuam
For-þi loke þow louye · as longe as þow durest
For is no science vnder sonne · so souereyne for þe soule

[^1276: Bx.10.213: asked: Beta has the past tense, (though HmGO have the present); alpha has the present. The past is perhaps slightly less obvious, but it may have been prompted by the verbs of the previous line, just as the present might have been suggested by the next line. There is nothing in AC to correspond until l. 220. We follow copy-text.]

[^1277: Bx.10.214: sueth: "conform to"; cf. Bx.17.113, as suwen owre werkis. G and alpha less appropriately have scheweth.]

[^1278: Bx.10.215: vs (1): Beta must have had vs twice in the a-verse, though beta2 (CrWHm) dropped the second. Alpha has the second but not the first.]

[¶][^1279] Ac astronomye is harde[^1280] þynge · and yuel forto knowe
Geometrie and geomesye [·] is[^1281] ginful of speche
Who-so thenketh werche with þo two · thryueth ful late
For sorcerye is þe souereyne boke · þat to þ[o] science[^1282] longeth

[^1279: Bx.10.220: ¶: The paraph is in WC and alpha. In L, which lacks the usual line-space, the scribe's paraph marker is unrubricated. Cf. ll. 260, 265.]

[^1280: Bx.10.220: harde: Alpha's reading without an article is supported by Ax against beta.]

[^1281: Bx.10.221: is: Supported by Ax against beta2 (CrWHm) so.]

[^1282: Bx.10.223: þo science: This is the R reading, in substance that of F also. The noun is an unmarked plural (see l. 227 below, and variants at Bx.13.132 and 15.49). It may also be the reading of beta; note that Hm alters it by adding -s, while other beta scribes, apart from W, probably take it as sg. and so misread the plural determiner as þe. Ax also has the demonstrative pronoun, but the noun is sg., þat science. The plural is more appropriate in context.]

¶ Ȝet ar þere fybicches in forceres · of fele mennes makyng
Experimentz of alkamye[^1283] · þe poeple to deceyue
If þow þinke to dowel · dele þer-with neuere
Alle þise science[^1284] I my-self · sotiled and ordeyned
And founded[^1285] hem formest · folke to deceyue

[^1283: Bx.10.225: alkamye: We keep the form of copy-text, even though the form in Bx and Ax presumably had the extra syllable, as M's Alkenamye. See MED alkamie.]

[^1284: Bx.10.227: science: Plural; see note to l. 223.]

[^1285: Bx.10.228: founded: Beta is supported by Ax against alpha's (by-)fond.]

¶ Telle clergye þise tokenes · and [to][^1286] scripture after
To conseille þe kyndely · to knowe what is[^1287] dowel

[^1286: Bx.10.229: to: Alpha's rather awkward preposition is necessary to the alliteration, and was dropped by beta. There is no Ax parallel.]

[^1287: Bx.10.230: to knowe what is: Beta's wording of the b-verse is supported by the exact parallel of Bx.10.157. Cf. also Bx.15.2.]

¶ I seide graunt mercy madame · and mekeliche hir grette
And went wiȝtlich [my] wey[^1288] · with-oute more lettynge
And til I come to clergye · I couthe neuere stynte
[I][^1289] gret þe good man · as [þe good wif][^1290] me tauȝte
And afterwardes þe wyf · and worshiped hem bothe
And tolde hem þe tokenes · þat me tauȝte were
Was neuere gome vppon þis grounde · sith god made þe worlde
Fairer vnder-fongen · ne frendeloker at ese
Þan my-self sothly · sone so he wist
Þat I was of wittis hous · and with his wyf dame studye
I seyde to hem[^1291] sothely · þat sent was I þider
Dowel and dobet · and dobest to lerne

[^1288: Bx.10.232: my wey: Beta has awey, but alpha (R only, since F misses the line) is supported by Ax And wente wiȝtly my wey, as well as Cx Tho wente y my way (RK.12.134). With miȝteliche for wiȝtliche, R creates alliteration on /m/, but without support from AC.]

[^1289: Bx.10.234: I: Only R breaks the series of initial And, but it is supported by Ax and the X family of C; the P family reads And ich.]

[^1290: Bx.10.234: þe good wif: Again R is the only witness to the reading of Bx, supported both by alliteration and by Ax (Cx has a different b-verse). Probably F revised to avoid the repetition of both good and wif, and beta perhaps picked up studye from a gloss.]

[^1291: Bx.10.241: hem: M and beta4 have hym, but cf. l. 236. The line is not in AC. Lines 241-313 have no parallel in A, and C is heavily revised.]

¶ It is a comune lyf quod clergye · on holycherche to bileue
With alle þe artikles of þe feithe · þat falleth to be knowe
And þat is to bileue lelly · bothe lered and lewed
On þe grete god · þat gynnyng had neuere
And on þe sothfaste sone · þat saued mankynde
Fro þe dedly deth · and þe deueles power
Þorwgh þe helpe of þe holy goste · þe whiche goste is of bothe
Three [propre][^1292] persones · ac nouȝt in plurel noumbre
For al is but on god · and eche is god hym-selue
Deus pater deus filius · deus spiritus sanctus
God þe fader god þe sone · god holigoste of bothe
Maker of mankynde · and of bestes bothe

[^1292: Bx.10.250: propre: Yet again R is the only witness to the reading of Bx. All other mss. have dropped the alliterating adjective; F fills out the short a-verse in the usual manner. There is no parallel in AC.]

¶ Austyn þe olde · here-of he[^1293] made bokes
And hym-self ordeyned · to sadde vs in bileue
Who was his autour · alle þe foure euangelistes
And cryst clepid hym-self so · þe ewangelistes[^1294] bereth witnesse
Ego in patre & pater in me[^1295] & qui [me vidit[^1296] · patrem meum vidit][^1297]

[^1293: Bx.10.255: he: L is supported by alpha against omission in other beta mss. The passage is revised in C; the line without he appears at RK.11.146, but the b-verse, this time with he, is repeated at RK.11.152. See Adams (2000), 183.]

[^1294: Bx.10.258: ewangelistes: R's euaungeliez is pl. of MED evangelie, "gospel". F has the sg. There is no AC parallel.]

[^1295: Bx.10.259: me (1): So alpha, and also the P family of C. Beta and the X family correct this very familiar quotation from John 14.9-10 to me est. The line is dropped by beta2 (CrHmW).]

[^1296: Bx.10.259: vidit (1 & 2): R's less classical spelling is actually that of the pre-Clementine Vulgate text edited by Wordsworth and White (1911), as well as most C mss.]

[^1297: Bx.10.259: patrem meum vidit : Alpha's word-order is also that of Cx.]

[¶][^1298] Alle þe clerkes vnder cryst · ne couthe þis assoille
But þus it bilongeth[^1299] to bileue · to lewed þat willen dowel
For had neuere freke fyne wytte · þe feyth to dispute
Ne man had no merite[^1300] · myȝte it ben yproued
Fides non habet meritum vbi humana racio prebet experimentum[^1301]

[^1298: Bx.10.260: ¶: The paraph is in WC and alpha. In L, which lacks the usual line-space, the scribe's paraph marker is unrubricated. Cf. ll. 220, 265.]

[^1299: Bx.10.261: bilongeth: Beta is supported by Cx against longeth in GO and alpha.]

[^1300: Bx.10.263: merite: Beta is supported by Cx and by the Latin quotation in the following line. Alpha has mercy.]

[^1301: Bx.10.264: prebet experimentum : R omits the last two words from Gregory's Homily. C mss. break off at different points. After this line B is without parallel in AC until Bx.10.314.]

[¶][^1302] Þanne is dobet to suffre · for þi soules helth
Al þat þe boke bit · by holycherche techyng
And þat is man bi þi miȝte · for mercies sake
Loke þow worche it in werke · þat þi[^1303] worde sheweth
Suche as þow semest in syȝte · be in assay yfounde
Appare quod es vel[^1304] esto quod appares
And lat no-body be · bi þi beryng bygyled[^1305]
But be suche in þi soule · as þow semest with-oute

[^1302: Bx.10.265: ¶: L has an unrubricated paraph marker, MW have a line-space but no paraph. HmC and alpha have paraphs. Cf. ll. 220, 260.]

[^1303: Bx.10.268: þi: So beta; R's þis points to the ensuing quotation. F has þe.]

[^1304: Bx.10.270: vel : Alford (1992), 65, quotes this commonplace with the alpha reading aut.]

[^1305: Bx.10.271: bygyled: Hm and alpha have be bygiled.]

¶ Þanne is dobest to be bolde · to blame þe gylty
Sithenes þow seest þi-self · as in soule clene
Ac blame þow neuere body · and þow be blame-worthy
Si culpare velis · culpabilis esse cauebis
Dogma tuum sordet · cum te tua culpa remordet
God in þe gospel · grymly[^1306] repreueth
Alle þat lakken any lyf · and lakkes han hem-selue
Quid consideras festucam in oculo fratris tui trabem in oculo tuo &c[^1307]
Why meuestow þi mode for a mote · in þi brotheres eye
Sithen a beem in þine owne · ablyndeth þi-selue
Eice primo trabem de oculo tuo &c
Whiche letteth þe to loke · lasse other more

[^1306: Bx.10.278: grymly: Beta2 and F share the reading greuously.]

[^1307: Bx.10.280: Beta breaks off the quotation (Luke 6.41) which alpha completes. The wording is something between Matt. 7.3 and Luke 6.41.]

¶ I rede eche a blynde bosarde · do bote to hym-selue
For abbotes and for prioures · and for alle manere prelates
As parsones and parissh prestes · þat preche shulde and teche
Alle manere[^1308] men · to amenden by here myȝte
This tixte was tolde ȝow · to ben war ar ȝe tauȝte
Þat ȝe were suche as ȝe seyde · to salue with othere
For goddis worde wolde nouȝt be boste[^1309] · for þat worcheth euere
If it auailled nouȝt þe comune · it myȝte auaille ȝow-seluen

[^1308: Bx.10.288: manere: So LCrWGR. The M corrector adds of to come into line with HmCOF. Cf. ll. 286 and 299.]

[^1309: Bx.10.291: boste: Though nonsensical, LR share the reading, indicating a corruption in Bx. The L scribe subsequently made the obvious correction to loste, thereby bringing his text into agreement with all other mss. See Introduction V.3.6.]

¶ Ac it semeth now[^1310] sothly · to þe worldes syght
Þat goddes worde[^1311] worcheth nauȝte · on lered ne on lewede
But in suche a manere as Marke ·[^1312] meneth in þe gospel
Dum cecus ducit cecum ambo in foueam cadunt

[^1310: Bx.10.293: now: Probably R represents alpha's no, which F unreflectingly expanded to not. That M originally wrote not is presumably coincidental.]

[^1311: Bx.10.294: worde: R has the plural; F omits.]

[^1312: Bx.10.295: Beta (or possibly Bx) misplaced the punctuation to follow manere, as in LWC. In OR punctuation correctly precedes meneth, while MF have it twice.]

¶ Lewed men may likne ȝow þus · þat þe beem lithe in ȝowre eyghen
And þe festu is fallen · for ȝowre defaute
In alle manere men · þourgh mansed prestes
Þe bible bereth witnesse [·] þat alle þe folke of israel
Byttere abouȝte þe gultes · of two badde prestes
Offyn and Fynes · for her coueytise
Archa dei myshapped · and ely brake his nekke

¶ For-þi ȝe corectoures claweth her-on · and corecteth fyrst ȝow-seluen
And þanne mowe ȝe [man]ly[^1313] seye · as dauid made þe sauter
Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis · arguam te & statuam contra faciem tuam ·

[^1313: Bx.10.305: manly: Beta's saufly alliterates rather unconvincingly on /s/, and F improves on this with soþly in the a-verse and seiþ in (for made) in the b-verse. Both avoid R's difficult adverb, which Kane (2005) glosses "boldly, w. confidence". MED manli adv.(1), gives no instance of this sense, though "strongly" is close. Possibly MED mainli, which seems to have been used as a loose intensifier, is relevant.]

¶ And þanne shal borel clerkes ben abasched · to blame ȝow or to greue[^1314]
And carpen nouȝte as þei carpen now · and calle ȝow doumbe houndes
Canes non valentes latrare
And drede to wratthe ȝow in any worde · ȝowre werkemanship to lette
And be prestiore at ȝowre prayere · þan for a pounde of nobles
And al for ȝowre holynesse · haue ȝe þis in herte

[^1314: Bx.10.307: or to greue: Alpha has lost the last three words of the line.]

[^1315] [¶ Amonges riȝtful religiouse · þis reule shulde be holde
Gregorie[^1316] þe grete clerke · and þe good pope
Of religioun þe reule · [he][^1317] reherceth in his morales[^1318]
And seyth it[^1319] in ensaumple · [þat][^1320] þei shulde do þere-after
Whanne fisshes failen þe flode · or[^1321] þe fressh water
þei deyen for drouthe · whanne þei drie ligge
Riȝt so quod Gregori · religioun rolleth[^1322]
Sterueth and stynketh · and steleth lordes almesses
þat oute of couent and cloystre · coueyten to libbe
For if heuene be on þis[^1323] erthe · and ese to any[^1324] soule
It is in cloistre or in scole · be many[^1325] skilles I fynde
For in cloistre cometh [no][^1326] man · to chide ne to fiȝte[^1327]
But alle is buxomnesse þere[^1328] and bokes · to rede and to lerne]

[^1315: Bx.10.313-25: These thirteen lines are in alpha only. Lines 314-21 are in Ax (K.11.204-10); ll. 314-15, 317-24, revised in places, are moved to a different context in Cx (RK.5.146-55). Eyeskip from the paraph recorded by R at l. 313 to that at l. 326 is the most likely explanation. See Burrow (2010): 25-6. KD, p. 66, point to homeoteleuton (al...-nesse...herte, al...-nesse...lerne). We have altered R's spelling to that of L.]

[^1316: Bx.10.314: Gregorie: F begins Seynt Gregory, but R is supported by AC.]

[^1317: Bx.10.315: he: F is supported by Ax against omission in R.]

[^1318: Bx.10.315: morales: Moralia. R is supported by Ax against F's bookis, though Cx also refers to them as bokes (RK.5.146).]

[^1319: Bx.10.316: it: R is supported by Ax.]

[^1320: Bx.10.316: þat: F receives some support from Ax, þat þei shulde do þe betere. R has for.]

[^1321: Bx.10.317: or: R is supported by Ax; Cx revises.]

[^1322: Bx.10.319: rolleth: This seems to be alpha's reading, replaced in F by the partly synonymous trollyþ, "wander" (cf. Bx.18.305). It is, however, an error for roileth, "totter, flop" (so Kane (2005)) in either Bx or alpha, and the line is suspiciously short. This and the following line in alpha expand one line in the other versions. Ax has: Riȝt so be religioun it roileþ (one ms. rolleþ) and steruiþ; Cx has Ryht so religioun roteth and sterueth (RK.5.150).]

[^1323: Bx.10.322: on þis: R is supported by Cx against F's in.]

[^1324: Bx.10.322: ese to any: C mss. have eny ese to þe (or for) (RK.5.152).]

[^1325: Bx.10.323: many: R is supported by Cx. F alters to fele to increase alliteration.]

[^1326: Bx.10.324: no: R's obvious omission is confirmed by Cx.]

[^1327: Bx.10.324: chide ne to fiȝte: R's b-verse word-order is supported by Cx.]

[^1328: Bx.10.325: þere: F omits. The line is not in AC.]

¶ In scole þere is [skile · and] scorne but if [he][^1329] lerne
And grete loue and lykynge · for eche of hem loueth other
Ac now is religioun a ryder · a rowmer[^1330] bi stretes
A leder of louedayes · and a londe-bugger
A priker on a palfray · fro manere to maner[^1331]
An heep of houndes at his ers · as he a lorde were
And but if his knaue knele · þat shal his cuppe brynge
He loureth on hym and axeth[^1332] hym · who tauȝte hym curteisye
Litel had lordes to donn · to ȝyue londe fram her heires
To Religious þat haue no reuthe · þough it reyne on here auteres

[^1329: Bx.10.326: skile and scorne but if he: R evidently represents alpha, mangled by F. If right, the reading involves a play on skilles three lines above in l. 323. Beta, on this argument, having lost skile and, added a clerke in place of he. The alliteration is weaker, though KD p. 132 n. 9 cite l. 323 as evidence that /sk/ can alliterate with /k/. Cx revises this and the next line to In scole is loue and louhnesse and lykyng to lerne (RK.5.155).]

[^1330: Bx.10.328: rowmer: F's rennere is the A reading.]

[^1331: Bx.10.330: manere to maner: Cf. Ax toune to toune (K.11.213), Cx places to maneres (RK.5.159).]

[^1332: Bx.10.333: axeth: Both F and Hm supply alliteration; the line is not in Ax and rewritten in Cx.]

¶ In many places þer hij persones ben · be hem-self at ese
Of þe pore haue þei no pite · and þat is her [pure][^1333] charite
Ac þei leten hem as lordes · her londe lith so brode

[^1333: Bx.10.337: pure: Beta omits, but alpha is supported by Cx and the b-verse alliteration.]

¶ Ac þere shal come a kyng · and confesse ȝow religiouses
And bete ȝow as þe bible telleth · for brekynge of ȝowre reule
And amende monyales · monkes and chanouns
And putten hem to her penaunce · ad pristinum statum ire
And Barounes with Erles beten hem · þorugh beatus virres techynge
Þat here barnes claymen · and blame ȝow foule
Hij in curribus [et][^1334] hij in equis ipsi obligati sunt &c

[^1334: Bx.10.345: et : Omitted by LM, so perhaps supplied by other beta scribes on the basis of the Psalm.]

¶ And þanne Freres in here freitoure [·] shal fynden a keye
Of costantynes coffres · in which is þe catel
Þat Gregories god-children · han yuel dispended

¶ And þanne shal þe abbot of Abyndoun · and alle [his][^1335] issu for euere
Haue a knokke of a kynge · and incurable þe wounde

[^1335: Bx.10.349: his: Dropped in L.]

¶ That þis worth soth seke ȝe · þat oft ouer-se þe bible
Quomodo cessauit exactor · quieuit tributum · contriuit dominus baculum impiorum et virgam dominancium cedencium plaga insanabili &c

¶ Ac ar þat kynge come · cayme shal awake
Ac[^1336] dowel shal dyngen hym adoune · and destruyen his myȝte
Þanne is dowel and dobet quod I · dominus and kniȝthode

[^1336: Bx.10.354: Ac: The common Ac/And/But variation, with LMHmR attesting to Ac. Lines 354-401 are not in C.]

¶ I nel nouȝt scorne quod scripture · but if scryueynes lye
Kynghod ne knyȝthod · by nauȝt I can awayte
Helpeth nouȝt to heueneward · one heres ende
Ne ricchesse riȝt nouȝt · ne reaute of lordes

¶ Poule preueth it inpossible · riche men haue heuene
Salamon seith also · þat syluer is worst to louye
Nichil iniquius quam amare peccuniam
And caton kenneth vs to coueiten it ·[^1337] nauȝt but as nede techeth[^1338]
Dilige denarium set parce dilige formam
And patriarkes and prophetes · and poetes bothe
Wryten to wissen vs · to wilne no ricchesse
And preyseden pouerte with pacience · þe apostles bereth witnesse
Þat þei han heritage in heuene · and bi trewe riȝte
Þere riche men no riȝte may clayme · but of reuthe and grace

[^1337: Bx.10.363: In MCF the punctuation follows nauȝt.]

[^1338: Bx.10.363: as nede techeth: LMCrWHm represent beta, with CO reading as it nedes and G corrupting further to vs nedithe. Beta's phrase receives some support from Bx.20.9. KD reject R (= alpha?) at pure nede on the grounds that it is "more emphatic" (p. 144). The line is not in AC.]

¶ Contra quod I bi cryste · þat can I repreue
And preue it bi Peter · and bi poule bothe
Þat is baptized beth sauf · be he[^1339] riche or pore

[^1339: Bx.10.372: he: MGOF have the plural following the plural ben for is in their a-verse.]

¶ Þat is in extremis quod scripture · amonges saracenes and iewes
Þei mowen be saued so · and þat is owre byleue
Þat an vncristene in þat cas · may crysten an hethen
And for his lele byleue · whan he þe lyf tyneth
Haue þe heritage of heuene · as any man crystene

¶ Ac crysten men with-oute more · may nouȝt come to heuene
For þat cryst for cristen men deyde ·[^1340] and confermed þe lawe
Þat who-so wolde and wylneth · with cryste to aryse
Si cum cristo surrexistis &c ·
He shulde louye & lene · and þe lawe fulfille
Þat is loue þi lorde god[^1341] · leuest aboue alle[^1342]
And after alle crystene creatures · in comune eche man other
And þus bilongeth to louye · þat leueth to be saued
And but we do þus in dede · ar þe daye of dome
I[t][^1343] shal bisitten vs ful soure · þe siluer þat we kepen
And owre bakkes[^1344] þat moth[^1345]-eten be · and sen beggers go naked
Or delyte in wyn and wylde foule · and wote any in defaute
For euery cristene creature [·] shulde be kynde til other
And sithen hethen to helpe · in hope of amendement
God hoteth bothe heigh and lowe [·] þat no man hurte other
And seith slee nouȝt þat semblable is · to myne owen liknesse
But if I sende þe sum tokne · and seith non [m]ecaberis[^1346]
Is[^1347] slee nouȝt but suffre · and al for þe beste
[For Michi vindictam & ego retribuam][^1348]
For I shal punysshen[^1349] in purgatorie · or in þe putte of helle
Vche man for his mysdedes · but mercy it lette

[^1340: Bx.10.379: The position of the line-break causes uncertainty, so that L has a punctus after men and a punctus elevatus after deyde. WHm have the former punctuation, MCrCO and alpha the latter, which we follow.]

[^1341: Bx.10.383: þi lorde god: For a precise parallel see Bx.5.583. Since F omits the line, R's word-order may represent alpha. Lines 378-89 have no parallel in AC.]

[^1342: Bx.10.383: alle: Cr and beta4 have al thyng.]

[^1343: Bx.10.387: It: A corrector has noted the omission of <t> in L.]

[^1344: Bx.10.388: bakkes: "clothes", as observed by the L scribe who writes above it id est panni. M has a different gloss: id est vestes.]

[^1345: Bx.10.388: moth: Alpha has mote which F makes sense of with great imagination.]

[^1346: Bx.10.394: mecaberis : WHmCG and alpha, supported by Ax (K.11.254). L and G have been altered to necaberis (and CrO more grammatically to necabis); M is altered to occides. See Luke 18.20: "non occides, non moechaberis", i.e. "Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery". Langland has confused moechari with necare, "to slay". See Skeat (1886), 2.160; Alford (1992), 68-9.]

[^1347: Bx.10.395: Is: CO have I, and M is altered to that reading.]

[^1348: Bx.10.396: The quotation from Rom. 12.19 is omitted in beta but supported by Ax (K.11.255).]

[^1349: Bx.10.397: punysshen: Alpha's omission of hem is supported by Ax.]

¶ Þis is a longe lessoun quod I · and litel am I þe wyser
Where dowel is or dobet · derkelich ȝe shewen
Many tales ȝe tellen · þat theologye lerneth
And þat I man made was · and my name yentred
In þe legende of lyf · longe er I were
Or elles vnwriten[^1350] for somme wikkednesse [·] as holywrit wytnesseth[^1351]
Nemo ascendit ad celum nisi qui de celo decendit

[^1350: Bx.10.404: vnwriten: "not recorded", as in AC (K.11.263; RK.11.207). MGOF have writen.]

[^1351: Bx.10.404: wytnesseth: So beta; alpha has telleth, probably picked up from l. 410 below. Ax has as witnessiþ þe gospel; Cx has as holy writ shewith (RK.11.207). For the same b-verse as in beta, see Bx.11.416; for that as in alpha, see Bx.1.130, 3.342, etc.]

¶ [And][^1352] I leue it wel[^1353] bi owre lorde [·] and on no letterure bettere
For salamon þe sage · þat sapience tauȝte
God gaf hym grace of witte · and alle his[^1354] godes after
[To reule þe reume · and riche to make][^1355]
He demed wel & wysely [·] as holy writte telleth
Aristotle & he · who wissed men bettere
Maistres þat of goddis mercy · techen men and prechen
Of here wordes þei wissen vs · for wisest in[^1356] here tyme
And al holicherche · holdeth hem bothe ydampned

[^1352: Bx.10.406: And: R only, since F substitutes For and beta omits. Ax and the X group of C support And, but the P group omits it.]

[^1353: Bx.10.406: wel: Beta adds quod I (in CGO it follows lord), but there is no support from AC.]

[^1354: Bx.10.408: his: Alpha omits, perhaps rightly. The b-verse is rewritten from Ax. In Cx it is instead and of goed aftur (cf. F's & of alle goodis after).]

[^1355: Bx.10.409: Beta omits the line. In Ax the line reads For to reule his reaum riȝt at his wille (K11267); Cx has To reule alle reumes and ryche to make (RK.11.212). F may therefore be right with his rewme, or it may be contamination from the A tradition.]

[^1356: Bx.10.413: in: Beta reads as in, possibly rightly, but Cx, with a different a-verse, has and wisest in here tyme. This use of as in is not well exemplified in the poem; perhaps the closest is Bx.15.609: ferme as in þe faith.]

¶ And if I shulde worke bi here werkes [·] to wynne me heuene
Þat for her werkes and witte[^1357] · now wonyeth in pyne
Þanne wrouȝte I vnwysely · what-so-euere ȝe preche

[^1357: Bx.10.416: witte: Alpha reads here witt, supported by a majority of A mss.; beta is however supported by Cx. We follow copy-text.]

¶ Ac of fele witty in feith · litel ferly I haue
Þough her goste be vngraciouse · god for to plese
For many men on þis molde · more sette here hert[e][^1358]
In good þan in god · for-þi hem grace failleth
At here moste myschief · whan þei shal lyf lete
As salamon dede and such other[^1359] · þat shewed gret wittes
Ac her werkes as holy wrytte seyth · was euere þe contrarye
For-þi wyse witted men · and wel ylettred clerkes
As þei seyen hem-self · selden done þer-after
Super cathedra[^1360] moysy &c ·

[^1358: Bx.10.420: Cx supports beta's men in the a-verse and alpha's herte in the b-verse, which may be regarded as generic sg. or as an unchanged pl. of part of the body. Cf. Bx.7.68. Even so, alpha's unmarked form needs to be seen in the context of its sg. man in the a-verse. Lines 418-43 are not in A.]

[^1359: Bx.10.423: dede and such other: Alpha reads and other dede, losing the alliteration. There is no parallel in AC.]

[^1360: Bx.10.427: cathedra : C mss. split between abl. cathedra (in the X family) and acc. cathedram (in the P family). The Vulgate has the latter (Matt. 23.3), although the former is more "correct" (with abl. denoting rest).]

¶ Ac I wene it worth of many · as was in Noes tyme
Þo he shope þat shippe · of shides and[^1361] bordes
Was neuere wriȝte saued þat wrouȝt þer-on · ne oþer werkman elles
But briddes and bestes · and þe blissed Noe
And his wyf with his sones · and also here wyues
Of wriȝtes[^1362] þat it wrouȝte [·] was none of hem ysaued

[^1361: Bx.10.429: and: This is probably the beta reading, with CrW and alpha reading and of. C mss. also split, with the X family having the beta reading, while the P family has that of alpha. We follow copy-text.]

[^1362: Bx.10.433: wriȝtes: The line is lost (presumably by eyeskip from l. 430) by beta4 and added in M. Beta2 has wightes.]

¶ God lene[^1363] it fare nouȝt so bi folke · þat þe feith techen
Of holicherche þat he[r]berwe is · and goddes hous to saue
And shelden vs fram shame þer-inne · as noes shippe did bestes
And men þat maden it · amydde þe flode adreynten
[^1364]Þe culorum of þis clause · curatoures is[^1365] to mene
Þat ben carpenteres holykirke[^1366] to make · for crystes owne bestes
Homines & iumenta saluabis domine · &c ·
[^1367] [At domes-day þe deluuye worth · of deth and fyre[^1368] at ones
For-þi I conseille ȝow clerkes · of holy cherche[^1369] þe wriȝtes
Worcheth ȝe as[^1370] ȝe se writen · lest ȝe worth nauȝt þerinne[^1371]]

[^1363: Bx.10.434: lene: As usual, this is indistinguishable in L and other mss. from the easier leue, as recorded in CrF. G alters to leve. Cf. Bx.5.265.]

[^1364: Bx.10.438: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^1365: Bx.10.438: curatoures is: The b-verse as in beta is the reading of Cx.]

[^1366: Bx.10.439: kirke: R's non-alliterating form cherche may represent alpha, as at Bx.5.106, 271, etc., inspiring F to rewrite. See Introduction IV.1.]

[^1367: Bx.10.441-3: These three lines are preserved in alpha only. The first is in Cx, and ll. 442-3 are revised as RK.11.250, with a new line added. We have revised R's spellings to those of L.]

[^1368: Bx.10.441: fyre: R's line is supported by Cx against F's revisions. R has feer as a spelling for "fire" at Bx.3.99.]

[^1369: Bx.10.442: cherche: It may seem obvious that, as at l. 439, Bx had kirke for the alliteration. However, Cx has churche in a line alliterating on /w/, suggesting that Langland revised the line to improve the alliteration of Bx.]

[^1370: Bx.10.443: as: R's line is verbose and clumsy throughout, here reading werkes as. We take werkes to be an addition to strengthen alliteration and follow F, while recognising the slightness of the evidence. In Cx the line reads: Worcheth ȝe wrihtus of holy churche as holy writ techeth (RK.11.250).]

[^1371: Bx.10.443: worth nought þerinne: F's worth ydrenkled, "are drowned", is more emphatic. Cf. F's reading at l. 437, suggesting that Bx might have read worth adreynte or similar. Again it is impossible to be confident of either reading.]

¶ On[^1372] gode fridaye I fynde · a feloun was ysaued
Þat had lyued al his lyf [·] with lesynges and with thefte
And for he biknewe on þe crosse · and to cryste s[h]rof hym
He was sonnere saued · þan seynt Iohan [þe][^1373] Baptiste
And or[^1374] Adam or ysaye · or eny of þe prophetes
Þat hadde yleine with Lucyfer · many longe ȝeres
A robbere was yraunceouned · rather þan þei alle
With-outen any penaunce of purgatorie · to perpetuel blisse

[^1372: Bx.10.444: On: Alpha begins For a (R) or for on (F), but beta is supported by AC.]

[^1373: Bx.10.447: þe: Lost in LHm, but supported by AC.]

[^1374: Bx.10.448: or (1): "before". See spelling variants.]

¶ Þanne Marye Magdaleyne · what womman dede worse
Or who worse [dede][^1375] þan dauid · þat vries deth conspired
Or Poule þe apostle · þat no pitee hadde
Moche crystene kynde · to kylle to deth[^1376]
And ben[^1377] þise as souereynes · wyth seyntes in heuene
Þo þat wrouȝte wikkedlokest · in worlde þo þei were

[^1375: Bx.10.453: worse dede: R (and cf. F) is supported by alliteration and by Ax dede wers. C rewrites.]

[^1376: Bx.10.455: Alpha omits the line. AC have it without Moche (K.11.290; RK.11.268). C mss. vary, incorporating an abbreviated version of the line into the previous line, as in X: Poul þe apostel no pite ne hadde cristene peple to culle to dethe.]

[^1377: Bx.10.456: Hm begins with rewritten And ȝit been; all others have And now ben except LR that omit the adverb, and F which reverses the order. The omission is almost certainly an error, since the adverb is in Cx, but the combined testimony of LR implies that it was an omission in Bx, with other scribes correcting by conjecture or contamination. See Adams (2000), 184.]

¶ And þo þat wisely wordeden · and wryten many bokes
Of witte and of wisdome · with dampned soules wonye
Þat salamon seith I trowe be soth · and certeyne of vs alle
S[unt][^1378] iusti atque sapientes · & opera eorum in manu dei sunt &c

[^1378: Bx.10.461: Sunt : Beta's Sine or Siue is an obvious misreading. Alpha is supported by Cx and the source (Ecclesiastes 9.1). Lines 462-71 have no parallel in AC.]

¶[^1379] Þere aren witty and wel libbyng [·] ac her werkes ben yhudde
In þe hondes of almiȝty god · and he wote þe sothe
Wher for[^1380] loue a man worth allowed þere · and his lele werkes
Or elles for his yuel wille · &[^1381] enuye of herte
And be allowed as[^1382] he lyued so[^1383] · for bi lyther men knoweth þe gode

[^1379: Bx.10.462: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1380: Bx.10.464: Wher for: "whether for". Beta2 and G mistake this as Wherefore, and CrW drop loue.]

[^1381: Bx.10.465: &: L initially read or, corrected to &. Beta2 has and for.]

[^1382: Bx.10.466: as: R has for; F rewrites the line.]

[^1383: Bx.10.466: so: Dropped by Cr and beta4 (O has þere).]

¶ And wherby wote[^1384] men whiche is whyte · if alle þinge blake were
And[^1385] who were a gode man · but if þere were some shrewe
For-þi lyue we forth with lither[^1386] men · I leue fewe ben gode
For qant oportet vyent en place · yl ny ad que pati
And he þat may al amende · haue mercy on vs alle
For sothest worde þat euere god seyde · was þo he seyde nemo bonus

[^1384: Bx.10.467: wote: So LR, and probably M before correction to conform to CrW wiste. Hm may also have had wote before revision.]

[^1385: Bx.10.468: And: Alpha probably read Or, altered by F to For.]

[^1386: Bx.10.469: lither: Beta2 reads other and loses alliteration.]

[¶][^1387] Clergye þo of crystes mouth · commended was it litel
For he seyde to seynt Peter · and to suche as he loued
Dum[^1388] steteritis ante Reges et presides &c ·
Þough ȝe come bifor kynges · and clerkes of þe lawe
Beth nouȝte abasched · for I shal be in ȝoure mouthes
And ȝyue ȝow witte at[^1389] wille · and kunnynge to conclude
Hem alle þat aȝeines ȝow · of[^1390] crystenedome disputen

[^1387: Bx.10.473: ¶: The paraph is in WHmR, with a new line-group in M. In L, which lacks the usual line-space, the scribe's paraph marker is unrubricated.]

[^1388: Bx.10.475: Dum : Beta2 alters to Cum, but Cx supports the others.]

[^1389: Bx.10.478: at: L is supported by alpha; all others have and. The line is revised in Cx.]

[^1390: Bx.10.479: of: Alpha omits, though F has a different object for alliteration's sake. Though this is attractive, it might be noted that the verb disputen is elsewhere used transitively only at Bx.10.260; it is usually ~ with.]

¶ Dauyd maketh mencioun · he spake amonges kynges
And[^1391] miȝte no kynge ouercome hym · as bi kunnyng of speche
But witte ne wisdome · wan neuere þe maystrye
Whan man was at myschief · with-oute þe more grace

[^1391: Bx.10.481: And: Cx supports beta against R Al and F Þere.]

¶ Þe doughtiest doctour · and deuynoure of þe trinitee
Was augustyn[^1392] þe olde · and heighest of þe[^1393] foure
Sayde þus in a sarmoun · I seigh it writen ones
Ecce ipsi idioti[^1394] rapiunt celum · vbi nos sapientes in inferno mergimur ·
And is to mene to englissh men · more ne lasse
Aren none rather yrauysshed · fro þe riȝte byleue
Þan ar þis cunnynge clerkes · þat conne[^1395] many bokes

[^1392: Bx.10.485: augustyn: As at l. 126 above, the form of the name in Bx is not determinable. LMG (so beta?) have the full form, but alpha has the more usual Austyn. Both AC have the abbreviated form. We follow copy-text.]

[^1393: Bx.10.485: þe (2): AC do not support R's hem.]

[^1394: Bx.10.487: idioti : Bx and most A mss. make the fools masculine, though CrCGOF correct to feminine.]

[^1395: Bx.10.490: conne: Beta has the support of Ax against alpha's knowe.]

¶[^1396] Ne none sonner saued · ne sadder of bileue
Þan plowmen and pastoures · & pore[^1397] comune laboreres
Souteres and sheperdes · suche[^1398] lewed iottes[^1399]
Percen with a pater noster [·] þe paleys of heuene
And passen purgatorie penaunceles · at her hennes-partyng
In-to þe blisse of paradys · for her pure byleue[^1400]
Þat inparfitly here[^1401] · knewe and eke lyued

[^1396: Bx.10.491: ¶: The paraph is in LW (in M the line is at the top of the page).]

[^1397: Bx.10.492: pore: W and beta4 read oþere and lose the alliteration.]

[^1398: Bx.10.493: suche: So LR and Cr, as well as the majority of A mss. Others have added and.]

[^1399: Bx.10.493: iottes: A nonce word, variously recorded as iottes and iuttes by A and B scribes. It may be the same word as modern jot, "small amount".]

[^1400: Bx.10.496: Here ends comparison with A.]

[^1401: Bx.10.497: here: This line is obviously defective in R, which uniquely drops here. In the b-verse R's loss of eke may represent alpha, since F rewrites. Lines 497-501 are not in C.]

¶ Ȝee men knowe clerkes · þat han cursed[^1402] þe tyme
Þat euere þei couth or knewe more · þan credo in deum patrem
And pryncipaly her[^1403] pater noster · many a persone hath wisshed

[^1402: Bx.10.498: þat han cursed: R alone has cursen.]

[^1403: Bx.10.500: her: So beta; alpha might equally be right with þe.]

¶ I se ensamples my-self · and so may many an other
Þat seruauntes þat seruen lordes · selden falle in arrerage[^1404]
But þo þat kepen þe lordes[^1405] catel · clerkes and reues
Riȝt so lewed men · & of litel knowyng[^1406]
Selden falle[^1407] so foule · and so fer in synne
As clerkes of holikirke[^1408] · þat kepen crystes tresore
Þe which is mannes soule to saue · as god seith in þe gospel
Ite vos in vineam meam

[^1404: Bx.10.502: arrerage: Beta is supported by Cx. F regularly reads rerage; cf. esp. Bx.11.133, 135 (final position), 138, 14.117.]

[^1405: Bx.10.503: þe lordes: R has lordes; F has here. The line is not in C.]

[^1406: Bx.10.504: knowyng: Alpha reads kunnynge. Cx has vnderstondyng in a revised line (RK.11.299).]

[^1407: Bx.10.505: falle: So alpha, supported by Cx; beta reads falle þei.]

[^1408: Bx.10.506: kirke: Beta2 and GR alter to chirche and lose alliteration.]

Passus undecimus

Thanne scripture scorned me · and a skile tolde
And lakked me in latyne · and liȝte by me she[^1409] sette
And seyde multi multa sciunt [·][^1410] & seipsos nesciunt
Þo wepte I for wo[^1411] · and wratth of her speche
And in a wynkyng wratth · wex [til] I [was][^1412] aslepe
A merueillouse meteles · mette me þanne[^1413]
[For][^1414] I was rauisshed riȝt þere · and[^1415] fortune me fette
And in-to þe londe of longynge · allone[^1416] she me brouȝte
And in a myroure þat hiȝt mydlerd · she mad me to biholde
Sitthen she sayde to me · here myȝtow se wondres
And knowe þat þow coueytest · and come þer-to par-aunter

[^1409: Bx.11.2: she: Scripture is female in Bx.10.160-1. Alpha reads he, either as the feminine pronoun or taking Scripture as a male personification. Cx omits the pronoun (RK.11.162). Though she is clearly female in l. 4, in l. 110 Scripture is referred to as he by GOCF.]

[^1410: Bx.11.3: MHmO and alpha treat this as a standard alliterative line with medial punctuation.]

[^1411: Bx.11.4: wo: Supported by alliteration and Cx against alpha's sorwe.]

[^1412: Bx.11.5: til I was: R's reading is taken to be alpha and Bx. In the a-verse the form wratth is pretty clearly a Bx error (prompted by the previous line) for warth, "entered, fell", where Cx has I warth (RK.11.165). We assume that beta rewrote the b-verse, supposing that the a-verse meant something like "in an angry sleepiness" or "in a sleepy anger". The b-verse in Cx is quite different. F rewrote the whole line and added another five, avoiding the dream within a dream by waking Will up and sending him swiftly back to sleep again.]

[^1413: Bx.11.6: mette me þanne: Alpha's me tydde to dreme has less satisfactory alliteration. Surprisingly, the verb tiden is never used in the poem.]

[^1414: Bx.11.7: For: Alpha's reading is confirmed by Cx (RK.11.166).]

[^1415: Bx.11.7: and: R's reading for, though not supported by F, may be Bx, since it is paralleled by the X family of C. The P family has no conjunction.]

[^1416: Bx.11.8: allone: Beta and F are supported by the X family of C, although the P family as well as two of the X family (YU) support R's & loue. For the collocation of love and longing, see MED longing(e (1) (b) and (c). Either reading could easily have given rise to the other.]

¶ Þanne hadde fortune folwyng hir [·] two faire damoyseles
Concupiscencia carnis · men called þe elder mayde
And coueytise of eyes · ycalled was þat oþer
Pryde of parfyte lyuynge · pursued hem bothe
And badde me for my contenaunce · acounte clergye liȝte

¶ Concupiscencia carnis · colled me aboute þe nekke
And seyde þow art ȝonge and ȝepe · and hast ȝeres ynowe
For to lyue longe · and ladyes to louye
And in þis myroure þow myȝte se · myrthes[^1417] ful manye
Þat leden þe wil to lykynge · al þi lyf-tyme

[^1417: Bx.11.20: myrthes: Beta2's myȝtes has no support from Cx.]

¶[^1418] Þe secounde seide þe same · I shal suwe þi wille
Til þow be a lorde and haue londe · leten þe I nelle
Þat I ne shal folwe þi felawship · if fortune it lyke
He shal fynde me his frende · quod fortune þer-after
Þe freke þat folwed[^1419] my wille · failled neuere blisse

[^1418: Bx.11.22: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1419: Bx.11.26: folwed: Alpha's present tense might equally represent Bx. C has a different line, with present-tense liketh.]

¶ Thanne was þere one þat hiȝte elde [·] þat heuy was of chere
Man quod he if I mete with þe · bi Marie of heuene
Þow shalt fynde fortune þe faille ·[^1420] at þi moste nede
And concupiscencia carnis · clene þe forsake
Bitterliche shaltow banne þanne · bothe dayes and niȝtes
Coueytise of eyghe · þat euere þow hir knewe
And pryde of parfyt lyuynge · to moche peril þe brynge

[^1420: Bx.11.29: R places the punctuation after fortune, thus alliterating aa/ax rather than aaa/xx.]

¶ Ȝee recche þe neuere quod recchelesnes · stode forth in ragged clothes
Folwe forth þat fortune wole · þow hast wel fer t[o][^1421] elde
A man may stoupe tymes[^1422] ynow · whan he shal tyne þe croune

[^1421: Bx.11.35: to: MHmCGO and alpha, supported by Cx, against til in LCrW. Cf. Bx.9.88, 11.83.]

[^1422: Bx.11.36: tymes: LMHmR have the plural, presumably representing Bx, though the regular adverbial expression is time enough, "soon enough"; see MED time n.(2), 8c(c). The other B mss. and most C mss. have the regular singular. See Adams (2000), 179.]

¶ Homo proponit quod a poete [þo][^1423] · and plato he hyght
And deus disponit quod he · lat god done his wille
If trewthe wil witnesse it be wel do · fortune to folwe
Concupiscencia carnis · ne coueityse of eyes
Ne shal nouȝt greue þe gretly[^1424] · ne bigyle þe but þow wolt

[^1423: Bx.11.37: þo: Alpha is supported by Cx (RK.11.303).]

[^1424: Bx.11.41: gretly: So beta and Cx, but it is hard to explain why alpha might have replaced it with graythly, "quickly, readily". Yet the only other occurrence of graythely in B is Bx.18.298, where it causes the scribes no difficulty.]

[¶][^1425] Ȝee farewel phippe quod fauntelte [·] and forth gan me drawe
Til concupiscencia carnis · acorded [til][^1426] alle my werkes

[^1425: Bx.11.42: ¶: The paraph is in WHmC and alpha, with a line-space in M. In L, which lacks the usual line-space, the scribe's paraph marker is unrubricated.]

[^1426: Bx.11.43: til: In beta the verb acorded is used most unusually with direct object; alpha has the prepositions til (R) and with (F). For acord with cf. Bx.20.304, 354. Cx supports R.]

¶ Allas eye quod elde · and holynesse bothe
Þat witte shal torne to wrecchednesse · for wille to haue his lykyng

[^1427] ¶ Coueityse of eyghes · conforted me anon after
And folwed me fourty wynter · and a fyfte more
Þat of dowel ne dobet · no deyntee me ne[^1428] þouȝte
I had no lykynge leue me if þe[^1429] leste · of hem auȝte to knowe

[^1427: Bx.11.46-9: Omitted by alpha, an easy case of eye-skip, with the same a-verse in ll. 46 and 50, both lines beginning with a paraph. F then also omits ll. 50-1. It is worth noting that Bx.11.47-52 are absent from C, and this may also be attributable to eye-skip.]

[^1428: Bx.11.48: ne (2): LM only (alpha is absent).]

[^1429: Bx.11.49: þe: LMW; Hm has thu and Cr has ye.]

¶[^1430] Coueytyse of eyes · cam ofter in[^1431] mynde
Þan dowel or dobet [·] amonge my dedes alle
Coueytise of eyes [·] conforted me ofte
And seyde haue no conscience [·] how þow come to gode
Go confesse [þe][^1432] to sum frere · and shewe hym þi synnes
For whiles fortune is þi frende · Freres wil þe louye
And fe[tt]e[^1433] þe to her fraternite · and for þe biseke
To her priour prouyncial · a pardoun forto haue
And preyen for þe pol bi pol · ȝif þow be peccuniosus
[P]ena[^1434] pecuniar[i]a non sufficit pro spiritualibus delictis

[^1430: Bx.11.50: ¶: The paraph is in LR only (F is absent).]

[^1431: Bx.11.50: in: GOR have in my. The line is not in Cx.]

[^1432: Bx.11.54: þe: LF omit, but supported by Cx.]

[^1433: Bx.11.56: fette: R (= alpha) with F misreading as sette. MED fetten notes that "in the ME and Early MnE period fetten is gradually replaced by fecchen", whence beta's reading. Cx has instead festene (RK.12.8). At Bx.18.344 R has fecchest for Bx fettest.]

[^1434: Bx.11.59: Pena : Alpha is supported by Cx. Presumably beta's Set pena is an attempt to link the quotation more closely to the argument. Alford (1992), 72.]

¶ By wissynge of þis wenche I [dede][^1435] · here wordes were so swete
Tyl I forȝat ȝouthe · and ȝarn[^1436] in-to elde
And þanne was fortune my foo · for al hir faire biheste
And pouerte pursued me · and put me lowe
And þo fonde I þe Frere aferde · and flyttynge bothe
Aȝeines owre firste forward · for I seyde I nolde
Be buryed at her hous · but at my parissh cherche
For I herde onys · how conscience it tolde
Þat þere a man were crystened · by kynde he shulde be buryed
Or where he were parisshene[^1437] · riȝt þere he shulde be grauen
And for I seyde þus to freres · a fool þei me helden
And loued me þe lasse [·] for my lele speche
Ac ȝet I cryed on my confessoure [·] þat helde hym-self so kunnyng
By my feith frere quod I · ȝe faren lyke þise woweres
Þat wedde none wydwes · but forto welde here godis
Riȝte so by þe Rode · rouȝte ȝe neuere
Where my body were buryed · bi so ȝe hadde my siluer
Ich haue moche merueille of ȝow · and so hath many another[^1438]
Why ȝowre couent coueyteth · to confesse and to burye
Rather þan to baptise barnes · þat ben catekumelynges
Baptizyng and burying · bothe ben ful nedeful
Ac moche more merytorie · me þynke[th][^1439] it is to baptize
For a baptized man ·[^1440] may as maistres telleth
Þorugh contricioun come · to[^1441] þe heigh heuene Sola contricio &c[^1442] ·

[^1435: Bx.11.60: dede: The choice of reading is difficult. R is supported by Cx. We therefore suppose that beta corrupted to wrouȝte by alliterative attraction, while F coincidentally included wrowhte in a rewritten a-verse, again prompted by the alliteration.]

[^1436: Bx.11.61: ȝarn: "ran", the form regularly used for alliteration, which HmR lose with ran. Cf. Bx.3.215 and note.]

[^1437: Bx.11.69: parisshene: Alpha adds the indefinite article. There is no parallel in C.]

[^1438: Bx.11.77: another: R's other has support from CrCGO. The line is not in C, and is rejected by KD.]

[^1439: Bx.11.81: þynketh: Only L has þynke.]

[^1440: Bx.11.82: L's placing of the punctuation after man has the support of MCR, suggesting a Bx error. Beta2 (CrWHm) and OF correct by placing it after may.]

[^1441: Bx.11.83: to: R has til, and F has into.]

[^1442: Bx.11.83: &c : HmCGO extend the "common saying" (Alford (1992), 72) by adding delet peccatum. In beta (LMCrWHmO) the Latin follows the English on the same line, either as part of the line (MCr) or separated from the English with a space, in L (boxed in red), W (boxed in red preceded by // to indicate an omission), Hm (with caret to indicate omission), and O (which commonly sets Latin quotations in the right margin, underlined in red). In alpha the Latin is given a separate line. Compare l. 85, where it is clear that Bx treats the Latin as the first part of the line. See note to 11.85.]

¶ Ac a barne with-oute bapteme · may nouȝt so be saued
Nisi quis renatus fuerit[^1443] loke ȝe lettred men · whether I lye or do nouȝte
[^1444]And lewte [þo][^1445] loked on me · and I loured after
[^1446]Wherfore lourestow quod lewte · and loked on me harde
Ȝif I durste quod I amonges men · þis meteles auowe
Ȝe bi peter and bi poule quod he · and take[^1447] hem bothe to witnesse
Non oderis fratres secrete in corde tuo · set publice argue illos

[^1443: Bx.11.85: CGO extend the quotation (from John 3.5) but LMCrWR show that Bx took the four Latin words as the start of the English line. Cf. 11.83.]

[^1444: Bx.11.86: Hm and F have a paraph and M has a line-space.]

[^1445: Bx.11.86: þo: Alpha's reading has some support from the parallel line in Cx: And thenne louhe leaute for y loured on þe frere (RK.12.23).]

[^1446: Bx.11.87: A paraph would be appropriate here to mark the beginning of direct speech, but it is supported by WR only. In the next line it has stronger support from WHm and alpha, and in l. 89 from W and alpha. W is much more regular than other scribes in paragraphing speech, and his testimony therefore carries less weight.]

[^1447: Bx.11.89: take: The imperative is supported by the crucial witnesses LMR, as well as G. Others have the easier past tense. See Adams (2000), 179.]

¶ Þei wol alleggen also quod I · and by þe gospel preuen
Nolite iudicare quemquam ·

¶ And wher-of serueth lawe quod lewte[^1448] · if no lyf vndertoke it
Falsenesse ne faytrye · for sumwhat þe apostle seyde
Non oderis fratrem[^1449] · and in þe sauter also seithe dauid þe prophete
Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis &c
It is licitum for lewed men · to segge þe sothe
If hem lyketh and leste · eche a lawe it graunteth
Excepte parsones and prestes · and prelates of holycherche
It falleth nouȝte for þat folke · no tales to telle
Þough þe tale were trewe · and it touched synne

[^1448: Bx.11.93: lewte: Cx does not support R's addition of þanne.]

[^1449: Bx.11.95: All scribes except F incorporate the Latin quotation into the line. Cf. 11.85.]

¶ Þinge[^1450] þat al þe worlde wote · wherfore shuldestow spare
And[^1451] reden it in Retoryke · to arate dedly synne
Ac be[^1452] neuere-more þe fyrste · þe defaute to blame
Þouȝe þow se yuel sey it nouȝte fyrste · be sorye it nere amended
No þinge þat is pryue · publice þow it neuere
Neyther for loue laude[^1453] it nouȝt · ne lakke it for enuye
Parum lauda vitupera parcius

[^1450: Bx.11.102: Þinge: Alpha may have started the line with A (F) or Ac (R), but neither is supported by Cx.]

[^1451: Bx.11.103: And: Clearly the Bx reading, though probably an error for To as in WHm and also Cx.]

[^1452: Bx.11.104: be: HmF add thu, as does the P family of C.]

[^1453: Bx.11.107: laude: R has lakke, anticipating the b-verse, while F rewrites. Cx has labbe it out, "blurt it out", for laude it nouȝt.]

¶ He seith sothe quod scripture þo · and skipte an heigh & preched
Ac þe matere þat she meued · if lewed men it knewe[^1454]
Þe lasse as I leue · louyen it þei wolde
[Þe bileue [of] þat lord[^1455] . þat lettred men techeth]

[^1454: Bx.11.110: if lewed men it knewe: R's b-verse lewed men it knowe probably represents corruption in alpha (cf. F). Cx supports beta.]

[^1455: Bx.11.112: of þat lord: The line is recorded only in alpha, though evidently the a-verse has been corrupted, perhaps simply by omitting of as in R. Cx reads of oure lord (RK.12.44).]

¶ This was her teme and her tyxte · I toke ful gode hede
Multi to a maungerye · and to þe mete were sompned
And whan þe peple was plenere comen · þe porter vnpynned þe ȝate
And plukked in pauci priueliche · and lete þe remenaunt go rowme

¶ Al for tene of her tyxte · trembled myn herte
And in a were gan I waxe · and with my-self to dispute
Whether I were chosen or nouȝt chosen · on holicherche I þouȝte
Þat vnderfonge me atte fonte · for one of goddis chosne
For cryste cleped vs alle · come if we wolde
Sarasenes and scismatikes · and so he dyd þe iewes
O vos omnes scicientes[^1456] venite &c
And badde hem souke for synne · sa[ue][^1457] at his breste
And drynke bote for bale · brouke it who-so myȝte

[^1456: Bx.11.123: scicientes : Evidently the Bx (and probably Cx) spelling for the more formally correct sicientes.]

[^1457: Bx.11.124: saue: Beta has saufly, but Alpha's word is supported by the X family of C; the P family has sauete in a rewritten b-verse. Kane (2005) glosses saue RK.12.56 as "decoction of herbs taken internally fig.". See MED save n.(1).]

¶ Þanne may alle crystene come quod I · and cleyme þere entre
By þe blode þat[^1458] he bouȝte vs with · and þorugh baptesme after
Qui crediderit & baptizatus fuerit &c
For þough a crystene man coueyted · his crystenedome to reneye[^1459]
Riȝtfulliche to renye · no resoun it wolde

[^1458: Bx.11.127: þat: G, Alpha and a few C mss. omit.]

[^1459: Bx.11.129: reneye: Beta, supported by sense and by Cx against alpha's receyue.]

¶ For may no cherle chartre make · ne his catel selle
With-outen leue of his lorde · no lawe wil it graunte
Ac he may renne in arrerage · and rowme[^1460] fro home
And as a reneyed caityf [·] recchelesly[^1461] aboute
Ac Resoun shal rekne with hym ·[^1462][and rebuken hym at þe laste
And conscience a-counte with hym ·] and casten hym in arrerage
And putten [hym][^1463] after in[^1464] prisone · in purgatorie to brenne
[And][^1465] for his arrerages rewarden hym þere · [riȝte][^1466] to þe daye of dome
But if contricioun w[o]l[^1467] come · and crye bi his lyue
Mercy for his mysdedes · with mouth or[^1468] with herte

[^1460: Bx.11.133: rowme: R repeats renne; F has rayke. Cx supports the verb as in beta, and the omission of so as in alpha, added in beta to fill out a short line.]

[^1461: Bx.11.134: recchelesly: The L corrector assumes omission of a verb, and supplies gon, while Beta2 (CrWHm) repeats rennen from the previous line. Alpha has corrupted the a-verse (R has he renneth for a reneyed), and it appears likely that Cx has to make sense of a corrupted exemplar, since the line becomes As a recheles caytyf or reneyed as hit semeth (RK.12.65).]

[^1462: Bx.11.135-6: As a result of eyeskip on mid-line with hym, beta drops 135b and 136a. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^1463: Bx.11.137: hym: The omission in LMC suggests that the pronoun may have been lost in beta. It is supported by both alpha and Cx.]

[^1464: Bx.11.137: in: LM and beta2 (CrWHm) have in a, but the article is not in alpha or Cx.]

[^1465: Bx.11.138: And: Beta drops And, but alpha is supported by the X family of C. The P family reorders the a-verse.]

[^1466: Bx.11.138: riȝte: R supplies the Bx reading. The alliterating adverb is supported by Cx. F rewrites the b-verse.]

[^1467: Bx.11.139: wol: LR give strong support for wel, which could be right ("happily", etc.). More probably both scribes mistake wol come for a spelling of welcome (see MED), and in L the line is marked for correction. Cx revises the line.]

[^1468: Bx.11.140: or: Well supported for Bx, though and in WHmF is also the reading of Cx.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde scripture [·] may no synne lette
Mercy alle to[^1469] amende · and mekenesse hir folwe[^1470]
For þey beth as owre bokes telleth · aboue goddes werkes
Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius

[^1469: Bx.11.142: alle to: Alpha's may al was perhaps the basis for Cx, which has the a-verse Mercy þat he ne may al amende. However, the syntax is lette to amende "prevent from amending".]

[^1470: Bx.11.142: and mekenesse hir folwe: R (= alpha?) muddles through with þat mekenesse he folweth, but Cx supports the b-verse as in beta.]

¶ Ȝee baw for bokes quod one · was broken oute of helle
Hiȝte troianus had ben a trewe knyȝte · toke witnesse at a pope
How he was ded and dampned · to dwellen in pyne
For an vncristene creature [·] clerkis wyten þe sothe
Þat al þe clergye vnder cryste · miȝte[^1471] me cracche fro helle
But onliche loue and leaute · [of][^1472] my lawful domes

[^1471: Bx.11.149: miȝte: Evidently Bx lost ne, required for sense and supplied by beta2 (CrWHm), as in Cx (RK.12.79).]

[^1472: Bx.11.150: of: So alpha, against beta's and. The sense is supported by Cx as in my lawes demynge, which also sets Trajan's love and integrity in relation to his justice.]

¶ Gregorie wist þis wel · and wilned to my soule
Sauacioun for [þe][^1473] sothenesse · þat he seigh in[^1474] my werkes
And after þat he wepte · and wilned me were graunted
Grace wyth-outen any bede-byddynge · his bone was vnderfonge
And I saued as ȝe may[^1475] se · with-oute syngyng of masses
By[^1476] loue and by lernyng [·] of my lyuyng in treuthe
Brouȝte me fro bitter peyne · þere no biddyng myȝte

[^1473: Bx.11.152: þe: Alpha, dropped by beta, but supported by Cx.]

[^1474: Bx.11.152: seigh in: Beta, supported by Cx, against R's seith of.]

[^1475: Bx.11.155: may: Probably R's now is a misreading of an alpha form mowe.]

[^1476: Bx.11.156: By: Probably dropped by alpha, with F patching. Alpha may have stumbled over the non-expression of the subject pronoun "that" in the next line (where F again patches).]

¶ Lo ȝe lordes what leute did · by an Emperoure of Rome
Þat was an vncrystene creature · as clerkes fyndeth in bokes
Nouȝt þorw preyere of a pope · but for his pure treuthe
Was þat sarasene saued · as seynt Gregorie bereth witnesse
Wel ouȝte ȝe[^1477] lordes þat lawes kepe · þis lessoun to haue in mynde
And on troianus treuth to thenke · and do treuthe to þe peple

[^1477: Bx.11.162: ȝe: Beta, supported by Cx, against alpha's þe.]

[^1478] [¶ Þis matir is merke for mani of ȝow · ac men of holy cherche
Þe legend[a][^1479] sanctorum ȝow lereth · more larger þan I ȝow telle
Ac þus lele loue · and lyuynge in treuthe
Pulte[^1480] oute of pyne · a paynym of rome
Yblessed be treuthe · þat so brak[^1481] helle ȝates
And saued þe sarasyn · fram sathanas and his power
Þere no clergie ne couthe · ne konnynge of lawes
Loue and leute [·] is a lele science
For þat is þe boke blessede · of blisse and of ioye
God wrouȝt it and wrot hit · with his one[^1482] fynger
And toke it moyses vpon þe mount · alle men to[^1483] lere]

[^1478: Bx.11.164-74: Beta omits these 11 lines, perhaps due to eyeskip from paraph to paraph. KD p. 66 suggest an implausible series of homeoarchy. 11.172 is in R alone. The passage is not in C, although Bx.11.171-2 lies behind RK.12.97. R's spellings have been altered to those of L.]

[^1479: Bx.11.165: legenda : RF write legende, but cf. Bx.11.229 and 15.280.]

[^1480: Bx.11.167: Pulte: From pilten (cf. RK.11.206) rather than pullen, pace Kane (2005). Cf. Bx.1.128, 15.66.]

[^1481: Bx.11.168: so brak: F reverses the word-order.]

[^1482: Bx.11.173: one: R's on is his usual form of "one". F has owne.]

[^1483: Bx.11.174: to: F supplies an object it, perhaps rightly.]

[¶][^1484]Lawe with-outen loue quod troianus [·] leye þere a bene
Or any science vnder sonne · þe seuene artz and alle
But[^1485] þei ben lerned for owre lordes loue · loste is alle þe tyme
For no cause to cacche siluer þere-by · ne to be called a mayster
But al for loue of owre lorde · and þe bet to loue þe peple
For seynte Iohan seyde it · and soth aren his wordes
Qui non diligit manet in morte

[^1484: Bx.11.175: ¶: Since we suppose that the beta scribe skipped from one paraph to another, we insert the paraph supplied only in R and Hm. In L the line is at the top of the leaf.]

[^1485: Bx.11.177: But: In L the corrector has added if, but it is without support.]

¶[^1486] Who-so loueth nouȝte leue me · he lyueth in deth-deyinge
And þat alle manere men · enemys and frendes
Louen her eyther other · and lene hem as her-selue
Who-so[^1487] leneth[^1488] nouȝte he loueth nouȝte · [oure lorde][^1489] wote þe sothe
And comaundeth[^1490] eche creature · to confourme hym to louye
And souereynelyche pore poeple · and here ennemys after
For hem þat hateth vs · is owre meryte to louye
And pore peple to plese · here prayeres may vs helpe
For owre ioye and owre [Iuwel][^1491] · Ihesu[^1492] cryst of heuene
In a pore mannes apparaille · pursueth vs euere
And loketh on vs in her liknesse · and þat with louely chere
To knowen vs by owre kynde herte · and castyng of owre eyen
Wheþer we loue þe lordes here · byfor owre[^1493] lorde of blisse

[^1486: Bx.11.182: ¶: The paraph is in beta only. In R the line is at the top of the page.]

[^1487: Bx.11.185: Who-so: Alpha begins For ho-so, obscuring the parallel with l. 182.]

[^1488: Bx.11.185: leneth: Alpha's leueth (also Cr) is not approprate to the argument that follows.]

[^1489: Bx.11.185: oure lorde: The reading is very uncertain since it is attested by R alone. Possibly R altered Bx god for the sake of alliteration, but that would be very untypical behaviour. More probably beta read god, coincidentally adopted by F. These lines are not in C. Perhaps reflecting the lack of b-verse alliteration with the reading god, all scribes except W, beta4 and R punctuate after each nouȝte.]

[^1490: Bx.11.186: comaundeth: O and Alpha have the past tense. Either alpha or beta could be right.]

[^1491: Bx.11.190: Iuwel: KD's conjecture, proposed on p. 184, is persuasive as the reading of Bx, and fits the alliteration on /j/. R's nonsensical euel can hardly have been prompted by the commonplace hele, helthe of beta and F, but is more likely to be a misinterpretation of an alpha spelling iuel. If so, then beta and F misunderstood or objected to the rare use of "jewel" to refer to Christ. The closest parallel is Pearl 795; cf. also Bx.18.447.]

[^1492: Bx.11.190: Ihesu: Alpha has is ihesu, but Ihesu is subject of pursueth in the next line.]

[^1493: Bx.11.194: owre: Strong support from LMR and CO, against þe in beta2 and GF.]

¶[^1494] And exciteth vs bi þe euangelye · þat when we maken festes
We shulde nouȝte clepe owre kynne þer-to · ne none kynnes riche[^1495]
Cum facitis conuiuia nolite inuitare amicos
Ac calleth þe careful þer-to [·] þe croked and þe pore
For ȝowre frendes wil feden ȝow · and fonde ȝow to quite
Ȝowre festynge and ȝowre faire ȝifte[^1496] · vche frende quyteth so other

[^1494: Bx.11.195: ¶: Only LR have a paraph.]

[^1495: Bx.11.196: kynnes riche: Probably "rich of any sort", translating Luke 14.12 "vicinos divites". R may have confused with kine-riche, "kingdom", or interpreted as "rich kin", following kyn (Luke's "cognatos") in the a-verse. Cf. also GO, and F's apparent difficulty with the b-verse. It is noteworthy that Cx, which has knyhtes in the a-verse, has none kyne ryche, "no rich kin" in the b-verse (RK.12.103).]

[^1496: Bx.11.200: ȝifte: Clearly beta, though beta4 (CGO) has plural, as does alpha.]

¶ Ac for þe pore I shal paye · and pure wel quyte her trauaille
Þat ȝiueth hem mete or moneye · and loueth hem for my sake

[¶ God myȝte riche haue made . alle men if he wolde][^1497]
[Ac][^1498] for þe best ben somme riche · and somme beggers and pore
For alle are we crystes creatures · and of his coffres riche
And[^1499] bretheren as of o blode · as wel beggares as erles
For [at][^1500] caluarye of crystes blode · crystenedome gan sprynge
And blody bretheren we bycome þere · of o body ywonne
As quasi modo geniti · and gentil men vche one
No beggere ne boye amonges vs · but if it synne made
Qui facit peccatum seruus est peccati &c

[^1497: Bx.11.203: God myȝte riche haue made alle: We suppose that F represents alpha and also Bx, in a line that is lost in beta. We take F's a as "have". R is defective in sense, though KD's emendation based on R is attractive: "Alle myȝte god haue maad riche men if he wolde". Lines 202-6 are not in C.]

[^1498: Bx.11.204: Ac: So R. Having lost the previous line, beta drops the co-ordinating conjunction. F as usual alters to But.]

[^1499: Bx.11.206: And: R has As, but it is not supported by Cx.]

[^1500: Bx.11.207: at: Alpha is supported by Cx (RK.12.109).]

¶ In þe olde lawe · as [þe][^1501] lettre telleth
Mennes sones · men called vs vchone
Of adames issue and Eue · ay til god-man deyde
And after his resurreccioun · Redemptor was his name
And we his bretheren þourgh hym ybouȝt · bothe riche and pore
For-þi loue we as leue [children][^1502] shal[^1503] · and vche man laughe vp[^1504] other
And of þat eche man may forbere · amende þere it nedeth
And euery man helpe other[^1505] · for hennes shal we alle
Alter alterius onera portate
And be we nouȝte vnkynde of owre catel · ne of owre kunnynge neyther
For noet[^1506] no man how neighe it is · to be ynome fro bothe
For-þi lakke no lyf other · þough he more latyne knowe
Ne vnder-nym nouȝte foule · for is none with-oute faute[^1507]
For what-euere clerkis carpe [·] of crystenedome or elles
Cryst to a comune woman seyde · in comune at a feste
Þat fides sua shulde sauen hir [·] and saluen hir of alle[^1508] synnes

[^1501: Bx.11.212: þe (2): Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta is probably filling out a short b-verse. In Cx, this whole line becomes the a-verse, and the next line the b-verse, dropping vchone.]

[^1502: Bx.11.217: children: Alpha, supported by Cx; beta repeats bretheren from the previous line.]

[^1503: Bx.11.217: shal: Strong support for Bx from all except WCrF, which omit as in Cx.]

[^1504: Bx.11.217: vp: LMCR, against on GOF and of WHm. The b-verse is revised in Cx.]

[^1505: Bx.11.219: other: Alpha adds here, but Cx supports beta.]

[^1506: Bx.11.222: noet: Supported by LMCOR against woot in others. This passage to l. 237 is not in C.]

[^1507: Bx.11.224: faute: So LMCrCGO. Curiously the word is only used once in the three versions, at Bx.10.111 (where F reads defawte). In contrast, defaute, as in WHm and alpha, is common, though generally in the senses "lack, hardship". We follow copy-text.]

[^1508: Bx.11.227: alle: So LCrHmR; MGC read hire, while WOF omit.]

¶ Þanne is byleue a lele helpe [·] aboue logyke or lawe
Of logyke ne of lawe [·] in legenda sanctorum
Is litel allowaunce made[^1509] · but if[^1510] bileue hem helpe
For it is ouerlonge ar logyke · any lessoun assoille
And lawe is loth to louye · but if he lacche syluer
Bothe logyke and lawe · þat loueth nouȝte to lye
I conseille alle crystene[^1511] · cleue nouȝte þer-on to sore
For sum wordes I fynde ywryten · were of faithes techyng
Þat saued synful men · as seynt Iohan bereth wytnesse
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur vobis

[^1509: Bx.11.230: litel allowaunce made: Although we adopt beta's a-verse, alpha's phrase litel alowed has a parallel in Bx.14.335 For lordes alloweth hym litel.]

[^1510: Bx.11.230: if: Omitted by G and alpha. There are plenty of parallels for either reading.]

[^1511: Bx.11.234: crystene: For independent scribal addition of men in this a-verse, cf. Bx.9.185. The a-verse is repeated at Bx.7.211 and 15.360.]

¶[^1512] For-þi lerne we þe lawe of loue · as owre lorde tauȝte
And as seynte Gregory seide · for mannes soule helthe
Melius est scrutari scelera nostra · quam naturas rerum

[^1512: Bx.11.238: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

¶ Why I moue þis matere · is moste for þe pore
For in her lyknesse owre lorde · ofte hath ben yknowe
Witnesse in þe Paske-wyke · whan he ȝede to Emaus
Cleophas ne knewe hym nauȝte · þat he cryste were
For his pore paraille[^1513] · and pylgrymes wedes
Tyl he blessed and brak · þe bred þat þei eten
So bi his werkes þei wisten · þat he was Ihesus
Ac by clothyng þei knewe hym nouȝte · ne bi carpynge of tonge

[^1513: Bx.11.245: paraille: So LR. C mss. vary. However, cf. l. 252 where (in the absence of F) R alone has the aphetic form.]

¶[^1514] And al was ensample [for-sothe][^1515] · to vs synful here
Þat we shulde be low · and loueliche of speche
And apparaille vs nouȝte ouer-[^1516]proudly · for pylgrymes ar we alle
And in þe apparaille of a pore man · and pilgrymes lyknesse
Many tyme god hath ben mette · amonge nedy peple
Þere neuere segge hym seigh · in secte of þe riche

[^1514: Bx.11.238: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^1515: Bx.11.249: ensample for-sothe: R's reading, doubtfully adopted on the basis of Cx ensample sothly. The adverb supplies a second alliterative stave for the a-verse. Beta has in ensample, although M shares the reading of F without in.]

[^1516: Bx.11.251: ouer-: Supported by LMR and WHm (C has to), but dropped by CrGOF.]

¶ Seynt Iohan and other seyntes · were seyne in pore clothynge
And as pore pilgrymes · preyed mennes[^1517] godis
Ihesu cryste on a iewes douȝter alyȝte · gentil woman þough she were
Was[^1518] a pure pore mayde · and to a pore man wedded

[^1517: Bx.11.256: mennes: In alpha men is object of preyude, "begged men (for their) goods", and is so expanded by F.]

[^1518: Bx.11.258: Was: R (F drops lines 257-8) repeats A, "she" from the previous line, as does Hm sche, but Cx is without it.]

¶ Martha on Marye magdeleyne · an huge pleynte she made
And to owre saueour self · seyde þise wordes
Domine non est tibi cure quod soror mea reliquit me sola[^1519] ministrare &c

[^1519: Bx.11.261: sola : So LM and F (R truncates after cure), together with some C mss. The accusative solam is expected, as in other mss.]

¶[^1520] And hastiliche god answered · and eytheres wille folwed
Bothe Marthaes and Maries · as Mathew bereth witnesse
Ac pouerte god put bifore · and preysed it þe bettre
Maria optimam partem elegit · que non &c[^1521]

[^1520: Bx.11.262: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^1521: Bx.11.265: non &c : LMCrW end at this point; R stops after elegit, while the others continue auferetur ab ea. C mss. show the same variation, though the X family ends with non &c.]

¶[^1522] And alle þe wyse þat euere were · by auȝte I can aspye
Preysen[^1523] pouerte for best lyf · if pacience it folwe[^1524]
And bothe bettere and blisseder · by many folde þan ricchesse
Although[^1525] it be soure to suffre · þere cometh swete after
As on a walnot with-oute [·] is a bitter barke
And after þat bitter barke · be þe shelle aweye
Is a kirnelle of conforte · kynde to restore
So is after pouerte or penaunce · pacientlyche ytake
[M]aketh[^1526] a man to haue mynde in gode · and a grete wille
To wepe and to wel bydde · wher-of wexeth mercy
Of which cryst is a kirnelle · to conforte þe soule
And wel sykerer he slepyth · þe [segge][^1527] þat is pore
And lasse he dredeth deth · and in derke to be robbed
Þan he þat is riȝte ryche · resoun bereth wytnesse
Pauper ego ludo dum tu diues meditaris

[^1522: Bx.11.266: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^1523: Bx.11.267: Preysen: Only MW have the past tense, following on from were in the previous line. However, it must be observed that Cx also has the past. See next note.]

[^1524: Bx.11.267: folwe: W continues with the past tense, as do six C mss. Alpha's wolde/welde is presumably a misreading of folwede; two C mss. have the same curious reading.]

[^1525: Bx.11.269: Although: The reading of LM and alpha and the X family of C. Other beta mss. have And though. See Adams (2000), 179.]

[^1526: Bx.11.274: Maketh: Beta begins For it maketh, but the clause without subject as in alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^1527: Bx.11.277: segge: Beta's man is a straightforward example of the substitution of an easier reading. Cx supports alpha.]

¶[^1528] Alþough salamon seide · as folke[^1529] seeth in þe bible
Diuicias nec paupertates &c
Wyser þan salamon was · bereth witnesse and tauȝte
Þat parfyte pouert was · no possessioun to haue
And lyf moste lykynge to god · as luke bereth witnesse
Si vis perfectus esse · vade & vende &c
[^1530]And is to mene to men · þat on þis molde lyuen
Who-so wil be pure parfyt · mote possessioun forsake
Or selle it as seith þe boke · and þe syluer dele
To beggeres þat gone and begge · and bidden good for goddes loue

[^1528: Bx.11.281: ¶: The paraph in L is supported by WF.]

[^1529: Bx.11.281: folke: Presumably on this occasion alpha has adopted the easier reading; cf. l. 277. From here to l. 301 there is no parallel in C.]

[^1530: Bx.11.287: MWHmC would support a paraph here, but it is not particularly appropriate and not supported by alpha.]

¶ For failled neuere man mete · þat myȝtful god serued[^1531]
As dauid seith in þe sauter · to suche þat ben in wille[^1532]
To serue god godeliche · ne greueth hym[^1533] no penaunce
Nichil inpossibile[^1534] volenti
Ne lakketh neuere[^1535] lyflode · lynnen ne wollen
Inquirentes autem dominum · non minuentur omni bono

[^1531: Bx.11.291: serued: Despite beta2 (CrWHm), beta probably has the past tense and alpha the present. Either could be right: the past following on from failled, or the present anticipating seith and the verbs in ll. 293 and 295.]

[^1532: Bx.11.292: Following this line, alpha evidently had the half line With eny wel or wo, reproduced by R. F makes a full line by coupling it with l. 292b which he has replaced by a half-line of his own.]

[^1533: Bx.11.293: hym: MCr and alpha have pl. hem. We follow copy-text.]

[^1534: Bx.11.294: inpossibile : Alford (1992), 75, quotes the proverb in this form. Alpha, with difficile instead, may have known another form. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs, p. 463, cites Heywood (1546) "Nothing is impossible to a willyng hart", and Fergusson (1641) "Nothing is difficile to a well willit man".]

[^1535: Bx.11.295: neuere: R has noyther; F drops the line.]

[¶][^1536] If prestes weren parfyt[^1537] · þei wolde no syluer take
For masses ne for matynes · nouȝte her mete of vsureres
Ne neither kirtel ne cote · þeigh þey for colde shulde deye
And þei her deuor dede[^1538] · as dauid seith in þe sauter
Iudica me deus & discerne causam meam
Spera in deo speketh of prestes · þat haue no spendyng syluer
Þat ȝif þei trauaille trewlich · and trusten in god almiȝti
Hem shulde lakke no lyflode · noyther wollen ne lynnen[^1539]
And þe title þat [ȝe][^1540] take ordres by · telleth ȝe ben auaunced
Þanne nedeth nouȝte ȝow[^1541] to take syluer · for masses þat ȝe syngen
For he þat toke ȝow ȝowre tytle · shulde take ȝow ȝowre wages
Or þe bisshop þat blesseth ȝow · if þat ȝe ben worthy

[^1536: Bx.11.297: ¶: The rubricator in L misses the paraph since the line is at the top of the page. It is supported by WHmRF and a line-space in M.]

[^1537: Bx.11.297: parfyt: Both KD and Schmidt adopt alpha's wise for the sake of the alliteration, although Schmidt (1995) considers that alpha gives "less good sense" (p. 386). However, the parallel line in Cx (following a divergence from B of 190 lines) is Vch a parfit prest to pouerte sholde drawe (RK.13.100), which precedes the line parallel to Bx.11.302. Perhaps Bx syluer is an error picked up from that line for pens. Parfit priesthood is a favourite concept of Langland's; cf. ȝif presthod were parfit ( Bx.15.566).]

[^1538: Bx.11.300: dede: Dropped in alpha, but necessary for the sense, which leads F to revise.]

[^1539: Bx.11.304: wollen ne lynnen: WHm reverse the nouns, as in the nearly identical l. 295, thus no doubt correcting a Bx error. Cx, which only uses the line once, has lynnen ne wollene, to alliterate aa/ax.]

[^1540: Bx.11.305: ȝe (1): The reading of R, and also of W's text, but significantly not of the catchword, which has the beta reading þei. W's reading is thus an enlightened correction, and it is the Cx reading. F revises, but keeping the second person.]

[^1541: Bx.11.306: nouȝte ȝow: This appears to be the order in beta, reversed to the commonplace in MW; alpha perhaps had ȝow nouȝt as in R. We follow copy-text. Cx omits the pronoun, and replaces take with alliterating nyme.]

¶ For made neuere kynge[^1542] no knyȝte · but he hadde catel to spende
As bifel for a kniȝte · or fonde hym for his strengthe
It is a careful knyȝte · and of a caytyue kynges makynge
Þat hath no[^1543] londe ne lynage riche[^1544] · ne good loos of his handes
Þe same I segge for sothe · by alle suche prestes
Þat han noyther kunnynge ne kynne · but a croune one
And a tytle a tale of nouȝte · to his lyflode at[^1545] myschief
He hath more bileue as I leue · to lacche þorw his croune
Cure ·[^1546] þan for konnyng · or knowen for clene of berynge
I haue wonder & why · and wher-fore þe bisshop
Maketh suche prestes · þat lewed men bytrayen

[^1542: Bx.11.309: kynge: LHm read no kynge. Hm subsequently erases the no before knygth.]

[^1543: Bx.11.312: no: Alpha's noþer may equally be right. The P family of C have the beta reading, the X family the alpha.]

[^1544: Bx.11.312: riche: Omitted by alpha, but supported by Cx.]

[^1545: Bx.11.315: at: Beta2 (CrWHm) adds his. Cx ends the line as hit were.]

[^1546: Bx.11.317: The syntactic punctuation after Cure is recorded in LMWOF.]

¶ A chartre is chalengeable · byfor a chief iustice
If false latyne be in þa[t][^1547] lettre · þe lawe it inpugneth
Or peynted parenterlinarie · parceles[^1548] ouer-skipped
Þe gome þat gloseth so chartres · for a goky is holden

[^1547: Bx.11.321: þat: L has þa; the line is marked for correction.]

[^1548: Bx.11.322: parceles: In beta2 (CrWHm) and F the b-verse begins or, but this is not supported by Cx (RK.13.119).]

¶ So is it a goky by god · þat in his gospel failleth
Or in masse or in matynes · maketh any defaute
Qui offendit in vno in omnibus est reus &c
And also in þe sauter · seyth dauyd to ouerskippers
Psallite deo nostro psallite quoniam rex terre deus israel psallite sapienter
[^1549]Þe bisshop shal be blamed · bifor god as I leue
Þat crouneth suche goddes kniȝtes · þat conneth nouȝt sapienter
Synge ne psalmes rede · ne segge a messe of þe day
Ac neuer neyther is blamelees · þe bisshop ne þe chapleyne
For her eyther is endited · and þat of[^1550] ignorancia
Non excusat episcopos · nec idiotes prestes

[^1549: Bx.11.329: LR do not have a paraph here, but it might be added on the basis of MWHmCF.]

[^1550: Bx.11.333: of: Beta2 (CrWHm) alters to is; F has ys be.]

¶ Þis lokynge on lewed prestes · haþ don me lepe fram pouerte
Þe whiche I preyse þere pacyence is · more parfyt þan ricchesse

¶ Ac moche more in metynge þus · with me gan one dispute[^1551]
And slepynge I seigh al þis · and sithen cam kynde
And nempned me by my name · and bad me nymen hede
And þorw þe wondres[^1552] of þis worlde · wytte for to take
And on a mountaigne þat mydelerd hyȝte · as me þo þouȝte
I was fette forth · by ensaumples to knowe
Þorugh eche a creature and kynde · my creatoure to louye
I seigh þe sonne and þe see · and þe sonde after
And where þat bryddes and bestes · by here make[^1553] þei[^1554] ȝeden
Wylde wormes in wodes · and wonderful foules
With flekked fetheres · and of fele coloures
Man and his make · I myȝte [se bothe][^1555]
Pouerte and plente · bothe pees and werre
Blisse and bale · bothe I seigh at[^1556] ones
And how men token Mede · and mercy refused

[^1551: Bx.11.337: Instead of this line F has nine lines in which Will wakes, and falls asleep again in the line corresponding to l. 338.]

[^1552: Bx.11.340: wondres: So beta. R has wordes, presumably reproducing alpha, which F improves to worchynge.]

[^1553: Bx.11.345: make: CrWGF have makes, as does the P family of C.]

[^1554: Bx.11.345: þei: Well supported for Bx, but omitted by WGOF and by the P family of C.]

[^1555: Bx.11.348: se bothe: R is supported by Cx.]

[^1556: Bx.11.350: at: Beta2 (CrWHm) has al at, not supported by Cx.]

¶ Resoune I seighe sothly [·] suen alle bestes
In etyng in drynkynge · and in engendrynge of kynde
And after course of concepcioun · none toke kepe of other
As whan þei hadde ryde in rotey-tyme · anon riȝte þer-after
Males drowen hem to males · a-mornynges bi hem-self
And in euenynges also · ȝe[de][^1557] males fro femeles
Þere ne was cow ne cowkynde · þat conceyued hadde
Þat wolde belwe after boles · ne bore after sowe
Bothe horse and houndes · and alle other bestes
Medled nouȝte wyth here makes · þat with fole were

[^1557: Bx.11.357: ȝede: In the absence of F which omits ll. 355-7, R represents alpha and also Bx. On the evidence of L, beta read ȝe, which scribes "corrected" to þe (or misread ye), and lost the alliteration. Beta2 (CrWHm) then smoothed by adding the verb ben. See Schmidt (1995), 387. For alliteration of ȝede with vowels, cf. Bx.20.136 etc. The line is rewritten in Cx.]

¶ Briddes I bihelde · þat in buskes made nestes
Hadde neuere wye witte · to worche þe leest
I hadde wonder at whom · and where þe pye lerned
To legge stykkes[^1558] · in whiche she leythe[^1559] and bredeth
Þere nys[^1560] wriȝte as I wene · shulde worche hir neste to paye
If any masoun made a molde þer-to · moche wonder it were

[^1558: Bx.11.365: stykkes: Beta includes the definite article: Cx Lernede to legge stikkes gives slight support to alpha's omission.]

[^1559: Bx.11.365: she leythe: An interesting example of how a minor alpha error (lenth for leith), faithfully reproduced by R, has prompted F to make sense (but the wrong sense). F interprets a as "in" rather than "she", takes the additional minim in lenth (for leith) as a spelling of "length", and sensibly supposes bredeth to be an error for breede, "breadth".]

[^1560: Bx.11.366: nys: Alpha's is no might equally be right; it is shared by C mss. (a few have nys no).]

¶ And ȝet me merueilled more · many[^1561] other briddes
Hudden and hileden · her egges ful derne
In mareys and mores · for men sholde hem nouȝt fynde
And hudden here egges · whan þei þere-fro wente
For fere of other foules · and for wylde bestis

[^1561: Bx.11.368: many: Probably R represents the alpha reading, with F adding of to complete the construction with merueilled. For the same reason most beta mss. add how (though G also has off). Cx supports R with merueylede more mony of þe briddes.]

¶ And some tr[e]den[^1562] her makes · and on trees bredden
And brouȝten[^1563] forth her bryddes so · al aboue þe grounde
And some bryddes at þe bille · þorwgh brethynge conceyued
And some kauked I toke kepe · how pekokes bredden
Moche merueilled me · what maister þei hadde
And who tauȝte hem on trees · to tymbre so heigh
Þere noither buirn ne beste · may her briddes rechen

[^1562: Bx.11.373: treden: Alpha's present tense is supported by Cx.]

[^1563: Bx.11.374: brouȝten: Beta is supported by Cx. R repeats the verb bredde from the previous line.]

¶ And sythen I loked vpon[^1564] þe see · and so forth vpon þe sterres
Many selcouthes I seygh · ben nought to seye nouthe

[^1564: Bx.11.380: vpon (1 & 2): Both in the a-verse and in the b-verse, the readings of LMWR support this as Bx, though Cx has on for both, as do other B mss. (Hm has vpon and yn.)]

¶ I seigh floures in þe fritthe · and her faire coloures
And how amonge þe grene grasse · grewe so many hewes
And somme soure and some swete · selcouthe me þouȝte
Of her kynde and [of][^1565] her coloure · to carpe it were to longe

[^1565: Bx.11.385: of (2): R is supported by Cx. Beta evidently dropped it (added in Cr); F rephrases the a-verse.]

¶ Ac þat moste moeued me · and my mode chaunged
Þat resoun rewarded · and reuled alle bestes
Saue man and his make · many tyme[^1566] and ofte
No resoun hem folwed · and þanne I rebuked[^1567]
Resoun · and riȝte til hym-seluen I seyde[^1568]
I haue wonder of þe quod I · þat witty art holden
Why þow ne suwest man and his make · þat no mysfait hem folwe

[^1566: Bx.11.388: tyme: Variation between many tyme / tymes / a tyme is unpatterned, except that alpha shows a tendency to prefer tymes, as here: e.g. Bx.13.4, 14.4, and (in the same b-verse) 20.26 (where R is out). There is the same variation in AC (e.g. K.8.150, 9.29; RK.4.167, 22.26, etc.). Here, though the majority of C mss. have tymes, seven have tyme (RK.13.181).]

[^1567: Bx.11.389: This and the following line are defective in Bx. In Cx the lines read: Resoun reulede hem nat, noþer ryche ne pore / Thenne y aresonede resoun and ryht til hym y sayde (RK.13.182-3). F's line presumably represents an intelligent revision for the alliteration; the reading rewlyþ for folwed must be contamination from C or coincidental, picking up rewlede two lines above.]

[^1568: Bx.11.390: In this defective line the punctuation follows Resoun in LMCrWOR, with R adding a second punctuation after hym; HmC punctuate after right, creating an aa/bb line. F again revises for the metre.]

¶ And resoun arated me · and seyde recche þe neuere
Whi I suffre or nouȝt suffre · þi-self hast nouȝt to done
Amende þow it if þow myȝte · for my tyme is to abyde
Suffraunce is a souereygne vertue · and a swyfte veniaunce
Who suffreth more þan god quod he · no gome as I leue
He miȝte amende in a Minute-while · al þat mys-standeth
Ac he suffreth for somme mannes good · and so is owre bettre

[^1569] [¶ Holy writt quod þat wye · wisseth men to suffre
Propter deum subiecti estote omni creature
Frenche men and fre men · affaiteth þus her children
[B]ele[^1570] vertue est soffrance · mal dire est pety veniance
Bien dire et bien soffrer · fait lui soffrant a bien venir
For-þi I rede [þe] quod[^1571] reson · reule þi tonge bettere
And ar þow lakke my lyf · loke þow[^1572] be to preyse
For is no creature vnder criste · can formen hym-seluen
And if a man miȝte [·] make hym-self good to þe poeple[^1573]
Vch a lif wold be lakles · leue þow non other
Ne þow shalt fynde but fewe · fayne for to here
Of here defautes foule · by-for hem rehersed]

[^1569: Bx.11.400-11: These 12 lines have been lost in beta, probably as a result of eyeskip from one paraph to the next, as so often. Lines 403-09 are paralleled in Cx. We follow R, with spellings altered to those of L. There are many differences in F's version.]

[^1570: Bx.11.403: Bele : F is supported by Cx (RK.13.203).]

[^1571: Bx.11.405: þe quod: R is without þe and F without quod. In the b-verse F has þou rewle for R's rewle. The X family of C has Forthy quod Resoun y rede thow while the P family has ... rede þe.]

[^1572: Bx.11.406: þow (2): R has if þow where F has þyn, perhaps influenced by þy tunge in the previous line. Cx's loke ho is to preyse, though different, lends support to R's nominative but not to the conjunction.]

[^1573: Bx.11.408: With evident corruption in both mss., it is impossible to recover Bx. If R reproduces alpha, F has improved by picking up lakles, "without fault", from the following line to replace goed to þe poeple. F suggests that the punctuation should follow miȝte rather than make as in R. If so, Bx may have read simply And if a man miȝte · make hymself good, with alpha expanding a short line. Cx rewrites with much the same sense: And if creatures cristene couth make hemsulue (RK.13.208).]

¶[^1574] Þe wyse and þe witty · wrote þus in þe bible
De re que te non molestat noly[^1575] certare
[^1576]For be a man faire or foule · it falleth nouȝte forto lakke
Þe shappe ne þe shafte · þat god shope hym-selue
For al þat he [wrouȝt][^1577] was wel ydo · as holywrit witnesseth
Et vidit deus cunta que fecerat et erant valde bona

[^1574: Bx.11.412: ¶: The paraph (following the gap in beta) is in LR, with a new line-group in M.]

[^1575: Bx.11.413: noly : R has nolite. C mss. vary between noli, nolite and noli te (RK.13.196a).]

[^1576: Bx.11.414: Only LR are without a paraph here.]

[^1577: Bx.11.416: wrouȝt: Alpha's reading carries the alliteration. This passage is not in C.]

¶[^1578] And badde euery[^1579] creature · in his kynde encrees
Al to murthe with man · þat most woo tholye[^1580]
In fondynge of þe flesshe · and of þe fende bothe
For man was made of suche a matere · he may nouȝt wel astert
Þat[^1581] some-tymes[^1582] hym bitit · to folwen his kynde
Catoun acordeth þere-with[^1583] · nemo sine crimine viuit

[^1578: Bx.11.418: ¶: Following the Latin line, only LW have the paraph. It is perhaps not archetypal.]

[^1579: Bx.11.418: euery: R has to vch a; F has ech.]

[^1580: Bx.11.419: tholye: Infinitive dependent upon most, "must". O and Alpha take most to mean "most", but this gives weak sense.]

[^1581: Bx.11.422: Þat: Beta has Þat ne, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^1582: Bx.11.422: tymes: L is supported by R against tyme in other mss. C mss. are divided. The -s form of sometimes is rare and late in Middle English; in L it occurs again only at Bx.13.323. See Adams (2000), 184 and note to l. 388.]

[^1583: Bx.11.423: þere-with: Beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ Tho cauȝte I coloure anon · and comsed to ben aschamed
And awaked þer-with · wo was me þanne
Þat I in meteles ne myȝte · more haue yknowen
And þanne seyde I to my-self · and chidde þat tyme
Now I wote what dowel is quod I · by dere god as me þinketh
And as I caste vp myn eyghen · one loked on me and axed
Of me what þinge it were · ywisse sire I seide
To se moche and suffre more · certes quod I is dowel

¶ Haddestow suffred he seyde · slepyng þo þow were
Þow sholdest haue knowen þat clergye can · and conceiued[^1584] more þorugh[^1585] resoun
For resoun wolde haue reherced þe · riȝte as clergye saide
Ac for þine entermetyng · here artow forsake
Philosophus esses si tacuisses

[^1584: Bx.11.433: conceiued: The variants kend and contreued in beta2 are not supported by Cx.]

[^1585: Bx.11.433: þorugh: As in Cx, against bi in CrHmGF.]

¶[^1586] Adam whiles[^1587] he spak nouȝt · had paradys at wille
Ac whan he mameled aboute mete · and entermeted[^1588] to knowe
Þe wisdom and þe witte of god · he was put fram blisse
And riȝt so ferde resoun bi the · þow with[^1589] rude speche
Lakkedest and losedest þinge · þat longed nouȝt [þe to] done[^1590]
Þo hadde he no lykynge · forto lere þe more

[^1586: Bx.11.437: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^1587: Bx.11.437: whiles: R has þe whiles, as does the X family of C.]

[^1588: Bx.11.438: entermeted: MCGO add hym. Cx rewrites.]

[^1589: Bx.11.440: þow with: Beta2 (CrWHm) and CF add thy. Cx rewrites as for thy rude speche.]

[^1590: Bx.11.441: nouȝt þe to done: In beta the b-verse probably ends nouȝt to be done, though WO have noȝt to doon and W adds the pronoun þe. W's reading is also that of alpha, "which was not appropriate for you to do", which gives stronger sense than beta's reading. We adopt R's b-verse with its less usual word-order, although we recognise that þe may be an alpha addition. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ Pruide now and presumpcioun · par-auenture wole þe appele
That clergye þi compaignye · ne kepeth nouȝt to sue[^1591]
[For][^1592] shal neuere chalangynge ne chydynge · chaste a man so sone
As shal shame and shenden hym · and shape hym to amende
For lat a dronken daffe · in a dyke falle
Late hym ligge loke nouȝte on hym · til hym lest to ryse
[^1593] For þough resoun rebuked hym þanne [· reccheth h[e][^1594] neuere
Of clergie ne of his conseil · he counteth nouȝt a rusche
Or[^1595] for to bete hym þanne] · it were but pure synne
Ac whan nede nymeth hym vp · for doute lest he sterue
And shame shrapeth his clothes · & his shynes wassheth
Þanne wote þe dronken daffe · wherfore he is to blame

[^1591: Bx.11.444: to sue: Alpha sometimes avoids the verb: cf. Bx.10.214, 11.352, 392. Here he revises the line, adding in before þi and ending efte to sitte.]

[^1592: Bx.11.445: For: Alpha's reading is supported by Cx.]

[^1593: Bx.11.449-51: As a result of eyeskip (mid-line hym þanne 449 and 451), beta drops ll. 449b-451a. The lines are in Cx (RK.13.236-8).]

[^1594: Bx.4.449: he: F is supported by Cx against R's hym.]

[^1595: Bx.11.451: Or: Dropped by F. Cx begins To blame hym or to bete.]

¶ Ȝe seggen soth [by my soule][^1596] quod I · ich haue yseyne it ofte
Þere smitte no þinge so smerte · ne smelleth so [foule][^1597]
As shame þere he sheweth him · for euery man hym shonyeth[^1598]
Why ȝe wisse me þus quod I · was for I rebuked resoun

[^1596: Bx.11.455: by my soule: Alpha's phrase is also Cx.]

[^1597: Bx.11.456: foule: The reading of R alone, but it is supported by Cx. F rewrites the b-verse, with the sense "upsets no-one so greatly". Beta's soure is a simple misreading; G, additionally misreading the verb, adopts an appropriate adverb.]

[^1598: Bx.11.457: for euery man hym shonyeth: Cx supports beta's verb with vch man shoneth his companye, which is perhaps a revision for the sake of the alliteration. Alpha is quite different from either with no man loueth his felachippe, though one might note that "fellowship" is a synonym of "company".]

¶ Certes quod he þat is soth · and shope hym forto walken
And I aros vp riȝt with þat · and folwed hym after
And preyed hym of his curteisye · to telle me his name

Passus duodecimus

I am ymagynatyf quod he · Idel was I neuere
Þouȝe I sitte bi my-self · in sikenesse ne[^1599] in helthe
I haue folwed þe in feithe · þis fyue and fourty wyntre
And many tymes haue moeued þe · to þinke on þine ende
And how fele fernȝeres are faren · and so fewe to come
And of þi wylde wantounesse · þo þow ȝonge were
To amende it in þi myddel age · lest miȝte þe faylled[^1600]
In þyne olde elde · þat yuel can suffre
Pouerte or penaunce · or preyeres bidde
Si non in prima vigilia · nec in secunda &c
Amende þe while þow myȝte · þow hast ben warned ofte
With poustees of pestilences[^1601] [·] with pouerte and with angres
And with þise bitter baleyses · god beteth his dere childeren
Quem diligo castigo
[^1602] And dauid in þe sauter seith · of suche þat loueth Ihesus
Virga tua & baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt &c
Al-þough þow stryke me with þi staffe · with stikke or with ȝerde
It is but murth as for me [·] to amende my soule
And þow medlest þe with makyng[e][^1603] · and myȝtest go sey þi sauter
And bidde for hem þat ȝiueth þe bred · for þere ar bokes ynowe
To telle men what dowel is · dobet and dobest bothe
And prechoures to preue what it is · of many a peyre freres

[^1599: Bx.12.2: ne: So LMR, defining neuere. The and of most other mss. is an obvious easier reading, defining the a-verse. See Adams (2000), 179.]

[^1600: Bx.12.7: faylled: L and beta2 (CrWHm) have the past subjunctive, "were to fail", which is perhaps less obvious than the present faile of all other mss. There is no parallel in C for Bx.12.4-61.]

[^1601: Bx.12.12: pestilences: Alpha's penaunce(s) is a curious error.]

[^1602: Bx.12.15-16: Alpha omits two lines.]

[^1603: Bx.12.19: makynge: Alpha has the sg. and all beta mss. except M have the plural. There is a parallel with the John But ending of A, presumably derived from this line, And for he medleþ of makyng he made þis ende (K.12.109).]

¶ I seigh wel he sayde me soth · and[^1604] somwhat me to excuse
Seid[^1605] catoun conforted his sone · þat clerke þough he were
To solacen hym sum-tyme · as[^1606] I do whan I make
Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis · &c ·

[^1604: Bx.12.23: and: R's ac may represent alpha, with F substituting and, in coincidental agreement with beta.]

[^1605: Bx.12.24: Seid: Alpha begins And seide, to the detriment of the syntax.]

[^1606: Bx.12.25: as: Alpha has and, though in a rewritten b-verse in F.]

¶[^1607] And of holy men I herde[^1608] quod I · how þei otherwhile
Pleyden þe parfiter · to be in many places[^1609]
Ac[^1610] if þere were any wight · þat wolde me telle
What were dowel and dobet · and dobest atte laste
Wolde I neuere do werke · but wende to holicherche
And þere bydde my bedes · but whan ich eet or slepe

[^1607: Bx.12.27: ¶: The paraph is in LWHm only, perhaps prompted by the preceding Latin line.]

[^1608: Bx.12.27: herde: Alpha has the present tense, which may be correct.]

[^1609: Bx.12.28: places: R's a place may represent alpha. F rewrites.]

[^1610: Bx.12.29: Ac: Not in R; F has Nou.]

¶ Poule in his pistle quod he · preueth what is dowel
Fides spes caritas &[^1611] maior horum &c
Feith hope and charitee · and[^1612] alle ben good
And sauen men sundry tymes · ac none so sone as charite
For he doth wel with-oute doute · þat doth as lewte techeth
Þat is if þow be man maried · þi make þow louye
And lyue forth as lawe wole · while[^1613] ȝe lyuen bothe

[^1611: Bx.12.34: & : Not in alpha. The text cited by Alford (1992), 78-9, has it; the Clementine Vulgate (I Cor. 13.13) is without it.]

[^1612: Bx.12.35: and (2): Following the Latin of the previous line, this is dropped in alpha.]

[^1613: Bx.12.39: while: Variation between while and þe while is common in this position; e.g. Bx.1.16, 10.156, 19.342.]

¶[^1614] Riȝt so if þow be Religious · renne þow neuere ferther
To Rome ne to Rochemadore · but as þi reule techeth
And holde þe vnder obedyence · þat heigh wey is to heuene

[^1614: Bx.12.40: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

¶ And if þow be [mayde &][^1615] to marye · and miȝte wel contynue
Seke þow neuere seynt forther · for no soule helthe
For what made Lucyfer · to lese þe heigh heuene
Or salamon his sapience · or sampson his strengthe
Iob þe Iewe his ioye · dere he it abouȝte
Arestotle and other mo · ypocras & virgyle
Alisaundre þat al wan · elengelich ended

[^1615: Bx.12.43: mayde & to marye: R's reading means "a maid and (due) to marry", which has more point than beta's mayden to marye, and underlines the contrast with l. 38. F confirms alpha's mayde, but simplifies the construction.]

¶[^1616] Catel and kynde witte · was combraunce to hem alle
Felyce hir fayrnesse · fel hir al to sklaundre
And Rosamounde riȝt so [·] reufully bysette
Þe bewte of hir body · in badnesse she[^1617] dispended
Of many suche I may[^1618] rede · of men and of wommen
Þat wyse wordes wolde shewe · and worche þe contra[r]ye
Sunt homines nequam bene de virtute loquentes

[^1616: Bx.12.50: ¶: The paraph is in LC, with a new line-group in M.]

[^1617: Bx.12.53: badnesse she: Alpha's badd vse is probably avoidance of a noun rare at this date, though strikingly Langland uses neither the noun badnesse nor the adjective bad elsewhere.]

[^1618: Bx.12.54: I may: For support for beta's order in this position, cf. Matrymonye I may nyme ( Bx.16.71).]

¶[^1619] And riche renkes riȝt so · gaderen and sparen
And þo men þat þei moste haten · mynistren it atte laste
And for þei suffren & se · so many nedy folkes
And loue hem nouȝt as owre lorde bytte · lesen her soules
Date & dabitur vobis &c ·
[^1620] [So catel and kynde witte · acombreth ful many
Wo is hym þat hem weldeth · but[^1621] he hem w[e]l[^1622] dispende
Scienti & non facienti variis flagellis vapulabit[^1623]
Sapience seith þe boke · swelleth a mannes soule
Sapiencia inflat &c]

[^1619: Bx.12.57: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1620: Bx.12.62-6: Omitted in beta. The first three lines are in Cx (RK.14.17-18a). KD, p. 66, very plausibly suggest the omission was caused by homeoteleuton (soule(s) ll. 60, 65, followed by a Latin line). We alter the spellings of R to those of L.]

[^1621: Bx.12.63: but: As F and Cx. R has but if.]

[^1622: Bx.12.63: wel: As F and Cx. R has wil.]

[^1623: Bx.12.64: In part loosely based on Luke 12.47. Alford (1992), 79, quoting the form of the citation adopted by Schmidt and KD from the P family of C, does not note the closer parallel in James 4.17, "Scienti igitur bonum facere et non facienti, peccatum est illi". Based on this, F has added bonum, but it is not included in R or in mss. of C.]

¶ And ricchesse riȝt so · but if þe Rote be trewe
Ac grace is a grasse þer-[fore][^1624] · þo greuaunces to abate
Ac grace ne groweth nouȝte · but amonges lowe
Pacience[^1625] and pouerte · þe place is þere it groweth
And in lele lyuynge men · and in lyf-holy
And þorugh þe[^1626] gyfte of þe holygoste · as þe gospel telleth
Spiritus vbi vult spirat &c
Clergye and kynde witte · comth of siȝte and techynge
As þe boke bereth witnesse · to buirnes þat can rede
Quod scimus loquimur quod vidimus testamur
Of quod scimus cometh clergye · [a][^1627] connynge of heuene
And of quod vidimus cometh kynde witte [·] of siȝte of dyue[r]se peple
Ac grace is a gyfte of god · and of gret loue spryngeth
Knewe neuere clerke how it cometh forth · ne kynde witte [his][^1628] weyes
Nescit aliquis vnde venit · aut quo vadit &c
Ac ȝit is clergye to comende · and kynde witte bothe
And namely clergye for crystes loue · þat of clergye is rote
For Moyses witnesseth þat god wrote · for to wisse þe peple
In þe olde lawe as þe lettre telleth · þat was[^1629] þe lawe of iewes
Þat what woman were in auoutrie[^1630] taken · were she[^1631] riche or pore
With stones men shulde hir stryke · and stone hir to deth
[^1632] A womman as we fynden · was gulty of þat dede
Ac cryste of his curteisye · þorw clergye hir saued
For þorw [crystes] carectus[^1633] · þe iewes knewe hem-seluen
Gultier as afor god · and gretter in synne
Þan þe woman þat þere was · and wenten awey for schame
Þe clergye þat þere was · conforted þe womman
Holykirke knoweth þis · þat crystes writyng saued[^1634]
So clergye is conforte · to creatures þat repenten
And to mansed men · myschief at her ende

[^1624: Bx.12.68: þer-fore: Alpha is supported by Cx and by sense against beta's þer-of. For the sense of grasse, "healing herb", see MED gras n. 2(b).]

[^1625: Bx.12.70: Pacience: R begins Of pacience. F drops the line, which is not in Cx.]

[^1626: Bx.12.72: þe (1): Not in R. F rewrites.]

[^1627: Bx.12.77: a: Beta evidently interpreted the indefinite article as a form of and. Alpha is supported by the revised line in Cx (RK.14.34).]

[^1628: Bx.12.80: his: "its", referring to Grace and following on from it. R represents alpha, misunderstood by F. Beta has þe.]

[^1629: Bx.12.85: þat was: R (= alpha?) drops þat; F rewrites. Alpha's reading is quite possibly right, but it is ambiguous, appearing to mean "The Jewish Law was in the Old Law", whereas the line has to mean "In the Old Law, which was the Jewish Law".]

[^1630: Bx.12.86: auoutrie: R has the unusual deuoutrie which may be right. See note to Bx.2.178. The line is not in Cx.]

[^1631: Bx.12.86: were she: Dropped by Cr and beta4. On WF where she see KD, p. 183.]

[^1632: Bx.12.88: Alpha omits the line, as a result of homeoteleuton. (Note that R's form of "death" in l. 87 is dede).]

[^1633: Bx.12.90: crystes carectus: Beta has instead the clumsier carectus þat cryst wrot. It is perhaps more likely that beta was influenced by l. 84 above than that alpha was prompted by l. 100 below. The line is not in Cx.]

[^1634: Bx.12.94: saued: Beta2 (CrWHm) has saued hire, and M is corrected to that reading. F has hire savede. Cf. l. 89.]

¶ For goddes body myȝte nouȝte be of bred · with-outen clergye
Þe which body is bothe · bote to þe riȝtful
And deth and dampnacioun · to hem þat dyeth yuel
As[^1635] crystes carecte conforted [·] and bothe coupable shewed
Þe womman þat þe iewes brouȝte · þat Ihesus þouȝte to saue
Nolite iudicare et non iudicabimini &c
Riȝt so goddes body bretheren · but it be worthily taken
Dampneth vs atte daye of dome · as [dede] þe carect[e][^1636] þe iewes
For-þi I conseille þe for cristes sake · clergye þat þow louye
For kynde witte is of his kyn · and neighe cosynes bothe
To owre lorde leue me · for-þi loue hem I rede
For bothe ben as miroures · to amenden owre defautes
And lederes for lewed men · and for lettred bothe

[^1635: Bx.12.100: As: R's Ac may be taken as alpha (F has But as often). The sense is "just as Christ's writing both comforted the woman and revealed her to be guilty". But correlative bothe is oddly placed.]

[^1636: Bx.12.104: dede þe carecte: We follow alpha in the word-order and the sg. noun. Beta has reverted to unmarked order, spoiling the metre. For sg. carecte, "writing", altered to pl. by some scribes, cf. l. 100.]

¶[^1637] For-þi lakke þow neuere logyke · lawe ne his custumes
Ne countreplede clerkes · I conseille þe for eure
For as a man may nouȝt se · þat mysseth his eyghen[^1638]
Namore can no klerke · but if he cauȝt it first þorugh bokes
Al-þough men made bokes · god was þe maistre
And seynt spirit þe saumplarye · and seide what men[^1639] sholde write
And riȝt as syȝte serueth a man · to se þe heighe strete
Riȝt so le[r]eth[^1640] letterure · lewed men to resoun
And as a blynde man in bataille · bereth wepne to fiȝte
And hath none happ with his axe · his enemye to hitte
Namore kan a kynde-witted[^1641] man · but clerkes hym teche
Come for al his kynde witte · to crystendome and be saued
Whiche is þe coffre of crystes tresore · and clerkes kepe þe keyes
To vnlouken it at her lykynge · and to þe lewed peple
Ȝyue[^1642] mercy for her mysdedes · if men it wole aske
Buxomelich & benygneliche · and bidden it of grace

[^1637: Bx.12.110: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1638: Bx.12.112: eyghen: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's siȝte.]

[^1639: Bx.12.115: men: Alpha and O have man, as in the next line, but Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1640: Bx.12.117: lereth: So alpha, supported by Cx (RK.14.49). Beta's ledeth makes excellent sense.]

[^1641: Bx.12.120: kynde-witted: "with innate intelligence". R's kende wedded presumably represents alpha, with F rewriting as lewid to make sense.]

[^1642: Bx.12.124: Ȝyue: Beta is supported by Cx. The readings of RF reflect confusion in alpha.]

¶ Archa dei in þe olde lawe · leuites it kepten
Hadde neuere lewed man leue · to leggen honde on þat[^1643] chest
But he were preste or prestes sone · patriarke or prophete

[^1643: Bx.12.127: þat: Evidently the Bx reading supported by Cx, though MCGO have þe and F rewrites.]

[^1644] [¶ Saul for he sacrifised[^1645] · sorwe hym bitydde
And his sones also · for þat synne myscheued
And many mo other men · þat were no leuites
Þat with archa dei ȝeden[^1646] · in reuerence and in worship
And leyden honde þer-on to liften it vp · and loren her lif after[^1647]
For-þi I conseille alle creatures · no clergie to[^1648] dispise
Ne sette shorte[^1649] be here science · what-so þei don hem-selue
Take we[^1650] her wordes at worthe · for[^1651] here witnesse[^1652] be trewe
And medle[^1653] we nauȝt muche with hem · to meuen any wrathe
Lest cheste chasen[^1654] vs · to choppe vche man other
Nolite tangere christos meos &c]

[^1644: Bx.12.129-39: Beta drops 11 lines, presumably skipping from paraph to paraph. Cx has parallels for all except ll. 131-2. We alter the spellings of R to those of L.]

[^1645: Bx.12.129: he sacrifised: R's a-verse is supported by Cx.]

[^1646: Bx.12.132: ȝeden: For alliteration of ȝede with vowels, see Turville-Petre (1980), 314, and cf. e.g. Bx.11.357, 20.136, and 16.178 "And ȝede forth as an ydiote · in contre to aspye", which also has the mute stave in. KD instead adopt F's wentyn and the b-verse order (based on F) worship and reuerence. There is no parallel in Cx.]

[^1647: Bx.12.133: The line is not in the P family of Cx. In the X family it reads: "And all lewede þat leide hand þeron loren lyf aftir" (RK.14.63). Alpha clearly had and before loren, spoiling the construction.]

[^1648: Bx.12.134: to: R is supported by Cx against F's yee.]

[^1649: Bx.12.135: shorte: R is supported by Cx against lyght in F.]

[^1650: Bx.12.136: we: F omits, but R is supported by Cx.]

[^1651: Bx.12.136: for: F omits, but R is supported by Cx.]

[^1652: Bx.12.136: witnesse: A plural form (see MED), as unambiguously spelt by F. C mss. split, but the most authoritative have witnesses. Cf. Bx.2.149, 9.77 (and note), 12.280 (and note).]

[^1653: Bx.12.137: medle: Both F and Cx omit R's ne, but in other respects R's line is supported by Cx. F rewrites for the sense.]

[^1654: Bx.12.138: chasen: Cx has the line as in R, but with chaufen "inflame"; chasen is surely an alpha or Bx error.]

¶ For clergye is kepere[^1655] [·] vnder cryst of heuene
Was þere neuere no knyȝte · but clergye hym made
Ac kynde witte cometh [·] of alkynnes siȝtes
Of bryddes and of bestes · of tastes of treuthe and of deceytes

[^1655: Bx.12.140: kepere: So beta. R has kynge and kepere, F has keye & kepere. Cx rewrites the line.]

¶ Lyueres to-forn vs · vseden to marke[^1656]
Þe selkouthes þat þei seighen · her sones for to teche
And helden it an heighe science · her wittes to knowe
Ac þorugh her science sothely · was neuere no soule ysaued
Ne brouȝte[^1657] by her bokes · to blisse ne to ioye
For alle her kynde knowynges · come[^1658] but of dyuerse sightes

[^1656: Bx.12.144: marke: Alpha's make is obviously wrong. Beta is supported by Cx.]

[^1657: Bx.12.148: brouȝte: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's bouȝte.]

[^1658: Bx.12.149: come: Past tense plural; cf. the form cam in alpha and also C mss.]

¶[^1659] Patriarkes and prophetes · repreued[^1660] her science
And seiden her wordes ne her wisdomes[^1661] · [w]as[^1662] but a folye
As to þe clergye of cryst · counted it but a trufle
Sapiencia huius mundi · stulticia[^1663] apud deum
[^1664] For þe heihe holigoste · heuene shal to-cleue
And loue shal lepe out after · in-to þis lowe erthe
And clennesse shal cacchen it · and clerkes shullen it fynde
Pastores loquebantur ad inuicem

[^1659: Bx.12.150: ¶: The paraph is in LW with a new line-group in M.]

[^1660: Bx.12.150: repreued: Alpha's present tense is clearly wrong; Cx supports beta.]

[^1661: Bx.12.151: wisdomes: Though R has the sg., Cx supports beta's plural.]

[^1662: Bx.12.151: was: Alpha's alliterating verb is supported by Cx; the P family have ne was, as of course Bx might have had.]

[^1663: Bx.12.153: stulticia : MWCGF correct the quotation by adding est, as in Cx. The medial punctuation, unusual for a non-metrical Latin line (though cf. l. 164), is recorded in LMCrHmF.]

[^1664: Bx.12.154-64: These 11 lines are lost in alpha, jumping from one Latin line to another, and possibly from paraph to paraph, though only WHm record a paraph at l. 154. The lines are paralleled in Cx, apart from ll. 159 and 164.]

¶ 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[^1665] locus in diuersorio [·] & pauper non habet diuersorium

[^1665: Bx.12.164: erat : Beta2 (CrWHm) adds ei in line with the source; see Alford (1992), 80.]

¶ To pastours and to poetes [·] appiered þat[^1666] aungel
And bad hem go to bethlem · goddis burth to honoure
And songe[^1667] a songe of solas · gloria in excelsis deo

[^1666: Bx.12.165: þat: So LM. Choice is difficult, since the other beta mss. read þe, as does Cx, while alpha reads an. LM agreement nearly always establishes the beta reading. Perhaps Bx þat was rejected by other beta scribes and by alpha because it has no antecedent.]

[^1667: Bx.12.167: songe (1): R and the P family of C have syngen.]

[^1668] [¶ Riche men rutte þo · and[^1669] in here reste were
Þo it shon so to shepherdes[^1670] · a shewer of blisse]

[^1668: Bx.12.168-9: Beta drops 2 lines, both in Cx, perhaps skipping from paraph to paraph. We alter the spellings of R to those of L.]

[^1669: Bx.12.168: and: R is supported by Cx against F's þat.]

[^1670: Bx.12.169: R's a-verse is supported by Cx.]

¶[^1671] Clerkes[^1672] knewe it wel · and comen with here presentz
And deden her homage honourabely[^1673] · to hym þat was almyȝty[^1674]
Why I haue tolde[^1675] al þis · I toke ful gode hede
How þow contraryedest clergye · with crabbed wordes
How þat lewed men liȝtloker · þan lettred were saued
Þan clerkes or kynde-witted men · of crystene peple

[^1671: Bx.12.170: ¶: The paraph is in beta only, following its loss of text. See note to ll. 168-9.]

[^1672: Bx.12.170: Clerkes: Alpha's addition of And is not supported by Cx.]

[^1673: Bx.12.171: honourabely: L miswrites the word.]

[^1674: Bx.12.171: CGO follow with a spurious line.]

[^1675: Bx.12.172: tolde: So evidently beta, though CGO add þe. R also has þe, probably representing alpha (F alters to told þis tale). Most C mss. have þe, though ms. X is without it. It seems easier added than lost.]

¶ And þow seidest soth of somme · ac se in what manere[^1676]
Take two stronge men · and in themese caste hem
And bothe naked as a nedle · her none syker[^1677] þan other
Þat one hath connynge and can [·] swymmen and dyuen
Þat other is lewed of þat laboure · lerned neuere swymme[^1678]
Which trowestow of þo two · in themese is in moste drede
He þat neuere ne[^1679] dyued · ne nouȝt can of swymmynge
Or þe swymmere þat is sauf · bi so hym-self lyke
Þere his felaw flet forth · as þe flode lyketh
And is in drede to drenche · þat neuere dede swymme

[^1676: Bx.12.176: what manere: R offers an extreme example of his willingness to reproduce his exemplar with whanere. F makes sense of it.]

[^1677: Bx.12.178: syker: The agreement of L, original M and R is sufficient to establish Bx. Others (including M) make the obvious correction to sikerer, "stronger" (MED siker 2 (b)), though see KD p. 179, who conjecture an original reading sadder. Cx has instead heuegore, "heavier". See Adams (2000), 179.]

[^1678: Bx.12.180: swymme: LWR; as often, scribes tend to add the infinitive marker to. In C the X family has it, but the P family is without.]

[^1679: Bx.12.182: ne (1): As in LWCO, but not in MCrHmG and alpha. It improves the alliteration, yet may not be Bx. Cx revises to alliterate on /s/.]

[^1680] ¶ Þat swymme can nouȝt I seide · it semeth to my wittes

[^1680: Bx.12.186: Alpha drops the line, which is supported by Cx. Its loss is easily accounted for if Bx had the paraph that is recorded only by L (though MW have a line-space). See Burrow (2010), 25.]

¶ Riȝt so quod þe Renke [·] resoun it sheweth
Þat he þat knoweth clergye [·] can sonner aryse
Out of synne and be[^1681] sauf · þough he synne ofte
If hym lyketh and lest · þan any lewed lelly
For if þe clerke be konnynge · he knoweth what is synne
And how contricioun with-oute confessioun · conforteth þe soule
As þow seest in þe sauter · in psalme[^1682] one or tweyne
How contricioun is commended · for it caccheth awey synne
Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates & quorum tecta sunt &c[^1683] ·
And þis conforteth vch a clerke · and keuereth[^1684] hym fram wanhope
In which flode þe fende · fondeth a man hardest
Þere þe lewed lith stille · and loketh after lente
And hath no contricioun ar he come to shryfte · & þanne[^1685] can he litel telle
And[^1686] as his lores-man leres hym · bileueth & troweth
And þat is after person or parisch prest · and parauenture [bothe][^1687]
Vnconnynge to lere lewed men · as luk bereth witnesse
Dum cecus ducit cecum &c ·

[^1681: Bx.12.189: be: CrR have he be. It is not supported by Cx.]

[^1682: Bx.12.193: psalme: The odd sg. is certainly Bx; it is the reading of LMR (and F), though M corrects to the more obvious plural. Cx has the plural.]

[^1683: Bx.12.195: &c : Alpha adds peccata. The familiar verse from Psalm 31.1 is quoted in part several times; cf. Bx.13.56, 14.103. Cx ends with iniquitates.]

[^1684: Bx.12.196: keuereth: Supported by Cx (and sense) against alpha's kenneth.]

[^1685: Bx.12.199: þanne: Beta has support from Cx against alpha's omission.]

[^1686: Bx.12.200: And: WHm + F have But. Although this reading is preferable and is supported by Cx, it is unlikely to be the Bx reading.]

[^1687: Bx.12.201: bothe: Beta drops, and WO expand a short b-verse. Alpha is supported by Cx, which, however, indicates that Bx broke the line too early. Cx reads paraunter bothe lewede / To lere lewede men ... (RK.14.123-4).]

¶ Wo was hym marked · þat wade mote with þe lewed[^1688]
Wel may þe barne blisse · þat hym to boke sette[^1689]
Þat lyuynge after letterure [·] saued hym lyf and soule
Dominus pars hereditatis mee [·] is a meri verset
Þat has take fro tybourne · twenti stronge þeues
Þere lewed theues ben lolled vp · loke how þei be saued
Þe thef þat had grace of god · on gode fryday as þow speke[^1690]
Was for he ȝelte hym creaunt[^1691] to cryst on þe crosse[^1692] · & knewleched hym gulty
[^1693] And grace axed of god · and he is euer redy
Þat boxomeliche biddeth it · and ben in wille to amenden hem
[^1694]Ac þough þat þef had heuene · he hadde none heigh blisse
As seynt Iohan and other seyntes · þat asserued[^1695] hadde bettere
Riȝt as sum man ȝeue me mete · and sette me amydde þe flore
Ich haue mete more þan ynough · ac nouȝt so moche worship
As þo þat seten atte syde table · or with þe souereignes of þe halle
But sitte as a begger bordelees · bi my-self on þe grounde
So it fareth bi þat feloun · þat a gode fryday was saued
He sitte neither with Seynt[^1696] Iohan · Symonde[^1697] ne Iude
Ne wyth maydenes ne with martires [·] [ne][^1698] confessoures ne wydwes
But by hym-self as a soleyne · and serued on þe[^1699] erthe
For he þat is ones a thef · is euermore in daungere
And as lawe lyketh · to lyue or to deye
De peccato propiciato noli esse sine metu
And forto seruen a seynt · and such a thef togyderes
It were noyther resoun ne riȝt · to rewarde bothe[^1700] aliche

[^1688: Bx.12.204: Alpha drops the line, which is preserved in Cx.]

[^1689: Bx.12.205: to boke sette: Beta is supported by Cx and by the alliterative pattern against alpha's sette to scole.]

[^1690: Bx.12.210: speke: Past tense 2nd sg. (cf. CrCG), misunderstood as present by WHmO. Cx reads toldest.]

[^1691: Bx.12.211: creaunt: MR read recreaunt. Cx has the shorter form.]

[^1692: Bx.12.211: on þe crosse: Not in Cx, but certainly in Bx, perhaps as a gloss. CrHmF adopt different ways of shortening the line. For the same phrase see l. 234.]

[^1693: Bx.12.212: The line is dropped in alpha. W strengthens the alliteration. Cx has And god is ay gracious to alle þat gredeth to hym (RK.14.133).]

[^1694: Bx.12.214: Hm and alpha start a new paragraph here.]

[^1695: Bx.12.215: asserued: Supported for Bx by LR and the majority of C mss. against the common deserued of other B witnesses. See Adams (2000), 184.]

[^1696: Bx.12.221: Seynt: Alpha drops the word, but it is necessary for the alliteration and supported by Cx.]

[^1697: Bx.12.221: Symonde: R begins the b-verse with ne perhaps correctly (F rewrites). In C the X family has it, the P family is without.]

[^1698: Bx.12.222: ne (3): In this case the support for R's ne is stronger (cf. previous line). Though F and Cx revise, they share the ne at the start of the b-verse.]

[^1699: Bx.12.223: þe: Lost by beta2 (CrWHm).]

[^1700: Bx.12.228: bothe: Following R, supported by Cx (RK.14.148). MF substitute hem, while all beta mss. apart from M have hem bothe.]

¶[^1701] And riȝt as troianus þe trewe knyȝt · tilde[^1702] nouȝt depe in helle
Þat owre lorde ne had hym liȝtlich oute · so leue I þe thef[^1703] be in heuene
For he is in þe lowest of heuene[^1704] · if owre bileue be trewe
And wel loselyche[^1705] he lolleth þere · by þe lawe of holycherche
Quia reddit[^1706] vnicuique iuxta opera sua &c

[^1701: Bx.12.229: ¶: The paraph is recorded by LW, with M starting a new line-group.]

[^1702: Bx.12.229: tilde: Beta2 (CrWHm) has the easier dwelte.]

[^1703: Bx.12.230: thef: Alpha, reproduced by R, misread þe þef and lost the noun; F repairs.]

[^1704: Bx.12.231: lowest of heuene: "lowest part of heaven"; so LWHmR and the X family of C. MCrCGO omit of, as does the P family.]

[^1705: Bx.12.232: loselyche: Commentators take this as a form of MED losli(e, "loosely", interpreting "precariously" (Kane (2005)). It is clear that some scribes also took it this way (so CG lowselyche, F loosly), but the careful beta2 spelling loselly suggests instead derivation from losel, "worthless person", as in Bx.P.77, 10.52, 15.142. C scribes had considerable difficulty with the word, the majority taking it as a form of loveli.]

[^1706: Bx.12.233: Quia reddit : The beta reading; beta2 (CrWHm) begins Qui, and M is altered to that reading. Alpha, represented by R, begins And reddite, which may be right, since Cx has Et reddet. The injunction is phrased variously throughout the Bible: see Alford (1992), 80.]

¶ A[c][^1707] why þat one thef on[^1708] þe crosse · creaunt hym ȝelt
Rather þan þat other thef · þough þow wolde appose
Alle þe clerkes vnder cryst · ne couthe þe skil assoille[^1709]
Quare placuit quia voluit

[^1707: Bx.12.234: Ac: The alpha reading, as in R, with F altering to But as usual. It is supported by Cx.]

[^1708: Bx.12.234: on: Beta, together with F, against R's vpon. Choice is difficult, since C mss. also vary, but Cx probably had vpon.]

[^1709: Bx.12.236: assoile: Beta supported by Cx, against alpha's telle.]

[¶][^1710] And so I sey by þe · þat sekest after þe whyes
And aresonedest resoun · a rebukyng as it were
[^1711] [And willest of briddes and of[^1712] bestes · and of hire bredyng to[^1713] knowe
Why somme be alowe and somme alofte · þi lykyng it were
And of þe floures in þe fryth · and of her feire hewes
Where-of þei cacche her coloures[^1714] · so clere and so briȝte]
And of þe stones and of þe sterres · þow studyest as I leue
How euere beste or brydde · hath so breme wittes

[^1710: Bx.12.238: ¶: The paraph, though not in L, is recorded in beta2 and alpha.]

[^1711: Bx.12.240-3: The syntax makes it clear that alpha's order is right. Beta reverses it through eyeskip from it were in l. 239 to it were in l. 241, supplying skipped 240-1 after 242-3. Only Bx.12.242 is in Cx (RK.14.158).]

[^1712: Bx.12.240: of (2): Omitted by CrCGO and supplied in L, but supported by MWHmR.]

[^1713: Bx.12.240: to: Dropped in HmCGO.]

[^1714: Bx.12.243: coloures: Beta's pl. follows from hewes in the previous line, though alpha has the sg. There is no parallel for Bx.12.243-82 in Cx.]

¶ Clergye ne kynde witte [·] ne knewe neuere þe cause
Ac kynde knoweth þe cause hym-selue · no creature elles
He is þe pyes patroun · and putteth it in hire ere
Þat þere þe þorne is thikkest · [þere][^1715] to buylden and brede
And kynde kenned[^1716] þe pecok · to cauken in swich a kynde
And [kynde][^1717] kenned Adam · to knowe his pryue membres
And tauȝte hym and Eue · to hylien hem with leues

[^1715: Bx.12.249: þere (2): The repetition as in alpha clarifies the syntax and provides b-verse alliteration, though without it the pattern aaa/bb would be satisfactory.]

[^1716: Bx.12.250: kenned: The past tense is supported by LMWR; cf. the next line.]

[^1717: Bx.12.251: kynde: Easily lost before kennede in beta, especially in the context of the punning kynde in the previous line. It provides alliteration for the a-verse.]

¶ Lewed men many tymes · maistres þei apposen
Why Adam ne[^1718] hiled nouȝt firste · his mouth þat eet þe apple
Rather þan his lykam alow · lewed axen þus clerkes
Kynde knoweth whi he dede so · ac no clerke elles
Ac of briddes and of bestes · men by olde tyme
Ensamples token and termes · as telleth þis poetes
And þat þe fairest foule · foulest engendreth
And feblest foule of flyght is · þat fleegheth or swymmeth
And þat is[^1719] þe pekok & þe pohenne proude ·[^1720] riche men þei[^1721] bitokneth
For þe pekok and men pursue hym · may[^1722] nouȝte fleighe heighe
For þe traillyng of his taille · ouertaken is he sone
And his flesshe is foule flesshe · and his feet bothe
And vnlouelich of ledene · and laith for to here

[^1718: Bx.12.254: ne: Supported by LMWR.]

[^1719: Bx.12.261: þat is: WHm drop is, and Cr drops both words.]

[^1720: Bx.12.261: In LMR the punctuation follows pohenne proude. In beta2 and O the punctuation precedes proude riche, while C drops proude. There is better support for proude as qualifying pohenne in an aaa/xx line. The usual word-order in Middle English is adj. + n. + adj. rather than adj. + adj. + n.]

[^1721: Bx.12.261: þei: Dropped in WHm.]

[^1722: Bx.12.262: may: R's ne may could be alpha, since F has he may, but note that Cr adds he.]

¶ Riȝt so þe riche [·] if he his ricchesse kepe
And deleth it nouȝt tyl his deth-day · þe taille[^1723] of al sorwe
Riȝt as þe pennes of þe pecok · payned[^1724] hym in his fliȝte
So is possessioun payne · of pens and of nobles
To alle hem þat it holdeth · til her taille be plukked
And þough þe riche repente þanne · and birewe þe tyme
Þat euere he gadered so grete · and gaf þere-of so litel
Þough he crye to cryst þanne · with kene wille I leue
His ledne be in owre lordes ere · lyke a pyes[^1725]
And whan his caroigne shal come · in caue to be buryed
I leue it flaumbe ful foule · þe folde al aboute
And alle þe other þer it lyth · enuenymed[^1726] þorgh his attere
By þe p[o]feet[^1727] is vnderstonde · as I haue lerned in auynet
E[x]ecutoures fals frendes · þat fulfille nouȝt his wille
Þat was writen and þei witnesse[^1728] · to worche riȝt as it[^1729] wolde
Þus þe poete preues ·[^1730] þat þe pecok for his fetheres is reuerenced
Riȝt so is þe riche · bi resoun of his godis

[^1723: Bx.12.267: taille: "tally", with a pun on "tail". M is altered to conform to Beta2. M also adds is, which improves the syntax but is not Bx.]

[^1724: Bx.12.268: payned: M alters to the expected present tense, in line with CrW, and OF also have the present, but the past is supported by LHmCGR.]

[^1725: Bx.12.274: pyes: The M corrector adds chiteryng to bring the text in line with Beta2 (CrWHm). Clearly the Bx b-verse (attested by LR, original M, as well as CGO) is too short. F rewrites. Schmidt (1995), 389, conjectures misdivision between ll. 273-4, with I leue beginning l. 274 and the a-verse ending be.]

[^1726: Bx.12.277: enuenymed: p.ppl., with "are" understood. The reading of LCrR and probably original M, subsequently corrected to the easier present tense of all other mss.]

[^1727: Bx.12.278: pofeet: The L scribe writes the word correctly and then alters it to profeet.]

[^1728: Bx.12.280: witnesse: A noun, sg. or pl., "they as witness(es)". R is unambiguously plural. See note to Bx.12.136.]

[^1729: Bx.12.280: it: So beta, against alpha he. See KD, p. 146, who explain it as referring to "the actual testamentary document".]

[^1730: Bx.12.281: W shows understandable uncertainty over the placing of the half-line break, with punctuation after both preueþ and pecok; LMR support the former.]

¶ Þe larke þat is a lasse foule · is more louelich of ledne
And wel awey of wenge [·] swifter þan þe pecok
And of flesch by fele-folde · fatter and swetter
To lowe-lybbyng men · þe larke is resembled

¶ Arestotle[^1731] þe grete clerke [·] suche tales he telleth

[^1731: Bx.12.287: Arestotle: Alpha begins For aristotel. We follow copy-text.]

[^1732]Thus he lykneth in his logyk[^1733] · þe leste foule oute
And where he be sauf or nouȝt sauf[^1734] · þe sothe wote no clergye
Ne of sortes ne of salamon · no scripture can telle
Ac god is so good I hope · þat sitth he gaf hem wittis
To wissen vs weyes þere-with · þat wissen[^1735] vs to be saued
And þe better for her bokes · to bidden we ben holden
Þat god for his grace [·] gyue her soules[^1736] reste
For lettred men were lewed men[^1737] ȝut · ne were lore of her[^1738] bokes

[^1732: Bx.12.288: Only L has a paraph.]

[^1733: Bx.12.288: logyk: Beta is supported by the alliteration and by Cx; alpha has glosinge.]

[^1734: Bx.12.289: sauf (2): CrCGOF omit, but it is supported by Cx (RK.14.192).]

[^1735: Bx.12.292: wissen (2): A spelling of "wish", influenced by (and punning on) wissen in the a-verse.]

[^1736: Bx.12.294: soules: Beta's plural is supported by Cx.]

[^1737: Bx.12.295: men (2): Omitted by CGOF, but supported by Cx.]

[^1738: Bx.12.295: her: Beta only, since R has þe and F omits. Cx probably reads þo clerkes.]

¶ Alle þise clerkes quod I þo · þat on cryst leuen
Seggen in her sarmones · þat noyther sarasenes ne iewes
Ne no creature of cristes lyknesse · with-outen crystendome worth saued

¶ Contra quod ymagynatyf þo · and comsed for to loure
And seyde saluabitur vix iustus in die iudicij

¶[^1739] Ergo saluabitur quod he · and seyde namore latyne
Troianus was a trewe knyȝte · and toke neuere cristendome
And he is[^1740] sauf so seith þe boke · and his soule in heuene
[Ac][^1741] þere is fullyng of fonte · and fullyng in blode shedyng
And þorugh fuire is fullyng · and þat is ferme bileue
Aduenit ignis diuinus non comburens sed illuminans &c ·

[^1739: Bx.12.301: ¶: The paraph is recorded by LR only.]

[^1740: Bx.12.303: is: Since this is omitted in R and inserted in L, it is possible that the ellipsis is Bx; however the verb is in Cx.]

[^1741: Bx.12.304: Ac: R (= alpha, F has But as usual) is supported by the X family of C (most of the P family omit the conjunction). Schmidt (1995), 457, argues that it "has the force of Sed in scholastic debate (`but) now'". However, it might have been picked up from l. 307. For discussion of the passage see Burrow (1993), 13-14.]

¶ Ac trewth þat trespassed neuere · ne transuersed[^1742] aȝeines his lawe
But lyue[d] as his lawe t[auȝte][^1743] · and leueth þere be no bettere
And if þere were he wolde amende · and in suche wille deyeth
Ne wolde neuere trewe god · but [trewe][^1744] treuth were allowed
And where it worth or worth nouȝt[^1745] · þe bileue is grete of treuth
And an hope hangyng þer-inne · to haue a[^1746] Mede for his treuth
For deus dicitur quasi dans vitam eternam · suis hoc est fidelibus
Et alibi si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis
Þe glose graunteth vpon þat vers · a gret mede to treuthe
And witt and wisdome quod þat wye · was somme-tyme tresore
To kepe with a comune · no katel was holde bettere
And moche murth and manhod · and riȝt with[^1747] þat he vanesched

[^1742: Bx.12.307: transuersed: Though most beta mss. have trauersed, the form in LCr and alpha is also in many C mss. and is the Cx form at RK.3.446. The two verbs are of the same ultimate origin.]

[^1743: Bx.12.308: lyued ... tauȝte: Alpha's past tense is supported by Cx.]

[^1744: Bx.12.310: trewe (2): Beta drops the adjective and F rewrites; R is supported by Cx.]

[^1745: Bx.12.311: The a-verse is supported by LMR, with minor variations in the other mss. Where and were are both forms of "whether" as in W; see MED whether adv. & conj. C mss. vary similarly, with the P family reversing the order of worth nouȝt.]

[^1746: Bx.12.312: a: Supported by LWHmR. Cx rewrites the b-verse.]

[^1747: Bx.12.318: with: Schmidt adopts R's mid for alliteration; see Schmidt (2008), 412. It would be easy to suppose that this was independently altered by F and beta, but Cx has þerwith following a different a-verse.]

Passus terciodecimus

And I awaked þere-with · witles nerehande
And as a freke þat f[e]re[^1748] were · forth gan I walke
In manere of a mendynaunt · many[^1749] ȝere after
And of þis metyng many tyme[^1750] · moche þouȝt I hadde
First how fortune me failled · at my moste nede
And how þat elde manaced me · myȝt we euere meten

[^1748: Bx.13.2: fere: "bold" (MED fer adj.(2)). R's reading is likely to represent alpha, and is the basis for F's misunderstanding a-feerd. Beta has instead revised to fre which is no more apposite. Bx has presumably corrupted feye, "doomed to die", as in Cx (and BmBo), alluding to the opening of the previous passus.]

[^1749: Bx.13.3: many: L, Beta2 and F have many a, but MR are supported by Cx.]

[^1750: Bx.13.4: tyme: See note to Bx.11.388. C mss. split between tyme and tymes.]

¶[^1751] And how þat freris folwed · folke þat was riche
And folke þat was pore · at litel prys þei sette
And no corps in her kirkeȝerde · ne in her kyrke was buryed
But quikke he biquethe hem auȝte · or shulde helpe quyte her dettes
And how þis[^1752] coueitise ouercome · clerkes and prestes
And how þat lewed men ben ladde · but owre lorde hem helpe
Þorugh vnkonnyng curatoures · to incurable peynes

[^1751: Bx.13.7: ¶: The paraph is supported by LCR alone.]

[^1752: Bx.13.11: þis: LMWHm are supported by Cx. R has þus.]

[^1753] ¶ And how þat ymagynatyf · in dremeles me tolde
Of kynde and of his connyng · and how curteise he is to bestes
And how louynge he is to bestes · on londe and on water
Leneth he no lyf · lasse ne more
Þe creatures þat crepen · of kynde ben engendred
And sitthen how ymagynatif seyde [·] vix iustus[^1754] saluabitur
And whan he had seyde so · how sodeynelich he passed

[^1753: Bx.13.14-20: Alpha skips a paragraph and loses seven lines. Lines 14-16 and 19-20 are paralleled in Cx (RK.15.17-19, 21-3).]

[^1754: Bx.13.19: iustus : Apparently dropped in beta2 and inserted at the end of the line by Hm, though O has it in the same position. Cf. Bx.12.300.]

¶ I lay down longe in þis þouȝte · and atte laste I slepte
And as cryste wolde þere come conscience · to conforte me þat tyme
And bad me come to his courte · with clergye sholde I dyne

¶[^1755] And for conscience of clergye spake · I come wel þe rather
And þere I say a maistre · what man he was I neste
Þat lowe louted · and loueliche to scripture

[^1755: Bx.13.24: ¶: The paraph is supported by LR, with a new line group in M.]

¶ Conscience knewe hym wel · and welcomed hym faire
Þei wesshen and wypeden · and wenten to þe dyner
[^1756]Ac pacience in þe paleis [·] stode in pilgrymes clothes
And preyde mete for[^1757] charite · for a pore heremyte

[^1756: Bx.13.29: C and alpha here have a not inappropriate paraph.]

[^1757: Bx.13.30: for (1): With support from LMCrHmCR, this seems undoubtedly to be the reading of Bx, and thus altered independently by WGOF to alliterating par / pur. Cf. the almost identical a-verse Bx.6.30 (and note) with the same range of variants, and Bx.6.260. In C mss. the P family also has for in place of the X family's pur, but this is in the b-verse where the alliteration is not structural (RK.15.32).]

¶ Conscience called hym in · and curteisliche seide
Welcome wy[e][^1758] go and wasshe · þow shalt sitte sone

[^1758: Bx.13.32: wye: L's originally correct reading was altered to wyel ȝe.]

¶ Þis maister was made sitte · as for þe moste worthy
And þanne clergye and conscience · and pacience cam after

¶ Pacience and I [·] were put to be m[ett]es[^1759]
And seten by owre-selue [·] at a syde borde

[^1759: Bx.13.35: mettes: Beta has substituted synonymous macches, but alpha is supported by Cx. Cf. l. 49.]

¶ Conscience called after mete · and þanne cam scripture
And serued hem[^1760] þus sone · of sondry metes manye
Of austyn of ambrose · of alle[^1761] þe foure euangelistes
Edentes & bibentes · que apud eos sunt
Ac þis maister ne his man · no manere flessh eten
Ac þei ete[^1762] mete of more coste · mortrewes and potages
Of þat men mys-wonne · þei made hem wel at ese
Ac her sauce was ouer soure · & vnsauourely grounde
In a morter post mortem · of many bitter peyne
But if þei synge for þo[^1763] soules · and wepe[^1764] salt teres
Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis nisi pro eis lacrimas & oraciones effunderitis · ea que in delicijs comeditis · in tormentis euometis

[^1760: Bx.13.38: hem: HmR's hym is not supported by Cx.]

[^1761: Bx.13.39: of alle: Beta2 has and of, but it is not supported by Cx.]

[^1762: Bx.13.42: ete: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's hadde.]

[^1763: Bx.13.46: þo: LWGR supported by the better C mss., against þe in other BC mss.]

[^1764: Bx.13.46: and wepe: Supported by Cx against alpha's with many.]

[¶][^1765] Conscience ful curteisly þo · comaunded scripture
Bifor pacience bred to brynge · and me þat was his m[ett]e[^1766]
He sette a soure lof to-for vs · and seyde agite penitenciam
And sith he drough vs drynke · dia[^1767] perseuerans
As longe quod [he] as ly[f][^1768] · and lycame may dure
Here is propre seruice quod pacience · þer fareth no prynce bettere

[^1765: Bx.13.48: ¶: The paraph is recorded by WHmC and alpha, with a line-space in M.]

[^1766: Bx.13.49: mette: As at l. 35, beta reads macche, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^1767: Bx.13.51: dia : Clearly the Bx reading, with M altering to the more obvious diu, the reading of GOF. Some C mss. including X also have dia. Schmidt (1987), 92, supposes a pun (ME dia, "drug", as in Bx.20.173). Perhaps, therefore, it might be interpreted "a concoction whose chief ingredient is persevering" (cf. MED dia-). Note Cr's diaperseueraunce as one word.]

[^1768: Bx.13.52: he as lyf: R's reading (F reverses) is supported by Cx against beta's I as I lyue.]

¶[^1769] And þanne he brouȝt vs[^1770] forth a mees of[^1771] other mete · of Mise[r]ere mei deus
And he brouȝte vs[^1772] of Beati quorum [·] of[^1773] beatus virres makyng
Et[^1774] quorum tecta sunt peccata [·] in a dissh
Of derne shrifte dixi [·] and confitebor tibi
Brynge pacience some pitaunce · pryueliche quod conscience

[^1769: Bx.13.54: ¶: Although the paraph is not particularly appropriate, it is evidently Bx, supported by LWR and a line-space in M.]

[^1770: Bx.13.54: vs: Supported by LMWR, but dropped by others in an unusually long a-verse.]

[^1771: Bx.13.54: a mees of: Dropped by beta4 and altered by the Hm corrector.]

[^1772: Bx.13.55: vs: Dropped by R; The line is not in C. F, understandably dissatisfied with this and the next line, rewrites them to bring them closer to Psalm 31.1-2, and so is no use in determining alpha.]

[^1773: Bx.13.55: of (2): R has and of, and vir his for virres. F rewrites.]

[^1774: Bx.13.56: Et : R's And, possibly supported by F's &, deserves serious consideration, although Et is part of the quotation from Psalm 31.1. In R this is a new dish; in beta it is all part of the same dish. There is no parallel in C.]

¶ And þanne had pacience a pitaunce [·] pro hac orabit[^1775] omnis sanctus in tempore oportuno
And conscience conforted vs · and carped vs mery tales
Cor contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies

[^1775: Bx.13.59: orabit : Beta adds ad te, in line with the Vulgate (once again the Second Penitential Psalm, 31.6), but alpha's omission is supported by Cx. Alpha sets the Latin as a separate line, as does beta4 (CGO), which takes ybroughte from C to fill out the English line.]

¶[^1776] Pacience was proude [·] of þat propre seruice
And made hym muirth with his mete[^1777] · ac I morned euere
For þis doctoure on þe[^1778] heigh dese · dranke wyn so faste
Ve vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum vinum
[And][^1779] he eet many sondry metes · mortrewes and puddynges
Wombe cloutes and wylde braune · & egges y-fryed with grece
Þanne seide I to my-self so ·[^1780] pacience it herde
It is nouȝt foure dayes þat þis freke · bifor þe den of poules[^1781]
Preched of penaunces · þat poule þe apostle suffred
In fame & frigore · and flappes of scourges
Ter cesus sum & a iudeis quinquies quadragenas &c ·

[^1776: Bx.13.62: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1777: Bx.13.63: mete: R has mene, an alpha error which F revises to mowht for sense. Cx supports beta.]

[^1778: Bx.13.64: þe: HmR have þis, but it is not supported by Cx.]

[^1779: Bx.13.66: And: R is supported by Cx. Following the Latin line, beta adds a paraph and begins He. F, with the same motivation, begins Þey.]

[^1780: Bx.13.68: In Bx the punctus follows so, though it makes better sense to take it as "in such a way that" as in CO. F has þat for so.]

[^1781: Bx.13.69: poules: R uniquely has seynt poules, as does the P family of C in a completely revised line.]

¶[^1782] Ac o worde þei ouerhuppen · at ech a[^1783] tyme þat þei preche
Þat poule in his pistel · to al þe peple tolde
Periculum est[^1784] in falsis fratribus
Holywrit bit men be war · I wil nouȝt write it here
On[^1785] englisch an auenture · it sholde be reherced to ofte
And greue þere-with þat good men ben[^1786] · ac gramarienes shul rede
Vnusquisque a fratre se custodiat [·][^1787] quia vt dicitur periculum est in falsis fratribus

[^1782: Bx.13.73: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F. In R the line is at the top of the page.]

[^1783: Bx.13.73: a: Good support for Bx from LMWR. Others omit.]

[^1784: Bx.13.75: est : Alpha drops the verb. The form of the citation in F is the same as in some of the P family of C and in Upland's Rejoinder 329. R's version is unique.]

[^1785: Bx.13.77: On: This appears to be beta's reading, and perhaps alpha's too, despite the reading In of CrWR.]

[^1786: Bx.13.78: þat good men ben: L and alpha; other beta mss. drop men, while beta2 simplifies to goode men.]

[^1787: Bx.13.79: The punctus after custodiat is supported by MWHm, and by RF which additionally break the line at this point. In L vnusquisque ... dicitur is overwritten in a post-medieval hand.]

¶ Ac[^1788] I wist neuere freke þat as a[^1789] frere ȝede · bifor men on englissh
Taken it for her[^1790] teme · and telle it with-outen glosynge
Þei[^1791] prechen þat penaunce is · profitable to þe soule
And what myschief and malese · cryst for man tholed
Ac þis goddes gloton quod I · with his gret chekes
Hath no pyte on vs pore · he perforneth yuel
Þat he precheth he[^1792] preueth nouȝt[^1793] · to pacience I tolde
And wisshed witterly · with wille ful egre
Þat disshes a[^1794] dobleres · bifor þis ilke[^1795] doctour
Were moltoun led in his maw · and Mahoun amyddes
I shal iangle to þis Iurdan · with his iust[^1796]-wombe
To telle me what penaunce is · of which he preched rather[^1797]
Pacience parceyued what I thouȝt · and [preynte][^1798] on me to be stille
And seyde þow shalt se þus sone · whan he may no more
He shal haue a penaunce in his paunche · and puffe at ech a worde
And þanne shullen his guttis godele[^1799] · and he shal galpen after
For now he hath dronken so depe · he wil deuyne sone
And preuen it by her[^1800] pocalips · and passioun of seynt Auereys
Þat neither bacoun ne braune · blanmangere[^1801] ne mortrewes
Is noither fisshe no flesshe · but fode for penaunte[s][^1802]
And þanne shal he testifye of a trinitee · and take his felawe to witnesse
What he fonde in a freyel · after a freres lyuyng
And but if þe fyrst lyne[^1803] be lesyng · leue me neuere after
And þanne is tyme to take[^1804] · and to appose þis doctoure
Of dowel and of[^1805] dobet · and if dobest be any penaunce

[^1788: Bx.13.80: Ac: Dropped by alpha, but supported by Cx.]

[^1789: Bx.13.80: a: Not in R; both F and Cx rephrase.]

[^1790: Bx.13.81: her: WHmGF and the M corrector pedantically replace with the sg. Cx also has the sg., but the referent frere is ycald prompts it in this case.]

[^1791: Bx.13.82: Þei: R begins Ac þei (F But þey), not supported by Cx.]

[^1792: Bx.13.86: he (2): The beta reading, supported by the P family of C. Alpha has and, so that this line completes the previous line: "he performs badly what he preaches", as in many of the X family of C. An original a could have been understood as either "he" or "and". See Schmidt (1995), 390.]

[^1793: Bx.13.86: nouȝt: Dropped by alpha, but necessary for the sense.]

[^1794: Bx.13.88: a: "and". See note to Bx.P.227.]

[^1795: Bx.13.88: ilke: R omits, while F rewrites to correct the alliteration. Perhaps Bx was as R, with beta "improving" a defective b-verse. Cx rewrites as "with alle þe deyntees aftur" (RK.15.90).]

[^1796: Bx.13.90: iust: Kane (2005) appositely glosses iust-wombe as "pot-belly". See MED iuste n. Alpha iuysty makes an adjective of it, as do a couple of C mss.]

[^1797: Bx.13.91: rather: Probably R's reading þere ay represents alpha, of which F's euere is a revision. The line is not in C.]

[^1798: Bx.13.92: preynte: "winked admonishingly"; see Burrow (2002), 103-05. Though this reading is in neither beta nor alpha, conjecturing it as the reading of Bx explains the variants and restores alliteration. Beta substitutes the synonym wynked and alpha conveys the same sense with bad. The word is used again in l. 119 and Bx.18.21. See Introduction V.3.3.]

[^1799: Bx.13.95: godele: For the form in LR see note to Bx.5.351.]

[^1800: Bx.13.97: by her: Beta is supported by Cx. R has here, the omission perhaps representing alpha, which F corrects to in þe.]

[^1801: Bx.13.98: blanmangere: Alpha's ne blaumanger is supported by the X family of C, beta's omission by the P family. We retain copy-text.]

[^1802: Bx.13.99: penauntes: Alpha's plural is supported by Cx.]

[^1803: Bx.13.102: lyne: So LM + alpha. Beta1, perhaps encouraged by lyuyng and leue, must have read the word as lyue, leading Beta2 to alter if þe to he, "unless he first live" to make a modicum of sense. O alters his exemplar's lif to leef, so by coincidence or contamination arriving at the Cx reading (RK.15.103).]

[^1804: Bx.13.103: take: Kane (2005) glosses "seize", which does not seem quite appropriate. Perhaps the sense is "address" (MED taken v. 39b (a)). In any case OR alter to easier talke, the reading of the P family of C, and F rewrites.]

[^1805: Bx.13.104: of (2): So LMR and CrC, dropped by others. C mss. vary.]

¶ And I sete stille as pacience seyde · and þus sone þis doctour
As rody as a rose · rubbed[^1806] his chekes
Coughed and carped · and conscience hym herde
And tolde hym of a trinite · and toward vs he loked

[^1806: Bx.13.106: rubbed: Evidently the beta reading, and probably also Bx, since R has robbed. If so, Hm's rudded and F's gan rody are picked up from the adj. rody in the a-verse. But Cx has rodded (RK.15.107), which could represent MED rudden, "rub", or ruden, "redden". Possibly, then, Bx also had rodded, interpreted as synonymous with the much commoner verb rubben. See Schmidt (2008), 414.]

¶ What is dowel sire doctour quod I · is do[best][^1807] any penaunce

[^1807: Bx.13.109: dobest: Alpha, supported by Cx, against beta's repetition of dowel. Cf. l. 104.]

¶ Dowel quod þis doctour · and [dranke after][^1808]
Do non yuel to þine euenecrystene · nouȝt by þi powere

[^1808: Bx.13.110: dranke after: R's reading is supported by Cx and he dronke aftur. Scribes reacted to the short b-verse, with both F and beta expanding in different ways.]

¶ By þis day sire doctour quod I [·] þanne be ȝe nouȝt in dowel
For ȝe han harmed vs two · in þat ȝe eten þe puddyng
Mortrewes and other mete · and we no mussel hade
And[^1809] ȝe fare so in ȝowre fermorie · ferly me þinketh
But chest be þere charite shulde be · & ȝonge[^1810] childern dorste pleyne
I wolde permute my penaunce with ȝowre · for I am in poynte to dowel

[^1809: Bx.13.115: And: "if"; so R, supported by Cx. F substitutes If as at Bx.4.139, 5.93 etc.; beta reads And if.]

[^1810: Bx.13.116: ȝonge: Dropped by CrCGOF to shorten a long line. R divides the line into two at the caesura.]

¶ Þanne conscience [ful][^1811] curteisliche · a contenaunce he[^1812] made
And preynte vpon pacience · to preie me to[^1813] be stille
And seyde hym-self sire doctour · and it be ȝowre wille
What is dowel and dobet · ȝe deuynours knoweth

[^1811: Bx.13.118: ful: Alpha supported by Cx. Dropped by beta.]

[^1812: Bx.13.118: he: Good support from LM and alpha as well as Cx.]

[^1813: Bx.13.119: to (2): Firm support from LM, beta2 and R. However the word is dropped in Cx.]

¶[^1814] Dowel quod þis doctour · do[^1815] as clerkes techeth
And dobet is he þat techeth · and trauailleth to teche other
And dobest doth hym-self so · as he seith & precheth
Qui facit et docuerit magnus vocabitur in regno celorum

[^1814: Bx.13.122: ¶: The paraph at the start of the speech is in beta and F.]

[^1815: Bx.13.122: do: Cx also has imperative in a revised line (RK.15.124). Cf. R dos and F ys to doon.]

¶ Now þow clergye quod conscience [·] carpest what is dowel
I haue seuene[^1816] sones he seyde · seruen in a castel
Þere þe lorde of lyf wonyeth · to leren hym[^1817] what is dowel

[^1816: Bx.13.127: seuene: It is not certain that Bx had the numeral. R omits it and the L corrector supplies it in the margin, though it is in M and F. Perhaps it is most likely that L and R coincidentally omitted it; see Adams (2000), 184. The line is not in Cx.]

[^1817: Bx.13.128: hym: i.e. the Lord of Life. So LMR; see Schmidt (1995), 391.]

¶ Til I se þo seuene · and my-self acorden
I am vnhardy quod he · to any wyȝt to[^1818] preue it
For one pieres þe ploughman [·] hath inpugned vs alle
And sette alle sciences at a soppe · saue loue one
And no tixte ne taketh [·] to meyntene his cause[^1819]
But dilige deum · and domine quis habitabit &c
And seith þat dowel and dobet [·] aren two infinites
Whiche infinites with a feith [·] fynden oute dobest
Which shal saue mannes soule · þus seith piers þe ploughman

[^1818: Bx.13.130: to (2): Alpha omits, perhaps rightly. The line is not in Cx.]

[^1819: Bx.13.133: M omits the line.]

¶ I can nouȝt her-on quod conscience · ac I knowe wel pieres
He wil nouȝt aȝein holy writ speken · I dar wel vndertake
Þanne passe we ouer til piers come · and preue þis in dede
Pacience hath be in many place · and par-auntre cnoweth[^1820]
Þat no clerke ne[^1821] can · as cryst bereth witnesse
Pacientes vincunt &c
A[t][^1822] ȝowre preyere quod pacyence þo · so no man displese hym
Disce quod he doce · dilige inimicos
Disce and dowel · doce & dobet
Dilige and dobest · þus tauȝte me ones
A lemman þat I loued · loue was hir name
With wordes and with werkes quod she · and wille of þyne herte
Þow loue lelly þi soule [·] al þi lyf-tyme
And so þow lere þe[^1823] to louye · for þe lordes loue of heuene
Þine enemye in al wyse · euene-forth with þi-selue
Cast coles on his hed · [of][^1824] al kynde speche
Bothe with werkes and with wordes [·] fonde his loue to wynne
And lay on hym þus with loue · til he laghe on þe
And but he bowe for þis betyng [·] blynde mote he worthe

[^1820: Bx.13.141: cnoweth: The beta2 reading mouthed is distinctly odd.]

[^1821: Bx.13.142: ne: Omitted by alpha.]

[^1822: Bx.13.144: At: "in response to". LWHm read Ac, probably representing beta, though CGO share alpha's At, and M is corrected to that reading.]

[^1823: Bx.13.151: þow lere þe: R's muddled to lere and probably represents alpha, further misunderstood by F.]

[^1824: Bx.13.153: of: R is supported by beta2 and by the corrected reading of M. Beta perhaps read and, with beta2 independently altering for sense. Cx has of in this line, but three lines below has "Conforte hym with thy catel and with thy kynde speche" (RK.15.145). Pearsall (2008), 256, refers to Ancrene Wisse (ed. Millett 7.293-301) for the interpretation of the carbones ardentes of Rom. 12.20 as the fire of love.]

¶ Ac for to fare þus with þi frende · foly it were
For he þat loueth þe lelly · lyte[^1825] of þyne coueiteth[^1826]
Kynde loue coueiteth nouȝte · no catel but speche
With half a laumpe lyne in latyne · ex vi transicionis

[^1825: Bx.13.158: lyte: L's form is supported by R. Neither scribe has the form elsewhere.]

[^1826: Bx.13.158: coueiteth: Beta is supported by Cx (RK.15.153). Alpha's desireth avoids the repetition in the following line (dropped in C).]

¶ I bere þere-inne aboute · fast ybounde dowel
In a signe of þe saterday · þat sette firste þe kalendare
And al þe witte of þe wednesday · of þe nexte wyke after
Þe myddel of þe mone [·] is þe miȝte[^1827] of bothe
And here-with am I welcome · þere I haue it with me

[^1827: Bx.13.164: is þe miȝte: WHm confuse the issue with as þe nyght. On the "middle of the moon" riddle, see Galloway (1995), 68-105, and Bx.3.334.]

¶ Vndo it late[^1828] þis doctour [sen][^1829] · if[^1830] dowel be þer-inne
For bi hym þat me made · miȝte neuere pouerte
Miseise ne myschief [·] ne man with his tonge
Colde ne care [·] ne compaignye of theues
Ne noither hete ne haille · ne non helle pouke
Ne noither fuire ne flode · ne fere of þine enemy
Tene þe eny tyme · and þow take it with þe
Caritas nichil timet
[^1831] [And eke haue god my soule · and þow wilt it craue
Þere nys neither emperour ne emperesse · erl kynge ne baroun
Pope ne patriarch [·] þat pure reson ne shal make
Þe[^1832] maister of alle þo men · þorugh miȝt of þis redeles
Nouȝt þorugh wicche-crafte but þorugh wit · & þow wilt þi-selue
Do kynge and quene · and alle þe comune after
Ȝyue þe alle þat þei may ȝiue · as þe for[^1833] best ȝemere
And as þou demest wil þei do · alle here dayes after
Pacientes vincunt &c ·]

[^1828: Bx.13.166: late: Alpha has and late. The passage Bx.13.159-82 is rewritten in C.]

[^1829: Bx.13.166: sen: The L scribe alters this to deme, in line with beta1, thus correcting the alliteration. But alpha reads se, which is more probably the reading of Bx than coincidental error.]

[^1830: Bx.13.166: if: Alpha has where, "whether".]

[^1831: Bx.13.174-82: These nine lines are omitted by beta, skipping from one short Latin line to the next. Lines 179 and 181 are also omitted in F. The passage is rewritten in C (RK.15.165-9).]

[^1832: Bx.13.177: Þe: "thee". In F it appears more comfortably in the previous line before make.]

[^1833: Bx.13.180: as þe for: "as to you who are". F's as þou for gives the sense "since you are (the best guardian)".]

[¶][^1834] It is but a dido quod þis doctour · a dysoures tale
Al þe witt of þis worlde · and[^1835] wiȝte mennes strengthe
Can nouȝt confourmen a pees · bytwene þe pope and his enemys
Ne bitwene two cristene kynges · can no wiȝte pees make
Profitable to ayther peple · and put þe table fro hym
And toke clergye and conscience · to conseille as it were
Þat pacience þo[^1836] moste passe · for pilgrimes kunne wel lye

[^1834: Bx.13.183: ¶: The L scribe wrote a paragraph marker which the rubricator missed because the scribe did not leave a line-space. The paraph is in WHmC and alpha.]

[^1835: Bx.13.184: and: Beta is supported by the X family of C. Alpha's ne, which makes the meaning clearer, is supported by the P family of C.]

[^1836: Bx.13.189: þo: Beta2 has þou, and M revises to that reading.]

¶ Ac conscience carped loude [·] and curteislich seide
Frendes fareth wel · and faire spake to clergye
For I wil go with þis gome · if god wil ȝiue[^1837] me grace
And be pilgryme with pacience · til I haue proued more

[^1837: Bx.13.192: ȝiue: LMW, and so probably beta's form, with other beta mss. and alpha altering to gyue as a result of alliterative attraction.]

¶ What quod clergye to conscience · ar ȝe coueitouse nouthe
After ȝeresȝyues or ȝiftes · or ȝernen to rede redeles
I shal brynge ȝow a bible · a boke of þe olde lawe
And lere ȝow if ȝow lyke[^1838] · þe leest poynte to knowe
Þat pacience þe pilgryme · parfitly knewe neuere

[^1838: Bx.13.197: ȝow lyke: So beta, while alpha has ȝe liken. Elsewhere the verb is always constructed as impersonal with a dative pronoun.]

¶ Nay bi cryste quod conscience to clergye [·] god þe forȝelde
For al þat pacience me profreth · proude am I litel
Ac þe wille of þe wye · and þe wille folke[^1839] here
Hath moeued my mode · to mourne for my synnes
Þe good wille of a[^1840] wiȝte · was neure bouȝte to þe fulle
For þere nys[^1841] no tresore þerto · to a trewe wille

[^1839: Bx.13.201: wille folke: LC, original M and R, so secure for Bx. Other scribes have wille of folke, repeating wille of from the a-verse, and M is altered to bring it in line with beta2. But wille is the adjective wil, "wandering" (so R's spelling), so that the line means "But the wilfulness of this man (the Doctor) and of the errant folk here". Note that MED wil adj. records the spellings will and wille. See Burrow, N&Q (2008), 124-5.]

[^1840: Bx.13.203: a: Alpha's vch a / euery makes poorer sense.]

[^1841: Bx.13.204: nys: Supported by LWR against is in other mss.]

¶ Haued nouȝt [Marie][^1842] Magdeleigne more · for a boxe of salue
Þan zacheus for he seide · dimidium bonorum meorum do pauperibus
And þe pore widwe [·] for a peire of mytes
Þan alle þo that offreden · in-to gazafilacium

[^1842: Bx.13.205: Marie: Omitted by beta. Alpha is supported by the alliterative pattern (aaa/xx).]

¶ Þus curteislich conscience · congeyde fyrst[^1843] þe Frere
And sithen softliche he seyde · in clergyes ere
Me were leuer by owre lorde · and I lyue shulde
Haue pacience parfitlich · þan half þi pakke of bokes

[^1843: Bx.13.209: fyrst: Omitted by GO, and (presumably coincidentally) by M.]

¶ Clergye to[^1844] conscience · no congeye wolde take
But seide ful sobreliche · þow shalt se þe tyme
Whan þow art wery for-walked · wilne me to consaille

[^1844: Bx.13.213: to: So LHmCO and probably uncorrected M. CrWG have easier of, but the phrase means "offer no farewell to". This sense of take, usually followed by a dative pronoun, is common in the poem, e.g. Bx.1.57, etc. Alpha's and/ne is ruled out by the next line, where the speaker must be Clergy. See Schmidt (1995), 392.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde[^1845] conscience · so me god helpe
If pacience be owre partyng felawe · and pryue with vs bothe
There nys wo in þis worlde · þat we ne shulde amende
And confourmen Kynges to pees · and[^1846] al-kynnes londes ·
Sarasenes and surre · and so forth alle þe iewes
Turne in-to þe trewe feith · and in-til one byleue

[^1845: Bx.13.216: seyde: So LMR and CrHm. The others have quod, perhaps by semi-alliterative association with Conscience, or picked up from l. 222.]

[^1846: Bx.13.219: and (2): Beta's reading makes better sense than alpha's of, which leads to alpha's addition of And at the beginning of the next line.]

¶ Þat is soth quod clergye · I se what þow menest
I shal dwelle as I do · my deuore to shewen
And confermen[^1847] fauntekynes · and other folke ylered
Tyl pacience haue preued þe · and parfite þe maked

[^1847: Bx.13.224: confermen: "strengthen in faith"; R (= alpha) repeats conformen, "make agree", from l. 219, as does G.]

¶ Conscience þo with pacience passed · pilgrymes as it were
Þanne had pacience as pylgrymes han · in his poke vittailles
Sobrete and symple speche · and sothfaste byleue
To conforte hym and conscience · if þey come in place
Þere vnkyndenesse and coueytise is · hungrye contrees bothe

¶[^1848] And as þei went by þe weye · of dowel þei[^1849] carped
Þei mette with a mynstral · as me þo þouȝte
Pacience apposed hym fyrste · and preyed hym[^1850] he sholde hem telle
To conscience what crafte he couthe · an to what contree he wolde

[^1848: Bx.13.231: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^1849: Bx.13.231: of dowel þei: Beta's b-verse is supported by Cx, although alpha's and of dowel goes smoothly with the next line.]

[^1850: Bx.13.233: hym (2): LMR, so secure for Bx, but possibly an error. Others drop the repeated hym, although F includes it in a revised b-verse. Cr follows Cx with the simplified prayed he should tel.]

¶ I am a mynstral quod þat man · my name is actiua vita
Alle ydel ich hatye · for of actyf is my name
A wafrere wil ȝe wite · and serue many lordes
And fewe robes I fonge · or furred gounes
Couthe I lye [and][^1851] do men laughe · þanne lacchen I shulde
Other mantel or money [·] amonges lordes mynstralles
Ac for I can noither tabre ne trompe · ne telle none gestes
Farten ne fythelen [·] at festes ne harpen
Iape ne iogly[^1852] · ne gentlych pype
Ne noyther sailly ne saute · ne synge with þe gyterne
I haue none gode gyftes · of þise grete lordes
For no bred þat I brynge[^1853] forth · saue a beneson on þe sonday
Whan þe prest preyeth þe peple · her pater noster to bidde
For peres þe plowman · and þat hym profite wayten
And þat am I[^1854] actyf · þat ydelnesse hatye
For alle trewe trauaillours · and tilieres of þe erthe
Fro mychelmesse to mychelmesse · I fynde hem with wafres[^1855]

[^1851: Bx.13.239: and: Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^1852: Bx.13.243: iogly: C mss. split between this and alpha's iangele.]

[^1853: Bx.13.246: brynge: Beta's present tense has support from Cx in a rewritten line.]

[^1854: Bx.13.249: þat am I: Beta4 and R have, less satisfactorily, the standard word-order. F has (by coincidence or contamination) for me, as does Cx (RK.15.213) which follows more smoothly from the previous lines, "prays ... for me".]

[^1855: Bx.13.251: wafres: M is corrected to my wafres to bring the text in line with CrW.]

¶ Beggeres and bidderes · of my bred crauen
Faitoures and freres · and folke with brode crounes
I fynde payne for þe pope · and prouendre for his palfrey
And I hadde neuere of hym · haue god my treuthe
Noither prouendre ne parsonage · ȝut of the popis ȝifte
Saue a pardoun with a peys of led · and two pollis amydde[^1856]
Hadde iche[^1857] a clerke þat couthe write · I wolde caste hym a bille
Þat he sent me vnder his seel · a salue for þe pestilence
And[^1858] þat his blessyng & his bulles · bocches miȝte destroye
In nomine meo demonia eici[e]nt[^1859] & super egros manus imponent & bene habebunt
And þanne wolde I be prest to [þe][^1860] peple · paste for to make
And buxome and busy [·] aboute bred and drynke
For hym and for alle his · fonde I þat his pardoun
Miȝte lechen a man · as I bileue it shulde
For sith he hath þe powere · þat peter hym-self hadde
He hath þe potte with þe salue · sothly as me þinketh
Argentum & aurum non est michi quod autem habeo tibi[^1861] do in nomine domini surge & ambula

[^1856: Bx.13.257: amydde: The form is attested by LMCR, against amyddes in beta2 and GOF.]

[^1857: Bx.13.258: iche: This is the only example of this spelling in L. "I" is elsewhere spelt ich, and "each" is ech(e). The former sense is very obviously intended, but the odd confusion of scribes may suggest a Bx reading iche, or ech(e) as in CG, giving rise to F's euery.]

[^1858: Bx.13.260: And: Alpha drops.]

[^1859: Bx.13.261: eicient : L has the present, as M perhaps did before correction, suggesting a beta error.]

[^1860: Bx.13.262: þe: Not in LHm, and supplied in M by the corrector. It is therefore likely that it was lost by beta.]

[^1861: Bx.13.268: tibi : Alpha has hoc tibi, as does O, in line with the Vulgate. C mss. split.]

¶ Ac if miȝte of miracle hym faille · it is for men ben nouȝt worthy
To haue þe[^1862] grace of god · & no gylte of þe pope
For[^1863] may no blyssyng done vs bote · but if we wil amende
Ne mannes masse make pees · amonges cristene peple
Tyl pruyde be purelich[^1864] fordo · and þat[^1865] þourgh payn defaute

[^1862: Bx.13.270: þe (1): Alpha's no is not supported by Cx.]

[^1863: Bx.13.271: For: Dropped by R, but supported by Cx.]

[^1864: Bx.13.273: purelich: Alpha's priueliche is not supported by Cx (RK.15.229).]

[^1865: Bx.13.273: þat: Dropped by MCrWF, and replaced by alle in R, but supported by Cx.]

¶ For ar I haue bred of mele · ofte mote I swete
And ar þe comune haue corne ynough · many a colde mornyng
So ar my wafres ben ywrouȝt · moche wo I tholye

¶ Alle Londoun I leue · liketh wel my wafres
And lowren whan þei lakken it[^1866] · it is nouȝt longe ypassed
Þere was a carful comune · whan no carte come to toune
With [bake][^1867] bred fro stretforth · þo gan beggeres wepe
And werkmen were agaste a litel · þis wil be þouȝte longe
In þe date of owre dryȝte · in a drye apprile
A þousande and thre hondreth · tweis [twenty][^1868] & ten
My wafres þere were gesen · whan chichestre was Maire

[^1866: Bx.13.278: it (1): Alpha has hem, as do CrW. It is likely that W, at least, was prompted to adopt the plural for grammatical concord and to avoid the repetition of it. The passage from Bx.13.274-90 has no parallel in C.]

[^1867: Bx.13.280: bake: Dropped by beta to the detriment of the alliteration.]

[^1868: Bx.13.283: twenty: This does not alliterate and is a Bx error (the events occurred in 1370); LR correct to the obvious thretty. This is a rare instance where LR have corrected rather than copy an obvious mistake. M and Hm both realise the error and correct in different ways. Numerals are easy to confuse and easy to correct.]

¶ I toke gode[^1869] kepe by cryst · and conscience bothe
Of haukyn þe actyf man · and how he was yclothed
He hadde a cote of crystendome · as holykirke bileueth
Ac it was moled in many places · with many sondri plottes
Of pruyde here a plotte and þere a plotte [·][^1870] of vnboxome speche
Of scornyng and of scoffyng · and of vnskilful berynge
As in aparaille and in porte · proude amonges þe peple
Otherwyse þan he hath · with herte or[^1871] syȝte shewynge
Hym wil[n]ynge[^1872] þat alle men wende · he were þat he is nouȝte
For-why he bosteth and braggeth · with many bolde othes
And in-obedient to ben vndernome · of any lyf lyuyng
And so syngulere by hym-self · as to syȝte of þe poeple[^1873]
Was none suche as hym-self · ne none so po[p]e-holy[^1874]
Yhabited as an hermyte · an ordre by hym-selue
Religioun sanz reule · and resonable obedience
Lakkyng lettred men · and lewed men bothe
In lykyng of lele lyf · and a lyer in soule
With Inwit and with[^1875] outwitt · ymagenen and studye
As best for his body be · to haue a b[ol]de[^1876] name
And entermeten hym ouer al · þer he hath nouȝt to done
Wilnyng þat men wende · his witte were þe best
[^1877] [Or for his crafty kunnynge · or of clerkes þe wisest
Or strengest on stede · or styuest vnder[^1878] gerdel
And louelokest to loken on · and lelest of werkes
And non so holy as he · ne of lif clennere
Or fairest of feytures · of forme and of shafte
And most sotyl of songe · other sleyest of hondes
And large to lene · loos[^1879] þere-by to cacche]
And if he gyueth ouȝte pore[^1880] gomes · telle what he deleth
Pore of possessioun [·] in purse and in coffre[^1881]
And as a lyon on[^1882] to loke · and lordeliche of speche

[^1869: Bx.13.285: gode: Beta has the standard phrase; for that reason alpha's grete might be preferred. We follow copy-text.]

[^1870: Bx.13.289: The placing of the punctus causes scribes problems. M has it after each plotte, as though first inserting it too early; HmCO and crucially R have it after the second (hence aaa/xx); LCrW have the second plotte in the b-verse (aa/ax).]

[^1871: Bx.13.292: or: R has and; F, understandably puzzled by the line, rewrites the b-verse, as does C, withynne or withouten (RK.6.31).]

[^1872: Bx.13.293: wilnynge: R's reading is perhaps slightly preferable to beta's willynge on grounds of sense ("with him being keen that"). It also has support from the parallel line in Cx (RK.6.32), and from the variants at l. 305, where some scribes corrupt to willynge. Mustanoja (1960), 115, quotes this instance of the absolute construction. F corrupts to wenynge.]

[^1873: Bx.13.296: Only L + alpha preserve 296b and 297a, all others (including M) skipping from hymself (296) to hymself (297). Both lines are in Cx.]

[^1874: Bx.13.297: pope-holy: Probably beta read pompe-holy (as do a few C mss.), corrected by several scribes.]

[^1875: Bx.13.302: with (2): Not in alpha or Cr.]

[^1876: Bx.13.303: bolde: Alpha's reading is obviously preferable to beta's (?) badde (written over an illegible erasure in L).]

[^1877: Bx.13.306-12: Seven lines are omitted by beta; 306-8 and 310 are represented in revised form in Cx (RK.6.42-6). There seems no obvious reason for omission, though KD, p. 66, suggest resumption at the wrong point prompted by to loken on (308) and on to loke (315).]

[^1878: Bx.13.307: vnder: R is supported by Cx against F's gyrt with.]

[^1879: Bx.13.312: loos: "repute". R has losse, listed by MED as a possible spelling of los n.(2), but R elsewhere spells it as los ( Bx.11.311) and loos ( Bx.13.471) so may here have misunderstood the word as "loss". F's looþ (in a-verse) perhaps suggests that alpha had the form loos.]

[^1880: Bx.13.313: pore: All except LR have to pore.]

[^1881: Bx.13.314: coffre: Beta evidently misplaced the punctus after purse, prompting the addition of bothe in all mss. except LR. (F omits the line.) It is significant that M shares the beta1 error.]

[^1882: Bx.13.315: on: R's omission could be right but is not supported by F, which has it after the verb.]

¶ Baldest of beggeres [·] a bostour þat nouȝt hath
In towne and in tauernes · tales to telle
And segge þinge þat he neuere seigh · and for soth sweren it
Of dedes þat he neuere dyd · demen and bosten
And of werkes þat he wel dyd · witnesse and seggen
Lo if ȝe leue me nouȝt · or þat I lye wenen
Axeth at hym or at hym · and he ȝow can telle
What I suffred and seighe · and some-tymes hadde
And what I couth and knewe · and what kynne I come of
Al he wolde þat men wiste [·] of werkes and of[^1883] wordes
Which myȝte plese þe peple · and praysen hym-seluen
Si hominibus placerem cristi seruus non essem
Et alibi nemo potest duobus dominis seruire

[^1883: Bx.13.325: of (2): Alpha omits.]

¶ Bi criste quod conscience þo · þi best cote haukyn
Hath many moles and spottes · it moste ben ywassh

¶ Ȝe who-so toke hede quod haukyn · byhynde and bifore
What on bakke and what on[^1884] body half · & by þe two sydes
Men sholde fynde many frounces · and many foule plottes

[^1884: Bx.13.332: and what on: Probably the beta reading, though MC drop and, and GO drop what. Alpha also drops what. Bx.13.329-39 have no parallel in C.]

[¶][^1885] And he torned hym as tyte · and þanne toke I hede
It was fouler by felefolde · þan it firste semed
It was bidropped with wratthe · and wikked wille
With enuye and yuel speche [·] entysyng to fyȝte
Lyinge and la[kk]ynge[^1886] · [a][^1887] leue tonge to chyde
Al þat he wist wykked · by any wiȝte tellen it
And blame men bihynde her bakke · and bydden hem meschaunce
And þat he wist bi wille · tellen it watte[^1888]
And þat watte wiste · wille wiste it after
And made of frendes foes · þorugh a false tonge
Or with myȝte of mouthe [·] or þorugh mannes strengthe
Auenge[d][^1889] me fele tymes · other frete my-selue
Wyth-inne as a shepster shere · I shrewed[^1890] men & cursed
Cuius maledictione os plenum est & amaritudine sub lingua eius labor & dolor
& alibi filij hominum dentes eorum arma & sagitte & lingua eorum gladius acutus

[^1885: Bx.13.334: ¶: In L the scribe indicated the paraph but forgot to leave a line-space, so the rubricator missed it. It has support from WCR.]

[^1886: Bx.13.338: lakkynge: Alpha's reading is greatly preferable to beta's laughynge on grounds of sense.]

[^1887: Bx.13.338: a: R only, but apparently alpha since F expands to & with a. Beta thus interpreted Bx a as "and". Cf. note to l. 88 above. The b-verse "a tongue eager to chide" defines lakkynge.]

[^1888: Bx.13.341: watte: LMWCG, hence the beta reading, with CrHmO and alpha reading to watte. The parallel b-verse in Cx is RK.6.71, tolde hit wille aftur, rather than RK.6.70, to watekyn he tolde hit.]

[^1889: Bx.13.345: Auenged: Despite lack of support from other B mss., R's past tense is preferable on grounds of syntax, and is supported by Cx. Hence frete is also past tense, as in Cx.]

[^1890: Bx.13.346: I shrewed: Interpreted by Skeat and MED shreuen as past participle, but this is syntactically impossible. Kane (2005) and Schmidt (1995) take ishrewed as past tense, but MED does not record a verb ishrewen. See F's rewriting, and cf. Cx past tense shrewed (RK.6.75).]

¶[^1891] Þere is no lyf þat I louye[^1892] · lastyng any while
For tales þat I telle · no man trusteth to me
And whan I may nouȝt haue þe maistrye · [swich][^1893] malencolye I take
Þat I cacche þe crompe · þe cardiacle some-tyme
Or an ague in suche an angre · and some-tyme a feure
Þat taketh me al a twelf-moneth · tyl þat I dispyse
Lechecrafte or[^1894] owre lorde · and leue on a wicche
And segge þat no clerke ne can · ne cryste as I leue
To þe souter of southwerke · or of shordyche dame emme
And segge þat no goddes worde · gaf me neuere bote
But þorw a charme had I chaunce · & my chief hele

[^1891: Bx.13.349: ¶: The paraph is in beta only, following the Latin lines.]

[^1892: Bx.13.349: I louye: KD, p. 148, argue for the CrW reading me loueth, but it cannot be Bx.]

[^1893: Bx.13.351: swich: The spelling of F probably represents Bx. R misread as which. Beta apparently misread as with, though CrW have such (by conjecture?) and MHm are both visibly altered to that reading. The Cx reading is also such. L retains the spelling swich only in Bx.15.17.]

[^1894: Bx.13.355: or: So LR. Clearly an error for of, with the obvious correction (supported by Cx) made by all other scribes.]

¶ I wayted wisloker · and þanne was it[^1895] soiled
With lykyng of lecherye · as[^1896] by lokyng of his[^1897] eye
For vche a mayde þat he mette · he made hir a signe
Semynge to synne-ward · and some-tyme he gan taste[^1898]
Aboute þe mouth or bynethe · bygynneth to grope
Tyl eytheres wille waxeth kene · and to þe werke ȝeden
As wel[^1899] fastyng-days & frydayes · and forboden nyȝtes
And as [lef][^1900] in lente as oute of lente · alle tymes ylyche
Suche werkes with hem · was[^1901] neuere oute of sesoun
Tyl þei myȝte namore · and þanne had merye tales
And how þat lechoures louyen · lauȝen an iapen
And of her[^1902] harlotrye and horedome · in her elde tellen

[^1895: Bx.13.360: it: F has he, emphasising that I in the a-verse refers to Will. R's I is perhaps prompted by the alpha reading myn for his in the next line.]

[^1896: Bx.13.361: as: A number of scribes (Hm, beta4 and R) have the easier and.]

[^1897: Bx.13.361: his: Alpha's myn is obviously an error, suggesting a muddle over the speaker here. See note to l. 363.]

[^1898: Bx.13.363: In F, ll. 361-8 are in the first person, as they are in Cx where they are part of the confession of lechery (RK.6.176-84). In this line F's & summe y gan is a C-text reading and suggests contamination.]

[^1899: Bx.13.366: wel: Beta has wel in anticipating the following line, but alpha is supported by Cx (RK.6.182).]

[^1900: Bx.13.367: lef: Beta's wel is prompted by the preceding line. Alpha is supported by the alliteration and Cx.]

[^1901: Bx.13.368: was: We retain L's plural form, though other mss. have were. See note to Bx.5.13 and Introduction V.3.1.]

[^1902: Bx.13.371: her (1): Not in F or R, which begins Or herlotrie. Bx.13.370-8 have no parallel in C.]

¶ Thanne pacience parceyued [·] of poyntes his[^1903] cote
Was colmy þorw coueityse · and v[n]kynde desyrynge
More to good þan to god · þe gome his loue caste
And ymagyned how · he it myȝte haue
With false mesures and mette · and with false witnesse
Lened for loue of þe wedde · and loth to do treuthe
And awaited þorwgh whi[ttes] [·] wey[es][^1904] to bigile
And menged his marchaundyse · and made a gode moustre
Þe worste with-in was · a gret witte I lete hit
And if my neighbore had an[^1905] hyne · or any beste elles
More profitable þan myne · many sleightes I made
How I myȝte haue it · al my witte I caste
And but I it[^1906] had by other waye · atte laste I stale it
Or pryuiliche his purse shoke · vnpiked his lokkes
Or by nyȝt or by day · aboute was ich euere
Þorwgh gyle to gadren [·] þe good þat ich haue

[^1903: Bx.13.372: his: All except LR supply of (added in M), but his cote is subject of was in the following line: "his coat was grimy with stains".]

[^1904: Bx.13.378: whittes weyes: R's spelling whittus weyus suggests the cause of confusion in beta: Bx presumably had the spelling <wh> for /w/ (as sometimes in SW), preserved but perhaps not understood as "wits" by R, and desperately altered to which by beta, who consequently understood wey as "way". R has his usual spelling weye, "man". For once, F gets it more or less right.]

[^1905: Bx.13.381: an: Alpha is supported by Cx (RK.6.262). Beta anticipates any in the b-verse.]

[^1906: Bx.13.384: but I it: LMW, so beta, supported by the X family of C (the P family has Hm's order). R omits it and F rewrites.]

¶ Ȝif I ȝede to þe plow · I pynched so narwe
Þat a fote londe or a forwe · fecchen I wolde
Of my nexte neighbore · nymen of his erthe[^1907]
And if [I][^1908] rope[^1909] ouer-reche · or ȝaf hem red þat ropen[^1910]
To[^1911] seise to me with her sykel · þat I ne sewe neure

[^1907: Bx.13.390-1: Alpha loses the b-verse of 390 and the a-verse of 391.]

[^1908: Bx.13.391: I: Dropped by L, though the line is marked for correction.]

[^1909: Bx.13.391: rope: "reaped" (MED repen v.(1)); the past tense is supported by Cx.]

[^1910: Bx.13.391: ropen: Cr and alpha have repen, which may also be a pa.t.pl. form.]

[^1911: Bx.13.392: To: Supported by Cx against And in MCrCGO.]

¶ And who-so borweth of me · aboute[^1912] þe tyme
With presentes priueliche · or payed somme certeyne
So walde he or nouȝt wolde he[^1913] · wynnen I wolde
And bothe to kyth and to kyn · vnkynde of þat ich hadde

[^1912: Bx.13.393: aboute: A spelling of abouȝte, "bought, paid for", preserved by LGR and altered by the correctors of MHm. It was evidently misunderstood as "about" by F, who revised.]

[^1913: Bx.13.395: he (2): Omitted by WR. For nouȝt wolde he, beta4 and F have he nolde.]

¶ And who-so cheped my chaffare · chiden I wolde
But he profred[^1914] to paye · a peny or tweyne
More þan it was worth · and ȝet wolde I swere
Þat it coste me[^1915] moche more · swore manye othes

[^1914: Bx.13.398: profred: CGO and rewritten Hm add me.]

[^1915: Bx.13.400: me: In beta only; alpha may be right to omit. The line is not in C.]

¶ In halydayes at holicherche · whan ich herde masse
Hadde [I][^1916] neuere wille wot god · witterly to biseche
Mercye for my mysdedes · þat I ne morned more
For losse of gode leue me · þan for lykames[^1917] giltes
As if I had dedly synne done · I dred nouȝt þat so sore
As when I lened and leued it lost · or longe ar it were payed
So if I kydde any kyndenesse · myn euen-cristene to helpe
Vpon a cruel coueityse · my [conscience][^1918] gan hange
And if I sent ouer-see · my seruauntz to Bruges
Or in-to Pruslonde my prentys · my profit to wayten
To marchaunden with monoye · and maken her eschaunges[^1919]
Miȝte neuere me conforte · in þe mene-tyme[^1920]
Noither messe ne matynes · ne none manere siȝtes
Ne neuere penaunce perfourned · ne pater noster seyde
Þat my mynde ne was more · on my gode in a doute
Þan in þe grace of god · and his grete helpes
Vbi thesaurus tuus · ibi & cor tuum

[^1916: Bx.13.402: I: LR, the two best witnesses, coincidentally omit the pronoun, which is necessary for the sense and supported by Cx (RK.6.273). The line is marked for correction in L.]

[^1917: Bx.13.404: lykames: So R, supported by Cx; all other mss. have my lykames, following on from my mysdedes in the previous line.]

[^1918: Bx.13.408: conscience: Alpha's reading corrects the aa/bb alliteration of beta's herte. The line is not in C.]

[^1919: Bx.13.411: eschaunges: Alpha has chaunges, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^1920: Bx.13.412: tyme: Confirmed by Cx. Beta2 has while.]

[^1921] [Ȝet glotoun[^1922] with grete othes · his g[ar]nement hadde soyled
And foule beflobered it · as with fals speche
As þere no nede ne was · godes name an ydel
Swore þere-by swithe ofte · and al byswatte his cote
And more mete ete and dronke · þen kynde miȝt defie
And cauȝte sekenesse sum-tyme · for my [surfai]tes[^1923] ofte
And þanne I dradde to deye · in dedlich synne
Þat in-to wanhope he w[or]the[^1924] · and wende nauȝt to be saued
Þe whiche is sleuthe so slow · þat may no sleightes helpe it
Ne no mercy amenden · þe man þat so deyeth]

[^1921: Bx.13.418-27: These lines are omitted by beta. Probably the scribe skipped from one paraph to the next, though alpha does not record the expected paraph at 418 following the Latin line. Lines 420 and 422 have some parallel in the C text, but are there transferred to the confession of Gluttony (RK.6.428 and 430).]

[^1922: Bx.13.418: glotoun: R's reading is surprising enough to have prompted F's revision to þat goome. Compare the other sins attributed to Hawkin: lechery (361), covetousness (373), sloth (426), though they are not personified as here. On the other hand R's glotoun is possibly a reminiscence of Bx.5.319 and 10.53, "Glotonye and grete othes".]

[^1923: Bx.13.423: surfaites: R's forfetes is a misreading of alliterating surfetys, as in F.]

[^1924: Bx.13.425: worthe: R's wrathe could be a metathesised form but is probably an error (cf. Bx.11.5). F revises to synonymous wente.]

¶ [Ac][^1925] which ben þe braunches · þat bryngeth a man to sleuth
His woman[^1926] morneth nouȝte for his mysdedes · ne maketh no sorwe
Ac[^1927] penaunce þat þe prest enioigneth · perfourneth yuel
Doth none almes-dede · dret hym of no synne
Lyueth aȝein þe bileue · and no lawe holdeth
Vch day is haliday with hym · or an heigh ferye
And if he auȝte wole here · it is an harlotes tonge
Whan men carpeth of cryst · or of[^1928] clennesse of soule[^1929]
He wexeth wroth & wil nouȝte here · but wordes of myrthe
Penaunce and[^1930] pore men · and þe passioun of seyntes
He hateth to here þere-of · and alle þat it telleth
Þise ben þe braunches beth war · þat bryngeth a man to wanhope
Ȝe lordes and ladyes · and legates of holicherche
Þat fedeth fol[e]-sages[^1931] · flatereres and lyeres
And han likynge to lythen hem · to do ȝow to[^1932] lawghe
Ve vobis qui ridetis &c
And ȝiueth hem mete and Mede · and pore men refuse
In ȝowre deth-deyinge · I drede me sore[^1933]
Lest þo thre maner men · to moche sorwe ȝow brynge
Consencientes & agentes pari pena punientur[^1934]
[^1935]Patriarkes & prophetes · and prechoures of goddes wordes
Sauen þorw her sarmoun[^1936] · mannes soule fram helle
Riȝt so flateres[^1937] and foles · aren þe fendes disciples
To entice men þorw her tales [·] to synne and harlotrye
Ac clerkes þat knowen holywryt · shulde kenne lordes
What dauid seith of suche men · as þe sauter telleth
Non habitabit in medio domus mee · qui facit superbiam qui[^1938] loquitur iniqua
Shulde none harlote haue audience · in halle ne in chambres[^1939]
Þere wise men were · witnesseth goddes wordes
Ne no mysproude man · amonges lordes ben allowed

[^1925: Bx.13.428: Ac: Dropped by beta following the loss of text. For Ac which, F has Þese. R is supported by Cx (RK.7.69).]

[^1926: Bx.13.429: His woman: Evidently the Bx reading, recorded in LR, original M, and CG. Beta2 and F recognise it as nonsense and so emend by conjecture; O, Is whanne a man, has the reading of the P family of C, by conjecture or contamination (RK.7.70). In C these lines are transferred to the confession of Sloth.]

[^1927: Bx.13.430: Ac: The reading of LO and probably original M, while G has its usual substitution But. The others have And (Ne in F). Cx has The.]

[^1928: Bx.13.435: of (2): Dropped by CGOF, but supported by authoritative C mss. of both families.]

[^1929: Bx.13.435: soule: The sg. is supported by Cx.]

[^1930: Bx.13.437: and (1): As in Cx.]

[^1931: Bx.13.441: fole-sages: "wise fools, jesters". R is supported by Cx (RK.7.82). Beta reads foles sages, i.e. a pl. noun followed by an adj. with a French pl. inflection (Mustanoja (1960), 277). F has folis sage.]

[^1932: Bx.13.442: to (3): GR omit, as does Cx, but GR are unmetrical (x / x /) whereas Cx is expanded to x / x x x / by the addition of in hope. Perhaps, though, Cx has preserved the reading that Bx has dropped, leading beta and F to add to for the metre. So Schmidt (1995), 392.]

[^1933: Bx.13.445: sore: Beta adds ful, but Cx is without it.]

[^1934: Bx.13.447: punientur : Alpha has puniendi sunt, but beta is supported by Cx. Alford (1992), 86, quotes beta's form.]

[^1935: Bx.13.448: WHmR here have a paraph.]

[^1936: Bx.13.449: sarmoun: Beta2 has the more obvious plural, as does the P family of C.]

[^1937: Bx.13.450: flateres: Here, as elsewhere (and in C mss.) the form varies with flaterers. Cf. l. 477 below. We follow copy-text.]

[^1938: Bx.13.454: qui (2): Beta has & qui, but this is supported neither by Cx nor the Vulgate. F drops the last phrase.]

[^1939: Bx.13.455: chambres: CrWGF have the sg., as does Cx.]

[^1940] [¶ Clerkes and kniȝtes · welcometh kynges mynstralles
And for loue of [her][^1941] lorde · litheth hem at festes
Muche more me thinketh · riche men shulde
Haue beggeres byfore hem · þe whiche ben goddes mynstralles
As he seyth hym-self · seynt Iohan bereth witnesse
Qui vos spernit me spernit
For-thi I rede ȝow riche · at[^1942] reueles whan ȝe maketh
For to solace ȝoure soules · suche minstralles to haue
Þe pore for a fol-sage · syttynge at þe[^1943] table
And a lered man to lere þe · what oure lorde suffred
For to saue þi soule · fram sathan þin enemy
And fithel þe with-out flaterynge · of gode friday þe storye[^1944]
And a blynd man for a bourdeoure · or a bedrede womman
To crie a largesse by-for oure lorde · ȝoure gode loos to shewe
Þise thre maner mynstralles · maketh a man to laughe
And in his deth-deyinge · þei don hym grete conforte
Þat bi his lyue lythed[^1945] hem · and loued hem to here
Þise solaseth þe soule · til hym-selue be falle
In a welhope[^1946] · amonges worthi seyntes]
[Þere][^1947] flateres and foles [·] þorw her foule wordes
Leden þo þat loue[d][^1948] hem · to luciferes feste
With turpiloquio a lay of sorwe · and luciferes fithele
Thus haukyn þe actyf man · hadde ysoiled his cote
Til conscience acouped hym þere-of · in a curteise manere
Whi he ne hadde wasshen it · or wyped it with a brusshe

[^1940: Bx.13.458-76: This block of 19 lines is omitted by beta. The lines are pretty well exactly reproduced in C (RK.7.96-113), usually supporting R over F.]

[^1941: Bx.13.459: her: F is supported by Cx against R's þe.]

[^1942: Bx.13.464: at: Evidently the reading of alpha, but not in Cx.]

[^1943: Bx.13.466: þe (2): So F; R has þe heyȝ; perhaps rightly, but perhaps an uncharacteristic addition, since Cx has þy.]

[^1944: Bx.13.469: storye: Cx has feste.]

[^1945: Bx.13.474: lythed: So R, against F's he lystned. But the X family of C has lened and the P family loueþ.]

[^1946: Bx.13.476: welhope: Alpha or Bx has presumably lost for a wrouhte so as in Cx, leading F to expand.]

[^1947: Bx.13.477: Þere: "where". Alpha is supported by Cx. Following the loss of the preceding passage, beta has Ac with a paraph.]

[^1948: Bx.13.478: loued: Alpha's past tense is supported by Cx's probable reading lythed, though some mss. of the P family have the present.]

Passus quartus decimus

I Haue but one[^1949] hatere quod haukyn · I am þe lasse to blame
Þough it be soiled and selde clene · I slepe þere-inne on niȝtes
And also I haue an houswyf · hewen and children
Vxorem duxy & ideo non possum venire
Þat wolen bymolen it many tyme[^1950] · maugre my chekes

[^1949: Bx.14.1: one: L and alpha. Other mss. (including M) add hool, which KD (but not Schmidt) adopt on the basis that this is Haukyn's best cote ( Bx.13.329). With the exception of the b-verse of l. 32, lines 1-42 have no parallel in C.]

[^1950: Bx.14.5: tyme: G and alpha have tymes. See note to Bx.11.387 where there is the same variation.]

¶ It hath ben laued in lente · and oute of lente bothe
With þe sope of sykenesse · þat seketh wonder depe
And with þe losse of catel · loth forto agulte
God or any gode man · bi auȝte þat I wiste[^1951]
And was shryuen of þe preste · þat gaue me for my synnes
To penaunce pacyence · and pore men to fede
Al for coueitise of my crystenedome · in clennesse to kepen it

[^1951: Bx.14.9: F rewrites to repair the alliteration.]

¶ And couthe I neuere[^1952] by cryste · kepen it clene an houre
Þat I ne soiled it with syȝte · or sum ydel speche
Or þorugh werke or þorugh worde[^1953] · or wille of myn herte
Þat I ne flober it foule · fro morwe tyl eue

[^1952: Bx.14.13: neuere: Alpha has nouȝt.]

[^1953: Bx.14.15: þorugh worde: CGO omit þorugh, but it motivates alpha's non-alliterating thouȝt. F has þoruh in the b-verse.]

¶ And I shal kenne þe quod conscience · of contricioun to make
Þat shal clawe þi cote · of alkynnes filthe
Cordis contricio &c
Dowel wasshen[^1954] it and wryngen it · þorw a wys confessour
Oris confessio &c
Dobet shal beten it and bouken it · as briȝte as any scarlet
And engreynen it with good wille · and goddes grace to amende þe
And sithen sende þe to satisfaccioun · for to so[nn]en[^1955] it after
Satisfaccio dobest[^1956]

[^1954: Bx.14.20: wasshen: Beta2 and O supply shal (added by the M corrector) on the basis of ll. 18 and 22.]

[^1955: Bx.14.24: sonnen: "dry in the sun" after dyeing it, rather than beta's much easier sowen, "sew". Alpha's verb is sparsely cited in MED, but it is more appropriate for the process of cleaning.]

[^1956: Bx.14.25: Following this F has two extra lines. KD adopt the first on the grounds that it is "pre-archetypal" (p. 172).]

¶[^1957] Shal neuere myste[^1958] bimolen it · ne moth after biten it
Ne fende ne false man [·] defoulen it in þi lyue
Shal none heraude ne harpoure · haue a fairere garnement
Þan haukyn þe actyf man · and þow do by my techyng
Ne no mynstral be more worth · amonges pore & riche
Þan Haukynnes wyf þe wafrere · w[hic]h is[^1959] actiua vita

[^1957: Bx.14.26: ¶: The paraph is in beta only. In R the line is at the top of the page.]

[^1958: Bx.14.26: myste: Presumably a Bx error for myske, "dirt" (MED mix). Beta2 alters to chyste / cheeste, "quarrelling".]

[^1959: Bx.14.31: which is: KD accept that alpha's reading is archetypal, but argue that "from the poor sense of wif (why should her clothes be compared with those of heralds and harpers?) this is unoriginal" (p. 187), and so emend wif to wil. Like beta, which reads with his, KD miss the significance of ll. 3-4, where Hawkin's wife is an aspect of activa vita.]

¶ And I shal purueye þe paste quod pacyence · þough[^1960] no plow erie
And floure to fede folke with · as best be for þe soule
Þough neuere greyne growed · ne grape vppon vyne
Alle[^1961] þat lyueth and loketh · lyflode wolde I fynde
And þat ynough shal none faille · of þinge þat hem nedeth
We shulde nouȝt be to busy · abouten owre lyflode
Ne solliciti sitis &c [·] volucres celi deus pascit &c [·] pacientes vincunt &c[^1962]

[^1960: Bx.14.32: þough: Alpha reads þouȝ þow, but beta is supported by the b-verse in Cx (RK.15.234).]

[^1961: Bx.14.35: Alle: Indirect object of fynde; WF supply prepositions.]

[^1962: Bx.14.38: We separate the three quotations by punctuation. MR separate the first two by punctuation and the second and third by a line-break, but L runs the line on without punctuation. F ends with scitis.]

¶ Þanne laughed haukyn a litel · and liȝtly gan swerye
Who-so leueth ȝow[^1963] by owre lorde · I leue nouȝte he be blissed

[^1963: Bx.14.40: ȝow: R has ȝow noþer; F in a revised line has eyþir of ȝow. Perhaps alpha had ȝow either, i.e. either Conscience or Patience. Schmidt (1995) adopts yow either from alpha as "more precise" (p. 393). We retain copy-text.]

¶ No quod pacyence paciently · and out of his poke hente
Vitailles of grete vertues · for al manere bestes
And seyde lo here lyflode ynough · if owre byleue be trewe
For lente neuere was [þere][^1964] lyf · but lyflode were shapen
Wher-of or wherfore · [and][^1965] where-by to lybbe

[^1964: Bx.14.44: þere: Supported by R alone, since F rewrites the line and beta drops the word, but C mss. have either here or more commonly þere (RK.15.238).]

[^1965: Bx.14.45: and: Beta has or, though O reads &. F loses the line, but R's and is supported by Cx.]

¶ Firste þe wylde worme · vnder weet erthe
Fissch to lyue in þe flode · and in þe fyre þe crykat
Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre · moste clennest flesch of bryddes
And bestes by grasse and by greyne · and by grene rotis
In menynge þat alle men · myȝte[^1966] þe same
Lyue þorw lele byleue and loue · as god witnesseth
Quodcumque pecieritis[^1967] in nomine meo &c & alibi
Non in solo pane viuit homo set in omni verbo quod procedit de ore dei

[^1966: Bx.14.50: myȝte: Misunderstanding the syntax (þe same, "similarly"), scribes add do (MCrGOF) or se (C), but LWHmR are supported by Cx.]

[^1967: Bx.14.52: pecieritis : Beta adds a patre. The P family of C reads patrem, the X family omits as does alpha. Biblical texts vary; see Alford (1992), 87.]

¶ But I loked what lyflode it[^1968] was · þat pacience so preysed
And þanne was[^1969] a pece of þe pater noster · fiat voluntas tua

[^1968: Bx.14.54: lyflode it: Beta is supported by Cx (though in a b-verse) against alpha's þat liflode.]

[^1969: Bx.14.55: was: LWCG read was it, as in Cx, supplying a Bx omission preserved in MO before correction and in alpha. Cr has it was and Hm þat was.]

¶ Haue haukyn quod pacyence · and ete þis whan þe hungreth
Or whan þow clomsest for colde · or clyngest for dr[outh]e[^1970]
[And][^1971] shal neuere gyues[^1972] þe greue · ne grete lordes wrath
Prisone ne peyne · for pacientes vincunt
[^1973]Bi so þat þow be sobre · of syȝte and of tonge
In etynge and in handlyng · and in alle þi fyue wittis
Darstow neuere care for corne · ne lynnen cloth ne wollen
Ne for drynke ne deth drede · but deye as god lyketh
Or þorw honger or þorw hete · at his wille be it
For if þow lyuest after his lore · þe sho[r]ter lyf þe better[^1974]
Si quis amat cristum mundum non diligit istum

[^1970: Bx.14.57: drouthe: The alpha reading is supported by Cx against beta's drye. However, the latter is a good reading (cf. Bx.5.549), and it is possible that the alpha reading is a revision.]

[^1971: Bx.14.58: And: R (=alpha?) is supported by Cx, though beta omits and F has Þere.]

[^1972: Bx.14.58: gyues: "shackles". Cx supports beta. Alpha substitutes non-alliterating feytoures, "deceivers"; presumably this was a misreading of a gloss feteres, "fetters" in Bx. For another case of a gloss being included in the text, cf. note to Bx.15.25.]

[^1973: Bx.14.60: L's paraph is unsupported except for the line-space in M.]

[^1974: Bx.14.65: better: Alpha has leuere, perhaps by alliterative attraction; beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ For þorw his breth bestes wexen[^1975] · and abrode ȝeden
Dixit & facta sunt &c ·
Ergo þorw his breth mowen · men & bestes lyuen
As holywrit witnesseth · whan men segge her graces[^1976]
Aperis tu manum tuam · & imples omne animal benediccione

[^1975: Bx.14.67: wexen: L's forms are inf. wax(en), pr. 3 sg. wexeth, waxeth, pr. pl. wexeth, pa. sg. wex, pa. pl. wexen, woxen, ppl. waxen, woxen. The readings of other beta mss. confirm that wexen is here past tense, as is ȝeden. R has the present; the most authoritative C mss. have the past.]

[^1976: Bx.14.70: graces: Beta's plural is supported by Cx.]

¶ It is founden þat fourty wynter · folke lyued with-outen tulying
And oute of þe flynte spronge þe flode · þat folke & bestes dronke
And in Elyes tyme · heuene was yclosed
Þat no reyne ne[^1977] rone · þus rede men[^1978] in bokes
Þat many wynt[er][^1979] men lyueden · and no mete ne tulyeden

[^1977: Bx.14.75: ne: Omitted by MHmF and the P family of C.]

[^1978: Bx.14.75: rede men: This word-order is supported by Cx against the reversal in MF.]

[^1979: Bx.14.76: wynter: There is the usual variation between the marked and unmarked forms of the plural. Here Cx supports CrR.]

[¶][^1980] Seuene slepe as seith þe boke · seuene hundreth wynter

[^1980: Bx.14.77: ¶: WHmR have a paraph here which in L has slipped to the next line.]

And lyueden with-oute lyflode · and atte laste þei woken
And if men lyued as mesure wolde · shulde neuere-more[^1981] be defaute
Amonges cristene creatures · if crystes wordes ben trewe
Ac vnkyndnesse carestia maketh · amonges crystene peple
And ouer-plente maketh pruyde · amonges pore & riche
Ac mesure is so moche worth · it may nouȝte be to dere
For þe meschief and þe meschaunce · amonges men of sodome
Wex þorw plente of payn · & of pure sleuthe
Ociositas & habundancia panis peccatum turpissimum nutriuit[^1982]
For þei mesured nouȝt hem-self · of þat þei ete and dronke
Diden dedly synne [·] þat þe deuel lyked
So vengeaunce fel vpon hem · for her vyle synnes
Þei sonken in-to helle · þo[^1983] citees vchone

[^1981: Bx.14.79: more: Although in alliterative position, this is omitted by all C mss. as well as by beta4 and F presumably by coincidence in a revised b-verse.]

[^1982: Bx.14.86: R ends the quotation at panis, and F omits altogether. Lines 81-110 have no parallel in C.]

[^1983: Bx.14.90: þo: So LM and F, but R joins the others with þe. Either could be a substitution for the other.]

¶ For-þi mesure we vs wel · and make owre faithe owre scheltroun
And þorw faith cometh contricioun · conscience wote wel
Whiche dryueth awey dedly synne · and doth it to be venial
And þough a man myȝte nouȝte speke · contricioun myȝte hym saue
And brynge his soule to blisse · by[^1984] so þat feith bere witnesse
Þat whiles he lyued he bileued · in þe lore of holycherche
Ergo contricioun feith and conscience · is kyndelich dowel
And surgienes for dedly synnes[^1985] · whan shrifte of mouth failleth

[^1984: Bx.14.95: by: LCr + alpha; MW substitute for and others drop. For the idiom by so, "provided that", cf. Bx.11.76.]

[^1985: Bx.14.98: synnes: Apparently beta, though CrHm agree with alpha on the sg. We follow copy-text.]

¶ Ac shrifte of mouth more worthy is · if man be i[n]liche[^1986] contrit
For shrifte of mouth sleeth synne · be it neuere so dedly
Per confessionem to a prest · peccata occiduntur
Þere contricioun doth but dryueth it doun · in-to a venial synne
As dauid seith in þe sauter · et quorum tecta sunt peccata
Ac satisfaccioun seketh oute þe rote · and bothe sleeth and voideth
And as it neuere had ybe · to nouȝt bryngeth dedly synne
Þat it neuere eft is seen ne sore · but semeth a wounde yheled

[^1986: Bx.14.99: inliche: R reproduces alpha, as shown by F's error with (for within). MO also have ynlich, presumably a scribal restoration since other beta mss. have iliche.]

¶ [Ȝe][^1987] where woneth charite quod haukyn · I wiste neuere in my lyue
Man þat with hym spake · as wyde as I haue passed

[^1987: Bx.14.107: Ȝe: Alpha only, but an opening discourse-marker that is characteristically Langlandian; cf. l. 113 below, Bx.11.145 etc.]

¶[^1988] Þere parfit treuthe and pouere herte is · and pacience of tonge
Þere is charitee þe chief chaumbrere[^1989] [·] for god hym-selue

[^1988: Bx.14.109: ¶: The paraph at the start of the speech is in beta and F. Cf. l. 107 above, and l. 111 below.]

[^1989: Bx.14.110: chaumbrere: The form chambre in MHmCG and alpha could represent Bx, corrected by other scribes. See note to laborere in l. 338.]

¶ Whether pacien[c]e pouerte[^1990] quod haukyn · be more plesaunte to owre driȝte[^1991]
Þan ricchesse riȝtfulliche ywonne · and resonablelich yspended[^1992]

[^1990: Bx.14.111: pacience pouerte: This, rather than paciente pouerte in LCrWO, is likely to be the beta reading, as in CG and MHm before correction. Scribes were understandably puzzled, not realising that Pacience is a term of address (as in l. 292). Evidence that W's exemplar may have read pacience is that W nowhere else spells paciente with final /e/. On this analysis, alpha, equally puzzled, added and, to read pacience and pouerte. Yet alpha's reading has support from Cx, pouerte and pacience (RK.15.277).]

[^1991: Bx.14.111: driȝte: The difficult word is misread by C and glossed by G and alpha. Cx has instead "plese more god almyhty".]

[^1992: Bx.14.112: yspended: Beta2 alters to dispended.]

¶ Ȝe quis est ille quod pacience · quik laudabimus eum
Þough men rede of richchesse · riȝt to þe worldes ende
I wist neuere renke þat riche was · þat whan he rekne sholde
Whan it[^1993] drow to his deth-day · þat he ne dred hym sore
And þat[^1994] atte rekenyng in arrerage fel · rather þan oute of dette

[^1993: Bx.14.116: it: L's agreement with R against the easily adopted he (as in the b-verse) in the other beta mss. would be secure for Bx except that Cx reads he drow to þe deth. F omits the pronoun. See Introduction V.3.2.]

[^1994: Bx.14.117: þat: The beta reading, but easily lost as in MGR.]

¶ There þe pore dar plede · and preue by pure resoun
To haue allowaunce of his lorde · by þe lawe he it cleymeth
Ioye þat neuere ioye hadde · of riȝtful iugge he axeth
And seith lo briddes and bestes · þat no blisse ne knoweth
And wilde wormes in wodes · þorw wyntres þow hem greuest
And makest hem welnyegh meke · and mylde for defaute
And after þow sendest hem somer · þat is her souereigne Ioye
And blisse to alle þat ben · bothe wilde and tame
Þanne may beggeres as[^1995] bestes · after bote waiten
Þat al her lyf han lyued · in langour and in defaute
But god sent hem some-tyme · some manere ioye
Other here or elles-where · kynde wolde it neuere
For to wrotherhele was he wrouȝte · þat neuere was ioye[^1996] shaped

[^1995: Bx.14.126: as: So L, corrected M, CrW. Certainly a more meaningful reading than and in beta4 and alpha, and supported by the X family of C, though some of the P family also have and.]

[^1996: Bx.14.130: was ioye: The word-order is supported by alliteration and Cx, against the reversal in Hm and alpha.]

¶ Angeles þat in helle now ben · hadden ioye some-tyme
And diues in deyntees lyued · and in douce vye
Riȝte so resoun sheweth · þat þo[^1997] men þat were riche[^1998]
And her makes also · lyued her lyf in murthe

[^1997: Bx.14.133: þo: Beta2 has, less appropriately, þe. Lines 133-40 are not in C.]

[^1998: Bx.14.133: þat were riche: The phrase is lost in alpha. F repairs.]

¶ Ac god is of a wonder wille · by þat kynde witte sheweth
To ȝiue many men his mercymonye · ar he it haue deserued
Riȝt so fareth god by some riche · reuthe me it þinketh
For þei han her hyre here · an[^1999] heuene as it were
And is[^2000] gret lykyng to lyue · with-oute laboure of body
And whan he deyeth ben disalowed · as dauid seith in þe sauter
Dormierunt & nichil inuenerunt
And in an other stede also · velud sompnum surgencium domine in ciuitate tua & ad[^2001] nichilum rediges
Allas þat ricchesse shal reue · and robbe mannes soule
Fram þe loue of owre lorde · at his laste ende

[^1999: Bx.14.138: an: "and". The fact that the form is also in M may indicate that it is beta's.]

[^2000: Bx.14.139: is: "it is". Dropped by beta2 and F, and erased in M.]

[^2001: Bx.14.142: & ad : Scribes have corrected this familiar quotation (Psalm 72.20). F reads sompnium, "dream", in place of sompnum, "sleep", and adds ymaginem, both as in the Vulgate. Alpha's ad for beta's & ad is probably a similar correction. Cx ends the quotation at surgencium.]

¶ Hewen þat han her hyre afore[^2002] · aren euermore nedy
And selden deieth[^2003] out of dette · þat dyneth ar he[^2004] deserue it
And til he haue done his deuor · and his dayes iourne
For whan a werkman hath wrouȝte · þanne may men se þe sothe
What he were worthi for his werke · and what he hath deserued
And nouȝt to fonge bifore · for drede of disalowynge

[^2002: Bx.14.145: afore: Alpha has to-fore and Cx byfore. See note to Bx.5.12.]

[^2003: Bx.14.146: deieth: Beta adds the pronoun he, but R (F rewrites) is supported by Cx in postponing the subject until the b-verse.]

[^2004: Bx.14.146: he: Beta supported by the X group of C, while alpha's plural has support from the P group. The plural is probably prompted by the previous line.]

¶ So I segge by ȝow riche · it semeth nouȝt[^2005] þat ȝe shulle
Haue [two] heuene[s][^2006] in[^2007] ȝowre here-beyng[^2008] · and heuene her-after[^2009]
Riȝt as a seruaunt taketh his salarye bifore · & sitth wolde clayme more[^2010]
As he þat none hadde · and hath huyre[^2011] atte laste
It may nouȝt be ȝe riche men · or matheu on god lyeth
De delicijs ad delicias · deficile est transire[^2012]

[^2005: Bx.14.151: nouȝt: Lost by alpha making nonsense; F rewrites the b-verse to improve the sense.]

[^2006: Bx.14.152: two heuenes: Alpha is supported by Cx. Probably beta misunderstood the sense of a line which causes scribes problems in other respects also. It involves an unusual disjuncture after the first stress: "(You shall not) have two heavens: (one) in your present existence and (another) in heaven afterwards". In Cx the line is simplified by dropping the b-verse: "(You shall not) have two heavens in return for your present existence" (RK.16.9).]

[^2007: Bx.14.152: in: Though R's for is shared with Cx, it makes no sense in the context of the line as in Bx.]

[^2008: Bx.14.152: here-beyng: Only recorded here and in C by MED, her adv. 7(a). Beta2 and G corrupt to here beryng (? OED harbouring), prompting W to guess at here dwellyng.]

[^2009: Bx.14.152: her-after: This is perhaps Bx, though it could have been prompted by here in the a-verse. WGR have þere-after.]

[^2010: Bx.14.153: R (reproducing alpha) divides the line at the end of the unusually heavy a-verse, but is left with an impossibly short line. F therefore expands freely. Hm divides at the same point as alpha, and then fills out the following line independently. Alpha's huire for beta's more anticipates Bx huyre in l. 154. The passage up to l. 169 is dropped in C.]

[^2011: Bx.14.154: huyre: Alpha's heuene is a consequence of its muddle in the previous line.]

[^2012: Bx.14.156: transire : Alford (1992), 89, quotes Jerome in support of this reading rather than ascendere in alpha, who still has his eye on heuene.]

¶[^2013] Ac if [ȝ]e[^2014] riche haue reuthe · and rewarde wel þe pore
And lyuen as lawe techeth · done leute to alle[^2015]
Criste of his curteysie · shal conforte ȝow atte laste
And rewarde alle dowble ricchesse · þat reuful hertes habbeth
And as an hyne þat hadde · his hyre ar he bygonne
And whan he hath done his deuor wel · men doth hym other bounte
Ȝyueth hym a cote aboue his couenaunte · riȝte so cryst ȝiueth heuene
Bothe to riche and to nouȝte riche · þat rewfullich[^2016] lybbeth
And alle þat done her deuor wel · han dowble hyre for her trauaille
Here forȝyuenesse of her synnes · and heuene blisse after

[^2013: Bx.14.157: ¶: The paraph, following the Latin line, is in beta and F.]

[^2014: Bx.14.157: ȝe: LMCrGF þe is an easy misreading. It may, however, represent Bx, with WHmCOR making an obvious correction.]

[^2015: Bx.14.158: alle: All beta mss. except L have hem alle (referring to the poor) but alle is probably the alpha reading, as in R, with F expanding a short b-verse to his brothir. On M's agreement with beta1, see Introduction III.2.]

[^2016: Bx.14.164: rewfullich: Cf. l. 160. Alpha adopts the easier reading riȝtfullich.]

[^2017] ¶ Ac it nys but selde yseyn · as by holy seyntes bokes[^2018]
Þat god rewarded double reste · to any riche wye
For moche murthe is amonges riche · as in mete and clothyng
And moche murthe in Maye is · amonges wilde bestes
And so forth whil somer lasteth · her solace dureth

[^2017: Bx.14.167-71: These five lines are lost in alpha, jumping from Ac to Ac and paraph to paraph.]

[^2018: Bx.14.167: bokes: M shares the error liues with O.]

[¶][^2019] Ac[^2020] beggeres aboute Midsomer · bredlees þei soupe
And ȝit is wynter for hem worse · for wete-shodde þei gange
Afyrst sore and afyngred · and foule yrebuked
And arated of riche men · þat reuthe is to here
Now lorde sende hem somer · and some manere ioye
Heuene after her hennes-goynge · þat here han suche defaute
For alle myȝtest þow haue made · none mener þan other
And yliche witty & wyse · if þe wel[^2021] hadde lyked
[^2022]And haue reuthe on þise riche men · þat rewarde nouȝte þi prisoneres[^2023]
Of þe good þat þow hem gyuest · ingrati ben manye
Ac god of þi goodnesse · gyue hem grace to amende
For may no derth ben hem dere · drouth ne weet
Ne noyther hete ne haille · haue þei here hele
Of þat þei wilne and wolde · wanteth hem nouȝt here

[^2019: Bx.14.172: ¶: An appropriate paraph, recorded by WHm and alpha.]

[^2020: Bx.14.172: Ac: Alpha must have had this reading, though R omits it. F has (as usual) But.]

[^2021: Bx.14.179: þe wel: In L the scribe has first written þi followed by five letters; the /i/ has been altered to /e/ followed by wel and a punctus. There can be little question that L's original reading was þi wille as in MCGOF. Rather doubtfully we follow L's corrected reading, supported by beta2 (CrWHm) and R, on the grounds that þe wel was more likely to have been mistaken for þi wille than vice versa. Cx revises the b-verse and offers no guide.]

[^2022: Bx.14.180: Alpha's paraph is not appropriate.]

[^2023: Bx.14.180: prisoneres: For R's form prisones, see note to Bx.3.138 and l. 186 below. Here and elsewhere we follow copy-text. Lines 180-209 are not in C.]

¶ Ac pore peple þi prisoneres · lorde[^2024] in þe put of myschief
Conforte þo creatures · þat moche care suffren
Þorw derth þorw drouth · alle her dayes here
Wo in wynter tymes[^2025] · for wantyng of clothes
And in somer tyme selde · soupen to þe fulle
Conforte þi careful [·] cryst in þi ryche[^2026]
For how þow confortest alle creatures · clerkes bereth witnesse
Conuertimini ad me & salui eritis

[^2024: Bx.14.186: lorde: R has lore, either as a spelling of lorde as at Bx.5.407, 18.61, or as the ppl. "lost". Perhaps the form represents alpha, since F supposes it to be a verb, reading lyȝn, "lie". Note also the addition of final /d/ in O's lord.]

[^2025: Bx.14.189: wynter tymes: Alpha has wyntres tyme. In the same a-verse in C at RK.9.78, the X family has beta's reading, the P family has wynter tyme. Cf. somer tyme in the next line.]

[^2026: Bx.14.191: ryche: Beta2 corrupts to rychesse, and M is altered to that reading.]

¶ Þus in genere of his genitrice[^2027] · Ihesu cryst seyde
To robberes and to reueres · to riche and to pore
[To hores to harlotes . to alle maner poeple][^2028]
Þow tauȝtest hem in þe Trinitee · to take baptesme
And be clene þorw þat crystennynge · of alle kynnes [synnes][^2029]
And[^2030] vs fel þorw folye · to falle in synne after
Confessioun and kne[w]lechyng[^2031] [·] & crauyng þi mercy
Shulde amende vs as many sithes · as man wolde desire
Ac[^2032] if þe p[ouke][^2033] wolde plede here-aȝeine[^2034] · and punyssh vs in conscience
He[^2035] shulde take þe acquitance as quik · and to þe qued schewe it
Pateat &c per passionem domini
And putten of so þe pouke · and preuen vs vnder borwe
Ac þe perchemyn of þis patent · of pouerte be moste
And of pure pacience · and parfit bileue
[^2036]Of pompe and of pruyde · þe parchemyn decorreth
And principaliche of alle peple · but þei be pore of herte
Ellis is al an ydel · al þat euere we writen
Pater nostres[^2037] and penaunce[^2038] · and pilgrimage[^2039] to Rome
But[^2040] owre spences and spendyng[^2041] sprynge ·[^2042] of a trewe welle[^2043]
Elles is al owre laboure loste · lo how men writeth
In fenestres atte freres · if fals be þe foundement
For-þi crystene sholde ben in comune riche · none coueitouse for hym-selue

[^2027: Bx.14.194: in genere of his genitrice: "by the very nature of his nobility". Alpha must have had alle his, as R, but beta copies apart from L have neither word.]

[^2028: Bx.14.196: The line is in alpha only, beta missing the second line beginning To. For to (2) F has & to, possibly correctly, since R uniquely drops & in the parallel position in the line above. F's b-verse is, however, rather meaninglessly inclusive.]

[^2029: Bx.14.198: synnes: Dropped by L after kynnes. W alone has the sg.]

[^2030: Bx.14.199: And: "if". Alpha underlines the sense with And if, adopted also by CrW. In M a word is first inserted and then erased.]

[^2031: Bx.14.200: Confessioun and knewlechyng: Reversed in alpha.]

[^2032: Bx.14.202: Ac: Beta2, C and alpha have And.]

[^2033: Bx.14.202: pouke: Beta's pope is an odd error, especially in view of l. 205. KD, p. 147 suggest "a preferred villain substituted".]

[^2034: Bx.14.202: here-aȝeine: Alpha has þere-aȝeine, adopted also by G.]

[^2035: Bx.14.203: He: Either Christ, or more probably "the one affected". R's Ho is perhaps an alpha error, altered by F to We for the sense.]

[^2036: Bx.14.208: The paraph in W and alpha is not adopted.]

[^2037: Bx.14.211: Pater nostres: CrCGOR have the singular. Cx has preyeres (RK.16.38).]

[^2038: Bx.14.211: penaunce: Here and elsewhere, romance loans ending in a sibilant may be unchanged in the plural, hence frequent variations between penaunce and penaunces, e.g. Bx.P.25, 7.132, 15.153, 16.39. Here Hm and alpha have the marked plural, as does the X family of C. It is worth observing that of 44 instances of penaunce from the C text in Wittig's Concordance, 16 are emendations of penaunces in the X family.]

[^2039: Bx.14.211: pilgrimage: CrWG have the plural, as do most C mss. See Bx.15.189 and 19.387 for a similar situation.]

[^2040: Bx.14.212: But: "unless". Beta is supported by Cx. R has And; F begins With in a rewritten a-verse.]

[^2041: Bx.14.212: spendyng: R has oure spendynge, as the X family of C.]

[^2042: Bx.14.212: The punctuation follows sprynge (aaa/xx) in LR and probably in original M, though there another punctus appears before springe, as in other mss. (aa/ax).]

[^2043: Bx.14.212: welle: The obviously superior reading is supported by Cx over wille in CrWCO (G corrects).]

¶ For seuene synnes þat[^2044] þere ben · assaillen vs euere
Þe fende folweth hem alle · and fondeth hem to helpe
Ac wiþ ricchesse þ[o] ribaude[s][^2045] · rathest men bigyleth
For þere þat richesse regneth · reuerence[s][^2046] folweth
And þat is plesaunte to pryde · in pore and in riche
And[^2047] þe riche is reuerenced · by resoun of his richchesse
Þere þe pore is put bihynde [·] and par-auenture can more
Of witte and of wysdom · þat fer [w]ey[^2048] is better
Þan ricchesse or reaute · and rather yherde in heuene
For þe riche hath moche to rekene · and riȝte softe[^2049] walketh
Þe heigh[^2050] waye to heuene-ward · oft ricchesse[^2051] letteth
Ita possibile[^2052] diuiti &c

[^2044: Bx.14.216: þat: Dropped in CO, and postponed to the b-verse in WGF. Cx has þat in both positions.]

[^2045: Bx.14.218: þo ribaudes: Alpha, supported by Cx, referring to the sins. Beta has þat Ribaude referring to the devil.]

[^2046: Bx.14.219: reuerences: i.e. expressions of deference. Alpha has the plural, as do the best C mss. Beta's form might be construed as plural without ending, as often with romance loans ending in a sibilant. See note to l. 211.]

[^2047: Bx.14.221: And: Beta supported by the X family of C against alpha's Ac/But. The P family has no conjunction.]

[^2048: Bx.14.223: fer wey: R only, since the line is lost in F, but supported by Cx against beta's fer awey. Neither phrase occurs elsewhere in the poem.]

[^2049: Bx.14.225: riȝte softe: Corruption in beta2 leads CrW to invent and Hm to correct. Perhaps beta2 read ofte, and lost the word in the next line.]

[^2050: Bx.14.226: heigh: Alpha and G repeat riȝt from the previous line. Beta's a-verse is as in Cx.]

[^2051: Bx.14.226: ricchesse: Beta against alpha's riche. The b-verse is rewritten in C.]

[^2052: Bx.14.227: possibile : "It is as (ita) possible for a rich man etc." Quoted in this form also in RK.11.201a. MW alter to impossibile, in view of Matt. 19.23 which has "quia dives difficile ...".]

¶ Þere þe pore preseth[^2053] bifor þe riche[^2054] · with a pakke at his rugge
Opera enim illorum sequntur illos
Batauntliche as beggeres done · and baldeliche he craueth
For his pouerte and his[^2055] pacience · a perpetuel blisse
Beati pauperes · quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum

[^2053: Bx.14.228: preseth: Beta is supported by Cx. Alpha has precheth (R) or procheth (in both cases <p> with abbreviation).]

[^2054: Bx.14.228: þe riche: Certainly Bx, though Cx omits, as does F by contamination or coincidence.]

[^2055: Bx.14.231: his (2): Omitted by MCGO, as in the P family of C. (F loses ll. 229-31).]

¶ And[^2056] pryde in ricchesse regneth · rather þan in pouerte
[Or] in þe Maister [or][^2057] in þe man · some mansioun he[^2058] hath
Ac in pouerte þere pacyence is · pryde hath no myȝte
Ne none of þe seuene synnes · sitten ne mowe þere longe
Ne haue powere in pouerte · if pacyence it folwe
For þe pore is ay prest · to plese þe riche
And buxome at his byddyng · for his broke loues
And buxomenesse and boste · aren euer-more at werre
And ayther hateth other · in alle manere werkes
[^2059]If wratthe wrastel with þe pore · he hath þe worse ende
For if þey bothe pleyne · þe pore is but fieble
And if he chyde or chatre · hym chieueth þe worse
[^2060] [For lowelich he loketh · and loueliche is his speche
Þat mete or money · of other men mote asken
[^2061]And if glotonye greue pouerte · he gadereth þe lasse
For his rentes wol[^2062] nauȝte reche · no riche metes to bugge
And þouȝ his glotonye be to gode ale · he goth to cold beddynge
And his heued vnhiled · vnesily ywrye
For whan he streyneth hym to strecche · þe strawe is his shetes[^2063]
So for his glotonye and his grete sleuthe · he hath a greuous penaunce
Þat is welawo whan he waketh · and wepeth for colde
And sum-tyme for his synnes · so he is neuere merye
Withoute mornynge amonge · and mischief[^2064] to bote]

[^2056: Bx.14.233: And: Alpha has Ac (F But); C mss. have And or Also. Cf. l. 221.]

[^2057: Bx.14.234: Or ... or: Beta has Arst ... þan, but alpha is supported by Cx. Beta supposes that the master would have more pride than his man, but Skeat (1886), ii, 211 explains that by man Langland refers to "the arrogant manners of the retainers in a great household".]

[^2058: Bx.14.234: he: Omitted by R, but supported by Cx.]

[^2059: Bx.14.242: A paraph might be expected here, as for the other sins, but only WCF have one.]

[^2060: Bx.14.245-55: These eleven lines are lost in beta, probably by eyeskip from And if 244 to ¶ And if (in beta only) 256. Cx is closely parallel except for the last two lines, and generally supports R over F.]

[^2061: Bx.14.247: The paraph in F marks the introduction of gluttony.]

[^2062: Bx.14.248: wol: R has ne wol. Cx has neither ne in the a-verse nor no in the b-verse.]

[^2063: Bx.14.251: shetes: Cx supports R's plural.]

[^2064: Bx.14.255: mischief: The b-verse in Cx, "so meschief hym folleweth" (RK.16.78) offers no support to F's myche myschef.]

¶ And [þouȝ][^2065] coueitise wolde[^2066] cacche þe pore · þei may nouȝt come togideres
And by þe nekke namely · her none may hente other
For men knoweth wel þat coueitise · is of a kene wille
And hath hondes and armes · of a longe lengthe
And pouerte nis but a petit þinge · appereth nouȝt to his naule
And louely layke was it neuere · bitwene þe longe and þe shorte
And þough auarice wolde angre þe pore · he hath but litel myȝte
For pouerte hath but pokes · to putten in his godis
Þere auarice hath almaries · and yren-bounde coffres
And whether be liȝter to breke · lasse boste it[^2067] maketh
A beggeres bagge · þan an yren-bounde coffre

[^2065: Bx.14.256: þouȝ: Alpha is supported by Cx against if in beta.]

[^2066: Bx.14.256: wolde: Only L + alpha, but supported by Cx "wolde with þe pore wrastle".]

[^2067: Bx.14.265: lasse boste it: M alters its reading to agree with CrW; Cx supports the other mss.]

¶ Lecherye loueth hym nouȝt · for he ȝeueth but lytel syluer
Ne doth hym nouȝte dyne delycatly · ne drynke wyn oft
[^2068] A strawe for þe stuwes · it stode nouȝt I trowe
Had þei none[^2069] but of pore men · her houses were[^2070] vntyled

[^2068: Bx.14.269-70: The lines are in beta only, but supported by Cx. Perhaps alpha censored them, though KD, p. 68, suggest eyeskip from A...stuwes 269 to And...suwe 271.]

[^2069: Bx.14.270: none: Cx has alliterating noen haunt. We suppose that Bx or beta lost haunt, with L preserving the reading none, beta1 altering to no þing for sense, and G further altering to noght. If so, then M is perhaps dependent on beta1.]

[^2070: Bx.14.270: were: All beta mss. except L read stoode, perhaps repeated from the previous line. Cx loses the b-verse.]

¶ And þough sleuthe suwe pouerte · and serue nouȝt god to paye
Mischief is his maister · and maketh hym to thynke
Þat god is his[^2071] grettest helpe · and no gome elles
And [he is][^2072] seruaunt as he seith · and of his sute bothe
And where[^2073] he be or be nouȝte · he bereth þe signe of pouerte
And in þat secte owre saueoure · saued al mankynde
For-thi al pore[^2074] þat paciente is · may claymen and asken[^2075]
After her endynge here · heuene-riche blisse

[^2071: Bx.14.273: his: Omitted by R and misplaced by F, but supported by Cx.]

[^2072: Bx.14.274: he is: The reading of R alone, but supported by Cx (RK.16.97). The beta reading, as in L, original M, and HmGOC, appears to have been his. CrWF make an obvious correction to he his, and this is followed by the M corrector. The sense is that Poverty is a servant in God's retinue.]

[^2073: Bx.14.275: where: "whether", the spelling of LR.]

[^2074: Bx.14.277: pore: CrCGO have pouertie, influenced by l. 275. Cx supports pore.]

[^2075: Bx.14.277: may claymen and asken: The b-verse does not alliterate. Cx has instead of puyr rihte may claymen.]

¶ Moche hardier may he axen · þat here myȝte haue his wille
In londe[^2076] and in lordship · and likynge of bodye
And for goddis loue leueth al · an lyueth as a beggere
And as a mayde for [a][^2077] mannes loue · her moder forsaketh
Hir fader and alle her frendes · and folweth hir make
Moche is suche a mayde[^2078] to louie · of hym[^2079] þat such one taketh
More þan a mayden is · þat is maried þorw brokage
As bi assent of sondry partyes · and syluer to bote
More for coueitise of good · þan kynde loue of bothe

[^2076: Bx.14.277: In londe: F's reading suggests that R's In lorde is an alpha error.]

[^2077: Bx.14.282: a (2): R is supported by Cx against omission in all other B mss.]

[^2078: Bx.14.284: suche a mayde: LMHmCO are supported by Cx (RK.16.107). Alpha reads þat mayde, G drops suche, and CrW reflect a corrupt exemplar anticipating more in the following line.]

[^2079: Bx.14.284: hym: Cx has a man to carry the alliteration.]

¶ So it fareth bi eche a persone · þat possessioun forsaketh
And put hym to be pacient · and pouerte weddeth
Þe which[^2080] is sybbe to god hym-self · and so [neighe is pouerte][^2081]

[^2080: Bx.14.290: Þe which: Supported by Cx against R Which and Cr Such.]

[^2081: Bx.14.290: so neighe is pouerte: This is the reading of R and presumably of alpha, which F attempts to clarify by altering pouerte to þat persone. Beta is quite different, so to his seyntes, which makes superficial but inappropriate sense and can hardly have given rise to alpha. The readings of this b-verse and that of the next line suggest that Bx was damaged or unclear. Cx has a rather feeble repair: "The whiche is syb to Crist sulue and semblable bothe" (RK.16.113), and drops the next line.]

¶ Haue god my trouthe quod Haukyn · ȝe preyse faste pouerte[^2082]
What is pouerte pacience[^2083] quod he · proprely to mene

[^2082: Bx.14.291: ȝe preyse faste pouerte: Beta's b-verse at least makes sense but it lacks alliteration. R, presumably representing alpha, is nonsense, and F skilfully rewrites. It may be that Bx read ȝe herie faste pouerte, with preyse as a gloss to avoid confusion with "hear", a gloss then incorporated by the scribes. It may be also that Bx was only partly legible; see previous note.]

[^2083: Bx.14.292: pacience: R only, but supported by Cx, where Actyf is addressing Patience. F drops the word and beta has with pacience.]

¶[^2084] Paupertas quod pacience · est odibile bonum
Remocio curarum · possessio sine calumpnia · donum dei · sanitatis[^2085] mater
Absque solicitudine[^2086] semita · sapiencie temperatrix · negocium sine dampno
Incerta fortuna · absque solicitudine felicitas ·

[^2084: Bx.14.293: ¶: The paraph in LWHm introduces four Latin lines.]

[^2085: Bx.14.294: sanitatis : CrWC and original M have erroneous sanitas, as again at l. 326; R anticipates semita.]

[^2086: Bx.14.295: solicitudine : O and Alpha have the error solitudine, as again at l. 331. Many C manuscripts have the same error.]

¶ I can nouȝt construe al[^2087] þis quod haukyn · ȝe moste kenne[^2088] þis on englisch
[^2089]In englisch quod pacyence it is wel harde · wel[^2090] to expounen
Ac somdel I shal seyne it · by so þow vnderstonde
Pouerte is þe first poynte · þat pryde moste hateth
Thanne is it good by good skil · al þat agasteth pryde
Riȝte as contricioun is confortable þinge · conscience wote wel
And a sorwe of hym-self · and a solace to þe sowle
So pouerte propreliche [·] penaunce and ioye
Is to þe body [·] pure spiritual helthe
Ergo paupertas est odibile bonum
[^2091]And contricioun confort [·] & cura animarum[^2092]

[^2087: Bx.14.297: al: Dropped by Hm and beta4, but supported by Cx.]

[^2088: Bx.14.297: kenne: Scribes add me (WR) or alter to telle (Hm) or say (beta4).]

[^2089: Bx.14.298: MWHmCF mark the start of Patience's speech with a paraph or line-space.]

[^2090: Bx.14.298: wel (2): Lost by CrHmG who move the punctuation to follow pacyence. F also loses the word and expands the b-verse.]

[^2091: Bx.14.307: Alpha has a paraph which beta more logically postpones to l. 308.]

[^2092: Bx.14.307: CGO add þe second, no doubt incorporated from a marginal note. But cf. l. 314.]

¶ Selde sitte pouerte · þe sothe to declare
Or[^2093] as iustyce to iugge men · enioigned is no pore[^2094]
Ne to be a[^2095] Maire [ouer][^2096] men · ne mynystre vnder kynges
Selden is any[^2097] pore yput · to punysshen any peple
Remocio curarum
Ergo pouerte and pore men · parfornen þe comaundement
Nolite iudicare quemquam þe þridde[^2098]

[^2093: Bx.14.309: Or: CrW read For, and M is altered to that reading. Hm takes Or as to be Latin, so writes horas justicie in display script. Many C scribes are puzzled by the syntax at this point.]

[^2094: Bx.14.309: enioigned is no pore: The b-verse has been lost in alpha, with F patching.]

[^2095: Bx.14.310: a: Dropped by beta2 and G, as by some C scribes.]

[^2096: Bx.14.310: ouer: Probably alpha as in R, misread as on in F. It has support from Cx against beta's aboue.]

[^2097: Bx.14.311: any (1): Beta supported by Cx. R's nonsensical enemye presumably reproduces alpha, revised to þe by F.]

[^2098: Bx.14.314: þe þridde: Supported by all B mss., though not in Cx and quite possibly incorporated from a marginal note. Cf. l. 307.]

¶ Selde is pore [riȝt][^2099] riche · but of [his][^2100] riȝtful heritage
Wynneth he nauȝt with weghtes[^2101] fals · ne with vnseled mesures
Ne borweth of his neghbores · but þat he may wel paye
Possessio sine calumpnia ·

[^2099: Bx.14.315: pore riȝt: Alpha is supported by Cx and alliteration over beta's any pore, picked up from l. 311.]

[^2100: Bx.14.294: his: Omitted by all except R (rephrased in F), but supported by Cx.]

[^2101: Bx.14.316: weghtes: Alpha must have had wittes as in R but revised in F. C mss. show some confusion, the majority reading wihtes, "weights", but with variants including wittes, whittus and whites (RK.16.130).]

¶ Þe fierthe [it][^2102] is a fortune · þat florissheth þe soule
Wyth sobrete fram al synne · and also ȝit more
It affaiteth þe flesshe · fram folyes ful manye
A collateral conforte · crystes owne ȝifte
Donum dei

[^2102: Bx.14.319: it: Omitted by all except R, but it is in the most reliable mss. of C, and easily lost. Cf. ll. 324, 327, 334, 338, 342, where R again uniquely reads it.]

¶ Þe fyfte [it][^2103] is moder of helthe [·] a frende in alle fondynges
And for þe la[w]d[e][^2104] euere a leche[^2105] · a lemman of al clennesse
Sanitatis[^2106] mater

[^2103: Bx.14.324: it: Omitted by all except R; cf. note to l. 319. C mss. have instead Ȝut is hit or Ȝut hit is.]

[^2104: Bx.14.325: lawde: The range of variants suggests that this spelling (as in CR) or possibly laude was the reading of Bx. Schmidt (1995), 394, plausibly proposes that it was an error for lowe, "humble people". Most beta scribes suppose the intended reading to be lande, but GO take it as the northern spelling of lewde. F's lawe presumably means "law" rather than "low", which is lowe, lowh, lowhȝ. Cx rewrites (RK.16.138)]

[^2105: Bx.14.325: a leche: Alpha's a-liche / y-lyche, though adopted by KD, is an obvious error. In its rewritten line Cx has of foule eueles leche.]

[^2106: Bx.14.326: Sanitatis : For the error Sanitas in CrWC and uncorrected M and G, cf. l. 294.]

¶ Þe sexte [it][^2107] is a path of pees · ȝe þorw þe pas of altoun
Pouerte myȝte passe · with-oute peril of robbyng
For þere þat pouerte passeth · pees folweth after
And euere þe lasse þat he bereth · þe hardyer he[^2108] is of herte
For-þi seith seneca · paupertas est absque solicitudine[^2109] semita
And an hardy man of herte · amonge an hepe of þeues
Cantabit[^2110] paupertas coram latrone viator

[^2107: Bx.14.327: it: Omitted by all except R; cf. note to l. 319. Most C mss. have it.]

[^2108: Bx.14.330: he (2): R drops and Cx rewrites. The line is lost in F.]

[^2109: Bx.14.331: solicitudine : See note to l. 295.]

[^2110: Bx.14.333: Cantabit : Cr and alpha have the imperfect in error. (KD and Schmidt wrongly record Cantabit as F's reading).]

¶ Þe seueneth [it][^2111] is welle of wisdome · and fewe wordes sheweth
For lordes alloweth hym litel · or lysteneth to his reson
He tempreth þe tonge to treuthe-ward · [þat][^2112] no tresore coueiteth
[^2113] Sapiencie temperatrix

[^2111: Bx.14.334: it: Omitted by all except R; cf. note to l. 319. Most C mss. have it.]

[^2112: Bx.14.336: þat: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's easier and.]

[^2113: Bx.14.337: The Latin tag (from l. 295) is recorded only in beta and is not in C.]

¶ The eigteth [it][^2114] is a lele laborere[^2115] · and loth to take more
Þan he may wel deserue · in somer or in wynter
And if [he][^2116] chaffareth he chargeth no losse · mowe he charite wynne
Negocium sine dampno

[^2114: Bx.14.338: it: Omitted by all except R; cf. note to l. 319. Most C mss. have it.]

[^2115: Bx.14.338: laborere: The form has strong support for Bx from LCr and alpha, though Cx has labour. MED labour 6 gives the sense "laborer", with examples almost entirely from A mss, and it is quite a frequent variant in all three versions. Cf. flateres for flatererers in Bx.13.450 and 477, and MHmCG + alpha chambre for chaumbrere in Bx.14.110.]

[^2116: Bx.14.340: he (1): Omitted in L, where the line is marked for correction.]

¶ The nyneth [it][^2117] is swete to þe soule · no sugre is swettere
For pacyence is payn · for pouerte hym-selue
And sobrete swete drynke · and good leche in sykenesse
Þus lered me a le[r]ed[^2118] man · for owre lordes loue[^2119]
Seynt austyn a blissed lyf · with-outen bysynesse[^2120]
For body and for soule · absque solicitudine felicitas
Now god þat al good gyueth · graunt his soule reste
Þat þus[^2121] fyrst wrote to wyssen men · what pouerte was to mene

[^2117: Bx.14.342: it: Omitted by all except R; cf. note to l. 319. Most C mss. have it.]

[^2118: Bx.14.345: lered (2): Alpha supported by Cx. To avoid the repetition, beta adopts lettred, while a number of C mss. have, oddly, lewid.]

[^2119: Bx.14.345: loue: Supposing an omission, WCr and F add of heuene on the model of Bx.6.19, 13.151, etc. Cx ends lordes loue seynt Austyn (RK.16.153), taking up the first words of the following line.]

[^2120: Bx.14.346: bysynesse: CrW add ladde to complete the b-verse, and M is corrected to that reading. Cx redivides ll. 345-7, so that this line becomes "A blessed lyf withoute bisinesse bote onelyche for þe soule" (RK.16.155).]

[^2121: Bx.14.349: þus: Beta2 has þis, but Cx reads þus.]

¶ Allas quod haukyn þe actyf man þo[^2122] · þat after my crystendome
I ne hadde ben ded and doluen · for doweles sake
So harde it is quod haukyn · to lyue and to do synne
Synne suweth[^2123] vs euere quod he · and sori gan wexe
And wepte water with his eyghen · and weyled þe tyme
Þat euere he dede dede · þat dere god displesed
Swowed and sobbed · and syked ful ofte
Þat euere he hadde londe or lordship · lasse other more
Or maystrye ouer any man · mo þan of hym-self
I were nouȝt worthy wote god quod haukyn · to were any clothes
Ne noyther sherte ne shone · saue for shame one
To keure my caroigne quod he · and cryde mercye faste
And wepte and weyled · and þere-with I awaked

[^2122: Bx.14.350: þe actyf man þo: Lost in alpha. These lines to the end of the passus are not in Cx.]

[^2123: Bx.14.353: suweth: Alpha's error scheweth prompts F to rewrite.]

Passus quindecimus finit dowel & incipit dobet

[^2124] Ac after my wakyng[^2125] · it was wonder longe
Ar I couth kyndely · knowe what was dowel
And so my witte wex and wanyed · til I a fole were
And somme lakked my lyf · allowed it fewe
And leten [me][^2126] for a lorel · and loth to reuerencen
Lordes or ladyes · or any lyf elles
As persones in pellure · with pendauntes of syluer
To seriauntz ne[^2127] to suche[^2128] · seyde[^2129] nouȝte ones
God loke ȝow lordes · ne louted faire
Þat folke helden me a fole · and in þat folye I raued
Tyl resoun hadde reuthe on me · and rokked me aslepe
Tyl I seigh as it sorcerye[^2130] were · a sotyl þinge with-al
One with-outen tonge and teeth · tolde me whyder I shulde
And wher-of I cam and of what kynde[^2131] · I conIured hym atte laste
If he were crystes creature · for crystes loue[^2132] me to tellen

[^2124: Bx.15.1-14: The lines have no parallel in C.]

[^2125: Bx.15.1: wakyng: R's walkynge is an obvious error.]

[^2126: Bx.15.5: me: Dropped by beta, though supplied on grounds of sense by CrW and inserted by the M corrector.]

[^2127: Bx.15.8: ne: The beta reading against and in alpha.]

[^2128: Bx.15.8: suche: R adds and; F reads swiche men followed by an erasure.]

[^2129: Bx.15.8: seyde: The M corrector inserts I in line with CrWHm.]

[^2130: Bx.15.12: sorcerye: R has of sorserie; F has a syght of sorseryȝe.]

[^2131: Bx.15.14: and of what kynde: Beta4 omits of, and F has simply kendely. R drops the whole phrase and rewrites as two lines.]

[^2132: Bx.15.15: for crystes loue: Beta2 presumably lost the phrase. CrW patch with anoon, Hm with leue. Here comparison with Cx recommences (RK.16.166).]

¶ I am crystes creature quod he · and crystene in many a[^2133] place
In crystes courte I-knowe wel · and of his kynne a partye
Is noyther peter þe porter · ne poule with his[^2134] fauchoune
Þa[t] wil defende me þe dore · dynge ich neure so late
At mydnyȝt at mydday · my voice [is so][^2135] yknowe
Þat eche a creature of his courte · welcometh me fayre

[^2133: Bx.15.16: a: Dropped by R only, though it appears to be the Cx reading.]

[^2134: Bx.15.18: his: The beta reading with which F agrees, supported by the P family of C. R's þe has the support of the X family, and could be right.]

[^2135: Bx.15.20: is so: The reading of alpha, CrHm, and Cx. Other beta mss. reverse the word-order.]

¶ What ar ȝe called quod I in þat courte[^2136] · amonges crystes peple
[^2137]Þe whiles I quykke[^2138] þe corps quod he · called am I anima
And whan I wilne and wolde · animus ich hatte
And for þat I can and knowe · called am I mens[^2139]
And whan I make mone to god · memoria is my name
And whan I deme domes · and do as treuthe techeth
Þanne is racio my riȝt name · resoun an englissh
And whan I fele þat folke telleth · my firste name is sensus
And þat is wytte and wisdome · þe welle of alle craftes
And whan I chalange or chalange nouȝte · chepe or refuse
Þanne am I conscience ycalde · goddis clerke and his notarie
And whan I loue lelly · owre lorde and alle other
Þanne is lele loue my name · and in latyn amor
And whan I fl[e]e[^2140] fro þe flesshe · and forsake þe caroigne
Þanne am I spirit specheles · and[^2141] spiritus þanne ich hatte
Austyn and ysodorus [·] ayther of hem bothe
Nempned me þus to name · now þow myȝte chese
How þow coueitest to calle me · now þow knowest alle[^2142] my names
Anima pro diuersis accionibus diuersa nomina sortitur · dum viuificat corpus anima est · dum vult animus est · dum scit mens est · dum recolit memoria est · dum iudicat racio est · dum sentit sensus est · dum amat amor est · dum negat vel consentit consciencia est · dum spirat spiritus est[^2143]

[^2136: Bx.15.22: quod I in þat courte: The word-order is reversed in MHm and beta4. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2137: Bx.15.23: WHmR have a paraph.]

[^2138: Bx.15.23: quykke: CrW read quykne, but Cx has quyke (RK.16.183). Hm and beta4 have quyk was yn.]

[^2139: Bx.15.25: mens : R, presumably reproducing his exemplar as usual, adds thouȝt, set out as a gloss between punctus. Cx misunderstood it as part of the line, so that most mss. read mens thouhte or mannes þouȝte.]

[^2140: Bx.15.35: flee: L's flye may represent the beta reading, also in CO; M's flee is a correction. But Cx supports alpha and beta2.]

[^2141: Bx.15.36: and: L and alpha only, but supported by Cx.]

[^2142: Bx.15.39: alle: W adds for at the beginning of the b-verse and drops alle. G also drops alle, but it is in Cx.]

[^2143: Bx.15.40: L sets this as two lines, F as six and R as ten. Cf. Bx.15.124.]

¶ Ȝe ben as a bisshop quod I · al bourdynge þat tyme
For bisshopes yblessed · þei[^2144] bereth many names
Presul and pontifex · and metropolitanus[^2145]
And other names an hepe [·] episcopus & pastor

[^2144: Bx.15.42: þei: Dropped in MCGO, but supported by most C mss.]

[^2145: Bx.15.43: metropolitanus : Alpha has metropolanus, as in eight C mss., including X. It may, therefore, be an archetypal error.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde he · now I se þi wille
Þow woldest knowe and kunne · þe cause of alle her names
And of myne if þow myȝtest · me þinketh by þi speche

¶ Ȝe syre I seyde [·][^2146] by so no man were greued
Alle þe sciences[^2147] vnder sonne · and alle þe sotyle craftes
I wolde I knewe and couth · kyndely in myne herte

[^2146: Bx.15.48: With the short a-verse, the placing of the punctus causes scribes uncertainty. WR put it after seyde; F reads y for by and puts it after that. In HmO it follows so; in M it follows man. LC omit it.]

[^2147: Bx.15.49: sciences: COR have the plural without ending.]

¶ Þanne artow inparfit quod he · and one of prydes knyȝtes
For such a luste and lykynge · lucifer fel fram heuene[^2148]
Ponam pedem meum in aquilone & similis ero altissimo

[^2148: Bx.15.52: F alone adds a line after this.]

¶ It were aȝeynes kynde quod he · and alkynnes resoun
Þat any creature shulde kunne[^2149] al · excepte cryste one
Aȝein such salomon speketh · and dispiseth her wittes
And seith sicut qui mel comedit multum non est ei bonum
Sic qui scrutator est maiestatis opprim[a]tur[^2150] a gloria
[^2151]To englisch men þis is to mene · þat mowen speke & here
Þe man þat moche hony e[et][^2152] · his mawe it engleymeth[^2153]
And þe more þat a man · of good mater hereth
But he do þerafter · it doth hym double scathe
Beatus est seith seynt Bernard · qui scripturas legit
Et verba vertit[^2154] in opera · fullich to his powere
Coueytise to kunne [·] and to knowe science[^2155]
Pulte[^2156] out of paradys · Adam and Eue
Sciencie appetitus hominem inmortalitatis gloriam[^2157] spoliauit
And riȝte as hony is yuel to defye · and engleymeth þe mawe
Riȝt so þat þorw resoun [·] wolde þe rote knowe
Of god and of his grete myȝtes · his graces[^2158] it letteth
For in þe lykyng lith a pryde · and a[^2159] lycames coueitise
Aȝein crystes conseille · and alle clerkes techyng
That is non plus sapere quam oportet sapere

[^2149: Bx.15.55: kunne: Alpha and Cr have kenne in the sense "know" (MED kennen v.(1), 3), but Cx supports beta.]

[^2150: Bx.15.58: opprimatur : R is supported by Cx in the present subjunctive, "let him be overwhelmed". Beta has the present indicative, while F corrects to the future as in the Clementine Vulgate (Prov. 25.27). See Schmidt (1995), 395.]

[^2151: Bx.15.59: WHmCF begin the line with a paraph, with a line-space in M.]

[^2152: Bx.15.60: eet: Beta's eteth is indisputably present, but alpha's eet, which is supported by Cx, is probably past tense. Cf. Bx.5.386, 6.303, 13.66, etc.]

[^2153: Bx.15.60: it engleymeth: Most C mss. support beta against alpha's is/mote be englaymed.]

[^2154: Bx.15.64: verba vertit : This order, which is reversed in Hm and alpha, is supported by Cx (RK.16.223).]

[^2155: Bx.15.65: science: WF understand this as plural, and write sciences as in Cx. Cf. l. 49 note.]

[^2156: Bx.15.66: Pulte: "thrust", the reading of LR and M before correction. As at Bx.1.128, 8.97, other scribes adopt easier Putte. But Cx has Potte.]

[^2157: Bx.15.67: gloriam : The form cited by Alford (1992), 92-3. Beta 2, corrected O and some C scribes alter to gloria, taking it as the expected ablative.]

[^2158: Bx.15.70: graces: HmCGOF have the more obvious singular. The line is rewritten in C.]

[^2159: Bx.15.71: a (2): Lost by beta2 and F.]

[¶][^2160] Freres and fele other[^2161] maistres · þat to þe[^2162] lewed men prechen
Ȝe moeuen materes inmesurables[^2163] · to tellen of þe Trinite
Þat ofte tymes þe lewed peple · of her bileue douten[^2164]
Bettere byleue were mony[^2165] · doctoures such techyng
And tellen men of þe ten comaundementz · and touchen þe seuene synnes
And of þe braunches þat burgeouneth of hem · and bryngeth men to helle
And how þat folke in folyes · myspenden her fyue wittes
As wel freres as other folke · folilich spenen[^2166]
In housyng in haterynge · in to[^2167] hiegh clergye shewynge
More for pompe þan for pure charite · þe poeple wote þe sothe
Þat I lye nouȝt loo · for lordes ȝe plesen
And reuerencen þe riche · þe rather for her syluer
Confundantur omnes qui adorant scul[p]tilia · & alibi
Vt quid diligitis vanitatem & queritis mendacium
Go to þe glose of þe verse · ȝe grete clerkes
If I lye on ȝow to my lewed witte · ledeth me to brennynge
nota de fratribus

[Bx.15.90: nota de fratribus : In L this is in the scribal hand and boxed in red. Since it is also in M, it is probably at least beta.]

For as it semeth ȝe forsaketh · no mannes almesse
Of vsureres of hores · of[^2168] auarous chapmen
And louten to þis lordes · þat mowen lene ȝow nobles
Aȝeine ȝowre reule and Religioun · I take recorde at Ihesus
Þat seide to his disciples · ne sitis [acceptores personarum][^2169]

[^2160: Bx.15.74: ¶: A paraph is warranted by the syntax and supported by MWHmC and alpha.]

[^2161: Bx.15.74: fele other: It is possible that beta (apart from G) has added fele (not in alpha) to "improve" the alliteration, but obscuring alliteration on /m/. But Cx has the word in a revised line (RK.16.231).]

[^2162: Bx.15.74: þe: Omitted by WOF.]

[^2163: Bx.15.75: inmesurables: Post-positional French adjectives may have a plural inflection, altered by CrWF. (Mustanoja (1960), 277.) MED citations suggest that the negative prefix is more commonly vn-, as in WG and alpha. Cx rewrites the line.]

[^2164: Bx.15.76: Alpha drops the line, perhaps as a result of the repeated bileue in l. 77. Cx revises (RK.16.233).]

[^2165: Bx.15.77: Bettere byleue were mony: "It would be better for many doctors to drop such teaching". This is the reading of LCrHm, and probably that of M before correction, but it caused considerable confusion. The lack of alliteration suggests the line is corrupt. If it is authorial, Langland is presumably punning on the noun bileue (l. 76) and MED bileven v. (1), "abandon", which some scribes take as MED bileven v. (2), "believe". The M corrector rearranged the words as Bettre were many doctours . bileu{..}, but subsequently alters the last word to leue, giving the reading "Bettre were many doctours leue suche techinge", which makes good sense. W hits on a similar reading. R (= alpha?) alters were to by and drops such in the b-verse. F revises in his usual uncompromising manner. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2166: Bx.15.81: spenen: LR (and CrC) agree against spenden in other mss., which is no doubt prompted by myspenden in the line above. However, Cx has spenden. The two verbs (MED spenden and spenen) have the same origin and mean the same thing.]

[^2167: Bx.15.82: in to: Perhaps "in displaying too arrogant a learning". So alpha; beta has and in to. Cx has in.]

[^2168: Bx.15.91: of (3): R has and; F has & of. The line is not in C.]

[^2169: Bx.15.94: acceptores personarum : Beta reverses the order, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Of þis matere I myȝte · make a longe[^2170] bible
Ac of curatoures of crystene peple · as clerkes bereth witnesse
I shal tellen it for treuth sake · take hede who-so lyketh

[^2170: Bx.15.95: longe: Alpha probably read grete, as R, with F increasing the alliteration by altering to mychil. There is no guidance from C.]

¶ As holynesse and honest[e] [·] oute of holicherche spredeth
Þorw lele libbyng men · þat goddes lawe[^2171] techen
Riȝt so out of holicherche · alle yueles spredeth
There inparfyt presthod is · prechoures[^2172] and techeres
And[^2173] se it by ensample [·] in somer tyme on trowes
Þere somme bowes ben leued · and somme bereth none
Þere is a myschief in þe more · of suche manere bowes
Riȝt so parsones and prestes · and prechoures of holy cherche[^2174]
[Is þe][^2175] rote of þe riȝte faith · to reule þe peple
Ac[^2176] þere þe rote is roten · reson wote þe sothe
Shal neure floure ne frute · ne faire leef be grene
[^2177]For-þi wolde ȝe[^2178] lettred leue · þe leccherye of clothynge
And be kynde as bifel for clerkes · and curteise of crystes goodes
Trewe of ȝowre tonge · and of ȝowre taille bothe
And hatien to here harlotrye · and [a]uȝt[^2179] to vnderfonge
Tythes of vntrewe[^2180] þinge · ytilied or chaffared

[^2171: Bx.15.99: lawe: Alpha has the plural. There is no parallel line in C.]

[^2172: Bx.15.101: prechoures: Beta is supported by Cx (RK.16.247). Alpha reads and prechoures, perhaps anticipating l. 105.]

[^2173: Bx.15.102: And: Beta2 has I, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^2174: Bx.15.105: cherche: R's plural has no support from Cx.]

[^2175: Bx.15.106: Is þe: R is supported by Cx. Beta alters to Þat aren to correct the syntax; F rewrites. The form is can be used for the plural (as at Bx.16.241), but here presumably agrees with rote rather than the nouns in the previous line.]

[^2176: Bx.15.107: Ac: The common variation between Ac ~ But ~ And. The better C mss. support Ac.]

[^2177: Bx.15.109: Alpha and Hm have a paraph, and in L the line is at the top of the page where it is sometimes missed.]

[^2178: Bx.15.109: ȝe: Alpha has þe, as does the P group of C. Cf. l. 111 ȝowre, altered by F to here.]

[^2179: Bx.15.112: auȝt: R's b-verse depends on wolde ȝe ... hatien, so "hate under any circumstance to take tithes", and presents aaa/ax alliteration. Beta's nouȝt depends, perhaps less plausibly, directly on wolde ȝe: "if you would not take tithes" (to is used when the auxiliary is separated from the infinitive, as here; see Mustanoja (1960), 522). In beta the pattern is aaa/xx. F rewrites. Cx simplifies the line (RK.16.260), with a couple of scribes even so misunderstanding the syntax and adding a negative.]

[^2180: Bx.15.113: of vntrewe: Obviously better than CrW but of trewe and G + alpha of trewe. Perhaps the mistake is prompted by l. 111 Trewe in the context of the syntactic difficulty shown by the readings in the line above. Cx revises (RK.16.261).]

¶[^2181] Lothe were lewed men · but þei ȝowre lore folwed
And amenden hem þat mysdon[^2182] · more for ȝowre ensamples
Þan forto prechen & preue it nouȝt · ypocrysie it semeth
For ypocrysie in latyn · is lykned to a dongehul[^2183]
Þat were bysnewed with snowe · and snakes wyth-inne
[^2184]Or to a wal þat were whitlymed · and were foule wyth-inne[^2185]
Riȝt so many prestes · prechoures and prelates
Ȝe aren enblaunched with bele paroles · and with clothes[^2186]
Ac ȝowre werkes and ȝowre wordes þere-vnder · aren ful [wol]uelich[^2187]

[^2181: Bx.15.114: ¶: The paraph in LHm and alpha (line-break in M) evidently represents Bx, yet the sentence beginning at l. 109 with a series of conditionals must be completed here in the main clause.]

[^2182: Bx.15.115: mysdon: Bx means "(those) who do wrong amend themselves", but could be misunderstood to mean "amend those who do wrong". R's reading þei misdon makes it clearer that hem is reflexive, "amend themselves of what they do wrong". Cx clarifies with amenden (hem) of here mysdedes (RK.16.263).]

[^2183: Bx.15.117: dongehul: Cf. "a donghel besnewed" (Aȝenbit of Inwit, 81/9-10, translating Somme le Roi). Alpha's dongoun misses the allusion.]

[^2184: Bx.15.119: The paraph in L and the line-space in M are clearly not appropriate, and may represent a beta error.]

[^2185: Bx.15.119: The line is lost in HmCG, through eyeskip on wyth-inne.]

[^2186: Bx.15.121: and with clothes: So R. Cx has and with bele clothes. To repair the archetypal loss of the repeated bele, beta lengthens the b-verse with also and F supplies alliteration.]

[^2187: Bx.15.122: woluelich: Evidently R has the alpha reading, for which F substitutes foxly. Beta misreads as vnlouelich. Cx has an entirely different line, but it ends as wolues (RK.16.271).]

¶[^2188] Iohannes crysostomus · of clerkes speketh and prestes
[^2189] Sicut de templo omne bonum progreditur[^2190] · sic de templo · omne malum procedit Si sacerdocium integrum fuerit · tota floret ecclesia · si autem corupt[a][^2191] fuerit · omnium fides marcida est · Si sacerdocium[^2192] fuerit in peccatis · totus populus co[n]uertitur ad peccandum[^2193] Sicut cum videris arborem pallidam & marcidam · inteligis quod vicium habet in radice Ita cum videris populum indisciplinatum · & irreligiosum sine dubio sacerdocium eius non est sanum

[^2188: Bx.15.123: ¶: The paraph is recorded by LR only.]

[^2189: Bx.15.124: Set as four lines in L, nine in R and three in F. Cf. l. 40.]

[^2190: Bx.15.124: progreditur : Alpha anticipates procedit.]

[^2191: Bx.15.124: corupta : Since this is the form in alpha and most C mss., it is presumably archetypal. Beta corrects to coruptum, referring to sacerdocium rather than ecclesia, as in Alford (1992), 93.]

[^2192: Bx.15.124: sacerdocium (2): Alpha has sacerdos.]

[^2193: Bx.15.124: peccandum : Alpha has peccatum.]

¶ If lewed men wist · what þis latyn meneth
And who was myn auctor · moche wonder me þinketh
But if many a[^2194] prest bere · for here baselardes and here broches[^2195]
A peyre[^2196] bedes in her hande · and[^2197] a boke vnder her arme
Sire Iohan & sire Geffray · hath a gerdel of syluer
A basellarde or a ballokknyf · with botones ouergylte
Ac a portous þat shulde be his plow · placebo to segge
Hadde he neure seruyse to saue[^2198] syluer þer-to · seith it with yvel[^2199] wille
Allas ȝe lewed men · moche lese ȝe on prestes
Ac þinge þat wykkedlich is wonne · and with false sleigthes
Wolde neuere witte[^2200] of witty god · but wikked men it hadde[^2201]
Þe which aren prestes inparfit · and prechoures after syluer
Sectoures and sudenes · somnoures and her lemmannes
Þis þat with gyle was geten · vngraciouslich is spended[^2202]
So harlotes and hores · ar hulpen with such goodis
And[^2203] goddes folke for defaute þer-of · forfaren and spillen

[^2194: Bx.15.127: many a: MR have the equally common construction without a. Cx has no parallel for ll. 125-32.]

[^2195: Bx.15.127: baselardes ... broches: Reversed in R (= alpha?).]

[^2196: Bx.15.128: peyre: The idiom is supported by LCGR (cf. Bx.12.22). The others have peire of.]

[^2197: Bx.15.128: and: Alpha has or.]

[^2198: Bx.15.132: saue: R reads haue (which could be right), while F abbreviates the long a-verse.]

[^2199: Bx.15.132: yvel: The reading of L and alpha, and so presumably Bx. Schmidt (1995) translates with yvel wille as "with a bad grace". The phrase occurs elsewhere in the sense "malice". KD adopt wyth ydel wylle in other beta mss., which Kane (2005) glosses "perfunctorily", though there are no parallels. O's for spendyng at ale is an inspired invention simplifying a puzzling line. As Skeat explains it, the priest expects to be paid for saying a mass in addition to (þer-to) the Placebo, so that Hadde he neure means "If he did not have".]

[^2200: Bx.15.135: witte: Scribes are puzzled, with W substituting þe wit and Hm þe wylle. CGO revise further. For witte of witty god, "the wisdom of wise God", Cx reads oþerwyse god. Langland seems to mean that since good men should not benefit from goods obtained wickedly (ll. 112-13), wicked men must enjoy them.]

[^2201: Bx.15.135: hadde: Alpha reads maked, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2202: Bx.15.138: spended: R has spened, agreeing with the X family of C. Cf. l. 81 note.]

[^2203: Bx.15.140: And: R (= alpha) has Ac (with F reading But as usual). Cf. the variants at ll. 107, 131 etc. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ Curatoures of holykirke · a[nd][^2204] clerkes þat ben auerouse
Liȝtlich þat þey leuen · loselles it habbeth
Or dyeth intestate · and þanne þe bisshop entreth
And maketh murthe þere-with · and his men[^2205] bothe
And seggen he was a nygarde · þat no good myȝte asspare
To frende ne to fremmed · þe fende haue his soule
For a wrecched hous he helde · al his lyf-tyme
And þat he spared and bispered · spene[^2206] we in murthe

[^2204: Bx.15.141: and: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's as, which, however, gives good sense.]

[^2205: Bx.15.144: men: Support for meyne comes from HmF alone. Lines 143-62 are rewritten in C.]

[^2206: Bx.15.148: spene: The form in LMR. For variation with spende, cf. ll. 81, 138, 149 and 340.]

¶ By lered by lewed · þat loth is to spende[^2207]
Þus gone her godes · be þe goste faren
Ac for good men god wote · gret dole men maken
And bymeneth good mete-ȝyueres · and in mynde haueth[^2208]
quid est caritas

[Bx.15.153: quid est caritas : Written in the right-hand margin in the main hand in LM, so probably beta.]

In prayers and in penaunces[^2209] · and in parfyt charite

[^2207: Bx.15.149: spende: Cf. the previous line. In this case only R has spene.]

[^2208: Bx.15.152: haueth: Alpha has hem haueth, which may be right. There is no parallel in C.]

[^2209: Bx.15.153: penaunces: For variation of the plural with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211.]

¶ What is charite quod I þo · a childissh þinge he seide
Nisi efficiamini sicut paruuli · non intrabitis in regnum celorum
With-outen fauntelte or foly · a fre liberal wille

¶[^2210] Where shulde men fynde such a frende · with so fre an herte
[^2211] I haue lyued in londe quod I[^2212] · my name is longe wille
And fonde I neuere ful charite · bifore ne bihynde
Men beth mercyable · to mendynantz & to pore
And wolen lene þere þei leue · lelly to ben payed

[^2210: Bx.15.157: ¶: The paraph in LW (with a new line-group in M) marks the start of Will's speech.]

[^2211: Bx.15.158: Alpha and Hm mistake this as the beginning of Will's speech, with a paraph here rather than at l. 157. But the line is certainly notable. A later annotator in L writes: "nota the name of thaucto[r]". R has "Longe Wylle" in display script in red in the right margin; in M a later annotator has scribbled "longe will".]

[^2212: Bx.15.158: I (2): Beta2 reads he.]

¶[^2213] Ac charite þat poule preyseth best · and most plesaunte to owre saueoure[^2214]
As[^2215] non inflatu[r][^2216] non [est][^2217] ambiciosa non querit que sua sunt
I seigh neuere such a man · so me god helpe
That he ne wolde aske after his · and otherwhile coueyte
Þinge þat neded hym[^2218] nouȝt · and nyme it if he myȝte

[^2213: Bx.15.162: ¶: The paraph is in LM only and may be spurious. WHmCF have a paraph at l. 164 instead.]

[^2214: Bx.15.162: owre saueoure: Evidently beta, despite WCr's oure lord. Alpha presumably had R's god.]

[^2215: Bx.15.163: As: Beta2 has Is, and M is altered to that reading. The word is dropped by CG and is not in Cx.]

[^2216: Bx.15.163: inflatur : Perhaps beta had the error inflatus, retained by L and corrected in M.]

[^2217: Bx.15.163: est : Not in L and added in M and Hm, again suggesting that beta was perhaps in error.]

[^2218: Bx.15.166: neded hym: Supported by Cx against alpha's reversal and the present tense in CGO.]

¶ Clerkis kenne me þat cryst · is in alle places
Ac I seygh hym neuere sothly · but as my-self in a[^2219] miroure
[Hic][^2220] in enigmate tunc facie ad faciem
And so I trowe trewly · by þat men telleth of charite
It is nouȝt championes fyȝte · ne chaffare as I trowe

[^2219: Bx.15.168: a: Alpha omits. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2220: Bx.15.169: Hic : M and alpha are supported by Cx against It in L, Ita in CGO, and omission in beta2. In 1 Cor. 13.12 the word is nunc.]

¶ Charite quod he ne chaffareth nouȝte · ne chalengeth ne craueth
As proude of a peny · as of a pounde of golde
And is as gladde of a goune · of a graye russet
As of a tunicle of tarse · or of trye scarlet
He is gladde with alle gladde · and good ty[l] alle wykked
And[^2221] leueth[^2222] and loueth alle · þat owre lorde made
Curseth he no creature · ne he can bere no wratthe
Ne no lykynge hath to lye · ne laughe men to scorne
Al þat men seith he let it soth · and in solace taketh
And alle manere meschiefs · in myldenesse he suffreth
Coueiteth he none erthly good[^2223] · but heuene-riche blisse

[^2221: Bx.15.177: And: Alpha has He. Lines 177-87 are rewritten in C.]

[^2222: Bx.15.177: leueth: R clearly reads leueth (though not recorded by KD), and F's beleviþ supports this as alpha's reading. Cr has leueth and in G lenithe is altered to levithe, as is to be expected in these late texts. In all other beta mss. it is impossible to determine whether the reading is u or n (though it looks more like u in O). Our transcriptions followed KD in reading leneth (though with a note of caution in W). We should probably have followed Skeat, who read L as leueth, with a note glossing it "believes; answering to let it soth" (l. 180).]

[^2223: Bx.15.182: good: Alpha has godes.]

¶ Hath he any rentes or ricchesse · or any riche frendes

¶ Of rentes ne of ricchesse · ne reccheth he neuere
For a frende þat fyndeth[^2224] hym · failled hym neuere at nede
Fiat voluntas tua [·] fynt hym euer-more
And if he soupeth[^2225] et[eth][^2226] but a soppe [·] of spera in deo
He can purtreye wel þe pater noster · and peynte it with aues[^2227]
And other-while is his wone[^2228] · to wende in pilgrymage[^2229]
Þere pore men and prisones[^2230] liggeth · her pardoun to haue
Þough he bere hem no bred · he bereth hem swetter lyflode
Loueth hem as owre lorde biddeth · and loketh how þei fare

[^2224: Bx.15.185: fyndeth: The evidence supports this as the Bx form in this line against R's monosyllabic fynt, whereas Bx evidently had fynt in the next line.]

[^2225: Bx.15.187: soupeth: Only MCGO have subjunctive soupe.]

[^2226: Bx.15.187: eteth: The present tense is required by the sense. L's ette must be past, and R's eet (= alpha?) may be. See note to l. 60 above. Hm and beta4 have he eteþ.]

[^2227: Bx.15.188: aues: Beta's plural is supported by Cx (RK.16.323).]

[^2228: Bx.15.189: is his wone: LMHm (R drops his). CrW, beta4 and F have he is woned, but Cx has his wone is.]

[^2229: Bx.15.189: in pilgrymage: Only LM have in, though this is the Cx reading. Bx clearly had sg. pilgrymage, though WCF have the plural, as does Cx. See Bx.14.211 and 19.387 for a similar situation.]

[^2230: Bx.15.190: prisones: The form has good support for both Bx and Cx. See note to Bx.3.138.]

¶ And whan he is wery of þat werke · þanne wil he some-tyme
Labory in a[^2231] lauendrye · wel þe lengthe of a myle
And ȝerne in-to ȝouthe · and ȝepliche s[eche][^2232]
Pryde with al þe appurtenaunce[^2233] · and pakken hem togyderes
And bouken hem at his brest · and beten hem clene
And leggen on longe · with laboraui in gemitu meo
And with warme water at his eyghen · wasshen hem after
And[^2234] þanne he syngeth whan he doth so · & some-tyme seith wepyng
Cor contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies

[^2231: Bx.15.194: a (1): In LR only, though Cx has þe.]

[^2232: Bx.15.195: seche: Alpha is supported by Cx (as well as sense) against beta's speke.]

[^2233: Bx.15.196: appurtenaunce: The choice is between this and alpha's purtenaunce. This could represent the plural, as MCrWGF unambiguously do. C mss. have the same variation.]

[^2234: Bx.15.200: And: Beta is supported by the X family of C, but alpha's omission has support from the P family.]

¶ By cryst I wolde þat I knewe hym quod I · no creature leuere

¶ With-outen helpe of Piers plowman[^2235] quod he · his persone seestow neuere

[^2235: Bx.15.203: plowman: MR have þe plowman; F drops the two words. Cf. l. 206. Lines 202-24 are heavily revised in C, with few parallels.]

¶ Where clerkes knowen hym quod I · þat kepen holykirke

¶ Clerkes haue no knowyng quod he · but by werkes and bi wordes
Ac piers þe plowman · parceyueth more depper
Þat[^2236] is þe[^2237] wille and wherfore · þat many wyȝte suffreth
Et vidit deus cogitaciones eorum
For þere ar ful proude-herted men · paciente of tonge
And boxome as of berynge · to burgeys and to lordes
And to pore peple · han peper in þe nose
And as a lyoun he loketh · þere men lakketh his werkes

[^2236: Bx.15.207: Þat: This odd reading, supported by L and alpha, evidently puzzled the scribes. M is altered to What, the reading of beta2, while CGO have Where. There is no parallel in C.]

[^2237: Bx.15.207: þe: Lost in alpha, prompting F to alter wil to why.]

¶ For þere ar beggeres and bidderes · bedmen as it were
Loketh as lambren · and semen lyf-holy
Ac it is more to haue her mete · [on][^2238] such an esy manere
Þan for penaunce and parfitnesse · þe pouerte þat such taketh

[^2238: Bx.15.215: on: Alpha's reading gives the required sense. LMCrW suggest that beta had with, although Hm and beta4 have in.]

¶ Þere-fore by coloure ne by clergye · knowe shaltow hym neuere
Noyther þorw wordes ne werkes · but þorw wille one
And þat knoweth no clerke · ne creature in[^2239] erthe
But piers þe plowman · petrus id est cristus
For he ne is[^2240] nouȝte in lolleres · ne in lande-leperes hermytes
Ne at ancres þere a box hangeth · alle suche þei faiten
Fy on faitoures · and in fautores suos
[^2241]For charyte is goddis champioun · and as a good chylde hende
And þe meryest of mouth · at mete where he sitteth
Þe loue þat lith in his herte · maketh hym lyȝte of speche
And is compenable and confortatyf · as cryst bit hym-selue
Nolite fieri sicut ypocrite tristes &c[^2242]
[^2243]For I haue seyn hym in sylke · and somme-tyme in russet
Bothe in grey and in grys · and in gulte herneys
And as gladlich he it gaf · to gomes þat it neded

[^2239: Bx.15.219: in: Beta probably had in, altered by beta2 (the line is omitted by Hm) to the more usual on. F also reads on, though R has the unusual form an.]

[^2240: Bx.15.221: ne is: LM. In practice there is no distinction between this and nys in WHmR. We follow copy-text.]

[^2241: Bx.15.224: Alpha has a paraph.]

[^2242: Bx.15.228: R alone has the word-order as in Cx. Perhaps beta and F reverted to the Vulgate order, since it was a well-known quotation used as an antiphon on Ash Wednesday. See Alford (1992), 94.]

[^2243: Bx.15.229: Hm and alpha have a paraph. In L the line is at the top of the page where a paraph is sometimes missed.]

¶ Edmonde and Edwarde · eyther were kynges
And seyntes ysette · [so][^2244] charite hem folwed

[^2244: Bx.15.233: so: Alpha's alliterating reading means "so much did they practice charity". Beta's tyl makes no sense, prompting the reading for in CrW, and the alteration to that reading in MHm. KD and Schmidt (1995), 396, oddly conjecture stille, though the latter has an elaborate explanation.]

¶ I haue seyne charite also · syngen and reden
Ryden and rennen · in ragged wedes
Ac biddyng as beggeres · bihelde I hym neuere
Ac in riche robes · rathest he walketh
Ycalled and ycrimiled · and his crowne shaue[^2245]
And in a freres frokke · he was yfounde ones
Ac it is ferre[^2246] agoo · in seynt Fraunceys tyme
In þat secte sitthe · to selde hath he be knowen[^2247]

[^2245: Bx.15.238: Following this beta4 has an additional line. It is not in C.]

[^2246: Bx.15.240: ferre: Though beta2 and F have fern, which might be considered difficilior (it occurs nowhere else in any version), Cx has fer in a revised a-verse.]

[^2247: Bx.15.247: knowen: Clearly the Bx reading. Unusually, W's founde is shared with Cx, presumably by coincidence.]

¶ Riche men he recomendeth · and of her robes taketh
Þat with-outen wyles · leden her lyues
Beatus est diues · qui &c

¶ In kynges courte he cometh ofte · þere þe conseille is trewe
Ac if coueityse be of þe conseille · he wil nouȝt come þer-Inne
In courte amonge iaperes · he cometh but[^2248] selde
For braulyng and bakbytyng · and beryng of fals witnesse

[^2248: Bx.15.247: but: LMGR are supported by Cx against noȝt but.]

¶ In þe constorie bifor þe comissarie · he cometh nouȝt ful ofte
For her lawe dureth ouer-longe · but if þei lacchen syluer
And matrimoigne for monye · maken & vnmaken
And þat conscience and cryst · hath yknitte faste
Þei vndon it vnworthily · þo doctours of lawe

[¶ Amonges erchebisshopes and oþer bisshopes · and prelates of holy cherche[^2249]
Forto wonye with hem · his wone was sum-tyme
And cristes patrimoigne to þe pore · parcel-mele dele
Ac auarice hath þe keyes now · and kepeth for his kynnesmen
And for his sectoures & his seruantz · & somme for here[^2250] children]

[^2249: Bx.15.254-8: These five lines are lost by beta, skipping from one paraph to the next. Lines 254 and 257 are distantly related to RK.16.366-7. We follow R, with spellings altered to those of L. Comparison with Cx begins again with l. 290 and then l. 297.]

[^2250: Bx.15.258: here: The kinsmen's. F's hise weakens the point.]

¶[^2251] Ac I ne lakke no lyf · but lorde amende vs alle
And gyue vs grace good god · charite to folwe
For who-so myȝte mete with hym · such maneres hym eyleth
Noyther he blameth ne banneth · bosteth ne prayseth
Lakketh ne loseth · ne loketh vp sterne[^2252]
Craueth ne coueiteth · ne crieth after more
In pace in idipsum dormiam &c ·[^2253]
Þe moste lyflode þat[^2254] he lyueth by · is loue in goddis passioun
Noyther he biddeth ne beggeth · ne borweth to ȝelde
Misdoth he no man · ne with his mouth greueth

[^2251: Bx.15.259: ¶: The paraph is in beta, following its loss of text. See note to ll. 254-8.]

[^2252: Bx.15.263: This is transposed with the following line in beta4.]

[^2253: Bx.15.265: The Latin line is lost in alpha. CrHmG extend the verse. It is repeated at Bx.18.191-2.]

[^2254: Bx.15.266: þat: Supported by LWHmR.]

¶ Amonges cristene men · þis myldnesse shulde laste
In alle manere angres · haue þis at herte
Þat þough þei suffred al þis · god suffred for vs more
In ensample we shulde do so · and take no veniaunce
Of owre foes þat doth vs falsenesse · þat is owre fadres wille
For wel may euery man[^2255] wite [·] if god hadde[^2256] wolde hym-selue
Sholde neuere Iudas ne[^2257] iuwe · haue Ihesu don on Rode
Ne han martired peter ne Poule · ne in prisoun holden
Ac he suffred in ensample · þat we shulde suffre also
And seide to suche þat suffre wolde · þat pacientes vincunt

[^2255: Bx.15.274: wel may euery man: Beta's word-order gives a better alliterative pattern than alpha's.]

[^2256: Bx.15.274: hadde: Dropped by G and alpha. The b-verse means "if God had followed his own wishes".]

[^2257: Bx.15.275: ne: Alpha, reading þe (R) or þat (F), takes no account of the following line.]

¶ Verbi gratia quod he · and verrey ensamples manye
In legenda sanctorum · þe lyf of holy seyntes
What penaunce and pouerte · and passioun þei suffred
In hunger in hete · in al manere angres
Antony and Egidie · and other holi fadres
Woneden in wildernesse · amonge wilde bestes
Monkes and mendynauntz · men bi hem-selue
In spekes an[^2258] spelonkes · selden speken togideres
Ac noyther antony ne Egidy · ne hermite þat tyme
Of liouns ne of leoperdes · no lyflode ne toke
But of foules[^2259] þat fleeth · þus fynt men in bokes
Excepte þat Egydie · after an hynde cryede
And þorw þe mylke of þat mylde[^2260] best · þe man was susteyned
A[c][^2261] day by day had he hir nouȝt · his hunger forto slake
But selden and sondrie tymes[^2262] · as seith þe boke and techeth

[^2258: Bx.15.286: an: "and". The attestation of MCr and R (as well as beta4) favours omitting LWHmF in.]

[^2259: Bx.15.289: foules: Alpha includes the definite article, perhaps rightly. We follow copy-text.]

[^2260: Bx.15.291: mylde: F omits, while R has meke, perhaps prompted by its spelling melke for "milk".]

[^2261: Bx.15.292: Ac: The sense seems to call for R's reading, against beta's And. F omits.]

[^2262: Bx.15.293: tymes: See Bx.12.36. Alpha's form is possible. Discussed by KD, p. 143.]

¶ Antony adayes[^2263] · aboute none-tyme
Had a bridde þat brouȝte hym bred[^2264] · þat he by lyued
And þough þe gome hadde a geste · god fonde[^2265] hem bothe

[^2263: Bx.15.294: adayes: The form does not occur elsewhere in the poem. Alpha has on a day. We follow copy-text.]

[^2264: Bx.15.295: bred: R probably represents alpha, with punctuation after hym and the addition of his before bred (F has his later in the line). Either could be right, though b-verse alliteration on by is perfectly good.]

[^2265: Bx.15.296: fonde: "provided for". Alpha's fedde is likely to be scribal. Cf. l. 299.]

¶ Poule primus heremita · had parroked[^2266] hym-selue
Þat no man miȝte hym se · for mosse and for leues
Foules hym fedde · fele wynteres with-alle
Til he founded freres · of austines[^2267] ordre
Poule after his prechyng · panyers he made
And wan with his hondes · þat his wombe neded
Peter fisched for his fode · and his felawe andrewe
Some þei solde and some þei sothe[^2268] · and so þei lyued bothe
And also Marie Magdeleyne · by mores lyued and[^2269] dewes
Ac moste þorw deuocioun · and mynde of god almiȝty
I shulde nouȝt þis seuene dayes · seggen hem alle
Þat lyueden þus for owre lordes loue · manye longe ȝeres[^2270]
Ac þere ne was lyoun ne leopart · þat on laundes wenten
Noyther bere ne bor · ne other best wilde
Þat ne fel to her feet · and fauned with þe tailles[^2271]
And if þei couth han ycarped · by cryst as I trowe
Þei wolde haue fedde þat folke · bifor wilde foules
[^2272] [For alle þe curteisye þat bestes kunne · þei kidde þat folke ofte
In likkyng and in lowynge · þere þei on laundes ȝede]
Ac god sent hem fode bi foules · and by no fierse bestes
In menynge þat meke þinge · mylde þinge shulde fede
As who seith religious · ryȝtful men shulde fynde[^2273]
And lawful men to lyfholy men · lyflode brynge[^2274]
And þanne wolde lordes and ladyes be · loth to agulte
And to take of her tenauntz · more þan treuth wolde
Fonde þei þat Freres · wolde forsake her almesses[^2275]
And bidden hem bere it · þere it was yborwed
For we ben goddes foules · and abiden alwey
Tyl briddes brynge vs · þat we shulde lyue by
For had ȝe potage and payn ynough · and peny-ale to drynke
And a[^2276] messe þere-mydde · of o manere kynde
Ȝe had riȝt ynough ȝe Religious · and so ȝowre reule[^2277] me tolde
Nunquam[^2278] dicit Iob rugi[e]t[^2279] on[a]ger cum [habuerit herbam][^2280] · aut mugiet boscum ante plenum presepe steterit · brutorum animalium natura te condempnat ·quia cum eis pabulum comune sufficiat[^2281] · ex adipe prodijt iniquitas tua

[^2266: Bx.15.297: parroked: Cx (RK.17.13) does not support alpha's addition of in.]

[^2267: Bx.15.300: of austines: There is liaison alliteration on /f/ which F improves by altering to of fraunces.]

[^2268: Bx.15.304: sothe: Past tense, from MED sethen v. (1). W sode is merely a variant spelling. Alpha has the easier eeten, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2269: Bx.15.305: lyued and: Alpha's omission of the verb is attractive following lyued in l. 304, but beta has support from Cx.]

[^2270: Bx.15.308: manye longe ȝeres: Beta and Cx. Alpha's b-verse is repeated from l. 284.]

[^2271: Bx.15.311: tailles: R's singular has no support from Cx.]

[^2272: Bx.15.314-15: Two lines lost by beta. The whole passage is heavily revised in C, and there is no trace of these lines. We follow R, with spellings altered to those of L.]

[^2273: Bx.15.318: fynde: WF pick up fede from the previous line.]

[^2274: Bx.15.319: brynge: WF have sholde brynge, repeating the construction of the previous two lines.]

[^2275: Bx.15.322: almesses: LWHm mark the plural form. The form of the other scribes can also be understood as plural. There is similar variation in the parallel line in C (RK.17.47), though most scribes have the unmarked form.]

[^2276: Bx.15.327: a: i.e. "one", as is clearer in alpha. "And one main dish of just one kind".]

[^2277: Bx.15.328: reule: Alpha substitutes non-alliterating ordre.]

[^2278: Bx.15.329: Nunquam : Supported by Cx. F's Numquid, which makes much better sense, is a correction in line with the Vulgate (Job 6.5).]

[^2279: Bx.15.329: rugiet : The Vulgate's future tense is supported by alpha and Cx.]

[^2280: Bx.15.329: habuerit herbam : Beta reverses the word-order, but alpha's order, which is that of the Vulgate, is supported by Cx.]

[^2281: Bx.15.329: brutorum ... sufficiat : Alpha omits but it is in Cx.]

¶ If lewed men knewe þis latyn · þei wolde loke whom þei ȝeue
And auyse hem bifore · a[^2282] fyue dayes or sexe
Or þei amortesed to monkes · or chanouns her rentes
Allas lordes and ladyes · lewed conseille haue ȝe
To ȝyue fram ȝowre eyres · þat ȝowre ayeles ȝow lefte
And ȝiueth[^2283] to bidde for ȝow · to such þat[^2284] ben riche
And ben founded and feffed eke · to bidde for other

[^2282: Bx.15.331: a: "a period of". Alpha and GO omit. Lines 331-71 offer few parallels with C.]

[^2283: Bx.15.335: ȝiueth: CrWF supply the object it.]

[^2284: Bx.15.335: such þat: MCr and alpha have (slightly easier?) such as.]

¶ Who perfourneth þis prophecye · of þe peple þat now lybbeth
Dispersit dedit pauperibus &c
If any peple perfourme þat texte · it ar þis pore freres
For þat þei beggen abouten · in buildynge þei spene[^2285]
And on hem-self sum · and such as ben her laboreres
And of hem þat habbeth þei taken · and ȝyue hem þat ne[^2286] habbeth

[^2285: Bx.15.340: spene: The form in LMO, but alpha and others have spende. See notes to ll. 81, 148. Beta2 and CF add it.]

[^2286: Bx.15.342: ne: Beta2 omits, puzzled by the irony.]

¶ Ac clerkes & knyȝtes · and comuneres þat ben riche
Fele of ȝow fareth · as if I a forest hadde
Þat were ful of faire trees · and I fonded and caste
How I myȝte mo þer-inne · amonges hem sette
Riȝt so ȝe riche · ȝe robeth[^2287] þat ben riche
And helpeth hem þat helpeth ȝow · and ȝiueth þere no nede is
As who-so filled a tonne [ful][^2288] · of a fressh ryuer
And went forth with þat water · to woke with themese
Riȝt so ȝe riche · ȝe robeth[^2289] and fedeth
Hem þat han as ȝe han · hem ȝe make at ese

[^2287: Bx.15.347: robeth: "provide robes for" (as in L, corrected M, WC) but with a pun on the phrase "rob the rich". Already puzzled by the ironic tone earlier in the passage, other scribes write robbeth, leading F to alter ryche to not ryche. See l. 351.]

[^2288: Bx.15.349: ful: Called for by the alliteration, though preserved only in R. Alpha also has ful in the b-verse, replacing fressh in beta.]

[^2289: Bx.15.351: robeth: See note to l. 347.]

¶[^2290] Ac Religious þat riche ben · shulde rather feste[^2291] beggeres
Þan burgeys þat riche ben · as þe boke techeth
Quia sacrilegium est res pauperum non pauperibus dare
Item [idem][^2292] peccatoribus dare · est demonibus immolare
Item monache si indiges et accipis pocius das quam accipis[^2293]
Si autem non eges & accipis · rapis
Porro non indiget Monachus · si habeat quod nature sufficit
For-þi I conseille alle cristene · to confourmen hem to charite
For charite with-oute chalengynge · vnchargeth þe soule[^2294]
And many a prisone[^2295] fram purgatorie · þorw his preyeres he delyureth[^2296]
[^2297]Ac þere is a defaute in þe folke · þat þe faith kepeth
Wherfore folke is þe feblere · and nouȝt ferme of bilieue
As in lussheborwes is a lyther alay · and ȝet loketh he lyke a sterlynge
Þe merke of þat mone is good · ac þe metal is fieble
And so it fareth by some folke now · þei han a faire speche
Croune and crystendome · þe kynges merke of heuene
Ac þe metal þat is mannes soule · with synne is foule alayed
Bothe lettred and lewede · beth allayed now with synne[^2298]
That no lyf loueth other · ne owre lorde as it semeth
For [what][^2299] þorw werre and wykked werkes · and wederes vnresonable
Wederwise shipmen · and witti clerkes also
Han no bilieue to þe lifte · ne to þe lore of philosofres

[^2290: Bx.15.353: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^2291: Bx.15.353: feste: Alpha picks up the weaker fede from l. 351.]

[^2292: Bx.15.356: idem : i.e. "from the same source again" (viz. Peter Cantor; see Alford (1992), 96). It is omitted by beta.]

[^2293: Bx.15.357-8: These lines are omitted in alpha.]

[^2294: Bx.15.361: þe soule: R omits.]

[^2295: Bx.15.362: prisone: For the variation with prisoner see note to l. 190.]

[^2296: Bx.15.362: he delyureth: Alpha has instead is deliuered, which could be right.]

[^2297: Bx.15.363: A paraph as in Hm and alpha would be appropriate.]

[^2298: Bx.15.370: The line is dropped by CGF.]

[^2299: Bx.15.372: what: Omitted by beta, but alpha is supported by Cx (RK.17.86).]

¶ Astrymyanes[^2300] alday · in her arte faillen
Þat whilum warned bifore · what shulde [bi]falle[^2301] after
Shipmen and sheperdes · þat with shipp & shepe wenten
Wisten by þe walkene · what shulde bityde
As of wederes and[^2302] wyndes · þei warned men ofte
[^2303]Tilieres þat tiled þe erthe · tolden her maistres
By þe sede þat þei sewe · what þei selle miȝte
And what to leue and to[^2304] lyue by · þe londe was so trewe
Now failleth þe folke of þe flode · and of þe londe bothe
Sheperdes and shipmen · and so do þis tilieres
Noither þei kunneth ne knoweth · one cours bi-for an other
Astrymyanes also · aren at her wittes ende
Of þat was calculed of þe [c]lement[^2305] · þe contrarie þei fynde
Gramer þe grounde of al · bigyleth now children
For is none of þis newe clerkes · who-so nymeth hede
Þat can versifye faire · ne formalich enditen[^2306]
Ne nouȝt on amonge an hundreth · þat an auctour can construe
Ne rede a lettre in any langage · but in latyn or in englissh
Go now to any degre · and but if gyle be mayster
And flaterere his felawe · vnder hym to fourmen
Moche[^2307] wonder me thynketh · amonges vs alle
Doctoures of decres · and of diuinite Maistres
Þat shulde konne and knowe · alkynnes clergye
And answere to argumentz · and also to a quodlibet
I dar nouȝt seggen it for shame · if suche weren apposed
Þei shulde faillen in[^2308] her philosofye · and in phisyk bothe
Wher-fore I am afered · of folke of holikirke
Lest þei ouerhuppen as other don · in offices[^2309] & in houres
Ac[^2310] if[^2311] þei ouerhuppe as I hope nouȝte · owre byleue suffiseth[^2312]
As clerkes in corpus cristi feste · singen & reden
Þat sola fides sufficit · to saue with lewed peple

[^2300: Bx.15.375: Astrymyanes: L has the same spelling in l. 386, but in Bx.19.250 has astronomyenes. The forms probably reflect Bx; cf. R's spellings. C mss. have similar variation.]

[^2301: Bx.15.376: bifalle: R's unique reading is supported by Cx. All other B mss omit the prefix, but it should be noted that F shows a tendency to alter bifalle to falle: Bx.7.179, 8.8, 11.309.]

[^2302: Bx.15.379: and: Alpha has and of. The line is not in C.]

[^2303: Bx.15.380: A paraph as in WHm and alpha would be appropriate.]

[^2304: Bx.15.382: to (2): The reading of LM and alpha supported by Cx. Beta1 has what to.]

[^2305: Bx.15.387: þe clement: Alpha drops the article; beta reads þe element. The right reading is certainly that of Cx (RK.17.107), þe clymat (MED climat, "a region of the earth"). Beta replaced the corrupt Bx with much easier and non-alliterating þe element, "the weather". Alpha drops the definite article to make some sense: "calculated by [Pope?] Clement". At this date clement can only be a proper name; cf. Bx.5.344, 365 (in both cases R has small <c> but F a capital). It is possible, too, that Bx itself read þe clemet correctly and was differently misinterpreted by alpha and beta.]

[^2306: Bx.15.390: The line is omitted by beta2. Cx has it.]

[^2307: Bx.15.395: Moche: Alpha adds And, but the sense is better without it: "It will surprise me greatly if Guile isn't in command and Flatterer working under him amongst everyone".]

[^2308: Bx.15.400: faillen in: LMG and alpha, supported by Cx against faillen of in beta2 and CO.]

[^2309: Bx.15.402: offices: The form without ending in MWGF may also be plural. Cf. note to Bx.3.101.]

[^2310: Bx.15.403: Ac: Good support from LMR, with the usual variants And and But.]

[^2311: Bx.15.403: if: R has þouȝ, which may be alpha and may be right. It probably lies behind F's þey oon hippe ... (þey is F's usual form of "though") and is included in C which reworks as two lines (RK.17.118-19).]

[^2312: Bx.15.403: suffiseth: Either beta englishes the Latin or alpha supplies the Latin equivalent in anticipation of l. 405. Cx in a reworked line has the English form, altered by one scribe to sufficit.]

¶ And so may sarasenes be saued · scribes and iewes
Allas þanne but owre loresmen · lyuen as þei leren vs
And for her lyuynge þat lewed men be[^2313] · þe lother god agulten
For sarasenes han somwhat · semynge to owre bileue
For þei loue and bileue · in o parsone almiȝty
And we lered and lewede · in on god bileueth
[^2314] [Cristene and vncristene . on one god bileueth]
Ac[^2315] one Makometh · a man in mysbileue
Brouȝte sarasenes of surre · and se in what manere
Þis Makometh was a crystene man[^2316] · and for he moste nouȝte be a[^2317] pope
In-to surre he souȝte · and þorw his sotil wittes
Daunted a dowue · and day and nyȝte hir fedde
Þe corne þat she cropped · he caste it in his ere
[^2318] And if he amonge þe poeple preched · or in places come
Þanne wolde þe coluer come · to þe clerkes ere
Menynge as after meet · þus Makometh hir enchaunted[^2319]
A[^2320] dide folke þanne falle on knees · for he swore in his prechynge
Þat þe coluer þat come so · come fram god of heuene
As[^2321] messager to Makometh · men forto teche
And þus þorw wyles of his witte [·] and a whyte dowue
Makometh in mysbileue · men and wommen brouȝte
Þat lered þere and lewed[^2322] ȝit · l[e]uen[^2323] on his lawes

[^2313: Bx.15.408: be: L and alpha punctuate after be, the others after men.]

[^2314: Bx.15.412: The line is omitted by beta as a result of eyeskip from the identical b-verse of l. 411. We follow R as usual. F begins the line And so, which is perhaps scribal emphasis. For R's on, F has in, as in the previous b-verse. The repetition might be an argument for or against. Lines 406-15 have no parallel in C.]

[^2315: Bx.15.413: Ac: LR only. Cf. note to l. 403.]

[^2316: Bx.15.415: a crystene man: The alliterating noun is supported by L and alpha, but alpha is without the article, perhaps rightly. Beta1 seems to have read a cristene, as MWHm, though CrGO drop the article and C has pa. ppl. cristend. Cx, in a different line, has a man ycristened (RK.17.165).]

[^2317: Bx.15.415: a (2): The variation is unpatterned: LWCOR have the article, but the others are without it.]

[^2318: Bx.15.419-20: Two lines omitted by alpha, through eyeskip on ere. The lines form the basis of RK.17.174-5.]

[^2319: Bx.15.421: enchaunted: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's chaunted.]

[^2320: Bx.15.422: A: "And". See note to Bx.P.227.]

[^2321: Bx.15.424: As: Supported by the syntax over alpha's And.]

[^2322: Bx.15.427: lered þere and lewed: The reading of LR, and possibly M's original version. F revises lered þere to leernede men; Hm (corrected) reverses the adjectives; beta4 drops þere, and CrW have lyued þo þere and lyue, with M altered to that reading. A further difference is that alpha punctuates after lewed. In Cx the line reads: And on his lore thei lyuen [or leuen] ȝut, as wel lered as lewed (RK.17.182).]

[^2323: Bx.15.427: leuen: Only L has lyuen. There is some evidence that beta used the form leuen also for "live", causing some scribes to hypercorrect; cf. notes to ll. 571 and 615.]

¶ And sitth owre saueoure suffred · þe sarasenes so bigiled
Þorw a crystene clerke · acursed in his soule
Ac[^2324] for drede of þe deth · I dar nouȝt telle treuthe
How englissh clerkes a coluer feden · þat coueityse hatte
And ben manered after Makometh · þat no man vseth treuth

[^2324: Bx.15.430: Ac: LR (F has but as usual). See note to l. 413. Lines 429-513 are not paralleled in C.]

¶ Ancres and hermytes · and monkes and freres
Peren[^2325] to apostles · þorw her parfit lyuynge
Wolde neuere þe faithful fader · þat his ministres sholde
Of tyrauntz þat teneth trewe men · taken any almesse
But done as Antony did · dominik and[^2326] Fraunceys
Benet &[^2327] Bernarde · þe which hem firste tauȝte
To lyue bi litel & in lowe houses · by lele mennes almesse[^2328]
Grace sholde growe & be grene · þorw her good[^2329] lyuynge
And folkes[^2330] sholde fynde · þat ben in dyuerse sykenesse
Þe better for her byddynges · in body and in soule
Her preyeres and her penaunces · to pees shulde brynge[^2331]
Alle þat ben at debate · and bedemen were trewe
Petite & accipietis &c
[^2332]Salt saueth catel[^2333] · seggen þis wyues
[^2334] Vos estis sal terre &c ·
Þe heuedes of holicherche · and þei holy were
Cryst calleth[^2335] hem salt · for crystene soules
Et si sal euanuerit · in quo salietur
Ac[^2336] fressh flessh other fissh · whan it salt failleth
It is vnsauory for soth · ysothe or ybake
So is mannes soule sothly · þat seeth no good ensaumple[^2337]
Of hem of holycherche · þat þe heigh weye shulde teche
And be gyde and go bifore · as a[^2338] good baneoure
And hardy hem þat bihynde ben · and ȝiue hem good euydence

[^2325: Bx.15.434: Peren: "become equals with". Alpha takes this as a noun, upsetting the syntax.]

[^2326: Bx.15.437: and: Alpha has or.]

[^2327: Bx.15.438: &: Alpha again has or.]

[^2328: Bx.15.439: almesse: Beta's reading may be prompted by the same word at the end of l. 436. On the other hand, alpha's synonym fyndynge may have its origin in visual similarity with lyuynge at the end of l. 440, together with fynde in l. 441 (so KD, p. 143). KD opts for beta's reading, Schmidt (1995) for alpha's.]

[^2329: Bx.15.440: good: Alpha picks up lele from the previous line, thus losing alliteration.]

[^2330: Bx.15.441: folkes: HmC and alpha have the sg.]

[^2331: Bx.15.443: brynge: Alpha has hem brynge, anticipating the object of l. 444.]

[^2332: Bx.15.446: Hm and alpha record a paraph.]

[^2333: Bx.15.446: catel: Beta2 and F add the definite article or personal pronoun.]

[^2334: Bx.15.447-514: These lines are omitted by F.]

[^2335: Bx.15.449: calleth: R's past tense is both easier and less appropriate.]

[^2336: Bx.15.451: Ac: So LMHmOR. See note to l. 413.]

[^2337: Bx.15.453: ensaumple: R has the aphetic form saumple.]

[^2338: Bx.15.455: a: Omitted by R.]

¶ Elleuene holy men · al þe worlde torned
In-to lele byleue · þe liȝtloker me thynketh
Shulde al maner men · we han so manye Maistres
Prestes and prechoures · and a pope aboue
Þat goddes salt shulde be · to saue mannes soule

¶ Al was hethenesse some-tyme · Ingelond and wales
Til Gregory gerte[^2339] clerkes · to go here and[^2340] preche
Austyn at Caunterbury · crystened þe kynge[^2341]
And þorw myracles as men may rede · al þat marche he torned
To cryst and to crystendome · and crosse to honoure
And fulled folke faste[^2342] · and þe faith tauȝte
More þorw miracles · þan þorw moche prechynge
As wel þorw his werkes · as with[^2343] his holy wordes
And seyde hem what fullynge · and faith was to mene

[^2339: Bx.15.463: gerte: R's and grete is much inferior.]

[^2340: Bx.15.463: here and: Beta4 and R have and to, losing the emphasis on England and Wales.]

[^2341: Bx.15.464: kynge: R's addition of þere may be a consequence of the loss of here in the previous line.]

[^2342: Bx.15.467: faste: Possibly a beta addition, since R omits it.]

[^2343: Bx.15.469: with: MCrHm repeat þoruȝ from the a-verse.]

¶ Cloth þat cometh fro þe weuyng · is nouȝt comly to were
Tyl it is[^2344] fulled vnder fote · or in fullyng stokkes
Wasshen wel with water · and with taseles cracched
Ytouked and ytented · & vnder tailloures hande[^2345]
And so it fareth by a barne · þat borne is of[^2346] wombe
Til it be crystened in crystes name · and confermed of þe bisshop
It is hethene as to heueneward · and helpelees to þe soule

[^2344: Bx.15.472: is: So LMR. Others have the subjunctive as all copies have at l. 476.]

[^2345: Bx.15.474: hande: R and corrected Hm have the plural, less appropriately.]

[^2346: Bx.15.475: of: M and beta2 have of a.]

¶ Hethene is to mene after heth · and vntiled erthe
As in wilde wildernesse · wexeth wilde bestes
Rude and vnresonable · rennenge with-out [k]eperes[^2347]

[^2347: Bx.15.480: keperes: The reading of R. Beta probably read creperes, as LGO, altered to cropers in M, beta2 and C, in order to make some sort of sense. Of course animals are not restrained by "cruppers". It is difficult to see how beta's reading could have derived from the commonplace "keeper". It may be that crepere has some technical sense not recorded; for example, in Morte Arthure 3667 it seems to refer to a grapnel. KD p. 146 rather implausibly suggest that "the r was induced by the alliteration".]

¶ Ȝe [mynnen][^2348] wel how[^2349] matheu seith · how a man made a feste
He fedde hem with no venysoun · ne fesauntes ybake
But with foules þat fram hym nolde · but folwed his whistellynge
Ecce altilia mea & omnia parata sunt &c
And wyth calues flesshe he fedde · þe folke þat he loued
Þe calfe bytokeneth clennesse · in hem þat kepeth lawes

[^2348: Bx.15.481: mynnen: Only MW preserve the Bx reading, with other scribes avoiding or misreading a word that was mainly northern by this time. It never occurs in L nor elsewhere in Bx, though KD conjecture it four times. It is used twice in C (RK.17.210, 19.233) with similar variants.]

[^2349: Bx.15.481: how (1): GR have whate, avoiding the repetition.]

¶[^2350] For as þe cow þorw kynde mylke · þe calf norissheth til an oxe
So loue and lewte · lele[^2351] men susteyneth
And maydenes and mylde men mercy desiren
Riȝt as þe cow calf · coueyteth swete mylke
So don riȝtful men · mercy & treuthe
[^2352] [And by þe hande-fedde foules · [i]s[^2353] folk vnderstonde
Þat loth ben to louye · with-outen lernynge of ensaumples
Riȝt as capones in a court · cometh to mennes whistlynge
In menynge after mete · folweth men þat whistlen
Riȝt so rude men · þat litel reson conneth
Louen and byleuen · by lettred mennes doynges
And by here wordes and werkes · wenen and trowen
And as tho foules to fynde · fode after whistlynge
So hope þei to haue · heuene þoruȝ her whistlynge
And by þe man þat made þe feste · þe maieste bymeneth
Þat is god of his grace · gyueth al men blisse
With wederes and with wondres · he warneth vs with a whistlere
Where þat his wille is · to worschipen vs alle
And feden vs and festen vs · for euere-more at ones]

[^2350: Bx.15.487: ¶: The paraph is in LC, with a new line-group in M.]

[^2351: Bx.15.488: loue ... lele: R's version of the line, doth loue & lewte and lele, is equally probable.]

[^2352: Bx.15.492-505: These 14 lines are omitted by beta, jumping to the next paraph. Since F omits ll. 447-514, and furthermore there is no parallel in Cx, we are here entirely dependent upon R.]

[^2353: Bx.15.492: is: R has his, probably as a spelling for is rather than an error.]

¶ Ac who beth þat excuseth hem · aren[^2354] persounes and prestes
Þat heuedes of holycherche[^2355] ben · þat han her wille here
With-oute trauaille þe tithe del · þat trewe men biswynkyn
Þei wil be wroth for I write þus · ac to witnesse I take
Bothe Mathew and Marke · and Memento domine dauid
[Ecce audiuimus e[a]m[^2356] in effrata &c ·]
What Pope or prelate now · perfourneth þat cryst hiȝte
Ite in vniuersum mundum & predicate & c ·

[^2354: Bx.15.506: aren: Beta has þat aren, but the syntax is much better without, as in R: "those who excuse themselves are parsons".]

[^2355: Bx.15.507: holycherche: R's plural is less appropriate.]

[^2356: Bx.15.511: eam : The line is lost in beta, so R, reading eum, is the sole authority for citing the Psalm "Memento Domini" (131.6). It was previously cited at Bx.10.72, where alpha again has eum for beta's eam as in the Vulgate. See note there, and for explanation of the reference in that line see Schmidt (1995), 443.]

¶ Allas þat men so longe · on Makometh shulde byleue
So many prelates to preche · as þe Pope maketh
Of Nazareth of Nynyue · of Neptalim and damaske
Þat þei ne went as cryst wisseth · sithen þei wil a[^2357] name
[^2358]To be pastours and preche · þe passioun of Ihesus
And as hym-self seyde · so[^2359] to lyue and deye
Bonus pastor animam suam ponit & c
And seyde it in sauacioun · of sarasenes & other
For[^2360] crystene & vncristene · cryst seide to prechoures
Ite vos in vineam meam ·
And sith þat þis sarasenes · scribes & Iuwes
Han a lippe of owre byleue · þe liȝtloker me thynketh[^2361]
Þei shulde torne who-so trauaille wolde[^2362] · to teche hem of þe Trinite
Querite & inuenietis &c

[^2357: Bx.15.517: a: A good example of the superiority of LR. The other beta scribes took this to be a reduced form of "have". F realised it was the article, clarifying the sense by altering to þe. In Cx (RK.17.191) it is also revised to þe, perhaps again for the sake of clarity.]

[^2358: Bx.15.518: L, starting a new leaf, begins with an inappropriate paraph.]

[^2359: Bx.15.519: so: Omitted by WGF preceding to. Hm omits the line.]

[^2360: Bx.15.522: For: As KD point out (p. 146), the alpha variant To cristene and to vncristene makes poor sense.]

[^2361: Bx.15.525: me thynketh: Supported by Cx (RK.17.253) against alpha's it semeth.]

[^2362: Bx.15.526: trauaille wolde: Beta2 have trauailed, and M is altered to that reading, but Cx agrees with LCGO and alpha.]

[^2363] ¶ It is reuth to rede · how riȝtwis men lyued
How þei defouled her flessh · forsoke her owne wille
Fer fro kitth and fro kynne · yuel yclothed ȝeden
Badly ybedded · no boke but conscience
Ne no richchesse but þe Rode · to reioyse hem Inne
Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri &c ·

[^2363: Bx.15.528-67: These forty lines are in beta only. Adams (2002), 118-22, discusses alpha's omission here and beta's loss of ll. 575-92, positing that the passages were on opposite sides of an inserted leaf in Bx, and the alpha and beta scribes each failed to incorporate one side of the leaf. KD argue that distinct from this is a major dislocation of text that antedated the losses in alpha and beta, and they move Bx.15.568-97 to precede 528 (pp. 176-8).]

¶ And þo was plente & pees · amonges pore & riche
And[^2364] now is routhe to rede · how þe red noble
Is reuerenced or þe Rode · receyued for þe worthier
Þan crystes crosse þat ouer-cam · deþ and dedly synne

[^2364: Bx.15.535: And: The reading Ac in Hm, though tempting, is in the hand of the reviser, who has erased one line to write in this line and the next. In any case, Cx has And (RK.17.200).]

¶ And now is werre and wo · and who-so why axeth
For coueityse after crosse · þe croune stant in golde
Bothe riche and religious · þat Rode þei honoure
Þat in grotes is ygraue · and in golde nobles
For coueityse of þat crosse · men of holykirke
Shul tourne as templeres did · þe tyme approcheth faste

¶ Wyte ȝe nouȝt wyse[^2365] men · how þo men honoured
More tresore þan treuthe · I dar nouȝt telle þe sothe
Resoun & riȝtful dome · þo[^2366] Religious demed
Riȝt so ȝe clerkes · for ȝowre coueityse ar longe
Shal þei demen dos ecclesie · and ȝowre pryde depose
Deposuit potentes de sede &c ·

[^2365: Bx.15.544: wyse: Beta2 and G have ye wise, but Cx is without the pronoun (RK.17.210), though in a revised a-verse.]

[^2366: Bx.15.546: þo: Supported by most C mss. against þe in beta2.]

¶ Ȝif knyȝthod & kynde wytte · and comune conscience[^2367]
Togideres loue lelly · leueth it wel ȝe bisshopes
Þe lordeship of londes[^2368] · for euere shal ȝe[^2369] lese
And lyuen as leuitici [·] as owre lorde ȝow techeth
Per primicias & decimas

[^2367: Bx.15.550: comune conscience: This must be the beta reading; the line is not in alpha. Cr and W, understanding the knighthood / commons pairing, take comune as a noun, so following it with by conscience, and M is altered to that reading. Presumably beta is a corruption of the reading of Cx, Ȝif knyhthoed and kynde wit and þe comune and conscience (RK.17.216) which adds a kind-wit / conscience pairing.]

[^2368: Bx.15.552: londes: W adds youre here and drops ȝow in the next line.]

[^2369: Bx.15.552: shal ȝe: Reversed by beta4. Cx has lese ȝe shal for euer (RF.17.218).]

¶ Whan costantyn of curteysye · holykirke dowed
With londes and ledes · lordeshipes and rentes
An Angel men herde · an heigh at Rome crye
Dos ecclesie þis day · hath ydronke venym
And þo þat han petres powere · arn apoysoned alle

¶ A medecyne mote þer-to · þat may amende prelates
Þat sholden preye for þe pees · possessioun hem letteth
Take her landes ȝe lordes · and let hem lyue by dymes
If possessioun be poysoun · & inparfit hem make
Good were to dischargen hem · for holicherche sake
And purgen hem of poysoun · or more perile falle

¶ Ȝif presthod were parfit · þe peple s[h]olde amende
Þat contrarien crystes lawe · and crystendome dispise
For al paynym[^2370] prayeth · and parfitly bileueth[^2371]
In þe holy grete god[^2372] · and his grace asken[^2373]
And make her mone to makometh · her message to shewe
Þus in a faith lyueth[^2374] þat folke · and in a false mene
And þat is routhe for [þe][^2375] riȝtful men · þat in þe Rewme wonyen
And a peril to þe pope · and prelatis[^2376] þat he maketh
Þat bere bisshopes names · of Bedleem & [of][^2377] babiloigne
[^2378] [Whan þe hieȝe kynge of heuene · sent his sone to erthe
Many miracles he wrouȝte · man for to turne
In ensaumple þat men shulde se · þat by sadde resoun
Men miȝt nouȝt be saued · but þorw mercy and grace
And þorw penaunce and passion · and parfit byle[ue][^2379]
And bycam man of a mayde · and metropolitanus[^2380]
And baptised and bishined[^2381] · with þe blode of his herte
Alle þat wilned and wolde · with Inwitte[^2382] byleue it
Many a seint sithen · hath suffred to deye[^2383]
Al for to enf[e]rme[^2384] þe faith · in fele contreyes deyeden[^2385]
In ynde and in[^2386] alisaundre · in ermonye in[^2387] spayne
In delfol deth deyeden · for hire faith sake[^2388]
In sauacioun of þe faith · seynt [thomas][^2389] was martired
Amonges vnkynde cristene · for cristes loue he deyede
And for þe riȝt of al þis reume · and al reumes cristene
Holy cherche is honoured · hieȝliche þorw his deyinge
He is a forbisene[^2390] to alle bisshopes · and a briȝt myroure
And souereyneliche to suche · þat of surrye bereth þe name]
[And nauȝt to][^2391] hippe aboute[^2392] in Engelonde · to halwe mennes[^2393] auteres
And crepe [in][^2394] amonges curatoures · [and][^2395] confessen ageyne þe lawe
Nolite mittere falcem in messem alienam &c

[^2370: Bx.15.568: paynym: Only L has the distributive sg., but it is supported by the X family of C (RK.17.255). Alpha is now present.]

[^2371: Bx.15.568: and parfitly bileueth: Beta's b-verse is supported by Cx. Alpha's to on persone to helpe looks like censorship, as in the next line.]

[^2372: Bx.15.569: In þe holy grete god: Cx has In þe grete god. Again alpha objects to allowing so much to pagan beliefs.]

[^2373: Bx.15.569: asken: Beta's pronoun is not supported by Cx.]

[^2374: Bx.15.571: lyueth: So LCr and alpha, with HmG both altering to leue-, the reading of MWCO. Cx supports lyueth. Schmidt (1995), 397, considers that there is a pun with leueth implied in the b-verse: "believe in a false intercessor". Cf. note to l. 427.]

[^2375: Bx.15.572: þe (1): Although only in R, C mss. have either þe or þo.]

[^2376: Bx.15.573: prelatis: R has to prelates. F omits the line and Cx rewrites it.]

[^2377: Bx.15.574: of (2): This was perhaps not in beta since LMW lack it, but alpha has support from the revised line in Cx, of Ninue and of damaske (the X family omits and).]

[^2378: Bx.15.575-92: These 18 lines are lost in beta, probably (as KD suggest, p. 66) through eyeskip (bere bisshopes names 574, bisshopes ... bereth þe name 591-2). The lines are in Cx (RK.17.262-78). See note to Bx.15.528-67. The text is based on R, with spellings altered to L's forms.]

[^2379: Bx.15.579: byleue: R's byle is an obvious miswriting.]

[^2380: Bx.15.580: metropolitanus: F adds after, but it is not in Cx.]

[^2381: Bx.15.581: bishined: "illuminated". Not especially uncommon, but evidently C scribes were confused, perhaps because of the weak form of the past tense. Most have bisshoped.]

[^2382: Bx.15.582: Inwitte: R is supported by Cx against F's wit.]

[^2383: Bx.15.583: to deye: So alpha, but Cx has deth also.]

[^2384: Bx.15.584: enferme: A few C mss. have enforme, "teach", as in R, but the best have enferme, "strengthen" (RK.17.271), lending support to F's ferme.]

[^2385: Bx.15.584: deyeden: R's past tense is obviously right, and confirmed by Cx.]

[^2386: Bx.15.585: and in: F is without and, and may be right. Most C mss. have it, but a few do not. See next note.]

[^2387: Bx.15.585: in (4): So F, supported by most (and the most reliable) C mss. Yet others have and or and in, as R does. See previous note.]

[^2388: Bx.15.586: The line is entirely rewritten in Cx.]

[^2389: Bx.15.587: thomas: The name has been erased in R, as in several C mss.]

[^2390: Bx.15.591: forbisene: R is supported by Cx.]

[^2391: Bx.15.593: And nauȝt to: Here beta resumes, but alpha's start of the a-verse is supported by Cx (RK.17.279). Beta's Þat represents smoothing after the omission.]

[^2392: Bx.15.593: aboute: Alpha adds here, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2393: Bx.15.593: mennes: Omitted by Hm and alpha, but supported by Cx.]

[^2394: Bx.15.594: in: Beta omits, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2395: Bx.15.594: and: Beta omits, though W adds it for the sense. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[¶][^2396] Many man[^2397] for crystes loue · was martired [amonges Romaynes][^2398]
Er[^2399] crystendome [were][^2400] knowe þere · or any crosse[^2401] honoured

[^2396: Bx.15.596: ¶: L omits an appropriate paraph here, recorded by WHm and alpha.]

[^2397: Bx.15.596: man: The majority of C mss. support beta, but three have a man as alpha.]

[^2398: Bx.15.596: amonges Romaynes: The reading of R alone, but supported by Cx. F revises to in grete roome, and beta has in Romanye.]

[^2399: Bx.15.597: Er: The beta reading was probably the nonsensical Er ar any LC, giving rise to Er any MCrWG, Er þan Hm and Er þan any O. Alpha is supported by Cx (RK.17.282).]

[^2400: Bx.15.597: were: The subjunctive as in alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2401: Bx.15.597: crosse: R's repetition of þere is not supported by Cx.]

¶ Euery bisshop þat bereth crosse · by þat he[^2402] is holden
Thorw his prouynce to passe · and to his peple to shewe hym
Tellen hem and techen[^2403] hem · on þe Trinite to bileue
And feden hem with gostly fode · and [nedy folke to fynden[^2404]
Ac ysaie of ȝow speketh · and ozias bothe
Þat no man shuld be bisshope · but if he hadde bothe
Bodily fode and gostly fode · to] gyue þere it nedeth
In domo mea non est panis neque vestimentum et ideo nolite constituere me regem · ysaie 3[^2405]
Ozias seith for such · þat syke ben and fieble
Inferte omnes decimas in oreum meum vt[^2406] cibus in domo mea

[^2402: Bx.15.598: he: R omits. Cx has a different b-verse.]

[^2403: Bx.15.600: techen: Alpha picks up non-alliterating schewen from the previous line.]

[^2404: Bx.15.601-04: Beta drops ll. 601b-604a, by eyeskip on gostly fode. We follow R, altering the forms to those of L. Up to l. 614 Cx is heavily revised.]

[^2405: Bx.15.605: ysaie 3 : The reference was in Bx, since it is preserved in L and alpha in the hands of the main scribes.]

[^2406: Bx.15.607: vt : CrO add sit, as in Malachi 3.10. See Alford (1992), 99.]

¶[^2407] Ac we crystene creatures · þat on þe crosse byleuen
Aren ferme[^2408] as in þe faith · goddes forbode elles
And han clerkes to kepen vs þer-Inne · and hem þat shal come after vs[^2409]

[^2407: Bx.15.608: ¶: The paraph, following the Latin line, is in LWHmF.]

[^2408: Bx.15.609: ferme: Alpha has for me (R) or formed (F).]

[^2409: Bx.15.610: vs (2): Preserved in LMWR, but lost elsewhere.]

¶ And iewes lyuen in lele lawe · owre lorde wrote it hym-selue
In stone for it stydfast was · and stonde sholde eure
Dilige deum & proximum · is parfit iewen lawe
And toke it moyses to teche men[^2410] · til Messye come
And on þat lawe þei l[e]uen[^2411] · and leten it þe beste
[^2412]And ȝit knewe þei cryst · þat crystendome tauȝte
[And][^2413] for a parfit prophete · þat moche peple saued
Of selcouth sores · þei seyne it ofte
Bothe of myracles & meruailles · and how he men fested
With two fisshes an[^2414] fyve loues · fyue thousande peple
And bi þat maungerye [þei][^2415] miȝte wel[^2416] se · þat Messye he semed
And whan he luft vp lazar · þat layde was in graue
And vnder stone ded & stanke[^2417] · with styf voys hym called
Lazare veni foras ·
Dede hym rise and rowme [·] riȝt bifor þe iuwes
Ac þei seiden and sworen · with sorcerye he wrouȝte
And studyeden to stroyen hym · and stroyden hem-self
And þorw his pacyence her powere · to pure nouȝt he brouȝte
Pacientes vincunt

[^2410: Bx.15.614: men: Alpha has non-alliterating it hem.]

[^2411: Bx.15.615: leuen: LW and original Hm have lyuen, perhaps a beta error picked up from l. 611. The better C mss. have leue, though a number have lyue, some altering on to in to make better sense (RK.17.297). Cf. also ll. 427, 571. Beta adds ȝit, which makes very good sense (the Jews still live under mosaic law), but it is not in alpha or Cx.]

[^2412: Bx.15.616: L has a paraph and M a line-space, perhaps a beta error since a paraph is not appropriate.]

[^2413: Bx.15.617: And: Dropped by beta, but included in Cx.]

[^2414: Bx.15.620: an: "and".]

[^2415: Bx.15.621: þei: More satisfactory as referring specifically to the Jews. Beta perhaps picks up men from l. 619. Cf. variants at l. 614. The a-verse is rewritten in C.]

[^2416: Bx.15.621: wel: Dropped by CrGOF.]

[^2417: Bx.15.623: ded & stanke: Presumably R's reversal represents alpha, which F revises. Lines 623-32 are rewritten in C.]

¶ Danyel of her vndoynge · deuyned and seyde
Cum [veniat sanctus sanctorum &c.][^2418]
And ȝet wenen þo wrecches · þat he were pseudo-propheta
And þat his lore be lesynges · and lakken it alle
And hopen þat he be to come · þat shal hem releue
Moyses eft or Messye · here maisteres ȝet[^2419] deuyneth

[^2418: Bx.15.631: Cum veniat sanctus sanctorum & c. : Beta reverses the verb and subject and completes the familiar quotation used as a lesson in Advent. In Bx.18.113 where the prophecy is repeated, there is the same alpha/beta variation, except that beta has veniat sanctus. At RK.20.112a, despite considerable variation, it seems that Cx had this same form of the quotation.]

[^2419: Bx.15.635: ȝet: Alpha has this at the beginning of the b-verse. Cx omits it.]

¶ Ac pharesewes and sarasenes · Scribes & Grekis[^2420]
Aren folke of on faith · þe fader god þei honouren
And sitthen þat þe sarasenes · and also þe iewes
Konne þe firste clause of owre bileue · credo in deum patrem omnipotentem[^2421]
Prelates of crystene prouynces · shulde preue if þei myȝte
Lere[^2422] hem litlum & lytlum [·] & in ihesum cristum filium
Tyl þei couthe speke and spelle · et in spiritum sanctum
And re[d]en[^2423] it & recorden it · with remissionem peccatorum
Carnis resurreccionem · et vitam eternam amen ·

[^2420: Bx.15.636: Grekis: WHm read Iewes, perhaps recalling ll. 406 and 524. Cf. Schmidt (1995), 398.]

[^2421: Bx.15.639: omnipotentem : Omitted by CrCGO (Cr also omits patrem), and by Cx, but it seems secure for Bx.]

[^2422: Bx.15.641: Lere: CrW begin To lere, and M is altered to that reading.]

[^2423: Bx.15.643: reden: This seems undoubtedly the Bx reading, despite L's rendren, "recite". The reading of Cx is less certain: the X family has Recorden hit and reden hit, where the P family has rendren for reden, which does make good sense in this order, "remember and recite". Schmidt (1995), lxvii, 398, follows KD in adopting L's rendren, though has difficulty in explaining how it arose.]

Passus sextus decimus & primus de dobet

Now faire falle ȝow quod I þo · for ȝowre faire shewynge[^2424]
For haukynnes loue þe actyf man [·] euere I shal ȝow louye
Ac ȝet I am in a were · what charite is to mene

[^2424: Bx.16.1: F prefaces the passus with two lines in which the dreamer falls asleep again. Lines 1-27 are quite different in C.]

¶ It is a ful trye tree quod he · trewly[^2425] to telle
Mercy is þe more þer-of · þe myddel stokke is reuthe
Þe leues ben lele wordes · þe lawe of holycherche
Þe blosmes beth boxome speche · and benygne lokynge
Pacience hatte þe pure tre · and pore[^2426] symple of herte
And so þorw god and þorw[^2427] good men · groweth þe frute charite

[^2425: Bx.16.4: trewly: Alpha has treuthe. There is no close parallel elsewhere for either.]

[^2426: Bx.16.8: pore: Beta1 repeats pure.]

[^2427: Bx.16.9: þorw (2): So LMW, and presumably therefore beta (note Hm misreads as pure), but other beta texts and alpha are without it, perhaps rightly.]

¶ I wolde trauaille quod I þis tree to se · twenty hundreth myle
And forto[^2428] haue my fylle of þat frute · forsake al other saulee[^2429]
Lorde quod I if any wiȝte wyte · whider oute it[^2430] groweth

[^2428: Bx.16.11: forto: Alpha and beta4 have to, which could equally be right.]

[^2429: Bx.16.11: saulee: "food". L first wrote soule, as R, then added the gloss "id est edulium".]

[^2430: Bx.16.12: it: R has þat it.]

¶ It groweth in [a][^2431] gardyne quod he · þat god made hym-seluen
Amyddes mannes body · þe more is of þat stokke
Herte hatte þe erber · þat it in groweth
And liberum arbitrium · hath þe londe to ferme
Vnder[^2432] Piers þe plowman · to pyken it and to[^2433] weden it
Piers þe plowman quod I þo · and al for pure ioye
Þat I herde nempne his name · anone I swouned after
And laye longe in a loue-dreme · and atte laste me þouȝte
Þat Pieres þe plowman · al þe place me shewed
And bad me toten[^2434] on þe tree · on toppe and on rote
With þre pyles was it vnder-piȝte · I perceyued it sone
Pieres quod I · I[^2435] preye þe · whi stonde þise piles here

[^2431: Bx.16.13: a: Omitted by L.]

[^2432: Bx.16.17: Vnder: Alpha begins And vnder, perhaps as Bx.]

[^2433: Bx.16.17: to (2): Omitted by beta4 and F.]

[^2434: Bx.16.22: toten: Beta2 and C have to toten.]

[^2435: Bx.16.24: I (2): Dropped by MR. The punctuation separating the repeated pronoun is established as Bx by LWHmOF, with a comma in Cr.]

¶ For wyndes wiltow wyte quod he · to witen[^2436] it fram fallyng
Cum ceciderit iustus non collidetur · quia dominus supponit manum suam
And in blowyng tyme abite þe floures · but if þis piles helpe
Þe worlde is a wykked wynde[^2437] · to hem þat wolden[^2438] treuthe
Coueityse cometh of þat wynde · and crepeth amonge þe leues
And forfret neigh þe frute · þorw many faire siȝtes
Þanne[^2439] with þe firste pyle[^2440] I palle[^2441] hym down · þat is potencia dei patris
[^2442]Þe flesshe is a fel wynde · and in flourynge tyme
Þorw lykyng and lustes · so loude he gynneth blowe
Þat it norissheth nice siȝtes · and some-tyme wordes
And wikked werkes þer-of · wormes of synne
And forbiteth þe blosmes · riȝt to þe bare leues

[^2436: Bx.16.25: witen: "guard", punning on wyte. Alpha substitutes non-alliterating kepen.]

[^2437: Bx.16.28: wynde: Alpha skips to wynde in the next line, dropping l. 28b and l. 29a. The lines are both in Cx in a revised form.]

[^2438: Bx.16.28: wolden: All beta mss. except L have willen, but Cx has wolde (RK.18.31).]

[^2439: Bx.16.31: Þanne: So beta. R has And while F rewrites the line. Cx also begins this line And, but begins the next line Thenne. Since this section of the passus is so heavily revised in C, it must be used with caution as evidence for Bx.]

[^2440: Bx.16.31: pyle: In this long line LR have double punctuation, after pyle and down (Cr has commas). F abbreviates radically.]

[^2441: Bx.16.31: palle: "strike". Hm and beta4 have pulle, and F has call in its rewritten line.]

[^2442: Bx.16.32: WHmC and alpha here have a paraph marking the transition from World to Flesh.]

¶ Þanne sette I to þe secounde pile · sapiencia dei patris
Þat is þe passioun and þe power · of owre prynce Ihesu
Þorw[^2443] preyeres and þorw[^2444] penaunces[^2445] · and goddes passioun in mynde
I saue it til I se it rypen · & somdel yfruited
And þanne fondeth þe fende · my fruit to destruye
With alle þe wyles þat he can · and waggeth þe rote
And casteth vp to þe croppe · vnkynde neighbores
Bakbiteres breke-cheste[^2446] · brawleres and chideres
And leith a laddre þere-to · of lesynges aren þe ronges[^2447]
And feccheth away my floures sumtyme · afor[^2448] bothe myn eyhen
Ac liberum arbitrium · letteth hym[^2449] some-tyme
Þat is lieutenant to loken it wel · by leue of my-selue
Videatis qui peccat in spiritum sanctum numquam remittetur &c
Hoc est idem qui peccat per liberum arbitrium non repugnat ·
Ac whan[^2450] þe fende and þe flesshe · forth with þe worlde
Manasen byhynde me · my fruit for to fecche
Þanne liberum arbitrium [·] laccheth þe thridde[^2451] plan[k]e[^2452]
And palleth adown þe pouke · purelich[^2453] þorw grace
And helpe of þe holy goste · and þus haue I þe maystrie

[^2443: Bx.16.39: Þorw (1): Alpha has With.]

[^2444: Bx.16.39: þorw (2): Omitted by beta4 and F.]

[^2445: Bx.16.39: penaunces: For variation with and without -s, see note to Bx.14.211.]

[^2446: Bx.16.44: breke-cheste: "fomenters of quarrel". Beta2 misunderstands and writes breke þe cheste. R may represent alpha with the more transparent (though equally unique) compound brewe-cheste. F smooths to & boosteris. For the sense of the verb, cf. Bx.18.374, þe bitternesse þat þow hast browe. Cx drops the compound altogether.]

[^2447: Bx.16.45: After this F adds a rather good line about false executors.]

[^2448: Bx.16.46: afor: So beta. The reading byfore in CG and alpha is also that of Cx which always has byfore in place of afore (e.g. Bx.17.311, 20.130). See note to Bx.5.12 for support of beta's reading.]

[^2449: Bx.16.47: hym: HmR have hem, but the antecedent is þe fende.]

[^2450: Bx.16.51: whan: Alpha's what is a misunderstanding of the syntax.]

[^2451: Bx.16.53: thridde: So L and alpha. All beta mss. except L read firste, though thridde is obviously correct (cf. ll. 31, 37) and supported by Cx (RK.18.50). This provides a clear example of agreement of M with beta1 in this part of the poem.]

[^2452: Bx.16.53: planke: So alpha. Beta reads plante, prompted, so KD (p. 146) suggest, by the flowers and fruit of ll. 46 and 52. Cx has the synonym shoriere.]

[^2453: Bx.16.54: purelich: "entirely". Alpha has priueliche.]

¶ Now faire falle ȝow Pieres quod I · so faire ȝe discryuen
Þe powere of þis postes · and her propre myȝte[^2454]
Ac I haue þouȝtes a threve[^2455] · of þis þre piles
In what wode þei woxen · and where þat þei growed
For alle ar þei aliche longe · none lasse þan other
And to my mynde as me þinketh · on o More þei growed
And of o gretnesse ·[^2456] and grene of greyne þei semen

[^2454: Bx.16.57: myȝte: WHmF have the plural.]

[^2455: Bx.16.58: threve: "multitude". Only here in the poem. HmF corrupt to þrowe.]

[^2456: Bx.16.62: Only O places the punctus after grene where it would be expected.]

¶ Þat is soth seide[^2457] Pieres [·] so it[^2458] may bifalle
I shal telle þe as tite · what þis tree hatte
Þe grounde þere it groweth · goodnesse it hiȝte
And I haue tolde þe what hiȝte þe tree · þe trinite it meneth
And egrelich he loked on me · & þer-fore I spared
To asken hym any more ther-of · and badde hym ful fayre
To discreue þe fruit · þat so faire hangeth

[^2457: Bx.16.63: seide: All beta mss. apart from L alter to non-alliterating quod.]

[^2458: Bx.16.63: it: GR omit.]

¶ Here now bineth quod he þo · if I nede hadde
Matrymonye I may nyme · a moiste fruit with-alle
Þanne contenence is nerre[^2459] þe croppe · as calwey bastarde
Þanne bereth þe croppe kynde fruite · and clenneste of alle
Maydenhode angeles peres · and rathest wole be ripe
And swete with-oute swellyng · soure worth it neuere

[^2459: Bx.16.72: nerre: The forms neer and nere in other mss. may also be comparative; so Kane (2005), s.v. neer, ner prep.]

¶ I prayed pieres to pulle adown · an apple and he wolde
And suffre me to assaye · what sauoure it hadde

¶[^2460] And pieres caste to þe croppe · and þanne comsed it to crye
[A][^2461] wagged wydwehode · and it wepte after
And whan [he][^2462] meued Matrimoigne · it made a foule noyse
Þat[^2463] I had reuth whan Piers rogged[^2464] · it gradde so reufulliche
For euere as þei dropped adown · þe deuel was redy
And gadred hem alle togideres · bothe grete and smale
Adam & abraham · and ysay þe prophete
Sampson and samuel · and seynt Iohan þe baptiste
Bar hem forth boldely · no-body hym[^2465] letted
And made of holy men his horde · in lymbo inferni
There is derkenesse and drede · and þe deuel Maister

[^2460: Bx.16.78: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^2461: Bx.16.79: A: "He". Beta and F have And, but R is supported by Cx (RK.18.108) where the antecedent is Elde rather than Piers.]

[^2462: Bx.16.80: he: Alpha is supported against beta's it by Cx, which again begins the line A, "He". See previous note.]

[^2463: Bx.16.81: Þat: Support from LMOGR. Cr omits, WHm have And, and F has Þan. The line is omitted in C.]

[^2464: Bx.16.81: rogged: "tugged, shook". R (= alpha?) oddly has rused, "drove", which F alters to the equally inappropriate rusched.]

[^2465: Bx.16.86: hym: GOR and original M have hem, repeated from the a-verse. The sg. is supported by Cx (RK.18.114).]

¶[^2466] And Pieres for pure tene · þat o pile[^2467] he lauȝte
And[^2468] hitte after hym · happe how it myȝte
Filius bi þe fader wille · and frenesse of spiritus sancti
To go robbe þat raggeman · and reue þe fruit fro hym

[^2466: Bx.16.89: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^2467: Bx.16.89: o pile: Beta2 evidently had a pil as in W, misunderstood by CrHm as "apple".]

[^2468: Bx.16.90: And: LMGO and alpha, supported by Cx. Beta2 begins He.]

¶ And þanne spakke spiritus sanctus · in Gabrieles mouthe
To a mayde þat hiȝte Marye · a meke þinge with-alle
Þat one Ihesus a iustice sone · moste iouke in her chambre
Tyl plenitudo temporis · [tyme][^2469] comen were
Þat Pieres fruit floured · and fel to be ripe
And þanne shulde Ihesus iuste þere-fore · [&][^2470] bi iuggement of armes
Whether shulde fonde[^2471] þe fruit · þe fende or hym-selue

[^2469: Bx.16.96: tyme: So alpha and Cx. Beta alters to non-alliterating fully.]

[^2470: Bx.16.98: &: With R's reading, supported by Cx, iuste þere-fore applies to both clauses: "Then Jesus would joust for it, and by judgement of arms [joust for] whether the devil or he himself should taste the fruit." Beta and F drop & which is simpler.]

[^2471: Bx.16.99: fonde: "test", i.e. "taste" (MED fonden 3). Established for Bx by L, original M and CR. Scribes were puzzled and altered (as M does visibly) to fonge. Cx has fecche.]

¶ Þe mayde myldeliche þo · þe messager graunted
And seyde hendelich to hym · lo me his hande-mayden
For to worchen his wille · with-outen any synne
Ecce ancilla domini fiat michi &c[^2472]
And in þe wombe of þat wenche · was he fourty wokes
Tyl he wex a faunt þorw her flessh · and of fiȝtyng couthe
To haue yfouȝte with þe fende · ar ful tyme come
And Pieres þe plowman · parceyued plenere[^2473] tyme
And lered hym lechecrafte · his lyf for to saue
Þat þowgh he were wounded with his enemye · to warisshe hym-self
And did hym assaye his surgerye · on hem þat syke were
Til he was parfit practisoure · [i]f[^2474] any peril fulle[^2475]
And souȝte oute þe syke · and synful[^2476] bothe
And salued syke and synful · bothe blynde & crokede
And comune wommen conuerted · and to good torned
Non est sanis opus medicus[^2477] set [male habentibus][^2478]
Bothe meseles & mute · and in þe menysoun blody
Ofte he heled suche · he ne helde [it][^2479] for no maistrye
Saue þo he leched lazar [·] þat hadde yleye in graue
Quatriduanus quelt · quykke did hym walke
Ac as he made þ[at][^2480] maistrye · mestus cepit esse
And wepte water with his eyghen · þere seyen it manye
Some þat þe siȝte seyne · saide þat tyme
Þat he was leche of lyf · and lorde of heigh heuene
Iewes iangeled þere-aȝeyne · [þat][^2481] iugged lawes
And seide he wrouȝte þorw wicchecrafte · & with þe deueles miȝte
Demonium habes &c

[^2472: Bx.16.103: &c : HmGF complete the quotation from Luke. Cx has just the first three words.]

[^2473: Bx.16.107: parceyued plenere: So beta. R (and alpha?) has parseyued þe plener; F has y parseuede in þat plener. Lines 107-17 are not in C.]

[^2474: Bx.16.111: if: L's of is an obvious mistake.]

[^2475: Bx.16.111: fulle: The western spelling of "fell" in LHmR, and so probably in Bx.]

[^2476: Bx.16.112: synful: MOF have þe synful.]

[^2477: Bx.16.115: medicus : The word must have been abbreviated in Bx, hence the variety of endings, including G's medicine. See next note for further uncertainties.]

[^2478: Bx.16.115: male habentibus : Alpha's quotation is from Matt. 9.12 (see Alford (1992), 103). Beta was probably damaged, with the quotation ending in three minims (representing the first letter of male?) which LWHmCG transcribe as in. O reasonably guesses that in is for infirmis, while MCr solve the problem by dropping in.]

[^2479: Bx.16.117: it: The alpha reading. The omission in LMC suggests it was lost in beta but supplied by beta2 and GO.]

[^2480: Bx.16.120: þat: Alpha is supported by Cx þat miracle (RK.18.145) against beta's þe.]

[^2481: Bx.16.124: þat: R (F has þo þat) makes much better sense than beta's and. Lines 123-58 are thoroughly revised in C.]

¶ Þanne ar ȝe cherles quod [ihesus][^2482] · and ȝowre children bothe
And sathan ȝowre saueoure · ȝow-selue now ȝe witnessen
For I haue saued ȝow-self[^2483] · and ȝowre sones after
Ȝowre bodyes ȝowre bestes · and blynde men holpen
And fedde ȝow with fisshes[^2484] · and with fyue loues
And left baskettes ful of broke mete · bere awey who-so wolde
And mysseide þe iewes manliche [·] and manaced hem to bete
And knokked on hem with a corde · and caste adown her stalles
Þat in cherche chaffareden · or chaungeden any moneye
And seyde it in siȝte of hem alle · so þat alle herden
I shal ouertourne þis temple · and adown throwe
And in thre dayes after · edifye it newe
And make it as moche other more · in alle manere poyntes
As euere it was and as wyde · wher-fore I hote ȝow
Of preyeres and of parfitnesse · þis place þat ȝe callen
Domus mea domus oracionis vocabitur
Enuye and yuel wille · [aren][^2485] in þe iewes
Thei casten & contreueden · to kulle hym whan þei miȝte
Vche daye after other · þeire tyme þei awaited
Til it bifel on a fryday · a litel bifor Paske
Þe þorsday byfore [·] þere he made his [cene][^2486]
Sittyng atte[^2487] sopere · he seide þise wordes
I am solde þorw [sum][^2488] of ȝow · he shal þe tyme rewe
Þat euere he his saueoure solde · for syluer or elles

[^2482: Bx.16.127: ihesus: Beta's obviously erroneous ich is likely to derive from the abbreviation ihc, as in R. F reads crist.]

[^2483: Bx.16.129: self: Beta follows this with seith cryst in order to clarify the speaker after the error in l. 127.]

[^2484: Bx.16.131: fisshes: Recalling Matt. 14, beta2 and F read two fisshes, and M is altered to that reading.]

[^2485: Bx.16.143: aren: The reading of the B-text seems to have been alliterating arne, "ran", south-western past tense of rennen, as in Cx (RK.18.163). R's aren, "are", reproduces the corrupt Bx, altered to was by both beta and F, realising that a past tense is called for. See KD, p. 186.]

[^2486: Bx.16.147: cene: So alpha, where beta has maundee. Either could be a substitution of the other, but it is more likely that to increase the alliteration of an ax/ax line beta substituted the fairly common phrase made his maundee, "celebrated the Last Supper" (MED maunde n. (2) (b)). Langland uses neither word elsewhere.]

[^2487: Bx.16.148: atte: "at the"; see note to Bx.P.107.]

[^2488: Bx.16.149: sum: "a certain one"; cf. Mark 14.18: "unus ex vobis me tradet". Beta alters to the unambiguous one, losing the alliteration.]

¶ Iudas iangeled þere-aȝein · ac Ihesus hym tolde
It was hym[-self][^2489] sothely · and seide tu dicis
Þanne went forth þat wikked man · and with þe iewes mette
And tolde hem a tokne [·] how to knowe with ihesus
[Þe][^2490] which tokne to þis day · to moche is yvsed
Þat is kissyng and faire contenaunce · & vnkynde wille
And so was with iudas þo · þat Ihesus bytrayed
Aue raby quod þat ribaude · and riȝt to hym he ȝede
And kiste hym to be cauȝt þere-by · and kulled of[^2491] þe iewes

[^2489: Bx.16.152: hym-self: Perhaps the beta reading was hym as in L and original M, with other scribes making the obvious correction.]

[^2490: Bx.16.155: Þe: Beta's And is repeated from the previous line.]

[^2491: Bx.16.159: of: Beta has some support from Cx which has cauȝt of (RK.18.169). Alpha reads þoruȝ.]

¶ Þanne Ihesus to Iudas · and to þe iewes seyde
Falsenesse I fynde · in þi faire speche
And gyle in þi gladde chere · and galle is in þi lawghyng
Þow shalt be myroure to manye [·] men[^2492] to deceyue
Ac þe wors and þi[^2493] wikkednesse · shal worth vpon þi-selue
Necesse est vt veniant scandala · ve homini illi per quem scandalum venit
Þow I bi tresoun be ytake · at[^2494] ȝowre owne wille
Suffreth my postles[^2495] in pays · & in pees[^2496] gange
On[^2497] a thoresday in thesternesse · þus was he taken
Þorw iudas and iewes · ihesus was his name[^2498]
Þat on þe fryday folwynge · for mankynde sake
Iusted in ierusalem · a ioye to vs alle
On crosse vpon caluarye · cryst toke þe bataille
Aȝeines deth and þe deuel · destruyed her botheres myȝtes
Deyde and deth fordid · and daye of nyȝte made

[^2492: Bx.16.163: manye · men: Only in R does the punctuation separate the adj. from the noun, though this must be right. L's omission of punctuation may indicate uncertainty. In other beta mss. it follows myroure; in F it follows merour after.]

[^2493: Bx.16.164: þi: So LCrWCG. Repetition of þe as in alpha and other beta mss. is the easier error and makes rather poorer sense. In a revised line Cx has thy wyles (RK.18.174).]

[^2494: Bx.16.166: at: This, the beta reading, may refer back to ytake, "captured at your wish", or forward "freely allow my apostles". Perhaps there is elision alliteration on at ȝowre. R has and instead; F has and þorgh. Cx has and to ȝoure will, which can only refer back.]

[^2495: Bx.16.167: my postles: Though other mss. have myn apostles, LR are supported by the X family of C.]

[^2496: Bx.16.167: in pays & in pees: These may be variant spellings of "peace" but with different senses, as Schmidt (2008), 437, suggests. Kane (2005) derives pays from OFr pais, "country", though MED does not record it. C mss. show similar confusion.]

[^2497: Bx.16.168: On: Alpha has In.]

[^2498: Bx.16.169: his name: The reading of all mss. except F, which has þan taken. KD, p. 185, conjecture an original (and archetypal) reading ynome, misread as a "pointless homoeograph", but Schmidt (2008), 437, argues for "the importance of the name of Jesus", and sees F's reading as induced by taken in the previous line. C is revised in this passage.]

¶ And I awaked þere-with · & wyped myne eyghen[^2499]
And after piers þe plowman · pryed and stared
Estwarde and westwarde · I [w]ayted[^2500] after faste
And ȝede forth as an ydiote · in contre to aspye
After Pieres þe plowman · many a place I souȝte
And þanne mette I with a man · a mydlenten sondaye
As hore as an hawethorne · and Abraham he hiȝte
I frayned hym first · fram whennes he come
And of whennes he were · and whider þat he þouȝte

[^2499: Bx.16.175: Following this line F invents two lines to end its Passus 12 and another to begin Passus 13.]

[^2500: Bx.16.177: wayted: L alone has awayted. There is variation in the parallel line in Cx (RK.18.180).]

¶ I am feith quod þat freke · it falleth nouȝte [me][^2501] to lye
And of Abrahames hous · an heraud of armes
I seke after a segge · þat I seigh ones
A ful bolde bacheler · I knewe hym by his blasen

[^2501: Bx.16.184: me: Omitted by beta. R's order is supported by Cx.]

[¶][^2502] What bereth þat buirn quod I þo · so blisse þe bityde

[^2502: Bx.16.188: ¶: At this and the next line a paraph is marked by WHm and alpha to begin two speeches. L has a paraph at l. 189 only.]

¶ Þre leodes in o lith · non lenger þan other
Of one mochel & myȝte · in mesure and in lengthe
Þat one doth alle doth · & eche doth by his one
Þe firste hath miȝte and maiestee · maker of alle þinges
Pater is his propre name · a persone by hym-selue
[^2503] Þe secounde of þat sire is · sothfastnesse filius
Wardeyne of þat witte hath · was euere with-oute gynnyng
Þe þridde hatte þe holygoost · a persone by hym-selue
Þe liȝte of alle þat lyf hath[^2504] · a londe & a watre
Confortoure of creatures · of hym cometh al blisse
So þre bilongeth for a lorde · þat lordeship claymeth
Myȝte and a[^2505] mene · to knowe[^2506] his owne myȝte
Of hym[-selue][^2507] & of his seruaunt · and what suffre[th hem][^2508] bothe
So god þat gynnyng hadde neure · but þo hym good þouȝte
Sent forth his sone [·] as for seruaunt þat tyme
To occupien hym here · til issue were spronge
Þat is children of charite · & holicherche þe moder
Patriarkes & prophetes · and aposteles were þe chyldren[^2509]
And cryst and crystenedome · and [alle][^2510] crystene holycherche
In menynge þat man moste · on[^2511] o god bileue
And þere hym lyked & loued · in þre persones hym shewed
And þat it may be so & soth · manhode it sheweth
Wedloke and widwehode · with virgynyte ynempned
In toknynge of þe Trinite · was taken oute of o[^2512] man
Adam owre aller[^2513] fader · Eue was of hym-selue
And þe issue þat þei hadde · it was of hem bothe
And either is otheres ioye · in thre sondry persones
And in heuene & here · one syngulere name
And þ[u]s[^2514] is mankynde or manhede · of matrimoigne yspronge
And bitokneth þe Trinite · and trewe bileue[^2515]

[^2503: Bx.16.194-6: These three lines are omitted in F by eyeskip from hym-selue to hym-selue.]

[^2504: Bx.16.197: hath: Alpha loses the verb and muddles the a-verse.]

[^2505: Bx.16.200: a: Omitted by WHmCO, but supported by Cx (RK.18.201).]

[^2506: Bx.16.200: knowe: Omitted by alpha. Cx has se.]

[^2507: Bx.16.201: hym-selue: The alpha reading carries alliteration and is supported by Cx against beta's hym.]

[^2508: Bx.16.201: suffreth hem: Whatever the b-verse means in alpha, it is supported by Cx against þei suffre in beta. See Schmidt (2008), 437.]

[^2509: Bx.16.206: chyldren: Alpha's barnes is an attractive reading, and it is easy to suppose that beta is repeating children in the previous line. But Cx also reads childrene.]

[^2510: Bx.16.207: alle: Easily lost in beta. Alpha is supported by the X family of C, though the P family supports beta.]

[^2511: Bx.16.208: on: Cr and Alpha read in. Lines 208-27 are not in C.]

[^2512: Bx.16.212: o: "one". In LHmCOR, but dropped by MCrWG and F (which reads mankynde). CrW reverse the word-order of the b-verse.]

[^2513: Bx.16.213: aller: "of us all", of which alþer in O is another form. The variants are interesting: Hm's aldre is ambiguous, though aldre-fader suggests "ancestor" (see MED eldre and eldre-fader). This is modernised by Cr as olde father. F reads forme fader.]

[^2514: Bx.16.217: þus: The reading of all beta mss. except L þis. But possibly L preserves the beta reading since alpha has þat.]

[^2515: Bx.16.218: Beta4 omits the line.]

¶ Miȝte is [in][^2516] matrimoigne · þat multiplieth þe erthe
And bitokneth trewly · telle if I dorste
He[^2517] þat firste fourmed al · þe fader of heuene
Þe sone if I it[^2518] durst seye · resembleth wel þe wydwe
Deus meus deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me
Þat is creatour wex creature · to knowe what was bothe
As widwe with-oute wedloke · was neure ȝete yseye
Na-more myȝte god be man · but if he moder hadde
So wydwe with-oute wedloke · may nouȝte wel stande
Ne matrimoigne withoute moillerye · is nouȝt moche to preyse
Maledictus homo qui non reliquit semen in israel &c
Þus in þre persones · is perfitliche [pure][^2519] manhede
Þat is man & his make · & moillere her[^2520] children
And is nouȝt but gendre of o[^2521] generacioun · bifor Ihesu cryst[^2522] in heuene
So is þe fader forth with þe sone · and fre wille of bothe
Spiritus procedens a patre & filio
Which is þe holygoste of alle · and alle is but o god
Þus in a somer I hym seigh · as I satte in my porche
I ros vp and reuerenced hym · & riȝt faire hym grette
Thre men to my syȝte · I made wel at ese
Wesche her feet & wyped hem · and afterward þei eten
Calues flesshe & cakebrede · and knewe what I thouȝte
Ful trewe tokenes bitwene vs is · to telle whan me lyketh
Firste he fonded me · if I loued bettere
Hym or ysaak myn ayre · þe which he hiȝte me kulle
He wiste my wille by hym · he wil me it allowe
I am ful syker in soule þer-of · and my sone bothe
I circumcised my sone · sitthen for his sake
My-self and my meyne · and alle þat male were
Bledden blode for þat lordes loue · and hope to blisse þe tyme
Myn affiaunce & my faith · is ferme in þis bilieue
For hym-self bihiȝte to me · and to myne issue bothe
Londe and lordship · and lyf with-outen ende
To me and to myn issue · more ȝete he me graunted
Mercy for owre mysdedes · as many tyme as we asken
Quam olim abrahe promisisti & semini eius
And sith he sent me to seye · I sholde do sacrifise
And done hym worshipe with bred · and with wyn bothe
And called me þe[^2523] fote of his faith · his folke forto saue
And defende hem fro þe fende · folke þat on me leneden[^2524]
Þus haue I ben his heraude · here and in helle[^2525]
And conforted many a careful · þat after his comynge wayten
And þus I seke hym he seide · for I [herde][^2526] seyne late
Of a b[ui]rn[^2527] þat baptised hym · Iohan Baptiste was his name
Þat to patriarkes and to[^2528] prophetes · and to[^2529] other peple in derknesse
Seyde þat he seigh[^2530] here · þat sholde saue vs[^2531] alle
Ecce agnus dei &c ·

[^2516: Bx.16.219: in: Beta's omission leads CrW to alter the noun Miȝte to the adjective Mighty.]

[^2517: Bx.16.221: He: Altered to the more "correct" form in beta2 and F.]

[^2518: Bx.16.222: it: As in LW and alpha, but unsurprisingly lost in the others. For if I it, CGO read is if I, and alter the b-verse accordingly.]

[^2519: Bx.16.230: pure: So R (=alpha?); F rewrites as þorghȝ. R has support from Cx (is puyrlich bote o mankynde, RK.18.233), and improves the alliteration. Having dropped the third stave, beta misplaces the punctus, although since alpha does so as well it is probable that the misplacement was in Bx, thus encouraging the omission of pure in beta.]

[^2520: Bx.16.231: her: Support from Cx shows as usual that agreement of L and alpha is sufficient to establish Bx.]

[^2521: Bx.16.232: o: Supported by LWCR as well as sense, although lost by MCrHmGOF.]

[^2522: Bx.16.232: cryst: To shorten a long line, GF drop cryst and Cr drops in heuene.]

[^2523: Bx.16.257: þe: Dropped by all except L, beta2 and R.]

[^2524: Bx.16.258: leneden: "leaned". Cr unambiguously has leueden, and F has beleveþ (G is altered to leved). These three scribes regularly read "leave" for lenen in the sense "grant". The others may be read as <-u-> or <-n->, but "leaned" is fitting where Abraham is þe fote. See Schmidt (1995), 400.]

[^2525: Bx.16.259: F omits the next two lines.]

[^2526: Bx.16.261: herde: L omits; the corrector notes the omission.]

[^2527: Bx.16.262: buirn: So alpha for beta's inappropriate barne.]

[^2528: Bx.16.263: to (2): Lost in beta4 and F.]

[^2529: Bx.16.263: to (3): Lost in beta4.]

[^2530: Bx.16.264: seigh: Beta is supported by Cx (and sense) against alpha's seyde.]

[^2531: Bx.16.264: sholde saue vs: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's schal sauen hem.]

¶ I hadde wonder of his wordes · and of his wyde clothes
For[^2532] in his bosome he bar a thyng · [and][^2533] þat he blissed euere
And I loked on[^2534] his lappe · a lazar lay þere-Inne
Amonges patriarkes and profetes · pleyande[^2535] togyderes

[^2532: Bx.16.267: For: Beta is supported by Cx (RK.18.270) against alpha's And.]

[^2533: Bx.16.267: and: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's omission.]

[^2534: Bx.16.268: on: Support from LMCGOR confirms this as the Bx reading, even though beta2 and F have in, as in Cx.]

[^2535: Bx.16.269: pleyande: The present participle ending varies suggestively. Alpha, and perhaps Bx, may have had -ende, as in F, miscopied by R as -ede. LALME records this in Gloucs as well as East Anglia. HmG have -eng(e), which is scattered but mainly south eastern. L's -ande, though often regarded as northern, is also found in London. See LALME, dot maps 345-8, and vol. 4, 105-7.]

[¶][^2536] What awaytestow quod he · and what woldestow haue

[^2536: Bx.16.270: ¶: The paraph marking direct speech is supported by WHmC and alpha.]

[¶][^2537] I wolde wyte quod I þo [·] what is in ȝowre lappe

[^2537: Bx.16.271: ¶: The paraph marking the change of speaker is supported by WC and alpha.]

¶ Loo quod he and lete me se · lorde mercy I seide
Þis is [a][^2538] present of moche prys · what Prynce shal it haue

[^2538: Bx.16.273: a: Omitted in L.]

[¶][^2539] It is a preciouse present quod he · ac þe pouke it hath attached
And me þere-[with][^2540] quod þat [wy][^2541] · may no wedde vs quite
Ne no buyrn be owre borwgh · ne bryng vs fram his daungere
[^2542] Oute of þe poukes pondfolde[^2543] · no meynprise may vs fecche
Tyl he come þat I carpe of · cryst is his name
Þat shal delyure vs some daye · out of þe deueles powere
And bettere wedde for vs legge · þan we ben alle worthy
Þat is lyf for lyf · or ligge þus euere
Lollynge in my lappe · tyl such a lorde vs fecche

[^2539: Bx.16.274: ¶: The paraph marking the change of speaker is supported by WHmC and alpha.]

[^2540: Bx.16.275: with: So alpha and Cx, and needed for the alliteration. Beta presumably had myde, altered as elsewhere to the commoner wyþ in HmCG (see Bx.6.69 and 15.324).]

[^2541: Bx.16.275: wy: So alpha and Cx, and needed for the alliteration. Beta alters to man.]

[^2542: Bx.16.277: The line is omitted by alpha. It is in Cx.]

[^2543: Bx.16.277: pondfolde: The form as in LWC is influenced by MED pound(e n. (2).]

[^2544] ¶ Allas I seyde þat synne · so longe shal lette
Þe myȝte of goddes mercy · þat myȝt vs alle amende
I wepte for his wordes · with þat sawe I an other
Rapelich renne forth · þe riȝte waye he went
I affrayned[^2545] hym fyrste · fram whennes he come
[W]hat[^2546] he hiȝte & whider he wolde · and wightlich he tolde

[^2544: Bx.16.283-6: These four lines are only in beta; alpha has three quite different lines, though beginning Allas, suggesting eyeskip following the word. Beta is supported throughout by Cx. KD explain it as "homoeoarchy" (Allas I ... I) with the spurious lines added to bridge the gap in sense (p. 68).]

[^2545: Bx.16.287: affrayned: The form is supported for Bx by LWCR.]

[^2546: Bx.16.288: What: Beta begins the line And what. Alpha is supported by Cx, though notice that there the previous line begins And.]

Passus septimus decimus et secundus de dobet

I am spes [a spye] quod he[^2547] · and[^2548] spire after a knyȝte
That toke me a maundement [·] vpon þe mounte of synay
To reule alle rewmes [þere-]with[^2549] · I bere þe writte here

[^2547: Bx.17.1: a spye quod he: Alpha's word-order is supported by Cx (RK.19.1).]

[^2548: Bx.17.1: and: Omitted by R, but supported by Cx.]

[^2549: Bx.17.3: þere-: Omitted by beta, but supported by Cx.]

[¶][^2550] Is it asseled[^2551] I seyde · may men se þi[^2552] lettres

[^2550: Bx.17.4: ¶: A paraph is indicated by MW and alpha.]

[^2551: Bx.17.4: asseled: The form is supported by Cx against CrWG enseled.]

[^2552: Bx.17.4: þi: Supported by LWHmR. MCrCGOF have þe. Cx is split.]

[¶][^2553] Nay he sayde I seke hym · þat hath þe sele to kepe

[^2553: Bx.17.5: ¶: The paraph is supported by WC and alpha. L misplaces it at the start of the following line.]

And þat is crosse and crystenedome · and cryst þere-on to hange
[^2554] And whan it is asseled[^2555] so · I wote wel þe sothe
Þat Lucyferes lordeship · laste shal no lenger

[^2554: Bx.17.7-8: Beta's two lines are supported by the revised lines in Cx (RK.19.9-10). R reflects a corrupt alpha, conflating the two lines into one and adding a half-line for a smooth transition to l. 9: "And whan it is aseled so sathanas power schal last no lenger / And þus my lettre meneth". F typically fills out the orphan half-line: "& whan it ys a-selyd soo sathenas haþ lost his power / & þus myn lettre meneþ men mowe knowe yt alle". KD adopt F's expanded line.]

[^2555: Bx.17.7: asseled: Supported by Cx. CrWG again have enseled.]

[¶][^2556] Late se þi lettres[^2557] quod I · we miȝte þe lawe knowe

[^2556: Bx.17.9: ¶: The paraph is supported by WHmC and alpha.]

[^2557: Bx.17.9: þi lettres: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's þat lettre.]

¶ [A] plokked[^2558] forth a patent · a pece of an harde roche
Wher-on was[^2559] writen two wordes · on þis wyse yglosed
Dilige deum & proximum tuum &c
Þis was þe tixte trewly · I toke ful gode [gome][^2560]
Þe glose was gloriousely writen · with a gilte penne
In hijs duobus mandatis [pendet] tota lex[^2561] & prophetia[^2562]

[^2558: Bx.17.10: A plokked: So alpha. Beta begins Þanne plokked he, but is not supported by Cx. The form A, "He" (cf. F & he) is in C mss. and may represent Bx. See note to Bx.16.79.]

[^2559: Bx.17.11: was: L and alpha, supported by Cx, but altered to were in other beta mss. as elsewhere. Cf. Bx.5.13, 13.368, 19.47, 19.96.]

[^2560: Bx.17.13: gome: "heed" (MED gome n. (4)), with citations from Robert of Gloucester and elsewhere. The reading of R, with F substituting easier keepe and beta the cognate ȝeme. In C gome has strong support, with ȝeme, kepe and hede as easier variants. Cf. Bx.10.206.]

[^2561: Bx.17.15: pendet tota lex : This is R's order, as in most C mss., with the other B mss. correcting to the Vulgate order. See next note.]

[^2562: Bx.17.15: prophetia : "prophesy"; so LWHmR. The other mss. correct to prophete, "prophets", as in Matt. 22.40.]

¶ Is[^2563] here alle þi lordes lawes quod I · ȝe leue me[^2564] he seyde
And who-so worcheth after þis writte · I wil vndertaken
Shal neuere deuel hym dere · ne deth in soule greue
For þough I seye it my-self · I haue saued with þis charme
Of men & of wommen · many score þousandes

[^2563: Bx.17.16: Is: LRF supported by Cx (though note that F consequently alters lawes to sg.). Other scribes correct to Ben.]

[^2564: Bx.17.16: me: Beta adds wel, but CrG and alpha and Cx are without it.]

¶ He[^2565] seith soth seyde[^2566] þis heraud · I haue yfounde it ofte
Lo here in my lappe · þat leued on þat charme
Iosue and Iudith · and Iudas Macabeus
[A]nd[^2567] sexty þousande bisyde-forth · þat ben nouȝt seyen here

[^2565: Bx.17.21: He: Supported by Cx against WHm Ye.]

[^2566: Bx.17.21: seyde: As in Cx. MO repeat the present tense.]

[^2567: Bx.17.24: And: Beta begins Ȝe and, which is idiomatic but not supported by Cx.]

¶ Ȝowre wordes aren wonderful quod I tho[^2568] · which of ȝow is trewest
And lelest to leue on · for lyf and for soule
Abraham seith þat he seigh ·[^2569] holy þe Trinite
Thre persones in parcelles · departable fro other
And alle þre but o god · þus abraham me tauȝte
And hath saued þat bileued[^2570] so · and sory for her synnes
He can nouȝte segge þe somme · and some aren in his lappe
What neded it þanne · a newe lawe to b[rynge][^2571]
Sith þe fyrst sufficeth · to sauacioun & to blisse

[^2568: Bx.17.25: tho: Dropped by beta4 and F and by the majority of C mss.]

[^2569: Bx.17.27: Puzzled by the alliterative pattern, CrWO punctuate after seiþ, with O having a second punctuation after seyȝ.]

[^2570: Bx.17.30: bileued: G and alpha have the present, but beta is supported by most C mss.]

[^2571: Bx.17.32: brynge: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's begynne.]

¶ And now cometh spes and speketh · þat hath aspied þe lawe
And telleth nouȝte of þe Trinitee · þat toke hym his lettres
To byleue and louye · in o lorde almyȝty
And sitthe riȝt as my-self · so louye alle[^2572] peple

[^2572: Bx.17.37: alle: MCrF have alle þe. The C text is revised.]

[^2573] ¶ Þe gome þat goth with o staf · he semeth in gretter hele
Þan he þat goth with two staues · to syȝte of vs alle
And riȝte so by þe Rode · resoun me sheweth
It is lyȝter to lewed men · a lessoun to knowe
Þan for to techen hem two · and to harde to lerne þe leest
It is ful harde for any man · on abraham byleue
And welawey worse ȝit · for to loue a shrewe
It is liȝtor to leue · in þre louely persones
Þan for to louye and lene · as wel lorelles as lele

[^2573: Bx.17.38-48: Eleven lines omitted by alpha, probably skipping a paraph. The C text is heavily revised, running parallel again from Bx.17.47.]

[¶][^2574] Go þi gate quod I to[^2575] spes · so[^2576] me god helpe
Þo þat lerneth þi lawe · wil[^2577] litel while vsen it

[^2574: Bx.17.47: ¶: The paraph is in WHmC, with a new line group in M. Alpha is not present.]

[^2575: Bx.17.47: to: Omitted by beta4, but supported by Cx.]

[^2576: Bx.17.47: so: MCr have for so, but this has no support from Cx.]

[^2577: Bx.17.48: wil: Supported by Cx against MCrHm wel.]

[¶][^2578] And as we wenten þus[^2579] in þe weye · wordyng togyderes
Þanne seye we a samaritan · sittende[^2580] on a mule
Rydynge[^2581] ful rapely · þe riȝt weye we ȝeden
Comynge fro a cuntre · þat men called Ierico
id est cristus

[Bx.17.53: id est cristus : This is written in the margin by the main hand in LM, and at the end of the line in R. Hm has it in the margin in another hand.]

To a iustes in iherusalem · he chaced awey faste
Bothe þe heraud and hope · and he mette at ones
Where a man was wounded · and with þeues taken
He myȝte neither steppe ne stonde · ne stere fote ne handes
Ne helpe hym-self sothely · for semiuyf he semed
And as naked as a nedle · and none helpe aboute[^2582]

[^2578: Bx.17.49: ¶: Alpha resumes. The paraph is in alpha. In LM it has been missed at the top of the page. See note to ll. 38-48 and see Burrow (2010), 26.]

[^2579: Bx.17.49: þus: This is presumably the placement of the word in Bx, though CrF and Cx postpone it to the start of the b-verse.]

[^2580: Bx.17.50: sittende: This form of the present ppl. is shared by LRF, and so is probably that of Bx. All mss. generally have -yng(e). L has -ende just three times, -enge once, -ande twice, and all these forms occur from Bx.16.269. R has -ende on the same three occasions, -ande once, and -ynde (a south-west midland form) once, in l. 52 below. M and W never have these forms. See variants at ll. 51 and 212 below. For distribution see LALME i, dot maps 345-9.]

[^2581: Bx.17.51: Rydynge: F's Rydende may represent alpha, giving rise to R's Ryden. See note to l. 50.]

[^2582: Bx.17.58: aboute: Beta adds hym, as does the P family of C, but alpha is supported by the most reliable X family mss. It is easier to see why the word was added than how it might have been lost.]

¶ Feith had first siȝte of[^2583] hym · ac he flegh on syde
And nolde nouȝt neighen hym · by nyne londes lengthe

[^2583: Bx.17.59: of: Again the C mss. are divided, with the best of the X family supporting beta, while the others have alpha's on.]

¶ Hope cam hippyng after · þat hadde so ybosted
How he with Moyses maundement · hadde many men yholpe
Ac whan he hadde siȝte of þat segge · a-syde he gan hym drawe
Dredfully by þis day as duk · doth fram þe faucoun

¶ Ac so sone so þe samaritan · hadde siȝte of þis lede
He liȝte adown of lyard · and ladde hym in his hande[s][^2584]
And to þe wye he went · his woundes to biholde
And parceyued bi his pous · he was in peril to deye
And but if[^2585] he hadde recourere[^2586] · þe rather · þat rise shulde he neure
[And breyde to his boteles . and bothe he atamede][^2587]
Wyth wyn & with oyle · his woundes he wasshed
Enbawmed hym and bonde his hed · & in his lappe hym layde
And ladde hym so forth on lyard · to lex cristi a graunge
Wel six myle or seuene · biside þe newe market
Herberwed hym at an hostrye · and to[^2588] þe hostellere called
And sayde haue kepe þis man · til I come fro þe iustes
And lo here syluer he seyde · for salue to his woundes
And he toke hym two pans · to lyflode as it were
And seide what he speneth more · I make þe good hereafter
For I may nouȝt lette quod þat leode · & lyarde he bistrydeth
And raped hym to iherusalem-ward · þe riȝte waye to ryde

[^2584: Bx.17.66: handes: Alpha's rather more difficult plural is supported by Cx.]

[^2585: Bx.17.69: if: Dropped by CrWGF and the P family of C, but supported by the best of the X family.]

[^2586: Bx.17.69: recourere: L's form is supported by R. Both LR follow the word with a punctus.]

[^2587: Bx.17.70: The line, the last of a series beginning And, is lost in beta. R's wording is supported by Cx, with breyde to revised as vnbokelede.]

[^2588: Bx.17.75: to: The beta reading; alpha is without it. The line is revised in Cx.]

¶ Faith folweth[^2589] after faste · and fonded to mete hym
And spes spa[r]klich[^2590] hym spedde · spede if he myȝte
To ouertake hym and talke to hym · ar þei to toun come

[^2589: Bx.17.82: folweth: The agreement of LR is generally sufficient to secure the Bx reading, and the alteration to the past tense in all other mss. is easily explained as influence of the surrounding verbs. Nevertheless, Cx in a revised line (RK.19.80) also has folewede.]

[^2590: Bx.17.83: sparklich: So alpha, a metathesised form of MED sprakli, and cf. sprak; a rare word, for which beta substitutes synonymous spaklich (MED spakli, and cf. spak and spake). Both are ON. See Bx.18.12 and note there.]

¶ And whan I seyȝ þis I soiourned nouȝte · but shope me to renne
And suwed þ[e][^2591] samaritan · þat was so ful of pite
And graunted hym to ben his grome[^2592] · gramercy he seyde
Ac þi frende and þi felawe quod he · þow fyndest me at nede

[^2591: Bx.17.86: þe: So alpha, which is supported by the same a-verse in Cx against beta's þat.]

[^2592: Bx.17.87: grome: It would be logical to adopt alpha's gome as difficilior, and that might be right. And yet gome appears 18 times in Bx, and is not a word avoided by either alpha or beta, whereas grome is used only here, where the sense "servant, attendant" is particularly appropriate, especially in view of the contrast with "friend" and "fellow" in the next line. There is no Cx parallel.]

¶ And I thanked hym þo · and sith[^2593] I hym tolde
How þat feith fleigh awey · and spes his felaw bothe
For siȝte of þe sorweful man · þat robbed was with þeues

[^2593: Bx.17.89: sith: F adds þus, which KD adopt on metrical grounds (p. 173). But F lost elision alliteration on sith I by altering to sytthyn. The line is not in C.]

[¶][^2594] Haue hem excused quod he · her help may litel auaille
May no medcyn [vnder][^2595] molde · þe man to hele brynge
Neither feith ne fyn hope · so festred ben his woundis
With-out þe blode of a barn · borne of a mayde
And be he[^2596] bathed in þat blode · baptised as it were
And þanne plastred with penaunce · and passioun[^2597] of þat babi
He shulde stonde and steppe · ac stalworth worth he neure[^2598]
Tyl he haue eten al þe barn · and his blode ydronke
For went neuere wy in þis worlde [·] þorw þat wildernesse
Þat he ne was robbed or rifled · rode he þere or ȝede
Saue faith & his felaw · spes and my-selue
And þi-self now[^2599] · and such as suwen owre werkis

[^2594: Bx.17.92: ¶: The paraph has been omitted from L at the top of the page, but is supported by MWHm and alpha.]

[^2595: Bx.17.93: vnder: Alpha's reading is supported by Cx against beta's on. The readings are discussed by KD, pp. 111-12.]

[^2596: Bx.17.96: And be he: "And if he be"; supported by LWHm. The other beta mss. have And he be, where And means "If". Alpha loses he, necessary for the syntax.]

[^2597: Bx.17.97: passioun: Alpha adds the definite article, creating a b-verse with two long dips.]

[^2598: Bx.17.98: O has lost 17.98-354.]

[^2599: Bx.17.103: now: All mss. punctuate after now, rather than after such. Cx has no parallel up to l. 127.]

¶ For outlaw[e is][^2600] in þe wode · and vnder banke lotyeth
And may[^2601] vch man se · and gode merke take[th][^2602]
Who is bihynde and who bifore · and who ben on hors
For he halt hym hardyer on horse · þan he þat is a-fote[^2603]
For he seigh[^2604] me þat am samaritan · suwen feith & his felaw
On my caple þat hatte caro · of mankynde I toke it
He was vnhardy þat harlot[^2605] · and hudde hym in inferno
Ac ar þis day þre dayes · I dar vndertaken
Þat he worth fettred þat feloune · fast with cheynes
And neure eft greue [g]ome[^2606] · þat goth þis ilke gate
[^2607] [O mors ero mors tua &c][^2608]

[^2600: Bx.17.104: outlawe is: Misled by the lack of an article, beta misreads as pl. outlawes and F adds an. It is, however, to be taken as a proper name. See notes to next line.]

[^2601: Bx.17.105: may: The Bx reading is altered to pl. mowe(n) by MWHmCG following their misunderstanding of the previous line. Alpha naturally retains may, as does L, typically following his copy, and also Cr, for whom it was the standard sg. form.]

[^2602: Bx.17.105: taketh: So alpha. Again it is likely that beta altered the sg. verb to pl. take, though it works very well as an infinitive.]

[^2603: Bx.17.107: a-fote: L's form is also that of R.]

[^2604: Bx.17.108: seigh: G and alpha have seith, but it makes poor sense.]

[^2605: Bx.17.110: vnhardy þat harlot: Alpha, copied blindly by R, skips from -har to har-, hence vnharlot. F makes sense of this with but an harlot.]

[^2606: Bx.17.113: gome: In this case L's grome is shared only with C. The only other occurrence of grome in L is l. 87 above; see note there.]

[^2607: Bx.17.114-26: Line 114 is only in alpha and ll. 115-26 are only in beta. The whole passage, Bx.17.104-26, is without parallel in Cx, which runs parallel again from Bx.17.127.]

[^2608: Bx.17.114: The line is only in alpha, and possibly not Bx. Cf. Bx.18.37. F expands the quotation.]

¶ And þanne shal feith be forester here · and in þis fritth walke[^2609]
And kennen out[^2610] comune men · þat knoweth nouȝte þe contre
Which is þe weye þat ich went · and wherforth to iherusalem
And hope þe hostelleres man shal be · þere þe man lith an helynge
And alle þat fieble and faynt be · þat faith may nouȝt teche
Hope shal lede hem forth with loue · as his lettre telleth
And hostel hem and hele · þorw holicherche bileue
Tyl I haue salue for alle syke · and þanne shal I retourne[^2611]
And come aȝein bi þis contree · and confort alle syke
Þat craueth it or coueiteth it · and cryeth þere-after
For þe barne was born in bethleem · þat with his blode shal saue
Alle þat lyueth in faith · and folweth his felawes techynge

[^2609: Bx.17.115-26: Twelve lines only in beta: alpha has skipped from paraph to paraph.]

[^2610: Bx.17.116: out: Lost in beta4. For kennen out, "guide out", see MED kennen v. (1), 1b (c).]

[^2611: Bx.17.122: retourne: WHm have synonymous turne.]

¶ A swete syre I seyde[^2612] þo · wher I shal[^2613] byleue
As feith and his felawe · enfourmed me bothe
In þre persones departable · þat perpetuel were euere
And alle þre but o god · þus abraham me tauȝte
And hope afterwarde · he bad me to louye
O god wyth al my good · and alle gomes after
Louye hem lyke my-selue · ac owre lorde aboue alle

[^2612: Bx.17.127: I seyde: Supported by Cx. CrHmGF reverse the word-order.]

[^2613: Bx.17.127: I shal: So LWR; the others reverse the word-order. Cx is different.]

¶ After abraham quod he · þat heraud of armes
Sette faste[^2614] þi faith · and ferme bileue
And as hope hiȝte[^2615] þe · I hote þat þow louye
Thyn euene-crystene euermore · euene-forth with þi-self
And if conscience carpe þere-aȝein · or kynde witte oyther
Or heretykes with argumentz · þin honde þow h[e]m[^2616] shewe
For god is after an hande · yhere now and knowe it

[^2614: Bx.17.135: faste: WHm read fully.]

[^2615: Bx.17.136: hiȝte: Alpha's behiȝt avoids the repetition of the verb in the b-verse, but its usual sense in the poem, "vow, promise", is not appropriate here (cf. l. 131).]

[^2616: Bx.17.139: hem: So alpha supported by Cx, with beta presumably reading him, corrected by WHm.]

¶ Þe fader was fyrst as a fyst · with o fynger fold[en][^2617]
Tyl hym loued[^2618] and lest · to vnlosen his fynger
And profre[d][^2619] it forth as with a paume · to what place it sholde
Þe paume is purely þe hande · and profreth forth þe fyngres
To mynystre and to make · þat myȝte of hande knoweth
And bitokneth trewly · telle who-so liketh
Þe holygost of heuene · he is as þe paume
Þe fyngres þat fre ben · to folde and to serue
Bitokneth sothly þe sone · þat sent was til erthe
Þat[^2620] toched and tasted · a[t][^2621] techynge of þe paume
Seynt Marie a Mayde · and mankynde lauȝte
Qui conceptus est de spiritu sancto &c
Þe fader is þanne as a fust · with fynger to touche
Quia omnia traham ad me ipsum &c
Al þat þe paume parceyueth · profitable to fele
Thus ar þei alle but one · as it an hande[^2622] were
And þre sondry siȝtes · in one shewynge
Þe paume for he[^2623] putteth forth fyngres [·] and þe fust bothe
Riȝt so redily · reson it sheweth
How he þat is holygoste · sire & sone preueth
And as þe hande halt harde · and al þynge faste
Þorw foure fyngres and a thombe · forth with þe paume
Riȝte so þe fader and þe sone · & seynt spirit þe þridde
Halt[^2624] al þe wyde worlde · with-in[^2625] hem thre
Bothe welkne[^2626] and þe wynde · water and erthe
Heuene & helle · and al þat þere is Inne[^2627]
Þus it is[^2628] · nedeth no man · to[^2629] trowe non other
That thre þinges bilongeth · in owre lorde of heuene
And aren serelepes by hem-self · asondry were[^2630] neure
Namore þan [may an hande][^2631] [·] meue with-outen fyngeres[^2632]

[^2617: Bx.17.141: folden: The past ppl. as in alpha is supported by the revised line in Cx (RK.19.115), and by Bx.17.171.]

[^2618: Bx.17.142: hym loued: Clearly the beta reading, though Hm alters to hym lykede, which is also the reading of Cx. On impersonal uses of personal verbs see Mustanoja (1960), 436. MED does not record impersonal use of louen, but cf. Bx.16.209, hym lyked & loued; the WCr reading in 13.333, me loueþ as against I louye in others. Alpha may have had the same reading as beta, with R misreading as hym leued and F altering to he lyþed, perhaps (very oddly) influenced by the collocation lithe and lust (MED lithen v. (3)).]

[^2619: Bx.17.143: profred: Beta has the infinitive, but alpha's past tense is supported by Cx.]

[^2620: Bx.17.150: Þat: Alpha makes weaker sense with And (R) or & þorghȝ (F). The line in Cx is as beta's, but without Þat.]

[^2621: Bx.17.150: at: Beta is supported by Cx. Only L has atte, "at the". Alpha has and.]

[^2622: Bx.17.156: hande: Supported by Cx and by alliteration. Alpha repeats fust from l. 153.]

[^2623: Bx.17.158: he: WF have it; R repeats þe paume. There is no parallel in Cx until l. 171.]

[^2624: Bx.17.164: Halt: W moves the verb to the end of the line; Cr does the same, also reversing the a- and b-verses, and M is revised to match Cr.]

[^2625: Bx.17.164: with-in: Alpha reads with, and F adds to-gydres at line-end to make up for the loss.]

[^2626: Bx.17.165: welkne: CrHmGF add the definite article.]

[^2627: Bx.17.166: þere is Inne: L's word-order is supported by alpha.]

[^2628: Bx.17.167: is: Dropped by Hm, beta4 and alpha. LW both clarify the syntax by punctuating after is.]

[^2629: Bx.17.167: to: Attested by L and alpha, but dropped by others.]

[^2630: Bx.17.169: were: All except L and alpha read were þei. The line is marked for correction in L, with the corrector perhaps supposing that a pronoun is missing.]

[^2631: Bx.17.170: may an hande: So alpha. Beta's possessive pronoun, myn hande may, anticipates the next line.]

[^2632: Bx.17.170: fyngeres: Following on from the a-verse, beta mss. apart from LHm add my.]

¶ And as my fust is ful honde · yfolde togideres
So is þe fader a ful god · formeour and shepper
Tu fabricator omnium &c
And al þe myȝte myd hym is [·][^2633] in makyng of þynges

[^2633: Bx.17.174: L omits the punctus, MCrHm punctuate after hym, but WC agree with alpha in putting it after is.]

¶ The fyngres fourmen a ful hande · to purtreye or peynten
Keruynge and[^2634] compassynge · as[^2635] crafte of þe fyngres
Riȝt so is þe sone · þe science of þe fader
And ful god as is þe fader · no febler ne no better
Þe paume is purelich þe hande · hath power bi hym-selue
Otherwyse þan þe wrythen[^2636] fuste [·] or werkmanschip of fyngres
For þe paume hath powere [·] to pu[l]t[^2637] oute þe[^2638] ioyntes
And to vnfolde þe fuste[^2639] [· for hym it bilongeth[^2640]
And receyue þat þe fyngres recheth · and refuse bothe[^2641]
Whan he feleth þe fuste · and[^2642]] þe fyngres wille
So is þe holygoste god · nother gretter ne lasse
Þan is þe sire [or][^2643] þe sone · & in þe same myȝte
And alle ar þei but o god · as is myn hande & my fyngres
Vnfolden or folden · my fuste & myn paume
Al is [it][^2644] but an hande · how-so I torne it[^2645]
Ac who is herte in þe hande · euene in þe myddes
[^2646] He may receyue riȝt nouȝte · resoun it sheweth
For þe fyngres þat folde shulde · and þe fuste make
For peyne of þe paume · powere hem failleth
To clicche or to clawe · to clyppe or to holde

[^2634: Bx.17.176: and: Alpha reads or, probably following the construction of the previous b-verse. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2635: Bx.17.176: as: Alpha (together with Cr) reads is, adopted by both KD and Schmidt without comment.]

[^2636: Bx.17.180: wrythen: Alpha's misunderstanding writen is shared with three C mss. (RK.19.142).]

[^2637: Bx.17.181: pult: MED pilten, 3 "extend". R is supported by the X family of C, though as elsewhere most mss. alter to putte as beta does here. Cf. notes to Bx.1.128, 8.97, 11.167, 15.66.]

[^2638: Bx.17.181: þe (2): Beta reads alle þe, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2639: Bx.17.182: fuste: Beta has folden fuste, but Cx supports alpha. Beta, skipping from fuste to fuste, then drops the b-verse of l. 182, l. 183, and the a-verse of l. 184.]

[^2640: Bx.17.182: for hym it bilongeth: R's form of the b-verse (lost in beta) is supported by Cx.]

[^2641: Bx.17.183: bothe: Cx reads yf hym liketh.]

[^2642: Bx.17.184: and: So alpha. Beta's at (as in beta4) links 182a with 184b. The line is revised in Cx.]

[^2643: Bx.17.186: or: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's and.]

[^2644: Bx.17.189: it (1): Lost in beta. Alpha is supported by Cx, though several C mss. also omit it.]

[^2645: Bx.17.189: how-so I torne it: 189b and 190a are lost in beta mss. apart from LCr, skipping from hande to hande. The M corrector adds the missing words, which are in Cx.]

[^2646: Bx.17.191: Beta4 drops this line, and F loses 191b-196a through eyeskip.]

¶ Were þe myddel of myn honde · ymaymed or ypersshed[^2647]
I shulde receyue riȝte nouȝte · of þat I reche myȝte
Ac þough my thombe & my fyngres [·] bothe were to-shullen[^2648]
And þe myddel of myn hande · with-oute male-ese
In many kynnes maneres · I myȝte my-self helpe
Bothe meue and amende · þough alle my fyngres oke
Bi þis skil [he seide][^2649] · I se an euydence
Þat who-so synneth in þe seynt spirit [·] assoilled worth he neure
Noither here ne elles-where · as I herde telle
Qui peccat in spiritu sancto[^2650] &c
For he prikketh god as in þe paume · þat peccat in spiritu sancto
For god þe fader is as a fuste [·] þe sone is as a fynger
The holy goste of heuene · is as it were þe pawme
So who-so synneth [aȝeins þe][^2651] seynt spirit · it semeth þat he greueth
God þat he grypeth with · and wolde his grace quenche

[^2647: Bx.17.195: ypersshed: "pierced" (R has ypersed). The other beta mss. have perisshed etc., which MED percen lists as a variant spelling, though it seems more probable that scribes took it to be perishen. Lines 195b-8a are not in Cx.]

[^2648: Bx.17.197: to-shullen: This is evidently the beta reading, with M altering to the easier to-swollen in agreement with Hm and alpha. MED ?toshellen, "shatter", cites no other instances.]

[^2649: Bx.17.201: he seide: Alpha is supported by alliteration and the reading of Cx against beta's me þynketh.]

[^2650: Bx.17.204: in spiritu sancto : Bx has ablatives here and in l. 205, as does the X family of C, which other C mss. "correct" to accusative. See Schmidt (1995), 401, and cf. Bx.16.49.]

[^2651: Bx.17.208: aȝeins þe: Beta's in (with MWC adding þe) is a literal translation of ll. 204-05. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ [For][^2652] to a torche or [to][^2653] a tapre · þe trinitee is lykned
As wex and a weke · were twyned togideres
And þanne a fyre flaumende[^2654] · forth oute of bothe
And as wex and weyke · and [warme][^2655] fyre togyderes
Fostren forth a flaumbe · and a feyre leye
So doth þe sire & þe sone · & also spiritus sanctus
[^2656] Fostren forth amonges folke · loue & bileue
Þat alkyn crystene [·] clenseth of synnes
And as þow seest some-tyme [·] sodeynliche a torche
The blase þere-of yblowe out · ȝet brenneth þe weyke
With-oute leye or liȝte · þat þe macche brenneth
So is þe holygost god · & grace with-oute mercy
To alle vnkynde creatures · þat coueite to destruye
Lele loue other lyf · þat owre lorde shapte

[^2652: Bx.17.210: For: Beta has And, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2653: Bx.17.210: to (2): Omitted by beta, but supported by Cx.]

[^2654: Bx.17.212: flaumende: The unusual present ppl. form is shared by LR. See note to l. 50 above.]

[^2655: Bx.17.213: warme: Alpha's reading, supported by alliteration and by Cx.]

[^2656: Bx.17.216: The line is omitted by WHm.]

[^2657] ¶ And as glowande[^2658] gledes · gladieth nouȝte þis werkmen
Þat worchen & waken [·] in wyntres niȝtes
As doth a kex or a candel · þat cauȝte hath fyre & blaseth
Namore doth sire ne sone · ne seynt spirit togyderes
Graunte[^2659] no grace · ne forȝifnesse of synnes
Til þe holi goste gynne · to glowe and to blase
So þat þe holygoste · gloweth but as a glede
Tyl þat lele loue · ligge on hym & blowe
And þanne flaumbeth he as fyre [·] on fader & on filius
And melteth her myȝte in-to mercy · as men may se in wyntre
Ysekeles in eueses[^2660] [·] þorw hete of þe sonne
Melteth in a mynut-while · to myst & to watre
So grace of þe holygoste · þe grete myȝte of þe trinite
Melteth to[^2661] mercy · to mercyable & to non other
And as wex with-outen more · on a warme glede
Wil brennen & blasen · be þei[^2662] to-gyderes
And solacen hem þat may[^2663] se · þat sitten in derkenesse
So wole þe fader forȝif [·] folke of mylde hertes
Þat reufulliche repenten · & restitucioun make
In as moche as þei mowen · amenden & payen
And if it suffice nouȝte for assetz[^2664] · þat in suche a wille deyeth
Mercy for his mekenesse · wil make good þe remenaunte
And as þe weyke and fyre · wil make a warme flaumbe
For to myrthe men with[^2665] · þat in merke sitten
So wil cryst of his curteisye · and men crye hym mercy
Bothe forȝiue & forȝete · & ȝet bidde for vs
To þe fader of heuene · forȝyuenesse to haue

[^2657: Bx.17.224-50: These 27 lines are omitted by alpha, skipping from paraph to paraph. The passage as in beta is almost identical in Cx.]

[^2658: Bx.17.224: glowande: The -ande form of the present ppl. is used only once elsewhere in L, pleyande Bx.16.269. See note to l. 50 above.]

[^2659: Bx.17.228: Graunte: L has the -eth ending of the present plural, but the infinitive (as in all other mss. and Cx) is required after doth.]

[^2660: Bx.17.234: eueses: The form is supported by LMCrHm. WCG have euesynges, which is the form in C mss.]

[^2661: Bx.17.237: to (1): L has in-to, picked up from l. 233. Cx supports to.]

[^2662: Bx.17.239: be þei: Supported by Cx against all in MCr.]

[^2663: Bx.17.240: may: Clearly an error for may not as in Cx (RK.19.203). In the absence of alpha, it is impossible to determine whether beta or Bx is responsible for the mistake.]

[^2664: Bx.17.244: assetz: "reparation" (sg.). The form in CrHmC ending -eth is a variant spelling.]

[^2665: Bx.17.247: with: Supported by Cx. CrW have myd. W alone has myd at Bx.P.147, 1.117, 15.261.]

¶ Ac hew fyre at a[^2666] flynte · fowre hundreth wyntre
Bot þow haue [tacche][^2667] to take it with · tondre or broches
Al þi laboure is loste · and al þi longe trauaille
For may no fyre flaumbe make · faille it his kynde
So is þe holy gost god · & grace with-outen mercy
To alle vnkynde creatures · cryst hym-self witnesseth
Amen dico vobis nescio vos &c ·

[^2666: Bx.17.251: at a: Beta is supported by the X family of C, while the P family has of a.]

[^2667: Bx.17.252: tacche: Alpha is supported by Cx, with confusion among some scribes. MED tach(e n. (2), "tinder", has no other citations of the word.]

¶ Be vnkynde to þin euene-cristene · and al þat þow canst bidden
Delen & do penaunce · day & nyȝte euere
And purchace al þe pardoun [·] of Pampiloun & Rome
And indulgences ynowe · & be ingratus[^2668] to þi kynde[^2669]
Þe holy goste hereth þe nouȝt · ne helpe may þe by resoun
For vnkyndenesse quencheth hym · þat he can nouȝte shyne
Ne brenne ne blase clere · for blowynge of vnkyndenesse
Poule þe apostle [·] preueth wher[^2670] I lye
Si linguis hominum loquar &c
For-thy beth war ȝe wyse men · þat with þe wo[r]lde[^2671] deleth
That riche ben & resoun knoweth · reuleth wel ȝowre soule
Beth nouȝte vnkynde I conseille ȝow · to ȝowre euene-crystene
For many of ȝow riche men · bi my soule men telleth
Ȝe brenne but ȝe blaseth nouȝte · [&][^2672] þat is a blynde bekene
Non omnis qui dicit domine domine intrabit &c ·

[^2668: Bx.17.261: ingratus : The X family of C generally supports this beta reading, while the P family supports alpha's ingrat.]

[^2669: Bx.17.261: kynde: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's kynne.]

[^2670: Bx.17.265: wher: "whether".]

[^2671: Bx.17.267: worlde: The corrector has noted the error in L.]

[^2672: Bx.17.271: &: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's omission of the word.]

¶ Diues deyed dampned · for his vnkyndenesse
Of his mete & his[^2673] moneye [·] to men that it neded
Vch a riche I rede · rewarde at hym take
And gyueth ȝowre good to þat god · þat grace of ariseth
For þat[^2674] ben vnkynde to his · hope I none other
But þei dwelle þere diues is · dayes with-outen ende
Þus is vnkyndenesse þe contrarie · þat quencheth as it were
Þe grace of þe holy gooste · goddes owne kynde
For þat kynde dothe vnkynde fordoth ·[^2675] as þese cursed theues
Vnkynde cristene men · for coueityse & enuye
Sleeth a man for his moebles · wyth mouth or wyth handes
For þat þe holygoste hath to kepe · þo harlotes destroyeth
Þe which is lyf & loue · þe leye of mannes bodye
For euery manere good man · may be likned to a torche
Or elles to a tapre · to reuerence þe Trinitee
And who-[so][^2676] morthereth a good man · me thynketh by myn Inwyt
He fordoth þe leuest lyȝte · þat owre lorde loueth

[^2673: Bx.17.274: & his: So LMC. The reading is uncertain. The other beta copies have and of his, R has and, and F rewrites. C mss. are split between the two beta versions.]

[^2674: Bx.17.277: þat: WHmCG have þei þat (F þo þat). The P family of C also add a pronoun, with ȝe þat (RK.19.253).]

[^2675: Bx.17.281: LWHmCG punctuate after fordoth, R after deth, while MF punctuate at both points.]

[^2676: Bx.17.288: who-so: LW have who, perhaps representing the beta reading, with MCr reading who þat. However HmCG and alpha and Cx agree on who-so.]

¶ Ac ȝut in many mo maneres · men offenden þe holygoste
Ac þis is þe worste wyse · þat any wiȝte myȝte
Synnen aȝein þe seynt spirit · assenten to destruye
For coueityse of any kynnes þinge · þat cryst dere bouȝte
[^2677] How myȝte he axe mercy · or any mercy hym helpe
Þat wykkedlich & willefullich · wolde mercy anynte
Innocence is nexte god · & nyȝte and day it crieth
Veniaunce veniaunce · forȝiue be it neuere
That shent vs[^2678] & shadde owre blode · forshapte vs as it [semed][^2679]
Vindica sanguinem iustorum
Thus veniaunce veniaunce [·] verrey charite asketh
And sith holicherche & charite [·] chargeth þis so sore
Leue I neure that owre lorde [·] wil loue þat charite lakketh
Ne haue pite for any preyere · þere þat he pleyneth

[^2677: Bx.17.294: The line is omitted in beta3 and beta4.]

[^2678: Bx.17.298: vs (1): Dropped by alpha, but attested in Cx.]

[^2679: Bx.17.298: semed: Beta has were, but R is supported by most C mss., with a few reading semeth as in F.]

¶ I pose I hadde synned so · and shulde now deye
And now[^2680] am sory þat [I][^2681] so · þe seint spirit agulte
Confesse me & crye his grace · god þat al made
And myldliche his mercy axe · myȝte I nouȝte be saued

[^2680: Bx.17.305: now: Alpha's nouȝt is an obvious misreading, perhaps of archetypal nouthe.]

[^2681: Bx.17.305: I: The placement of the pronoun is supported by Cx. However, it may not represent Bx. L omits it entirely, R postpones it to the b-verse, MWHm have it twice in the a-verse. It is possible that Bx omitted it, as in L.]

¶ Ȝus seide þe Samaritan · so þow myȝte[st][^2682] repente
Þat riȝtwisnesse þorw[^2683] repentance · to reuthe myȝte torne
Ac it is but selden yseye · þere sothenesse bereth witnesse
Any creature [be][^2684] coupable · afor[^2685] a kynges iustice
Be raunsoned for his repentaunce[^2686] · þere alle resoun hym dampneth
For þere þat partye pursueth · þe pele[^2687] is so huge
Þat þe kynge may do no mercy · til bothe men acorde
And eyther haue equite · as holywrit telleth
Numquam dimittitur peccatum &c
Þus it fareth bi suche folke · þat falsely al her lyues[^2688]
Euel lyuen & leten nouȝte · til lyf hem forsake
[^2689] [Drede of desperacioun · þanne[^2690] dryueth awey[^2691] grace
Þat mercy in her mynde · may nauȝt þanne falle]
Good hope þat helpe shulde · to wanhope torneth
Nouȝt of þe nounpowere[^2692] of god · þat he ne is myȝtful
To amende al þat amys is · and his mercy grettere
Þan alle owre wykked werkes · as holiwrit telleth
Misericordia eius[^2693] super omnia opera eius
Ac ar his riȝtwisnesse to reuthe tourne · some restitucioun bihoueth
[^2694] His sorwe is satisfaccioun [·] for hym þat may nouȝte paye

[^2682: Bx.17.308: so þow myȝtest: Construed with Þat in the next line: "in such a way that". Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta has so wel þow myȝte (subjunctive).]

[^2683: Bx.17.309: þorw: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's to.]

[^2684: Bx.17.311: be: Alpha supported by Cx. Beta is presumably trying to smooth a difficult construction.]

[^2685: Bx.17.311: afor: This is apparently the beta reading, with MCr and alpha regressing to the commonplace bifore as elsewhere. See note to Bx.5.12 for other examples. Nevertheless the reading of Bx is doubtful, since Cx has bifore.]

[^2686: Bx.17.312: repentaunce: Beta, as in Cx. Lost by R (= alpha), with F repairing.]

[^2687: Bx.17.313: pele: "accusation". So L + alpha, supported by Cx's apele. Cr has plee, with M altered to that reading; the other beta mss. have nonsensical peple.]

[^2688: Bx.17.317: lyues: Alpha has the distributive sg., perhaps rightly. The b-verse is rewritten in Cx.]

[^2689: Bx.17.319-20: These two lines omitted by beta are supported by Cx (RK.19.293-4).]

[^2690: Bx.17.319: þanne: F's placement at the start of the b-verse is supported by Cx.]

[^2691: Bx.17.319: awey: Supported by the P family of Cx; the X family is without it.]

[^2692: Bx.17.322: nounpowere: "impotence", beta as Cx. Alpha mistakes it for nounper, "umpire".]

[^2693: Bx.17.325: eius (1): So beta, supported by Cx and its source, Psalm 114.9. This may, however, be a correction, since alpha has domini, as previously in Bx.5.293 (where F is lacking). See that note.]

[^2694: Bx.17.327: The line is in beta only. It lacks b-verse alliteration. The revised line in Cx has suche as or suche þat for beta's hym þat.]

¶ Thre þinges þere ben · þat doth a man by strengthe
Forto fleen his owne hous · as holy wryt sheweth
Þat one is a wikked wyf · þat wil nouȝt be chasted[^2695]
Her fiere fleeth[^2696] hyr · for fere of her tonge
And if his hous be vnhiled · and reyne on his bedde
He seketh and seketh · til he slepe drye
And whan smoke & smolder [·] smyt in his syȝte
It doth hym worse þan his wyf · or wete to slepe
For smoke & smolder · sm[er]teth[^2697] his eyen
Til he be blerenyed[^2698] or blynde · and [þe borre][^2699] in þe throte
Cougheth[^2700] and curseth · þat cryst gyf h[y]m[^2701] sorwe
Þat sholde brynge in better wode · or blowe it til it brende

[^2695: Bx.17.330: chasted: So LCR, supported by Cx. See again l. 341. The form (MED chasten) appears earlier than MED chastisen.]

[^2696: Bx.17.331: fleeth: Beta has fleeth fro. Alpha, with the transitive verb as two lines above, is supported by the X family of C, while beta shares the reading with the P family.]

[^2697: Bx.17.336: smerteth: Beta repeats smyteth from l. 334, or anticipates l. 355. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2698: Bx.17.337: blerenyed: The form (though misdivided in L) is supported by R's blereneyed. See MED blere-eied.]

[^2699: Bx.17.337: þe borre: This is clearly the authorial reading, attested by Cx. MED burre n.(1), 2(b), "hoarsness", cites only this instance of the phrase. Beta's hors and alpha's cowȝhe avoid a difficult phrase, and F restores alliteration by adding a bold.]

[^2700: Bx.17.338: Cougheth: R begins He, and F rewrites, but Cx supports beta.]

[^2701: Bx.17.338: hym: Beta probably read hem, corrected by MCG, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Þise thre þat I telle of · [þus ben][^2702] vnderstonde
The wyf is owre wikked flesshe · wil[^2703] nouȝt be chasted[^2704]
For kynde cleueth on hym euere · to contrarie þe soule
And þowgh it falle it fynt skiles · þ[at][^2705] frelete it made
And þat is liȝtly forȝeuen · and forȝeten bothe
To man þat mercy asketh · and amende þenketh

[^2702: Bx.17.340: þus ben: So R. Beta has ben þus to, and F has þus ben to, with vnderstonde therefore infinitive rather than past ppl. In C the X family supports R, the P family supports F.]

[^2703: Bx.17.341: wil: Only R omits the relative þat, which is partly prompted by the same b-verse in l. 330. Although a number of C mss. have þat, the best do not.]

[^2704: Bx.17.341: chasted: LMCrCR supported by Cx. See note to l. 330.]

[^2705: Bx.17.343: þat: LHm read þe, but sense requires þat, which is the reading of Cx.]

¶ The reyne þat reyneth · þere we reste sholde
Ben sikenesses[^2706] & [other][^2707] sorwes · þat we suffren [ouȝte][^2708]
As Powle þe Apostle · to þe peple tauȝte
Virtus in infirmitate perficitur &c ·
And þowgh þat men make · moche deol in her angre
And [be][^2709] inpacient in here penaunce · pure resoun knoweth
Þat þei han cause[^2710] to contrarie · by kynde of her sykenesse
And liȝtlich owre lorde · at her lyues ende
Hath mercy on suche men · þat so yuel may suffre

[^2706: Bx.17.347: sikenesses: The form without -es in CrWCG may also be plural.]

[^2707: Bx.17.347: other: The reading depends on R alone, with the support of Cx.]

[^2708: Bx.17.347: ouȝte: Alpha is supported by the more reliable C mss., though many have beta's easier reading oft. Confusion is likely, since oft is a possible spelling of "ought" in south-western texts. See Jordan (1974), para. 196, remark, and para. 294.]

[^2709: Bx.17.351: be: So alpha and Cx, but apparently lost by beta, and added on grounds of sense by beta2.]

[^2710: Bx.17.352: cause: Alpha repeats resoun from the previous line and loses the alliteration.]

¶ Ac þe smoke and þe smolder [·] þat smyt in owre eyghen[^2711]
Þat is[^2712] coueityse and vnkyndenesse · þat quencheth goddes mercy
For vnkyndenesse is þe contrarie · of alkynnes resoun
For þere nys syke ne sori · ne non so moche wrecche
Þat he ne may louye & hym lyke · and lene[^2713] of his herte
Goed wille[^2714] good worde · bothe wisshen and wil[n]en[^2715]
Alle manere men[^2716] · mercy & forȝifnesse
And louye hem[^2717] liche hym-self · and his lyf amende
I may no lenger lette quod he · and lyarde he pryked
And went away as wynde · and þere-with I awaked

[^2711: Bx.17.355: Here O resumes.]

[^2712: Bx.17.356: is: R drops the verb and consequently drops the relative in the b-verse. Beta4 has Is for Þat is. LMF and beta2 are supported by Cx.]

[^2713: Bx.17.359: lene: Cr has leue; the others are ambiguous.]

[^2714: Bx.17.360: wille: Beta reads wille &, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2715: Bx.17.360: wilnen: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's willen.]

[^2716: Bx.17.361: men: Lost in MCr, which read of.]

[^2717: Bx.17.362: hem: MCr have hym.]

Passus duodevicesimus & tercius de dobet

Wolleward and wete-shoed · went I forth after
As a reccheles renke · þat of no wo reccheth[^2718]
And ȝede forth lyke a lorel · al my lyf-tyme
Tyl I wex wery of þe worlde · and wylned eft to[^2719] slepe
And lened me to a lenten · and longe tyme I slepte
And of crystes passioun and penaunce · þe peple þat of-rauȝte[^2720]
Rested me þere and rutte faste · tyl ramis palmarum
Of gerlis & of gloria laus · gretly me dremed
And how osanna by orgonye · olde folke songen

[^2718: Bx.18.2: reccheth: WG's past tense is not supported by Cx.]

[^2719: Bx.18.4: to: Possibly not in Bx. It is added by the main scribe in L, omitted by R and by eight C mss.]

[^2720: Bx.18.6: þat of-rauȝte: As KD p. 176 argue, the line lacks sense in this position. They move it to follow l. 9, so that it depends upon dremed. Beta4 and F revise to make sense. It is not in Cx.]

¶ One semblable to þe samaritan · & some-del to Piers þe[^2721] plowman
Barfote on an asse bakke · botelees cam pryke[^2722]
Wyth-oute spores other spere · sp[r]akliche[^2723] he loked
As is þe kynde of a knyȝte · þat cometh to be dubbed
To geten h[y]m[^2724] gylte spores · or[^2725] galoches ycouped

[^2721: Bx.18.10: þe (2): Dropped by HmCGOF and the P family of C.]

[^2722: Bx.18.11: pryke: Cr and R (= alpha?) have the present participle as do many C mss. The infinitive after comen was becoming rarer; see Mustanoja (1960), 536-7.]

[^2723: Bx.18.12: sprakliche: As at Bx.17.83, beta reads spakliche. Here Cx supports alpha.]

[^2724: Bx.18.14: hym: Only L has hem.]

[^2725: Bx.18.14: or: This is confirmed as Bx by LMWHmR. Alerted by the unsatisfactory sense, F alters to on and beta4 to and. Cx also reads and.]

¶ Þanne was faith in a fenestre · and cryde a fili dauid
As doth an Heraude of armes · whan aunturos cometh to iustes
Olde iuwes of ierusalem · for ioye þei songen
Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini

¶ Þanne I frayned at faith · what al þat fare be-ment
And who sholde[^2726] iouste in Iherusalem · Ihesus he seyde
And fecche[^2727] þat þe fende claymeth · Piers fruit þe plowman
[^2728]Is Piers in þis place quod I · & he preynte on me
Þis ihesus of his gentrice[^2729] · wole iuste in piers armes
In his helme & in his haberioun · humana natura
Þat cryst be nouȝt biknowe[^2730] here · for consumatus deus
In Piers paltok þe plowman · þis priker shal ryde
For no dynte shal hym dere · as in deitate patris

[^2726: Bx.18.20: sholde: Dropped by R, but supported by Cx.]

[^2727: Bx.18.21: fecche: R's third person is not supported by Cx.]

[^2728: Bx.18.22: A paraph, as in WHmC with a line-space in M, would be appropriate, but is not indicated in L or alpha.]

[^2729: Bx.18.23: gentrice: (MED gentrise), as in Cx. CrHm and alpha substitute gentrie.]

[^2730: Bx.18.25: biknowe: LW and alpha, against knowen or yknowe in others. However Cx has yknowe.]

[¶][^2731] Who shal iuste with ihesus quod I [·] iuwes or scribes

[^2731: Bx.18.28: ¶: The paraph marking Will's question is omitted in L but supported by WHmC and alpha and the line-space in M.]

¶ Nay quod [faith but þe][^2732] fende · and fals dome [to deye][^2733]
Deth seith he shal fordo · and adown brynge
Al þat lyueth or[^2734] loketh · in londe or in watere
Lyf seyth þat he likthe[^2735] · and leyth his lif to wedde
Þat for al þat deth can do · with-in þre dayes
To walke and fecche fro þe fende · piers fruite þe plowman
And legge it þere hym lyketh · and lucifer bynde
And forb[i]te[^2736] and adown[^2737] brynge [·] bale deth for euere
O mors ero mors tua

[^2732: Bx.18.29: faith but þe: So alpha supported by Cx. Beta has he þe foule.]

[^2733: Bx.18.29: to deye: So alpha supported by Cx. Beta has & deth.]

[^2734: Bx.18.31: or (1): W and alpha read and, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^2735: Bx.18.32: likthe: "is lying". Since this is the spelling in L and alpha, it was probably Bx's form of MED lien v.(2). Cf. Bx.5.165 lixte. See Adams (2000), 186.]

[^2736: Bx.18.36: forbite: "bite through". R's rather odd reading was rejected by other B scribes, who read forbete or for to bete, but it is supported by the P family and three of the X family of C. It reflects morsus tuus ero in Osee 13.14, quoted by F and many C mss. in the next line. See Barney (2006), 25, citing Schmidt (1995), 402.]

[^2737: Bx.18.36: adown: Supported by Cx against doun in MCrHmG and alpha.]

¶ Þanne cam pilatus with moche peple · sedens pro tribunali
To se how doughtilich deth sholde do · & deme her botheres riȝte
Þe iuwes and þe iustice · aȝeine ihesu þei were
And al [þe][^2738] courte on hym cryde · crucifige sharpe

[^2738: Bx.18.41: þe: LR have her, which is probably coincident error, since Cx has þe and there is no apparent reason for the other B scribes to corrupt.]

[¶][^2739] Tho put hym forth a piloure · bifor pilat & seyde
This ihesus of owre iewes[^2740] temple · iaped & dispised
To fordone it on[^2741] o day · and in thre dayes after
Edefye it eft newe · here he stant þat seyde it
And ȝit maken it as moche · in al manere poyntes
Bothe as longe and as large · [a-]loft[^2742] & by grounde

[^2739: Bx.18.42: ¶: A paraph is appropriate, although it is only in Hm and alpha. In L the line is at the top of the page where a paraph is sometimes missed.]

[^2740: Bx.18.43: iewes: Dropped by alpha, but wanted for the alliteration and supported by Cx.]

[^2741: Bx.18.44: on: MG and alpha have in anticipating in thre dayes, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^2742: Bx.18.47: a-loft: R (= alpha) and Cx; F has on lofte. Beta's bi lofte anticipates by grounde.]

¶ Cru[ci]fige quod a cacchepolle · I warante hym a wicche
Tolle tolle quod an other · and toke o[f][^2743] kene þornes
And bigan of kene thorne · a gerelande to make
And sette it sore on his hed · and seyde in envye
Aue rabby quod þat Ribaude[^2744] · and þrew redes at hym
Nailled hym with þre[^2745] nailles · naked on[^2746] þe Rode
And poysoun on a pole · þei put vp[^2747] to his lippes
And bede hym drynke his deth yuel · his dayes were ydone
And ȝif þat þow sotil be · help now þi-seluen
If þow be cryst & kynges sone · come downe of þe Rode
Þanne shul we leue þat lyf þe loueth · and wil nouȝt lete þe deye

[^2743: Bx.18.49: of: L's spelling o is probably a slip since the scribe does not use the form elsewhere.]

[^2744: Bx.18.52: þat Ribaude: Cx supports beta against R's þe ribaudes and F's þo rybawdis. Alpha's plural represents the two catchpoles.]

[^2745: Bx.18.53: þre: F has fowre, which the R corrector writes in the margin without deleting thre in the text. Cx has thre. For the opposing views of whether Christ's feet were nailed together or separately, see Geoffrey Shepherd (ed.), Ancrene Wisse (London, 1959), p. 57.]

[^2746: Bx.18.53: on: Supported by the P family of C, though the X family support R's vp-on.]

[^2747: Bx.18.54: vp: Not in R, nor in F in a recast line. Again C mss. are split, the X family supporting beta (RK.20.52).]

¶ Consummatum est quod cryst · & comsed forto swowe
Pitousliche and pale · as a prisoun þat deyeth
Þe[^2748] lorde of lyf & of liȝte · þo leyed his eyen togideres
Þe daye for drede with-drowe · and derke bicam þe sonne
Þe wal wagged and clef [·] and al þe worlde quaued
Ded men for that dyne · come out of depe[^2749] graues
And tolde whi þat tempest · so longe tyme dured
For a bitter bataille · þe ded bodye sayde
Lyf and deth in þis derknesse · her one fordoth her other
Shal no wiȝte wite witterly [·] who shal haue þe maystrye
Er sondey aboute sonne rysynge · & sank with þat til erthe
Some seyde þat he was goddes sone · þat so faire deyde
Vere filius dei erat iste · &c
And somme saide he was a wicche · good is þat we[^2750] assaye
Where he be ded or nouȝte ded · doun er he be taken

[^2748: Bx.18.61: Þe: Supported by Cx against Til (R), Tyl þe (F).]

[^2749: Bx.18.64: depe: Required for the alliteration and supported by Cx against alpha's here.]

[^2750: Bx.18.72: þat we: R omits both words, and F omits þat. Beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ Two theues also · tholed deth þat tyme
Vppon a crosse bisydes cryst · so was þe comune lawe
A[^2751] cacchepole cam forth · and craked bothe her legges
And her armes after · of eyther of þo theues
Ac was no boy so bolde · goddes body to touche
For he was knyȝte & kynges sone · kynde forȝaf þat tyme[^2752]
Þat non harlot were so hardy · to leyne hande[^2753] vppon hym

[^2751: Bx.18.76: A: R (= alpha?) begins Ac a and F But a; there is no support from Cx, and it anticipates l. 78.]

[^2752: Bx.18.79: tyme: Beta is supported by Cx. Alpha's synonym throwe, though not an uncommon word, is used nowhere else in the poem. Both KD and Schmidt adopt it.]

[^2753: Bx.18.80: hande: R has an hand and F has plural hondys. The line is not in Cx.]

¶ Ac þere cam forth a knyȝte · with a kene spere ygrounde
Hiȝte longeus as þe lettre telleth · and longe had lore his siȝte
Bifor pilat & other peple · in þe place he houed
Maugre his many tethe · he was made þat tyme
To take þe spere in his honde · & iusten with ihesus
For alle þei were vnhardy · þat houed on hors or stode[^2754]
To touche hym[^2755] or to taste hym · or take hym[^2756] down of Rode
But þis blynde bacheler [·] þa[t][^2757] bar hym þorugh þe herte
Þe blode spronge down by þe spere · & vnspered[^2758] þe kniȝtes eyen
Þanne fel þe knyȝte vpon knees · and cryed [ihesu][^2759] mercy
Aȝeyne my wille it was lorde · to wownde ȝow so sore
He seighed & sayde · sore it me athynketh
For þe dede þat I haue done · I do me in ȝowre grace
Haue on me reuth riȝtful ihesu · & riȝt with þat he wept

[^2754: Bx.18.86: stode: Alpha replaces with stede, not supported by Cx.]

[^2755: Bx.18.87: hym (1): Dropped by Cr and alpha but supported by Cx.]

[^2756: Bx.18.87: hym (3): Dropped by M and beta2, but supported by Cx.]

[^2757: Bx.18.88: þat: MCrW omit, LHm and beta4 have þanne (all except C before the punctuation). Beta has missed the construction alle (l. 86) ... But. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2758: Bx.18.89: vnspered: Alpha substitutes the non-alliterating and easier synonym opned. Cx reads as beta.]

[^2759: Bx.18.90: ihesu: R (= alpha?) is supported by Cx. F has crist and beta hym.]

¶ Thanne gan faith felly · þe fals iuwes dispise
Called hem caytyues · acursed[^2760] for euere
For þis foule vyleynye · veniaunce to ȝow alle[^2761]
To do þe blynde bete hym ybounde · it was a boyes conseille
Cursed caytyue[s][^2762] · kniȝthod was it neuere
To mysdo a ded body · by day or by nyȝte
Þe gree ȝit hath he geten · for al his grete wounde

[^2760: Bx.18.96: acursed: Alpha adds hem, making the verb past tense. Cx supports beta.]

[^2761: Bx.18.97: alle: WHmG read falle, perhaps prompted by the alliteration, or perhaps resisting the notion that all Jews were condemned; see Schmidt (1995), 402. The reading alle seems securely Bx, even though Cx (RK.20.97) also reads falle (P family) or bifalle (X family). WHmG may possibly be contaminated from a C text; see note to l. 394.]

[^2762: Bx.18.99: caytyues: So alpha and Cx. Beta probably had the sg., presumably referring (obviously wrongly) to Longeus. M hesitates, first adding -s and then erasing; CrHmO make the obvious correction.]

¶ For ȝowre champioun chiualer [·] chief knyȝt of ȝow alle
Ȝelt hym recreaunt rennyng · riȝt at ihesus wille
For be þis derkenesse ydo · deth worth [yvenkeshed][^2763]
And ȝe lordeynes han ylost · for lyf shal haue þe maistrye
And ȝowre Fraunchise þat fre was · fallen is in thraldome
And ȝe cherles & ȝowre children · chieue shal ȝe neure
Ne haue lordship in londe · ne no londe tylye
But al bareyne be · & vsurye vsen
Which is lyf þat owre lorde · in alle lawes acurseth
Now ȝowre good dayes ar done · as Danyel prophecyed
Whan cryst cam her[^2764] kyngdom · þe croune shulde [lese][^2765]
Cum veniat sanctus sanctorum[^2766]

[^2763: Bx.18.104: deth worth yvenkeshed: The alpha reading is supported by Cx against beta's his deth worth avenged.]

[^2764: Bx.18.112: her: So L and beta4. Beta2 reads of hire, and M is corrected to that reading. The alpha reading is uncertain, with R þe and F to his. See next note.]

[^2765: Bx.18.112: lese: The beta reading is cesse, but since cesse is not a transitive verb, beta2 adds of, and M is corrected to that reading: "the crown (i.e. authority) of their kingdom should come to an end". L realises something is wrong, and leaves out the last word while waiting for further guidance. But cese is probably a beta error picked up from cessabit in the next line (only cited in beta), and alpha is right with lese. Cx rewrites the line.]

[^2766: Bx.18.113: sanctorum : Beta completes the quotation with cessabit vnxio vestra. Cf. Bx.15.631 for the same variation. Cx also varies: the P family has the full quotation (RK.20.112a).]

¶ What for fere of þis ferly · & of þe[^2767] fals iuwes
I drowe me in þat derkenesse · to de[s]cendit ad inferna
And þere I sawe sothely · secundum scripturas
Out of þe west coste · a wenche as me thouȝte
Cam walkynge in þe[^2768] wey · to helle-ward she loked
Mercy hiȝt þat mayde · a meke þynge with-alle
A ful benygne buirde · and boxome of speche

[^2767: Bx.18.114: þe: R's þo is not supported by Cx.]

[^2768: Bx.18.118: þe: R's þat is not supported by Cx.]

¶[^2769] Her suster as it semed · cam softly[^2770] walkyng
Euene out of þe est · and westward she loked
A ful comely creature · treuth she hiȝte
For þe vertue þat hir folwed · aferd was she neuere

[^2769: Bx.18.121: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^2770: Bx.18.121: softly: Supported by Cx. MW soþly is an odd misreading, with Cr worthely probably an attempt to make sense of that.]

¶[^2771] Whan[^2772] þis maydenes mette · mercy and treuth
Eyther axed other · of þis grete wonder
Of þe dyne & of þe derknesse · and how þe daye rowed
And which[^2773] a liȝte and a leme · lay befor helle
Ich haue ferly of þis fare · in feith seyde treuth
And am wendyng to wyte · what þis wonder meneth

[^2771: Bx.18.125: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^2772: Bx.18.125: Whan: Alpha's And whan is not supported by Cx.]

[^2773: Bx.18.128: which: Alpha's swich is not supported by Cx.]

¶ Haue no merueille quod mercy · myrthe it bytokneth
A mayd[e][^2774] þat hatte marye · and moder with-out felyng
Of any kyn[de][^2775] creature · conceyued þorw speche
And grace of þe holygoste · wex grete with childe
With-outen wem · in-to þis worlde she brouȝt hym
And þat my tale be trewe · I take god to witnesse
Sith þis barn was bore · ben thretty wynter passed
Which deyde & deth þoled · þis day aboute mydday
And þat is cause of þis clips · þat closeth now þe sonne
In menynge þat man shal · fro merkenesse be drawe
Þe while[^2776] þis liȝte & þis leme · shal Lucyfer ablende
For patriarkes & prophetes · han preched her-of often
Þat man shal man saue · þorw a maydenes helpe
And þat was tynt þorw tre · tree shal it wynne
And þat deth doun brouȝte · deth shal releue

[^2774: Bx.18.132: mayde: CrG and alpha are supported by Cx against beta's mayden.]

[^2775: Bx.18.133: kynde: "natural"; so alpha against beta's kynnes. The X family of C has kynde, the P family kynde of.]

[^2776: Bx.18.141: while: MCrHmF read which, but Cx supports the others.]

¶ Þat þow tellest quod treuth · is but a tale of waltrot
For Adam & Eue · & abraham with[^2777] other
Patriarkes & prophetes · þat in peyne liggen
Leue þow neuere þat ȝone liȝte · hem alofte brynge
Ne haue hem out of helle · h[o]lde[^2778] þi tonge mercy
It is but trufle[^2779] þat þow tellest · I[^2780] treuth wote þe sothe
For þat[^2781] is ones in helle · out cometh it neuere
Iob þe prophete patriarke · reproueth þi sawes
Quia in inferno nulla est redempcio

[^2777: Bx.18.147: with: GF read and. MCr drop and (2) and have it here. Cx supports with.]

[^2778: Bx.18.150: holde: L reads helde.]

[^2779: Bx.18.151: trufle: Beta has a trufle, but Cx supports R. F has the plural.]

[^2780: Bx.18.151: I: Dropped by alpha, but supported by Cx.]

[^2781: Bx.18.152: þat: WHmF add he, and the same mss. have he for it in the b-verse. Cx begins That thyng.]

¶ Þanne mercy ful myldly · mouthed þise wordes
Thorw experience quod [he][^2782] · I hope þei shal be saued
For venym fordoth venym · & þat I proue by resoun
For of alle venymes · foulest is þe scorpioun
May no medcyne helpe · þe place þere he styngeth
Tyl he be ded & do þer-to · þe yuel he destroyeth
Þe fyrst venymouste · þorw ve[rtue][^2783] of hym-self
So shal þis deth fordo[^2784] · I dar my lyf legge
Al þat deth dyd[^2785] furste · þorw þe deuelles entysynge
And riȝt as þorw gyle · man was bigyled
So shal grace þat bigan · make a good sleighte[^2786]
Ars vt artem falleret

[^2782: Bx.18.156: he: "she". The form in Cr and alpha; supported by Cx and required for the alliteration. See Introduction IV.1 and V.3.1.]

[^2783: Bx.18.161: vertue: Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta repeats venym, not implausibly.]

[^2784: Bx.18.162: fordo: Beta supported by Cx against alpha's do.]

[^2785: Bx.18.163: dyd: WHm take fordide from the previous line. In KD's listing of WHm agreements (pp. 38-9), over half occur in passus 17-19, indicating a different genetic relationship (beta3, so not including Cr) in the last part of the poem (see KD, p. 49). In passus 18 WHm agree in error at ll. 108, 209, 214, 222, 230, 256, 278, 338, 339, 441.]

[^2786: Bx.18.165: sleighte: The sense is poor, and comparison with Cx suggests that Bx has lost a line after good, skipping to good in the line that follows (RK.20.164-5). KD supply "[end / And bigile þe gilour, and þat is good]". See Schmidt (1995), 402-03. G's end (shared with Y) is by conjecture or contamination.]

¶ Now suffre we seyde treuth · I se as me þinketh
Out of þe nippe of þe north · nouȝt ful fer hennes
Riȝtwisnesse come rennynge · reste we þe while
For he wote more þan we · he was er we bothe

¶[^2787] That is soth seyde mercy · and I se here bi southe
Where [cometh pees][^2788] playinge · in pacience yclothed
Loue hath coueyted hir longe · leue I none other
But he sent hir some lettre [·] what þis liȝte bymeneth
Þat ouer-houeth helle þus · [he][^2789] vs shal telle

[^2787: Bx.18.171: ¶: The paraph marking the start of speech is in beta and F.]

[^2788: Bx.18.172: cometh pees: R's order is supported by Cx. Beta and F reverse to prose order.]

[^2789: Bx.18.175: he: The L scribe added an initial <s>, to agree with all other beta mss., but alliteration and Cx support alpha's form. See Introduction IV.1.]

¶ Whan pees in pacience yclothed · approched nere hem tweyne
Riȝtwisnesse hir reuerenced · for her riche clothyng
And preyed pees to telle hir · to what place she[^2790] wolde
And in her gay garnementz · whom she[^2791] grete þouȝte

[^2790: Bx.18.178: she: In this case neither alliteration nor Cx supports alpha's he. Cf. notes to ll. 156 and 175.]

[^2791: Bx.18.179: she: In this case neither alliteration nor Cx supports alpha's he. Cf. notes to ll. 156, 175 and 178.]

¶ My wille is to wende quod she[^2792] · and welcome hem alle
Þat many day myȝte I nouȝte se · for merkenesse of synne
Adam & Eue [·] & other moo in helle
Moyses & many mo · mercy shal haue
[^2793] And I shal daunce þer-to · do þow so sustre
For ihesus iusted wel · ioye bygynneth dawe
Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus · & ad matutinum leticia ·
Loue þat is my lemman · suche lettres me[^2794] sente
That mercy my sustre[^2795] & I · mankynde shulde saue
And þat god hath forgyuen · & graunted me pees & mercy
To be mannes meynpernoure · for euere-more after
Lo here þe patent quod pees · in pace in idipsum
And þat þis dede shal dure · dormiam & requiescam

[^2792: Bx.18.180: she: Alpha has he. Cx rewrites. Cf. notes to ll. 156, 175, 178 and 179.]

[^2793: Bx.18.184: The line is preserved in beta only; it is in Cx.]

[^2794: Bx.18.187: me: R's he me has support from the X family of C, but the P family is without he.]

[^2795: Bx.18.188: my sustre: Dropped by alpha, but supported by Cx and by alliteration.]

¶ What rauestow quod riȝtwisnesse [·] or þow art riȝt dronke
Leuestow þat ȝonde liȝte · vnlouke myȝte helle
And saue mannes soule · sustre wene[^2796] it neure
At þe bygynnynge god · gaf þe dome hym-selue
Þat Adam & Eue · and alle þat hem suwed
Shulde deye doune-riȝte · and dwelle in p[e]yne[^2797] after
If þat þei touched a tre · and þe fruite[^2798] eten
Adam afterward · aȝeines his defence
Frette of þat fruit · & forsoke as it were
Þe loue of owre lorde · and his lore bothe
And folwed þat þe fende tauȝte · & his felawes wille
Aȝeines resoun I[^2799] riȝtwisnesse · recorde þus with treuth
Þat her peyne be perpetuel · & no preyere hem helpe
For-þi late hem chewe as þei chose · & chyde we nouȝt sustres
For it is botelees bale · þe bite þat þei eten

[^2796: Bx.18.195: wene: Alpha's wene þow is not supported by Cx.]

[^2797: Bx.18.198: peyne: Alpha is supported by Cx and ll. 205, 208. Beta has pyne, "torment" (see MED pein(e and pine n.(1)).]

[^2798: Bx.18.199: þe fruite: This seems undoubtedly the Bx reading, despite the lack of alliteration. Hm þe trees fruyt corrects the alliteration. F of þe frut is the Cx reading, presumably by coincidence, influenced by l. 201.]

[^2799: Bx.18.204: I: The line is omitted by alpha, and beta mss. apart from L read and. The three best C mss. of the X family agree with L; other C mss. have and (RK.20.204). Schmidt (1995), 403, ascribes the error to "variation to the stock phrase, and misconstruction of the mood of recorde as imperative". Omission of I might be a Bx error, as at l. 208, with the correction conjectured by L, but such activity is untypical of the L scribe.]

¶ And [I][^2800] shal pre[i]e[^2801] quod pees · her peyne mote haue ende
And wo in-to wel · mowe wende atte laste
For had[^2802] þei wist of no wo · wel had þei nouȝte knowen
For no wiȝte wote what wel is · þat neuere wo suffred
Ne what is hote hunger · þat had neuere defaute
If no nyȝte ne were · no man as I leue
Shulde wite witterly · what day is to mene
[^2803]Shulde neuere riȝte riche man · þat lyueth in reste & ese
Wyte what wo is · ne were þe deth of kynde
So god þat bygan al · of his good wille
Bycam man of a mayde · mankynde to saue
And suffred to be solde · to[^2804] see þe sorwe of deyinge
The which vnknitteth al kare · & comsynge is of reste
For til modicum mete[^2805] with vs · I may it wel avowe
Wote no wiȝte as I wene · what is ynough[^2806] to mene

[^2800: Bx.18.208: I: Easily lost (see l. 204), but the agreement of LR suggests it might be a Bx error with the obvious correction made by other scribes (note F has I for And I).]

[^2801: Bx.18.208: preie: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's preue.]

[^2802: Bx.18.210: had (1): Omitted by alpha (added in F). Cx supports beta.]

[^2803: Bx.18.215: L has an unrubricated paraph marker but no blank line. It is inappropriate and not supported by other mss. Possibly it was intended for l. 213, where WHmR have a paraph.]

[^2804: Bx.18.219: to (2): Alpha reads and, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2805: Bx.18.221: mete: CrHmCGO and alpha have pa.t., as do a good many C mss.]

[^2806: Bx.18.222: is ynough: R's is nouȝte probably reproduces alpha, with F altering to make sense. Cx supports beta.]

¶[^2807] For-þi god of his goodnesse · þe fyrste gome Adam
Sette hym in solace · & in souereigne myrthe[^2808]
And sith he suffred hym synne · sorwe to fele
To wite what wel was[^2809] · kyndelich to knowe it
And after god auntred hym-self · and toke Adames kynde
To wyte what he hath suffred · in þre sondri places
Bothe in heuene & in erthe · & now til helle he þynketh
To wite what al wo is · þat wote of al ioye

[^2807: Bx.18.223: ¶: The paraph is in beta only.]

[^2808: Bx.18.224: myrthe: Cx supports beta against alpha's ioye, picked up from l. 230.]

[^2809: Bx.18.226: was: Cx supports beta against alpha's is, which is perhaps again picked up from l. 230.]

¶ So it shal fare bi þis folke · her foly & her synne
Shal lere hem what langour is · & lisse[^2810] with-outen ende
Wote no wighte what werre is · þere þat pees regneth
Ne what is witterly wel · til weyllowey hym teche

[^2810: Bx.18.232: lisse: Supported by Cx (RK.20.243) and alliteration over GR's blisse. F loses l. 232b and l. 233a.]

¶ Thanne was þere a wiȝte · with two brode eyen
Boke hiȝte þat beupere · a bolde man of speche
By godes body quod þis boke · I wil bere witnesse
Þat þo þis barne was ybore · þere blased a sterre
That alle þe wyse[^2811] of[^2812] þis worlde · in o witte acordeden[^2813]
That such a barne was borne · in bethleem [þe][^2814] Citee
Þat mannes soule sholde saue · & synne destroye
And alle þe elementz quod þe boke · her-of bereth witnesse
Þat he was god þat al wrouȝte · þe walkene firste shewed
Þo that weren in heuene · token stella comata
And tendeden hir as a torche · to reuerence his birthe
Þe lyȝte folwed þe lorde · in-to þe lowe erthe
Þ[e][^2815] water witnesse[th][^2816] þat he was god · for he went on it
Peter þe apostel · parceyued his gate
And as he went on þe water · wel hym knewe & seyde
Iube me venire ad te super aquas
And lo how þe sonne gan louke[^2817] · her liȝte in her-self
Whan she seye hym suffre · þat sonne & se[^2818] made
The erthe for heuynesse · that he wolde suffre
Quaked as quykke þinge · and al biquash[e][^2819] þe roche
Lo helle miȝte nouȝte holde · but opened þo god þoled
And lete oute symondes sones · to seen hym hange on Rode
And now shal lucifer leue[^2820] it [·] thowgh hym loth þinke
[^2821] For gygas þe geaunt · with a gynne engyned
To breke & to bete [adown][^2822] · þat ben aȝeines ihesus
And I boke wil be brent · but ihesus rise to lyue
In alle myȝtes of man[^2823] · & his moder gladye
And conforte al his kynne · & out of care brynge
And al þe iuwen ioye · vnioignen & vnlouken
And but[^2824] þei reuerencen his Rode · & his resurexioun
And bileue on a newe lawe · be lost lyf & soule[^2825]

[^2811: Bx.18.239: wyse: Supported by Cx and alliteration over alpha's men. Did alpha understand it as wyes as in a few C mss.?]

[^2812: Bx.18.239: of: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's in.]

[^2813: Bx.18.239: acordeden: Cx supports the past tense as in LHmOR.]

[^2814: Bx.18.240: þe: WR are supported by Cx. Without it the b-verse would have the metrical form x / x / x usually avoided. Possibly beta had dropped it and W restored it on metrical grounds. R presumably represents alpha, with F dropping the article.]

[^2815: Bx.18.247: Þe: Cx supports CrWO and alpha against Þat in LMHmC (G has Þat þe).]

[^2816: Bx.18.247: witnesseth: Most C mss. support the present tense as in GO and alpha against the past tense in others.]

[^2817: Bx.18.251: louke: "lock". Alpha's spellings represent "look". Cx supports beta.]

[^2818: Bx.18.252: se: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's mone.]

[^2819: Bx.18.254: biquashe: Probably Langland wrote al biquashe þe roches (plural: "all the rocks shatter"; cf. "petrae scissae sunt", Matt. 27.51), as in the X family of C, al toquasch þe roches (RK.20.257), but Bx obviously read roche. Alpha reproduces the verb, presumably taking it as the third-person present sg. with assimilated -s ending, though the ending is nearly always -eth in the B tradition. Beta "corrects" the verb form by making it past, biquasht, influenced by the context of past-tense verbs (though G has byquassethe). The P family of C also has the past tense, toquasched, but retains the plural noun.]

[^2820: Bx.18.257: leue: Beta is supported by Cx against F's leese. R omits the word.]

[^2821: Bx.18.258-9: These two lines preserved only in beta are supported by Cx.]

[^2822: Bx.18.259: adown: Cx supports MWHmCO. The line is lost in alpha.]

[^2823: Bx.18.261: man: Alpha has a man. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2824: Bx.18.264: but: MCrF have but if, but the others are supported by Cx.]

[^2825: Bx.18.265: Beta4 has an additional line following this. It is patently scribal and is not in Cx.]

¶ Suffre we seide treuth · I here & se bothe
[A][^2826] spirit speketh to helle · & bit vnspere þe ȝatis
Attollite portas &c[^2827]
A voice loude in þat liȝte [·] to lucifer cryeth[^2828]
Prynces of þis place · vnpynneth & vnlouketh
For here cometh with croune · þat kynge is of glorie

[^2826: Bx.18.267: A: So alpha, supported by Cx. Beta begins How a.]

[^2827: Bx.18.268: Alpha treats the two Latin words as the beginning of l. 269. In C four of the X group do the same, while four of the P group place them at the end of the previous line.]

[^2828: Bx.18.269: cryeth: Beta4 has the past tense; Cx has saide.]

[¶][^2829] Thanne syked sathan · & seyde to he[lle][^2830]
Suche a lyȝte aȝeines owre leue · Lazar it fette
Care & combraunce · is comen to vs alle
If þis kynge come in · mankynde wil he fecche
And lede it[^2831] þer [Lazar is][^2832] · & lyȝtlych me bynde
Patriarkes & prophetes · han parled her-of longe
Þat such a lorde & a lyȝte · sh[al][^2833] lede hem alle hennes

[^2829: Bx.18.272: ¶: The paraph is not in L, but is appropriate and supported by WHmC and alpha, and the line-space in M.]

[^2830: Bx.18.272: helle: Alpha is supported by Cx. Probably beta was puzzled by the unusual personal use, which derives from the Gospel of Nicodemus, in which a devil is named "Inferus", generally translated as Hell (e.g. MED helle 1 (c)).]

[^2831: Bx.18.276: it: that is, mankynde. Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's hem.]

[^2832: Bx.18.276: Lazar is: Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta's hym lyketh is probably sheer inattention rather than objection to the implication that Lazarus is in heaven. Cf. l. 421.]

[^2833: Bx.18.278: shal: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's shulde.]

¶ Lysteneth quod Lucifer · for I þis lorde knowe
Bothe þis lorde & þis liȝte · is longe ago I knewe hym
May no deth [þis lorde][^2834] dere · ne no deueles queyntise
And where he wil is his waye · ac war hym of þe periles
If he reue me [of][^2835] my riȝte · he robbeth[^2836] me by maistrye
For by riȝt & bi resoun · þ[e][^2837] renkes þat ben here
Bodye & soule ben myne · bothe gode & ille
For hym-self seyde [·] þat sire is of heuene
Ȝif[^2838] Adam ete þe apple · alle shulde deye
And dwelle with vs deueles · þis þretynge he made
And he þat sothenesse is [·] seyde þise wordes
And [I] sitthen I-seised[^2839] · seuene[^2840] hundreth wyntre
I leue þat lawe nil nauȝte · lete hym þe leest

[^2834: Bx.18.281: þis lorde: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's hym.]

[^2835: Bx.18.283: of: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's omission.]

[^2836: Bx.18.283: he robbeth: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's & robbe, though the subjunctive, parallel to reue makes excellent sense, making the whole line conditional, explaining the periles (sc. of lawlessness) of l. 282.]

[^2837: Bx.18.284: þe: Beta2, C and alpha are supported by Cx against þo in LMGO.]

[^2838: Bx.18.287: Ȝif: Alpha begins Þat ȝif. The equivalent line in Cx has a different construction, beginning "That Adam and Eve" (RK.20.303).]

[^2839: Bx.18.290: I sitthen I-seised: "I being then in possession", an absolute construction. This is R's reading, with F simplifying the presumed alpha reading. Beta has dropped I, probably taking ppl. I-seised as pronoun + past tense. Cx has instead we haen ben sesed (RK.20.309).]

[^2840: Bx.18.290: seuene: Alpha adds þise, but it has no support from Cx.]

¶ That is sothe seyde Sathan · but I me sore drede
For þow gete hem with gyle · & his gardyne breke
And in semblaunce of a serpent · sat on þe appeltre
And eggedest hem to ete · Eue by hir-selue
And toldest hir a tale · of tresoun were þe wordes
And so[^2841] þow haddest hem oute [·] & hider atte laste
It is nouȝte graythely geten · þere gyle is þe Rote
For god wil nouȝt be bigiled · quod Gobelyn ne bi-iaped
We haue no trewe title to hem · for þorwgh tresoun were þei dampned
Certes I drede me quod þe deuel · leste treuth wil hem fecche[^2842]

[^2841: Bx.18.297: so: Alpha's al-so is without support from Cx.]

[^2842: Bx.18.301: The line that follows in beta4 is evidently scribal. It is added in the Crowley revisions, Cr2 and Cr3.]

¶ Þis[^2843] þretty wynter as I wene · [he wente aboute][^2844] & preched
I haue assailled hym with synne · & some-tyme[^2845] [I] asked[^2846]
Where he were god or goddes sone · he gaf me shorte answere
And þus hath he[^2847] trolled forth · þis two & thretty wynter
And whan I seighe it was so · slepyng[^2848] I went
To warne pilates wyf · what dones[^2849] man was ihesus
For iuwes hateden hym · and han done hym to deth
I[^2850] wolde haue lengthed his lyf · for I leued[^2851] ȝif he deyede
That his soule wolde[^2852] suffre · no synne in his syȝte
For þe body whil it on bones ȝede · aboute was euere
To saue men fram synne · ȝif hem-self wolde
And now I se where a soule · cometh hiderward seyllynge
With glorie & with[^2853] grete liȝte · god it is I wote wel
I rede we flee quod he · faste alle hennes
For vs were better nouȝte be · þan biden his syȝte
For þi lesynges Lucifer · loste is al owre praye
[^2854]Firste þorw þe we fellen · fro heuene so heigh
[^2855] For we leued þi lesynges · [we loupen oute alle[^2856]
And now for thi last lesynge ·] ylore [haue we][^2857] Adam
And al owre lordeship I leue · alonde & a water
Nunc princeps huius mundi eicietur foras

[^2843: Bx.18.302: Þis: For numeral + wynter treated as sg. cf. Bx.3.39, 5.561, 18.305. Here CrWC "correct" it to pl. with Thise.]

[^2844: Bx.18.302: he wente aboute: Alpha is supported by Cx and alliteration against beta's hath he gone.]

[^2845: Bx.18.303: some-tyme: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's some.]

[^2846: Bx.18.303: I asked: Beta has the ppl. yasked, but alpha's pronoun + past tense is supported by Cx. Cf. l. 290.]

[^2847: Bx.18.305: hath he: Beta's word-order is supported by Cx against alpha's reversal.]

[^2848: Bx.18.306: slepyng: Beta2 reads non-alliterative lepynge, and M is altered to that reading. Perhaps the scribe didn't know the story.]

[^2849: Bx.18.307: dones: "sort of". For the form, see OED done ppl. a. (n.); Mustanoja (1960), 86.]

[^2850: Bx.18.309: I: Alpha begins And I, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2851: Bx.18.309: leued: Alpha's present tense is not supported by Cx.]

[^2852: Bx.18.310: wolde: Alpha has walde nauȝt, and Hm nolde. There is no equivalent line in Cx.]

[^2853: Bx.18.310: with (2): Omitted by O and alpha, but Cx has it.]

[^2854: Bx.18.318: W and alpha have a paraph, perhaps prompted by Firste.]

[^2855: Bx.18.319-20: Beta loses 319b and 320a through eyeskip (lesynges ... lesynge). The X family of C does the same.]

[^2856: Bx.18.319: we loupen oute alle: Alpha only. R adds with þe, perhaps rightly, but it is unnecessary to the sense and metrically clumsy. Cx is revised.]

[^2857: Bx.18.320: haue we: Beta reverses to prose order. Cx is rewritten: þere losten we (RK.20.347).]

¶ Efte þe liȝte bad vnlouke · & Lucifer answered[^2858]
What lorde artow quod lucifer · quis est iste
Rex glorie · þe liȝte sone seide
[Þe][^2859] lorde of myȝte & of mayne[^2860] · & al manere vertues · dominus virtutum
Dukes[^2861] of þis dym place · anon vndo þis ȝates
That cryst may come in · þe kynges sone of heuene
And with þat breth helle brake[^2862] · with Beliales barres
For any wye or warde · wide opene[^2863] þe ȝatis

[^2858: Bx.18.323-6: It seems evident that the quotations from Psalm 23.10 have become disordered in Bx. This would most easily have happened if at some earlier stage they were to the right of each line: Efte þe liȝte bad vnlouke · & Lucifer answered · quis est iste What lorde artow quod lucifer · þe liȝte sone seide · Rex glorie The lorde of myȝte & of mayne · & al manere vertues · dominus virtutum All B mss. agree on the arrangement of l. 324, with quis est iste as the b-verse. Evidently, despite some rearrangement by F, Bx.18.325 began with Rex glorie . As the b-verse R (= alpha?) amalgamates and abbreviates 325b with 326; F abbreviates still further. LWC have dominus virtutum to the right of 326; MCrHmGO have it as a line on its own (with Hm expanding); R has it to begin 327, and F drops it altogether. Cx does not include the Latin phrases (RK.20.359-61).]

[^2859: Bx.18.326: Þe: So alpha and Cx. Beta's And appears to be a consequence of the disordering; see previous note.]

[^2860: Bx.18.326: mayne: Supported by Cx. WR have man.]

[^2861: Bx.18.327: Dukes: Alpha has the sg. The C mss. are also divided: the P group has the sg., the X group the plural. But l. 270 has Prynces, and this is supported by the source, the Gospel of Nicodemus, which has principes .]

[^2862: Bx.18.329: brake: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's braste.]

[^2863: Bx.18.330: opene: Alpha has the past tense verb, as does W and corrected Hm. The P family of C has the same, while the X family has the adjective.]

¶ Patriarkes & prophetes · populus in tenebris
Songen seynt Iohanes songe · ecce agnus dei
Lucyfer loke ne myȝte · so lyȝte hym ableynte
And þo þat owre [lorde][^2864] loued · in-to his liȝte he lauȝte
And seyde to sathan · lo here my soule to amendes
For alle synneful soules · to saue þo þat ben worthy
Myne þei be & of me · I may þe bette hem clayme
Al-þough resoun recorde [·] & riȝt of my-self
That if þei ete þe apple · alle shulde deye
I bihyȝte hem nouȝt here · helle for euere
For þe dede þat þei dede · þi deceyte it made
With gyle þow hem gete · agayne al resoun
For in my paleys paradys · in persone of an addre
Falseliche þow fettest þere · þynge þat I loued

[^2864: Bx.18.334: lorde: Omitted by L.]

¶ Thus ylyke a lusarde · with a lady visage
Theuelich þow me robbedest · þe olde lawe graunteth
Þat gylours be bigiled · & þat is gode resoun
Dentem pro dente & oculum pro oculo
Ergo soule shal soule quyte · & synne to synne wende
And al þat man hath mysdo · I man wyl amende [it][^2865]
Membre for membre · bi þe olde lawe was amendes
And lyf for lyf also · & by þat lawe I clayme[^2866]
Adam & al his issue · at my wille her-after
And þat deth in hem fordid · my deth shal releue
And bothe quykke[^2867] & quyte · þat queynte was þorw synne
And þat grace gyle destruye[^2868] · good feith it asketh
So leue it[^2869] nouȝte[^2870] lucifer [·] aȝeine þe lawe I fecche hem
But bi riȝt & by[^2871] resoun · raunceoun here my lyges
Non veni soluere legem · sed adimplere
Þow fettest myne in my place · aȝeines al[^2872] resoun
Falseliche & felounelich · gode faith me it tauȝte
To recoure hem thorw raunceoun [·] & bi no resoun elles
So þat with[^2873] gyle þow gete · þorw grace it is[^2874] ywone
Þow Lucyfer in lyknesse · of a luther addere
Getest by gyle · þo[^2875] that god loued

[^2865: Bx.18.350: it: Alpha has the pronoun, though F has it before the verb. R is supported by Cx in a slightly revised b-verse (RK.20.389). Note that in l. 352 beta has line-terminal it where alpha does not; see note there.]

[^2866: Bx.18.352: clayme: Beta has clayme it, but the object is Adam in the next line. See note to l. 350. The line is not in Cx.]

[^2867: Bx.18.355: quykke: M and beta2 have quykene, quikne (MED quikenen), but Cx supports the others.]

[^2868: Bx.18.356: destruye: "should destroy". Cr and alpha have the indicative. The line is rewritten in Cx.]

[^2869: Bx.18.357: it: L and alpha are obviously right and supported by Cx. Beta1 had I, which the M reviser corrects to thow, bringing it into line with G.]

[^2870: Bx.18.357: nouȝte: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's neuere.]

[^2871: Bx.18.358: by (2): Not in beta4 or alpha. The X family of C has a second preposition (thorw) but the P family is without it, perhaps rightly.]

[^2872: Bx.18.360: al: Lost in R (= alpha), and F makes up for it by supplying ryght &.]

[^2873: Bx.18.363: with: So L and alpha, supported by the X family of C. Beta1 anticipates þoruȝ, as does the P family of C.]

[^2874: Bx.18.363: is: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's was.]

[^2875: Bx.18.365: þo: Perhaps alpha's þinge is a recollection of the similar b-verse of l. 344, but the parallel might instead lead one to prefer it. There is no parallel in Cx.]

¶ And I in lyknesse of a leode · þat lorde am of heuene
Graciouslich þi gyle haue quytte · go gyle aȝeine gyle
And as Adam & alle · þorw a tre deyden
Adam & alle þorwe a tree · shal torne[^2876] to lyue
And gyle is bigyled · & in his gyle fallen
Et cecidit in foueam quam fecit
Now bygynneth þi gyle · ageyne þe to tourne
And my grace to growe · ay gretter & wyder[^2877]
Þe bitternesse þat þow hast browe · [now][^2878] brouke it þi-seluen
Þat art doctour of deth · drynke þat þow madest

[^2876: Bx.18.369: torne: Beta adds aȝeine, providing vowel alliteration, and perhaps influenced by l. 372, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2877: Bx.18.373: wyder: This must be the beta reading, though M originally repeated gretter, as in alpha. Cx has non-alliterating wyddore and wyddore (RK.20.400).]

[^2878: Bx.18.374: now: Alpha is supported by Cx. The line is lost in W.]

¶ For I þat am lorde of lyf · loue is my drynke
And for þat drynke to-day · I deyde vpon erthe
I fauȝte so me þrestes[^2879] ȝet · for mannes soule sake
May no drynke me moiste · ne my thruste slake
Tyl þe vendage falle · in þe vale of iosephath
Þat I drynke riȝte ripe must · resureccio mortuorum
And þanne shal I come as a kynge · crouned with angeles
And han out of helle · alle mennes soules

[^2879: Bx.18.378: þrestes: L and alpha share the very unusual -s inflexion, which may be a relict form. LALME's survey of the form covers the northern area only.]

¶ Fendes and fendekynes · bifore me shulle stande
And be at my biddynge · where-so-eure me lyketh
A[c][^2880] to be[^2881] merciable to man · þanne[^2882] my kynde it[^2883] asketh
For we beth bretheren of blode · but nouȝte in baptesme alle
Ac alle þat beth myne hole bretheren · in blode & in baptesme
Shal nouȝte be dampned to þe deth · þat is with-outen ende
Tibi soli peccaui &c ·
It is nouȝt vsed in[^2884] erthe · to hangen a feloun
Ofter þan ones · þough he were a tretour
And ȝif þe Kynge of þat kyngedome · come in þat tyme
There þe feloun thole sholde · deth or otherwyse[^2885]
Lawe wolde he ȝeue hym lyf · [and][^2886] he loked on hym

[^2880: Bx.18.386: Ac: So R (= alpha), supported by Cx, with F altering to But as usual.]

[^2881: Bx.18.386: to be: Lost in alpha, with F repairing. Supported by Cx.]

[^2882: Bx.18.386: þanne: R (= alpha?) postpones until after the noun (F has may not for þanne it). Beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2883: Bx.18.386: it: Clearly Bx, though dropped in WO (F rewrites). It is also dropped in Cx.]

[^2884: Bx.18.391: in: The phrase in erthe, "on earth", is found in Bx.15.219 (but see variants) and 18.229. R alone has on and is probably a reversion to the usual phrase, but since Cx also has on it may be right.]

[^2885: Bx.18.394: otherwyse: Beta3 (i.e. WHm) and C2 read ooþer Iuwise, "another judicial punishment", and G has a muddled and corrected Iovnesse. Beta3's reading is clearly superior and, crucially, it agrees with Cx, but it can hardly be Bx. It is too difficult to be coincidental, so it must be derived by contamination, as G's is likely to be. There is very little evidence of beta3 deriving readings from Cx, though see note to l. 97, and see Schmidt (1995), 403. Cr, evidently puzzled, reads els, and M is corrected to that reading.]

[^2886: Bx.18.395: and: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's if.]

¶[^2887] And I þat am kynge of kynges · shal come suche a tyme
There dome to þe deth · dampneth al wikked
And ȝif lawe wil I loke on hem · it lithe in my grace
Whether þei deye or deye nouȝte · for þat þei deden ille
Be it any þinge abouȝte · þe boldenesse of her synnes
I may[^2888] do mercy þorw riȝtwisnesse · & alle my wordes trewe
And þough holiwrit wil þat[^2889] I be wroke · of hem þat deden ille
Nullum malum inpunitum &c
Thei shul be clensed clereliche · & wasshen of her synnes
In my prisoun purgatorie · til parce it hote
And my mercy shal be shewed · to manye of my bretheren
For blode may suffre blode · bothe hungry & akale
Ac blode may nouȝt se blode[^2890] · blede but hym rewe
Audiui archana verba que non licet homini loqui
Ac my riȝtwisnesse & riȝt [·] shal reulen al helle
And mercy al mankynde · bifor me in heuene
For I were an vnkynde Kynge · but I my ky[n][^2891] holpe[^2892]
And namelich at such a nede · þer nedes helpe bihoueth
Non intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo
[^2893]Þus bi lawe quod owre[^2894] lorde · lede I wil fro hennes
Þo þat [I][^2895] loued · & leued in my comynge
And for þi lesynge lucifer · þat þow lowe[^2896] til[^2897] Eue
Thow shalt abye it bittre · & bonde hym with cheynes
Astaroth and al þe route · hidden hem in hernes
They dorste nouȝte loke on owre lorde · þe boldest of hem alle
But leten hym lede forth what hym lyked · and lete what hym liste

[^2887: Bx.18.396: ¶: The paraph is in LHmF.]

[^2888: Bx.18.401: may: L and alpha are supported by Cx against omission in beta1.]

[^2889: Bx.18.402: þat (1): Dropped by alpha and G, but supported by Cx.]

[^2890: Bx.18.408: blode (2): Alpha's his blode is not supported by Cx.]

[^2891: Bx.18.412: kyn: Beta repeats kynde from the a-verse. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^2892: Bx.18.412: holpe: Cx supports the past subjunctive as in LG and alpha, against the present in others.]

[^2893: Bx.18.415: The paraph in WHmCF, with the line-space in M, is prompted by the Latin line above, but is not in LR.]

[^2894: Bx.18.415: owre: MCr have þis, but the others are supported by Cx.]

[^2895: Bx.18.416: I: Alpha supported by Cx. Beta with me harmonises the subjects of loued and leued. F goes about it in his inimitable way, with þei me be-leveden.]

[^2896: Bx.18.417: lowe: "lied". This 2 sg. form is shared with alpha.]

[^2897: Bx.18.417: til: Beta supported by Cx against alpha's to.]

¶ Many hundreth of angeles · harpeden & songen
Culpat caro purgat caro · regnat deus dei caro

¶ Thanne piped pees · of poysye a note
Clarior est solito post maxima nebula phebus · post inimicitias &c ·[^2898]
After sharpe[st][^2899] shoures quod pees · moste shene is þe sonne
Is no weder warmer · þan after watery cloudes
Ne no loue leuere · ne leuer frendes[^2900]
Þan after werre & wo · whan loue & pees be maistres
Was neuere werre in þis worlde · ne wykkednesse so kene
Þat[^2901] loue & hym luste [·] to laughynge ne[^2902] brouȝte
And pees þorw pacience · alle perilles stopped[^2903]
Trewes quod treuth · þow tellest vs soth bi ihesus
Clippe we in couenaunt [·] & vch of vs cusse other
And[^2904] lete no peple quod pees · perceyue þat we chydde[^2905]
For inpossible is no þyng · to hym þat is almyȝty

[^2898: Bx.18.425: The "proverbial" verses (Alford (1992), 113) are abbreviated by the more reliable beta mss. and set out as one line. Beta4 agrees with alpha in including clarior est et amor and setting over two lines. Cx does not offer clear guidance: the X family sets as one line and all but four C mss. abbreviate by dropping post maxima nebula phebus (RK.20.451a).]

[^2899: Bx.18.426: sharpest: Alpha's superlative is supported by Cx and translates maxima .]

[^2900: Bx.18.428: From this point R is defective until Bx.20.27. We do not always comment on an F variant if it has no support from Cx.]

[^2901: Bx.18.431: Þat: Most beta mss. have Þat ne, though CrC omit ne and it is erased in M. In the absence of R the alpha reading is uncertain, though F omission has the support of Cx (RK.20.457). See Schmidt (2008), 453.]

[^2902: Bx.18.431: ne: F reads he and Hm has it, but perhaps these may be supplied to fill out a short b-verse since Cx omits. See previous note.]

[^2903: Bx.18.432: stopped: M alters to the present, bringing it into agreement with WF. There is the same variation in C mss., but the majority have the past. F's addition of he has no support from Cx.]

[^2904: Bx.18.435: And: Beta is supported by Cx against F's Ȝee.]

[^2905: Bx.18.435: chydde: Only LCrW have the past tense. C mss. are divided: XYJ of the X family have the past, the others have the present.]

¶ Thow seist soth seyde[^2906] ryȝtwisnesse · & reuerentlich hir kyste
Pees & pees here · per[^2907] secula seculorum
Misericordia & veritas obuiauerunt sibi iusticia & pax osculate sunt[^2908]
Treuth tromped þo & songe[^2909] · te deum laudamus
And thanne luted loue · in a loude note
Ecce quam bonum & quam iocundum · &c

[^2906: Bx.18.437: seyde: LM against quod in the others. Choice is difficult. Is alliteration on /s/ (aaa/xx) or /r/ (xa/ax)? Most C mss. have quod, but XJ have saide. For other examples of such variation see Bx.4.190, 13.216 (seyde LMCrHmR, quod WCGOF), 16.63 (seide LRF, quod others), etc. In a-verses seith sothe quod occurs at Bx.11.107 and 11.453, seith soth seyde at 17.21.]

[^2907: Bx.18.438: per : CrG add omnia to the formula, as do a few C scribes. Since F is missing, the line is only in beta.]

[^2908: Bx.18.439: F truncates the verse, but Cx has it in full.]

[^2909: Bx.18.440: songe: F adds to the alliteration with treblide. It has no support from Cx.]

¶ Tyl þe daye dawed · þis damaiseles [carol]ed[^2910]
That men rongen to þe resurexioun · & riȝt with þat I waked
And called kitte my wyf · and kalote my douȝter
Ariseth & [go] reuerenceth[^2911] · goddes ressurrexioun
And crepeth to þe[^2912] crosse on knees[^2913] · & kisseth it for a iuwel
For goddes blissed body · it bar for owre bote
And it afereth þe fende · for suche is þe myȝte
May no grysly gost · glyde þere it shadweth

[^2910: Bx.18.443: caroled: F's carolden is the reading of the X family of C; the P family agrees with beta's daunced. The latter is easier, and perhaps motivated by the alliteration.]

[^2911: Bx.18.446: go reuerenceth: Beta drops go, but F is supported by Cx. Most C mss. have reuerence, the infinitive or uninflected imperative plural. Imperative go may be followed by either (Mustanoja (1960), 476, 535).]

[^2912: Bx.18.447: þe: L has þe the in error.]

[^2913: Bx.18.447: to þe crosse on knees: Beta is supported by the X family of C. F (= alpha?) and the P family reverse the order.]

Passus vndevicesimus & explicit dobet & incipit dobest

[^2914] Thus I awaked & wrote · what I had dremed
And diȝte me derely · & dede me to [kirke][^2915]
To here holy þe masse · & to be houseled after[^2916]
In myddes of þe masse · þo men ȝede[^2917] to offrynge
I fel eftsones a-slepe · & sodeynly me mette[^2918]
That Pieres þe plowman · was paynted al blody
And come in with a crosse · bifor þe comune peple
And riȝte lyke in alle lymes · to owre lorde ihesu
And[^2919] þanne called I conscience · to kenne me þe sothe
Is þis ihesus þe iuster quod I · þat iuwes did to deth
Or it is[^2920] Pieres þe[^2921] plowman · who paynted hym so rede
[^2922]Quod conscience & kneled þo · þise aren Pieres[^2923] armes
His coloures & his cotearmure · ac[^2924] he þat cometh so blody
Is cryst with his crosse · conqueroure of crystene

[^2914: Bx.19.1: See Introduction V.3.2 for discussion of the relationship between Bx and Cx, and F and Cx, in this passus.]

[^2915: Bx.19.2: kirke: Doubtfully adopting the CrF reading as the minority form. On the distribution of kirke / cherche see Introduction IV.1. RK's text has kyrke, recording no variants, though in fact P (as printed by Skeat) has churche.]

[^2916: Bx.19.3: Beta4 drops ll. 3b-4a.]

[^2917: Bx.19.4: ȝede: MCr and F have wente, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^2918: Bx.19.5: me mette: Supported by Cx against F's y drempte. We shall not regularly note such instances of F's unique variants.]

[^2919: Bx.19.9: And: LWHm are supported by Cx. Other beta mss. drop it; F has A-non.]

[^2920: Bx.19.11: it is: Supported by the X family of C. The reverse order as in G and F (ys he) is supported by the P family.]

[^2921: Bx.19.11: þe: Omitted by F and the P family of C.]

[^2922: Bx.19.12: MWHmC here have a paraph.]

[^2923: Bx.19.12: Pieres: The beta reading, and clearly preferable on grounds of sense: "These are Piers' arms, but (ac) he who comes is Christ". This is confirmed by Bx.18.23-7. Perhaps quod contributes to aaa/xx alliteration, as again in l. 15 (aaa/bb). However, F's cristis is also the reading of Cx. RK, p. 123, suggest it is an error prompted by the alliteration; if so, F's reading is by coincidence or contamination. The alternative is that cristis is archetypal (if not original), corrected by beta.]

[^2924: Bx.19.13: ac: Dropped in F to remove an illogicality created by the reading cristis in the line above. CrC have and, as does the P family of C.]

¶ Why calle ȝe hym cryst quod I · sithenes iuwes calle[d][^2925] hym ihesus
Patriarkes & prophetes · prophecyed bifore
Þat alkyn creatures · shulden knelen & bowen
Anon as men nempned · þe name of god[^2926] Ihesu[^2927]
Ergo is no name · to þe name of ihesus
Ne none so nedeful to nempne · by nyȝte ne by daye
For alle derke deuelles · aren adradde to heren it
And synful aren solaced · & saued bi þat name
And ȝe callen hym cryst · for what cause telleth me
Is cryst more of myȝte · & more worth[ier][^2928] name
Þan ihesu or ihesus · þat al owre ioye come of

[^2925: Bx.19.15: called: With the past tense this refers to Bx.18.40-3. Hm and beta4 have past tense, as does Cx. Note also the past tense of F's named. The best beta mss. have the present tense as in the a-verse, and this might be a Bx error.]

[^2926: Bx.19.18: name of god: As Cx. MCr read heiȝe name of, and F has name of þat Ientyl.]

[^2927: Bx.19.18: The Latin line that follows in F only is a variant of l. 82 and is not in Cx.]

[^2928: Bx.19.24: worthier: F's multiple comparative is supported by Cx (where a few scribes correct it) against beta's worthy. Cf. Bx.7.76.]

¶ Thow knowest wel quod conscience · and þow konne resoun
That knyȝte kynge conqueroure · may be o persone
To be called a kniȝte is faire · for men shal knele to hym
To be called a Kynge is fairer · for he may knyȝtes make
Ac to be conquerour called · þat cometh of special grace
And of hardynesse of herte · & of hendenesse[^2929]
To make lordes of laddes[^2930] · of londe þat he wynneth
And fre men foule thralles · þat folweth nouȝt his lawes

[^2929: Bx.19.31: hendenesse: CO add bothe (Cf. F's also). Neither is supported by Cx.]

[^2930: Bx.19.32: of laddes: Supported by Cx, against Cr or ladyes and HmGF and ladys.]

¶ The iuwes þat were gentil men · ihesu þei dispised
Bothe his lore & his lawe · now ar þei lowe cherlis
As wyde as þe[^2931] worlde is [·] wonyeth þere none[^2932]
But vnder tribut & taillage · as tykes & cherles
And þo þat bicome crysten · by conseille of þe baptis[m]e[^2933]
Aren frankeleynes fre[^2934] men · þorw fullyng þat þei toke
And gentel men with ihesu · for Ihesus was yfolled
And vppon caluarye on crosse · ycrouned kynge of iewes

[^2931: Bx.19.36: þe: Supported by Cx against HmGF.]

[^2932: Bx.19.36: þere none: As in Cx. Cr adds therin, supplied in turn by the M reviser. W reverses the order. L misplaces the punctuation to follow wonyeth.]

[^2933: Bx.19.38: þe baptisme: An obvious error in Bx, corrected in L to baptiste as in Cx. F smooths by dropping þe. Hm omits 38b-39a.]

[^2934: Bx.19.39: fre: OF as well as Cx have & fre.]

¶ It bicometh to a Kynge · to kepe and to defende
And conquerour of conquest · his lawes & his large[^2935]
And so ded Ihesus þe iewes · he iustified & tauȝte hem
Þe lawe of lyf · that last shal euere
And fended[^2936] fram[^2937] foule yueles · feueres & fluxes
And fro fendes þat in hem was[^2938] [·] & fals bileue
Þo was he ihesus of iewes called · gentel prophete
And kynge of her[^2939] kyngdome · & croune bar of þornes

[^2935: Bx.19.43: KD, p. 133, scan this line aaa/bb, with two staves on conquerour; but its sense is also questionable. Schmidt (1995), taking the line to be dependent on l. 42, translates: "And (it befits) a conqueror to maintain and guard his laws and his munificence by virtue of his act of conquest" (p. 327). Yet it is only kings who, in the following ll. 46-7 "keep and defend" these people, as at Bx.20.258. The verbs are not applicable to a conqueror such as Christ here in ll. 50-62, for he carries "his laws and his munificence" into his newly conquered territory, binding some and freeing others at the Harrowing of Hell. It may be that something was lost at an early stage between 43a and 43b, leaving the line as it stands in Bx. Cx differs only by having his before conquest and the synonym layes for lawes.]

[^2936: Bx.19.46: fended: Supported by Cx against beta2 defended.]

[^2937: Bx.19.46: fram: HmO have hem fro(m), G has ytt fro and F fram hem. This indicates that the pronoun was variously added to Bx by scribes who sensed an omission. Cx has hem fro.]

[^2938: Bx.19.47: was: LF are supported by Cx. As elsewhere, other scribes alter to were. See note to Bx.17.11.]

[^2939: Bx.19.49: her: MCrF omit, but Cx has it.]

¶ And þo conquered he on crosse · as conquerour noble
Myȝt no deth hym fordo · ne adown brynge
That he ne aros[^2940] & regned · and rauysshed helle
And þo was he conquerour called · of quikke & of ded
For he ȝaf Adam & Eue · and other mo blisse
Þat longe hadde leyne bifore · as lucyferes cherles

[^2940: Bx.19.52: ne aros: So L as in Cx; MCrW have naroos, HmG ne ros, O no roos and CF aros.]

[^2941] [¶ And[^2942] toke [Lucifer the lothelich][^2943] · þat lorde was of helle
And bonde [him] as [he is bounde][^2944] · with bondes of yren
Who was hardier þanne he · his[^2945] herte blode he shadde
To maken alle folke fre · þat folweth his lawe[^2946]]

[^2941: Bx.19.56-9: These four lines from F were omitted in beta, perhaps skipping from one paraph to the next. They are essential to the narrative and are confirmed by Cx, which offers corrections at several points.]

[^2942: Bx.19.56: And: F's & þanne is not supported by Cx.]

[^2943: Bx.19.56: Lucifer the lothelich: As in Cx. F has lotthly lucifer.]

[^2944: Bx.19.57: him as he is bounde: This is the reading of Cx (a few mss. omit him). F has the nonsensical his as his bondeman, though his might be emended to him.]

[^2945: Bx.19.58: his: So Cx; F has þat his.]

[^2946: Bx.19.59: lawe: F has the plural, but Cx has sg.]

¶ And sith he [ȝiueth][^2947] largely · alle his lele lyges
Places in paradys · at her partynge hennes
He may wel be called conquerour · & þat is cryst to mene

[^2947: Bx.19.60: ȝiueth: F's present is the reading of the X family of Cx and follows logically from folweth in the previous line. Beta's past tense, though supported by the P family, is perhaps prompted by its omission of lines 56-9, and he ȝaf in l. 54. For the appropriateness of the present "as referring to Christ's continuing grant of heaven to the just", see Schmidt (2008), 454.]

¶ Ac þe cause þat he cometh þus · with crosse of his[^2948] passioun
Is to wissen vs þere-wyth · þat whan þat[^2949] we ben tempted
Þer-with to fyȝte & fenden[^2950] vs · fro fallyng in-to synne
And se bi his sorwe · þat who-so loueth ioye
To penaunce & to pouerte [·] he moste putten hym-seluen
And moche wo in þis worlde · willen[^2951] & suffren

[^2948: Bx.19.63: crosse of his: So LWO. MCr have cros of þe, HmCG have cros of; F reads his cros of his. Cx is no guide, since the X family reads his cros and his and the P family croys and hus.]

[^2949: Bx.19.64: þat whan þat: So beta. Cx has þat whan; F just has whan.]

[^2950: Bx.19.65: fenden: WHmF have defenden, as do a few C mss. Cf. l. 46.]

[^2951: Bx.19.68: willen: F and most C mss. have wilnen, perhaps correctly.]

¶ Ac to carpe more of cryst · and how he come to þat name
Faithly forto speke · his firste name was ihesus
Tho he was borne in bethleem [·] as þe boke telleth
And cam to take mankynde · kynges and aungeles
Reuerenced hym [riȝt][^2952] faire · with richesse[^2953] of erthe
Angeles out of heuene · come knelyng & songe
Gloria in excelsis deo &c

[^2952: Bx.19.73: riȝt: Lost in beta. F is supported by Cx and the alliteration.]

[^2953: Bx.19.73: richesse: This may be sg. or plural. W and a few C mss. have the marked pl. form. See note to Bx.3.23.]

¶ Kynges come after · kneled & offred
Mirre & moche golde · with-outen mercy[^2954] askynge
Or any kynnes catel · but knowlechyng[^2955] hym soeuereigne
Bothe of sonde[^2956] sonne & see · & sithenes þei went
In-to her kyngene kyth · by conseille of angeles[^2957]
And there was þat worde fulfilled · þe which þow of[^2958] speke
Omnia celestia terrestria flectantur in hoc nomine Ihesu
For alle þe angeles of heuene · at his burth kneled
And al þe witte of þe worlde · was in þo þre kynges[^2959]
Resoun & riȝtfulnesse[^2960] · & reuth þei offred
Wherfore & whi · wyse men þat tyme
Maistres & lettred men · Magy hem called

[^2954: Bx.19.77: mercy: Evidently the reading of both Bx and Cx. Cr is naturally puzzled and alters to mede, as does the M corrector (overwriting muche gold). F, also dissatisfied, alters with-outen to with myche, and adds Ensens to complete the three gifts (as in l. 88). One C scribe, similarly motivated, begins Rechels Golde & myr. See Schmidt (2008), 454-5.]

[^2955: Bx.19.78: knowlechyng: So apparently beta, though MCr have knoweliche, and G has past tense as in Cx. F has þey knowlechid, possibly representing alpha.]

[^2956: Bx.19.79: sonde: Supported by Cx against londe in beta2.]

[^2957: Bx.19.80: conseille of angeles: Supported by Cx against F's kennynge of an angel.]

[^2958: Bx.19.81: þow of: As Cx. F's first þou is probably motivated by alliteration with ful-fyld.]

[^2959: Bx.19.84: kynges: Supported by Cx against F's þynges.]

[^2960: Bx.19.85: riȝtfulnesse: So LC. Though C mss. are split, this is evidently the reading of Cx. All other B mss. have riȝtwisnesse / rightuousnes, which may, of course, be right, even if not archetypal. In l. 90 below Riȝtwisnesse is secure and supported by Cx and it may have prompted scribes to adopt it here. See Schmidt (2008), 455.]

¶ That o kynge cam with resoun · keuered vnder sense
Þe secounde kynge sitthe · sothliche[^2961] offred
Riȝtwisnesse vnder red golde [·] resouns felawe[^2962]
Golde is likned to leute · þat last shal euere
And resoun to riche golde[^2963] · to riȝte & to treuthe
The þridde kynge þo cam · [and] knel[ed][^2964] to ihesu
And presented hym with pitee · apierynge by myrre
For mirre is mercy to mene · & mylde speche of tonge
[Erthe]liche[^2965] honest þinges · was[^2966] offred þus at ones
Þorw þre kynne kynges · knelynge to ihesu

[^2961: Bx.19.89: sitthe sothliche: Cr has sothly sithens he, as does M, with he added as an alteration. F also has he, as does the P family of C, but the X family is without it. There is no metrical need for the pronoun, since -liche is disyllabic.]

[^2962: Bx.19.90: F drops ll. 90b and 91a.]

[^2963: Bx.19.92: riche golde: Clearly an error (since justice is likened to gold), but the reading of both Bx and Cx. F rewrites the a-verse and W drops the line altogether. Schmidt (1995) conjectures richels, "incense", calling this "one of the stronger indications that B1 was the basis of the C revision" (p. 405).]

[^2964: Bx.19.93: and kneled: F is supported by Cx. Compare the actions of the two other kings, also in past tense (ll. 88-9). The phrase cam knelyng is perhaps picked up from l. 74.]

[^2965: Bx.19.96: Ertheliche: F is supported by Cx and by superior sense. Beta's Thre yliche, though possible, appears likely to be a misreading.]

[^2966: Bx.19.96: was: LF only, but supported by Cx. Other B mss. have were. For other examples of pl. was preserved by L and alpha, see l. 47 and note to Bx.17.11.]

¶ Ac for alle þise preciouse presentz [·] owre lorde prynce ihesus
Was neyther kynge ne conquerour · til he gan to[^2967] wexe
In þe manere of a man · & þat by moche sleight
As it bicometh a conquerour · to konne[^2968] many sleightes
And many wyles & witte · þat wil ben a leder
And so did ihesu in his dayes · who-so had tyme to[^2969] telle it
Sum-tyme he suffred · & sum-tyme he hydde hym
And sum-tyme he fauȝte faste · & fleigh otherwhile
And some-tyme he gaf good · & graunted hele bothe
Lyf & lyme · as hym lyste he wrought
As kynde is of a conquerour · so comsed ihesu
Tyl he had alle hem · þat he fore bledde

[^2967: Bx.19.99: gan to: Certainly Bx, though Cx has alliterating comsed.]

[^2968: Bx.19.101: konne: F's knowe is not supported by Cx.]

[^2969: Bx.19.103: had tyme to: Certainly Bx, though Cx has alliterating durste.]

¶ In his iuuente þis ihesus · a[t][^2970] iuwen feste
Water in-to wyn tourned[^2971] · as holy writ telleth
And þere bigan god · of his grace to[^2972] dowel
For wyn is lykned[^2973] to lawe · & lyf of holynesse[^2974]
And lawe lakked þo · for men loued nouȝt her enemys
And[^2975] cryst conseilleth þus[^2976] · & comaundeth bothe
Bothe[^2977] to lered & to lewed · to louye owre enemys
So atte feste[^2978] firste [·] as I bifore tolde
Bygan god of his grace [·] & goodnesse to dowel
And þo was he cleped & called [·] nouȝt holy[^2979] cryst but Ihesu
A faunt[k]yn[^2980] ful of witte · filius marie

[^2970: Bx.19.110: at: L's atte represents "at the", which is supported here only by O. Cx has at. See the variants at l. 117.]

[^2971: Bx.19.111: Water in-to wyn tourned: So beta. F has he turnede at the end of the previous line, with some support from Cx where the a-verse is Turned watur into wyn. Perhaps the standard prose order of F and Cx is more likely to be scribal, as argued by RK, p. 123. For the contrary view see Schmidt (2008), 455.]

[^2972: Bx.19.112: to: F's omission, shared with beta4, is not supported by Cx.]

[^2973: Bx.19.113: is lykned: F has y lykne, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^2974: Bx.19.113: lyf of holynesse: This seems clearly the reading of Bx. However, W agrees with Cx on lifholynesse, which we must suppose is a coincidental variant. So Schmidt (2008), 455.]

[^2975: Bx.19.115: And (1): F has But. This and other F variants in the line are not supported by Cx.]

[^2976: Bx.19.115: þus: The reading vs in beta4 is shared with a few C mss. including XY. F has þus vs.]

[^2977: Bx.19.116: Bothe: Apparently beta, though omitted by WHmF to avoid the repetition. Most of the X family of C have it, though the others omit.]

[^2978: Bx.19.117: atte feste: WHm have at þat feeste, as do the majority of C mss.]

[^2979: Bx.19.119: holy: This is the beta reading. Yet CrF have onely, and M is altered to that reading, agreeing with Cx. On the face of it, onely does not give appropriate sense, since Langland's scheme is that Jesus was not called Christ until he became a conqueror. Kane (2005) interprets onely as an adj. "peerless", but see Barney (2006), 121, who conjectures nouȝt cryst but onely Ihesu, "not Christ but rather Jesus". The sense of holy is straightforward, even if it reads like a line-filler, to introduce a long dip into the b-verse. For further discussion see Burrow (2009), 90-1.]

[^2980: Bx.19.120: fauntkyn: L's form fauntfyn shows the source of the error in beta, leading other scribes to interpret as faunt fyn. F agrees with Cx.]

¶[^2981] For[^2982] bifor his moder marie · made he þat wonder
Þat she furste & formest · ferme shulde[^2983] bilieue
That he þorw grace was gete · & of no gome elles
He wrouȝt þat bi no witte · but þorw worde one
After þe kynde þat he come of · þere comsed he dowel
And whan he was woxen more · in his moder absence
He made lame to lepe · & ȝaue liȝte to blynde
And fedde with two fisshes · & with fyue loues
Sore afyngred folke · mo þan fyue thousande
Þus he conforted carful[^2984] · & cauȝte a gretter name
Þe whiche was dobet · where þat he went
For defe þorw his doynges · & dombe speke [& herde][^2985]
And alle he heled & halpe · þat hym of grace asked
And þo was he called in contre [·] of þe comune peple
For þe dedes þat he did · fili dauid ihesus[^2986]
For dauid was douȝtiest[^2987] · of dedes in his tyme
The berdes þo[^2988] songe · Saul interfecit mille · et dauid decem milia ·
For-þi þe contre þere ihesu cam · called hym fili dauid
And nempned hym of nazereth · & no man so worthi
To be kaisere or kynge · of þe kyngedome of iuda
Ne ouer iuwes iustice · as ihesus was hem þouȝte

[^2981: Bx.19.121: ¶: The paraph is in LM only.]

[^2982: Bx.19.121: For: Supported by Cx, though dropped by MCr and replaced by & in F.]

[^2983: Bx.19.122: ferme shulde: F reverses the order, as does Cx. RK, p. 123, note this as "variation to prose order".]

[^2984: Bx.19.130: carful: Supported by Cx against CrF þe carefull.]

[^2985: Bx.19.132: & dombe speke & herde: F supported by Cx (though mss. XYU have he for &). Beta has to here & dombe speke he made, imposing a more obvious order and perhaps not recognising speke as a past tense form.]

[^2986: Bx.19.135: fili dauid ihesus : This word order is supported by Cx.]

[^2987: Bx.19.136: douȝtiest: F and Cx supply the definite article.]

[^2988: Bx.19.137: The berdes þo: Supported by Cx against beta4 (þat for þo) and F's revision to avoid berdes.]

¶ Where-of[^2989] [hadde caiphas][^2990] enuye · & other of þe[^2991] iewes
And[^2992] forto doun hym to deth · day & nyȝte þei casten
Kulleden[^2993] hym on crosse-wyse · at caluarie on [a][^2994] fryday
And sithen buryden his body · & beden þat men sholde
Kepen it fro niȝt-comeres · with knyȝtes yarmed
For no frendes[^2995] shulde hym[^2996] fecche · for prophetes hem tolde
Þat þat blessed body · of burieles shulde rise[^2997]
And gone in-to galile · and gladen his apostles
And his moder Marie · þus men bifore demed[^2998]

[^2989: Bx.19.142: Where-of: F has Þerfore; Cx has Hereof.]

[^2990: Bx.19.142: hadde caiphas: So F and Cx. Beta reverses to prose order.]

[^2991: Bx.19.142: other of þe: The beta reading; F has oþire konynge. Both could be additions to lengthen a short b-verse, since Cx has just other.]

[^2992: Bx.19.143: And: F (and Hm) omit, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^2993: Bx.19.144: Kulleden: F and Cx begin with &, easily supplied for a smooth transition.]

[^2994: Bx.19.144: a: CrHmF are supported by Cx. However, all could be independent additions.]

[^2995: Bx.19.147: frendes: Beta has the pl.; F shares the sg. with Cx.]

[^2996: Bx.19.147: hym: So beta, though F and Cx have it as in the previous line. Cf. also l. 151.]

[^2997: Bx.19.148: shulde rise: The word-order, reversed in WHm, is supported by Cx. For rise, Bx may have read arise as in MCr supported by Cx. F has vp ryse.]

[^2998: Bx.19.150: demed: Secure for Bx, though Cx has deuyned.]

¶ The knyȝtes þat kepten it[^2999] · biknewe[n][^3000] hem-seluen
Þat angeles & archangeles · ar þe day spronge
Come knelynge [·] to þe[^3001] corps & songen[^3002]
[Cristus resurgens · and he ros after][^3003]
Verrey man bifor hem alle · & forth with hem ȝede[^3004]

[^2999: Bx.19.151: it: Supported by Cx. Beta4 reads hym, and Hm is altered to that reading, following on from l. 147.]

[^3000: Bx.19.151: biknewen: F agrees with Cx. Beta, having lost the final syllable of the verb, provides the long dip by adding a pronoun, thus anticipating the clause of the next line.]

[^3001: Bx.19.153: þe: F and Cx have þat.]

[^3002: Bx.19.153: & songen: In beta this is followed by cristus resurgens , but both F and Cx postpone the Latin to the start of the following line. F characteristically supplies konyngly to fill out a short b-verse and provide alliteration. But the caesura follows knelynge, though all B scribes take it to follow corps. This is the reading of Cx, with F providing crucial, if characteristically "improved" support. Our argument is that both F and beta reacted to the short line with its uncertain placement of the caesura: F added the adverb konyngly to provide b-verse alliteration, and beta took the Latin from the next line, dropping the detached b-verse of l. 154 as a consequence, perhaps taking it as a scribal gloss on the Latin. See note to next line.]

[^3003: Bx.19.154: Cristus resurgens · and he ros after: See note to previous line. Beta has taken the Latin as the end of the line above, and perhaps assumed the English to be a scribal gloss, thus losing this whole line. But and he ros after is necessary to the narrative: "after that he rose, true man ...". F offers the reading of Cx with characteristic elaboration, extending the Latin quote and adding the adverb a-noon. For F's he, Cx reads it; see note to l. 151.]

[^3004: Bx.19.155: ȝede: In L the scribe has inserted he, bringing it into line with other beta mss. that have lost he in the line above, but Bx was probably without it, as suggested by the agreement of F and Cx.]

¶ The iewes preyed hem pees[^3005] · & bisouȝte þe knyȝtes[^3006]
Telle þe comune þat þere cam · a compaignye of his aposteles
And bywicched hem as þei woke · & awey stolen it

[^3005: Bx.19.156: pees: F and Cx read of pees. In view of the variations of the b-verse in both F and Cx (see next note), we follow beta throughout the line.]

[^3006: Bx.19.156: & bisouȝte þe knyȝtes: F supplies alliteration with alle þo propre knyghtis, but this has no support from Cx, which reads & preyed þo knyhtes, suggesting that Bx may have avoided the repetition of the verb.]

¶ Ac Marie Magdeleyne · mette hym bi þe wey
Goynge toward galile · in godhed &[^3007] manhed
And lyues[^3008] & lokynge · & she[^3009] aloude cryde
In eche a compaignye þere she cam · cristus resurgens
Þus cam it out þat cryst ouer-cam · rekeuered & lyued
Sic oportet cristum pati & intrare &c ·[^3010]
For þat[^3011] wommen witeth · may nouȝte wel be conseille

[^3007: Bx.19.160: &: F and the X family of C repeat the preposition in, but beta and the P family omit it.]

[^3008: Bx.19.161: lyues: The adjectival gen. "alive" (only here in the poem) causes scribes difficulty, but it is supported by Cx.]

[^3009: Bx.19.161: she: F has he for "she", as in the next line; see Introduction IV.1. The X family of C omit the pronoun.]

[^3010: Bx.19.164-5: These two lines are omitted by F but are in Cx.]

[^3011: Bx.19.165: þat: MWHmCO supply a second þat; only LCrG are without it (the line is lost in F). A few C mss. also have þat þat, but it seems clear that Cx had þat.]

¶ Peter parceyued al[^3012] þis · & pursued after
Bothe iames & Iohan · Ihesu for[^3013] to seke
Tadde & ten mo · with Thomas of ynde
And as alle þise wise wyes · weren togideres
In an hous al bishette · & her dore ybarred
Cryst cam in & al closed · bothe dore & ȝates
To peter & to his aposteles · and seyde pax vobis
And toke Thomas by þe hande · and tauȝte hym to grope
And fele with his fyngres · his flesshelich herte

[^3012: Bx.19.166: al: Inserted by the L scribe and omitted by MCr, but supported by Cx.]

[^3013: Bx.19.167: for: Secure for Bx, but not in Cx.]

¶ Thomas touched it · & with his tonge seyde
Deus meus & dominus meus[^3014]
Thow art my lorde I bileue · god lorde ihesu[^3015]
Þow deydest & deth þoledest · and deme shalt vs alle[^3016]
And now art lyuynge & lokynge[^3017] · & laste shalt euere

[^3014: Bx.19.176: Deus meus & dominus meus : CrF reverse the nouns to the order of John 20.28 perhaps as a correction of Bx. Cf. lorde ... god in the next line. Cx also has the Vulgate order. F's additional b-verse gives a good line, but has no support from Cx.]

[^3015: Bx.19.177: F's b-verse is not supported by Cx.]

[^3016: Bx.19.178: F's variants are not supported by Cx.]

[^3017: Bx.19.179: F's a-verse is not supported by Cx.]

¶ Crist carped þanne · and curteislich seyde
Thomas for þow trowest þis · & trewliche bileuest it
Blessed mote þow be · & be shalt for euere
And blessed mote þei[^3018] be · in body & in soule
That neuere shal se me in siȝte · as þow doste[^3019] nouthe
And lellich bileuen al þis · I loue hem & blesse hem
Beati qui non viderunt [& crediderunt][^3020]

[^3018: Bx.19.183: þei: Beta evidently had þei alle, obscuring the parallel with the previous a-verse, but GF are supported by Cx.]

[^3019: Bx.19.184: doste: This must be the reading of Bx, though it does not alliterate. Cr reads hast, while O alone has seest, the reading of Cx, presumably by conjecture. Cf. l. 156 where Bx again seems to avoid repetition of the verb.]

[^3020: Bx.19.186: & crediderunt : Hm, beta4 and F are supported by Cx. It may be, of course, that scribes expanded beta's abbreviation of the quotation.]

¶ And whan þis dede was done · dobest he tauȝte[^3021]
And ȝaf Pieres power · and pardoun he graunted
To alle manere[^3022] men · mercy & forȝyfnes
Hym myȝte men to[^3023] assoille · of alle manere[^3024] synnes
In couenant þat þei come · & knewleche[^3025] to paye
To pieres pardon þe plowman · redde quod debes

[^3021: Bx.19.187: tauȝte: Neither beta or F took sone is supported by Cx, which reads thouhte. But tauȝte makes excellent sense; see Burrow (2009), 93 n. 15.]

[^3022: Bx.19.189: manere: The majority of C mss. read maner of, as do CrCF, but the best texts of the X family read maner. F commonly expands to manere of, as in the following line.]

[^3023: Bx.19.190: Hym myȝte men to: LC are supported by the best mss. of the X family of C. Other scribes in both traditions take various actions to avoid a construction they fail to understand, as do KD (pp. 120-1) and RK (pp. 134-5). But ll. 188-90 mean: "He gave Piers power, and granted pardon, mercy and forgiveness to all sorts; [granted] him power to absolve men of all kinds of sins." For an interpretation of the archetypal reading see Barney (2006), 128.]

[^3024: Bx.19.190: manere: F again has manere of, as do CrG, not supported by Cx.]

[^3025: Bx.19.191: knewleche: The past tense in WHm is actually the reading of Cx, though a few C mss. have the present, as Bx clearly does.]

¶ Thus hath pieres powere · be his pardoun payed
To bynde &[^3026] vnbynde · bothe here & elles[^3027]
And assoille men of alle synnes · saue of dette one

[^3026: Bx.19.194: &: L alone has & to. C mss. are divided, with the X family reading & to.]

[^3027: Bx.19.194: elles: Agreement of LF, together with Cx, secures this as the Bx reading against elles-where in other B mss.]

¶ Anone after an heigh · vp in-to heuene
He went & wonyeth þere · & wil come atte laste
And[^3028] rewarde hym riȝte wel · þat reddit quod debet
Payeth parfitly [·] as pure trewthe wolde
And what persone payeth it nouȝt · punysshen he þinketh[^3029]
And demen hem at domes-daye · bothe quikke & ded[^3030]
Þe gode to þe godhede · & to grete ioye
And wikke[de][^3031] to wonye · in wo with-outen ende

[^3028: Bx.19.198: And: LG have And wil, without support from Cx.]

[^3029: Bx.19.200: Cx offers no support for F's b-verse.]

[^3030: Bx.19.201: Again F has a unique b-verse, which is presumably designed to offer a more regular alliterative pattern.]

[^3031: Bx.19.203: wikkede: The form in all mss. except L is supported by Cx. For similar variation with wikke, see Bx.5.231.]

[¶][^3032] Þus conscience of crist · & of þe crosse carped
And conseilled me to knele þer-to · & þanne come me þouȝte
One spiritus paraclitus · to Pieres & to[^3033] his felawes
In lyknesse of a liȝtnynge · he[^3034] lyȝte on hem alle
[^3035] And made hem konne & knowe · alkyn langages

[^3032: Bx.19.204: ¶: The paraph is in WHmCF, and is entirely appropriate.]

[^3033: Bx.19.206: to (2): Not in F; beta has the support of most C mss.]

[^3034: Bx.19.207: he: Omitted in some C mss., but none support F's &.]

[^3035: Bx.19.208-11: F drops four lines through eyeskip on hem alle. The lines are in Cx.]

[¶][^3036] I wondred what þat was · & wagged conscience
And was afered of[^3037] the lyȝte · for in fyres lyknesse
Spiritus paraclitus · ouer-spradde hem alle

[^3036: Bx.19.209: ¶: In L there is an unrubricated paraph marker, missed because the scribe failed to leave a line-space. M has a line-space and HmC a paraph.]

[^3037: Bx.19.210: of: So beta (F out). Cx has for.]

¶ Quod conscience & kneled · þis is crystes messager
And cometh fro þe grete god · &[^3038] grace is his name
Knele now quod conscience · & if þow canst synge
Welcome hym & worshipe hym · with veni creator spiritus

[^3038: Bx.19.213: &: So beta, but dropped by F and Cx.]

¶ Thanne songe I[^3039] þat songe · and[^3040] so did many hundreth
And cryden with conscience · help vs god of grace
And þanne[^3041] bigan grace · to go with piers plowman
And conseilled hym & conscience · þe comune to sompne
For I wil dele[^3042] to-daye · & dyuyde[^3043] grace
To alkynnes creatures · þat kan[^3044] h[is][^3045] fyue wittes
Tresore to lyue by · to her lyues ende[^3046]
And wepne to fyȝte with · þat wil neure faille
For antecryst & his · al þe worlde shal greue
And acombre þe conscience · but if cryst þe helpe

[^3039: Bx.19.216: Thanne songe I: Cx begins And y sange. F drops this and the following line.]

[^3040: Bx.19.216: and: Dropped by WHm, but supported by Cx.]

[^3041: Bx.19.218: þanne: Dropped by F but supported by the X family of C. The P family begins Tho.]

[^3042: Bx.19.220: dele: Omitted by F, but supported by Cx.]

[^3043: Bx.19.220: dyuyde: Supported by Cx against the variants in WHm and in F.]

[^3044: Bx.19.221: kan: LF supported by Cx and alliteration. Beta1 (including M) corrupts to han.]

[^3045: Bx.19.221: his: F is supported by Cx. Beta alters to pl. her for concord, as do a few C mss.]

[^3046: Bx.19.222: Beta4 omits 222b-231a by eyeskip.]

¶ And fals prophetes fele · flatereres & glosers
Shullen come & be curatoures · ouer kynges & erlis[^3047]
And pryde shal[^3048] be pope · prynce[^3049] of holycherche
Coueytyse & vnkyndenesse · cardinales hym to lede
For-þi quod grace er I go · I wil gyue ȝow tresore
And wepne to fiȝte with · whan antecryst ȝow assailleth
And gaf eche man a grace · to gye[^3050] with hym-seluen
That ydelnesse encombre hym nouȝt · envye[^3051] ne pryde
Diuisiones graciarum sunt &c ·

[^3047: Bx.19.227: erlis: F's knyghtis has no support from Cx.]

[^3048: Bx.19.228: pryde shal: F and Cx read þanne shal pryde.]

[^3049: Bx.19.228: prynce: F and Cx read & prince.]

[^3050: Bx.19.232: gye: As in Cx. CrW have gide; beta4 reads go.]

[^3051: Bx.19.233: envye: F and Cx have ne envyȝe.]

¶ Some[^3052] he ȝaf wytte · with wordes to shewe
Witte to wynne her lyflode with[^3053] · as þe worlde asketh
As prechoures & prestes [·] & prentyce of lawe
Þei lelly to lyue · by laboure of tonge
And bi witte to wissen other · as grace hem wolde teche

[^3052: Bx.19.235: Some: Secure for Bx. The X family of C reads Som men, the P family To somme men (cf. Cr).]

[^3053: Bx.19.236: The a-verse is revised in Cx, avoiding the repetition of witte.]

¶ And some he kenned crafte · & kunnynge of syȝte
With sellyng & buggynge · her bylyf[^3054] to wynne
And some he lered to laboure[^3055] [· on londe and on water
And lyue by þat labour] · a lele lyf & a[^3056] trewe
And somme he tauȝte to tilie · to dyche & to thecche[^3057]
To wynne with her lyflode · by lore of his techynge[^3058]
And some to dyuyne &[^3059] diuide · noumbres to kenne
And some to compas craftily[^3060] · & coloures to make
And some to se & to saye · what shulde bifalle
Bothe of wel & of wo · telle it or it felle[^3061]
As Astronomyenes þorw astronomye · & philosophres wyse

[^3054: Bx.19.241: bylyf: "subsistence". MCr, Hm (altered) and F read liflode. Many C scribes also have difficulty with the word.]

[^3055: Bx.19.242: laboure: Beta drops 242b and 243a through eyeskip (laboure ... labour). F is supported by Cx.]

[^3056: Bx.19.243: a (2): Omitted by beta4 and F, but supported by Cx.]

[^3057: Bx.19.244: thecche: Beta4 has hegge, F has þresche, both probably misreadings. Most C mss. read to teche and to coke, but some make the obvious correction of teche to theche. See KD, pp. 174-5; RK, p. 125.]

[^3058: Bx.19.245: Cx has an entirely different line here.]

[^3059: Bx.19.246: &: M's and to is shared with some of the X family of C.]

[^3060: Bx.19.247: And some to compas craftily: Cx omits some and craftily.]

[^3061: Bx.19.249: telle it or it felle: In Cx the b-verse is and be ywaer bifore.]

¶ And some to ryde & to[^3062] recoeure[^3063] · þat vnriȝtfully[^3064] was wonne
He wissed hem[^3065] wynne[^3066] it aȝeyne · þorw wightnesse[^3067] of handes
[^3068]And fecchen it fro fals men · with foluyles lawes

[^3062: Bx.19.251: ryde & to: Supported by the P family of C, while Hm and beta4 have ryde and summe to as in the X family. F's rekne & has no support.]

[^3063: Bx.19.251: recoeure: So L; cf. F's rekewre. See MED recuren (Lat recurare), formally different from MED recoveren (OFr), as in the other mss.]

[^3064: Bx.19.251: vnriȝtfully: Supported by Cx against wrongfully in W. The odd riȝtfully in Hm perhaps reflects puzzlement with the ironic reference to foluyles lawes in l. 253.]

[^3065: Bx.19.252: hem: Cx reads men.]

[^3066: Bx.19.252: wynne: As in Cx, against to wynne in W, with to inserted in O. F omits the line.]

[^3067: Bx.19.252: wightnesse: Supported by Cx; misunderstood by HmC (wytnesse) and G (ryghtyovsnes).]

[^3068: Bx.19.253: L alone has a paraph at the top of the page. Presumably it was meant to precede And in the next line.]

[¶][^3069] And some he lered[^3070] to lyue · in longynge to ben hennes
In pouerte & in p[acie]nce[^3071] · to preye for alle crystene
And alle he lered to be lele · & eche a crafte loue other
And forbad hem alle debate · þat none were amonge hem[^3072]
Thowgh some be clenner þan somme · ȝe se wel quod grace
Þat he þat vseth þe fairest crafte · to þe foulest I couth haue put hym[^3073][^3074]
Þinketh alle[^3075] quod grace · þat grace cometh of my ȝifte
Loke þat none lakke other · but loueth alle[^3076] as bretheren

[^3069: Bx.19.254: ¶: The paraph, misplaced at the head of the previous line in L, is supported by WHm. Cf. the parallels in ll. 235, 240 and 251; though apparently not ll. 242 (W only), 244 and 246 (WHm only).]

[^3070: Bx.19.254: lered: CrHmGF read lerned, a common variation; cf. e.g. Bx.1.148, 153, and l. 256 below. C mss. also vary.]

[^3071: Bx.19.255: pacience: HmF are supported by Cx, though three C mss. read penaunce. The beta reading must be penaunce, so how did Hm come by the right reading? Both penaunce and pacience are frequently collocated with pouerte; cf. especially Bx.14.231 and 19.67.]

[^3072: Bx.19.257: In Cx the line reads "Ne no boest ne debaet be among hem alle" (RK.21.251). For the suggestion of Cx revision here and in ll. 259-60, see Barney (2006), 143.]

[^3073: Bx.19.259-60: Replaced by one line in Cx: "That all craft and connyng cam of my ȝefte" (RK.21.253).]

[^3074: Bx.19.259: Followed in F by four sanctimonious lines with defective alliteration. See KD, p. 223.]

[^3075: Bx.19.260: alle: F has alle now. The line is omitted by beta4.]

[^3076: Bx.19.261: alle: Not in Cx.]

¶ And who[^3077] þat moste maistries can · be myldest of berynge
And crouneth conscience kynge · & maketh crafte ȝowre stuward
And after craftes conseille · clotheth ȝow & fede
For I make Pieres þe[^3078] plowman · my procuratour & my reve
And Regystrere to receyue · redde quod debes
My prowor[^3079] & my plowman · Piers shal ben on erthe
And for to tulye treuthe · a teme shal he haue

[^3077: Bx.19.262: who: Cx reads he.]

[^3078: Bx.19.265: þe: GF are without it. C mss. vary.]

[^3079: Bx.19.267: prowor: "overseer". Supported by Cx, though some scribes stumble over it.]

¶ Grace gaue Piers a teme · foure[^3080] gret oxen
Þat on was Luke a large beste · and a lowe-chered
And marke & mathew þe þrydde · myghty bestes bothe
And ioigned to hem one Iohan · most gentil of alle
Þe prys nete of Piers plow · passyng alle other

[^3080: Bx.19.269: foure: W supplies of, as does the P family of C.]

¶ And[^3081] grace gaue pieres · of his goodnesse[^3082] foure stottis
Al þat his oxen eryed · þey to harwe[^3083] after
On hyȝte Austyne · & ambrose an other
Gregori þe grete clerke · & Ierome þe gode
Þise foure þe feithe to teche · folweth pieres teme
And harwed in an handwhile · al holy scripture
Wyth two [aithes][^3084] þat þei hadde · an olde & a newe
Id est vetus testamentum & nouum[^3085]

[^3081: Bx.19.274: And: F has & ȝit; Cx has And sethe.]

[^3082: Bx.19.274: gaue pieres · of his goodnesse: The word-order in F, of his goodnesse / gaf peers is supported by Cx. It is perhaps a revision, but could be an error in Cx, or in beta influenced by l. 269. See RK, p. 123, who adopt the beta reading.]

[^3083: Bx.19.275: harwe: MCrF supply it, as do a couple of C mss.]

[^3084: Bx.19.280: aithes: This is the reading of Cx. MED eithe (OE egþe, "harrow") records no other instance. F preserves it in the form hayȝtes. Beta and some C mss. have the much easier synonym harwes, picked up from the verb in the previous line.]

[^3085: Bx.19.281: nouum : F's addition of testamentum has no support from Cx.]

¶ And grace gaue [Pieres][^3086] greynes · cardynales[^3087] vertues
And sewe it[^3088] in mannes soule · & sithen he[^3089] tolde her names
[^3090] Spiritus prudencie · þe firste seed hyȝte
And[^3091] who-so eet þat[^3092] · ymagyne he shulde
Ar he did any dede · deuyse wel þe ende
And lerned men a ladel bugge · with a longe stele
Þat[^3093] cast for to kepe[^3094] a crokke · to[^3095] saue[^3096] þe fatte abouen

[^3086: Bx.19.282: Pieres: Easily lost in beta. F is supported by Cx.]

[^3087: Bx.19.282: cardynales: Beta supplies the definite article, but it is not supported by F or Cx.]

[^3088: Bx.19.283: sewe it: WHm alter to sew hem on grounds of concord; F reads he sew it. Neither has support from Cx.]

[^3089: Bx.19.283: he: Hm and beta4 omit as do some C mss., but Cx has it.]

[^3090: Bx.19.284: Only HmF mark a new paragraph here, corresponding to those at the other members of the numbered set, ll. 289, 297 and 306.]

[^3091: Bx.19.285: And: Perhaps a beta error. F and Cx read less obvious Þat.]

[^3092: Bx.19.285: þat: F's of þat frut has no support from C, though the P family has þat seede.]

[^3093: Bx.19.288: Þat: LMCrCG are supported by Cx against And in WHm, To in O, and For he in F.]

[^3094: Bx.19.288: kepe: So Bx, though Cx has kele, "cool".]

[^3095: Bx.19.288: to (2): F and Cx read &.]

[^3096: Bx.19.288: saue: F repeats keepe to strengthen the aaa/xx alliteration, as do two C scribes.]

¶ The secounde seed hiȝte[^3097] [·] spiritus temperancie
He þat ete of þat seed · hadde suche a kynde
Shulde neuere mete ne [myschief][^3098] · make hym to swelle
Ne sholde no scorner ne scolde[^3099] · oute of skyl hym brynge
Ne wynnynge ne welthe[^3100] · of wordeliche ricchesse
Waste worde of ydelnesse · ne wykked speche meue
Shulde no curyous clothe · comen on hys rugge
Ne no mete in his mouth · þat maister Iohan spiced

[^3097: Bx.19.289: hiȝte: So Cx, against F's þat he sew was. O is absent from this line to l. 369.]

[^3098: Bx.19.291: myschief: i.e. starvation. Beta is understandably puzzled and replaces with mochel drynke. F is supported by Cx.]

[^3099: Bx.19.292: ne scolde: F and Cx omit, to the detriment of the alliteration.]

[^3100: Bx.19.293: welthe: W's wele is not supported by Cx. Beta4 drops the line.]

¶ The thridde seed þat Pieres sewe · was spiritus fortitudinis
And who-so eet of þat seed [·] hardy was[^3101] eure
To suffre al þat god sent · sykenesse & angres
Myȝte no lesynge[s] ne lyere[^3102] · ne losse of worldely catel
Maken hym for any mournynge · þat he nas merye in soule
And bolde & abydynge · bismeres to suffre
And pl[e]yeth[^3103] al with pacyence · & parce michi domine
And couered[^3104] hym vnder conseille · of catoun þe wyse
Esto forti animo cum sis dampnatus inique

[^3101: Bx.19.298: was: The beta reading is supported by Cx. WHm have was he; F has he was.]

[^3102: Bx.19.300: lesynges ne lyere: Only L has sg. lesynge, which could nevertheless be right. For ne, F reads of. C mss. have instead lyare with lesynges, though X and three other mss. have sg. lesynge.]

[^3103: Bx.19.303: pleyeth: "plead in court", MED pleien v. (2), from ple. LCr playeth is a misunderstanding of the uncommon verb. F has the easier and unambiguous verb pleted. Cx has plede, which could be either present or past tense. See RK, p. 123 and n. 42; Barney (2006), 151.]

[^3104: Bx.19.304: couered: CrCGF have the present tense, but Cx has the past.]

¶ The fierthe seed þat pieres sewe · was spiritus iusticie
And he þat eet of þat seed · shulde be euere[^3105] trewe
With god &[^3106] nouȝt agast · but of gyle one
For gyle goth so pryuely · þat good faith other-while
May nouȝte ben aspyed · for[^3107] spiritus iusticie

[^3105: Bx.19.307: euere: Cx has euene.]

[^3106: Bx.19.308: With god &: F's & of god is not supported by Cx.]

[^3107: Bx.19.310: for: Cx has thorw.]

¶[^3108] Spiritus iusticie · spareth nouȝte to spille[^3109]
Hem þat ben gulty · & forto correcte[^3110]
Þe Kynge ȝif he falle[^3111] · in gylte or in trespasse
For counteth he no kynges wratthe[^3112] · whan he in courte sitteth
To demen as a domes-man · adradde was he neure
Noither of duke ne of deth · þat he ne dede þe[^3113] lawe
For present or for preyere · or any prynces lettres
He dede equite to alle · euene-forth his powere[^3114]

[^3108: Bx.19.311: ¶: LWHm have a paraph, not entirely appropriately in the middle of the account of the fourth seed. That it was in beta at least is further suggested by M's misplacement of a paraph marker at the next line, which is at the top of the leaf.]

[^3109: Bx.19.311: KD, p. 119, and RK, p. 133, detect misdivision and padding in this and the next two lines in both Bx and Cx.]

[^3110: Bx.19.312-13: Among C mss., X has "Hem þat ben gulty · and forto corecte the kyng / And the kyng falle in any a gulte", while P divides the line after corecte.]

[^3111: Bx.19.313: falle: F's a-verse has no support from Cx. See previous note.]

[^3112: Bx.19.314: F's a-verse has no support from Cx.]

[^3113: Bx.19.316: þe: So LF and Cx. Dropped by beta1.]

[^3114: Bx.19.318: powere: Cx reads knowyng.]

¶ Thise foure sedes pieres sewe · and sitthe he did hem harwe
Wyth olde[^3115] lawe and newe lawe · þat loue myȝte wexe
Amonge þ[ise][^3116] foure vertues · and vices destroye

[^3115: Bx.19.320: olde: F twice adds the definite article in the a-verse, without support from Cx.]

[^3116: Bx.19.321: þise: Uncertain. F is supported by Cx. LMCrCG have þe; WHm have þo.]

¶[^3117] For comunelich in contrees · kammokes & wedes
Fouleth þe fruite in þe felde · þere þei growe togyderes
And so don vices · vertues worthy[^3118]
Quod Piers harweth alle þat kunneth kynde witte · bi conseille of þis doctours
And tulyeth after her techynge · þe cardinale vertues

[^3117: Bx.19.322: ¶: The paraph is appropriate, though indicated in LM only. F begins &, but For is supported by Cx.]

[^3118: Bx.19.324: worthy: In Cx this reads forþi quod Peres, and it is clear that Bx has misdivided the line. F characteristically expands a short line.]

¶ Aȝeines þi greynes quod grace · bigynneth for to ripe
Ordeigne þe an hous Piers[^3119] · to herberwe in þi cornes

[^3119: Bx.19.328: Piers: So Cx. Probably beta read quod Piers (picked up from the following line), retained by LMCr, with WHm making an obvious correction by dropping quod, and beta4 dropping both words. F moves Peers to the beginning of the line.]

¶ By god[^3120] grace quod Piers · ȝe moten gyue[^3121] tymbre
And ordeyne þat hous · ar ȝe hennes wende

[^3120: Bx.19.329: god: F misunderstands as genitive. Beta is supported by Cx.]

[^3121: Bx.19.329: gyue: F and Cx read gyve me.]

¶ And grace gaue hym þe crosse · with[^3122] þe croune of þornes
That cryst vpon caluarye · for mankynde on pyned[^3123]
And of his baptesme & blode · þat he bledde on Rode
He made a maner morter · &[^3124] mercy it hiȝte
And þere-with grace bigan · to make a good foundement
And watteled it and walled[^3125] it · with his peynes[^3126] & his passioun
And of al holywrit · he made[^3127] a rofe after
And called þat hous vnite · holicherche on englisshe
And whan þis dede was done · grace deuised
A carte hyȝte cristendome · to carye [home] pieres[^3128] sheues
And gaf hym caples to his carte · contricioun & confessioun
And made presthode haywarde · þe while hym-self went
As wyde as þe worlde is · with pieres to tulye treuthe
[And þe [londe] of bileue · þe lawe of holychirche][^3129]

[^3122: Bx.19.331: with: F's & is not supported by Cx.]

[^3123: Bx.19.332: on pyned: Beta is supported by Cx against F's kawhte.]

[^3124: Bx.19.334: &: F omits; beta is supported by Cx.]

[^3125: Bx.19.336: watteled ... walled: Reversed in MCr, without support from Cx. F rewrites the line.]

[^3126: Bx.19.336: peynes: Supported by Cx against W's sg. and F's woundis.]

[^3127: Bx.19.337: made: Supported by Cx. F substitutes wroghte to alliterate with writ.]

[^3128: Bx.19.340: home pieres: As in Cx. Beta drops home while F drops pieres (but supplies it in the next line), perhaps both simplifying for metrical reasons.]

[^3129: Bx.19.344: The line is preserved only by F, but it is in Cx. For londe as in Cx, F reads loore, but cf. londe of longynge Bx.11.8. F also supplies & to begin the b-verse, but Cx does not have it. There seems nothing to have prompted beta's omission, except that the line was at the end of the paragraph, so it may be an addition in C.]

¶ Now is Pieres to þe plow · &[^3130] pruyde it aspyde
And gadered hym a grete oest · to greuen[^3131] he þinketh
Conscience and al crystene · and cardinale vertues
Blowe hem doune & breke hem · & bite atwo þe mores[^3132]
And sent forth surquydou[re]s[^3133] · his seriaunt of armes
And his spye spille-loue · one speke yuel byhynde
Þise two come to conscience · and to crystene peple
And tolde hem tydynges · þat tyne þei shulde þe sedes
That Pieres þere hadde ysowen · þe cardynal vertues[^3134]
And Pieres berne worth broke · & þei þat ben in vnite
Shulle come out &[^3135] conscience · & ȝowre two caples
Confessioun & contricioun · and ȝowre carte þe[^3136] byleue
Shal be coloured so queyntly · and keuered vnder owre[^3137] sophistrie
Þat consci[ence][^3138] shal nouȝte · knowe by contricioun
Ne by confessioun · who is cristene or hethen
Ne no maner marchaunt · þat with moneye deleth
Where he wynne wyth riȝte[^3139] · with wronge or with vsure

[^3130: Bx.19.345: &: Secure for Bx, but not in Cx.]

[^3131: Bx.19.346: to greuen: So LMC, and presumably beta. W has for to greven, and Hm for greuyn. CrG, reading to greue him, misunderstand the construction with the object in the next line. F, making the same mistake, has greven hym. Cx reads simply greue(n), with a few mss. adding to or hym. It is likely enough that Bx read greuen, with scribes reacting to the short b-verse.]

[^3132: Bx.19.348: þe mores: "roots". F rewrites the b-verse as & beetyn doun here maneres. The P family of C alters to rotes.]

[^3133: Bx.19.349: surquydoures: "arrogant one" (for this form in F see MED surquidrous), which both F and Cx interpret as plural (but cf. l. 351), and so read sergawntys in place of seriaunt. Beta has the commoner form surquidous. See Schmidt (2008), 460.]

[^3134: Bx.19.353: In C, the X family begins That sire Peres sewe. The P family ends the previous line with sholde and therefore begins The seedes that syre Peers sewe, a satisfactory a-verse. Bx must also have been defective as a result of mislineation, and perhaps the a-verse read That Piers sewe, with beta and F expanding in different ways. See Schmidt (2008), 460.]

[^3135: Bx.19.355: & (1): So beta and Cx. Dropped in F, so that conscience is a term of address rather than part of a group subject of Shal in l. 357.]

[^3136: Bx.19.356: þe: F has of; most C mss. omit.]

[^3137: Bx.19.357: owre: So L and most beta mss. Cr has your, perhaps from the line above, while WF omit, perhaps to shorten a heavy b-verse. There is the same variation in C mss., with most reading oure.]

[^3138: Bx.19.358: conscience: L reads conscioun, with the line marked for correction. Cx supports beta's version of the line; F tries to improve sense and alliteration.]

[^3139: Bx.19.361: riȝte: CrF follow this with or, but it is not in Cx.]

¶ With suche coloures & queyntise[^3140] · cometh pryde yarmed
With þe lorde þat lyueth after · þe luste of his body
To wasten on welfare · and on[^3141] wykked kepynge[^3142]
Al þe worlde in a while · þorw owre witte quod pruyde

[^3140: Bx.19.362: & queyntise: Supported by Cx against MCr and coueityse and F y-peyntid.]

[^3141: Bx.19.364: on (2): This is the beta reading, though W has in, as do most C mss., and G omits. F's b-verse wikkednesse he meyntiþ has no support.]

[^3142: Bx.19.364: kepynge: There is no support for W's lyuyng.]

¶ Quod conscience to alle crystene þo · my conseille is to[^3143] wende
Hastiliche in-to[^3144] vnyte · & holde we vs þere
And preye we þat a pees were · in Piers berne þe plowman
For witterly I wote wel · we beth nouȝte of strengthe
[^3145] To gone agayne pryde · but grace were with vs

[^3143: Bx.19.366: to (2): Cx has instead we or þat we. F's b-verse is y conseyle þe to wende.]

[^3144: Bx.19.367: in-to: Beta is supported by the P family of C, but F's to has support from the X family.]

[^3145: Bx.19.370: O resumes.]

¶ And þanne cam kynde wytte · conscience to teche
And cryde & comaunded · al crystene peple
For to[^3146] deluen a dyche[^3147] · depe aboute[^3148] vnite
That holycherche stode in vnite[^3149] · as it a pyle [were][^3150]

[^3146: Bx.19.373: For to: Secure for Bx; Cx begins To.]

[^3147: Bx.19.373: a dyche: LMWG, and so presumably the beta reading, supported by the X family of C. HmCOF have instead and dike/dych (Cr and digge). The P family of C has and dike a deop diche.]

[^3148: Bx.19.373: aboute: Beta is supported by the X family of C. F's alle abowte is supported by the P family.]

[^3149: Bx.19.374: in vnite: This makes sense as a pun, "united". F's strong develops the sense of this, looking forward to l. 376 and adding alliteration with stoode. Cx reads instead in holinesse, alluding to the moat that is to be dug, but this is perhaps picked up from RK.21.380 (= Bx.19.392).]

[^3150: Bx.19.374: were: L omits, with the line marked for correction. For Bx a pyle were, Cx reads were a pyle.]

¶ Conscience comaunded þo · al crystene to delue
And make a muche mote · þat myȝte ben a strengthe
To helpe holycherche · & hem þat it kepeth

¶ Thanne alkyn crystene · saue comune wommen
Repenteden & refused synne · saue they one
And fals men flateres[^3151] · vsureres and theues
Lyeres and questmongeres[^3152] · þat were forsworen ofte
Wytynge and willefully · with þe false helden
And for syluer were forswore · sothely þei wist it[^3153]

[^3151: Bx.19.380: flateres: The form in LF against flaterers in others, as also at Bx.2.168 and 13.450. See MED flatour. This line is not in Cx.]

[^3152: Bx.19.381: Lyeres and questmongeres: Cx has instead A sysour and a sompnour. For questmongere see Alford (1988), 124.]

[^3153: Bx.19.383: F's puzzling b-verse has no support from Cx.]

¶ Þere nas no crystene creature · þat kynde witte hadde
Saue schrewes one · suche as I spak of[^3154]
That he ne halpe a quantite · holynesse to wexe
Somme þorw bedes byddynge · and some[^3155] þorw[^3156] pylgrymage[^3157]
And other pryue penaunce[^3158] · and some þorw penyes delynge

[^3154: Bx.19.385: Cx drops this line. F characteristically expands a short line.]

[^3155: Bx.19.387: some: In beta and the P family of C, but not in F or the X family.]

[^3156: Bx.19.387: þorw (2): Secure for Bx, but Cr and Cx have bi, carrying the b-verse alliteration.]

[^3157: Bx.19.387: pylgrimage: Only W has the plural. It is, however, the reading of Cx.]

[^3158: Bx.19.388: penaunce: For variation with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211. There is similar variation in C mss. MCr have peines. F reverses a- and b-verses.]

¶ And þanne welled[^3159] water · for wikked werkes
Egerlich ernynge · out of mennes eyen
Clennesse of þe[^3160] comune · & clerkes clene lyuynge
Made vnite holicherche · in holynesse to stonde[^3161]

[^3159: Bx.19.389: welled: The reading walmede in F suggests that Bx might have had the form walled (MED wallen v.(1)), as in Cx.]

[^3160: Bx.19.391: of þe: WHm repeat out of from the line above.]

[^3161: Bx.19.392: to stonde: So beta. Cx is without to, as Bx may have been, since in F the b-verse reads holylyche stoonde.]

[¶][^3162] I care nouȝte quod conscience · þough pryde come nouthe
Þe lorde of luste shal be letted · al þis lente I hope
Comeþ quod conscience · ȝe cristene and dyneth
Þat han laboured lelly · al þis lente tyme
Here is bred yblessed · and goddes body þer-vnder[^3163]
Grace þorw goddes worde · gaue Pieres[^3164] power
Myȝtes[^3165] to maken it · & men to ete it after[^3166]
In helpe of her hele · onys in a moneth
Or as ofte as þey hadden nede · þo þat hadde ypayed
To pieres pardoun þe plowman · redde quod debes

[^3162: Bx.19.393: ¶: The paraph is in WHm, with a line-space in M.]

[^3163: Bx.19.397: þer-vnder: F, reading þere-Inne, is perhaps uncomfortable with the theological use, MED ther-under 2 (b).]

[^3164: Bx.19.398: Pieres: Cx has Peres the ploughman.]

[^3165: Bx.19.399: Myȝtes: Beta2 and F begin And, with support from the P family of Cx. Though the noun is the more obvious sg. in CrCF, as in Cx, beta had the plural.]

[^3166: Bx.19.399: to ete it after: Cx reads for to eten it.]

¶ How quod al þe comune · þow conseillest vs to ȝelde
Al þat we owen any wyȝte · ar[^3167] we go to housel

[^3167: Bx.19.404: ar: As in the P family of C. F's er þat has support from the X family.]

¶ That is my conseille quod conscience [·] & cardynale vertues
[Or][^3168] vche man forȝyue other · and þat wyl þe pater noster
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra · &c ·
And so to ben assoilled · & sithen ben[^3169] houseled

[^3168: Bx.19.406: Or: "Or, in other words, ...". F agrees with Cx on much the harder reading. Probably beta altered it, as do a few C mss. Beta has support for the rest of the a-verse.]

[^3169: Bx.19.408: ben (2): Supported by most of the P family of C. Beta4 and F repeat to been, with support from the X family. Perhaps that is more likely to be scribal.]

¶ Ȝe bawe quod a brewere · I wil nouȝt be reuled
Bi ihesu for al ȝowre ianglynge · with[^3170] spiritus iusticie
Ne after conscience by cryste · whil I can[^3171] selle
Bothe dregges & draffe · and drawe it[^3172] at on hole
Þikke ale and þinne ale · for[^3173] þat is my kynde
And nouȝte hakke after holynesse · holde þi tonge conscience
Of spiritus iusticie · þow spekest moche an ydel[^3174]

[^3170: Bx.19.410: with: Cx has aftur, as in the next line. F's form of the line is not supported.]

[^3171: Bx.19.411: whil I can: C mss. vary between y couth and for y couthe. F's b-verse is not supported.]

[^3172: Bx.19.412: it: This is the beta reading; F's b-verse is too different to reveal alpha. O makes a sensible correction by dropping the pronoun (since the object is in the following line), and thereby agrees with Cx. Cf. l. 346 for a similar instance of scribes reading line by line.]

[^3173: Bx.19.413: for: Not in F. Cx has and. Perhaps both for and and are scribal expansions.]

[^3174: Bx.19.415: F rewrites the b-verse to increase the alliteration.]

¶ Caytyue quod conscience · cursed wrecche
Vnblessed artow brewere · but if þe god[^3175] helpe
But þow lyue by lore[^3176] · of spiritus iusticie
Þe chief seed þat Pieres sewe · ysaued worstow neure
But conscience þe comune fede[^3177] · and cardynale vertues
Leue it[^3178] wel þei ben[^3179] loste · bothe lyf & soule

[^3175: Bx.19.417: þe god: F reverses to god þe, agreeing with the P family of C.]

[^3176: Bx.19.418: lore: F adds the definite article, as do some of the P family of C.]

[^3177: Bx.19.420: þe comune fede: "feed the people". The beta reading (with GO corrupting fede to seede). Beta is supported by the P family of C. F's reading be þyn comoun foode makes good sense addressed to the brewer, but it is exactly paralleled in only one C ms. The X family is divided, with one group reading þy comune fode and the other be comune fode. KD and RK emend to be þy comunes; see the discussion in RK, p. 126, where they argue that the adj. comoun "did not seem to have been used in the exact sense required, namely `customary, day-to-day'". For further evaluation of the readings, see Barney (2006), 167. See notes to next line.]

[^3178: Bx.19.421: it: F's me has no support from Cx.]

[^3179: Bx.19.421: þei ben: The beta reading, referring to the people (comune, l. 420), treated as pl. also in l. 465. F has þou art addressed to the brewer, continuing the sense of its previous line. Cx's has instead we been, which avoids any difficulty. See note to l. 420.]

¶ Thanne is many[^3180] man ylost [·] quod a lewed vycory
I am a curatour of holykyrke · and come neure in my tyme
Man to me þat me couth[^3181] telle · of cardinale vertues
Or þat acounted conscience · at a[^3182] cokkes fether or an hennes[^3183]
I knewe neure cardynal · þat he ne cam fro þe pope
And we clerkes whan þey come · for her comunes payeth
For her pelure and[^3184] her palfreyes mete · & piloures þat hem folweth
Þe comune clamat cotidie · eche a man to[^3185] other
Þe contre is þe curseder · þat[^3186] cardynales come Inne
And þere they ligge and lenge moste[^3187] · lecherye þere regneth
[^3188]For-þi quod þis vicori · be verrey god I wolde
That no cardynal come · amonge þe comune peple
But in her holynesse · holden[^3189] hem stille
At Auynoun amonge iuwes[^3190] · cum sancto sanctus eris &c
Or in Rome as here rule wole · þe reliques to kepe
And þow conscience in kynges courte · & shuldest neure come þennes
And grace þat þow gredest so of · gyour[^3191] of alle clerkes
And Pieres[^3192] with his newe plow · & eke with his olde[^3193]
Emperour of al þe worlde · þat alle men were cristene

[^3180: Bx.19.422: many: Among B mss. only L omits a, but L has the support of most C mss.]

[^3181: Bx.19.424: to me þat me couth: F simplifies to þat cowde me, but beta is supported by Cx (although the P family drop the second me).]

[^3182: Bx.19.425: at a: Beta is supported by some C mss., where at is perhaps added to fill out a b-verse shortened by loss of the final phrase (see next note). However, Cx seems to have been without the preposition, as F.]

[^3183: Bx.19.425: or an hennes: Omitted by F and some C mss., but in Cx. See previous note.]

[^3184: Bx.19.428: her pelure and: Lost in F, but supported by Cx.]

[^3185: Bx.19.429: to: WHmF have til, but it is not supported by Cx.]

[^3186: Bx.19.430: þat: F shares the easier þere with the P family of C. Note repeated þere in the next line.]

[^3187: Bx.19.431: moste: In MCrCGO the punctuation follows lenge, with moste as adj. qualifying lecherye, but with the punctuation in LWHmF it is an adverb.]

[^3188: Bx.19.432: Note that WHmCF have a paraph.]

[^3189: Bx.19.434: holden: Supported by most C mss. against past tense helden in CrWCG.]

[^3190: Bx.19.435: iuwes: Beta has þe iuwes, but the definite article is easily added and the generalised sense as in F and Cx is appropriate.]

[^3191: Bx.19.438: gyour: F's sholde be gyȝere is not supported by Cx. The P family has were gyour.]

[^3192: Bx.19.439: Pieres: F moves with his newe plowh to the b-verse and adds plowman for the alliteration, but it is not in Cx.]

[^3193: Bx.19.439: eke with his olde: F has þe olde (though with also in the a-verse). In C the X family has also his olde; the P family ends the line hus olde boþe.]

¶ Inparfyt is þat pope · þat al peple[^3194] shulde helpe
And sendeth hem þat sleeth suche · as he shulde saue
And wel worth piers þe plowman · þat [pur]sueth[^3195] god in doyng
Qui pluit super iustos · & iniustos at ones
And sent þe sonne to saue · a cursed mannes tilthe
As bryȝte as to þe best man · &[^3196] to þe beste woman
Riȝte so Pieres þe plowman · peyneth hym to tulye
[^3197] As wel for a wastour · & wenches[^3198] of þe stuwes
As for hym-self & his seruauntz · saue he is firste yserued
[So blessed be Pieres þe plowman · þat peyneth hym to tulye][^3199]
And trauailleth & tulyeth · for a tretour also sore
As for a trewe tydy man · al tymes ylyke
And worshiped be he þat wrouȝte al · bothe good & wykke
And suffreth þat synful be · til some-tyme þat þei repente
And god amende þe pope · þat pileth holykirke
And cleymeth bifor þe kynge · to be keper ouer crystene
And counteth nouȝt þough crystene ben · culled & robbed
And fynt folke to fyȝte · and cristene blode to spille
Aȝeyne þe olde lawe & newe lawe[^3200] · as Luke [bereth] witness[^3201]
Non occides michi vindictam &c[^3202]
It semeth by so ·[^3203] hym-self hadd his[^3204] wille
That he[^3205] ne reccheth riȝte nouȝte · of al[^3206] þe remenaunte
And cryst of his curteisye · þe cardinales saue
And tourne her witte to wisdome · & to wele[^3207] of[^3208] soule
For þe comune quod þis curatour [·] counten ful litel
Þe conseille of conscience · or cardinale vertues
But if þei sow[n]e[^3209] as by syȝte · somwhat to wynnynge
Of gyle ne of gabbynge · gyue þei neuere tale
For spiritus prudencie · amonge þe peple is gyle
And alle þo faire vertues · as vyces þei semeth
Eche[^3210] man sotileth a sleight · synne to[^3211] hyde
And coloureth it for a kunnynge · and a clene lyuynge

[^3194: Bx.19.441: peple: L only, with all others adding þe. Quite possibly L dropped the article on the model of the previous b-verse. However, the X family of C is also without þe. Instead of peple, CrW read the world (cf. l. 440).]

[^3195: Bx.19.443: pursueth: Both Bx and Cx. In L it is altered by erasure to sueth.]

[^3196: Bx.19.446: &: Evidently the beta reading, though CrW agree with F and Cx in reading or, which is equally possible.]

[^3197: Bx.19.448-50: F omits these three lines. See note to l. 450.]

[^3198: Bx.19.448: & wenches: The beta reading (F out). Cx has or for a wenche.]

[^3199: Bx.19.450: This line from Cx (RK.21.437) is not in any ms. of B. We presume it must have been in Bx to account for the loss in F of ll. 448-50 by eye-skip on peers plowhman peyneþ hym to tylye. It is important to note that three C mss. make the same error. On this argument, beta retained ll. 448-9 but skipped the following line thinking he had already copied it. So KD, p. 90 ("omission caused by homoteleuton").]

[^3200: Bx.19.459: newe lawe: So beta; F reads þe newe, losing the alliteration. C mss. have several variants.]

[^3201: Bx.19.459: bereth witness: For the b-verse exactly as in F and Cx, see Bx.9.78 and 11.285, and cf. 2.38, 7.93, 10.367, 11.236, 11.263 etc. which all end "X bears witness". Beta has þer-of witnesseth.]

[^3202: Bx.19.460: F's completion of the quotation is not supported by Cx.]

[^3203: Bx.19.461: Scribes show uncertainty about the placing of punctuation, with L having it after both semeth and so, F after so and hym-selue, and HmGO after hym-sylf. Our punctuation follows WMC.]

[^3204: Bx.19.461: his: OF add owne to fill out a b-verse shortened by mispunctuation; see previous note. It is not in Cx.]

[^3205: Bx.19.462: That he: Beta is supported by the P family of C with Þat he or Þat hym. F begins He; the X family begin He or Hym.]

[^3206: Bx.19.462: al: The reading of beta; F's b-verse is too much altered to be sure of the alpha reading. The X family of C does not have the word; the P group has al þe oþer, as does O.]

[^3207: Bx.19.464: wele: The beta reading, supported by the X family of C. The P family has welþe, as do WF. For the reverse situation see l. 293. See RK, p. 126, who defend welþe on the grounds it is less likely in context.]

[^3208: Bx.19.464: of: Cx has instead for þe. F's b-verse is not supported.]

[^3209: Bx.19.467: sowne: "relate to". F is supported by Cx. L's sowe is a simple misreading or mistranscription; the other beta mss. have forms of the verb "see". The verb is not used elsewhere in the B-text.]

[^3210: Bx.19.471: Eche: Beta is supported by the P family of C. The X family begins For vche, giving partial support to F's For euerey.]

[^3211: Bx.19.471: to: F is supported by Cx. Beta reads forto for the metre, as do a few C mss., but synne is disyllabic. Cf. Bx.2.177, 18.241, and see Duggan (1990), 175.]

¶ Thanne loughe þere a lorde · & by þis liȝte sayde
I halde it ryȝte & resoun · of my reue to take
Al þat myne auditour [·] or elles my stuwarde
Conseilleth me by her acounte · & my clerkes wrytynge

¶[^3212] With spiritus intellectus · they seke[^3213] þe reues rolles
And with spiritus fortitudinis · fecche [it] I wole[^3214]

[^3212: Bx.19.477: ¶: Supported only by LM.]

[^3213: Bx.19.477: seke: Beta's reading makes excellent sense and provides ax/ax alliteration. F has tooken, which is the reading of the P family of C and a few of the X family, but the X family reading appears to be cote as in XYU, meaningless in context (for the verb, meaning "clothe", see RK.3.181). Others of the X family alter this to cutt or counte. Probably, then, toke is also a conjectural revision of a Cx error. It makes poor sense, and Kane (2005) unconvincingly interprets it as MED tuken in the sense "find fault with". For objections, see the discussion in Barney (2006), 181.]

[^3214: Bx.19.478: fecche it I wole: Apparently the beta reading, though L loses it (the line is marked for correction), and W adds after. F's reading is fanciful, but perhaps indicates dissatisfaction with a short b-verse. Cx has fecche hit wolle he null he. Schmidt (1995), 408 argues that Bx might have lost the last phrase, with the line then conjecturally repaired.]

¶ And þanne come þere a kynge · & bi his croune seyde
I am Kynge with croune · þe comune to reule
And holykirke & clergye · fro cursed men to defende[^3215]
And if me lakketh to lyue by · þe lawe wil I take it
Þere I may hastlokest it haue[^3216] · for I am hed of lawe
For[^3217] ȝe ben but membres · & I aboue alle
And sith I am ȝowre aller hed · I am ȝowre aller hele
And holycherche chief help · & chiftaigne of þe comune
And what I take of ȝow two · I take it atte[^3218] techynge
Of spiritus iusticie [·][^3219] for I iugge ȝow alle
So I may[^3220] baldely be houseled · for I borwe neuere
Ne craue of my comune · but as my kynde asketh

[^3215: Bx.19.481: to defende: Supported by Cx. The b-verse is shortened by OF (dropping to), and by WHm (reading fende / fonde).]

[^3216: Bx.19.483: hastlokest it haue: Although the P family of C follows the order of Hm, the variants of CrGF are not supported.]

[^3217: Bx.19.484: For: Evidently the reading of Bx, though W And agrees with Cx.]

[^3218: Bx.19.487: atte: "at the", as usual in L. C mss. have at þe, at and of (cf. MCr).]

[^3219: Bx.19.488: L places the punctuation after I.]

[^3220: Bx.19.489: I may: Reversed by MCr, but supported by Cx.]

¶ In condicioun quod conscience · þat þow konne[^3221] defende
And rule þi rewme in[^3222] resoun · riȝt wel[^3223] & in treuth
[Þat þou þine askyng haue ·][^3224] as þi[^3225] lawe asketh
Omnia tua sunt[^3226] ad defendendum set non ad depredandum
Þe vyker hadde fer home · & faire toke his leue
And I awakned þere-with · & wrote as me mette

[^3221: Bx.19.491: konne: The reading of most C mss. RK adopt the minority reading þe comune.]

[^3222: Bx.19.492: in (1): Supported by Cx against the easier reading by in MCrHmO.]

[^3223: Bx.19.492: riȝt wel: Supported by Cx against easier in riȝt HmF.]

[^3224: Bx.19.493: Þat þou þine askyng haue: "(and on condition) that you take what you want (in the way the law decrees)". Though this may seem acceptable as a restoration of the authorial B reading, it is harder to justify as the reading of Bx. However, the argument is this. The beta a-verse seems obviously scribal: it lacks alliteration, partially repeats the previous a-verse, and has no support from Cx, which has That thow haue al thyn askyng. This gives reasonable support for F's reading, except for non-alliterating lykyng. In fact the scribe has written the word over an erasure, and we suppose he substituted a synonym to avoid the repetition of asken in the b-verse. The reading of Bx may, of course, been exactly that of Cx, with F reordering and omitting al. See RK, p. 127.]

[^3225: Bx.19.493: þi: CrOF have þe. C mss. are also split, with þe in the P family.]

[^3226: Bx.19.494: tua sunt : F and Cx reverse the order.]

Passus vicesimus de visione & primus de dobest

[And][^3227] as I went by þe way · whan I was þus awaked
Heuy-chered I ȝede · and elynge in herte
I[^3228] ne wiste where to ete · ne at what place
And it neighed nyeghe þe none · & with nede I mette
That afronted me foule · and faitour me called
Coudestow[^3229] nouȝte excuse þe · as dede þe Kynge & other
Þat þow toke to þi bylyf[^3230] · to clothes and to sustenance
As by[^3231] techynge & by[^3232] tellynge · of spiritus temperancie
And[^3233] þow nome namore · þan nede þe tauȝte
And[^3234] nede ne[^3235] hath no lawe · ne neure shal falle in dette
For þre thynges he[^3236] taketh · his lyf forto saue
That is mete whan men hym werneth · & he no moneye weldeth
[^3237]Ne wyght none wil ben[^3238] his borwe · ne wedde hath none[^3239] to legge
And he cauȝte[^3240] in þat cas · & come þere-to by sleighte
He synneth nouȝte sothelich · þat so wynneth his fode
And þough he come so to a clothe · and can no better cheuysaunce
Nede anon-riȝte · nymeth hym vnder meynpryse
And if hym lyst for to lape · þe lawe of kynde wolde
That he dronke at eche diche · ar he for thurste deyde
So nede at grete nede · may nymen as for his owne
Wyth-oute conseille of conscience · or cardynale vertues
So þat he suwe & saue · spiritus temperancie

[^3227: Bx.20.1: And: F is supported by Cx (though otherwise F rewrites the line). Beta has Thanne as a more appropriate opening for a passus (as Bx.10.1, 11.1), but Langland often plunges in medias res; see especially Bx.13.1.]

[^3228: Bx.20.3: I: So beta, but F and Cx begin For I. RK, p. 123, reject the F + Cx readings of ll. 3, 7 and 9 as coincidental error, describing For here as a "more explicit substitution". See also l. 11.]

[^3229: Bx.20.6: Coudestow: L is supported by F and Cx against Kanstow in other beta witnesses.]

[^3230: Bx.20.7: þi bylyf: So beta, though F's lyve by is also the reading of Cx. Athough the noun is a favourite of Langland's, it appears to have been obsolescent, and MED has no citations after c. 1300 apart from Piers Plowman. Scribes of C are particularly prone to avoid it; e.g. at RK.16.338 substitutions are liflode, lyvyng and breed. See note to Bx.19.241 (= RK.21.235), where bylyf is altered by MCrHmF to lyflode. See RK, p. 123.]

[^3231: Bx.20.8: As by: "according to". LMCr are supported by the P family of C. WHmCGO read And, which makes poor sense.The construction is "excuse yourself that you took according to the teaching of spiritus temperancie". F has & þat was; the X family of C has Was, meaning "excuse yourself that what you took ... was by the teaching ...".]

[^3232: Bx.20.8: by (2): Omitted by beta4, F and the P family of Cx.]

[^3233: Bx.20.9: And: "provided that" (so RK, p. 123). F and Cx also make good sense with & þat.]

[^3234: Bx.20.10: And: Supported by the X family of C; the P family omits. F's For has no support.]

[^3235: Bx.20.10: ne (1): LWHmCG are supported by some of the X family of C. Other scribes omit.]

[^3236: Bx.20.11: he: The reading of beta, though F and Cx read þat he.]

[^3237: Bx.20.13: L has an inappropriate paraph (the line is at the top of the page).]

[^3238: Bx.20.13: none wil ben: The beta reading, against F's þat wille ben. In C, ms. X reads þat now wol be, though others in the X family have none for now. The P family begins the line And wot that non wol be.]

[^3239: Bx.20.13: ne wedde hath none: Beta reading is preferable since alliteration is on /w/ not /n/. Yet F's ne no wed haþ is that of the X family of C; the P family reads noþer haþ wed.]

[^3240: Bx.20.14: cauȝte: i.e. "stole". Cx has present tense; F has caste.]

¶ For is no vertue by fer [·] to[^3241] spiritus temperancie
Neither spiritus iusticie · ne spiritus fortitudinis
For spiritus fortitudinis · forfaiteth ful oft
He shal do more þan mesure · many tyme[^3242] & ofte
And bete men ouer bitter · and somme [body][^3243] to litel
And greue men gretter · þan goode faith it[^3244] wolde

[^3241: Bx.20.23: by fer to: F has by-fore, as do a few C mss.]

[^3242: Bx.20.26: tyme: F has tymes, with similar variation among C mss. See note to Bx.11.387 for alpha's tendency to prefer tymes.]

[^3243: Bx.20.27: body: Here R resumes, to provide this reading, supported by Cx and alliteration. F has the plural. Beta reads of hem.]

[^3244: Bx.20.28: it: Dropped by HmCGO, as by the P family of C.]

¶ And spiritus iusticie · shal iuggen wol he nol he
After þe kynges conseille · & þe comune lyke
And spiritus prudencie · in many a poynte shal faille
Of þat he weneth wolde falle · if his wytte ne were
Wenynge is no wysdome · ne wyse ymagynacioun
Homo proponit & deus disponit · & gouerneth alle[^3245]
Good vertues [and][^3246] nede is next hym · for anon he meketh
And as low as a lombe · for lakkyng þat[^3247] hym nedeth

[^3245: Bx.20.34: & gouerneth alle: In alpha the line-break occurs after alle; in beta it is after good vertues. Alpha's arrangement is supported as Bx and Cx by the P family of C, which has god gouerneth alle. The X family sets the Latin on its own, but then breaks the lines after hym and lombe. KD and Schmidt break after disponit, vertues, meketh. The problem is caused by the short line God gouerneth all good vertues, compounded by the replacement in Bx of God by &.]

[^3246: Bx.20.35: and: R is supported by the X family of C against beta's Ac. F and the P family rearrange in different ways.]

[^3247: Bx.20.36: þat: Alpha is supported by most C mss., though some have of þat, as in beta.]

[¶ For nede maketh nede · fele nedes lowe-herted][^3248]
[Philosophres][^3249] forsoke wel[th]e[^3250] · for þey wolde be nedy
And woneden [wel elengly][^3251] · & wolde nouȝte be riche

[^3248: Bx.20.37: Beta omits the line, which Barney (2006), 202, suggests may be a late addition. R's form of the line is supported by the X family of C.]

[^3249: Bx.20.38: Philosophres: Though alpha is supported by Cx, beta has a good line, with Wyse men alliterating on /w/. Perhaps this is a case of revision, or alpha contamination from C. See notes to ll. 37 and 39.]

[^3250: Bx.20.38: welthe: Alpha is supported by Cx against wele in beta.]

[^3251: Bx.20.39: wel elengly: Alpha's reading, supported by Cx, may be a revision of beta's in wilderness.]

¶ And god al his grete ioye · gostliche he left
And cam & toke mankynde · and bycam nedy
So [he was nedy][^3252] as seyth þe boke · in many sondry places
Þat he seyde in his sorwe · on þe selue Rode
Bothe fox & foule · may fleighe to hole & crepe
And þe fisshe hath fyn · to flete with to[^3253] reste
Þere nede hath ynome me · þat I mote nede abyde
And suffre sorwes ful sowre · þat shal to ioye tourne
For-þi be nouȝte abasshed · to byde[^3254] and to be nedy
Syth he þat wrouȝte al þe worlde · was wilfullich nedy
Ne neuer none so nedy · ne pouerere deyde

[^3252: Bx.20.42: So he was nedy: R's order is supported by the X family of C; F's prose order, He was so needy, by the P family. Beta has So nedy he was.]

[^3253: Bx.20.45: to (2): Alpha has or to, taking reste as a verb, but it is not supported by Cx or by sense: Kane (2005) glosses reste as "safety".]

[^3254: Bx.20.48: byde: Beta4 and R have bidde, as does the P family of C. The X family supports bide, which follows on from l. 46.]

¶ Whan nede had vndernome[^3255] þus · anon I felle aslepe
And mette ful merueillously · þat in mannes forme
Antecryst cam þanne · and al þe croppe of treuthe
Torned it vp-so-doune · and ouertilte þe rote
And [made][^3256] fals sprynge & sprede · & spede mennes nedes
In eche a contre þere he cam · he cutte awey treuthe
And gert gyle growe þere · as he a god were

[^3255: Bx.20.51: vndernome: All except OR have the object me, though it is inserted in M. In C it is in all mss. except XYU, the three most authoritative of the X family. Cf. l. 46, which probably prompted the addition.]

[^3256: Bx.20.55: made: Alpha supported by Cx. Beta omits.]

[¶][^3257] Freres folwed þat fende · for he ȝaf hem copes
And religiouse reuerenced hym · and rongen here belles
And al þe couent cam[^3258] · to welcome [a][^3259] tyraunt
And alle hise as wel as hym · saue onlich folis
Which folis were wel[^3260] [gladd]er[^3261] [·] to deye þan to lyue
Lengore sith le[ute][^3262] · was so rebuked
And a fals fende antecriste · ouer alle folke regned
And þat were[^3263] mylde men & holy · þat no myschief dredden
Defyed al falsenesse · and folke þat it vsed
And what Kynge þat hem conforted · knowynge hem [gy]le[^3264]
They cursed and her conseille · were it clerke or lewed

[^3257: Bx.20.58: ¶: The paraph is in WHm and alpha. In L the line is at the top of the page.]

[^3258: Bx.20.60: cam: Beta has forth cam, F has cam holly. Neither has support from C. R is supported by the X family of C; the P family has þo cam.]

[^3259: Bx.20.60: a: R is supported by the most reliable of the X family of C. The reading is a little more difficult than þat, as in beta and F, as well as the P family of C.]

[^3260: Bx.20.62: wel: Omitted by alpha and the P family of C, but supported by the X family.]

[^3261: Bx.20.62: gladder: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's leuer.]

[^3262: Bx.20.63: leute: Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta read lenten, with the obvious error corrected in Cr, and visibly corrected in Hm by the revising hand.]

[^3263: Bx.20.65: were: Beta is supported by Cx. Alpha's we is an obvious error.]

[^3264: Bx.20.67: hem gyle: "them to deceive"? R probably preserves the Bx reading, where Cx has here gyle. Beta revises to hem any while to make better sense.]

¶ Antecriste hadde thus sone · hundredes at his banere
And Pryde it bare[^3265] · boldely aboute
With a lorde þat lyueth · after lykynge of body
That cam aȝein conscience · þat kepere was & gyoure
Ouer kynde crystene · and cardynale vertues

[^3265: Bx.20.70: it bare: Clearly the reading of Bx as well as Cx. Hm, F and the P family of C all expand in different ways. See RK, p. 130 and n. 50.]

¶ I conseille quod conscience þo · cometh with me ȝe foles
In-to vnyte holy cherche · and holde we vs there
And crye we to kynde · þat he come & defende vs
Foles ·[^3266] fro þis fendes lymes · for Piers loue þe plowman
And crye we [on][^3267] alle þe comune · þat þei come to vnite
And þere abide and bikere · aȝein beliales children

[^3266: Bx.20.77: The punctuation after Foles is in LWOF, and so is perhaps archetypal.]

[^3267: Bx.20.78: on: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's to.]

¶ Kynd conscience þo herde · and cam out of þe planetes
And sent forth his foreioures [·] feures and fluxes
Coughes and cardiacles · crampes and tothaches
Rewmes & radegoundes · and roynouse scalles[^3268]
Byles and bocches · and brennyng agues
Frenesyes & foule yueles · forageres of kynde
Hadde yprykked and prayed [·] polles of peple[^3269]
Largelich[^3270] a legioun · lese[^3271] her lyf sone

[^3268: Bx.20.83: scalles: "skin diseases". W has scabbes, an easier reading, but it is also the reading of Cx. See RK, p. 121.]

[^3269: Bx.20.86: peple: MCrCGOF add the definite article, but it is not in Cx.]

[^3270: Bx.20.87: Largelich: Beta's Þat largelich is not supported by Cx.]

[^3271: Bx.20.87: lese: Probably past, though R's lose is present. Cx has lees.]

¶ There was harrow and help · here cometh kynde
With deth þat is dredful · to vndone vs alle

¶ The lorde that lyued after lust · tho alowde cryde
After conforte a[^3272] knyghte · to come and bere his banere
Alarme alarme quod þat lorde [·] eche lyf kepe his owne

[^3272: Bx.20.91: conforte a: R (= alpha) omits; F expands speculatively to make up the loss.]

¶ Þanne[^3273] mette þis men · ar mynstralles myȝte pipe
And ar heraudes of armes · hadden descreued lordes

[^3273: Bx.20.93: Þanne: So alpha, supported by Cx; beta has And þanne.]

[^3274] ¶ Elde þe hore[^3275] · he was in þe vauntwarde
And bare þe banere bifor deth · by riȝte he it claymed
Kynde come after [hym][^3276] · with many kene sores
As pokkes and pestilences · and moche poeple shente
So kynde þorw corupciouns · kulled ful manye

[^3274: Bx.20.95-6: Beta4 omits these two lines.]

[^3275: Bx.20.95: hore: Beta is supported by Cx. F reads the rare horel, "fornicator", and R is apparently corrected to that reading.]

[^3276: Bx.20.97: hym: Alpha is supported by Cx; beta omits.]

¶ Deth cam dryuende[^3277] after · and al to doust passhed[^3278]
Kynges & Knyȝtes · kayseres and popes
Lered ne lewed · he le[f]t[^3279] no man stonde
That he hitte euene · þat euere stired[^3280] after
Many a louely lady · and lemmanes knyghtes[^3281]
Swouned and swelted · for sorwe of dethes dyntes

[^3277: Bx.20.100: dryuende: Note that L and alpha have this form of the present participle. See note to Bx.17.50.]

[^3278: Bx.20.100: passhed: Beta is supported by Cx. F has daschede, and in R paschte is corrected to daschte.]

[^3279: Bx.20.102: left: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's let.]

[^3280: Bx.20.103: þat euere stired: The wording of LWR is supported by Cx.]

[^3281: Bx.20.104: lemmanes knyghtes: "lover-knights". So R. Beta misunderstands and adds of. F rewrites, but its inclusion of hire could perhaps indicate that Bx read as Cx, which reads here lemmanes knyhtes.]

¶ Conscience of his curteisye · to kynde he bisouȝte
To cesse & suffre · and see where þei wolde
Leue pryde pryuely · and be parfite cristene

¶ And kynde cessed tho · to se þe peple amende
Fortune gan flateren thenne · þo fewe þat were alyue
And byhight hem longe lyf · and lecherye he sent
Amonges al manere men · wedded & vnwedded
And gadered a gret hoste · al agayne conscience

¶[^3282] This lecherye leyde on · with[^3283] laughyng chiere
And with pryue speche · and peynted wordes
And armed hym in ydelnesse · and in hiegh berynge
He bare a bowe in his hande · and manye blody[^3284] arwes
Weren fethered with faire biheste · and many a false truthe
Wit[h][^3285] vntydy tales · he tened ful ofte
Conscience and his compaignye · of holi[kirke][^3286] þe techeres

[^3282: Bx.20.114: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^3283: Bx.20.114: with: Beta has with a, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^3284: Bx.20.117: blody: With support from LMCr, beta4 and R, this is presumably the reading of Bx. However, WHmF brode is also the reading of Cx, and is better in context. Schmidt (1995), 409, conjectures that Bx had the form blode, independently corrected by beta3 and F.]

[^3285: Bx.20.119: With: L's Wit is marked for correction, as at Bx.5.612. Beta has With his, but alpha without his is supported by Cx.]

[^3286: Bx.20.120: kirke: Cr and alpha. Beta and Cx read non-alliterating cherche. See Introduction IV.1.]

¶ Thanne cam coueityse · and caste how he myȝte
Ouercome conscience · and cardynal vertues
And armed hym in auaryce · and hungriliche[^3287] lyued
His wepne was al wiles · to wynnen & to hyden
With glosynges and[^3288] gabbynges · he gyled þe peple
Symonye hym se[ude][^3289] · to assaille conscience
And preched to þe peple · and prelates þei hem[^3290] maden
To holden with antecryste · her temperaltes to saue
And come to þe kynges conseille · as a kene baroun
And kneled to[^3291] conscience [·] in courte afor[^3292] hem alle
And gart gode feith flee · and fals to abide
And boldeliche bar adown · with many a briȝte[^3293] noble
Moche of þe witte and wisdome · of westmynster halle
He iugged til[^3294] a iustice · and iusted in his ere
And ouertilte al his treuthe · with take þis vp[^3295] amendement
And [in-]to[^3296] þe arches in haste · he ȝede anone after
And torned Ciuile in-to symonye · and sitthe he toke þe official
For a [menyuere mentel][^3297] · he made lele matrimonye
Departen ar deth cam · & [a][^3298] deuos shupte

[^3287: Bx.20.123: hungriliche: MED records R's vngriseliche as a unique instance. Presumably alpha had F's form vngryly, "hungrily", misread by R.]

[^3288: Bx.20.125: and: Beta must have had and with (though beta4 drops with). Alpha presumably had and, as in R, supported by Cx, with F adding with.]

[^3289: Bx.20.126: seude: "followed" (MED seuen v.(1)). R is supported by Cx. The form was easily misread as sende (pa.t.) by both beta and F. See Schmidt (1995), 409.]

[^3290: Bx.20.127: hem: Omitted by MCr. Cx is without it, following a different a-verse And presed on þe pope. See Barney (2006), 214, for discussion of the versions.]

[^3291: Bx.20.130: kneled to: Cx reads knokked.]

[^3292: Bx.20.130: afor: Beta4 and alpha have before, as does Cx. For discussion of these variants, see note to Bx.5.12.]

[^3293: Bx.20.132: briȝte: Beta is supported by alliteration and Cx. Alpha has rede.]

[^3294: Bx.20.134: iugged til: W has Iogged to, as does Cx. The sense of the verb is uncertain: see OED jug v.4, jag v., jog v; Kane (2005) s.v. iogged glosses "thrust his way". Bx may have misunderstood it as "judged", i.e. "condemned".]

[^3295: Bx.20.135: vp: Cx has on.]

[^3296: Bx.20.136: in-to: Alpha and Hm; perhaps a little more appropriate than beta's to. C mss. are similarly divided: the P family agrees with beta.]

[^3297: Bx.20.138: menyuere mentel: Alpha is supported by Cx. Beta has mentel of menyuere.]

[^3298: Bx.20.139: a: Dropped by beta, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Allas quod conscience & cried þo[^3299] · wolde criste of his[^3300] grace
That coueityse were cristene · þat is so kene [to fiȝte][^3301]
And bolde and [a]bidyng[^3302] · [þe][^3303] while his bagge lasteth

[^3299: Bx.20.140: þo: Dropped by F and the P family of C.]

[^3300: Bx.20.140: his: In Cx; dropped in R.]

[^3301: Bx.20.141: to fiȝte: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's a fiȝter.]

[^3302: Bx.20.142: abidyng: So alpha and CrHmO, against bidyng in the others. C mss. are also split, with the X family and some of the P family reading abidyng. There is support for abidyng from the same a-verse in Bx.19.302.]

[^3303: Bx.20.142: þe: Not in beta, and Cx is also split, but alpha is supported by the best of both families of C.]

¶ And þanne lowgh lyf · and leet dagge his clothes
And armed hym in haste · in harlotes wordes
And helde holynesse a iape · and hendenesse a wastour
And lete leute a cherle · and lyer a fre man
Conscience and conseille · he counted it folye[^3304]

[^3304: Bx.20.147: folye: Beta4 and R, supported by Cx. LMHm (hence beta?) have a folye, Cr at foly, W at a flye; F has but folye.]

¶ Thus relyed lyf · for a litel fortune
And pryked[^3305] forth with pryde [·] preyseth he no vertue
[Ne][^3306] careth nouȝte how kynde slow · and shal come atte laste
And culle[^3307] alle erthely creature[^3308] · saue conscience one
Lyf leep asyde[^3309] · and lauȝte hym a lemman
Heel & I quod he · and hieghnesse of herte
Shal do þe nouȝte drede · noyther deth ne elde
And to forȝete sorwe[^3310] · and ȝyue nouȝte of synne

[^3305: Bx.20.149: pryked: Bx clearly has past tense, though W has the present, as do the most reliable C mss.]

[^3306: Bx.20.150: Ne: Beta has He (A in L), though Hm has and, and W has Ne, agreeing with alpha and Cx.]

[^3307: Bx.20.151: culle: Supported by Cx against alpha's calle.]

[^3308: Bx.20.151: creature: LR and original M have the distributive sg. against the plural in others. Cx is also split.]

[^3309: Bx.20.152: leep asyde: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's curious reading seith occide.]

[^3310: Bx.20.155: sorwe: MCr read deþ from the line above. Cx has instead ȝowthe.]

¶ This lyked lyf · and his lemman fortune
And geten in her glorie · a gadelyng atte laste
One þat moche wo[^3311] wrouȝte · sleuthe was his name
Sleuthe wex wonder ȝerne · and sone was of age
And wedded one wanhope · a wenche of þe stuwes
Her syre was a sysour · þat neure swore treuthe
One Thomme two tonge · ateynte at vch a queste

[^3311: Bx.20.158: wo: Omitted by alpha.]

¶ This[^3312] sleuthe was[^3313] war[^3314] of werre · and a slynge made
And threwe drede of dyspayre · a dozein myle aboute
For care conscience þo · cryed vpon elde
And bad hym[^3315] fonde to fyȝte · and afere wanhope

[^3312: Bx.20.163: This: Beta is supported by Cx. R has Þus and F omits.]

[^3313: Bx.20.163: was: Beta4 has wex, but this is not supported by Cx.]

[^3314: Bx.20.163: war: Cx has sley.]

[^3315: Bx.20.166: hym: Omitted by alpha, but beta is supported by Cx.]

¶ And elde hent good hope · and hastilich he shifte[^3316] hym
And wayued awey wanhope · and with lyf he fyȝteth
And lyf fleigh for fere [·] to fysyke after helpe
And bisouȝte hym of socoure · and of his salue hadde
And gaf hym golde good woon · þat gladded h[er] herte[s][^3317]
And þei[^3318] gyuen hym agayne [·] a glasen houve
Lyf leued þat lechecrafte · lette shulde elde
And dryuen[^3319] awey deth · with dyas[^3320] and dragges

[^3316: Bx.20.167: shifte: "got moving" (refl.). Cx has instead shroef.]

[^3317: Bx.20.171: her hertes: Beta has his herte, following the sg. in the a-verse. R alone has the plural, but is supported by the best C mss., six of which also have here for his in l. 170. See next note.]

[^3318: Bx.20.172: þei: F alters to he, following the sg. pronouns of ll. 170-1. Schmidt (2008), 467, explains that the distinction is between the art of Fysyke and its practitioners. See previous note.]

[^3319: Bx.20.174: dryuen: Alpha has to driue, as do some of the P family of C, but the rest omit to.]

[^3320: Bx.20.174: dyas: "remedies". Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's dayes.]

¶ And elde auntred hym on lyf · and atte laste he hitte
A Fisicien with a forred hood · þat he fel in a[^3321] palsye
And þere deyed þat doctour · ar thre dayes after
Now I see seyde lyf · þat surgerye ne Fisyke
May nouȝte a myte auaille · to medle aȝein elde
And in hope of his hele · gode herte he[^3322] hente
And rode so to reuel · a ryche place and a merye
The companye of conforte[^3323] · men cleped it sumtyme
And elde anone after [hym][^3324] · and ouer myne heed ȝede
And made me balled bifore · and bare on þe croune
So harde he ȝede ouer myn hed · it wil be seen eure

[^3321: Bx.20.176: a (3): As in Cx. MCrC have þe (inserted in M). O omits.]

[^3322: Bx.20.180: he: Omitted by R, but Cx has it.]

[^3323: Bx.20.182: conforte: Beta4 corrupts to court.]

[^3324: Bx.20.183: hym: Alpha supported by Cx against beta's me. Beta fails to understand that the reference is to Lyf.]

¶ Sire euel ytauȝte elde quod I · vnhende go with the
Sith whanne was þe way · ouer men[^3325] hedes
Haddestow be hende quod I · þow woldest haue asked leue

[^3325: Bx.20.187: men: L alone has the uninflected gen., but RK record the C reading as menne.]

¶ Ȝe leue lordeyne quod he · and leyde on me with age
And hitte me vnder þe ere · vnethe may ich here
He buffeted me aboute þe mouthe · & bett out my [wange-]tethe[^3326]
And gyued me in goutes · I may nouȝte go at large
And of þe wo þat I was in · my wyf had reuthe
And wisshed [wel][^3327] witterly · þat I were in heuene
For þe lyme þat she loued me fore · and leef was to fele
On nyȝtes namely · whan we naked were
I ne myght in no manere · maken it at hir wille
So elde and [he][^3328] · [it hadden][^3329] forbeten

[^3326: Bx.20.191: wange-tethe: Beta drops wange, though it is included in Cx, which has the b-verse as in R. Beta must have had & bett out my tethe as in LMCr, with variations in WHm and beta4.]

[^3327: Bx.20.194: wel: R alone, but supported by Cx. Beta has ful, F has often.]

[^3328: Bx.20.198: he: "she". Only R has the h- form, but it is necessary for the alliteration and is supported by Cx. See Introduction IV.1. Beta reads she sothly, lengthening a short a-verse, but neither R or Cx has the adverb. F rewrites the a-verse.]

[^3329: Bx.20.198: it hadden: R's order is supported by Cx, altered to prose order in all other B mss.]

¶ And as[^3330] I seet in þis sorwe · I say how kynde passed
And deth drowgh niegh[^3331] me · for drede gan I quake
And cried to kynde · out of care me brynge
Loo elde þe hoore · hath me[^3332] biseye[^3333]
Awreke me if ȝowre wille be · for I wolde ben hennes

[^3330: Bx.20.199: as: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's was.]

[^3331: Bx.20.200: niegh: MCrF have neer (from OE comparative), but it is not supported by Cx.]

[^3332: Bx.20.202: me: Beta is supported by Cx against alpha's my lif.]

[^3333: Bx.20.202: biseye: 'dealt with'; MED bisen 4(b). Supported by Cx against variants in CrGR.]

¶ Ȝif þow wilt ben ywroken · wende in-to vnite
And holde þe þere eure · tyl I sende for þe
And loke þow conne somme crafte [·] ar þow come þennes

[¶][^3334] Conseille me kynde quod I · what crafte [be][^3335] best to lerne

[^3334: Bx.20.207: ¶: The paraph to mark the dreamer's words is in WHmC and alpha, with a line-space in M.]

[^3335: Bx.20.207: be: R's subjunctive is supported by Cx against is in beta. F rephrases.]

[¶][^3336] Lerne to loue quod kynde · & leue[^3337] alle othre

[^3336: Bx.20.208: ¶: In L the scribe left a line-space but the rubricator did not supply the paraph to mark Kynde's words. It is in WHmC and alpha, with a line-space in M.]

[^3337: Bx.20.208: leue: Alpha and Cr are supported by Cx in omitting of. Beta perhaps avoids the x / x / x rhythm of the b-verse, as F does by adding craftys.]

¶ How shal I come to catel so · to clothe me and to[^3338] fede

[^3338: Bx.20.209: to (3): Supported by Cx, though dropped by HmGF and erased in M.]

[¶][^3339] And þow loue lelly[^3340] · lakke shal þe neure
[Wede] ne wordly [mete][^3341] · whil þi lyf lasteth

[^3339: Bx.20.210: ¶: Though lacking in LR and therefore somewhat doubtful, the paraph to mark Kynde's words is in WHmCF, with a line-space in M.]

[^3340: Bx.20.210: lelly: Beta adds quod he, but it is not in alpha or Cx.]

[^3341: Bx.20.211: Wede ... mete: Alpha's order is supported by Cx. Note the spelling wordly for "worldly" in LR, perhaps archetypal.]

¶ And þere by conseille of kynde · comsed[^3342] to rowme
Thorw contricioun & confessioun · tyl I cam to vnite
And þere was conscience[^3343] constable · cristene to saue
And biseged sothly · with seuene grete gyauntz
Þat with Antecrist helden · hard aȝein conscience

[^3342: Bx.20.212: comsed: So R. Beta has I comsed, F has he comsede. In Cx the line reads: And y bi conseil of kynde comsed to Rome, though eight mss. move the pronoun to the b-verse. Evidently þere is a Bx error for I, the omission of which is supplied in the b-verse by all scribes except R.]

[^3343: Bx.20.214: conscience: Dropped in alpha; F patches.]

¶ Sleuth with his slynge · an[d][^3344] hard saut[^3345] he[^3346] made
Proude prestes come with hym [· passyng an hundreth][^3347]
In paltokes & pyked shoes · & pisseres longe knyues
Comen aȝein conscience · with coueityse þei helden

[^3344: Bx.20.217: and: Probably an archetypal error for an. MCrCR have and, as do five C mss. including X (misreported by RK). All other scribes in both versions make the necessary and obvious correction to an; M is corrected by adding an.]

[^3345: Bx.20.217: saut: LHm and alpha are supported by Cx against assaut. Cf. variants at l. 301.]

[^3346: Bx.20.217: he: LWHm and alpha supported by Cx. Other mss. omit.]

[^3347: Bx.20.218: passyng an hundreth: Alpha is supported by Cx and alliteration against beta's moo þan a thousand.]

¶ By [þe][^3348] Marie quod a mansed preste · [was][^3349] of þe marche of yrlonde
I counte namore conscience · bi so I cacche syluer
Than I do to drynke · a drauȝte of good ale
And so seide sexty [·] of þe same contreye
And shoten aȝein with shotte · many a shef of othes
And brode hoked arwes · goddes herte & his nayles
And hadden almost vnyte · and holynesse adowne

[^3348: Bx.20.221: þe (1): In R only, but supported by Cx. MED cites no other examples of this form of the oath, though cf. by þe holy Marie etc.]

[^3349: Bx.20.221: was: Omitted by beta. Alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Conscience cryed helpe · clergye or ellis I falle
Thorw inparfit prestes · and prelates of holicherche
Freres herden hym crye · and comen hym to helpe
Ac for þei couth nouȝte wel her craft · conscience forsoke hem

¶ Nede neghed tho nere · and conscience he tolde
That þei come for coueityse[^3350] · to haue cure of soules
And for þei arn poure par-auenture · for patrimoigne hem failleth
Thei wil flatre to fare wel · folke þat ben riche
And sithen þei chosen chele · and cheytifte[^3351] pouerte
Lat hem chewe as þei chese · and charge hem with no cure
[^3352] For lomer he lyeth · þat lyflode mote begge
Þan he þat laboureth for lyflode · & leneth it beggeres
And[^3353] sithen Freres forsoke · þe[^3354] felicite of erthe
Lat hem be as beggeres · or lyue by angeles fode

[^3350: Bx.20.233: coueityse: Alpha misunderstands Nede's advice and adds no.]

[^3351: Bx.20.236: cheytifte: As in LWR and Cx, though other beta mss. alter the noun to the adj. cheitif, and F reads chastite &. For the suggestion that poverte was a marginal gloss incorporated into the text in Bx and Cx, see RK, p. 136.]

[^3352: Bx.20.238-9: Two lines omitted by alpha but attested by Cx. The likely explanation for the omission is eyeskip from For (238) to For (240), suggesting that alpha's exemplar began l. 240 with For rather than Bx And (see note).]

[^3353: Bx.20.240: And: Supported by Cx against alpha's For.]

[^3354: Bx.20.240: þe: Beta is supported by Cx, though it is dropped by G and alpha.]

¶ Conscience of þis conseille þo[^3355] · comsed for to laughe
And curtei[s]lich[^3356] conforted hem · and called in alle freres
And seide sires sothly · welcome be ȝe alle
To vnite and holicherche · ac on thyng I ȝow preye
Holdeth ȝow in vnyte · and haueth none envye
To lered ne to lewed · but lyueth after ȝowre rewle
And I wil be ȝowre borghe · ȝe shal haue bred and clothes
And other necessaries anowe · ȝow shal no thyng [lakke][^3357]
With þat ȝe leue logyk · and lerneth for to louye
For loue laft þei lordship · bothe londe and scole
Frere Fraunceys and Dominyk · for loue to ben holy

[^3355: Bx.20.242: þo: Dropped by alpha and by some of the P family of C.]

[^3356: Bx.20.243: curteisliche: The line in L is marked for correction.]

[^3357: Bx.20.249: lakke: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's faille, which is perhaps picked up from l. 234. For ȝow, F has ȝee as subject, as do a few C mss. R's þow is odd in context.]

¶ And if ȝe coueyteth cure · kynde wil ȝow te[ll]e[^3358]
That in mesure god made · alle manere thynges
And sette it[^3359] at a certeyne · and at a syker noumbre
And nempned [hem][^3360] names newe[^3361] · and noumbred þe sterres
Qui numerat multitudinem stellarum[^3362]

[^3358: Bx.20.253: telle: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's teche.]

[^3359: Bx.20.255: it: Supported by Cx against hem in CrWF.]

[^3360: Bx.20.256: hem: Omitted by beta, but alpha is supported by Cx. See next note.]

[^3361: Bx.20.256: newe: Not in Cx at all, and presumably a Bx error, since it makes poor sense in either position in the line. In Bx it was probably in the a-verse, prompting beta to drop hem to lighten a heavy verse, and alpha to move it into the b-verse to qualify numbred, with no better sense.]

[^3362: Bx.20.257: stellarum : Alpha evidently agreed with Cx in omitting & omnibus eis &c, and F struggles to complete the familiar quotation.]

¶[^3363] Kynges & knyghtes [·] þat kepen[^3364] and defenden
Han officers vnder hem · and vch of hem certeyne[^3365]
And if þei wage men to werre · þei write hem in noumbre
Wil no tresorere [taken] hem [wages][^3366] · trauaille þei neure so sore
Alle other in bataille · ben yholde bribours
Pilours and pykehernois · in eche a p[arisch][^3367] [a]cursed[^3368]

[^3363: Bx.20.258: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F, following the Latin line.]

[^3364: Bx.20.258: kepen: Oddly, R's illogical past tense is supported by three of the best of the X family of C. It could therefore be archetypal error.]

[^3365: Bx.20.259: certeyne: WHmOF have a certein as in Cx, but LR and CrCG omit the article. This is evidently a Bx error, with scribes making an obvious correction, as the M scribe does visibly.]

[^3366: Bx.20.261: taken hem wages: Beta alters to hem paye, shortening a long a-verse but losing the alliteration. Alpha is supported by Cx. For hem R uniquely reads hym as in l. 259. In Cx this line is followed by Bote hy ben nempned in þe nombre of hem þat been ywaged (RK.21.261), necessary to complete the sense. Its loss in Bx causes WHm to move l. 261 to the end of the paragraph to follow l. 263, and C2 to invent a new line: but he kunne rekene ariȝt her names in his rollis. Cr, followed by revised M, more simply begins the line Or they wil, and F has Ellys wille.]

[^3367: Bx.20.263: parisch: Beta has place, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^3368: Bx.20.263: acursed: MCrCGO and alpha are supported by Cx against ycursed in LWHm.]

¶[^3369] Monkes and monyals · and alle men of Religioun
Her ordre and[^3370] her reule wil · to han a certeyne noumbre
Of lewed and of lered · þe lawe wol and axeth
A certeyn for a certeyne · saue onelich of freres
For-þi quod conscience by cryst · kynde witte me telleth
It is wikked to wage ȝow · ȝe wexeth out of[^3371] noumbre
Heuene hath euene noumbre · and helle is with-out noumbre
For-þi I wolde witterly · þat ȝe were in þe Registre
And ȝowre noumbre vndre notarie[^3372] sygne · & noyther mo ne lasse

[^3369: Bx.20.264: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^3370: Bx.20.265: Her ordre and: Presumably alpha dropped ordre, with R faithfully copying Her and as heraude, and F characteristically revising to make sense.]

[^3371: Bx.20.269: out of: Beta and Cx. R's of on is probably the alpha reading, revised by F to ouer ony for sense.]

[^3372: Bx.20.272: notarie: MCrWCO's gen. is not supported by Cx.]

¶[^3373] Enuye herd þis · and heet freres go[^3374] to scole
And lerne logyk and lawe · and eke contemplacioun
And preche men of plato · and preue it by seneca
Þat alle þinges vnder heuene · ouȝte to ben in comune

[^3373: Bx.20.273: ¶: The paraph is in beta and F.]

[^3374: Bx.20.273: go: LWC have to go, not supported by Cx.]

¶ [H]e[^3375] lyeth as I leue · þat to þe lewed so precheth
For god made to men a lawe · and Moyses it tauȝte
Non concupisces rem proximi tui
And euele is þis yholde · in parisches of engelonde
For parsones and parish prestes [·] þat shulde þe peple shryue
Ben curatoures called · to knowe and to hele
Alle þat ben her parisshiens · penaunce[^3376] enioigne[^3377]
And be[n][^3378] ashamed in her shrifte · ac shame maketh hem wende
And fleen to þe freres · as fals folke to westmynstre
That borweth and bereth it þider · and þanne biddeth frendes
Ȝerne of forȝifnesse · or lenger ȝeres leue[^3379]

[^3375: Bx.20.277: He: So alpha and Cx. Beta begins And ȝit he.]

[^3376: Bx.20.283: penaunce: Probably plural; alpha has penaunces. For variation with and without <-s>, see note to Bx.14.211. There is similar variation in C mss.]

[^3377: Bx.20.283: enioigne: All except R read to enioigne, which has minority support from C mss.]

[^3378: Bx.20.284: ben: For once F probably represents alpha and is supported by Cx. R takes infin. ben as pres. pl. Beta clarifies with shulden be(n).]

[^3379: Bx.20.287: leue: The reading of LR and probably alpha (F's rewrite includes bleve), supported by Cx. Beta1 has loone, adopted by RK, p. 128, who explain the financial arrangement. For leue, "dispensation", see Alford (1988), 88.]

¶ Ac whil he is in westmynstre · he wil be bifore
And make[^3380] hym merye [·] with other mennes[^3381] goodis
And so it fareth with moche folke · þat to[^3382] freres shryueth[^3383]
As sysours and excecutours · þei [shul[^3384] ȝeue] þe[^3385] freres
A parcel to preye for hem · & make hem[^3386] myrye
With þe residue and þe[^3387] remenaunt · þat other men biswonke
And suffre þe ded in dette · to þe day of dome

[^3380: Bx.20.289: make: Beta's infinitive is supported by Cx against alpha's maketh.]

[^3381: Bx.20.289: mennes: For R's gen. pl. men, cf. l. 187 and note. Some C scribes have the same form.]

[^3382: Bx.20.290: to: Alpha supported by Cx against beta's to þe (though Cr also has to).]

[^3383: Bx.20.290: shryueth: WOF have hem shryueþ, as do some of the P family of C.]

[^3384: Bx.20.291: shul: Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's wil.]

[^3385: Bx.20.291: ȝeue þe: The L scribe omitted the verb, and the omission was subsequently miscorrected.]

[^3386: Bx.20.292: hem (2): R is supported by Cx against hem-self in beta. F rewrites the b-verse to pad it out, but that then involves rewriting the next line to avoid repetition.]

[^3387: Bx.20.293: þe (1 & 2): The definite article is omitted by R in both cases, and the first of them is added by the corrector in M. F has both in a rewritten line. Cx drops þe residue and.]

¶ Enuye herfore · hated conscience
And freres to philosofye · he fonde hem to scole
The while coueytise and vnkyndenesse · conscience assailled
In vnite holycherche · conscience helde hym
And made pees porter · to pynne þe ȝates
Of alle taletellers · and tyterers [a]n[^3388] ydel
Ypocrisye and he[^3389] · an hard saut[^3390] þei made
Ypocrysie atte ȝate · hard gan fiȝte
And wounded wel wykkedly · many [a][^3391] wise techer
Þat with conscience acorded · and cardinale vertues

[^3388: Bx.20.300: an: So R, supported by the X family of C. Beta has in, F has of ydelte. In L the phrase is elsewhere always an ydel ( Bx.5.592, 14.210, 19.415).]

[^3389: Bx.20.301: he: The h- form is necessary for the alliteration. Presumably Bx took it to be sg., but Cx understands that it must be plural and alters to they.]

[^3390: Bx.20.301: saut: LHmOR supported by Cx against assaut in MCrWCG. Cf. l. 217. F omits the line.]

[^3391: Bx.20.303: a: CrW and alpha are supported by Cx. Most beta scribes omit it.]

[¶][^3392] Conscience called a leche · þat coude wel shryue
Go[^3393] salue þo þat syke [were][^3394] · [and][^3395] þorw synne ywounded
Shrifte shope sharpe salue · and made men do penaunce
For her mysdedes [·] þat þei wrouȝte hadden
And þat piers[^3396] were payed · redde quod debes

[^3392: Bx.20.305: ¶: The paraph is in WHmC and alpha. In L the line is at the top of the page.]

[^3393: Bx.20.306: Go: The reading of LCrHmGOR and original M, supported by the X family of C, against To in CF and revised M, supported by the P family, and To go in W. See next note.]

[^3394: Bx.20.306: were: Alpha is supported by Cx against ben in beta, who takes Go as an indication of direct speech.]

[^3395: Bx.20.306: and: CrWHm and alpha are supported by Cx, against omission in others. It is added in M.]

[^3396: Bx.20.309: piers: So Bx. Cx has Peres pardon.]

¶ Somme lyked nouȝte þis leche · and lettres þei sent
Ȝif any surgien were [in] þe sege[^3397] · þat softer couth plastre
Sire l[i]f[^3398] to lyue in leccherye · lay þere and groned
For fastyng of a fryday · he ferde as he wolde deye
[^3399]Ther is a surgiene in þis sege · þat soft can handle
And more of phisyke bi fer · and fairer he plastreth
One frere flaterere [·] is phisiciene and surgiene
Quod contricioun to conscience · do hym come to vnyte
For here is many a man herte ·[^3400] þorw ypocrisie

[^3397: Bx.20.311: in þe sege: "among the besiegers". Alpha is supported by Cx against beta's þe segge, "the man". (L is apparently corrected to þe sege.)]

[^3398: Bx.20.312: lif: Alpha (and CrHm) supported by Cx against beta's lief. However, beta's reading is attractive ("Sir Happy-to-Live-in-Lechery"), and is adopted by KD.]

[^3399: Bx.20.314: Only LR are without a paraph at this point. It aptly marks the start of Conscience's speech, otherwise unmarked. Perhaps Bx lacked it.]

[^3400: Bx.20.318: The punctuation is after herte in LHmORF, before it in MWC, and in both positions in G. Alliteration is on /h/ and the vowel.]

¶ We han no nede quod conscience · I wote no better leche
Than persoun or parissh prest · penytancere or bisshop
Saue Piers þe plowman · þat hath powere ouer alle[^3401]
And indulgence may do · but if dette lette it
I may wel suffre seyde[^3402] conscience · syn ȝe desiren
That frere flaterer be fette · and phisike ȝow syke

[^3401: Bx.20.321: alle: G and alpha are supported by Cx. Beta has hem alle.]

[^3402: Bx.20.323: seyde: CrHmF have quod, as does the P family of Cx.]

¶ The Frere her-of herde · and hyed faste[^3403]
To a lorde for a lettre · leue to haue to curen
As a curatour he were · and cam with his lettres[^3404]
Baldly to þe bisshop · & his brief hadde
In contrees þere he come[^3405] · confessiouns to here
And cam þere conscience was · and knokked atte ȝate

[^3403: Bx.20.325: faste: MCrF add full to lengthen the b-verse. It is not in Cx.]

[^3404: Bx.20.327: lettres: Beta's plural is supported by the P family of C, alpha's sg. by the X family. The sg. seems more logical in view of the sg. in the previous line; however that might have been a motive for altering the plural. We follow copy-text.]

[^3405: Bx.20.239: come: Beta has come in, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Pees vnpynned it · was porter of vnyte
And in haste asked · what his wille were
In faith quod þis frere · for profit and for helthe
Carpe I wolde with contricioun · & þerfore come I hider

¶ He is sike seide pees · and so ar many other
Ypocrisie hath herte hem · ful harde is if þei keure

[¶][^3406] I am a surgien seide þe [frere][^3407] · and salues can make
Conscience knoweth me wel · and what I can do bothe
I preye þe quod pees þo · ar þow passe ferther
What hattestow I preye þe · hele nouȝte þi name

[^3406: Bx.20.237: ¶: The paraph to mark the surgeon's words is in WHmC and alpha, with a line-space in M.]

[^3407: Bx.20.337: frere: Beta's segge increases the alliteration, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

¶ Certes seyde his felow [·] sire penetrans domos

[¶][^3408] Ȝe go þi gate quod pees · bi god for al þi phisyk
But þow conne [any][^3409] crafte · þow comest nouȝt her-Inne
I knewe such one ones · nouȝte eighte wynter passed
Come in þus ycoped · at a courte þere I dwelt
And was my lordes leche · & my ladyes bothe
And at þe last þis limitour · þo my lorde was out
He salued so owre wommen · til somme were with childe

[^3408: Bx.20.342: ¶: The paraph to mark Pees's reply is in WHmCR, with line-spaces in MF.]

[^3409: Bx.20.343: any: R is supported by Cx. Beta has somme, F has more.]

[¶][^3410] Hende speche het pees [þo][^3411] · opene þe ȝates
Late in þe frere and his felawe · and make hem faire chere
He may se and here [here] · so[^3412] may bifalle
That lyf þorw his lore [·] shal leue coueityse
And be adradde of deth · and with-drawe hym fram pryde
And acorde with conscience · and kisse her either other

[^3410: Bx.20.349: ¶: The paraph is in WHm and alpha, with a line-space in M.]

[^3411: Bx.20.349: þo: Omitted by beta, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

[^3412: Bx.20.351: here here so: F has er so after a revised a-verse; Beta has here so it. R is supported by Cx.]

[¶][^3413] Thus thorw hende speche [·] entred þe frere
And cam in to conscience · and curteisly hym grette
Þow art welcome quod conscience [·] canstow hele syke[^3414]
Here is contricioun quod conscience · my cosyn ywounded
Conforte hym quod conscience [·] and take kepe to his sores
The plastres of þe persoun · and poudres [ben][^3415] to sore
[And][^3416] lat hem ligge ouerlonge · and loth is to chaunge hem
Fro lenten to lenten · he lat his plastres bite

[^3413: Bx.20.355: ¶: The paraph is in WHmR, with line-spaces in MF.]

[^3414: Bx.20.357: syke: Alpha supported by Cx. Beta has þe syke.]

[^3415: Bx.20.360: ben: So R, supported by Cx. However, beta and F read biten. This is attractive, though too emphatic for an unstressed position. It is probably picked up from l. 362.]

[^3416: Bx.20.361: And: Again R alone is supported by Cx. Beta and F substitute the subject He, otherwise unexpressed.]

¶ That is ouerlonge quod this limitour · I leue I shal amende it
And goth[^3417] gropeth contricioun · and gaf hym a plastre
Of a pryue payement · and I shal praye for ȝow
For alle[^3418] þat ȝe ben holde to · al my lyf-tyme
And make ȝow my lady[^3419] · in masse and in matynes
As freres[^3420] of owre fraternite · for a litel syluer

[^3417: Bx.20.364: goth: Beta and F read the easier goth and, as do a few C mss. mainly of the P family, but R agrees with Cx in omitting and.]

[^3418: Bx.20.366: For alle: Cx reads instead And for hem. Cr, beta4 and F agree on And, but Bx is clearly without it.]

[^3419: Bx.20.367: make ȝow my lady: The reading is also that of Cx. For discussion of the crux see RK, p. 136; Barney (2006), 244, Schmidt (2008), 469.]

[^3420: Bx.20.368: freres: WHmO alter to the singular, to refer to my lady above.]

¶ Thus he goth and gadereth · and gloseth þere he shryueth
Tyl contricioun hadde clene forȝeten · to crye & to wepe
And wake for his wykked werkes · as he was wont to done[^3421]
For confort of his confessour · contricioun he lafte
Þat is þe souereynest salue · for alkyn synnes

[^3421: Bx.20.371: to done: Cx has instead bifore. From here to the end of the poem there are significant differences between Bx and Cx.]

¶ Sleuth seigh þat · and so did pryde
And come with a kene wille · conscience to assaille
Conscience cryde eft · and bad clergye[^3422] help hym
And also contricioun · forto[^3423] kepe þe ȝate

[^3422: Bx.20.376: and bad clergye: Cx has instead Clergie come.]

[^3423: Bx.20.377: also ... forto: Cx has instead baed Contricioun to come to helpe.]

[¶][^3424] He lith and dremeth[^3425] seyde pees · and so do many other
The Frere with his phisik · þis folke hath[^3426] enchaunted
And plastred hem so esyly · þei[^3427] drede no synne

[^3424: Bx.20.378: ¶: The paraph is in HmCR, with line-spaces in WMF.]

[^3425: Bx.20.378: and dremeth: Cx has instead adreint.]

[^3426: Bx.20.379: hath: Alpha reads hath so, but beta is supported by Cx.]

[^3427: Bx.20.380: plastred ... þei: In Cx this reads doth men drynke dwale þat men.]

¶ Bi cryste quod conscience þo · I wil bicome a pilgryme
And walken as wyde · as al[^3428] þe wordle[^3429] lasteth
To seke Piers þe plowman · þat pryde m[yȝte][^3430] destruye
And þat freres hadde a fyndyng · þat for nede flateren
And contrepleteth me conscience · now kynde me auenge
And sende me happe and hele · til I haue piers þe plowman
And sitthe he gradde after grace · til I gan awake
[pass]us ijus de Dobest

[Bx.20.387: [pass]us ijus de Dobest : Written in the margin in LR, and so presumably Bx. See Introduction IV.2.]

[^3428: Bx.20.382: al: Omitted by CrWOF, but apparently in Bx. Cx instead reads as þe world regneth.]

[^3429: Bx.20.382: wordle: Not an error but a recognised spelling of "world". See note to l. 211.]

[^3430: Bx.20.383: myȝte: Beta has may, but alpha is supported by Cx.]

Explicit hic dialogus petri plowman[^3431]

[^3431: Bx.20.387: Explicit hic dialogus petri plowman : Supported by LMWGOC. See Introduction IV.2.]