The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 7: - London, British Library, MS Lansdowne 398 - Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson Poetry 38
author: William Langland
edition published: 2006
language: lat; fre; ger
availability: Commercially available: copyright 2011, by SEENET

Prologus de visione Petri Plowman

[R.P.0:

Fols. 77r and 80v are both very faded with considerable bleed-through from their opposite sides. In a few cases, the midline punctus elevatus must simply be inferred because the fading makes it indistinct though still visible. Moreover, the bottom and outer margins of all eight sides bound in Lansdowne 398 (77r-80v) are severely cropped.

More than one hundred lines at the beginning of the Prologue (= KD Prol.1-124) as well as the end of Passus 1 and the beginning of Passus 2 (= KD1.141 through KD2.40) have been lost from MS R since the early eighteenth century (at the latest). It is likely, but unproveable, that the event behind this loss also accounts for the fact that the surviving first few leaves of MS R (usually referenced as Oxford, Bodleian MS Rawlinson Poetry 38) are now bound into a completely different codex, London, British Library MS Landsowne 398. For more information, see Introduction, I.10."]

Crist kepe þe sire kynge  and þi kyngriche .
And lene þe lede þi land  so lewete þe louye .
And fore þi riȝtful rewelyng  be rewarded in heuene .

¶ And sithen in þe heir an hey  an aungel of heuene .
Lowede to speke in latyne  fore lewede men ne cowede
Iangele ne Iuge  þat iustifie hem schulde .
Bute suffren an seruen for-þi seyde þe angel .
Sum rex sum princeps · veutrum [n]eutrum[^a1][^1] fortasse deinceps .[^2]
O qui iura regis  christi specialia regis .
Hoc quod agas melius  iustus es esto pius .
Nudum vis[^a2][^3] a te  vestire[^a3][^4] wlt[^5] pietate .
Qualia vis metere  talia grana sere .
Si vis[^a4][^6] nudatur  nudo de iure metatur .
Si seritur pietur pietas pietas[^a5] de pietate metas .

[^a1: veutrum [n]eutrum (R) | neutrum (Most other mss)]

[^a2: vis (R F) | ius (All other mss)]

[^a3: vestire (R H F) | vestiri (Most beta mss)]

[^a4: vis (R H F) | ius (Most beta mss)]

[^a5: pietur pietas pietas (R) | pietas (All other mss)]

[^1: R.P.8: The form of the <v> in veutrum is slightly blurred, but there is no possibility of transcribing it as <n>. This is a unique error in R.]

[^2: A light brown brace in the right margin links RP.8-14. There is also some evidence of light brown underlining of the a-verses in RP.9-14, but it may be merely the ruling, which is quite visible on this side.]

[^3: R.P.11: Alpha reads vis. All beta family manuscripts read ius with the C archetype (a few C copies agree with alpha).]

[^4: R.P.11: Alpha is responsible for vestire, though the reading is shared by H. All authoritative Beta witnesses have vestiri, which is also the reading of the C version.]

[^5: R.P.11: R's wlt is a common English scribal spelling for Latin vult; it appears to have resulted from an association between the customary phonetic value assigned to Latin initial <v> (= /w/) and a popular sense of the origin of the <w> graph itself as a "double v." Because many other European languages, as well as Latin, had no <w> graph, and foundries therefore omitted the form from standard typographic templates, English printers often resorted to using the digraph <vv> to represent English <w> till the end of the seventeenth century. Cf. R.7.65: (wltis), R.12.71:, and R.15.43: (both wlt).]

[^6: R.P.13: Alpha reads vis. All beta family manuscripts read ius.]

¶ Þanne greuede hym a golyardas  a gloton of wordes .
And to þe angel an heiȝ  answeres[^a6][^7] after .
Dum rex a regere  dicatur nomen habere .[^8]
Nomen habet sine re  nisi studet iur a tenere .

[^a6: answeres (R L) | answerd (All other by correction)]

[^7: R.P.16: Only L agrees with R in this reading; F and all other beta manuscripts agree on the preterite form, answerde.]

[^8: In both of these cases, the red boxing has been heavily rubbed.]

¶ And þanne gan alle a[^a7][^9] comoune crie  in a[^a8] vers of latyn .[^10]
Precepta regis sunt nobis vincula legis .

[^a7: a (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a8: a (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^9: R.P.19: R offers two unique readings in this line: (1) where the beta copies have þe comune(s), R reads a comoune; (2) where beta attests in vers, R has in a vers. F's reading of this line is completely erratic.]

[^10: R.P.19: Immediately hereafter, alpha omits a line present in beta: To þe kynges conseille construe ho-so wolde.]

¶ With þat ran þere a route of ratones  at ones .
And smale mys with hem  mo þan a þousand .
And comen to a conseyle  fore here comoune profitte .
For a cat of a courte  com whan hym lykede .
And ouer-leepe hem liȝthliche  and lauȝt hem at his wille .
And pleyed[^11] with hem periliousely  and possed hem aboute .
For doute of diuerse dredes  we dare nouȝt wel loke .
And ȝif we grucchen his[^a9] gammen[^12]  he wille greue vs alle .
Cracche vs or clawe vs  and in his cloches halde .
Þat vs lothes þe lyf  er he lete vs passe .
Miȝt we with any witt  his wille with-stonde .
We miȝte be lordes on lofte  and lyuen at oure eese .
A raton of renoun  moste resonable[^13] of tonge .[^14]
S eyde for a souereyne  helpe to hem alle[^a10] .[^15]
I haue I-seyne segges quod hee  in þe citee of london .
B eren beȝes ful bryȝtte  abouten here nekkes .
A nd somme coleres of crafty werke  vncoupled þei wenden .
B oþe in warayne and in waste  whare þaym lef lykeþ .[^16]
A nd other while þei aren elles-where  as I here telle .
W ere þere abelle a belle on here bye  by Ihesus[^a11][^17] as me thenketh .
M en miȝt wite where þei wente  and away renne .

[^a9: his (R F) | of his (Most beta mss)]

[^a10: hem alle (R F) | hymselue(n) (All other mss)]

[^a11: Ihesus (R F) | Ihesu (Most beta mss)]

[^11: R.P.26: There is a small hole in the parchment here, causing the <d> of pleyed to be written slightly above the rest of the line.]

[^12: R.P.28: R's phrase here is unique; beta and the C version attest of his game(n), while F reads his wille.]

[^13: R.P.33: R shares this reading with Hm and with the C version; beta and F read renable.]

[^14: The rubricating scribe managed to touch each of the first characters on this side in red, at least so far as cropping permits us to judge. None of the initials survives in whole, but we have marked initials as rubricated where sufficient fragments remain to verify that fact.]

[^15: R.P.34: In place of alpha's hem alle, beta reads hym-selue.]

[^16: R.P.38: There is considerable variation in attestation for the final phrase. F reads hem best lykeþ. Some of the beta copies show hem-self liked; others read hem leue liketh.]

[^17: R.P.40: Beta witnesses have Ihesu. The C manuscripts are divided, a majority reading with beta but a significant minority, in both major branches, agreeing with alpha.]

¶ A nd riȝt so quod þat raton  reson me scheweth .
T o bugge a belle of bras  or of briȝt siluer .
A nd knetten it on a coler  for oure comoune profitte .
And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals  þan here we mowen .[^18]
And peren in his presens  þere while hym plei lyketh .
And ȝif hym wraþheth ben y-war  and hys wey shonye .

[^18: R.P.45: Alpha lacks the following two lines attested by beta witnesses and by Cx: Where he ritt or rest or renneth to playe And ȝif him list for to laike þenne loke we mowen.]

¶ Alle þe[^a12] route of þe[^a13][^19] ratones  to þis resoun þei assented .
Ac þo þe belle was I-bouȝte  and on þe bey I-hanged[^a14] .
Þere ne was raton in alle route[^a15]  for alle þe reme of france .
Þat durste haue I-bounde þe belle  aboute þe cattes nekke .
Ne hangen it aboute his[^a16] hals[^20]  alle englond to wynne .
And helden hem vn-hardy  and here conseylle feble .
And letun here labour I-lost[^a17]  and alle here longe studie .

[^a12: þe (R F) | þis (All other mss)]

[^a13: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a14: I-hanged (R) | hanged (All other mss)]

[^a15: route (R) | þe route (All other mss)]

[^a16: his (R F) | þe cattes (Most beta mss)]

[^a17: I-lost (R) | lost (All beta mss)]

[^19: R.P.48: The second þe in this line is R's unique addition. The first þe is an alpha variant (beta has þis). The C manuscripts are divided on this reading, a majority of the X family agreeing with beta, while a majority of the P family agrees with alpha.]

[^20: R.P.52: Beta reads þe cattes hals. Alpha's his hals is also the reading of the C version.]

¶ A mous þat muche goed  couthe as me thouȝte .
Strok forth sternely  and stod by-forn hem alle .
And to þe route of ratouns  rehersed þis wordes .

¶ Þouȝ we had[^a18] I-culled[^a19][^21] þe cat  yut schulde þere cum an-othere .
To crachy vs and alle oure kynde  þouȝ we crope vnder benches .
For-þi I conseille alle þe comoune  to late þe catt I-worthe[^a20] .
And be we neuer so bolde  þe belle hym to schewe .[^22]
For I herde my sire seyen  is seuen ȝere I-passed .
Þere þe cat ys a kytoun  þe court is ful elynge .
Þat witnesseth holy writt  who-so wile it rede .
Ve terre vbi puer est rex[^a21] . For may no renk no[^a22][^23] reste haue 
for ratones by nyȝte . —[^24]

[^a18: had (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a19: I-culled (R) | culled(en) (Most other mss)]

[^a20: I-worthe (R) | worthe (Most beta mss)]

[^a21: est rex (R Cr Hm F) | rex est &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a22: no (R) | þer (Most beta mss)]

[^21: R.P.58: In place of alpha's (had I-culled), beta witnesses read either kulled (LMCO) or killen (CrWHmG). The C version agrees on this reading with alpha.]

[^22: R.P.61: See note at RP.66.]

[^23: R.P.65: F omits R's double negative and beta reads þer reste in place of R's no reste.]

[^24: It is unclear why the scribe's lineation went wrong here (running together the Latin quotation with half the following English line, so that the b-verse ended up relegated to a line of its own). It seems likely that the problem is related to a larger problem of textual order between KDProl.188 and 197 in Bx (See Kane-Donaldson, p. 176, for their editorial reasoning on re-ordering this passage). However, there is no evidence that the R scribe had any clue about the source of the problem. The <f> at the head of RP.66 is not capitalized, but it is touched in red, and the small + in the left margin is probably irrelevant; similar marks are found beside most lines that were to have been boxed in red (unnoted in this edition).]

¶ Þe while he caccheth conynges  he coueyteth nauȝt oure carayne
But fet hym alle wyth veneson  defame we hym neuere .
For better is a litel los  þen a longe sorwe .
Þe mase a-monge vs alle  þeiȝ we misse a schrewe .
For many mannus malte  we muys wolde destruye .
And also ȝe route of ratones  rende mennes clothes .
Nere þat cat of þe courte  þat can ȝow ouere -lepe .
For hadde ȝe ratones ȝoure wille  ȝe couthe nouȝt rewele ȝoure -selue
I seye it[^a23][^25] for my-self[^a24][^26] quod þe mous  I see so muchel after .
Schal neuere þe cat ne þe kyton  by my conseil be greued .
Ne carpyng of þis colere  þat costed me neuere .
And þouȝ it costed[^a25] me[^27] catel  beknowen it Inolde I nolde .
But suffre as hym-self[^28] wolde  to do as hym liketh .
Coupled and vn-coupled  to cacche what þei mowe .
For[^a26][^29] vche a wyse man[^30] I warne wite wel hys owene .

[^a23: it (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a24: my-self (R H F) | me (Most beta mss)]

[^a25: costed (R G F) | had cost(n)e(d) (Most beta mss)]

[^a26: For (R) | Forþi (All beta mss)]

[^25: R.P.75: R's it is a unique addition to the line as read by the beta witnesses (at this same point, F uniquely adds þis). However, Cx agrees on this reading with R.]

[^26: R.P.75: Beta reads me, a lection also supported by the C version.]

[^27: R.P.78: R's it costed me agrees in substance with FG, which also read a simple preterite. Beta has it had cost(n)e(d) me. The alpha reading is also that of the C version.]

[^28: R.P.79: There is an ink dot (smaller than a punctus) immediately after hym-self. From the lack of spacing, it appears to be accidental.]

[^29: R.P.81: R's For is unique; F has & while beta reads For-þi.]

[^30: R.P.81: Cf. beta's wiȝte and F's Mows.]

¶ What þis meteles by-mene  þe[^a27][^31] men þat ben myrie .
Deuyne ye ne dar I nouȝt[^a28][^32]  by dere god in heuene 

[^a27: þe (R) | ȝe (All other mss)]

[^a28: ne dar I nouȝt (R) | for I ne dar (Most beta mss)]

[^31: R.P.82: Unfortunately, R's hand often fails to distinguish þ from y. As was the judgment of Kane-Donaldson, our guess here, judging by proximate renderings of both characters, is that R intended þe; if that was, in fact, the scribe's intention, the resulting reading is unique error; the other B copies read ȝe.]

[^32: R.P.83: F rephrases this a-verse extensively; in place of R's ne dar I nouȝt, beta reads for I ne dar, a phrase that agrees completely with the reading of the C version.]

¶[^33] Ȝeet houed þere an hundreth  in houues of silke 
Seriauntz it semede  at[^a29][^34] serueden at þe barre .
Pletedden for penies  and pondres[^a30][^35] þe lawe .
And nouȝt for loue of oure lorde  vnlese here lippes ones .
Þow miȝteste better mete miste  on maluerne hulles .
Þan gete a mumme of here mouth  er[^a31] mony hem by[^a32][^36] I-shewed

[^a29: at (R) | þat (All other mss)]

[^a30: pondres (R) | poundes (Most beta mss)]

[^a31: er (R F) | but (Beta M C O C2 Y)]

[^a32: hem by (R) | were (Beta M C)]

[^33: R.P.84: The paraph marker for this strophe was either partially erased or badly rubbed.]

[^34: R.P.85: R's at (cf. R2.11) is formally unique among the B witnesses, which uniformly attest the expected þat; one C manuscript (Dc) shows the same clipped form as R's. Otherwise all agree with Bx.]

[^35: R.P.86: Beta reads poundes (which is also the reading of Ax and Cx) while F has pownded. R's reading, which was misconstrued by Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt as poudres, is unique among the B witnesses (manuscript E in the A tradition also attests ponderys). MED, s. v. ponder, defines pondres as "balance scales" or "weights," but the variant is almost certainly scribal.]

[^36: R.P.89: In place of alpha's er, beta copies read til or but. Only R adds hem after mony. Later in this half-line, most B witnesses read be, but LMCY attest were. Among the C manuscripts, most P family witnesses agree with beta's til, while a majority of the X family agrees with alpha's er. However, at the end of the half-line, the C families fragment their allegiances, most of the P group (and four of the X group — P2CotLcBo) now aligning with the more widely attested B reading, be, while some of the best X witnesses read wer(e), agreeing with LMCY. Both sets of variants were already attested in various A copies.]

¶ Barons and burgeis  and bonde-men alse .
I seiȝ in þis assemble  as ȝe schul here after
Baxsteres and brewsteres  and bocheres manye .
Wolle websteres  and weueres of lynnen .
Taillours and tynkeres  and tolleres in marketes .
Masons and mynours  and many other craftes .
Of alle[^a33] libbynge[^37] laboreres  lopen forthe somme .
As dikares and deluares  þat doth here dedes ille .[^38]
And dryueth forth here dayes here[^a34][^39] . with deu vous saue dam emme .

[^a33: alle (R F) | alkin (Most beta mss)]

[^a34: here dayes here (R) | þe longe day (Most beta mss)]

[^37: R.P.96: Beta reads alkin libbyng. The entire line is missing from the A and C versions, but it is witnessed in Z (MS Bodley 851), where the phrasing in question is identical to that found in alpha.]

[^38: The entire outer margin is cropped, but as far down as the passus division, all initials are visible and all are touched in red. After the rubricated heading for Passus 1, the cropping becomes severe.]

[^39: R.P.98: Cf. R's here dayes here with F's þe fayre day and beta's þe longe day. Beta's reading agrees with that of the A version, while the reading of R closely parallels that of Cx (= here days).]

¶ Kokes and here knaues  cryeden hote pies hote .
Gode gris and gees  gowe go we dyne gowe go we .

¶ Tauerneres vntil hem  tolde þe same .
Whitt wyne of osey  and of gascoyne[^a35][^40] .
Of þe ryn and þe rochel[^41]  þe rost to defye .
Al þis seyȝI seyȝ I slepynge  and seuen sithes more .

[^a35: of gascoyne (R) | red wyn of Gascoigne (All beta mss)]

[^40: R.P.102: R's of gascoyne is deficient in length and alliteration to complete a full half-line, but it is substantively the same as the reading of the P family of C manuscripts. F has wyn of Gaskoyne, which essentially agrees with both the X family reading in the C tradition and with Ax. Beta reads, more explicitly, red wyn of Gascoigne.]

[^41: R.P.103: Beta reads and of þe Rochel. This is also the reading of Ax and Cx.]

Passus [R.1.0: The <P> of Passus in the heading is partially visible, but its specific identity is clear only from context.] primus de visione petri plowman —

W hat þis montayne by-meneth  and þe merke dale .[^42]
And þe felde ful of folke  I schal ȝow fayre schewe .
A lufly lady of lere  in lynnen I-clothed .
Com doun from a castel  and cald me fayre .
And seyde sone slepestow  sest þow þis poeple .
How bysi þei ben  a-bouten þe mase .
Þe moste partie of þis poeple  þat passeth on þis erthe .
Haue þe þe[i][^a36] worchippe in þis worlde  þei willne no better .
Of other heuene þan here  holden þei no tale .

[^a36: þe þe[i] (R) | þei (All other mss)]

[^42: It is clear that the initials of line 1 and line 3 were oversized, and that they were executed in blue and red respectively. But their specific identities are inferrable only from context; hence, they are bracketed and marked as supplied.]

¶ I was aferd of here face  þeiȝ she faire were .
And seyde mercy madame  what is þis to mene

¶ Þe toure vp þe tofte quod sche  treuthe is þere-inne .
And wolde þat ȝe wrouȝte  as his worde techeth .
For he is fader of feyth  formede ȝow alle .
Bothe with fel and with face  and ȝaf ȝow fyue wittes .
For to worchippe hym þere-with  þe while þat ȝe ben here .
Þat[^a37][^43] þerefore he hiȝtte[^44] þe erthe  to helpe ȝow echone .
Of wollen of lynnen  of lyflode at nede .[^45]
In mesurable manere  to make ȝow at ese .

[^a37: Þat (R) | And (Most other mss)]

[^43: R.1.17: The cropping of R here makes any reading speculative, but it is obvious from the surviving <t> that R's reading was unique; we conjecture Þat, but no other manuscript, including those of the A version (which attests the same line), shows this reading.]

[^44: R.1.17: Or hiȝcte? In either case the form is unique in the manuscript, and the scribe does not steadily distinguish these graphies.]

[^45: An old ownership stamp for the British Library (in red) is found in the right margin opposite these lines.]

¶ And comanded of his curteisye  in commoun thre thynges .
Aren none nedful bute þo  and nempne hem I thenke .
And reken hem by resoun  reherse þou hem after .
Þat on is[^46] vesture  fram chele þe to saue .
And mete at þe mele  for mysayse of thy-selue .
And drynk whan þow dryste  ac do nouȝte oute of resoun .
Þat þow worthe þe wors  whan þow werche schuldeste

[^46: R.1.23: Compare this erasure to a similar instance at RP.89, where her was changed to er.]

¶ For loth in his lif-dayes  for lykyng of drinke .
Dede by his dowtres  þat þe deuel lykede .
Delyted hym in drynke  as þe deuel wolde .
And leccherye hym lauȝte  and lay by hem bothe .
And al he witte it[^a38] wyn  þat wykked dede .[^47]

[^a38: it (R L G F) | it þe (Beta W Hm C)]

[^47: In the space between these strophes, there is red offset from the passus rubric on 78v.]

¶ Inebriemus eum vino  dormiamusque cum eo .
Vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen —
Þorȝ wyn and þorȝ wymmen  þere was loth a-combred .
And þere gat in glotonie  gerles þat were cherles .

¶ Forthi drede delytable drynke  and þow schalt do þe bettre .
Mesure is medicyne  þeiȝ þow muche ȝerne .
It is nouȝt al gode to þe goste  þat þe gut axeth .
Ne lyflode to þi licam  þat leef is[^a39] þi[^a40][^48] soule .
Lef nauȝt þi licame  for a lyeȝer hym techeth .
Þat is þe wrecched world  wold þe bytraye .
For þe fende and þi flesch  folwen þe to-gydere .
This and that sueth[^a41][^49] þi soule  and seith it in þin herte .
And for þow schuldest ben Iwar  I wisse þe þe beste .

[^a39: is (R) | is to (All other mss)]

[^a40: þi (R O F) | þe (Beta G)]

[^a41: sueth (R) | seeþ (Beta Cr1 W C)]

[^48: R.1.39: R's reading here is unique among the B copies; the others attest is to þi. Ax agrees with the B majority (only Bodley 851 agrees with R) , but Cx is uncertain. Though a majority of C witnesses also supports the predominant reading, a significant minority of X family manuscripts (XICotBmBoUc) agrees with R in omitting to.]

[^49: R.1.43: Cf. F's sewe and beta's seeþ. Although three C witnesses (P2UcDc) support the alpha verb, it seems clear that Cx had the same reading as beta.]

¶ Ma-dame mercy quod I  me lyketh wel ȝoure wordes .
Ac þe monee of þis molde  þat men so fast kepeth[^a42] .[^50]
Telleth[^a43][^51] me ma-dame  to whom[^52] þat tresour appendeth .

[^a42: kepeth (R F) | holdeth (All beta mss)]

[^a43: Telleth (R) | Telle (Most beta mss)]

[^50: R.1.46: For alpha's kepeth or kepe (= F), beta reads holdeth. Beta agrees here with the A version while alpha agrees with the C version.]

[^51: R.1.47: R's verb inflection, Telleth, is unique among the B copies (F and beta agree on Tel(le)). However, both Ax and Cx agree with R's form.]

[^52: R.1.47: F omits madame from the a-verse phrase, while beta transposes the phrase and reads to whom Madame. F's reading agrees with that found in the other two versions of the poem.]

¶ Goo to þe gospelle quod sche  þat god seyde hym-selue .
Þo þe poeple hym apposede  with a peny in þe temple .
Wheither þei schulde þere -with  worchippe þe kyng sesar .
And god axed of hem  of whom spak þe lettre .
And þe ymage Ilyk  þat þere-inne stondeth[^53] .

[^53: The rubricating scribe failed to touch line-initial letters in red on this opening.]

¶ Cesaris þei seyden  we sen hym wel vchone .

¶ Reddite cesari quod god  þat cesari byfalleth .
Et que sunt dei deo  or elles ȝe don ille .
For riȝtful resoun  schuld rewele ȝow alle .
And kende witt be wardeyn  ȝoure welthe to kepe .
And tutour of ȝoure tresor  and taken it ȝow at nede .
For housbondrye and heo[^a44][^54][^55]  halden to-gyderes .[^56]

[^a44: heo (R) | hij (Beta M Cr1 W Hm C)]

[^54: R.1.59: Heo, "she."]

[^55: R.1.59: Beta reads hij for alpha's he(o). However, both Ax and Cx support F's version of alpha's lection (= he).]

[^56: An old ownership stamp, in black ink, runs vertically downwards in the right margin opposite these lines; the label says MVSEVM BRITTANICVM.]

¶ Þanne I frayned hire[^a45][^57]  for hym þat hire made .
Þat dong en in þe dale  þat dredful is of siȝtte .
Whate may it be to mene  madame I ȝow by-seche .

[^a45: hire (R) | hir faire (All other mss)]

[^57: R.1.60: R uniquely omits faire at the end of the a-verse.]

¶ Þat is a castel[^58] of care  who-so cometh þere-Inne .
May banne þat he borne was  to body or to soule .
Þere-Inne wonyeth a wyȝth  þat wronge is I-hote .
Fader of falsed  and founded it hym-selue .
d d d e
Adam and eue  he egged to Ille .
Conseyled caym  to cullen his brother .
Iudas he Iapede  with Iewes siluer .
And sethen on an ellerne  honged hym after .
He is lettere of loue  and lyeth hem alle
Þat tristeth on his tresor  bytrayed aren[^59] sonneste .

[^58: R.1.63: Both F and beta read þe castel. This is also the reading of both Ax and Cx. Among the B manuscripts, only H agrees with R on this lection.]

[^59: R.1.72: Beta copies show considerable variation in this phrase, but beta itself probably read bitrayeþ he. This is a simple reversal of the archetypal C reading, which is he bytrayeth. By contrast, alpha's reading here is identical to that of Ax.]

¶ Þanne haued I wonder in my witt  what womman sche[^a46][^60] were .
Þat suche wyse wordes  of holy wrytt schewed .

[^a46: sche (R Hm F) | it (Most beta mss)]

[^60: R.1.73: For alpha's sche, beta reads it. Beta's lection agrees exactly with Ax, but the alpha reading is semantically the same as that of C, which is he.]

¶ And hasked[^61] hyre on þe hiȝe name  er heo þennes ȝode .
What he[^a47][^62] were witterly  þat wissed me so faire .

[^a47: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^61: R.1.75: Cf. F's halsede and beta's asked. Though both variants are available in the A tradition, Ax almost certainly agreed with F's reading. The same is true for Cx, though a third variant, hanslede, is generated in some copies—apparently by metathesis—from a variant spelling of the original (= halsnede) still found in manuscripts EcQSc. The evidence in the B tradition seems easiest to explain on the supposition that R's verb form, hasked, was that of Bx and that beta merely normalized its spelling while F corrected the reading itself through his habitual use of an A manuscript for proofing.]

[^62: R.1.76: He, "she."]

¶ Holy cherche I am quod he[^a48][^63]  þow hauȝtest me to knowe .
I vnderfong þe ferst  and þe faith tauȝte .
And brouȝtest me borwes  my byddyng to fulfille .
And to loue lely me[^a49][^64]  þe while þi lif dureth .
Þanne I courbed on my knes  and cryed hire of grace .
And preyed hire pytously  to preye[^65] for my synnes .
And also kenne me kendely  on cryst to byleue .[^66]
Teche me to no tresor  bute telle me þis ilke .
How I may saue my soule  þat seint art I-holde .

[^a48: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a49: lely me (R F) | me lelly (All beta mss)]

[^63: R.1.77: He, "she."]

[^64: R.1.80: Beta transposes alpha's lely me as me lelly. Beta's word order is also that of the A version.]

[^65: R.1.82: For alpha's to preye, beta reads simply prey. Alpha's reading is supported by that of Ax.]

[^66: R.1.83: Alpha omits the following line found in beta: That I miȝte worchen his wille þat wrouȝte me to man. The line is not present in the C version but is attested in the A version.]

¶ Whanne alle tresores aren tryed quod he[^a50][^67]  trewthe is þe beste .
I do it on deus caritas  to deme þe sothe .
Þat it[^a51][^68] is as derworthe a drewery  as dere god hym-selue .

[^a50: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a51: Þat it (R F) | It (All beta mss)]

[^67: R.1.86: He, "she."]

[^68: R.1.88: For alpha's Þat it, , beta and the other two versional archetypes read It.]

¶ He[^a52][^69] is trewe of his tonge  and telleth non other .[^70]
And doth þe werkes þere -with  and wilneth noman ille .
He is a god by þe gospel  a-grownde and a-lofte .
And I-lyke to oure lorde  by seint lukes wordes .
Þe clerkes þat knowe þis  schulde kennen it a-boute .
For cristene and vncristene  claymeth it vchone .

[^a52: He (R F) | Whoso (Most beta mss)]

[^69: R.1.89: R's He is unique; F reads He þat while beta reads Whoso. The A-version reading agrees with beta's. The C-version has a revised b-verse, but for this variant the manuscripts divide into the two large families usually seen, with the P family supporting R (For he) while the X family is closer to beta (For who).]

[^70: R.1.89: Ordinarily, throughout this manuscript, the scribe indicated where rubricated paraph markers should be inserted—alternately blue and red—by leaving a small cc in the margin. Many of these survive in the latter part of the manuscript, where very few rubricated paraphs were ever completed, but some have been erased, as is the case on fol. 80, where only the blank line between strophes attests scribal intentions.]

¶ Kynges and kniȝtes  schulde kepe it by resoun .
Ryden and rappe adoun  in reumes aboute .
And taken transgressores  and teyȝen hem fast .
Til treweth hadde I-termined  here trespas to þende .
And þat is þe professioun apertelyche  þat appendeth for[^71] kniȝtes
And nouȝt to fasten a friday  in fyue score winter .
But holden with him and wyth hire  þat wolden alle trewthe
Ne[^a53][^72] neuere leue hem for loue  ne for lacchynge of seluer

[^a53: Ne (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^71: R.1.99: Most B copies, including F, read to knyȝtes. The latter reading is also that of the A and C version.]

[^72: R.1.102: Ne is an alpha variant; beta reads And. Beta's reading here is also that of Ax and Cx.]

¶ For dauid in his dayȝes  dubbede kniȝtes 
And dede hem swere on here swerdes[^a54][^73]  to serue trewth euere
And who-so[^74] passed þat poynt  was apostata in þat ordre

[^a54: swerdes (R) | swerde (All other mss)]

[^73: R.1.104: The plural form is unique to R; the other B witnesses show swerde. Although three copies from the A tradition and one from C agree with R's plural, it is clear that the archetype in both of the other versions agreed with the B majority.]

[^74: At this point there was an original diagonal tear in the parchment (repaired by stitching). The scribe has written around the tear, which also affects the spacing of R1.106 between crist and kyngene.]

¶ But crist kyngene kyng[^75]  kniȝtede ten .
Cherubyn and seraphyn  suche seuene and othere .
And ȝaf hem miȝt in his maieste  þe murgur hem thouȝte
And ouer his mene meyne  made hem archangeles
Tauȝte[^76] hem by þe trinite  trewthe to knowe .
And[^a55][^77] be buxum at his biddynge  he badde hem nauȝt elles
Lucifer with legiouns  lerned it in heuene .
Const fol. 80.
Til[^a56] he brak buxumnesse  his blisse gan he tyne
And fel froo þat felaschyppe  in a fendes lyknesse .
In-to a deepe derke helle  to dwelle þere fore euere .
And mo thousantes with hym  þan man couthe noumbre .
Loupen ouȝt with lucifer  in lothelyche forme .
For þei leueden vppon hym  þat lyede in þis manere .
Ponam pedem in aquilone &cetera[^a57][^78] .

[^a55: And (R F) | To (All beta mss)]

[^a56: Til (R F) | But for (All beta mss)]

[^a57: &cetera (R) | et similis ero altissimo (All other mss)]

[^75: R.1.106: A partially erased <h> is visible, occupying the space between the <g> of king and the punctus elevatus. The <h> in question may connect with a partially erased ampersand above kyngene earlier in the line and indicate the occurrence of a fairly extensive erasure / correction in this passage.]

[^76: R.1.110: The <e> of Tauȝte has been partially rubbed out but is still legible.]

[^77: R.1.111: For alpha's And, beta reads To, which is also the reading of the A version.]

[^78: R.1.119: R uniquely omits the end of this tag, as represented by the other B witnesses, as well as by C: et similis ero altissimo.]

¶ And alle þat hopede it miȝt be so  none heuene miȝt hem holde .
But fellen outȝ in fendes lyknesse  nyne dayes to-gyderes .
Til god of his goodenesse  gan stable and stynte .
And garte þe heuene to stekye  and stonden in quiete .

¶ Whanne þis wykkede wente ouȝt  wonderwyse þei fellen .
Somme in erthe somme in eyre[^a58][^79]  and somme in helle deepe .
Ac lucifer lowest  lyth of hem alle .
For pruyde þat he pelt[^a59][^80] ouȝt  his peyne hath none ende .

[^a58: eyre (R) | erthe (Most beta mss)]

[^a59: pelt (R) | pult (Beta)]

[^79: R.1.125: Most beta copies (M being a notable exception) transpose the order of alpha's elements to Somme in eyre somme in erthe . This is also the order of Ax. However, Cx agrees with alpha's phrasing.]

[^80: R.1.127: R's pelt is unique in spelling but substantively the same as the reading of Cr and L (= pult). F has pitte. Beta reads putte, which is also the reading of A.]

¶ And alle þat worche with wronge  wende þei schulle .
After here deth-day . to[^a60][^81] dwelle with þat schrewe

[^a60: to (R H F) | and (Most beta mss)]

[^81: R.1.129: For alpha's to, beta reads and, which is also the reading of the A and C versions.]

¶ Ac þoo þat werche wel  as holy writt telleth .
And enden as I oer [e]r[^a61] seyde  in trewthe þat is þe beste .
Mowe be siker  þat here soule  schal wende to heuene .
Þere trewthe is in trinite  for to[^a62] saue[^a63][^82] hem alle .

[^a61: oer [e]r (R) | ere (Most other mss)]

[^a62: for to (R) | and (Most beta mss)]

[^a63: saue (R F) | troneth (Most beta mss)]

[^82: R.1.133: In place of alpha's relatively vague saue(n), beta shows the properly alliterating troneth. The entire b-verse in beta (and troneth hem alle) is identical to that found in the A version . Although the C version is revised at this point, the appearance of trone in the P sub-archetype of its cognate line (X = tour) also suggests beta's superiority here. R's for to preceding the verb in question is unique; F has þat shal while beta reads and.]

¶ For-þi I seye as I seyde  ere by[^a64] þis tixtes .[^83]
Whan alle tresores ben[^84] Itried  trewthe is þe[^85] beste .

[^a64: by (R F) | bi siȝte of (All beta mss)]

[^83: R.1.134: Evidently, alpha had dropped the third stave of this line, producing a short b-verse; beta, which agrees exactly with Ax here, reads bi siȝte of þise textis.]

[^84: R.1.135: Beta reads arn(e), which is also the probable reading of Ax. The C version is revised at this point.]

[^85: R.1.135: The scribe has allocated a long space (approx. 1.8 cm.) between þe and beste to accommodate the original tear in the parchment described at R1.105.]

¶ Lereth[^86] this[^a65] lewed men  for lettrede men it knoweth .
Þat trewthe is tresor  þe triest on eerthe .

[^a65: this (R G F) | it þis (Beta Hm)]

[^86: R.1.136: Beta adds it after Lereth. This is also the reading of the A and C archetypes.]

¶ I haue[^a66][^87] no kende knowyng quatz I  ȝette mote I[^a67] lerne[^a68][^88] bettre .
By what craft in my corps  it comseth and where .

[^a66: ¶ I haue (R Cr F) | Ȝet haue I (Most beta mss)]

[^a67: I (R) | ȝe (Most beta mss)]

[^a68: lerne (R F) | kenne me (Most beta mss)]

[^87: R.1.138: For alpha's I haue, beta reads Ȝet haue I, which is also the reading of Ax. However, the reading of alpha agrees with that of Cx.]

[^88: R.1.138: Once more, R's (and alpha's) third stave was defective in alliteration; cf. beta's b-verse, which offers ȝet mote ȝe kenne me to R's ȝette mote I lerne. Beta's reading agrees with that of the other two versions.]

¶ Þow dotede daffe quatz sche  dulle arn þi wittes .[^89]

[^89: R.1.140: Hereafter, R's text is lost for KD1.141 through KD2.40.]

Passus secundus de visione Petri Plowman . vt supra

[R.2.0: Here the lacuna in the manuscript (running from KD1.141-2.40) ends and text resumes.]

To on fals fikel of[^a69][^90] tonge  a fendes byȝete .
Fauel þoruȝ his faire speche  hath þis folke enchaunted .
And alle is lyeres ledynge  þat sche is þus ywedded

[^a69: of (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^90: R.2.1: Beta omits of.]

¶ To-morwe worth ymad  þe maydenes bruydale .
And þere miȝt þow wite if þow wilt  whiche þei ben alle .
Þat longeth to þat lordschippe  þe lasse and þe more .
Knowe hem þere if þow canst  and kepen þi tonge .[^91]
And lak hem nauȝt but late hem worth  til lewte be iustice
And haue poer to puneschen hem  þanne putt forth thy reson

[^91: R.2.7: F and some beta copies read keep wel þyn tunge. Other beta witnesses show kepe þow þi tonge. Manuscripts CL agree with R's phrasing. None of the B witnesses agrees with Ax or Cx, which both attest kepe the fro(m) hem alle.]

¶ Now I bekenne þe crist quod he[^a70][^92]  and his clene moder .
And at[^a71][^93] no consience acombre þe  for coueytise of mede .

[^a70: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a71: at (R F) | lat (All beta mss)]

[^92: R.2.10: He, "she." R's he, repeatedly deployed for the feminine 3rd person sing. pronoun, is relatively uncommon among the B manuscripts in this role.]

[^93: R.2.11: At, "that."]

¶ Þus left me þat lady  lyggynge a-slepe .
And how mede was ymaried  in meteles me thouȝthe .
Þat alle þe riche retenawans  þat regneth with þe false .
Weren bede[^94] to þis[^a72][^95] bridale  on bothe to sydes .[^96]
Of alle maner of men  þe mene and þe riche .
To marie þis mayde  was many man ensembled[^a73][^97] .
As of kniȝtes and of clerkes  and other comoune poeple .

[^a72: þis (R) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^a73: ensembled (R F) | assembled (All beta mss)]

[^94: R.2.15: Though identical in meaning to the majority reading, R's form here is unique among the B copies; most of the others, including F, attest boden. Ax agrees with the B majority (although manuscripts VRa agree with R) , but Cx's verb form is uncertain. Though a majority of C witnesses also supports the predominant reading, most P family manuscripts (PVcAcQScFcGc ~ ibede McNc) agree with R.]

[^95: R.2.15: F reads his; beta shows þe. Two A witnesses agree with R (manuscripts LaK), but Ax agrees with beta. Cx is uncertain: the X family reading is identical to that of beta, but the P family reading is þat.]

[^96: In the right margin, in black ink, there is an early ownership stamp for the Bodleian Library.]

[^97: R.2.17: For alpha's ensembled (F has ensemblyd þere), beta reads assembled.]

¶ As sysoures and sompnoures  scheryues and here clerkes
Bedeles and bayliues  and brokoures of chafare .
Forgoeres and vitayleres  and vocates of þe arches 
I can nouȝt rekene þe route  þat ran a-boute mede .

¶ Ac symonye and cyuile  and sysoures of courtes .
Were moste priue with mede  of any men þouȝte[^a74] .[^98]

[^a74: þouȝte (R) | me þouȝte (Most beta mss)]

[^98: R.2.24: R's reading here, men þouȝte, is unique error. R is probably reproducing an omission that had already occurred in alpha. As is often the case, F 's homologous reading, þere owte, has more the appearance of an attempted repair than a faithful reproduction of the sub-archetype. The Cx reading here is identical to beta's; however, manuscript X, the single best witness of this version, agrees with R in omitting me but then reinserts it in another hand! X's corrected error may attest to an early documentary parent of both B and C traditions in which the word occurred only as an interlinear correction.]

¶ Ac fauel was þe furste  þat fette hire oute of boure .
And as a brokoure brouȝt hire  to be with fals enioyned .

¶ Whanne symonye and cyuile  seiȝ here bethere[^a75][^99] wille .
And[^a76][^100] assented for seluer  to seggen[^a77][^101] as bothe wolde .
¶ Þanne leup lyere forth  and seyde lo here a chartre .
Þat gyle with his grete othes  gaf hem to-gyderes .
And preyede cyuile to se  and symony to rede it .

[^a75: bethere (R) | beire (Beta)]

[^a76: And (R F) | Thei (All beta mss)]

[^a77: seggen (R) | seye (Most beta mss)]

[^99: R.2.27: The variant genitive forms bether, boþer and beire all appear in the manuscripts.]

[^100: R.2.28: For alpha's And, beta reads Thei. Although the line is revised in the C version, its opening is identical to beta's phrase.]

[^101: R.2.28: R's verb form here is unique; F has seyn while beta reads seye.]

¶ Þanne symony and cyuile  stondeth[^102] forth bothe .
And vnfoldeth þe feffement  þat fals hath y-maked .
And þus bygyneth þis gomes  at[^a78][^103] greden ful hiȝe .
S ciant presentes[^104] &cetera[^a79] .

[^a78: at (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^a79: &cetera (R) | & futuri (All other mss)]

[^102: R.2.32: Although R's meaning here is identical to that found in beta (presumably reading stonden), R's verb form is unique at this point in the B tradition; F agrees with YM in reading a preterite, stoden castel. Nevertheless, R's form is probably also the reading of Ax and is certainly the form attested in the X family of C. Among the P manuscripts, the preferred reading is that of FcYcMc (which can also be found among some A witnesses).]

[^103: R.2.34: R's at (cf. R2.11 above) = standard þat and is a unique reading here. The other witnesses attest to.]

[^104: R.2.35: R uniquely omits the end of this citation: & futuri &c. The C version of this citation agrees with that found in F/beta.]

¶ Wyteth and witnesseth  þat wonyeth vppon þis eerthe .
Þat mede is I-maried  more for hire godes .
Þan for any vertu or fairenesse  or any fre kende .
Falsenesse is fayne of hire  for he wote hire riche .
And fauel with his fikel speche  feffeth by þis chartre .
To be princes in pruyde  and pouerte to despise .
To bagbiten and to bosten  and bere fals witnesse .
To scorne and to scolde  and s clander to make .
Bold and vnbuxum[^a80][^105]  to breke þe ten hestes .

[^a80: Bold and vnbuxum (R F) | Vnboxome and bolde (All beta mss)]

[^105: R.2.44: In beta, the phrasal order of this a-verse is reversed: Vnbuxome and bolde. The beta rendering is, however, the presumptive original since it matches the order found in C.]

¶ And þe eerldam of enuye  and wrathe to-gyderes .
With þe chastelett of gestes[^a81][^106]  and chaterynge out of tyme[^a82] .[^107]
Þe contee of coueytise  and alle þe costes aboute .
Þat is vsure and auarice  alle I hem graunte .
In bargeynes and in brokages  with alle þe borghe of thefte .

[^a81: gestes (R F) | chest (Most beta mss)]

[^a82: tyme (R) | resoun (All beta mss)]

[^106: R.2.46: Cf. F's Ieestys and beta's chest. The C reading agrees with that of beta.]

[^107: R.2.46: F's b-verse is unique (& þe Iangelynge of synne). For R's tyme, beta reads resoun. The C reading agrees with that of beta.]

¶ And alle þe lordeschippe of lecherie  in lenthe and in brede .
As in werkes and in wordes  and waytynges with eiȝes .
In wedynges[^a83][^108] and in wischynges  and with ydel þouȝtes .
Þere as wille wolde  and werkmanschipe fayleth .

[^a83: wedynges (R) | wedes (Most beta mss)]

[^108: R.2.52: Cf. F's wenyngis, which is probably the reading of Bx as well as that of alpha; beta reads wedes. The Cx reading is uncertain; the P family agrees with beta, but the X group rejects all the B variants, revising to woldes.]

¶ Glotonye he gaf hem eeke  and grete othes to-gydere .
And alle day to drynke  at dyuerse tauernes .
And þere to iangle and to iape  and iuge here euencristene .
And with[^a84][^109] fastyng-dawes to frete  ar ful tyme were .
And þan to sitten and soupen  til slepe hem assaile .
And bredun as a[^a85][^110] burgh swyne  and bedden hym[^a86] esely .
Til slewth and slepe  slyken his sydes .
Robart Bente you shalbe with vs at Budworthe and there to Testyfy youre knowlegh in a mater

[R.2.61: At the top of fol. 2r, a secretary hand has written in black, Robart Bente you shalbe with vs at Budworthe and there to Testyfy youre knowlegh in a mater. This note may explain the cropped margins of the first few pages of the manuscript: someone appears to have been using them for occasional short notes. Budworth probably refers to one of two ancient parishes in Cheshire, Great Budworth and Little Budworth.]

And þanne wanhope to a-wake hym so  with no wille to amende
For he leueth be yloste[^a87]  þis is his[^a88][^111] laste ende .

[^a84: with (R) | in (Most other mss)]

[^a85: as a (R F) | as (Most beta mss)]

[^a86: hym (R F) | hem (All beta mss)]

[^a87: yloste (R) | lost (Most other mss)]

[^a88: his (R) | here (All beta mss)]

[^109: R.2.57: R's with is unique; Bx reads in.]

[^110: R.2.59: Beta does not attest a.]

[^111: R.2.62: R's his is unique (but preferable to the F and beta alternatives, which are rejected in its favor by Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt); F reads þe while beta reads here.]

¶ And þei to haue and to holde  and here heyres after .
A dwellynge with þe deuel  and dampned be fo[^a89][^112] euere .
With alle þe purtenaunces[^a90] of purgatorie  in-to þe pyne of helle
Ȝelding for þis thinge  at one ȝeres ende .
Here soules to sathan  and[^a91][^113] suffre with hym peynes .
And with hym to wonyen in wo  while god is in heuene .

[^a89: fo (R) | for (All other mss)]

[^a90: purtenaunces (R L F) | purtenaunce (Beta Hm C O C2)]

[^a91: and (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^112: R.2.64: Neither MED nor OED2, s. v. for, cites an example of fo as viable for the preposition signified here, but it occurs in R in four widely separated contexts (cf. R14.60, R15.379, and R20.224) and probably represents an instance of idiolect apocope.]

[^113: R.2.67: R's and is unique; Bx reads to.]

¶ In wytnesse of þis[^a92][^114] þing  wronge was þe furste .
And peres þe pardonere  of paulynes doctrine .
Bette þe bedel of bokyngham-schire .
Reynald þe reue  of rokelond[^a93] sokene .
Munde þe mellere  and many mo othere .
In date of þe deuel  þis dede I asele .
By siȝt of sire symonye  at[^a94][^115] cyueyles leue .

[^a92: þis (R H F) | which (Most beta mss)]

[^a93: rokelond (R F) | Rotland (All beta mss)]

[^a94: at (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^114: R.2.69: For alpha's non-alliterating þis, beta properly reads which. Unfortunately, the problem appears to be, at some level, authorial rather than merely scribal. That is, although Ax clearly agrees with beta in alliterating this line on /w/ (using the exact same variants), Cx agrees with alpha just as emphatically in ignoring the normal alliterative pattern. Russell-Kane emend their C text back to the norm, but that seems pointlessly meliorative. At the very least, the aforementioned variant array (which is fairly typical) suggests a cavalier attitude toward such small metrical issues on the part of the C author.]

[^115: R.2.75: This is a unique reading in R; Bx reads and. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

¶ Þenne teneth[^a95][^116] hym teologye  whan he þis tale yherde[^a96] .
And seyde to cyuile  now sorwe mote þow haue .
Swiche weddynges to wurche  to wrathe with trewthe
And ar þis weddyng be y-wroȝt[^a97]  wo the be-tyde .

[^a95: teneth (R) | tened (Most other mss)]

[^a96: yherde (R) | herde (All other mss)]

[^a97: y-wroȝt (R) | wrouȝte (All other mss)]

[^116: R.2.76: Only R deploys a seemingly present-tense form of this verb (but the difference may be illusory; see the Introduction III.2.2.10. Beta reads tened while F has was teenyd. Both Ax and Cx agree here with beta.]

¶ For mede is moylere  of amendes engendreth .[^117]
And god granteth to gyue  mede to trewthe .
And þow hast gyue hire to a gyloure  now god gyue þe sorwe
Þe[^a98] tixit tixt[^a99] telleth þe nouȝt so  trewthe wote þe sothe .
For dignus est operarius  hys huyre to haue .
And þow hast fast hire to fals  fy on þi lawe .
For alle by lesynges þow lyuest  and lechores[^a100] werkes

[^a98: Þe (R G Y H F) | Thi (Most beta mss)]

[^a99: tixit tixt (R) | tixt (All other mss)]

[^a100: lechores (R) | lecherouse (All other mss)]

[^117: R.2.80: R shares an apparently nonsensical verb inflection (engendreth for engendred) with beta witnesses LCY. Nevertheless, any RL shared form, however odd, is intrinsically likely to be archetypal, albeit perhaps non-authorial—because of their extraordinary accuracy as well as their definitive stemmatic positions. If this lection is not merely a blatant archetypal error (one "corrected" by most later copyists to the expected form), it may be that the R and L scribes (or the Bx scribe) understood the -eth suffix in this word as allomorphic with the past participle suffix -ed / -et attested in other B copies. The final phone of engendreth would then probably have been construed by L and R as /t/ (not the /θ/ which the spelling would suggest to us). Cf. the 1408 London will of John Plot. Twice in this brief document, Plot uses a phonologically identical verbal suffix <-yth> to denote the past participle form usually spelled as <-ed>. In the first instance, Plot requests that "thyr be Spendyth among my Nyebourus in Mete & in drynke" a certain amount of money; in the second, he requests that some of his assets be used for road repairs, or, as he phrases it, "be yspendyth betwene London and ware, of fowle weys, . . . there most nede ys" (The Fifty Earliest English Wills, ed. Frederick J. Furnivall (London: Trübner, 1882), 14-15. A few pieces of evidence scattered throughout manuscripts L and R may support such a conclusion. One wonders, for example, whether the strong preference in manuscripts L and R for the ON-derived spelling of the cardinal number 100 (= hundreth) over the OE-derived form (= hundred) indicates that these scribes, or their models, would have pronounced that word with /θ/ as the final phone, rather than /t/. Such a conclusion seems doubtful. Rather, this spelling preference for the number 100 probably attests the same trivial orthographic anomaly hypothesized above concerning engendreth. For fuller discussion see Introduction III.2.2.10.]

¶ Symonye and þi-selue  schenden holy cherche .
Þe notaries and ȝee  nuyȝet[^118] þe poeple .
Ȝe schulle a-byggen it bothe  by god þat me made .
Wel ȝe wyten wernardes  but if ȝoure witt fayle .
Þat fals is faithles  and fals[^a101][^119] in his werkes .
And as[^a102][^120] a bastarde ybore  of belsabubbes kynne .
And mede is moylere  a mayden of goode .
And miȝte kysse þe kyng  for cosyn and he[^a103][^121] wolde .

[^a101: fals (R) | fikel (All other mss)]

[^a102: as (R F) | was (Most beta mss)]

[^a103: he (R F) | she (All beta mss)]

[^118: R.2.88: Some beta copies and F agree in reading noyen but beta itself probably read as LMHm, noyeth. Only R shows what appears to be a preterite form of the verb (but see the Introduction III.2.2.10 regarding the possibility of morphological ambiguity in R's verb-tense marking). In a similar version of this line, Ax agrees with beta and F in using a present-tense form.]

[^119: R.2.91: R's fals is unique; Bx reads fikel.]

[^120: R.2.92: Beta reads was. Both Ax and Cx agree here with alpha.]

[^121: R.2.94: He, "she." On this variant of the feminine, 3rd person sing. pronoun, see the note at R.2.10:.]

¶ For-thi wercheth by wysdom  and by witt al-so .
And ledeth hire to londoun  þere lawe is yschewed .
If any lawe wil loke  þei ligge to-gyderes .

¶ And þouȝ iustices iuge hire  to be ioyned with fals .
Ȝut beth war of þe[^a104][^122] weddynge  for witty is trewthe .
And consience is of his conseyle  and knoweth ȝow echeone .
And if he fynde ȝow in defaute  and with þe fals holde .
It schal be-sitte ȝoure soules  ful soure atte laste .

[^a104: þe (R G H F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^122: R.2.99: R's þe is owed to alpha, though it is shared by GH. Beta omits it. Many A witnesses, as well as Cx, agree with alpha on the presence of this determiner.]

¶ Hereto assenteth cyuile  ac symonye ne wolde .
Til he hadde siluer for this[^a105][^123] seruise  and al-so þe notaries .

[^a105: this (R) | his (All other mss)]

[^123: R.2.104: R's this is unique; beta reads his while F rephrases the entire line (which appears to be corrupt at the archetypal level when compared to the rendering in A and C).]

¶ Þanne fette fauel forth  floreyns ynowe .
And bad gyle to gyue  gold al aboute .
And nameliche to þe notaries  þat hem non ne fayle .
And feffe fals witnesse  with floreyns ynowe .
For he[^a106][^124] may mede a-maystrie  and maken at my wille .

[^a106: he (R L F) | þei (Most beta mss)]

[^124: R.2.109: Only L, among beta copies, agrees with alpha's reading here; the other beta witnesses attest þei. However, the LRF reading is almost certainly authorial, matching the reading found in Ax and Cx.]

¶ Þo þis gold was Igyue  grete was þe thonkynge .
To fals and to fauel  for here faire ȝiftes .
And comen to conforte  fram care þe fals .
And seyden certes sire  sese schul we neuere .
Til mede be þi wedded wyf  þorȝ wittes of vs alle .
For we haue mede amaysterud  thorȝ[^a107][^125] oure merie speche .
Þat heo graunteth goo[^a108][^126]  with a good wille .
To londoun to loke  if þat[^a109][^127] lawe walde iuge .[^128]
Ȝow ioyntly  in ioye for euere .

[^a107: thorȝ (R H F) | with (Most beta mss)]

[^a108: goo (R) | to gon (All beta mss)]

[^a109: þat (R) | þat þe (Bx M C O C2 Y)]

[^125: R.2.115: Beta reads with here, agreeing with the apparent reading of Ax (two A copies, manuscripts LaE, agree with alpha); the C manuscripts support alpha almost unanimously.]

[^126: R.2.116: For R's goo, F reads for to goo while beta has to gon. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's phrasing.]

[^127: R.2.117: R's if þat lawe is unique; F and some beta copies read ȝif þat þe Lawe; other beta witnesses have if þe lawe. The reading of Ax is uncertain (because of a wide variety of variants here) but may have agreed with R's. The reading of Cx is if lawe.]

[^128: R.2.117: R uniquely divides this line after iuge; all other B witnesses divide the line before this word.]

¶ Þanne was falsenesse fayne  and fauel as blythe .
And leten sompne alle þe[^129] segges  in schires aboute .
And bad hem alle be bown  beggeres and otheres[^a110] .[^130]
M M Butte N N Nell XXXCX God from Sam

[R.2.122: At the top of fol. 3r are the remains of various sixteenth-century pen trials, scribbled in jagged fashion horizontally, from left to right.]

To wenden with hym[^a111][^131] to westmenstre  to witnesse þe[^a112][^132] dede .

[^a110: otheres (R) | othere (Most other mss)]

[^a111: hym (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | hem (Most beta mss)]

[^a112: þe (R F) | þis (All beta mss)]

[^129: R.2.120: R is joined by G in attesting þe (and Ax agrees with the R variant), but the word is not found in F (alle men ) or beta (alle segges). The P family of C agrees with beta's rendering of this phrase, but the X family has alle his segges.]

[^130: R.2.121: R is the only witness for the plural form; all other B copies (except Hm, which shows ellis) attest the singular othere. Both Ax and Cx agree with the F/beta phrasing.]

[^131: R.2.122: Though RF opt for the apparently singular form (a reading endorsed by Schmidt), beta agrees with Ax in reading hem, which seems more appropriate to the plural referents named in previous lines; the P family of C also attests this reading, but the X family agrees with alpha. However, MED, s.v "hem," documents hym as an available but rare spelling, especially in the fifteenth century, for the objective case of the third-person plural pronoun. So the difference noted above may be only a clutter of scribal / authorial accidentals.]

[^132: R.2.122: For alpha's þe, beta reads þis. A majority of A witnesses supports beta, but a sizeable minority agrees with alpha.]

¶ Ac þanne cared þei for caplus  to cayren hem þidur .
And fauel fette forth þenne  folus Inowe .
And sette mede vppe[^a113][^133] a schyriue  I-schoud[^a114] alle newe .[^134]
And fals satt on a sysoure  þat softlyche trotted .
And fauel on a flaterere  fetysliche atyred .

[^a113: vppe (R) | vpon (Most beta mss)]

[^a114: I-schoud (R F) | shodde (All beta mss)]

[^133: R.2.125: For R's vppe, F has on while beta reads vpon. The same line occurs in the A version, where the reading agrees with F's.]

[^134: The terminal punctus for each of these lines has been rubbed or partially erased long ago, but they are both sufficiently visible for detection in normal light.]

¶ Þo haued[^135] notaries none  anuyed þei were .
For symonye and cyuile  schulden on here feet gange .

[^135: R.2.128: Only manuscript L agrees with R's unusual verb form haued (common in the thirteenth century but nowhere cited in MED, s. v. haven, later than about 1330, except for Piers Plowman). Both F and the majority of beta copies read had(de). The same line appears in A, but Kane was not concerned to record such morphemic variations, regarding them all as accidentals.]

¶ Ac þanne swore symonie  and cyuile bothe .
Þat sompnoures schulde be sadeled  and serue hem vchone .
And lat apparayle þe[^a115][^136] prouisoures  in palfreyes wyse .
Syre symonie hym-selue  schal sitten vppon here bakkes

[^a115: þe (R) | þis (Most beta mss)]

[^136: R.2.132: FGH omit any determiner, while beta reads þis. The same array of variants is present at this point in the A witnesses , with no strong evidence for originality.]

T omth

[Between these two lines is what seems to be a pen trial of uncertain age: T omth .]

¶ Denes and southdenes  drawe ȝow to-gyderes .
Erchedeknes and deknes[^a116][^137]  officiales and alle ȝoure regestreres
Lat sadle hem with siluer  oure synne to suffre .
As deuoutrie[^a117][^138] and deuoses  and derne vsure .
To bere byschoppes aboute  a-brode in visitynge .

[^a116: deknes (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a117: deuoutrie (R) | auoutrie (Most beta mss)]

[^137: R.2.135: R's deknes is a unique addition unattested in any other B manuscript.]

[^138: R.2.137: This is the alpha variant. Beta offers a more common synonym, but one that fails to alliterate: auoutrie. F reverses the noun phrasal order of the a-verse.]

¶ Paulines priues  for pleyntes in þe consistorye
Schule serue my-selue  þat cyuile is nempned .
And carte-sadele þe comyssary  oure carte schal he lede
And fecche vs vitailes  at fornicatores .

¶ And makeþ of lyare a lange karte  to leden alle þes othere
As fobberes[^a118][^139] and faytoures  þat on here feet rennen .

[^a118: fobberes (R F) | Freres (All beta mss)]

[^139: R.2.144: Beta has Freres. A majority of A witnesses attests folis at this point (though three, manuscripts LaWaN, agree with beta). Cx has fobbes. That support, as well as the word's relative rarity, suggests alpha's variant is likely to be authorial in B. Schmidt accepts fobberes at face value. MED, s. v. fobben, hypothesizes that fobberes was derived from "fobben," v., but cites merely two Piers Plowman manuscripts for the form's existence. Conversely, Kane-Donaldson view alpha's variant as scribal and emend to the C form.]

¶ And þus fals and fauel  fareth forth to-gyderes .
And mede in þe myddes  and alle þese men after .

¶ I haue no tome to telle  þe taile þat hem folweth .
Of many maner man  þat on þis molde libbeth .
John naylle

[R.2.149: A sixteenth-century signature written vertically upwards appears in the lower left margin of fol. 3r: John naylle.]

Ac gyle was forgoere  and gyede hem alle .
Sothnesse seiȝ hem wel  and seyde bute a litel .
And prikede his palefrey  and passed hem alle .
And com to þe kynges courte  and consience it tolde .
And consience to þe kynge  carpud it after .

¶ Now by crist quod þe kynge  and I cacche miȝte .
Fals other[^a119] fauel  other[^a120][^140] any of his feres .
I wolde be wroke of þoo wrecches  þat wurcheth so ille .
And do hem hange by þe hals  and alle þat hem maynteneth .
Schal neuere man of molde  meyntprise þe leste .
But riȝt as þe lawe wil loke  lat falle on hem alle .

[^a119: other (R) | or (Most beta mss)]

[^a120: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^140: R.2.155: Beta reads this set of correlative conjunctions as or . . . or. F agrees with R for the first (eyþir) but reverts to the beta variant for the second. A majority of A witnesses agrees with beta (but Kane chooses the alpha set, exemplified in manuscript T, as a "harder reading"). Cx's reading is also somewhat ambiguous, with a majority of witnesses (mostly of the P family) attesting oþur in the first case and a minority (again mainly P family manuscripts) offering the same variant in the second instance.]

¶ And comanded a constable  þat com atte þe furste .
Goo[^141] atache þo tirantes  for eny thyng I hote .
And fetreth fast falsnesse  for eny kynnes ȝiftes .
And gerdeth of gyles heued  and lete hym goo no furthere .
And ȝif ȝe laccheth[^a121][^142] lyere  lat hym nouȝt asckapen .
Ar he be put on þe pillerie  for eny preyere I hote .
And brengeth mede to me  maugre hem alle .

[^a121: laccheth (R) | lacche(n) (Most other mss)]

[^141: R.2.161: Beta reads To, which is also the reading of Ax. Four C witnesses (IP2FcNc) agree with beta, but Cx clearly agrees with alpha's Goo.]

[^142: R.2.164: R's form is unique; F and most beta copies read lacche(n). Both Ax and Cx appear to agree with the F/beta reading.]

¶ Drede atte dore stode  and þe dome herde .
And how þe kynge demede[^a122][^143]  constables and seriantz .
Falsnesse and his felaschipe  to fetturen and to bynden .
Þanne drede wente wiȝtlyche  and warnede þe fals .
And bad hym flee for fere  and his felawes alle .

[^a122: demede (R) | comaunded (All other mss)]

[^143: R.2.168: R uniquely fails in alliteration here; F and beta read comaunded.]

¶ Falsenesse for fere þanne  fleiȝt[^a123][^144] to þe freres .
And gyle doth hym to go  agast for to deye .
Ac marchantz mette with hym  and made hym abyde .
And by-schetten hym in here schoppe  to schewen here ware .
And apparayled hym as a prentise  þe poeple to serue .

[^a123: fleiȝt (R) | fleiȝ (Bx W Hm)]

[^144: R.2.172: R's form is unique; F and many beta copies read fleiȝ. Other beta witnesses have fledde. Both Ax and Cx appear to agree with the F/beta reading.]

¶ Liȝtliche lyere  leep awey þenne 
Lurkynge þorȝ lanes  to-lugged of many .
He was nawere welcome . for his many tales .
Ouer al I-howted  and I-hote trusse .
Til pardoneres haued pite  and pulled hym into house .
Þei weschen hym and wyped hym  and wonden hym in clothes[^a124][^145]
And sent hym with seales  on sonedayes to cherches .
And gaf pardon fore pans  pound-mel aboute .

[^a124: clothes (R Hm H F) | cloutes (Most beta mss)]

[^145: R.2.182: Although Hm agrees with alpha, beta itself must have read cloutes. It is unclear what the reading of Ax was since the alpha / beta disjunction is mirrored by nearly equal numbers of A witnesses. Cx, however, agrees with beta on this form.]

¶ Þanne lowrede leches  and lettres þei sente .
Þat he schulde wonye with hem  watres to loke .

¶ Spiceres speken to[^a125][^146] hym  to spien here ware .
For he couthe on[^a126][^147] here craft  and knew many gummes .

[^a125: to (R F) | with (All beta mss)]

[^a126: on (R Hm Hm2 F) | of (Most beta mss)]

[^146: R.2.187: Beta has with. Although both readings are available in the A tradition, a large majority of A witnesses agrees with beta. On the contrary, Cx clearly agrees with alpha's to.]

[^147: R.2.188: Although Hm supports alpha, beta itself must have read of. Both Ax and Cx agree with alpha's reading.]

¶ Ac minestrales and mesageres  metten with hym ones .
And helden hym half a[^a127][^148] ȝere  and elleuene dayes .

[^a127: half a (R Cr H F) | an half (Most beta mss)]

[^148: R.2.190: For alpha's half a, beta reads an half. Cx probably read simply half, a variant also found in the A tradition (manuscripts TRaUNMa). However, a plurality of A witnesses agrees with alpha's phrasing (though two agree with beta).]

¶ Freres with fayre speche  Fetten hym þennes .
And for knowyng of comeres  coped hym as a frere .
Ac he hath leue to lepe out  as ofte as hym liketh .
And is welcome whan he wille  and wonyeth with hem ofte

¶ Alle fledden for fere  and flowen into hyrnes .
Saue mede þe mayde  no man[^a128][^149] durste abyde .
Ac trewly to telle  heo tremeled for fere[^a129] .
And al-so[^a130][^150] wepte and wrong[^a131]  heo[^a132] was[^151] a-thachud .

[^a128: no man (R) | na mo (All other mss)]

[^a129: fere (R F) | drede (All beta mss)]

[^a130: al-so (R F) | ek (Most beta mss)]

[^a131: wrong (R) | wronge whan (All beta mss)]

[^a132: heo (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^149: R.2.196: R's no man is unique in the B tradition (four A copies share the reading); F and beta read na mo, which is the reading of Cx and of a majority of the A manuscripts.]

[^150: R.2.198: Beta reads ek, which is also the reading of Ax (Cx has bothe).]

[^151: R.2.198: Where R has heo was, F reads for she was while beta reads whan she was. Beta's rendering is that attested by the other two versions for this passage.]

Passus tercius de visione petri plowman . vt supra &cetera .

N ow is mede þe mayde  and namo of hem alle .
With bedelus and with bayliues  y-brouȝt by-for þe kynge
Þe kyng called aclerke a clerke  can I nouȝt his name .
To take mede þe mayde  and maken hire at ese .
I schal assay hire my-selue  and couthliche[^a133][^152] appose .
What man of þis world[^a134][^153]  þat hire were leuest .
And if heo[^a135] wurche be my witte  and my wille folwe .
I wile for-gyue hire þis gultes[^a136][^154]  so me god helpe .

[^a133: couthliche (R) | sothelich (Most beta mss)]

[^a134: world (R B F) | molde (Most beta mss)]

[^a135: heo (R) | she (Most other mss)]

[^a136: gultes (R F) | gilte (All beta mss)]

[^152: R.3.5: R's couthliche is a unique variant, probably reflecting an alpha error (beta = sothelich); F smooths this mistake to sotilly hire.]

[^153: R.3.6: The beta reading is molde. However, the entire a-verse represents a problem. F's rendering of this half-line, What wyȝe of þis world, may be the original, descended vertically from alpha. If that were the case, R (which is usually much more faithful to copytext than F) would have slipped into the same modernized form for the first stave word as beta did (man) but preserved the second as rendered in alpha and Bx, (i.e., worlde), creating an instance of faulty alliteration. By contrast, having modernized wyȝe out of this line, beta would then have gone on, in the interest of alliterative regularity, to invoke the archaism molde as a replacement for the original worlde. Unfortunately for this theory, the evidence from the other versions fails to provide it with much support. The evidence of the A witnesses overwhelmingly favors man as the first stave of this half-line. And a significant majority of the same manuscripts supports worlde as the second stave (RaUHaEKWa = molde), agreeing exactly with the testimony of manuscript R in the B tradition (against both F and beta). Among the C copies, the agreement with R's non-alliterating phrase is universal. If Langland's metrics seem too embarrassed by this evidence, it is still possible to theorize that he intended the first stave word of the line to be What rather than man, but this hypothesis remains awkward since it would require an elevation of were in the b-verse from its apparent position in a dip.]

[^154: R.3.8: The beta reading is gilte. Ax agrees with beta, but Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Curteysliche þe clerke þanne  as þe kynge hiȝte .
Tok mede by þe middel  and brouȝte hire in-to chaumbre .
Ac þere was murthe and ministracie[^a137]  mede to plese .

[^a137: ministracie (R) | mynstralcye (Most other mss)]

¶ Þei þat wonyeth at westmenstre  worschipped hire alle .
Gentiliche with ioye  þe iustices somme .
Busked hem to þe bowre  þere þe buyrde dwelte[^a138] .
To conforte hire kendeliche  by clergyse leue .
And seyden mourne nouȝt mede  ne make þow no sorwe .
For we wil wyse[^a139] þe kyng  and þi weye schape .
To be wedded at þi wille  and where þe leef lyketh .
For alle consience crafte[^a140]  and cast[^a141][^155] as I trowe .

[^a138: dwelte (R) | dwelled (Most beta mss)]

[^a139: wyse (R) | wisse(n) (Most other mss)]

[^a140: crafte (R F) | caste (All beta mss)]

[^a141: cast (R F) | craft (All beta mss)]

[^155: R.3.19: R's phrase, crafte and cast, represents the alpha order for this pair (cf. F's craft or cast); in beta manuscripts they are reversed. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's order.]

¶ Mildliche mede[^a142][^156]  merciede hem alle .
Of þeire grete godenesse  and gaf hem vcheone .
Coupes of clene gold  and cuppes of siluer .
Rynges with rubies  and ricchesse[^a143][^157] manye .
Þe lest man of here meyne  a motoun of goolde .
Þanne lauȝte þei leue  þis lordes at mede .

[^a142: mede (R) | Mede þanne (Most beta mss)]

[^a143: ricchesse (R F) | ricchesses (Most beta mss)]

[^156: R.3.20: Here R uniquely omits þanne (F attests this adverb's presence at the head of the a-verse rather than the tail, as in beta). Both Ax and the X family of C agree with beta's reading. The P family of C positions the adverb as in beta, but reads it as þo.]

[^157: R.3.23: Beta shows the plural, ricchesses. Both variants are available in the A tradition, but a significant majority of A witnesses agrees with beta's reading.]

¶ With þat comen clerkes  to conforte hire þe same .
And beden hire be blithe  for we beth þin owene .
For to wurche þi wille  þe whyle þow miȝt last .

¶ Hendeliche heo þanne  be-hiȝte hem þe same .
To loue ȝow[^158] lely  and lordes to make .
And in þe constorie at courte  do calle ȝoure names .
Schal no lewednesse lette  þe clerkes[^a144][^159] þat I louye .
Þat he[^a145][^160] worth furst vaunsed[^a146][^161]  for ich am by-knowe .
Þere connynge clerkes  schulle clokke by-hynde .

[^a144: clerkes (R F) | leode (Most beta mss)]

[^a145: he (R F) | he ne (All beta mss)]

[^a146: vaunsed (R) | auanced (All other mss)]

[^158: R.3.30: F and most beta manuscripts show hem here (M has been erased and overwritten to match this majority reading), but L uniquely agrees with R's ȝow. Although two A manuscripts (RaU) agree with the LR reading, it seems clear that Ax supports the F/beta variant. However, the A majority continues in the following line with third-person plural references (RU again dissenting), but a large cluster of fairly reliable B manuscripts (MCOF, as well as the BmBoCot set) all suddenly shift to second-person plural pronouns at this point, coming back into alignment with LR. It appears likely, then, in the light of this attestational pattern, that LR are not randomly agreeing in error but witnessing, at R3.30, what actually appeared in Bx, that the other B copies, by contrast, are merely drifting along with the third-person references established in previous lines of this passage and fail to notice, until the next line, the sudden shift in viewpoint caught here by the two most careful B scribes.]

[^159: R.3.32: Although alpha's third stave shows defective alliteration (cf. beta's leode, which is also the reading of Ax), alpha's clerkes is supported by Cr and universally by the C version. The possibility that alpha and C have randomly converged in error here, both chancing upon the same word that neither alliterates in its line nor is an equivalent for the word replaced, seems unlikely—especially since this particular pattern of alpha / C agreement in editorial change is one that recurs frequently throughout the developing narrative. Only two explanations seem plausible for this array of variants and for many similar ones; however, at this distance the two explanations are almost indistinguishable: (1) While he was working on B, Langland began to be much more concerned about his London readers not understanding obsolescent words like leode than about small metrical lapses and therefore entered a series of marginal "updatings" into Bx's exemplar, moving it away, at times awkwardly, from original A readings in order to meet his changed perception of audience needs. When confronted with such evidence of authorial ambiguity in his exemplar, the scribe of Bx usually hedged his bets by copying the text unaltered, with the authorial change reproduced in his own margin (perhaps thinking it a gloss). In the final stage of this process, alpha and beta followed their respective proclivities, with alpha normally taking such an entry as authorial revision and using it to supplant the original text while beta usually took it as a mere gloss, ignored it, and copied what he saw in the body of the line of Bx. Or, (2) like its many anomalous relatives in other "revised" lines, clerke(s) was indeed a purely scribal gloss in the immediate ancestor of Bx and had no warrant from the author, but still seemed sufficiently ambiguous to the Bx scribe to deserve exact reproduction. The roles of alpha and beta in this scenario remain the same as in the first. But what is painfully evident is that, by the time he began using the exemplar of Bx to create the C text, Langland either didn't care anymore about such small aesthetic matters or had completely forgotten who had authored clerkes—or both!]

[^160: R.3.33: Only the two alpha manuscripts here omit ne before the verb. The A version here agrees completely with beta.]

[^161: R.3.33: R's vaunsed is a unique form among the B witnesses but dominates the X family of C. The P family tends to agree with the F/beta reading, auaunced. As would be expected, MED, s. v. vauncen, categorizes vaunsed as a clipped form derived from the verb avauncen. Citations for this form are mostly from the fifteenth century (but the passage from manuscript R is also cited as well as one from Robert Manning).]

¶ Þanne com þere a confessoure  ycoped[^a147] as a frere .
To mede þis[^a148] mayde  he mellud þis[^162] wordes .
And seyde ful sotely[^a149][^163]  in schrift as it were .
Þeiȝ lewed men and lered men  had leyne be þe bothe .
And falsede[^a150][^164] hauede I-folwed þe  al þis fifty wynter .
I schal assoyle þe my-selue  for a seme of whete .
And al-so be þi bedeman  and bere wel þi message .
Amonges kniȝtes and clerkes  consience to turne .

[^a147: ycoped (R) | coped (All beta mss)]

[^a148: þis (R) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^a149: sotely (R) | softly (All other mss)]

[^a150: falsede (R) | falsenesse (Most beta mss)]

[^162: R.3.36: R's phrase þis mayde is unique. F's has þat Mayde while beta reads þe mayde. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^163: R.3.37: R's sotely is unique; the other B witnesses read softly; the C version is revised at this point, but Ax agrees with the B majority and no A copy agrees with R .]

[^164: R.3.39: Cf. F's Fals and beta's falsenesse. Though all three variants are available in the A tradition, Ax almost certainly agreed with R. As for C, the manuscript support in that version for R's lection is almost universal.]

¶ Þanne mede for here misdedes  to þat man kneled .
And schrof hire of hire schrewednesse  schameles I trowe .
Tolde hym a tale  and toke hym a noble .
For to ben hire bedeman  and hire brocoure alse .

¶ Þanne he assoyled hyre sone  and sytthen a[^a151][^165] sayde .
We han a wyndow a-werchynge  wil sytten vs ful hiȝe .
Waldestow glase þat gable  and graue þere[^a152][^166] þi name .
Syker schulde þi soule be  heuene to haue .

[^a151: a (R) | he (All other mss)]

[^a152: þere (R) | þere-inne (Most other mss)]

[^165: R.3.47: A, "he."]

[^166: R.3.49: R's þere is unique; the other B manuscripts have þere-inne. However, almost all C witnesses agree with R.]

¶ Wist I þat quatz mede  þere nys[^a153] wyndow no wowȝ[^a154] .[^167]
Þat I ne[^a155] wolde make and amende[^a156]  it with of myne[^a157] .[^168]
And my name write[^a158]  openliche[^a159] þere-Inne .
Þat vch a[^a160][^169] segge schal Ise[^a161][^170]  Ich am suster to ȝow alle[^a162] .[^171]

[^a153: nys (R) | is (F)]

[^a154: no wowȝ (R) | ne awhter (F)]

[^a155: ne (R) | nil (F)]

[^a156: make and amende (R) | do mende it or make (F)]

[^a157: with of myne (R) | at þe fulle (F)]

[^a158: And my name write (R) | & do peynte me & myn name (F)]

[^a159: openliche (R) | apertly (F)]

[^a160: vch a (R F) | eury (All beta mss)]

[^a161: Ise (R) | seyn (Most beta mss)]

[^a162: to ȝow alle (R F) | of ȝowre hous (All beta mss)]

[^167: R.3.51: Beta's version of the b-verse reads I wolde nouȝt spare. It seems likely that the long passage of damaged or missing text in alpha after this point (cf. R3.52) may actually begin with this b-verse.]

[^168: These two lines are offered by alpha instead of eleven lines preserved in beta (= KD3.52-62); it appears that the beta passage is archetypal but was somehow overlooked or unavailable to alpha and that the two lines in their stead were introduced to patch the resulting incoherence, adapted from two cognate lines in A (= Kane 3.50-51). Beta's cognate lines are as follows: Wist I that quod þat womman 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 sonnest relessed 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.]

[^169: R.3.54: For alpha's vch a, beta reads eury. Alpha's reading is supported by a majority of A witnesses, but beta's variant agrees with C.]

[^170: R.3.54: This form (cf. F's see) is an alpha reading that agrees with both Ax and Cx against beta's seye(n) (= modern "say").]

[^171: R.3.54: R's to ȝow alle is from alpha; beta reads of ȝowre hous. Both Ax and Cx here support beta, the former by complete agreement, the latter by being an obvious revision of the beta phrase (C = of ȝoure ordre).]

¶ Ac god to alle goed folke  suche grauynge defendeth .
To writen in wyndowes  of here wel-dedes .
And An aunter pruyde be ypeynted[^a163] þere  and pompe of þe world
For god[^a164][^172] knoweth þi consience  and þi kende wille .
Þi[^a165][^173] cost and þi coueytyse  and who þe catel owȝte .

[^a163: ypeynted (R) | peynted (All other mss)]

[^a164: god (R) | crist (All other mss)]

[^a165: Þi (R) | And þi (All beta mss)]

[^172: R.3.58: R's god fails to alliterate properly (cf. the F/beta reading, crist, which does alliterate). Nevertheless, all the C witnesses agree with R against F and beta.]

[^173: R.3.59: The opening of this line in F reads Boþe þe coost; cf. beta's And þi coste. However, the P family of C agrees with R's line opening (the X family has no reading here at all as a result of an earlier error that merged two lines in its subarchetype).]

¶ For-thi I lere ȝow lordes  leueth suche werkes .
To writen in wyndowes  of ȝoure wel-dedes .
Or to grede after goddes men  whan ȝe delen doles .
An aunter ȝe han ȝoure hire here  and ȝoure heuene alse
Nesciat sinistra quid faciat dextera [^174]
Lat nouȝt þi left half  late ne rathe .
Wite what þow worchest  with þi riȝte syde .
For þus bitt þe gospel  goede men do here almesse .

[^174: R.3.64: The right end of this red boxing has been cropped.]

¶ Meyres and maceeres  þat menes ben by-twene .
Þe kyng and þe comoune  to kepe þe lawes .
To ponysch vppon[^a166][^175] pilaries  and pynynge stoles .
Brewsteres and bakesteres  bocheres and kokes .
For þese aren men vppoun[^a167][^176] þis molde  þat moste harme werchen .
To þe pouere poeple  þat parcelmel buggen .

[^a166: vppon (R F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^a167: vppoun (R F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^175: R.3.70: Beta reads on. Ax clearly agrees with beta here, but the C families are divided, the P group supporting beta while the X group agrees with alpha's vppon.]

[^176: R.3.72: Beta reads on. C is revised at this point, but the A version attests an identical line, in which witnesses are mostly divided between beta's reading and of]

¶ And also[^a168][^177] poysene þe poeple  priuelich and ofte .
Þei richen thorȝ regratrie  and rentes hem buggeth .
With that þe pouer poeple  schulde putte in here wombe .
For toke þei on-trewely  þei tymbrede nouȝt so heyȝe .
Ne bouȝte none burg age[^a169][^178]  be ye[^179] ful certeyne .

[^a168: And also (R) | For they (All beta mss)]

[^a169: burg age (R) | burgages (All beta mss)]

[^177: R.3.74: R's And also is unique but may derive from alpha; cf. beta's For they and F's &. C is revised at this point, but the A version attests an almost identical line, in which nearly all manuscripts agree with beta's opening phrase.]

[^178: R.3.78: R's use of the singular burgage is unique but may reflect alpha (beta attests the plural); cf. F's bargayn. Although manuscripts EWa of the A version agree with R's singular, it seems clear that both Ax and Cx read as beta does here.]

[^179: R.3.78: Beta has ȝe. F and G clearly have þe, but R's y and þ show sufficient overlap that the scribe's intentions here are ambiguous.]

¶ Ac mede þe mayde  þe mayre hath be-souȝte .
Of alle suche selleres  siluer to take .
Or presentz with-oute pans  as peces of siluer .
Rynges other othere[^a170] ricchesse[^180]  þe regratoures to meyntene .

[^a170: other othere (R) | or other (All beta mss)]

[^180: R.3.82: This awkward phrase, other othere richesse, almost certainly derives from alpha; cf. F's smoothing omission, or rycchesse. Beta has or other ricchesse.]

¶ For my lord[^a171][^181] quod þat lady  loue hem vchone .
And suffre hem to selle  somdel aȝeynes resoun .

[^a171: lord (R F) | loue (All beta mss)]

[^181: R.3.83: Beta reads loue, which is also the reading of Ax in an identical line. The C version is revised at this point, but an analogous line (Loue hem for my loue quod this lady mede) confirms the originality of beta's variant.]

¶ Salamon þe sage  a sarmoun he made .
For to amende meyres  and men þat kepe lawes .
And tolde hem þis teeme  þat I telle thenke .
I gnis deuorabit tabernacula eorum qui libenter[^a172] .[^182] &cetera .
Amonge þis letterede lede[^a173][^183]  þis latyn is to mene .
Þat feer schal falle and beerne  al to bloo askes .
Þe houses and þe homes  of hem þat desireth .
Ȝiftes or ȝereȝiftes  be-cause of here office[^a174] .[^184]

[^a172: libenter (R F) | libenter accipiunt munera (All beta mss)]

[^a173: lede (R) | ledes (Most other mss)]

[^a174: office (R H F) | offices (Most beta mss)]

[^182: R.3.88: Beta finishes the citation with a phrase omitted by alpha: accipiunt munera.]

[^183: R.3.89: R's lede (a unique reading) is to be construed as a collective singular (="these lettered folk"); the other B manuscripts witness the plural ledes. Both Ax and Cx attest a completely different word for this alliterative stave: lordes.]

[^184: R.3.92: Beta has the plural, Offices.]

¶ Þe kyng fram conseyle cam  and called after mede .
And ofsent hire alswithe[^185]  with seriantes manye .
Þat brouȝten hire to bowre  with blisse and with ioye .

[^185: R.3.94: Only L (= alswythe) and M (= alsswythe) agree precisely with R in attesting this exact phrase and writing it as a single word (cf. manuscript O = als wythe, WC = as swiþe, and F = swyþe). However, both OED2 s. v. alswith and MED in a quotation from the early fourteenth-century King Alexander s. v. certe and smert(e), attest the phrase's occurrence in this merged form in the fourteenth century, the former in Kyng Alisaunder (He þonked Kyng Alisaundre þerof, certe, And starf alswiþe, wiþouten smerte) and the latter in Barbour's Bruce (His ansuer he tald alswith VIII. 153). The same a-verse occurs in the A version, where the archetypal reading appears to be that found in manuscripts WC of B, but one of the oldest of the A copies, Vernon, merges the words, reading aswiþe. The LMR form is likely to be that of Bx.]

¶ Curteysliche þe kyng þanne  cumseth[^a175] to telle .
To mede þe m ayde  melleth þis wordes .
Vnwittiliche womman  wrouȝt hastow ofte .
Ac[^186] wors wrouȝtestow neuere  þan þo þow fals toke .
But I for-gyue þe þat gulte  and graunte þe my grace .
Hennes to þi deth-day  to do[^a176][^187] so namore .

[^a175: cumseth (R) | comsed (Most other mss)]

[^a176: to do (R) | do (Most beta mss)]

[^186: R.3.99: The cropped word cannot be supplied with confidence, since F has synonymous But in place of beta's Ac.]

[^187: R.3.101: R's to do is a unique variant. Most betas read simply do; cf. F's yf þou do. The same phrase occurs in A, where its form agrees with that found in beta.]

¶ I haue a kniȝt consience  cam late fram by-ȝunde .
Ȝif he wilneth þe to wyue  wil-tow hym haue .

¶ Ȝee lord quatz þat lady  lord it me for-bede[^a177] .[^188]
But I be holy at ȝoure heste  lete hange me sone .

[^a177: it me for-bede (R) | forbede elles (Most other mss)]

[^188: R.3.104: R's b-verse is unique in the B tradition ; F and beta read lorde forbede elles, which agrees with Ax. However, R's phrasing is identical to that found in Cx.]

¶ And þanne was consience I-called[^a178]  to comen and appere .
By-forn þe kyng and his conseylle  as clerkes and othere .

[^a178: I-called (R) | calde (All beta mss)]

¶ Knelynge consience to þe kyng lowtede .
To wite what his wille were  and what he do schulde .

¶ Wiltow wedde þis womman quod þe kyng  ȝif I wole assenten .
For sche is of[^a179][^189] þi felaschippe  for to be þi make .

[^a179: is of (R F) | is fayne of (All beta mss)]

[^189: R.3.111: Here R omits a key word; beta reads is fayne of þi felawship. The fact that F appears to try smoothing this passage (is of fair shap) suggests that R's omission was inherited from alpha. Both Ax and Cx read the phrase as beta does.]

¶ quatz consience to to [þe][^a180] kynge  crist it me for-bede .
Er I wedde swich a wif  wo me bytyde .
For sche is frele of hire feyth  and fykel[^190] of hire speche .
And maketh men mys-do  many score tymes .
Trust of hire tresor  treyeth ful manye .
Wyues and wydewes  wantownnesse heo techeth .
And lereth hem lecherie  þat loueth hire ȝiftes .
Ȝoure fader he[^a181][^191] feelde  þoruȝ faire[^a182][^192] beheste .
And hath appoysond popes  and appayreth[^a183][^193] holy cherche
Is nouȝt a bettere baude  by hym þat me made .
By-twene heuene and helle  and[^194] eerthe þeyȝ men souȝte
For sche is tykil of hire taile  tale-wise of[^a184] tonge[^195] .
As comoun as a carte-wey  to ech a knaue þat walketh
To monkes and to menstrales  to mesels in hegges .
Sysours and sompnoures  suche men hire preyseth .
Schirryues of schires  were schent ȝif sche nere .
For sche doth men lese her londe  and here lif bothe .
Sche lat[^a185][^196] passe prisons[^a186][^197]  and payeth for hem ofte .
And gyueth þe gayleres gold  and grotes to-gyderes .
To vnfettere þe false  fle where hym lyketh .
And taketh trewthe[^198] by þe toppe  and teyeth hym faste .
And hangeth hym for hatrede  þat harme dede neuere .

[^a180: to to [þe] (R) | to þe (All other mss)]

[^a181: he (R) | she (Most other mss)]

[^a182: faire (R F) | fals (Most other mss)]

[^a183: appayreth (R) | peired (Most beta mss)]

[^a184: of (R) | of hir (Most beta mss)]

[^a185: lat (R) | leteth (All other mss)]

[^a186: prisons (R) | prisoneres (All other mss)]

[^190: R.3.114: R's and fykel is paralleled by Hm and H in the beta tradition; however, beta itself omitted the conjunction. F reads & fals. The beta reading agrees with that of Ax, but R's phrasing is identical to that found in Cx (emended out of the Athlone text by Russell and Kane).]

[^191: R.3.119: He, "she." R's he, repeatedly deployed by the scribe in this passage, is uncommon in form among the B manuscripts but not substantive; OED2, s. v. heo, and MED, s. v. he (pron. 2), indicate that he is a variant for heo between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.]

[^192: R.3.119: R's faire is an alpha variant. Cf. beta's fals. The same line occurs in A, where the original reading is clearly the same as in beta; however, three A witnesses, VHaMa, agree with alpha's variant.]

[^193: R.3.120: R's present tense for this verb is unique among the B copies ; the others show its form as a preterite. However, Cx clearly agrees with R's verb form and the A manuscripts are split between present and past-tense forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on a potential ambiguity of tense marking in R.]

[^194: R.3.122: Beta reads in, but Ax and Cx both agree here with the reading of alpha.]

[^195: R.3.123: R's phrase at the end of this line represents the alpha reading; beta has talwis of hir tonge. However, Cx clearly agrees with alpha's phrasing while the A manuscripts are split between the alpha and beta lections.]

[^196: R.3.129: R's lat is unique in form and appears, at first glance, to be a preterite; the other B witnesses show a common present-tense inflection (e.g., LMCrWHmOGF = leteth); however, MED attests this form as 3rd sing. pres., and it seems clear that R intends the same meaning as the other B manuscripts rather than a preterite (cf. payeth later in this line). In the C version, lat is actually the predominant reading among the X family. A similarly inflected form also appears in several A manuscripts. See the Introduction III.2.2.10 for a full discussion of ambiguities in R's tense marking.]

[^197: R.3.129: R's prisons is uniquely spelled (F and beta read prisoneres); however, MED, s. v. prisoun, verifies that the R form is viable as a variant of the Bx word. The plural, prisons (= "prisoners"), actually appears in Bx at R7.30: Pore poeple or prisones  fynden hem here fode. R's form is also found in some A witnesses at this point, and is the predominant form in the cognate line of the C version.]

[^198: R.3.132: R's trewthe is an alpha variant. Beta has þe trewe. Both phrasings occur in the other two versions. They seem almost equally distributed in the A copies, while a majority of C manuscripts, including the most important members of the X family, agrees with alpha (but a significant minority, especially among the P family, agrees with beta).]

¶ To be cursed in constorie  he[^a187][^199] conteth nouȝt a rusche .
For he[^a188][^200] copeth þe comissarie  and coteth his clerkes .
He[^a189][^201] is assoyled assone as sone  as hire-selue liketh .
And may neiȝ as muche do  in amoneth a moneth ones 
As ȝoure secret seal  in six score dayes .

[^a187: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a188: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a189: He (R) | She (All beta mss)]

[^199: R.3.134: He, "she."]

[^200: R.3.135: He, "she."]

[^201: R.3.136: He, "she."]

¶ For he[^a190][^202] is priue with þe pope  prouisoures it knoweth .
For sire symonye and hire -selue  sealeth here bulles .

[^a190: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^202: R.3.139: He, "she."]

¶ He[^a191] blisseth þes bisshopes  and prestes am eynteneth a m eynteneth[^a192] .[^203]
To haue lotebies and lemmanes[^a193][^204]  alle here lif-dayes .
And bringen forth barnes  aȝeyne forbode lawes .
Þere he[^a194][^205] is wel with þe kynge  wo is þe reume .
For he[^a195][^206] is fauourable to þe fals  and fouleth trewth ofte .

[^a191: He (R) | She (All other mss)]

[^a192: am eynteneth a m eynteneth (R) | meynteneth (Most beta mss)]

[^a193: lotebies and lemmanes (R) | lemmannes and lotebies (Most beta mss)]

[^a194: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a195: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^203: R.3.141: R's phrasing in this line represents a unique compression of two lines from Bx, apparently necessitated by textual loss in alpha since F also improvises at this point. Beta, which here appears to reflect Bx better, reads: She blesseth þise Bisshopes þeiȝe þey be lewed Prouendreth persones, and prestes meynteneth. Nevertheless, when R and F witness an alpha variant in this last half-line, with their inclusion of a reasserted pronoun (cf. F's & prestys she meynteneþ), they are presumably attesting Bx accurately since both the A and C versions agree on this point.]

[^204: R.3.142: R here offers a reversal of the beta phrase, lemmannes and lotebies; F uniquely omits and lotebies. Both the A and C versions agree with beta on this phrase.]

[^205: R.3.144: He, "she."]

[^206: R.3.145: He, "she."]

¶ By ihesus with hire ieweles  þe[^a196][^207] iustices heo schendeth .
And lith aȝeyne þe lawe  and let[^a197][^208] hym þe gate .
Þat feyth may nouȝt haue his forth  hire floreynes go so thikke .
Heo[^a198] let[^a199][^209] þe lawe as hire leste  and louedayes maketh .
And doth men lese thoruȝ hire loue  þat lawe miȝt wynne .
Þe mase for a mene man  þouȝ he mote hire euere .
Lawe is so lordliche  and loth to make ende .
With-owten presentz other[^a200][^210] pans  he[^a201][^211] pleseth ful[^212] fewe .

[^a196: þe (R F) | ȝowre (All beta mss)]

[^a197: let (R) | letteth (All other mss)]

[^a198: Heo (R) | She (Most other mss)]

[^a199: let (R) | ledeth (All other mss)]

[^a200: other (R) | or (Most other mss)]

[^a201: he (R) | she (All beta mss)]

[^207: R.3.146: Beta reads ȝowre, which agrees with Ax. The alpha reading is supported by Cx.]

[^208: R.3.147: R's let is unique; cf. Bx's letteth.]

[^209: R.3.149: R's let is unique; Bx has ledeth. Cx agrees with Bx here. Cf. R's lat at R.3.129:.]

[^210: R.3.153: R's other is unique; the other B witnesses read or. Nevertheless, R's reading may well be original here since it agrees with the majority of C witnesses, including the best copies from the X family.]

[^211: R.3.153: He, "she."]

[^212: R.3.153: R's ful is an alpha variant shared with F; beta has wel, which agrees with the lection found in half of the A manuscripts. Most of the other A copies agree with RF, as does the archetype of the C version.]

¶ Barouns and burgeys  heo bringeth in sorwe .
And alle þe comoun in care  þat coueyten lyf[^213] in trewthe .
For clergise[^214] and coueytise  he[^a202][^215] coupleth to-gyderes .
Þis is þe lyf of þat lady  now lord ȝif hire sorwe .
And alle þat meyteneth here men  meschaunce hem bytyde .
For pore men mow haue no powere  to pleyne hem þoȝ þei smerte .
Suche a maister is mede  amonges men of goode .
[^216] Þanne mornede mede  and mened hire to þe kynge .
To haue space to speke  spede ȝif a[^a203][^217] miȝte .

[^a202: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a203: a (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^213: R.3.155: R's lyf is unique among the manuscript witnesses of the B version but is shared with Cr2-3. The other B copies read lyue.]

[^214: R.3.156: R shares this reading (clergise for Bx's clergye) with Hm by convergence. The A version agrees with the majority B reading here.]

[^215: R.3.156: He, "she."]

[^216: R.3.161: Because the left margin has been lost to cropping, it is not possible to be confident that it lacked the parasign that appears in LMWHmO. The scribe frequently fails to skip a line between strophes when the last line falls at the foot of a page.]

[^217: R.3.162: A, "she."]

¶ Þe kynge graunted hire grace  with a goede wille .
Excuse þe if ȝow canst  I can namore seggen .
For consience acuseth þe  to congey þe for euere .

¶ Nay lord quatz þat lady  leue hym þe worse .
When ȝe witen witterly  where þe wronge lyggeth .
Þere þat mischief is grete  mede may helpe .
And þat[^a204][^218] þow knowest consience  I cam nouȝt to chyde .
Ne depraue þi persone  with a proude herte .
Wel þow wost wernard  but if þow wilt gabe .
Þow hast hangen on myn half  elleuen tyme[^a205][^219] .
And al-so I-gripe[^a206][^220] my gold  gyue it where þe liked .
And whi þow wrathest þe now  wonder me thenketh .
Ȝet I may as I miȝte  menske þe with ȝiftes .
And mayntene þi manhode . more þanne þow knoweste .

[^a204: þat (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a205: tyme (R) | tymes (All other mss)]

[^a206: I-gripe (R F) | griped (Most beta mss)]

[^218: R.3.169: Only RF attest þat; beta omits it. The A version agrees with beta; by contrast, a majority of C manuscripts attests the presence of þat, but most of these omit þow. XIFc read þat knowestou.]

[^219: R.3.172: R's tyme is unique in form, an unmarked plural. Compare R.3.89:, R.10.224:, and R.15.407:). Both Ax and Cx agree with the ordinary plural of the other B manuscripts.]

[^220: R.3.173: Beta reads griped.]

¶ Ac þow haste famed me foule  by-fore þe kyng here .
For kuld I neuere no kniȝt[^a207][^221]  ne conseyled þere-after .
Ne dede as þow demest  I do it on þe kynge .

[^a207: kniȝt (R F) | kynge (All beta mss)]

[^221: R.3.178: R's kniȝt is an alpha reading; cf. beta's kynge. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

¶ In normandy was he nouȝt  I-nuyed[^a208] for my sake .
Ac þow þi-selue sothelich  schamedest hym ofte .
Crope in-to a caban  for cold of þi nayles .
Wendest þat wynter  wold a last[^222] euere .
And draddest to be dede  for a dym clowde .
And heȝedest homward  for hunger of þi wombe .

[^a208: I-nuyed (R) | noyed (Most other mss)]

[^222: R.3.183: R's last is matched only by Hm; F and beta read (y)lasted. Nevertheless, the Ax form agrees with RHm.]

¶ With-oute pite pyloure  pouer men þow robbedest .
And bere here bras at þi bak  to caleys to selle .
Þere I lefte with my lord  his lif for to saue .
I made hys men merie  and murnyge murny[n]ge[^a209] lette .
I batered hem on þe bak  and bolded here hertes
And dede hem hoppe fore hope  to haue me at wille
Hadde I be marschal of his men  be marie of heuene
I durste haue leid my lyf  and no lesse wedde 
He schuld haue be lord of þat lond  a lenthe and a brede .
And al-so kynge of þat kyth  hys kyn for to helpe .
Þe leste brol of his lond[^a210][^223]  a barounes pere .

[^a209: murnyge murny[n]ge (R) | mornyng (All other mss)]

[^a210: lond (R F) | blode (Most beta mss)]

[^223: R.3.196: Here alpha's alliteration fails; cf. beta's blode, a reading which is also found in Ax and Cx.]

¶ Cowardlich þow consience  consayledest hym þennes .
To leuen his lordschippe  for a litel siluer .
Þat is þe riccheste rewme  þat reyn ouer-houeth .

¶ It bycometh to a k ynge  þat kepeth a rewme .
To ȝiue mede to men  þat mekeliche hym serueth .
To alyenes and to alle men  to honoure hem with ȝiftes .
Mede maketh hym by-loued  and for a man holden .

¶ Emperoures and erles  and alle maner lordes .
Þurȝ[^a211][^224] ȝiftes han ȝoumen[^a212][^225]  to ȝernen[^a213][^226] and to ride .

[^a211: Þurȝ (R F) | for (All beta mss)]

[^a212: ȝoumen (R F) | ȝonge men (All beta mss)]

[^a213: ȝernen (R F) | renne(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^224: R.3.205: Beta reads For, but both Ax and Cx agree with alpha.]

[^225: R.3.205: Beta's phrase is ȝonge men, a reading also found in Ax; however, Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^226: R.3.205: Here beta reads synonymous renne. Ax agrees with this non-alliterating reading, as does the P family of the C tradition, but the X family clearly agrees with alpha's ȝernen, a choice endorsed by both Russell-Kane and Schmidt.]

¶ Þe pope and alle prelates  presentes vnderfongen .
And medeth men hem-selue  to meyntene here lawes .

¶ Seruantz for here seruise  we seth wel þe sothe .
Taken mede of her meystres  as þei mowen acorde .
Beggeres for here beggynge[^a214]  bydden men mede .
Minstrales for here murthe  mede þei aske 

[^a214: beggynge (R F) | biddynge (Most beta mss)]

¶ Þe kynge hath mede of his men  to make pes in londe .
Men þat techet[^a215][^227] children  crauen of hem mede .

[^a215: techet (R) | teche(n) (All other mss)]

[^227: R.3.213: Here most B witnesses (including F) read teche(n). Manuscript C reads techeþ, which may be what was intended by R (C's form is used by R on many other occasions). MED, s. v. techen, acknowledges techet as a possible 3rd sing. pres. inflection of techen, but the few citations are almost all from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.]

¶ Prestes þat preche þe poeple  to god[^a216][^228] asken mede .
And masse-pans and here mete  at[^a217][^229] meal-tymes .

[^a216: to god (R) | to gode (Most beta mss)]

[^a217: at (R) | at þe (All beta mss)]

[^228: R.3.214: Here beta reads gode, but Hm agrees with alpha, specifically with F (= of god). Ax agrees with beta.]

[^229: R.3.215: Beta reads at þe while F has at here .]

¶ Alle kynnes crafty men  crauen mede for here prentyces .
Marchauntz and mede  most nede go to-gyderes .
No wiȝt as I wene  with-oute mede may lybbe .

¶ Quatȝ þe kyng to consience  by crist as me thenketh .
Mede is[^a218] worthy[^230]  þe maystrie to haue .[^231]

[^a218: is (R) | is wel (All beta mss)]

[^230: R.3.220: Beta reads wel worþi while F revises the entire a-verse, producing Now ys Meede worthy. Ax reads this verse exactly as R does, and though the C version introduces a phrasal revision in mid-line, it also omits beta's qualifier before worthi, supporting the originality of R's reading.]

[^231: R.3.220: The eighth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 12.5 cm, from R3.229-49.]

¶ Nay quatz consience to þe kynge  and kneled to þe erthe .
Þere arn to manere of medes  my lord by[^a219][^232] ȝoure leue .
to .....ratio bonorum qui. operans iusticiam

[In the right margin, in a brown contemporary hand, an early reader left behind this partially legible note.]

Þat on god of his grace  graunteth in his blisse .
To þo þat wel werchen  while þei ben here .
Þe prophite precheth þere-offe  and putte it in þe sauter[^233]
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo . &cetera .
Lord who schal wonie in þi wones  with[^a220][^234] þi holy seyntes .
Or resten on[^a221][^235] þin holy hilles  þis asked[^a222][^236] dauid .

[^a219: by (R F) | with (All beta mss)]

[^a220: with (R H F) | and with (Most beta mss)]

[^a221: on (R L M F) | in (Most beta mss)]

[^a222: asked (R Cot F) | asketh (Most beta mss)]

[^232: R.3.222: Beta reads with, but Ax agrees with alpha.]

[^233: R.3.225: In the right margin, just inside the ruling, someone has added an oversized punctus for this line in a darker shade of ink than that used by the original scribe.]

[^234: R.3.227: Beta reads and with; the line does not appear in either A or C.]

[^235: R.3.228: The alpha reading is here confirmed by LM, but the other beta copies show in.]

[^236: R.3.228: Beta shows the present form, asketh.]

¶ And dauid assoyleth it hym-selue  as þe sauter telleth .
psal xiv

[R.3.230: The appropriate scriptural reference has been inscribed in the right margin by an early reader.]

Qui ingreditur sine macula  & operatur iusticiam .
Þoo þat entren of o coloure  and of one wille .
And haue I-wrouȝt werkes  with riȝt and with resoun .
And he þat ne vseth nauȝt  þe lyue of vsurie .
And enformeth pouere men  and pursueth trewthe .
mor wm

[R.3.235: In the right margin are the remains of what appears to have been a pen trial.]

Qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad vsuram & munera super innocentem . &cetera .
And alle þat helpeth þe innocent  and holt with þe riȝtful .
With-oute mede doth hem goed  and þe trewe[^a223][^237] helpeth :
Richard

[A sixteenth-century reader has recorded a pen trial, written vertically downwards in the right margin.]

Suche maner men my lorde  schal haue þis furste mede .
Of god at a grete nede  whanne þei gon hennes .

[^a223: trewe (R F) | trewthe (All beta mss)]

[^237: R.3.237: Beta reads trewthe.]

¶ Þere is an-othere mede mesurles  þat maystres desireth .
To meytene misdoeres  mede þei take .
And þere-offe seith þe sauter  in a salmes ende .
In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt  dextra eorum repleta est muneribus .
And he þat gripeth here gold  so me god helpe .
Schal abye it ful bittere  or þe book lyeth .

¶ Prestes and persones  þat plesinge desireth .
Þat taked[^a224] mede and mone  for masses þat þei songen[^a225] .[^238]
Taketh here mede here  as mathew vs techeth .
Amen amen recipiebant mercedem suam .

[^a224: taked (R) | take(n) (All other mss)]

[^a225: songen (R) | syngeth (Most beta mss)]

[^238: R.3.247: R's past-tense verbs in this line are unique; all other B manuscripts use present-tense forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's problematic tense marking. Both the A and C versions of this line agree with Bx on these verbs being in the present tense.]

¶ Þat laboreres and lewed[^a226] folke  taketh of here meystres .
It nis[^a227][^239] no maner mede  but a mesurable hire .

[^a226: lewed (R Hm C2 H F) | lowe (Most beta mss)]

[^a227: nis (R) | is (All other mss)]

[^239: R.3.251: The negative verb is unique to R; all other B manuscripts read is.]

¶ In marchaundise is no mede  I may it wel a-vowe .
It is[^240] permutacion[^a228] apertly  a peny-worth for another .

[^a228: permutacion (R F) | a permutacioun (All beta mss)]

[^240: R.3.253: Beta reads a permutacioun. This is also the reading found in the other two versions.]

¶ Ac reddestow neuere Regum  þow recrayede mede .
Whi þe vengaunce fel  on saul and on his children .
God sente to saul  by samuel þe prophete .
Þat agag of amalec  and[^a229][^241] his poeple after .
Schulde deye for a dede  þat don hadde here elderes .

[^a229: and (R) | and al (All other mss)]

[^241: R.3.257: In the B tradition, R uniquely omits al before the phrase his poeple. However, though Ax reads the phrase exactly as the B majority, a significant, closely interrelated set of A manuscripts (TDChH2) also omits al at this point. The same phenomenon can be seen among the C witnesses, a small minority reading with R while most agree with F/beta.]

¶ For-thi sayde samuel to saul  god hym-selue hoteth .
Þe be buxum at my[^a230][^242] byddynge  his wille to fulfille .
Wend to amalec with þin host  and what þow fynst þere slee it .
Bernes and bestes  brenne hem to dede .
Wydewes and wyues  wommen and chyldren .
Mebles and vnmebles  and al þat þow miȝt fynde .
Brenne it bere it nauȝt a-way  be it neuere so riche .
For mede ne for mone  loke þow destruye it .
Spille it and spare it nauȝt  þow schalt spede þe bettere .

[^a230: my (R F) | his (All beta mss)]

[^242: R.3.260: Beta reads his biddynge, which is also the reading found in the A version, but the C text agrees with alpha's my.]

¶ And for he coueytede here catel  and þe kyng spared .
For-bare hym and his bestes bothe  as þe bible wytnesseth .
Otherwise þan he was  warned of þe prophete .
God seyde to samuel  þat saul schulde deye .
And alle his seed for þat synne  schentfulliche endede[^a231] .[^243]
Suche a meschief mede made  saul þe kyng to haue .
Þat god hated hym for euere  and alle his heires after .

[^a231: endede (R Hm F) | ende (Most beta mss)]

[^243: R.3.272:The RF usage of past tense here (beta = ende) reflects alpha and is shared by convergence with Hm. Though both A and C traditions attest—in isolated manuscripts—preterite forms for this verb, it is obvious that the beta uninflected base form is archetypal in both of the poem's other versions.]

¶ Þe culorum of þis cas  kepe I nouȝt to schewe .
Aunter[^a232][^244] it nuyed men  non eende wille I make .
For so is þis worlde went  with hem þat han powere .
Þat who-so seyth hem sothes  is sonnest I-blamed .

[^a232: Aunter (R) | An auenture (Most beta mss)]

[^244: R.3.276: Beta opens this line with An auenture; F begins it with For hap. The witness of the other two versions is in favor of An aunter.]

¶ I consience knowe þis  for kynde witt me it tauuȝte .
Þat rosoun r[e]soun[^a233] schal regne  and rewmes gouerne .
And riȝt as agag hadde  happe schulle somme .[^245]
Samuel schal scleen hym  and saul schal be blamed .
And dauid schal be diademed  and daunten hem alle .
And on cristene kyng  kepen hem alle .

[^a233: rosoun r[e]soun (R) | resoun (All other mss)]

[^245: The ninth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 10 cm, from R3.296-309.]

¶ Schal namore mede  be mayster as he[^a234][^246] is nowthe .
I

[R.3.286: In the extreme right margin, beyond the pricking, is what appears to a modern eye to be a barred 9, probably an <I> or <Q> in this hand, though it is unclear what it signifies.]

Ac loue and lowenesse  and lewte to-gyderes .
Þese schul be maystres on molde  trewthe to saue .

[^a234: he (R F) | she (All beta mss)]

[^246: R.3.285: Alpha's he does not differ substantively from beta; he is a variant of heo, "she." See note at R.3.119:.]

¶ And hoo-so trespaseth aȝeynes trewthe  or taketh aȝeynes his wille .
Lewte schal don hym lawe  and no lif elles .
Schal no seriaunt for here seruise  were a silk howue .
Ne non pelure in his clook  for pledyng atte barre .
Mede of mysdoeres  maketh many lordes .
And ouer lordes lawes  reuleth þe realmes .

¶ Ac kende loue schal come ȝut  and consience to-gydere .
And make of lawe a laborere  suche loue schal aryse .
And suche pees[^a235][^247] amonge þe poeple  and a parfit trewth .
Þat Iuwes schal wene in here witt  and wexen wonder glade .
Þat moyses or messye  be come in-to þis eerthe .
And haue wonder in here hertes  þat men beth so trewe .

[^a235: pees (R F) | a pees (All beta mss)]

[^247: R.3.296: Beta reads such a pees; the C version agrees with alpha.]

¶ Alle þat bereth baslard  brode-swerde or launce .
Ax other hachet  or eny wepne elles .
Schal be demed to þe deth  but ȝif he do it smythye .
Into sycul or to sythe  to schare or to cultere .
Conflabunt gladios suos in vomeres &cetera .
Ich man to pleye with aplow a plow  pycoys or spade .
Spynne other[^a236][^248] sprede dong  or lese[^a237][^249] hym-self with slewthe .

[^a236: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^a237: lese (R F) | spille (All beta mss)]

[^248: R.3.306: R's other is unique; the remaining B witnesses attest or.]

[^249: R.3.306: This non-alliterating third stave (lese for Bx's spille) is an alpha reading.]

¶ Prestes and persones  with placebo to hunte .
And dyngen vppon dauid  vch a day til eue .
Huntynge or haukynge  ȝif any of hem vse .
His boste of his benefice  worth by-nomme hym after .
Schal neyther kyng ne kniȝt  constable ne meyre .
Ouer-lede þe comune  ne to þe court sompne .
Ne putte hem in panel  to don hem pliȝt here trewthe .
But after þe dede þat is don  on dom schal rewarde .
Mercy or no mercy or no mercy or no mercy[^a238]  as trewthe wil acorde .

[^a238: or no mercy or no mercy or no mercy (R) | or no mercy (All beta mss)]

¶ Kynges court and comune court  constorie and chapitele .
Alle schal be but on court  and on baron be iustice .
Þanne worth trewe tonge  a tydy man þat tened me neuere
Batayles schul non be  ne noman bere wepne .
And what smyth þat any smithie[^a239][^250]  be smiten þere -with to dede[^a240][^251] .
Non leuabit gens contra gentem gladium &cetera .

[^a239: smithie (R F) | smyteth (Beta C C2 Y Bo)]

[^a240: dede (R) | dethe (Most beta mss)]

[^250: R.3.320: R's smithie is the alpha variant; most of the beta copies attest either smyþeþ (e.g., WO) or smyteth (LC).]

[^251: R.3.320: R's dede is a unique variant, but its meaning is identical to the common reading (dethe) found in other witnesses, both from the B and the C traditions.]

¶ And ere þis fortune falle  fynde men schal þe werste .
By six sonnes and a schippe  and half a schef of arwes .
And þe meddel of a mone  schal make þe Iewes torne[^a241][^252] .
And sarasyns for þe siȝte þere -offe[^a242][^253]  schul synge gloria in excelsis .
For makomet and mede  myshappe schal þat tyme .
For melius est bonum nomen quam diuicie multe .

[^a241: torne (R G F) | to torne (Most beta mss)]

[^a242: þe siȝte þere -offe (R F) | þat siȝte (All beta mss)]

[^252: R.3.324: Cf. beta's Iewes to torne; but the C reading clearly agrees with alpha's omission of to.]

[^253: R.3.325: R's þe siȝte þere-offe reflects alpha; cf. beta's þat siȝte. The C reading is identical to beta's.]

¶ Also wroth as þe wynde  wex mede in a while 
I can[^a243] latyn[^254] quatz sche  clerkes wote þe sothe .
See what salomon seith  in sapiences[^a244][^255] bokes .
Þat hij þat ȝiueth ȝiftes  þe victorie wynneth .
And muche wurchip haad þerewith  as holy writt telleth .
Honorem adquiret qui dat munera[^a245] .

[^a243: can (R C3) | can no (All other mss)]

[^a244: sapiences (R) | sapience (Most other mss)]

[^a245: munera (R Cr H F) | munera &cetera (Most beta mss)]

[^254: R.3.329: R's omission of the negative in this phrase is unique among the extant B manuscripts but is shared by convergence with Cr3.]

[^255: R.3.330: R's genitive sapiences is unique; F and beta both attest the unmarked possessive form.]

¶ I leue wel lady quod consience  þat þi latyn be trowe tr[e]we[^a246] .
Ac þow art lyk a lady  þat radde a lesson ones .
Was omnia probate  and þat plesede hire herte .
For þat lyne was no lengere  atte þe leuesende leues ende .
Had sche loked þat other half  and þe lef I-turned[^a247][^256] .
Heo[^a248] schulde a[^a249][^257] founde fele wordes  folwyng þere -after .
Quod bonum est tenete  trewthe þat tixt made .

[^a246: trowe tr[e]we (R) | trewe (All other mss)]

[^a247: I-turned (R F) | torned (All beta mss)]

[^a248: Heo (R) | She (Most other mss)]

[^a249: a (R) | haue (All other mss)]

[^256: R.3.338: R's I-turned reflects an alpha reading; cf. beta's torned. The Cx reading is identical to beta's.]

[^257: R.3.339: R's a is unique in form but represents the same semantic element as the majority's haue.]

¶ And so ferd ȝe ma-dame  ȝe coude namore fynde .
Þo ȝe loked on sapience  sittynge in ȝoure stodie .
Þis tixt þat ȝe haue Itolde[^a250]  were goed for lordes .[^258]
Ac ȝow failede a cunnyng clerk  þat coude þe lef attorned a torned[^259] .
And if ȝe seke sapience eft  fynde schal ȝe þat foleweth .
A ful teneful tixt  to hem þat taketh mede .
And þat is animam autem aufert accipientium[^a251][^260] .
And þat is þe taile of þe tixt  of þat þat ȝe schede[^a252][^261] .
Þat þow we wynne worchipe  and with me[^a253][^262] haue victorie .
Þe soule þat þe souȝd[^a254] taketh  be so muche is bounde .

[^a250: Itolde (R) | tolde (Most other mss)]

[^a251: accipientium (R) | accipientium &c (All beta mss)]

[^a252: schede (R) | schewed (Most beta mss)]

[^a253: me (R F) | mede (All beta mss)]

[^a254: souȝd (R) | soude (Most beta mss)]

[^258: The tenth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 4 cm, from R4.12-18.]

[^259: R.3.344: a, "have."]

[^260: R.3.347: After this Latin tag (completely omitted by F), beta adds &c.. Cx agrees with R in omitting it.]

[^261: R.3.348: R's schede is unique in form but probably represents the same intention as beta's schewed (F omits the entire line). Nevertheless, neither MED, s. v. sheuen (v. 1), nor OED2, s. v. show, acknowledges R's form as a viable inflected spelling for the verb in question.]

[^262: R.3.349: Alpha introduced the error of me for original mede.]

[R.4.0: Possibly other material was erased along with the parasign.] Passus quartus de visione petri plowman . vt supra .

¶ Sesseth[^263] seyde þe kyng  I suffre ȝow no lengere .
Ȝe schal sauȝtne for-sothe  and serue me bothe .
Kysse hire quatz þe kyng  consience I hote .

[^263: R.4.1: There is no blue ornamental capital at the head of this line; instead, the <S> is the same size and color as all line initials.]

¶ Nay by crist quatz consience  congeye me for euere .
But reson rede me þere-to  rather wil I deye .

¶ And I comande þe quod þe kyng  to consience þenne .
Rape þe to ride  and resoun þow fecche .
Comaunde hym þat he come  my conseille to here .
For he schal reule my reume  and rede me þe beste .[^264]
And acounte with þe consience  so me crist helpe .
How þow lernest þe poeple  lered[^a255] and lewede[^a256] .[^265]

[^a255: lered (R) | þe lered (All beta mss)]

[^a256: lewede (R) | þe lewede (All other mss)]

[^264: R.4.9: Like most B manuscripts, R here lacks a following line attested in YOC2 as well as in the Crowley imprints and in versions A and C: Of Mede and of mo oþere what man shal hire wedde.]

[^265: R.4.11: R is unique in dropping two determiners from the Bx b-verse ( þe lered and þe lewede). Cf. F's boþe lerede & þe lewede.]

¶ I am fayn of þat forward  seyde þe freke þanne .
And ritt riȝt to resoun  and rounneth in his ere .
And seyde as þe kyng bad  and sithes tok his leue .

¶ I schal araie me to ride quatz resoun  reste þe a while .
And called caton his knaue  curteyse of speche .
And al-so thomme trewe tonge  telle me no tales .
Ne lesyng to lawe of  for I louede hem neuere .
And sette my sadel vppe[^a257][^266] suffre  til I se my tyme .
And let warrok it wel  with witti wordes gerthes .
And hange on hym þe heuy bridel  to helde[^a258][^267] his hede lowe
For he wil make wehe  tweye[^268] ere he be þere .

[^a257: vppe (R) | vppon (Most other mss)]

[^a258: helde (R) | holde (All other mss)]

[^266: R.4.19: R's vppe is unique; Bx reads vppon, the same reading found in Ax and Cx.]

[^267: R.4.21: R's helde is a unique form; the other B copies read holde.]

[^268: R.4.22: Only LM agree with this R reading. Cf. F's to trewþe and the predominant beta reading twies.]

¶[^269] Þanne consience vppon his capel  cayreth forth faste
And resoun with hym rit  rounynge togyderes .
Whiche maystries on eerth  mede þe mayde maketh[^a259][^270]

[^a259: on eerth  mede þe mayde maketh (R F) | Mede maketh on þis erthe (Most beta mss)]

[^269: R.4.23: This paraph marker is blotted and smeared.]

[^270: R.4.25: R's phrasing here reflects an alpha error; cf. beta's Mede maketh on þis erthe. Not only is the alliterative pattern of beta's a-verse appropriate (where alpha's is not); in its favor there is also the fact that Cx's a-verse (in a revised line) is identical to beta's.]

¶ On waryn wisdome  and witty his fere .
Folwed hem faste [^271] haued to done .
In þe cheker[^a260][^272] atte þe chauncerie  to be descharged of thinges .
And riden fast for resoun  schulde rede hem þe beste .
For to saue hem fro[^a261] siluer[^273]  fram schame and fram harmes .

[^a260: cheker (R) | cheker and (Most beta mss)]

[^a261: fro (R) | for (Most other mss)]

[^271: R.4.27: R shares with L an omission (for þei) at the head of this b-verse. The reading of Ax agrees with that of the B majority. However, because of the extraordinary accuracy that the R and L scribes regularly demonstrate, and because these copies are at the top of any credible B stemma, it seems likelier that their shared mistake here attests the presence of a marginal correction in Bx (which both scribes overlooked) than a purely random convergence in ordinary omission.]

[^272: R.4.28: After cheker, R uniquely omits and. L and R then agree against all the other B copies in reading at(te) þe chauncerie where the majority reads in þe chauncerie with W (and, probably, Ax). F simply omits the prepositional phrase altogether, reading & Chawncerye.]

[^273: R.4.30: R's fro siluer is a unique error but may reflect alpha; most other B manuscripts here read for siluer. Cf. F's & hem.]

¶ And consience knewe hem wel  þei louede coueytise .
And bad[^a262][^274] ride faste  and recche of here nother .
Þere arn wiles in here wordes  and with mede þei dwelleth .
Þere-as wrathe and wranglyng is  þere wynne þei siluer .

[^a262: bad (R) | bad resoun (All other mss)]

[^274: R.4.32: R uniquely omits resoun from the phrase, And bad resoun ride.]

¶[^275] Þere[^a263] is loue and lewte  þei wole nouȝte come þere .
Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum . &cetera .
Þei ne gyueth nouȝt of god  on gose wynge .
Non est timor dei ante oculos eorum .
For wote god þei wold do more  for a doseyne chikenes .
Or as many capounes  or for a sem of otes .
Þanne for loue of oure lorde  or alle hys leue seyntes .
For-thi[^276] late[^a264] hem ride  þo riche be hem-selue .
For consience knoweth hem nouȝt  ne crist as I trowe .

[^a263: Þere (R) | Ac þere (Most beta mss)]

[^a264: late (R F) | resoun lete (All beta mss)]

[^275: R.4.35: R uniquely omits the line-head conjunction witnessed in other B manuscripts as Ac (a majority), And or But. Cx reads Ac.]

[^276: R.4.42: R's omission of the vocative resoun after For-thi is derived from alpha and shared with F.]

¶ And þanne resoun roed fast  þe riȝt hye gate .
As consience hym kennede  til þei come to þe kynge .

¶ Curteiselich þe kynge þanne  come aȝeyne resoun .[^277]
And bytwene hym-self and his sone  sette hym on benche .
And wordeddun wel wyseliche  a grete whyle to-gyderes .

[^277: R.4.46: There is a superfluous bar over the <n> of resoun.]

¶ And þanne come pees  in-to parlement  and putte forth a bille .
How wronge aȝeynes his wille  haued his wif taken .
And how he rauesched rose  raynaldes loue .
And margarete of hire maydenhode  mawgre hire chekes .
Bothe my gees and my gris  his gedelynges feccheth .
I dar nauȝt for fere of hym  fiȝt ne chide .
He borwed of me bayard  and[^a265] brouȝt it[^a266][^278] home neuere .
Ne no ferthyng þere-fore  for nauȝt[^a267] I couthe plede .
He meynteneth his men  to murther myn heuues[^279] .
He[^a268] forstalleth[^280] my feyres  and fiȝteth in my chepynge .
And breketh vppe my bernesdore bernes dore  and bereth a-wey my whete .
And taketh me but a tayle  for ten quarteres of otes .
And ȝet he bet me þereto  and lyth by my mayde .
I am nauȝt hardy for hym  vnnethe to loke .

[^a265: and (R Cr Hm H F) | he (Most beta mss)]

[^a266: it (R) | hym (All other mss)]

[^a267: nauȝt (R L M F) | auȝte (Most beta mss)]

[^a268: He (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^278: R.4.55: Where the other B manuscripts read the pronoun reference to Bayard as hym, R uniquely reads it. Both Ax and Cx agree with the B majority.]

[^279: R.4.57: The variant heuues derives from alpha. F's spelling here is heuuys ; cf. beta's hewen = "servants." Kane-Donaldson transcribe this variant in R as hennes and F's as hennys). What the R scribe actually thought he was writing is open to doubt since neither he nor the F scribe again uses <uu> for <w> after <e>. However, R writes the name "Stowe" as stouue at R5.28, and it is reasonable to assume that is what he intended here.]

[^280: R.4.58: R uniquely adds He at line-head position. Cf. F's & to. Beta simply begins the line with Forstalleth. The Ax reading agrees with beta's, but Cx begins the line And forstalleth.]

¶ Þe kynge knewe he seyde sothe  For consience hym tolde .
Þat wronge was a wikked luste[^281]  and muche sorwe wrouȝte .[^282]

[^281: R.4.64: R shares this obvious transcriptional error (luste for luft) with G and BmBoCot by convergent variation. F's wyght has the appearance of a typical smoothing, so R may have derived the error from alpha.]

[^282: R.4.64: R's b-verse involves a transposition (uniquely shared with H) of the Bx phrase, which reads and wrouȝte moche sorwe.]

¶ Wronge was aferd þanne  and wysdom he souȝte .
To make pees with his pans  and profered hym manye .
And seyde hadde I loue of[^283] þe kynge[^a269]  lytel wolde I recche .
Þeiȝ pees and his powere  pleyned hem euere .

[^a269: þe kynge (R Cr H F) | my lorde þe kynge (Most beta mss)]

[^283: R.4.67: Here alpha and Cr omit a stave; in beta the phrase would have read my lorde þe kynge.]

¶ Þo wan[^284] wysdom  and sire waryn þe witty .
For þat wronge hadde I-wrouȝte  so wikked a dede .
And warned wronge þo  with swyche a wise tale .
Hoo-so wercheth by wille  wreth maketh ofte .
I sey it by thi-self  þow schalt it wel fynde .
But if mede it make  þi meschief is vppe .[^285]
For bothe þi lif and þi londe  lith in his grace .

[^284: R.4.69: Only L and C agree with R's wan; F omits the entire line, while most beta copies read wente. The b-verse of this line is unmetrical and the entire line is a revision of the A version (K4.53), but the uniformity of attestation for its text from L and R (with C's concurrence) make it clearly a genuine Bx line.]

[^285: The eleventh leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 3.5 cm, from R4.74-77.]

¶ Þanne wowede wronge  wisdom ful ȝerne .
To make his pees with his pans  handi-dandi payed .

¶ Wisdom and wit þanne  wenten to-gyderes
And token mede myde hem  mercy to wynne .

¶ Pees putte forth his hed  and his panne blody .
With-oute gult god it wote  gatt I þis skathe .
Consience and þe commune  knowen þe sothe .

¶ Ac wisdom and witt  were aboute faste .
To ouercome þe kynge  with catel if þei myȝte .

¶ Þe kyng swore by crist  and by his crowne bothe .
Þat wronge for his werkes  schuld wo thole .
And comanded a conestable  to casten hym in yrenes .
And lat hym nauȝte þis seuen ȝeere  seen his feet ones .

¶ God wote quatz wisdom  þat were nauȝt þe best .
And he amendes mowe make  lat meynprise hym haue .
And be boruȝ for his bale  and buggen hym bote .
And so amende þat is mysdo  and euere be[^a270][^286] þe bettere .

[^a270: euere be (R) | euermore (Most beta mss)]

[^286: R.4.92: R's phrase, euere be, is unique, but alpha and Cr agree on euere; cf. beta's euermore. F reads the entire phrase as he shal do euere þe bettre. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

¶ Witt acorded þere-with  and seyde þe same .
Þat[^a271][^287] bettere is þat bote  bale adoun brynge .
Þanne bale be I-bete  and bote neuere þe bettere .

[^a271: Þat (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^287: R.4.94: Þat is an alpha addition unattested by any beta manuscript. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta on the phrasing of this a-verse.]

¶ And þanne gan mede to meken[^a272][^288] hire  and mercy he[^a273][^289] bysouȝte .
And profered pees a present  alle of pure golde .
Haue þis man of me quatz sche  to amende þi scathe .
For I wil wage for wronge  he wil do so na more .

[^a272: meken (R F) | mengen (Most beta mss)]

[^a273: he (R) | she (Most beta mss)]

[^288: R.4.96: Beta reads mengen, but clear majorities of both the A and C witnesses support alpha's reading.]

[^289: R.4.96: He, variant of heo, "she." See note at R.3.119:.]

¶[^290] Pytousliche pees þanne  preyed to þe kynge .
To haue mercy on þat man  þat mysdede hym so ofte .
For he hath waged me wel  as wisdom hym tauȝte .
And I forgyue hym þat gult  with a goed wille .
So þat þe kyng assente  I can sey no bettere .
For mede hath made myn[^a274][^291] amendes  I may namore axe .

[^a274: myn (R F) | me (Most beta mss)]

[^290: R.4.100: This paraph marker was mistakenly executed in red and then erased, in anticipation of being redrawn in blue.]

[^291: R.4.105: For alpha's myn, beta reads me. Both Ax and Cx attest possessive case for this pronoun rather than objective case.]

¶ Nay quatz þe kyng þo  so me god[^a275][^292] helpe .
Wronge wendeth nauȝt so awey  arst wil I wyte more .
For loupe he so liȝtly  leyȝhen he wolde .
And efte þe bolder be  to beten myn hewes .
But reson haue reuthe on hym  he schal rest in my stokkes .
And þat as longe as he lyueth  but lowenesse hy hy[m][^a276] borwe .

[^a275: god (R H F) | cryst (Most beta mss)]

[^a276: hy hy[m] (R) | hym (All other mss)]

[^292: R.4.106: R's god is an alpha reading; cf. beta's cryst.]

¶ Summe men radde reson þo  to haue reuth on þat schrewe .
And for to consayle þe kyng  and consience after .
Þat mede moste be meynpernoure  reson þei besouȝte .

¶ Rede me nauȝt quod reson  no reuth to haue 
Til lordes and ladyes  louyen alle treuthe .
And haten alle harlotrie  to heren it or to mouthe it .
Til peronelles purfil  be putte in hire hucche .
And childerne chirissynge  be chastyng with ȝerdes .
And harlotes holynesse  be holden for nauȝte[^a277] .[^293]
Til clerkene coueytise  be to clothe þe pore and to fede .
And religiouse romares  recordare in here cloystres .
As seynt benet hem bad  bernard and Franceys .
And til prechoures prechynge  be proued on hem-selue .
Til þe kynges conseylle  be þe commune profit
Til bisshopes bayardes  ben beggere[^a278][^294] chaumbres .
Here haukes and here houndes  help to pouere religiouses[^a279] .[^295]

[^a277: nauȝte (R) | an hyne (Most beta mss)]

[^a278: beggere (R) | beggeres (All other mss)]

[^a279: religiouses (R) | Religious (All beta mss)]

[^293: R.4.120: R's nauȝte is unique; cf. F's vanyte and beta's an hyne. The C version completely revises this b-verse, but the Ax version agrees exactly with beta's rendering.]

[^294: R.4.126: Beta shows the genitive plural beggeres; F reads beggerys in.]

[^295: R.4.127: R's plural form is unique; beta reads Religious, while F has relygyouse howsys.]

¶ And til seynt Iames be souȝt  þere I schal assygne .
Þat no man go to galys  but if he goo for euere .
And alle rome renneres  for robberes of by-ȝende .
Bere no siluer ouer see  þat signe of kyng scheweth .
Nother graue ne vn-graue  gold nother seluer .
Vppon forfeture of þat fee  ho-so fynt hym at douere .
But if it be marchant or his man  or messagere with lettres .
Prouisoure or preest  or penaunt for his synnes .[^296]

[^296: The twelfth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 2 cm, from R4.134-37.]

¶[^297] And ȝet quod resoun be þe rode  I schal no reuthe haue .
While mede hath þe maystrie  in þis moot halle .
Ac I may schewe ensaumples  as I se othere otherwhile otherwhile[^a280] .
I sey it be my-selue quod he  and it so were .
Þat I were kyng with crowne  to kepen a rewme .
Schuld neuere wrong in þis world  þat I witt miȝte 
Ben vnpunesched in my powere  for peril of my soule .
Ne gete my grace þoruȝ[^a281][^298] gyftes  so me god saue .
Ne for no mede haue mercy  but mekenesse it made[^a282] .

[^a280: othere otherwhile otherwhile (R) | otherwhile (Most other mss)]

[^a281: þoruȝ (R F) | for (All beta mss)]

[^a282: made (R Cr Hm H F) | make (Most beta mss)]

[^297: R.4.136: This paraph marker was mistakenly executed in red and then erased, in anticipation of being redrawn in blue.]

[^298: R.4.143: R's þoruȝ is an alpha variant shared exclusively with F. Beta reads for. Cx is revised immediately beyond this point in the line, but it agrees with alpha on the identity of this preposition. Ax reads the entire a-verse exactly as alpha does.]

¶ For nullum malum þe man  mette with inpunitum .
And bad nullum bonum  be irremuneratum .

¶ Lat ȝoure confessoure sire kyng  construe þis vn-glosed .
And ȝif ȝe werkyn it in werke  I wedde myn eres .
☞
Þat lawe schal ben a laborere  and lede afelde donge .[^299]
And loue schal lede þi londe  as þe leef lyketh .

[^299: A hand in the left margin points to these lines.]

¶ Clerkes þat were confessores  couplede hem to-gyderes .
Alle to construe þis clause  and for þe kynges profit .
Ac nauȝt for conforte of þe commune  ne for þe kynges soule .

¶ For I seyȝ mede in þe moot halle  on men of lawe wynken .
And þei lawhynge lope to hire  and left reson manye .

¶ Waryn wysdom  wynkede vppon mede .
And seyde madame I am ȝoure man what-so my mouth iangle .
I falle in floreyns quod þe[^a283][^300] freke  and faile speche ofte .

[^a283: þe (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | þat (Most beta mss)]

[^300: R.4.158: R's þe is an alpha variant (cf. beta's þat), shared by convergence with Cr2-3.]

¶ Alle riȝtful recordede  þat resoun[^301] trewthe tolde .
And witt acordede þere-with  and comended his wordes .
And þe most poeple in þis[^a284][^302] halle  and many of þe grete .
And leten mekenesse a maystere  and mede a mansed schrewe .

[^a284: þis (R) | þe (Most other mss)]

[^301: R.4.159: The scribe's rendering of this word is ambiguous; he has placed a dot over the final character rather than the customary nasal bar, but his typical spelling suggests that he intended this word to be construed here as resoun.]

[^302: R.4.161: R's þis is unique. The other B manuscripts read þe.]

¶ Loue loue Loue[^a285] lett of hire lyȝte  and leute wel[^a286][^303] lasse .
And seyde it so hye  þat alle þe halle it herde .
Ho-so wilneth hire to wyue  for welth of hire godes .
But he be knowe for a kokewolde  bitte[^a287][^304] of my nose .

[^a285: Loue loue Loue (R) | Loue (All other mss)]

[^a286: wel (R Hm F) | ȝit (Most beta mss)]

[^a287: bitte (R) | kut (All other mss)]

[^303: R.4.163: R's wel is an alpha variant shared with Hm by convergence. Beta reads ȝit. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^304: R.4.166: R's bitte is unique error. The other B manuscripts read kut, which matches the line's alliterative pattern. Both Ax and Cx agree with the B majority's reading.]

¶ Mede morned þo  and made heuy chere .
For þe most commune of þat courte  called hire an hore .
Ac a sysoure and a sompnoure  sued hire faste .
And a schirreuesclerke schirreues clerke  by-schrewed alle þe route .
For ofte haue I quod he  I-hulpe[^a288] ȝow atte barre .
And ȝet ȝeue ȝe me neuere  þe worth of a rusche .

[^a288: I-hulpe (R) | holpe(n) (All other mss)]

¶ Þe kyng called consience  and afterwardes resoun .
And recordede þat resoun  hadde riȝtfulliche yschewed[^a289] .
And modiliche vppon mede miȝte[^a290]  þat[^a291] kyng loke[^a292] .[^305]
And gan wax wroth with lawe  for mede almost had schent it .

[^a289: yschewed (R) | schewed (All other mss)]

[^a290: miȝte (R F) | with myȝte (All beta mss)]

[^a291: þat (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a292: loke (R F) | loked (All beta mss)]

[^305: R.4.175: Alpha wrongly construed myȝte as a modal instead of a noun.]

¶ And seyde þurȝ ȝoure lawe as I leue  I lese many chetes .
Mede ouer-maystrieth lawe  and muche treuthe letteth .
Ac resoun schal rekne with ȝow  ȝif I regne any while .
And deme ȝow be þis daye  as ȝe haue deseruede .
Mede schal nouȝt meynprise ȝow  be þe marie of heuene .
I wil haue lewte in lawe  and let be al ȝoure iangelynge .
And as alle[^a293][^306] folke witnesseth  wronge schal be ydemed[^a294] .

[^a293: alle (R F) | moste (Most beta mss)]

[^a294: ydemed (R) | demed (All other mss)]

[^306: R.4.183: R's alle is an alpha reading. Cf. beta's moste. If beta is original at this point, the omission of the second alliterating stave wel at the end of the a-verse is also derived from an alpha error but one shared with Cr, G, and H. However, it is quite conceivable that F's reading for this half-line is the authorial one (though unlikely to have been derived from alpha): & as alle wyȝes witnesse.]

¶ quatz consience to þe kynge  but þe commune wil assente .
It is ful hard be my hed  herto to brynge it .
Alle ȝoure[^a295][^307] leedes  to lede þus euene .

[^a295: ȝoure (R) | ȝowre lige (Most beta mss)]

[^307: R.4.186: R uniquely omits beta's lige from the phrase lige leodes; cf. F's phrase, londys leedys. In the C tradition, the phrase is either identical to beta's (a majority of C witnesses) or more closely resembles beta's (XYcP2 = lege lordes). Most A witnesses also agree with beta.]

¶ By hym þat rauȝte on þe rode  quod resoun to þe kynge .
But if I rewle þus ȝoure rewme  rend oute my guttes .
If ȝe bydden buxumnesse  be of myn assente .

¶ And I assente quatz[^308] þe kyng  by seint marie my lady .
Be my conseille I-come  of clerkes and of erles .

[^308: R.4.190: Here beta probably read seith (the reading of LMCrW), but several beta witnesses (HmGOH) support alpha's quod (F) or quatz (R). Ax clearly agrees with the alpha reading, despite its deficient alliteration.]

¶ Ac redily resoun  þow schalte nouȝt ride fro me .[^309][^310]
For as longe as I lyue  leet þe Inelle I nelle .

[^309: In the right margin, in black ink, there is an early ownership stamp for the Bodleian Library.]

[^310: The thirteenth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 2 cm, from R4.192-94.]

¶ I am aredy quod resoun  to rest with ȝow euere .
So consience be of oure conseil  I kepe no bettere .
And I graunt quod þe kyng  godesforbode godes forbode he[^a296][^311] faile .
As longe as oure lif last[^a297][^312]  leue we to-gyderes .

[^a296: he (R) | it (Most beta mss)]

[^a297: last (R) | lasteth (Most beta mss)]

[^311: R.4.196: For R's he, cf. F's þou and beta's it. Ax agrees with R's reading.]

[^312: R.4.197: Beta reads lasteth.]

Passus quintus de visione petri plowman . vt supra .

T he kyng and his knyȝtes  to þe kerke wente .
To here matynes of þe day  and þe masse after

Þanne awaked I of my wynkyng  and wo was with-alle .
Þat I ne hadde sleped saddere  and I-seyȝen more .
Ac er I hadde faren a furȝlonge  feyntise me hente .
Þat I ne miȝte forthere a foot  for defaut of slepynge .
And sat softly adoune  and sayde my beleue .
Nota
And[^313] babeled[^a298] vppon[^a299] my bedes  þei brouȝt me a-slepe .

[^a298: babeled (R) | so I babeled (Most beta mss)]

[^a299: vppon (R) | on (Most other mss)]

[^313: R.5.8: R uniquely omits so I before babeled and replaces the presumably original on with vppon ; cf. F's y bablede so on. C omits this passage, but in the A version it reads as in the beta manuscripts of B.]

¶ And þanne saw I muche more  þan I befor tolde .
For I say þe felde ful of folke  þat I be-fore of seyde
And how resoun gan arayen hym  alle þe rewme to preche .
And with a crosse by-for þe kyng  cumsede þus to techen .

¶ He preued þat þis pestilensez  was for pure synne .
And þe south-west wynde  on saterday at eue .
Was perteliche for pruyde[^a300][^314]  and for no poynt elles .
Pyries and plumtres  were puffedde to þe erthe .
And[^a301][^315] in ensaumple ȝee segges  ȝee schulden do þe bettere .
Beches and brode okes  were blowe to þe grounde .
And[^a302][^316] turned vpward here taile[^a303] [^317] to kenynge tokenynge[^a304] of drede .
Þat dedly synne ar domesday  schal for-don hem alle .

[^a300: pruyde (R F) | pure pryde (Most beta mss)]

[^a301: And (R F) | In (All beta mss)]

[^a302: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a303: taile (R F) | tailles in (All beta mss)]

[^a304: to kenynge tokenynge (R F) | in tokenynge (All beta mss)]

[^314: R.5.15: R's phrase here is that of alpha (cf. F's virtually indentical wording); the beta copies read pure pryde. The A and C versions both agree with alpha.]

[^315: R.5.17: And is an alpha variant (cf. F's somewhat different rendering of this line), but it is not present in the beta manuscripts, nor is it attested in the manuscripts of the other versions at this point.]

[^316: R.5.19: And is an alpha variant completely unattested in beta copies (which begin the line with Torned. However, the alpha reading of this line opening agrees exactly with that of the other two versions.]

[^317: R.5.19: Alpha omits beta's in before tokenynge. Both the A and C versions agree at this point with beta.]

¶ Of þis matere I miȝt  mamely ful longe .
Ac I schal seye as I sawe  so me god helpe .
How perteliche be-for þe poeple  reson gan to preche .

¶ He bad wastour to[^a305][^318] werche  what he best coude .
And wynnen his wastinge  with som manere crastys cra[f]tys[^a306] .[^319]

[^a305: to (R) | go (All other mss)]

[^a306: crastys cra[f]tys (R) | crafte (All beta mss)]

[^318: R.5.24: R's to is unique among the B manuscripts. The others read go, which is also the reading of the A version and of the P family of C witnesses. However, the X family agrees with R's reading.]

[^319: R.5.25: R's crastys, is probably an alpha error (cf. beta's crafte and F's reconstructed werkys). The phrase is omitted from C, but the A witnesses support beta's rendering.]

¶ And preied pernele  hire purfile to lete .
And kepe it in hire coffre  for catel at hire nede .

¶ Thomme stouue he tauȝte  to take to stones[^a307] .[^320]
And fecche felice home  fram wyuene[^a308] pyne .

[^a307: stones (R) | staues (All other mss)]

[^a308: wyuene (R F) | þe wyuen (Most beta mss)]

[^320: R.5.28: R's stones is unique. The other B manuscripts, as well as the other versions, read staues.]

¶ He warned watte  his wif was to blame .
Þat hire hed was worth half marke  his hode nauȝt a grote[^321] .

[^321: R.5.31: HmGCotH join R in omitting worth from the final phrase of this line (witnessed by F and most beta copies as nouȝte worth a grote. The majority of A witnesses agrees with this B majority in attesting the word, but RaUChJEK agree with Rawlinson 38 in omitting it. So do all but two of the C witnesses.]

¶ And[^a309][^322] bet cutte  a bow other tweye .
And bete betoun þere-with  but ȝif heo[^a310] wolde werche .

[^a309: And (R) | And bad (All beta mss)]

[^a310: heo (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^322: R.5.32: R uniquely omits the verb bad before bet here.]

¶ And þanne he charged chapmen  to chaste[^323] hire childerne .
Late no wynnynge for-wanyen  þe[^a311][^324] while þei ben ȝonge .
Ne for no pouste of pestilence  plese hem nauȝt oute of resoun .

[^a311: for-wanyen  þe (R) | hem forweny (Most beta mss)]

[^323: R.5.34: The uncovered final <e> makes R's reading unmetrical. R's verb form is unique among the B witnesses; some beta manuscripts have chastize(n). However, R's form is attested in some copies of both A and C. Likewise, some of the A witnesses agree with beta. The Cx form appears to have been chasten, quite possibly the reading of Bx, since it is also the reading of LCrCG.]

[^324: R.5.35: R uniquely omits Bx's hem at the end of the a-verse and uniquely adds þe at the head of the b-verse. However, the addition of þe is paralleled in the X family of C manuscripts.]

¶ My sire seyde so to me  and so dede my dame .
Þat þe leuer childe  þe more lore byhoueth .
And salomon seyde þe same  þat sapience made .
Qui parcit virge odit filium .
Þe englisch of þis latyn is  ho-so wil it knowe .
Ho-so spareth þe sprynge  he[^a312] spilleth[^325] his childern .

[^a312: he (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^325: R.5.42: Beta omits he. Although three C manuscripts include the pronoun, it seems clear that Cx read here as beta does.]

¶ And sitthen he proued[^a313][^326] prelatz  and prestes to-gyderes .
Þat ȝee prechen to þe poeple  proue it on ȝow-selue .
And doth it in dede  it schal drawe ȝow to gode .
If ȝe lyuen as ȝe lerne vs  we schal leue ȝow þe bettere .

[^a313: proued (R) | preyed (Most beta mss)]

[^326: R.5.43: R's proued is unique and presumably results from scribal anticipation of proue in the next line; beta reads preyed (which is confirmed by both the A and C versions) while F completely rewrites the line.]

¶ And sitthe he radde religioun  here rewle to holde .
Lest þe kyng and his conseyle  ȝoure comunes appeyre .
And ben stwardes of ȝoure stedes  til ȝe be rewled bettere .

¶ And siþþen he conseyled þe kynge  þe commune to louye .
It is þi tresor if treson were treson [n]ere[^a314][^327]  and triacle at þi nede .

[^a314: treson were treson [n]ere (R) | tresoun ne were (Most other mss)]

[^327: R.5.51: R uniquely drops the negative.]

¶ And siþþen he preyed þe pope[^328]  haue pite on holy cherche .
And er he gyue any grace  gouerne furst hym-selue .

[^328: R.5.52: The word pope has been partially erased, though the original reading is visible. The erasure is very old but not the work of the original scribe.]

¶ And ȝe þat haue lawes to kepe  lat trewthe be ȝoure coueytise .
More þanne gold or other giftes  if ȝe wil god plese .

¶ For ho-so contrarieth trewthe  he telth in þe gospel .
Þat god knoweth hem nouȝt  ne no seint of heuene .
Amen dico vobis nescio vos  .

¶ And ȝe þat seke seint Iames  and seintes of rome .
Seketh seint trewthe  for he may saue ȝow alle .
Qui cum patre & filio  þat faire hem befalle .
Þat sueth my sarmoun  and þus seyde resoun .

¶ Þanne ran repentaunce  and reherced his teme .
And gerte wille to wepe  water with his eyȝes .

¶ Pernele proude-herte  platte hire to þe erthe .
And lay longe ar he[^a315][^329] loked  and lord mercy he criede[^a316][^330] .
And by-hiȝte to hym  þat vs alle made .
He[^a317][^331] sclulde sc[h]ulde[^a318] vnsowen hire serke  and setten þere an haire .
To affaiten hire flesche  þat fers was to synne .
Schal neuere heyȝ herte me hente  but holde me lowe .
And suffre to be myssayde  and so dede I neuere .
But now wil I meke me  and mercy byseche .
For[^a319] þis[^332] I haue  I-hated[^a320] in myn herte .

[^a315: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a316: he criede (R) | cryed (All other mss)]

[^a317: He (R) | She (All other mss)]

[^a318: sclulde sc[h]ulde (R) | shulde (All beta mss)]

[^a319: For (R F) | For al (All beta mss)]

[^a320: I-hated (R) | hated (Most other mss)]

[^329: R.5.66: He, "she."]

[^330: R.5.66: R alone reiterates the feminine pronoun (in R's typical form, he) in the b-verse. The correctness of the majority reading is confirmed by the text of Ax and Cx.]

[^331: R.5.68: He, "she."]

[^332: R.5.73: Beta's phrase is For al þis. F has For þ(a)t ."]

¶ Þanne lecchour seyde allas  and on oure lady he cried
To make mercy for his misdedes  bitwene god and his soule .
With þat he schulde on þe day[^a321][^333]  seuen ȝer þere -after .
Drinke but with þe doke  and dyne but ones .

[^a321: on þe day (R) | þe saterday (All beta mss)]

[^333: R.5.76: Cf. beta's þe saterday and F's euery day. The C version is completely revised at this point, but the A reading agrees completely with that of beta.]

¶ Enuye with heuy herte  askede after schrifte .
And carfulliche mea culpa  he cumsed to schrewe schre[u]e[^a322] .[^334]
He was as pale as a pelete  in þe palsey he semed .
And cluted[^a323][^335] in a tauri-mauri [c]auri-mauri[^336]  I coude nauȝt it[^a324][^337] descriue .
In a kertel and curteby  and a knyf be his side .
Of a frere[^a325][^338] frokke  were his[^a326][^339] fore-sleues .
And as a leek hadde I-leye  longe in þe sonne .
So loked he with lene chekes  louring foule .

[^a322: schrewe schre[u]e (R) | shewe (Most beta mss)]

[^a323: cluted (R) | clothed (All other mss)]

[^a324: nauȝt it (R) | it nouȝte (All other mss)]

[^a325: frere (R) | freres (All other mss)]

[^a326: his (R H F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^334: R.5.79: R's error, schrewe, was not a misreading for shewe (the beta variant) but for schreue, the alpha reading (cf. F's shryve). The A reading agrees with that of beta.]

[^335: R.5.81: This is a unique R reading (Bx = clothed). According to MED, s. v. clouten (v. 1), the form is the past participle of clouten, which usually means "to mend" but here and in a few other documented instances clearly signifies "to wear patched or ragged clothes."]

[^336: R.5.81: R, probably by coincidence, shares the <c/t> confusion with Bm.]

[^337: R.5.81: R reverses this phrase, which in the other B manuscripts (as well as the A version) reads it nouȝte.]

[^338: R.5.83: R's uninflected form, frere, is unique in the B version. The other copies have freres. However, five A-version manuscripts (DJLaEN) agree with R's unmarked genitive.]

[^339: R.5.83: In place of alpha's his, beta reads þe. Ax is unclear on this point, a majority agreeing with beta, but a large minority (HaLaEAKWa) agreeing with alpha.]

¶ His body was to-bolle for wrathe  þat he bot his lyppes .
And wryngyed with[^a327][^340] þe fist  to wreke hym-self he thouȝte .
With werkes or with wordes  whan he seyȝ his time .
Eche word þat he warp  was of an addre[^a328][^341] tonge .
Of chydynge and of chalengynge  was his chief lyflode
With bagbityng and with[^a329][^342] bysmere  and berynge of fals wytnesse .
Þis was alle his curteysye  where þat euere he schewed hym .

[^a327: wryngyed with (R) | wryngynge he ȝede with (Most beta mss)]

[^a328: an addre (R Hm F) | an addres (Most beta mss)]

[^a329: with (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^340: R.5.87: Beta reads wryngynge he ȝede. F has hise hondis he wrong.]

[^341: R.5.89: Beta shows a genitive, addres or Neddres.]

[^342: R.5.91: This line's second with is a unique addition in R.]

¶ I wolde be Ischryue quod þis schrewe  and I for schame durste .
I wolde be gladdere by god  þat gybbe hadde mischaunce .
Þan þouȝ I hadde þis woke I-wonne  a weye of essex chese .

¶ I haue a neyȝbore neyȝ me  I haue enuyed hym ofte .
And lowen on hym to lordes  to don hym lese his siluer .
And al-so[^a330][^343] his frendes ben his fon  þoruȝ my fals tonge .
His grace and his good happes  greueth me ful sore .
By-twene mayne and mayne[^a331][^344]  I make debate ofte .
Þat both lyf and lyme  is lost þoruȝ my speche .

[^a330: al-so (R) | made (Most other mss)]

[^a331: mayne and mayne (R) | many and many (Most beta mss)]

[^343: R.5.98: R's al-so is unique; cf. Bx's made.]

[^344: R.5.100: The form mayne is the R scribe's spelling for meine, "household" (see also R.16.247:). In F the a-verse reads By-twixe hym & manye men ; most beta manuscripts have Bitwene many and many. Though MED lists the head form as meine, OED notes that by the opening of the fifteenth century the word was sometimes spelled many, which appears to have been beta's intention. Its authenticity is also supported by a cognate line from the A version, where the phrase reads Betwyn hym & his meyne .]

¶ And whan I mete hym in markete  þat I most hatye .
I hayls hym hendelich  as I his frende were .
For he is douȝtier þan I  I dar do non other .
Ac hadde I maystrie and miȝt  god wote my wille .

¶ And whan I come to þecherche þe cherche[^a332][^345]  and schulde knele to þe rode .
And preye for þe poeple  as þe prest techeth .
For pylgrimes and for palmeres  for alle þe poeple after
Þanne I crie on my knes  þat crist ȝif hem sorwe .
Þat bare away my bolle  and my broke schete .

[^a332: þecherche þe cherche (R) | þe kirke (Most beta mss)]

[^345: R.5.106: HmF agree with R in reading cherche, but they omit the article. The beta reading, kirke (also the reading of the A tradition), fits the alliterative pattern of the line; cherche was the alpha reading, shared by convergence with Hm.]

¶ Awey fro þe auter  þanne turne I myn eyȝes .
And beholde how heleyne  hath on[^a333][^346] a newe cote
I wysche þenne it were myn  and alle þe web after .[^347]

[^a333: on (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^346: R.5.112: R's on is an alpha addition unattested in beta or in the A version.]

[^347: R.5.113: Here the scribe omits his usual line break before a new verse paragraph, presumably because he has reached the end of a side.]

¶ And of his[^a334][^348] lesynge I lawhe  þat lyketh myn herte .
Ac[^a335] for his wynnyge wynny[n]ge[^a336][^349] I wepe  and wayle þe tyme .

[^a334: his (R) | mennes (Most other mss)]

[^a335: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a336: wynnyge wynny[n]ge (R) | wynnynge (Most other mss)]

[^348: R.5.114: R's his is a unique reading among the B manuscripts (both F and beta attest mennes). However, it is clear that Ax reads as R does.]

[^349: R.5.115: At the beginning of this phrase, R's Ac is unique among the B manuscripts but is also the reading of Ax; by contrast, F has But and beta reads And). As for his (an alpha variant contrasting to beta's hir), a majority of A witnesses agree with RF.]

¶ And deme men[^a337][^350] þat hij don ylle  þere I do wel worse .
Who-so vndernymeth me hereoffe  Ich hate hym dedly after .
I wolde þat vch a wyȝt  were my knaue .
For ho-so hath more þanne I  þat angreth me sore .

[^a337: men (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^350: R.5.116: R's men is unique; F substitutes hem while beta omits it altogether. However, in a slightly different phrase found in the cognate A line (I deme men þere hy don ille), we find unambiguous support for R's reading.]

¶ And þus I lyue loue-lees  lyche a lyther dogge .
Þat alle my body bolneth  for bytter in[^a338][^351] my galle .

[^a338: in (R) | of (All beta mss)]

[^351: R.5.121: Cf. R's in to F's ys and beta's of; it is unclear what the alpha reading was. The A reading agrees with beta.]

¶ I myȝte nauȝt ete many ȝeres  as a man ouȝte .
For enuye and euel wille  is yuel to defye .
May no sucre ne swete thynge  aswage my swelynge .
Ne no diapenidion  driue it fro myn herte .
Ne noyther schrifte no[^a339] schame  but ho-so schrape my mawe .

[^a339: no (R) | ne (Most other mss)]

¶ Ȝis redily quod repentaunce  and radde hym to þe beste .
Sorwe of synnes  is sauacioun of soules .

¶ I am euere[^a340][^352] sory quod þat segge  I am but selde other .
And þat maketh me þus megre  for I ne may me venge .
Amonges burgeys haue I be  dwellynge atte londoun .
And gert bagbytyng be a brokoure  to blame mennes ware .
Whan he solde and I nauȝt  þanne was I aredy[^a341][^353] .
To lye and to loure on my neyȝbore  and to lakken his ware[^a342][^354] .
I wil amende þis if I may  þorȝ miȝt of god al-miȝti .

[^a340: euere (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a341: aredy (R) | redy (All beta mss)]

[^a342: ware (R F) | chaffare (All beta mss)]

[^352: R.5.129: Beta omits euere. This omission is also found in the A version, but the C version agrees with alpha and includes the qualifier.]

[^353: R.5.133: Beta reads redy, and F has ful redy. Some C copies agree with beta, but Cx agrees with R's form, aredy.]

[^354: R.5.134: R's ware is the alpha reading; cf. beta's chaffare.]

¶ Now waketh wrothe[^a343][^355]  with to white eyȝes .
And nyuelyng with þe nose  and his nekke hangynge .

[^a343: waketh wrothe (R) | awaketh wratthe (All beta mss)]

[^355: R.5.136: R's waketh is unique (most of the other witnesses have awaketh). Likewise, R's spelling of the following noun (= wrothe, but rendered as Wraþe or wratthe by most of the others) is unique among the B copies—cf. the same spelling at R5.138 (at which point F and the X family of C concur with R's form). According to OED2, s. v. wrath, and MED, s. v. wroth, this spelling is a late adaptation from the adjective wroth, = "angry." Nominal usage is also found in a manuscript of Gower's Confessio (at 3.217) and in the Trinity manuscript of the A-version (at 5.66).]

¶ I am wrothe[^a344][^356] quatz he  I was sumtyme a frere .
And þe couent[^a345][^357] gardinere  for to graffe ympes .
On lymitoures and listres  lesynges I ymped .
Til þei bere leues  of lowe speche  lordes to plese .
And sitthe þei blosmed[^a346][^358]  in boure to here schriftes .
And now is falle þere-offe a fruyt  þat folk haue wel leuere .
Schewen here schriftes til[^a347] hem  þan schriuen hem til[^a348][^359] here persones .

[^a344: wrothe (R F) | wrath (All beta mss)]

[^a345: couent (R) | couentes (All other mss)]

[^a346: blosmed (R F) | blosmed obrode (Most beta mss)]

[^a347: til (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^a348: til (R) | to (All beta mss)]

[^356: R.5.138: R's wrothe is a relatively uncommon spelling for this word (cf. R5.136 above), but it is also attested in F and among the X family of C. Beta and the P family of C witness the more usual spellings (e.g, W's wraþe).]

[^357: R.5.139: R's uninflected form is unique; F and beta read a normal genitive, couentes. On the other hand, the R scribe may have taken the phrase couent gardinere as a compound noun.]

[^358: R.5.142: The beta phrase, which has the advantage of alliterating properly, is blosmed obrode.]

[^359: R.5.144: Both of R's uses of til in this line are unique; F and beta read to in the first instance. F revises the b-verse substantially (so as to be unsuitable for comparison), but beta again deploys to.]

¶ And now haue persones aperceyued[^a349]  þat freres parte with hem .
Þes possessioneres prechen  and deprauen freres .
And fynden[^a350][^360] hem in defaute  as folke bereth witnesse .
Þat whanne þei preche þe poeple  in many places aboute .
I wrathe walke with hym[^a351][^361]  and wisse hem of my bokes .
Þus þei speken of my spiritualte  þat eyther despi seth other .
Til þei be bothe beggeres  and by[^a352] spiritualte[^362] libben .[^363]
Or elles alle riche  and riden aboute
I wrathe reste neuere  þat Ine I ne mot folwe .
Þis wikked folke  for swich is my grace .

[^a349: aperceyued (R) | parceyued (All beta mss)]

[^a350: fynden (R F) | freres fyndeth (All beta mss)]

[^a351: hym (R) | hem (All other mss)]

[^a352: by (R Hm F) | by my (Most beta mss)]

[^360: R.5.147: The agreement of RF in omitting the first stave of this line (freres in beta) indicates that the error derives from alpha.]

[^361: R.5.149: R's hym is unique and obviously an error; F and beta read the plural hem, which agrees with all of the surrounding context, including another pronoun reference later in this same line.]

[^362: R.5.151: Beta reads by my spiritualte. F has by almesse.]

[^363: R.5.151: There is a black, vertical line from this point to R5.160 in the right margin.]

¶ I haue anaunte an aunte to nonne  and an abbesse[^a353][^364] .
Hire were leuere swowe or swelte  þan suffre any peyne .
I haue be cook in hire kychyne  and þe couent serued .
Many monthes with hem  and with monkes alse[^a354] .[^365]
I was þe prioresses potagere  and other pouer ladyes .
And made hem ioutes of iangelyng  þat dame ione was a bastard .
And dame claris a kniȝtes douȝter  ac a cokewolde was hire sire .
And dame peronel a prestes fyle  prioresse worthe heo neuere .
For heo hadde childe in chirityme  al oure chapitere it wiste .

[^a353: abbesse (R F) | abbesse bothe (All beta mss)]

[^a354: alse (R) | bothe (All other mss)]

[^364: R.5.155: Beta adds bothe at the end of this line. The C version, however, agrees with alpha in omitting it.]

[^365: R.5.158: R's alse is unique; the other B manuscripts read bothe. The C reading agrees with that of the B majority.]

¶ Of wikked wordes I wrathe  here wortes I-made[^366] .
Til þow lixt and þow lixte  lopen oute at ones .
And eyther hitte other  vnder þe cheke .
Hadde þei had knyues by crist  here eyther hadde kulled othere .

[^366: R.5.164: Only RLOC2 have the metrically necessary dissyllabic form from OE gemacian. F has a recomposed line, and other B manuscripts have made.]

Gregorius
¶ Seynt gregorie was a goed pope  and hadde a goed forwitte[^367]
Þat no prioresse were prest  for þat he ordeyned .
Þei hadden þanne be infamis þe firste day  þei cunne so euel hele conseyle .

[^367: R.5.168: In this verse paragraph and the next, the scribal hand becomes noticeably smaller, and yet the 36-line ruling is unchanged from the previous leaf.]

¶ Amonges monkes I miȝt be  and many tyme I schonie .
For þere ben many felle frekes  my feres to aspie .
Bothe priour and suppriour  and oure pater abbas .
And ȝif I telle any tales  þei taken hem to-gyderes .
And do me faste fridayes  to brede and to water .
And ȝeet am[^a355][^368] chalenged  in þe chapitelhous .
As I achild a child were[^369] 
And baleysed on þe bare bak[^a356][^370]  and no breche by-twene .
For-thi haue I no likyng  with þo ledes to wonye .
I ete þere vnthende fissh  and feble[^371] ale drinke .

[^a355: ȝeet am (R) | am (Most beta mss)]

[^a356: bak (R F) | ers (All beta mss)]

[^368: R.5.176: R's ȝeet is a unique addition to this line, as witnessed in the other B manuscripts. However, it is also clearly attested in the C version.]

[^369: R.5.177: R's line division here is unique and obviously an error; F, beta, and the C version read this phrase as the end of the preceding line .]

[^370: R.5.178: R's cancelled reading, hers, is the Bx original. F agrees with R's "corrected" and euphemized reading, bak, but the C version agrees with the Bx original.]

[^371: R.5.180: The final <e> of feble is blotted.]

¶ Ac other-while whan wyn cometh  whan I drynke wel[^a357][^372] at euen .
I haue a flix of a foul mouth  wel fyue dayes after .
Alle þe wikkednesse þat I wote  by any of oure bretheren .
I couthe it in oure cloystre  þat alle[^373] couent[^a358] wot it .

[^a357: wel (R F) | wyn (Beta M Cr1 W)]

[^a358: couent (R) | owre couent (Beta M Cr)]

[^372: R.5.181: Beta reads wyn.]

[^373: R.5.184: R uniquely omits a determiner after alle. A majority of beta copies, and F, read þe here while LMCrW attest owre. Cx agrees with F and the beta majority.]

¶ Now repente þe quod repentance  and reherce þow neuere .
Conseille þat þow knoweste  by contenance ne by speche[^a359][^374] .
And drink nauȝt ouerdelicatly  ne to depe neyther .
Þat þi wille be cause þere-offe  to wrathe miȝt turne .
Esto sobrius  he seyde  and so he[^a360][^375] assoyled me after .
And badde me wilne to wepe  my wikkedenesse to amende .

[^a359: speche (R F) | riȝte (Most beta mss)]

[^a360: so he (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^374: R.5.186: R and F agree with the C version in attesting speche as this line's final stave. By contrast, beta reads riȝte at this point.]

[^375: R.5.189: R's so he is a unique addition to the text witnessed by both Bx and Cx.]

descripcio avaritie
¶ And þanne come coueytyse  I can hym nauȝt descriue .
So hungrilyche and holewe  sire henry hym lokede .
He was bittel-browed  and baber-lipped alse .
With to blered eyȝes  as a blynde hagge .
And as a letheren purce  lolled his chekes .
Wel sydder þanne his chyn  þei chyueld for elde .
And as a bonde-man of his bakun  his berd was bydraueled .
With his[^a361][^376] hode on his hed  a lousy hatt aboue .
And in a tawne tabbarde  of twelue wynter age .
Al to-torne and baudy  and ful of lys crepynge .
But if a lous coude  lepe[^a362] þe bettere .[^377]
He[^a363] ne[^a364] schulde nouȝt walke[^a365][^378] on þat welsch  so was it thredebare .

[^a361: his (R F) | an (All beta mss)]

[^a362: lepe (R F) | haue lopen (Most beta mss)]

[^a363: He (R F) | She (All beta mss)]

[^a364: ne (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a365: walke (R F) | haue walked (Most beta mss)]

[^376: R.5.198: For alpha's his, beta reads an. The C reading agrees with alpha.]

[^377: R.5.201: All the B manuscripts are corrupt, presumably losing most of the original b-verse: But if (þat) a lous couthe (haue lopen / lepen) þe bettre. RF omit þat and avoid the perfect tense. F's reading for this line is unique in other ways as well. The A-version reading for this line's second half is uncertain, with considerable variation between witnesses. Kane chose I may it nouȝt leue. The C b-verse has the appearance of a feeble patch rather than a common original: y leue and y trowe.]

[^378: R.5.202: Cf. beta's She sholde nouȝte haue walked. Evidence from the A and C versions suggests that archetypal B was already misreading the first verb in this line (= wandre in A and C). Though most C manuscripts attest the line's opening as He sholde, manuscripts X and P2 here agree with R's version of the opening phrase, He ne schulde. Among the A copies, the same pattern is apparent, with most opting for some form of he shulde but with ChRaU paralleling R's double-negative syntax.]

¶ I haue be coueytouse quod þis caytyf  I be-knowe it here .
For sum -tyme I seruede  symme at þe style .
And was his prentis I-pliȝt  his profit to wayte .[^379]

[^379: R.5.205: R omits his customary blank line between strophes at the juncture of ll. 205-06, presumably because the latter is to fill the last line ruled for this side.]

¶ First I lerned to lye  a leef or[^a366] tweyne .
Wikkedliche to weye  was my furst lessoun .
To wy and to wynchestre  I wente to þe feyre .
With many maner marchandise  as my mayster me hiȝte .
Ne hadde þe grace of gyle  I-go amonge my ware[^a367] .[^380]
It hadde be vnsold þis seuen ȝere  so me god helpe .

[^a366: or (R M F) | other (Most beta mss)]

[^a367: ware (R L M F) | chaffare (Most beta mss)]

[^380: R.5.210: The alpha variant ware is supported by LM, but most beta copies read chaffare. However, as is often the case with such splits, both Ax and Cx support the LMRF variant.]

¶ Þanne drow I me amonges draperes  my donet to lerne .
To drawe þe lyser a-longe  þe lenger it semed .
Amonge þe riche rayeres[^a368][^381]  I rendred a lessoun .
To brochen hem with a batnedel[^a369][^382]  and playted hem to-gyderes .
And putte hem in a presse  and pyned[^a370] hem þere-Inne .
Til ten ȝerdes or twelue  tolled[^a371] oute threttene .

[^a368: rayeres (R) | rayes (All other mss)]

[^a369: batnedel (R L F) | paknedle (Most beta mss)]

[^a370: pyned (R L F) | pynned (Most beta mss)]

[^a371: tolled (R L M F) | hadde tolled (Most beta mss)]

[^381: R.5.214: R's rayeres, "a maker or seller of striped cloth," is a unique variant among B witnesses; Bx reads rayes. The same variant occurs in manuscript Uc of the C version, but both Ax and Cx clearly attest the same word here as the B majority. For other citations of this R form, see MED, s. v. raier.]

[^382: R.5.215: Most beta manuscripts read paknedle, but L (and perhaps M originally, which has been corrected to pak by erasure and writeover) supports alpha's batnedel. The majority of A witnesses agrees with beta, but manuscripts AE agree with alpha's lection. Batnedel is also the reading of the best C manuscripts (though most of the P family copies agree with the common beta reading).]

¶ My wif was a webbe  and wolene cloth made .
Heo[^a372] spak to a spinnester[^a373][^383]  to spynnen it oute .
Ac þe pound þat heo payed by  peysed a quarter[^a374][^384] more .
Nota
Þan myn owenauncer owen auncer  ho-so weyȝed trewthe .

[^a372: Heo (R) | She (Most other mss)]

[^a373: a spinnester (R F) | spynnesteres (All beta mss)]

[^a374: quarter (R F) | quarteroun (Most beta mss)]

[^383: R.5.219: Beta reads spynnesteres, which is also the reading of Cx. The Ax reading is uncertain since the singular and plural forms are both well attested among extant copies.]

[^384: R.5.220: Beta reads quarteroun, but Ax and Cx confirm alpha's lection.]

¶ I bouȝte hire barly[^a375][^385]  heo brewe it to selle .
Peny-ale and puddynge-ale  heo poured to-gyderes .
For laboreres and for low folke  þat lay bi hym-selue .

[^a375: barly (R) | barly malte (All other mss)]

[^385: R.5.222: Beta and F read barly malte, but both Ax and Cx confirm R's reading.]

¶ Þe best of alle[^a376][^386] lay in my boure  or in my bedde-chaumbre .
And ho-so bummeth[^a377][^387] þere-offe  he bouȝte it þere-after .
A galoun for a grote  god wote no lesse .
And ȝet it com in coppe-mele  þis crafte my wif vseth[^a378] .[^388]
Rose þe regrater  is[^a379][^389] hire riȝte name  .
Heo[^a380] hath I-holde[^a381][^390] hokkarie  alle hire lif-tyme .

[^a376: of alle (R) | ale (All other mss)]

[^a377: bummeth (R) | bummed (All other mss)]

[^a378: vseth (R F) | vsed (All beta mss)]

[^a379: is (R F) | was (All beta mss)]

[^a380: Heo (R) | She (All other mss)]

[^a381: I-holde (R F) | holden (Most beta mss)]

[^386: R.5.225: R's of alle is unique; F and beta read ale. Among the C manuscripts, the P family omits this lection entirely (as does the cognate line in A), while the X family agrees with the reading of F and beta.]

[^387: R.5.226: R is the only B manuscript to render this verb in the present tense (but see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's—and alpha's—possibly ambiguous tense marking); the others read bummed. Both Ax and Cx agree with the majority B reading.]

[^388: R.5.228: The present-tense marking represents alpha's reading (but cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's—and alpha's—possibly ambiguous tense marking); cf. beta's vsed. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^389: R.5.229: The present-tense marking represents alpha's reading; cf. beta's was. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^390: R.5.230: Cf. beta's holden. A and C witnesses show a mixture of verb forms here, but the P family of C agrees with alpha's form.]

¶ Ac I swere now so theich the ich  þat synne wil I lete .
And neuere wikkedlich weye  ne wikked chaffare vse .
But wenden to walsyngham  and my wif alse .
And bidde þe rode of bromeholme  brynge me oute of dette .
¶ Repentedest þow euere quod repentaunce  ne[^391] restitucion madest .

[^391: R.5.235: Among the B manuscripts, only LM support R's ne; most beta copies read or and F has &. However, Cx clearly agrees with the LMR reading.]

¶ Ȝus ones I was herberwed quod he  with an hepe of chapmen .
I ros whan þei were a-reste  and I-rifled[^392] here males .

[^392: R.5.237: LR alone have unmetrical I-rifled. Other B manuscripts have riflede.]

¶ Þat was no restitucioun quod repentance  but a robberes thefte .
Þow haddest bettere[^393] worthi  be hanged þere-fore .
Þan for alle þat  þat þow hast here schewed .

[^393: R.5.239: R shares with LM alone the omission of be in the phrase, be bettere. Their reading is, however, likely to be the original. M later was "corrected" to the majority reading.]

¶ I wende riflynge were restitucioun quod heo[^a382]  for I lerned neuere rede on boke .
And Ican I can no french in feyth  but of þe ferþest ende of norfolke .

[^a382: heo (R) | he (Most beta mss)]

¶ Vsedestow euere vsurie quod repentance  in alle þi lif-tyme .

¶ Nay sothly heo[^a383] seyde  saue in my ȝouthe .
I lerned amonges lumbardes  a lessoun and of iewes[^a384][^394] .
To weye pans with a peys  and pare þe heuiest .
And lene it for loue of þe cros  to legge a wedde and lese it .
Swiche dedes I dede write  if he his day broke .
Ich haue mo maneres þorȝ regages[^a385][^395]  þan þorȝ miseretur & comodat .

[^a383: heo (R) | he (All other mss)]

[^a384: a lessoun and of iewes (R) | and iewes a lessoun (Most beta mss)]

[^a385: regages (R F) | rerages (Most other mss)]

[^394: R.5.245: Cf. beta's and iewes a lessoun. F reads a lessoun be herte. The C reading agrees exactly with R's.]

[^395: R.5.249: Beta has rerages; alpha's reading, regages, is unrecorded in both OED2 and MED s. v. rerage, and arrearage, and is presumably nonsense generated by the misreading of a single graph, an anglicana r.]

¶ I haue I-lente[^a386] lordes  and ladies my chaffare .
And ben here brokour after  and brouȝt[^396] it my-selue .
Exchaunges and cheuysaunces  with suche chaffares[^a387][^397] I dele .
And lenefolke lene folke þat lese wole  a lippe at eueri noble .
And with lumbardes lettres  I ladde golde to rome .
And toke it be taille þere[^a388][^398]  and tolde hem there lasse .

[^a386: I-lente (R) | lent (All other mss)]

[^a387: chaffares (R) | chaffare (All other mss)]

[^a388: þere (R) | here (All beta mss)]

[^396: R.5.251: R shares this error (brouȝt for bouȝte) by convergence with Cot alone.]

[^397: R.5.252: R uniquely deploys the plural form here.]

[^398: R.5.255: Cf. R's þere with beta's here; F omits the adverb entirely.]

¶ Lenedest þow[^a389] euere lordes  for loue of here mayntenance .[^399]

[^a389: Lenedest þow (R) | Lentestow (Most beta mss)]

[^399: A design is scratched in drypoint in the left margin beside these lines; its shape is that of three pillars of approximately the same length, a vertical pillar with two supporting pillars on its left side; the higher supporting pillar is a flat horizontal, joining the vertical midway along its length, the lower one running diagonally upwards to join the other two at the same point. The effect is almost that of a reversed capital <K>.]

¶ Ȝe I haue lent lordes quod heo  loued[^a390][^400] me neuere after .
And haue I-mad many kniȝt  bothe mercer and draper .
Þat payed neuere for his prentishode  nauȝt a peyre gloues .

[^a390: quod heo  loued (R) | loued (Most beta mss)]

[^400: R.5.257: The attributive phrase, quod heo, is an alpha reading not witnessed in any beta manuscript; cf. F's quod he.]

¶ Hastow pyte on pore men  þat mote nedes borwe .

¶ I haue as muche pyte of pore men  as þe[^a391][^401] pedlere hath of cattes .
Þat wolde kulle hem and[^a392][^402] he cacche hem miȝte  for coueytise of here skynnes .[^403]

[^a391: þe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a392: and (R) | yf (All beta mss)]

[^401: R.5.261: R's determiner, þe, is an alpha variant; it is not present in beta manuscripts.]

[^402: R.5.262: and, "if." Beta reads yf.]

[^403: R.5.262: At the bottom center margin of 17v, there is a drypoint figure almost identical to the one noted at R5.256 for the left margin. Now, however, the <K> figure faces downwards, and the top is trapezoidal rather than a simple rectangular pillar.]

¶ Art þow manliche amonge þi neyȝbores  of þi mete and drinke .

¶ I am holden quod he as hende  as hound in his[^a393][^404] kychyne .
Amonges my neyȝbores nameliche  suche a name Ich haue .

[^a393: his (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^404: R.5.264: R's in his kychyne is a metathesis of beta's presumably original text (= is in kychyne). Cf. F's in þe kycchene.]

¶ Now god lene neuere quod repentaunce  but þow repent þe rather .
Þe grace on þis grounde  þi good wel to bi-sette .
Ne þin vssue[^405] after þe  haue ioye of þat þow wynneste .
Ne þi seketoures[^a394][^406] wel bi-sette  þe seluer þat þow hem leuest
And þat was wonne with wronge  with wykked men be despended
For were I frere of þat hows  þere good faith and charite is .
I wolde nouȝt[^a395] cope vs with þi catel  ne oure cherche[^a396][^407] amende
Ne haue a peny to my pitance of þine  be my soule hele .
For þe beste boke in oure hows  þouȝ brend gold were þe leues .
And I wiste witterly  þow were swiche as þow telleste .
Seruus es alterius cum fercula pinguia queris .
Pane tuo pocius  vescere liber eris .

[^a394: seketoures (R F) | excecutours (All beta mss)]

[^a395: wolde nouȝt (R F) | nolde (All beta mss)]

[^a396: cherche (R F) | kyrke (Most beta mss)]

[^405: R.5.268: R reads vssue, agreeing with L alone (= ysue); M has been erased and overwritten to match the other beta manuscripts' reading, heires. F reads houswif.]

[^406: R.5.269: RF's seketoures is an aphetic form of beta's excecutours.]

[^407: R.5.272: Two alpha variants are attested here, the second inadequate for the line's alliterative pattern; cf. RF's wolde nouȝt and cherche with beta's nolde and kyrke.]

¶ Þow art an vnkende creature  I kan þe nauȝt assoile .
Til þow make restitucion quod repentance[^a397][^408]  and rekene with hem alle .
And sitthen þat resoun rolle it  in þe registre of heuene .
Nota
Þat þow hast made vch man goed  I may þe nauȝt saue[^a398] .[^409]
Non dimittitur peccatum nisi[^a399][^410] restituatur ablatum[^a400] .

[^a397: quod repentance (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a398: saue (R) | assoille (All other mss)]

[^a399: nisi (R Cr F) | donec (Most beta mss)]

[^a400: ablatum (R Cr G Cot F) | ablatum &c (Beta M O)]

[^408: R.5.279: Only R records quod repentance. The other B witnesses, including F, are here content with a line having only two alliterating staves. The B manuscript that Langland used in creating C appears to have shared this faulty alliteration since the alliterative key is there shifted from /r/ to /m/ in order to make use of make (=B) / ymad (= C) in the first stave position.]

[^409: R.5.281: R's saue is unique. The other manuscripts read assoille.]

[^410: R.5.282: The predominant beta variant here is donec, but Cr agrees with alpha.]

¶ For alle þat hath of þi good  haue god my trewthe .
Is haldynge[^a401][^411] at þe heyȝ dome  to helpe þe restitue[^a402][^412] .
And ho-so leueth nauȝt þis be soth  loke in a[^a403][^413] sauter glose .
In miserere mei deus  where I mene trewthe .
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti &cetera .

[^a401: haldynge (R) | holde(n) (All other mss)]

[^a402: restitue (R) | to restitue (Most beta mss)]

[^a403: a (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^411: R.5.284: Only LMF agree with R's Is (but F's verb occurs in a completely rewritten line). The other copies show be(n). R's haldynge is unique; the other B copies all show holde(n) as do many P manuscripts in the C tradition. However, the X family of C agrees with R's lection.]

[^412: R.5.284: With reference to beta, R's lection here appears at first glance to involve a unique omission. Beta reads þe to restitue. However, the supposition of omission collapses when we notice that the nearly unanimous C reading at this point is identical to R's (F rewrites the line completely).]

[^413: R.5.285: R's lection is unique; the other manuscripts read þe, as does the C version.]

¶ Þere is no laborere wolde[^a404] leue with hem[^a405]  þat knoweth[^a406] peres þe[^a407] plowman .[^414]
For[^a408][^415] schal neuere werkman in þis worlde  thriue with þat þow wynnest .
Cum sancto sanctus eris  construe me þat on englische .

[^a404: wolde (R) | þat wil (F)]

[^a405: hem (R) | þe (F)]

[^a406: knoweth (R) | longiþ to (F)]

[^a407: þe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a408: For (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^414: R.5.288: Kane-Donaldson dismiss this alpha line as spurious because of its reference to Piers Plowman, who has not yet been introduced into the narrative.]

[^415: R.5.289: For is an alpha variant; beta omits it.]

¶ Þanne wex þe[^a409] schrewe in wanhope  and walde haue hanged hym -selue .
Ne hadde repentance þe rathere  conforted[^416] hym in þis manere .
¶ Haue mercy in þi mende  and with þi mouthe byseche it .
For godes mercy is more  þan alle his other werkes .
Misericordia domini[^a410][^417] super omnia opera eius . &cetera .

[^a409: þe (R F) | þat (All beta mss)]

[^a410: domini (R) | eius (Beta M O C2)]

[^416: R.5.292: Although Hm and G agree with R (presumably by convergence), beta itself had a compound of this verb, needed for alliteration: reconforted; F offers, in a rewritten b-verse, reersyd, which looks like an attempted repair.]

[^417: R.5.295: This is a unique variant in R; the beta copies that contain this citation read eius, the accurate Vulgate form. Approximately half the beta copies and F omit the entire citation.]

¶ And alle þe wikkednesse in þis world  þat man miȝt worche or þenke
Ne is namore to þe mercy of god  þan in þe see a glede
Omnis iniquitas quantum ad misericordiam dei  est quasi sintilla in medio maris .

¶ For-thi haue mercy in thi mynde  and marchandise leue it .
For þow hast no goed grounde  to gete þe with a wastel .
But if it were with þi tonge  or elles with þi to handes .
For þe goed þat þow haste gete  bygan alle with falshede .
And as longe as þow lyuest þere -with  þow ȝeldest nouȝt but borwest .

¶ And if þow wite neuere to whiche  ne wham to restitute .
Bere it to þe bischoppe  and bydde hym of his grace .
By-sette it hym-selue  as best is for thi soule .
For he schal answere for þe  at þe heyȝ dome .
For þe and for many mo  þat man schal ȝiue a rekenynge .
What he lerned ȝow in lente  leue þow non other .
And what he lente ȝow of oure lordes goed  to lette ȝow fro synne .

¶ Now bygynneth glotoun  for to go to schrifte
And cayres hym to cherchewarde[^a411][^418]  his coupe to schewe .

[^a411: cherchewarde (R) | kirkeward (Most other mss)]

[^418: R.5.312: As is frequently the case, R's unique reading here is defective in alliteration (cf. Bx's kirke-ward).]

¶ Ac betoun þe brewestere  bad hym goed morewe .
And asked of hym with þat  whyderward he wolde .

¶ To holy cherche quod he  for to here masse .
And sitthen I wil be schriue  and synne namore .

¶ I haue goed ale gossib quod sche  glotoun wiltow assaye .

¶ Hastow auȝt in þi purce  any hote spices .[^419]

[^419: R.5.318: Although the scribe customarily enters a blank line between paragraphs, following this line he seems to have forgotten to do so because of the heavy prevalence of paraph markers to indicate dialogue.]

¶ I haue peper and pioyne[^a412][^420] quod sche  and a pound of garleke .
A ferthyngworth of fenel seed  for fastynge-dayes .

[^a412: pioyne (R) | piones (Most other mss)]

[^420: R.5.319: R's singular is unique among the B manuscripts but agrees with the reading found in Ax and in the X family of C. The P family of C shows the same plural as the B majority.]

¶ Þanne goth glotoun Inne  and grete othes after .
Sesse þe souteres  sate on þe benche .
Watte þe warner  and his wif bothe .
Symme[^421] þe tynkere  and tweyne of his prentys .
Hikke þe hakeney-man  and howe þe nedelere .
Clares of cokkeslane  and þe clerke of þe cherche .
And[^a413][^422] sire peres of pridie  and peronele of flaundres
Dawe þe dykere  and a doseyne other .
A ribyboure a ratonere  a rakyer of chepe .
A roper a redyng-kynge  and rose þe dissheres douȝter[^a414] .[^423]
Godefrey of garlek-hethe  and grifyth[^a415][^424] þe walshe .
And vpholders an hepe  herly by þe morwe .
Geue glotoun with gladde chere  goed ale to hansalle .

[^a413: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a414: douȝter (R F) | nil (Beta Cr W C G)]

[^a415: grifyth (R) | gryfin (Most beta mss)]

[^421: R.5.324: R's non-alliterating Symme is shared with HmYCBoCot among the B manuscripts but also agrees, oddly, with the reading found in A manuscripts TRaDH2H and with the reading of C manuscript P2. Presumably the cause of these overlapping errors is the mutual resemblance of the relevant capitals.]

[^422: R.5.327: And is an alpha variant; beta begins the line with Sire. The C version of this line agrees exactly with beta.]

[^423: R.5.330: The phrase dissheres douȝter is an alpha variant; cf. beta's disshere(s). Both the A version and the C version agree with beta on this reading.]

[^424: R.5.331: F reads Geffrey while beta has gryfin. Both the A version (some copies omit the line completely) and the P family of the C version agree with beta's name form here (P family = griffyng), but the X family of C agrees with R's otherwise unique form.]

¶ Clement þe coblere  cast of his cloke .
And to[^a416][^425] þe newfeyre new feyre[^a417]  nempned[^426] it to selle .
Hikke þe hakeneyman  hit his hood after .
And badde bette þe bochere  to[^a418][^427] ben on his side .
Þere[^a419][^428] chapmen Ichose  þis chaffare to preyse .
Nota
Ho-so haueth þe hood  schul haue amendes of þe cloke .

[^a416: to (R) | atte (All beta mss)]

[^a417: newfeyre new feyre (R) | new faire he (All other mss)]

[^a418: to (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a419: Þere (R) | Þere were(n) (All other mss)]

[^425: R.5.335: Beta reads atte; F has in. The A version reading agrees with beta while the C version agrees with R's to.]

[^426: R.5.335: F and beta both read he nempned; however, both the A archetype and the unanimous C reading agree with R in omitting he.]

[^427: R.5.337: The verbal particle to is an alpha variant completely absent from the beta manuscripts. It does, however, appear in a few A manuscripts (RaUDJ) and in approximately half of the C manuscripts. It may, in fact, be the family reading of the P group.]

[^428: R.5.338: R uniquely omits the Bx verb were at this point, treating the participle Ichose at the end of the a-verse as the verb.]

¶ Þo[^429] risen[^a420] in[^430] rape  and rowned to-gyderes .
And preysed þe[^a421][^431] penyworthes  a-part by hym-selue[^a422] .
Þei coude nauȝt by here consience  acorden in trewthe .
Til robyn þe ropere  arise þe[^a423] southe .[^432]
And nempned hym for a noumper  þat no debate were[^433] .

[^a420: risen (R) | risen vp (All beta mss)]

[^a421: þe (R F) | þese (All beta mss)]

[^a422: hym-selue (R Hm F) | hemselue(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a423: arise þe (R) | arose bi þe (Most beta mss)]

[^429: R.5.340:R and Bm are the only witnesses in the B tradition beginning this line with Þo (= not the common adverb but rather the plural demonstrative pronoun, equivalent to Modern English, "Those." See Kane, Glossary, pp. 207-8). The other beta copies all attest Two while F begins the line with Þan. The P family of C is joined by manuscripts Uc and Dc in support of the beta reading, but manuscripts X, I and P2 (probably reflecting the X subarchetype) agree with R and Bm in reading Þo. The A archetype also supports the RBm variant. Presumably R attests this reading by descent from alpha while Bm has it through correction, perhaps from the C exemplar used for its opening passus. Schmidt is probably correct in hypothesizing (II, 353) that Bx actually spelled Þo in this line as To, thus inviting the common subsequent scribal error of Two.]

[^430: R.5.340: R uniquely omits a word from this phrase. Beta reads risen vp in while F has ryse þey ful. The reading of beta is also found in many A manuscripts and is clearly archetypal in that tradition; among the C witnesses, the P family mostly agrees with R (omitting vp from the phrase) while the X family attests its presence. However, many C manuscripts in both families omit in.]

[^431: R.5.341: Beta reads þese in place of alpha's þe. The A reading agrees with alpha, but the C version is split by families, with the P family supporting alpha while the X family agrees with beta.]

[^432: R.5.343: R may well represent Bx here, but the b-verse is plainly wrong. It is obvious that the F redactor has completely recast the b-verse because of its archtypally defective sense; in beta, the b-verse is similarly lacking, reading arose bi þe southe. Both Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt emend this verse conjecturally to conform to the C version: aryse they bisouhte.]

[^433: R.5.344: Beta and F read nere in place of R's were, but both G and Hm agree with R (presumably by correction). The A witnesses are split, but a majority agrees with R; the C version reading is unambiguously the same as R's.]

¶ Hikke þe hostelere  hadde þe cloke .[^434]
In couenaunt þat clement  schulde þe cuppe fille .
And haue hikkes hood hostelere  and holde hym I-serued .
And ho-so repented rathest  schuld arise after .
And grete sire glotoun  with a galoun ale .

[^434: In the right margin, a note was written horizontally here, covering three lines, but was later scraped. It appears to be in the same hand (later than that of the scribe) as a number of other erased notes, such as that found on fol. 94r.]

¶ Þere was lawhynge and lowrynge  and late go þe cuppe .
And sitten so til euesonge  and syngen[^a424][^435] vmb-while .
Til glotoun haued I-globbed  a galoun and a gille .
His guttes gonne to godly[^436]  as to gnedy g[r]edy[^a425] sowes .
He pyssed a potel  in a pater noster while .
He[^a426][^437] blew his round rowet  at his rigges bones[^438] ende .
Þat alle þat alle [þat herde] þat[^a427][^439] horne  held here nose after .
And wischedun it hadde be wexed  with a wips of firses .

[^a424: syngen (R) | songe(n) (All other mss)]

[^a425: gnedy g[r]edy (R) | gredy (All other mss)]

[^a426: He (R) | And (All other mss)]

[^a427: alle þat alle [þat herde] þat (R) | alle þat herde þat (Most beta mss)]

[^435: R.5.351: The present tense, syngen, is unique to R; cf. F's sunge and beta's songen. R also shows a present-tense form earlier in this line, sitten, where most B witnesses record a past-tense form (but Cr and G agree with R). Context alone would suggest that the past tenses are correct, but the unanimous witness of C manuscripts as well as the attestation of a clear majority of A manuscripts in favor of these forms decides the question. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 for a discussion of R's problematic tense marking.]

[^436: R.5.353: R's godly is shared exclusively with LM. As odd as it first seems, this was almost certainly the form of the verb in Bx. F has gowle while most beta manuscripts read goþelen. The same phrase occurs in the C version, where it reads His gottes gan to gothly. Significantly, a sizeable number of C witnesses agree exactly with manuscripts LMR of B on the spelling of the verb form, and MED, s. v. gothelen, acknowledges both -dly and -þly forms as viable for gothelen, but citations are solely to Piers Plowman. The same limited acknowledgment of these forms is found in OED2, s. v. gothele, and godele(n), -y.]

[^437: R.5.355: He is a unique variant; the other B manuscripts read And. However, R's reading is also that of four A manuscripts and of the X family of the C version. Both Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt prefer the F/beta reading, presumably on stylistic grounds since And avoids a syntactic repetition (the previous line begins with He) that modern tastes find clumsy.]

[^438: R.5.355: Most manuscripts have the compound riggebone, but both rigges and bones are genitives. Manuscript C has the same reading.]

[^439: R.5.356: Here R uniquely omits a key phrase from the archetypal text.]

¶ He miȝte neyther steppe ne stonde  ere he his staf hadde .
And þanne gan he go  liche a glwemannes bicche .
Sum-tyme a-syde  and sum-tyme arere .
As ho-so leith lynes  for to lacche foules .

¶ Ac[^a428][^440] whan he drouȝ to þe dore  þanne dymmed hys eyȝes .
He tremled[^441] on þe threswolde  and threw to þe erthe .
Clement þe cobblere  cauȝt hym by þe myddel .
For to lifte hym a-lofte  and leyde hym on his knowes .
Ac glotoun was a grete cherle  and a grym in þe liftyng .
And cowede vppe a caudel  in clementes lappe .
Is non so hungri hound  in hertforde -schire .
Durst lape of þe leuyng[^a429][^442]  so vnlouely it[^a430] smauȝte .

[^a428: Ac (R) | And (All other mss)]

[^a429: leuyng (R) | leuynges (Most beta mss)]

[^a430: it (R M Hm B F) | þei (Most beta mss)]

[^440: R.5.362: Ac is unique to R; the other manuscripts read And. The A archetype seems to omit any connective here, but the C version agrees with F / beta.]

[^441: R.5.363: R's tremled is uniquely supported by L (M having been altered once more to conform to the typical beta reading—for which, see below); F reads tripplid while most betas offer the non-alliterating stombled. Among the A manuscripts, only Vernon offers a viable reading, þrompelde, while the others attest various forms of stombled. As for the C version, though a few opt for stumblet, the majority attest thromblede. Based on its alliterative pattern, this is presumably what Langland wrote originally, but the LR form is almost certainly what it became in Bx.]

[^442: R.5.369: Beta shows the plural form, leuynges, while F rewrites the a-verse beyond recognition. The C version agrees here with R's singular.]

¶ With alle þe wo of þis world  his wif and his wenche .
Baren hym to[^a431][^443] his bed  and brouȝte hym þere-inne .
And after alle þis excesse  he hadde an accidie .
Þat he slepe seterday and soneday  til sonne ȝede to rest .

[^a431: to (R F) | home to (Most beta mss)]

[^443: R.5.371: Beta reads home to; although three A copies (VHaN) agree with beta here, both Ax and Cx concur with alpha's omission of hom.]

¶ Þanne waked he of his wynkyng  and wiped his eyȝes .
Þe furst word þat he warppe  was where is þe bolle .
His witt gan edewyte hym þo  how wikkedliche he leuede .
And repentance riȝt so  rebuked hym þat tyme .

¶ As þow with wordes and werkes  hast wrouȝt euele in þi lyue .
Schriue þe and be aschamed þere-offe  and schewe it with þi mouthe .

¶ I glotoun quod þe gome  gulty me ȝelde .
Of[^a432] þat[^444] I haue trespased with my tonge  I can nauȝt telle how ofte .
Sworen godes soule and his sydes[^a433][^445]  and so help me god & holy-dome[^a434][^446] .
Þere no nede ne was  nyne hundreth tymes .

[^a432: Of (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a433: and his sydes (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a434: help me god & holy-dome (R F) | god me help and halidom (Most beta mss)]

[^444: R.5.381: R's Of is unique; the other B witnesses begin the line with Þat. However, the C reading here is identical to R's.]

[^445: R.5.382: Beta omits the entire R phrase for the end of the a-verse (and his sydes); F reads an abbreviated version, & side. The C reading is probably that of the X family (which agrees exactly with R's). The P family reading (& sides) agrees with F's omission of the possessive but with R's plural number.]

[^446: R.5.382: Beta appears to reverse a key alpha phrase (the latter being more colloquial), rendering alpha's so help me god as so god me help. The C reading for the end of this b-verse is revised but its opening agrees exactly with alpha's phrasing, so helpe me god. Beta's motive for revision was probably metrical, but manuscript M somehow still agrees with alpha and displays a form that may explain both Langland's intention and the apparent lapse in alliteration. Alpha and M read the line as aliterating on /s/ (hence M's selpe) but beta judges that it must alliterate on /g/ and generates the aformentioned phrase reversal to highlight that possibility.]

¶ And ouer -seye me at my soper  and sum-tymes[^a435][^447] at nones .
Þat I glotoun gurt it vppe  ar I hadde gon a myle .
And I-spilt þat myȝt be spared  and spend[^a436][^448] on sum hungry .

[^a435: sum-tymes (R) | sometyme (All other mss)]

[^a436: spend (R F) | spended (All beta mss)]

[^447: R.5.384: R's -s form here is unique. The other B copies show some-tyme, a reading shared with C.]

[^448: R.5.386: R's spend is an alpha variant; cf. F's spend it and beta's spended.]

¶ Ouer delicatly[^449] on fastyng-dayes  dronken and eten bothe .
And sat sum-tyme so longe þere  and[^a437] slep[^450] and eet at ones .
For loue of tales in tauernes  to ete[^a438][^451] þe more I dyned .
And hied to þe mete er none  when fastyng-dayes were .

[^a437: and (R) | þat I (All beta mss)]

[^a438: ete (R) | drynke (All other mss)]

[^449: R.5.387: There is a gap in the parchment between de and licatly caused by a pre-existing tear; the same gap occurs on the other side at R5.417.]

[^450: R.5.388: R's and slep is unique; beta appears to reflect Bx accurately with its þat I slepe. Cf. F's þere-at y sleep.]

[^451: R.5.389: R's ete is unique and redundant with the preceding line; cf. Bx's drynke.]

¶ Þis schewyng schrifte  quod repentance  schal be merite to þe .

¶ And þanne gan glotoun to grete  and muche[^a439][^452] doel to make .
For his lither lif  þat he leued hadde .
And auowed[^453] faste  for hunger or for thurst .
Schal neuere fische on þe friday  defien in my wombe .
Til abstinence myn aunte  hath[^a440][^454] Iȝeue[^a441] me leue .
And ȝet haue I hated hire  al my lif-tyme .

[^a439: muche (R) | grete (All other mss)]

[^a440: hath (R F) | haue (All beta mss)]

[^a441: Iȝeue (R) | ȝiue(n) (All other mss)]

[^452: R.5.392: R's muche is unique and may have been adopted to avoid the apparent repetition of the archetype, which reads grete here.]

[^453: R.5.394: Most beta manuscripts read to fast, as does F. GLM agree with R's omission of to. M's corrector adds to above the line. On the other hand, like the beta majority, the A version attests the presence of to in this phrase.]

[^454: R.5.396: R's hath is the alpha form (shared exclusively with F); beta copies show haue, a reading shared with both Ax and Cx.]

¶ Þanne come sleuthe al by-slobred  with to slymed[^a442][^455] eyȝes .
I most sitte seyde þe sege[^456]  or elles schulde I nappe[^457] .
I may nouȝt stonde ne stoupe  ne with-oute stole[^a443] knele .
Were I brouȝt a-bedde  but if my taylende it made .
Schulde no ryngyng do me rise  ere I were ripe to dyne .

[^a442: slymed (R F) | slymy (Most beta mss)]

[^a443: stole (R Hm G F) | a stole (Most beta mss)]

[^455: R.5.398: Beta reads slymy. A significant majority of C witnesses (XIP2PRcVcAcQScKcGc) agrees with the alpha reading.]

[^456: R.5.399: R's sege is an unusual spelling of an old-fashioned word (= "man"). More commonly, the word appears in Middle English as segge, but this form is cited by MED, s. v. segge, in one manuscript of the Awntyrs of Arthur, Lincoln Cathedral Library 91: A knyghte salle...at carelyone be crownede for kynge; That sege salle be sesede at a sesone (289). The spelling is likewise attested in OED2, s. v. segge, for the fourteenth through the sixteenth century, and a passage from Dunbar is cited.]

[^457: R.5.399: There is a superfluous bar over the final <-pe> of nappe.]

¶ He bygan benedicite with a bolke  and his brest knokked .
And roxede and rored  and rutte atte laste .

¶ What awake renk quod repentance  and rape þe to schrifte .

¶ If I schulde deye bi þis daye  quod he[^a444][^458]  me lest nouȝt to loke .
I can nouȝt parfitlyche my paternoster  as þe prest it syngeth .
But I kan rymes of robyn hood  and randolf erl of chestre
Ac noþer of oure lor[^459] ne of oure lady  þe leste þat euere was maked .[^460]

[^a444: quod he (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^458: R.5.406: Beta omits quod he. The P family of C manuscripts agrees with the alpha reading, but the X family agrees with beta and omits the phrase.]

[^459: R.5.409: R's clipped form for lord is unique among the B manuscripts both here and in R18.61. See Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974): §199, remark 3.]

[^460: R.5.409: Here the scribe omits his customary line break before a new verse paragraph, presumably because the next line will be the final one of this side.]

¶ I haue mad vowes fourti  and forȝete hem or[^a445] morwe[^461] .
I parforned neuere penance  as þe prest me hiȝte .
Ne riȝt sori for my synnes  ȝet was I neuere .
And ȝif I bedde any bedes  but if it be in wrathe .
Þat I telle with my tonge  is to myle fro my herte .
I am ocuped vche a day  halyday and other .
With Idel tales at þe ale  and other-while in cherche[^a446] .
Godes peyne and his passioun  ful selde thenke I þere -on .[^462]

[^a445: or (R) | on (Most other mss)]

[^a446: cherche (R Cr1 Hm G F) | cherches (Most beta mss)]

[^461: R.5.410: This occurrence of or is unique; the full phrase in most B witnesses reads on (þe) morne. C has amorwen.]

[^462: R.5.417: A repaired tear in the parchment (existing before its use by the scribe) partially obscures the loop from the <r> in þere-on by which the following <e> is signified.]

¶ I visitede neuere seke[^a447][^463] men  ne fetered folke in puttes .
I hadde[^a448][^464] leuere here an herlotrie  or a somer game of souteres .
Or lesynges to lawhe of[^a449][^465]  and bilye my neyȝbore .
[^466] Al[^a450] þat euere marke made  mathew Iohan and lucas .
And vigilies and fastyngdayes  alle þis I late[^a451][^467] passe .
And ligge a-bedde in lente  and my lemman in myn armes .
Til matynes and masse be do  and þan go to þe freres .
Kome I to Ite missa est  I hold me I-serued .
I am nauȝt schriue sumtime  but ȝif sekenesse it make .
Nouȝt twyes in to ȝere  and þanne vpe gesse I schriue me .

[^a447: seke (R F) | fieble (All beta mss)]

[^a448: hadde (R F) | haue (All beta mss)]

[^a449: of (R F) | at (All beta mss)]

[^a450: Al (R) | Þan al (All beta mss)]

[^a451: þis I late (R) | þise late I (All beta mss)]

[^463: R.5.418: R's seke is a non-alliterating alpha variant; cf. beta's fieble, which is also the reading of the C version..]

[^464: R.5.419: Cf. alpha's hadde to beta's haue; alpha's reading is also that of the C version.]

[^465: R.5.420: R's of is an alpha variant; beta reads at, but Cx agrees with alpha here.]

[^466: R.5.421: R uniquely omits a transitional word here in linehead position; cf. F's & and beta's Þan. The C reading agrees with beta's.]

[^467: R.5.422: Beta transposes this phrase as late I. F reads the entire phrase as y leet hem]

¶ I haue be prest and persone  passyng thretty wynter .
Ȝet can I neyther solue ne synge  ne seyntes lyues rede .
But I can fynde in a felde  or in a furlonge an hare .
Better þan in beatus vir  or in beati omnes .
Construe it clausemel[^a452][^468]  and kenne it to my parochiens .
I can holde louedayes  or[^a453][^469] here a reues rekkenynge .
Ac in canon ne in þe decretales  I can nouȝt rede a lyne .

[^a452: it clausemel (R F) | oon clause wel (Most beta mss)]

[^a453: or (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^468: R.5.432: R's it clausemel is an alpha variant; cf. beta's oon clause wel.]

[^469: R.5.433: Beta reads and.]

¶ Ȝif I begge and borwe it  but if it be I-tayled .
I for-ȝete it as ȝerne  and ȝif men me it aske .
Sixe sithes or seuene  I forsake it wit[^a454][^470] othes .
And þus I tene[^a455][^471] trewe men  te te[n][^a456] hundreth tymes .

[^a454: wit (R) | with (All other mss)]

[^a455: I tene (R B F) | tene I (Most beta mss)]

[^a456: te te[n] (R) | ten (All other mss)]

[^470: R.5.437: R's spelling of with here is unique among the Piers Plowman manuscripts and also fairly unusual in the Middle English corpus. The same spelling is found extensively in Cursor Mundi; it also occurs several times in the Prose Alexander (ca. 1440), once in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, line 113 (where Andrew and Waldron emend it away), and once in Havelok the Dane, line 2489.]

[^471: R.5.438: Beta transposes this phrase as tene I.]

¶ And my seruantes sum -tyme  here salarie is byhynde .
Reuthe is to here[^a457] rekkenynge  when we schul rede acountes .
So with wikked wille and wrathe  my werk-men I paye .[^472]

[^a457: here (R L M F) | here þe (Most beta mss)]

[^472: R.5.441: R omits his customary blank line between strophes at the juncture of ll. 441-42, presumably because the latter is to fill the last line ruled for this side.]

¶ Ȝif anyman any man doth me a benfeet  or helpeth me at nede .
I am vnkende aȝeyn his curteysie  and can nauȝt vnderstande it .
For I haue and haue hadde  sumdel haukes maneres .
I am nauȝt lured with loue  but þere ligge auȝt vnder thoumbe[^a458][^473] .

[^a458: thoumbe (R F) | þe thombe (All beta mss)]

[^473: R.5.445: Here the beta manuscripts have a determiner, making the phrase þe thombe. This discrepancy is also apparent in the two major families of C: the P family here agrees with alpha and the X family supports beta.]

¶ Þe kendenesse þat myn euencristene  kudde me ferneȝere .
Sixty sithe[^a459][^474] I slewthe  haue foreȝete it setthe .
In speche and in sparinge of speche  I-spelt many a tyme .

[^a459: sithe (R) | sythes (All other mss)]

[^474: R.5.447: This R form is unique; both F and beta read sythes. Once more, the P family of C manuscripts here agrees with R and the X family supports beta (with F's collateral attestation).]

¶ Bothe flesche and fische  and myn[^a460][^475] other vitailes
Bothe brede and ale  buttere melke and chese .
For-sleuthed in my seruise  til it miȝte serue noman .

[^a460: myn (R) | many (All beta mss)]

[^475: R.5.449: Cf. R's erroneous myn to F's fele and beta's many.]

¶ I ran aboute in ȝouthe  and ȝaf me nouȝt to lerne .
And euere sitthe be beggere  for my foule sleuthe .
Heu michi quod[^a461][^476] sterilem  vitam duxi iuuenilem .

[^a461: quod (R Bo Cot F) | quia (Most beta mss)]

[^476: R.5.454: This alpha variant is supported by BoCot, but beta reads quia. The C reading at this point agrees with alpha's.]

¶ Repentest[^a462] þe[^a463] nouȝt quod repentance  and riȝte with þat he swhounede .
Til vigilate þe veile  fette water at his eyȝes .
And flatte it on his face  and on[^a464][^477] hym cried .
And seyde war þe fram wanhope  wolde þe bytraye .

[^a462: Repentest (R F) | Repentestow (Most beta mss)]

[^a463: þe (R L M B F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a464: on (R) | faste on (All other mss)]

[^477: R.5.457: R uniquely omits the third stave; the other B manuscripts read and faste on.]

¶ Ich am sori for my synnes  sey so[^478] to þi-selue .
And bete þi-selue on þe breste  and bidde hym of grace .
For is no gult here so grete  þat his goednesse is more .

[^478: R.5.459: Although most beta copies omit so and F reads now so, LM support R's so to. Cx shows the same reading as the beta majority. Among the A manuscripts, only EAH attest so in this phrase.]

¶ Þanne sate sleuthe vppe  and seyned hym swythe .
And made a vow to-for god  for his foule sleuthe .
Schal no soneday be þis seuen ȝere  but ȝif sekenesse me[^a465][^479] lette .
Þat I ne schal do me er daye  to þe dere cherche .
And heren matynes and masse  as I a monke were .
Schal non ale after mete  halde me thennes .
Til I haue euensonge herde  I be-hote to þe rode .
What I nam[^a466][^480] ȝelde aȝen  if I so muche haue .
Alle þat I wikkedliche wan  sitthen I witt hadde .

[^a465: me (R) | it (All other mss)]

[^a466: What I nam (R) | And ȝete wil I (All beta mss)]

[^479: R.5.464: R's me is unique; the other manuscripts read it. Both Ax and Cx read (h)it make.]

[^480: R.5.469: The defective opening phrase of R's a-verse (What I nam) may well reflect alpha accurately; cf. F's & what y have take to and beta's And ȝete wil I.]

¶ And þouȝ me[^a467][^481] lyflode lakke  leten I nelle .
Þat vch man schal haue his  ar I hennes wende .
And with þe residue and þe remenant  by þe rode of chestre .
I schal seke treuthe  arst er I se rome .

[^a467: me (R) | my (All other mss)]

[^481: R.5.471: R's me is unique among the B witnesses; the other manuscripts read my, which is also the reading of most manuscripts for the other two versions of Piers. However, manuscripts X and Yc in the C tradition, two of the most authoritative copies, agree at this point with R.]

¶ Roberd þe robbere  on reddite lokede .
And for þere was nauȝt where-of  he wepe swythe sore .
Ac ȝet þe synful schrewe  seyde to hym-selue .
Crist þat on caluare  vppon þe croys deyedeste .
Þo bymas [d]y[s]mas[^a468][^482] my brother  by-souȝte ȝow of grace .
And haddest mercy on þat man  for memento sake .
So rewe on þis robbere  þat reddere ne haue .
Ne neuere wene to wynne  with craft þat I knowe[^a469] .[^483]
But for thi michel mercy  mitigacion I be-seche .
Ne dampne me nauȝt at domes-day  for þat I dede so ille .

[^a468: bymas [d]y[s]mas (R) | dismas (All other mss)]

[^a469: knowe (R Cr F) | owe (Most beta mss)]

[^482: R.5.479: Kane-Donaldson commit a rare mistranscription here, rendering this R variant as bysmas.]

[^483: R.5.482: For alpha's knowe, all but Cr among the beta copies read owe. However, both Ax and Cx agree with alpha's reading.]

¶ What be-fel of þis feloun  I can nauȝt fare[^a470][^484] schewe .
Wel I wote he wepte faste  water with bothe his eyȝes .[^485]
Þat penitencia his pik  he scholde polsche newe .
And lepe with hym ouer londe  al his lif-tyme .
For he hath[^a471][^486] leyne be latro  luciferes aunte .

[^a470: fare (R) | faire (All other mss)]

[^a471: hath (R) | had (All beta mss)]

[^484: R.5.485: This form is unique and Kane-Donaldson treat it as a possibly substantive variant, but it is likelier to be merely an unusual spelling variation for standard faire found in the other B witnesses, as well as in Ax. Cf. MED, s. v. fair (adj.), where this spelling is documented, sporadically, for c. 13-15.]

[^485: R.5.486: Immediately after this line, the alpha tradition omits a line present in beta (and also present with slight differences in Ax and Cx): And knowleched his gult to cryst ȝete eftsones.]

[^486: R.5.489: F omits this verb entirely and the beta copies render it in the past tense as had. Among the A and C manuscripts, only Vernon agrees with R's reading. The others support beta. Cf. the Introduction III.2.2.10 regarding R's problematic tense marking.]

¶ And þanne hadde repentance reuthe  and redde hem alle to knele .
For I schal by-seche for alle synful  oure saueoure of grace .
To amende vs of oure mysdedes  and do mercy to vs alle .

¶[^487] Now god quod[^a472][^488] þat of þi goednesse  gonne þe worlde make .
And of nauȝt madest auȝte  and man most liche to þi-selue
And sitthen suffredest hym[^a473][^489] to synne  a sekenesse to vs alle .
And alle for þe best as I be-leue  what-euere þe boke telleth .
O felix culpa . O nessarium ne[ce]ssarium[^a474][^490] peccatum ade[^a475] .

[^a472: quod (R) | quod he (Most beta mss)]

[^a473: hym (R F) | for (Most beta mss)]

[^a474: nessarium ne[ce]ssarium (R) | necessarium (All other mss)]

[^a475: ade (R Cr2 Cr3 G F) | ade &c (Most beta mss)]

[^487: R.5.493: The rubricator failed to notice the "cc" paraph marker.]

[^488: R.5.493: R agrees with the beta manuscripts about most of this phrase but uniquely omits he at this point (F completely reworks the phrase as & seid god).]

[^489: R.5.495: In place of alpha's hym, beta reads for, completely misconstruing the meaning of the preceding verb. The C reading is identical to R's form of the alpha phrase.]

[^490: R.5.497: The correcting scribe marked the line for correction with a marginal <+>.]

¶ For thorȝ þat synne þi sone  sent was to þis erthe .
And bi-cam man of a mayde  man-kende to saue .
And madest þi-selue with þi sone  and vs synful I-liche .
Faciamus hominem ad ymaginem & similitudinem nostram .
Et alibi  qui manet in caritate in deo manet & deus in eo .

¶ And sitthe with þe[^a476][^491] selue sone  in oure seute dyedest .
On godefriday for mannes sake  at fulle tyme of day[^a477] .[^492]
Þere þi-selue and[^493] þi sone  no sorewe in deth feledest .
But in oure secte was þat[^a478][^494] sorewe  and þi sone it ladde .
Captiuam duxit captiuitatem .

[^a476: þe (R) | þi (All other mss)]

[^a477: day (R) | þe daye (All other mss)]

[^a478: þat (R F) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^491: R.5.503: R's þe selue sone (= "the Son Himself") is unique and probably signifies nothing more than a casual error by the scribe for Bx's þi-self sone ("Thine own Son").]

[^492: R.5.504: The other B witnesses read of þe daye.]

[^493: R.5.505: Only G agrees with R here; beta and F read ne.]

[^494: R.5.506: Beta reads þe.]

¶ Þe sonne for sorewe þere -offe  les siȝte for a tyme .
Aboute myddaye  whan most liȝt is  and mel-tyme of seyntes .
Feddest þo[^a479][^495] with þi fresch blode  oure forfadres in derkenesse .
Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris vidit lucem magnam .

[^a479: Feddest þo (R) | Feddest (All beta mss)]

[^495: R.5.510: Beta omits þo while F transposes the phrase to Þo feddyst. The C reading here is identical to R's.]

¶ And thorȝ þe liȝt þat lepe oute of þe  lucifer it[^a480][^496] blent .
And blew alle þin blissed þennes[^a481][^497]  in-to þe blisse of paradys .

[^a480: it (R) | was (Most beta mss)]

[^a481: þennes (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^496: R.5.512: Beta reads was while F omits the word entirely. The C reading agrees with R's.]

[^497: R.5.513: Alpha's þennes (in F = þens boldely) is omitted by beta. However, in a revised version of this line, C includes it.]

¶ Þe thridde day after  þow ȝedest in oure seute .
A synful marie þe seiȝ  er seynte marie þi dame .
And alle to solace synful  þow suffredest it so were .[^498]
Non veni vocare iustos  sed peccatores ad penitenciam .

[^498: R.5.516: There is an ink blot over the final <e> of were.]

¶ And alle þat mark hath I-mad  matheu Iohan and lucas .
Of þin douȝtyest[^a482] dedes  were don in oure armes .
Verbum caro factum est . & habitauit in nobis .

[^a482: douȝtyest (R L M F) | douȝty (Most beta mss)]

¶ And by so m yche it[^a483][^499] semeth  þe sykerloker[^a484][^500] we mowe .
Byde and bi-seche  if it be þi wille .
Þat art oure fader and oure brothere  be mercyable to vs .
And haue mercy[^a485][^501] on þes ribaudes  þat repenten hem sore[^a486]
Þat euere þei wrathed þe[^a487][^502]  in worde thouȝt or dedes .

[^a483: it (R F) | me (All beta mss)]

[^a484: sykerloker (R) | sikerere (Most beta mss)]

[^a485: mercy (R F) | reuthe (All beta mss)]

[^a486: sore (R G Cot F) | here sore (Most beta mss)]

[^a487: þe (R G F) | þe in þis worlde (Most beta mss)]

[^499: R.5.521: Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^500: R.5.521: This is a unique form in R; F has sikere while beta reads sikerere; nevertheless, Cx agrees exactly with R's comparative, an odd form that appears restricted to texts from the West Midlands (as evidenced by citations from both MED, s. v. sikerli [adv. 3], and OED2, s. v. sickerly.)]

[^501: R.5.524: Cf. the beta variant, reuthe, which properly alliterates and agrees with the reading of the C version.]

[^502: R.5.525: Beta here attests an additional phrase: in þis worlde .]

¶ Þanne hent hope an horn  of deus tu conuersus viuificabis nos[^a488] .
And he[^a489][^503] blew it with beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates .
Þat alle seyntes in heuene  songen at ones .
Homines & iumenta saluabis quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam deus .

[^a488: nos (R Cr G F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a489: he (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^503: R.5.527: Before this verb, R uniquely adds he; the C version reading agrees with the B majority in omitting the pronoun.]

¶ A thousend of men þo  throngen to-gyderes .
Cride vppward to crist  and to his clene moder .
Grace to god[^a490][^504] with hem  trewthe to seke .
Ac þere was wiȝt non so wis  þe weye þider coude .
But blostereden forth as bestes  ouer bankes and hilles .
Til late was and longe  þat þei a lede mette .
Apparayled as a paynym  in pilgrimes wise .
He bare a bordoun I-bounde  with a brode liste .
In a wythewyndes wyse  I-wonden aboute .
A bulle[^a491][^505] and a bagge  he bare by hys syde .
An hundred of ampulles  on his hat seten .
Sygnes of a-sise[^a492][^506]  and schelles of gales .
And many cruche on his cloke  and þe[^a493][^507] cayes of rome .
And þe vernicle before  for men schulde I-knowe[^a494] .
And se by his seynes[^508]  wham he souȝt hadde .

[^a490: Grace to god (R) | To haue grace to go (All beta mss)]

[^a491: bulle (R F) | bolle (All beta mss)]

[^a492: a-sise (R) | synay (All beta mss)]

[^a493: þe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a494: I-knowe (R) | knowe (All beta mss)]

[^504: R.5.532: This b-verse of this line appears to have been defective in Bx, but beta's version of the a-verse (To haue grace to go . . .) seems more likely to be original than either F (To graunte swich grace . . .) or R's truncated and semantically deficient Grace to god. The C version reading for the a-verse agrees with that of beta.]

[^505: R.5.539: Beta reads bolle which is clearly the intended meaning. Alpha's form is not documented as a variant spelling for this word (= mod. bowl. The C reading agrees with beta's.]

[^506: R.5.541: Cf. F's seyntys and beta's Synay. R's reading is supported by Cx and by several A-version manuscripts (including Bodley 851, i.e., Z). Most A copies agree with beta's reading.]

[^507: R.5.542: The beta manuscripts do not attest þe. Both the A and C versions also omit this determiner.]

[^508: R.5.544: Seynes, "signs."]

¶ Þis folke frayned hym furst : fro whennes he come .

¶ Fram synay he seyde  and fram oure lordes sepulcre .
In bethlem and in babiloyne  I haue ben in bothe .
In ermony and in[^a495][^509] alisaundre  in many other places .
Ȝe may se be my sygnes  þat sitten on myn hatte .
Þat I haue walked ful wyde  in wete and in drye .
And souȝte gode seyntes  for my soule helth .

[^a495: and in (R) | in (Most other mss)]

[^509: R.5.548: R's phrase, and in, is unique. Cr includes and but omits in; both F and the majority of beta copies omit and. The Ax and Cx reading here appears to agree with the F/beta lection.]

¶ Knowest þow auȝt a corseint  þat men calleth treuthe .
Koudest þow auȝt wissen vs þe wey  þere[^a496][^510] þat wyȝte[^511] dwelleth .

[^a496: þere (R) | where (All other mss)]

[^510: R.5.553: R's þere is unique in the B tradition (LaAMaH among the A manuscripts agree with R); F and beta read where, which is also the reading of the A majority.]

[^511: R.5.553: R's wyȝte agrees only with Cr; F and the beta majority read wy(e), which is also the reading of the A version.]

¶ Nay so me god helpe  seyde þe gome þanne .
I seyȝ neuere palmere  with pik ne with scrippe .
Axen after hym ere  til now in þis place .

¶ Peter quod a plowman  and put forth his hed .
I knowe hym as kendely  as clerk doth his bokes .
Consience and kende witt  kenned me to his place .
And deden me suren hem[^a497][^512] sikerly  to serue hym for euere .
Bothe to sowe and to sette  þe while I swynke miȝte .
I haue ben his folwar  al þis fourty[^a498] wynter .
Bothe I-sowe his sede  and sued his bestes .
With-Inne and with-oute  I-wayted his profite .
I dike and I delue  I do þat he[^a499][^513] hoteth .
Sum-tyme I sowe  and sum-tyme I thresche .[^514]
In tayloures crafte in[^a500][^515] tynkeres crafte  what treuthe can deuise .
I weue and I wynde  and do what treuthe hoteth .

[^a497: hem (R F) | hym (Most beta mss)]

[^a498: fourty (R L M F) | fifty (Most beta mss)]

[^a499: he (R F) | treuthe (All beta mss)]

[^a500: in (R) | and (All beta mss)]

[^512: R.5.560: R's hem is an alpha reading, shared exclusively with F, and the plural reference is presumably to the two figures mentioned in the previous line. By contrast, beta deploys a third-person singular accusative, presumably understanding treuthe as the referent. The P family of C witnesses supports the beta reading, but the X subarchetype appears to have omitted the pronoun altogether.]

[^513: R.5.565: Beta reads treuthe for alpha's he.]

[^514: R.5.566: There is a superfluous bar over the final <e> of thresche.]

[^515: R.5.567: F omits this entire line, but beta reads and here.]

¶ For þouȝ I seye it my-selue  I serue hy hy[m][^a501] to paye .
Ich haue my huyre of hym[^a502][^516] wel  and otherwhiles more .
He is þe presteste payer  þat pore men knoweth .
He with-halt no men[^a503][^517] here huyre  þat þei[^a504] ne haue[^a505] it anone[^a506] .[^518]
He is as lowe as a lombe  and louelich of speche .
And if ȝe wilneth to wite  where þat he dwelleth .
I schal wise ȝow witterly  þe weye to his place .

[^a501: hy hy[m] (R) | hym (All other mss)]

[^a502: of hym (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a503: men (R) | hewe(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a504: þei (R F) | he (All beta mss)]

[^a505: haue (R F) | hath (All beta mss)]

[^a506: anone (R) | at eue(n) (All beta mss)]

[^516: R.5.570: Beta omits of hym, but both Ax and Cx witness this alpha phrase.]

[^517: R.5.572: R's men is unique (cf. beta's hewe and F's man) and forces the following pronoun choice, here, shared by convergence only with Cot. At first glance, F's reading seems closer to alpha (man his), because of the pronoun agreement with beta, but the plural forms shared by R and F later in this line (R = þei ne haue it; F = þat þey haue it) indicate that R is probably, as usual, closer to their common parent. Either way, the beta phrasing, hewe his hyre þat he ne hath it , is almost certainly the original since it preserves the line's alliteration and exactly parallels the text of Ax (and of the a-verse of Cx).]

[^518: R.5.572: For R's anone, F has soone while beta reads at euen. Both Ax and Cx support the beta reading.]

¶ Ȝe leue peres quod þes pilgrymes  and profered hym huyre .
For to wende with hem  to treuthes dwellynge place .

¶ Nay by my soule perel[^a507][^519] quod peres  and gan for to swerie .
I nolde fonge a ferthyng  for seint Thomas schrine
Treuthe wolde loue me þe lesse  a longe tyme þere-after .
Ac if ȝe wilneth to wende wel  þis is þe weye thider

[^a507: soule perel (R) | soules helth (Beta M Cr1 W)]

[^519: R.5.578: R's perel is unique but may well represent Bx. The alliterative pattern is no more adequate than that of its only competitor, helth (= WCrGLM), but both Ax and Cx attest R's lection.]

¶ Ȝe mote go thorȝ mekenesse  bothe men and wyues .
Til ȝe come in-to consience  þat crist wite þe sothe .
Þat ȝe louen oure lorde god  leuest of alle thynges .
And þanne ȝoure neyȝbores nexst  in none wise appaire
Otherwise þan þow woldest  he wrouȝte to þi-selue .[^520]

[^520: R.5.586: In the right margin, beginning here and written vertically up the page to R5.580, there is a signature which has been erased. It appears to be the same hand as on fol. 94r. Still discernible are traces of an initial and a surname in full.]

¶ And so bouh forth by a broke  be buxum of þi[^a508][^521] speche .
Til ȝe fynden a forthe  ȝoure faderes honoureth .
Honora patrem et matrem[^a509][^522] 
Wadeth in þat water  and wascheth ȝow wel þere .
And ȝe schul lepe þe lyȝtlokere  alle ȝoure lif-tyme .

[^a508: þi (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a509: matrem (R) | matrem &c (Most beta mss)]

[^521: R.5.587: R's þi (cf. F's þyn ) is not attested in beta nor in the A version.]

[^522: R.5.589: R's Latin tag omits a final &c found in beta (also, cf. F's unique added phrase ut sis longeuus super terram ). Most C witnesses agree on this point with beta.]

¶ And so schalt þow se swere nauȝt  but if it be for nede .
And namliche an Idel  þe name of god almiȝti .

¶ Þanne schaltow come bi a crofte  but come þow nauȝt þereInne .
Þe[^a510] crofte hate coueyte nauȝt  men[^523] ne[^a511] here wyues .
Ne none of her seruantes  þat nuyen hem miȝte .
Loke þow[^a512] breke no bowes þere  but if it be on[^a513][^524] ȝoure owen .

[^a510: Þe (R G F) | That (Most beta mss)]

[^a511: ne (R) | catel ne (Most other mss)]

[^a512: þow (R Cot) | ye (All other mss)]

[^a513: on (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^523: R.5.595: R uniquely omits a word after men, but the omission probably goes back to alpha. F rewrites by dropping men altogether and uniquely substituting the phrase neyþir maydins, while beta deploys a phrase that parallels Ax : mennes catel. The Cx phrase, menne catel, involves an unmarked genitive that might help account for the error in alpha.]

[^524: R.5.597: R's on is a unique addition.]

¶ To stokkes þere stondeth  ac stynte ȝe nauȝt þere .
Þei hatte stele nauȝt ne slee nauȝt  strike forthe by bothe .
And leue hem on þi left halfe  and loke nauȝt þere-after
And hold wel þin haliday  heye til euene .
Þan schalt þow blenche at a beruh  bere no fals wittnesse .
[^525] Is[^a514] frythed in with floreynes  and other fees manye .
Loke ȝe[^a515] plukke no plante þere  for perel of ȝoure soules[^a516][^526] .

[^a514: Is (R) | He is (All beta mss)]

[^a515: ȝe (R F) | þow (Most beta mss)]

[^a516: ȝoure soules (R) | þi soule (All beta mss)]

[^525: R.5.603: Among the B witnesses, R uniquely omits the subject of this line, which is He in beta (as well as in most A manuscripts) and It in F. However, R's reading (with its ellipsis) is also attested in Cx]

[^526: R.5.604: The plural pronouns in this line represent alpha readings, the first of which is also attested in F; cf. beta's Loke þow and þi soule. However, R's soules is a unique reading since F here goes his own way, rendering the final phrase of this line as þe heyward. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

¶ Þanne schal ȝe sei sothe  so it be to done .
In none manere elles nauȝt  for no mannes byddynge .

¶ Þanne schaltow come to a courte  as clere as þe sonne .
Þe mote is of mercy  þe manere aboute .
And alle þe walles ben of witt  to halden wille oute .
And Icarneled[^a517] with cristendome  þat kende[^a518][^527] to saue .
I-buterased[^a519] with by-leue so  or þow best nauȝt I-saued .

[^a517: Icarneled (R F) | kerneled (All beta mss)]

[^a518: þat kende (R) | mankynde (All other mss)]

[^a519: I-buterased (R F) | Boterased (Most beta mss)]

[^527: R.5.610: In the B tradition, R's þat kende is unique; both F and beta read mankynde. However, both Ax and Cx agree with R and verify that its reading is original.]

¶ And alle þe houses ben I-hyled[^a520]  halles and chaumbres .
With no lede but with loue  and lowe speche as bretheren .
Þe brugge is of bidde wel  þe bette may þow spede .
Iche pyler is of penaunce  of preyeres to seyntes .
Of almesdedes aren þe hokes  þat þe gates hangen on .

[^a520: I-hyled (R F) | hiled (All beta mss)]

¶ Grace hatte þe gatewarde  a goed man for-sothe .
His man hatte amende ȝow  many[^a521] man[^a522][^528] hym knoweth .

[^a521: many (R F) | for many (All beta mss)]

[^a522: man (R L M F) | men (Most beta mss)]

[^528: R.5.618: Most beta manuscripts read men here, but LM support alpha's singular, which also happens to be the reading of both Ax and Cx.]

¶ Telleth hym þis tokene  þat truthe wyte þe sothe .
I parfourmed þe penaunce  þe prest me enioyned .
And am ful sori of[^a523][^529] my synnes  and so I schal euere .
Whan I thenke þere-on  þei I were a pope .

[^a523: of (R F) | for (All beta mss)]

[^529: R.5.621: Beta reads for here, which is also the reading of the A version; though a majority of C manuscripts also agrees with beta's preposition, some of the most reliable X family witnesses (XYcUcDc) agree with alpha's of.]

¶ Byddeth amende ȝow meken hym  to his meister ones .
To wayue vppe þe wykat  þat þe womman schette .
Þo adam and eue  eten appeles vn-rosted .
Per euam cunctis clausa est  & per mariam virginem iterum[^a524] &cetera[^a525][^530] .

[^a524: iterum (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a525: &cetera (R F) | patefacta est (All beta mss)]

[^530: R.5.626: Beta omits iterum and finishes the citation with the phrase patefacta est. The C version includes both elements, reading iterum patefacta est]

¶ For he hath þe keye and þe clikat  þowe þe kynge slepe .
And if grace graunt þe  to go in þis wise .
Þow schalt se in þi-selue  treuthe sitte in þin herte .
In a cheyne of charite  as þow a childe were .
To suffre hym and to[^531] segge[^a526][^532]  aȝeynes þi sires wille .

[^a526: segge (R) | segge nouȝte (Most beta mss)]

[^531: R.5.631: R shares this repeated verbal particle solely with G, presumably by convergence.]

[^532: R.5.631: Here R uniquely omits a word; most of the other manuscripts read segge nouȝte . F rewrites the line but also omits the negative, suggesting that the error originated in alpha.]

¶ Ac be war þanne of wrathe þe  þat is a wikked schrewe .
He hath enuye to hym  þat in þin herte sitteth .
And pucketh[^a527][^533] pruyde  to preyse þi-selue .
Þe boldenesse of þi benefetes  maketh þe blynd þanne .
And þanne worstou driuen out as deuh  and þe dore I-closed[^a528] .
I-cayed[^a529] and I-clycated[^a530]  to kepe þe with-outen .
Happely an hundreth wynter  ar þow efte entre .
Þus miȝtow lesen his loue  to lete wel by þi-selue .
And neuere happeliche efte entre  but grace þow haue .

[^a527: pucketh (R F) | pukketh forþ (Most beta mss)]

[^a528: I-closed (R F) | closed (All beta mss)]

[^a529: I-cayed (R) | Kayed (All beta mss)]

[^a530: I-clycated (R) | clikated (All other mss)]

[^533: R.5.634: In the beta tradition, as in many of the A manuscripts and in Cx, this phrase reads pukket forþ.]

¶ Ac þere aren seuen ȝiftes[^a531][^534]  þat seruen treuthe euere .
And aren porteres ouer[^a532][^535] þe posternes  þat to þe place longeth .
Þat on hatte abstinence  and vmblete[^a533][^536] an-other .
Charite and chastite  ben his chief maydenes .
Pacience and pees  miche poeple þei helpeth .
Largenesse þe lady  he[^a534][^537][^538] lete in ful manye .
Heo[^a535] hath hulpe a thousend oute  of þe deueles pondfolde .

[^a531: ȝiftes (R) | sustren (All beta mss)]

[^a532: ouer (R) | of (Most beta mss)]

[^a533: vmblete (R) | humilite (All other mss)]

[^a534: he (R) | she (Most other mss)]

[^a535: Heo (R L) | she (Most other mss)]

[^534: R.5.641: The Bx reading here was sustren (as in Ax and Cx), and alpha obviously was in error; cf. F's reading, seruauntys, which is probably a characteristic smoothing rather than the original alpha variant.]

[^535: R.5.642: Cf. F's at and beta's of. The beta reading agrees with the predominant reading among A witnesses, while the reading of R is that of Cx.]

[^536: R.5.643: R's form here is obviously synonymous with the F/beta humilite (which is also the lection found in Ax). However, R's form is treated by MED and OED2, s. v. humblete, not as a spelling variant but as a different, rarer noun, derived from humble by suffixing. MED cites examples from manuscripts of Chaucer's Physician's Tale, Parson's Tale, and the Tale of Melibee. The P family of the C version agrees with the prevalent F/beta reading, but the X family shows the same rare form as R, suggesting that it may well have been the reading in both Bx and Cx.]

[^537: R.5.646: He, "she."]

[^538: R.5.646: Cf. L's heo; F and the majority of beta copies read she (though Cr omits any pronoun reference). The A and C manuscripts agree with Cr.]

¶ And ho[^539] is sib to þis seuene  so me god helpe .
Heo[^a536] is wonderlich welcome  and faire vnderfongen .
And but if þat[^a537][^540] ȝe be sib  to summe of þis seuene .
It is ful hard be my hed quod peres  for eny of ȝow alle .
To geten Ingonge at any gate þere  but grace be þe more .

[^a536: Heo (R) | He (All beta mss)]

[^a537: þat (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^539: R.5.648: ho, "who, whoever."]

[^540: R.5.650: R's þat is a unique addition to this phrase, which reads in Ax exactly as it does in beta.]

¶ Now be crist quod a cuttpurs  I haue no kynne þere .

¶ Ne[^a538] I quod an apewarde  by auȝt þat I knowe .

[^a538: Ne (R L M F) | Nor (Most beta mss)]

¶ Wite god quod a wafrestere  wiste I þis sothe[^a539] .[^541]
Schulde I neuer forthere a foot  for no frere[^a540][^542] prechynge .

[^a539: sothe (R) | for sothe (All beta mss)]

[^a540: frere (R) | freres (All other mss)]

[^541: R.5.655: F reads this b-verse as þat y wiste þe sothe. Beta has wist I þis for sothe. Obviously, R is closer to beta here, differing only in omitting for. Ax appears to have had the same reading as beta. Cx is uncertain (a major group of P manuscripts reading þe soþe), but the X family clearly supports beta's version of the phrase.]

[^542: R.5.656: Among the B copies, R's frere is a unique reading, an unmarked genitive; many C witnesses agree with the B majority, but most of the X family reads this lection in agreement with R.]

¶ Ȝus quod peres þe plowman  and poked hem alle to goed .
Mercy is a mayde[^a541][^543] þere  hath miȝt ouer hem[^a542] alle .
And sche is sib to alle synful  and hire sone alse .
And thorȝ þe helpe of hem to  hope þow non other .
Þow miȝt gete grace þere  be[^a543] so þow go by-tyme .[^544]

[^a541: mayde (R) | maydene (All other mss)]

[^a542: hem (R L M Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a543: be (R) | bi (Most other mss)]

[^543: R.5.658: R's mayde is unique in the B tradition; all other witnesses attest maydene. However, witnesses in the C tradition are split on this reading, most of the X family agreeing with the B majority while most of the P family (as well as several of the X grouping) concur with R's form.]

[^544: R.5.661: There is an apparently random ink blot, partially erased, immediately below the punctus, giving it, at first glance, the appearance of a modern semicolon.]

¶ By seint poule quod a pardonere  par-aunter I be nauȝt welcome[^a544] .[^545]
I wil go feche my box  with my breuettes  & a bulle with bisshopes lettres .

[^a544: welcome (R F) | knowe(n) þere (All beta mss)]

[^545: R.5.662: Where the alpha manuscripts have welcome, the beta copies read knowe þere.]

¶ By crist quod a comune woman  þi company wil I folwe .
Þow schalt sey I am þi suster  Ine I ne wote where þei by-come .

Passus Sextus de visione vt supra . — —

T his were a wikked way  but ho-so hadde a gyde .
Þat wolde folewe vs ech a fote  þus þis folke hem mened .
[^546] Quatȝ perkyn þe plowman  by seint peter of rome .
I haue an half acre to erie  by þe heyȝ weye .
Hadde I hered þis half acre  and I-sowen[^a545] it after .
I wil[^547] wenden with ȝow  and þe weye teche .

[^a545: I-sowen (R M F) | sowe(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^546: R.6.3: There is no paraph marker here because there was no space for one (the passus initial extends down slightly beyond this line in the left margin).]

[^547: R.6.6: Among the other B copies, only LCY share R's wil (the rest read wolde). That the latter form of the verb was original in the A version seems obvious (though three of its manuscripts—Ra, U, and La—support a future meaning in place of the conditional); but the reading of Cx is more problematic. Most C copies agree with the AB majorities on wolde, but three of the most authoritative X-family witnesses, XYcI, support the RLCY reading.]

¶ Þis were a longe lettyng  quod a lady in a sclayre .
What schuld we wommen  werche þere[^a546][^548] whiles .

[^a546: þere (R L M F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^548: R.6.8: Most beta manuscripts of all other sub-groups read þe, but the LM pair agrees with alpha.]

¶ Summe schal sowe þe sak quod peres  for scheding of þe whete .
And ȝe loueliche ladyes  with ȝoure longe fyngeres .
Þat ȝe haue selke and sendel  to sowe whan tyme is .
Chesibles for chapeleynes  cherches to honoure .

¶ Wyues and wydewes  wolle and flex spynneth .
Maketh cloth I conseile ȝow  ad a[n]d[^a547] kenneth so ȝoure douȝtres .
Þe nedy and þe naked  nemeth hede how a[^a548][^549] lyggeth .
And casteth hym[^a549][^550] clothes  for so comaundeth treuthe .
For I schal lene hem lyflode  but if þe londe fayle .
Flesche and brede bothe  to riche an d to pouere .
As longe as I lyue  for þe lordes loue of heuene .

[^a547: ad a[n]d (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a548: a (R) | þei (Most other mss)]

[^a549: hym (R) | hem (All other mss)]

[^549: R.6.15: a, "they."]

[^550: hym, "them." For <a> and hym as spellings of "they" and "them," see MED, s.v. he pron.(3) and hem pron.pl.]

¶ And alle manere of men  þat thorȝ mete and drynke libbeth .
Helpeth hym to werche wyȝtliche  þat wynneth ȝoure fode .

¶ By crist quod a kniȝt þo  he kenneth vs þe beste .
Ac on þe teem treuly  tauȝt was I neuere .
Ac kenne me quod þe kniȝt  and by crist I wil assay .

¶ By seint poule quod perkyn  ȝe profre ȝow so faire .
Þat I schal swynke and swete  and sowe for vs bothe .
And other laboreres[^a550] do for þi loue  al my lif-tyme .
In[^551] couenaunt þat þow kepe  holy cherche and my-selue .
Fro wastoures and fro wikked men  þat þis world strueth .

[^a550: laboreres (R Hm F) | laboures (Most beta mss)]

[^551: R.6.28: There is a mark above the <I> of In. It appears to be a backwards <c> in brown, touched with red.]

¶ And go hunte hardiliche  to hares and to foxes .
To bores and to bukkes[^a551][^552]  þat breketh a-doun myn hegges .
And go afayte þi faukones  wilde foules to kulle .
For swyche cometh to my crofte  and croppeth my whete .

[^a551: bukkes (R) | brockes (All beta mss)]

[^552: R.6.31: Cf. beta's brockes; F rewrites the a-verse. Both Ax and Cx agree with R's lection.]

¶ Curteiseliche þe kniȝt þanne  comsed þes wordes .
By my power peres quod he  I pliȝt þe my treuthe .
To fulfille þi[^a552][^553] forwarde  þouȝ I fiȝte schulde .
As longe as I lyue  I schal þe meyntene .

[^a552: þi (R) | þis (All other mss)]

[^553: R.6.36: R's þi is unique; Bx reads þis, which is also the reading of a plurality of A witnesses in a very similar rendering of this line.]

¶ Ȝe and ȝet a poynt quod peres  I preye ȝow of more .
Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt  but treuthe wil assente .
And þouȝ ȝe mowe amercy men[^a553][^554]  lat mercy be taxoure .
And mekenesse ȝoure[^a554][^555] maystere  maugre mede[^a555][^556] chekes .[^557]

[^a553: men (R F) | hem (Most beta mss)]

[^a554: ȝoure (R) | þi (Most other mss)]

[^a555: mede (R) | medes (All other mss)]

[^554: R.6.40: Beta reads hem. In a slightly revised line, the C tradition agrees here with alpha, reading men.]

[^555: R.6.41: Both F and beta attest þi. The same is true of Cx.]

[^556: R.6.41: R's uninflected form is unique among the B manuscripts; the others have medes. However, a majority of C witnesses, including the best X-family copies, agree with R's form.]

[^557: R.6.41: Here the scribe again omits his usual insertion of a blank line to mark a new paragraph, presumably because the next line is the last of the side.]

¶ And þouȝ pore men profre ȝow  presentes and ȝiftes .
Nyme it nauȝt an aunter  þow[^a556][^558] mowe it nauȝt deserue
For þow schalt ȝelde it aȝen  at on ȝeres ende .
In a ful periliouse place  purgatorie it hatteth .

[^a556: þow (R F) | ȝe (All beta mss)]

[^558: R.6.43: R's aunter þow is an alpha reading; beta has auenture ȝe; however, though five A witnesses support auenture, it seems clear that the entire phrase, in both Ax and Cx was rendered as in alpha.]

¶ And mysbede nauȝt þi bonde-man[^a557]  þe bettere may þow spede .
Þouȝ he be þin vnderlyng here  wel may happe in heuene .
Þat he worth worthier sett  and with more blisse .
Amice ascende superius .
For in a[^a558] chanel[^a559][^559] at cherche  clerkes[^a560][^560] ben euel to knowe .
Or a kniȝt fram a knaue þere  knowe þis in þin herte .
And þat þow be trewe of tonge[^a561][^561]  and tales þat þow hatie .
But if þei ben of wisdom  or of witt þi werkmen to chastie .
Holde nauȝt[^a562][^562] with non herlotes  ne here nauȝt here tales .
And nameliche at þe mete  swyche men eschewe .
For it beth þe deueles disoures  I do þe to vnderstonde .

[^a557: bonde-man (R F) | bondemen (Most beta mss)]

[^a558: a (R Hm F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a559: chanel (R) | charnel (Most beta mss)]

[^a560: clerkes (R) | cherles (All beta mss)]

[^a561: tonge (R F) | þi tonge (All beta mss)]

[^a562: nauȝt (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^559: R.6.50: chanel, "charnel house." For the spelling, see MED, s.v. charnel n.(1).]

[^560: R.6.50: Beta reads cherles, which clearly reflects Bx (and agrees with C). Alpha's variant (F = a clerk) is deficient in alliteration as well as less suitable to the context (levelling of social classes beyond death).]

[^561: R.6.52: Beta reads of þi tonge. Most A witnesses agree on this reading with beta, as does the X family of C manuscripts. However, four A copies (TDH2V) agree with alpha's omission of any determiner. Most of the P family in the C tradition attest the presence of hys at this point.]

[^562: R.6.54: No beta manuscript attests nauȝt. Two A copies agree with alpha at this point, but most support beta. By contrast almost all C witnesses support alpha's use of the double negative in this a-verse, although the Russell-Kane edition emends this evidence away.]

¶ I assente by seint Iame  seyde þe kniȝt þanne .
For to werch by thy wordes  þe while my lyf dureth .

¶ And I schal apparaille me quod perkyn  in pilgrimes wise .
And wende with ȝow I wil  til we fynde treuthe .

¶ And caste on me[^563] my clothes  I-clouted and I-hole[^a563] .
My cokeres and my cuffes  for colde of my nayles .
And hange myn hoper at myn hals  in stede of a scrippe .
A buschel of brede-corne  bryng me þere -Inne .
For I wil sowen it my-selue  and sytthen wil I wende .
To pilgrimage as palmeres doun  pardon for to haue .

[^a563: I-hole (R) | hole (Most beta mss)]

[^563: R.6.61: Only L agrees with R in attesting me my. F and the other beta copies simply show my. Ax and Cx agree against B in reading this phrase as third-person description: He caste on (his = A) / (hym his = C) cloþis. It is interesting to note that the one difference between the A and C phrases parallels the grammatical difference between LR and the other B witnesses.]

¶ Ac ho-so helpeth me to erye  or sowen here ere I wende .
Schal haue leue be oure lord  to lese here in herueste .
And maken hym[^a564][^564] merie þeremyde  maugre ho-so it[^a565] be-grucche .[^565]

[^a564: hym (R F) | hem (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a565: it (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^564: R.6.69: Beta reads hem here, but both Ax and Cx agree with alpha's hym.]

[^565: R.6.69: Beta transposes the final phrase as bigruccheth it. This word order parallels that found in the X family of C (the P family omits it completely, as do several of the less authoritative copies in the B tradition). However, the A witnesses strongly support alpha's phrasing at this point.]

¶ And alle kynne crafty men  þat conne lyuen in treuthe .
I schal fynde hem fode  þat feithfullyche libbeth .[^566]

[^566: R.6.71: Here the scribe again omits his usual insertion of a blank line to mark a new paragraph, presumably because the next line is the last of the side.]

¶ Saue Iakke þe iogelour  and Ihonete of þe stiues[^a566] .
And daniel þe dys pleyere  and denote þe bawde .
And frere þe faitoure  and folke of hys ordre .
And robyn þe ribauder  for his rousty wordes .
Treuthe tolde me ones  and badde me tellen it after
Deleantur de libro viuencium  I schulde nauȝt dele with hem .
For holy cherche is hote  of hem no tythe to aske[^a567] .[^567]
Quia cum iustis non scribantur .
Þei ben aschaped good auntour  now[^a568][^568] god hem amende .

[^a566: stiues (R F) | stues (Most beta mss)]

[^a567: aske (R) | take (All other mss)]

[^a568: now (R L M F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^567: R.6.78: R's aske is unique; both beta and F read take. However, both Ax and Cx agree with R's reading.]

[^568: R.6.80: Beta reads auenture in place of alpha's auntour, but Ax and Cx agree with alpha's form. Also, most beta copies omit alpha's now, but its occurrence in LM clearly attests its authenticity, both in beta and Bx. Almost all C witnesses—and a majority of A copies—attest the presence of this adverb.]

¶ Dame worche whan tyme is  peres wif hyȝte .
His douȝte douȝte[r] hiȝt do riȝt so  or þi dame schal þe bete .
His sone hiȝt suffre  þi souereynes haue[^a569][^569] here wille .
Deme hem nauȝt for if þow dost  þow schalt it dere a-bugge .
Lat god I-worth with al  for so his worde techeth .

[^a569: haue (R O C2 F) | to haue(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^569: R.6.83: Beta reads to hauen. A majority of the A witnesses supports beta (none supports alpha), but Cx clearly agrees with alpha in omitting to.]

¶ For now I am holde and hore  and haue of myn owene .
To penaunce and to pilgrimage  I wil passe with þis othere .
For-thy I wil ar I wende  do write my queste[^a570] .[^570]
In dei nomine amen  I make it my-selue  he schal haue my soule .[^571]
Þat best hath I-serued it  and fro þe fende I-keped it[^a571][^572] .
Til I come til[^a572][^573] his acountes  as my crede telleth[^a573][^574] .
To haue a reles and a remissioun  on þat rental I leue .

[^a570: queste (R) | biqueste (All beta mss)]

[^a571: I-keped it (R) | it defende (Most beta mss)]

[^a572: til (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^a573: telleth (R F) | me telleth (All beta mss)]

[^570: R.6.88: R's queste is unique in form but identical in sense to beta's reading (See MED, s. v. quiste [n.]); cf. F's enqweste and beta's biqueste. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's form.]

[^571: R.6.89: Here alpha differs from beta by merging the opening phrase from the archetype's next line (= He shal haue my soule ) with this one, and then truncating the third line by deleting its final phrase (= for so I bileue), so that the three lines in Langland's presumptive original are reduced to two non-alliterating ones.]

[^572: R.6.90: R's I-keped is unique; F rephrases this verse, with his own unique verb phrase (weyvid fram yt); the cognate beta reading is it defende. Both Ax and Cx substantially agree with beta's phrasing in this entire passage, where alpha was clearly corrupt (cf. note at R6.89).]

[^573: R.6.91: R's til before his acountes is unique among the B witnesses. Ax, like beta and F, shows to here, but Cx agrees with R.]

[^574: R.6.91: Beta adds me before telleth. A majority of A manuscripts agrees with beta on this addition, but a minority (ChHaLaEWaMa) supports alpha's omission of the pronoun. Moreover, Cx clearly supports alpha in omitting me.]

¶ Þe kyrke schal haue my carayne  and kepe myn bones .
For of my corne and catel  he crauede tithe[^a574] .[^575]
I payede it hym prestly  for peryl of my soule .
For-thi is he holden I hope  to haue me in his messe .
And mengen in his memorie  amonge alle cristene

[^a574: tithe (R) | þe tythe (Most other mss)]

[^575: R.6.94: R uniquely omits a determiner before tithe. Most B witnesses agree with Ax in attesting þe before the noun; however, Cr agrees with Cx in reading my at this point.]

¶ My wif schal haue of þat I wan  with treuthe and namore .
And dele amonge my douȝteres  and my dere childres[^a575][^576] .
For þouȝ I deyede[^a576][^577] to-day  my dette[^a577] is Iquited[^a578] .[^578]
I bare hom þat I borwede  ar I to bedde ȝede .

[^a575: childres (R) | children (All other mss)]

[^a576: deyede (R F) | deye (All beta mss)]

[^a577: dette (R) | dettes (All other mss)]

[^a578: is Iquited (R) | ar quitte (All beta mss)]

[^576: R.6.99: R's form is unique; all other witnesses in the B tradition have children. Two C manuscripts (XI) agree with R, but most agree with the B majority.]

[^577: R.6.100: Beta's form agrees with the reading of both Ax and Cx.]

[^578: R.6.100: R's singular is unique; F shows a plural, dettys ben alle qwitte, and beta attests a slightly different plural phrasing, dettes ar quitte. The A tradition clearly supports the F/beta plural format here, but the C tradition is divided, much of the P family concurring with F/beta while the X family (and a few P copies) support R's singular.]

¶ And with þe residue and þe remenaunt  be þe rode of lukes .
I wil worschipe þerewith  treuthe by my lyue .
And ben his pilgrime at þe plow  for pore menne sake .
My plow-pote[^a579][^579] schal be my pyk-staf  and picchen at[^a580][^580] þe rotes .
And helpe my culter to kerue  and clenese[^a581] þe forewes .

[^a579: plow-pote (R F) | plow(es)fote (All beta mss)]

[^a580: at (R) | atwo (All beta mss)]

[^a581: clenese (R) | clense (All other mss)]

[^579: R.6.105: Beta reads plow-fote, but Ax clearly agrees with the alpha reading.]

[^580: R.6.105: Cf. F's a-wey and beta's atwo. Most of the A witnesses agree with R.]

¶ Now is perkyn and þese[^a582][^581] pilgrimes  to þe plow faren .
To herye þis haf hacre  holpen hym manye .
Dikeres and delueres  digged vp þe balkes .
Þerewith was perkyn apayd  and preised hem faste .
Other werkmen þere were  þat woruten ful ȝerne .
Vch man in his manere  made hym-self to done .
And somme to plese perkyn  piked vp þe wedes .

[^a582: þese (R) | his (All beta mss)]

[^581: R.6.107: Beta reads his; F has þe. Most A copies support F's reading. Among the C manuscripts, the P family also agrees with F, but the X family reading, þis, concurs with R's þese.]

¶ At heȝ prime peres  lete þe plow stande .
And ȝeed[^a583][^582] to ouer-sen hem hym -self  and ho-so best wrouȝte .
He schuld be huyred þere -after  whan heruest-tyme come .

[^a583: And ȝeed (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^582: R.6.115: R's And ȝeed to is unique; otherwise R reads the line as beta does (which begins the line simply with To . F completely rephrases the line, but the fact that F's rewritten line begins & wente indicates that R's unique opening probably derives from alpha. Both the A and C versions begin this line by omitting R's opening (the former reading the phrase exactly as beta does).]

¶ And þanne sete somme  and songen at þe ale .
And ho[^a584][^583] helpen to erye[^584] his half acre  with how trolly lolly .

[^a584: ho (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^583: R.6.118: ho, "they." See MED, s. v. he pron.(3).]

[^584: R.6.118: Only G agrees with R's assignment of present tense to this verb; only F agrees with R's inclusion of to after the verb. Beta reads hulpen (cf. F's hulpen). R's ho is unique error.]

¶ Now be þe perille of my soule quod peres  alle in puer tene .
But ȝe arise þe rathere  and rape ȝow to werche .
Schal no greyn þat groweth  glade ȝow at nede .
And þouȝ ȝe deyede[^a585][^585] for deul  þe deuel haue þat recche[^a586] .

[^a585: deyede (R) | deye(n) (All other mss)]

[^a586: recche (R Cr Hm F) | reccheth (Most beta mss)]

[^585: R.6.122: R's deyede is unique. All other B manuscripts show a present-tense form here, as do the A and C versions.]

¶ Þo were faitoures aferde  and feyned hem blynde .
Somme leyde here legges a-lyry  as swiche loseles conneth .
And made here mone to peres  and preyed hym of grace .
For we haue no lymes to labore with  lord graced be ȝe .

¶ Ac we preye for ȝow peres  and for ȝoure plow bothe .
Þat god of his grace  ȝoure greyne multiplye .
And ȝelde ȝow of ȝoure almesse  þat ȝe ȝiuen vs here .
For we may nouȝt swynk ne swete  suche seknesse vs ayleth .

¶ If it be soth quod peres þat ȝe seyne  I schal it sone aspie .
Þo[^a587][^586] ben wastoures I wot wel  treuthe[^a588][^587] wot wel[^a589][^588] þe sothe .
And I am his olde hyne  and hiȝte hym to warne .
Whiche þei weren in þis world  his werkemen apayreth[^a590] .[^589]

[^a587: Þo (R) | Ȝe (All other mss)]

[^a588: treuthe (R) | and treuthe (All other mss)]

[^a589: wel (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a590: apayreth (R F) | appeyred(en) (Most beta mss)]

[^586: R.6.132: R's reading is unique and clearly defective; beta has Ȝe and F reads Þat ȝee. Both the A and C versions confirm the correctness of beta's reading.]

[^587: R.6.132: R's omission of and at the beginning of the b-verse is unique. The A version confirms the presence and location of this conjunction, as found in beta and F.]

[^588: R.6.132: R's redundancy (reiterated wel in the b-verse) is unique.]

[^589: R.6.134: Beta reads appeyred. F has a-peyre.]

¶ Ȝe wasten þat men wynnen  with trauayle and with tene .
Ac treuthe schal teche ȝow  his teme to driue .
Or ȝe schal ete barly brede  and of þe broke drynke .
But if he blynde[^a591][^590] or brokelegged  or bolted with yrenes . .
He schal ete whete brede  and drinke with me-selue .
Til god of his goednesse  amendement hym sende .

[^a591: blynde (R) | be blynde (All beta mss)]

[^590: R.6.138: R's omission of the verb here is unique; cf. F's he þat is blynd and beta's he be blynde.]

¶ Ac ȝe miȝt trauaile as treuthe wolde  & take mete & huyre .
To kepe ken in þe felde  þe corne fro þe bestes .
Diken or deluen  or dyngen vppon scheues .
Or helpe make morter  or bere muk a-felde .

¶ In lecherie and in losyngrie  lyue [ȝe] lyue[^a592] and in sleuthe .[^591]
And al is thorȝ suffraunce  þat vengance ȝow ne taketh .

[^a592: lyue [ȝe] lyue (R) | ȝe lyue(n) (All other mss)]

[^591: R.6.145: There is an ink blot, probably the result of offset, that has the appearance of a second punctus far to the right of the intended line terminal punctus and just inside the ruling margin.]

¶ Ac ancres and heremites  þat eten but at nones .
And namore ar morewe  myn almesse schul þei haue .
And of my[^a593] catel to cope hem with  þat haue cloystres in kerkes[^a594][^592] .
Ac robert renneaboute  schal nauȝt haue of myne .
Ne postles but þei preche conne  and ȝut[^a595][^593] haue pouer of þe bisshoppe .
Þei schal haue payn and potage  and make hem-self at ese .
For it is an vnresonable religion  þat hath riȝt nauȝt of certeyne .

[^a593: my (R L M F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a594: in kerkes (R) | and cherche(s) (All other mss)]

[^a595: ȝut (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^592: R.6.149: R's in kerkes is unique; the other B witnesses read and cherche(s).]

[^593: R.6.151: R's ȝut is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

¶ And þanne gan a wastour to wra the hym  & wold haue I-fouȝte .
And to peres þe plowman  he profered his gloue .

¶ A bretonere a braggere  abosted a bosted[^594] peres alse .
And bad hym go pissen on[^a596][^595] his plow  forpyned schrewe .
Wil þow or nelle þow  we wil haue oure wille .
And[^a597] of[^596] þi floure and of þi flesche  fecche whanne vs liketh .
And make vs merie þere -myde  maugre þi chekes .

[^a596: on (R F) | with (All beta mss)]

[^a597: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^594: R.6.156: A, "he."]

[^595: R.6.157: Beta reads with. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^596: R.6.159: R's And of is an alpha phrase (F omits of). The X family of C also begins the line with And. Though two A manuscripts (KMa) also begin the line exactly as R does, Ax, like beta, omits And.]

¶ Þanne peres þe plowman  pleyned hym to þe kniȝte .
To kepe hym as couenant was  fram cursed schrewes .
And fram þes wastoures wolues-kynnes  þat maketh þis[^597] world dere .
For þo waste and wynnen nauȝt  and þat ilke while .
Worth neuer plente amonge poeple[^a598][^598]  þe while my plow liggeth .

[^a598: poeple (R) | þe poeple (All other mss)]

[^597: R.6.163: Although G agrees with R, beta reads þe; F omits the entire line. Cx supports the RG reading.]

[^598: R.6.165: R uniquely omits þe before poeple.]

¶ Corteyseliche þe kniȝt þanne  as his kende wolde .
Warned wastour  and wissede hym bettere .
Or þow schalt abugge with[^a599][^599] þe lawe  by þe ordre þat I bere .

[^a599: with (R) | by (All other mss)]

[^599: R.6.168: R's with is unique. The other B manuscripts read by.]

¶ I was nouȝt wone[^a600][^600] to werche quod wastour  & now wil I nouȝt bygynne .
And leet liȝtly[^a601] of þe lawe  and lasse of þe knyȝt .[^601]
And sette peres at a pese  and his plow bothe .
And manseyd peres and his men  if þei mette efte-sone .

[^a600: wone (R) | wont (Most other mss)]

[^a601: liȝtly (R Hm F) | liȝte (Most other mss)]

[^600: R.6.169: R's form here is unique; Bx reads wont.]

[^601: There is a brown paraph sign entered at the end of this line, presumably to mark the presence of bygynne, which is carried over from the end of the previous line and written after the paraph.]

¶[^602] Be þe perel of my soule quod peres  I schal apeyre ȝow alle .
And houped after honger  þat herde hym at þe furste .
Awreke me of þis wastoures quod he  þat þis world schenden .[^603]

[^602: R.6.173: Beta begins this line with Now by. The same phrase as beta's occurs in Ax and opens a revised version of the line in Cx]

[^603: R.6.175: Though manuscripts O and G agree with R's terminal inflection for this verb, ( a feature also mirrored by several A witnesses), beta itself, as with Ax, presumably read schendeth. F has shende.]

¶ Honger in haste þo  hente wastoure by þe mawe .
And wronge hym so by þe wombe  þat al watred his eyȝes[^a602] .[^604]
He boffette[^a603] þe bretoner  aboute þe chekes .
Þat he loked like a lanterne  al his lif after .
He bette hem so bothe  he braste nere her guttes .
Ne hadde peres with a pese lofe  preyed honger sese[^a604] .[^605]
Þei hadde be dolue bothe  ne deme þow non other .
Suffre hem lyue he seyde  and late hem ete with hogges .
Or elles benes and bren  I-bake to-gyderes .
Or elles melke and meyne ale  þus preyed peres for hem .

[^a602: al watred his eyȝes (R) | bothe his eyen wattered(en) (Most other mss)]

[^a603: boffette (R) | buffeted (All other mss)]

[^a604: sese (R F) | to cesse (All beta mss)]

[^604: R.6.177: R's b-verse is unique; F and beta agree in reading þat bothe his eyen wattered. However, R's b-verse agrees exactly with the same phrase in both Ax and Cx; it is, therefore, presumably the original reading in B.]

[^605: R.6.181: Cf. beta's hunger to cesse. Both Ax and Cx agree on a different phrase, with a less obvious verb, for this line's ending: hym byleue.]

¶ Faytoures for fere hereof  flowen in[^a605][^606] bernes .
And flapten on with flailes  fram morwen til euen .
Þat hunger was nouȝt hardy[^a606][^607]  on hem for to loke .
For a potful of peses  þat peres hadde I-maked .

[^a605: in (R) | into (All other mss)]

[^a606: hardy (R G F) | so hardy (Most beta mss)]

[^606: R.6.186: All other B witnesses read into; both Ax and Cx agree with them against R.]

[^607: R.6.188: Although G agrees here with alpha, beta itself reads so hardy, a reading also attested by half of the A manuscripts (RaUHaJEWaMaH). On the other hand, Cx clearly agrees with alpha's reading (i.e., the omission of so).]

¶ An hepe of heremites hent hem spades .
And ketten here copes  and curtebies hem made .
And wenten as werkmen  with spades and with schoueles .
And doluen and dikeden  to driue awey honger .

¶ Blynde and bedredene  were botened a thousend .
Þat seten to begge seluer  sone were þei heled .
For þat was bake for bayarde  was bote to[^a607] many[^608] hungri .
And many a beggere for benes  fayne[^a608][^609] was to swynke .
And ech a pore man wel apayde  to haue pesen for his huyre .
And what peres preyed hem for to[^a609][^610] do  as prest as a sparhauke .
ye be so wanton so pro .e so
And þere-of was peres proude  and putte hem to werke .
And ȝaf hem mete as he miȝt a-forth  and mesurable huyre .

[^a607: to (R) | for (All beta mss)]

[^a608: fayne (R) | buxome (Most beta mss)]

[^a609: for to (R) | to (Most beta mss)]

[^608: R.6.196: Beta reads for many, the same phrase as in Cx. F substitutes þe for the phrases found here in R and beta.]

[^609: R.6.197: R's fayne is unique; cf. F's ful bown and beta's buxome.]

[^610: R.6.199: R's for is not attested by any other B manuscript.]

¶ Þanne hadde peres pyte  and preyed honger to wende .
Home in-to his owene erde  and holden hym þere .
For I am wel awreke now  of wastoures þorȝ þi miȝte .
Ac I preye þe ar þow passe  quod peres þo[^a610][^611] to honger .
Of beggeres and of bydderes  what best is[^a611] to done[^612] .
For I wote wel be þow wente  þei wil werche ful ille .
For meschef it maketh  þei beth so meke nouthe .
And for defaute of here fode  þis folk is at my wille .
It[^a612][^613] aren aren aren[^a613] my blody bretheren quod peres  &[^a614][^614] god bouȝte vs alle .[^615]
Treuthe tauȝte me ones  to louye hem vch one .
And to helpen hem of alle thynge  ay as hem nedeth .
And now wolde I witen of þe  what were þe beste .
And how I miȝt amaystrien hem  & maken hem to werche .

[^a610: þo (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a611: is (R Y F) | be (Most beta mss)]

[^a612: It (R) | Þey (Most other mss)]

[^a613: aren aren aren (R) | are (All other mss)]

[^a614: & (R) | for (Most other mss)]

[^611: R.6.205: Beta omits þo.]

[^612: R.6.206: R's is in this b-verse is shared only with F and Y; the entire phrase shows considerable minor variation among the B witnesses, but the original reading of beta is probably that of the majority of beta copies, what best be to done. This agrees with the reading of Cx. By contrast, R's b-verse agrees exactly with Kane's reconstruction of the phrase in Ax (though a majority of A manuscripts reverse the key phrase to is best).]

[^613: R.6.210: R's It is unique among the B manuscripts; most, including F, read Þey. However, R's reading agrees with that found in Ax and Cx, both of which begin the line And (h)it.]

[^614: R.6.210: Both F and beta have for where R reads &. Ax and Cx agree with F/beta here.]

[^615: The parchment here was torn long ago and repaired by stitching. The tear extended the length of these nine lines and is approximately 6 cm. long from its beginning at the page edge, running diagonally inwards and downwards. At its bottom it is approximately 2.5 cm. in from the page margin.]

¶ I[^a615] here now[^616] quod hunger  and holde it for a wisdome .
Bolde beggeres and bigge  þat mowen here brede by-swynken .
With houndes bred and hors-bred  holde vppe here hertes .
Abate hem with benes  for bollyng of here wombe .
And if þe gomes grucche  bydde hem go and[^a616][^617] swynke .[^618]

[^a615: I (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a616: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^616: R.6.215: R's I here now is unique; cf. F's Now here wel me and beta's Here now. The beta variant is identical with that found in Ax.]

[^617: R.6.219: Beta here omits and, a feature also found in half of the A manuscripts and in a majority of the P family of the C version.]

[^618: R.6.219: Alpha omitted the following line attested by beta manuscripts (and by both of the other versions of the poem): And he shal soupe swettere whan he it hath deseruid.]

¶ Ac[^a617][^619] if þow fynde any freke  þat falshed[^a618][^620] hath apayred .
Or eny maner fals men  fond þow suche to knowe .
Conforte hem with þi catel  for cristes loue of heuene .
Loue hem and lene hem  so lawe of god techeth .
Alter alterius honera portate 
And alle manere men  þat þow miȝt aspie
Þat nedy ben and nauȝti  helpe hem with þi godes .
Loue hem and lak hem nauȝt  late god take þe veniaunce .
Þeyȝ þei don euel  lat þow[^621] god a-worthe .
Michi vindictam et ego retribuam .
And if þow be[^a619][^622] gracious to god  do as þe gospel techeth .
And by-lowe[^623] þe amonges lowe men  so schaltow lacche grace .
Facite vobis amicos de mamona iniquitatis .[^624]

[^a617: Ac (R) | And (All other mss)]

[^a618: falshed (R) | fortune (All beta mss)]

[^a619: be (R) | wil(t) be (All beta mss)]

[^619: R.6.220: Both F and beta have And, which is also the reading of seven A and of seven C copies; R's Ac is probably archetypal in the C version but may not be original in A.]

[^620: R.6.220: R's falshed is unique; cf. F's False and beta's fortune. The Ax reading is fortune, but the Cx variant, in a slightly revised line, is fals men.]

[^621: R.6.228: Only L supports R's attestation of þow here; all other B copies omit it.]

[^622: R.6.230: R uniquely omits the modal wilt before be.]

[^623: R.6.231: Most beta manuscripts read biloue, but LM support the alpha reading, which is clearly the subtler, harder word.]

[^624: R.6.232: Here the R scribe fails to insert his customary blank line between verse strophes; no reason for this omission is apparent.]

¶ I wald nauȝt greue god quod peres  for alle þe good on grounde .
Miȝte I synneles do as þow seyste  seyde peres þanne .

¶ Ȝe I be-hote god[^a620][^625] quod hunger  or elles þe bible lyeth .
Go to genesis þe geaunt  þe engendrour of vs alle .
In sudore and in swynke  þow schalt þi mete tilye .
And labore for thi lyflode  and so oure lord hiȝte .

[^a620: god (R F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^625: R.6.235: Beta reads þe. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's reading.]

¶ And sapience seith þe same  I seyȝ[^a621][^626] in þe bible .
Pige Pige[r][^a622] pro frigore  non feld wolde[^a623] tylie .
And þere-for he schal begge and bydde . & noman bete his hunger .

[^a621: seyȝ (R) | seigh it (Most other mss)]

[^a622: Pige Pige[r] (R) | Piger (Most other mss)]

[^a623: wolde (R M Cr Hm F) | nolde (Most beta mss)]

[^626: R.6.239: R uniquely omits a word in this phrase; beta reads seigh it in. Ax agrees with beta.]

¶ Matheu with mannes face  moutheth[^a624][^627] þis wordes .
Þat seruus nequam had a man[^a625][^628]  & for he wolde nouȝt chaffare .
He hadde maugre of his meystre  for euermore after .
And by-nam hym his napm[^629]  for he ne wold werche .
And ȝaf þat nam til hym  þat ten napmes hadde .
And with þat he seyde  þat holy cherche it herde .
He þat hath schal haue  and helpe þere it nedeth .
And he þat nauȝt hath schal nauȝt haue  & no man hym helpe .
And þat he weneth for[^a626] to[^630] haue  I wil it hym bi-reue .

[^a624: moutheth (R F) | mouthed (Most beta mss)]

[^a625: man (R Bo Cot F) | (m)nam (Most beta mss)]

[^a626: for (R F) | wel (All beta mss)]

[^627: R.6.242: Beta reads a past-tense form of the same verb: mouthed. Though A manuscripts offer a striking variety of possibilities at this point , Kane chose the alpha form as likeliest to represent Langland's original. But the alpha form may not, in fact, signify any real difference from beta anyway (i.e., the alpha scribe may not be intending a present-tense inflection with his "-eth" suffix. See the Introduction III.2.2.10 for a complete discussion.]

[^628: R.6.243: Although MED, s. v. mnam, lists man as a possible form taken by mnam, it seems clear that this spelling is merely a scribal error (Langland is the only source cited by the dictionary for the word itself) evoked by an unfamiliar foreign term. Alpha passed this error to R and F, which share it with BoCot (and with AH of the A tradition).]

[^629: This word is foreign in origin and quite rare, and spellings of it vary considerably on that account. OED2 and MED identify the headword as mnam. OED2 lists nam as the only recognized variant and Langland as the only citation. However, among the A copies, Vernon shows another presumably valid spelling variation, rendering the word at 7.225 (Kane) as npnam. MED also cites Piers Plowman as the only source but lists a wider variety of forms, including mnamme, namp, mam, and man. In light of the fact that Langland is the only source cited, however, it seems probable that several of these "variant forms" are merely scribal errors.]

[^630: R.6.250: Beta reads wel to, which is also the reading of both Ax and the X family of C (most of the P family simply omit the phrase).]

¶ Kende witt wolde  þat vche a wiȝt wrouȝte .
Or in dichyng[^a627] or in deluynge  or trauaylyng in preyeres .
Contemplatif lyf or actif lyf  crist wolde men wrouȝte .
Þe sauter seith in a[^a628] psalme  of beati omnes .
Þe freke þat fedeth hym-selue  with his faythful laboure .
He is blissed by þe book  in body and in soule .
Labores manuum tuarum &cetera .

[^a627: dichyng (R) | dykynge (Most other mss)]

[^a628: a (R F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

¶ Ȝet I prey ȝow quod peres  par charite and ȝe kunne .
Eny lef of leche-craft  lere it me my dere .
For somme of my seruantes  and my-self bothe
Of alle a woke[^631] werche nauȝt  so oure wombe aketh .

[^631: R.6.261: Woke, "week."]

¶ I wot wel quod hunger  what seknesse ȝow eyleth .
Ȝe haue manged ouer-muche  and þat maketh ȝow grone .
Ac I hote þe quod hunger  as þow þin hele wilneste .
Þat þow drynke no day  ar þow dyne sumwhat .
Ete nouȝt I hote[^a629][^632] er hunger þe take .
And sende þe of his sauce  to sauoure with þi lippes .
And kepe summe to soper tyme  and sitte nauȝt to longe .
Arise vppe ar apetit  haue I-ete[^a630] his fille .
Late nauȝt sire surfet  sitten at þi borde .
Leue hym nauȝt for he is lecherous  and likerous of tonge .
And after many maner metus  his mawe is affyngred .

[^a629: hote (R) | hote þe (All other mss)]

[^a630: I-ete (R) | ete(n) (All beta mss)]

[^632: R.6.266: Among B copies, R uniquely omits þee in the phrase, hote þe er. Though four A manuscripts (JLaAMa) share this omission, it seems clear that Ax read as beta does, including þee. However, Cx omits the pronoun and renders this phrase exactly as R does.]

¶ And if þow diete þe þus  I dar legge myn eres
Þat fisik schal his furred hodes  for his fode selle .
And his cloke of calabre  with alle knappes[^a631][^633] of golde .
And be fayne by my faith  his fisik to lete .
And lerne to labori with londe  for liflode is swete .
Þer aren mo morareres þan[^a632][^634] leches  lord hem amende .
Þei don men deye þorȝ here drinkes  ar destine it wolde .

[^a631: knappes (R F) | þe knappes (Most beta mss)]

[^a632: Þer aren mo morareres þan (R) | For morthereres aren mony (Most beta mss)]

[^633: R.6.275: F reads with knoppis, while beta has alle þe knappes. Ax appears to read this b-verse as & þe knoppis of gold.]

[^634: R.6.278: R's morareres is a nonce word, apparently meaning "killers, murderers." The presence of moraynerys in F suggests that some version of the reading was in alpha. Most beta witnesses have For morthereres aren mony leches as their a-verse. The defective alliteration of both sub-archetypes suggests that Bx itself was corrupt here. The likeliest authorial reading for B is that of A: Þere arn mo liȝeris þan lechis.]

¶ By seint poule quod peres  þis aren profitable wordes .
Wend now hunger whan þow wilt  þat wel þow be[^a633] euere .[^635]
For þis is a louely lesson  lord it þe forȝelde .

[^a633: þow be (R) | be þow (Most beta mss)]

[^635: R.6.281: Cf. F's þe betyȝde and beta's be þow euere. In his parallel-text edition of Piers, A. V. C. Schmidt errs by listing R's reading here as a dittography, yow yow. Apparently, this error stems not from R itself, which is quite clear, but from Schmidt's reliance on the apparatus of Kane-Donaldson, which here displays a rare mistake. In any event, the correct reading is probably that of beta since it matches the reading of Ax and of a majority of C witnesses for this phrase. However, key X family witnesses (XIUcDc) reverse the crucial phrase, reading thow be and thus agreeing with the B-version's manuscript R against beta.]

¶ By-hote god quod hunger  hennes ne wil I wende .
Til I haue dyned by þis day  and I-dronke bothe .

¶ I haue no peny quod peres  polettes forto bugge .
Ne noyther gees ne gris  but to grene cheses .
A fewe cruddes and creme  and an hauer-cake .
And to loues of benes and bren  I-bake for my fauntes .
And ȝet I sey by my soule  I haue no salt bakun .
Ne no cokenay by crist  coloppes for to make .
Ac I haue percyle and porett  and many queynte herbes[^a634] .[^636]

[^a634: queynte herbes (R) | kole plantes (All beta mss)]

[^636: R.6.291:R's queynte herbes is unique. Cf. F's propre herbys and beta's kole plantes. Most A witnesses agree with beta's reading (albeit non-alliterating), but Kane has changed his mind since 1960 and in the revised Athlone edition of A opines that the metrically appropriate reading of manuscripts AMaH (plante colis) is likelier to be original (461).]

¶ And eke a kow and a kalf  and a carte mare .
To drawe a-felde my donge  þe while þe drouȝthe lasteth .
And by þis lyflode we mote lyue  til lammasse tyme .
And by þat I hope to haue  heruest in my crofte .
And þanne may I diȝte þi diner  as me dere liketh .

¶ Alle þe pore poeple þo  pesecoddes fetten .
Benes and baken apples  þei brouȝten in here lappe[^a635] .[^637]
Chibolles and chiruilles  and ripe chiries manye .
And profered peres þis present  to plese with hunger .

[^a635: lappe (R) | lappes (All other mss)]

[^637: R.6.298: R's singular is unique among the B copies; the others read lappes. However, R's reading is supported by Cx and by three important A witnesses (TDCh). The other A manuscripts agree with the B majority.]

¶ Alle hunger ete in haste  and asked after more .
Þanne pore folke for fere  fedde hunger ȝerne .
With grene poret and peses[^638]  to poyson hunger þei thouȝte .

[^638: R.6.303: R's plural is the same alpha form attested in F (pesis); the beta plural, also found in a majority of A copies, reads pesen.]

¶ By þat it neyed nere heruest  newe corn come to chepyng .
Þanne was folke fayne  and fedden hunger with þe beste .
With good ale as glotoun tauȝte  and gerte hunger go slepe .

¶ And þo ne wolde no wastour[^a636][^639] werche  but wandren aboute .
Ne no beggere ete brede  þat benes inne were .
But of coket or of[^a637][^640] clerematyn  or elles of clene whete .
Ne non halpeni ale  in nonewyse none wyse drinke .
But of þe best and of þe brounest  þat in borewe is to selle .

[^a636: ne wolde no wastour (R) | wolde wastour nouȝt (Most beta mss)]

[^a637: of (R) | nil (Bx M Hm O C2)]

[^639: R.6.307: R's ne is a unique addition to this phrase. F has þan wolde no while beta reads þo wolde wastour noȝt. Beta's phrase is identical to the wording of Cx and probably to that of Ax (some A copies attest nolde for wolde).]

[^640: R.6.309: R's of is a unique addition to this line.]

¶ Laboreres þat haue no londe  to lyue on but here handes .
Deyned[^a638][^641] to dyne o-day  niȝte-olde wortes .[^642]
May no peny-ale hem paye  ne no pece of bakun .
But if it be fresche flesche other fische  for chillyng of his[^a639] mawe .[^643]
And but if he be hylyche huyred  elles wil he chide .
And þat he was werkeman wrouȝte  waile þe tyme .
Aȝeynes catones conseile  comseth he to iangle .
Paupertatis onus  pacienter ferre memento .

[^a638: Deyned (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | Deyned nouȝt (Most beta mss)]

[^a639: his (R) | here (All other mss)]

[^641: R.6.313: Beta reads Deyned nouȝt to dyne. F completely rewrites the line. Though Ax clearly agrees with beta, most C manuscripts omit noȝt in this phrase, but three (IP2Ac) include it and X has it added by another hand.]

[^642: R.6.313: There is an apparently random ink blot (having the appearance of a second punctus) approximately 1.3 cm. to the right of the intended punctus.]

[^643: R.6.315: R and F run this line of archetypal B together with the next by splicing this a-verse, But . . . other fische (= KD6.310) to the b-verse of the next line (= KD6.311), for chillyng of here mawe. In fact, R is the only B witness (despite its conflation of two lines) to read for chillyng of his mawe—the reading of the X family of C and of four A manuscripts (including Kane's copytext, T). Most of the other B witnesses attest hir(e), the predominant reading in the A-version copies and in the P family of C.]

¶ He greueth hym aȝeynes god  and gruccheth aȝeynes reson .

¶ Þanne[^a640][^644] curseth he þe kyng  and alle his conseylle after .
Suche lawes to loke  laboreres to greue .
Ac whiles hunger was here maistre  þere wolde non of hem chyde .
Ne strue str[i]ue[^a641] aȝeynes his statute  so sterneliche he lokede .

[^a640: Þanne (R) | And þanne (All beta mss)]

[^a641: strue str[i]ue (R) | stryue(n) (All other mss)]

[^644: R.6.321: F begins this line with & þus; beta begins it And þanne. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

¶ Ac I warne ȝow werkemen  wynneth while ȝe mowe .
For hunger hiderward  hasteth hym ful[^a642][^645] faste .
He schal a-wake with wat[^a643][^646]  wastoures to chaste .
Ar fyue ȝere be fulfilled  swich famyn schal arise .
Thorȝ flod[^a644][^647] and foule wederes  fruytes schullen fayle .
And so seyde saturne  and sent ȝow to warne .
Whanne ȝe se þe sonne amys  and to monkes hedes .
And a mayde haue þe maystrie  and multiplied[^a645][^648] be eyghte
Þanne schal deth withdrawe  and derth be iustice .
And dauwe þe dikere  deye for hunger .
nd[^a646][^649][^650] if god of his goodnesse  graunte vs a trewe .

[^a642: ful (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a643: wat (R) | water (All beta mss)]

[^a644: flod (R) | flodes (All beta mss)]

[^a645: multiplied (R L F) | multiplie (Most beta mss)]

[^a646: nd (R) | But (All other mss)]

[^645: R.6.326: No beta manuscript attests ful. Both Ax and Cx also omit it.]

[^646: R.6.327: R's reading here (wat) makes no sense, but as usual is closer to the presumptive original reflected in beta (water) than is F's reading (what), which, typically, looks like a smoothed rationalization of irreparable error. Apparently alpha left off the final loop from water .]

[^647: R.6.329: R uniquely reads a singular form here. All other B manuscripts show a plural, e.g., flodes. F actually reverses the entire phrase, reading þorhȝ fowle wederys & floodis. Cx agrees with the B majority in attesting a plural, flodes, but a clear majority of A witnesses agrees with R on the singular form.]

[^648: R.6.332: Both L and M confirm this alpha reading (M with an <ed> added in a different ink over an erasure), but all other beta manuscripts read multiplie.]

[^649: R.6.335: The erasure of the line initial is very old though clearly not original.]

[^650: R.6.335: R's [A]nd is unique; all other manuscripts read But, which agrees with the reading of the C version.]

Passus septimus de visione vt supra . [R.7.0: At the extreme right margin, on the same line as the passus heading, there is the cropped fragment of a rubrication guide, very small and in a light brown, contemporary hand: Passus v. Below this fragment is another cropped line, partially obscured by the grain of the membrane: vis.]

T reuthe herd telle here-offe  and to peres he sente .
To taken his teme  and tulyen þe erthe .
And purchased hym a pardoun  a pena et a culpa.
For hym and for his eyres  for euer-more after
And bad hym holden hym at home  and erien his leyes .
And alle þat holpe hym to erie  to setten or to sowe .
Or any other mester  þat miȝt peres auayle .
Pardoun with peres þe[^651] plowman  treuthe hath I-graunted .

[^651: R.7.8: Among the other B copies, only the B family (BmBoCot), a textually inferior group, shares R's þe before plowman; the other beta copies omit any determiner at this point, apparently reading the reference to Langland's central character as a full proper name, pieres plowman; F omits everything from the a-verse after Pers. However, among the C witnesses, the X family agrees with R (against the P family's support of beta).]

¶ Kynges and kniȝtes  þat kepen holy cherches[^a647] .[^652]
And riȝtfulliche in reumes  reulen þe poeple .
And [Han][^a648][^653] pardoun þorȝ purgatorie  to passe ful liȝtly .
With patriarkes and prophetes  in paradis to be felawes[^a649] .

[^a647: cherches (R) | cherche (All other mss)]

[^a648: And [Han] (R) | Han (Most other mss)]

[^a649: felawes (R L M G F) | felawe (Most beta mss)]

[^652: R.7.9: R's plural is unique; all other B copies show the singular, cherche, which agrees with the reading of Ax.]

[^653: R.7.11: And is unique error; most other B copies read Han, which agrees with the reading of Ax and Cx.]

¶ Bisshopes I-blessed  if þei ben as þei schulden .
Legistres of bothe lawes  þe lewed þere-with to preche .
And in as muche as þei mowe  amenden alle synfulle .
Aren peres with þe aposteles  þus[^a650] pardoun peres schewes .
And at þe daye of dome  at heie dayes to sitte .

[^a650: þus (R L M F) | þis (Most beta mss)]

¶ Marchauntes in þe margyne  haued[^a651][^654] many ȝeres .
Ac no[^a652][^655] pena et a culpa  þepope þe pope wald hem nauȝt[^a653][^656] graunte .
For þei holde nauȝt here halyday[^a654][^657]  as holy cherche telleth[^a655] .[^658]
And for þei swere ofte[^a656][^659]  so god[^660] hem helpe[^a657] .
Aȝeyne clene consience  here catel to selle .

[^a651: haued (R) | hadde(n) (All other mss)]

[^a652: no (R F) | none a (Most beta mss)]

[^a653: nauȝt (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a654: halyday (R F) | halidayes (Most beta mss)]

[^a655: telleth (R) | techeth (All other mss)]

[^a656: ofte (R F) | by her soule and (All beta mss)]

[^a657: hem helpe (R M G F) | moste hem helpe (Most beta mss)]

[^654: R.7.18: R's verb form here is unique and slightly archaic; most of the other manuscripts of all versions read hadde(n). No difference in meaning is discernible.]

[^655: R.7.19: Alpha construes the opening of this phrase as English and omits the initial Latin preposition; cf. beta's none a pena. The X family of the C version treats this phrase exactly as alpha does, while the reading of the P family omits the negative and is obviously corrupt.]

[^656: R.7.19: In place of R's wald hem nauȝt, F has will(e) not while beta reads nolde hem; no beta copy (nor any A or C witness) attests the presence of alpha's nauȝt. Beta is likelier to be authorial. In a slightly revised version of this half-line, the C version reads either nolde hem (P family) or wolde hem (X family). The same disagreement between wolde and nolde divides the A copies into two large groups.]

[^657: R.7.20: Although M agrees with alpha on this singular form, most beta witnesses show the plural, halidayes. Most A copies agree with the majority beta reading, but the C manuscripts divide into two large groups, the X family (with some P- family support) atetsting alpha's form while the dominant P-family reading agrees with beta.]

[^658: R.7.20: R's telleth is unique; Bx has techeth, the same reading found at this point, uniformly, in the other versions .]

[^659: R.7.21: In place of alpha's non-alliterating ofte, beta reads by her soule, which agrees with the phrasing of both the A and C versions.]

[^660: R.7.21: Beta has and so god moste hem helpe. This is also the reading of the other two versions.]

¶ Ac vnder his secrete seel  treuthe sent hem a lettre .
Þat þei schulde bugge boldely  þat hem best liketh[^a658][^661] .
And sitthenus sellen it vs[^a659][^662] aȝeyn  and sauen þe wynnynges[^a660] .[^663]
And amenden mesondewes þere-with  & myseise folk helpe .
And wikked wayes  wiȝtliche hem amende .
And do bote to brugges  þat to-broke were .
Marien maydenes or maken hem nonnes .
Pore poeple or[^a661][^664] prisones  fynden hem here fode .
And sette scoleres to scole  or to[^665] other[^a662] craftes .
Releue religioun  and renten hem bettere .

[^a658: liketh (R F) | liked (All beta mss)]

[^a659: vs (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a660: wynnynges (R F) | wynnynge (Most beta mss)]

[^a661: or (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a662: other (R F) | somme other (Most beta mss)]

[^661: R.7.24: In place of alpha's present-tense form, beta has a preterite, liked; all but one C witness agrees with beta, but the A manuscripts are split: a majority agree with beta's preterite, but a significant minority attest alpha's form. Kane chooses the minority reading for his edition of A, but Kane-Donaldson endorse the beta reading in their edition of B.]

[^662: R.7.25: R's vs is a unique addition to the text of Bx, which agrees here with that of Ax and Cx.]

[^663: R.7.25: Beta shows a singular form, wynnyge. The Ax reading agrees with beta's, but the C manuscripts are split, a majority (including the best witnesses in both major families) agreeing with alpha's plural while a minority supports beta.]

[^664: R.7.30: R's or is unique; Bx has and.]

[^665: R.7.31: The alpha b-verse lacks an alliterative stave; beta reads to somme other craftes. Beta's reading is supported by the analogous verse from A, which reads to summe skynes craftis.]

¶ And I schal sende ȝow my-selue  seint mychel myn archangel .
Þat no deuel schal ȝow dere  ne fere ȝow in ȝoure deynge .
And wyten ȝow fram wan-hope  if ȝe wil þus werche .
And sende ȝoure soules in safte  to my seintes in ioye .

¶ Þanne were manye marchauntz[^a663]  þat wopen[^a664][^666] for ioye .
And preiseden peres þe plowman  þat purchaced þis bulle .
Men of lawe  leste pardoun hadde .[^667]
Þat pleteden for mede  for þat craft is schrewed[^a665] .
For þe sauter saueth hem nauȝt  suche as taketh ȝiftes .
And nameliche of innocentes  þat non euel ne cunneth .[^668]

[^a663: manye marchauntz (R F) | Marchauntz mery (Most beta mss)]

[^a664: þat wopen (R F) | many wepten (Beta Cr1 W Hm C)]

[^a665: for þat craft is schrewed (R) | þat pleteden for Mede (Most beta mss)]

[^666: R.7.37: In place of alpha's manye marchauntz þat wopen, the beta phrase is Marchauntz mery many wepten. The beta phrase agrees entirely with the wording of Ax and Cx.]

[^667: R.7.39: Here alpha seems to have mislineated by truncation (as reflected in R's short line), which causes the authorial b-verse to be cast as a following line (R7.40), fleshed out (uniquely in R) with for þat craft is schrewed. F attempts an even more extensive smoothing, rendering the two lines as follows: But men of Lawe of pardoun / þe leeste part þey haddyn. For þey for meede pletyn moore / þan mychil for goddis helpe.]

[^668: R.7.42: Hereafter beta includes a Latin citation omitted by alpha: Super innocentem munera non accipies.]

¶ Pledoures schuld peynen hem  to plede for suche and helpe .
Princes and prelates  schulde paye for here trauayle .
A regibus et principibus  erit merces eorum .

¶ Ac many a iustice and iuroure  walde for Iohan do more .
Þanne pro dei pietate  leue þow non other .

¶ Ac he þat speneth[^a666][^669] his speche  and speketh for þe pore .
Þat is innocent and nedy  and noman appayreth .
And[^a667][^670] conforteth hym in þat cas  with-oute coueytise of ȝiftes .
And scheweth lawe for oure lordes loue  as he it hath I-lerned .
Schal no deuel at his ded-day  deren hym a myte .
Þat he ne worth saef and his soule  þe sauter bereth witnesse .
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo . — &cetera .

[^a666: speneth (R) | spendeth (All other mss)]

[^a667: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^669: R.7.48: R's speneth is a unique reading (the other B manuscripts read spendeth); however, R's verb derived historically from spende(n), is synonymous with it, and occurs in free variation with it throughout R (cf. R10.109). From its sometimes parallel occurrence in L (as at KD10.90), the form seems likely to be an authorial relict. A majority of C copies agree with R's form here, as does the text of Bodley 851, but most A manuscripts agree with beta.]

[^670: R.7.50: Beta omits And. The A version attests the same a-verse and reads it exactly as beta does.]

¶ Ac to bugge water no[^a668] wynd  ne witt ne fire þe ferthe .
Þise foure þe fader of heuene  made to þis folde in comune .
Þes ben treuthes tresores  trewe folke to helpe .
Þat neuere schal wex ne wanye  with-oute god hym-selue

[^a668: no (R) | ne (All other mss)]

¶ Whan þei drawen in-to[^a669][^671] deth  and indulgences wolde haue .
His pardoun is ful petyt  at his[^a670][^672] partyng hennes .
Þat mede[^a671][^673] of mene men  for her motyng taketh .
Þe legistres and þe[^a672][^674] lawyeres  holdeth þis for treuthe .
Þat if þat I lye  mathew is to blame .
For he bad me make ȝow þis  and þis prouerbe me tolde .
Quodcumque wltis vt faciant vobis homines facite eis .

[^a669: in-to (R) | onto (Beta M Cr3)]

[^a670: his (R) | her (All other mss)]

[^a671: mede (R) | any Mede (All other mss)]

[^a672: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^671: R.7.59: Beta reads on(e) to (LMCrW), followed by deye(n) (LMCrWCG) . Cx agrees exactly with F's to þe deþ .]

[^672: R.7.60: R's second his in this line is unique; all other B manuscripts read a plural form like W's hir. However, Cx agrees exactly with R's rendering of this line, including the singular posessive here.]

[^673: R.7.61: R uniquely omits any before mede. F and beta agree with Ax in attesting the presence of this determiner, but R has the support of Cx in omitting it.]

[^674: R.7.62: R's þe is a unique addition to this line. Although R's þ and y tend oftentimes to overlap in form, this word was probably mistranscribed by Kane and Donaldson, who read it as ye, an error also implicit in their earlier omission of R from the lemma for witnesses beginning this line with Þe; that group includes R's sibling F.]

¶ Alle libbyng laboreres  þat lyuen with here hondes .
Þat treweliche taken  and treweliche wynnen .
And lyuen in loue and in lawe  for here lowe herte[^a673] .[^675]
Haueth þe same absolucion  þat sent was to peres .[^676]

[^a673: herte (R F) | hertis (All beta mss)]

[^675: R.7.68: Beta shows the plural hertis. The C version omits this line, and the A manuscripts are divided, with slightly more than half supporting alpha's singular and the rest agreeing with beta's plural.]

[^676: R.7.69: The scribe omitted the customary space between this line and the new verse paragraph below, but he often does so when, as here, the new unit begins on the last line of a side.]

¶ Beggeres ne bydderes  ne beth nauȝt in þe bulle .
But ȝif þe sugestion be soth  þat schapeth hym[^a674][^677] 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 gyleth[^a675][^678] þe gyuere  ageynes his wille .
For if he wist he were nauȝt nedy  he walde ȝif þat another
Þat were more nedyer[^a676][^679] and nauȝtier[^a677][^680]  so þe nedyest schuld be hulpe .

[^a674: hym (R) | hem (All other mss)]

[^a675: gyleth (R) | bigileth (All other mss)]

[^a676: nedyer (R M F) | nedy (Most beta mss)]

[^a677: and nauȝtier (R) | þan he (All other mss)]

[^677: R.7.71: R's hym is unique among the B manuscripts. The others read hem. Ax agrees with the reading of the B majority, but the C manuscripts are divided by major groups, the X family supporting R while the P group supports the other B copies.]

[^678: R.7.74: Both beta and F read bigileth. However, R's unique verb form agrees exactly with the reading of Ax and Cx.]

[^679: R.7.76: Alpha and M have nedyer (with the final <ere> erased in M) where the other beta copies read nedy.]

[^680: R.7.76: R's and nauȝtier is unique; beta has þan he while F shows an almost identical þan he &.]

¶[^681] Caton kenneth men þus  and þe clerke of þe[^a678][^682] stories .
Cui des videto is catones teching .
And in þe stories he techeth  to bystowe þin almes .
Sit elemosina[^a679][^683] in manu tua  donec studes cui des .

[^a678: þe (R L M F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a679: elemosina (R L M F) | elemosina tua (Most beta mss)]

[^681: R.7.77: R alone marks this line with a paraph.]

[^682: R.7.77: Most beta copies omit alpha's þe, but it is likely to be original since LM attest it.]

[^683: R.7.80: Most beta copies read elemosina tua in manu tua, but LM support alpha's omission of the first tua.]

¶ Ac gregorie is[^a680] a[^684] good man  and badde 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 magis placeas .

[^a680: is (R) | was (All beta mss)]

[^684: R.7.81: In place of R's is a, beta reads was a. F reads þat.]

¶ For wite ȝe neuere who is worthi  ac god wote who hath nede .
Alle[^a681][^685] in hym þat taketh is trecherie[^a682][^686]  if any treson walke .
For he[^a683] ȝift[^a684][^687] ȝeldeth  and ȝarketh hym to reste .
And he þat bit[^a685][^688] boreweth  and bryngeth hym-selue in dette
For-thi[^a686][^689] beggeres borewen euere-mo  and her borȝ is god almiȝti .
To ȝelden hem þat ȝyueth hem  and ȝut vsure amore[^a687][^690] .
Quare non dedisti peccuniam meam ad mensam 
Vt ego venien s cum vsuris &[^a688] exigissem 

[^a681: Alle (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a682: trecherie (R F) | þe treccherye (All beta mss)]

[^a683: he (R) | he þat (All other mss)]

[^a684: ȝift (R F) | ȝiueth (Most beta mss)]

[^a685: bit (R) | biddeth (Most beta mss)]

[^a686: For-thi (R F) | For (All beta mss)]

[^a687: amore (R) | more (All beta mss)]

[^a688: & (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^685: R.7.86: Beta omits Alle, beginning the line with In; F begins this line with For in.]

[^686: R.7.86: Alpha lacks beta's þe before treccherye.]

[^687: R.7.87: F reads the opening of this a-verse as For þe man þat ȝifte; beta has For he þat ȝiueth. It seems clear from these overlapping agreements that R is responsible uniquely for omitting þat, that F replaces archetypal he with þe man, and that the ȝifte / ȝiueth dichotomy reflects an alpha / beta difference.]

[^688: R.7.88: R's bit is a unique verb form here. F makes extensive revisions to the entire line, while most beta copies read biddeth.]

[^689: R.7.89: Beta reads For.]

[^690: R.7.90: R alone reads amore; other B witnesses correctly have more.]

¶ For-thi biddeth nauȝt ȝe beggeres  but if ȝe haue grete nede .
For ho-so hath to buggen hym brede  þe boke bereth witnesse .
He hath I-nowe þat hath brede I-nowe  þauȝ he haue nauȝt elles .
Satis diues est qui indiget [non] indiget[^a689][^691] pane .

[^a689: indiget [non] indiget (R) | non indiget (All other mss)]

[^691: R.7.96: R's omission of non before indiget is unique.]

¶ Late vsage be ȝoure solas  of seyntes lyues redynge .
Þe book banneth beggarie  and blameth hem in þis manere .
Iunior fui etenim senui & non vidi iustum[^a690] .
For ȝe lyue in no loue  ne no lawe holde .
Many of ȝow ne wed nauȝt  þe wommen þat ȝe with delen .
But as wilde bestes with wehe  worthen vp and werchen .
And bryngen forthe barnes  þat bastardes men calleth .
Or þe bak or þe[^a691][^692] bone  þei[^a692][^693] breken in here[^a693] ȝouthe .
And sitthen gon faiten with here[^a694][^694] fauntes  for euere-more after .
Þere is mo mischape poeple  amonges þise beggeres .
Þanne of alle manere men  þat on þis molde walketh .
Þo[^a695][^695] þat lyueth þus here lif  mowe lothe þe tyme .
Þat euere he was man wrouȝte  whan he schal hennes fare .

[^a690: iustum (R) | iustum derelictum nec semen eius &c (Beta W)]

[^a691: þe (R) | some (Most other mss)]

[^a692: þei (R F) | he (Most beta mss)]

[^a693: here (R Cot F) | his (Most beta mss)]

[^a694: here (R O C2 F) | ȝoure (Most beta mss)]

[^a695: Þo (R F) | And þei (All beta mss)]

[^692: R.7.104: Both beta and F read some bone. This agrees with the reading of Cx. Ax had read his bon.]

[^693: R.7.104: Beta manuscripts have he breketh for alpha's þei breken. The A manuscripts are divided, some attesting a singular and others a plural, but Cx agrees with alpha, treating the phrase as a plural.]

[^694: R.7.105: Although OC2 support alpha's reading, beta has ȝoure for alpha's here. Both Ax and Cx agree with alpha.]

[^695: R.7.108: In place of alpha's Þo or For þo (= F), beta reads And þei. Both Ax and Cx agree with R's version of the entire a-verse.]

¶ Ac olde men and hore  þat helples ben of strength .
And wymm en with childe  þat werche ne mowe .
Blynde and bederede  and broken in[^a696][^696] here membres .
Þat taketh þis meschief mekelich  as meseles and othere .
Haue as pleynepardoun pleyne pardoun  as þe plowman hym-selue .
For loue of here lowe hertes  oure lorde hath hem graunted .
Here penance and here purgatorie  here vpon[^a697][^697] þis erthe .

[^a696: in (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a697: vpon (R) | on (All other mss)]

[^696: R.7.112: R's in is a unique reading; this preposition is omitted by the other B witnesses but is attested in two of the A copies (Ma and H) and in Cx.]

[^697: R.7.116: F garbles the entire b-verse; beta reads here on in place of R's here vpon. The reading of A for this half-line seems uncertain, but six A witnesses attest the presence of here at the beginning of this phrase and five read here vpon . C omits B's here from the phrase; the full Cx reading is vppon this puyre erthe.]

¶ Peres quod a prest þo  þi pardoun moste I rede .
For I schal[^a698][^698] construe vche clause  and kenne it þe an englys .

[^a698: schal (R F) | wil (All beta mss)]

[^698: R.7.118: Beta reads wil. Ax agrees with alpha.]

¶ And peres at his preyere  þe pardon he[^a699][^699] vnfoldeth .
And I be-hynde hem bothe  by-helde alle þe bulle .
Alle in to lynes it lay  and nauȝt a lef more .
And was I-writen[^a700] riȝt þus  In witnesse of treuthe .
Et qui bona egerunt  ibunt in vitam eternam .
Qui vero mala  in ignem eternum —

[^a699: he (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a700: I-writen (R F) | writen (All beta mss)]

[^699: R.7.119: R's he is a unique addition to the text as witnessed by the other B copies. Both Ax and Cx agree with the B majority.]

¶ Peter quod þe prest þo  I can no pardoun fynde .
But do wel and haue wel  and god schal haue þi soule .
And do yuel and haue yuel  hope þow non other .
Þat[^a701][^700] after þi deth-day  þe deuel schal haue þi soule .

[^a701: Þat (R L M F) | But (Most beta mss)]

[^700: R.7.128: R's Þat is an alpha variant supported by LM. Most other beta copies read But. Y reads And. Ax agrees with the RFLM reading.]

¶ And peres for puer tene  pulled it a-tweyne .
And seyde . Si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis
Non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es .[^701]

[^701: R.7.131: Here the scribe omits the customary space between strophes, presumably because the next verse paragraph begins on the last line of this side.]

¶ I schal sese of my sowyng quod peres  and swynke nauȝt so harde .
Ne aboute my bely ioye  so bysy be namore .
Of preyeres and of penaunces[^a702][^702]  my plow schal ben here-after .
And wepen whanne I schulde slepe  þouȝ whete brede me faile .

[^a702: penaunces (R F) | penaunce (All beta mss)]

[^702: R.7.134: Beta shows the singular penaunce. Although two A witnesses (DMa) agree with alpha, it is clear that Ax read the same singular form as beta.]

¶ Þe prophete his payn eet  in penaunce and in sorwe .
By þat þe sauter seith  so dede othermanye other manye .
Þat loueth god lely  his liflode is ful esy .
Fuerunt michi lacrime mee  panes die ac nocte .

¶ And but if luke lye  or[^a703][^703] lereth vs be[^a704] foles[^a705][^704] .
We schuld nauȝt be to bysi  aboute þe werldes blisse .
Ne solliciti sitis  he seyth in þe gospelle .
And scheweth vs by ensaumples  vs-selue to wisse .
Þe foules of[^a706][^705] þe felde  ho fynt hem mete at wynter .
Haue þei no gerner to goto go to  but god fynt hem alle .

[^a703: or (R F) | he (Most beta mss)]

[^a704: be (R C2 F) | bi (Most beta mss)]

[^a705: foles (R F) | foules (All beta mss)]

[^a706: of (R) | in (Most other mss)]

[^703: R.7.140: Beta reads he. Ax agrees with the beta reading.]

[^704: R.7.140: Alpha has foles; all other B witnesses have some form of foules, "birds."]

[^705: R.7.144: R's of is unique; F and most beta copies read in. LM have on. The A version reads the key phrase of this half-line as foulis in þe firmament.]

¶ What quod þe prest to perkyn  peter as me thenketh .
Þow art lettred a lytel  ho lerned þe on boke .

¶ Abstinence[^a707][^706] quod peres  myn a b c me tauȝte .
And consience come afterward  and kenned me muche more .

[^a707: Abstinence (R F) | Abstinence þe abbesse (All beta mss)]

[^706: R.7.148: After Abstinence, beta adds þe abbesse. The passage does not appear in C but is phrased in A exactly as in beta.]

¶ Were þow a prest peres quod he  þow miȝtest preche where þow woldest[^a708][^707][^708]
As dyuinor of[^a709][^709] diuinite  with dixit insipiens to þi teme .

[^a708: woldest (R) | sholdest (Most beta mss)]

[^a709: of (R G F) | in (Most beta mss)]

[^707: R.7.150: Beta reads where þow sholdest while F condenses the line's final phrase to abowte.]

[^708: R.7.150: The <t> of woldest disappears into the gutter of the binding, so it is impossible to see whether a final punctus is present.]

[^709: R.7.151: Beta reads in.]

¶ Lewed lorel quod peres  litel lokestow on þi[^710] bible .
And[^711] salamounes sawes  selden þow beholdest .
Ecce[^712] derisores[^a710] &cetera .[^713]

[^a710: derisores (R) | derisores et iurgia cum eis ne crescant (Most beta mss)]

[^710: R.7.152: Both F and beta read þe, which is also the reading of Ax.]

[^711: R.7.153: Beta reads On; F rephrases the entire a-verse, beginning it with Þere.]

[^712: R.7.154: Many B manuscripts read Eice, including F and numerous beta copies; however, the most authoritative beta copies (including LMCrW) all agree with R on Ecce. The latter variant is clearly erroneous with regard to the original Vulgate text, but it probably already existed as a Vulgate variant long before Langland's day since the same paleographic factors that would have induced multiple independent errors in both directions among Piers Plowman scribes already were in place. Even Kane-Donaldson fall into this pit, mistranscribing R's Ecce as Eice because it is barely possible to construe (generously) the <cc> as <ic> joined at the top by a ligature—until one notices, in the preceding tag at R7.142, that the R scribe does not avail himself of a ligature when writing the <ic> of solliciti. There is no way to know which word Langland himself wrote, but since all A manuscripts attest Ecce, the odds are, as Rigg and Brewer theorize in Piers Plowman: The Z Version (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1983): 111, that various B scribes attempted to do for Langland what Kane-Donaldson unconsciously do for R: repair the damage quietly. See John A. Alford, Piers Plowman: A Guide to the Quotations (Binghamton: MRTS, 1992), p. 57, for discussion of this tag.]

[^713: R.7.154: R omits the end of this citation, which in beta reads: iurgia cum eis ne crescant &c. F's version of the rest of the citation is, typically, unique: & exibit cum eo iurgium cessabitque cause & contumelie.]

¶ Þe prest and perkyn  apposed eyther other .

¶ And I thorȝ her wordes [^714] a-woke and wayted aboute .
And seyȝ þe sonne in þe south  sitte þat tyme .
Meteles and moneles  on maluerne hulles .
Musyng on þis meteles  a[^a711][^715] my wey[^716] ich ȝede .
Many tyme þis meteles  hath maked me to stodie .
Of þat I seyȝ slepyng  if it so be miȝte .
And al-so for peres þe plowman  ful pensif in herte .
And which a pardon peres hadde  al þe poeple to conforte .

[^a711: a (R) | and (Most beta mss)]

[^714: R.7.156: R alone misplaces the caesura indicator.]

[^715: R.7.159: A, "and."]

[^716: R.7.159: Beta reads this phrase as and my waye; F has as y my way. All three versions of the phrase are likely to be corrupt, with R closest to the presumed original attested in Ax and Cx: a myle way.]

¶ And how þe prest inpugned it  with to propre wordes .
Ac I haue no sauour in song ewarie  for I se it ofte faile .
Caton and canonistres  conseileth vs to leue .
To sette saddenesse in songewarie  for sompnia ne cures .

¶ Ac for þe bok byble  bereth witnesse .
How daniel diuined  þe dreme[^717] of a kyng .
Þat was Nabagodonosor  I-nempned[^a712] of clerkes .
Daniel seyde sire kyng  þi dremeles beto keneth beto-keneth .
Þat vnkouth kniȝtes  schul come þi kyngdom to reue[^a713] .[^718]
Amonges lowere lordes  þi lond schal be departed .
And as daniel dyuined  in dede it fel after .
Þe kyng les his lordschippe  and lowere men it hadde .

[^a712: I-nempned (R F) | nempned (Most beta mss)]

[^a713: reue (R F) | cleue (Beta M G O)]

[^717: R.7.169: F and most beta witnesses attest the plural dremes.]

[^718: R.7.172: In place of alpha's reue, beta witnesses are divided between cleyme (CrWHmC) and cleue (LMGOC2). Ax reads cleyme, but the stemmatic array of the two variants from beta actually suggests that its form was somewhat likelier to have been cleue.]

¶ And Ioseph mette merueylously  how þe mone and þe sonne .
And þe elleuene steres  haylsed hym alle .

¶ Þanne Iacob iugede  Iosepes sweuene .
Beau filtz quod his fader  for defaute we schullen .
I my-self and my sones  seche þe for nede .

¶ It byfel as his fader seyde  in pharaoes tyme .
Þat Ioseph was Iustice  egipte to loke .
It byfel as his fader tolde  his frendes hym þere[^a714] souȝte[^719] .
And alle þis maketh me  on þis meteles to thenke .

[^a714: hym þere (R) | þere hym (Most other mss)]

[^719: R.7.183: Reversing R's hym þere souȝte, beta reads þere hym souȝte; F has sowtyn þere.]

¶ And how þe prest preuede  no pardoun to do-wel .
And nempned[^a715][^720] þat dowel indulgence passed 
Byennales and triennales  and bisshopes lettres .
And how dowel at þe day of dome  is dignelich vnderfonge
And passeth alle pardoun[^a716][^721]  of seinte petres cherche[^722]

[^a715: nempned (R) | demed (All other mss)]

[^a716: pardoun (R) | þe pardoun (All other mss)]

[^720: R.7.186: R's nempned is a unique error, failing in alliteration; F and beta agree on demed, which is also the reading of Cx and of some of the A manuscripts (most of the others read various forms of another alliterating verb, e.g., manuscript A's deuyned).]

[^721: R.7.189: R uniquely omits þe before pardoun. Only one A manuscript duplicates this error (the others all agree with Bx).]

[^722: R.7.189: Here the scribe omits the customary space between strophes, presumably because the next verse paragraph begins on the last line of this side.]

¶ Now hath þe pope pouere pardoun  to graunte þe poeple .
With-oute any penance  to passen in-to heuene .
Þis oure Þis [is] oure[^a717][^723] beleue  as lettred men vs techeth .
Quodcumque ligaueris super terram erit ligatum & in celis .
And so I leue lelly  lordes forbode elles .
Þat pardoun and penance  and preyeres don saue .
Soules þat haue synned  seuen sythes dedly .
Ac to trist to þis triennales  trewely me thenketh .
It[^a718] is[^724] nauȝt so siker for þe soule  certes as is dowel .

[^a717: Þis oure Þis [is] oure (R) | Þis is owre (All other mss)]

[^a718: It (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^723: R.7.192: R uniquely omits is before beleue.]

[^724: R.7.198: Beta omits It and begins the line with Is. Seven A witnesses (UDVJAWaN) agree with beta in this omission, but the others agree with alpha. Among the C copies, it seems likely that the progenitor of the P family agreed with beta's omission, but the X family clearly supports the inclusion of Hit at the head of this line.]

¶ For-thi I rede ȝow thenke[^a719][^725]  þat riche ben on þis erthe .
Vppon triste of ȝoure tresor  triennales to haue .
Be ȝe neuere þe boldere  to breke þe ten hestes .
And nameliche ȝe maystres  mayres and Iuges .
Þat haue þe welth of þis worlde . and[^a720] wise men ben holden .
To purchace ȝow pardoun  and þe popes bulles .
At þe dredful dome  whanne dede schullen risen .
And comen alle byfore criste  and[^a721] acountes[^726] to ȝelde .
How þow laddest þi lif here  and his lawes keptest .
And how þow dost[^a722][^727] day by day  þe dome wil reherce .
A pouhȝ-ful[^a723][^728] of pardoun þere  ne prouinciales lettres .
Þowe ȝe be founde in þe fraternite  of alle þe fyue[^a724][^729] ordres .
And haue indulgences dubblefolde  but[^a725] dowel wil[^a726] ȝow[^730] helpe .
I sette ȝoure patentes and ȝoure pardoun  at on pyes hele .

[^a719: thenke (R) | renkes (Most beta mss)]

[^a720: and (R Beta4 F) | and for (L M Cr W Hm)]

[^a721: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a722: dost (R) | dedest (Most beta mss)]

[^a723: pouhȝ-ful (R) | poke (All other mss)]

[^a724: fyue (R) | foure (All other mss)]

[^a725: but (R G F) | but if (Most beta mss)]

[^a726: wil (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^725: R.7.199: Alpha was corrupt here and R presumably mirrors its reading with ȝow thenke; cf. beta's presumptively authentic ȝow renkes. F offers a typical job of smoothing alpha's error: ȝow alle. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^726: R.7.206: Alpha adds and at the head of this b-verse; although several A manuscripts do the same, it is obvious that both Ax and Cx agree with beta in omitting this conjunction.]

[^727: R.7.208: Beta has dedest; F reads a present form, don. Ax agrees with beta.]

[^728: R.7.209: This unusual form appears only in R. The word pouhȝ, "sack, bag," is synonymous with poke, the form attested by other manuscripts. This form is possibly original, since it appears in A's Vernon manuscript, and Kane-Russell have adopted it for their critical text of C]

[^729: R.7.210: R's fyue is a unique variant among the B witnesses; beta and F read foure. Ax agrees with the B majority, but Cx agrees with R.]

[^730: R.7.211: Beta has the unmetrical reading but if dowel ȝow. R's wil is a unique addition.]

¶ Forthi I conseile alle cristene  to crie god mercy .[^731]
And marie his moder  be oure mene by-twene .
Þat god gyue vs grace here  ar we go hennes .
Suche werkes to werche  þe[^a727][^732] while we ben here .
Þat after oure deth-day  dowel reherce .
At þe day of dome  we dede as he hiȝte .

[^a727: þe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^731: R.7.213: Although he left the job of ornamenting R far from complete, the rubricator usually took care to alternate blue with red paraph markers. However, on this page the pattern is broken (two red parasigns in a row), presumably through inadvertency. The verse strophe preceding this one is fairly long, but there is no evidence that a paragraph division was overlooked by the copyist. Only one of the older B manuscripts shows any division between KD7.187 and KD7.201 (Hm, at KD7.193); the rest agree with R in marking none.]

[^732: R.7.216: Beta omits þe. Ax agrees with beta, as does the P family of C witnesses; however, the X family agrees with alpha.]

Passus octauus de visione petri plowhman . I ncipit Dowel . Dobet . & Dobest . [R.8.0: A second rubricating hand, resembling that of the scribe of Corpus Christi 201 (F), adds, in a slightly different shade of red, the words, de visione petri plowhman. These words are written over an erasure. The same hand adds to the passus heading, in the space that the original scribe always left blank before his first line of text, a second line: Dowel . Dobet . & Dobest . Apparently somewhat later, a third hand, or the second hand using a third shade of red ink, added Incipit at the left margin of the second line. The person responsible for this addition tried to incorporate this new word into the already altered rubric by executing the initial in blue so as to tie it to the passus initial (perhaps wetting and smudging the blue of the initial <Þ> to its left to make the blue <I> of Incipit). At the extreme left margin of the same line as the passus heading, there is the cropped fragment of a guide, apparently three lines long, with single characters in each line detectable but illegible.]

Þ us I-robed in russet  I romed aboute .
Al a somer sesoun  for to seke dowel .
And frayned ful ofte  of folke þat I mette .
If any wiȝt wiste  where dowel were[^a728][^733] at Inne 
And what man he miȝt be  of many man I asked .
And[^a729][^734] was neuere in þis worlde[^a730][^735]  þat me wisse couthe .
Where þis lede lengede  lasse ne more .

[^a728: were (R F) | was (All beta mss)]

[^a729: And (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a730: in þis worlde (R) | wiȝte as I went (All other mss)]

[^733: R.8.4: Beta reads was, which agrees with the reading of both Ax and Cx.]

[^734: R.8.6: R's And is unique. F begins the line with But þere was, while beta simply begins with Was. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^735: R.8.6: R uniquely omits wiȝt immediately after neuere. R's in þis worlde, though supported by Cx, is also unique among the B copies; beta and F agree instead on as I went, which is also the reading of many A copies (others have wene rather than wente).]

¶ Til it by-fel on a friday  to freres I mette .
And[^a731][^736] maistres of þe menoures  men of grete witte .
I haylsed hem hendely  as I had lerned .
And preyed hem for charite[^737]  ar thei passed forther
If þei knewe any courte[^a732][^738]  or costes þer[^a733][^739] þei wente .
Where þat dowel dwelleth  doth me to wytene .[^740]

[^a731: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a732: courte (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | contre (Most beta mss)]

[^a733: þer (R F) | as (All beta mss)]

[^736: R.8.9: Beta omits And. Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^737: R.8.11: Though Cr and C support R's reading, F agrees with the beta majority in construing this phrase as French, either pur charitee or par charitee . Though three A manuscripts and one C manuscript agree with R, both Ax and Cx agree with the F/beta form.]

[^738: R.8.12: R's courte is an alpha variant. Beta has contre. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta.]

[^739: R.8.12: Beta reads as.]

[^740: R.8.13: Hereafter, alpha omits four lines present in beta (and in slightly revised form in the C version): For þei ben men on 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.]

¶ Amonges vs quod a [þe][^a734] menoures  þat man is dwellyng .
And euer hath as I hope  and euer schal here-after .

[^a734: a [þe] (R) | þe (All beta mss)]

¶ Contra quod I as clerke  and comsed to dispute .
And seyde[^a735][^741] sepcies in die cadit iustus .
Seuen sithes seith þe book  synneth þe riȝtful .
And ho-so synneth I sayde  doth euele as me thinketh .
And do-wel and do-euele  mowe nauȝt dwelle to-gyderes .
Ergo he is nauȝt alwey  amonges ȝow freres .
He is other-while elles-where  to wisse þe poeple .

[^a735: seyde (R) | seide sothli (Beta)]

[^741: R.8.17: Alpha has apparently lost a phrase: LM read And seide sothli; other beta copies read hem soþly at this point. Cx agrees with LM.]

¶ I schal sey þe my sone  seyde þe frere þanne .
How seuen sithes þe sadde man  on þe[^742] day synneth .
By a for-bisen quod þe frere  I schal þe faire schewe .

[^742: R.8.24: A majority of beta copies reads a where alpha has þe, but LM agree with alpha. Both Ax and Cx agree with LM / alpha.]

¶ Lat bringe a man in a bot  a-midde a[^743] brode water .
Þe winde and þe water  and þe bot waggynge .
Maketh þe man many time  to falle and to stonde .
For stonde he neuere so stif  he stumbleth if he meue .
Ac ȝet is he saf and sounde  and so hym byhoueth .
For if he ne arise þe rathere  and rauȝte to þe sterne[^a736][^744]
Þe wynd wald and[^a737][^745] þe water  þe bot ouer-throwe .
And þanne were his lif loste  thoruȝ lacches of hym-selue .[^746]

[^a736: sterne (R Hm C2 F) | stiere (Most beta mss)]

[^a737: and (R) | wyth (All beta mss)]

[^743: R.8.26:Although F agrees with most beta copies in reading þe, L concurs with R's a here. Both Ax and Cx agree with LR.]

[^744: R.8.31: Hm and C2 agree with alpha's sterne, but beta reads stiere. Various A manuscripts attest one or the other of these two readings.]

[^745: R.8.32: Cf. F's on and beta's wyth. Ax agrees with beta.]

[^746: R.8.33: Here the R scribe omits his usual blank line between verse strophes, presumably because the next line is the last ruled one for this side.]

¶ And þus it falleth quod þe frere  by folke here on erthe .
Þe water is likned to þe world  þat wanyeth and wexeth .
Þe godes of þis grounde  aren like to þe grete wawes .
Þat as wyndes and wederes  walketh abouthe .
Þe bot is likned to oure body  þat brutel is of kende .
Þat þoruȝ þe fende and þi[^747] flesch  and þis[^a738][^748] frele worlde .
Synneth þe sadman  a day seuene sithes .

[^a738: þis (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^747: R.8.39: L agrees with R here, but all other beta copies attest þe in place of R's þi or F's oure. Ax agrees with the common beta variant, but Cx agrees with F, reading oure at this point.]

[^748: R.8.39: R's þis is a unique reading among the B witnesses. The others all agree on þe (which is also the reading of Ax). But Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Ac dedly synne doth he nauȝt  for dowel hym kepeth .
And þat is charite þe chaumpion  chief helpe aȝeynes synne .[^749]
For he strengtheth man to stonde  and stereth mannes soule
Þat[^a739][^750] þouȝ þi body bowe  as bot doth in þe water .
Ay is þi soule safe  but þi-selue wolle .
Do a dedlysynne dedly synne  and drenche so þi-selue[^a740][^751] .
God wil suffre wel þi soule[^a741]  ȝif þi-selue liketh .
For he ȝaf þe to ȝeresȝiue  to ȝeme wel þi-selue .
And þat is wit and fre wille  to euery wiȝte a porcion .
To fleyge fley[n]ge[^a742] foules  to fisches and to bestes .
Ac me[^a743][^752] hath moste þere -of  and moste is to blame .
But if he werche wel þerewith  as dowel hym techeth .

[^a739: Þat (R F) | And (Most beta mss)]

[^a740: þi-selue (R) | þi soule (All other mss)]

[^a741: soule (R Hm F) | sleuthe (Most beta mss)]

[^a742: fleyge fley[n]ge (R) | fleghyng (All beta mss)]

[^a743: me (R) | man (All other mss)]

[^749: R.8.42: The punctus at line end is nearly invisible from rubbing.]

[^750: R.8.44: Beta reads And. But Ax agrees with alpha.]

[^751: R.8.46: Beta and F read þi soule, but Ax agrees with R (though three A copies support the beta/F reading).]

[^752: R.8.51: Originally R read þanne; the erasure of þa + minim leaves me, the unstressed form of men, "one," (both F and beta have man).]

¶ I haue no kende knowynge quod I  to conseyue alle þi[^a744][^753] wordes .
Ac if I may leue[^a745][^754] and loke  I schal go lerne bettre .

[^a744: þi (R F) | ȝowre (All beta mss)]

[^a745: leue (R) | lyue (All other mss)]

[^753: R.8.53: Beta reads ȝowre, but Ax agrees with alpha.]

[^754: R.8.54: leue, "live."]

¶ I be-kenne þe crist quod þei[^a746][^755]  þat on þe croyce deyede .
And I seyde þe same  saue ȝow fro mischaunce .
And ȝif ȝow grace on þis grounde  gode men to worthe .

[^a746: þei (R) | he (Most other mss)]

[^755: R.8.55: R's quod þei is unique and presumably erroneous; W and F both read quod he, Hm simply has quod, and most B witnesses agree with Ax in omitting the entire phrase. Cx, however, agrees with the F/W reading.]

¶ And þus I wente wide-where  walkynge myn one .
By a wild wildernesse  and by a wode side .
Blisse of þo[^756] briddes  abyde me made[^a747] .[^757]
And vnder lynde[^758] vppo[^a748] a launde  lened I a stounde .
To lythe þe layes  þat þe[^a749] foules[^759] made .
Murthe of here mouthes  made me þere to slepe .
Merueylokest[^a750][^760] meteles  mette me þanne .
Þat euer dremed wiȝte  in world as I wene .[^761]

[^a747: abyde me made (R F) | brouȝte me aslepe (All beta mss)]

[^a748: vppo (R) | vppon (Most other mss)]

[^a749: þe (R F) | þo louely (Most beta mss)]

[^a750: Merueylokest (R) | Þe merueillousest (Most beta mss)]

[^756: R.8.60: R's þo is supported by Hm and L, but F and most beta copies agree on þe. The A version has an identical a-verse (attesting the same variant as F and the beta majority), but of more consequence is the agreement of Cx with F since the C version witnesses the same complete line.]

[^757: R.8.60: In place of alpha's abyde me made, beta's b-verse reads brouȝte me aslepe. At first glance, this phrasal difference appears to be one of the many simple instances where beta agrees with Ax against a reading shared by alpha and Cx, both readings being viable. In reality, what seems to have occurred is somewhat less common: the copy of A that Langland was using as the basis of the B revision contained a reversed half-line (made me abide A9.55b) and an ensuing dittography (Blisse of þe briddis A9.58a). In fact, both errors, unrelated to each other, were the fault of the archetypal A scribe — or of the author. Having noticed them while composing B, Langland presumably marked the A9.55b phrase for reversal and then created a correction for the dittography of A9.58a (in the form of a marginal or interlinear): he varied this second occurrence of the repeated phrase to Murþe of hire mouþes and then had to revise the b-verse of the same line (perhaps in the opposite margin) to fit the new alliterative pattern, so we get made me þer to slepe instead of the A-version's brouȝte me a slepe.

Confronted with Bx's devotedly passive reproduction of this patchwork revision, the beta scribe seems to have garbled matters in his own unique way, assuming that he was to replace the b-verse of 55 — as it appeared in the underlying A-version text — with the unrevised A-version b-verse of 58, when all that was asked of him was to flip the staves of extant 55b and heed all of the marginal information at line 58. What beta has created, then, is not likely to reflect any authorial state of the text.]

[^758: R.8.61: Though BoCot also omit a determiner before lynde, F and beta agree in reading the phrase as a lynde. The reading of F/beta agrees with that of Ax while the R reading agrees with the phrasing found in Cx.]

[^759: R.8.62: Beta reads þo louely foules; F has þe Nytyngalis. Ax reads þat (þe) louely foulis.]

[^760: R.8.64: R uniquely omits Þe at the head of this line.]

[^761: R.8.65: Here the R scribe omits his usual blank line between verse strophes, presumably because the next line is the last ruled one for this side.]

¶ A muche man as thouȝte [me] thouȝte[^a751]  and like to my-selue .
Come and called me  by my kende name .

[^a751: thouȝte [me] thouȝte (R) | me þouȝte (Most beta mss)]

¶ What art þow quod I[^a752][^762]  þat þow my name knoweste .

[^a752: I (R) | I þo (All other mss)]

[^762: R.8.68: R uniquely omits þo after quod I. However, this adverb in the other B copies may well be a scribal addition since the same omission as found in R characterizes Cx and half of the A witnesses.]

¶ Þat þow wost wel quod he  and no wiȝth bettere .

¶ Wot I what þow arte  thouȝte seyde he þanne .
I haue sewed þe this seuen ȝere  sey þow me no rathere .

¶ Art þow thouȝt quod I þo  þow coudest me wisse where .[^763]
Þat dowel dwelleth  and do me hym[^a753][^764] to knowe .

[^a753: hym (R F) | þat (All beta mss)]

[^763: R.8.72: R uniquely divides this line after where; the other B witnesses divide the line after wisse, beginning the next line with Where.]

[^764: R.8.73: In place of alpha's hym, beta reads þat. Cx renders this line without including either word.]

¶ Dowel and do-bett  and do-best þe thridde quod he .
Aren thre faire vertues  and beth nauȝt fere to fynde .
Ho-so is trewe of his tonge  and of his to hondes .
And þoruȝ his laboure or þoruȝ his land  his liflode wynneth .
And is tristi of his ta ylende  taketh but his owene .
And is noȝt dronkelew ne deynnous[^a754]  dowel hym folweth .

[^a754: deynnous (R C B F) | dedeignous (Most beta mss)]

¶ Dobet doth riȝt þus  ac he doth muche more .
He is as lowe as a lombe  and loueliche of speche .
And helpeth al men  after þat hem nedeth .
Þe baggus and þe bygurdles  he hath to-broken hem alle .
Þat þe erl auerous  held and his heyres .
And[^a755] with[^765] mammonas mone  he hatz ymade[^a756] hym frendes .
And is ronne in-to[^a757][^766] religion  and hath rendred þe bille bi[b]le[^a758] .
And preched[^767] to þe poeple  seynt poules wordes .
Libenter suffertis incipientes[^a759]  cum ipsi sitis[^a760][^768] sapientes .
And suffreth þe vnwyse  with ȝow for to libbe .
And with glade wille doth hem goed  for so god ȝow hoteth .

[^a755: And (R F) | And þus (All beta mss)]

[^a756: hatz ymade (R) | hath made (Most beta mss)]

[^a757: in-to (R L M F) | to (Most beta mss)]

[^a758: bille bi[b]le (R) | bible (All other mss)]

[^a759: incipientes (R F) | insipientes (All beta mss)]

[^a760: ipsi sitis (R) | sitis ipsi (Most beta mss)]

[^765: R.8.85: Beta reads þus with here. Ax agrees with alpha.]

[^766: R.8.86: Although most other beta witnesses have to, LM support alpha's in-to. The LMRF reading is also that of Ax and Cx.]

[^767: R.8.87: Though G and O join R in attesting a preterite form for this verb, F and most beta copies read precheth, which is also the reading of the archetypes of the other two versions.]

[^768: R.8.88: With regard to alpha's word order here, it should be noted that F confuses the verb, using scitis), while beta transposes this phrase as sitis ipsi. Those C manuscripts that cite this text in full follow the same phrase order as beta.]

¶ Dobest is aboue bothe  and bereth a bischopes croce .
Is an hoke[^a761][^769] on þat on ende  to halye men fro helle .
A pyke on[^a762][^770] þat potente  to pelte adoun þe wikkede .
Þat wayten any wikkednesse  dowel to tene .[^771]

[^a761: an hoke (R) | hoked (All other mss)]

[^a762: on (R) | is on (Most beta mss)]

[^769: R.8.92: In place of R's unique an hoke, both beta and F read hoked.]

[^770: R.8.93: R parallels beta exactly but uniquely omits is before on; F includes the verb but rearranges the half-line. Ax agrees with beta.]

[^771: R.8.94: Here the R scribe omits his usual blank line between verse strophes, presumably because the next line is the last ruled one for this side.]

¶ And dowel and do-bett  amoges amo[n]ges[^a763] hem ordeyned .
To croune and[^a764][^772] to be kynge  to kepen hem alle .[^773]
And to rewle þe rewme  by here thre wittes .
And none otherwise  but as þei thre assented .

[^a763: amoges amo[n]ges (R) | amonges (All beta mss)]

[^a764: and (R) | one (Most beta mss)]

[^772: R.8.96: R's and is a unique reading. F omits the entire line, and beta reads one]

[^773: For R's kepen hem alle, beta reads rulen hem bothe. F omits the whole line. The alliteration in R is clearly preferable to that in beta, and Cx agrees at least with R's verb. But R's b-verse seems conflated with a similar b-verse properly belonging several lines below this point in Bx (= Crouned one to be kynge to kepin hem alle [KD8.108]). To judge from the evidence of both R and F (each shows corruptions and omissions for several lines in a row), alpha was significantly deficient in this passage. Alpha probably omitted all five of the lines in this passage which are present in beta but missing from R (presumably by eyeskip induced from similar a-verses). The two sub-archtypes rejoin each other at KD8.109, but part of the problem continues beyond that point. When Kane and Donaldson examined this garbled passage, they hypothesized that alpha's text for this passage was accurately reflected in F (R being solely responsible for the omission in question); they further postulated that Bx itself had lost two lines (i.e., KD8.103 and KD8.105), lines which are now available only in F and in the A-version. Of course it must be recalled that their hypothetical narrative of F's production included the supposition that F had access, for proofing purposes, to a copy of B whose text was superior to that of the common archetype of all extant B manuscripts. However, it must be recalled that F not only reproduces, in this passage, three A lines unattested in any other B manuscript (KD8.113 as well as the two mentioned above). In addition, F puts forward three distinctive A-version variants in lines that do survive in beta (presoun for beta's in yrens [KD8.104]; & be here conseyl wirche for beta's to kepin hem alle [KD8.108]; and so me crist helpe for the R/beta I coueite to lerne) Collectively, this evidence suggests a different, simpler explanation of F's text: having found his alpha copytext deficient in this verse paragraph, the F-scribe (or his predecessor) borrowed all of the missing text from an A manuscript usually available to him.]

¶ I thonked thouȝt þo  þat he me þus tauȝte .
Ac[^a765][^774] sauoureth me nauȝt  þi seggyng I coueit to lerne .
How dowel dobet and dobest  don amonges þe poeple .

[^a765: Ac (R) | Ac ȝete (Most beta mss)]

[^774: R.8.100: Beta reads Ac ȝete sauoureth. F rephrases the entire line but includes ȝyt in its a-verse. Although various beta copies substitute other variants for ȝete, only R completely omits a word here.]

¶ But wit conne wisse þe quod thouȝt  where þo thre dwelle .
Elles wot I none þat can  þat now is a-lyue .

¶ Þouȝt and I þus  thre dayes we ȝeden .
Disputyng vppon dowel  day after other .
And ar we war were[^a766][^775]  with witt gonne we mete .
He was longe and lene  liche to non other .
Was no pruyd on his apparail  ne pouerte nother .
Sad of his semblant  and of softe chere .
I dorste meue no matere  to make hym to iangle .
But as I bad þouȝt þoo  to be mene by-twene .
And put forthe his[^a767][^776] porpose  to prouen his wittes .
What was dowel fro dobet  and dobest fram hem bothe .

[^a766: war were (R) | were(n) (y)war (All other mss)]

[^a767: his (R) | somme (All other mss)]

[^775: R.8.106: Both beta and F transpose this phrase to were(n) (y)war. R's phrasing agrees with Ax and with the X family of C. The word order of F/beta agrees with that of the P family of C.]

[^776: R.8.112: R's his is a unique reading; the other B manuscripts agree with Ax and Cx in reading somme.]

¶ Þan thowȝt in þat tyme  seyde þes wordes .
Whether dowel dobet  and dobest in londe[^a768] .[^777]
Here[^a769][^778] wille wolde I-witt  if wit coude teche hym .
And whether he be man or noman[^779]  þis man fayn wold aspie .
And werchen as þei thre wolde  þis is his entente .

[^a768: in londe (R) | ben in londe (Most beta mss)]

[^a769: Here (R) | Here is (All beta mss)]

[^777: R.8.115: The loss of the verb here presumably occurred in alpha since F also shows this omission; however, the point of its loss must remain speculative since F has recast the entire line by adding a verb to the a-verse. Bx = ben in londe—the same reading found in Ax (= beþ or ben) and Cx. The fact that M inserts ben as a correction suggests that the word had been omitted in Bx itself and then supplied by the Bx scribe as an interlinear or marginal."]

[^778: R.8.116: Beta reads Here is wille. F rewrites the line. Ax agrees completely with beta. The C version of the line is slightly revised, but the syntax is the same as beta's and includes is.]

[^779: R.8.117: In place of R's noman (which probably reflects alpha's reading — F reads noon), beta had either womman (the reading of the majority) or man (the reading of L). If L's reading is correct (which seems likelier), then beta also had an interlinear correction, no, which was overlooked by L, transmitted in the same form — as an interlinear — through beta prime, and then deciphered correctly by C as well as the B group (which agree with R) while being garbled to wo by most later witnesses.]

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

S ire dowel dwellis[^780] quod witt  nauȝt a day hennes .
In a castel þat kende made  of foure maner[^a770][^781] þinges .
Of erthe and heyer is it made  medeled to-gyderes .
With wynde and with water  witterly enioyned .
Kende hath closed þere-inne  craftily with-alle .
A lemman þat he louyeth  y-liche[^a771] to hym-selue .
Anima sche hatteth  ac enu ye hire hateth .
A proude prikere of fraunce  princeps huius mundi .
And wold wynne hire awey  with wiles and he miȝte .
And kende knoweth þis wel  and kepeth hire þe bettere .
And hath I-do[^a772][^782] hire with[^783] dowel[^a773]  is duk of þe[^a774][^784] marches .
Do-bet is hire damoisel  sire doweles douȝter .
To serue þis lady lely  both late and rathe .
Dobest is aboute abo[u]e[^a775] bothe  a bischopes pere .
Þat he bit motebe mote be do  he reuleth hem alle .
Anima þat lady  is lad by hys lernyng[^a776] .

[^a770: maner (R F) | kynnes (All beta mss)]

[^a771: y-liche (R) | like (All other mss)]

[^a772: I-do (R) | do (Beta M G O C2)]

[^a773: dowel (R F) | sire dowel (All beta mss)]

[^a774: þe (R) | þis (All beta mss)]

[^a775: aboute abo[u]e (R) | aboue(n) (All other mss)]

[^a776: lernyng (R Cr G C2 F) | lerynge (Beta M W Hm O C)]

[^780: R.9.1: Manuscript C also reads dwelles, but the A and C versions attest the same present-tense verb form as F and most beta copies: dwelleth. R's original reading, before editorial correction to dwellis, was a grotesque error involving the accidental merger of two words (dowelleth), but the form of that error makes clear that R's copytext attested the same verb form as that now found in F and most other manuscripts.]

[^781: R.9.2: Beta reads kynnes, which agrees with both Ax and Cx.]

[^782: R.9.11: F and some beta copies (e.g., CrWHm) here read dooþ; LMGO, by contrast, read hath do(on). R's hath I-do is almost identical to the reading of L. The predominant readings among both A and C witnesses are small variations of the RLMOG phrase, but six manuscripts from the P family of C attest the same reading as FCrWHm.]

[^783: R.9.11: Beta reads with sire dowel. This reading is also found in Ax and Cx.]

[^784: R.9.11: Cf. F's þat and beta's þis. Beta's reading is also that of Ax and Cx.]

¶ Ac þe constable of þat castel  þat kepeth alle þe wacche .
Is a wise kniȝt with-alle  sire inwitt he hatte .
And hath fyue faire sones  by his furst wyue .
Sire sewel and saywel  and sire[^a777][^785] here-wel þe hende .
Sire werche wel with þin hand  a wiȝt man of strengthe .
And sire godefrey go-wel  a grete lord[^a778][^786] for-sothe
Þise fyue ben sette  to saue þis[^a779][^787] anima .
Til kende come or sende  to saue hire for euere .

[^a777: sire (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a778: a grete lord (R F) | gret lordes (All beta mss)]

[^a779: þis (R F) | þis lady (All beta mss)]

[^785: R.9.20: Beta omits alpha's sire from this b-verse. Ax agrees with beta in this omission, but a majority of C manuscripts, including the best X family witnesses and most of the P family, agree with alpha here.]

[^786: R.9.22: In place of alpha's singular (a grete lord), beta opts for the plural: gret lordes. Beta's choice agrees with the reading of both Ax and Cx.]

[^787: R.9.23: Beta reads the phrase as þis lady anima .]

¶ What kynne thynge is kende quod I  kanst þow me telle .

¶ Kende quod witt is[^788] creatour  of alkynne þinges .
Fader and formeor  of alle þat euer was maked .[^789]
And[^a780][^790] þe gete g[r]ete[^a781] god þat gynnyng had neuere .
Lord of lif and of liȝt  of blisse[^a782][^791] and of payne .
Angeles and alle þing  aren at his wille .
Ac man is most hym[^a783][^792] like  of marke and of schafte .
For þoruȝ þe worde þat he spake  wexen forth bestes .
Dixit et facta sunt 

[^a780: And (R) | And þat is (Most beta mss)]

[^a781: gete g[r]ete (R) | gret (All other mss)]

[^a782: blisse (R Cr1 G B F) | lysse (Most other mss)]

[^a783: most hym (R F) | hym moste (All beta mss)]

[^788: R.9.26: Although M agrees with R in the omission of the determiner (in both copies by what appears to be an editorial erasure of the word a originally written), most beta copies and F agree in reading is a creatour. However, the overwhelming majority of A and C manuscripts agrees with the "corrected" (i.e. the erased) version of RM.]

[^789: R.9.27: There is a cross in the left margin here, but it is much heavier and thicker than the similar crosses used by the scribe to mark Latin tags for later boxing. This cross is presumably a correction mark; there is no mistake in 9.27, but the mark may refer to 9.28's gete, which was never corrected.]

[^790: R.9.28: R uniquely omits a phrase immediately after And. In beta, the phrase is þat is; F omits And, beginning the line with He is. Ax confirms the authenticity of beta's phrase.]

[^791: R.9.29: The group of witnesses joining R in attesting blisse (a non-alliterating synonym of authorial lisse) includes F, as expected, and five typical beta manuscripts: Cr1, G, and B (Bm, Bo, and Cot). Cr1 and G are late, and exposed to extensive lateral transmission, so that their agreement in this reading is not problematic. Likewise, the B group is so textually inferior in its common source as to be an unsurprising ally. However, what is mildly surprising is that M also has been "corrected" into agreement with this alpha error. This fact suggests that blisse was already present in Cr1's exemplar (beta2), because Cr1's exemplar was almost certainly the copy that had been used long before to "correct" M into agreement with the WHmCr sub-family.]

[^792: R.9.31: This phrase occurs in beta in transposed order as hym moste. The cognate line in Ax is identical to beta's version, and Cx, in a revised line, repeats the word order of beta's phrase.]

¶ And made man I-likest[^a784] to hym-self one .
And eue of his ribbe-bon  with-outen any mene .
For he was singulere hym-selue  seyde[^a785][^793] Faciamus .

[^a784: I-likest (R) | likkest (All other mss)]

[^a785: seyde (R) | and seyde (All beta mss)]

[^793: R.9.36: R uniquely omits and before seyde; F reads he in place of and.]

¶ As ho sey more mote hereto  þanne my worde one .
My miȝt mote helpe  now with my speche .
Riȝt as a lord schul[^a786][^794] make lettres  and hym lakked parchmyn .
Þouȝ he coude write neuer so wel  ȝif he had no penne .
Þe lettere for alle þe lordschippe  I leue were neuer I-maked .

[^a786: schul (R) | sholde (All other mss)]

[^794: R.9.39: R's form here, schul, is unique and may represent either a present or past tense inflection; F and beta both attest a past-tense form, sholde.]

¶ And so it semed[^a787][^795] by hym  as þe bible telleth .
Þeere he seyde dixit et facta sunt .
He moste werche with his worde  and his witt schewe .
And in þis maner was man made  þoruȝ miȝt of god almiȝty .
With his word and werkmanschippe  and with lif to laste .
And þus god gaf hym a goste  of þe godded[^796] of heuene .
And of his grete grace  graunted hym blisse 
And þat is lif þat ay schal laste  to alle his[^a788][^797] lynage after .
And þis[^a789][^798] is þe catel ca[s]tel[^a790] þat kende made  caro it hatte .
And is as muche to mene  as man with a soule .
And þat he wrouȝt with werke  and with his[^a791] wordes[^a792][^799] bothe .
Þoruȝ miȝt of þe mageste  man was I-maked .

[^a787: semed (R) | (bi)semeth (All other mss)]

[^a788: his (R W F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a789: þis (R) | þat (All other mss)]

[^a790: catel ca[s]tel (R B) | castel (All other mss)]

[^a791: his (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a792: wordes (R) | worde (All other mss)]

[^795: R.9.42: R's apparently past-tense inflection is unique; Bx has semeth. Cf. the discussion of R's problematic tense marking in the Introduction III.2.2.10, where this example is categorized.]

[^796: R.9.47: Godded, "godhead."]

[^797: R.9.49: R's his is an alpha variant; although W agrees with alpha in attesting the presence of this possessive adjective, the other beta manuscripts omit it. Nevertheless, Ax supports the RFW reading here.]

[^798: R.9.50: R's þis is unique; the other B witnesses read þat. Ax agrees with beta here.]

[^799: R.9.52: R's plural is unique among the B manuscripts; the others read worde. Moreover, beta omits his. Ax agrees with beta on the omission of his, but the A witnesses are divided on whether the following noun is singular (as in F and beta) or plural (as in R).]

¶ Inwitt and alle wittes  I-clothed[^a793][^800] ben þere-inne .
For loue of þe lady anima  þat lif is Inempned .
Oueralle in mannes body  he walketh and wandreth .
Ac in þe herte is hire home  and hire moste reste .
Ac inwitt is in þe hed  and to þe herte[^801] loketh .
What anima is lef or loth  he lat hire at hire[^a794][^802] wille .
For after þe grace of god  þe grettest is Inwitt .

[^a793: I-clothed (R) | (i)closed (Most other mss)]

[^a794: hire (R) | his (All other mss)]

[^800: R.9.54: R's I-clothed is unique; the other B copies read closed. Both Ax and Cx support the majority B reading.]

[^801: R.9.58: Only Cr and R omit he before loketh.]

[^802: R.9.59: R's hire is unique; both beta and F read his.]

¶ Muche wo worth þat wiȝt[^a795][^803]  þat mys-rewleth his Inwitt .
And þat beth glotones globares  here god is here wombe .
Quorum deus venter est .
For þei seruen sathan  here soule[^804] schal he haue .
Þat lyuen synful lyf here  here soule is liche þe deuel .
And alle þat lyuen gode lif  aren like[^805] god almiȝty .
Qui manet in caritate in deo manet &cetera .

[^a795: wiȝt (R F) | man (Most beta mss)]

[^803: R.9.61: Beta reads man, and Cx revises to hym.]

[^804: R.9.64: Most beta copies and F agree in rendering this variant as a plural (soules), but the support of LM for R's singular suggests that the reading of alpha, and of Bx, was soule.]

[^805: R.9.66: Only L and R omit a preposition before god. F's version of the b-verse is lyk after goddis techyng, while the other beta manuscripts read lik to god almiȝti.]

¶ Allas þat drink schal fordo  þat god dere bouȝte
And doth god forsaken hem  þat schope hem[^a796][^806] to his liknesse .
Amen dico vobis nescio vos[^a797] .[^807]

[^a796: schope hem (R F) | he shope (Most beta mss)]

[^a797: vos (R) | vos & alibi et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum (Most beta mss)]

[^806: R.9.69: In place of alpha's schope hem, beta reads he shope.]

[^807: R.9.70: F omits the entire Latin tag; beta's version of the tag continues beyond R's end, reading: vos & alibi et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum.]

¶ Foles þat fauten Inwitt  I fynde þat holy cherche .
Schulde fynden hem þat fauteth[^808]  and faderles childeren .
And wydewes þat haue nauȝt where-with . to wynnen hem here fode .
Madde men and maydenes  þat helples were .
Alle þise lakken Inwit  and lore byhoueth .

[^808: R.9.72: Beta reads hem þat hem fauteth / fauted. F's rendering of this a-verse, Ne knowe no(n) defawhte, is too different to make comparison relevant.]

¶ Of þis matire I miȝte  make a longe tale .
And fynde fele witnese  amonges þe foure doctoures .
And þat I lye nauȝt[^a798][^809] I lerethe lere the  luk bereth witnesse .

[^a798: nauȝt (R) | nouȝt of þat (Most other mss)]

[^809: R.9.78: Alpha here omitted a syntactically important phrase present in the beta manuscripts: of þat. In a second stage of corruption, F characteristically sacrifices from the mangled a-verse of alpha (as attested in R) an alliterating phrase that now makes little sense (I lere the) and adds weight to the b-verse with seynt luc.]

¶ Godfader and godmoder  þat sen here god-children .
Þat is[^a799][^810] mys-heise and at mischief  and mowe hem amende .
Schal haue penaunce in purgatorie[^811]  but ȝif þei hem helpe .
For more by-longeth to þe litel barne  ar he þe lawe knowe .
Þan nempnyng of a name  and he neuere þe wisere.

[^a799: Þat is (R) | At (Most beta mss)]

[^810: R.9.80: In place of R's Þat is, F reads In while beta reads At.]

[^811: R.9.81: This word is partially erased, and the erasure is very old though presumably not contemporary. Despite the attempted erasure, the word remains entirely readable.]

¶ Schulde no cristene creature  crien atte ȝate .
And[^a800][^812] faile payn and[^a801] potage  and prelates dide as þei schulde .
A Iew wolde nouȝt se a Iew  go Iangelynge for defaute .
For alle þe nobeles[^813] of þis molde  and he amende it miȝte

[^a800: And (R F) | Ne (All beta mss)]

[^a801: and (R Hm G F) | ne (Most beta mss)]

[^812: R.9.85: Beta reads Ne.]

[^813: R.9.87: R's alliteration fails here; cf. beta's moebles, which clearly reflects Bx. F's effort to repair the alliterative pattern with the easy and obvious mone suggests that R's error was derived from alpha.]

¶ Allas þat a cristene creature  schal be vnkende til annother .
Sitthen Iewes þat we Iugen  Iudas felawes .
Þat[^a802] ayther[^a803] helpeth other  of hem[^a804] þat hym nedeth .[^814]

[^a802: Þat (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a803: ayther (R) | Ayther of hem (Most beta mss)]

[^a804: hem (R F) | þat (All beta mss)]

[^814: R.9.90: A series of small variations differentiates beta from alpha in this line, making it most efficient simply to show the beta line in its entirety: Ayther of hem helpeth other of þat þat hym nedeth. F renders the line thus: þat ech helpiþ oþir of hem / of good þat hem neediþ.]

¶ Why ne wil we cristene  of cristes goed be as kende .
As Iewes þat ben oure lores-men  to[^a805][^815] schame to vs alle .
Þe comune for here vnkendenesse  I drede me schul abye .

[^a805: to (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^815: R.9.92: Beta omits R's to; F reads It is.]

¶ Bischopes schul be blamed  for beggeres sake .
He is wors þan Iudas  þat ȝiueth a iapere siluer .
And bit[^816] þe begere go  for his broke clothes .
Proditor est prelatus cum iuda qui patrimonium christi minus distribuit .
Et alibi . Perniciosus dispensator est  qui res pauperum christi invtiliter consumit .
He doth nauȝt wel þat doth þus  ne drad nauȝt god almiȝty
Ne loueth nauȝt salomones sawes  þat sapience tauȝte .
Inicium sapiencie timor domini — .

[^816: R.9.96: F reads byddis; beta has biddeth.]

¶ Þat drad[^a806] god he doth wel  þat drad[^a807][^817] hym for loue .
And drad hym[^a808] nauȝt for loue[^a809] of vengeance  to do[^a810] þe bettere .[^818]
He doth best þat with-draweth hym  by day and by nyȝte .
To spille any speche  or any space of tyme .
Qui offendit in verbo[^819] in omnibus est reus .

[^a806: drad (R) | dredeth (All other mss)]

[^a807: drad (R M) | dredeth (Most other mss)]

[^a808: And drad hym (R) | And (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a809: loue (R F) | drede (All beta mss)]

[^a810: to do (R) | doth þer-fore (All beta mss)]

[^817: R.9.102: In both instances in this line where R reads drad, Bx has dredeth.]

[^818: R.9.103: Beta's line reads And nouȝt for drede of veniaunce doth þerfore þe bettere. R's And drad hym is unique; F has he dredyþ.]

[^819: R.9.106: R's verbo is almost certainly authorial, albeit not an accurate Vulgate citation; L is the only other B witness that completely agrees with R, but M probably did originally (by erasure and correction M now reads vno). F tries to split the difference between alpha's verbo and the common beta reading, vno, by adopting a reading of vno verbo.]

¶ Lesynge of tyme trewth wote þe sothe 
Is most I-hated vp erthe  of hem þat ben in heuene .
And seche[^a811][^820] to spille speche  þat spire is of grace .
And godes gleman  and a game of heuene .
Wold neuere þe faithful fader  his fithel were vntymbred[^a812] .[^821]
Ne his gleman a gedelynge  a goere to tauernes .

[^a811: seche (R) | sitthe (All beta mss)]

[^a812: vntymbred (R) | vntempred (All other mss)]

[^820: R.9.109: F reads all swiche, which looks as though it is somehow related to R's seche but is equally devoid of sense. The likeliest explanation for these variants is that alpha's <c> and <t> were indistinct and that alpha had intended sethe. Beta's correct reading is sitthe.]

[^821: R.9.111: For R's unique form, vntymbred, Bx reads vntempred. There is no semantic difference in R's form, merely a changed spelling produced by the voicing of an unvoiced consonant in the middle of a voiced consonant cluster.]

¶ To alle trewe tydy men  þat trauail desiren .
Oure lord loueth hem and lent  loude other stille .
Grace to go to hem tille[^a813][^822]  and agoon here liflode .
Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono .

[^a813: hem tille (R) | hem (All beta)]

[^822: R.9.115: R's hem tille is a unique reading. Beta simply reads hem. However, F offers a different unique reading at this point, hem to, suggesting that both R and F are mirroring an alpha variant.]

¶ Trewe wedded libbyng folke  in þis world is dowel .
For þei mote werche and wynne  and þe world susteyne .
For of here kende he[^a814][^823] come  þat confessoures ben nempned .
Kynges and kniȝtes kaiseres and cherles .
Maydenes and martires  oute of o man come .
Þe wif was mad þe wey[^824]  for to helpe werche .
And þus was wedlok I-wrouȝt  and god hym-self it made[^825]
In erth þere[^a815][^826] heuen is  hym-self was þe witnesse .

[^a814: he (R F) | þei (All beta mss)]

[^a815: þere (R) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^823: R.9.119: he, "they." Beta and Cx read þei.]

[^824: R.9.122: Weye, "husband, man."]

[^825: R.9.123: Alpha omits the following lines from Bx through eye-skip on identical a-verses: . . . with a mene persone First bi þe faderes wille and þe frendes conseille And sytthenes bi assent of hemself as þei two myȝte acorde And thus was wedloke ywrouȝte . . . .]

[^826: R.9.124: For R's þere, beta reads þe; F reads here]

¶ Ac fals folk and[^a816][^827] faithles  theues and lieres .
Wastoures and wreches  oute of wedlok I trowe .
Conseyued ben Iuel[^a817][^828] tyme  as caym was on eue .
Of suche synful schrewes  þe sauter maketh mende .
Concepit dolorem[^a818][^829] et peperit iniquitatem[^a819] .
And alle þat come of þat caym  come to euel ende .
For god sent to sem  and seyde by an aungel
Þin Issu in þin Issu  I wil þat þei ben wedded .
And nauȝt þi kende with caym[^a820][^830]  I-coupled ne I-spoused .

[^a816: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a817: Iuel (R) | in yuel (Most other mss)]

[^a818: dolorem (R Hm F) | in dolore (Most beta mss)]

[^a819: iniquitatem (R Cr G B F) | iniquitatem &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a820: caym (R) | caymes (All beta mss)]

[^827: R.9.125: Beta omits and.]

[^828: R.9.127: R uniquely omits in before Iuel.]

[^829: R.9.129: R's dolorem is the alpha variant—to which Hm has been "corrected" by a second hand (the other beta manuscripts read in dolore). This variation ultimately reflects a discrepancy in the textual tradition of the Vulgate itself, but the predominant reading among A copies of Piers Plowman is the same as alpha's, while the overwhelming preference among C manuscripts is for the beta reading.]

[^830: R.9.133: Beta reads caymes.]

¶ Ȝet somme aȝeyne þe sonde  of oure saueoure of heuene .
Caymes kende and his kynde  coupled to-gyderes .
Til god wrathed for here werkes  and such a worde seyde .
Þat I maked man  now it me þinketh[^a821] .[^831]
Penitet me fecisse hominem .

[^a821: þinketh (R) | athynketh/forthynketh (All other mss)]

[^831: R.9.137: All other B manuscripts here read either athynketh or forthynketh. F shows the latter reading, as does Ax. For the sense of R's reading, see MED, s. v. thinken (v.[2], 10 [a]).]

¶ And come to noe a-none  and bad hym nauȝt lette .
Swithe go schape a schippe  of schides and of bordes .
Þi-self and þi sones thre  and sitthen ȝoure wiues .
Buske ȝow to þat bote  and bydeth ȝe þere-Inne .
Til fourty dayes ben fulfilled  þat floed haue Iwasted[^a822] .[^832]
Clene away þe cursed bloed  þat caym hath I-maked .

[^a822: Iwasted (R F) | ywasshen (Most beta mss)]

[^832: R.9.143: For alpha's Iwasted, beta reads ywasshen. Both Ax and Cx confirm the correctness of the beta reading.]

¶ Bestes þat now ben  schal banne þe tyme .
Þat euer þat cursed caym  come on þis erthe .
Alle schal deye for his dedes  by dales and hilles .
And þe foules þat fleth  forth with other bestes .
Excepte onlyche  of on[^a823][^833] kende a couple .
Þat in þis[^a824][^834] schingeled schippe  schal ben I-saued .
Here a-bouȝte þe barne  þe belesires giltes .
And alle for here forfaderes  þei ferden þe worse .
Þe gospel is here-a-geyne  in on degre I fynde
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris nec pater[^a825][^835] iniquitatem filij[^a826] .

[^a823: on (R) | eche (Most beta mss)]

[^a824: þis (R) | þi (All beta mss)]

[^a825: nec pater (R F) | & pater non portabit (All beta mss)]

[^a826: filij (R Cr F) | filij &c. (Beta W)]

[^833: R.9.149: Beta reads eche; Cr and F have euery. Cx's vch supports beta's variant.]

[^834: R.9.150: Beta reads þi . . . shippe; F omits the entire line. Ax reads þe . . . ship, but Cx agrees with beta.]

[^835: R.9.154: Instead of alpha's nec pater, beta reads & pater non portabit .]

¶ Ac I fynde if þe fader  be fals and a schrewe .
Þat somdel þe sone  schal haue þe sire[^836] tacches .

[^836: R.9.156: Though C joins R in attesting the uninflected form, F and the other beta copies read sires.]

¶ Impe vp-on[^a827][^837] an ellerne  and if þin appel be swete .
Muchel merueile me thenketh  and more of a schrewe .
Þat bringeth forth any barne  but if he be þe same .
And haue a sauour after þe sire  selde seste þow other .
Numquam colligitur de spinis vuas  nec de tribulis ficus .

[^a827: vp-on (R Hm F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^837: R.9.157: Beta reads on.]

¶ And þus þorȝ cursed caym  come care vppe -on erthe .
And alle for þei wrouȝten  wedlokes aȝeyne goddes wille .
For-þi haue þei maugre for[^838] here mariages  as men[^a828] marien now[^a829] her childeren .[^839]
For somme as I se now  soth forto telle .
For coueytise of catel  vnkendeliche ben wedded .
As careful concepcioun  cometh to þat[^a830] mariages .[^840]
As bifel of þat[^a831] folke[^841]  þat I before of tolde .[^842][^843]

[^a828: as men (R) | þat (Most beta mss)]

[^a829: now (R) | so (Most beta mss)]

[^a830: to þat (R) | of suche (Most beta mss)]

[^a831: þat (R F) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^838: R.9.164: Although most beta copies read of, LM agree with R in reading for.]

[^839: R.9.164: Beta's b-verse reads þat marye so her childeren. F has for maryagys vnkende.]

[^840: R.9.167: R's b-verse is obviously corrupt, and may include two mistakes at separate stages of transmission; in any case, the R scribe shows his characteristic timidity toward emending patent error. The beta manuscripts here read of suche mariages. Alpha probably generated at least one component of the error shown in R; F appears to adapt to the error in alpha with typical adroitness: of þat Maryage.]

[^841: R.9.168: Beta reads of þe folke. In a parallel but not identical line, Ax reads this phrase in agreement with beta.]

[^842: R.9.168: Two lines present in beta manuscripts (and in the C version) immediately after this one are omitted by alpha: For goode shulde wedde goode þough hij no good hadde I am via & veritas seith cryst I may auaunce alle.]

[^843: R.9.168: A text line appears to have been erased immediately below this one.]

¶ It is an vncomely couple  by Ihesus[^a832][^844] as me thenketh .
To ȝeue a ȝonge wenche  to an olde feble .
Or wedden any wydewe  for welth of hire godes .
Þat neuer schal barne bere  but if it be in armes .
Many apaire a paire sitthen þe pestelence  haue pliȝt hem to-gyderes .
Þe fruit þat þei bringen forth  aren foule wordes .[^845]
Haue þei non children but iangelynge[^a833][^846]  & gaying[^a834][^847] hem bitewene .
And forto go to dunmowe  to fecche hom here bakon .[^848]
And whan þei haue brouȝt it hom  to whom is best to selle it .
And þus þei lyuen in coueytise  þe deuel and þei to-gyderes .

[^a832: Ihesus (R F) | cryst (All beta mss)]

[^a833: iangelynge (R) | cheste (Most beta mss)]

[^a834: gaying (R) | choppyng (Most beta mss)]

[^844: R.9.169: Beta reads cryst, which maintains the line's alliterative pattern. Ax agrees with beta.]

[^845: R.9.174: Alpha omits the following line attested by beta witnesses (and by both the other versions): In ialousye ioyeles and ianglyng on bedde. Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt re-arrange the lines, placing this line after R9.172.]

[^846: R.9.175: Here alpha's alliteration fails; beta properly reads cheste, a reading confirmed by both Ax and Cx.]

[^847: R.9.175: R's gaying makes no sense. Beta probably read choppyng. The entire line in F is garbled, presumably by loss of the end of the a-verse. As a result, F reads the line thus: þey have no children / but Ianglyng hem be-twene.]

[^848: R and F here depart extensively from the text witnessed by beta, but R and F differ between themselves at many points regarding the underlying alpha text. Beta for these three lines reads as follows: And þough þei don hem to donmowe but if þe deuel help To folwen after þe flicche fecche þei it neuere And but þei bothe be forsworne þat bacoun þei tyne. F 's version of these lines reads as follows: Þey sholde gon to Dunmowe & fecche þere bakoun But for þe caryage is karkful þey dore non fecche . But lyven þus in Ianglyng þoru þe develys loore .]

¶ For-þi I conseille alle cristene  coueite nauȝt to[^849] be wedded .
For coueitise of catel  ne of kenrede riche .
Ac maydenes and maydenes  make[^a835][^850] ȝow to-gyderes
Wydeweres and wydewes[^a836][^851]  wercheth þe same .
For no londes but for loue  loke þat[^a837][^852] ȝe be wedded .
And þanne gete ȝe[^a838] grace[^853] of god  and god Inow to lyue with .[^854]

[^a835: make (R) | macche (All beta mss)]

[^a836: Wydeweres and wydewes (R F) | Widwes and widwers (Most beta mss)]

[^a837: þat (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a838: ȝe (R F) | ȝe þe (All beta mss)]

[^849: R.9.179: Though Cr and M agree with R in reading to here, most B manuscripts, including F, omit it. Nevertheless, nine A-version witnesses attest the presence of to at this point. By contrast, only two C copies agree with R on this issue.]

[^850: R.9.181: R's reading is unique. Beta reads macche, while F has marye; Cx agrees with F.]

[^851: R.9.182: Beta reads Widwes and widwers, reversing alpha's phrasal order; Ax agrees with alpha, but the C manuscripts are divided here by family, with the P family supporting alpha's order while the X family agrees with beta.]

[^852: R.9.183: R's þat is unique. The b-verse of most other B manuscripts reads loke ȝe be wedded.]

[^853: R.9.184: In place of alpha's grace, beta reads þe grace.]

[^854: R.9.184: Hereafter alpha omits seven lines found in beta (and in slightly revised form in the C version): And euery maner seculer þat may nouȝt continue Wysly go wedde and war hym fro synne For leccherye in likyng is lymeȝerde of helle Whiles þow art ȝonge and þi wepne kene Wreke þe with wyuynge ȝif þow wil ben excused Dum sis vir fortis ne des tua robora scortis Scribitur in portis meretrix est ianua mortis Whan ȝe haue wyued bewar and worcheth in tyme Nouȝt as Adam & Eue whan caym was engendred.]

¶ And[^a839][^855] in vntyme trewely  bi-twene man and womman .
Ne schulde no berde a-bedde[^a840][^856] be  but if þei bothe were clene .
Of[^a841][^857] lif and of soule  and in parfite charite .
Þat ilke derne dede  do noman schulde[^a842][^858] .
And if þei ledden þus here lif  it liked[^859] god almiȝti .
For he made wedlok furst  and hym-self it seyde .
Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat[^a843] .[^860]
And þei þat othergates ben geten  for gede-lynges ben holden .
And[^a844][^861] fals folke fondelynges  faitoures & lyeres .
Vngracious to gete gode  or loue of þe poeple .
Wandren and wasten  whatte þei cacche mowe .
Aȝein dewel d[o]wel[^a845][^862] þei don euele  and þe deuel serue .
And after her deth-day  schullen dwelle with þe deuel[^a846] .[^863]
But god ȝif hem grace here  hem-self to amende .[^864]

[^a839: And (R) | For (All other mss)]

[^a840: berde a-bedde (R) | bourde on bedde (Most beta mss)]

[^a841: Of (R) | Bothe of (All beta mss)]

[^a842: schulde (R) | ne sholde (All other mss)]

[^a843: habeat (R F) | propter fornicacionem (Most beta mss)]

[^a844: And (R B F) | As (Most beta mss)]

[^a845: dewel d[o]wel (R) | dowel (All other mss)]

[^a846: deuel (R) | same (All beta mss)]

[^855: R.9.185: R's And is unique; the other B manuscripts read For.]

[^856: R.9.186: Bx itself may be marginally corrupt here: F has lyggyn In bedde, while beta reads bourde on bedde. Both Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt emend this beta phrase to the reading of Cx, which is bedbourde. However, a key component of the larger textual conundrum is the meaning of R's berde. It seems completely implausible as a spelling of beta's bourde. Far likelier is a bland meaning such as "a youth." Cf. MED, s. v. bird(e) (n. 1[3]): "A man of noble birth; scion, lord . . . also, any young person." The omission and garbling here in R and F suggest an intention, on alpha's part, to bowdlerize the entire passage, as at R3.52, by omitting most of the offensive sexual material (here the lines are KD9.182-88, with their hypothetical reference to the reader's youthful, "keen weapon" and the untimely engendering of Cain) and patching together what remains.]

[^857: R.9.187: Beta has Bothe of while F reads Boþe in.]

[^858: R.9.188: R uniquely omits ne before schulde. F cannot be compared since it completely rephrases the b-verse. In slightly different version of this line, Cx reads the phrase in question precisely as R: do no man sholde. Moreover six A witnesses (UDChVKWa) also agree with R's version.]

[^859: R.9.189: F reads wolde lyke; most beta copies show likeþ, but L agrees exactly with R.]

[^860: R.9.191: The beta copies are fuller, ending the citation with propter fornicacionem, which is also the reading of the C version.]

[^861: R.9.193: Beta reads As. Cx agrees here with alpha.]

[^862: R.9.196: R's dewel is a unique error presumably induced by anticipation of deuel later in this line.]

[^863: R.9.197: In place of R's þe deuel, F reads here Mayster and beta reads þe same. The Ax version of this phrase agrees with beta.]

[^864: R.9.198: Hereafter alpha omits the following lines attested by beta family manuscripts (and in slightly different form by the C version): Dowel my frende is to don as lawe techeth To loue þi frende and þi foo leue me þat is dobet To ȝiuen and to ȝemen bothe ȝonge and olde To helen and to helpen is dobest of alle.]

¶ And þus is dowel[^a847][^865] to drede god  and dobet to suffre .
And so comes dobest of both  and bringeth a-don þe mody .
And þat is wikked wille  þat many werkes[^a848][^866] schendeth .
And driueth awey dowel  þoruȝ dedliche synnes .

[^a847: þus is dowel (R F) | dowel is (Most beta mss)]

[^a848: werkes (R F) | (a)werke (All beta mss)]

[^865: R.9.199: Beta reads And dowel is. F's reading is identical to R's, except for the omission of the initial conjunction. Cx agrees here with R.]

[^866: R.9.201: Beta has the singular werke, which is also the reading of Ax.]

Passus decimus de visione vt supra . — —

Þ anne[^867] had wit a wif  was called[^a849][^868] dame studie
Þat lene was of lere  and of lichee[^a850] bothe .
Sche was wonderliche wroth  þat wit me þus tauȝte .
And alle starynge dame studie  sterneliche seyde .
Wel art þow wis quod sche to witt  any wisdomes to telle .
To flatereres or to foles  þat frentik ben of wittes .
And blamed hym and banned hym  and bad him be stille .
With swiche wise wordes  to wissen any sottes .
And seyde noli mittere man  magerie ma[r]gerie perles .
Amonges hogges þat han  hawes at wille .
Þei doth but dreuele þer-on  draf were hem leuere .
Þan alle þe preciouse perre  þat in paradis wexeth .
I seye it be schuche[^a851][^869] quod sche  þat scheweth be here werkes .
Þat hem were leuere lond  and lordschipe here[^a852] .[^870]
Other[^a853] ricchesse other[^a854][^871] rentes  and rest at here wille .
Þanne alle þe soth sawes  þat salomon seyde euere .

[^a849: called (R) | hote(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a850: lichee (R) | liche (Most beta mss)]

[^a851: schuche (R) | suche (All other mss)]

[^a852: here (R F) | on erthe (All beta mss)]

[^a853: Other (R) | Or (Most beta mss)]

[^a854: other (R) | or (Most beta mss)]

[^867: R.10.1: The initial is flourished with red, as usual, and a man's face has been drawn in the loop of the thorn.]

[^868: R.10.1: Cf. F's klepid. Beta's reading is hote, which agrees with Ax and Cx.]

[^869: R.10.13: This form is unique to R. MED, s. v. swich, indicates that the South English Legendary (ca. 1300) has the only comparable form of this word, which it labels as a SW Midlands form for swich. Cx reads suche.]

[^870: R.10.14: For alpha's here, beta reads on erthe, which agrees with Ax.]

[^871: R.10.15: R's Other ... other is unique. F omits this line, but beta reads Or ... or, which agrees with Ax.]

¶ Wisdom and witt now  is nauȝt worth a carse .
But if it be carded with couetise  as clotheres kemben wolle
Ho-so kan contreue deseites  and conspire wronges .
And leden forth a loueday  and letten[^a855] þe[^a856] trewthe .[^872]
He þat suche craftes can  to conseil is cleped . —
Þei lede lordes with lesynges  and belyeth treuthe . —

[^a855: and letten (R F) | to latte (All beta mss)]

[^a856: þe (R) | with (All beta mss)]

[^872: R.10.20: Beta reads this b-verse as to latte with treuthe. F has & lettyn euere trewthe. Ax appears to have read to lette þe truþe.]

¶ Iob þe gentil  in his gestes witnesseth .
Þat wicked men þei welden  þe welth of þis worlde .
And þat þei ben lordes in[^873] vch a londe  þat oute of lawe libbeth .
Quare impij viuunt bene est omnibus qui preuaricantur & inique agunt .

[^873: R.10.25: Though Hm agrees with R's in, beta has of (F rewrites the line).]

¶ Þe sauter seith þe same  by such þat don ille .
Ecce ipsi peccatores habundantes in seculo optinuerunt[^a857] .[^874]
Lo seith holy lettrure  whiche lordes beth þis schrewes
Þilk þat god most greueth[^a858][^875]  lest gode þei deleth .
And most vnkende to þe comune  þat most catel weldeth .
Que perfecisti destruxerunt  iustus autem &cetera .
Harlotes for here harlotrie  may haue of her godes .
And iaperes and iogoloures  and iangeleres of gestes .

[^a857: optinuerunt (R F) | optinuerunt diuicias (All beta mss)]

[^a858: greueth (R C F) | gyueth (Most beta mss)]

[^874: R.10.28: Alpha omits the last word of this citation as found in beta: diuicias.]

[^875: R.10.30: For alpha's greueth, beta reads, more probably, gyueth (though manuscript C agrees with alpha). The C version tries to resolve this difference between greueth and gyueþ by rewriting the line so as to include both words (a timid choice paralleled elsewhere in C), and in the process makes a line that is inferior to both earlier versions. Evidently, by the time he was laboring on the C revision, Langland had forgotten which of these two variants he had composed and which one was scribal. Or, having perhaps written both himself at different times, he had forgotten which one was supposed to supersede the other.]

¶ Ac he þat hath holy writ  ay in his mouthe .
And can telle of tobye  and of þe twelue apostles .
Or prechen of þe penaunce  þat pilat wrouȝte .
To Ihesu þe gentil  þat iewes to-drowe . —
Litel is he loued  þat such a lesson scheweth .
Or daunted or drawe forth  I do it on god hym-selue .

¶ But þo þat feynen hem foles  and with faytynge libbeth .
Aȝeyne þe lawe of oure lorde  and lyen on hem-selue .
Spitten and spewen  and speken foule wordes .
Drynken and dreuelen  and do men for to gape .
Likkene men and lyen on hem  þat leneth hem no ȝiftes
Þei conne namore minstracie  ne musike men to glade
Þanne munde þe mulenere  of multa fecit deus .
Ne were here vile harlotrie  haue god my trouthe .
Schuld neuere kynge ne knyȝte  ne canoun of seynt poules .
Ȝyue hem to here ȝeresȝyue  þe worth[^a859][^876] of a grote .

[^a859: worth (R F) | ȝifte (Beta M W Hm)]

[^876: R.10.50: R's worth is an alpha variant. The most reliable beta witnesses, including L and M, read ȝifte. Ax reads value.]

¶ Ac murth and mynstracie  amonges men is nouthe .
Lecherie and losengerie  and loseles tales . —
Glotonye and grete othes  þis murth[^877] louyeth .
Ac ȝif ȝei [þ]ei[^a860] carpen of crist  þis clerkes and þes lewede .
At þe mete in here murthes  whan mynstrales ben stille .
Þanne tellen þei of þe trinyte  a tale other tweyne .
And bryngeth forth a balled resoun  and taken bernard to witnesse .
And putten forth a presumpcioun  to preue þe sothe .
Þus þei driuele at here dayes[^a861]  þe deyte to knowe .
And gnawen god with þe gorge  whan here gutte is fulle .

[^a860: ȝei [þ]ei (R) | þei (All other mss)]

[^a861: dayes (R) | deyse (Most other mss)]

[^877: R.10.53: Beta has murthe þei louieth (though manuscript Y agrees with R in omitting þey. F completely revises the b-verse. The b-verse of Ax is somewhat different from both alpha and beta, but the stave word, games alliterates appropriately with the unrevised a-verse. Both Kane-Donaldson and Schmidt emend to the A reading.]

¶ Ac þe careful may crie  and carpen at þe ȝate .
Bothe afyngred and a-þurst  and for chele quake .
Is non to nymen hym nere  his nuye[^a862][^878] amende .
But hoen on[^879] hym as an hownde  and hoten hym go þennes .
Litel loueth he þat lorde  þat lent hym alle þat blisse .
Þat þus parteth with þe pore  a parcel whan hym nedeth .
Ne were mercye in mene men  more þan in riche .
Mendynantes meteles  myȝt go to bedde .
God is muche in þe gorges[^a863][^880]  of þes grete maystres .
Ac amonges mene men  his mercye and his werkes .
And so seith þe sauter  Ich haue I-seye it oft .
Ecce audiuimus eum[^a864] in effrata  inuenimus eum[^a865][^881] in campis silue .
Clerkes and other[^a866] men[^882]  carpen of god faste .
And haue hym muche in þe mouthe  ac mene men in herte .

[^a862: nuye (R) | (a)noye to (All other mss)]

[^a863: gorges (R F) | gorge (Most beta mss)]

[^a864: eum (R Cr F) | eam (Most beta mss)]

[^a865: eum (R Cr F) | eam (Most beta mss)]

[^a866: other (R G F) | other kynnes (Most beta mss)]

[^878: R.10.63: The other B witnesses read his noye to amende. However, Ax agrees with R in omitting to .]

[^879: R.10.64: Hoen, "shout at, raise an outcry against."]

[^880: R.10.69: Beta reads gorge. Ax agrees with beta.]

[^881: R.10.72: In both cases where alpha has eum, beta reads eam. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta, and most C manuscripts go further, glossing eam as caritatem.]

[^882: R.10.73: R's other men is the alpha reading; beta reads other kynnes men.]

¶ Freres and faytoures haue founde suche questions .
To plese with proude men  sitthen þe pestilence[^a867] .[^883]
And prechen at seynt poules  for pure enuye of clerkes .
Þat folke is nouȝt fermed in þe feith  ne free of here godes .
Ne sori for here synnes  so pruyde is[^a868][^884] woxen . —
In religioun and in alle þe rewme  amonges riche and pore .
Þat preyeres haue no powere  þis[^a869] pestilences[^a870][^885] to lette .
For god is def now-a-dayes[^a871]  and deyneth his heres to opne[^a872][^886]
Þat gerles[^a873] for here gyltes  he for-grynt[^887] hem alle .—
And ȝet þe wrecches of þis worlde  is non yware by other
Ne for drede of þe deth  with-drawe nauȝt here pruyde .
Ne beth plentyuous to þe pore  as pure charite wolde .
¶ But in gaynesse and in glotonye  for-glotten here goed hem-selue .
And breketh nauȝt to þe beggere  as þe boek techeth .
Frange esurienti panem tuum & cetera .
And þe more he wynneth and welt  welthes and richesses .
Euere as he[^a874][^888] lordeth in londes  þe lasse goed he deleth .

[^a867: pestilence (R F) | pestilence tyme (All beta mss)]

[^a868: pruyde is (R) | is pryde (All beta mss)]

[^a869: þis (R F) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^a870: pestilences (R F) | pestilence (All beta mss)]

[^a871: now-a-dayes (R) | on þese dayes (F)]

[^a872: his heres to opne (R) | not vs to here (F)]

[^a873: Þat gerles (R) | þe gystys (F)]

[^a874: Euere as he (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^883: R.10.76: Beta reads pestilence tyme. The Ax version of this phrase agrees with beta, but a majority of C manuscripts supports a reading similar to alpha's: pestelences.]

[^884: R.10.79: Beta transposes this phrase as is pryde. Cx agrees with beta on the word order.]

[^885: R.10.81: R's þis is a plural determiner, as with F's þese. Beta shows a singular for this phrase: þe pestilence. Cx reads þis pestilences, agreeing with alpha.]

[^886: Beta omits these lines. The b-verse of KD10.79 in F reads & deyȝneþ not vs to here. Cx agrees with F.]

[^887: R.10.83: MED has no listing for this compound, but the inflected form from the base is clearly the 3rd singular indicative of "grinden, v. 1" = "to break into small particles; reduce . . . to powder by crushing." For togrinden, v., a citation is offered from the cognate line of the C-version of Piers: And good men for oure gultes he al to-grynt to deþe.]

[^888: R.10.91: In place of alpha's Euere as he, beta reads And. Cx revises the line, but the opening phrase agrees with beta.]

¶ Tobie techeth[^a875][^889] ȝow nauȝt so  taketh hede ȝe riche .
How þe boek bible  of hym bereth witnesse .
☞
Si tibi sit copia  habundanter tribue [^890]
Si autem exiguum illud inpertire[^a876][^891] libenter stude[^a877][^892] .
Who-so hath muche  spene manlyche  so meneth tobie .
And ho-so litel weldeth  rewle hym þere -after .
For we haue no lettre of oure lif  how longe it sal dure .
Suche lessones lordes schulde  loue to here .
And how he miȝt most meyne  manliche fynde .
Nouȝt to fare as a fithelere  or as[^a878][^893] a frere to seke festes .
Homliche at other mennus howses  and hatyen here owne .
Elynge is þe halle  vche daye in þe weke .
Þere þe lorde ne þe lady  liketh nauȝt to sitte
Now hath vch riche a reule  to eten by hym-selue .
In a priuy parlour  for pore mennes sake .
Or in a chaumber by[^a879][^894] a chymene  and leue þe chief halle .
Þat was made for meles  men to eten Inne .
And alle to spare to spille  þat spene[^a880][^895] schal an-other .

[^a875: techeth (R F) | telleth (All beta mss)]

[^a876: inpertire (R M G C2 F) | impertiri (Most beta mss)]

[^a877: libenter stude (R F) | stude libenter (Most beta mss)]

[^a878: as (R) | a (All beta mss)]

[^a879: by (R) | with (All other mss)]

[^a880: spene (R) | spende(n) (All other mss)]

[^889: R.10.92: Beta reads telleth. Cx either agrees completely with alpha (X family) or deploys a preterite of techen (P family).]

[^890: R.10.94: In the left margin, a hand points at this line and the next.]

[^891: R.10.95: Though several beta manuscripts agree with alpha's verb form here, beta itself probably read impertiri, as reflected in LCrWO. The readings of the C manuscripts—for the entire Latin phrase—are quite mixed, but a majority, including XYcP2, agree with alpha.]

[^892: R.10.95: Beta transposes this phrase as stude libenter; Cx attests the same word order here as alpha.]

[^893: R.10.101: R's as is a unique addition to the text attested by beta (F completely alters the b-verse).]

[^894: R.10.107: R's by is unique; Bx reads with.]

[^895: R.10.109: R's spene is a unique reading here (the other B manuscripts read spende(n)); however, spene is a verb that developed from spende(n), is synonymous with it, and occurs in free variation with it throughout R. From its sometimes parallel occurrence in L (as at KD10.90), the form seems likely to be an authorial relict.]

¶ I haue herd hye men  etynge at þe table .
Carpen as þei clerkes were  of crist and of his miȝtes .
And leyden fautes vpon þe fader  þat formed vs alle .
And carpen aȝeine clerkes  crabbed wordes .
Whi wold oure saueor suffre  such a worm in his blisse
Þat bygiled þe womman  and þe man after .
Þorȝ which wiles and wordes  þei wenten to helle
And alle here seed for here synne  þe same deth suffrede .

¶ Here lieth ȝoure lore  þis lordes g ynneth dispute .
Of þat ye clerkes vs kenneth  of crist by þe gospel .
Filius non portabit iniquitatem[^a881][^896] &cetera .
Whi schulde we þat now ben  for þe werkes of adam .
Roten and to-reue[^a882][^897]  reson walde it neuere .
Vnusquisque honus suum portabit[^a883][^898] .
Suche motifs þei meue  þis maystres in here glorie
And maketh men in mysbyleue  þat muse muche on here wordes .

[^a881: iniquitatem (R) | iniquitatem patris (All other mss)]

[^a882: to-reue (R) | (to)rende (Most other mss)]

[^a883: honus suum portabit (R F) | portabit onus suum &c (Most beta mss)]

[^896: R.10.120: R uniquely omits patris after iniquitatem.]

[^897: R.10.122: It is uncertain how to transcribe this word; it may be rendered as to-reue or as to-rene. If the latter of these options is adopted, it is merely a transcriptional error on the scribe's part for Bx's torende. However one construes it, the form is unquestionably intended as a compound participial adjective and constitutes a unique reading in R (F agreeing here with the beta majority). MED cites toriuen as a compound s. v. riven (v. 2), (with toriue and toreuen as possible participle forms). Meaning 3a would seem closest to the context of R10.122 = "To split, splinter, shatter, or break apart as the result of a blow, collision, or other force; also, fig. be emotionally shattered; (b) fig. of the heart: to break on account of emotion." Two examples from fifteenth-century sources of toreue are cited under this heading. If this is the form intended by R's scribe, it represents an unconscious substitution of a synonym (in its sense of "torn" or "shattered") for original to-rende. The third possibility is that the form may be a compound participle of "reuen, v. 1a" = "to regret, to be embarrassed or shamed," a context that would fit well (albeit textually aberrant) with the meaning of roten, "destroyed, ruined."]

[^898: R.10.123: Beta transposes this phrase as portabit onus suum.]

¶ Ymaginatif here-afterwarde  schal answerie to ȝoure porpos .

¶ Austyn to suche argueres  he telleth hem þis teme .
Non plus sapere quam oportet &cetera
Wilneth neuere to wite  whi þat god wolde .
Suffre sathan his seed to begile . —
Ac byleue lelly  in þe lore of holy cherche .
And preye hym of pardoun  and penance in þi lyue .
And for his muche mercy  to amende ȝow here .

¶ For alle þat wilneth to wite  þe weyes of god almiȝty .
I wold his eye were in his ers  and his fynger after .
Þat euere wilneth to wite  whi þat god wolde .
Suffre sathan his seed to bygile .
Or Iudas þe Iew[^a884][^899]  ihesu betraie . —

[^a884: þe Iew (R F) | to þe iuwes (All beta mss)]

[^899: R.10.138: For alpha's þe Iew, beta has to þe iuwes. Ax agrees with alpha.]

¶ Alle was as he wolde[^a885][^900]  lorde yworschiped be þow .
And alle worth as þow wolt  what-so we despute .

[^a885: he wolde (R F) | þow wolde(st) (All beta mss)]

[^900: R.10.139: Beta reads þow. Ax agrees with alpha.]

¶ And þo þat vseth þis hauelons  to blende mennes wittes .
What is dowel fro dobet  now def mote he worthe .
Sitth he wilneth to wite  which þei ben alle[^a886] .[^901]
But if he lyue in þe lyue[^902] þat longeth to dowel .
For I dare ben his boruȝh[^a887][^903]  þat dobet wil be nere[^a888] .
Þow dobest drawe on hym  day after other .

[^a886: alle (R F) | bothe (All beta mss)]

[^a887: boruȝh (R F) | bolde borgh (All beta mss)]

[^a888: be nere (R) | he neuere (All other mss)]

[^901: R.10.143: For alpha's alle, beta reads bothe. Ax agrees with alpha.]

[^902: R.10.144: Cf. F's lyȝue (transcribed by Kane-Donaldson as lyȝne); beta reads lyf.]

[^903: R.10.145: Beta reads bolde borgh here. Ax agrees with beta.]

¶ And whanne þat wit was Iware  how[^a889][^904] dame studie tolde
He bycom so confus  he couthe nauȝt loke 
And as doumbe as deth  and drowe hym arere .

[^a889: how (R F) | what (All beta mss)]

[^904: R.10.147: Beta reads what. Ax agrees with alpha.]

¶ And for no carpynge I couth after  ne knelinge to þe grounde .
I miȝt gete no greyne  of his grete wittes .
But alle lauȝynge he louted  and loked vpon stude .
In sygne þat I schulde  be-seche hire of grace . —

¶ And whan I was ware of his wille  to his wif gan I loute .
And seyde mercy ma-dame  ȝoure man schal I worthe .
As longe as I lyue  bothe late and rathe .
And[^a890][^905] forto werche ȝoure wille  þe while my lyf dureth .
With þat ȝe kendely [kenne me] kendely[^a891][^906]  to knowe what is dowel .

[^a890: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a891: kendely [kenne me] kendely (R) | kenne me kyndely (All other mss)]

[^905: R.10.157: Alpha's And is omitted by beta. Ax agrees with beta's wording, but Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^906: R.10.158: The omission of verb and object here is unique to R. Cx's wording agrees with the F/beta reading.]

¶ For þi mekenesse man quod sche  and for þi milde speche .
I schal kenne þe to my cosyn  þat clergise[^a892][^907] is hoten .
He hath wedded a wif  withInne þis six monethus .
Is sib to þe seuen ars  scripture is hire name .
Þei to as I hope  after my techinge .
Schullen wise þe to dowel  I dar wel[^a893][^908] vndertaken .

[^a892: clergise (R) | clergye (All other mss)]

[^a893: wel (R) | it (Most other mss)]

[^907: R.10.160: R's clergise is a unique variant; Bx has clergye, and the archetypes of the other two versions show the same reading.]

[^908: R.10.164: R's wel is a unique variant; the other B copies all have it. However, Ax agrees with R.]

¶ Þanne was I as fayne  as foule of faire morwe .
And gladder þanne þe gleman  þat golde hath to ȝifte .
And hasked hire þe heye wey  where þat clergie dwelte .
And telle me somme tokne quod I  for tyme Is þat we[^a894][^909] wende .

[^a894: we (R) | I (All other mss)]

[^909: R.10.168: R's we is unique; Bx has I. The other two versional archetypes agree with Bx's reading.]

¶ Aske þe heye wey quod sche  hennes to suffre .
Both wel and wo  ȝif þat þow wilt lerne .
And ride forth bi richesse  ac rest þow nauȝt þere -Inne .
For ȝif þow couplest þe þere -with  to cherche[^a895][^910] comest þow neuere .

[^a895: cherche (R) | clergye (All beta mss)]

[^910: R.10.172: The correct reading is beta's clergye (as confirmed by an identical b-verse in the other two versions). R's cherche, which makes only superficial sense, may derive from alpha or may be an attempt to emend hopeless corruption; cf. F's reading, crist.]

¶ And also þe likerouse launde  þat lecherie is hote[^a896][^911] .
Leue hym on þin left half  a large mile or more .
Til þow come to a court  kepe wel þi tonge .[^912]

[^a896: is hote (R F) | hatte(th) (All beta mss)]

[^911: R.10.173: Beta reads hatte in place of alpha's is hote; Ax confirms beta's reading.]

[^912: R.10.175: Though the next line is marked for a new strophe by the usual cc in the left margin, the scribe forgot to insert his customary blank line to mark this verse paragraph.]

¶ Fro lesynges and lither speche  and likerouse drinkes .
Þane schaltow se sobrete  and symplete of berynge[^a897] .[^913]
Þat vch wyȝth ben[^a898] in wille  his wit þe to schewe .
And þus schalt þow come to clergie  þat can many þinges .
Sey hym þis signe  I sette hym to scole .
And þat I grette wel his wif  for I wrote hire many bookes .
And sette hire to sapience  and to þe sauter glose .
Logike I lernede hire  and many other lawes .
And alle þe muysones in musike[^a899][^914] made hire to knowe .

[^a897: berynge (R F) | speche (All beta mss)]

[^a898: ben (R) | be (All other mss)]

[^a899: musike (R) | musike I (Most other mss)]

[^913: R.10.177: In place of alpha's berynge, beta reads speche. Ax confirms beta's reading.]

[^914: R.10.184: R uniquely omits I before made.]

¶ Plato þe poete I putte hym furst to booke .
Aristotele and other[^a900][^915]  to argue I tauȝte .
Gramer for girles  I gart furst write .
And bet hym with a baleys  but if þei wolde lerne .
Of alle kynnes craftes  I contreuede toles .
Of carpentrie of kerueres  and compasede masones .
And lerned hem leuele and lyne  þouȝ I loke dymme .
Ac theologye hath tened me  ten score tymes .
Þe more I muse þere-inne  þe mystier it semeth .
And þe deppere I dyuyne  þe derkere me it þinketh .
It is no sciens for-sothe  for to sauȝtele[^a901][^916] inne .
A ful lethi þinge it were  ȝif þat lof nere .
Ac for it leet best by loue  I loue it þe bettere .
For þat þere[^a902][^917] loue is ledere  ne lakkede neuere grace .
Loue[^a903][^918] þow loue lelly  if þow[^a904] thenke[^a905][^919] do wel .
For dobet and dobest  ben of loues kynne .

[^a900: other (R F) | other moo (All beta mss)]

[^a901: sauȝtele (R F) | sotyle (All beta mss)]

[^a902: þat þere (R) | þere þat (Most other mss)]

[^a903: Loue (R F) | Loke (All beta mss)]

[^a904: þow (R F) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^a905: thenke (R F) | lyke(th) (All beta mss)]

[^915: R.10.186: Beta reads other moo. Ax agrees with beta, but Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^916: R.10.195: sauȝtele, "settle."]

[^917: R.10.198: R's phrase represents a unique transposition of the Bx form, þere þat. The Bx phrase is rendered identically in Ax.]

[^918: R.10.199: Beta reads Loke. The A version has Leue.]

[^919: R.10.199: For R's þow thenke, beta reads þe lyketh. This lapse in alliteration descended to R from alpha (cf. F's þow þynke to) but is paralleled in the A-version. It may have resulted from scribal discomfort with the impersonal construction and inverted word order of Bx: dative pronoun + verb (i.e., þe lyketh ).]

¶ In other science it seyth  I seye it in catoun .
Qui similat[^a906][^920] verbis vel in[^921] corde est fidus amicus .
Tu quoque fac simile  sic ars diluditur arte .
Ho-so gloseth as giloures doun go me to þe same .
And so schalstow[^a907] fals folke  and faythles bygyle .
Þis is catones kennyng  to clerkes þat he lereth .
Ac theologie techeth nauȝt so  ho-so taketh gome[^a908] .[^922]
He kenneth vs þe contrarie  aȝeyne catones wordes .
For he bit vs be as bretheren  and bidde for oure enemys .
And louen hem þat liȝen[^923] vs[^a909]  and lene hem whan hem nedeth .
And do goed aȝeynes euel  god hym-self it hoteth .
Dum tempus est[^a910][^924] operemur bonum[^a911][^925] maxime autem ad domesticos fidei .

[^a906: similat (R L Cr2 Cr3 Cot F) | simulat (Most beta mss)]

[^a907: schalstow (R) | shaltow (All other mss)]

[^a908: gome (R) | ȝeme (Most beta mss)]

[^a909: vs (R) | on vs (All other mss)]

[^a910: est (R F) | habemus (Most beta mss)]

[^a911: bonum (R) | bonum ad omnes (All other mss)]

[^920: R.10.202: Alpha's verb form is supported by L, Cr2-3, and Cot, but most beta manuscripts read simulat. The A version manuscripts are equally divided between these two forms.]

[^921: R.10.202: In place of R's vel in, beta reads nec, which is also the reading of Ax.]

[^922: R.10.207: This unique R reading is a synonym for beta's ȝeme. MED lists it, s. v. gome (n. 4), "Attention, heed, notice;" cf. F's heede.]

[^923: R.10.210: R uniquely omits on before vs. Ax confirms the reading of the B majority.]

[^924: R.10.212: For alpha's est, beta reads habemus.]

[^925: R.10.212: After bonum, R uniquely omits ad omnes.]

¶ Poule preched þe poeple  þat parfitnesse louede .
To do goed for godesloue godes loue  and gyue men þat asketh .
And namelich to suche  þat scheweth[^a912][^926] oure byleue .

[^a912: scheweth (R G F) | sueth (Most beta mss)]

[^926: R.10.215: Beta reads sueth.]

¶ And alle þat lakketh[^a913][^927] or lyeth vs  oure lorde techeth vs to louye .
And nauȝt to greuen hem þat greueth vs  god hym-self for-bad it .
Michi vindictam et ego retribuam 
For-þi loke þow louie  as longe as þow dureste .
For is no science vnder sonne  so souereyne for þe soule .

[^a913: lakketh (R Cr F) | lakketh vs (Most beta mss)]

[^927: R.10.216: Beta has vs immediately after lakketh.]

¶ Ac astronomye is hard[^a914][^928] þinge  and euel for to knowe .
Geometrie and geomesye  is gynful of speche .
Ho-so þenketh werch with þo to  þriueth ful late :
For sorcerye is þe souereyne boke  þat to þo[^a915] science[^929] longeth .

[^a914: hard (R F) | an harde (Most beta mss)]

[^a915: þo (R W Hm F) | þe (Beta M C O C2)]

[^928: R.10.221: Beta has an harde, but Ax supports alpha's omission of an.]

[^929: R.10.224: R's combination of a plural determiner (þo) with a singular noun (science) is unique; some B witnesses read þe science (which is the Ax reading), while others, including WHmF, read þo sciences. It may be that R's þo science represents an unmarked plural rather than the casual error it appears (on a number of occasions, R offers unique, s-less genitive forms for his nouns).]

¶ Ȝeet ar þere fibiches in forceres  of fele mennes makynge .
Experimens of alconomie  þe poeple to deseyue .
If þow þenke to dowel  dele þere-with neuere .
Alle þis sciences I my-selue  soteyled and ordeyned .
And by-fond[^a916][^930] hem formest  folke to deseyue .

[^a916: by-fond (R) | founded (All beta mss)]

[^930: R.10.229: Cf. F's fond and beta's founded. Ax agrees with beta.]

¶ Telle clergie þise toknes  and to[^a917][^931] scripture after .
To conseile þe kendely  for[^a918] to knowe dowel[^a919] .[^932]

[^a917: to (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a918: for (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a919: knowe dowel (R F) | knowe what is dowel (All beta mss)]

[^931: R.10.230: Beta omits alpha's to.]

[^932: R.10.231: Beta reads this b-verse as to knowe what is dowel.]

¶ I seyde graunt mercy madame  and mekelich hire grette .
And went miȝteliche[^a920] my wey[^a921][^933]  with-oute more lettynge .
And[^934] I[^a922] come to clergie  I couthe neuere stynte .
I[^a923] grette þe gode man  as þe gode wif[^a924][^935] me tauȝte .
And after-wardes þe wif  and worchiped hem bothe .
And tolde hem þe[^936] tokenes  þat me tauȝte were .
Was neuer gome vpoun þis grounde  synnes[^937] god made þe worlde .
Fairer vnderfonge  ne frendloker at ese .
Þanne me-self[^a925] sothliche  sone so he wiste .
Þat I was of wittes hows  and with his wif dame studie .
I seyde to hem sothly  þat sent I was[^a926][^938] þider .
Dowel and dobet  and dobest to lerne .

[^a920: miȝteliche (R) | wiȝtlich (Most beta mss)]

[^a921: my wey (R) | awey (All beta mss)]

[^a922: I (R) | til I (All other mss)]

[^a923: I (R) | And (All other mss)]

[^a924: þe gode wif (R) | studye (All beta mss)]

[^a925: me-self (R) | myself (All other mss)]

[^a926: I was (R) | was I (All beta mss)]

[^933: R.10.233: Beta reads wiȝtlich awey ; F omits the entire line. The Ax version seems a mixture of alpha and beta: wiȝtly my wey.]

[^934: R.10.234: R uniquely omits til before I.]

[^935: R.10.235: R's rendering of this line is unique among the B manuscripts but is identical to the phrasing in Ax. For R's I, F and beta have And; for R's phrase, þe gode wif, beta has Studie) while F reads þe Ientil lady. Neither F nor beta alliterates properly.]

[^936: R.10.237: It appears that the tail of <e> in þe was written over an erasure, perhaps of an intrusive descender from the <þ> of þe in the line above.]

[^937: R.10.238: R's synnes is unique (cf. R20.295 = synnes ȝe desiren) but semantically equivalent to the majority B reading, sith; MED, s. v. sinnes, cites this form from R as a rare contracted example of the conjunction sitthenes.]

[^938: R.10.242: Cf. F's y was sent and beta's sent was I.]

¶ It is a comune lif quod clergie  on holy cherche to byleue .
With alle þe articles of þe feith  þat falleth to be knowe .
And þat is to byleue lelly  bothe lered and lewede .
On þe grete god  þat gynnynge hadde neuere .
And on þe sothfast sone  þat saued man-kende .
Fro þe dedly deth  and þe deueles power .
Þoruȝ þe helpe of þe holy goste  þe which goste is of bothe .
Thre propre[^a927][^939] persones  and nauȝt in plurele noumbre .
For alle is but on god  and eche is god hym-selue .
Deus pater deus filius  deus spiritus sanctus .
God þe fader god þe sone  god holy gost of bothe .
Makere of mankende  and of bestes bothe .

[^a927: propre (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^939: R.10.251: R's propre is unique, having been omitted by both beta and F. Nevertheless, it is clear that the alliterative pattern of the line requires it. In all likelihood, it was found in alpha and Bx. The apparently odd coincidence of the word's having been separately omitted by beta and F is probably explainable in terms of how it would have been abbreviated. It would have occurred in a phrase which, at a glance, looked like this: þre ppre psones. If the required loop from the descender of the initial <p> was missing or unobtrusive, a copyist might easily mistake the word for an errant attempt (uncancelled) at writing the following word (especially if the final <re> was rendered merely as a superscript loop). Or ppre might have been misconstrued as an unerased dittography of the preceding word, þre.]

¶ Austyne þe olde  here-of he[^a928][^940] made bokes .
And hym-self ordeyned  to sadde vs in bileue .
Ho[^941] was his autour  alle þe foure euaungelistes .
And crist cleped hym-self so  þe euaungeliez[^a929][^942] bereth witnesse .
Ego in patre et pater in me[^a930][^943]  et qui me vidit[^a931] . patrem Mevm vidit &cetera .[^a932][^944][^945]

[^a928: he (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a929: euaungeliez (R) | ewangelistes (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a930: me (R F) | me est (All beta mss)]

[^a931: me vidit (R) | videt me (All beta mss)]

[^a932: patrem Mevm vidit &cetera . (R) | et patrem meum (Most beta mss)]

[^940: R.10.256: Though the other beta copies omit he, L joins RF in attesting this variant. At first glance, it appears that the C reading for this phrase, which agrees with the beta majority, might undercut the authenticity of the LRF reading here; however, in fact C has expanded this whole passage and reproduces verbatim the LRF b-verse, with he, some six lines below its original position.]

[^941: R.10.258: Ho, "who."]

[^942: R.10.259: Beta's reading is ewangeliste(s); F has wangelye.]

[^943: R.10.260: After me, beta adds est. The X family of C manuscripts agrees with beta in this addition, but the P family agrees with alpha.]

[^944: R.10.260: R's two uses of vidit are unique in the B tradition; F and beta read videt. However, a majority of C manuscripts (including copies from both major families) agrees with R's verb form. With regard to alpha's version of the end of this citation, beta's rendering involves phrasal transposition: & qui videt me videt et patrem meum.]

[^945: R.10.260: The &c . has been rubbed or obscured by a stain, so that the final punctus is now barely detectable.]

¶ Alle þe clerkes vnder criste  ne coude þis assoile .
But þus it longeth[^a933] to bileue  to lewede þat willen dowel .
For hadde neuere freke fyne wit  þe feyth to despute .
Ne man hadde no mercy[^a934][^946]  myȝtte it be proued[^a935] .
Fides non habet meritum  vbi humana racio . &cetera[^a936] .[^947]

[^a933: longeth (R G O C2 F) | bilongeth (Most beta mss)]

[^a934: mercy (R F) | merite (All beta mss)]

[^a935: proued (R Cr B F) | yproued (Most beta mss)]

[^a936: racio . &cetera (R) | racio prebet experimentum (Most other mss)]

[^946: R.10.264: Beta reads merite in place of alpha's mercy. The Latin citation following this line confirms the correctness of beta's variant, as does its agreement with the reading of Cx.]

[^947: R.10.265: Among the B witnesses, R uniquely omits the final words of this citation: prebet experimentum. The evidence for Cx is mixed, but a majority of C manuscripts, primarily those from the X family, agrees with R's omission of these words.]

¶ Þanne is do-bet to suffre  for þi soule[^a937][^948] helthe .
Alle þat þe boke bitt  by holy cherche techynge .
And þat is man bi þi myȝt  for mercyes sake .
Loke þow werche it in werke  þat þis[^a938][^949] worde scheweth .
Suche as þow semest in siȝte  be in assay I-founde .
Appare quod es aut[^a939][^950] esto quod appares .
And late no-body be  by þi berynge be[^a940][^951] bygiled .
But be suche in þi sole  as þow semest withouten .

[^a937: soule (R C B F) | soules (Most beta mss)]

[^a938: þis (R) | þi (All beta mss)]

[^a939: aut (R F) | vel (All beta mss)]

[^a940: berynge be (R Hm) | beryng (Most beta witnesses)]

[^948: R.10.266: Though CB support alpha's uninflected possessive, beta reads soules.]

[^949: R.10.269: Beta reads þi; F has þe.]

[^950: R.10.271: Beta has vel.]

[^951: R.10.272: This redundancy is owed to alpha (cf. F's berynge here be); correcting it would have required only common sense and minimal attention from R's scribe; it is shared by Hm through convergence.]

¶ Þanne is dobest to be bolde  to blame þe gulty .
Sethenes þow sest þi-selue  as in soule clene .
Ac blame þow neuer body  and þow be blame-worthi .
Si culpare velis  culpabilis esse cauebis . —
Dogma tuum sordet cum te tua culpa remordet
God in þe gospel  griml yche repreueth .
Alle þat lakketh eny lif  and lakkes han hem-selue .
Quid consideras festucam in oculo fratris tui trabem in oculo tuo non vides[^a941] .[^952]
Whi meues þow þi mode for a mote  in þi brother[^a942][^953] eyȝe .
Siþþe a bem in þin owen  a-blendeth þi-selue .
Eice primo trabem de oculo tuo . &cetera .
Witt[^a943][^954] letteth þe to loke  lasse other more .

[^a941: non vides (R F) | &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a942: brother (R F) | brotheres (All beta mss)]

[^a943: Witt (R) | Whiche (All beta mss)]

[^952: R.10.281: Beta omits non vides.]

[^953: R.10.282: Beta reads brotheres.]

[^954: R.10.285: This reading is unique to R; beta reads Whiche while F has Þe wiche]

¶ I rede ech ablynde a blynde bosard  do bote to hym-selue .
For abbotes and for prioures  and for alle maner prelates .
As persones and parisch prestes  þat preche schulle[^a944][^955] and teche .
Alle maner men  to amende be hire miȝte .
Þis tixt was I-told[^a945] ȝow  to ben war ar ȝe tauȝte .
Þat ȝe were suche as ȝe seyde  to salue with othere .
For godes worde wolde nouȝte be boste [l]oste[^a946]  for þat worcheth euere .
If it auailed nauȝt þe comune  it miȝt auaile ȝoure -seluen .

[^a944: schulle (R) | shulde(n) (All other mss)]

[^a945: I-told (R F) | tolde (All beta mss)]

[^a946: boste [l]oste (R) | loste (All other mss)]

[^955: R.10.288: Both beta and F read shulde.]

¶ Ac it semeth no[^a947][^956] sothliche  to[^957] worldes siȝte .
Þat goddes wordes[^a948][^958] worcheth nauȝth  on lered ne on lewed .
But in swich a maner as mark  meneth in þe gospelle .
Dum secus [c]ecus ducit secum [c]ecum[^a949][^959]  ambo in fouiam cadunt .

[^a947: no (R) | now (Most beta mss)]

[^a948: wordes (R) | worde (All beta mss)]

[^a949: secus [c]ecus ducit secum [c]ecum (R) | cecus ducit cecum (All other mss)]

[^956: R.10.294: This obvious error (no for now) stems from alpha (cf. F's not). R's failure to correct it probably attests to misplaced reverence for his exemplar.]

[^957: R.10.294: Though Cr agrees with R's omission here, the beta sub-archetype and F show þe before worldes.]

[^958: R.10.295: Beta has worde, while F garbles the entire half-line and omits any reading at this point.]

[^959: R.10.297: This slip (secus for cecus / caecus) cannot be owed to the scribe's own pronunciation of Latin (in which the voiceless velar plosive /k/ of classical phonology would have been rendered, as was conventional in ecclesiastical Latin, as the voiceless palato-alveolar affricate /č/). Instead, this mental lapse reveals momentary confusion with English phonology, where initial <c> often represented the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/. No other B copyist makes this mistake.]

¶ Lewed men may likne ȝow þus  þat þe bem lyth in ȝoure eyȝes .
And þe festu is fallen  for ȝoure defaute .
In alle maner men  þoruȝ mansede prestes .
Þe bible bereth witnesse  þat alle þe folke of israel .
Byttere abouȝte þe gultes  of to badde prestes .
Offyn and fynes  for here coueytise .
Archa dei meskapud[^a950][^960]  and ely brak his ne kke .

[^a950: meskapud (R) | myshapped (All other mss)]

[^960: R.10.304: This is either a mistake or an extremely rare form. MED, s. v. miskepen, lists no occurrences for the inflected form nor for the base. OED2, s. v. miscape, lists R's use of the term as the only known occurrence of meskapud. It is classified as a past tense form of miscape, an intransitive verb meaning "To have a mishap, come to grief." A citation from 1477 in a treatise on alchemy is the only other known use of the verb as an intransitive. One transitive use from 1535 is cited.]

heare I beganne
¶ For-þi ȝe corectoures claweth here-on  and corecteth furst ȝow-seluen .
And þanne mow ȝe manliche[^a951][^961] segge  as dauid made þe sauter .
Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis  arguam te & statuam contra faciem tuam .

[^a951: manliche (R) | saufly (All beta mss)]

[^961: R.10.306: Beta reads saufly while F has soþly, but neither word alliterates properly; R's manliche appears to be authorial.]

¶ And þanne schullen burel clerkes  be abasched to blame ȝow[^a952] .[^962]
And carpen nauȝt as þei carpen now  and calle ȝow dowmbe houndes .
Canes non valentes latrare 
And drede to wrathe ȝow in eny worde  ȝoure werkmanschipe to lette .
And be presteore at ȝoure preyeres[^a953][^963]  þan for a pounde of nobles .
And alle for ȝoure holynesse  haue ȝe þis in herte .

[^a952: ȝow (R F) | ȝow or to greue (Most beta mss)]

[^a953: preyeres (R) | prayere (All other mss)]

[^962: R.10.308: At the end of this line, beta adds or to greue.]

[^963: R.10.312: R's plural is unique; Bx witnesses the singular prayere.]

¶ Amonges riȝtful religiouse  þis reule schulde be holde .[^964]
Gregorie[^a954] þe grete clerke  and þe goed pope .
Of religioun þe reule[^a955]  reherseth in his morales[^a956] .
And seyth it[^a957] in ensaumple  for[^a958] þei schulde do þere -after .
Whenne fissches failen þe flode  or[^a959] þe fresche water .
Þei deyen for drouthe  whanne þei drie ligge .
Riȝt so quod Grigori  religioun rolleth[^a960] . —
Sterueth[^a961] and stynketh  and steleth lordes almesses .
Þat oute of couent and cloystre  coueyten to libbe .
For if heuene be on þis[^a962] erthe  and ese to any[^a963] soule .
It is in cloistere or in scole  be many[^a964] skilles I fynde
For in cloistre cometh man cometh [no] man[^a965]  to chide[^a966] ne to fiȝte[^a967] .
But alle is buxumnesse þere[^a968] and bokes  to rede and to lerne .

[^a954: Gregorie (R) | Seynt Gregory (F)]

[^a955: religioun þe reule (R) | Relygyonys rewle he (F)]

[^a956: morales (R) | bookis (F)]

[^a957: it (R) | nil (F)]

[^a958: for (R) | þat (F)]

[^a959: or (R) | & (F)]

[^a960: rolleth (R) | trollyþ (F)]

[^a961: Sterueth (R) | It steruyþ (F)]

[^a962: on þis (R) | in (F)]

[^a963: any (R) | þe (F)]

[^a964: many (R) | fele (F)]

[^a965: cometh man cometh [no] man (R) | comeþ no man (F)]

[^a966: chide (R) | fyȝhte (F)]

[^a967: fiȝte (R) | chyȝde (F)]

[^a968: þere (R) | nil (F)]

[^964: These lines are not attested in beta. F's version is sufficiently different from R's to require full reproduction here (cf. Appendix 1, R10.314-26, for details and any cross-references to the C version): A-mongis ryghtful relygous / þis rewle sholde be holde. [¶] Seynt Gregory þe grete clerk / & þe goode pope. Of Relygyonys rewle / he reersiþ in hise bookis. & seyþ in exsomple / þat þeyhȝ sholde do þere-after. ¶ Whan fysshis faile þe flood / & þe fressh water. Þey dyȝen for drowhte / whan þei dreyȝe lyȝe. Ryght so quod Gregory / religioun trollyþ. It steruyþ & stynkþ / & stelyþ lordis almesse Þat owt of Couent & cloistre / coueytyn to lybbe. For if hevene be in erthe / & ese to þe soule. It ys in cloystre / or in skole / be fele skylys y fyȝnde. For in Cloistre comeþ no man / to fyȝhte / ne to chyȝde. But al is buxumnesse & bookis / to rede & to leerne.]

¶ In scole þere is skile  and[^a969] scorne but ȝif he[^a970] lerne .[^965]
And grete loue and likynge  for vch of hem loueth other .
Ac now is religioun a ridere  a romere by stretes .
A ledere of louedays  and[^966] londe[^a971] buggere .
A prikere on a palfray  fram maner to maner .
An hepe of houndes at his ers  as he a lorde were .
And but if his knaue knele  þat schal his cuppe bringe .
He loureth on hym and axeth hym  ho tauȝte hym curteisie
Litel hadden lordes to done  to ȝiue lond fram here heires .
To religiouse þat han no reuthe  þouȝ it reyne on here auterres .

[^a969: skile  and (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a970: he (R) | a clerke wil (All beta mss)]

[^a971: londe (R) | a londe (All other mss)]

[^965: R.10.327: Alpha and beta apparently diverged considerably here (the latter omitting skile and from mid-verse and expanding he to a clerke wil); R presumably reflects alpha's reading, while F somewhat distorts it. Kane-Donaldson choose to print the beta version of the line (In scole þere is scorne but if a clerke wil lerne), while Schmidt endorses R's reading, which has the merit of alliterating properly.]

[^966: R.10.330: The omission of the indefinite article is unique to R. Cf. the Bx phrase, a londebugger. The same phrase occurs in Ax, where it also includes the indefinite article.]

¶ In many places þere hij persones ben  be hem-self at ese .
Of þe pouere haue þei no pite  & þat is hire pure[^a972][^967] charite .
Ac þei leten hem as lordes  here londe lith so brode .

[^a972: pure (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^967: R.10.338: Beta breaks the alliterative pattern by omitting pure. Cx confirms alpha's variant here.]

¶ Ac þere schal come a kynge  & confesse ȝow religiousses .
And bete ȝow as þe bible telleth  for brekyng of ȝoure reule .
And amende moniales  monkes and chanouns .
And putten hem to here penaunce  ad pristinum statum ire .
And barones with erles  biten[^a973][^968] hem  þoruȝ beatus virres techinge .
Þat here barnes claymen  and blame ȝow foule .
Hij in curribus et hij in equis[^969]  ipsi obligati sunt &cetera .

[^a973: biten (R) | bete(n) (Most other mss)]

[^968: R.10.344: R's form is unique; Bx has beten.]

[^969: R.10.346: A stain has partly obscured the <equ> of equis.]

¶ And þanne freres in here freyture  schal fynden a keye .
Of costantynes cofferes  in which is þe catel .
Þat gregories gode[^a974][^970] childerne  han euel despended .

[^a974: gode (R Hm G F) | god (Most beta mss)]

[^970: R.10.349: Most B manuscripts read godchildren instead of the erroneous good(e) children of FHmG. R's gode childerne almost certainly intends the former, not the latter (cf. MED, s. v. god, [n. 1]).]

¶ And þanne schal þe abbot of abyndoun .[^971]
And alle his vssue for euere .
Haue a knok of a kynge  and incurable þe wounde .

[^971: R's line division here, splitting the two halves of a single archetypal verse, is unique.]

¶ Þat þis worth soth seke ȝee  þat ofte ouer -seen þe bible .
Quomodo cessauit exactor quieuit tributum .
Contriuit dominus baculum impiorum & virgam dominancium .
Cedencium plaga insabili insa[na]bili[^a975] .

[^a975: insabili insa[na]bili (R C Bm Bo) | insanabili (Most other mss)]

¶ Ac ar þat kynge come  caym schal awake .
Ac dowel schal dyngen hym adoun  & destruyen his miȝte .
Þanne is dowel and dobet quod I  dominus and kniȝt-hode .

¶ I nel nauȝt scorne quod scripture  but if scriueynes lye .
Kynghod ne kniȝthode  by nauȝt I can awayte .
Helpeth nauȝte to heuene-warde  on heres ende .
Ne richesse riȝt nauȝt  ne realte of lordes .

¶ Poule preueth it inpossible  riche men haue heuene .
Salomon seyth al-so  þat siluer is worste to louie .
Nichil iniquius quam amare pecuniam .
And catoun kenneth vs to coueyten it  noȝt but at pure nede[^a976] .[^972]
Dilige denarium  sed parce dilige formam .
And patriarches and prophetes  and poetes bothe .
Writen to wissen vs  to wilne no richesse .
And preyseden pouerte with pacience  þe apostles bereth witnesse .
Þat þei han heritage in heuene  & bi trewe riȝte .
Þere riche man[^a977][^973] no riȝte may clayme  but of reuth and grace .

[^a976: at pure nede (R) | as nede techeth (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a977: man (R) | men (All other mss)]

[^972: R.10.367: R's wording is unique. Beta manuscripts show various versions of this line's last phrase, but beta itself probably read as nede techeth. F has in gret nede.]

[^973: R.10.373: Beta reads men.]

¶ Contra quod I be crist  þat can I repreue .
And preuen it by peter  and by poule bothe .
Þat is baptized beth sauf  be he[^974] riche or pore .

[^974: R.10.376: A brown stain has rendered he almost illegible. It is the same stain responsible for discoloration on fol. 44v at R10.346.]

¶ Þat is in extremis quod scripture  amonges sarasines & Iewes .
Þei mowen be saued so  and þat is oure byleue .
Þat on[^a978][^975] vncristene in þat cas  may cristene an hethen .
And for his lele byleue  whan he þe lif tyneth .
Haue þe heritage of heuene  as any man cristene .

[^a978: on (R) | an (Most beta mss)]

[^975: R.10.379: F has a while beta reads an.]

¶ Ac cristen men with-outen more  may nouȝte come to heuene .
For þat crist for cristene men deyede  & confermed þe lawe .
Þat ho-so walde and wilneth  with crist to arise .
Si cum christo surrexistis &cetera .
He schulde louye and lene  and þe lawe fulfille .
Þat is loue god þi lorde[^a979]  leuest aboue alle .[^976]
And after alle cristene creatures  in comun vch man other
And þus bilongeth to louie  þat leueth to be saued .
And but we do þus in dede  ar þe day of dome .
It schal be-sitten vs ful soure  þe siluer þat we kepen .
And oure backes þat mote-eten[^977] ben  & seen beggeres go naked .
Or deliȝt in wyn & in[^a980][^978] wildefoule  & wote any in defaute .

[^a979: god þi lorde (R) | þi lorde god (Most beta mss)]

[^a980: in (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^976: R.10.387: F omits this line completely; beta reads Þat is loue þi lorde god leuest aboue alle.]

[^977: R.10.392: The correct reading is moth-eten. R's apparently nonsensical phrase (cf. F = mote be betyn ) attests to the spelling practice of alpha, who frequently renders /θ/ as <t>, especially in syllable-final position. MED, s. v. motthe, lists no examples of mote as a variant spelling of motthe, and OED2, s. v. moth, notes none earlier than 1520. However, among recorded late-medieval forms, the closest is moȝte, which makes alpha's form easy to account for.]

[^978: R.10.393: R's in here is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

¶ For euery cristene creature  schuld be kende til other .
And sitthen hethen to helpe  in hope of amendement
God hoteth both heye and lowe  þat no man hurt other
And seith sle nauȝt þat semblable is  to myn owne liknesse
But if I sende þe sume tokene  & seith non mecaberis .
Is sle nauȝt but suffre  and alle for þe beste .
For Michi vindictam & ego retribuam .[^979]
For I schal punischen[^980] in[^a981] purgatorie  or in þe put of helle .
Vch man for his misdedes  but mercy it lette .

[^a981: in (R F) | hem in (All beta mss)]

[^979: R.10.400: Beta omits this biblical citation completely. Nevertheless, its genuineness is warranted by its presence at the same point in Ax.]

[^980: R.10.401: R's punischen is the alpha reading; beta reads punysshen hem. Ax agrees with alpha.]

¶ Þis is a longe lessoun quod I  and litel am I þe wiser .
Where dowel is or do-bet  derkliche ȝe schewen .
Many tales ȝe tellen  þat teologie lerneth .
And þat I man made was  and my name I-entrede .
In þe legen de of lif  longe er I were .
Or elles vn-writen for sum wikkednesse . as holy writ telleth[^a982][^981] .
Nemo ascendit ad celum nisi qui de celo descendit .

[^a982: telleth (R F) | wytnesseth (Most beta mss)]

[^981: R.10.408: In place of alpha's telleth, beta's variant is wytnesseth. Cx has sheweth, while the b-verse in the A cognate of this line has a different word order but uses the same verb as beta.]

¶ And[^a983] I[^982] leue it wel[^a984][^983] be oure lorde  & on no letterure bettere .
For salomon þe sage  þat sapience tauȝte .
God gaf hym grace of witt  and alle[^a985] godes[^984] after .
To reule þe reume and riche to make [^985]
He demed wel and wiselich  as holy writt telleth .
Aristotel and he  who wissed men bettere .
Maistres þat of goddes mercy  techen men and prechen .
Of here wordes þei wissen vs  for wisest in[^a986][^986] here tyme .
And alle holy cherche  holdeth hem bothe ydampned .

[^a983: And (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a984: wel (R F) | wel quod I (Most beta mss)]

[^a985: alle (R) | alle his (All beta mss)]

[^a986: in (R M G F) | as in (Most beta mss)]

[^982: R.10.410: Beta omits And; F substitutes For. However, Ax affirms the presence of R's And at the head of the line (the two C families disagree on this issue, the P group agreeing with the beta omission while the X set supports R).]

[^983: R.10.410: After wel beta adds quod I, but Ax and Cx both support RF on the omission of quod I.]

[^984: R.10.412: In place of R's alle godes, beta's variant is alle his godes. F reads of alle goodis. Cx has of goed.]

[^985: R.10.413: Beta omits this line completely. F reads the line thus: To rewle his rewme wel / & hym ryche make.]

[^986: R.10.417: Beta reads as before in. Cx agrees with alpha in omitting as.]

¶ And if I schulde werke by here werkes  to wynnen me heuene .
Þat for here werkes and here[^a987][^987] witt  now wonyeth in pyne .
Þanne wrouȝt I vnwisly  what-so-euere ȝe preche .

[^a987: here (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^987: R.10.420: Beta omits here. Cx agrees with beta in this omission. In a line whose first half parallels this B / C passage (but whose b-verse differs), the A witnesses are divided on the presence of here (2) — a majority agreeing with alpha and a minority agreeing with beta.]

¶ Ac of fele witty in fayth  litel ferly I haue .
Þow here goste be vngracious  god for to plese .
For many man[^a988] on þis molde  more sett here herte[^a989] .[^988]
In goed þan In god  for-þi hem grace faileth .
At here most meschief  whan þei schul lyf lete .
As salomon and other dede[^a990][^989]  þat schewed grete wittes .
Ac here werkes as holy writt writt [seith][^a991][^990]  was euere þe contrarie .
For-þi wise witted men  ne[^a992][^991] wel I-lettred clerkes .
As þei seyn hem-selue  selden doun þere -after .
Super cathedram moysi . &cetera .[^992]

[^a988: man (R F) | men (Most beta mss by)]

[^a989: herte (R F) | hertis (All beta mss)]

[^a990: and other dede (R F) | dede and such other (All beta mss)]

[^a991: writt writt [seith] (R) | wrytte seyth (All beta mss)]

[^a992: ne (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^988: R.10.424: Beta renders plurals in this line: men instead of alpha's man and hertis instead of herte. Cx agrees with beta on men but with alpha on herte.]

[^989: R.10.427: Instead of alpha's non-alliterating and other dede, beta more plausibly reads dede and such other.]

[^990: R.10.428: Here R uniquely omits an essential verb.]

[^991: R.10.429: R's ne is unique; Bx has and.]

[^992: R.10.431: Here the scribe again overlooks his usual insertion of a blank line to mark a new paragraph.]

¶ Ac I wene I I[t][^a993] worth of many  as was in noes tyme .
Þo he schope þat schippe  of schides and of[^a994] bordes[^993]
Was neuere wriȝt saued þat wrouȝt þere -on  ne oþere werkman elles
But brides and bestes  and þe blessed noe .
And his wif with his sones  and also here wyues .
Of wriȝtes þat it wouȝte w[r]ouȝte[^a995]  was noen of hem saued .

[^a993: I I[t] (R) | it (All other mss)]

[^a994: of (R Cr W F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a995: wouȝte w[r]ouȝte (R) | wrouȝte (All other mss)]

[^993: R.10.433: Though the CrW branch of beta agrees with alpha on the final b-verse phrase (and of bordes), it seems likely that beta itself read as LMOHmG (and bordes). This difference extends into C, where the predominant X-family reading agrees with LMOHmG (i.e., beta) while the majority P-family reading supports RFCrW (i.e., alpha).]

¶ God lene it fare nouȝt so by folke  þat þe feith techen .
Of holy cherche þat herborw is  and goddes hous to saue
And schilde vs fram schame þere -inne  as noes schipe dede bestes .
And men þat maden it  a-mydde þe floed a-dreynten .

¶ Þe culorum of þis clause  in[^a996] curatoures[^994] is to mene .
Þat ben carpenteres  holy cherche to make . for cristes oune bestes .
Homines et iumenta saluabis domine . &cetera
At domes-day þe deluye[^a997] worth  of deth[^a998] and feer at ones .[^995]
For-þi I conseil ȝow clerkes  of holy cherche þe[^a999] wriȝtes .
Wercheth ȝe werkes[^a1000] as ȝe seen I-write[^a1001]  lest ȝe worth nauȝt þerinne[^a1002]

[^a996: in (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a997: deluye (R) | flood (F)]

[^a998: deth (R) | water (F)]

[^a999: þe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1000: werkes (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1001: I-write (R) | wrete o (F)]

[^a1002: nauȝt þerinne (R) | ydrenklid (F)]

[^994: R.10.442: R's in is a unique addition to the presumptive archetypal text. F adds of. Beta agrees with Cx in omitting both of these prepositions.]

[^995: These three lines are not found in beta. In F, they read as follows: At domes-day / þe flood worþ / of watur & feer at onys . ¶ For-þy y conseyle ȝou klerkis / of holy chirche wryghtis. Werke ȝee / as ȝee seen wrete / o lest ȝe worþ y-drenklid.]

¶ For a[^a1003][^996] goed friday I fynde  a feloun was I-saued .
Þat hadde I-lyued alle his lif  with lesynges and with þefte .
And for he beknewe on þe crosse  and to crist schrof hym .
He was sonnere I-saued  þan seint Iohan þe baptist .
And ar adam or Isaye  or eny of þe prophetes .
Þat hadde I-lyen with lucifer  many longe ȝeres .

[^a1003: For a (R) | On (All beta mss)]

[^996: R.10.448: R's For a is unique; F has For on while beta simply begins the line On; R's a is, however, semantically identical to the F/beta preposition, on. Moreover, both Ax and Cx agree with R on this form, opening the line with the phrase, A Good Friday.]

¶ A robbere was I-rawnsoned  rather þen þei alle .
With-outen eny penance of purgatorie  to perpetuel blisse .

¶ Þanne marie maudeleyne  what womman dedde worse
Or ho worse dede[^a1004][^997] þan dauid  þat vries deth conspired .
Or poule þe apostle  þat no pite hadde .[^998]
And[^999] ben this as souereynes  with seyntes in heuene .
Þo þat wrouȝt wikkedlokest  in werlde þo þei were .

[^a1004: dede (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^997: R.10.457: Beta omits dede (while F omits ho worse) , but Ax confirms R's inclusion of dede.]

[^998: R.10.458: Alpha omits the following line found in beta (and in slightly different form in the A version): Moche crystene kynde to kylle to deth.]

[^999: R.10.459: L joins R in omitting now before ben, but F and most beta manuscripts attest its presence.]

¶ And þo þat wisly wordedden  and writen many bokes .
Of witt and of wisdome  with dampned soules wonye .
Þat salomon seith I trowe be soth  and certeyn of vs alle .
Sunt[^a1005] iusti atque sapientes  & opera eorum in manu dei sunt .
Þere aren witty and wel libbinge  ac here werkes ben y-hudde .
In þe hondes of almiȝti god  and he wote þe sothe
Where for loue a man worth alowed þere  and his lele werkes
Or elles for his euel wille  and enuye of herte .
And be alowed for[^a1006][^1000] he lyued so  for by lyther . men knoweth þe gode .

[^a1005: Sunt (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | Sine / Siue (Most beta mss)]

[^a1006: for (R) | as (All beta mss)]

[^1000: R.10.469: Beta reads as. F completely rephrases the half-line.]

¶ And where -by wote[^1001] men  which is whit  if alle þinge blak were .
Or[^a1007][^1002] who were a goed man  but if þere were sum schrewe .
For-þi lyue we forth with lither men  I leue fewe ben gode .
For quantz[^a1008] oportet vyn[^a1009] en place  il ny ad qe[^a1010][^1003] pati .
And he þat may alle amende  haue mercy on vs alle .
For sothest worde þat euer god seyde  was þo he seyde nemo bonus .

[^a1007: Or (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a1008: quantz (R F) | qant (Most beta mss)]

[^a1009: vyn (R F) | vyent (Most beta mss)]

[^a1010: qe (R) | que (Most beta mss)]

[^1001: R.10.470: There is considerable variation on this reading among beta manuscripts, but beta itself seems to have read either wiste (the lection of CrW) or wote (the reading of LR, and probably of M before it was changed by erasure and overwriting to conform to CrW).]

[^1002: R.10.471: Beta reads And; F has For.]

[^1003: R.10.473: Qe is an Anglo-Norman form.]

¶ Clergie þo of cristes mouthe  comended was it litel .
For he seyde to seynt petere  and to swich as he louede .
Dum steteritis ante reges & presides . &cetera .
Þouȝ ȝe come by-for kynges  and clerkes of þe lawe .
Beth nauȝt abasched for I schal  be in ȝoure mouthes .
And ȝiue ȝow wit at[^a1011][^1004] wille [^1005] cunnynge[^a1012] to concluden .
Hem alle þat aȝeynes ȝow [^1006] cristendom[^a1013] desputen .

[^a1011: at (R L F) | and (Most beta mss)]

[^a1012: cunnynge (R) | and kunnynge (All other mss)]

[^a1013: cristendom (R) | of crystenedome (All other mss)]

[^1004: R.10.481: Most beta copies read and, but L agrees with alpha's at.]

[^1005: R.10.481: R uniquely omits and before cunnynge. However, neither reading allows the b-verse to alliterate.]

[^1006: R.10.482: R uniquely omits of before cristendom. F also omits of, but does so in the context of a uniquely phrased b-verse with no reference to cristendom.]

¶ Dauid maketh mencion  he spak amonges kynges .
Al[^a1014][^1007] miȝte no kynge ouer -com hym  as by cunnynge of speche .
But wit ne wisdom  wan neuere þe maystrie .
Whan man was at mischief  with-oute þe more grace .

[^a1014: Al (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^1007: R.10.484: Beta reads And; F has Þere. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Þe douȝtiorokest[^a1015][^1008] doctoure  and dyuinour of þe trinite .[^1009]
Was austyn þe olde  and heyest of hem[^a1016][^1010] foure .
Seyde þus in a sarmon  I seiȝ it writen ones .
Ecci Ecc[e][^a1017] ipsi Idioti rapiunt celum .
Vbi nos sapientes in inferno mergimur .
And is to mene to englisch men  more no[^1011] lesse .
Aren none rather I-rauesched  fro þe riȝt byleue .
Þan aren þis cunnynge clerkes  þat knowe[^a1018][^1012] many bokes .
Ne none sonner I-saued[^a1019]  ne saddere of bileue .
Þanne plowmen and pastours  and pouer[^a1020] comune laborers .
Souteres and schepherdes  suche lewed iottes .
Persen with a pater noster  þe paleys of heuene .
And passen purgatorie penaunceles  at here hennes partynge .
In-to þe blisse of paradis  for here puyre bileue .
Þat inparfitly  knewe[^a1021][^1013] and[^a1022][^1014] lyuede .

[^a1015: douȝtiorokest (R) | doughtiest (Most other mss)]

[^a1016: hem (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a1017: Ecci Ecc[e] (R) | Ecce (Most other mss)]

[^a1018: knowe (R F) | conne(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1019: I-saued (R F) | saued (Most beta mss)]

[^a1020: pouer (R) | pore (Bx M Cr Hm)]

[^a1021: knewe (R) | here knewe (All other mss)]

[^a1022: and (R) | and eke (All other mss)]

[^1008: R.10.487: A unique form in R; it is impossible to know whether this represents unintentional morphological error or simply deliberate idiolect, a compounding, for emphasis, of the comparative with the superlative inflection.]

[^1009: In the left margin opposite these lines, there is the residue of a series of brown inkstains—offset from the marginal comment in the right margin of fol. 47r.]

[^1010: R.10.488: R's hem is unique; both Ax and Bx have þe at this point.]

[^1011: R.10.492: Only Hm agrees with R; both beta and F read ne. Ax confirms the correctness of the majority reading.]

[^1012: R.10.494: R's knowe is the alpha variant; both Ax and beta have conne.]

[^1013: R.10.501: Here R uniquely omits here before knewe; F rewrites the line, but here appears in its a-verse.]

[^1014: R.10.501: Beta adds eke before lyued.]

¶ Ȝe men knowe clerkes[^a1023] [^1015] cursen[^a1024] þe tyme .
Þat euere þei coude or knewe more  þan credo in deum patrem .
And principali þe[^a1025][^1016] paternoster  many a persone hath I-wisched[^a1026] .

[^a1023: clerkes (R) | clerkes þat (All beta mss)]

[^a1024: cursen (R) | cursed (All other mss)]

[^a1025: þe (R F) | her (All beta mss)]

[^a1026: I-wisched (R) | wisshed (All other mss)]

[^1015: R.10.502: Before cursen, R uniquely omits þat. The omission of this relative pronoun at the head of the b-verse makes the entire statement ambiguous. Beta reads the b-verse thus: þat han cursed þe tyme. F has þat þey haue cursed þe tyme.]

[^1016: R.10.504: Beta reads her.]

¶ I se ensaumples my-self  and so may many an-other[^a1027] .
Þat seruauntes þat seruen lordes  selde falle in rerage[^a1028][^1017] .
But þo þat kepen lordes[^a1029][^1018] catel  clerkes and reues .
Riȝt so lewed men  and of litel kunnynge[^a1030] .
Selden falleth so[^a1031] foule  and so ferre in synne .
As clerkes of holy cherche  þat kepen cristes tresor .[^1019]
Þe which is mannes soule to saue  as god seith in þe gospel .
david
Ite vos in vineam meam . &cetera .

[^a1027: an-other (R L Cr1 Hm F) | other (Most beta mss)]

[^a1028: rerage (R) | arrerage (Most beta mss)]

[^a1029: lordes (R F) | þe lordes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1030: kunnynge (R F) | knowyng (All beta mss)]

[^a1031: so (R F) | þei so (All beta mss)]

[^1017: R.10.506: R's rerage is a unique form; F reads reragys. Beta has arrerage, which is supported by Cx in a revised version of the same line.]

[^1018: R.10.507: Beta has þe before lordes.]

[^1019: R.10.510: From this point in the right margin, extending down to R11.10 (Sitthen sche seide to me) on this same page, there is an erased note, horizontally written, approximately seven lines long.]

p re sens dauid

Passus xus x[j]us decimus [un]decimus de visione vt supra — — — [R.11.0: Above the passus heading, a later reader has inscribed david. Below the passus heading, the same reader has inscribed p(re)sens david.] [R.11.0: In the extreme right margin, on the same line as the passus heading, there are traces of the rubricator's guide, but nothing is discernible except an x.]

Þ anne[^1020] scripture scorned me  and a skile tolde .
And lakked me a[^a1032] latyn[^1021]  & liȝt by me he[^a1033][^1022] sette .[^1023]
And seyde multi multa sciunt  & se ipsos nesciunt .

[^a1032: a (R) | in (All beta mss)]

[^a1033: he (R F) | she (Beta M Cr W)]

[^1020: R.11.1: It appears that the blue initial <Þ> originally had a drawing within it (as with the Passus 10 initial), but it was partially erased long ago.]

[^1021: R.11.2: Beta agrees with the P family of C manuscripts in reading this phrase as in latyne; Russell-Kane opt for that reading as representing Cx as well, but the X family of C manuscripts clearly agrees with R, and probably alpha (F reads this line eccentrically), in rendering it a latyn. There is, of course, no semantic difference between these two phrases.]

[^1022: R.11.2: He, "she."]

[^1023: In the right margin, in black ink, there is an early ownership stamp for the Bodleian Library.]

p re sens p ri me
¶ Þo wepte I for sorwe[^a1034][^1024]  and wrath of hire speche .
your for me elin Bower Rondull wylly
And in a wynkynge wrath[^1025]  til I was[^a1035][^1026] a-slepe 
A merueylous metles  me tydde to dreme[^a1036] .[^1027]
For[^a1037][^1028] I was rauesched riȝt þere  for[^a1038][^1029] fortune me fette .
And in-to þe lond of longynge  & loue[^a1039][^1030] sche me brouȝte .
And in a meroure þat hiȝt myddelerd  sche made me to beholde .
Sitthen sche seide to me  here miȝtow se wondres .[^1031]
And knowe þat þow coueytest  & come þer -to par-aunter .

[^a1034: sorwe (R F) | wo (All beta mss)]

[^a1035: til I was (R) | wex I (Most beta mss)]

[^a1036: me tydde to dreme (R F) | mette me þanne (All beta mss)]

[^a1037: For (R F) | Þat (All beta mss)]

[^a1038: for (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a1039: & loue (R) | allone (All other mss)]

[^1024: R.11.4: Cf. alpha's sorwe to beta's properly alliterating wo. Cx agrees here with beta.]

[^1025: R.11.5: This word amounts to an inappropriate and virtually meaningless repetition of the same term from the previous line, but it is witnessed by the beta manuscripts as well as R (F offers six inauthentic lines); indeed the entire line appears to have been corrupt in Bx. Kane and Donaldson conjecture a sort of metathesis distorting original worþ; Schmidt concurs.]

[^1026: R.11.5: R's til I was is unique. Beta reads wex I.]

[^1027: R.11.6: The b-verse is from alpha and is clearly inferior, in its redundancy, to beta's mette me þanne.]

[^1028: R.11.7: Beta reads Þat, but Cx clearly agrees with alpha's For.]

[^1029: R.11.7: Both beta and F read and where R has for. The reading of Cx is uncertain: the P family omits all conjunctions, while the X family agrees with R.]

[^1030: R.11.8: Both beta and F read allone in place of R's & loue. It appears that a majority of the X family of the C version supports this F/beta variant, but the P family and two X-family copies (YcUc) agree with R's harder reading.]

[^1031: R.11.10: Extending from R10.510 to this line in the right margin is an erased note, horizontally written, approximately seven lines long.]

¶ Þanne hadde fortune folwynge hire  to faire damoysoyles .
Concupiscencia carnis  men called þe elder mayde .
And coueytise of eyȝes  Icalled was þat other .
Pruyde of parfit lyuynge  pursued hem bothe .
And bad me for my contenance  acounte clergie liȝte .

¶ Concupiscencia carnis  colled me a-boute þe nekke .
And seyde þow art ȝonge and ȝeepe  & hast ȝeres I-nowe .
For to lyue longe  and ladyes to louie .
And þis And [in] þis[^a1040] myrour þow miȝt se  murthes ful many .
Þat leden þe wel[^a1041] to likynge  alle þi Iif-tyme .
Þe secounde seyde þe same  I schal sewe þi wille .
Til þow be a lorde and haue londe  lete þe I nelle .
Þat I ne schal folewe þi felaschipe  if fortune it like .
He schal fynde me his frende  quod fortune þere-after .
Þe freke þat folweth my wille  failed neuere blisse .

[^a1040: And þis And [in] þis (R) | And in þis (Most other mss)]

[^a1041: wel (R) | wil (Most other mss)]

¶ Þanne was þere on þat hiȝt elde  þat heuy was of chere .
Man quod he if I mete with þe  by marie of heuene .
Þow schalt fynde fortune  þe faile at þi moste nede .
And concupiscencia carnis  clene þe forsake .
Bitterlich schaltow banne þanne  both dayes and niȝtes .
Coueitise of eye  þat euere þow hire knewe .
And pruyde of þi[^a1042][^1032] parfit lyuynge  to muche peril þe brynge .

[^a1042: þi (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1032: R.11.33: R's þi is a unique addition to the text of Bx. This addition is also unwitnessed in any C copy.]

¶ Ȝee recche þe neuere quod recchelesnesse  stod forth in ragged cloþes .
Folewe forth þat fortune wole  þow hast wel fer to elde .
A man may stoupe tymes I-now  whan he schal tyne þe croune .

¶ Homo proponit quod a poete þo[^a1043][^1033]  and plato he hiȝte .
And deus disponit quod he  lat god do his wille .
If treuth wil witnesse it be wel do  fortune to folwe .
Concupiscencia carnis  ne coueytise of eyes .
Ne schal nouȝte greue þe graythly[^a1044][^1034]  ne begile þe but þow wolt .

[^a1043: þo (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1044: graythly (R F) | gretly (All beta mss)]

[^1033: R.11.37: Alpha's þo is omitted by beta but supported by Cx.]

[^1034: R.11.41: Beta reads gretly, a more obvious reading, but one which is also the reading of Cx.]

¶ Ȝee farewel fipp quod fauntelte  and forth gan me drawe .
Til concupiscencia carnis  acorded til[^a1045][^1035] alle my werkes .

[^a1045: til (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1035: R.11.43: R's second til is a unique addition to the text witnessed by F and beta. However, Cx agrees with R on this variant's presence.]

¶ Allas eyȝe quod elde  and holynesse bothe .
Þat wit schal turne to wrecchednesse  for wille to haue his likynge .[^1036][^1037]

[^1036: R.11.45: The <y> of likynge appears to have been subpuncted by two red dots but no correction has been made. In reality, the "subpuncting" is probably accidental offset from the red boxing on the facing page at 11.80.]

[^1037: R.11.45: Hereafter alpha omits four lines present in the beta manuscripts (KD11.46-49): 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 þouȝte I had no lykynge leue me if þe leste of hem auȝte to knowe. F then omits the next two lines of Bx as well. The obvious cause of alpha's four-line omission was eyeskip, since KD11.46 begins with the same phrase as KD11.50: Coueytyse of eyes.]

¶ Coueytise of eyȝes  cam ofter in my mende .
Þanne dowel or do-bet  amonges my dedes alle .
Coueytise of eyȝes  conforted me ofte .
And seyde haue no consience  how þow come to goed .
Go confesse þe to sum frere  and schewe hym þi synnes .
For whiles fortune is þi frende  sum frere[^a1046][^1038][^1039] wil þe louie .
And fette[^a1047][^1040] þe to here fraternite  and for þe by-seche .
To here prioure prouincial  a pardoun for to haue .
And preyen for þe pol by pol  if þow be pecunious .[^1041]
Pena[^a1048] pecularia[^a1049][^1042] non sufficit  pro spiritualibus delictis.

[^a1046: sum frere (R) | Freres (All other mss)]

[^a1047: fette (R) | fecche (All beta mss)]

[^a1048: Pena (R F) | Set pena (Most beta mss)]

[^a1049: pecularia (R) | pecuniaria (All other mss)]

[^1038: R.11.51: R's sum frere is unique; Bx reads Freres, as does Cx.]

[^1039: These lines present a very good illustration of a difficulty sometimes encountered in R: it is nearly impossible here and in some other instances to distinguish later readers' underlinings from the residue of the original ruling for text.]

[^1040: R.11.52: Cf. F's sette and beta's fecche. R's verb is almost certainly that of alpha (a closely related synonym of beta's variant), a form misread by F on account of <f> being mistaken for tall <s>.]

[^1041: R.11.54: Though the B group agrees with alpha's pecunious, beta presumably had peccuniosus. Some C manuscripts agree with beta. However, four of the X family copies of the C version (P2KUcDc) agree with the P family in supporting alpha's anglicized form (both OED2 and MED, both s. v. pecunious, agree in citing this line from Langland as the earliest occurrence of pecunious in English.]

[^1042: R.11.55: R's pecularia is unique error. The other witnesses (both B and C) have pecuniaria.]

¶ By wissynge of þis wenche I dede[^a1050][^1043]  hire wordes were so swete .
Til I forȝat ȝouthe  and ran[^1044] into elde .
And þan was fortune my foo  for alle hire faire beheste .
And pouerte pursued me  and putte me lowe .
And þo fonde I þe frere aferde  and flitynge bothe .
Aȝeynes oure furste forwarde  for I seide I nolde .
Be buried at here hous  but at my parisch cherche .
For I herd ones  how conscience it tolde .
Þat þere a man were cristened  be kende he schulde be buried .
Or where he were a[^a1051] parischene  riȝt þere he schulde be grauen .
And for I seyde þus to freres  a foel þei me helden .
And loued me þe lasse  for my lele speche .
Ac ȝeet I cried on my confessour  þat held hym-self so kunn y nge .
Be my feyth frere quod I  ȝe faren like þis woweres .
Þat wedden non wydewes  but for to welde here goed[^a1052] .[^1045]
Riȝt so bi þe rode  rouȝte ȝe neuere .
Where my body were buried  by so ȝe hadde my siluer
Ich haue muche merueyle of ȝow  and so hath many other .
Whi ȝoure couent coueyteth  to confesse and to burie .
Rather þan to baptize barnes  þat ben catekumelynges .
Baptizinge and buriynge  bothe beth ful nedful .
Ac muche more meritorie  me þinketh it is to baptize .
For a baptized man  may as meystres telleth .
Þoruȝ contricioun come  til[^a1053][^1046] þe heȝe heuene .
Sola contricio &cetera .

[^a1050: dede (R) | wrouȝte (All other mss)]

[^a1051: a (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1052: goed (R) | godis (All other mss)]

[^a1053: til (R) | to (All beta mss)]

[^1043: R.11.56: R's dede is unique among the B manuscripts; most of the others read some form of wrouȝte, while F, which rewrites the a-verse, attests wrowhte. However, Cx agrees with R's reading.]

[^1044: R.11.57: Beta shows ȝarn, while F has ȝeede. Only Hm agrees with R's reading. Among the C witnesses, there are various lections attested here, including a mixed group of six that agrees with R; however, it seems clear that Cx probably read yorn.]

[^1045: R.11.70: R's singular form is unique; Bx reads godis, as does Cx.]

[^1046: R.11.79: Beta has to while F reads into.]

¶ Ac a barne with-outen bapteme  may nouȝt so be ysaued[^a1054] .
Nisi quis renatus fuerit loke ȝe lettred men whetur I lye or do nouȝt
And lewete þo[^a1055][^1047] loked on me  and I loured after .[^1048]

[^a1054: ysaued (R) | saued (All other mss)]

[^a1055: þo (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1047: R.11.83: Beta omits alpha's þo.]

[^1048: R.11.83: After this line, the scribe fails to insert a blank line to separate his verse strophes. Presumably, he omits the blank because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Wherefore lourestow quod lewte  and loked on me harde.

¶ Ȝif I durst quod I amonges men  þis meteles auowe .

¶ Ȝe be peter and be poule quod he and take[^1049] hem bothe to witnesse .
Non oderis fratres secrete in corde tuo  sed publice argue illos.

[^1049: R.11.86: Though most beta manuscripts read took here, R's take is supported by LMG.]

¶ Þei wol aleggen al-so quod I  and by þe gospel preuen .
Nolite iudicare quemquam  &cetera .

¶ And where -of serueth lawe quod leute þanne[^a1056][^1050]  if no lif vndertoke it .
Falsnesse ne faytrie  for sum-what þe apostle seide .
Non oderis fratrem . and in þe sauter al-so  seyth dauid þe prophete .
Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis . et c.
It is licitum for lewedmen lewed men  to segge þe sothe .
If hem liketh and lest  vch a lawe it graunteth .
Except persones and prestes  and prelates of holy cherches[^a1057] .[^1051]
It falleth nauȝt for þat folke  none[^1052] tales to telle .
Þouȝ þe tale were trewe  and it touched synne .

[^a1056: þanne (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1057: cherches (R) | cherche (All other mss)]

[^1050: R.11.90: R's þanne is a unique addition to the text of Bx. In an almost identical line, no C witness includes R's addition.]

[^1051: R.11.96: R's plural is unique; Bx reads cherche.]

[^1052: R.11.97: Beta reads no.]

¶ Ac[^a1058][^1053] þinge þat alle þe worlde wote  wherefore schuldestow spare .
And reeden it in rethorike  to a-raten dedly synne .
Ac be neuer -more þe furste  þe defaute to blame .
Þouȝ þow se euel sey it nauȝt furste  be sori it nere amendit .
No þinge þat is priue  publiche þow it neuere .
Neither for loue lakke[^a1059][^1054] it nouȝt  ne lakke it for enuye .
Parum lauda vitupera parcius.

[^a1058: Ac (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1059: lakke (R) | laude (Most beta mss)]

[^1053: R.11.99: Beta omits the conjunction, while F reads A instead.]

[^1054: R.11.104: R's first use of lakke in this line is unique; the majority of the beta manuscripts read laude and F, typically, rewrites the a-verse. The C line is virtually unchanged, but the verb phrase in question appears as labbe it out.]

¶ He seith þe[^a1060][^1055] sothe quod scripture þo  and skypte an heyȝ and preched .
Ac þe matere þat sche meued  lewed[^a1061] men it knowe[^a1062][^1056] .
Þe lasse as I leue  loueyen it þey wolde .
Þe bileue[^a1063] þat [of] þat lord  þat[^a1064] lettred men[^a1065] techeth .[^1057]

[^a1060: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1061: lewed (R F) | if lewed (All beta mss)]

[^a1062: knowe (R F) | knewe (All beta mss)]

[^a1063: Þe bileue (R) | But þei beleven (F)]

[^a1064: þat (R) | on þe (F)]

[^a1065: men (R) | men hem (F)]

[^1055: R.11.106: R's þe is a unique addition to the text here witnessed by both Bx and Cx.]

[^1056: R.11.107: The omission of if at the head of the b-verse completely alters the meaning of this line, but it must have occurred in alpha since F also bears witness to its absence. Likewise, alpha's aberrant knowe is attested in F's distorted b-verse (lewede men not knowe yt). The authorial status of the line as it appears in beta is warranted by its agreement with Cx: Ac þe matere þat she meuede if lewede men hit knewe.]

[^1057: R.11.109: This line is absent from beta, and F's version is sufficiently different from R's that the reconstruction of alpha must remain conjectural. F reads the line: But þei be-leven on þe lord / þat lettrid men hem techeþ. It seems likely, however, that R's version of this line is more faithful to alpha than is F and that the omission of the preposition of from the a-verse occurred in R or its immediate ancestor.]

¶ Þis was hire teme  and hire tixte  I toke ful gode hede .
Multi to a mangerie  and to þe mete were sompned .
And whanne þe poeple was plener come  þe porter vnpynned þe ȝate .
And plukked in pauci priueliche  & lete þe remenant go rome .[^1058]

[^1058: R.11.113: Here the scribe omits his usual blank line separating strophes, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Al for tene of hire tixst  tremeled myn herte.
And in a were gan I wex  and with my-selue to despute .
Whether I were chose or nouȝt chose  on holy cherche I þouȝte .
Þat vnderfonge me at þe fonte  for oen of godes chosene .

¶ For crist cleped vs alle  come if we wolde .[^1059]
Sarasines and sismatices  and so he dede þe Iewes .
O vos omnes scicientes[^1060] venite &cetera .
And bad hem souke for synne  saue[^a1066][^1061] at his breste .
And drinke bote for bale  brouke it ho-so miȝte .

[^a1066: saue (R F) | saufly (All beta mss)]

[^1059: R.11.118: In the right margin, a black brace extends from this line down to 11.122.]

[^1060: R.11.120: R's scicientes is variant spelling of the Vulgate form sicientes. It is found in many B manuscripts (including L, M, and F) and is not rare in late medieval Latin generally.]

[^1061: R.11.121: RF here read saue against beta's saufly. At first glance, the occurrence of saue appears to be an alpha error, either for safly, or for Kane-Donaldson's conjectured saufte. However, saue is also found at this point in the X family of C manuscripts (the P family = sauete). As evidenced by MED, save can have nominal, adjectival, or adverbial senses. See s. v. saue, (n. 1) and sauf (adj. and adv.). Moreover, Russell and Kane seem to have recanted their emendation, since their edition now offers saue as the original C reading. In light of the shared witness of the X family of C, and the ample evidence that SWMidlands phonology treated /v/ and /f/ as allophonic, R's reading probably is equivalent to "safe" and directly mirrors Bx while beta represents an attempt at glossing the harder reading.]

¶ Þanne may alle cristene come quod I  and clayme þere entre .
Be þe blod[^1062] he[^a1067] bouȝte vs vs [wiþ][^a1068][^1063]  and þoruȝ baptesme after .[^1064]
☜
Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit &cetera .
For þouȝ a cristen man coueyted  his cristendom to receyue[^a1069] .[^1065]
Riȝtfulliche to reneye  no reson it wolde .

[^a1067: he (R G F) | þat he (Most beta mss)]

[^a1068: vs vs [wiþ] (R) | vs with (All other mss)]

[^a1069: receyue (R F) | reneye (Most beta mss)]

[^1062: R.11.124: Beta adds þat before he. The C version of the line appears to support beta (though some X family copies omit þat).]

[^1063: R.11.124: The omission of with at the end of the a-verse is unique to R and alters the meaning and grammatical status of the clause. Cx confirms that R is in error.]

[^1064: R.11.124: In the right margin, a hand points to this line.]

[^1065: R.11.126: Alpha generated this error (receyue for reneye); it makes nonsense of the statement as a whole (which runs into the next line), though it makes limited sense within its own line. Cx shows the same verb as beta.]

¶ For may no cherle chartre make  ne his catel selle .
With-outen leue of his lorde  ne[^a1070][^1066] lawe wile it graunte .
Ac he may rennen in a-rerage  and renne[^a1071][^1067] fro home .
And as he[^a1072] renneth[^a1073] caytif  rechelesliche aboute .[^1068]
Ac reson schal rekne with hym  and rebuken hym at þe laste[^a1074] .[^1069]
And consience a-counte[^a1075] with hym[^a1076]  & casten hym in a-rerage .
And putten hym after in prisone  in purgatorie to brenne .[^1070]
And[^a1077][^1071] for his a-rerages rewarden hym þere  riȝte[^a1078][^1072] to þe day of dome .
But if contricion wel come[^1073]  and crie be hys leue[^a1079][^1074] .
Mercy for his misdedes  with mouth or with herte .

[^a1070: ne (R) | no (All other mss)]

[^a1071: renne (R) | rowme (Most beta mss)]

[^a1072: he (R F) | a (All beta mss)]

[^a1073: renneth (R F) | reneyed (All beta mss)]

[^a1074: and rebuken hym at þe laste (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1075: a-counte (R) | shal acounte (F)]

[^a1076: And consience a-counte with hym (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1077: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1078: riȝte (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1079: leue (R) | lyue (All other mss)]

[^1066: R.11.129: R's ne is unique; both Bx and Cx read no.]

[^1067: R.11.130: Beta has rowme so; F reads rayke. Cx agrees with beta on the verb in question but agrees with alpha on the omission of so.]

[^1068: R's reading of the a-verse of this line is unique. Beta reads And as a reneyed caityf. The problem seems to have begun at line 130, where R's b-verse involves an awkward redundancy (cf. beta's rowme). However, this redundancy probably mirrors alpha, while F seeks to repair the mistake by varying the verb to rayke. At line 131, R's continued confusion then would be merely reproducing serious corruption in alpha that began in the previous line. F, typically, attempts to repair the lapse in sense with & þey he renne recchesly / or romeþ a-bowte (F8.128), but Bx presumably read something like beta's And as a reneyed caityf recchelesly gon aboute.]

[^1069: Beta omits KD11.131b-32a, presumably as a result of eyeskip involving with hym, which occurs midline in both lines. Cx agrees completely with alpha here.]

[^1070: R.11.134: The word purgatorie has been cancelled by a later reader with a horizontal black line.]

[^1071: R.11.135: Beta omits And from the opening of this line. The cognate C line is slightly revised from B, but its opening phrase is the same (as is the previous line). Most of the P family copies support the beta omission while most of the X family support alpha's reading]

[^1072: R.11.135: Beta completely omits this alliterative stave-word; F rewrites the b-verse completely and is irrelevant. The a-verse of Cx is slightly revised from B, but its b-verse is identical to R's and affirms the authority of riȝte.]

[^1073: R.11.136: The spelling of the modal in this phrase is relatively unusual, but OED2, s. v. will, recognizes wel as an acceptable Anglian form for will in the fourteenth century.]

[^1074: R.11.136: R's leue is unique; the other copies have lyue; the reading of C for this final stave (in a slightly revised line) agrees with that of F and beta.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde scripture  may no synne lette
Mercy may al[^a1080][^1075] amende  þat[^a1081] mekenesse he[^a1082] folweth .[^1076]
For þei beth as oure boke[^a1083][^1077] telleth  aboue godes werkes .
Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius.

[^a1080: may al (R F) | alle to (Most beta mss)]

[^a1081: þat (R) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1082: he (R) | hir (Most beta mss)]

[^a1083: boke (R) | bokes (All other mss)]

[^1075: R.11.139: Alpha's may al is rendered by beta as alle to; C revises the a-verse slightly but clearly attests the presence of alpha's may al.]

[^1076: R.11.139: By uniquely substituting þat for if, and he for hym (= F) or hir (= beta), R appears here to lose the drift of Langland's thought, which is the conditional operation of Mercy. Beta's version of this line reads Mercy alle to amende and mekenesse hir folwe. Cx seems to agree with beta.]

[^1077: R.11.140: R's singular is unique; Bx has bokes. Cx confirms the majority B reading.]

¶ Ye baw for bokes quod on  was broken oute of helle .
Hiȝte troianus had ben a trewe kniȝt  toke witnesse at a pope .[^1078]
How he was dede and dampned  to dwelle in pyne .
For an vncristene creature  clerkes witen þe sothe .
Þat alle þe clergie vnder criste [^1079] miȝte me cracche fro helle .
But oneliche loue and my[^a1084][^1080] leute  of[^a1085][^1081] my lauful domes .

[^a1084: my (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1085: of (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^1078: R.11.143: The word pope is cancelled by a later reader using a horizontal line. It is the same ink as was used to cancel purgatorie at 11.134 above; also the same as used to draw the pointing hand at 11.124.]

[^1079: R.11.146: Most B manuscripts agree with R here in the loss of the negative required for appropriate sense: ne miȝte me cracche. The CrWHm group may have restored the negative through scribal conjecture.]

[^1080: R.11.147: R's my is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

[^1081: R.11.147: Beta reads and for alpha's of.]

¶ Gregori wist þis wel  and wilned to my soule .
Sauacion for þe[^a1086][^1082] sothenesse  þat he seith[^a1087][^1083] of[^a1088][^1084] my werkes .
And after þat he wepte  and wilned me were graunted .
Grace with-outen eny bede biddynge  his bone was vnderfonge .
And I saued as ȝe now[^a1089][^1085] se  with-outen syngynge of masses .
[^1086] Loue[^a1090] and bi lernynge  of my lyuynge in treuthe .
Brouȝt me fro bitter peyne  þere no byddynge miȝte .

[^a1086: þe (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1087: seith (R) | seigh (All other mss)]

[^a1088: of (R F) | in (Most beta mss)]

[^a1089: now (R) | may (Most other mss)]

[^a1090: Loue (R) | By loue (All beta mss)]

[^1082: R.11.149: R's for þe is an alpha reading. Beta omits þe, but Cx confirms alpha's reading on this point.]

[^1083: R.11.149: R's seith is unique in tense; the other B and C copies have a preterite form.]

[^1084: R.11.149: Beta reads in; Cx confirms beta's reading.]

[^1085: R.11.152: The adverb now is unique to R. Bx and Cx have may. R's error presumably resulted from a misreading of an alpha form such as mow(e).]

[^1086: R.11.153: R's line is marred by an omitted preposition at its head (beta = By), but the error appears to stem from alpha; F seems to have attempted to correct the deficit by adding Þoru but failed to notice the resulting faulty parallelism created later in the line.]

¶ Lo ȝe lordes what leute leute [dide][^a1091][^1087]  by an emperoure of rome .
Þat was an vncristene creature  as clerkes fyndeth in bokes .
Nouȝt þoruȝ preyere of a pope[^1088]  but for his pure treuthe
in Episcopum Romanum
Was þat sarasyn saued  as seynt gregori bereth witnesse .
Wel auȝt þe[^a1092] lordes þat lawes kepe  þis lessoun to haue in mynde .
And on troianus treuth to thenke  and do treuthe to þe poeple .

[^a1091: leute leute [dide] (R) | leute did (All beta mss)]

[^a1092: þe (R F) | ȝe (Most beta mss)]

[^1087: R.11.155: Omission of the verb at the end of the a-verse (F = doþ and beta = did) is a unique error in R.]

[^1088: R.11.157: The word pope is again cancelled (cf. 11.143 above) by a later reader using a horizontal line. It is the same ink as was used to cancel purgatorie at 11.134 above; also the same as used to draw the pointing hand at 11.124.]

¶ Þis matir is merke for mani of ȝow  ac[^a1093] men of holy cherche[^1089]
Þe legende sanctorum ȝow lereth[^a1094]  more larger þan I ȝow telle .
Ac[^a1095] þus lele loue  and lyuynge[^a1096] in treuthe .
Pulte[^a1097] oute of pyne[^a1098]  a paynym of rome .
I-blessed be treuthe  þat so brak[^a1099] helle ȝates .
And saued þe[^a1100] sarasyn  fram sathanas and his[^a1101] power
Þere no clergie ne couthe  ne kunnynge of lawes .
Loue[^a1102] and leute is[^a1103] a lele science 
For þat is þe boke blessede  of blisse and of ioye[^a1104][^1090] .
God wrouȝt it and wrot hit  with his on[^a1105] fynger .
And toke it moyses vpon[^a1106] þe mount  alle men to[^a1107] lere

[^a1093: of ȝow  ac (R) | save (F)]

[^a1094: ȝow lereth (R) | lerneþ ȝow (F)]

[^a1095: Ac (R) | & (F)]

[^a1096: lyuynge (R) | leel lyvynge (F)]

[^a1097: Pulte (R) | pytten (F)]

[^a1098: pyne (R) | peyȝne (F)]

[^a1099: so brak (R) | brak so (F)]

[^a1100: þe (R) | þat (F)]

[^a1101: sathanas and his (R) | sathenases (F)]

[^a1102: Loue (R) | Þan is love (F)]

[^a1103: is (R) | ryght (F)]

[^a1104: For þat is þe boke blessede  of blisse and of ioye (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1105: on (R) | owne (F)]

[^a1106: vpon (R) | on (F)]

[^a1107: to (R) | it to (F)]

[^1089: R.11.161: Kane and Donaldson, lines 11.160-70 (= R 11.161-71) were omitted by the beta manuscripts and are preserved solely in R and F. F's rendering of these lines is sufficiently different from R's that F's lines should be cited in their entirety (cf. Appendix 1, R11.161-71, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Þis matere is merk for manye / save men of holy chirche. Þe legende sanctorum / lerneþ ȝow ; more largere þan y ȝou telle. & þus leel love / & leel lyvynge in trewthe Pytten owt of peyȝne / a payȝnym of Rome. I-blessid be trowþe / þat brak so helle ȝaatys. & savede þat sarsyȝn / fram sathenases powher. / Þere no Clergie ne cowhde / ne conynge of lawis. Þan is love & lewte / ryght a leel science. God wrouht it / & wroot it / with his owne fynger. & took it Moyses on þe Mount / alle men / it to leere.]

[^1090: R.11.169: The line appears uniquely in R.]

¶ Lawe with-oute loue quod troianus  leye þere a bene .
I lefte here

[R.11.173: A sixteenth-century reader has inscribed for himself a personal bookmark. The note is in the same hand as the marginal note at 43v.]

Or any science vnder sonne  þe seuen artz and alle .
But þei ben lerned for oure lordes loue  Ilost[^a1108] is alle þe tyme .
For no cause to cacche seluer þer -by  ne to be cald a mayster .
But alle for loue of oure lorde  & þe bet to loue þe poeple
For seynt Iohan seyde it  and soth aren his wordes .
Qui non diligit manet in morte  —
ho-so loueth nauȝte leue me  he lyueth in deth-deyinge .
And þat alle maner men  enemys and frendes .
Louen her eyther other  and lene hem as here-selue .
For[^a1109][^1091] ho-so leueth[^1092] nauȝt he loueth nauȝte  oure lorde[^a1110][^1093] wote þe sothe .
And comaunded[^a1111][^1094] vch creature  to conforme hym to louye .
And souereyneliche pore poeple  and here enemys after .
For hem þat haten vs  is oure merite to louye
And pore poeple to plese  here preyeres may vs helpe .
For oure ioye and oure euel[^a1112][^1095]  is[^a1113] ihesu[^1096] crist of heuene .
In a pore mannes apparaile  pursueth vs euere .
And loketh on vs in here likenesse  and þat with louely chere
To knowen vs be oure kende herte  and castynge of oure eyes .
Whe Whe[ther][^a1114] we loue þe lordes here  by-for oure lorde of blisse .

[^a1108: Ilost (R) | loste (All other mss)]

[^a1109: For (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1110: oure lorde (R) | god (All other mss)]

[^a1111: comaunded (R O C2 F) | comaundeth (Most beta mss)]

[^a1112: euel (R) | hele (Most beta mss)]

[^a1113: is (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1114: Whe Whe[ther] (R) | Wheþer (Most other mss)]

[^1091: R.11.182: Beta omits For.]

[^1092: R.11.182: Kane-Donaldson transcribe R here as agreeing with beta in reading leneth. Contextually, leneth must be what Bx read, but there is no reason in this instance to construe R's <u> as <n> (even though the character forms sometimes overlap in R), especially since the testimony of F (be-leveþ) indicates that the error derived from alpha.]

[^1093: R.11.182: Both beta and F read non-alliterating god in place of R's oure lorde.]

[^1094: R.11.183: Although O agrees with alpha in reading a preterite verb form here, beta clearly had the present form comaundeth.]

[^1095: R.11.187: R's euel makes no sense and fails to alliterate properly; beta's hele and F's helthe are contextually appropriate but also fail the alliteration test. Kane-Donaldson conjecture alpha and Bx, on the basis of R, as Iuel.]

[^1096: R.11.187: Beta omits is.]

¶ And exiteth vs by þe euauangelie  þat whan we maken festes .
We schulde nouȝte clepe oure kyn þerto  ne none kyne riche .
Cum facitis conuiuia nolite inuitare amicos .
Ac calleth þe careful þere-to  þe croked and þe pore .
For ȝoure frendes wolen fede ȝow  and fonden ȝow to quite .
Ȝoure festynge and ȝoure fayre ȝiftes  vch frende quit[^a1115][^1097] so other .

[^a1115: quit (R) | quyteth (All beta mss)]

[^1097: R.11.197: Beta reads quyteth; F has ȝeldeth.]

¶ Ac for þe pore I schal paie  and puire wel quiten here trauail .[^1098]
Þat ȝiueth hem mete or mone  and loueth hem for my sake .

[^1098: R.11.198: A pattern of tiny pinholes (in the shape of saw teeth, with three crests and two troughs facing the page gutter) runs down the left margin, from this point to R11.201.]

¶ Almiȝty god hath made riche[^a1116]  men if he wolde .[^1099]
Ac[^a1117][^1100] for þe beste ben somme riche  and somme beggeres . & pore .
For alle ar we cristes creatures  and of his coferes riche .
As[^a1118][^1101] bretheren as of o blode  as wel beggeres as erles .
For at[^a1119][^1102] caluarie of cristes blode  cristendom gan springe .
And blody brethern we by-come  þere of one body ywonne .
As quasi modo geniti  and gentil men vchone .
No beggere ne boy amonges vs  but if it synne made .
Qui facit peccatum seruus est peccati .

[^a1116: Almiȝty god hath made riche (R) | God myghte ryche a maad al (F)]

[^a1117: Ac (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1118: As (R) | And (All other mss)]

[^a1119: at (R F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^1099: R.11.200: This line is omitted by beta and apparently garbled in alpha; Kane-Donaldson conjecture from R's shape and F's content (God myghte ryche a maad al) that Bx read as follows: Alle myȝte god haue maad riche men if he wolde.]

[^1100: R.11.201: R's Ac for is unique; F has But for and beta simply reads For.]

[^1101: R.11.203: R's As is unique; F and beta read And. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^1102: R.11.204: Beta has For on, but Cx attests At.]

¶ In þe olde lawe  as þe[^a1120][^1103] lettre telleth .
Mennes sones men[^1104]  called vs echone .
Of adames issue and eue  ay til god man deyede .
And after his resurrexioun  redemptor was his name .
And we his brethern þoruȝ hym Ibouȝte  bothe riche and pore

[^a1120: þe (R F) | holy (All beta mss)]

[^1103: R.11.209: Beta reads holy in place of alpha's þe. The C copies are divided: the P family omits any modifier before lettre while the X family agrees with alpha's þe.]

[^1104: R.11.210: The word men is bracketed by two slanting lines, apparently drawn by an early reader, perhaps to call attention to what might have been sensed, at first glance, as a case of scribal redundancy eligible for "correction."]

¶ For-þi loue we as leue childern[^a1121][^1105] schal  & vch man lauȝh vp oþer .
And of þat vche man may forbere  amende þere it nedeth .
And eueri man helpe oþer here[^a1122][^1106]  for hennes schulle we alle .
Alter alterius onera portate .
And be we nauȝt vnkende of oure catel  ne of oure kunnyge kunny[n]ge[^a1123] noþer .
For noet no man how neyȝ it is  to be Inome fro bothe .
For-þi lakke no lif oþer  þouȝ he more latyn knowe .
Ne vndernyme nauȝt foule  for is noen with-oute defaute .
For what-euer clerkes carpe  of cristendom or elles .
Criste to a comune woman seyde  in comune at a feste .
Þat fides sua schulde sauen hire  and saluen hire of alle synnes .

[^a1121: childern (R F) | bretheren (Most beta mss)]

[^a1122: here (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1123: kunnyge kunny[n]ge (R) | kunnynge (Most other mss)]

[^1105: R.11.214: Beta has bretheren, but Cx agrees with alpha's childern.]

[^1106: R.11.216: Beta omits here, and Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Þanne is bileue a lele helpe  abue ab[o]ue[^a1124] logike or lawe .
Of logike ne of lawe  in legenda sanctorum .
Is litel alowed[^a1125] þei both[^a1126][^1107]  but[^a1127] by-leue hem helpe .
For it is ouer-longe ar logike  ani lesson assoyle .
And lawe is lothe to louie  but if he lacche seluer
Bothe logyke and lawe  þat loueth nauȝt for to[^a1128][^1108] lye .

[^a1124: abue ab[o]ue (R) | aboue (All other mss)]

[^a1125: alowed (R F) | allowaunce (All beta mss)]

[^a1126: þei both (R) | made (All beta mss)]

[^a1127: but (R G Cot F) | but if (Most beta mss)]

[^a1128: for to (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^1107: R.11.227: For RF's alowed, beta has allowaunce. The phrase þei both is unique to R (F omits the words) but probably mirrors alpha. Beta's entire a-verse reads: Is litel allowaunce made.]

[^1108: R.11.230: R's for is a unique addition to the archetypal text.]

¶ I conseile alle cristene  cleue nauȝt þere -on to sore
For somme wordes I fynde write  were of feithes techynge .
Þat saued synful men  as seynt Iohan bereth witnesse .
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis  reme stietur[^a1129] vobis .
For-þi lerne we þe lawe of loue  as oure lorde tauȝte .
And as seynt gregorie seyde  for mannes soule helth .
Melius est scrutari scelera nostra quam naturas rerum.

[^a1129: reme stietur (R) | remecietur (Most other mss)]

¶ Why I meue þis matire  is moste for þe pore .
For in here liknesse oure lorde  of of[t][^a1130] hath be I-knowe .
Witnesse in þe pasqe woke  whan he ȝede to emaus .
Cleophas ne knewe hym nauȝte  þat he criste were .
For his pore paraile  and pilgrimes wedes . —
Til he blissed and brak  þe brede þat þei eten .
So be his werkes þei wisten  þat he was ihesus .
Ac be clothynge þei knewe hym nouȝte  ne be carpynge of tonge .
And alle was[^a1131] ensaumple for-sothe[^a1132][^1109]  to vs synful here .
Þat we schulde be lowe  and loueliche of speche .
in vestitum miletentio
And apparailen vs nauȝt ouer proudly  for pilgrimes are we alle .
And in þe paraile[^a1133][^1110] of a pore man  and pilgrimes liknesse .
Many tyme god hath ben ymette[^a1134]  amonges nedy poeple .
to punysh m \ þe

[Between these two lines, Hand2 has tried to indicate an insertion point for þe in the previous line where the scribe had already written þe. Also Hand2 has drawn a tail on the original character's descender to make its identity more explicit. Apparently, he understood the scribe's form in line 251 as ye and was attempting to fix it.]

Þere neuere segge hym seyȝ  in secte of þe riche .

[^a1130: of of[t] (R) | ofte (All other mss)]

[^a1131: was (R M B F) | was in (Most beta mss)]

[^a1132: for-sothe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1133: paraile (R) | apparaille (All beta mss)]

[^a1134: ymette (R F) | mette (Most beta mss)]

[^1109: R.11.246: R's for-sothe is unique; it is omitted by both beta and F. Nevertheless, it may well be original: Cx here reads sothly.]

[^1110: R.11.249: In place of R's paraile, beta has apparaille. F omits the entire line. Some C manuscripts of both major families support R's form and some support beta's.]

¶ Seint Iohan and other seyntes  weren seyn in pore cloþinge.
And as pore pilgrimes  preyude men[^a1135][^1111] goedes .

[^a1135: men (R F) | mennes (All beta mss)]

[^1111: R.11.253: Beta reads mennes.]

¶ Ihesu crist on a Iewes douȝter a-liȝte  gentel woman þouȝ a[^a1136][^1112] were .
To ponyshe me in shrift
A[^a1137][^1113] was a puir pore mayden  and to a pore man Iweddede .

[^a1136: a (R) | she (All beta mss)]

[^a1137: A (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1112: R.11.254: R's a (= "she") is unique; other manuscripts have she.]

[^1113: R.11.255: Although Hm and Y have sche / she, beta omits all pronoun reference, beginning the line with Was. F omits the line. Cx agrees with beta's omission.]

¶ Martha on marie maudeleyne  and huge pleynt sche made .
And to oure saueoure selue  seyde þis wordes .
Nota
Domine non est tibi cure &cetera[^a1138] .[^1114]
And hasteliche god answered  and eitheres wille folwede .
Bothe Marthes and maries  as matheu bereth witnesse .
Ac pouerte god putte by-fore  and preysed it þe bettere .
Maria optimam partem elegit[^a1139]  —[^1115]
And alle þe wyse þat euere were  by auȝt I can aspie .
Preisen pouerte for best lyf  if pacience it wolde[^a1140] .[^1116]
And bothe bettere and blisseder  by many folde þan richesse .
Alle-þouȝ[^a1141] it be soure to suffre  þere cometh swete after .
As on a walnote with-oute  is a bitter barke .
And after þat bitter barke  be þe schelle aweye 
Is a kernel of conforte  kende to restore .
So is after pouerte or penaunce  pacientliche ytake .
Maketh[^a1142][^1117] a man to haue mynde in god  and a grete wille .
To wepe and to wel bidde  where-of wexeth mercy .
Of which crist is a kernel  to conforte þe soule .
And wel sikerer he slepeth  þe segge[^a1143][^1118] þat is pore .
And lasse he dredeth deth  and in derke to be robbed .
Þan he þat is riȝt riche  reson bereth witnesse 
Pauper ego ludo dum tu diues meditaris 
Alle-þouȝ salomon seyde  as men[^a1144][^1119] seth in þe bible .
Diuicias nec paupertates &cetera .
Wiser þanne salomon was  bereth witnesse and tauȝte .
Þat parfit pouert was  no possession to haue .
And lif most likynge to god  as luk bereth witnesse .
Si vis pefectus pe[r]fectus[^a1145] esse vade et vende  &cetera .
And is to mene to men  þat on[^1120] molde[^a1146] lyuen 
ho-so wil be puir parfit  mote possession forsake .
Or selle it as seith þe boke  and þe seluer dele .
To beggeres þat gon and begge  & bidden goed for goddes loue .

[^a1138: &cetera (R) | quod soror mea reliquit me solam ministrare (Most beta mss)]

[^a1139: elegit (R) | elegit que non auferetur ab ea (Most other mss)]

[^a1140: wolde (R) | folwe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1141: Alle-þouȝ (R L M F) | And (Most beta mss)]

[^a1142: Maketh (R F) | For it maketh (All beta mss)]

[^a1143: segge (R F) | man (All beta mss)]

[^a1144: men (R F) | folke (All beta mss)]

[^a1145: pefectus pe[r]fectus (R) | perfectus (All other mss)]

[^a1146: molde (R) | þis molde (Most other mss)]

[^1114: R.11.258: Here R uniquely omits the end of the citation, which in F and beta reads: quod soror mea reliquit me sola(m) ministrare &c. Among the C manuscripts, the P family agrees with Bx while the X family offers various truncations of the citation.]

[^1115: R.11.262: Here R uniquely omits the end of the citation, which in most B copies reads: que non auferetur ab ea. In LMCrW, however, the citation is truncated after non. In the C tradition, the P manuscripts mostly treat the citation fully, as in the majority of beta copies; however, the X family offers a variety of truncated versions.]

[^1116: R.11.264: R's fourth stave, wolde, is a unique reading; cf. beta's folwe and F's welde. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1117: R.11.271: Beta begins this line with the phrase For it maketh; R's opening, Maketh, is supported by F and by Cx.]

[^1118: R.11.274: Beta reads non-alliterating man. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1119: R.11.278: Beta reads folke.]

[^1120: R.11.284: R uniquely omits the determiner in the b-verse phrase, on þis molde.]

¶ For fayled neuer man mete  þat miȝtful god serueth .
As dauid seith in þe sauter  to swich þat ben in wille .
With eny wel or wo[^a1147]  /[^1121][^1122]
To serue god godeliche  ne greueth hem[^a1148] no penaunce .
Nichil difficile[^a1149][^1123] volenti &cetera .
Ne lakketh noyther[^a1150][^1124] lyuelode  lynnen ne wolenne .
Inquirentes autem dominum non munuentur m[i]nuentur[^a1151] omni bono.
If prestes weren wise[^a1152][^1125]  þei wolde no seluer take .
in clericos —
For masses ne for matynes  nouȝt here mete of vsureres .
Ne noyther kertel ne cote  þeiȝ þei for colde schuld deye
And þei here deuer[^a1153][^1126]  as dauid seide[^a1154][^1127] in þe sauter .
Iudica me deus et discerne causam meam .
Spera in deo speketh of prestes  þat han no spendynge siluer
Þat if þei trauaile treweliche  and tristen in god almiȝti
Hem schulde lak no lyuelode  neyther wolen ne lynnen .
And þe title þat ȝe[^1128] take ordres by  telleth ȝe ben auaunsed .
Þan nedeth ȝow nouȝt to take seluer  for masses þat ȝe syngeth .
For he þat toke ȝoure[^a1155] title  schulde take ȝow ȝoure wages .
Nota
Or þe bishope þat blesseth  ȝow  if þat ȝe ben worthi .

[^a1147: With eny wel or wo (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1148: hem (R M Cr F) | hym (Most beta mss)]

[^a1149: difficile (R F) | inpossibile (All beta mss)]

[^a1150: noyther (R) | neuere (All beta mss)]

[^a1151: munuentur m[i]nuentur (R) | minuentur (All beta mss)]

[^a1152: wise (R F) | parfyt (All beta mss)]

[^a1153: deuer (R F) | deuor dede(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1154: seide (R) | seith (All other mss)]

[^a1155: toke ȝoure (R) | toke ȝow ȝowre (All beta mss)]

[^1121: R.11.290: The scribe has left a vertical stroke to mark a position for inserting more text, indicating his awareness that something may be missing here.]

[^1122: R.11.290: In alpha, KD11.280 (above) was followed by an extra half-verse punctuated as a separate line, as here; cf. F's to suffre wo for welthe.]

[^1123: R.11.292: Beta reads inpossibile.]

[^1124: R.11.293: Beta has neuere; F omits the line.]

[^1125: R.11.295: For R's wise, F has all wise men; beta reads parfyt.]

[^1126: R.11.298: Here R and F are defective in sense; F rewrites the a-verse entirely while R omits the required verb, dede.]

[^1127: R.11.298: R's seide is unique. All the other B manuscripts read a present-tense form, as with W's seiþ. See the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's seemingly anomalous tense marking.]

[^1128: R.11.303: R's ȝe seems to be the reading of alpha (F is substantially different but agrees on the second person); although W agrees with R on this reading, presumably by enlightened correction (in the b-verse, nearly all the B copies agree with R on the second-person pronoun reference ), the mass of evidence indicates that beta had a third-person plural in the a-verse (L = þei). Cx is partially revised in this line but preserves the alpha second-person pronouns.]

¶ For made neuer kinge no kniȝt  but he hadde catel to spende .
As byfel for a kniȝt  or fonde hym for his strengthe .
It is a kareful kniȝt  and of a caytif kynges makynge .
Þat hath noþer[^a1156][^1129] lond ne lynage[^1130]  ne[^a1157] gode los of his hondes .
Þe same I segge for-sothe  bi alle swiche prestes .
Þat han noither cunnynge ne kyn  but a crowne one .
And a title a tale of nouȝt  to his liflode at mischef
☞
He hath more bileue as I leue  to lacchen þoruȝ his crowne .
Cure þan for kunnynge  or knowen for clene of beringe .
Nota in Episcopos
I haue wonder and whi  and wherefor þe bischope .[^1131]
Maketh suche prestes  þat lewed men bytraien .[^1132]

[^a1156: noþer (R B F) | no (Most beta mss)]

[^a1157: ne (R F) | riche ne (Most beta mss)]

[^1129: R.11.310: Beta reads no; the P family of C agrees with this beta lection, but the X family reading matches alpha's noþer.]

[^1130: R.11.310: R's lynage shows an alpha error of omission (F = lyflode); cf. beta's lynage riche, which is also the reading of Cx.]

[^1131: A brace in both margins joins this line to the next. In addition, in the right margin a reader has added a gloss next to the brace.]

[^1132: Between these two lines there are traces of red offset from boxing on the facing page.]

¶ A chartre is chalengeable  by-fore a chief iustice .
If fals latin be in þat lettre  þe lawe it impugneth .
Or peinted par-entrelinarie  parcelles ouerskypped .
Þe gome þat gloseth so chartres  for a goky is holden .

¶ So is it a goky bi god  þat in his gospel faileth 
Or in masse or in matynes  maketh any defaute .
Qui offendit in vno in omnibus &cetera[^a1158] .[^1133]
And al-so in þe sauter  seith dauid to ouerskipperes .
Psallite deo nostro psallite  quoniam rex terre deus israel psallite sapienter .
Þe bisshope schal be blamed  be-fore god as I leue .
Þat crowneth suche goddes kniȝtes  þat kunneth nauȝt sapienter .
Synge ne psalmes rede  ne segge a masse of þe daye .[^1134]

[^a1158: &cetera (R) | est reus &c (Beta M Hm G C Y)]

[^1133: R.11.324: R uniquely omits the end of this citation: est reus.]

[^1134: R.11.329: After this line, the scribe omits his usual blank line to separate verse strophes, but no motive other than inattention is apparent.]

¶ Ac neuerneyther neuer neyther is blameles  þe bisshoppe and[^a1159][^1135] þe chapeleyne .
For her eyther is endited  and þat of ignorancia .[^1136]
Non excusat episcopos  nec ydiotes prestes .

[^a1159: and (R) | ne (Most other mss)]

[^1135: R.11.330: R's and is unique; Bx and Cx both have ne.]

[^1136: R.11.331: In the right margin, a pointing hand, in smeared brown ink, directs attention to this line.]

¶ Þis lokynge on lewde prestes  hath do me luppe[^1137] fram pouerte .
Þe wiche I preyse þere pacience is  more parfit þanne ricchesse .[^1138]

[^1137: R.11.333: Although there is no semantic difference from the majority here, R's luppe is a unique form, minimally attested by OED2, s. v. leap, and MED, s. v. lepen; F has lope while most of the beta copies read lepe.]

[^1138: R.11.334: The last word of this line is smudged or partially erased.]

¶ Ac muche more in metynge þus  with me gan on dispute .
And slepinge I seye al þis  and sithen cam kende .
And nempned me be my name  and bad me nymen hede .
And þoruȝ þe wordes[^1139] of þe[^a1160][^1140] werlde  wit for to take .
And on a mounteyn þat mydelerde hiȝt  as me þo þouȝte .
I was fette forth  by ensaumples to knowe .
Þoruȝ ech a creature and kende  my creatour to louye .
I seiȝ þe sonne and þe see  and þe sond after
And where þat briddes and bestes  by here make þei ȝeden .
Wilde wormes and[^a1161][^1141] wodes  and wonderful foules .
With flekked federes  and of fele coloures 
Man and his make  I miȝte se bothe[^a1162][^1142] .
Pouerte and plente  bothe pees and werre.
Blisse and bale bothe I seiȝ at ones.
And how men token mede  and mercy refused.

[^a1160: þe (R) | þis (All other mss)]

[^a1161: and (R) | in (All other mss)]

[^a1162: bothe (R) | bothe byholde (All beta mss)]

[^1139: R.11.338: BmBoCot share this error with R (wordes for wondres), but R is likely mirroring alpha here, and F's rather lame worchynge sounds like attempted repair of this error.]

[^1140: R.11.338: R's þe is unique; Bx has þis.]

[^1141: R.11.344: R's and is unique; Bx and Cx both read in.]

[^1142: R.11.346: R's I miȝte se bothe is unique (cf. F's ful manye seyȝ y þere. Beta reads I myȝte bothe byholde; Cx has the same reading as that found in R.]

¶ Reson I seiȝ sothely  schewen[^a1163][^1143] alle bestes .
In etynge in drinkynge  & in engendringe of kende .
And after cours of concepcioun  non toke kepe til[^a1164][^1144] other .
As whan þei hadde ride in rotey time  anon riȝt þere -after .
Males drowen hem to males  a-morewenynges by hem-selue .
And in eueninges also  ȝede[^a1165][^1145] males from females .
Þe Þe[r][^a1166] ne was kow ne kou-kende  þat conceyued hadde .
Þat wolde belwen after boles  ne bore after sowe .
Bothe hors and houndes  and alle other bestes .
Medled nauȝt with here makes  þat with fole were .

[^a1163: schewen (R) | suen (All beta mss)]

[^a1164: til (R) | of (Most other mss)]

[^a1165: ȝede (R) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1166: Þe Þe[r] (R) | Þere (All other mss)]

[^1143: R.11.350: It appears that schewen is an alpha error for beta's suen (with which the reading of Cx agrees); F rewrites the line.]

[^1144: R.11.352: R's til is unique; Bx and Cx read of.]

[^1145: R.11.355: Most beta copies have a simple þe for R's ȝede, but L's reading, ȝe, suggests itself as a likely channel of error from the authorial reading to beta and that R's reading may be original (both for lexical specificity and alliteration); F omits the line.]

¶ Briddes I behelde  þat in busches made nestes .
Hadde nere[^a1167] weye[^1146] wit  to worche þe leste .
I hadde wonder at wham  and where þe pie lerned .
To lege stikkes[^a1168][^1147]  in which a[^a1169][^1148] lenth[^a1170] and bredeth[^1149]
Þere is no[^a1171][^1150] wit w[r]i[ȝ]t[^a1172] as I wene  schulde werche hire neste to paye .
If any masoun made a molde þere -to  muche wonder it were .

[^a1167: nere (R) | neuere (All other mss)]

[^a1168: stikkes (R F) | þe stykkes (All beta mss)]

[^a1169: a (R) | she (Bx M W Hm Cr)]

[^a1170: lenth (R) | leythe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1171: is no (R F) | nys (All beta mss)]

[^a1172: wit w[r]i[ȝ]t (R) | wriȝte (Most other mss)]

[^1146: R.11.361: Weye, "person, being, man."]

[^1147: R.11.363: R omits beta's þe after lege, a feature also characteristic of Cx. F revises the entire phrase.]

[^1148: R.11.363: He, "she."]

[^1149: R.11.363: Beta (and presumably Bx) read the b-verse as in whiche she leythe and bredeth. Although F attempts to rationalize the error preserved in R by improvising in lengþe & in breede, R's general conformity to beta here indicates that the error began as a small one in alpha: lenth for original leythe. The alpha form of "she" was probably a, though it is not clear what the R scribe took it to mean.]

[^1150: R.11.364: For alpha's is no (which is shared with Cx), beta has nys, a reading also reflected in a few C witnesses.]

¶ And ȝet me merueyled more  many[^a1173] other[^1151] briddes .
Hudden and heleden  here egges ful derne 
In mareys and mores  for men schulde hem nouȝt fynde .
And hudden here egges  whan þei þere -fro wenten .
For fere of other foules  and for wilde bestes .

[^a1173: many (R) | how many (Most beta mss)]

[^1151: R.11.366: For R's many other, beta reads how many other while F has of manye oþire. Cx agrees with R.]

¶ And somme treden[^a1174][^1152] here makes  and on tres bredde .
And bredde[^a1175][^1153] forth here briddes so  al a-boue þe grounde .
And somme briddes at þe bille  þoruȝ brethynge conseyued .
And somme cauked I toke hede[^a1176][^1154]  how pekokes breden .
Muche merueyled me  what mayster þei hadde .
And who tauȝt hem on trees  to tymbre so hye .
Þere noþer buirn ne best  ne[^a1177] may[^1155] here briddes rechen .

[^a1174: treden (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | troden (Most beta mss)]

[^a1175: bredde (R) | brouȝte(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1176: hede (R) | kepe (All other mss)]

[^a1177: ne (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^1152: R.11.371: For alpha's treden, beta reads a preterite, troden (although Cr2-3 agree with alpha). Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1153: R.11.372: This unique error is introduced as an echo from the previous line; from the evidence of F, it appears that alpha showed a present tense form here, where beta read brouȝten. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1154: R.11.374: R's hede is a unique error; Bx attests the correctly alliterating kepe. In a revised line, Cx's verb agrees with that of the B majority.]

[^1155: R.11.377: R's ne is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

¶ And sitthen I loked vp-on þe se  and so forth vpon þe sterres .
Many selcouthes I seye  beth nauȝt to segge nouthe .

¶ I seiȝ floures of[^a1178][^1156] þe frith  and here faire coloures .
And how amonge þe grene gras  greuȝ so many hewes .
And somme soure and some swete  selcouth me þouȝte .
Of her kende and of[^1157] here coloure  to carpe it were to longe .

[^a1178: of (R) | in (All other mss)]

[^1156: R.11.380: R's of is unique; Bx reads in.]

[^1157: R.11.383: Though R's of is also attested by Cr and Cot, it is clear that beta omitted the repeated preposition. F rephrases the verse.]

¶ Ac þat moste meued me  and my moed chaunged .
Þat reson rewarded  and rewled alle bestes .
Saue man and his make  many tymes[^a1179][^1158] and ofte .
No reson hem folwed  and þanne y rebuked .
Reson . and riȝt til hym  seluen I seyde .
I haue wonder of þe quod I  þat witty art holde .
Whi þow ne schewest[^a1180][^1159] man and his make  þat no misfeith[^1160] hem folwe .

[^a1179: tymes (R F) | tyme (All beta mss)]

[^a1180: schewest (R) | suwest (All beta mss)]

[^1158: R.11.386: For alpha's tymes, beta has tyme and Cx completely revises this line but agrees with alpha in attesting a plural, tymes.]

[^1159: R.11.390: Apparently, alpha failed to understand the meaning of suwest (cf. R11.350), and R reproduces his schewest; F once again improvises with makst.]

[^1160: R.11.390: Bo and Cot appear to share R's reading here (their spelling is mysfaith); cf. F's myschef and beta's mysfait. R's form is probably intended to represent the same word as beta's (= ModEng misdeed); cf. the Introduction III.2.2.10 on evidence for R's occasional use of final <th> as a phonological and morphological equivalent to final <t>.]

¶ And reson arated me  and seyde recche þe nevere .
Whi I suffre or nauȝt suffre  þi-self hast nauȝt to done .
Amende þow it if þow miȝt  for my tyme is to abide .
Suffrance is a souereyne vertue  and a swift veniance
Ho suffreth more þan god quod he  no gome as I leue .
He miȝt amende in a minut while  alle þat mis-stondeth .
Ac he suffreth for somme mannes goed  and so is oure bettere .

¶ Holy writt quod þat weye[^1161]  wisseth[^a1181] men to suffre .[^1162]
Propter deum subiecti estote omni creature
Frenche men and fre men  affeyteth þus her childerne .
Vele [B]ele[^a1182] vertue est soffrance  mal dire est pety veniance
Bien dire et bien soffrer[^a1183]  fait lui soffrant a bien venir
For-þi I rede quod[^a1184] reson  rewle[^a1185] þi tonge bettere[^a1186] .
And ar þow lakke my lyf[^a1187]  loke if þow[^a1188] be to preyse .
For is[^a1189] no creature vnder criste  can formen hym-seluen .
And if a man miȝte make  hym-self goed[^a1190] to þe poeple[^a1191] .
Vch a lif[^a1192] wold be lakles  leue þow non other .
Ne þow[^a1193] schalt fynde but fewe  fayne for to[^a1194] here .
Of here defautes foule[^a1195]  by-for hem[^a1196] rehersed .

[^a1181: wisseth (R) | wyssheþ (F)]

[^a1182: Vele [B]ele (R) | Beele (F)]

[^a1183: soffrer (R) | suffre (F)]

[^a1184: quod (R) | þe (F)]

[^a1185: rewle (R) | þou rewle (F)]

[^a1186: þi tonge bettere (R) | better þy tunge (F)]

[^a1187: lakke my lyf (R) | my lyf lakke (F)]

[^a1188: if þow (R) | þyn (F)]

[^a1189: is (R) | þere is (F)]

[^a1190: hym-self goed (R) | lakles hym-selue (F)]

[^a1191: to þe poeple (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1192: lif (R) | man (F)]

[^a1193: þow (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1194: for to (R) | wolde (F)]

[^a1195: defautes foule (R) | fowle defawtys (F)]

[^a1196: hem (R) | here face (F)]

[^1161: R.11.398: Weye, "person, being, man."]

[^1162: These lines do not appear in the beta manuscripts. They display a large array of differences in F, which is therefore reproduced here in full for comparison (cf. Appendix 1, R11.398-409, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Holy writ quod þat weyȝ / wyssheþ men to suffre. Propter deum  subiecti estote  omni creature. Now wille ȝe leere a tale / was told me in towne. How Frensshe men in France / a-faytyn here childryn. Beele vertue est suffraunce  mal dire est pety vengance. Bien dire & bien suffre  fait lui suffrant a bien venir. For-þy  y rede þe Resoun / þou rewle better þy tunge. & er þou my lyf lakke / looke þyn be to preyse. For þere is no creature vndir criȝst / can formen hym-selue. & yf a man myghte / make lakles hym-selue. Ech man wolde ben lakles / leve þou non oþir. Ne shalt fyȝnde but fewe / fayn wolde heere. Of here fowle defawtys / be-fore here face reersed.]

¶ Þe wise and þe witty  wrot þus in þe bible .
De re quiete que te[^a1197] non molestat nolite[^a1198][^1163] certare .
For be a man faire or foule  it falleth nauȝt for to lakke .
Þe schappe ne þe schafte  þat god schope hym-selue .
For alle þat he wrouȝt[^a1199][^1164] was wel ydo  as holy writ witnesseth .
Et vidit deus cuncta que fecerat et erant valde bona .
And bad to vch a[^a1200][^1165] creature  in his kende encresce .
Alle to murth with man  þat most wo tholieth[^a1201] .
In fondynge of þe flesche  and of þe fende bothe .
For man was made of swich a matere  he may nouȝt wel astert .
Þat[^a1202] sum-tymes[^1166] hym bytit  to folwen his kende .
Catoun acordeth with-al[^a1203][^1167]  nemo sine crimine viuit .

[^a1197: quiete que te (R) | que te (All other mss)]

[^a1198: nolite (R) | noly (All beta mss)]

[^a1199: wrouȝt (R F) | did (All beta mss)]

[^a1200: to vch a (R) | euery (All beta mss)]

[^a1201: tholieth (R O C2 F) | tholye (Most beta mss)]

[^a1202: Þat (R F) | Þat ne (All beta mss)]

[^a1203: with-al (R) | þere-with (Most beta mss)]

[^1163: R.11.411: Beta reads noly while F has non. In a completely revised verse passage homologous with this one, the C version cites this same Latin tag. In that set of witnesses, the predominant reading (attested by copies from both major families, including manuscripts X and P) is beta's, noly. However, a sizeable minority agrees with the form cited by R.]

[^1164: R.11.414: Beta reads did.]

[^1165: R.11.416: Beta's opening phrase for this line is And badde euery; F's phrase is God bad ech.]

[^1166: R.11.420: Though L also attests a plural, F and all other beta copies read sometyme. Among the C witnesses, the X family agrees with F and the beta majority, but a majority of the P family agrees with LR.]

[^1167: R.11.421: For R's with-al, beta has þerewith, while F reads þerto. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Þo cauȝt I colour anon  and comsed to ben a-schamed .
And awaked þere -with  wo was me þanne .
Þat I in meteles ne miȝte  more hauen I-knowe .
And þanne seyde I to my-selue  & chidde þat tyme .
Now I wot what dowel is quod I  by dere god as me þenketh .

¶ And as I cast vp my eyes  on loked on me and asked .
Of me what thynge it were  I-wis sire I seide .[^1168]
To se muche and suffre more  certes quod I is dowel .

[^1168: R.11.428: The red mark between this line and the next is offset from the rubric on fol. 54r.]

¶ Haddest þow suffred he seyde  slepynge þo þow were .
Þow schuldest haue knowe þat clergie can  & conseyued more þoruȝ[^1169] resoun .
For resoun walde haue rehersed þe  riȝt as clergie seyde .
Ac for þin entremetynge  here art þow for-sake .
Philosophus esses si tacuisses .
Adam þe[^a1204] whiles[^1170] he spake nauȝte  hadde paradis at wille .
Ac whan he mameled aboute mete  & entremeted to knowe .
Þe wisdom and þe wit of god  he was put fram þe[^a1205] blisse[^1171] .
And riȝt so ferde reson be þe  þow with rude speche .
Lakkedest and losedest þinge  þat longed nauȝt þe[^a1206][^1172] to[^a1207] done .[^1173]
Þo had he no likynge  for to lere þe more .[^1174]

[^a1204: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1205: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1206: þe (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1207: to (R) | to be (Most beta mss)]

[^1169: R.11.431: An offset stain from the blue initial of Passus 12 on the facing page has partially obscured the <þo> of þoruȝ.]

[^1170: R.11.435: R's þe whiles is a unique reading among the B copies (the rest of which omit þe ). R's phrase may, however, be the original reading since it has the support of the X family of C manuscripts (while the P family agrees with the B majority in omitting þe ).]

[^1171: R.11.437: R's þe is a unique addition to the text here witnessed by Bx. Cx, though slightly revised, agrees with Bx in omitting the determiner.]

[^1172: R.11.439: Beta omits þe.]

[^1173: R.11.439: Between this line and 11.443, at the right margin, a cartoon of a face appears to have been lightly traced and then erased.]

[^1174: Between these lines, there is a tear in the parchment.]

¶ Pruide now and presumpcion  per-auenture wol þe apele .
Þat clergie in[^a1208][^1175] þi companie  ne kepeth nauȝt efte[^a1209] to sitte[^a1210][^1176]
For[^a1211][^1177] schal neuer chalenginge ne chidynge  chaste a man so sone .
He[^a1212][^1178] schal schame and schenden hym  and schapen hym to amende .
For lat a dronken daffe  in a dike falle 
Lat hym ligge loke nauȝt on hym  til hym list to rise .
For þouȝ resoun rebuked hym þanne  reccheth hym neuere[^a1213] .[^1179]
Of clergie ne of his conseil  he counteth nouȝt a rusche .
Or[^a1214][^1180] for to bete hym þanne[^a1215]  it were but pure synne .
Ac whan nede nymeth hym vp  for doute lest he sterue .
And schame schrapeth his clothes  and his schynes wascheth .
Þanne wote þe dronken daffe  where -fore he is to blame .

[^a1208: in (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1209: efte (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1210: sitte (R F) | sue (Most beta mss)]

[^a1211: For (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1212: He (R) | As (All beta mss)]

[^a1213: reccheth hym neuere (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1214: Or (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1215: to bete hym þanne (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1175: R.11.442: Beta omits alpha's in.]

[^1176: R.11.442: Beta omits alpha's efte. Alpha's sitte suggests again that he did not understand the meaning of Bx's sue. Cf. R.11.350: and .]

[^1177: R.11.443: Beta omits For. However, Cx attests its presence.]

[^1178: R.11.444: Once again, R's apparently unique error (He for original As) probably mirrors the same mistake in alpha, with F attempting a correction (Þan).]

[^1179: Beta omits this passage through eyeskip caused by the recurring midline phrase hym þanne.]

[^1180: R.11.449: R's Or is unique; F omits it, while beta omits the entire phrase that begins this a-verse. However, Cx concurs with R on the presence of this conjunction.]

¶ Ȝe seggen soth by my soule[^a1216][^1181] quod I  ich haue Iseyen it ofte .
Þere smit non[^a1217][^1182] so smerte  ne smuilleth[^1183] so foule[^a1218][^1184] .
As schame þere he scheweth hym  no man loueth his felachippe[^a1219] .[^1185]
Whi ȝe wisse me þus quod I  was for I rebuked resoun .

[^a1216: by my soule (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1217: non (R) | no þinge (Most beta mss)]

[^a1218: foule (R) | soure (Most beta mss)]

[^a1219: no man loueth his felachippe (R F) | for euery man hym shonyeth (Most beta mss)]

[^1181: R.11.453: Beta omits alpha's by my soule. Cx, however, includes the phrase.]

[^1182: R.11.454: F reads no man; beta has no þinge. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1183: R.11.454: The <s> was inserted later in a darker ink and a contemporary hand, probably that of the scribe.]

[^1184: R.11.454: F and some beta copies read sore here; most beta copies have soure. Cx, however, agrees with R's foule.]

[^1185: R.11.455: Beta reads the b-verse as for euery man hym shonyeth.]

¶ Certes quod I[^a1220] þat is soth  and schope hym for to waken wa[l]ken .
And I aros vp riȝt with þat  and folewed hym after .
And preied hym of his curteysie  to telle me his name .

[^a1220: I (R) | he (All other mss)]

Passus xjus x[i]jus undecimus [duo]decimus de visione vt supra — — —

I am ymaginatif quod he  Idel was I neuere .
Þouȝ I sit be my-selue  in seknesse ne in helthe .
I haue folewed þe in faith  þis fyue and forty wynter .
And many tymes haue meued þe  to þenke on þin ende .
And howe fele ferneres be[^a1221][^1186] faren  and so fewe to comen .
And of þi wilde wantounesse  þo þow ȝonge were .
To amenden it in þi myddel age  lest miȝt þe faile .
In þin olde eelde  þat euel can suffre .
Pouerte or penaunce  or preieres bidde .
Si non in prima vigilia nec in secunda . &cetera .
Amende þe ye [][^a1222][^1187] while þow miȝt  þow hast ben warned ofte .
With powstes of penaunce[^a1223][^1188]  with pouerte & with angres .[^1189]
And with þis bittere baleyses  god beteth his dere children .
Quem diligo castigo  —[^1190]
Al-þouȝ þow strike me with þi staf  with stikke or with ȝerde .
It is but murth as for me  to amende my soule .
And þow medlest þe with makynge[^a1224][^1191]  and miȝtest go sey þi sauter .
And bidde for hem þat ȝiueth þe brede  for þere are bokes Inowe .
To telle men what dowel is  dobet and dobest bothe .
And prechoures to preue what it is  of many a peire freres .

[^a1221: ferneres be (R) | fernȝeres are (Most beta mss)]

[^a1222: ye [] (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1223: penaunce (R) | pestilences (Most beta mss)]

[^a1224: makynge (R M F) | makynges (Most beta mss)]

[^1186: R.12.5: Beta has fernȝeres are; F omits the line.]

[^1187: R.12.11: R's ye is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

[^1188: R.12.12: F shows a plural, penances. Beta reads pestilences.]

[^1189: R.12.12: The page is split horizontally for a space of about 3.8 cm. here, along the length of the b-verse.]

[^1190: R.12.14: Alpha omits two lines attested in beta at this point (KD12.13-13α): And dauid in þe sauter seith of suche þat loueth Ihesus Virga tua & baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt &c.]

[^1191: R.12.17: Though M supports alpha's singular, the other beta copies read makynges or mastryes.]

¶ I seiȝ wel he seide me soth  ac[^a1225][^1192] somwhat me to excuse .
And[^a1226][^1193] seide catoun conforted his sone  þat clerk þouȝ he were
To solasen hym sum -tyme  and[^a1227][^1194] I do whan ich make .
Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis .
And[^1195] holy men I here[^a1228] quod I  how þei otherwile .
Pleiden þe parfiter  to be in many a place[^a1229] .[^1196]
Ȝif[^a1230][^1197] þere were any wit[^a1231][^1198]  þat wolde me telle .
What were dowel and do-bet  and dobest atte laste .
Wold I neuer do werke  but wende to holy cherche .
And þere bidde my bedes  but whan ich eet or slepe .

[^a1225: ac (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a1226: And (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1227: and (R F) | as (All beta mss)]

[^a1228: here (R F) | herde (All beta mss)]

[^a1229: a place (R) | places (All beta mss)]

[^a1230: Ȝif (R) | Ac if (Most beta mss)]

[^a1231: wit (R) | wight (Most other mss)]

[^1192: R.12.21: This is a unique reading in R; all the other manuscripts have and.]

[^1193: R.12.22: Alpha seems to have been uncomfortable with the enjambment of Bx here, but alpha's extra conjunction (And), instead of smoothing, actually breaks the syntactic pattern of the statement.]

[^1194: R.12.23: R's and is shared uniquely with F, but F rewrites the following half-line completely; beta has as.]

[^1195: R.12.25: Most other B manuscripts here read, of holy men; R shares the omission of the preposition with Hm (and, originally, with C) by convergence.]

[^1196: R.12.26: For R's a place, beta has places. Both versions of the b-verse are obviously corrupt, causing F to rewrite it totally: in here prayeres after.]

[^1197: R.12.27: The evidence of both beta and F indicates that R has here dropped a word; F begins the line Nou if, while beta begins it Ac if.]

[^1198: R.12.27: This is a unique form in R; most of the other manuscripts have wight. However, R's wit probably does not represent a substantive difference from the majority reading. OED2, s. v. wight, documents wyt(e) for the fifteenth century and wite for the fourteenth century as variant spellings of wight. MED, s. v. wight, also lists wit(e) as a variant spelling but offers only one example, from the thirteenth century.]

¶ With[^a1232] poule in his pistles[^a1233][^1199] quod he  preueth what is dowel .
Fides . spes . caritas[^a1234][^1200] maior[^a1235][^1201] &cetera .
Feith hope and charite [^1202] alle[^a1236] ben goed .
And sauen men sundri tymes  ac non so sone as charite .
For he doth wel with-outen doute  þat doth as leute techeth .
Þat is if þow be man maried  þi make þow louye .
[^1203] Liue[^a1237] forth as lawe wole  þe[^a1238][^1204] while ȝe lyue bothe .
Riȝt so if þow be religiouse  ren þow neuere ferther .
To rome ne to roche-madour  but as þi reule techeth .
And holde þe vnder obedience  þat heiȝ waye is to heuene .[^1205]

[^a1232: With (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1233: pistles (R) | pistle (Most other mss)]

[^a1234: caritas (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | caritas & (Most beta mss)]

[^a1235: maior (R) | maior horum (Most other mss)]

[^a1236: alle (R F) | and alle (All beta mss)]

[^a1237: Liue (R) | And lyue (Most other mss)]

[^a1238: þe (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1199: R.12.31: R is unique in reading the plural pistles, but the serious error of this line, the addition of the preposition With at line head, must reflect a problem in alpha, since F's See Poulis also reads Paul's name as the line's second word.]

[^1200: R.12.32: Beta adds & before maior.]

[^1201: R.12.32: R uniquely omits a final word from this tag: horum.]

[^1202: R.12.33: Reflecting the difference with alpha in the Latin citation from the previous line, beta has and before alle.]

[^1203: R.12.37: R uniquely omits the conjunction And at line head.]

[^1204: R.12.37: R's þe is shared exclusively with F and omitted by beta.]

[^1205: R.12.40: A new strophe is marked by the usual cc in the margin next to R12.41, but the scribe did not skip a line between 12.40 and 41. This is frequently his habit when the last line of a page begins a new paragraph.]

¶ And if þow be mayde &[^a1239] to[^1206] marie  and miȝt wel contynewe .
Seke þow nere seynt forther  for no soule helthe .
For what made lucifer  to lese þe heiȝ heuene .
Or salomon his sapience  other[^a1240][^1207] sampson his strengthe .
Iob þe iewe his ioye  dere he it abouȝte .
Aristotel and other mo  Ipocras and virgil .
Alisandre þat alle wan  elengeliche ended .
Catel and kende wit  was combraunce to hem alle .
Felice hire fairenesse  fel hire alle to sclaundre .
And rosamound riȝt so  reufulliche besette .
Þe beaute of hire body  in badd vse[^a1241][^1208] despended[^a1242] .
Of many suche men[^a1243] may I[^a1244][^1209] rede  of men & of wommen
Þat wise wordes wolde schewe  and werchen þe contrarie
Sunt homines nequam bene de virtute loquentes .
And riche renkes riȝt so  gaderen and sparen .
And þo men þat þei moste haten  minstren it atte laste .
And for þei soffren and see  so many nedy folkes .
And loue hem nauȝt as oure lorde bit  lesen ȝoure[^a1245][^1210] soules .
Date et dabitur vobis  .
So[^a1246] catel and kende[^a1247] wit  acombreth ful many .[^1211]
Wo is hym þat hem weldeth  but if[^a1248] he hem wil[^a1249][^1212] despende .
Scienti[^a1250] &[^a1251] non facienti varijs flagellis vapulabit .
Sapience seith þe boke[^a1252][^1213]  swelleth a mannes soule .
Sapiencia[^a1253] inflat . &cetera[^a1254] .
And richesse riȝt so  but if þe rote be trewe .
Ac grace is a grace[^a1255][^1214] þerefore[^a1256][^1215]  þo greuaunces to abate .
growith
Ac grace ne greueth[^1216] nauȝt  but amonges lowe .
Of[^a1257] pacience[^1217] and pouerte  þe place is þere it groweth .
And in lele lyuynge men  and in lif-holy .
And þurȝ gifte[^a1258][^1218] of þe holy goste  as þe gospel telleth .
Spiritus vbi wlt spirat . &cetera .
Clergie and kende wit  cometh of siȝte and techynge .
As þe boke bereth witnesse  to barnes þat can rede .
Quod scimus loquimur quod vidimus testamur .
Of quod scimus cometh clergie  a[^a1259] cunnynge of heuene .
And of quod vidimus cometh kende wit  of siȝte of diuerse poeple .
Ac grace is a gifte of god  & of grete loue springeth .
Knewe neuere clerke how it cometh forth  ne kend wit his[^a1260][^1219] weyes .
Nescit aliquis vnde venit aut quo vadit[^a1261] 
Ac ȝet is clergie to comende  and kende wit bothe .
And nameliche clergie for cristes loue  þat of clergie is rote .
For moyses witnesseth þat god wrote  for to wise þe poeple .
In þe olde lawe as þe lettre telleth [^1220] was þe lawe of iewes .
Þat what womman were in deuoutrie[^a1262][^1221] taken  were he[^a1263][^1222] riche or pore .
With stones men schulde hire striken  and stonen hire to dede[^a1264] .[^1223]
Ac crist of his curteisie  and[^a1265][^1224] þoruȝ clergie hire saued .
For þoruȝ cristes carectus[^a1266][^1225]  þe iewes knewe hem-seluen .
Gultier as afor god  and gretter in synne .
Þanne þe womman þat þere was  and wenten aweye for schame .
Þe clergie þat þere was  conforted þe womman .
Holi cherche[^a1267][^1226] knoweth þis  þat cristes writynge saued .
So clergie is conforte  to creatures þat repenten .
And to mansed men  mischief at here ende .

[^a1239: mayde & (R) | mayden (All beta mss)]

[^a1240: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^a1241: badd vse (R F) | badnesse (All beta mss)]

[^a1242: despended (R F) | she dispended (Most beta mss)]

[^a1243: men (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1244: may I (R) | I may (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a1245: ȝoure (R) | her (All beta mss)]

[^a1246: So (R) | & þerfore (F)]

[^a1247: kende (R) | vnkynde (F)]

[^a1248: if (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1249: wil (R) | wel (F)]

[^a1250: Scienti (R) | Cienti (F)]

[^a1251: & (R) | bonum & (F)]

[^a1252: Sapience seith þe boke (R) | þe book seiþ þat sapyence (F)]

[^a1253: Sapiencia (R) | apiencia (F)]

[^a1254: &cetera (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1255: grace (R) | grasse (Most beta mss)]

[^a1256: þerefore (R F) | þer-of (All beta mss)]

[^a1257: Of (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1258: gifte (R) | þe gyfte (All beta mss)]

[^a1259: a (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1260: wit his (R) | witte þe (All beta mss)]

[^a1261: vadit (R Cr C B F) | vadit &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a1262: deuoutrie (R) | auoutrie (All other mss)]

[^a1263: he (R) | she (Beta M W)]

[^a1264: dede (R) | deth (All other mss)]

[^a1265: and (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1266: cristes carectus (R F) | carectus þat cryst wrot (Most beta mss)]

[^a1267: cherche (R Hm B F) | kirke (Most beta mss)]

[^1206: R.12.41:: Beta reads maiden to for R's mayde & to; F's Mayde meeke & confirms that alpha also read mayde.]

[^1207: R.12.44: R's other is unique; F and beta read or.]

[^1208: R.12.51: For alpha's badd vse, beta has badnesse she.]

[^1209: R.12.52: R's men is a unique addition to the text of Bx. Beta transposes alpha's phrase, may I, to I may / myght.]

[^1210: R.12.58: For R's ȝoure (a unique reading), F reads here owen and beta has her.]

[^1211: The first half-line in R (12.60a) differs considerably from the text of F, which reads & þerfore catel & vnkynde wit. The beta manuscripts entirely omit R12.60 (= KD12.55) and the four following lines. The C manuscripts include the first three of these alpha lines.]

[^1212: R.12.61: R's wil probably signifies the same adverbial here as F's wel. Cf. R.11.136:.]

[^1213: R.12.63: R's a-verse phrasing differs markedly from F's, which reads Þe book seiþ þat sapyence.]

[^1214: R.12.66: R's redundancy appears to derive from alpha; F notices the problem but his grate simply substitutes nonsense for the original error. Beta agrees with Cx, reading grasse.]

[^1215: R.12.66: R's þerefore is shared exclusively with F; beta has þerof. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1216: R.12.67: Hand2 has supplied the appropriate reading in the right margin, implying that greueth should be cancelled, but the original reading was never marked as cancelled, either by striking through or by subpuncting.]

[^1217: R.12.68: Of is a unique reading in R; F omits the entire line, and beta begins the line with Pacience.]

[^1218: R.12.70: Before gifte, R uniquely omits a determiner; F has þat while beta has þe.]

[^1219: R.12.78: F reads the possessive as witys for R's wit his. Beta has witte þe.]

[^1220: R.12.83: Manuscript G reads the opening of the b-verse exactly as R does, but beta shows þat was at the head of the b-verse; F rewrites the entire b-verse, reading þe lawe so was to þe Iewis.]

[^1221: R.12.84: R's form is unique here (beta and F attest auoutrie). But cf. KD 2.176, where R's deuoutrie is accepted for alliterative reasons over the beta reading, auoutrie. Since F agrees with R at this point, and since the same base form shows as archetypal at C2.187 (deuoutours), there seems no reason to doubt that it represents an example of contemporary usage. MED, s. v. devoutrie, and OED2, s. v. devoutour, both cite only Piers Plowman, labelling the form as a variation / corruption of auoutrie.]

[^1222: R.12.84: R's form for the third-person singular feminine pronoun here is the one commonly preferred by this scribe and is, as usual, unique. F and beta agree on she.]

[^1223: R.12.85: R's to dede is unique but not ungrammatical or substantially different in meaning from the other B manuscripts, which read to deth. Cf. R.3.262: (KD3.267), where R's phrasing is paralleled by many beta manuscripts: brenne hem to dede. Alpha omits the following line from Bx: A womman as we fynden was gulty of þat dede.]

[^1224: R.12.86: R's and is unique; beta omits the conjunction while F completely rewrites the b-verse.]

[^1225: R.12.87: For alpha's cristes carectus, beta reads carectus þat cryst wrot .]

[^1226: R.12.91: Though Hm and B agree with alpha's cherche, beta itself here reads kirke.]

¶ For godes body miȝte nouȝt be of brede  withoute clergie .
Þe whiche body is bothe  bote to þe riȝtful .
And deth and dampnacioun  to hem þat deyeth euele .
Ac[^a1268][^1227] cristes carette conforted  and bothe coupable schewed .
Þe womman þat iewes bouȝte b[r]ouȝte[^a1269]  þat ihesus þouȝte to saue .
Nolite iudicare & non iudicabimini . &cetera .
Riȝt so godes body bretheren  but it be worthily taken .
Dampned[^1228] vs at þe day of dome  as dede þe carette[^a1270][^1229] þe iewes .
For-þi I conseile þe for cristes sake  clergie þat þow louye .
For kende wit is of his kyn  and neyȝ cosynes bothe .
To oure lorde leue me  for-þi loue hem I rede .
For bothe beth as miroures  to amenden oure defautes .
And lederes for lewed men  and for letterred bothe .
For-thi lakke þow neuere logike lawe  ne his custumes .
Ne countreplede clerkes  I conseile þe for euere .
For as a man may nauȝt se  þat misseth his siȝtes[^a1271] .[^1230][^1231]
Na more can no clerke  but if he cauȝte it furst þorȝ bokes .
Al-þouȝ men made bokes  god was þe mayster
And seynt spiriȝt þe saumplarie  & seyde what man[^a1272][^1232] scholde write .
And riȝt as siȝt serueth a man  to se þe heye strete .
Riȝt so lereth[^a1273][^1233] letterure  lewed men to reson .
And as a blinde man in bataile  bere[^a1274][^1234] wepne to fiȝte .
And hath no happe with his ax  his enemy to hitte .
Na more can a kende wedded[^a1275] man[^1235]  but clerkes hym teche .
Come for al his kende wit  to cristendom and be saued .
Whiche is þe coffre of cristes tresor  and clerkes ke pe[^1236] þe keyes .
To vnlouken it at her likynge  and to þe lewed poeple .
For[^a1276][^1237] mercy for her mysdedes  if men it wole aske .
Buxumliche & benigneliche  and bidden it as[^a1277][^1238] grace .

[^a1268: Ac (R) | As (Most beta mss)]

[^a1269: bouȝte b[r]ouȝte (R) | brouȝte (All other mss)]

[^a1270: dede þe carette (R F) | þe carectes dide(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a1271: siȝtes (R) | syghte (F) | eyghen (All beta mss)]

[^a1272: man (R O C2 F) | men (Most beta mss)]

[^a1273: lereth (R F) | ledeth (All beta mss)]

[^a1274: bere (R) | bereth (All other mss)]

[^a1275: wedded (R) | witted (Most beta mss)]

[^a1276: For (R) | Ȝyue (Most beta mss)]

[^a1277: as (R) | of (All other mss)]

[^1227: R.12.97: R's Ac is unique; cf. F's But and beta's As.]

[^1228: R.12.101: Although Y supports R's preterite, F and beta attest Dampneth. But the Introduction III.2.2.10 on the R scribe's anomalous tense marking.]

[^1229: R.12.101: Beta transposes alpha's phrase and pluralizes the noun: þe carectes dede.]

[^1230: R.12.109: Beta reads eyghen, which is also the reading of Cx; F has the singular syghte.]

[^1231: R.12.109: The final <s> of siȝtes appears to have been written over an erasure; it is, moreover, the tall <s>, which this scribe almost never deploys in word terminal position (cf. the same word at R12.146). Its form also seems abbreviated, with the descender entirely absent. Nevertheless, the ink appears indistinguishable from that used by the scribal hand.]

[^1232: R.12.112: With the exception of OC2, which agree with alpha, the beta manuscripts here show men. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1233: R.12.114: Beta has ledeth at this point. Cx, however, agrees with alpha.]

[^1234: R.12.115: R's verb form is unique; Bx and Cx read bereth.]

[^1235: R.12.117: R's almost nonsensical kende wedded man (in place of beta's kyndewitted man) reflects alpha corruption, while F's omitting kynde and substituting lewid man represents an attempt to make sense of the half-line.]

[^1236: R.12.119: Either the scribe or an early reader caught an error here (kene for kepe) and added a light descender in the same ink as that of the scribe. The shape of the descender matches that of the scribe's authentic <p>.]

[^1237: R.12.121: R is clearly defective here syntactically; but F's grammar seems equally elliptical, and one must conclude that both are responding to some confusion in alpha. Once again, the source of confusion may lie in the fact that this line is enjambed from the previous one. Cf. R's For and F's completely different & graunteþ to beta's Ȝyue. At this point C supports beta, reading To ȝeue.]

[^1238: R.12.122: R's as is unique; Bx and Cx have of.]

¶ Archa dei in þe holde lawe  leuites it kepten .
Hadde neuere lewed man leue  to leggen honde on þat cheste .
But he were preste or prestes sone  patriark or prophete .

¶ Saul for he sacrifised[^a1278]  sorwe hym be-tydde .[^1239]
And his sones al-so  for þat synne myscheued .
And many mo other men  þat were no leuites .
Þat with archa dei ȝeden[^a1279]  in reuerence and in worchippe[^a1280] .
And leyden honde þer -on to liften[^a1281] it vp  and loren her lif after .
For-þi I conseil alle creatures  no clergie to[^a1282] dispise .
nota
Ne sette schorte[^a1283] be here science  what-so þei don hem-selue .
Take we[^a1284] her wordes at worthe  for[^a1285] here witnesse[^a1286] be trewe .
And ne medle we[^a1287] nauȝt muche with hem  to meuen any[^a1288] wrathe .
Lest cheste[^a1289] chasen vs[^a1290]  to choppe vche man[^a1291] other .
Nolite[^a1292] tangere christos meos  &cetera[^a1293] .

[^a1278: he sacrifised (R) | his mys-sacrifyse (F)]

[^a1279: ȝeden (R) | wentyn (F)]

[^a1280: in reuerence and in worchippe (R) | with worchepeful reuerencis (F)]

[^a1281: leyden honde þer -on to liften (R) | leyde on hond & lyfte (F)]

[^a1282: to (R) | ȝee (F)]

[^a1283: sette schorte (R) | settiþ lyght (F)]

[^a1284: we (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1285: for (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1286: witnesse (R) | wytnesses (F)]

[^a1287: ne medle we (R) | medle (F)]

[^a1288: meuen any (R) | neve hen to (F)]

[^a1289: cheste (R) | Charyte (F)]

[^a1290: chasen vs (R) | be chased owt (F)]

[^a1291: to choppe vche man (R) | þan ech man choppith (F)]

[^a1292: Nolite (R) | Olite (F)]

[^a1293: &cetera (R) | nil (F)]

[^1239: These lines are omitted by the beta manuscripts. F's rendering of these lines is sufficiently different from R's that F's lines should be cited here in their entirety (cf. Appendix 1, R12.126-36, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Saul for his mys-sacrifyse / sorwe hym by-tydde. & hise sones also / for þat synne myschevedyn & manye mo oþire men / þat weryn none levites. þat with archa dei wentyn / with worchepeful reuerencis. & leyde on hond / & lyfte it vp / & lurn here lyf after. For-þy ; y conseyle alle creatures / no clergye ȝee dispise. Ne settiþ lyght be here scyence / what so þei do hem-selue. Tak here wordis at worþ / here wytnesses be trewe. & medle not meche with hem / to meve hem to wratthe. Leest Charyte be chased owt / þan ech man choppeth oþir. [N]olite tangere Cristos meos.]

¶ For clergie is kynge and[^a1294] kepere[^1240]  vnder crist of heuene .
Was þer neuere no kniȝt  but clergie hym made .
Ac kende wit cometh  of al kynnes siȝtes .
Of brriddes briddes & of bestes  of tastes of treuthe  & of deseytes .

[^a1294: kynge and (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1240: R.12.137: For alpha's compounded phrase, beta reads simply kepere. Alpha's exact reading here is uncertain; cf. F's keye & kepere.]

¶ Liueres to-foren vs  vsede to make[^a1295] .[^1241]
Þe selcouþes þat þei seye  here sones for to teche .
And helden it an heiȝ science  here wittes to knowe .
Ac þoruȝ here science sothely  was neuere no soule saued .
Ne bouȝte[^a1296][^1242] be here bokes  to blisse ne to ioye .
For alle her kende knowynges  cam but of diuerse siȝtes 
Patriarkes and prophetes  repreueth[^a1297][^1243] here science .
And seide here wordes ne here wisdome[^a1298][^1244]  was[^a1299] but a folie .
As to þe clergie of criste  counted it but a trefle .
Sapiencia huius mundi stulticia apud .[^1245] &cetera .[^1246]

[^a1295: make (R Cr F) | marke (Most beta mss)]

[^a1296: bouȝte (R F) | brouȝte (All beta mss)]

[^a1297: repreueth (R B F) | repreued (Most beta mss)]

[^a1298: wisdome (R) | wisdomes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1299: was (R Cr) | nas (Most beta mss)]

[^1241: R.12.141: Alpha and Cr read make, which makes no sense; cf. beta's marke.]

[^1242: R.12.145: The error here, bouȝte for brouȝte, is found in both R and F and derives from alpha.]

[^1243: R.12.147: R's repreueth is unique; F has a different form of the plural with repreven, while beta reads repreued(en). Though two C copies affirm a present-tense verb here, it is obvious that Cx agrees with beta's preterite. R's tense marking may not, however, represent a difference of intention from beta's. Cf. the Introduction III.2.2.10.]

[^1244: R.12.148: Beta has the plural wisdomes; F reads scyence. Though four C copies support R's singular, the vast majority of C manuscripts agrees with beta.]

[^1245: R.12.150: One might construe R's script at the end of this citation as agreeing with the other witnesses if <ap> were taken as ap(ud) and <d>+backslash were seen as an abbreviation for d(eum). Neither Kane-Donaldson nor I read it that way, however. The R scribe never elsewhere uses such an abbreviation for deum and, in fact, no such abbreviation is recognized by Capelli (Dizionario di Abbreviature latine ed italiane) nor by Walther ( Lexicon Diplomaticum ). Instead R customarily spells the form as deu(m) (six times out of seven—the seventh form is d(eu)m). Moreover, Capelli recognizes the actual form written by R, apd , as a late fourteenth-century form for apud.]

[^1246: R.12.150: Here alpha omits eleven lines present in beta (and also found in a revised form in Cx): For þe heihe holigoste heuene shal to-cleue And loue shal lepe out after into þis lowe erthe And clennesse shal cacchen it and clerkes shullen it fynde Pastores loquebantur ad inuicem He speketh þere of riche men riȝt nouȝt ne of riȝt witty Ne of lordes þat were lewed men but of þe hexte lettred oute Ibant magi ab oriente &c. If any frere were founde þere Ich ȝif þe fyue shillynges Ne in none beggares cote was þat barne borne But in a burgeys place of bethlem þe best Set non erat ei locus in diuersorio & pauper non habet diuersorium.]

¶ To pastoures and to poetes  appered an[^a1300][^1247] angel .
And bad hem go to bthlem b[e]thlem[^a1301]  godes burthe to honoure .
And syngen[^a1302][^1248] a songe of solace  gloria in excelsis deo .

[^a1300: an (R F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1301: bthlem b[e]thlem (R) | bethlem (All other mss)]

[^a1302: syngen (R) | songe(n) (Most other mss)]

[^1247: R.12.151: Beta has þe in place of alpha's an. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1248: R.12.153: R's infinitive (or present tense) syngen is unique among the B copies; F and beta have song(en). However, the C manuscripts are divided by major groups on this reading, with the X family supporting F/beta while the P family agrees with R.]

¶ Riche men rutte[^a1303] þo  and[^a1304] in here reste were .[^1249]
Þo it schon to schepherdes[^a1305][^1250]  a schewer of blisse .
And[^a1306][^1251] clerkes knewe it wel  and comen with here presentes .
And deden here homage honourabely  to hym þat was almiȝti .[^1252]
Whi I haue tolde þe al þis  I toke ful gode hede .
How þow contrariedest clergie  with crabbed wordes .
How þat lewed men liȝtloker  þan lettred were Isaued[^a1307] .
Þan clerkes or kende witted men  of cristen poeple .

[^a1303: rutte (R) | rowhted (F)]

[^a1304: and (R) | þat (F)]

[^a1305: Þo it schon to schepherdes (R) | whan to shepperdis a sterre shon (F)]

[^a1306: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1307: Isaued (R) | saued (All other mss)]

[^1249: These lines are not found in beta.]

[^1250: R.12.155: R and F differ here (F = Whan to shepperdis a sterre shon), but R's version of this phrase agrees with that found in the C manuscripts.]

[^1251: R.12.156: Beta omits And. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1252: R.12.157: There is red offset from R12.91 (fol. 57r) partially covering the last word of this line.]

¶ And þow seydest soth of somme  ac se in whanere[^a1308] .[^1253]
Take to stronge men  and in temese caste hem .
And bothe naked as a nedele  her non siker[^1254] þan other .
Þat on hath cunnynge and can  swymmen and driuen diuen[^a1309] .
Þat other is lewed of þat labour  lerned neuere swymme .
Which trowest þow of þo to  in temese is in moste drede .
He þat neuere dyued  ne nauȝt can of swymmynge .
Or þe swymmer þat is saf  be so hym-self like .
Þere his felawe flet forth  as þe flode liketh .
And is in drede to drenche  þat neuere dede swymme .[^1255]

[^a1308: whanere (R) | what manere (All beta mss)]

[^a1309: driuen diuen (R) | dyue(n) (All other mss)]

[^1253: R.12.162: The correct reading is beta's what manere; R here presumably mirrors a loss of text in alpha while F (an ensample) attempts to guess at a suitable correction.]

[^1254: R.12.164: Most beta witnesses read sikerer, but L agrees with R's form (as did M until "corrected" into conformity with the CrW family).]

[^1255: R.12.171: Immediately hereafter, alpha omitted a line found in beta: Þat swymme can nouȝt I seide it semeth to my wittes.]

¶ Riȝt so quod þe renke  reson it scheweth .
Þat he þat knoweth clergie  can sannore[^a1310][^1256] arise .
Out of synne and he[^1257] be safe  þouȝ he senege[^a1311][^1258] ofte .
If hym liketh and leste  þan any lewed lelly .
For if þe clerke be cunnynge  he knoweth what is synne .
And how contricion with-outen confession  conforteth þe soule .
As þow seest in þe sauter  in psalme[^a1312] on or tweyne .[^1259]
How contricion is comended  for it caccheth a-weye synne .
Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates  & quorum tecta sunt peccata[^a1313] .[^1260]
And þis conforteth vch a clerke  and kenneth[^a1314][^1261] hym fram wanhope .
In which floed þe fende  fondeth a man hardest .
Þere þe lewed lith stille  and loketh after lente .
And hath no contricion ar he come to schrifte  and can[^a1315][^1262] he litel telle .
And as his lores-man  lereth hym  byleueth and troweth .
And þat is after person or parisch preste  and par-auenter bothe[^a1316] .[^1263]
Vnkunnynge to lere lewed men  as luk bereth witnesse .
Dum cecus ducit cecum  &cetera .[^1264]

[^a1310: sannore (R) | sonner (All other mss)]

[^a1311: senege (R) | synne (All other mss)]

[^a1312: psalme (R L F) | psalmes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1313: peccata (R Hm F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1314: kenneth (R F) | keuereth (All beta mss)]

[^a1315: and can (R) | & þanne can (Most beta mss)]

[^a1316: bothe (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1256: R.12.173: Sannore, "sooner," <OE sāna. This form appears in the Z text and it, sanere, and sannour appear in the C version. See Joseph S. Wittig, Piers Plowman: Concordance. Will's Visions of Piers Plowman, Do-Well, do-better and do-best: A Lemmatized Analysis of the English Vocabulary of the A, B and C Versions as Presented in the Athlone Editions, with Supplementary Concordances of the Latin and French Macaronics. (London and New York: Athlone Press, 2001), s. v. soone, p. 609.]

[^1257: R.12.174: Though Cr agrees with R's reading, beta omits he (F rewrites the entire phrase as to be saf). Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1258: R.12.174: R's unique senege is not an error but, according to OED2, s. v. sin and MED, s. v. sinnen, a legitimate thirteenth and fourteenth-century variant for sin. Cx shows the same form as R at this point. Cf. similar forms at R.17.242: and .]

[^1259: R.12.178: At the top right margin of this page, there is a smudged word written in black, beginning with what may be a <D>.]

[^1260: R.12.180: Though Hm supports alpha, beta itself omits the last word of this citation, peccata.]

[^1261: R.12.181: The beta reading is also that of Cx.]

[^1262: R.12.184: R's phrase manifests a unique omission; cf. F's for þereof ne can and beta's & þanne can. Although the C copies show a number of variations here, the predominant reading is that of beta.]

[^1263: R.12.186: Beta omits bothe. There appears to have been a line-division problem at this point in Bx, and Kane-Donaldson recast the first word of the next line of Bx (Vnconnynge) as the final stave word of this line.]

[^1264: R.12.188: Hereafter alpha omits a line found in beta: Wo was hym marked þat wade mote with þe lewed.]

nota /
¶ Wel may þe barne blisse  þat hym sette to scole[^a1317] .[^1265]
Þat lyuynge after lettrure  saued hym lif and soule .
Dominus pars hereditatis mee  is a mery verseit .
Þat hath take fro tyburne  twenty stronge theues .
Þere lewed theues ben lolled vp  loke how þei ben saued .
Þe thef þat hadde grace of god  a gode friday as þu speke .[^1266]
Was for he ȝelde hym recreant[^1267] to crist  & vpon a cros[^a1318][^1268] knowleched[^a1319][^1269] gulty .[^1270]
Þat buxumliche biddeth it  and ben in wille to amenden hem .

[^a1317: sette to scole (R) | to boke sette (All beta mss)]

[^a1318: & vpon a cros (R) | on þe crosse & (Most beta mss)]

[^a1319: knowleched (R) | knewleched hym (Most other mss)]

[^1265: R.12.189: F reads this b-verse as þat sette hym fyrst to skole. Beta has þat hym to boke sette. The beta reading, which alliterates correctly, is also that of Cx.]

[^1266: R.12.194: A black ink blot intervenes between the final word of this line and the punctus.]

[^1267: R.12.195: M here agrees with R on the stave word (recreant), but the beta majority's reading, supported by Cx, is creaunt. F omits the term entirely.]

[^1268: R.12.195: In place of R's vpon a cros, beta has on þe crosse &. F omits the entire phrase. Though the end of the b-verse is different in C, its version of this line parallels B up to this point and reads Was for A ȝeld hym creaunt to crist.]

[^1269: R.12.195: R uniquely omits hym before gulty.]

[^1270: R.12.195: Hereafter alpha omits a line preserved in beta: And grace axed of god and he is euer redy.]

¶ Ac þouȝ þat thef hadde heuene  he hadde non heiȝ[^1271] blisse .
As Seint Iohan and other seintes  þat asserued[^1272] hadde bettere .
Riȝt as som man ȝeue me[^1273] mete  and sette me amydde þe flore .
Ich haue mete more þan I-now  ac nauȝt so muche worchipe
As þo þat sitten at þe side table  or with þe souereynes of þe halle .
But sitte as a beggere bordeles  by my-self on þe grounde .
So it fareth be þat feloun  þat a god friday was saued 
He sitt noither with Iohan[^a1320]  ne[^a1321][^1274] Symond ne Iude .
Ne with maidenes ne with martires  ne[^a1322][^1275] confessoures ne widewes .
But be hym-self as a soleine  and serued on þe erthe .
For he þat is ones a thef  is euermore in daunger .
And as lawe liketh  to lyue or to deye[^1276] .
De peccato propiciato noli esse sine metu .
And forto seruen a seynt  and suche a thef to-gyderes .
It were nother reson ne riȝt  to rewarde[^a1323][^1277] bothe I-liche .
And riȝt as troianus þe trewe kniȝt  tilde nauȝt depe in helle
Þat oure lorde ne hadde hym liȝtliche oute  so leue I þe[^a1324] be in heuene .[^1278]
For he is in þe lowest of heuene  if oure be-leue be trewe .
And wollosliche wol losliche he lolleth þere  be þe lawe of holy cherche .
And[^a1325][^1279] reddite[^a1326][^1280] vnicuique iuxta opera sua .

[^a1320: Iohan (R F) | Seynt Iohan (All beta mss)]

[^a1321: ne (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1322: ne (R F) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1323: rewarde (R) | rewarde hem (Most other mss)]

[^a1324: þe (R) | þe thef (Most beta mss)]

[^a1325: And (R) | Quia (Beta M C O C2)]

[^a1326: reddite (R F) | reddit (All beta mss)]

[^1271: R.12.197: A red smudge partially covers heiȝ; the same red smudge appears on the facing page, partially obscuring the to of R12.163. No boxing occurs nearby either, so the probable cause is mere spillage of a drop of the rubricator's ink.]

[^1272: R.12.198: R shares this form with L alone; F and beta agree on deserued. The C tradition is divided, but the surviving evidence suggests that that P subarchetype read as RL while the X subarchetype had either serued or deserued.]

[^1273: R.12.199: There is a superfluous loop above the <m> of me, in a darker ink than the text hand.]

[^1274: R.12.204: R's ne(1) is unique among the B copies; beta omits the word, while F rewrites the line completely. The C manuscripts are split, the X family agreeing with R while the P family supports beta's omission.]

[^1275: R.12.205: R's ne confessoures is a unique reading, the negative being omitted by beta (F has ne with Maydenys). The b-verse of the cognate C line has been revised, but it still begins with ne, as with alpha.]

[^1276: R.12.208: Immediately below this line, and above R12.209, there is a scribally cancelled line which reads And reddite vnicuique iuxta opera sua .]

[^1277: R.12.211: Nearly all the other B copies (including F) attest rewarde hem at this point, but Cx agrees with R in omitting hem.]

[^1278: R.12.213: Alpha was clearly missing the key word of the b-verse, thef, a fact which F, as is his custom, attempts to cover over (so leve y it be in hevene). Beta reads this b-verse precisely as does R, with one addition: so leue I þe thef be in heuene.]

[^1279: R.12.216: R's And is unique (but Cx attests the Latin equivalent, Et). Beta reads quia (or Qui), while F begins the line with the phrase Þere þe byble seyþ.]

[^1280: R.12.216: Beta has reddit. Cx witnesses reddet.]

¶ Ac[^a1327] whi þat on thef vpon[^a1328][^1281] þe cros  creaunt hym ȝelde .
Rather þan þat other thef  þouȝ þow woldest apose .
Alle þe clerkes vnder criste  ne couthe skile[^a1329][^1282] telle[^a1330] .[^1283]
Quare placuit quia voluit .

[^a1327: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a1328: vpon (R) | on (All other mss)]

[^a1329: skile (R) | þe skil (Most other mss)]

[^a1330: telle (R F) | assoille (All beta mss)]

[^1281: R.12.217: In this a-verse, R's Ac and vpon are unique among the B copies. For the former, F has But while beta reads And. For the latter, F and beta concur in reading on. Though eight C manuscripts support the latter reading, it seems likely that Cx agreed on both variants with R.]

[^1282: R.12.219: R uniquely omits þe before skile.]

[^1283: R.12.219: R's telle is an alpha reading; beta and Cx show assoille.]

¶ And so I seye be þe  þat sekest after þe whies .
And aresonedest resoun  a rebukynge as it were .
And willest of briddes and of bestes  & of here bredynge to knowe .
Whi somme be low[^a1331] and somme a-lofte  þi likynge it were .
And of þe floures in þe frith  and of here faire hewes .
Where-of þei cacche here colour[^a1332][^1284]  so clere and so briȝte .
And of stones[^a1333][^1285] and of þe sterres  þow studiest as I leue .
How ever best other bridde  hath so breme wittes .

[^a1331: low (R C B F) | alowe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1332: colour (R F) | coloures (All beta mss)]

[^a1333: stones (R) | þe stones (All other mss)]

[^1284: R.12.226: Beta has coloures.]

[^1285: R.12.227: R uniquely omits þe before stones.]

¶ Clergie ne kende wit  ne knewe neuere þe cause .
Ac kende knoweth þe cause hym-selue  no creature elles .
He is þe pye[^a1334][^1286] patroen  and put[^a1335][^1287] it in here ere .
Þat þere þe thorne is thikkest  þere[^a1336][^1288] to buylde and brede .
And kende kenned þe pecok  to cauken in suche a kende .
And kende[^a1337][^1289] kenned Adam  to knowen his priue membres .
And tauȝte hym and eue  to helyen hem with leues .

[^a1334: pye (R) | pyes (All other mss)]

[^a1335: put (R Cr Hm F) | putteth (Most beta mss)]

[^a1336: þere (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1337: kende (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1286: R.12.231: R's pye is a unique, unmarked genitive. All the other B manuscripts read pyes.]

[^1287: R.12.231: put, 3rd sg. pres. ind., "puts." Though Hm and Cr support this alpha form, most beta witnesses read putteth.]

[^1288: R.12.232: Beta omits alpha's þere(2).]

[^1289: R.12.234: Beta omits kende.]

¶ Lewed men many tymes  maistres þei apposen .
Whi adam ne huled nauȝt furst  his mouth þat ete þe appel .
Rather þan his lik h am alowe  lewed asken þus clerkes .

¶ Kende knoweth whi he dede so  ac no clerke elles .
Ac of briddes and of bestes  men be olde tyme .
Ensaumples toke and termes  as telleth þis poetes .
And þat þe fairest foule  foulest engendreth .
And febelest foule of fliȝt is  þat fleth or swymmeth .
And þat is þe pecok and þe po-hen proude  riche men þei betokeneth .
For þe pecok and men pursuen hym  ne[^a1338][^1290] may nouȝt fle heye .
For þe trailynge of his taile  ouertaken is he sone .
And his flesche is foule flesch  and his fete bothe .
And vnloueliche of ledene  and laithe for to here .

[^a1338: ne (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1290: R.12.245: R's ne seems to be a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts, but it may in fact be the alpha lection, if F misread his exemplar's ne as he.]

¶ Riȝt so þe riche  if he his ricchesse kepeth[^a1339] .[^1291]
And deleth it nauȝt til his deth day  þe taile of alle sorwe .
Riȝt as þe pennes of þe pecok  payned hym in his fliȝte .
So is posession payne  of pans and of nobles .
To alle hem þat it holdeth  til here taile be plokked .
And þouȝ þe riche repente þanne  and be-rewe þe tyme .
Þat euere he gadered so grete  and gaf þere -of so litel .
Þouȝ he crie to criste þanne  with kene wille I leue .
His ledene be in oure lordes ere  lyl ly[k][^a1340] apyes a pyes .
And whanne his caroyne schal come  in caue to be buried .
I leue it flaume ful foule  þe folde al aboute .
And alle þe othere þere it lith  enuenymed[^1292] þoruȝ his atter .
By þe po feet is vnderstonded[^a1341][^1293]  as I haue lerned in auynet .
Executores fals frendes  þat fulfille nauȝt his wille .
Þat was writen and þei witnesses[^a1342][^1294]  to werche riȝt as he[^a1343][^1295] wolde .
Þus þe poet preueth  þat þe pecok for his federes is reuerenced .
Riȝt so is þe riche  be reson of his godes .

[^a1339: kepeth (R F) | kepe (All beta mss)]

[^a1340: lyl ly[k] (R) | lyke (Most beta mss)]

[^a1341: vnderstonded (R) | vnderstonde(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1342: witnesses (R) | witnesse (Most other mss)]

[^a1343: he (R F) | it (All beta mss)]

[^1291: R.12.249: R's kepeth is an alpha form (F = kepiþ); cf. beta's kepe.]

[^1292: R.12.260: Both L and Cr concur in this verb form; F and most beta manuscripts read enuenymeþ.]

[^1293: R.12.261: R's vnderstonded is a unique form. Most of the other B manuscripts have vnderstonde.]

[^1294: R.12.263: R's explicit plural marking here is unique, but the other B manuscripts, attesting "witnesse," are presumably intending the same meaning as R, using an unmarked plural of the noun, as is found at R2.108.]

[^1295: R.12.263: Beta reads it.]

¶ Þe larke þat is a lasse foule  is more loueliche of ledene .
And wel a-way of wenge  swifter þen þe[^1296] pecok .
And of flesche be fele folde  fattere and swettere .
To lowe libynge men  þe larke is resembled .

[^1296: There is a diagonal tear in the parchment running from this point to the end of swettere in the next line. The scribe has left a gap of approximately 5 spaces between þe and pecok to accommodate this pre-existing imperfection.]

¶ For[^a1344][^1297] aristotel þe grete clerk  suche tales he telleth .
Þus he likeneth in his glosinge[^a1345][^1298]  þe lest foule oute .
And where he be saf or nouȝt saf  þe sothe wote no clergie .
Ne of sortes ne of salomon  no scripture can telle .
Ac god is so god I hope  þat sitth he gaf hem wittes .
To wissen vs weyes þere-with  þat wissen vs to be saued .
And þe bettere for here bokes  to bidden we ben holden .
Þat god for his grace  gyue here soule[^a1346][^1299] reste .
For lettred men were lewed men ȝut  ne were lore of þe[^a1347][^1300] bokes .[^1301]

[^a1344: For (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1345: glosinge (R) | logyk (All beta mss)]

[^a1346: soule (R F) | soules (All beta mss)]

[^a1347: þe (R) | her (All beta mss)]

[^1297: R.12.270: Beta omits For.]

[^1298: R.12.271: R's non-alliterating stave, glosinge, is descended from alpha. Cf. F's glose and beta's logyk. Although the line is partially revised in the C version, the key term, logyk, agrees with beta's stave word.]

[^1299: R.12.277: R's soule is an alpha variant (cf. F's sowle). Beta reads a plural, soules, the same reading found in Cx.]

[^1300: R.12.278: Beta has her for R's þe. F omits all determiners.]

[^1301: R.12.278: Here the scribe fails to skip a line, even though he marks the next line as beginning a new verse paragraph.]

¶ Alle þise clerkes quod I þo  þat on criste leuen  .
Seggen in here sarmons  þat nother sarasynes ne iewes .
Ne no creature of cristes liknesse  with-oute cristendom worth saued .

¶ Contra quod I quod[^a1348] ymaginatif þo  and cumsed for to loure .
And seyde saluabitur vix iustus in die iudicij .[^1302]

[^a1348: quod I quod (R) | quod (All other mss)]

[^1302: R.12.283: The left side of this boxed line is left open, unconnected.]

¶ Ergo saluabitur quod he  and seyde namore latyn .
Troianus was a trewe kniȝt  and toke neuere cristendome .
And he sauf so seyth þe boke  and his soule in heuene .
Ac[^a1349][^1303] þere is fullynge of fonte  and fullynge in blode schedynge .
And þoruȝ fuir is fullynge  and þat is ferme byleue .
Aduenit ignis diuinus non comburens sed illuminans[^a1350] .

[^a1349: Ac (R) | For (All beta mss)]

[^a1350: illuminans (R O C2 Cot F) | illuminans &c (Most beta mss)]

[^1303: R.12.287: Cf. F's But and beta's For. Among the C copies, UcTChNc agree with F's reading and most the of the P family simply omit the opening conjunction, but most of the X family manuscripts support R's Ac.]

¶ Ac treuthe[^a1351][^1304] trespased neuere  ne transuersed aȝen his lawe .
But lyued[^a1352] as his lawe tauȝte[^a1353][^1305]  and leueth þere be no bettere .
And if þere were he walde amende  and in suche wille deyeth .
Ne wolde neuere trewe god  but trewe[^a1354][^1306] treuthe were alowed .
And were it worth or worth nauȝte  þe byleue is grete of treuthe .
And an hope hangynge þere -in  to haue a mede for his treuthe .
For deus dicitur quasi dans vitam eternam suis . hoc est fidelibus .
Et alibi si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis . &cetera .

[^a1351: treuthe (R F) | trewth þat (All beta mss)]

[^a1352: lyued (R) | lyueth (All beta mss)]

[^a1353: tauȝte (R F) | techeth (All beta mss)]

[^a1354: trewe (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1304: R.12.290: Here alpha omitted an essential relative pronoun; cf. beta's trewth þat trespassed. Beta's reading is also that of C.]

[^1305: R.12.291: Beta's version of this a-verse shows present-tense verb forms: lyueth and techeth. Though a few copies of C agree with beta on these tenses, the preponderance of evidence from the C manuscripts supports the originality of R's readings.]

[^1306: R.12.293: Beta omits trewe, presumably because it was sensed as redundant with the following noun. F strikes the entire phrase (i.e., trewe treuthe) and replaces it with his wil. Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Þe glose graunteth vpon þat verse  a grete mede to trewe trew[þ]e[^a1355] .
And wit[^1307] and wisdom quod þat weye[^1308]  was sum -tyme tresor .
To kepe with a comune  no catel was holde betere .
And muche murthe and manhede  & riȝt myd[^a1356][^1309] þat he vanesched .

[^a1355: trewe trew[þ]e (R) | treuthe (All other mss)]

[^a1356: myd (R) | with (All other mss)]

[^1307: The scribe has skipped approximately five spaces here to allow for a diagonal tear in the parchment; it extends down into the next line, where extra spaces are allowed between kepe and with. Cf. note at , which describes the textual position of the same imperfection on the opposite side of this sheet.]

[^1308: R.12.299: Weye, "person, being, man."]

[^1309: R.12.301: Both F and beta have with.]

Passus duodecimus [tertius] decimus de visione vt supra .

A nd I awaked þere -with  witles nerehande .
And as a freke þat fere[^a1357][^1310] were  forth gan I walken .
In maner of a mendinaunt  many ȝere after .
And of þis metynge many tymes[^a1358]  muche þouȝt I hadde .
Furst how fortune me failed  at my moste nede .
And how þat elde mansed[^a1359] me  miȝte we euer meten .

[^a1357: fere (R) | fre (Most beta mss)]

[^a1358: tymes (R Hm G F) | tyme (Most beta mss)]

[^a1359: mansed (R) | manaced (All other mss)]

[^1310: R.13.2: Cf. F's a-feerd and beta's fre. Cx appears to have had feye, but X, the best single copy of the final version of Piers Plowman, reads fayre (with the last two letters erased later).]

¶ And how þat freres folwed  folke þat was riche .
And folke þat was pore  att litel pris þei sette .
And no corps in here kirkeȝerde  ne in here kirke were[^a1360][^1311] buried .
But quik he by-queth hem auȝt  or schulde help quite her dettes .
And how þus[^a1361][^1312] coueytise ouer-cam  clerkes and prestes .[^1313]
☜
And how þat lewed men ben ladde  but oure lorde hem helpe .
Þoruȝ vnkunnynge curatoures  to incurable peynes .[^1314]

[^a1360: were (R) | was (All other mss)]

[^a1361: þus (R) | þis (Beta M W)]

[^1311: R.13.9: This is a unique reading in R; the other B manuscripts show the indicative was.]

[^1312: R.13.11: R's þus is unique; other B copies have þis (LMWHm). Most X family copies of the C version agree with the F/beta reading, but four P family copies (RcScZKc) agree with R. Some manuscripts of both major families omit the lection completely.]

[^1313: R.13.11: There is a pointing hand here in the right margin.]

[^1314: R.13.13: Here RF omit seven lines attested in the beta manuscripts: 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 saluabitur And whan he had seyde so how sodeynelich he passed.]

¶ I lay doun longe in þis thouȝte  and at þe last I slepte .
And as[^1315] criste wolde þere come consience  to conforte me in[^a1362][^1316] þat tyme .
And bad me come to his courte  with clergie schuld I dyne .

[^a1362: in (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1315: A dark smudge partially obscures as in line 15 as well as the first two words of line 16.]

[^1316: R.13.15: R's in is unique; the other manuscripts omit it.]

¶ And for consience of clergie spake  I cam[^1317] wel þe rathere .
And þere I say a mayster  what man he was I neste .
Þat lowe louted  and loueliche to scripture .

[^1317: R.13.17: This is an alpha variant; beta reads come (presumably a preterite as in alpha).]

¶ Consience knewe hym wel  and welcomed hym faire .
Þei weschen and wipeden  and wente to þe diner .

¶ Ac pacience in þe paleis stode  in pilgrimes clothes .
And preyed mete for charite  for a pore eremite .

¶ Consience called hym in  and curteisliche seide .
Welcome weye[^1318] go and wasche  þow schalt sitte sone .

[^1318: R.13.25: Weye, "person, being, man."]

¶ Þis meyster was made sitte  as for þe most worthi .
And þanne clergie and consience  and pacience cam after .

¶ Pacience and I  were pote to ben mettes[^a1363] .[^1319]
And seten be oure -selue  at a side-borde .

[^a1363: mettes (R F) | macches (All beta mss)]

[^1319: R.13.28: For alpha's mettes, beta has macches. Though two C manuscripts agree with beta (one being the highly contaminated N, Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Consience called after mete  and þanne cam scripture .
And serued hym[^1320] þus sone  of sondri metes many .
Of austyn of ambrose  of alle þe foure euaungelistz .
Edentes et bibentes  que apud eos sunt .
Ac þis mayster ne his man  no maner flesch eeten .
Ac þei hadde[^a1364][^1321] metes[^a1365] of more coste  mortrewes and potages .
nota
Of þat men mys-wonnen  þei maden hem wel at ese .[^1322]
Ac here sause was ouer soure  and vnsauourly grounde .
In a morter post mortem  of many bitter peyne .
But if þei synge for þo soules  with[^a1366] many[^a1367][^1323] salt teres .
Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis  nisi pro eis lacrimas & oraciones effunderitis .
Ea que in delicijs  in[^a1368] comedis comedis[tis][^a1369][^1324] in tormentis euometis .

[^a1364: hadde (R F) | ete(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a1365: metes (R F) | mete (All beta mss)]

[^a1366: with (R) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1367: many (R F) | wepe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1368: in (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1369: comedis comedis[tis] (R) | comeditis (All beta mss)]

[^1320: R.13.31: Though Hm and B concur with R's hym, both F and beta have hem; this is also the reading of Cx.]

[^1321: R.13.35: Where RF read hadde, the beta manuscripts show several variants of eten. Although this passage is revised in C, the verb in the revision agrees with beta.]

[^1322: A bracket in the left margin joins these lines together. A nota appears to the left of it.]

[^1323: R.13.39: R's with is unique, but many is an alpha variant (the beta phrase = and wepe). Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1324: R.13.41: R's in comedis is unique and ungrammatical; cf. F's comedistis and beta's comeditis. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Consience ful curteyslich þo  comaunded scripture .
by-fore pacience brede to bringe  and me þat was his mete[^a1370] .[^1325]

[^a1370: mete (R F) | macche (Beta M Cr W)]

[^1325: R.13.43: Once more, for alpha's mete, beta had either macche or make. Though two C manuscripts agree with beta (one being the highly contaminated N), Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ He sette a soure lof to-fore vs  & seyde agite penitenciam .
And sith he drouȝ vs drinke  dia perseuerans .

¶ As longe quod he  as lif[^a1371][^1326] and likam may dure .
Here is propre seruise quod pacience  þere fareth no prince bettere .

[^a1371: quod he  as lif (R) | quod I as I lyue (Most beta mss)]

[^1326: R.13.46: R's phrasing here is unique; F reverses the phrase (=as lyf quod he); most beta copies have quod I as I lyue (manuscript O concurs with alpha in attesting the third-person pronoun). However, most C manuscripts read the phrase as R does.]

¶ And þanne he brouȝt vs forth a mees of other mete  of miserere mei[^a1372][^1327]
And he brouȝt of[^a1373][^1328] beati quorum  and[^a1374][^1329] of beatus vir his makynge .
And[^1330] quorum tecta sunt peccata  in a dische .[^1331]
Of derne schrift dixi  and confitebor tibi
Brynge pacience somme pytaunce  priuelich quod consience .

[^a1372: mei (R Cr) | mei deus (Most beta witnesses F)]

[^a1373: of (R) | vs of (Most beta mss)]

[^a1374: and (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1327: R.13.48: F and all beta copies except Cr add deus to the end of this scriptural citation, but the entire text is deleted from C.]

[^1328: R.13.49: R's phrasing here is unique. Beta adds vs before of. F completely revises the line.]

[^1329: R.13.49: R uniquely supplies and to the text attested by beta at this point. F completely revises the line.]

[^1330: R.13.50: For R's And, F shows & (but in a completely rephrased line) while beta reads Et.]

[^1331: R.13.50: R agrees with the beta manuscripts against F in attesting a line break between KD13.54α and KD13.55 after dische. Although this is impossible, and F correctly senses that Langland's alliterative pattern requires a line break immediately after the Latin quotation, it is much more likely that this represents one of F-redactor's many shrewd editorial guesses than that F alone here retains by vertical transmission the reading of Bx.]

¶ Þanne[^a1375][^1332] hadde pacience a pitaunce .[^1333]
Pro hac orabit[^a1376][^1334] omnis sanctus  in tempore oportuno .
And consience conforted vs  and carped vs mrie m[e]rie[^a1377] tales .
Cor contritum et humiliatum deus non despicies .
Pacience was proude  of þat propre seruise .
And made hym murth with his mene[^a1378][^1335]  ac I murned euere .
For þis doctor vp-on[^a1379] þis[^1336] hey deyes  dronk wyn so faste .
Ve vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum vinum .
And[^a1380] eet[^1337] many sondry metes  mortrewes and poddynges .
Nota
Wombe cloutes and wilde brawn  and egges fryed with grece .
Þanne sayde I to my-self so  pacience it herde .
It is nauȝt foure dayes þat þis freke  by-fore þe den of seynt[^a1381][^1338] poules .
Preched of penaunces  þat poul þe apostel suffrede .
In fam fam[e][^a1382] et frigore  and flappes of scourges .
Ter cesus sum  et a iudeis quinquies quadragenas[^a1383] .
Ac o worde þei ouer-huppen  at vch a tyme þat þei prechen .
Þat poule in his pistel  to alle þe poeple tolde .
Et in periculo[^a1384][^1339] falsis fratribus .
Holy writ bit men be-war  I wil nauȝt writen it here .
In englich an auenture  it schuld be rehersed to ofte .
And greue þere -with þat gode men ben  ac gramerienes schul rede .
Vnusquisque a fratre se custodiat .
Quia vt dicitur periculum est in falsis fratribus .

[^a1375: Þanne (R) | And þanne (All other mss)]

[^a1376: orabit (R F) | ad te (All beta mss)]

[^a1377: mrie m[e]rie (R) | mery (All other mss)]

[^a1378: mene (R) | mete (All beta mss)]

[^a1379: vp-on (R) | on (All other mss)]

[^a1380: And (R) | He (All beta mss)]

[^a1381: seynt (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1382: fam fam[e] (R) | fame (All other mss)]

[^a1383: quadragenas (R Cr O C2 F) | quadragenas &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a1384: Et in periculo (R) | Periculum est in (Most beta mss)]

[^1332: R.13.53: R uniquely omits And at the head of this line.]

[^1333: R.13.53: Where RF divide this material from the ensuing quotation, most beta manuscripts join it to the Latin in a single long line.]

[^1334: R.13.54: Here beta distinctively adds ad te to the Latin quotation. However, in a homologous but heavily revised passage, Cx agrees with alpha in omitting this prepositional phrase from the same citation.]

[^1335: R.13.58: R's mene is unique; cf. F's mowht and beta's mete. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1336: R.13.59: R's vp-on is unique; R shares þis with Hm alone but shares hey with beta. F reads on þe dees while beta reads on þe heigh dese.]

[^1337: R.13.61: Cf. R's And eet to F's Þey etym and beta's He eet. Cx agrees with R.]

[^1338: R.13.64: R's seynt is a unique addition.]

[^1339: R.13.70: R uniquely differs from the other B manuscripts in rendering the opening phrase of this citation as Et in periculo (cf. beta's Periculum est in). F joins R in omitting est but otherwise attests the same text as beta. The C manuscripts divide on this lection, many P copies agreeing with F while the X family supports beta's reading.]

¶ I[^a1385][^1340] wist neuere freke þat as frere[^a1386][^1341] ȝede  by-fore men an englich
Taken it for here teme  and tellen it with-outen glosynge .
Ac[^a1387][^1342] þei prechen þat penaunce  is profitable to þe soule .
And what mischief and male-ese crist for man tholede .
Ac þis godes glotoun quod I  with his grete chekes .
Hath no pite on vs pore  he parfourneth euele .
Þat he precheth and[^a1388][^1343] preueth[^a1389][^1344]  to pacience I tolde .
And wisched witterly  with wil ful egre .
Þat disches and dobleres  by-for þis doctor[^a1390][^1345]
Wer molte lede in here[^a1391][^1346] mawe  and mahoun a-myddes .
I schal iangle to þis iurdan  with his iuysty[^a1392][^1347] wombe .
To telle me what penaunce is  of whiche he preched þere ay[^a1393][^1348] .
Pacience parceyued what I thouȝt  and bad[^a1394][^1349] me be[^a1395] stille .
And seyde þow schalt se þus sone  whan he may na more
He schal haue a penaunce in his paunche  and puffe at vch a worde .
And þanne schullen his guttes godle  and he schal galpen after.
For now he hath dronke so depe  he wole dyuyne sone
And prouen it here it [in] here[^a1396][^1350] pocalips  and passion of seynt auereys .
Þat noþer bacoun ne braun  ne[^a1397][^1351] blaumanger ne mortrewes .
Is nother fisch ne flesch  but fode for þe[^a1398] penauntes[^a1399] .[^1352]
And þan schal he testifie of a trinite  and take his felawe to witnesse .
What he fonde in a freiel  after a frere[^a1400][^1353] leuynge .[^1354]
And but if þe furste lyne be lesynge  leue me neuer after
And þanne is tyme to talke[^1355]  and to appose þis doctour .
Of dowel and of dobet  and ȝif dobest be any penaunce .

[^a1385: I (R G F) | Ac I (Most beta mss)]

[^a1386: frere (R) | a frere (All other mss)]

[^a1387: Ac (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1388: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1389: preueth (R) | preueth nouȝt (Most beta mss)]

[^a1390: þis doctor (R) | þis ilke doctour (Most beta mss)]

[^a1391: here (R) | his (All other mss)]

[^a1392: iuysty (R F) | iust (Most beta mss)]

[^a1393: þere ay (R) | rather (Most beta mss)]

[^a1394: bad (R F) | wynked on (All beta mss)]

[^a1395: be (R Cr Cot) | to be (Most beta mss)]

[^a1396: it here it [in] here (R) | it by her (Most beta mss)]

[^a1397: ne (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1398: þe (R) | a (All beta mss)]

[^a1399: penauntes (R F) | penaunte (Most beta mss)]

[^a1400: frere (R) | freres (All other mss)]

[^1340: R.13.76: Alpha and G omit beta's Ac at the opening of this line; though the b-verse in the cognate C line is substantially revised, the opening agrees completely with beta.]

[^1341: R.13.76: R uniquely omits a from the phrase attested by beta (but F uniquely revises the entire a-verse).]

[^1342: R.13.78: Both R and F attest an alpha line introduced by a contrastive conjunction (R = Ac; F = But); beta clearly omitted such a conjunction, and Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1343: R.13.82: Where R attests and, F has þus & while beta reads he. Most of the X family of C witnesses agree with R. Manuscripts UcDcTCh and most of the P family agree with beta.]

[^1344: R.13.82: Both R and F omit the required negative after preueth (beta's phrase = he preueth nouȝt. F substitutes yt). Apparently this omission derives from alpha. The reading of Cx for this a-verse mostly agrees with beta's.]

[^1345: R.13.84: F reads the end of this b-verse as þe doctour; beta has þis ilke doctour.]

[^1346: R.13.85: R's here is unique; the other manuscripts read his.]

[^1347: R.13.86: This is the alpha reading (F = Iusty). The beta form is iust. Although two C manuscripts (TCh) agree with alpha's form, the Cx reading was iuyste.]

[^1348: R.13.87: R's þere ay is unique; cf. F's euere and beta's rather.]

[^1349: R.13.88: R's bad is an alpha reading; cf. beta's wynked on.]

[^1350: R.13.93: The source of this emendation is F, which presumptively preserves alpha here; cf. beta's it by her pocalips. Most C witnesses agree with beta.]

[^1351: R.13.94: Beta omits ne(2). Among the C copies, the X family agrees with alpha on its inclusion while the P family agrees with beta in omitting ne(2).]

[^1352: R.13.95: R's þe is unique; F omits a determiner here but agrees with R on penauntes, which is an alpha variant; beta reads the singular, a penaunte. Though C manuscript N agrees with beta (presumably as a result of its usual pattern of micro-contamination), none of the other C copies does and Cx agrees with F.]

[^1353: R.13.97: The unmarked possessive, frere, is unique to R; other B manuscripts read freres. However, among the C copies, the predominant form in X family manuscripts is the same as R's.]

[^1354: R.13.97: The punctus is topped by a diagonal slash that rises slightly toward the right; no conventional punctuation mark used by the R scribe matches it. Furthermore, there appears to be a superfluous dot below and slightly to the right of the <g> of leuynge.]

[^1355: R.13.99: Though O agrees with R, beta reads take, a lection also supported by most of the X family of C manuscripts. F has a-posen, but F has also revised the b-verse for this line. Most P family witnesses (and several X family copies) agree with R and O on talke.]

¶ And I sat stille as pacience seide  and þus sone þis doctour .
As rodi as a rose  robbed his chekes .
Couȝwede and carpede  and consience hym herde .
And tolde hym of a trinite  and toward vs he loked .

¶ What is dowel sir doctour quod I  is do-best[^a1401][^1356] any penaunce .

[^a1401: do-best (R F) | dowel (Most beta mss)]

[^1356: R.13.105: In place of alpha's dobest, beta reads dowel. Once more, N is unique among the C copies, mirroring its beta collational source (= dowel), while several C manuscripts read dobet; nevertheless, Cx clearly agrees with alpha.]

¶ Dowel quod þis doctour  and dronk after[^a1402][^1357] .
Do non euel to þin euencristene  nauȝt by þi powere .

[^a1402: dronk after (R) | toke þe cuppe and dranke (All beta mss)]

[^1357: R.13.106: R and F differ slightly here (F = dronk a-non þere-after), but alpha's version of this phrase was obviously quite different from beta's. The entire beta b-verse reads and toke þe cuppe and dranke. Though N reproduces beta's b-verse exactly, all the other C manuscripts support alpha, with Cx reading and he dronke aftur.]

¶ By þis day sir doctour quod I  þanne be ȝe nauȝt in dowel .
For ȝe haue[^1358] harmed vs to  in þat ȝe eten þe puddynge .
Morterewes and other mete  and we no mussel hadde .
And ȝe[^a1403][^1359] fare so in ȝoure fermerie  ferly me thenketh .
But cheste be þere charite schulde be [^1360]
And ȝonge children durst pleyne .
I wolde permute my penaunce with ȝoure . for I am in poynt to dowel .

[^a1403: ȝe (R) | if ȝe (Most other mss)]

[^1358: R.13.109: R's haue is the alpha form (supported by Cr); beta reads han.]

[^1359: R.13.111: Among the B witnesses, R uniquely omits if before ȝe. However, the opening phrase of the same line in Cx shows full agreement with R (though the remainder of the line is revised).]

[^1360: R.13.112: R uniquely splits this line in half.]

¶ Þanne consience ful[^a1404][^1361] curteislich  a contenaunce he[^a1405] made .
And prentede[^a1406][^1362] vpon pacience  to prey me to be stille .
And seyde hym-selue sir dottour[^1363]  and it be youre wille .
What is dowel and dobet  ȝe dyuinoures knoweth .
Dowel quod þis doctour  dos[^a1407][^1364] as clerkes techeth .
And do-bet is he þat techeth  and traueyleth to teche other .
And dobest doth hym-self so  as he seith and precheth .
Qui facit et docuerit magnus vocabitur in regno celorum

[^a1404: ful (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1405: he (R L M Hm F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1406: prentede (R) | preynte (Most beta mss)]

[^a1407: dos (R) | do (Most beta mss)]

[^1361: R.13.115: R's ful is an alpha variant omitted by beta. As usual, C manuscript N agrees with beta's omission, but Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1362: R.13.116: R's verb inflection here is unique; F chooses an entirely different lexical root and produces plukkid, while beta reads preynte. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1363: R.13.117: OED2 fails to note this form. It might represent nothing more than a slip of the pen creating an accidental ascender on the <c>. But the R scribe clearly renders this word in the same way at R18.369 as well. MED cites a parallel from a fifteenth-century manuscript of Hilton's Scale of Perfection: "If þei wilen vndirstonden holi writ and dottours sawes þerof, þei schulden finden as I seye."]

[^1364: R.13.119: Cf. R's dos with beta's do and F's ys to doon.]

¶ Now þou clergie quod consience  carpest what is dowel .
I haue sones[^a1408][^1365] he seyde  seruen in a castel .
Þere þe lorde of lif woneth  to leren hym[^1366] what is dowel .

[^a1408: sones (R) | seuene sones (All other mss after)]

[^1365: R.13.124: Before sones, R omits seuene, an omission exclusively shared with L (whose corrector supplies the missing word in the right margin). Because of the stemmatic primacy and steady accuracy of both L and R, only two explanations of this apparent omission seem plausible. Either an authorial marginal in Bx was transmitted in the same form by both alpha and beta, allowing the L and R scribes each to overlook it by chance, while other beta scribes noticed and inserted it into their text; or there is no omission here at all, merely an editorial addition of seuene by the scribe of beta prime (progenitor of the CrW subset of beta), a change which then was passed laterally to the corrector of L. In favor of this latter possibility is the fact that the line is metrically unexceptionable in the form shared by LR, and the fact that a reiterative phrase, þo seuene, is invoked two lines below this passage by the archetypal text. The wording there could well suggest to anyone that the number reference might have dropped out of the earlier line and thus invited early editorial "repair." On the other hand, the strongest evidence in favor of the first hypothesis (randomly shared LR error caused by an overlooked marginal) is that seuene occurs in M as part of the scribe's original copying and not as an erasure / writeover (the usual sign, in this otherwise independent witness, of later lateral "correction" from the CrW branch of beta). The line does not appear in the C version.]

[^1366: R.13.125: R shares the spelling hym exclusively with beta copies LM; HmCGYBF read hem and WCrO simply omit any pronoun. The RLM form is likely that of Bx but as such may be merely a Northern relict: hym = standard hem. However, Schmidt assumes that the sons of Clergy in this puzzling allegory are the teachers (rather than the pupils) of the Lord of Life; if so, then hym would be a singular, a substantive lection preserved solely in these three witnesses.]

¶ Til I se þo seuene  and my-selue acorden .
I am vn-hardy quod he to eny wiȝt proue[^a1409][^1367] it .
For on peres þe plowman  hath inpugned vs alle
And sett alle science at a soep  saue loue one .
And no tix tix[t][^a1410] ne taketh  to meyntene his cause .
But dilige deum  and domine quis habitabit &cetera .
And seyth þat dowel and dobet  aren to infinites .
Which infinites with a faith  fynde oute dobest
Which schal saue mannes soule  þus seyth peres þe plowman .[^1368]

[^a1409: proue (R F) | to preue(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1410: tix tix[t] (R) | tixte (All other mss)]

[^1367: R.13.127: R's proue is shared exclusively with F; cf. beta's to preue(n).]

[^1368: R.13.134: After this line, the R scribe omits his usual line break between verse paragraphs, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ I can nauȝt here-on quod consience  ac I knowe wel peres .
He wil nauȝt aȝeynes holy writ speke  I dar wel vndertaken .[^1369]
Þanne passe we ouer til peres come  and preue þis in dede .
Pacience hath be in many a[^a1411] place[^1370]  and par-auenture knoweth .
Þat no clerke can[^a1412][^1371]  as crist bereth witnesse .
Pacientes vincunt et cetera 
At youre preiere quod pacience þo  so no man displese hem[^a1413] .[^1372]
Disce quod he doce  dilige inimicos .
Disce and dowel  doce and do-bett .
Dilige and dobest  þus tauȝt me ones .
A lemman þat I louede  loue was hire name .
With wordes and with werkes quod sche  and wille of þin herte .
[^1373] Loue[^a1414] lely þi soule  al þi Iif-tyme 
And so to lere and[^a1415] to louye[^1374]  for þe lordes loue of heuene .
Þin enemye in alle wise  euenforth with þi-selue .
Cast coles on his hede  of alle kynde speche .
Both with werkes and with wordes  fonde his loue to wynne .
And ley on hym þus with loue  til he lauȝhe on þe .
And but he bow for þis betynge  blynde mote he worthe .

[^a1411: a (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1412: can (R F) | ne can (Most beta mss)]

[^a1413: hem (R) | hym (All other mss)]

[^a1414: Loue (R) | Þow loue (All beta mss)]

[^a1415: to lere and (R) | þow lere þe (Most beta mss)]

[^1369: R.13.136: Between fols. 60 and 61 there was a leaf removed (the original cognate of fol. 60) in the course of producing R. Its stub, which measures an average width of 1.4 cm., was pasted down to the current fol. 61, causing this quire (the ninth) to be an irregular one of 7 leaves (8-1). No evidence of text loss or irregularity is apparent in the immediate vicinity of this intervention, but something must have been awry, either with the scribe's initial "casting off" of text, or with his first try at copying fol. 61, to cause such a radical intervention as cancelling a leaf. It may be significant that the text on current fol. 61v begins precisely at a point where the beta manuscripts omit nine lines of authorial material. If this material existed as a marginal addition or an attached slip in R's exemplar, it may have been initially overlooked (as in beta) but then noticed in time to remedy by means of excising a singleton and recopying. Whatever occurred may also relate to a gradual change in lineation noticeable from early in the seventh quire (41r-48v): while the earlier fascicles of R are ruled exclusively for 36 lines, beginning at 42v most sides are ruled for 37, and at the crucial fol. 60, both sides are ruled for 38 lines.]

[^1370: R.13.138: R's a place is unique; F's agreement here with LWHm in omitting a suggests that Bx read as they do. The other beta copies render this lection as places]

[^1371: R.13.139: R's omission of negation before can is an alpha reading shared with OC2; beta has ne can.]

[^1372: R.13.141: R's hem is unique; the other manuscripts have hym.]

[^1373: R.13.147: R uniquely omits Þow at the head of this line. F, on the other hand, preserves all the elements but reverses the phrasing of the a-verse to þy sowle þowh love leely.]

[^1374: R.13.148: Alpha's a-verse seems to have been garbled here; cf. F's & so to leerne to lowe the and beta's presumably archetypal And so þow lere þe to louye.]

¶ Ac for to fare þus with þi frende  foly it were .
For he þat loueth þe lelly  lyte of þin desireth[^a1416] .[^1375]
Kende loue coueyteth nauȝte  no catel but speche .
With half a laumpe lyne in latyn . Ex vi transicionis .

[^a1416: desireth (R F) | coueiteth (All beta mss)]

[^1375: R.13.155: R's desireth is an alpha variant; cf. beta's coueiteth.]

¶ I bere þere-inne a-boute  fast I-bounde dowel .
In a signe of þe saterday  þat sette furste þe kalender .
And alle þe wit of þe wednesday  of þe next weke after
Þe myddel of þe mone  is þe miȝte of bothe .
And here-with am I welcome  þere I haue it with me .
Vndo it and[^a1417] late þis doctour se[^a1418][^1376]  where[^a1419] dowel be here -inne[^a1420][^1377] .
For by hym þat me made  miȝte neuere pouerte .
Miseyse ne mischief  ne man with his tonge .
Colde ne care ne companye of theues 
Ne nother hete ne hayl  ne non helle pouke .
Ne nother fuer ne flode  ne fere of þin enemy .
Tene þe eny tyme  and þow take it with þe .
Caritas nichil timet .
And eek[^a1421] haue god my soule  and þow wilt it[^a1422] craue .[^1378]
Þere nys neyther[^a1423] emperour ne emperesse  erl kynge[^a1424] ne baroun .
Pope ne[^a1425] patriarch þat puyre reson ne schal[^a1426][^1379] make .
Þe[^a1427] meyster of alle þo[^a1428] men  þoruȝ miȝt of þis redeles[^a1429] .
Nouȝt thoruȝ wicche-crafte[^a1430] but thoruȝ wit  & þow wilt þi-selue[^a1431] .
Do kynge and quene  and alle þe comune after .
Ȝyue[^a1432] þe alle þat þei may ȝiue  as þe[^a1433] for best ȝemere .[^1380]
And as þou demest wil þei do  alle here dayes after .
Pacientes vincunt . &cetera[^a1434] .

[^a1417: and (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1418: se (R L F) | deme (Most beta mss)]

[^a1419: where (R F) | if (All beta mss)]

[^a1420: here -inne (R) | þer-inne (All other mss)]

[^a1421: eek (R) | eek so (F)]

[^a1422: it (R) | love (F)]

[^a1423: neyther (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1424: erl kynge (R) | neyþer erl (F)]

[^a1425: ne (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1426: schal (R) | shal the (F)]

[^a1427: Þe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1428: þo (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1429: þis redeles (R) | his reede (F)]

[^a1430: wicche-crafte (R) | no ricche crafte (F)]

[^a1431: & þow wilt þi-selue (R) | of hem (F)]

[^a1432: Ȝyue (R) | To ȝeve (F)]

[^a1433: þe (R) | þou (F)]

[^a1434: vincunt . &cetera (R) | vincunt (F)]

[^1376: R.13.163: The presumably archetypal se is shared by RF with L (whose lection was sen before "correction" to the common beta reading, deme). R's and and where are alpha variants; and is simply omitted by beta manuscripts while the meaning of where is rendered in beta by if.]

[^1377: R.13.163: R's here -inne is unique. The other witnesses read þerinne.]

[^1378: These lines are omitted by the beta manuscripts. F offers numerous variants from R's readings in these lines—and completely omits text for KD13.169 and 171 (= R13.176 and 178)—so the most efficient representation of these differences is to cite F's text here completely (cf. Appendix 1, R13.171-79, for details and any cross-references to the C version): & eek so have god my soule / & þou wilt love crave. Þere nys Emperour ne Empresse / neyþir Erl ne baroun. Þat pure resoun shal the make. Mayster of alle men / þoruhȝ myght of his reede. Nowht þoruh no ryche craft / but þoruh wit of hem-selue. To ȝeve þe al þat þey may ȝeve / as þou for beest ȝeemere. Pacientes vincunt]

[^1379: R.13.173: Where R has ne schal, F errs by omitting negation, producing instead shal the.]

[^1380: R.13.177: R's ȝyue is witnessed in F as To ȝeve; in the b-verse, R's as þe reads as þ(o)u.]

¶ It is but a dido quod þis doctor  a disoures tale .
Alle þe wit of þis worlde  ne[^a1435][^1381] wiȝte mennes strenthe .
Can nauȝt conformen a pes  by-twene þe pope and his enemys
Ne by-twene to cristen kynges  can no wiȝt pes make .
Profitable to aither poeple  and put þe table from hym .
And toke clergie and consience  to conseil as it were .
Þat pacience þo mote[^1382] passe  for pilgrimes kunne wel lye .

[^a1435: ne (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^1381: R.13.181: R's ne is an alpha variant; cf. beta's and. The same variation is attested in the C version, the X family agreeing with beta while the P family supports alpha's reading.]

[^1382: R.13.186: R's mote is a unique form here, though its semantics are identical with beta's most(e). F completely revises the a-verse, producing & leet Pacyense forþ passe.]

¶ Ac consience carped a-loude[^a1436][^1383]  and curteysliche seyde .
Frendes fareth wel  and faire spake to clergie .
For I wil go with þis gome  if god wil gyue me grace .
And be pilgrime with pacience  til I haue proued more .

[^a1436: a-loude (R) | loude (Most other mss)]

[^1383: R.13.187: R's a-loude is a unique form. The other manuscripts show loude.]

¶ What quod clergie to consience  are ȝe coueytous nowthe .
After ȝeresȝyues or ȝiftes  other[^a1437][^1384] ȝernen to rede redeles .
I schal bringe ȝow a bible  a boek of þe olde lawe .
And lere ȝow if ȝe[^a1438] liken[^1385]  þe lest poynt to knowe .
Pacience[^a1439][^1386] þe pilgrime  parfitlych knew euerre[^a1440][^1387] .

[^a1437: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^a1438: ȝe (R F) | ȝow (All beta mss)]

[^a1439: Pacience (R) | Þat pacience (All other mss)]

[^a1440: euerre (R Hm) | neuere (All other mss)]

[^1384: R.13.192: R's other is unique. The remaining B witnesses all begin the b-verse with or.]

[^1385: R.13.194: Cf. beta's ȝow lyke.]

[^1386: R.13.195: R uniquely omits Þat at the head of this line.]

[^1387: R.13.195: R's euerre is shared solely with Hm. Beta and F read neuere, which is required by the sense of the sentence.]

¶ Nay by crist quod consience to clergie  god þe forȝelde .
For alle þat pacience me profereth  proud am I litel .
Ac þe wille of þe weye[^1388]  and þe wil[^1389] folk here .
Hath meued my moed  to mourne for my synnes .
Þe gode wille of vch[^a1441] a[^1390] wiȝt was nere[^a1442][^1391] bouȝt to þe fulle .
For þere nys[^1392] no tresor þere-to  to a trewe wille .

[^a1441: vch (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1442: nere (R) | neure (All other mss)]

[^1388: R.13.198: Weye, "person, being, man."]

[^1389: R.13.198: R's apparent omission of the preposition of before folk is not reflected in F but is shared with several key beta manuscripts. It is quite likely here that R is accurately representing an earlier textual transmission error, not merely creating one of his own. The most salient clue lies in the fact that of is also omitted by L (the best beta copy) as well as by M, C and B. The preposition is later inserted into M above the line by Hand2 (a scribe trying to re-work M's text to match that of the CrW sub-family). These facts suggest that of was either completely omitted or interlinear in Bx, that it was inserted (or remained obscurely interlinear) in beta, and was overlooked by alpha. Then F, who is more attentive to the need for such tidying than is the R scribe, and who has a variety of collational sources at his disposal, simply resupplied it. Cf. this textual situation to that found at R.13.124:. On the other hand, Burrow and Turville-Petre prefer simply defending the reading found in R and L as a "harder reading," by glossing wil as an adjective (= "errant"). As is frequently the case with such suggestions, one must decide whether the reading proposed is merely "harder" or in fact metrically awkward and semantically unlikely.]

[^1390: R.13.200: Cf. R's vch a to F's euery and beta's a.]

[^1391: R.13.200: R's nere is a unique form; all the other copies have neure.]

[^1392: R.13.201: R's nys is shared only with L and W (the others read is); however, the attestational authority of these three copies in agreement makes it likely that their form represents the reading of Bx.]

¶ Haued nauȝt marie[^a1443][^1393] magdeleyne more  for a box of salue .
Þanne zacheus for he seyde  dimidium bonorum meorum do pauperibus .
And þe pore wydewe  for a peyre of mytes .
Þan alle þo þat offreden  in-to gazophilacium .

[^a1443: marie (R G F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1393: R.13.202: R's marie is an alpha variant; beta omits it.]

¶ Þus curteyslyche consience  congeyd ferst þe frere .
And sitthen softeliche he seyde  in clergies ere
Me were leuer be oure lorde  and I lyue schulde .
Haue pacience parfiteliche  þan half þi pakke of bokes .

¶ Clergie and[^a1444][^1394] consience  no congeye wolde take .
But seyde ful sobreliche  þow schalt se þe tyme .
Whan þow art weri for-walked  wilne me to conseille .

[^a1444: and (R) | to (Most beta mss)]

[^1394: R.13.210: R's and and F's ne attest to an alpha failure to grasp the meaning of the passage; cf. beta's to (the reading of LHmOCYB) and the easier reading adopted by CrWG (= of). M was altered at some point to the latter reading but almost certainly agreed originally with L.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde consience  so me god helpe 
If pacience be oure partynge felawe  & pryue with vs bothe .
Þere ne is[^a1445] wo in þis werlde  þat we ne schulde amende .
And conformen kynges to pees  of[^a1446][^1395] alle kynne londes .
And[^a1447][^1396] sarasynes and surrie  and so forth alle iewes[^a1448][^1397] .
Turnen in to þe trewe faith  and in til one byleue .

[^a1445: ne is (R) | nys (Beta M Cr)]

[^a1446: of (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1447: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1448: iewes (R) | þe iewes (All other mss)]

[^1395: R.13.216: At this point, beta has and.]

[^1396: R.13.217: And is an alpha variant; the beta manuscripts omit it.]

[^1397: R.13.217: R's alle iewes shows a unique omission; all the other witnesses have alle þe iewes.]

¶ Þat is soth quod clergie  I se what þow menest .
I schal dwelle as I do  my deuer to schewen .
And conformen fauntekynes  and other folke I-lered .
Til pacience haue proued þe  and parfit þe maked .

¶ Consience þo with pacience passed  pilgrimes as it were .
Þanne hadde pacience  as pilgrimes han  in his poke vitales .
Sobrete and symple speche  and sothfaste byleue .
To confort hym and consience  if þei come in place .
Þere vnkendenesse and coueytise  is honger honger[y][^a1449] contreyes bothe .
And as þey wenten be þe weye  and[^a1450] of dowel carpede[^a1451][^1398] .
Þei metten with a ministrale  as me þo thouȝte .
Pacience apposed hym furst  and preyed hym he[^1399] schulde hem telle .
To consience what craft he couthe  and to what contre he wolde .

[^a1449: honger honger[y] (R) | hungrye (All other mss)]

[^a1450: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1451: carpede (R F) | þei carped (Most beta mss)]

[^1398: R.13.228: R's and of dowel carpede is the alpha version of this b-verse (cf. F's & of Dowel carpeden). The beta half-line is of dowel þei carped.]

[^1399: R.13.230: The phrase hym he is another example of a variant attested exclusively by LMR. The majority beta reading here is simply he while F reads hym. Cx agrees with the beta majority.]

actife
¶ Ich am a ministrale quod þat man  my name is actiua vita .[^1400]
Alle ydel Iche hatie  for of actif is my name .
A waferere welle[^1401] ȝe wite  and serue many lordes .[^1402]
And fewe robes I fonge  or furred gounes .
Coude I lye and[^a1452][^1403] do men lawhe  þanne lacchen I schulde .
Other mantel or mone  amonges lordes ministrales .
Ac for I can nother tabre ne trumpe  ne telle none gestes .
Farten ne fithelen  at festes ne harpen .
Iape ne iangele[^a1453][^1404]  ne gentyliche pipe .
Ne noyther sayle ne saute  ne synge with þe gyterne .
I haue non gode giftes  of þis grete lordes .
For no brede þat I brouȝt[^a1454][^1405] forth  saue a benison on þe soneday .
Whanne þe prest preyeth þe poeple  here paternoster to bidde .
For peres þe plowman  and þat hym profit wayteth[^1406] .
And þat I am actif  þat Idelnesse hatye .
Of[^a1455][^1407] alle trewe trauailoures  and tylieres of þe erthe .
Fro miȝhelmesse to miȝhelmesse  I fynde hem with waferes .

[^a1452: and (R F) | to (All beta mss)]

[^a1453: iangele (R F) | iogly (Most beta mss)]

[^a1454: brouȝt (R F) | brynge (All beta mss)]

[^a1455: Of (R) | For (All beta mss)]

[^1400: R.13.232: In the right margin opposite this line appears a simple gloss: actife. This marginal gloss is in a very light brown hand and has been partially erased.]

[^1401: R.13.234: R's welle is shared exclusively with Cr; all other B copies, including F, disagree, attesting instead some form of wil here.]

[^1402: R.13.234: At the top right margin of this side, there is a black ink stain, which also has transferred onto the top left of 63r. At the top left margin, there are pen trials or a cartoon, extending down the left margin to R13.242.]

[^1403: R.13.236: R's and is an alpha variant; beta has to. Though C manuscript N also reads to, showing its unique and typical deference to beta against all its versional siblings, Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1404: R.13.240: Beta reads iogly in place of alpha's iangele. Cx is uncertain; large numbers of Cwitnesses agree with each of the B sub-archetypal readings.]

[^1405: R.13.243: The beta manuscripts read brynge.]

[^1406: R.13.245: R's wayteth is an alpha form; beta shows wayten.]

[^1407: R.13.247: R's Of is unique; cf. beta's For and F's & for.]

¶ Beggares and bidderes  of my brede crauen .
Faitoures and freres  and folk with brode crounes .
I fynde payn for þe pope[^1408]  and prouendre for his palfreye .
And I hadde neuere of hym  haue god my trewthe .
Nother prouendre ne personage  ȝut of þe popes[^1409] ȝiftes .
Saue a pardoun with a peys of lede  and to polles a-mydde .
Hadde Ich a clerke þat couthe write  I wolde caste hym a bille .
laus & vis Indulgenciarum

[There is a brace in the left margin, calling attention to this marginal gloss.]

Þat he sent me vnder his sel  a salue for þe pestylence .
[^1410] Þat[^a1456] his blissynge and his bulles  bocches mȝte m[y]ȝte[^a1457] destruye .
In nomine meo demonia eicient  —
Et super egros manus imponent Et bene habebunt .
And þanne wolde I be prest to þe poeple  paste for to make
And buxum and busy  aboute brede and drinke .
For hym and for alle his  founde ich þat his pardoun .
Miȝt lechen a man  as Ich by-leue it schulde .
For sethe he hath þe powere  þat peter hym-self hadde .
He hath þe pott with þe salue  sothely as me thenketh .
Argentum & aurum non est michi quod autem habeo hoc[^a1458][^1411] tibi do .
In nomine domini surge et ambula .
Ac if miȝt of miracle hym faile  it is for men beth[^1412] nauȝt worthi
To haue no[^a1459][^1413] grace of god  and no gult of þe pope .[^1414]
May[^a1460][^1415] no blissyng don vs bote  but if we wil amende .
Ne mannes masse make pees  amonges cristene poeple .
Til pruide be priueliche[^a1461][^1416] fordo  and alle[^a1462][^1417] þoruȝ payne defaute[^1418]

[^a1456: Þat (R F) | And þat (Most beta mss)]

[^a1457: mȝte m[y]ȝte (R) | miȝte(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1458: hoc (R O C2 Cot F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1459: no (R F) | þe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1460: May (R) | For may (All beta mss)]

[^a1461: priueliche (R F) | purelich (Most beta mss)]

[^a1462: alle (R) | þat (Most beta mss)]

[^1408: R.13.251: The word pope has been cancelled with a later black horizontal line.]

[^1409: R.13.253: The word popes has been cancelled with 2 later black horizontal lines.]

[^1410: R.13.257: The beta manuscripts read the opening of this line as And þat.]

[^1411: R.13.266: Beta omits alpha's hoc; Cx is uncertain: the X family mostly agrees with beta in omitting this demonstrative, but most P family witnesses include it.]

[^1412: R.13.268: R's inflectional form is unique here; the other B manuscripts read be(n). However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1413: R.13.269: In place of alpha's no, the beta manuscripts read þe. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1414: R.13.269: The word pope has been cancelled with a later black horizontal line.]

[^1415: R.13.270: R uniquely omits a word at the head of this line; cf. F's Þere may and beta's For may. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1416: R.13.272: Cf. RF's priueliche with the beta variant purelich. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1417: R.13.272: R's alle is unique; cf. F's omission (shared by WCrM) and the beta original reading, þat, found in LHmCOG, which is shared with Cx.]

[^1418: R.13.272: Covering the right margin opposite R13.272-73 is a black inkblot that has also transferred onto 62v. Additionally, a black stain that appears to have originated in the margin of 62v, just inside the aforementioned pen trials of 62v, seems to have transferred to lines 271-72 here, partially obscuring poeple (271) and payne (272).]

¶ For ar ich haue brede of mele  ofte mote Ich swete .
And ar þe comune haue corne a-now  many a cold morwenynge .
So ar my wafres ben I-wrouȝte  muche wo I tholie .

¶ Alle londoun I leue  liketh wel my waferes .
And louren whan þei lakken hem  It is nauȝt longe I-passed .
nota Stratford
Þere was a careful comune  whan no carte come to towne .
With bake[^a1463][^1419] brede fro statforde st[r]atforde[^a1464]  þo gan beggeres wepe .
And werkemen were agast  a litel þis wel[^a1465] be thouȝt longe .
In þe date of oure driȝte  in a druye auerel .
Chicestre Maior londoun
A thousend and thre hondrede  tweyes thretty and tene[^1420]
My waferes þere were gesene  whanne chichestre were[^a1466] mayre .

[^a1463: bake (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1464: statforde st[r]atforde (R) | stratforde (Most other mss)]

[^a1465: wel (R) | wil (All beta mss)]

[^a1466: were (R) | was (All other mss)]

[^1419: R.13.279: Beta omits bake and thereby produces an unmetrical line of the format ax/ay.]

[^1420: In the right margin opposite these lines, in a thin black, nearly contemporary hand, someone has written, Chicestre Maior londoun .]

¶ I toke grete[^a1467][^1421] kepe by criste  and consience bothe .
Of haukyn þe actif man  and how he was I-clothed .
He hadde a cote of cristendome  as holy kyrke byleueth .
Ac it was moled in many place[^a1468][^1422]  with mony sondri plottes .
Of pruyde he he[re][^a1469] a plotte and þere a plotte  of unbuxum speche .
Of scornynge and of scoffynge  and of vnskilful berynge
As in apparail and in porte  proude amonges þe poeple .
Other-wise þanne he hath  with hert and[^a1470][^1423] siȝt schewynge .
Hym wilnynge[^a1471][^1424] þat alle men  wente[^1425] he were þat he is nauȝte .
For-whi he bosteth and braggeth  with mony bolde othes .
And inobedient to be vnder-nome  of any lyf lyuynge .
And so syngulere by hym-selue  as to siȝt of þe poeple[^a1472] .
Was non suche as hym-selue[^a1473]  ne non so pope-holy .
I-habited as an heremite  an ordre by hym-selue .
Religion sauns reule  and resonable obedience .
Lakkynge lettrede men  and lewed men bothe .
In lykyng of lele lyf  and a lyere in soule .
With in-wit and[^a1474][^1426] oute-wit  ymagynen and stodye .
As best for his body be  to haue a bolde[^a1475][^1427] name .
And entermeten hym ouer alle  þere he hath nouȝt to done .
Wilnynge þat men wende  his wit were þe beste .
Or for his crafty kunnynge  or[^a1476] of clerkes þe[^a1477] wisest .[^1428]
Or strengest on stede  or styuest vnder[^a1478] gurdel .
And louelokest[^a1479] to loken on  and lelest of werkes .
And non so holy as he  ne[^a1480] of lif clennere .
Or feyrest of feytures  of fourme and of schafte[^a1481] .
And[^a1482] most sotyl of songe  other[^a1483] sleyest of hondes .
And large to lene  losse þere -by to cacche[^a1484] .
And if he gyueth ouȝt[^1429] pore gomes  telle what he deleth .
Pore of possession  in purs and in coffre[^1430] .
And as a lion to loke[^a1485][^1431]  and lordeliche of speche .

[^a1467: grete (R F) | gode (Most beta mss)]

[^a1468: place (R) | places (All other mss)]

[^a1469: he he[re] (R) | here (All beta mss)]

[^a1470: and (R) | or (All beta mss)]

[^a1471: wilnynge (R) | willynge (All beta mss)]

[^a1472: as to siȝt of þe poeple (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1473: Was non suche as hym-selue (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1474: and (R Cr F) | and with (Most beta mss)]

[^a1475: bolde (R F) | badde (All beta mss)]

[^a1476: or (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1477: þe (R) | he were þe (F)]

[^a1478: vnder (R) | gyrt with (F)]

[^a1479: louelokest (R) | lowlyest (F)]

[^a1480: ne (R) | ne non (F)]

[^a1481: fourme and of schafte (R) | face me of forme (F)]

[^a1482: And (R) | Or (F)]

[^a1483: other (R) | or (F)]

[^a1484: And large to lene  losse þere -by to cacche (R) | Or looþ for to leene & large for to cacche (F)]

[^a1485: to loke (R) | on to loke (Most beta mss)]

[^1421: R.13.284: Beta reads gode.]

[^1422: R.13.287: The singular form is unique; the other manuscripts show the plural, places.]

[^1423: R.13.291: R's and is unique; F omits it (and completely rewrites the b-verse), while beta reads or.]

[^1424: R.13.292: R's wilnynge is unique; cf. F's wenynge and beta's willynge. In a cognate passage (from C6), the C version agrees with R on this variant.]

[^1425: R.13.292: Wente is a dialect variant for the preterite of ween. OED2, s. v. ween (v.), recognizes the form as viable from the thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries.]

[^1426: R.13.301: Alpha and Cr hereafter omit a repeated with found in all other beta copies.]

[^1427: R.13.302: For alpha's bolde, the beta manuscripts have badde.]

[^1428: These lines are omitted by beta. F's rendering of these lines is sufficiently different from R's that F's lines should be cited in their entirety (cf. Appendix 1, R13.305-311, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Or for his crafty konyngge / of clerkis he were þe wisest. Or strengest on steede / or styffest gyrt with gyrdel. & lowlyest to loken on / & leellest of werkys. & non so holy as he / ne non of lyf clennere. Or fayrest of fetoures / of face / ne of forme. Or most sotyl of song / or slyest of hondys. Or looþ for to leene / & large for to cacche.]

[^1429: R.13.312: R and L alone omit the preposition to before pore.]

[^1430: R.13.313: Only R and L end the line with coffre; F omits the entire line and the other beta copies add boþe at the end.]

[^1431: R.13.314: R's omission of the preposition on after lion is unique. F includes the preposition but rearranges the phrase so that beta's a lyon on to loke is rendered a lyoun to looken on.]

¶ Boldest of beggeres  a bostere þat nouȝt hath .
In towne and in tauernes  tales to telle .
And segge þinge þat he neuere seyȝ  and for-soth sweren it .
Of dedes þat he neuer dede  demen and boste .
And of werkes þat he wel dede  witnesse and seggen .
Lo if ȝe leue me nauȝt  or þat I lye wenen .
Asketh at hym or at hym  and he ȝow can telle .
What I suffred and seyȝ  and somme-tymes hadde .
And what I couth and knewe  and what kyn I come of .
Alle he wolde þat men wist  of werkes and[^a1486] wordes[^1432] .
Whiche miȝt plese þe poeple  and preysen hem-seluen .
Si hominibus placerem christi seruus non essem .
Et alibi Nemo potest duobus dominis seruire .[^1433]

[^a1486: and (R F) | and of (All beta mss)]

[^1432: R.13.324: Beta reads the final phrase of this line as werkes and of wordes.]

[^1433: Both of these red boxings have been blotted and partially erased.]

¶ By crist quod consience þo  þi best cote haukyn .
Hath mony moles and spottes  it most ben waschen .

¶ Ȝe ho-so toke hede quod haukyn  by-hynde and by-fore .
What on bakk and on[^a1487] body half  and bi þe to sydes .
Men schuld fynde many frounces  and many foule plottes .

[^a1487: on (R G O C2 F) | what on (Most beta mss)]

¶ And he turned hym as tyte  and þanne toke I hede .
It was fouler bi felfolde  þan it furst semed .
It was bi-dropped with wrathe  and wikked wille .
With eneuye[^a1488][^1434] and euel speche  entisynge to fiȝte .
Lyȝynge or[^a1489] lakkynge[^a1490][^1435]  a[^a1491] lef tonge to chide .[^1436]
Alle þat he wiste wikked  bi any wiȝt tellen it .
And blame men by-hynde her bakke  and bidden hem mischance .
And þat he wiste bi wille  tellen it to watte .
And þat watte wiste  wille wiste it after .
And made of frendes foes  þoruȝ a fals tonge .
Or with miȝt of mouthe  or thoruȝ mannes strengthe .
Auenged[^a1492][^1437] me fele tymes  other frete my-sulue .
With-inne as a schepstere schere  I schrewed men and cursed .
Cuius malediccione os plenum est[^a1493][^1438] amaritudine .
Sub lingua eius labor . et dolor[^a1494] .[^1439][^1440]
Þere is no lif þat I loue  lestynge any while .
For tales þat I telle  no man tresteth to me .
And whan I may nouȝt haue þe maystrie  which[^a1495][^1441] malencolye I take
Þat I cacche þe crompe  þe cardiacle sum -tyme .
Or an ague in suche an angre  and sum -tyme a feuere .
Þat taketh me alle a twelmoneth  til þat I despise .
Leche-craft or[^1442] oure lorde  and leue on a wiche
And segge þat no clerk ne can  ne criste as I leue .
nota sowter of sotwerk
To þe souter of south-werk  or of schordych dame emme .[^1443]
And segge þat no goddes worde  gaf me neuere bote .
But þoruȝ a charme hadde I chaunce  and my chief hele .

[^a1488: eneuye (R) | enuye (All other mss)]

[^a1489: or (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a1490: lakkynge (R F) | laughynge (All beta mss)]

[^a1491: a (R) | and (Most beta mss)]

[^a1492: Auenged (R) | Auenge (All other mss)]

[^a1493: est (R) | est & (All other mss)]

[^a1494: dolor (R F) | & alibi filij hominum dentes eorum arma & sagitte & lingua eorum gladius acutus (Most beta mss)]

[^a1495: which (R) | swich (M Cr W Hm F) | with (L C G O Y B)]

[^1434: R.13.336: R's form here is unique; Kane-Donaldson transcribe it as a nonsense error, enenye; however, a likelier reading of R's intention is that he meant to render the same word as the other witnesses, enuye.]

[^1435: R.13.337: R's lakkynge is an alpha variant; cf. beta's erroneous laughynge.]

[^1436: R.13.337: R shows two small unique features in reading this line: (1) where the other manuscripts read and in the a-verse, R has or; (2) where most of the others read and at the head of the b-verse, R has a (cf. G's and a and F's & with a).]

[^1437: R.13.344: R uniquely deploys the past tense here; the other B manuscripts show Auenge. However, almost all the C manuscripts endorse R's lection, reading Venged.]

[^1438: R.13.346: R's est amaritudine involves a unique omission. All other B witnesses (as well as Cx) agree on est & amaritudine.]

[^1439: R.13.347: Alpha omits a second tagline, from Ps. 56.5, & alibi filij hominum dentes eorum arma & sagitte & lingua eorum gladius acutus. Cx agrees with beta and includes the citation. The first Latin quotation is from Ps. 9.28.]

[^1440: Both of these red boxings have been blotted and partially erased.]

[^1441: R.13.350: R's which is unique. F and some of the beta manuscripts (CrWHm) read swich, while others (LGCO) have with. As for M, the beta editor has "corrected" its reading (from the spacing it appears likely that the original reading was with) to the WHm lection. Cx attests suche, but Kane and Russell choose wiþ for their edition of C, presumably on the basis of its being a "harder reading."]

[^1442: R.13.354: R's or is shared only with L (cf. the common beta reading, of). F reads be. Although two C manuscripts, Q and F, agree with this RL reading, Cx certainly agrees with the beta majority. If this RL lection is, as seems likely, an error (rather than a harder reading distorted by most of their fellow copyists) it would represent a coincidental misreading of a single character.]

[^1443: R.13.356: In the right margin opposite this line, someone has written sowt(er) of sotwerk. This note is in a thin black, nearly contemporary hand, apparently the same as the note about Chichestre on 63v. To the immediate left of this gloss, between it and the end of the text line, there is a design consisting of a triangle of dots with a penstroke resembling a modern comma extending from the middle of its base.]

¶ I waited wisloker  and þanne was I[^a1496][^1444] soyled .
With likynge of lecherie  and by lokynge of myn[^a1497][^1445] eye .
For vch a mayde þat he mette  he made hire a syngne
Semynge to synwarde  and somme-tyme he gan taste .
Aboute þe mouth or byneth  bygynneth to grope .
Til eytheres wille waxeth kene  and to þe werke ȝeden .
As wel[^a1498][^1446] fastyng dayes and fridayes  and for-bode niȝtes .
And as lef[^a1499][^1447] in lente as oute of lente  alle tymes I-liche .
Suche werkes with hem  were neuere out of sesoun .
Til þei miȝt na more  and þanne hadde murie tales .
And how þat lechoures louyen lawen  and iapen .
Or[^a1500][^1448] herlotrie[^a1501] and horedom  and[^a1502] in here elde tellen

[^a1496: I (R) | it (Most beta mss)]

[^a1497: myn (R F) | his (All beta mss)]

[^a1498: wel (R F) | wel in (Most beta mss)]

[^a1499: lef (R F) | wel (All beta mss)]

[^a1500: Or (R) | And of (All other mss)]

[^a1501: herlotrie (R F) | her harlotrye (All beta mss)]

[^a1502: and (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1444: R.13.359: Cf. R's I with F's he and beta's it. Apparently the R scribe failed to notice that the confession ends in the previous line and that this description is rendered from the narrator's viewpoint.]

[^1445: R.13.360: R's myn is an alpha reading; cf. beta's his.]

[^1446: R.13.365: Beta reads wel in for alpha's wel. But Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1447: R.13.366: Beta reads wel. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1448: R.13.370: In place of R's unique and incoherent Or, F and beta begin this line And of. Later in the line, R opens the b-verse with and in where all the other copies read in]

¶ Þanne pacience parceyued  of poyntes his cote .
Was colmy thoruȝ coueytise  and vnkende desirynge .
More to goed þan to god  þe gome his loue caste .
And ymagined how he it miȝt haue 
With fals mesures and mette  and with fals witnesse .
Lened for loue of þe wed  and lothe to do treuthe .
And awayted þoruȝ whitus[^a1503][^1449]  weyus[^a1504] to begile .
And menged his marchandise  and made a goed moustre .
Þe werste with-Inne was  a grete wit I lete it .
And if my neȝbore hadde an[^a1505][^1450] hyne  or any best elles .
More profitable þan myne  many sleyȝtes Ich made .
How I miȝt haue it  al my wit I caste .
And but if I hadde[^1451] bi other way  at þe last I stale it .
Or priuelich his purs schoke  vn-pyked his lokkes .
Other[^a1506] bi niȝt other[^a1507][^1452] bi daye  aboute was I euere .
Þoruȝ gyle to gaderen  þe goed þat Ich haue .

[^a1503: whitus (R) | which (Most beta mss)]

[^a1504: weyus (R F) | wey (Most beta mss)]

[^a1505: an (R F) | any (All beta mss)]

[^a1506: Other (R) | Or (All beta mss)]

[^a1507: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^1449: R.13.377: Whitus, "wits." Beta reads which wey to bigile instead of R's more apt whitus weyus to begile. Cf. F's wit fele wyȝes to be-gyle.]

[^1450: R.13.380: Beta has any. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1451: R.13.383: Here alpha's phrasing differs slightly from beta, which reads but I (it) had. Cx agrees with beta, and supports the LMWHm inclusion of it in the phrase; but the P family mostly agrees with Hm's order (hadde it) while the best X family copies agree with LMW (= it had).]

[^1452: R.13.385: R's correlative conjunctions other . . . other are unique; except for F, all the other B copies render both of this pair as or; F agrees with them on the second but renders the first as Eyþir.]

¶ If ich ȝede to þe plow  I pynched so narwe .
Þat a fote lande or a forw  fecche Ich wolde .
Of my nexte neyȝbore  or ȝaf hem rede þat repen .[^1453]
To sese to me with her sikel  þat I ne sewe neuere .

[^1453: R.13.389: Here alpha lost a b-verse and a following a-verse, resulting in the compression of two lines into an aa|bb metrical pattern. In F, the resulting half-line reads whan y sholde repen it.]

¶ And ho-so borwed of me  a-boute þe tyme .
With presentes priueliche  or payed somme certeyne .
So walde he or nauȝt walde  wynnen I wolde .
And bothe to kytthe and to kynne  vnkynde of þat Ich hadde .

¶ And ho-so cheped my chaffare  chiden Ich wolde .
But he profered to paye  a peny or tweyne .
More þan it was worth  and ȝut wolde I swere .
Þat it coste[^a1508][^1454] muche more  swore many othes .

[^a1508: coste (R F) | coste me (Most beta mss)]

[^1454: R.13.398: Beta becomes more explicit, inserting me after coste.]

¶ In haly dayes at holy cherche  whan Ich herde masse .
Hadde[^1455] nere wil wote god  witterly to be-seche .
Mercy for my misdedes  þat I ne morned more .
For losse of goed leue me[^1456]  þan fore[^a1509] lihames gultes .
As if I hadde dedly synne done  I dradde nauȝt þat so sore .
As whan I lened and leued it loste  or longe ar it were payed .
So if I kydde any kendenesse  myn euencristene to helpe .
Vppon a cruele coueytise  my consience[^a1510][^1457][^1458] gan hange .
And if I sent ouer see  my seruantz to brugges .
Or in-to pruyslonde my prenteys  my profit to wayte .
To marchaunden with monoye  and maken here chaunges[^a1511] .[^1459]
Myȝte nere[^a1512][^1460] me conforte  in þe mene tyme .
Nother masse ne matynes  ne no maner shytes s[yh]tes[^a1513] .[^1461]
Ne neuer penaunce parfournede  ne paternoster sayde .
Þat my mynde ne was more  in[^a1514] my goed in a doute .
Þan in þe grace of god  and his grete helpes .
Vbi est thesaurus tuus  ibi & cor tuum .
Ȝet glotoun[^a1515] with grete othes  his granement[^a1516][^1462] hadde[^a1517] soyled .[^1463]
And foule beflobered it  as[^a1518] with fals speche .
As[^a1519] þere no nede ne[^a1520] was  godes name an Idel[^a1521] .
Swore[^a1522] þere -by swithe ofte  and al by-swatte his cote[^a1523]
And[^a1524] more mete[^a1525] ete and dronke  þen kende miȝt defie
And kauȝte seknesse sum -tyme  for my forfetes[^a1526] ofte .
And þanne[^a1527] I dradde to deye  in dedlich synne .
Þat[^a1528] in-to wanhope he[^a1529] wrathe[^a1530][^1464]  and[^a1531] wende nauȝt[^a1532] to be saued .
Þe whiche is sleuthe[^a1533] so slow  þat[^a1534] may no slithes[^a1535] helpe it[^a1536] .
Ne no mercy amenden[^a1537]  þe man þat so deyeth[^a1538] .

[^a1509: fore (R) | for my (All other mss)]

[^a1510: my consience (R F) | myn herte (All beta mss)]

[^a1511: chaunges (R F) | eschaunges (All beta mss)]

[^a1512: nere (R) | neuere (All other mss)]

[^a1513: shytes s[yh]tes (R) | siȝtes (All other mss)]

[^a1514: in (R) | on (Most other mss)]

[^a1515: glotoun (R) | þat goome (F)]

[^a1516: granement (R) | garnement (F)]

[^a1517: hadde (R) | was (F)]

[^a1518: as (R) | al (F)]

[^a1519: As (R) | & (F)]

[^a1520: ne (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1521: godes name an Idel (R) | nempnede god ydellyche (F)]

[^a1522: Swore (R) | & swoor (F)]

[^a1523: and al by-swatte his cote (R) | abowte þe ale cuppe (F)]

[^a1524: And (R) | & ofte (F)]

[^a1525: mete (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1526: And kauȝte seknesse sum -tyme  for my forfetes (R) | & sumtyme kawte seknesse þoruh surfetys ofte (F)]

[^a1527: And þanne (R) | þat for dowhte (F)]

[^a1528: Þat (R) | & (F)]

[^a1529: he (R) | y (F)]

[^a1530: wrathe (R) | wente (F)]

[^a1531: and (R) | y (F)]

[^a1532: nauȝt (R) | neuere (F)]

[^a1533: is sleuthe (R) | slewþe is (F)]

[^a1534: þat (R) | þere (F)]

[^a1535: slithes (R) | sleyghte (F)]

[^a1536: helpe it (R) | it helpe (F)]

[^a1537: amenden (R) | amende it (F)]

[^a1538: so deyeth (R) | dyȝeþ þereInne (F)]

[^1455: R.13.400: After Hadde, R shares with L alone an obvious error: the omission of the personal pronoun I. Both F and beta include I, as does Cx. This apparently random error, shared exclusively by the two best witnesses to Bx, probably derives from an overlooked marginal correction in that archetypal copy, one that was transmitted faithfully (as a marginal) by both alpha and beta.]

[^1456: R.13.402: A stain or discoloration of the parchment has partially obscured me.]

[^1457: R.13.406: In place of alpha's correctly alliterating consience, beta reads herte.]

[^1458: R.13.406: Wetting has caused the ink to run, partially blurring the word my and the <co> of consience.]

[^1459: R.13.409: Beta reads eschaunges in place of RF's chaunges. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1460: R.13.410: R's nere is a unique form here. The other copies have neuer(e). The C manuscripts attest the majority form.]

[^1461: R.13.411: R's nonsensical error here is unique among the B copies. The scribe's usual spelling of the word in question is siȝtes, but the spelling adopted here for the emendation is assumed to have been inherited from his exemplar, so that his only mistake is likely to have been a simple reversal of two letters. Two C witnesses, VcAc, render this word as schytes, but Cx presumably had syhtus.]

[^1462: R.13.416: Although listing it as a viable spelling variation, MED, s. v. garnement, offers no other evidence for this spelling of what is commonly rendered garnement (as in F). OED2, s. v. garment, garneament, and garnement, provides no citations either.]

[^1463: These lines are omitted by the beta manuscripts. There are, moreover, substantial variations between R and F in this passage, so that it seems preferable here to cite F's version uninterrupted (cf. Appendix 1, R13.416-25, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Ȝeet þat goome with grete oþis / his garnement was soiled. & foule be-flobered it / al with fals speche. & þere no neede was / nempnede god ydellyche. & swoor þerby / swythe ofte / a-bowte þe ale cuppe. & ofte moore eet & drank / þan kynde myȝhte defye. & sumtyme kawte seknesse / þoruh surfetys ofte. Þat for dowhte y dredde / to dyȝen in dedly synne. & into wanhope y wente / y wende neuere to be savid. Þe wyche slewþe is so slowhȝ / þere may no sleyghte it helpe. Ne no mercy a-mende it / þe man þat dyȝeþ þere-Inne.]

[^1464: R.13.423: Compare R's wrathe, an impossible choice, with F's wente. However, the error probably occurred in alpha (cf. Kane-Donaldson's emendation worþ), with F, as usual, struggling to smooth nonsense that R is content to reproduce.]

¶ Ac[^a1539][^1465] whiche ben þe braunches  þat bringeth a man to sleuthe .
His woman morneth nauȝt for his mysdedes  ne maketh no sorwe
And penaunce þat þe prest enioyneth  perfourneth euele .
Doth non almesdede  drat hym of no synne .
Lyueth aȝeyne þe by-leue  and no lawe holdeth .
Vch day is haly day with hym  or an heyȝ ferie .
And if he auȝt wil here  it is an herlotes tonge .
Whan men carpeth of criste  or of clennesse of soule .
He wexeth wroth and wil nauȝt here  but wordes of murthe .
Penaunce and pore men  and þe passion of seyntes .
He hateth to here þere-of  and alle þat it telleth .
Þise ben þe braunches beth war  þat bryngeth a man to wan-hope .
Ye lordes ye lordes Ye lordes[^a1540] and ladies  and legates of holy cherches[^a1541][^1466] .
Þat feden fole[^a1542][^1467] sages  flatereres and lyeres 
And han likynge to lithen hem  to do ȝow lawhe[^1468] .
Ve vobis qui ridetis[^a1543] .
And ȝiueth hem mete and mede  and pore men refuse .
In ȝoure deth-deyinge  I drede me[^a1544][^1469] sore .
Lest þo thre maner men  to muche sorwe bringe[^a1545][^1470] .
Consencientes et agentes  pari pena puniendi sunt[^a1546] .[^1471]

[^a1539: Ac (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1540: Ye lordes ye lordes Ye lordes (R) | Ȝe lordes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1541: cherches (R) | cherche (All other mss)]

[^a1542: fole (R) | foles (All other mss)]

[^a1543: ridetis (R Cr1 F) | ridetis &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a1544: me (R) | me ful (All beta mss)]

[^a1545: bringe (R) | ȝow brynge (Most other mss)]

[^a1546: puniendi sunt (R F) | punientur (Most beta mss)]

[^1465: R.13.426: R's line opening is unique. F and most beta copies simply omit Ac; Hm replaces it with Þe. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1466: R.13.438: R is alone in reading a plural; all other B manuscripts have a singular form, which is also the reading of the C version.]

[^1467: R.13.439: The other B manuscripts show a plural, foles. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1468: R.13.440: R's omission of to before this verb is shared only with G among the B witnesses. However, to is also omitted in Cx.]

[^1469: R.13.443: R here omits beta's ful (F revises the half-line). Though three C manuscripts (McFcNc) agree with beta, Cx agrees with R in omitting the qualifier.]

[^1470: R.13.444: R uniquely omits ȝow before bringe. Cx includes yow.]

[^1471: R.13.445: The phrase puniendi sunt is an alpha variant. The beta reading is punientur. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Patriarkes and prophetes  and prechoures of goddes wordes .
Sauen þoruȝ here sarmon  mannes soule fram helle .
Riȝt so flatereres and foles  aren þe fendes disciples .
To entise men þoruȝ here tales  to synne and herlotrie .
Ac clerkes þat knoweth[^1472] holy writ  schuld kennen lordes .
What dauid seith of such men  as þe sauter telleth .
Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit superbiam qui[^1473] loquitur iniqua .
Schulde no herlot[^1474] haue audience  in halle ne in chaumbres .
There wise men were  witnesseth godes wordes .
Ne non mysproude man  amanges lordes ben a-lowed .

[^1472: R.13.450: R's inflectional suffix (-eth) is unique among B witnesses; the others show -e(n). Although MSS P and F in the C tradition agree with the majority of B copies on this small issue — i.e., knowe(n) —, the Russell-Kane lemma leaves no doubt that a majority of both sub-families of C agree with R's reading.]

[^1473: R.13.452: Among B copies, only Hm joins R in omitting & before qui; however, Cx agrees with R on this omission.]

[^1474: R.13.453: There is an otiose curl above the <r> of herlot.]

¶ Clerkes and kniȝtes[^a1547]  welcometh[^a1548] kynges ministrales .[^1475]
And for loue[^a1549] of þe[^a1550] lorde  litheth[^a1551] hem at festes .
Muche[^a1552] more me thenketh  riche[^a1553] men schulde .
Haue beggeres byfore hem  þe[^a1554] whiche ben goddes ministrales .
As he seyth hym-self  seynt Iohan bereth witnesse .
Qui vos spernit me spernit .
For-thi[^a1555] I rede ȝow riche[^a1556]  at reueles whan ȝe maketh .
For to solace ȝoure soules  suche ministrales to[^a1557] haue .
Þe pore for a fol sage  syttynge[^a1558] at þe heyȝ[^a1559] table .
And a lered[^a1560] man to lere[^a1561] þe  what oure lorde suffred .
For to saue þi soule  fram sathan þin enemy .
And fithel þe with-out flaterynge[^a1562]  of gode friday þe[^a1563] storye .
And[^a1564] a blynd man for a[^a1565] bourdeoure  or a bedrede womman .
To crie a largesse  by-for[^a1566] oure lorde  ȝoure[^a1567] gode loos to schewe
Þise thre maner[^a1568] ministrales  maketh a man[^a1569] to lawhe .
And in his deth deyinge  þei don hym grete conforte .
Þat bi his lyue lythed[^a1570] hem  and loued hem to here .
Þise solaseth þe[^a1571] soule  til hym-selue[^a1572] be falle .
In a welhope[^a1573]  amonges worthi[^a1574] seyntes .
Þere[^a1575][^1476] flateres and foles  thoruȝ here foule wordes .
Leden þo þat loued[^a1576][^1477] hem  to luciferes feste .
With turpiloquio a lay of sowe so[r]we[^a1577][^1478]  and luciferes fythele .

[^a1547: Clerkes and kniȝtes (R) | Boþe knyghtis & clerkis (F)]

[^a1548: welcometh (R) | wolkome (F)]

[^a1549: loue (R) | þe love (F)]

[^a1550: þe (R) | here (F)]

[^a1551: litheth (R) | þey lyghten (F)]

[^a1552: Muche (R) | mychil (F)]

[^a1553: riche (R) | þan ryche (F)]

[^a1554: þe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1555: For-thi (R) | þerfore (F)]

[^a1556: riche (R) | men at (F)]

[^a1557: to (R) | ȝee (F)]

[^a1558: syttynge (R) | ȝee sette (F)]

[^a1559: heyȝ (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1560: lered (R) | leerned (F)]

[^a1561: lere (R) | leerne (F)]

[^a1562: And fithel þe with-out flaterynge (R) | & withowtyn flaterynge fythele (F)]

[^a1563: friday þe (R) | frydaes (F)]

[^a1564: And (R) | & tak (F)]

[^a1565: for a (R) | þy (F)]

[^a1566: by-for (R) | to (F)]

[^a1567: ȝoure (R) | þyn (F)]

[^a1568: maner (R) | manere of (F)]

[^a1569: maketh a man (R) | make men (F)]

[^a1570: lythed (R) | he lystned (F)]

[^a1571: Þise solaseth þe (R) | þey solace þy (F)]

[^a1572: hym-selue (R) | þy selue (F)]

[^a1573: welhope (R) | wol good hope (F)]

[^a1574: worthi (R) | goode (F)]

[^a1575: Þere (R F) | Ac (Most beta mss)]

[^a1576: loued (R F) | louen (All beta mss)]

[^a1577: sowe so[r]we (R) | sorwe (All other mss)]

[^1475: These lines are not found in the beta copies. F's version is sufficiently different to render it preferable to reproduce it as a single passage here rather than as a string of unrelated notes (cf. Appendix 1, R13.456-74, for details and cross-references to the C version): Boþe knyghtis & Clerkis / wolkome kyngis menstralis. & for þe love of here loord / þey lyghten hem at festis. Mychil more me þynkþ þan / ryche men sholde. Have beggeris be-fore hem / wiche ben goddis menstralis. As he seyþ hym-selue / seynt Iohan beryþ witnesse. Qvi vos spernit  me spernit. / Þerfore y rede ȝou ryche men / at Revelis whan ȝe make. For to solace ȝoure soulis / swiche menstralis ȝee have. Þe poore for a fool sage / ȝee sette at þe table. & a leerned man to leerne the / what oure lord suffrede. For to save þy soule / fram Sathan þyn enemy. & withowtyn flaterynge fythele / of good frydaes storye. & tak a blynd man þy burdour / or a bedrede womman To criȝe a largesse to oure lord / þyn goode loos to shewe. Þese þre manere of menstralis / make men to lawhe. & in his deþ dyeng / þei doon hym gret confort. Þat be his lyve he lystned hem / & lovede hem to heere. Þey solace þy soule / tyl þy-selue be fallyn. In a wol good hope / a-mongis goode seyntys.]

[^1476: R.13.475: In place of alpha's Þere, beta reads Ac. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1477: R.13.476: The beta manuscripts show the present tense louen.]

[^1478: R.13.477: R's unique error here was overlooked by Kane-Donaldson.]

¶ Þus haukyn þe actif man  hadde soyled his cote .
Til consience acouped hym þere -of  in a curteys manere .
Whi he ne hadde wasched it  or wiped it with a brusche .

Passus xiijus xii[i]jus tertius decimus [quartus] decimus . de visione vt supra . — —

I haue but on hater[^a1578][^1479] quod haukyn  I am þe lasse to blame
Thouȝ it be soyled and selde clene  I slepe þere -inne on niȝtes .
And al-so I haue an hosewif  hewen and children .
Vxorem duxi & ideo non possum[^a1579][^1480] &cetera .[^1481]
Þat wolen by-molen it many tymes[^a1580][^1482]  maugre my chekes .

[^a1578: hater (R L F) | hool hatere (Most beta mss)]

[^a1579: possum (R) | possum venire (All other mss)]

[^a1580: tymes (R Cr2 Cr3 G F) | tyme (Most beta mss)]

[^1479: R.14.1: Most beta copies have one hool hatere. L, however, shares the alpha reading.]

[^1480: R.14.4: R uniquely omits venire from the end of the Biblical citation.]

[^1481: R.14.4: The right end of the red box is open.]

[^1482: R.14.5: Beta reads the singular form, tyme; however, manuscripts G and Cr2-3 agree with alpha's plural.]

¶ It hath ben laued in lenten  and oute of lenten bothe .
With þe sope of siknesse  þat seketh wonder depe .
And with þe losse of catel  lothe for to a-gulte .
God ar[^a1581] any gode man  by auȝt þat I wiste .
And was schriuen of þe prest  þat gaf me for my synnes .
To penaunce pacience  and pore men to fede .
Al for coueytise of my cristendom  in clennesse to kepen it .

[^a1581: ar (R) | or (All beta mss)]

¶ And coude I nouȝt[^a1582][^1483] by crist  kepen it clene an houre
Þat I ne soyled it with siȝt  or summe ydel speche .
Or thoruȝ werke or thouȝt[^a1583][^1484]  and other[^a1584][^1485] wil of myn herte
Þat I ne flobere it foule  fram morwe til eue .

[^a1582: nouȝt (R F) | neuere (All beta mss)]

[^a1583: thouȝt (R F) | þorugh worde (All beta mss)]

[^a1584: and other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^1483: R.14.13: For alpha's nouȝt, beta reads neuere.]

[^1484: R.14.15: In place of R's unique and non-alliterating thouȝt (F = elles þowht), beta has þorugh worde.]

[^1485: R.14.15: R uniquely reads and other for beta's probably correct or. F has or þoruh.]

¶ And I schal kenne þe quod consience  of contricioun to make .
Þat schal clawe þi cote  of alle kynne[^a1585][^1486] fulthe .
Cordis contricio &cetera
Dowel waschen it and wringen it  þoruȝ a wise confessoure .
Oris confessio . &cetera
Dobet þat schal[^a1586] schal beten[^a1587] and bouken it[^1487]  as briȝt as any scarlet .
And engreynen it with gode wille  and goddes grace to amende þe .
And sitthen sende þe to satisfaccioun  for to sonnen[^a1588][^1488] it after .
Satisfaccio . dobest
Schal neuere myst by-mole it  ne mothe after biten it .
Ne fende ne fals man  defoulen it in þi liue .
Schal no heraud ne harpour  haue a fairer garment .
Þan haukyn þe actif man  and þow do be my techynge .
Ne no ministrale be more worth . amonges pore and riche .
Þanne haukynnes wif þe waferere  which is[^a1589][^1489] actiua vita .

[^a1585: kynne (R) | kynnes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1586: þat schal (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1587: beten (R) | beten it (Most beta mss)]

[^a1588: sonnen (R F) | sowen (Most beta mss)]

[^a1589: which is (R F) | with his (All beta mss)]

[^1486: R.14.18: Beta has kynnes, while F reads vn-clene.]

[^1487: R.14.22: R's a-verse is unique; cf. beta's phrase: Dobet shal beten it and bouken it. F has Dobet bowke it & beete it.]

[^1488: R.14.24: This variant is shared with F. Most beta manuscripts have sowen.]

[^1489: R.14.31: Beta reads with his.]

Si mea penna valet melior mea litera fiet Dextera pars penna Brevior et lenior debit esse

[In the left margin, an extended comment is written vertically, in a black secretary hand, beginning at R14.54 and reaching upwards in the margin to this point, R14.32. The second line of the comment is under the first and thus slightly closer to the text line initials.]

¶ And I schal purueye þe paste quod pacience  þouȝ þow[^a1590][^1490] no plowȝ erie
And floure to fede folke with  as best be for þe soule .
Þowȝ neuere greyne growede  ne grape vp-on vine .
Alle þat lyueth and loketh  liflod wold I fynde .
And þat I-now schal none faile  of thinge þat hem nedeth .

[^a1590: þow (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1490: R.14.32: R's þow is an alpha variant omitted by all beta manuscripts. Though C is substantially revised at this point, a half-line occurs in the cognate passage of the final version that exactly confirms beta's reading (=RK C15.234).]

¶ We schulde nauȝt be to busy  abouten oure liflode .
Ne soliciti sitis &cetera . Volucres celi deus pascit &cetera .
Pacientes vincunt . &cetera .

¶ Þanne lawhed haukyn a litel  and liȝtly gan swere .
Who-so leueth ȝow noþer be[^a1591][^1491] oure lorde  I leue nauȝt he be blissed .

[^a1591: noþer be (R) | by (All other mss)]

[^1491: R.14.41: R's noþer is a unique addition to the a-verse witnessed by beta (F completely rephrases this half-line). However, R's be is merely a spelling variation for beta's by. Cf. R.14.29:: be my techynge.]

¶ No quod pacience paciently  and oute of his poke hente .
Vitales of grete vertues  for alle maner bestes .
And seyde lo here liflode I-nowe  if oure bileue be trewe .
For lente nere was þere[^a1592][^1492] lif  but liflode were schape .
Where -of or where-for  and where-by to libbe .

[^a1592: nere was þere (R) | neuere was (Most beta mss)]

[^1492: R.14.45: R's þere is a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts; however, R's reading has a substantial likelihood of being original since at the same point the C manuscripts attest either here or, more commonly, þere.]

¶ Furst þe wilde worme  vnder weet erthe .
Fisch to lyue in þe flode  and in þe fuir þe crikat .
Þe corlew be kynde of þe eyre  most clennest flesch of briddes .
And bestes by grasse and by greyne  and by grene rotes .
In menynge þat alle men  miȝt þe same .
Lif[^a1593][^1493] þoruȝ lele byleue  and loue as god witnesseth .
Quodcumque pecieritis[^a1594][^1494] in nomine meo  &cetera Et alibi .
Non in solo pane viuit homo  sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore dei .

[^a1593: Lif (R) | Lyue (All other mss)]

[^a1594: pecieritis (R F) | pecieritis a patre (All beta mss)]

[^1493: R.14.52: R's Lif appears, at first, to be lexically unique. F has & lyve and beta shows Lyue; many C manuscripts agree with beta, but many others read Leue. The problem with R's "uniqueness" is that this spelling may not reflect intentional lexical difference but merely inadvertent phonological overlap between voiced <v> and voiceless <f> in Langland's own dialect; cf. the archetypal B spelling for the noun (= ModEng "life") at R.14.27: above: in þi liue .]

[^1494: R.14.53: Here alpha omitted the phrase a patre from the Biblical citation as witnessed by beta. Nevertheless, the alpha reading may well be original. Among the C manuscripts , the X family (generally regarded as the more authoritative group) also omits the phrase.]

¶ But I loked what þat liflode[^a1595][^1495] was  þat pacience so preysed .
And þanne was a[^a1596][^1496] pece of þe paternoster  fiat voluntas tua .

[^a1595: þat liflode (R F) | lyflode it (All beta mss)]

[^a1596: was a (R Cr Hm F) | was it a (Most beta mss)]

[^1495: R.14.55: For alpha's þat liflode, beta reads lyflode it.]

[^1496: R.14.56: RF's reading, was a, is an alpha variant shared with CrHm; beta reads was it a.]

¶ Haue haukyn quod pacience  and ete þis whan þe hungreth .
Or whan þow clomsest for colde  or clingest for drouȝthe[^a1597][^1497] .
And[^a1598] schal[^1498] neuere feytoures[^a1599][^1499] þe greue  ne grete lordes wrathe .
Prisone ne payne  fo[^a1600][^1500] pacientes vincunt .
By so þat þow be sobre  of siȝt and of tonge .
In etynge and in handelynge  and in alle þi fyue wittes .
Tharst þow neuere care for corne  ne lynnen clothe ne wollen .[^1501]
Ne for drink . ne deth drede  but deye as god liketh .
Or thoruȝ honger or thoruȝ hete  at his wille be it .
For if þow lyuest after his lore  þe schorter lyf þe leuere[^a1601][^1502] .
Si quis amat christum mundum non diligit istum .

[^a1597: drouȝthe (R) | drye (All beta mss)]

[^a1598: And (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1599: feytoures (R) | gyues (Most beta mss)]

[^a1600: fo (R) | for (All beta mss)]

[^a1601: leuere (R F) | better (All beta mss)]

[^1497: R.14.58: Beta has drye for R's drouȝthe (F = drowhtys). Cx agrees here with R.]

[^1498: R.14.59: F begins this line with Þere shal while beta simply begins with Shal. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1499: R.14.59: R's feytoures and F's faytour ) against beta's correctly alliterating gyues probably reflects a misunderstood gloss in Bx reading fetters. Cx agrees here with beta.]

[^1500: R.14.60: Neither MED nor OED2 cites s. v. for an example of fo as viable for the preposition signified here, but it occurs in R in four widely separated contexts (cf. R2.64, R15.379, and R20.224) and probably represents an instance of idiolect apocope. Beta here attests the expected for, and F has whil.]

[^1501: R.14.63: There is a superfluous bar over the <n> of wollen.]

[^1502: R.14.66: Beta shows better where alpha has leuere. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ For thoruȝ his breth bestes wexeth[^1503]  and a-brode ȝeden .
Dixit & facta sunt &cetera .
Ergo thoruȝ his breth mowen  men and bestes libben[^1504] .
As holy writ witnesseth  whan men seggen here grace[^a1602][^1505] .
Aperis tu manum tuam et imples omne animal benediccione .

[^a1602: grace (R) | graces (All beta mss)]

[^1503: R.14.68: Cf. F's weren and beta's woxen or wexen. The C manuscripts are divided, typically witnessing the same forms as beta, but seven of them (IP2RcMcScZWa) agree with R's wexeth.]

[^1504: R.14.70: For alpha's libben, beta reads lyuen. The difference is, of course, purely phonological.]

[^1505: R.14.71: F offers a completely different b-verse while beta shows the plural form graces. Although C has been slightly revised in this passage, Cx shows the same plural noun form as that in beta (but four manuscripts [KDcWaGc] agree with R).]

¶ It is founden þat fourty wynter  folke lyuede with-oute tulyinge .
And oute of þe flint spronge þe floed  þat folk and bestes dronke .
And in Elyes tyme  heuene was I-closed .[^1506]
Þat non rayn ne roen  þus rett[^a1603] men on[^a1604][^1507] bokes .
Þat many wynter[^1508] men lyued  and no mete ne teleden .

[^a1603: rett (R) | rede(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1604: on (R) | in (All other mss)]

[^1506: In the right margin, in black ink, there is an early ownership stamp for the Bodleian Library.]

[^1507: R.14.76: R's rett is unique; the same is true of R's on. The majority, including F, attest rede men in. Cx is uncertain, but five manuscripts (YcIP2UcT) reflect a similar verbal inflection to that found in R (rat), and XIUcZ agree with R's ensuing preposition.]

[^1508: R.14.77: R and Cr alone have singular wyntre. F omits the entire phrase in which this term occurs. Cx clearly agrees with the RCr singular.]

¶ Seuen slepen as seith þe boke  seuen hundreth wynter
And lyueden with-outen liflode  and att þe laste þei woken .
And if men lyuede as mesure wolde  schulde neuere more be defaute.
Amoges Amo[n]ges[^a1605] cristene creatoures  if criste[^a1606][^1509] wordes be trewe .
Ac vnkendenesse caristia maketh  amonges cristes[^a1607][^1510] poeple .
And ouer -plente maketh pruyde  amonges pore and riche .
Ac mesure is so muche worth  it may nowȝt be to dere .
For þe mischief and þe mischaunce  amonges men of sodome .
Wex thoruȝ plente of payn  and of puir slewthe .
Ociositas et habundancia panis[^a1608] [^1511]
For þei mesured nauȝt hem-selue  of þat þei eten and dronke .
Deden dedly synne  þat þe deuel lyked 
So veniaunce fel vpon hem  for here vile synnes .
Þei sonken in-to helle  þe cites vchone .

[^a1605: Amoges Amo[n]ges (R) | Amonges (All other mss)]

[^a1606: criste (R) | crystes (All other mss)]

[^a1607: cristes (R) | crystene (All other mss)]

[^a1608: panis (R) | panis peccatum turpissimum nutriuit (Most beta mss)]

[^1509: R.14.81: R's unmarked possessive, criste, is unique; all other manuscripts have crystes. Among C copies, only P2 agrees with R's form.]

[^1510: R.14.82: All other B manuscripts read crystene.]

[^1511: R.14.87: F omits the entire citation; R leaves off the end, as seen in beta manuscripts: peccatum turpissimum nutriuit.]

¶ For-thy mesure we vs wel  and make oure faith oure scheltroun .
And thoruȝ faith cometh contricioun  consience wot wel .
Which driueth aweye dedly synne  and doth it to be venial .
And þouȝ a man miȝt nouȝt speke  contricion miȝt hym saue .
And brynge his soule to blisse  bi[^a1609] so[^1512] þat feith bere witnesse .
Þat whiles he lyued he byleued  in þe lore of holy cherche .
Ergo contricion faith and consience  is kendeliche dowel .
And surgyanes for dedly synne[^1513]  whan schrift of mouthe faileth .

[^a1609: bi (R L Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1512: R.14.96: Immediately following this word there is an unintended ink dot.]

[^1513: R.14.99: Many beta copies read this noun as a plural: synnes. However, CrHmB agree with alpha.]

¶ Ac schrifte of mouthe more worthi is  if man[^1514] in-lich contrit
For schrifte of mouthe sleth synne  be it neuere so dedly .
Per confessionem to a prest  peccata occiduntur .
Þere contricioun[^1515] doth but driueth it doun  in-to a venial synne .
As dauid seith in þe sauter  & quorum tecta sunt peccata .
Ac satisfaccion seketh oute þe rote  & bothe sleth and voydeth .
And as it neuere hadde be[^a1610]  to nauȝt bryngeth dedly synne.
Þat it neuere eft is sene  ne sore  but semeth a wounde I-heled .

[^a1610: be (R Cr O C2 F) | ybe (Most beta mss)]

[^1514: R.14.100: After man, R shares an omission of the verb be with C alone.]

[^1515: R.14.103: Here the R scribe uses two separate bars for expanding the final affix, one over the <c> and another over the <u>; the second of these is partially obscured by the red boxing above. What this instance indicates by inference, however, is that his intended spelling (when the bar covers only his <c> or his <o>) is -cion, and that the only warrant for expanding to -cioun is a bar extending beyond the <o> of this syllable. These conclusions are confirmed by the scribe's overwhelming preference for -cion forms when he spells them out fully.]

¶ Ȝe[^a1611][^1516] where woneth charite quod haukyn  I wiste nere[^a1612][^1517] in my lyue .
Man þat with hym spake  as wyde as I haue passed .
There parfit treuth  and pouer hert is  and pacience of tonge .
Þere is charite þe chief chaumbre  for god hym-sulue .

[^a1611: Ȝe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1612: nere (R) | neuere (All other mss)]

[^1516: R.14.108: Ȝe is an alpha variant; beta begins this line with Where.]

[^1517: R.14.108: R's form here is unique; the other B witnesses, including F, read the negative as neuer(e).]

¶ Whether pacience and pouerte[^a1613][^1518] quod haukyn  be more plesant to oure lord .[^1519]
Þen ricchesse riȝtfulliche I-wonne  & resonabeliche yspended .

[^a1613: pacience and pouerte (R F) | paciente pouerte (Most beta mss)]

[^1518: R.14.112: Most of the beta manuscripts render this phrase as paciente pouerte or pacience pouerte. In C, the phrase becomes pouerte and pacience.]

[^1519: R.14.112: Many beta manuscripts (and presumably Bx) read driȝte(n) for R's bland lord; F has god more as the end of the line; R's reading is in agreement only with G, presumably by convergence. The C revision abandons beta's archaic driȝte(n) in favor of god almyhty]

¶ Ȝe quis est ille quod pacience  quik laudabimus eum .
Þouȝ men rede of ricchesse  riȝt to þe worldes ende .
I wiste neuere renk þat riche was  þat whan he rekne schulde .
Whan it[^1520] drouȝ to his deth day  þat he ne dradde hym sore
And at þe rekenynge in a-rerage fel  rather þan oute of dette .

[^1520: R.14.117: R's sole partner in reading it is L; F reads &. The majority beta reading is he. In a partially revised line, the C version also attests he at this point.]

¶ Þere þe pore dar plede  and preue by puir resoun .
To haue a-louaunce of his lorde  be þe lawe he it claymeth .
Ioye þat neuere ioye hadde  of riȝtful iuge he asketh .
And seith lo briddes and bestes  þat no blisse ne knoweth .
And wilde wormes in wodes  þoruȝ wynteres þou hem greuest .
And makest hem wel neyh meke  and mylde for defaute .
And after þou sendest hem somer  þat is here souereyn ioye .
And blisse to alle þat ben  bothe wilde and tame .
Þan may beggeres and bestes  after bote wayten .
Þat alle here lif han lyuede  in langour and in defaute .
But god sent hem some-tyme  sum maner ioye .
Other here or elles-where  kende wolde it nere[^a1614][^1521] .
For to wrothor-hele was he wrouȝt  þat neuer ioye was[^a1615] shaped[^1522] .

[^a1614: nere (R) | neuere (All beta mss)]

[^a1615: ioye was (R Hm Y F) | was ioye (Most beta mss)]

[^1521: R.14.130: R's form here is unique; beta reads the negative as neuer(e); F rewrites the half-line completely.]

[^1522: R.14.131: R's ioye was shaped is an alpha phrasing substantively shared with FHm; beta agrees with Cx in reading was ioye shaped.]

¶ Angeles þat in elle now ben  hadden ioye sum -tyme .
And diues in deyntes lyued  and in douce vie .
Riȝt so resoun : scheweth þat þo men[^a1616] :[^1523]
And here makes also  lyued here lyf in murthe .

[^a1616: men (R) | men þat were riche (Most beta mss)]

[^1523: R.14.134: Here alpha probably was identical to R's reading; R matches beta exactly through the phrase þo men but is missing þat were riche F reads þo men shulle redyly a-counte .]

¶ Ac god is of a wonder wille  by þat kende wit scheweth .
To ȝiue many men his mercymonie  ar he it haue deserued .
Riȝt so fareth god by sum riche  reuthe me it thenketh .
For þei han here hire here  and heuene as it were .
And is grete lykynge to þe lif[^a1617][^1524]  wyth-oute labour of body .
And whan he deieth ben disalawed  as dauid sayth in þe sauter .
Dormierunt & nichil inuenerunt &cetera[^a1618] .
And in an-other stede al-so  Velut sompnum surgencium domine
in ciuitate tua  ad[^a1619] nichilum eorum rediges[^a1620][^1525] .
Allas þat richesse schal reue  and robbe mannes soule .
Fram þe loue of oure lorde  at his last ende .

[^a1617: to þe lif (R) | to lyue (All beta mss)]

[^a1618: &cetera (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1619: ad (R O C2 F) | & ad (Most beta mss)]

[^a1620: eorum rediges (R) | rediges (All other mss)]

[^1524: R.14.140: Cf. R's to þe lif to F's of lyf and beta's to lyue.]

[^1525: R.14.144: R's eorum is a unique addition to this citation.]

¶ Hewen þat han here huire to-fore[^a1621][^1526]  aren euermore nedy .[^1527]
And selde deyeth oute[^a1622] of dette  þat dineth or þei[^a1623][^1528] deserue it .
nota
And til he haue done his deuer  and his dayes iourne[^1529]
For whan a werkeman hath wrouȝt  þan may men se þe sothe .
What he were worthi for his werke  & what he hath deserued .
And nauȝt to fonge byfore  for drede of disalowynge .

[^a1621: to-fore (R F) | afore (Most beta mss)]

[^a1622: deyeth oute (R F) | deieth he out (All beta mss)]

[^a1623: þei (R F) | he (All beta mss)]

[^1526: R.14.147: Alpha is responsible for to-fore where beta reads afore. At the same point, Cx has byfore.]

[^1527: R.14.147: A brace extends down the right margin from this line to R14.152. Apparently, it is intended to call attention to the nota at R14.149.]

[^1528: R.14.148: In place of alpha's þei, beta reads he (as does the X family of the C version; the P family of C agrees here with alpha). In the a-verse, beta reads deieth he where R omits the pronoun and F revises the entire half-line.]

[^1529: R.14.149: In the right margin, in a light brown ink and a near-contemporary hand, there is a large nota .]

¶ So I segge be ȝow riche  it semeth[^a1624][^1530] þat ȝe schulle .
Haue to heuenes for[^a1625] ȝoure here -beinge  and heuene þere -after .[^1531]
Riȝt as a seruaunt taketh his salarie by-fore .[^1532]
And sithe wald clayme huire[^a1626][^1533] 
As he þat non ne[^a1627][^1534] hadde  and hath heuene[^a1628][^1535] at þe laste .
It may nauȝt be ȝe riche men  or mathew on god lyeth .
De delicijs ad delicias difficile est ascendere[^a1629][^1536] .
Ac if ȝe riche haue reuth  and rewarde wel þe pore .
And lyuen as lawe techeth  don leute to alle .[^1537]
Crist of his curteysie  schal confort ȝow att þe laste .
And rewarde alle double richesse  þat rewful hertes habbeth .
And as an hyne þat hadde  his huire ar he bygunne
And whan he hath don his deuer wel  men doth hym other bounte .
Ȝiueth hym a cote aboue his couenaunt  riȝt so crist ȝiueth heuene .
Bothe to riche and to nauȝt riche  þat riȝtfullich[^a1630][^1538] libbeth .
And alle þat don here deuer wel  han double huire for here trauaille .
Here for-ȝiuenesse of here synnes  and heuene blisse after .[^1539]

[^a1624: semeth (R) | semeth nouȝt (All beta mss)]

[^a1625: Haue to heuenes for (R) | Haue heuene in (All beta mss)]

[^a1626: huire (R) | more (All beta mss)]

[^a1627: ne (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1628: heuene (R F) | huyre (All beta mss)]

[^a1629: ascendere (R F) | transire (All beta mss)]

[^a1630: riȝtfullich (R F) | rewfullich (All beta mss)]

[^1530: R.14.153: R parallels beta but omits nouȝt after semeth, completely inverting the intended sense of the assertion (beta's version is vouched for by Cx). F rewrites the line.]

[^1531: R.14.154: F offers a typically unique reading of this line (Cleyme two hevynys oon here & anoþer heerafter); R's partial agreement with F in the a-verse shows that R's to heuenes descends from alpha. R's for is unique among the B copies. By contrast, the beta manuscripts show considerable variation in the a-verse but clearly attest the singular form heuene. However, the fact that the Cx phrasing for the a-verse is identical with R's strongly suggests that R's reading is the authorial one.]

[^1532: Alpha divides a Bx line here into two lines.]

[^1533: R.14.156: R's huire is an alpha reading (cf. F's his heere eft-soones); beta shows more.]

[^1534: R.14.157: This double negative is unique to R. Beta has none while F reads non hevene.]

[^1535: R.14.157: R's heuene is an alpha variant; cf. beta's huyre.]

[^1536: R.14.159: In place of alpha's ascendere , beta has transire .]

[^1537: R.14.161: Beta ends the line with hem alle. Only L agrees with R's omission of the pronoun, while F offers a completely different phrase, his brothir.]

[^1538: R.14.167: Beta reads rewfullich.]

[^1539: R.14.169: Hereafter alpha omits five lines present in beta (of which, the last two are also found in the C version): Ac it nys but selde yseyn as by holy seyntes bokes 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.]

¶[^1540] Beggeres[^a1631] aboute missomer  bred-les þei soupe .[^1541]
And ȝet is winter for hem wors  for watschod þei gange .
Afurst sore and affyngred  and foule I-rebuked .
And arated of riche men  þat reuthe is to here .
Now lorde send hem somer and somme maner ioye .
Heuene after here hennes-goynge  þat here han suche defaute .
For alle miȝtest þow haue mad  non mener þan other
☞
And I-liche witty and wis  if þe wel hadde liked .

[^a1631: Beggeres (R) | Ac beggeres (Most beta mss)]

[^1540: R.14.170: R uniquely omits a conjunction at the head of this line; beta reads Ac (which agrees with the reading of Cx) while F has But.]

[^1541: R.14.170: In the left margin, extending from this line to R14.183, there is a black brace and a hand (at R14.178) pointing to these lines.]

¶ And haue reuth on þis riche men  þat rewarde nauȝt þi prisones[^a1632][^1542] .
Of þe gode þat þow hem gyuest  ingrati ben manye .
Ac god of þi godenesse  gyue hem grace to amende .
For may no derth ben hem dere  drouȝthe ne wete .
Ne noyther hete ne hayle  haue þei here hele .
Of þat þei wilnen and wolde  wanteth hem nauȝt here .

[^a1632: prisones (R) | prisoneres (All beta mss)]

[^1542: R.14.178: Prisones, "prisoners." R's form of the word is unique; see the note at R.14.184:. F reads porayle while beta has prisoneres.]

¶ Ac pore poeple þi prisones[^a1633]  lore[^1543] in þe put of mischief .
Confort þo creatures  þat muche care suffren .
Þoruȝ derthe þoruȝ drouȝthe  alle here dayes here .
Wo in wyntres tyme[^a1634][^1544]  for wantynge of clothes .
And in somer tyme selde  soupen to þe fulle .
Conforte þi carfulle criste  in þi riche .[^1545]
For how þow confortest alle creatoures  clerkes bereth witnesse .
Conuertimini ad me & salui eritis .
Þus in genere of alle[^a1635] his genitrice[^1546]  ihesu crist sayde .
To robberes to[^a1636][^1547] reueres  to riche and to pore .
To hores to harlotes  to alle maner[^a1637] poeple .[^1548]
Þow tauȝtest hem in þe trinite  to take bapteme .
And be clene thoruȝ þat cristenynge  of alle kynnes synnes .
And if vs fel thoruȝ folye  to falle in synne after .
Knowlechynge and confession[^a1638][^1549]  and crauynge þi mercy .
Schuld amende vs as many sithes  as man walde desire .
And if þe pouke[^a1639][^1550] wolde plede þere -aȝeine[^a1640]  & punischen on[^a1641][^1551] vs in consience.
Ho[^a1642][^1552] schulde take þe a-quitaunce as quik  & do[^a1643][^1553] þe qued schewe it .
Pateat &cetera per passionem domini .
And putten of so þe pouke  and preuen vs vnder borwe .
Ac þe parchemyn of þis patent  of pouerte be moste .
And of puir pacience  and parfit byleue .

[^a1633: prisones (R) | prisoneres (All beta mss)]

[^a1634: wyntres tyme (R F) | wynter tymes (All other mss)]

[^a1635: alle (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1636: robberes to (R) | robberes and to (All other mss)]

[^a1637: hores to harlotes  to alle maner (R) | harlotys & to hoorys & to all oþer (F)]

[^a1638: Knowlechynge and confession (R) | Confessioun and knowlechyng (All beta mss)]

[^a1639: pouke (R F) | pope (All beta mss)]

[^a1640: þere -aȝeine (R G F) | here-aȝeine (Most beta mss)]

[^a1641: on (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1642: Ho (R) | He (All beta mss)]

[^a1643: do (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^1543: R.14.184: R's prisones is simply an archaic formal variant for beta's prisoneres (cf. R15.207 and R15.380, where beta also shows this form). Perhaps because the F scribe was confused or troubled by this form (he uses prisoner in the other two instances mentioned), the a-verse in F seems completely rewritten: But þe poore in prisoun lyȝn. As for R's lore, see Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974): §199, remark 3. The spelling occurs as well at R5.409 and R18.61.]

[^1544: R.14.187: Beta reads wynter tymes.]

[^1545: R.14.189: The top right margin of fol. 69r has a tear in it that was long ago repaired by stitching. The tear extended diagonally downwards and to the right for approximately 3.8 cm.]

[^1546: R.14.192: R's phrase, of alle his genitrice, is part of a complex variation. Most beta copies read of gentries; L, which overlaps with R here, reads of his genitrice; and F also shows partial agreement with R, reading of alle Ientylis.]

[^1547: R.14.193: All other B manuscripts have robberes and to.]

[^1548: R.14.194: Beta omits this line. F renders its central phrase as harlotys & to hoorys & to all oþer.]

[^1549: R.14.198: This pair of nouns is transposed to Confessioun and knowlechyng in the beta copies; F reads & be-knowleche it In confessioun.]

[^1550: R.14.200: Beta reads pope.]

[^1551: R.14.200: R's on is a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts.]

[^1552: R.14.201: Ho is unique; cf. beta's He and F's We.]

[^1553: R.14.201: R's do is unique; the other manuscripts show to.]

¶ Of pompe and of pruide  þe parchemyn decoureth .
And principaly of alle poeple  but þei be pore of herte .
Elles is alle an ydel  alle þat euere we writen .
Paternoster and penaunces[^1554]  and pilgrimage to rome .
And[^a1644][^1555] oure spenses and oure spendynge springe  of a trewe welle .
Elles is alle oure labour lost  lo how men writeth .
In fenestres at þe freres  if fals be þe fundement .
For-thi cristene schuld be in comune riche  non coueytous for him -selue .

[^a1644: And (R) | But (All beta mss)]

[^1554: R.14.209: With the exception of Hm, which here joins alpha, the beta copies show the singular penaunce. In a revised version of this line, Cx agrees with alpha, attesting a plural.]

[^1555: R.14.210: Cf. beta's But, which agrees with the opening of the line in Cx; on the other hand, at the end of the a-verse, Cx agrees with R, which uniquely reiterates the possessive, reading oure spendynge where beta merely has spendyng. F completely rewrites the a-verse: With oure spendyng of spekynge.]

¶ For seuene synnes þat þere ben  assailen vs euere .
Þe fende folweth hem alle  and fondeth hem to helpe .
Ac with richesse þo ribaudes[^a1645][^1556]  rathest men by-gyleth .
For þere þat richesse regneth  reuerences[^a1646][^1557] folweth .
And þat is plesaunt to pruide  in pore and in riche .
Ac[^a1647][^1558] þe riche is reuerenced  bi reson of his richesse .
Þere þe pore is put by-hynde  and par-auenture can more .
Of wit and of wisdome  þat fer wei[^a1648][^1559] is bettere .
Þan richesse or reaute  and rather I-herd in heuene .
For þe riche hath muche to rekne  and riȝt softe walketh .
Þe riȝt[^a1649][^1560] weye to heuene-warde  ofte riche[^a1650][^1561] letteth .
Ita possibile diuiti &cetera .

[^a1645: þo ribaudes (R F) | þat Ribaude (Most beta mss)]

[^a1646: reuerences (R F) | reuerence (All beta mss)]

[^a1647: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a1648: wei (R) | awey (Most beta mss)]

[^a1649: riȝt (R G F) | heigh (Most beta mss)]

[^a1650: riche (R F) | ricchesse (All beta mss)]

[^1556: R.14.216: Beta shows the singular þat Ribaude. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1557: R.14.217: Beta has the singular reuerence. Most C manuscripts concur, but three important ones, XYcUc, agree with alpha's plural.]

[^1558: R.14.219: Beta has And; F reads But. The C manuscripts divide by major families on this lection, the P family completely omitting the conjunction while the X family, like beta, attests And.]

[^1559: R.14.221: Most beta copies read awey. F omits the entire line. Among the C manuscripts, KcUcDcZN agree with beta while the others agree with R.]

[^1560: R.14.224: Here G joins the defective alpha reading; other beta copies have the correctly alliterating heigh. The a-verse of this line also occurs unrevised in C, in the same form as represented in beta.]

[^1561: R.14.224: Beta reads ricchesse.]

¶ Þere þe pore precheth[^a1651][^1562] byfore þe riche  with a pakke at his rugge .
Opera enim illorum sequntur illos 
Batauntliche as beggeres doun  and baldelich he craueth .
For his pouerte and his pacience  a perpetuel blisse .
Beati pauperes quoniam ipsorum est regnum celorum .

[^a1651: precheth (R) | preseth (Most beta mss)]

[^1562: R.14.226: R's form is probably a distortion of alpha's procheþ (a reading preserved in F) through misunderstanding a scribal suspension; cf. beta's preseth. The lection in C agrees with that of beta.]

¶ Ac[^a1652][^1563] pruide in richesse regneth  rather þam þa[n][^a1653] in pouert
Or[^a1654][^1564] in þe maister or[^a1655] in þe man : sum manseon haueth[^a1656][^1565] .
Ac in pouerte þere pacience is  pruid hath no miȝt .
Ne non of þe seuene synnes  sitten ne mow þere longe .
Ne haue powere in pouerte  if pacience it folwe .
For þe pore is ay preste  to plese þe riche 
And buxum at his biddynge  for his broke loues .
And buxumnesse and bost  aren euermore at werre .
And ayther hateth other  in alle maner werkes .
If wrathe wrastel with þe pore  he hath þe worse ende .
For if þei bothe pleyne  þe pore is but feble .
And if he chide or chatere  hym cheueth þe worse .
For loulich he loketh  and loueliche is his speche .[^1566]
Þat mete[^a1657] or mone  of other men mote asken .
And if glotonie greue pouerte  he gadereth þe lasse .
For his rentes ne[^a1658] wol nauȝte reche  no riche metes to bugge.
And þouȝ his glotonye be to[^a1659] gode ale  he goth to cold beddynge[^a1660] .
And his heued vn-heled[^a1661]  vn-esiliche I-wrye .
For whan he streyneth hym to streche  þe strawe is his schetes[^a1662] .
So for his[^a1663] glotonie and his grete scleuthe[^a1664]  he hath a greuous penaunce .
Þat is welawo whan he waketh  and wepeth[^a1665] for colde .
And sum -tyme for his synnes  so he is neuere murie .
Withoute mornynge amonge  and mischief[^a1666] to bote .

[^a1652: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a1653: þam þa[n] (R) | þan (All other mss)]

[^a1654: Or (R F) | Arst (All beta mss)]

[^a1655: or (R Cr F) | þan (Most beta mss)]

[^a1656: haueth (R) | he ha(ue)th (All other mss)]

[^a1657: mete (R) | ony meete (F)]

[^a1658: ne (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1659: glotonye be to (R) | glut be in (F)]

[^a1660: to cold beddynge (R) | acolde to bedde (F)]

[^a1661: vn-heled (R) | euele yheld & (F)]

[^a1662: schetes (R) | schete (F)]

[^a1663: his (R) | his grete (F)]

[^a1664: and his grete scleuthe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1665: wepeth (R) | wepiþ sore (F)]

[^a1666: mischief (R) | myche myschef (F)]

[^1563: R.14.231: Beta has And; F reads But. C manuscripts attest either And (mostly in the X family) or Also (P family).]

[^1564: R.14.232: For alpha's Or, beta shows Arst; later in this a-verse, where alpha repeats or, Cr agrees with alpha but beta has þan. On both of these readings, it appears that Cx agrees with alpha (although a cluster of five C manuscripts—P2TH2PEc—reads oþur in place of or on both occasions).]

[^1565: R.14.232: R uniquely omits he before haueth. Cx confirms the correctness of the majority reading.]

[^1566: These lines are not found in beta. There are sufficient differences between R and F in these lines to justify reproducing the latter's lines verbatim (cf. Appendix 1, R14.243-53, for details and any cross-references to the C version): For lowly he lookeþ / & lovely is his speche. Þat ony meete or monee / of oþere men mote asken. ¶ & if Glotenye greve pouerte / he gadreþ þe lasse. For hise rentys wil not reche / no ryche meetys to bygge. & þowh his glut be in good ale / he gooþ a-cold to bedde. & hys hevid euele y-helyd / & vnesely y-wryȝe. For whan he streyneþ hym to strecche / þe straw is his schete. So for his grete glotenye / he haþ a greuous penaunce. Þat is wellawo whan he wakeþ / & wepiþ sore . for colde. & sum-tyme for hise synnes / so he is neuere merye. With-outyn moornynge a-moong . & myche myschef to boote.]

¶ And þouȝ[^a1667][^1567] coueytise walde[^a1668] cache þe pore  þei may nouȝt come togideres .
And bi þe nekke nameliche  her non may henten other .
For men knoweth wel þat coueytise  is of a kene wille .
And hath hondes and armes  of longe[^a1669] lengthe .[^1568]
And pouerte ne is[^a1670][^1569] but a pety thynge  apereth nauȝt to his nauele .
And louely layke was it neuere  by-twene þe longe and þe schorte .
And þouȝ auerice wald angre þe pore  he hath but litel miȝte .
For pouerte hath but pokes  to putten in his godes .
Þere auerice hath almaries  and Iren bounden cofferes .
And whether be liȝter to breke  lasse bost it maketh .
A beggeres bagge  þan an Iren bounde coffre .

[^a1667: þouȝ (R F) | if (All beta mss)]

[^a1668: walde (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1669: longe (R) | a longe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1670: ne is (R) | nis (Most beta mss)]

[^1567: R.14.254: Cf. R's þouȝ (shared with F) with the beta reading, if. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1568: R.14.257: For R's longe lengthe, beta reads a longe lengthe; F has an huge lengthe. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1569: R.14.258: R's ne is is unique in form but substantively in agreement with the best of the early beta copies (LMWHmC), which read nis; F and other beta witnesses (CrGYOC2) read is. Cx agrees with F and the inferior beta group.]

¶ Lecherie loueth hym nouȝt  for he ȝiueth but litel siluer .
Ne doth hym nauȝt dine delicatly  ne drinke wyn ofte .[^1570]

[^1570: R.14.266: Immediately following this line, alpha omits two lines present in beta (and in the C version, though somewhat garbled there): A strawe for þe stuwes it stode nouȝt I trowe Had þei none but of pore men her houses were vntyled.]

¶ And þouȝ sleuthe sue pouerte  and serue nauȝt god to paye .
Meschief is his meyster  and maketh hym to thenke .
Þat god is grettest[^a1671][^1571] helpe  and no gome elles .
And he is[^1572] seruaunt as he seith  and of his sute bothe .
And where[^1573] he be or be nauȝt  he bereth þe sygne of pouerte .
And in þat secte oure saueoure  saued alle mankende .
For-thi alle pore þat pacient is  may claymen and asken .
After here endynge here  heuene-riche blisse .

[^a1671: grettest (R B F) | his grettest (Most beta mss)]

[^1571: R.14.269: Alpha and B omit his before grettest. In correcting the error, F presumably misplaced the possessive and ended by creating the phrase, grettest his helpe.]

[^1572: R.14.270: R's he is is unique in the B tradition but agrees with the vast majority of C manuscripts (of both major families). F and several beta witnesses (Cr W—and M after alteration above the line) read he his. A few C manuscripts support this reading. Most beta copies (including LHmOG—and M before alteration) show simply his.]

[^1573: R.14.271: R's where, a contracted form of beta's whether, is shared, among the B manuscripts, only with L. However, most of the X family in the C tradition supports the RL reading. The P family tends to support the common beta reading.]

¶ Muche hardier may he asken  þat here miȝt haue his wille .
In lorde[^a1672][^1574] and in lordschipe and lykynge of body .
And for godes loue leueth al  and lyueth as a beggere .
And as a mayde for a[^a1673][^1575] mannes loue  hire moder for-saketh .
Hire fader and alle hire frendes  and folwed[^a1674][^1576] hire make .
Muche is þat[^a1675][^1577] mayde to louie  of hym þat suche on taketh .
More þan a mayden is  þat is maried þoruȝ brocage .
As by assent of sondri parties  and siluer to bote .
More for coueytise of gode  þan kende loue of bothe .

[^a1672: lorde (R F) | londe (All beta mss)]

[^a1673: a (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1674: folwed (R) | folweth (All other mss)]

[^a1675: þat (R F) | suche a (Most beta mss)]

[^1574: R.14.276: Alpha almost certainly read lorde at the beginning of the a-verse (cf. F's As a lord of) and seems a classic case of scribal anticipation of lordschipe later in the line. Beta, by contrast, has londe. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1575: R.14.278: R's a is a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts; however, the vast majority of C copies agree with R's reading, so it is probably authorial in B as well.]

[^1576: R.14.279: R uniquely deploys the past tense; all others read folweth. But see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on tense ambiguities in this manuscript's tradition.]

[^1577: R.14.280: In place of alpha's þat, beta seems to have read suche a. Cx certainly attests such a.]

¶ So it fareth be vch a persone  þat possession forsaketh .
And put hym to be pacient  and pouerte weddeth .
[^1578] Which[^a1676] is sib to god hym-selue  and so neyȝ is pouerte[^a1677] .[^1579]

[^a1676: Which (R) | Þe which (Most other mss)]

[^a1677: neyȝ is pouerte (R) | to his seyntes (All beta mss)]

[^1578: R.14.286: R uniquely omits Þe at the head of this line. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^1579: R.14.286: Beta's b-verse is entirely different, reading and so to his seyntes. The b-verse of C is completely revised and distinct from alpha or beta: and semblable bothe.]

¶ Haue god my treuthe quod haukyn  þat huyre[^a1678][^1580] faste preyse[^a1679][^1581] pouerte .
What is pouerte pacience[^a1680][^1582] quod he  proprely to mene .
Paupertas quod pacience  est odibile bonum . —
Remocio curarum possessio sine calumpnia .
Donum dei semita[^a1681][^1583] mater absque solitudine semita .
Sapiencie temperatrix  negocium sine dampno .
Incerta fortuna . absque solicitudine felicitas .

[^a1678: þat huyre (R) | ȝe (All beta mss)]

[^a1679: faste preyse (R) | preyse faste (All beta mss)]

[^a1680: pacience (R) | with pacience (All beta mss)]

[^a1681: semita (R) | sanitatis (Most other mss)]

[^1580: R.14.287: R's meaning is unclear. Bx itself may have been corrupt at this point. Cf. F's y heere and beta's ȝe.]

[^1581: R.14.287: R's word order is unique; F omits faste while beta reads preyse faste.]

[^1582: R.14.288: Beta here reads pouerte with pacience. F omits the phrase entirely. The X family of C agrees with R. Some P manuscripts read patient instead of pacience.]

[^1583: R.14.291: R's semita is unique (Bx / Cx = sanitatis), an obvious error by anticipation of the same word later in the citation.]

¶ I can nauȝt construe al þis quod haukyn [^1584]
Ye moste kenne me þis an englische .
In englisch quod pacience it is wel harde  wel to expounen .
And some-del I schal seyn it  by so þow vnderstande .
Pouerte is þe furste poynte  þat pruide moste hateth .
Þan is it goed by goed skil  al þat agasteth pruide .
Riȝt as contricion is confortable thynge  consience wote wel .
And a sorwe of hym-selue  and a solace to þe soule .
So pouerte propreliche  penaunce and ioye .
Is to þe bodye  puir spirituale helthe .
Ergo paupertas est odibile bonum .

[^1584: Here R divides one Bx line into two.]

¶ And contricion conforte  and cura animarum .
Selde sit pouerte  þe sothe to declare .
Or as iustice to iuge men[^a1682] [^1585]
Ne for[^a1683] to[^1586] be a meyre ouere[^a1684][^1587] men  ne ministre vnder kynges
Selde is enemye[^a1685] pore[^1588] y-put  to puneschen eny poeple .
Remocio curarum .
Ergo pouerte and pouer men  parfournen þe comaundement .
Nolite iudicare quemquam  . The thredde .

[^a1682: men (R) | men enioigned is no pore (All beta mss)]

[^a1683: for (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1684: ouere (R) | aboue(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1685: enemye (R) | any (All beta mss)]

[^1585: R.14.307: The b-verse of this line was either garbled beyond hope or completely lost by alpha; R omits it entirely while F repositions the caesura and fleshes out the line with of gyltys. Beta reads enioigned is no pore, which is similar to the reading of Cx.]

[^1586: R.14.308: R's Ne for to is a unique version of this line's opening. F reads Ne as while beta has Ne to. Cx agrees with beta on this phrase.]

[^1587: R.14.308: R's ouere is unique; F reads on while beta has aboue. Cx agrees with R.]

[^1588: R.14.309: The problem here seems to have its source in alpha. R's enemye pore is an obvious corruption of beta's any pore; F's þe poore looks like a typical effort to repair the alpha damage merely reflected thoughtlessly by R. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Selde is pore riȝt[^a1686][^1589] riche  but of his[^a1687][^1590] riȝtful heritage .
Wynneth he nouȝt with wittes[^a1688] fals[^1591]  ne with vnseled mesures .
Ne borweth of his neyȝebores  but þat he may wel paye .
Possessio sine calumpnia 

[^a1686: pore riȝt (R F) | any pore (Most beta mss)]

[^a1687: his (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1688: wittes (R) | weghtes (Most beta mss)]

[^1589: R.14.313: The majority of beta manuscripts has any pore in place of alpha's pore riȝt. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1590: R.14.313: R's but of his is unique among B copies; F has but it be of while beta reads but of. However, Cx agrees with R's phrasing.]

[^1591: R.14.314: F seems to have been unhappy with alpha's reading, (presumably identical to R's) and smoothed it to hise wyȝles. Beta's reading (weghtes fals = "false weights") seems more vivid and stylistically superior to R's wittes fals. Most P family copies within the C tradition agree with beta. Nevertheless, R's relatively bland reading may in fact be authorial; a comparison with C shows that five of the best X family manuscripts (XYcKcTH2) agree with R on this lection. This agreement is highly unlikely to have resulted from merely random convergence; at the very least, the bipolar confusion of this variant array appears to reflect an ambiguously spelled form in the common archetype of both versions. R's reading may, in fact, be no more than a formal variant of beta's; cf. the comments on wit at R.15.225:.]

¶ Þe ferthe it[^a1689] is a[^1592] fortune  þat florescheth þe soule .
With sobrete fram alle synne  and also ȝet more .
It affaiteth þe flesche  fram folies ful manye .
A collateral conforte  cristes oune ȝifte .
Donum dei[^1593]

[^a1689: it (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^1592: R.14.317: R's it represents a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts (including F), but it is supported as authorial by a majority of C copies, including the most reliable members of the X family.]

[^1593: R.14.321: R omits his usual blank line before the next verse paragraph, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Þe fifte it is þe[^a1690] moder[^1594] of hele[^a1691][^1595]  a frende in alle fondynges .
And for þe lawde[^1596] euere a-liche  a lemman of alle clennesse .
Sanitatis mater .

[^a1690: it is þe (R) | is (All beta mss)]

[^a1691: hele (R F) | helthe (All beta mss)]

[^1594: R.14.322: Cf. R's it is þe moder to F's is þe Moodir and beta's is moder.]

[^1595: R.14.322: Cf. RF's hele to beta's helthe .]

[^1596: R.14.323: This variant array shows a truly puzzling configuration of attestation, with C offering no help because of an extensive revision to fix the confusion found in B witnesses. R's lawde agrees with the beta copies CY but makes no obvious sense; F uniquely reads lawe, which is probably no more than a typical piece of that scribe's speculative reconstruction. The most trustworthy beta copies (LMCrWHm) all agree on land, which has the advantage of making ordinary sense, but Kane and Donaldson prefer lewde, the reading of GOC2B.]

¶ Þe sixte it[^a1692] is[^1597] a path of pees  ȝe þoruȝ þe pa pa[s] altone[^a1693][^1598] .
Pouerte miȝt passe  withoute peril of robbynge .
For þere þat pouerte passeth  pees folweth after .
And euer þe lasse þat he bereth  þe hardier[^1599] is[^a1694] of herte .
For-thi seith senecca . Paupertas est absque solitudine[^a1695][^1600] semita .
And an hardy man of herte  amonge an hepe of theues .
Cantabat paupertas coram latrone viator .

[^a1692: it (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1693: pa pa[s] altone (R) | pas of altoun (Most beta mss)]

[^a1694: is (R) | he is (All other mss)]

[^a1695: solitudine (R C2 B F) | solicitudine (Most beta mss)]

[^1597: R.14.325: R's it is is unique among the B copies; both F and beta read is. However, a large majority of C manuscripts agrees with R (though five C witnesses support with beta.]

[^1598: R.14.325: R uniquely omits the preposition of before altone. G's source may also have omitted it since that manuscript supplies at.]

[^1599: R.14.328: R's omission of he at this point is distinctive. F omits this entire line; beta reads the phrase as hardyer he is.]

[^1600: R.14.329: This error (for solicitudine) is shared with F and thus derives from alpha, but it is also found in several beta manuscripts, indicating that an uncommon Latin suspension in Bx may have been the original stimulus to what seems, at first glance, an unlikely mistake.]

¶ Þe seuenthe it[^a1696] is[^1601] wel of wysdom  and fewe wordes scheweth .
For lordes aloweth hym lite[^a1697][^1602]  or listeneth to his resoun .
He tempreth þe tonge to trewthe-warde  þat[^a1698][^1603] no tresor coueyteth .[^1604]

[^a1696: it (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1697: lite (R) | litel (All other mss)]

[^a1698: þat (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^1601: R.14.332: R's it is is, once more, unique among the B copies; both F and beta simply read is. Most of the X family in the C tradition agrees with beta; however, a simple majority of C manuscripts (including some of the X set and most of the P set) agrees with R.]

[^1602: R.14.333: All the other B and C witnesses read litel.]

[^1603: R.14.334: At the head of the b-verse, beta reads and in place of alpha's þat; however, all of the C manuscripts agree with alpha here.]

[^1604: R.14.334: Immediately hereafter, alpha (as well as a majority of C witnesses) omitted a Latin line on poverty found in beta: Sapiencie temperatrix.]

¶ Þe eyȝtethe it[^a1699] is[^1605] a lele laborere[^a1700]  and lothe to take more .
Þan he may wel deserue  in somer or in wynter .
And if he chafareth he chargeth no losse  mowe he charite wynte wyn[n]e[^a1701] .
Negocium sine dampno .

[^a1699: it (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1700: laborere (R L Cr F) | labor (Most beta mss)]

[^a1701: wynte wyn[n]e (R) | wynne (All other mss)]

[^1605: R.14.335: R's it is is, once more, unique among the B copies; both F and beta simply read is. However, most of the C copies agree with R (though half a dozen—UcDcChEcGcN—support beta).]

¶ Þe nythe it is[^a1702][^1606][^1607] swete to þe soule  no sugur is swettere .
For pacience is payne  for pouerte hym-selue .
And sobrete swete drinke  and goed leche in sekenesse .
Þus lered me a lered[^a1703][^1608] man  for oure lordes loue .
Seynt austyn a blissed lif  with-outen busynesse .
For body and for soule  solicitudine[^a1704] felicitas .[^1609]
Now god þat alle gode gyueth  graunte his soule reste .
Þat þus furst wrote to wisse men  what pouerte was to mene .

[^a1702: nythe it is (R) | nyneth is (All other mss)]

[^a1703: lered (R F) | lettred (All beta mss)]

[^a1704: solicitudine (R) | absque solicitudine (All other mss)]

[^1606: R.14.339: R's spelling, nythe, is unique among the B copies and may seem an obvious error of the simplest sort: inadvertent omission of a nasal bar; but virtually all of the C manuscripts share this spelling of nyneth Both MED, s. v. ninthe, and OED2, s. v. ninth and nineth, acknowledge the possibility of this spelling of the ordinal in Middle English.]

[^1607: R.14.339: Once more, R uniquely reads it is where the other B witnesses have is. As in earlier instances in this listing passage, however, though a few C manuscripts agree with beta's simpler rendering, the vast majority supports R's reiterative phrase.]

[^1608: R.14.342: R's form is shared with F; beta has lettred. Several variants (including lewed!) occur at this position in C witnesses, but the majority agrees with alpha on lered.]

[^1609: R.14.344: Among the B copies, R uniquely omits absque at the head of the Latin phrase. The same omission occurs in three C manuscripts of the X family (TH2Ch), but Cx supports the B majority.]

¶ Allas quod haukyn[^a1705][^1610]  þat after my cristendom 
I ne hadde be dede and doluen  for doweles sake .
So harde it is quod haukyn  to lyue and to do synne .
Synne scheweth[^a1706][^1611] vs euere quod he  and sori gan wexe .
And wepte water with his eyȝes[^1612]  and weyled þe tyme .
Þat euere he dede dede  þat dere god displesed 
Swowed and sobbed  and siked ful ofte .
Þat euere he had londe or lordschipe  lasse other more .
Or meistrie ouer any man  mo þan of hym-selue .
I were nauȝt worthi  wite[^a1707] god[^1613] quod haukyn  to werie any clothes .
Ne noyther scherte ne schone  saue for schame one .
To keuere my caroyne quod he  and cried mercy faste .
And wepte and weyled  and þere -with I awaked .

[^a1705: haukyn (R) | haukyn þe actyf man þo (All beta mss)]

[^a1706: scheweth (R F) | suweth (All beta mss)]

[^a1707: wite (R) | wote (Bx M Cr W)]

[^1610: R.14.347: R completely drops the second stave of the a-verse (Bx = þe actyf man þo ), probably mirroring alpha in this loss, while F gives the appearance of trying to repair the damage, replacing the missing material with a simple þanne.]

[^1611: R.14.350: R's scheweth is an alpha error shared with F; beta's suweth is obviously correct.]

[^1612: R.14.351: R shares this version of the plural with F; the beta form is eyghen.]

[^1613: R.14.356: Cf. R's wite god to beta's wote god. F and some of the beta manuscripts completely omit the phrase woot god.]

Passus xiiijus x[v]us quartus decimus [quintus] decimus de visione vt supra .

A c[^1614] after my walkynge[^1615]  it was wonder longe .
Ar I coude kendely  knowe what was dowel .
And so my wit wexe and wanyed  til I a foel were .
And somme lakked my lif  alowed it fewe .
And leten me for a lorel  and lothe to reuerencen .
Lordes or ladyes  or any lif elles 
As persones in pelure  with pendauntes of suluer .
To seriauntz and[^a1708][^1616] to suche  and[^a1709] seide[^1617] nauȝt ones .
God loke ȝow lordes  ne louted faire .
Þat folke helden me a foel  and in þat folye I raued .
Til reson hadde reuthe on me  and rokked me a slepe .
Til I seyȝ as it of[^a1710][^1618] sorserie were  a sotil thynge with-alle .
One with-oute tonge and teth  tolde me wonder[^a1711] I schulde .
And where -of I cam and whider I schulde[^a1712][^1619] 
I coniured hym at þe laste 
If he were cristes creature  for cristes loue me to tellen :

[^a1708: and (R F) | ne (All beta mss)]

[^a1709: and (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1710: of (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1711: wonder (R) | whyder (All other mss)]

[^a1712: whider I schulde (R) | what kynde (Most beta mss)]

[^1614: R.15.1: Inside the triangle formed by the top of the ornamental capital, the rubricator has drawn a nun's face.]

[^1615: R.15.1: R shares this error (walkynge for Bx's wakyng ) with Bm and Bo alone.]

[^1616: R.15.8: R's and is an alpha variant; cf. beta's ne.]

[^1617: R.15.8: R's phrase, suche and seide, is unique; beta omits and, while F reads swiche men seyde.]

[^1618: R.15.12: R's line closely parallels that of beta, but R's of is unattested in any beta witness. F includes of, but does so in a totally revised version of this a-verse.]

[^1619: R.15.14: R's b-verse is seriously corrupt, deploying the final phrase from the previous archetypal line (whider I schulde)—a phrase which he had miscopied in its proper place; by contrast, F has kendely here and beta manuscripts read what kynde. Moreover, R uniquely divides this botched passage so as to cause the final phrase of the Bx line to be displayed as a separate, following line, R15.15.]

¶ I am cristes creature quod he  and cristene in many place .
In cristes court I-knowe wel  and of his kynne a party .
Is noyther peter þe porter  ne powel with þe[^a1713][^1620] fauchon .
Þat wole defende me þe dore  dynge ych neuer so late .
At mydnyȝte at mydday  my voys is so[^a1714] I-knowe .
Þat Ich a creature of his courte  welcometh me faire .

[^a1713: þe (R) | his (All other mss)]

[^a1714: is so (R Cr Hm Y F) | so is (Most beta mss)]

[^1620: R.15.19: R's þe is unique; the other B manuscripts have his. Among the C copies, the X family agrees with R while the P family agrees with the others.]

¶ What ar ȝe cald quod I  in þat courte  amonge cristes poeple .

¶ Þe whiles I quikye þe corps  quod he  I-cald[^a1715] am I anima .
And whan I wilne and wolde  animus Ich hate .
And for þat I can and knowe  cald am I mens . thouȝte[^a1716][^1621] .
And whanne I make mone to god  memoria is my name .
And whanne I deme domes  and do as treuthe techeth .
Þanne is racio my riȝte name  resoun an englisch .
And whanne I fele þat folke telleth  my furst name is sensus .
And þat is wit and wisdome  þe welle of alle craftes .
And whanne I chalenge or chalenge nauȝte  chepe or refuse .
Þanne am I consience I-called  godes clerk and his notarie .
And whanne I loue lelly  oure lorde and alle other .
Þanne is lele loue my name  and in latyn amor .
And whanne I fle fro þe flesche  and forsake þe caroyne .
Þanne am I spirit speche-les  and[^a1717][^1622] spiritus þanne Ich hatte .
Austyn and Isodorus  ayther of hem bothe 
Nempned me þus to name  now þow miȝt chese .
How þow coueytest to calle me  now þow knowest alle my names .
Anima pro diuersis accionibus diuersa nomina sortitur .
Dum viuificat corpus anima est .
Dum wlt[^1623] animus est 
Dum sit s[c]it[^a1718] mens est .
Dum recolit memoria est .
Dum iudicat racio est .
Dum sentit sensus est
Dum amat amor est .
Dum negat vel consentit consiencia est .[^1624]
Dum spirat spiritus est .

[^a1715: I-cald (R) | called (All other mss)]

[^a1716: thouȝte (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1717: and (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1718: sit s[c]it (R) | scit (Most other mss)]

[^1621: R.15.26: R's thouȝte is a unique reading among the B copies and has the appearance of a scribal gloss erroneously incorporated into the text. F's line terminal ofte then would represent a fairly typical example of that tradition's tendency toward "smoothing" earlier mistakes. However that may be, thouȝte also appears at this point in a large number of C manuscripts of both major families, including XYcP2TH2Ch (of the X group) and PEcQZWaGcNcFcCa (of the P group); so if it is an error, its source is a manuscript prior to Bx in the line of transmission.]

[^1622: R.15.37: RF are joined by L alone among the beta copies in adding the conjunction here. However, Cx clearly agrees with this LRF reading.]

[^1623: R.15.43: R's wlt is a common English scribal spelling for Latin vult; it appears to have resulted from an association between the customary phonetic value assigned to Latin initial <v> (= /w/) and a popular sense of the origin of the <w> graph itself as a "double v." Because many other European languages, as well as Latin, had no <w> graph, and foundries therefore omitted the form from standard typographic templates, English printers often resorted to using the digraph <vv> to represent English <w> till the end of the seventeenth century.]

[^1624: In the right margin, just inside the vertical boundary of the page ruling, someone has inscribed, in drypoint, a figure resembling a backwards Roman capital <N>; opposite line 51, in the same vertical column, a figure resembling a properly faced capital <N> has been inscribed; still lower, and slightly closer to the text, in the margin opposite line 53, another reversed <N> appears to have been entered in drypoint.]

¶ Ȝe ben as a bischope quod I  alle bourdynge þat tyme .
For bischopes I-blessed  þei bereth many names .
Presul and pontifex  and metropolanus[^a1719] .[^1625]
And other names an hepe  episcopus and pastor .

[^a1719: metropolanus (R F) | metropolitanus (All beta mss)]

[^1625: R.15.53: The term metropolanus (= metropolitanus in beta, seems to be an alpha error. However, this spelling is also found in about half of the C witnesses, including manuscript X.]

¶ Þat is soth seyde he  now I se þi wille .
Þow woldest knowe and kunne  þe cause of alle here names .
And of myne if þow miȝtest  me thenketh by þi speche .

¶ Ȝe sire I seyde  by so no man were greued .
Alle þe science vnder sonne  and alle þe sotil craftes .
I wolde Ich[^1626] knewe and coude  kendelyche in myn herte .

[^1626: R.15.60: R's Ich is unique, but only in form; the other B manuscripts have I or y, as does Cx.]

¶ Þanne art þow inparfit quod he  and on of pruydes kniȝtes .
For suche a luste and likynge  lucifer fel fram heuene .
Ponam pedem meum in aquilone  et similis ero altissimo .

¶ It were aȝeynes kende quod he  and alle kyne resoun .
Þat any creature schuld kenne[^a1720] al  excepte criste[^a1721] .[^1627]
Aȝeynes suche salomon speketh  and despiseth here wittes .
And seith sicut qui mel comedit [^1628] multum non est ei bonum .
Sic qui scrutator est maiestatis opprimatur[^a1722][^1629] a gloria .
To englisch men þis is to mene  þat mowen speke and here .
Þe man þat muche hony eet[^a1723][^1630]  his mawe is englaymed[^a1724] .
And þe more þat a man  of gode matere hereth .
But he do þere -after  it doth hym double skathe .
Beatus est seith seint bernarde  qui scripturas legit .
Et vertit verba[^a1725] in opera  follich to his powere .
Coueytyse to kunne  and to knowe science .
Pulte oute of paradys  adam and eue .
Sciencie[^1631] appetitus hominem immortalitatis gloriam spoliauit .
And ȝet[^a1726][^1632] as hony is euel to defie  and engleymeth þe mawe .
Riȝt so þat thurȝ resoun  wolde þe rote knowe 
Of god and of his grete miȝtes  his graces it letteth .
For in þe likynge lith a pruide  and a lycames coueytise .
A-ȝeynes cristes conselle  and alle clerkes techynge .
Þat is non plus sapere quam oportet sapere .

[^a1720: kenne (R Cr F) | kunne (Most beta mss)]

[^a1721: criste (R) | cryste one (Most other mss)]

[^a1722: opprimatur (R) | opprimitur (Most beta mss)]

[^a1723: eet (R F) | eteth (All beta mss)]

[^a1724: englaymed (R Cr2 Cr3 B F) | engleymeth (Most beta mss)]

[^a1725: vertit verba (R Hm F) | verba vertit (Most beta mss)]

[^a1726: ȝet (R) | riȝte (All other mss)]

[^1627: R.15.65: R here shows a unique omission; Bx reads cryste one. Cx agrees with the B archetype.]

[^1628: R.15.67: The scribe has included midline punctuation here, but he has partially obscured it by overwriting it with the first stroke of the following <m>.]

[^1629: R.15.68: Cf. F's opprimetur and beta's opprimitur. Cx agrees with R on this inflectional form.]

[^1630: R.15.70: This is an alpha variant; cf. beta's eteth. Most C copies agree with alpha, but some with beta.]

[^1631: R.15.77: There is an otiose curl on the tail of the first <e> of Sciencie; it is not altogether different from a flourish that is part of the scribe's normal repertoire, but from its slightly altered position, it looks as though he was planning to bar the <e> to represent the following <n> but then changed his mind.]

[^1632: R.15.78: R's ȝet is unique; Bx and Cx = riȝte.]

¶ Freres and other[^a1727][^1633] maistres  þat to þe lewed men prechen .
Ȝe meuen materes vnmesurables  to tellen of þe trinite .[^1634]
Betere by-leue[^a1728] by[^a1729] mone[^1635]  doctoures techynge[^a1730] .[^1636]
And telle men[^1637] þe ten comaundementz  & touchen þe seuen synnes .
And of þe braunches þat bourgeleth[^a1731][^1638]  of hem  and bringeth men to helle .
And how þat folke in folies  myspenden here fyue wittes .
As wel freres as other folke  folilich spenen .
In housynge in haterynge  in-to[^a1732][^1639] hey clergie schewynge .
More for pompe þanne for puire charite  þe pople wote þe sothe[^1640]
Þat I lye nauȝt loo  for lordes ȝe plesen .
And reuerencen þe riche  rather[^a1733][^1641] for here suluer .
Confundantur omnes qui adorant sculptilia . et alibi .
Vt quid diligitis vanitatem et queritis[^a1734][^1642] &cetera .
Go to þe glose of þe vers  ȝe grete clerkes .
If I lye on ȝowe to my lewed wit  ledeth me to brennynge .
For as it semeth ȝe forsaketh  no mannes almesse .
Of vsureres of hores  and[^a1735][^1643] auerous chapmen .
And louten to þis lordes  þat mowen lene ȝow nobles
Aȝeyne ȝoure reule & ȝoure[^a1736][^1644] religioun  I take recorde at Ihesus .
Þat seyde to his disciples  ne sitis acceptores personarum[^a1737] .[^1645]

[^a1727: other (R G F) | fele other (Most beta mss)]

[^a1728: by-leue (R) | byleue were (Bx Cr1)]

[^a1729: by (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1730: techynge (R) | such techyng (All beta mss)]

[^a1731: bourgeleth (R) | burgeouneth (Most other mss)]

[^a1732: in-to (R F) | and into (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a1733: rather (R) | þe rather (All beta mss)]

[^a1734: queritis (R) | queritis mendacium (All other mss)]

[^a1735: and (R) | of (All beta mss)]

[^a1736: ȝoure (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1737: acceptores personarum (R F) | personarum acceptores (All beta mss)]

[^1633: R.15.84: After and beta supplies fele, a modifier omitted by G as well as alpha.]

[^1634: R.15.85: Hereafter RF omit a line found in beta: Þat ofte tymes þe lewed peple of her bileue douten.]

[^1635: R.15.86: Mone, "many."]

[^1636: R.15.86: The Bx version of this line seems much in doubt; there are complex textual variations among all the manuscripts. Likeliest to represent the beta version is L, whose rendering closely parallels that of Cr: Bettere byleue were mony doctoures such techyng. F has Bettre it were to be-leve on / as doctouris vs techeþ.]

[^1637: R.15.87: Here R is joined only by G in omitting of after men; F omits men.]

[^1638: R.15.88: R's bourgeleth is unique. F reads burgoneþ and beta manuscripts show spelling variations of the same, e.g., burgeouneth.]

[^1639: R.15.91: Beta's phrase is and into.]

[^1640: R.15.92: There is an ink smudge in the left margin at this point, apparently the result of blotting contact with the note in the right margin at R15.125 on the recto page.]

[^1641: R.15.94: R uniquely omits þe before rather. Cx agrees with the other B manuscripts on this.]

[^1642: R.15.96: R uniquely omits mendacium after queritis.]

[^1643: R.15.100: R's and is unique; F reads & of while beta has of.]

[^1644: R.15.102: Here R uniquely adds a second ȝoure to the line.]

[^1645: R.15.103: Beta transposes the RF phrase to personarum acceptores.]

¶ Of þis matere I miȝte  make a grete[^a1738][^1646] bible .
Ac of curatoures ouer[^a1739][^1647] cristene poeple  as clerkes bereth witnesse .
I schal tellen it for treuthe[^a1740] sake  take hede ho-so lyketh .

[^a1738: grete (R) | longe (All beta mss)]

[^a1739: ouer (R) | of (All other mss)]

[^a1740: treuthe (R L G F) | treuthis (Most beta mss)]

[^1646: R.15.104: In place of R's grete, F reads mychil and beta shows longe.]

[^1647: R.15.105: R's ouer is unique; the other manuscripts read of.]

¶ As holynesse and honeste  oute of holy cherche spredeth .[^1648]
Þoruȝ lele lybbynge men  þat godes lawes[^a1741] techeth .
☜
Riȝt so oute of holy cherche  alle eueles spredeth .
Þere inparfit presthode is  and[^a1742][^1649] prechoures and techoures .[^1650]
And se it by ensaumple  in somer tyme on trewes .
Þere somme bowes ben leued  and somme bereth none .
Þere is a meschief in þe more  of suche maner bowes .
Riȝt so persones and prestes  and prechoures of holy cherches[^a1743][^1651]
Is þe[^a1744][^1652] rote of þe riȝt faith  to reule þe poeple 
Ac þere þe rote is roten  reson wote þe sothe .
Schal neuere floure ne fruit  ne faire lefe be grene .

[^a1741: lawes (R F) | lawe (All beta mss)]

[^a1742: and (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1743: cherches (R) | cherche (All other mss)]

[^a1744: Is þe (R) | Þat aren (All beta mss)]

[^1648: These lines are marked by a brace in the right margin, as well as a pointing hand. There is a brown ink stain immediately above the end of line 107.]

[^1649: R.15.110: The beta manuscripts omit this conjunction.]

[^1650: Beginning just below the pointing hand referred to at R15.107, there is an erased note in the right margin, written horizontally in some 16 short lines that extend down the page to a point approximately 2.2 cm. below the last line of scribal text. The hand appears to be the same as that discernible in the extensive erased note on fol. 94r.]

[^1651: R.15.114: R uniquely deploys the plural; the other manuscripts read cherche. Cx agrees with them against R.]

[^1652: R.15.115: Where R reads Is þe, beta has Þat aren and F shows Þey sholde been. A majority of C manuscripts agrees with R.]

¶ For-thi walde þe[^a1745] lettred  leue þe lecherie of clothynge .
And be kynde as byfel for clerkes  and curteys of cristes godes .
Trewe of ȝoure tonge  and of ȝoure taile bothe .
And hatyen to here herlotrie  and auȝt[^a1746][^1653] to vnderfonge .
Tythes of trewe[^a1747][^1654] thynge  I-tyled or I-chafared[^a1748] .

[^a1745: þe (R B F) | ȝe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1746: auȝt (R) | nouȝt (Most beta mss)]

[^a1747: trewe (R Cr W G F) | vntrewe (Most beta mss)]

[^a1748: I-chafared (R Hm F) | chaffared (Most beta mss)]

[^1653: R.15.121: R uniquely reads auȝt; F reads looþ wrong; a majority of the beta copies show nouȝt.]

[^1654: R.15.122: RF are in agreement on trewe (supported by CrWG), but most beta manuscripts read vntrewe.]

¶ Lothe were lewed men  but þei ȝoure lore folwede .
And amenden hem þat þei[^a1749][^1655] mysdon  more for ȝoure ensaumples .
Ipocrysye
Þan for to prechen and preue it nauȝt  ypocrisie it semeth .[^1656]
For ypocrisie in latyn  is likkned to a dongoun[^a1750][^1657]
Þat were bi-snewed with snowe  and snakes with-Inne .
Or to a wal þat were white-lymed  and were foule with-Inne .
Riȝt so many prestes  prechoures and prelates .
Ȝe ar enblaunched with bele paroles . and with clothes[^a1751] .[^1658]
And[^a1752] ȝoure werkes and ȝoure wordes  þere -vnder aren ful wlueliche[^a1753] .[^1659][^1660]

[^a1749: þei (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1750: dongoun (R F) | dongehul (All beta mss)]

[^a1751: with clothes (R) | with clothes also (All beta mss)]

[^a1752: And (R Cr C C2 F) | Ac (Most beta mss)]

[^a1753: wlueliche (R) | vnlouelich (Most beta mss)]

[^1655: R.15.124: R's þei is unique; all the other manuscripts omit it.]

[^1656: R.15.125: A sixteenth-century reader has inscribed in the right margin opposite this line Ipocrysye .]

[^1657: R.15.126: Beta reads dongehul where RF have dongoun . In a substantially revised version of this line, the C version attests donghep, suggesting that beta's reading was original.]

[^1658: R.15.130: F's final phrase is completely unique (blewe burnet cloþis), but beta differs here from R only by adding also at the end of the line. The C version attests with bele clothes.]

[^1659: R.15.131: For R's wlueliche, F shows foxly and beta reads vnlouelich.]

[^1660: R.15.131: The spelling wlueliche is probably not erroneous. Cf. R.15.43:, and the note on wlt.]

¶ Iohannes criostomus cri[s]ostomus[^a1754]  of clerkes speketh and prestes .
Sicut de templo omne bonum procedit[^a1755][^1661] 
Sic de templo omne malum procedit .
Si sacerdocium integrum fuerit  tota floret ecclesia .
Si autem corupta[^a1756][^1662] fuerit  omnium fides marcida est .
Si sacerdos[^a1757][^1663] fuerit in peccatis  totus populus conuertitur ad peccatum[^a1758] .[^1664]
Sicut cum videris arborem pallidam & marcidam .
In tellis Intelli[gi]s[^a1759] quod vicium habet in radice .
Ita cum videris populum indisciplinatum & irreligiosum .
Sine dubio sacerdocium eius non est sanum .

[^a1754: criostomus cri[s]ostomus (R) | crysostomus (Most other mss)]

[^a1755: procedit (R F) | progreditur (Beta M Cr)]

[^a1756: corupta (R F) | corruptum (All beta mss)]

[^a1757: sacerdos (R F) | sacerdocium (All beta mss)]

[^a1758: peccatum (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | peccandum (Most beta mss)]

[^a1759: In tellis Intelli[gi]s (R) | inteligis (Most other mss)]

[^1661: R.15.133: The form procedit is from alpha. Beta witnesses read progreditur, the same verb form found at this point in the C version.]

[^1662: R.15.136: Beta reads coruptum. Both inflectional forms are found in C witnesses, but distribution and numbers suggest that the alpha reading was archetypal in C.]

[^1663: R.15.137: Beta reads sacerdocium. Both inflectional forms are found in C witnesses, but the beta reading is archetypal in C.]

[^1664: R.15.137: Beta reads peccandum. Both readings are found in C witnesses, but the beta reading is archetypal in C.]

¶ If lewed men wiste  what þis latyn meneth .[^1665]
And who was myn auctour  muche wonder me thenketh .
But if many preste[^a1760] bere  for here broches and for here baselardes[^a1761] .[^1666]
A peyre bedes in here honde  or[^a1762][^1667] a boke vnder here arme .
Sire iohan and sire gefferey  hath a gurdel of suluer .
A baselard or a ballok-knyf  with botones ouergilte .
Ac a portos þat schulde be his plow  placebo to segge .
Hadde he neuere seruise to haue[^a1763][^1668] siluer þere -to  seith it with euel[^1669] wille .
Allas ȝe lewed men muche lese ȝe on prestes .
Ac þinge þat wikkedliche is wonne and with fals sleȝtes .
Walde neuere wit[^a1764] of witty god  but wikked men it maked[^a1765] .[^1670]
Þe whiche aren prestes in-parfit  and prechoures after siluer .
Seketoures and sodenes  somnoures and here lemmanes .
Þis þat with gile was gete  vngraciousliche is spened[^a1766] .[^1671]
So harlotes and hores  aren hulpen with suche godeth gode[s][^a1767] .
Ac[^a1768] godes folke for defaute þere -of  forfaren and spillen . .

[^a1760: preste (R M F) | a prest (Most beta mss)]

[^a1761: for here broches and for here baselardes (R) | for here baselardes and here broches (Most beta mss)]

[^a1762: or (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1763: haue (R) | saue (All beta mss)]

[^a1764: wit (R L M Cr F) | þe witte (Most beta mss)]

[^a1765: maked (R) | hadde(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1766: spened (R) | spended (Most other mss)]

[^a1767: godeth gode[s] (R) | goodis (All other mss)]

[^a1768: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^1665: In the left margin, a black brace extends the entire length of this verse paragraph.]

[^1666: R.15.144: Most beta witnesses have But if many a prest bere for here baselardes and here broches, where the alliterative pattern suggests that Bx was already corrupt. R reads the nouns of beta's final phrase in transposed order. The R scribe's placement of a punctus elevatus after bere probably indicates that he did not take and for here baselardes to have constituted the b-verse by itself. F's line (But euery prest sholde bere / for here broode baselardis) is unique, revised in the light of a seemingly confused exemplar.]

[^1667: R.15.145: R's or is an alpha reading; beta has and.]

[^1668: R.15.149: For R's to haue, F reads ne; the other manuscripts read to saue.]

[^1669: R.15.149: Most beta manuscripts have ydel; but L (= yvel) joins alpha in reading euel.]

[^1670: R.15.152: R's maked is an alpha reading (cf. F's made). Beta reads hadde. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1671: R.15.155: R's spened is unique; F and most beta copies have spended, from the R verb's etymological parent—though W reads despended. The P family of C agrees with W (and by implication beta and F), but the majority of the X family supports R (reading yspened).]

¶ Curatoures of holy cherche  and[^a1769] clerkes þat ben auerous .
Liȝteliche þat þei leuen  loseles it habbeth 
Or deyeth intestate  and þanne þe bischope entreth .
And maketh murthe þere-with  and his men bothe .
And seggen he was a nygarde  þat no gode miȝt aspare .
To frende ne to fremede . þe fende haue his soule .
For a wreched hous he helde  al his lyf-tyme .
And þat he spared and bi-sperred  spene we in murthe .

[^a1769: and (R F) | as (All beta mss)]

¶ By lered by lewed  þat lothe is to spene[^a1770] .[^1672]
Þus goen here godes  be þe goste faren .
Ac for gode men god wote  grete doel men maketh .
And bymeneth gode meteȝiueres  and in mynde hem[^a1771] haueth .
In preyeres and in penaunces  and in parfite charite .

[^a1770: spene (R) | spende (Most other mss)]

[^a1771: hem (R B F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1672: R.15.166: R's spene is unique; F and most beta copies have spende, from the R verb's etymological parent—though W reads despende. Cf. R.15.155: above.]

¶ What is charite quod I þo  a childisch þinge he seyde .
Nisi efficiamini sicut paruuli  non intrabitis in regnum celorum .
Withoute fauntelte or folye  a fre liberal wille .
Where schuld men fynde suche a frende  with so fre an herte .

Longe Wylle

[R.15.175: This decorative, rubricated marginal, very unusual in the typical pattern of Piers Plowman glosses, may offer evidence for how early in the transmission chain MS R stands: MSS L and M both have sixteenth-century glosses taking note of Longe Wylle (M repeating the actual textual phrase, as in R); but among beta copies, only MS O (which Ralph Hanna dates to the first quarter of the fifteenth century) shows this gloss in a hand contemporary to its main scribal hand. Another alpha/beta shared gloss, involving MSS R and L, occurs somewhat later in this passus with the unexpected and atypical Isa. 3 note at R15.582, attested solely by MSS L, R and F.]

¶ Ich haue lyued in londe quod I  my name is longe wille .
And fonde I neuere ful charite  by-fore ne byhynde :
Men beth merciable to mendinauns[^a1772][^1673] to pore .
And wole lene þere þei leue  leleliche to ben apayed[^a1773] .
Ac charite þat powel preyseth best  and moste plesaunt to god[^a1774] .[^1674]
As non inflatur non est ambiciosa non querit que sua sunt .
I seiȝ neuere suche a man  so me god helpe .
Þat he ne wolde aske after his  and other-while coueyte .
Þinge þat hym neded[^a1775][^1675] nauȝt  and nyme it if he miȝte .

[^a1772: mendinauns (R) | mendynantz & (All beta mss)]

[^a1773: apayed (R) | payed (All beta mss)]

[^a1774: god (R Cr2 Cr3 F) | oure saueoure (Most beta mss)]

[^a1775: hym neded (R F) | neded hym (Most beta mss)]

[^1673: R.15.177: R uniquely reads to; cf. beta's & to and F's ne to.]

[^1674: R.15.179: F reads the end of this line as god in heuene while beta reads owre saueoure.]

[^1675: R.15.183: R's hym neded is an alpha reading transposed in beta to neded hym. The beta order is also that found in Cx.]

¶ Clerkes kenneth[^1676] me þat criste  is in alle places .
Ac I seyȝ hym neuere sothly  but as my-sulue in myroure[^a1776] .
Hic[^a1777] in enigmate tunc facie ad faciem :
And so I trowe trewely  by þat men telleth of charite .
It is nouȝt championes fiȝt  ne chaffare as I trowe .

[^a1776: myroure (R F) | a miroure (All beta mss)]

[^a1777: Hic (R M F) | nil (Beta W)]

[^1676: R.15.184: R uniquely reads kenneth; All other manuscripts have kenne(n).]

¶ Charite quod he ne chaffareth nouȝte  noþer[^a1778][^1677] chalengeth ne craueth .
As proude of a peny as of a pounde of golde .
And is as glad of a gowne  of a grayre graye[^a1779] russet .
As of a tunicle of tars  or of trie skarlet .
He is gladde with alle glade  and gode til alle wikked .
He[^a1780] leueth[^1678] and loueth alle  þat oure lorde made .
Curseth he no creature  ne he can bere no wrathe
Ne no likynge haue[^a1781][^1679] lye  ne lawhe me[^a1782][^1680] to scorne .
Alle þat men seith  he let it sothe  and in solace taketh .
And alle maner meschiefes  in myldenesse he suffreth .
Coueyteth he non erthely godes[^a1783][^1681]  but heuene-riche blisse .

[^a1778: noþer (R) | ne (All other mss)]

[^a1779: grayre graye (R) | graye (All other mss)]

[^a1780: He (R Y F) | And (Most beta mss)]

[^a1781: haue (R) | hath to (All other mss)]

[^a1782: me (R) | men (All beta mss)]

[^a1783: godes (R F) | good (All beta mss)]

[^1677: R.15.189: R uniquely reads noþer at the head of the b-verse; the other copies have ne.]

[^1678: R.15.194: R's He is an alpha lection; beta has And; R's leueth is matched only in Cr; F reads beleviþ while beta manuscripts are ambiguous. Kane and Donaldson read them as leneth, but Skeat construed L's reading as leueth.]

[^1679: R.15.196: R's haue is unique; beta reads hath to; F transposes the opening of the a-verse as Ne he haþ lykynge to. Cx supports beta here.]

[^1680: R.15.196: R's me is unique; cf. beta's men and F's non. Cx supports beta here also.]

[^1681: R.15.199: Alpha shows the plural; beta reads the singular, good.]

¶ Hath he any rentes or richesse  or any riche frendes .

¶ Of rentes ne of richesse  ne recheth he neuere .
For a frende þat fynt[^1682] hym  failed hy hy[m][^a1784] neuere at nede .
Fiat voluntas tua  fynt hym euer -more .
And if he soupeth eet but a soppe  of spera in deo .
He can portreye wel þe paternoster  and peynten it with aue[^a1785] .[^1683]
And other-while is[^a1786] wone[^1684] to wende o pilgrimage .
Þere pore men and prisones liggeth  here pardoun to haue .
Þouȝ he bere hem no brede  he bereth hem swettere liflode .
Loueth hem as oure lorde bit  and loketh how þei fare .

[^a1784: hy hy[m] (R) | hym (All other mss)]

[^a1785: aue (R F) | aues (Most beta mss)]

[^a1786: is (R) | he is (Most beta mss)]

[^1682: R.15.202: R's fynt is a unique form of the verb; most of the other manuscripts, including F, read fyndeth. The Cx reading is uncertain: most P family copies support the F/beta reading, but most X family witnesses agree with R.]

[^1683: R.15.205: Alpha shows the singular; beta reads the plural, aues (as does the C version).]

[^1684: R.15.206: R uniquely omits a pronoun reference from is wone. Most beta manuscripts read he is wone; others (LMHm) read is his wone; F has he is wont. Cx attests his wone is.]

¶ And whan he is weri of þat werke  þan wole he sum -tyme .
Labory in a lauandrie  wel þe lengthe of a myle .
And ȝerne in-to ȝouthe  and ȝepliche seche[^a1787][^1685] .
Pruide with alle þe purtenaunce  and pakken hem to-gyderes .
And bouken hem at his breste  and beten hem clene .
And leggen on longe  with laboraui in gemitu meo .
And with warme water at his eyȝes  waschen hem after
Þanne[^a1788][^1686] he sengeth whan he doth so  and sumtyme seith wepinge .
Cor contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies 

[^a1787: seche (R) | speke (All beta mss)]

[^a1788: Þanne (R F) | And þanne (All beta mss)]

[^1685: R.15.212: R's seche is unique; cf. beta's speke and F's þere seken. Cx's reading (secheth) supports R here.]

[^1686: R.15.217: Beta's opening phrase reads And þanne. In a slightly revised line, Cx supports alpha, omitting And.]

¶ By crist I wold þat I knewe hym quod I  no creature leuere .

¶ With-outen helpe of peres þe plowman quod he .[^1687]
His persone seest þow neuere 

[^1687: R.15.220: R uniquely divides a Bx line in half here, rendering it as two.]

¶ Where clerkes knowen hym quod I  þa þa[t][^a1789] kepen holy cherche .

[^a1789: þa þa[t] (R) | þat (All other mss)]

¶ Clerkes han no knowlechynge[^a1790][^1688] quod he  but by werkes & by wordes .
Ac peres þe plowman  parseyueth more deppere .
Þat[^a1791] is[^a1792] wil[^1689] and wherefore  þat mony wit[^a1793][^1690] suffreth .
And[^a1794][^1691] vidit deus cogitaciones eorum .
For þere are ful proude herte[^a1795][^1692] men  pacient of tonge .
And buxum as of berynge  to bu rgeys[^1693] and to lordes .
And to pore peple  han peper in þe nose .
And as a leon he loketh  þere men lakketh his werkes .

[^a1790: knowlechynge (R) | knowyng (All other mss)]

[^a1791: Þat (R L F) | What (Most beta mss)]

[^a1792: is (R F) | is þe (All beta mss)]

[^a1793: wit (R) | wyȝte (All other mss)]

[^a1794: And (R) | Et (All other mss)]

[^a1795: herte (R) | herted (Most other mss)]

[^1688: R.15.223: R's knowlechynge is unique; the other manuscripts read knowyng.]

[^1689: R.15.225: After is alpha omits þe, which is present in beta.]

[^1690: R.15.225: R's wit is unique in form but probably represents the same word as beta's wyȝte and F's whyȝt. Both MED and OED2 document this spelling s. v. wight.]

[^1691: R.15.226: R's And is unique; the other manuscripts read Et. Cx supports the majority here.]

[^1692: R.15.227: R's herte is unique. Other B manuscripts read herted.]

[^1693: R.15.228: The <r> of burgeys appears to have been written over another character.]

¶ For þere aren beggeres and bydderes  bedmen as it were .
Loketh as lambroun  and semed[^a1796][^1694] lif-holy .
Ac it is more to haue here mete  on[^a1797] suche an esye manere
Þanne for penaunce & parfitnesse  þe pouerte þat such taketh .

[^a1796: semed (R) | semen (All beta mss)]

[^a1797: on (R F) | with (Beta M Cr)]

[^1694: R.15.232: R's semed is unique; cf. beta's semen and F's seme of.]

¶ Þere -for by coloure ne by clergie  knowe schal þow hym neuere .
Noyther þoruȝ wordes ne werkes  but þoruȝ wil one .
And þat knoweth no clerke  ne creature an erthe .
But peres þe plow-man  petrus id est christus .
For he nis nauȝt in lolleres  ne in lande-leperes eremites .
Ne at ancres þere a box hangeth  alle suche þei fayten .
Fy on faitoures  and in fautores suos .

¶ For charite is godes chaumpion  & as a gode childe hende .
And þe muriest of muthe  at mete where he sitteth .
To[^a1798][^1695] loue þat lyth in his herte  maketh hym liȝt of speche .
And is companable and confortatif  as crist bit hym-selue .
Nolite tristes fieri sicut yporcrite ypocrite[^a1799] .[^1696]

[^a1798: To (R) | Þe (All beta mss)]

[^a1799: tristes fieri sicut yporcrite ypocrite (R) | fieri sicut ypocrite tristes &c (All other mss)]

[^1695: R.15.244: R's To is unique error; all the other manuscripts read Þe.]

[^1696: R.15.246: Kane-Donaldson note R's unique phrasal variation for this Latin line (the other manuscripts have Nolite fieri sicut ypocrite tristes &c), but they overlook the erroneous spelling, yporcrite. Cx supports R's phrasing of this tagline.]

¶ For I haue seyne hym in silke  & sum -tyme in russet .
Bothe in gray and in gris  and in gulte herneys .
And as gladliche he it gaf  to gomes þat it neded .

¶ Emund and edwarde  eyther were kynges .
And seyntes I-sette  so[^a1800][^1697] charite hem folwede .

[^a1800: so (R F) | for (Beta Cr W)]

[^1697: R.15.251: For RF's so, beta reads tyl or for.]

¶ Ich haue I-seyn charite al-so  syngen and reden .
Riden and rennen  in ragged wedes .
Ac biddynge as beggeres  byhelde I hym neuere .
Ac in riche robes  rathest he walketh .
I-called and I-crymeled  and his croune yschaue .
And in a frere[^a1801][^1698] frocke  he was Ifounde ones .
Ac it is ferre agoo  in seynt fraunceys tyme .
In þat secte sitthe  to selde hath he be knowe .

[^a1801: frere (R) | freres (All other mss)]

[^1698: R.15.257: R's frere (an unmarked genitive) is unique; all the other manuscripts read freres however, the preponderance of C evidence (most of the X family and some of the P family) supports R's reading.]

¶ Riche men he recomendeth  and of here robes taketh .
Þat with-oute wiles  leden here lyues .
Beatus est diues qui &cetera .

¶ In kynges court he cometh ofte þere þe conseil is trewe .
Ac if coueytise be of þe conseil  he wol nauȝt come þer -inne .
In court amonges iaperes  he cometh but selde .
For braulynge and bagbytynge  and berynge of fals witnesse .

¶ In þe constorie byfore þe comissarie  he cometh nauȝt ful ofte .
For here lawe dureth ouer -longe  but if þei lacchen suluer
And matrimonye for mone  maken and vn-maken .
And þat consience and criste  hath yknyt faste .
Þei vndon it vnworthiliche  þo doctoures of lawe .

¶ Amonges erchebischopes and oþer bischopes[^a1802][^1699]
And prelates of holy cherche 
Forto wonye with hem  his wone was sum -tyme .
And cristes patrimonye[^a1803] to þe pore  parcel-mel dele[^a1804] .
Ac[^a1805] auerice hath þe keyes now[^a1806]  and kepeth for his kynnesmen .
And for his seketoures & his[^a1807] seruantz  & somme for here[^a1808] childrun .
Ac I ne lak no lif  but lord amende vs alle .
And gif vs grace gode god  charite to folwe .
For ho-so miȝt mete with hym  suche maneres hym aileth .
Noyther he blameth ne banneth  bosteth ne preyseth .
Lakketh ne loseth  ne loketh vp sterne .
Craueth ne coueyteth  ne crieth after more .[^1700]
Þe moste lyflode þat he lyueth[^a1809][^1701]  is loue in godes passioun .
Neyther he ne[^a1810][^1702] byddeth[^1703] ne beggeth  ne borweth to ȝelde .
Misdoth he no man  ne with his mouth greueth .

[^a1802: Amonges erchebischopes and oþer bischopes (R) | With Bisshopis & abbotys (F)]

[^a1803: patrimonye (R) | parsymomye (F)]

[^a1804: dele (R) | þey deltyn (F)]

[^a1805: Ac (R) | But (F)]

[^a1806: now (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1807: his (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1808: here (R) | hise (F)]

[^a1809: lyueth (R) | lyueth by (All other mss)]

[^a1810: ne (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^1699: These lines are unique to alpha and there are line-division problems. Moreover, there are sufficient differences between R and F in these lines to justify reproducing the latter's lines verbatim (cf. Appendix 1, R15.272-77, for details and any cross-references to the C version): ¶ With Bisshopis & abbotys / & prelatis of holy chirche. For to wone with hem / hys wone was sum-tyme. & cristis parsymonye to þe pore / parcel-mel þey deltyn. But Auerise hathorn; þe keyȝes /& kepithorn; for hise kenysmen. & for hise seketouris & seruauntis /& summe for hise chirdryn.]

[^1700: R.15.283: Immediately after this line, alpha omits a Latin line found in beta: In pace in idipsum dormiam &c. OC2 have this line in the margin, suggestive of how it might have been overlooked in alpha if this were its location in Bx.]

[^1701: R.15.284: After lyueth R uniquely omits by.]

[^1702: R.15.285: R's first ne in this line is unique; all the other B manuscripts omit it. However, among the C manuscripts, most of the X family agrees with R, while the others agree with beta.]

[^1703: R.15.285: There is a discoloration in the parchment (resembling a large punctus) immediately after byddeth, but it has no significance.]

¶ Amonges cristene men  þis myldnesse schuld laste .
In alle maner angres  haue þis atte herte .
Þat þouȝ þei suffred alle þis  go go[d][^a1811] suffred for vs more .
In ensaumple we schulde do so  and take take [no][^a1812] veniaunce .[^1704]
Of oure foes þat doth vs falsenesse  þat is oure faderes wille .
For euery man may wel[^a1813][^1705] wite  if god[^a1814][^1706] wolde hym-sulue .
Schulde nere[^a1815][^1707] iudas þe[^1708] Iewe  haue ihesu done on rode .
Ne haue martyred peter ne powel  ne in prisone holde .
Ac he suffrede in ensaumple  þat we schuld suffre also .
And seide to suche þat suffre wolde  þat pacientes vincunt .

[^a1811: go go[d] (R) | god (All other mss)]

[^a1812: take take [no] (R) | take(n) no (All other mss)]

[^a1813: euery man may wel (R F) | wel may euery man (All beta mss)]

[^a1814: god (R G F) | god hadde (Most beta mss)]

[^a1815: nere (R) | neuere (All other mss)]

[^1704: R.15.290: R inadvertently (and uniquely) omits no before veniaunce, causing the statement to express a very uncharitable outlook.]

[^1705: R.15.292: Beta transposes the opening phrase of this line as For wel may euery man.]

[^1706: R.15.292: With the exception of G, which here joins alpha, the beta manuscripts read god hadde wolde here.]

[^1707: R.15.293: R's nere is unique; the other manuscripts read neuere.]

[^1708: R.15.293: R's þe is shared only with BmBoCot; F reads hise and beta reads ne. Beta's reading is unquestionably the original.]

¶ Verbi gracia quod he  and verrey ensaumples manye .
In legenda sanctorum  þe lif of holy seyntes .
What penaunce and pouerte  and passion þei suffred .
In hunger in hete  in alle maner angres .
Antonye and egidie  and oþer holy faderes .
Woneden in wildernesses[^a1816][^1709]  amonges wilde bestes .
Monkkes and mendynans  men by hem-selue .
In spekes and spelonkes  selde speken to-gyderes .
Ac noyther antonye ne egydie  ne eremite þat tyme .
Of lyons ne of leopartz  no lyflode ne[^1710] toke .
But of þe[^a1817][^1711] foules þat fleeth  þus fynt men in bokes .
Excepte þat egide  after an hynde criede .
And þoruȝ þe melke of þat meke[^a1818][^1712] beste  þe man was ysusteyned[^a1819] .
Ac[^a1820][^1713] day by day hadde he hire nauȝt  his honger forto slake .
But selden and sundry tyme[^a1821][^1714]  as seith þe boke and techeth .

[^a1816: wildernesses (R) | wildernesse (All other mss)]

[^a1817: þe (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1818: meke (R) | mylde (Most beta mss)]

[^a1819: ysusteyned (R) | susteyned (All other mss)]

[^a1820: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a1821: tyme (R F) | tymes (All beta mss)]

[^1709: R.15.302: R's wildernesses is unique; the other manuscripts read wildernesse.]

[^1710: R.15.306: A brown stain makes ne almost illegible.]

[^1711: R.15.307: Beta here omits þe.]

[^1712: R.15.309: F shows no adjective (= þe beeste), while R's meke is replaced in beta with mylde.]

[^1713: R.15.310: R's Ac is unique; beta reads And while F shows an omission.]

[^1714: R.15.311: Where alpha has the unmarked plural tyme, beta has tymes.]

¶ Antonye on a day[^a1822]  aboute none-tyme 
Hadde a bridde þat brouȝte hym  his[^a1823][^1715] brede þat he by lyuede .
And þouȝ þe gome hadde a geste  god fedde[^a1824][^1716] hem bothe .

[^a1822: on a day (R F) | adayes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1823: his (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1824: fedde (R F) | fonde (All beta mss)]

[^1715: R.15.313: R's hym his is unique; beta reads hym and F has hym to.]

[^1716: R.15.314: Cf. beta's fonde.]

¶ Powel primus heremita  hadde parroked in[^a1825][^1717] hym-selue .
Þat no man miȝt hym se  for mosse and for leues .
Foules hym fedde[^1718]  fele wyntres with-alle .
Til he founded freres  of austynes ordre .
Powel after his prechynge  payneres he made .
And wan with[^1719] hondes  þat his wombe nedede .
Peter fischede for his fode  and his felawe andrewe .
Somme þei solde and somme þei eeten[^a1826][^1720]  & so þei lyued bothe .
And also marie maudeleyne  by mores and by[^a1827][^1721] dewes .
Ac moste thoruȝ deuocion  and mynde of god almiȝty .
I schulde nouȝt þis seuen dayes  seggen hem alle .
Þat lyueden þus for oure lordes loue  amonges wilde bestes[^a1828] .[^1722]
Ac þere ne was lyon ne leopartz[^a1829][^1723]  þat on laundes wente .
Noyther bere ne bore  ne other best wilde .
Þat ne fel to hire fete  and fauned with þe taile[^a1830] .
And ȝif þei couthe haue I-carped  by crist as I trowe .
Þei wolde haue I-fedde þat folke  by-fore wilde foules .
For alle þe curteisie þat bestes kunne[^a1831][^1724]  þei kidde þat[^a1832][^1725] folke ofte .
In likkyng and in lowynge[^a1833]  þere þei on laundes ȝede[^a1834] .[^1726]
Ac god sent hem fode by foules  and by no ferce bestes .
In menynge þat meke thynge  mylde þinge schulde fede .
As ho seith religiouse  riȝtful men schulde fynde .
And lawful men to lif-holy men  liflode brynge .
And þanne wolde lordes and ladyes  by[^a1835][^1727] lothe to agulte .
And to take of here tenauntz  more þan treuthe wolde .
Fonde þei þat freres  wolde forsake here almesse .
And bidden hem beren it  þere it was borwed[^a1836] .
For we beth goddes foules  and abyden alwey .
Til briddes bringen vs  þat we schulde leue[^1728] by .
For hadde ȝe potage and payne I-now  and peniale to drinke .
And on[^1729] messe þere -myde of on manere kende .
Ȝe hadde riȝt I-now ȝe religious  & so ȝoure ordre[^a1837][^1730] me tolde .
Numquam dicit Iob rugiet[^a1838][^1731] onager cum habuerit herbam[^a1839] .[^1732]
Aut mugiet bos cum ante plenum presepe steterit[^a1840] .[^1733]
Ex adipe prodijt iniquitas tua 

[^a1825: in (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1826: eeten (R F) | sothe (Bx M Cr)]

[^a1827: and by (R F) | lyued and (All beta mss)]

[^a1828: amonges wilde bestes (R F) | manye longe ȝeres (All beta mss)]

[^a1829: leopartz (R) | leopart (All other mss)]

[^a1830: taile (R) | tailles (All other mss)]

[^a1831: curteisie þat bestes kunne (R) | kyȝndenesse þat þey cowde (F)]

[^a1832: þat (R) | to (F)]

[^a1833: in lowynge (R) | lovynge (F)]

[^a1834: ȝede (R) | wentyn (F)]

[^a1835: by (R) | be (All other mss)]

[^a1836: borwed (R Cr Y F) | yborwed (Most beta mss)]

[^a1837: ordre (R F) | reule (All beta mss)]

[^a1838: rugiet (R F) | rugit (Most beta mss)]

[^a1839: habuerit herbam (R O F) | heribam habuerit (Most beta mss)]

[^a1840: steterit (R F) | steterit Brutorum animalium natura te condempnat quia cum eis pabulum commune sufficiat (All beta mss)]

[^1717: R.15.315: Beta omits alpha's in. The C version agrees with beta's omission.]

[^1718: R.15.317: An ink blot covers the -ed of fedde.]

[^1719: R.15.320: Virtually all beta manuscripts (and F) add his before hondes.]

[^1720: R.15.322: Alpha's eeten is an easier replacement for the correctly alliterating sothe(n) found in the best beta manuscripts. Cf. R.15.468:. The C version incorporates this same line, but the lemma in question shows a wide range of attested readings among C witnesses.]

[^1721: R.15.323: Alpha omits lyued after mores; beta omits the second by from this b-verse, as witnessed by alpha. On both of these issues, Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1722: R.15.326: For alpha's amonges wilde bestes, beta (and the C version) read manye longe ȝeres.]

[^1723: R.15.327: R uniquely shows the plural; F and beta read the singular, leopart.]

[^1724: R.15.332: R's curteisie þat bestes kunne is unique; F reads kyȝndenesse þat þey cowde and beta omits the entire line.]

[^1725: R.15.332: R's second þat is unique; F reads to. Beta omits this entire line as well as the next one.]

[^1726: R.15.333: R's in lowynge is unique; F reads lovynge. R's ȝede is unique; F reads wentyn. Beta omits the entire line.]

[^1727: R.15.338: R's by is unique here; based on the scribe's uniform spelling of the linking verb elsewhere (= be), this occurrence may be an error, but it cannot be so designated conclusively. It may represent another example of R's many relict forms. MED, s. v. ben, attests to the viability of by in this sense with citations from both the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, including one from the Ayenbite of Inwyt (He haþ niede, by hit to þe bodie, by hit to þe zaule—BL Arundel 57) and The Seven Sages (He schal dwelle on lyue tyl to morwe day, And by than as hit may—Cam. Dd.1.17). Moreover, at R16.166, the scribe demonstrates his comfort with the inverse situation, signifying ModE "by" with be, a form that OED2, s. v. by (prep., adv.), attests as viable for this period.]

[^1728: R.15.343: R's leue is unique among the B manuscripts (cf. R15.400), but OED2 attests it as a recognized form for liue. (See Trevisa, 1387, s. v. live (v. 1).]

[^1729: R.15.345: In place of alpha's on or oo (= F), beta here shows a.]

[^1730: R.15.346: Alpha here substitutes non-alliterating ordre for Bx's reule (attested in beta).]

[^1731: R.15.347: Beta reads rugit, but Cx agrees with alpha's verb form.]

[^1732: R.15.347: Beta transposes this phrase as herbam habuerit, but Cx agrees with alpha's phrasing.]

[^1733: R.15.348: Here alpha drops a long passage from the Latin citation as witnessed by both beta and the C version: brutorum animalium natura te condempnat quia cum eis pabulum comune sufficiat.]

¶ If lewed men knewe þis latyn  þei wold loke wham þei ȝeue .
And auise hem byfore [^1734] fyue dayes[^a1841] or sixe .
Ar þei amortised to monkes  or chanounes here rentes .
Allas lordes and ladyes  lewed conseil haue ȝe .
To ȝyue fram ȝoure heyres  þat ȝoure ayeles ȝow lefte .
And ȝiueth to bydde for ȝow  to suche as[^a1842] ben riche .
And ben I-founded[^a1843] and feffed eke  to bydden for other .[^1735]

[^a1841: fyue dayes (R G O C2 F) | a fyue dayes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1842: as (R M Cr F) | þat (Most beta mss)]

[^a1843: I-founded (R F) | founded (Most beta mss)]

[^1734: R.15.351: The beta phrasing is a fyue dayes.]

[^1735: R.15.356: The scribe fails here to skip a line between strophes, as is his custom, presumably because the next line is the last ruled one for this side.]

¶ Ho parfourneth þis prophecie  of þe peple þat now libbeth 
Dispersit dedit pauperibus &cetera .
Ȝif any poeple parforne þat tixte  it are þis pore freres
For þat þei beggen aboute  in buyldynge þei spende .
And on hem-selue sum  and such[^a1844][^1736] ben here laboreres .
And of hem þat habbeth þei taketh  and ȝiueth hem þat ne habbeth .

[^a1844: such (R) | such as (Most beta mss)]

[^1736: R.15.361: R's such is followed by a unique omission; most beta copies follow such with as and BF read þat.]

¶ Ac clerkes and kniȝtes  and comuneres þat ben riche .
Fele of ȝow fareth  as if I a forest hadde .
Þat were ful of feire tres  and I founded and caste .
How I miȝte mo þere -inne  amonges hem sette .
Riȝt so ȝe riche  ȝe robbeth[^1737] þat beth[^1738] riche .
And helpeth hem þat helpeth ȝow  & ȝyueth þere no nede is .
As ho-so fulled a tonne ful[^a1845]  of a ful[^a1846][^1739] ryuere .
And wente forth with þat water  to woke with temese .
Riȝt so ȝe riche ȝe robbeth[^1740] and fedeth 
Hem þat han as ȝe han  hem ȝe make at ese .
Ac religious þat rich ben  schulde rather fede[^a1847][^1741] beggeres .
Þan burgeys þat riche ben  as þe boek techeth .
Quia sacrilegium est res pauperum non pauperibus dare .
Item idem[^a1848] peccatoribus dare est demonibus immolare[^a1849] .[^1742]
Porro non indiget monachus si habeat quod nature sufficit .
For-thi I conseille alle cristene  to conformen hem to charite .
Fo[^a1850][^1743] charite with-oute chalengynge . vnchargeth[^a1851] .[^1744]
And many a prison fram purgatorie  þoruȝ his preyeres is deliuered[^a1852] .[^1745]

[^a1845: ful (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1846: ful (R) | fressh (All beta mss)]

[^a1847: fede (R F) | feste (All beta mss)]

[^a1848: idem (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1849: immolare (R F) | immolare Item monache si indiges & accipis pocius das quam accipis Si autem non eges & accipis rapis (Most beta mss)]

[^a1850: Fo (R) | For (All other mss)]

[^a1851: vnchargeth (R) | vnchargeth þe soule (Most other mss)]

[^a1852: is deliuered (R F) | he delyureth (Beta M W)]

[^1737: R.15.367: In this case (cf. R15.371), RF share with some beta copies a root form, Robbe, classified by OED2 as a sixteenth-century variant spelling for robe, v. (= ModE "clothe"); it is traceable to OF robbe (= ModE "robe"), derived from the same root as OF rob since the original meaning of "robe" was "booty, spoils."]

[^1738: R.15.367: R's beth is unique; all other witnesses read be(n).]

[^1739: R.15.369: R's second ful is unique; beta reads fressh and F has an omission.]

[^1740: R.15.371: See note at R.15.367:.]

[^1741: R.15.373: In place of alpha's fede, beta has feste.]

[^1742: R.15.376: Here alpha drops a long passage from the Latin citation as witnessed in beta: Item monache si indiges et accipis pocius das quam accipis Si autem non eges & accipis rapis.]

[^1743: R.15.379: Neither MED nor OED2, s. v. for, cites an example of fo as viable for the preposition signified here, but it occurs in R in four widely separated contexts (cf. R2.64, R14.60, and R20.224) and probably represents an instance of idiolect apocope. Cf. R's common use of fro (= ModE "from") and mo (= ModE "more").]

[^1744: R.15.379: R uniquely omits the end of Bx's b-verse: þe soule.]

[^1745: R.15.380: For R's is deliuered, F reads ben dylyuered; beta reads (he) delyureth.]

¶ Ac þere is a defaute  in þe folke þat þe feith kepeth .
Where[^1746] folke is þe feblere  and nouȝt ferme of byleue .
As in lossheborues is a lither alay  & ȝut loketh he like a sterlynge .
Þe merke of þat mone is gode  ac þe metal is feble .
And so it fareth by sum folke nowe  þei han a faire speche .
Croune and cristendom  þe kynges merke of heuene .
Ac þe metal þat is mannes soule  with synne is foule alayed .
Bothe lettred and lewed beth  alayed now with synne .
Þat no lyf loueth other ne oure lorde as it semeth .
For what[^a1853] þoruȝ werre and wikked werkes  & wederes vnresonable .
Wederwise schipmen  and witty clerkes al-so .
Han no byleue to þe lift  ne to þe lore of filisofres .

[^a1853: what (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1746: R.15.382: R is almost unique (cf. Cot) in this reading; F and the other beta copies read Wherfore.]

¶ Astrimyanes al-day  in her art failen .
Þat whilum warned bifore  what schuld byfalle[^a1854][^1747] after .
Schipmen and schepherdes  þat with schipe and scheppe wenten .
Wisten by þe wakkne wa[l]kne[^a1855]  what schuld by-tyde .
As of wederes and of[^a1856] wyndes  þei warned men ofte .

[^a1854: byfalle (R) | falle(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1855: wakkne wa[l]kne (R) | walkene (All other mss)]

[^a1856: of (R B F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1747: R.15.394: R's byfalle is unique; all the other manuscripts read falle(n). However, most of the C manuscripts agree with R.]

¶ Tilieres þat tiled þe erthe  tolden here meystres .
By þe seed þat þei sewe  what þei selle miȝte .
And what to leue and to[^a1857] leue[^1748] by  þe londe was so trewe .
Now faileth þe folke of þe floed  and of þe londe bothe .
Scheperdes and schipmen  and so doen þis tilieres .[^1749]
Nother þei kunneth ne knoweth  on cours by-for an-other .
Astrimyanes also  are att here wittes ende .
Of þat was calkuled of clement[^a1858][^1750]  þe contrarie þei fynde .
Gramere þe grounde of alle  bygileth now childurne .
For is non of þis new clerke[^a1859][^1751]  ho-so nymeth hede .
Þat can versifie faire  ne formeliche endenten end[i]ten[^a1860] .
Ne nauȝt on amonges an hundreth  þat an autour can construe .
Ne rede a lettre in any langage  but in latyn or in englische .
Go now to any degre  and but if gyle be maister .
And flatre[^a1861][^1752] his felawe  vnder hym to fourmen .
And[^a1862][^1753] muche wonder me thenketh  amonges vs alle .
Doctoures of decres  and of diuinite maystres .
Þat schulde kunne and knowe  alkynne clergie .
And answere to argumentz  and also to a quod-libet .
I dar nouȝt seggen it for schame  if suche weren apposed .
Þei schulde faile in[^a1863] here filosophie  & in fisike bothe .
Wherefore Ich am afered  of folk of holy cherche .
Lest þei ouer-hippen as other don  in offices and in houres
Ac þouȝ[^a1864][^1754] þei oue oue[r][^a1865] -hippe as I hope nauȝt  oure bileue sufficit[^a1866] .[^1755]
As clerkes in corpus christi fest  syngen and reden .
Þat sola fides sufficit  to saue with lewed peple .

[^a1857: to (R L M F) | what to (Most beta mss)]

[^a1858: clement (R F) | þe element (Beta M Cr W)]

[^a1859: clerke (R) | clerkes (All other mss)]

[^a1860: endenten end[i]ten (R) | endite(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1861: flatre (R) | flaterere (Most other mss)]

[^a1862: And (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a1863: in (R L M G F) | of (Most beta mss)]

[^a1864: þouȝ (R) | if (All beta mss)]

[^a1865: oue oue[r] (R) | ouer (All beta mss)]

[^a1866: sufficit (R F) | suffiseth (Most beta mss)]

[^1748: R.15.400: Cx agrees here with R's unique form, against lyue found in most B witnesses. See note at R.15.343:.]

[^1749: R.15.402: An early reader has inserted a red star or cross in the right margin at this point.]

[^1750: R.15.405: For alpha's of clement, beta reads of þe element(s). Alpha's reference is opaque; but at least, unlike beta's, it alliterates. Schmidt conjectures clemat, based on the unquestioned reading of the C version at this point, clymat.]

[^1751: R.15.407: R's apparent singular, clerke, is unique; the other copies have the explicit plural required by immediate context, clerkes.]

[^1752: R.15.412: For R's flatre, "flatterer, one who flatters" from OF flatour, Bx reads flaterere, the same form found in Cx.]

[^1753: R.15.413: And is alpha's erroneous addition to the text of Bx.]

[^1754: R.15.421: R's þouȝ is unique; beta reads if and F shows an omission.]

[^1755: R.15.421: For alpha's Latin, beta provides an English equivalent: suffiseth.]

¶ And so may sarasynes be saued  scribes and Iewes .
Allas then but oure lores-men  lyuen as þei leren vs .
And for here liuynge þat lewed men be  þe lother god agulten .[^1756]
For sarasynes han sumwhat  semynge to oure bileue .
For þei loue and bileue  in on persone almiȝty 
And we lered and lewed  in on god by-leueth .
Cristene[^a1867] and vncristene  on one god bileueth[^a1868] .[^1757]
Ac oen machometh  a man in mysbileue .
Brouȝt sarasenes of surrie  and se in what manere .
Þis macumeth was cristene man[^a1869]  and for he most nauȝt be a pope .
in-to surrie he souȝte  and thoruȝ his sotil wittes .
Daunted a dowue  and day and niȝt hire fedde .
Þe corne þat sche cropped  he caste hit in his here .[^1758]
Menynge as after mete  þus macumeth hire chaunted[^a1870] .[^1759]
And dede folke þanne falle on knes  for he swore in his prechinge .
Þat þe culuer þat come so  cam fram god of heuene .
And[^a1871] messager[^1760] to macumeth  men for to teche .
And þus þoruȝ wiles of his wit  and a white dowue .
Macumeth in misbileue  men and wymmen brouȝte .
Þat lered there and lewed  ȝut leuen on his lawes .

[^a1867: Cristene (R) | & so cristene (F)]

[^a1868: bileueth (R) | ben leven (F)]

[^a1869: man (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1870: chaunted (R) | enchaunted (All beta mss)]

[^a1871: And (R F) | As (All beta mss)]

[^1756: R.15.426: There is a superfluous tilde over the -en of agulten.]

[^1757: R.15.430: Beta omits this line.]

[^1758: R.15.436: Hereafter alpha omits two lines found in beta, presumably on account of eyeskip (the second of the omitted lines ends with ere): And if he amonge þe poeple preched or in places come Þanne wolde þe coluer come to þe clerkes ere.]

[^1759: R.15.437: Beta reads enchaunted, while F shows a present-tense form of alpha's apheretic verb: chawnteþ. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1760: R.15.440: Where alpha has And messager, beta reads As messager.]

¶ And sitthe oure saueoure suffred  þe sarasynes so bygiled .
Þoruȝ a cristene clerke  acursed in his soule .
Ac for drede of þe deth  I dar nauȝt telle treuthe 
How englische clerkes a culuere feden  þat coueytise hatte .
And ben manered after macumeth  þat no man vseth treuthe .

¶ Ancres and heremites  and monekes and freres .
Peres[^a1872][^1761] to apostles  thoruȝ here parfit lyuynge .
Wolde nere[^a1873] þe faithful fader  þat his minstres schulde .
Of tyrauntes þat teneth trewe men  taken any almesse .
But doen as antonye dede  dominik or[^a1874][^1762] fraunceys .
Benet or[^a1875][^1763] bernarde  þe which hem furste tauȝte .
To lyue by litel and in lowe house[^a1876][^1764]  by lele mennes fyndynge[^a1877] .
Grasse schulde growe and be grene  þoruȝ here lele[^a1878][^1765] lyuynge .
And folke[^a1879] schulde fynde  þat ben in diuers syknesse .
Þe bettere for here biddynges  in body and in soule .
Here preyeres and here penaunces  to pees schuld hem[^a1880][^1766] bringe .
Alle þat ben at debate  and bede-men were trewe .
Petite et accipietis &cetera .[^1767]

[^a1872: Peres (R F) | Peren (All beta mss)]

[^a1873: nere (R) | neuere (Most other mss)]

[^a1874: or (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a1875: or (R F) | & (All beta mss)]

[^a1876: house (R) | houses (All other mss)]

[^a1877: fyndynge (R F) | almesse (All beta mss)]

[^a1878: lele (R F) | good (All beta mss)]

[^a1879: folke (R Hm C Cot F) | folkes (Most beta mss)]

[^a1880: hem (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1761: R.15.450: Cf. alpha's noun form, Peres, to beta's verb form, Peren.]

[^1762: R.15.453: For alpha's or, beta reads and.]

[^1763: R.15.454: For alpha's or, beta reads &.]

[^1764: R.15.455: R uniquely shows the singular; the other manuscripts read houses.]

[^1765: R.15.456: For alpha's lele, cf. beta's correctly alliterating good.]

[^1766: R.15.459: Beta omits hem.]

[^1767: R.15.461: The R scribe here deviates from his usual practice of inserting a blank line between strophes, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Salt saueth catel  seggeth þis wyues 
Vos estis sal terre &cetera .[^1768]
Þe heuedes of holy cherche  and þei holy were .
Crist called[^a1881][^1769] hem salt  for cristene soules 
Et si sal euanuerit in quo salietur .
Ac fresche flesch orther other fische  whan it salt faileth .
It is vnsauori for-sothe  s othen[^a1882] or baken .
So is mannes soule sothly  þat seth non gode saumple[^a1883] .
Of hem of holy cherche  þat þe heye wey schulde teche .
And be gyde and go before  as[^a1884][^1770] goed baneoure .
And hardy hem þat byhynde ben  and ȝif hem gode euydence .

[^a1881: called (R) | calleth (All beta mss)]

[^a1882: s othen (R) | ysothe(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a1883: saumple (R) | ensaumple (Most beta mss)]

[^a1884: as (R) | as a (All beta mss)]

[^1768: F omits these 68 lines (= KD15.429α-92), reflecting the contents either of a single leaf or (more likely) an opening from his exemplar. E. Talbot Donaldson noted this fact in "MSS R and F in the B-Tradition of Piers Plowman," Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences (1955): 185 n. 19, rightly attributing the error to a copyist between F and alpha. More recently Sean Taylor, "The F Scribe and the R Manuscript of Piers Plowman B," English Studies 77 (1996): 530-48, has pointed out that this lacuna coincides with the opening of fols. 78v-79r in R; he argues, we think unconvincingly, that this coincidence supports the proposition that F was copied directly from R.]

[^1769: R.15.465: Beta here shows the present-tense form, calleth. F omits the line.]

[^1770: R.15.471: The beta version of the phrase shows a determiner: as a good baneoure. F omits the line.]

¶ Elleuene holy men  al the worlde torned .
in-to lele byleue  þe liȝtloker me thenketh .
Schulde al manere men  we han so many maystres .
Prestes and prechoures  and a pope aboue .
Þat godes salt schulde be  to saue mannes soule .

¶ Al was hethenesse sum -tyme  england and wales .
Til gregori and grete[^1771] clerkes  to go and to preche .
Austyn at canterbirie  cristened þe kynge þere[^a1885] .[^1772]
And þoruȝ miracles as men may rede  al þat marche he turned .
To crist and to cristendom  and cros to honoure .
And fulled folke[^a1886][^1773]  and þe faith tauȝte .
More þoruȝ miracles  þan þoruȝ muche prechynge .
As wel þoruȝ his werkes  as with his holy wordes .
And seide hem what fullynge  and feith was to mene .

[^a1885: þere (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1886: folke (R) | folke faste (All beta mss)]

[^1771: R.15.479: Only B supports R's inferior reading (and grete); the other beta manuscripts read garte or gerte. F omits the line.]

[^1772: R.15.480: R's kynge þere is unique; the beta copies have kynge while F omits the line.]

[^1773: R.15.483: After folke, beta adds faste. F omits the line.]

¶ Clothe þat cometh fro þe weuynge  is nauȝt comely to werie
Til it is fulled vnder fote  or in fullynge stokkes .
I-waschen[^a1887] wel with water  and with taseles cracched .
I-touked and tentted  and vnder tailoures handes .
And so it fareth by a barne  þat boren is of wombe .
Til it be cristened in cristes name  & confermed of þe bischoppe .
It is hethen as to heuene-warde  and helples to þe soule .

[^a1887: I-waschen (R) | Wasshen (All beta mss)]

¶ Hethene is to mene after heth  and vntiled erthe .
As in wild wildernesse  wexeth wilde bestes .
Rude and vnresonable  rennynge with-oute keperes[^a1888][^1774] .

[^a1888: keperes (R) | cropers (Beta Cr Hm C)]

[^1774: R.15.496: R's keperes is unique; beta's variants seem nonsensical: LYOGC2 have crep(e)res while WHmCrCBM show crop(i)ers. F omits the line.]

¶ Ȝe take wel hede[^a1889][^1775] whate[^1776] mathew sayth  how a man made a fest .
He fedde hem with no venison  ne fesauntes Ibake .
But with foules þat fram hym nolde  but folwed his whistlynge .
Ecce altilia mea et omnia parata sunt &cetera .
And with calues flesch he fedde  þe folke þat he louede .
Þe calf bitokneth clennesse  in hem þat kepeth lawes .
For as þe cow thoruȝ kende melke  þe calf norischeth til an oxe .
So doth[^a1890] loue & lewte  and[^a1891] lele[^1777] men susteyneth .
And maydenes and mylde men  mercy desiren .
Riȝt as þe cow calf  coueyteth swete melke .
So doth riȝtful men  mercy and treuthe .
And by þe hande fedde foules  his[^1778][^1779] 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 cunneth 
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 mageste 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 .

[^a1889: take wel hede (R) | myn(n)en wel (Most beta mss)]

[^a1890: doth (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1891: and (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1775: R.15.497: In place of R's non-alliterating take wel hede, beta reads menen wel. F omits the line.]

[^1776: R.15.497: Here only G joins R in reading what; the other beta manuscripts show how.]

[^1777: R.15.504: In the a-verse, doth is a unique addition to the text of this line as witnessed by beta; in the b-verse, the same is true of and (before lele). F omits the line.]

[^1778: R.15.508: His, "is."]

[^1779: These lines are omitted by all beta manuscripts and survive in R alone.]

¶ Ac who beth þat excuseth hem[^a1892] [^1780] aren persones and prestes .
Þat heuedes of holy cherches[^a1893]  ben þat han here wille here .
With-oute trauaile þe tithe del  þat trewe men by-swynken .
Þei wole be wroth for I write þus  ac to witnesse I take .
Bothe mathew and marke  and memento domine dauid .
Ecce audiuimus eum[^a1894] in effrata  &cetera .[^1781]
What pope or prelate nowe  perforneth þat criste hiȝte .
Ite in vniuersum mundum . et predicate . &cetera .[^1782]

[^a1892: hem (R) | hem þat (All other mss)]

[^a1893: cherches (R) | cherche (All beta mss)]

[^a1894: eum (R) | eam (All other mss)]

[^1780: R.15.522: Here the beta copies add þat.]

[^1781: R.15.527: Beta omits this Latin citation and F has omitted at least a folio of surrounding material, including this phrase.]

[^1782: R.15.529: Here the R scribe omits his usual line break before a new strophe, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Alls All[a]s[^a1895][^1783] þat men so longe  on macumeth schullen[^a1896][^1784] byleue .
So many prelates to preche  as þe pope maketh .
Of nazareth of nynyue  of neptalym and damaske .
Þat þei ne wenten as criste wisseth  sithen þei wilne[^a1897][^1785] a name .
To be pastores and preche  þe passion of ihesus .
And as hym-sulue saide  so to lyue and deye .
Bonus pastor animam suam ponit &cetera .
And seyde it in sauacion  of sarasynes and other .
To[^a1898][^1786] cristene and to[^a1899] vncristene  criste seyde to prechoures .
Ite vos in vineam meam[^a1900] 
And sitthen þat þis sarasines  scribes and iewes .
Han a lippe of oure byleue  þe liȝtloker it semeth[^a1901][^1787] .
Þei schulde turne ho-so trauaile wolde  & techen[^a1902][^1788] hem of þe trinite .
Querite et inuenietis &cetera .
For al paynymes preyeth  to on persone to helpe[^a1903] .[^1789]
On[^a1904] o[^a1905] god þei greden[^a1906]  and his grace[^a1907] asken .[^1790]
And maken here mone to macumeth  here message to schewe .
Þus in a feith lyueth[^a1908] þat folk  and in a fals mene .
And þat is reuth for þe[^a1909][^1791] riȝtfulmen riȝtful men  þat in þe reume wonyen .
And a peril to þe pope  and to[^a1910][^1792] prelates þat he maketh .
Þat bereth bischopes names  of bethleem and of babyloyne .

[^a1895: Alls All[a]s (R) | Allas (All beta mss)]

[^a1896: schullen (R) | shulde(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a1897: wilne (R F) | wil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1898: To (R F) | For (All beta mss)]

[^a1899: to (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1900: meam (R L Cr Cot F) | meam amp;c (Most beta mss)]

[^a1901: it semeth (R F) | me thynketh (Most beta mss)]

[^a1902: & techen (R) | to teche (All other mss)]

[^a1903: to on persone to helpe (R) | and parfitly bileueth (All beta mss)]

[^a1904: On (R F) | In (All beta mss)]

[^a1905: o (R F) | þe holy grete (All beta mss)]

[^a1906: þei greden (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1907: grace (R F) | grace þei (Most beta mss)]

[^a1908: lyueth (R L F) | leuen (Most beta mss)]

[^a1909: þe (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1910: to (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1783: R.15.530: R's Alls is undocumented in MED or OED2 s. v. alas and is, presumably, a unique spelling error; F omits this line, beta has Allas, the same form that occurs in Cx.]

[^1784: R.15.530: R's schullen is unique; most beta copies read schulde(n) or sholde.]

[^1785: R.15.533: Alpha's wilne derives from a different verb stem than beta's wil, but it is doubtful that Langland saw these forms as distinct since they share virtually identical semantics. The C manuscripts, in a revised b-verse, split on these two verb forms (the majority agreeing with alpha), thus confirming their status as twins in early fifteenth-century usage.]

[^1786: R.15.538: Beta reads For in place of alpha's To. Beta omits the second to in this a-verse.]

[^1787: R.15.541: For alpha's it semeth, beta and the C version read me thynketh.]

[^1788: R.15.542: R's & techen is unique; all other B copies read to teche.]

[^1789: R.15.544: In place of R's softened b-verse (which F varies from with of helpe), beta copies read and parfitly bileueth. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1790: R.15.545: R's b-verse is virtually identical to beta's (which reads and his grace þei asken), but the a-verse in the two subarchtypes is radically different. Beta's version of the latter reads In þe holy grete god.]

[^1791: R.15.548: In place of R's for þe), most beta copies and F read for while Cr has of. The reading of Cx is uncertain here, the P family agreeing with R while the X family reads for tho.]

[^1792: R.15.549: R uniquely attests this preposition; F omits the line.]

¶ Whan þe heye kynge of heuene  sent his sone to erthe .[^1793]
Many miracles he wrouȝte  man for to turne .
In ensaumple þat men[^a1911] schulde se  þat by sadde resoun .
Men miȝt nouȝt be saued  but þoruȝ mercy and grace .
And thoruȝ penaunce and passion  and parfit byle byle[ue][^a1912] 
And by-cam man[^a1913] of a mayde  and metropolitanus[^a1914] .
And[^a1915] baptised and bischined[^a1916]  with þe blode of his herte .
Alle þat wilned and woled  with inne-wit[^a1917] byleue it .
Many a seint sytthen  hath[^a1918] soffred to deye .
Al for to enforme[^a1919] þe faith  in fele contreyes deyeden[^a1920] .
In ynde and[^a1921] in alisaundre  in ermonye and[^a1922] in spayne .
In[^a1923] delfol deth deyeden[^a1924]  for there faith[^a1925] sake .
In sauacioun of þe fayth  seynt t homas[^1794] was ymartired.
Amonges[^a1926] vnkende cristene  for cristes loue[^a1927] he deyede .
And for þe riȝt of al þis reume  and al reumes cristene
Holy cherche is honoured  heyȝliche þoruȝ his deynge .
He is a forbysene[^a1928] to alle bishopes  and a briȝt myroure .
And souereyneliche to suche  þat of surrye bereth þe name .
And nauȝt to[^a1929] huppe aboute here[^a1930] in englande  forto[^a1931] halwe autres[^a1932] .[^1795]
And crepe in[^a1933] amonges curatoures  and[^a1934] confesse men[^a1935][^1796] aȝeyne þe lawe .
Nolite mittere falsem in messem[^a1936][^1797] &cetera .

[^a1911: men (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1912: byle byle[ue] (R) | beleve (F)]

[^a1913: man (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1914: metropolitanus (R) | metropolitanus after (F)]

[^a1915: And (R) | & was (F)]

[^a1916: bischined (R) | ysygned (F)]

[^a1917: inne-wit (R) | wit (F)]

[^a1918: hath (R) | haven (F)]

[^a1919: enforme (R) | ferme (F)]

[^a1920: deyeden (R) | dyȝen (F)]

[^a1921: and (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1922: and (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1923: In (R) | & in (F)]

[^a1924: deyeden (R) | þey dyeden (F)]

[^a1925: faith (R) | feyþis (F)]

[^a1926: Amonges (R) | And amoung (F)]

[^a1927: loue (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1928: a forbysene (R) | beleve (F)]

[^a1929: And nauȝt to (R F) | Þat (All beta mss)]

[^a1930: here (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1931: forto (R) | to (All other mss)]

[^a1932: autres (R Hm F) | mennes auteres (Most beta mss)]

[^a1933: in (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1934: and (R W F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1935: men (R) | nil (Most other mss)]

[^a1936: messem (R) | messem alienam (All other mss)]

[^1793: Beta omits these lines. The differences between F's version of these lines and that attested in R are sufficiently numerous to make full citation of F's passage here advisable (cf. Appendix 1, R15.551-68, for details and any cross-references to the C version): Whan þe hyȝe kyng of heuene / sente his sone to erþe. Manye myraclis he wroghte / man for to turne. In ensaumple þat sholde seen / þat by sad resoun. Men myghte not ben savid / but þorghȝ mercy & grace. & þorghȝ penaunce & passioun / & parfyȝt beleve. & by-cam of a mayde / & metropolitanus after. & was baptyzed & y-sygned / with þe blood of his herte. Alle þat wilned & wolde / with wit be-leve it. Manye a seynt sytthen / haven suffred to dyȝen. Al for to ferme þe fayȝþ / in fele contrees dyȝen. In yȝnde in Alysaundre / in Armonye in spayne. & in doolful deþ þey dyeden / for þeyre feyþis sake. In savacioun of þe fayþ / seynt Thomas was y-martred. And a-mong vnkyȝnde cristene / for cristis he dyȝede. & for þe ryght of al þis rewme / & alle rewmes cristene. Holy chirche ys honoured / hyȝlyche þorghȝ his dyȝenge. He is be-leve to alle bisschopis / & a bryght merrour. & souereynly to swiche / þat of surrye beren þe name.]

[^1794: R.15.563: The erasure is not original; the first and last letters of the deleted name appear to have been <t> and <s> respectively. The name is obvious both historically and textually.]

[^1795: R.15.569: Although it begins in harmony with R, F's version of this line is unique in several ways (& nowht to hoppe here & þeere / for halwen awteris). Beta differs from R in three respects: (1) where R's opening reads And nauȝt to, beta has Þat; (2) beta omits R's here later in the a-verse but (3) adds mennes after halwe in the b-verse.]

[^1796: R.15.570: R's confesse men is unique; F and most beta copies read confesse(n), while GC2B read confessyon. Cx agrees with the majority F/beta reading.]

[^1797: R.15.571: R's omission of text after messem is unique; all the other manuscripts of B read alienam after messem. Cx agrees with the Bmajority.]

¶ Many a[^a1937] man for cristes loue  was martired amonges[^a1938][^1798] romaynes[^a1939][^1799] .
Ar cristendom were[^a1940] knowe þere  or any cros þere[^a1941][^1800] honoured .[^1801]

[^a1937: a (R Cr Cot F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a1938: amonges (R) | in (All other mss)]

[^a1939: romaynes (R) | Romayne (Most beta mss)]

[^a1940: were (R F) | was (All beta mss)]

[^a1941: þere (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1798: R.15.572: R's amonges is unique; all the other manuscripts of B read in. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1799: R.15.572: R's romaynes is unique; most beta copies read Romayne; CrCot have Rome, while F shows grete roome. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^1800: R.15.573: R's cros þere is unique; all the other manuscripts of B read cros. Cx agrees with the majority against R.]

[^1801: R.15.573: Immediately hereafter, the beta manuscripts witness to some 35 lines of text not present in alpha but clearly attested in the C version. The entire question of the order of these complementary omissions (with alpha witnessing uniquely to KD15.511-28 and beta now uniquely attesting KD15.533-69—and short neighboring passages seemingly out of their logical order as well) is discussed by Kane-Donaldson on pp. 176-79. Cf. section II.2.5, esp. paragraphs 5 and 6, of our Introduction for a different assessment of the cause of this dislocation (but complete agreement with Kane-Donaldson on the proper ordering of the text). The lines here omitted by alpha read as follows in beta: 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 And þo was plente & pees amonges pore & riche And now is routhe to rede how þe red noble Is reuerenced or þe Rode receyued for þe worthier Þan crystes crosse þat ouercam deþ and dedly synne And now is werre and wo and whoso 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 men how þo men honoured More tresore þan treuthe I dar nouȝt telle þe sothe Resoun & riȝtful dome þo 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. Ȝif knyȝthod & kynde wytte and comune conscience Togideres loue lelly leueth it wel ȝe bisshopes Þe lordeship of londes for euere shal ȝe lese And lyuen as leuitici as owre lorde ȝow techeth Per primicias & decimas 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 sholde amende Þat contrarien crystes lawe and crystendome dispise.]

¶ Euery bischope þat bereth cros  by þat[^a1942][^1802] is holde .
Þoruȝ his prouince to passe  and to his peple to schewe hym .
Tellen hem and schewen[^a1943][^1803] hem  on þe trinite to byleue .
And feden hem with gostly fode  and nedy folke to fynden .[^1804]
Ac[^a1944][^1805] ysaie of ȝow speketh[^a1945][^1806]  and osyas bothe .[^1807]
Þat no man schuld be bischope  but if he hadde bothe .
Bodily fode and gostly fode[^a1946][^1808]  to gyue þere it nedede[^a1947][^1809] .
In domo mea non est panis  neque vestimentum .
Et ideo nolite constituere me regem  y 3 .[^1810]
Ozias seith for suche  þat syke ben and feble .
Inferte omnes decimas in oreum meum  vt cibus in domo mea &cetera .
Ac we cristene creatures  þat on þe cros byleuen .
Aren for me [forme][^a1948][^1811] as in þe faith  godes forbode elles .
And han clerkes to kepen vs þere -inne  & hem þat schal come after vs .

[^a1942: þat (R) | þat he (All other mss)]

[^a1943: schewen (R F) | techen (All beta mss)]

[^a1944: Ac (R) | But (F)]

[^a1945: of ȝow speketh (R) | as how þou spekist (F)]

[^a1946: fode (R) | nil (F)]

[^a1947: nedede (R) | nedeth (All other mss)]

[^a1948: for me [forme] (R) | ferme (All beta mss)]

[^1802: R.15.574: Before is, R uniquely omits he.]

[^1803: R.15.576: R's schewen is an inferior alpha reading; cf. beta's properly alliterating techen.]

[^1804: Beta omits these lines.]

[^1805: R.15.578: R's Ac is unique; beta omits the entire line while F reads But.]

[^1806: R.15.578: R's of ȝow speketh is unique; beta omits the entire line while F reads how þou spekist.]

[^1807: R.15.578: Beginning here, there is another long, erased note in the right margin, most of it in the same hand as the example on fol. 94r. The hand appears to be nearly contemporary to that of the main scribe. However, the first three lines of the erased note appear to be in a secretary hand. Total length of the note is some 23 short, horizontally arranged lines, extending to a point approximately 3.5 cm. below the last ruled text line.]

[^1808: R.15.580: R's fode is unique; beta omits the a-verse while F omits the word.]

[^1809: R.15.580: R's nedede is unique; the other manuscripts all read nedeth.]

[^1810: R.15.582: R's y 3 is an abbreviated reference for the biblical citation immediately preceding (from Isa. 3). Such references are rare in the B manuscripts; this one clearly derives from alpha, at least, since a very similar reference occurs in F here, but what is especially noteworthy is that an absolutely identical citation occurs at this point in L, one of the oldest beta manuscripts.]

[^1811: R.15.586: R's for me probably is a misreading of forme in alpha. F tried to rationalize this variant as formed. Beta reads ferme.]

¶ And Iewes lyuen in lele lawe  oure lorde wrote it hym-selue .
In stone for it stedfast was  and stonde schulde euere .
Dilige deum et proximum  is parfit iewen lawe .
And toke it moyses to techen it hem[^a1949][^1812]  til messye come .
And on þat lawe þei leue  and[^a1950] leten it þe best .
And ȝut knewe þei criste  þat cristendom tauȝte .
And[^a1951][^1813] for a parfit prophete  þat muche poeple saued .
Of selcuth sores  þei seyen it ofte .
Bothe of miracles and meruayles  and how[^a1952][^1814] men festede .
With to fisches and fyue loues  fyue thousend poeple .
And by þat mangerie þei[^a1953] miȝt wel se  þat messye he semed .
And whan he lufte vp lazar  þat leyde was in graue .
And vnder stone stanke and dede[^a1954][^1815]  with stif voys hym calde .
Lazar veni foras 
Dede hym rise and rome  riȝt byfore þe iewes 
Ac þei seyde and sworen  with sorcerie he wrouȝte .
And studieden to struyen hym  and struyeden hem-sulue .
And þoruȝ his pacience here poere  to puir nauȝt he brouȝte .
Pacientes vincunt  .

[^a1949: it hem (R F) | men (All beta mss)]

[^a1950: and (R F) | ȝit and (Most beta mss)]

[^a1951: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1952: how (R) | how he (All beta mss)]

[^a1953: þei (R F) | men (All beta mss)]

[^a1954: stanke and dede (R) | ded & stanke (Most beta mss)]

[^1812: R.15.591: For alpha's defective it hem, beta correctly reads men.]

[^1813: R.15.594: Alpha's And is omitted by beta but included in Cx.]

[^1814: R.15.596: Before men, R uniquely omits he.]

[^1815: R.15.600: Beta merely transposes R's phrase to ded & stanke, but F is unique: he stank ded.]

¶ Daniel of here vndoynge  dyuined and seide .
Cum veniat sanctus sanctorum[^a1955] &cetera[^a1956] .[^1816]
And ȝet wenen þo wrecches  þat he were seudo-propheta .
And þat his lore be lesynges  and lakken it alle .
And hopen þat he be to come  þat schal hem releue .
Moyses eft or messye  ȝet[^a1957] here maystries[^1817] dyuineth[^a1958] .

[^a1955: veniat sanctus sanctorum (R F) | sanctus sanctorum veniat (All beta mss)]

[^a1956: &cetera (R) | cessabit vnxio vestra (All beta mss)]

[^a1957: ȝet (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1958: dyuineth (R F) | ȝet deuyneth (Most beta mss)]

[^1816: R.15.608: Beta's version of this citation is fuller than alpha's, and the opening is transposed: Cum sanctus sanctorum veniat cessabit vnxio vestra.]

[^1817: R.15.612: Beta transposes this phrase to here maisteres ȝet.]

¶ Ac farisewes and sarasines  scribes and grekes .
Aren folke of o faith  þe fader god þei honouren 
And sithe þat þe sarasynes  and also þe iewes .
Kunnen þe furst clause  of oure byleue [^1818]
Credo in deum patrem omnipotentem &cetera .
Prelates of cristene prouince[^a1959][^1819]  schulde proue if þei miȝte .
Lere hem litlum and litlum  & in ihesum christum filium .
Til þei coude speke and spelle  and[^a1960][^1820] in spiritum sanctum .
And reden it and recorden it  with remissionem peccatorum .
Carnis resurrexionem  et vitam eternam amen .

[^a1959: prouince (R) | prouynces (All other mss)]

[^a1960: and (R) | et (All beta mss)]

[^1818: Beta presents these two alpha lines as a single line.]

[^1819: R.15.618: R's singular form is unique; the other manuscripts read prouynces.]

[^1820: R.15.620: R's and is unique; beta shows et while F reads Credo. Although a few C manuscripts (PVcAcZ) agree with R, Cx clearly agrees with beta on this lection.]

Passus xvus xv[j]us quintus decimus [sextus] decimus . de visione vt supra . — —

N ow faire falle ȝow quod I þo  for ȝoure faire schewynge .
For haukynes loue þe actif man  euere I schal ȝow louye .
Ac yet I am in a were  what charite is to mene .

¶ It is a ful trie tre quod he  treuthe[^a1961][^1821] to telle .
Mercy is þe more þere-of  þe mydel stok is reuthe .
Þe leues ben lele wordes  þe lawe of holy cherche .
Þe blosmes beth buxum speche  and benigne lokynge .
Pacience hatte þe puir tre  and pore symple of herte .
And so þoruȝ god and gode men  groweth þe fruit charite .

[^a1961: treuthe (R F) | trewly (All beta mss)]

[^1821: R.16.4: This is an alpha variant. Beta reads trewly.]

Agite penitenciam
¶ I wolde trauaile quod I þis tre to se  twenty hundreth mile . .[^1822]
And to haue my fille of þat fruit  forsake alle other soule .
Lord quod I if any wiȝt wite  whoder-out[^1823] þat[^a1962][^1824] it groweth .

[^a1962: þat (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1822: R.16.10: In the right margin, close to the text, an early reader has added a gloss: Agite penitenciam .]

[^1823: R.16.12: R's whoder is a unique form among the B manuscripts (which mainly attest whider) but is well-attested as a western form of that adverb (LALME, dot map 576). R's þat is probably an alpha form since F's altered b-verse also attests its presence at approximately the same position but beta shows no evidence of its presence.]

[^1824: R.16.12: Beta omits þat.]

¶ It groweth in a gardyn quod he  þat god made hym-selue .
Amyddes mannes body  þe more is of þat stokke .
Herte hatte þe erber  þat it inne groweth 
And liberum arbitrium  hath þe londe to ferme .
And[^a1963][^1825] vnder peres þe plowman  to piken it and to weden it .
Peres þe plowman quod I þo  and al for puir ioye .
Þat I herde nempne his name  anon I swowned after .
And lay longe in a loue dreme  and atte þe last me þouȝte .
Þat peres þe plowman  alle þe place me schewede .
And bad me toten on þe tre  on top and on rote .
With thre piles was it vnder-piȝt  I parceyued it sone .
Peres quod I[^1826] preye þe  whi stonden þise piles here .

[^a1963: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1825: R.16.17: And is an alpha variant unattested by beta witnesses.]

[^1826: R.16.24: R's omission of the second I in this a-verse (immediately following the first one) is shared only with M.]

¶ For wyndes wiltow wit quod he  to kepen[^a1964][^1827] it fram fallynge .
Cum ceciderit iustus non collidetur quia dominus supponit . manum . suam .
And in blowynge tyme abit þe floures  but if þis piles helpe .
Þe werld is a wikked wynde  and crepeth amonge þe leues .[^1828]
And forfret neiȝ þe fruit  þoruȝ many faire siȝtes .
And[^a1965][^1829] with þe furst pile  I palle hym doun  þat is potencia dei patris .

[^a1964: kepen (R F) | witen (Most beta mss)]

[^a1965: And (R) | Þanne (Most beta mss)]

[^1827: R.16.25: R's non-alliterating stave-word is an alpha variant; in place of kepen, beta reads witen.]

[^1828: R.16.28: Here alpha compressed two Bx lines into one, merging the a-verse of KD16.27 with the b-verse of KD16.28. The missing b-verse and following a-verse, as witnessed in beta, reads: to hem þat willen treuthe Coueityse cometh of þat wynde. The C version also attests the authenticity of these verses omitted by alpha.]

[^1829: R.16.30: R's And is unique among the B manuscripts but agrees with Cx; beta begins the line with Þanne while F omits both and shows a radically different version of the line.]

¶ Þe flesch is a fel wynd  and in flourynge tyme .
Þoruȝ likynge and lustus  so loude he gynneth blowe .
Þat it norescheth nyce siȝtes  and some-tyme wordes .
And wikked werkes þere-of  wormes of synne .
And for-biteth þe blosmes  riȝt to þe bare leues .

¶ Þanne sette I to þe secunde pil  sapiencia dei patris .
Þat is þe passion and þe powere  of oure prince ihesu .
With[^a1966][^1830] preyeres and þoruȝ penaunces  & godes passion in mynde .
I saue it til I se it ripen  and somme-del I-fruited .
And þanne fondeth fende[^a1967][^1831]  my fruite to destruie .
With alle þe wiles þat he can  and waggeth þe rote .
And casteth vp to þe crop  vnkende neyȝbores .
Bagbiteres brewe[^a1968] -cheste[^1832]  brauleres and chideres .
And leith a ladder þere -to  of lesynges aren þe ronges .
And feccheth awey my floures sum -tyme  byfore[^a1969] bothe myn eyes
Ac liberum arbitrium  letteth hem[^1833] sum -tyme .
Þat is liu-tenant to loken it wel  by leue of my-selue .
Videatis qui peccat in spiritum sanctum nunquam remittetur . &cetera .
Hoc est idem qui peccat per liberum arbitrium non repugnat .
Ac what[^a1970][^1834] þe fende and þe flesche  forth with þe worlde .
Manasen byhynde me  my fruit forto feche .
Þanne liberum arbitrium  laccheth þe thridde[^a1971] planke[^a1972] .[^1835]
And palleth a-downe þe pouke  priueliche[^a1973][^1836] þoruȝ grace .
And helpe of þe holy goste  and þus haue I þe maystrie .

[^a1966: With (R F) | Þorw (All beta mss)]

[^a1967: fende (R) | þe fende (Most other mss)]

[^a1968: brewe (R) | breke (Most beta mss)]

[^a1969: byfore (R C G Cot F) | afor (Most beta mss)]

[^a1970: what (R F) | whan (All beta mss)]

[^a1971: thridde (R L F) | firste (Most beta mss)]

[^a1972: planke (R F) | plante (Most beta mss)]

[^a1973: priueliche (R F) | purelich (All beta mss)]

[^1830: R.16.38: With is an alpha variant; beta reads Þorw.]

[^1831: R.16.40: R uniquely omits þe before fende. Cx agrees on this reading with the B majority.]

[^1832: R.16.43: R's brewe-cheste is unique; F shows & boosteris &; beta copies diverge, with CrWHm reading breke þe cheste while LCGOC2YB have breke-cheste(s).]

[^1833: R.16.46: Most other B witnesses have the singular form here, correctly since the antecedent is the fende of R16.40. Cr2-3 and Hm agree with R's plural form.]

[^1834: R.16.50: Alpha's what seems an obvious error (cf. beta's whan).]

[^1835: R.16.52: The phrase thridde planke is from alpha (with L agreeing on thridde). The majority beta phrase is firste plante.]

[^1836: R.16.53: For alpha's priueliche, beta reads purelich.]

¶ Now faire falle ȝow peres quod I  so faire ȝe descreuen .
Þe power of þis postes  and here propre miȝte .
Ac I haue thouȝtes a thraue  of þis thre piles .
In what wode þei woxen  and where þat þei growed .
For alle ar thei a-liche longe  non lasse þan other .
And to my mynde as me thenketh  on one more þei growed .
And[^a1974][^1837] o gretnesse  and grene of greyne þei semen .

[^a1974: And (R) | And of (Most other mss)]

[^1837: R.16.61: R uniquely omits of after And.]

¶ Þat is sothe seide[^a1975][^1838] peres  so[^1839] may be-falle .
I schal telle þe as tyt  what þis tre hatte .
Þe grounde þere it groweth  godnesse it hiȝte .
And I haue tolde þe what hiȝte þe tre  þe trinite it meneth .
And egreliche he loked on me  and þerefor I spared .
To asken hym anymore þere -of  & bad hym ful faire .
To descreue þe fruit  þat so faire hangeth .

[^a1975: seide (R L F) | quod (Most beta mss)]

[^1838: R.16.62: For alpha's seide, also supported by L, most beta manuscripts read quod.]

[^1839: R.16.62: Only G shares with R in the omission of it after so; F uniquely transposes the phrase: it may so.]

¶ Here now by-nethe quod he þo  If I nede hadde .
Matrimonie I may nym  a moyst fruit with-alle .
Þanne continence is nere þe crop : as caylewey bastarde .
Þanne bereth þe crop kende fruit  and clennest of alle .
Maydenhode angeles peres  and rathest wol be ripe .
And swete with-oute swelynge  soure worth it neuere .

¶ In priede[^a1976][^1840] peres to pulle a-doune  an appel & he wolde .
And suffre me to assay  what sauoure it hadde .
And peres caste to þe crop  and þanne comsed it to crie .
A[^a1977][^1841] wagged wedew-hod  and hit wepte after .
And whanne he[^a1978][^1842] meued matrimonie  it made a foule noyse .
Þat[^a1979][^1843] hadde reuthe whan peres rused[^a1980][^1844]  it gradde so reufulliche .
For euer as þei dropped adoune  þe deuel was redy .
And gadered hem alle to-gyderes  bothe grete and smale .
Adam and abraham  and Isaie þe prophete .
Sampson and samuel  and seint Iohan þe baptiste .
Bare hem forth baldely  no-body hem lette[^a1981] .[^1845]
And made of holy men his horde  in lymbo inferni .
Þere is dernesse[^1846] and drede  and þe deuel maister .
And peres for puir tene  þat o pyl he lauȝte .
And hitte after hym  happe how it miȝte .
Filius by þe faderes[^a1982][^1847] wille  and frenesse of spiritus sancti .
To go robbe þat rageman  & reuend reuen[^a1983][^1848] þe fruit fro hym .

[^a1976: In priede (R) | I prayed (Most other mss)]

[^a1977: A (R) | And (Most other mss)]

[^a1978: he (R F) | it (Most beta mss)]

[^a1979: Þat (R) | Þat I (Beta M G O C2)]

[^a1980: rused (R) | rogged (Most beta mss)]

[^a1981: lette (R Cr F) | letted (Most beta mss)]

[^a1982: faderes (R Cr F) | fader (Most beta mss)]

[^a1983: reuend reuen (R) | reue (Most beta mss)]

[^1840: R.16.75: Here the R scribe made a colossal mistake, misconstruing his exemplar's I prayed, the Bx reading, as In pride. His corrector notices the mistake and alters the noun with a supralinear <e>, but he overlooks the need to correct the initial preposition, so that the "corrected" reading is still nonsense.]

[^1841: R.16.78: R's A (= ModE "He"), though unique, agrees with Cx; F has & anoon while beta reads And.]

[^1842: R.16.79: For alpha's he (presumably original), beta manuscripts read it.]

[^1843: R.16.80: R uniquely omits I before hadde.]

[^1844: R.16.80: R's rused is unique but more closely akin to F's rusched than to beta's rogged.]

[^1845: R.16.85: Beta has letted, but Cx agrees with alpha's reading.]

[^1846: R.16.87: dernesse, "darkness." Cf. R's form with C manuscript P's deornesse and also note the spelling dernesse in manuscript A at C20.104. For loss within consonant clusters, cf. also R.18.121: where sofly appears for "softly."]

[^1847: R.16.90: RF are here joined by Cr (and agree with Cx); beta reads fader.]

[^1848: R.16.91: R's reuend is an error for beta's reue (cf. F's be-reve). The Cx reading, albeit in a revised line, agrees with beta's.]

¶ And þanne spake spiritus sanctus  in gabriel[^a1984][^1849] mouthe .[^1850]
To a mayde þat hiȝt marie  a meke thynge with-alle .
Þat on ihesus a iustice sone  moste iouken in here chaumbre .
Til plenitudo temporis  tyme[^a1985] I-come[^a1986][^1851] were .
Þat peres fruit flourede  and fel to be ripe .
And þanne schulde ihesus iuste þer-fore  &[^a1987] by[^1852] iugement of armes .
Whether schulde fonde þe fruit  þe fende or hym-sulue .

[^a1984: gabriel (R) | Gabrieles (Most other mss)]

[^a1985: tyme (R F) | fully (Most beta mss)]

[^a1986: I-come (R) | come(n) (All other mss)]

[^a1987: & (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^1849: R.16.92: This form is unique to R; the other B manuscripts read Gabrieles. The C manuscripts attest both forms (P2TH2Gc agreeing with R), but Cx clearly supports the F/beta reading.]

[^1850: R.16.92: In the right margin opposite this text line, there were two lines of a gloss, now erased, apparently in the same hand as a number of others, including one on 94r.]

[^1851: R.16.95: Alpha's reading probably was identical to R's tyme I-come rather than to F's tyme come it; beta reads fully comen. R's version agrees with Cx.]

[^1852: R.16.97: For R's & by (supported by most C copies), the other B manuscripts read bi.]

¶ Þe mayde mildliche þo  þe messagere graunted .
And seyde hendely to hym  lo me his hande-maiden .
Forto worchen his wille  with-outen any synne .
Ecce ancilla domini fiat michi &cetera .
And in þe wombe of þat wenche  was he fourty wekes .
Til he wex a faunt þoruȝ hire flesche  & of fyȝtynge coude .
To haue yfouȝte with þe fende  ar ful tyme come .
And peres þe plowman parseyued þe[^a1988][^1853] plener tyme .
And lered hym leche-craft  his lif forto saue .
Þat þouȝ he were wonded with his enemy  to warschen hym-selue .
And ded hym assaye his surgerye  on hem þat sike were .
Til he was parfite practisour  if any perel fulle .
And souȝt oute þe sike  and synful bothe .
And saluede sike and synful  bothe blynde & crokede .
[^1854] Comune[^a1989] wommen conuerted  and to gode turned .
Non est sanis opus medici[^a1990][^1855] sed male habentibus[^1856] &cetera .
Bothe meseles and mute  and in þe meneson blody .
Ofte he heled suche  he ne helde it for no maystrie .
Saue þo he leched lazar  þat hadde I-leye in graue .
Quatriduanus quelt  quik dede hym walke .
Ac as he made þat[^a1991][^1857] maistrie  mestus cepit esse .
And wepte water with his eyes  þere seyȝen it manye .
Somme þat þe siȝte seye  seyde þat tyme .
Þat he was leche of lif  and lorde of heye heuene .
Iewes Iangeled þere -aȝeyne  þat[^a1992][^1858] iuged lawes .
And seyde he wrouȝte þoruȝ wicche-crafte  & wit þe deueles miȝte .
Demonium habes . &cetera .

[^a1988: þe (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a1989: Comune (R) | And comune (All other mss)]

[^a1990: medici (R) | medicus (Bx W Hm C Bm Bo)]

[^a1991: þat (R F) | þe (All beta mss)]

[^a1992: þat (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^1853: R.16.106: R's þe is a unique addition to this phrase as witnessed by beta (parceyued plenere tyme). F has its own unique wording at this point, parseyuede in þat plener tyme.]

[^1854: R.16.113: R uniquely omits And at the head of this line. The C version here confirms the accuracy of the majority B reading.]

[^1855: R.16.114: R's medici is a unique reading; some copies (LWHmCBmBoF) have medicus; others (CrMO) show medico; G reads medicine.]

[^1856: R.16.114: The phrase male habentibus is an alpha variant; beta probably read in &c.]

[^1857: R.16.119: In place of alpha's þat, beta reads þe.]

[^1858: R.16.123: For R's unique þat, F reads þo þat; beta reads and.]

¶ Þanne ar ȝe cherles quod ihesus[^a1993][^1859]  and ȝoure childre bothe .
And sathan ȝoure saueoure  ȝow-selue now ȝe witnessen .
For I haue saued ȝow-selue[^a1994][^1860]  and ȝoure sones after .
Ȝoure bodies ȝoure bestes  and blynde men holpen .
And fedde ȝow with fisches  and with fyue loues .
And left basketes ful of broke mete  bere awey ho-so wolde .
And mysseyde þe iewes manliche  & manased hem to bete .
And knocked on hem with a corde  and cast a-doun here stalles .
Þat in cherche chaffaredden  or chaunged any mone .
And seyde it in siȝt of hem alle  so þat alle herden .
I schal ouer -torne þis temple  and adoun throwe .
And in thre dayes after  edifye it newe .
And make it as muche other more  in alle maner poyntes .
As euer it was and as wide  where -fore I hote ȝow .
Of preyeres and of parfitnesse  þis place þat ȝe callen .
Domus mea domus oracionis vocabitur .
Enuye and euel wil  aren[^a1995][^1861] in þe iewes .
Þei casten & contreueden  to kullen hym whan þei miȝte .
Vche day after other  þeire tyme þei awaited .
Til it byfel on a friday  a lite[^a1996][^1862] be-fore pasche .
Þe thoresday be-fore  þere he made his cene[^a1997] .[^1863]
Sittande[^a1998] at þe sopere  and[^a1999][^1864] seide þise wordes .
I am solde þoruȝ summe[^a2000][^1865] of ȝow  he schal þe tyme rewe .
Þat euer[^a2001][^1866] his saueour solde  for siluer or elles .

[^a1993: ihesus (R) | I(ch) (Most beta mss)]

[^a1994: ȝow-selue (R F) | ȝow-self seith cryst (Most beta mss)]

[^a1995: aren (R) | was (All other mss)]

[^a1996: lite (R) | litel (Most other mss)]

[^a1997: cene (R F) | maundee (All beta mss)]

[^a1998: Sittande (R F) | Sittyng (All beta manuscripts)]

[^a1999: and (R) | he (All beta mss)]

[^a2000: summe (R F) | one (All beta mss)]

[^a2001: euer (R) | euere he (All beta mss)]

[^1859: R.16.126: R's reading is unique; cf. F's crist and beta's ich / I.]

[^1860: R.16.128: Beta adds, at the end of the a-verse seith cryst. F agrees with R in omitting the phrase.]

[^1861: R.16.142: R's aren is unique but outweighs the consensus of F and the beta copies (which have was) on account of the latter's defective alliteration. A majority of C manuscripts (= ern, preterite of rennen) also support this reading. See Kane and Donaldson, p. 186, for discussion of the forms.]

[^1862: R.16.145: R's lite is unique; most other B manuscripts read litel, supported by Cx. Cr1-2 show little.]

[^1863: R.16.146: In place of alpha's cene, beta reads maundee.]

[^1864: R.16.147: For R's and, F reads hym-selue and beta has he.]

[^1865: R.16.148: This is an alpha variant; beta reads the non-alliterating one in place of summe.]

[^1866: R.16.149: R uniquely omits he after euer.]

¶ Iudas ianglede þere -aȝeyne  ac ihesus hym tolde .
It was hym-self sothely  and seyde tu dicis .[^1867]
Þanne wente forth þat wikked man  & with þe iewes mette
And tolde hem a tokne how  to knowe with ihesus .
Þe[^a2002][^1868] whiche tokne to þis day  to muche is vsed .
Þat is kyssynge and faire contenaunce  & vnkende wille .
And so was with Iudas þo  þat ihesus bitraied .
Aue rabi quod þat ribaude  and riȝt to hym he ȝode[^1869] .
And kest hym to ben cauȝt þer-by  and kulde þoruȝ[^a2003][^1870] þe iewes .

[^a2002: Þe (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a2003: þoruȝ (R F) | of (All beta mss)]

[^1867: R.16.151: In the right margin opposite this line and extending down five lines to R16.156, there is an erased gloss, apparently in the same hand as the long, erased note on 94r.]

[^1868: R.16.154: Þe is an alpha reading; beta has And.]

[^1869: R.16.157: R's ȝode is unique in form but not in sense; the beta manuscripts have ȝede while F shows wente.]

[^1870: R.16.158: Alpha's þoruȝ is replaced in beta by of.]

¶ Þanne Ihesus to Iudas  and to þe iewes seyde .
Falsnesse ich[^1871] fynde  in þi faire speche .
And gile in þi glade chere  and galle is in þi lauȝynge .
Þow schalt be myrour to manye  men to deseyue .
Ac þe wors and þe wikkednesse  schal worth vpon þi-selue .
Necesse est vt veniant scandala .
Ve homini illi per quem scandalum venit .
Þouȝ I be treson be take  and[^a2004][^1872] ȝoure owene wille .
Suffreth my postles[^1873] in pays  and in pees gange .
In[^a2005][^1874] a thorsday in thesternesse  þus was he taken .
Thoruȝ Iudas and iewes  ihesus was his name .
Þat on þe friday folwynge  for mankende sake .
Iusted in ierusalem  a ioye to vs alle .
On cros vpon caluarie  criste toke þe bataile .
Aȝeynes deth and þe deuel  destruyde þere[^a2006] beire[^a2007][^1875] miȝtes .
Deyede and deth for-dede  and day of nyȝt made .

[^a2004: and (R F) | at (All beta mss)]

[^a2005: In (R F) | On (Most beta mss)]

[^a2006: þere (R) | her (Most beta mss)]

[^a2007: beire (R) | bother(es) (Most beta mss)]

[^1871: R.16.160: R's ich is unique in form but not in sense; the other B manuscripts (as well as those of the C version) have I or y.]

[^1872: R.16.166: R's and is unique; cf. beta's at and F's & þorgh.]

[^1873: R.16.167: Only L joins R in this clipped form; all other B manuscripts have Apostles. R and L are also alone in reading the possessive as my where the other copies have myn. The C manuscripts are divided on this phrase, with most of the X family supporting LR and most of the P family agreeing with the beta majority.]

[^1874: R.16.168: Beta reads On.]

[^1875: R.16.173: According to OED2, s. v. bo (a. and pron.) and both (a. and adv.), R's unique form beire is a genitive plural form of bo (= "both"). So R's phrase, þere beire miȝtes, means the powers of both of them. Beta has bother(es) while F rewrites the line.]

¶ And I awaked þerewith  and wiped myn eyes[^1876] .
And after peres þe plowman  pried and stared
Estward and westwarde  I waited after faste .
And ȝede forth as an Ideot  in contre to a-spie .
After peres þe plowman  many a place I souȝte .
And þan mette I with a man  a mydlenten soneday .
As hoer as an hauȝthorne  and abraham he hiȝte .
I frayned hym furste  from whennes he come .
John Sympson

[In the left margin, between these two verse paragraphs, a sixteenth-century signature (apparently a pen trial) has been mostly erased.]

And of whennes he were  and whider þat he thouȝte .

[^1876: R.16.175: Beta's form is eyghen.]

¶ I am feith quod þat freke  it falleth nauȝt me[^a2008][^1877] to lye .
And of abrahames hous  an heraude of armes .
I seke after a segge  þat I seiȝ ones .
A ful bolde bachelere  I knewe hym by his blasen .

[^a2008: me (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^1877: R.16.184: F transposes this phrase as falleþ me nowht; beta omits me. In a revised line, the prevalent C reading agrees with R's (though a minority of C witnesses read the phrase in F's order).]

¶ What bereth þat buyrn quod I þo  so blisse þe be-tyde .

¶ Thre ledes in on lith  non lenger þan other .
Of on muchele and miȝt  in mesure and in lenthe .
Þat on doth alle doth  and vch[^1878] doth by his one .
Þe firste hath miȝt and mageste  makere of alle thynge .
Pater is his propre name  a persone by hym-selue .
Þe secunde of þat sire is  sothfastnesse filius .
Wardan of þat wit hat[^a2009][^1879]  was euer with-outen gynnynge .
Þe thridde hat þe holy goste  a persone by hym-seluen .
Þat alle þe liȝt of þe lif[^a2010][^1880]  a londe and a watere .
Confortoure of creatoures  of hym cometh alle blisse .
So thre bylongeth for a lorde  þat lordschipe claymeth .
Miȝt and a mene to[^a2011][^1881] his owene miȝte .
Of hym-selue[^a2012][^1882] and of his seruant  and what soffret hem[^a2013][^1883] bothe .
So god þat gynnynge hadde nere[^a2014][^1884]  but þo hym gode thouȝte .
Sent forth his sone  as for seruant þat tyme .
To ocupien hym here  til issue were spronge .
Þat is childurne of charite  and holy cherche þe moder .
Patriarkes and prophetes  and apostles were þe barnes[^a2015] .[^1885]
And crist and cristendom  and alle[^a2016][^1886] cristene holy cherche .
In menynge þat man moste  in[^a2017][^1887] o god byleue .
And þere hym lyked and louede  in thre persones hym schewed .
And þat it may be so & soth  man-hode it scheweth .
Wedlok and widewehode  with virginite I-nempned .
In tokenynge of þe trinite  was take out of o man[^1888] .
Adam oure aller fader  eue was of hym-selue .
S opp

[R.16.214: At the bottom margin of fol. 83v, near the gutter, in a brown secretary hand, there is a pen trial: S opp.]

And þe isue þat þei hadde  it was of hem bothe .
John Sympson Smithe John John Sympson William Joh Jhon Sympson

[Across the top margin of fol. 84r, all of the pen trials appear to be in the same hand, but the different shades of ink and variations in cut of the stylus suggest that they were executed at different times.]

And eyther is otheres ioye  in thre sondri persones .
And in heuene and here one singulere name .
And þat[^a2018][^1889] is man-kende  or manhode  of matrimonie spronge .[^1890]
And bi-tokeneth þe trinite  and trewe byleue :

[^a2009: hat (R) | hath (Most beta mss)]

[^a2010: Þat alle þe liȝt of þe lif (R) | Þe liȝte of alle þat lyf hath (Most beta mss)]

[^a2011: to (R) | to knowe (All beta mss)]

[^a2012: hym-selue (R F) | hym (All beta mss)]

[^a2013: soffret hem (R F) | þei suffre (Most beta mss)]

[^a2014: nere (R) | neure (All other mss)]

[^a2015: barnes (R F) | chyldren (All beta mss)]

[^a2016: alle (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2017: in (R Cr F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^a2018: þat (R F) | þus (Most beta mss)]

[^1878: R.16.191: R's vch is unique in form but not in sense; OED2, s. v. each (a., quasi-pron.), lists it as a viable form from twelfth-fifteenth century Most other B manuscripts have ech(e).]

[^1879: R.16.195: R's hat is unique in form among the B manuscripts, but not in sense; OED2, s. v. have, lists it as a viable fifteenth century form for the 3rd sing. pres. of have. Most other B manuscripts read hath.]

[^1880: R.16.197: The syntactic confusion in this a-verse began in alpha, which omitted the verb (cf. F's Þat al þe lyght & þe lyf). Beta witnesses read the full line as Þe liȝte of alle þat lyf hath a londe & a watre.]

[^1881: R.16.200: After to, R omits the verb knowe. This line was already metrically defective in Bx, which appears to have read as beta does: Myȝte and a mene to knowe his owne myȝte. Assuming this shape for Bx, R's only additional deficit is the aforementioned loss, which probably occurred in alpha. Cf. F's version of the line: Myght & eek a meyne to his myght owiþ. The C version of this line also seems metrically defective: Miȝte and a mene to se his owne myhte.]

[^1882: R.16.201: R's hym-selue is an alpha variant; cf. beta's hym.]

[^1883: R.16.201: The phrase soffret hem is an alpha variant; beta reads þei suffre. Both alpha variants in this line are authenticated by their presence in Cx.]

[^1884: R.16.202: R's nere is a unique form; the other manuscripts readneure.]

[^1885: R.16.206: Beta has chyldren in place of RF's barnes, and Cx agrees with beta's reading.]

[^1886: R.16.207: Beta omits alle, as does the P family of C manuscripts; but the X family of C manuscripts agrees with RF, including the word.]

[^1887: R.16.208: This is an alpha variant (also attested in Cr); the other beta copies read on.]

[^1888: R.16.212: R's o man and beta's a man are both enumerative and semantically identical, emphasizing that all three states of grace emanate from "one man," while F seems to miss the point, reading mankynde.]

[^1889: R.16.217: For alpha's þat, beta reads þus.]

[^1890: R.16.217: In the extreme right margin there is some scribbling that appears to be a continuation of the pen trials higher on the page, with the writer continuing to practice the capital <S> of Sympson.]

¶ Miȝte is in[^a2019][^1891] matrimonie  þat multiplieth þe erthe .
And bitokeneth treweli  telle if I durste .
He þat first formed alle  þe fader of heuene .
Þe sone if I it durste say  resembleth wel þe widewe .
Deus meus deus meus vt quid me dereliquisti[^a2020] .[^1892]
Þat is creatour wax creature  to knowe what was bothe .
Nota

[R.16.225: To the right of the nota, there is a symbol resembling a modern script capital <E>.]

As widewe with-oute wedloke  was neuere ȝet I-seye .
Ne[^a2021] na[^1893] more miȝte god be man  but if he moder hadde .
So widewe with-oute wedloke  may nouȝt wel stande .
Ne matrimonie with-oute moylere  is nauȝt muche to preyse .
Maledictus homo qui non reliquit semen in israel &cetera .
Þus in thre persones  is parfitliche puir[^a2022][^1894] manhode .
Þat is man and his make  & moillere here[^a2023][^1895] childerne .
And is nouȝt but gendre of o generacioun  bi-for ihesu crist in heuene .
So is þe fader forth with þe sone  and fre wil of bothe .
Spiritus procedens a patre et filio 
Which is þe holy gost of al  and al is but o god .
Þus in a somer I hym seyȝ  as I sat in my porche .
I ros vp and reuerenced hym  and riȝt faire hym grette .

[^a2019: in (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2020: me dereliquisti (R) | dereliquisti me (All other mss)]

[^a2021: Ne (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a2022: puir (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2023: here (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1891: R.16.219: Beta omits in.]

[^1892: R.16.223: For R's me dereliquisti, the other B copies show a reversal: dereliquisti me.]

[^1893: R.16.226: R's Ne is a unique addition to the text of Bx.]

[^1894: R.16.230: R's puir is unique (beta omits it while F reads þorghȝ); nevertheless, the metrical requirements of the line indicate that puir is authentic.]

[^1895: R.16.231: L agrees with RF, though the other beta copies omit here.]

knak
¶ Thre men to my syȝte  I made wel at ese .[^1896]
Wesche here fete in [a]n[d][^a2024] wiped hes[^a2025][^1897]  and afterwarde þei eten .
Calues flesche and cake brede  and knewen what I thouȝte .
Ful trewe toknesse bitwene vs is  to telle whan me liketh .[^1898]
Furste he fonded me  if I loued bettere .
Hym or Isaac myn ayr  þe whiche he hiȝt me kulle .
He wist my wille bi hym  a[^a2026][^1899] wol me it a-lowe .
I am ful siker in soule there  of and my sone bothe .
Wyll ND
I circumcised my sone  sith for his sake .[^1900]
My-sulue and my mayne[^1901]  and al þat male were .
Bledden blode for þat lordes loue  & hope to blisse þe tyme .
My affiance and my fay[^1902]  is ferme in þis bileue .
For hym-sulue be-hiȝt to me  and to myn issue bothe .
Londe and lordschipe  and lif withouten ende .
To me and to myn issue  more ȝet he me graunted .
Mercy for oure mysdedes  as many tyme as we asken .
Quam olim abrahe promisisti et semini eius .
And sitthe he sent me to seye  I schulde do sacrifice .
And done hym worschpe worsch[i]pe[^a2027] with brede  and with wyne bothe .[^1903]
And called me þe fote of his feith  his folke for to saue .
And defende hem fro þe fende  folke þat on me leued[^1904] .
Þus haue I ben his heraud  here and in helle .
And conforted many a careful  þat after his commynge waiten .
And þus I seke hym he sayde  for I herde seyn late .
Of a buyrn[^a2028][^1905] þat baptised hym  Iohan baptist was his name .
Þat to patriarkes and to prophetes  and to other peple in derkenesse .
Seyde þat he seyde[^a2029][^1906] here  þat schal sauen hem[^a2030] alle .[^1907]
Ecce agnus dei &cetera .

[^a2024: in [a]n[d] (R) | and (All other mss)]

[^a2025: hes (R) | hem (All other mss)]

[^a2026: a (R) | he (All other mss)]

[^a2027: worschpe worsch[i]pe (R) | worshipe (All other mss)]

[^a2028: buyrn (R F) | barne (Most beta mss)]

[^a2029: seyde (R F) | seigh (All beta mss)]

[^a2030: hem (R F) | vs (All beta mss)]

[^1896: R.16.238: In the right margin, an early reader has written knak vertically, beginning here and extending upwards in the margin to a spot opposite R16.237.]

[^1897: R.16.239: R's hes is unique but is not a careless error. According to OED2, s. v. his, hise (pers. pron., 3rd sing. fem. acc.), this form is a twelfth-fourteenth century variant of the 3rd person sing. accus., his(e), which is equivalent to standard ME hem. MED, s. v. netheren (v.) and God, cites an example from the thirteenth-century Vices and Virtues (Bute hie hem seluen neðerien..scal goddalmihtin hes forliesen — BL Stowe 34).]

[^1898: R.16.241: Someone after the R scribe had finished his work has partially erased the <h> of liketh, but its remains are still visible and recognizable.]

[^1899: R.16.244: A, "he."]

[^1900: In the right margin, there is a pen trial (in a black secretary hand): Wyll ND . It is written vertically upwards from a point below the last text line to a point in the right margin opposite R16.246.]

[^1901: R.16.247: R's mayne is unique in form but not meaning; MED, s. v. meine, attests its viability as a spelling of meine for the fourteenth-fifteenth centuries. F has meyghne. The beta manuscripts show a variety of spellings, with a majority reading meyne(e). The C form is identical to R's.]

[^1902: R.16.249: R's fay is unique in form but not meaning; MED, s. v. feith, attests its viability as a spelling variant of feiþ for the fourteenth-fifteenth centuries. The C form, however, is identical to that of the B majority.]

[^1903: In the left margin opposite these lines, there are traces of an erased pen trial, apparently a signature, running vertically downwards and encroaching slightly, at the bottom, into the text area.]

[^1904: R.16.258: Kane and Donaldson read R here as lened.]

[^1905: R.16.262: Beta reads barne.]

[^1906: R.16.264: Beta has seigh.]

[^1907: R.16.264: Beta's version of the b-verse is þat sholde saue vs alle. R's schal is shared with CF and hem with F alone. The Cx version of this entire line is substantively identical to that of beta.]

¶ I hadde wonder of his wordes  and of his wide clothes .
And[^a2031][^1908] In his bosom he bare a thynge  &[^a2032][^1909] þat he blessed euere .
And I loked on his lappe  a laȝar lay þere -Inne .[^1910]
Amonges patriarkes and prophetes  pleyede[^a2033][^1911] to-gyderes .

[^a2031: And (R F) | For (All beta mss)]

[^a2032: & (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2033: pleyede (R) | pleyande (All other mss)]

[^1908: R.16.267: In place of alpha's And, beta reads For, which is also the reading of Cx.]

[^1909: R.16.267: Beta omits &. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1910: R.16.268: Immediately following the last word of this line, there is an indecipherable, tiny note written in a later hand, accompanied by a small vertical bar.]

[^1911: R.16.269: R's use of the preterite is unique in the B tradition (a few copies of C attest a preterite here); most beta copies have pleyinge (which is also the reading of Cx); but cf. F's pleyende and L's pleyande. These forms of the present participle suggest that R's mistake may have amounted to nothing more than overlooking a nasal bar in his copytext.]

¶ What a-waitest þow quod he  & what wildestow[^a2034][^1912] haue .

[^a2034: wildestow (R) | woldestow (All other mss)]

[^1912: R.16.270: The other B copies show woldestow, which is also the reading of a majority of C witnesses (primarily among the P family). Many X family witnesses read wost thow.]

¶ I wolde wite quod I þo  what is in ȝoure lappe .

¶ Lo quod he and lete me se  lorde mercy I seyde .
Þis is a present of muche pris  what prince schal it haue .

¶ It is a preciose present quod he  ac þe pouke it hath atached .
And me þere -with quod þat weye[^a2035][^1913]  may no wed vs quite .
Ne no buyrn ben oure boruȝ  ne brynge vs fram his daungere .[^1914]
Til he come þat I carpe of  crist is his name .
Þat schal deliuere vs sum day  out of þe deueles power .
And bettere wed for vs legge  þan we ben al worthi .
Þat is lif for lif  or ligge þus euere
Lollynge in my lappe  til suche a lorde vs feche .

[^a2035: weye (R F) | man (All beta mss)]

[^1913: R.16.275: Weye, "person, being, man." Beta has man.]

[^1914: R.16.276: Alpha omits the following line attested by beta manuscripts (and in a slightly revised form by the C version): Oute of þe poukes pondfolde no meynprise may vs fecche.]

¶ Allas thouȝte I þo  þat is a longe a-bydynge .[^1915]
And sued hym for he softe ȝede .
Þat he toek vs as tit  ac trewly to telle .
I afrayned hym furste  fram whennes he come .
What[^a2036] he hiȝte and whider he wolde  and whithliche[^1916] he tolde .

[^a2036: What (R F) | And what (All beta mss)]

[^1915: These three lines are from alpha. They are judged by Kane-Donaldson as well as by Schmidt to be spurious. Kane-Donaldson hypothesize loss of the authentic lines through similarity of line heads (KD16.270 = Allas I; KD16.274 = I). This rationale seems unlikely and also depends on the assumption that alpha later noticed the loss and generated the spurious lines as a replacement. In reality, the alpha version of these lines was probably deliberate, motivated by censorship of material deemed to be theologically dangerous (in beta, sin is said to be able to hinder the might of God's mercy). Beta (as well as the C version, in a slightly revised form) reads: 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 went. The last of these four lines was omitted by alpha. The text of alpha is not entirely clear, since R differs significantly from F, which reads as follows: Allas þowhte y þoo þat is a long a-bydynge & oon on foote sewede hym for he softely wente & he be-took hym þe targe as tyȝt trewly to me it telle.]

[^1916: R.16.286: R's form here, whithliche, is unique in the B tradition but is identical with the spelling found in Cx. Though the form is not semantically distinctive, its occurrence in R is phonologically of interest and is likely a relict.]

Passus xvj us xv[ij]us quintus decimus [septimus] decimus de visione vt supra . — — [R.17.0: An early user has attempted to correct the scribal passus number (which is now undercounted by two) by adding a single red <j> after the <v> of the heading.]

I am spes a spie quod he[^a2037][^1917] [^1918] spere[^a2038] after a kniȝte .
Þat toek me a maundement  vp-on þe mont of synay .
To reule alle reumes þere -with[^a2039][^1919]  I bere þe writ here .

[^a2037: a spie quod he (R F) | quod he a spye (Most beta mss)]

[^a2038: spere (R) | and spire (Most other mss)]

[^a2039: þere -with (R F) | with (All beta mss)]

[^1917: R.17.1: Beta reverses the alpha phrase, reading quod he a spye; Cx, however, agrees with alpha.]

[^1918: R.17.1: R uniquely omits and before spere. The C reading agrees with the B majority.]

[^1919: R.17.3: In place of alpha's þer(e)-with, the beta copies read with; Cx, however, agrees with alpha.]

[^1920] Is it aseled I seyde  may men se þi lettres .[^1921]

[^1920: R.17.4: There is no cc in the margin because there would have been no space for a paraph marker anyway (the passus initial extends down beyond this line in the left margin).]

[^1921: Here there is another erased note, in the right margin, written horizontally in a sprawling style that spreads, at its top, over into the ruled area of the page; the note extends for some four lines and appears to be in the same fifteenth-century hand as that found on fol. 94r.]

¶ Nay he seyde I seke hym  þat hath þe sel to kepe .
And þat is cros and cristendom  and criste þere -on to hange .
And whan it is aseled so  sathanas power[^a2040] schal last no lenger .[^1922]
And þus my lettre meneth[^a2041] [^1923][^1924]

[^a2040: sathanas power (R) | Þat Lucyferes lordeship (All other mss)]

[^a2041: meneth (R) | meneþ men mowe knowe yt alle (F)]

[^1922: Here alpha must have merged two lines from Bx into one. However, as the lines survive in the extant copies, they differ considerably not only between alpha and beta witnesses but between R and F as well. Beta manuscripts read: And whan it is asseled so I wote wel þe sothe Þat Lucyferes lordeship laste shal no lenger. RF and beta essentially agree on the initial a-verse of this pair, but then R supplies a unique b-verse followed by a hypometrical line: And þus my lettre meneth. By contrast, F reads these two lines as follows: & whan it ys / a-selyd soo / sathenas haþ lost his power & þus myn lettre meneþ / men mowe knowe yt. W. W. Skeat, The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, EETS, OS 38 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1869): 416, proposed that RF's exemplar must have read: And when it is aseled so Sathanas power Schal last no lenger and þus my lettre meneth.]

[^1923: R.17.8: Beta omits this line, and R has truncated it. Cf. F, whose b-verse reads men mowe knowe yt alle.]

[^1924: R.17.8: Although the line following this one is marked in the margin with cc as a separate paragraph, the scribe does not follow his usual practice of skipping a line between strophes. It is impossible to know why he departed from his custom here, but he may have been troubled by his exemplar's wasteful attitude toward parchment in this part of the poem, where strophes tend to be very short, indicating only a change of speakers in a rapidly shifting dialogue.]

¶ Lat se þat[^a2042] lettre[^a2043][^1925] quod I  we miȝte þe lawe knowe [^1926]

[^a2042: þat (R F) | þi (Most beta mss)]

[^a2043: lettre (R F) | lettres (All beta mss)]

[^1925: R.17.9: In place of alpha's þat lettre, beta reads þi lettres, which agrees with the reading of Cx.]

[^1926: R.17.9: The blank line following this one was originally written on and later erased by the scribe.]

¶ A plucked[^a2044][^1927] forthe a patente[^1928]  a pece of a harde roche .
Where -on was[^a2045][^1929] writen to wordes  on þis wise Iglosed .
Dilige deum et proximum . tuum &cetera .
Þis was þe tixte treweli  I toke ful gode gome[^a2046][^1930] .
Þe glose was gloriousliche I-write[^a2047][^1931]  with a gulte penne .
In hijs duobus pendet tota lex[^a2048] & prophetia .[^1932]

[^a2044: A plucked (R) | Þanne plokked he (Most beta mss)]

[^a2045: was (R L F) | were(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a2046: gome (R) | ȝeme (All beta mss)]

[^a2047: I-write (R) | write(n) (All other mss)]

[^a2048: pendet tota lex (R) | tota lex pendet (All other mss)]

[^1927: R.17.10: A, "he."]

[^1928: R.17.10: R's a-verse is supported by Cx (A pluhte forth a patente), but F begins the line & he while beta attests a reversal (Þanne plokked he).]

[^1929: R.17.11: L joins alpha in reading a singular; the other beta copies have were(n). Cx agrees with LRF on this point.]

[^1930: R.17.13: For R's gome, beta shows ȝeme while F reads keepe. Although both of the latter forms appear in C manuscripts, it seems clear that Cx agrees with R's gome.]

[^1931: R.17.14: Cf. F's wrete and beta's writen. Though some C manuscripts show write, it appears that Cx agrees with beta's writen.]

[^1932: R.17.15: F reads this citation as In hijs duobus mandatis tota lex pendet & prophete. Most beta copies agree. However, Cx basically agrees with R's form of the citation, though the X family reads (pe)pendit.]

¶ Is[^a2049] here alle þi lordes lawes quod I  ȝe lef me[^a2050][^1933] he seyde .
And who-so wercheth after my wit[^a2051][^1934]  I wole vndertaken .
Schal neuere deuel hym dere  ne deth in soule greue .
For þouȝ I seye it my-selue  I haue saued with þis charme .
Of men and of wommen  many score thousendes .

[^a2049: Is (R L F) | Ben (Most beta mss)]

[^a2050: me (R Cr G F) | me wel (Most beta mss)]

[^a2051: my wit (R) | þis writte (All other mss)]

[^1933: R.17.16: After me beta adds wel. However, Cx agrees with alpha in omitting this word.]

[^1934: R.17.17: R's my wit is unique; F, beta, and Cx agree on þis writte.]

¶ He seith soth seyde þis heraud  I haue I-founde it ofte .
Lo here in my lappe  þat leued of[^a2052][^1935] þat charme .
Iosue and Iudith  and Iudas machabeus .
And[^a2053][^1936] sexti thousand by-side forth  þat be nauȝt se yne here .

[^a2052: of (R) | on (All other mss)]

[^a2053: And (R F) | Ȝe and (All beta mss)]

[^1935: R.17.22: R's of is unique; the other B manuscripts read on.]

[^1936: R.17.24: Beta copies begin this line with the phrase Ȝe and.]

¶ Ȝoure wordes aren wonderful quod I þo  which of ȝow is treweste.
And lelest to leue on  for lif and for soule 
Abraham seyth þat he seyȝ  holi þe trinite 
Thre persones in parceles  departable fram other .
And alle thre but o god  þus abraham me tauȝte .
And hath saued þat bileueth[^a2054][^1937] so  and sori for here synnes .
He can nauȝte segge þe somme  & summe aren in his lappe .
What neded it þanne  a newe lawe to bringe[^a2055][^1938] .
Sitth þe furst sufficeth  to sauacioun and to blisse .

[^a2054: bileueth (R G C2 F) | bileued (Most beta mss)]

[^a2055: bringe (R F) | bigynne (All beta mss)]

[^1937: R.17.30: Here F reads byleve, so alpha presumably had a present-tense form (but the Introduction III.2.2.10 on the pervasively problematic <-th> tense marking of the alpha tradition); beta, on the other hand, reads bileued. Although six C manuscripts (five from the P family) agree with R's reading, Cx supports beta.]

[^1938: R.17.32: In place of alpha's bringe, beta reads bigynne. Cx's reading agrees with alpha.]

¶ And now cometh spes and speketh  þat hath aspied þe lawe .
And telleth nauȝt of þe trinite  þat toek hym his lettres .
To bileue and louye  in o lorde almiȝty .
And sitth riȝt as my-selue  so louye alle poeple .[^1939]

[^1939: R.17.37: Following this line, both R and F omit eleven lines of text present in the beta manuscripts: 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 Go þi gate quod I to spes so me god helpe Þo þat lerneth þi lawe wil litel while vsen it.]

¶ And as we wenten þus in þe weye  wordynge to-gyderes .
Þan seye we a samaritan  sittende[^a2056] on a mule .
Ryden[^a2057][^1940] ful rapely  þe riȝt weye we ȝeden 
Comynde[^a2058][^1941] fram a contre  þat men called iherico .
To a iustes in iherusalem  he chased a-weye fast .
Bothe þe heraud and hope  and he mette at ones . id est christus .[^1942]
Where a man was I-wounded[^a2059]  and with theues taken .
A[^a2060][^1943] miȝte neyther steppe ne stande  ne stere foet ne handes .
Ne helpe hym-sulue sothly  for semiuif he semed .
And as naked as a nedle  and noen helpe aboute[^a2061] .[^1944]

[^a2056: sittende (R L F) | sittynge (Most beta manuscripts)]

[^a2057: Ryden (R) | Rydynge (All other mss)]

[^a2058: Comynde (R) | Comynge (Most other mss)]

[^a2059: I-wounded (R) | wounded (All other mss)]

[^a2060: A (R) | He (All other mss)]

[^a2061: aboute (R F) | aboute hym (Most beta mss)]

[^1940: R.17.40: Cf. F's Rydende and beta's Rydynge. Cx shows the same form as beta.]

[^1941: R.17.41: R's Comynde is a unique present-participle form here; most B copies, including F, read Comynge. Cx agrees with the predominant B form.]

[^1942: R.17.43: This Latin phrase is in the scribal hand and appears to have been mistaken by R for part of the poem's text although it is clearly an early gloss. Presumably, it derives from Bx since the Laud scribe also reproduces the same gloss and reacts to it with confusion, placing it very close to his ruled text and only halfway as far to the right as the position usually allocated in his copy for marginal notes. The same gloss and ambiguous placement occurs in M.]

[^1943: R.17.45: A, "he."]

[^1944: R.17.47: Alpha's helpe aboute(n) is supported by the best X family copies of the C version, but a majority of C manuscripts agrees with beta's helpe aboute hym.]

¶ Faith had furst siȝt on[^a2062][^1945] hym  ac he fleiȝ on-syde .
And nolde nauȝte neȝen hym  bi nyne londes lengthe .

[^a2062: on (R F) | of (All beta mss)]

[^1945: R.17.48: Cf. beta's of.]

¶ Hope cam hippynge after  þat hadde so ybosted .
How he with moyses maundement  had many man yholpe .
Ac whan he had siȝthe of þat segge  a-syde he gan hym drawe .
Dredfully by this day  a s doke doth fram þe faukoun .

¶ Ac so sone so þe samaritan  had siȝt of þis lede .
He liȝtte a-doun of liard  and ladde hym in his handes[^a2063][^1946] .
And with þat[^a2064][^1947] weye he wente  his woundes to beholde .
And parceyued in[^a2065][^1948] his pous  he was in peril to deye .
And but ȝif he hadde recourere[^1949]  þe rathere  þat rise schulde he neuere .
And breyde[^a2066] to his boteles  and bothe he atamede[^a2067] .[^1950]
With wyne and with oyle  his woundes he waschede .
Enbaumed hym and bonde his hede  and in his lappe hym leyde .
And ladde hym so forth on liarde  to lex christi a graunge .
Wel six mile or seuene  by-syde þe newe market .
Herberwed hym at an hostrie  and þe[^a2068] hostelere called .
And seyde haue kepe þis man  til I come fro þe iustes .
And lo here siluer he seide  for salue to his woundes .
And he toke hym to pans  to liflode as it were 
And seyde what he speneth more  I make þe gode here -after .
For I may nauȝt lette quod þat lede  and liard he bi-strideth .
And raped hym to Ierusalem-warde  þe riȝte weye to ride .

[^a2063: handes (R F) | hande (All beta mss)]

[^a2064: with þat (R) | to þe (All other mss)]

[^a2065: in (R) | bi (All other mss)]

[^a2066: And breyde (R) | he breyded (F)]

[^a2067: atamede (R) | Hem tamede (F)]

[^a2068: þe (R F) | to þe (Most beta mss)]

[^1946: R.17.55: Beta has hande. Cx's reading, like alpha's, is plural.]

[^1947: R.17.56: R's with þat is unique; the other B copies all show to þe. Cx reads to this.]

[^1948: R.17.57: R's in is unique; the other B copies read bi. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^1949: R.17.58: L agrees exactly with R's recourere, but cf. F's recure and the common beta form, recouerer. The majority of C manuscripts agrees with beta.]

[^1950: R.17.59: This line is omitted by beta. F's variants for this line include He breyded for R's And breyde and hem tamede for R's atamede. Cx revises the a-verse but agrees with R for the b-verse.]

¶ Faith folweth after faste  and fonded to mete hym .
And spes sparkliche[^a2069][^1951] hym spedde  spede ȝif he miȝte .
To ouere-take hym & talke to hym  ar þei to tounne come .

[^a2069: sparkliche (R F) | spaklich (Most beta mss)]

[^1951: R.17.72: Beta reads spaklich. Both the beta and alpha forms are presumably misreadings of Bx's sprakliche, in which the r was inscribed as a superscripted loop.]

¶ And whan I seiȝ þis I souiorned nauȝte  but schope me to renne .
And sewed þe[^a2070][^1952] samaritan  þat was so ful of pite .
And graunted hym to ben his go me[^a2071]  graunt mercy he seyde .
Ac þi frende and þi felaw quod he[^a2072]  þow fyndest me at nede .

[^a2070: þe (R F) | þat (All beta mss)]

[^a2071: go me (R G Bm F) | grome (Most beta mss)]

[^a2072: quod he (R L W Hm F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1952: R.17.75: For alpha's þe beta has þat; Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ And I thanked hym þo  and sitth I hym tolde .
How þat faith fleȝ away  and spes his felawe bothe .
For siȝte of þe soreful man  þat robbed was with theues .

¶ Haue hem excused quod he  here helpe may litel auayle .
May no medecyn vnder[^a2073][^1953] molde  þe man to hele brynge .
Neither feith ne fyne hope  so festred ben his woundes .
With-oute þe blode of a barne  borne of a mayde .
And be[^a2074][^1954] bathed in þat blode  baptized as it were .
And þanne plastered with penaunce  and þe[^a2075][^1955] passion of þat baby .
He schulde stande and steppe  ac stalworth worth he neuere .
Til he haue eten al þe barne  and his blode y-dronken .
For wente neuere wiȝt in þis worlde  þoruȝ þat wildernesse .
Þat he ne was robbed ne[^a2076][^1956] rifled  rod he there other[^a2077][^1957] ȝede .
Saue faith and his felawe  spes and my-selue .
And þi-selue nowe  and suche þat[^1958] sewen oure werkes .

[^a2073: vnder (R F) | on (All beta mss)]

[^a2074: be (R) | he be (Most beta mss)]

[^a2075: þe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2076: ne (R) | or (All beta mss)]

[^a2077: other (R) | or (All other mss)]

[^1953: R.17.82: In place of alpha's vnder beta reads on; Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1954: R.17.85: Beta manuscripts all add he; LWHm = be he while the others read he be.]

[^1955: R.17.86: Beta copies omit þe. The metrics of the beta version, which thus avoids two strong dips in the b-verse, is liklier to be authorial.]

[^1956: R.17.90: For R's ne, F has & and beta reads or.]

[^1957: R.17.90: R's other is unique; all other B copies show or. Cf. F's eyþer or, which suggests an error in alpha.]

[^1958: R.17.92: F and nearly all beta manuscripts here read as.]

¶ For outlawe is[^a2078] in[^1959] þe wode  and vnder banke lotyeth .
And may[^a2079] vche man se  and gode merke taketh[^a2080] .[^1960]
Ho is bihynde and ho bifore  and ho ben an horse .
For he halt hym hardier an horse  þan he þat is a-fote .[^1961]
For he seith[^a2081][^1962] me þat am samaritan  sewen faith and his felawe .
On my capil þat hatte caro  of man-kende I toke it .
He was vn harlot[^a2082][^1963]  & hud hym in inferno .
Ac ar þis day thre dayes  I dar vndertaken .
Þat he worth fettred þat feloun  fast with cheynes .
And neuere eft greue gome  þat goth þis ilke gate .
O mors ero mors tua . &cetera[^a2083] .[^1964]

[^a2078: outlawe is (R F) | outlawes (Most beta mss)]

[^a2079: may (R L Cr F) | mowe(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a2080: taketh (R F) | take (All beta mss)]

[^a2081: seith (R G C2 F) | seigh (Most beta mss)]

[^a2082: vn harlot (R) | vnhardy þat harlot (All beta mss)]

[^a2083: &cetera (R) | morsus tuus ero inferne (F)]

[^1959: R.17.93: For alpha's outlawe is in, beta reads outlawes in.]

[^1960: R.17.94: For alpha's taketh, beta has take.]

[^1961: R.17.96: Only L agrees with R's a-fote; most other B witnesses, including F, attest on foote .]

[^1962: R.17.97: R's seith is an alpha reading (although a few beta copies concur); beta's reading is seigh .]

[^1963: R.17.99: R's vn harlot is obviously defective; cf. F's reading, but an harlot, with the beta reading that almost certainly reflects Bx: vnhardy þat harlot.]

[^1964: R.17.103: This line appears only in alpha, and F alone continues the quotation with morsus tuus ero inferne. Alford, Piers Plowman: A Guide to the Quotations, notes that this O antiphon is "sung during Holy Week (e.g. Brev. 1:dcclxxxii, dccci), based on Osee 13:14 (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:55)" (107). Hereafter, alpha omits a dozen lines attested in beta witnesses between R17.103 and 104: And þanne shal feith be forester here and in þis fritth walke And kennen out 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 And come aȝein bi þis contree and confort alle syke Þat craueth it or coueiteth it and cryeth þereafter For þe barne was born in bethleem þat with his blode shal saue Alle þat lyueth in faith and folweth his felawes techynge.]

¶ A swete sire I seide þo  whether I schal bileue .
As faith and his felawe  enformed me bothe .
In thre persones departable  þat perpetuel were euere .
And al thre but o god  þus abraham me tauȝte .
And hope afterwarde  he bad me to louye .
O god with al my goed  and alle gomes after .
Louye hem like my-suluen  ac oure lorde a-boue alle .

¶ After abraham quod he  þat heraud of armes .
Sette faste þi faith  and ferme bileue 
And as hope behiȝt[^a2084][^1965] þe  I hote þat þow louye .
Þine euene-cristene euermore  euen-forth with thi-selue .
And if consience carpe þere -aȝeine  or kende wit other .
Or eritikes with argumentz  þi hande þow hem schewe .
For god is after an hande  I-here now and knowe it .

[^a2084: behiȝt (R F) | hiȝte (Most beta mss)]

[^1965: R.17.113: Cf. beta's hiȝte.]

¶ Þe fader was furst as a fust  with o fynger folden[^a2085] .[^1966]
Til hym leued[^a2086][^1967] and luste  to vnlosen his fynger .
And profered[^a2087][^1968] it forth as with a paume  to what place it schulde .
Þe paume is puirliche þe hande  & profereth forth þe fyngeres .
To minstre and to make  þat miȝt of honde knoweth .
And bitokneth treweli telle ho-so liketh .
Þe holy goste of heuene  he is as þe paume .
Þe fyngeres þat fre ben  to folde and to serue .
Bytokneth sothly þe sone  þat sent was til erthe .
And[^a2088][^1969] touched and tasted  and[^a2089] techynge of þe paume .
Seinte marie a mayden[^a2090][^1970]  and man-kende lauȝte . —
Qui conceptus est de spiritu sancto . &cetera .
Þe fader is þanne as fuste[^a2091][^1971]  with fynger to thouche[^a2092][^1972] .
Quia omnia traham ad me ipsum &cetera .
Alle þat þe paume perceyueth  profitable to fele .
Þus ar þei alle but one  as it a fust[^a2093][^1973] were .
And thre sundry siȝtes  in oen in[^a2094][^1974] schewynge .[^1975]
Þe paume for þe paume[^a2095][^1976] put[^a2096][^1977] forthe  fyngres and þe fuste bothe .
Riȝt so redely  resoun it scheweth 
How he þat is holy goste  sire and sone proueth .
And as þe hande halte harde  and al thynge faste .
Thoruȝ foure fyngres and a thumbe  forth with þe paume .
Riȝt so þe fader and þe sone  and seint spiriȝt þe thridde .
Halt al þe wyde worlde  with[^a2097][^1978] hem thre .
Bothe wolkne and þe wynde  water and erthe .
Heuene and helle  and alle þat þere is Inne[^a2098] .
Þus it nedeth no man[^1979]  to[^a2099][^1980] trowen non other
Þat thre thynges bylongeth  in oure lorde of heuene .
And aren surleps bi hem-sulue  a-sondry were[^a2100] neuere .[^1981]
Namore þan may an hand[^a2101][^1982]  meue with-outen fyngres[^a2102] .

[^a2085: folden (R F) | foldynge (Most beta mss)]

[^a2086: leued (R) | loued (Most beta mss)]

[^a2087: profered (R F) | profre (Most beta mss)]

[^a2088: And (R F) | Þat (All beta mss)]

[^a2089: and (R F) | atte (Most beta mss)]

[^a2090: mayden (R) | Mayde (All other mss)]

[^a2091: fuste (R) | a fust (All other mss)]

[^a2092: thouche (R) | touche (All other mss)]

[^a2093: a fust (R F) | an hande (All beta mss)]

[^a2094: in (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a2095: þe paume (R) | he (Most beta mss)]

[^a2096: put (R F) | putteth (All beta mss)]

[^a2097: with (R F) | with-in (All beta mss)]

[^a2098: þere is Inne (R L F) | þer inne is (Most beta mss)]

[^a2099: to (R L C2 Y F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2100: were (R L F) | were þei (Most beta mss)]

[^a2101: may an hand (R F) | myn hande may (Most beta mss)]

[^a2102: fyngres (R Hm L F) | my fyngeres (Most beta mss)]

[^1966: R.17.118: In place of RF's folden, beta reads foldynge .]

[^1967: R.17.119: Cf. F's lyþed and beta's loued. Cx reads likede.]

[^1968: R.17.120: Beta has the infinitive profre. Though several C manuscripts support beta's reading, Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1969: R.17.127: And (and the rest of this defective line) is almost certainly from alpha; beta more plausibly has Þat toched and tasted atte techynge of þe paume. In attempting to salvage the a-verse, F completely rewrites it as & þorghȝ towchyng & tastyng. Cx reads the entire line as beta does, except for the initial That, which is omitted.]

[^1970: R.17.128: The other B copies read mayde. Although a majority of the C manuscripts also read mayde, the best X family witnesses agree with R on mayden.]

[^1971: R.17.130: The other B manuscripts all read as a fust.]

[^1972: R.17.130: Kane-Donaldson transcribe R's thouche as chouche, but there is no warrant for this transcription—nonsensical in context, as opposed to an idiolectal spelling of the expected word—since the R scribe on this same page frequently executes his t with a negligible ascender indistinct from his c.]

[^1973: R.17.133: For alpha's a fust, beta reads an hande. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^1974: R.17.134: R uniquely adds the second in of this b-verse.]

[^1975: R.17.134: There is a superfluous tilde over the terminal punctus (not a punctus elevatus).]

[^1976: R.17.135: The second occurrence of þe paume in this a-verse is unique error in R; cf. F's it and beta's he.]

[^1977: R.17.135: Cf. beta's putteth.]

[^1978: R.17.141: In place of alpha's with, beta reads within.]

[^1979: R.17.144: Though HmCG agree with alpha's version of this a-verse, it appears that beta reads Þus it is nedeth no man.]

[^1980: R.17.144: L agrees with RF, though the other beta copies omit to.]

[^1981: R.17.146: L agrees with RF's reading; in the other beta witnesses, the final b-verse phrase reads were þei neuere.]

[^1982: R.17.147: For alpha's may an hand, beta reads myn hande may.]

¶ And as my fust is ful honde  I-folde to-gyderes .
So is þe fader a ful god  formeoure and scheppere .
Tu fabricator omnium &cetera .
And alle þe miȝte myd hym is  in makynge of thynges .

¶ Þe fyngres formeth a ful honde  to purtreye or peynten .
Keruynge or[^a2103][^1983] cumpassynge  is[^a2104][^1984] crafte of þe fyngres .
Riȝt so is þe sone  þe science of þe fader .
And ful god as is þe fader  no feblere ne no bettere .
Þe paume is puirliche þe hande  hath powere bi hym-selue .
Other-wise þan þe writen[^1985] fuste  or werkman-schepe of fyngres .
For þe paume hath powere  to pult[^a2105][^1986] oute þe[^a2106] ioyntes[^1987] .
And to vnfolde þe[^a2107] fust  for hym it bilongeth[^a2108] .[^1988]
And[^a2109] receyue þat þe fyngres recheth  and[^a2110] refuse bothe .[^1989]
Whan he feleth þe fust[^a2111]  and[^a2112] þe fyngres wille .
So is þe holy gost god  nother gretter ne lasse .
Þan is þe sire or[^a2113][^1990] þe sone  and in þe same miȝte .
And alle ar þei but o god  as is myn hande and my fyngres .
Vnfolden or folden  my fust and my paume .
Al is it[^1991] but an hande  how so I turne it[^a2114] .[^1992]

[^a2103: or (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a2104: is (R Cr F) | as (Most beta mss)]

[^a2105: pult (R) | put (All beta mss)]

[^a2106: þe (R F) | alle þe (All beta mss)]

[^a2107: þe (R F) | þe folden (Most beta mss)]

[^a2108: hym it bilongeth (R) | it to hym longeþ (F)]

[^a2109: And (R) | & to (F)]

[^a2110: and (R) | & to (F)]

[^a2111: Whan he feleth þe fust (R F) | And to vnfolde þe folden fuste (All beta mss)]

[^a2112: and (R F) | atte (Beta M Cr W Hm)]

[^a2113: or (R F) | and (All beta mss)]

[^a2114: how so I turne it (R L Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^1983: R.17.153: For alpha's or, beta reads and.]

[^1984: R.17.153: Among the beta copies, only Cr agrees with alpha's is; the others read as.]

[^1985: R.17.157: Y originally shared R's erroneous writen but was corrected. Several C copies also share R's reading. F's wrytynge is probably an attempt to make sense of the alpha error reflected in R. Cf. beta's wrythen, which must have been the reading of Bx. Cx agrees with beta's reading.]

[^1986: R.17.158: R's pult is a rare verb (= ModE thrust ) but is likelier to be the Bx form than is beta's put or F's pittyn. Most C manuscripts agree with the B majority on putte, but the most reliable X family manuscripts agree with R.]

[^1987: R.17.158: Where alpha reads þe ioyntes, beta has alle þe ioyntes. Among the C witnesses, only manuscript N (which shows massive evidence throughout of having been proofed—and contaminated—by a beta manuscript) agrees with beta on this phrasing.]

[^1988: R.17.159: Cx agrees exactly with R's version of this b-verse, but F renders it as for it to hym longeþ. Beta omits this b-verse (KD17.179b) as well as the next line (KD17.180) and a following half-line (KD17.181a), probably because of eyeskip on fust.]

[^1989: R.17.160: This line, omitted by beta, is rendered with slight differences in F: & to receyve þat þe fyngris reche & to refuse boþe. Cx's version of this line exactly agrees with R until the end of the b-verse, where bothe is replaced by yf hym liketh.]

[^1990: R.17.163: Cf. beta's and. Though some C manuscripts agree with with beta, it is clear that Cx agrees with alpha's or.]

[^1991: R.17.166: Beta omits it. Some C manuscripts agree with beta's omission, but the majority, including the best X family copies, agree with alpha in including it.]

[^1992: R.17.166: Following this line, for no apparent reason, the R scribe fails to insert his customary blank line between verse strophes.]

¶ Ac who is herte in þe honde[^a2115]  euene in þe myddes .
He may reseyue riȝt nauȝt  reson it scheweth .
For þe fyngres þat folde schulde  & þe fust make .
For peyne of þe paume  power hem faileth .
To cluche or to clawe  to cluppe or to holde .

[^a2115: Ac who is herte in þe honde (R L Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

¶ Were þe myddel of myn hand  ymaymed other[^a2116] ypersed[^a2117] .[^1993]
I schulde reseyue riȝt nauȝt  of þat I reche miȝte .
Ac þouȝ my thombe and my fyngres  bothe were to-swolle .
And þe myddel of myn hande  with-oute male-ese .
In many kynne maneres  I miȝte my-sulue helpe .
Bothe meue and amende  þouȝ alle my fyngres oke .
By this kile [s]kile[^a2118] he seyde[^a2119][^1994]  I se an euydence 
Þat ho-so synneth in þe seynt spiriȝt  assoyled worth he neuere .
Nother here ne elles-where  as I herde telle .
Qui peccat in spiritu sancto numquam[^a2120] &cetera . .[^1995]
For he priketh god as in þe paume  þat peccat in spiritu sancto
For god þe fader is as a fust  þe sone is as a fynger .
Þe holy goste of heuene  is as it were þe paume .
So ho-so synneth a-ȝeynes[^a2121] þe[^1996] seynt spirit  it semeth þat he greueth[^1997]
God þat he gripeth with  and wolde his grace quenche .

[^a2116: other (R) | or (All beta mss)]

[^a2117: ypersed (R) | ypersshed (L Y)]

[^a2118: kile [s]kile (R) | skil (All other mss)]

[^a2119: he seyde (R F) | me þynkeþ (Most beta mss)]

[^a2120: numquam (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2121: a-ȝeynes (R F) | in (Most beta mss)]

[^1993: R.17.172: R's other ypersed is unique. F omits the entire line. The other B manuscripts agree in reading or for R's other, but they offer a variety of verb forms: yperissed (WC), peris(s/c)hed (MCrHm), and ypersshed (L).]

[^1994: R.17.178: For alpha's he seyde, beta reads me þynkeþ, which fails in alliteration. Cx revises skile to simile but agrees with alpha on the following words: he saide.]

[^1995: R.17.181: F omits this citation, and the beta copies omit numquam. The C manuscripts here agree with beta.]

[^1996: R.17.185: In place of alpha's a-ȝeynes þe, beta reads in. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1997: R.17.185: The <h> of greueth is nearly lost in the binding, but is still visible in the manuscript, though not in the digital image.]

¶ For[^a2122] to a torche or to[^a2123] a tapere[^1998]  þe trinite is likned
As wex and a weyke  were twyned to-gyderes —
And þanne a fere flawmende[^a2124][^1999]  forth ouȝt[^2000] of bothe .
And as wex and wyke  and warme[^a2125][^2001] fere to-gyderes .
Fostren forth a flawme  and a faire leye .
So doth þe sire and þe sone  and al-so spiritus sanctus .
Fostren forth amonges folk  loue and bileue .
Þat alkynne cristene  clensede[^a2126][^2002] of synnes .
And as þow seste somtyme  sodeyneliche a torche .
Þe blase þere-of I-blowe oute  ȝet brenneth þe weke .
With-oute leye or liȝte  þat þe macche brenneth .
So is the holy gost god  and grace with-oute mercy .
To alle vnkende creatures  þat coueyte to destruye .
Lel loue other lif þat oure lorde schupte .[^2003]

[^a2122: For (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a2123: to (R C F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2124: flawmende (R L) | flawmynge (Most beta manuscripts)]

[^a2125: warme (R F) | hote (Most beta mss)]

[^a2126: clensede (R) | clenseth (All other mss)]

[^1998: R.17.187: Alpha's a-verse reads For to a . . . or to a . . ., while beta has And to a . . . or a . . .. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^1999: R.17.189: Most beta copies read flawmynge (which is also the reading of Cx in a revised form of this line) and F has flawmeþ, but L agrees with R's form.]

[^2000: R.17.189: Ouȝt, "out."]

[^2001: R.17.190: R's warme is shared with F alone; cf. the non-alliterating beta variant, hote. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2002: R.17.194: Both F and the beta copies read clenseth. Cx agrees with them.]

[^2003: R.17.200: R's schupte is a unique preterite form among the B manuscripts, whose typical form is shapte; but schupte is uniformly attested in C copies. After this line, R and F omit twenty-seven lines found in the beta manuscripts: And as glowande 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 Graunteth 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 into mercy as men may se in wyntre Ysekeles in eueses (or euesynges) þorw hete of þe sonne Melteth in a mynutwhile to myst & to watre So grace of þe holygoste þe grete myȝte of þe trinite Melteth into mercy to mercyable & to non other And as wex withouten more on a warme glede Wil brennen & blasen be þei togyderes And solacen hem þat may 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 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 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.]

¶ Ac hewe fuyr and[^a2127][^2004] flint[^a2128]  foure hundreth wynter .
But þow haue tacche[^a2129][^2005] to take it  with tunder or broches .
Al þi labour is lost  and al þi longe trauaile .
For may no fuire flaume make  faile it his kende .
So is þe holy gost god  and grace with-oute mercy .
To alle vnkende creatures  crist hym-selue witnesseth .
Amen dico vobis nescio vos  &cetera .

[^a2127: and (R) | at (All beta mss)]

[^a2128: flint (R) | a flynte (Most other mss)]

[^a2129: tacche (R F) | towe (Most beta mss)]

[^2004: R.17.201: For R's and, F reads on a and beta has at a. The P family of C manuscripts reads of a at this point, but the X family agrees with beta.]

[^2005: R.17.202: Beta has towe in place of alpha's tacche. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Be vnkende to þin euencristene  and alle þat þow canste bidden .
Delen and do penaunce  daye and niȝt euere .
And purchase al þe pardoun  of paemploen and rome .
And indulgences Inowe  and be ingrat[^a2130][^2006] to þi kynne[^a2131] .
Þe holy gost hereth þe nauȝte  ne helpe may þe be resoun .
For vnkendenesse qwenche hem[^a2132][^2007]  þat he can nauȝt schine .
Ne brenne ne blase clere  for blowyng of vnkendenesse .
Powel þe apostel  proueth where I lye .
Si linguis hominum loquar[^a2133] .
For-thi beth war ȝe wise men  þat with þe worlde deleth .
Þat riche ben and reson knoweth  rewleth wel ȝoure soule .
Beth nauȝt vnkende I consel ȝow  to ȝoure euen-cristene .
For many of ȝow riche men  be my soule men telleth .
Ȝe brenneth[^2008] but ȝe blaseth nauȝte  &[^a2134][^2009] þat is a blinde bekne .
Non omnis qui dicit domine domine  intrabit &cetera .

[^a2130: ingrat (R F) | ingratus (Most beta mss)]

[^a2131: kynne (R Cr3 F) | kynde (Most beta mss)]

[^a2132: qwenche hem (R) | quencheth hym (All other mss)]

[^a2133: loquar (R) | loquar &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a2134: & (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2006: R.17.211: R's ingrat is an alpha variant shared with F; cf. beta's ingratus. At the end of this line, kynne is likewise an alpha variant; beta reads kynde. On the first of these variants, the C manuscripts split, with many P family copies supporting alpha while the X family mainly supports beta. On the latter variant, Cx clearly agrees with beta.]

[^2007: R.17.213: The other manuscripts all read quencheth hym. The C manuscripts agree with the B majority.]

[^2008: R.17.221: The other B copies read brenne, but Cx agrees with R.]

[^2009: R.17.221: This occurrence of & at the head of the b-verse is omitted by beta. Once more, Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Diues deyed Idampned[^a2135]  for his vnkendenesse 
Of his mete and mone[^2010]  to men þat it nedede .
Vche a riche I rede  rewarde at hym take .
And gyueth ȝoure gode to þat god  þat grace of ariseth .
For þat ben vnkende to hise  hope I non other .
But þei dwelle þere diues is  dayes with-outen ende 
Þus is vnkendenesse þe contrarie  þat quencheth as it were .
Þe grace of þe holy goste  godes owene kende[^2011] .
For þat kende deth  vnkende fordoth as þese cursed theues .
Vnkende cristene men  for coueytise and enuye .
Sleth a man for his mebles  with mouthe or with handes .
For þat þe holy gost hath to kepe  þo harlotes destruyeth .
Þe whiche is lif and loue  þe leye of mannes body .
For euery maner goed man  may be lickned to a torche .
Or elles to a taper  to reuerence þe trinite .
And ho-so morthereth a goed man  me thenketh be myn in-witt .
He fordoth þe leuest liȝt  þat oure lorde louyeth .

[^a2135: Idampned (R) | dampned (All other mss)]

[^2010: R.17.224: R's and mone is shared only with Y (and monoie). F has a rewritten a-verse. LMC agree with the best X family copies of C in reading & his moneye while CrWHmG agree with the C majority in attesting and of his moneie.]

[^2011: R.17.230: Cf. R's kende (shared with F) to the beta form kynde. Cx shows the same form as beta.]

¶ Ac ȝut in many mo maneres  men offenden þe holy gost .
Ac þis is þe worste wise  þat any wiȝt miȝte .
Synegen[^2012] aȝeyne þe seint spiriȝt  assente to destruye .
For coueytise of any kynnes thynge  þat crist dere bouȝte .
How miȝte he aske mercy  or any mercy hym helpe .[^2013]
Þat wickedlich and wilfulliche  wolde mercy anynte .
Innocense is next god  and niȝt and daye it crieth .
Veniance veniance  for-ȝyue be it neuere .
Þat schent[^a2136][^2014] and schedde oure blode  for-schupte vs as it semed[^a2137][^2015] .
Vindica sanguinem iustorum .
Þus veniance veniance  verrey charite asketh .
And sitthe holy cherche and charite  chargeth þis so sore .
Leue I neuere þat oure lorde  wil loue þat charite lakketh .
Ne haue pite for eny preyere  þere þat he pleyneth .

[^a2136: schent (R F) | shent vs (All beta mss)]

[^a2137: semed (R) | were (All beta mss)]

[^2012: R.17.242: R's synegen is listed by OED2, s. v. sin (v.) as a variant of the infinitive form of sin for the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Cf. R.17.254: below, where the past participle, syneged, is used, and R.18.223:, where synege occurs. MED, s. v. sinnen, offers a number of citations for synegen and its inflected forms, but virtually all are from various Piers Plowman manuscripts of all three versions (e.g., Laud 581, Hm 137, and Vernon).]

[^2013: R.17.244: This line is clearly attested by both R and F and probably descended unaltered from Bx. However, evidence for its attestation in beta is mixed: although it is present in LMCr, it is not found in any other copies of the beta tradition.]

[^2014: R.17.248: Beta has shent vs. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2015: R.17.248: Where R reads semed, F shows semeþ and beta has were. Cx agrees with R.]

¶ I pose I had syneged so  and schuld nouȝ deye .
And nouȝt[^a2138][^2016] am sori þat[^2017] so  þe seint spiriȝt I[^a2139] agulte .
Confesse me and crie his grace  god þat al made .
And myldelich his mercy aske  miȝt I nauȝt be I-saued[^a2140] .

[^a2138: nouȝt (R F) | now (All beta mss)]

[^a2139: I (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2140: I-saued (R) | saued (All other mss)]

[^2016: R.17.255: This mistake is shared with F. The substitution, in alpha, of nowht for beta's (and Cx's) now probably reflects confusion about a nowth spelling for now.]

[^2017: R.17.255: Here R and L alone omit I in the a-verse. L leaves the line completely without a pronoun reference while R transposes the syntax by moving the pronoun to the final phrase of the b-verse, uniquely reading I agulte where the other copies all show agulte. Nevertheless, the other B manuscripts also attest uncertainty about the pronoun's placement, and about whether there is one I in the a-verse, or two. The likeliest version of the line (which agrees with Cx) is W's: And now am I sory þat I so . þe Seint Spirit agulte. It seems probable, from the massive confusion over I's placement, and its complete omission from L, that it was a marginal addition in Bx.]

¶ Ȝus seyde þe samaritan  so[^a2141] þow miȝtest[^a2142][^2018] repente .
Þat riȝtwisenesse to[^a2143][^2019] repentance  to reuthe miȝte turne .
Ac it is but selden I-seye  þere sothenesse bereth witnesse .
Eny creature be[^a2144][^2020] coupble coup[a]ble[^a2145]  by-for[^a2146] a kynges iustice .
Be raunsouned for his[^a2147][^2021]  þere al resoun hym dampneth .
For þere þat partie pursueth  þe peel[^a2148][^2022] is so huge .
Þat þe kynge may do no mercy  til bothe men acorde .
And eyther haue equite  as holy writt telleth .
Numquam dimittitur peccatum &cetera .
Þus it fareth bi suche folke  þat falsliche al here lyue[^a2149] .[^2023]
Euele lyuen and leten nouȝt  til lif hem forsake .
Drede[^a2150] of desperacioun  dryueth a-weye þanne[^a2151] grace .[^2024]
Þat mercy in her mynde  may nauȝt þanne falle .
Goed hope þat helpe schulde  to wanhope turneth .
Nouȝt of þe nounper[^a2152] of god  þat he ne is miȝtful .
To amende al þat amys is  and his mercy grettere .
Þanne al oure wicked werkes  as holy writt telleth .
Misericordia domini[^a2153][^2025] super omnia opera eius .
Ac ar his riȝtwisnesse to reuthe turne  sum restitucion by-houeth .[^2026]

[^a2141: so (R F) | so wel (All beta mss)]

[^a2142: miȝtest (R F) | myȝte (All beta mss)]

[^a2143: to (R F) | þorw (Most beta mss)]

[^a2144: be (R F) | þat is (All beta mss)]

[^a2145: coupble coup[a]ble (R) | coupable (All other mss)]

[^a2146: by-for (R M Cr F) | afor (Most beta mss)]

[^a2147: his (R) | his repentaunce (All beta mss)]

[^a2148: peel (R L F) | peple (Most beta mss)]

[^a2149: lyue (R F) | lyues (All beta mss)]

[^a2150: Drede (R) | & drede (F)]

[^a2151: dryueth a-weye þanne (R) | þanne dryveþ a wey (F)]

[^a2152: nounper (R F) | nounpowere (All beta mss)]

[^a2153: domini (R F) | eius (All beta mss)]

[^2018: R.17.258: R's þow miȝtest is an alpha variant; cf. beta's wel þow myȝte.]

[^2019: R.17.259: This is an alpha variant; cf. beta's þorw. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2020: R.17.261: R's be is an alpha reading; cf. beta's þat is. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2021: R.17.262: After his, R completely lacks the second stave of the a-verse, probably because alpha was already corrupt. Beta reads repentaunce; F's gilt is unique. It is characteristic of F to have attempted to make sense of a defective exemplar. Cx's reading here agrees with beta.]

[^2022: R.17.263: L supports the RF reading here; most beta copies have peple; Cx supports the LRF lection, reading apeel.]

[^2023: R.17.267: Cf. beta's plural form, lyues.]

[^2024: These lines are attested only in alpha. F's version of these lines differs from R's as follows: (1) for R's Drede, F reads & drede; (2) for R's dryueth a weye þanne, F reads þanne dryveþ a-wey. The P family of C agrees with R on the first of these variants and with F on the second. The X family offers several unique variants, including the opening phrase, Som drede and the omission of away later in the line.]

[^2025: R.17.275: R's domini is attested only by RF; the beta copies have eius. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2026: R.17.276: Hereafter alpha omitted a single line from Bx attested by beta manuscripts: His sorwe is satisfaccioun for hym þat may nouȝte paye. The C version attests a revised version of this line.]

¶ Thre thynges there ben  þat doth[^2027] a man be strengthe .
Forto flen his owene hous  as holy writt scheweth .
Þat on is a wicked wif  þat wil nauȝt be chasted .
Hire fere fleth hire[^a2154][^2028]  for fere of hire tonge .
And if his hous be vnheled  and reyne on his bedde .
He seketh and seketh til he slepe drie .

[^a2154: hire (R F) | fro hyr (All beta mss)]

[^2027: R.17.277: L agrees with alpha's doth; the form in the other beta manuscripts is doon. The grammar of this line is substantially revised in C, but Cx reads doth.]

[^2028: R.17.280: Cf. beta's fleeth fro hyr. The P family of C manuscripts agrees with beta, but the X family mostly supports alpha's reading.]

¶ And whanne smoke and smolder  smitte in his siȝte .
It doth hym wors þan his wif  or wete to slepe .
For smoke and smolder  smerteth[^a2155][^2029] his eyȝes .
Til he[^a2156][^2030] blereneyed or blinde  and cowȝhe[^a2157] in þe throte[^2031] .
He[^2032] kouȝeth and corseth  þat crist ȝeue hym sorwe .
Þat schuld brynge in bettere wode  or blowen it til it brende .

[^a2155: smerteth (R F) | smyt in (Beta Cr W Hm C2 Y)]

[^a2156: he (R Bm) | he be (All other mss)]

[^a2157: cowȝhe (R) | hors (Beta M Cr2 Cr3 W)]

[^2029: R.17.285: In place of alpha's smerteth, beta reads smyteth. Cx supports the alpha verb form.]

[^2030: R.17.286: Bx reads he be blereighed; R shares the omission of be solely with Bm, whose corrector supplies the missing verb.]

[^2031: R.17.286: R's and cowȝhe in þe throte suggests that alpha had lost an alliterating stave. F has & a bold cowhe after. Beta witnesses make sense but lose the alliterative pattern, reading and hors in þe throte . In place of cowȝhe or hoors, Cx has borre, which probably was the authorial B version of this stave.]

[^2032: R.17.287: F completely revises the a-verse (þan kenely he curseþ) while beta omits the pronoun reference and begins this line with the verb, Cougheth; only G shares R's He, and the pronoun is added in that copy in the margin. Cx reads as beta.]

¶ Þise thre þat I telle of  þus ben[^a2158][^2033] vnderstonde .
Þe wif is oure wikked flesche  wil[^a2159][^2034] nauȝt be chasted .
For kende cleueth on hym euere  to contrarie þe soule .
And þow it falle it fynt skiles  þat frelte it made .
And þat is liȝtlych for-ȝyue  and for-ȝete bothe .
To man þat mercy asketh  and amende thenketh .

[^a2158: þus ben (R F) | ben þus (Most beta mss)]

[^a2159: wil (R) | þat wil (All other mss)]

[^2033: R.17.289: Alpha's þus ben is transposed in beta to ben þus. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2034: R.17.290: At the head of this b-verse, R omits þat, which is found in all other B copies. However, Cx agrees with R in this omission.]

¶ Þe reyne þat reyneth þere we rest schulde 
Ben siknesses and other[^a2160][^2035] sorwes  þat we suffren ouȝte[^a2161][^2036] .
As poule þe apostel  to þe poeple tauȝte .
Virtus in infirmitate perficitur[^a2162] .
And þouȝ þat men make muche  doel in here angre .
And be inpacient in here penaunce  puir resoun knoweth .
Þat þei han resoun[^a2163][^2037] to contrarie  by kynde of here sikenesse .
And liȝtliche oure lorde  at here liues ende .
Hath mercy on suche men  þat so euele may suffre .

[^a2160: other (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a2161: ouȝte (R F) | oft (All beta mss)]

[^a2162: perficitur (R Cr Bm F) | perficitur &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a2163: resoun (R F) | cause (All beta mss)]

[^2035: R.17.296: R's other is, among the extant B copies, a unique addition to this line. However, the appearance of this same word at this point in Cx indicates that other was probably authorial in B also.]

[^2036: R.17.296: For alpha's obviously correct ouȝte, beta supplies the easier oft. Many C manuscripts agree with beta's reading, but the most reliable ones of both major families support the alpha reading.]

[^2037: R.17.301: For alpha's resoun (deficient in alliteration), beta correctly reads cause. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Ac þe smoke and þe smolder  þat smitte in oure eyȝes .
Þat[^a2164][^2038] coueitise and vnkendenesse  quencheth[^a2165][^2039] godes mercy .
For vnkendenesse is þe contrarie  of alle kynne resoun .
For þere nis sike ne sori  ne none so muche wrecche .
Þat he ne may louye and hym like  and lene of his herte .
Goed wille goed[^a2166][^2040] worde  both wischen and wilnen[^a2167][^2041] .
Alle maner men  mercy and forȝeuenesse 
And louye hem lich hym-sulue  and his lif amende .
I may no lenger lette quod he  and liard he prikede .
And went a-way as wynde  and þere-with I wakede .

[^a2164: Þat (R) | Þat is (Bx M Cr W Hm)]

[^a2165: quencheth (R) | þat quencheth (All beta mss)]

[^a2166: goed (R F) | & good (All beta mss)]

[^a2167: wilnen (R F) | willen (All beta mss)]

[^2038: R.17.305: Here R uniquely omits the verb from the a-verse; other B manuscripts read Þat is. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2039: R.17.305: Here F has þey qwenche while beta reads þat quencheth. Cx reads whiche quencheth.]

[^2040: R.17.309: Cx agrees with alpha in this lection.]

[^2041: R.17.309: R's wilnen is shared with F alone; beta reads willen. Although a number of C copies agree with beta, it seems clear that Cx reads as alpha.]

Passus xvjj us xv[ii]jus septimus decimus [octauus] decimus de visione vt supra . — — [R.18.0: An early user has attempted to correct the scribal passus number (which is now undercounted by two) by adding a single brown <j> after the <vj> of the heading.]

W olward and wete-schode  wente I forth after .
As a reccheles renke  þat of no wo recchetth
And ȝede forth like a lorel  al my Iif-tyme .
Til I wex weri of þe worlde  and wilned efte slepe[^a2168][^2042] .
And lened me to a lentene  and longe tyme I sclepte .
And of cristes passioun and penaunce  þe poeple þat of-rauȝte .
Rested me þere and rutte faste  til ramis palmarum .
Of gurles and of gloria laus  gretliche me dremed .
And how osanna by orgene  olde folke songen .

[^a2168: slepe (R) | to slepe (All other mss)]

[^2042: R.18.4: The other B witnesses read eft to for R's efte. Eight C manuscripts agree with R's omission of to but Cx presumably read as the B majority.]

¶ On semblable to þe samaritan  & sumdel to peres þe plowman .
Barefoet on an asse bake  boteles cam prikynge[^2043] .
With-oute spores other spere  spracliche[^a2169][^2044] he lokede .
As is þe kende of a kniȝt  þat cometh to be dubbed .
To geten hym gulte spores  or galoches ycouped .[^2045]

[^a2169: spracliche (R F) | spakliche (Most beta mss)]

[^2043: R.18.11: Only Cr agrees with R's form. Cf. beta's pryke. F reads springe, a variant that makes little sense. Presumably, in a copy between alpha and F someone had substituted the synonymous spurringe for alpha's prikynge , a mistake magnified by F's misreading. The reading of Cx here is uncertain, but a majority of the X family copies agree with R.]

[^2044: R.18.12: This is an alpha variant; beta reads spakliche. However, Cx almost certainly agrees here with alpha. Cf. note at R.17.72:]

[^2045: R.18.14: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason beyond oversight is apparent.]

¶ Þanne was feith in a fenestre  and criede a fili dauid .
As doth an heraude of armes  whan auntrous cometh to iustes .
Olde Iewes of iherusalem  for ioye þei songe .
Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini .

¶ Þanne I frayned at feith  what alle þat fare bemente .
And ho iuste[^a2170][^2046] in iherusalem  ihesus he seyde .
And feccheth[^a2171][^2047] þat þe fende claymeth  peres fruit þe plowman .
Is peres in þis place quod I  and he prent on me .
Þis ihesus of his gentrie[^a2172]  wol iuste in peres armes .
In his helme and in his haubergoun  humana natura .
Þat criste be nauȝt beknowe[^a2173] here  for consummatus deus .
In peres paltok þe plowman  þis prikiare schal ride .
For no dint schal hym dere  as in deitate patris .

[^a2170: iuste (R) | sholde iouste (All other mss)]

[^a2171: feccheth (R) | fecche (All beta mss)]

[^a2172: gentrie (R Cr Hm B F) | gentrice (Most beta mss)]

[^a2173: beknowe (R L W F) | knowe(n) (Beta Cr Hm Y Bo)]

[^2046: R.18.20: After ho, R uniquely omits sholde. Cx confirms that this omission is an error.]

[^2047: R.18.21: Cf. F's fettyn and beta's fecche. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Ho schal iuste with ihesus quod I  Iewes or scribes .

¶ Nay quod faith[^a2174] but þe[^a2175][^2048] fende  and fals dom to deye[^a2176] .[^2049]
Deth seyth he schal fordo  and adoune bringe .
Alle þat lyueth and[^a2177][^2050] loketh  in londe or in water .
Lif seith þat he likth[^a2178][^2051]  and leith his lif to wedde .
Þat for al þat deth can do  with-inne thre dayes .[^2052]
To walke and fecche fro þe fende  peres fruit þe plowman .
And legge it þere hym liketh  and lucifer bynde .
And forbite[^a2179][^2053] and doun bringe  bale deth for euere .
O mors mors tua ero[^a2180] . —[^2054]

[^a2174: faith (R F) | he (All beta mss)]

[^a2175: but þe (R F) | þe foule (Most beta mss)]

[^a2176: to deye (R F) | & deth (Most beta mss)]

[^a2177: and (R W F) | or (Most beta mss)]

[^a2178: likth (R L F) | lieþ (Most beta mss)]

[^a2179: forbite (R) | forbete (Bx M Cr1 W Hm)]

[^a2180: mors mors tua ero (R) | mors ero mors tua (Most beta mss)]

[^2048: R.18.29: Where alpha reads faith but þe, beta has he þe foule. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2049: R.18.29: For alpha's to deye, beta reads & deth. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2050: R.18.31: For alpha's and, beta reads or. A majority of C witnesses agrees with beta, but the P family subarchetype may have read oþer.]

[^2051: R.18.32: Among the beta manuscripts, only L shares alpha's lykth, a variant of lieth. Russell-Kane do not record any C manuscripts with this spelling.]

[^2052: R.18.33: An early reader has marked this line in the right margin with a small red cross or star.]

[^2053: R.18.36: R's reading is unique; both F and beta show forbete; some beta copies have corrupted this to for to bete. In the C tradition, three X family manuscripts and most of the P family agree with R's reading.]

[^2054: R.18.37: R's phrasing here is unique; the rest of the B manuscripts read O mors ero mors tua; however, the majority of the X family of C reads the line as R does.]

¶ Þanne cam pilatus with muche poeple  sedens pro tribunali .
To se how douȝtiliche deth schulde do  & deme here beither[^a2181][^2055] riȝte .
Þe iewes and þe iustice  aȝeine ihesu þei were .
And al here[^2056] court on ihesu[^a2182][^2057] criede  crucifige scharpe .

[^a2181: beither (R) | both(er)es (Beta W Hm O)]

[^a2182: ihesu (R) | hym (Most other mss)]

[^2055: R.18.39: R's beither is a unique form; F has boþe; LWHm read botheres; M and Cr1 have boþes. There is a similarly wide variety of lections in the C manuscripts at this point, but none of them shows R's form. However, at C2.69 (Russell-Kane), manuscript F has beither.]

[^2056: R.18.41: Only L shares here with R; the other beta copies and F agree on þe. The C version agrees with the reading of F and the beta majority.]

[^2057: R.18.41: R's ihesu is unique; Bx has hym.]

¶ Þo put hym forth a piloure  bi-for pilat and seide .
Þis ihesus of oure[^2058] temple[^a2183]  iapede and despisede .
To fordoun it in[^a2184][^2059] a day  and in thre dayes after .
Edifien it eft newe  here he stant þat seyde it .
And ȝut maken it as muche  in al manere poyntes .
Bothe as longe and as large  a-lofte[^a2185][^2060] and bi grounde .

[^a2183: temple (R F) | iewes temple (Most beta mss)]

[^a2184: in (R M G B F) | on (Most beta mss)]

[^a2185: a-lofte (R B F) | bi loft (Most beta mss)]

[^2058: R.18.43: Here alpha omitted a stave word; cf. beta's iewes temple.]

[^2059: R.18.44: R's in is an alpha variant; beta has on. Though four C manuscripts agree with RF, it is clear that Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2060: R.18.47: Cf. F's on lofte and beta's bi loft. Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Crucifige quod a cacchepole  I warante hym a wicche .
Tolle tolle quod an-other  and toke of kene thornes .
And bygan of kene thorne  a gerland to make .
And sette it sore on his heued  & seyde in enuye .
Aue rabi quod þe[^a2186][^2061] ribaudes[^a2187]  and threwe redes at hym .
foure
Nayled hym with thre[^2062] nailes  naked vp-on[^a2188][^2063] þe rode .
And poyson on a pole  þei putte[^a2189][^2064] to his lippes .
And bede hym drinke his deth euel  hys dayes were I-done .
And ȝif þat þow sotyl be  helpe now þi-seluen .
Ȝif þow be criste and kynges sone  comme doune of þe rode .
Þan schul we leue þat lif þe loueth  & wil nauȝt lete þe deye .

[^a2186: þe (R) | þat (All beta mss)]

[^a2187: ribaudes (R F) | Ribaude (All beta mss)]

[^a2188: vp-on (R) | on (All other mss)]

[^a2189: putte (R) | put vp (All beta mss)]

[^2061: R.18.52: In this noun phrase, R's þe is unique; F has þo and beta has þat. Cx agrees with beta. As for the following noun, the plural is an alpha variant; beta shows rybaud and Cx concurs.]

[^2062: R.18.53: At this point, beta reads thre while F has fowre. Hand2 has written foure in the left margin and placed a caret before thre (the R scribe's choice). However, thre has not been struck through nor erased, and we see no evidence for Hand2's having had supervisory authority in the production of MS R. The marginal note engages a famous medieval controversy about the details of the Crucifixion. Skeat notes that a "long essay might be written on the wholly unimportant question whether three or four were used in the Crucifixion." The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, in Three Parallel Texts (Oxford: Clarendon, 1886): 2.251. Because of the commonplace nature of the nail dispute, the reading of alpha itself must remain in doubt, but the usual patterns of copying in R and F suggest that alpha was much likelier to have read thre than foure. Kane-Donaldson certainly saw it that way: since R's original reading has not been subpuncted or struck out, they treat R's intended reading as thre, ignoring the marginal foure.]

[^2063: R.18.53: R's vp-on is unique; the other B witnesses show on. Nevertheless, vp-on may well represent Bx here since the X family of C manuscripts also attests this reading (the P family agrees with beta).]

[^2064: R.18.54: R reads this line in harmony with beta except that after putte, R uniquely omits vp from the beta phrase. It is true that F also omits this word, but that fact has no importance for assessing the archetypal reading since F completely transposes the entire Bx line. The X family of C agrees with beta on this lection, but the P family agrees with R in omitting vp.]

¶ Consummatum est quod criste  and comsed for to swowne .
Pitousliche and pale  as a prison þat deyeth 
Til[^a2190] lore[^2065] of lif and of liȝt  þo leyde his eyȝes to-gidres .

[^a2190: Til (R) | Þe (All beta mss)]

[^2065: R.18.61: F begins this line with Tyl þe lord; beta reads simply Þe lorde. For the spelling lore, see Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974): §199, remark 3. Cf. R.5.409: and R.14.184:.]

¶ Þe day for drede with-drow  and derk bicam þe sonne .
Þe wal waged and clef  and al þe worlde quauede .
Dede men for þat dene  come oute of here[^a2191][^2066] graues .
And tolde whi þat tempest  so longe tyme dured .
For a bitter bataile  þe dede body seyde .
Lif and deth in þis derkenesse  her on fordoth her other .
Schal no wiȝte witte witterly  ho schal haue þe maystirie .
Er soneday aboute sonne risynge  and sanke with þat til erthe .
Summe seyde þat he was godes sone  þat so faire deyede .
Vere filius dei erat iste 
And somme seyde he was a wicche  gode is assaye[^a2192][^2067] .
Where he be dede ar nauȝte dede  doun er he be takne .

[^a2191: here (R F) | depe (Most beta mss)]

[^a2192: assaye (R) | þat we assaye (All beta mss)]

[^2066: R.18.64: Alpha had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting here for depe (the reading of beta and of Cx).]

[^2067: R.18.72: The beta b-verse (presumably = Bx) is good is þat we assaye. From this phrase, F omits þat and R leaves out þat we. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ To theues also  tholed dede þat tyme .
Vpon a cros bisides crist  so was þe comune lawe .
Ac[^a2193][^2068] a cacchepol cam forth  and craked bothe her legges .
And her armes after  of eyther of þo theues .
Ac was no boy so bolde  godes body to touche .
For he was kniȝt and kynges sone  kynde forȝaf þat throwe[^a2194] .[^2069]
Þat non harlot were so hardy  to leyn an hand[^2070] vppon hym .

[^a2193: Ac (R) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2194: throwe (R F) | tyme (All beta mss)]

[^2068: R.18.76: F begins the line with But a; beta omits both conjunctions and opens with A. The P family of C manuscripts reads Qikliche cam a, but the X family agrees with beta.]

[^2069: R.18.79: For alpha's throwe, beta has tyme. Although beta's reading seems clearly inferior, Cx agrees with it.]

[^2070: R.18.80: Here F reads the plural hondys while R's singular form agrees with beta. R's phrase, an hand, adds the determiner to Bx's text (which reads leyne hande); the addition of an is shared by convergence with Bo, whose corrector caught and deleted it.]

¶ Ac þere cam forth a kniȝt  with a kene spere I-grounde .
Hiȝt longeus as þe lettre telleth  and longe had lore his siȝte .
Bi-fore pilat and other poeple  in þe place he houed .
Maugre his many teth  he was made þat tyme .
To take þe spere in his honde  and iuste with ihesus .
For alle þei were vnhardi  þat houed on hors or stede[^a2195] .[^2071]
To touche[^a2196][^2072] or to taste hym  or take hym doun of rode .
But þis blinde bachelere  þat[^a2197][^2073] bare hym thoruȝ þe herte .
Þe blode sprange doune be þe spere  & opned[^a2198][^2074] þe kniȝtes eyȝes .
Þan fel þe kniȝte vpon knes  and criede ihesu[^a2199][^2075] mercy .
Aȝeine my wille it was lorde  to wounde ȝow so sore .
He siȝede and seyde  sore it me athenketh .
For þe dede þat I haue do  I do me in ȝoure grace .
Haue on me reuthe riȝtful ihesu  and riȝt with þat he wepte .

[^a2195: stede (R F) | stode(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a2196: touche (R Cr F) | touche hym (Most beta mss)]

[^a2197: þat (R F) | nil (Beta Cr)]

[^a2198: opned (R F) | vnspered (All beta mss)]

[^a2199: ihesu (R) | hym (All beta mss)]

[^2071: R.18.86: For alpha's redundant noun stede, beta attests the verb stode. Although the C line is revised, its sense and its final stave agree with beta's stode.]

[^2072: R.18.87: The beta phrase is To touche hym. Though this line is slightly revised in the C version, it is clear that Cx agrees with beta on this variant.]

[^2073: R.18.88: Some beta copies omit þat; others read þanne. Cx agrees here with alpha.]

[^2074: R.18.89: Alpha had lost the alliterating stave from the b-verse, substituting the common synonym opned for beta's vnspered. Cx reads as beta.]

[^2075: R.18.90: Cf. F's crist and beta's hym. Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Þanne gan feith felli  þe fals iewes despise .
Called hem caytyues  acorsed hem[^a2200][^2076] for euere .
For þis foule vilenye  veniaunce to ȝow alle .
To do þe blinde bete hym I-bounde  it was a boies conseile .
Cursed caityues  knyȝthod was it neuere .
To mys-do a dede body  bi day or bi niȝte .
Þe gre ȝut hath he geten  for alle his grete wounde .

[^a2200: hem (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2076: R.18.96: Beta omits the second hem from this line. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ For ȝoure champion chiualere  chef kniȝt of ȝow alle .
Ȝelt hym recreaunt rennynge  riȝt at ihesus wille .
For be this derkenesse I-do  deth[^a2201] worth I-venkesched[^a2202] .[^2077]
And ȝe lordeynes han I-loste  for lif schal haue þe maistri .
And ȝoure fraunchise þat fre was  fallen is in thraldam .
And ȝe cherles and ȝoure children  cheue schal ȝe neuere .
Ne haue lordeschippe in londe  ne none lond tulye .
But alle barayne be  and vsurie vsen 
Whiche is lif þat oure lorde  in alle lawes acorseth .
Now ȝoure gode dayes be do  as daniel prophecide .
Whan crist cam þe[^a2203] kyngdom[^2078]  þe crounne schulde lese[^a2204] .
Cum veniat sanctus sanctorum[^a2205][^2079] .

[^a2201: deth (R F) | his deth (All beta mss)]

[^a2202: I-venkesched (R F) | avenged (All beta mss)]

[^a2203: þe (R) | her (Most beta mss)]

[^a2204: lese (R F) | cesse (Most beta mss)]

[^a2205: sanctorum (R F) | sanctorum cessabit unixo vextra (Most beta mss)]

[^2077: R.18.104: In place of alpha's deth worth I-venkesched, beta's b-verse reads his deth worth avenged. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2078: R.18.112: R's þe kyngdom is unique; F shows to his kyngdom while beta reads her kyngdom (though the CrWHm subset attests of hir kyngdom).]

[^2079: R.18.113: Alpha omits the rest of the verse, which beta completes by adding cessabit vnxio vestra. The beta version of this citation is also that of the P family of C manuscripts; the X family shows more internal variation, with some of the best witnesses ending the citation at cessat.]

¶ What for fere of þis ferly  and of þo[^a2206][^2080] fals iewes .
I drouȝ me in þat derknesse  to descendit ad inferna .
And þere I seiȝ sothly  secundum scripturas .
Out of þe west cost  a wenche as me thouȝte .
Cam walkynge in þat[^a2207][^2081] weye  to helwarde sche lokede .
Mercy hiȝt þat mayde  a meke thynge with-alle .
A ful benygne burde  and buxum of speche .
Hire suster as it semede  cam sofly walkynge .
Euene out of þe est  and westwarde sche lokede .
A ful commely creature  treuthe sche hiȝte .
For þe vertue þat hire folwed  aferde was sche neuere .
And[^a2208] whan[^2082] þis maydenes mette  mercy and treuthe .
Eyther asked other  of þis grete wonder .
Of þe dene and of þe derkenesse  & how þe day rowede .
And swich[^a2209][^2083] a liȝte and a lem  lay byfor helle .
Ich haue ferly of þis fare  in feith seide treuthe .
And am wendynge to witte  what þis wonde wonde[r][^a2210] meneth .

[^a2206: þo (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a2207: þat (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a2208: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2209: swich (R F) | which (Most beta mss)]

[^a2210: wonde wonde[r] (R) | wonder (All other mss)]

[^2080: R.18.114: R's þo is unique; F and beta have þe. Some C manuscripts read thes, but Cx agrees with beta and F.]

[^2081: R.18.118: R's þat is unique; F and beta read þe. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2082: R.18.125: Beta omits alpha's And. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2083: R.18.128: For alpha's swich, beta reads which. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Haue no meruayle quod mercy  murthe it betokneth .
A mayde[^a2211] þat hat marie  and moder with-oute felynge .
Of any kende[^a2212][^2084] creature  conseyued thoruȝ speche .
And grace of þe holy gost  wex grete with childe .
With-outen wem  in-to þis worlde sche brouȝte hym .
And þat my tale be trewe  I take god to witnesse .
Sith þis barne was bore  ben thretty wynter passed .
Wich deyede and deth tholede  þis day aboute mydday .
And þat is cause of þis clipps  þat closeth now þe sonne
In menynge þat man schal  fro merkenesse be drawe .
Þe while þis liȝte and þis lem  schal lucyfer ablende .
For patriarkes and prophetes  han preched here-of often .
Þat man schal man saue  thoruȝ a maydenes helpe .
And þat was tynt þoruȝ tre  tre schal it wynne .
And þat deth doun brouȝt  deth schal releue .

[^a2211: mayde (R Cr G C2 F) | mayden (Most beta mss)]

[^a2212: kende (R F) | kynnes (Most beta mss)]

[^2084: R.18.133: For alpha's kende, beta reads kynnes. Cx reads either kynde (X family) or kynde of (P family).]

¶ Þat þow tellest quod treuthe  is but a tale of waltrott
For adam & eue  and abraham with other .
Patriarkes and prophetes  þat in peyne lygen .
Leue þow neuere þat ȝone liȝte  hem on lofte[^2085] brynge .
Ne haue hem oute of helle  halde þi tonge mercy .
It is but[^a2213] trufle þat þow telleste [^2086] treuthe[^a2214] wote þe sothe .
For þat is ones in helle  out cometh it neuere .
Iob þe prophete patriarche  repreueth þi sawes .
Quia in inferno nulla est redempcio .

[^a2213: but (R F) | but a (Most beta mss)]

[^a2214: treuthe (R F) | I treuth (All beta mss)]

[^2085: R.18.149: In place of alpha's on lofte, beta reads alofte. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2086: R.18.151: Beta begins the b-verse with a reiterated pronoun reference: I treuth wote. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Þanne mercy ful myldly  mouthed þes wordes .
Þoruȝ experience quod he I hope þow schalt[^a2215][^2087] be saued .
For venym fordoth venym  and þat I proue be resoun .
For of alle venymes  foulest is þe scorpioun .
May no medicyne helpe  þe place þere he stengeth .
Til he be dede and do þere-to  þe euel he destruyeth .
Þe furst venymouste  þoruȝ vertue[^a2216][^2088] of hym-sulue .
So schal þis deth do[^a2217][^2089]  I dar my lif legge .
Alle þat deth dede furste  þoruȝ þe deueles entysynge .
And riȝt as þoruȝ gile  man was bigyled .
So schal grace þat bigan  make a gode sleyȝte .
Ars vt artem fallereth falleret[^a2218] [^2090]

[^a2215: þow schalt (R) | þei shal (Most beta mss)]

[^a2216: vertue (R F) | venym (All beta mss)]

[^a2217: do (R F) | fordo (All beta mss)]

[^a2218: fallereth falleret (R) | falleret (All other mss)]

[^2087: R.18.156: R's þow schalt is unique; F has y shal while beta reads þei shal. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2088: R.18.161: For alpha's vertue, beta reads venym. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2089: R.18.162: Cf. beta's fordo. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2090: R.18.166: This obvious Latin spelling mistake is probably attributable to the same general pattern of final <-t> being often equated to final <-th> in this tradition's English spellings (discussed in the Introduction III.2.2.10.]

¶ Now suffre we seyde treuthe  I se as me thenketh .
Oute of þe nippe of þe north  nauȝt ful fer hennes .
Riȝtwisnesse come rennynge  rest we þe while 
For he[^2091] wote more þan we  he[^2092] was er we bothe .
Þat is soth seide mercy  & I se here bi southe .
Where cometh pes[^a2219][^2093] pleyinge  in pacience I-clothed .
Loue hath coueyted hire longe  leue I non other
But he sent hir somme lettre  what þis liȝt bimeneth .
Þat ouerhoueth helle þus  he[^a2220][^2094][^2095] vs schal telle .

[^a2219: cometh pes (R) | pees cometh (All other mss)]

[^a2220: he (R F) | she (Most beta mss)]

[^2091: R.18.170: He, "she."]

[^2092: R.18.170: He, "she."]

[^2093: R.18.172: R's phrase is reversed in F and beta to pees cometh, but Cx agrees with R.]

[^2094: R.18.175: He, "she."]

[^2095: R.18.175: Where alpha and L read he (altered to she in L), the other beta copies read she. Cx agrees with alpha and L's original reading.]

¶ Whan pes in pacience clothed  aproched nere hem tweyne .
Riȝtwisnesse hire reuerenced  for hire riche clothynge .
And preied pes to tel hire  to what place he[^a2221][^2096] wolde .
And in hire gay garmentz  wham he[^a2222][^2097][^2098] grete thouȝte .[^2099]

[^a2221: he (R G F) | she (Most beta mss)]

[^a2222: he (R) | she (Most beta mss)]

[^2096: R.18.178: R's he is an alpha variant; beta has she, and Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2097: R.18.179: He, "she."]

[^2098: R.18.179: R's he is an alpha variant; beta has she, and Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2099: R.18.179: R omits his usual blank line between verse strophes after this line, presumably because the next line is the last ruled one on this side.]

¶ Mi wille is to wende quod he[^a2223][^2100][^2101]  and welcome hem alle .
Þat many day miȝte I nouȝte se  for merknesse of synne .
Adam and eue and other mo in helle .
Moyses and many mo  mercy schal haue .[^2102]
For ihesus iusted wel  ioye bigynneth dawe .
Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus & ad matutinum leticia .
Loue þat is my lemman  suche lettres he[^a2224][^2103] me sent .
Þat mercy[^a2225][^2104] and I  mankende schulde saue .
And þat god hath forgyue  & graunted me pes & mercy .
To be mannes meynpernoure  for euere -more after .
Lo here þe patent quod pees  In pace in idipsum .
And þat þis dede schal dure  dormiam & requiescam .

[^a2223: he (R) | she (All other mss)]

[^a2224: he (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a2225: mercy (R F) | mercy my sustre (Most beta mss)]

[^2100: R.18.180: He, "she."]

[^2101: R.18.180: R's he is an alpha variant; beta has she.]

[^2102: R.18.183: Alpha omits the following line from Bx: And I shal daunce þerto do þow so sustre. This beta-attested line also occurs in the C version.]

[^2103: R.18.186: R's he me is unique among the B copies, the others all omitting he. However, a majority of the X family of C reads this phrase in agreement with R. The other C manuscripts agree with beta.]

[^2104: R.18.187: Alpha has obviously dropped a stave. Beta manuscripts add my sustre after mercy. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ What rauestow quod riȝtwisnesse  or þow art riȝt dronke .
Leuestow þat ȝonde liȝte  vnlouke miȝte helle .
And saue mannes soule  suster wene þow[^a2226][^2105] it neuere .
At þe bigynnynge god  gaf þe dome hym-sulue .
Þat adam and eue  and alle þat hem sued .
Schulde deye doun -riȝt  and dwelle in peyne after .
Ȝif þat þei touched a tre  and þe fruit eten .
Adam afterwarde  aȝenes his defence .
Frette of þat fruit and forsoke as it were .
Þe loue of oure lorde and his lore bothe .
And folwed þat þe fende tauȝte  & his felawes wille .[^2106]
Þat here peyne be perpetuel  & no preyere hem helpe .
For-thi late hem chewe as þei chose  & chide we nauȝte sustres .
For it is botles bale  þe bitte þat þei eten .

[^a2226: þow (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2105: R.18.194: Beta omits alpha's þow. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2106: R.18.202: Hereafter, alpha omits a line preserved in beta and in most C version witnesses: Aȝeines resoun I riȝtwisnesse recorde þus with treuth. A related problem is that the single best B witness, manuscript L, reads I rather than and in the middle of the line, a superior choice also attested by a select group of the C manuscripts (XYcI).]

¶ And[^2107] schal preie[^a2227][^2108] quod pees  here peyne mote haue ende .
And wo into wel  mowe wende at þe laste .
For þei[^a2228] wiste[^2109] of no wo  wele hadde þei nauȝte knowe .
For no wiȝt wote what wele is  þat neuere wo suffrede .
Ne what is hote hungere  þat hadde neuere defaute .

[^a2227: preie (R F) | preue (All beta mss)]

[^a2228: þei (R) | had þei (All beta mss)]

[^2107: R.18.206: L and Y join R in merely implying, rather than stating, the pronoun subject here, but F agrees with the other beta copies in reading explicitly And I shal. Cx agrees with F and the beta majority.]

[^2108: R.18.206: R's preie is an alpha variant. Beta has preue. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2109: R.18.208: Beta reads had þei wist. Almost certainly alpha omitted had since the only evidence for it in that family is in the form of a supralinear correction in the scribal hand of F, which, as a result, reads þey hadde wiste. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ If no niȝt ne were  no man as I leue .
Schuld witte witterly  what day is to mene .
Schuld neuere riȝt riche man  þat lyueth in reste and ese .
Wite what wo is  ne were þe deth of kende .
So god þat bigan alle  of his gode wille .
Bycam man of a mayde  mankende to saue .
And suffre[^2110] to be solde  and[^a2229][^2111] se þe sorwe of deyinge .
Þe whiche vnknitteth alle care  and comsynge is of rest .
For til modicum mette with vs  I may it wel auowe .
Wote no wiȝte as I wene  what is nouȝte[^a2230][^2112] to mene .
Forthi god of his godenesse  þe furste gome adam .
Sette hym in solace  and in souereyne ioye[^a2231] .[^2113]
And sitthen he suffred hym synege[^2114]  sorwe to fele .
To wite what wele is[^a2232][^2115]  kendeliche to knowe it .
And after god auntred hym-selue  & toke adames kende .
To wite what he hath sufred in thre sundri places .
Bothe in heuene and in herthe  and nowe til helle he thenketh .
To wite what alle wo is  þat wote of alle ioye .

[^a2229: and (R F) | to (All beta mss)]

[^a2230: nouȝte (R) | ynough (Most beta mss)]

[^a2231: ioye (R F) | myrthe (All beta mss)]

[^a2232: is (R F) | was (All beta mss)]

[^2110: R.18.217: R's error here (Bx = suffred) is almost unique, being shared only with Cr2-3. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2111: R.18.217: For alpha's and, beta reads to. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2112: R.18.220: R's is nouȝte is unique; F shows it is, while beta has is ynough. Cx agrees with beta, reading is ynow.]

[^2113: R.18.222: Beta has myrthe in place of alpha's ioye. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2114: R.18.223: R's synege is a unique form here; cf. R.17.242:.]

[^2115: R.18.224: Beta has the past form, was. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ So it schal fare be þis folke  here foly and here synne .
Schal lere hem what langoure is  and blisse[^2116] with-outen ende .
Wote no wiȝte what werre is  þere þat pees regneth .
Ne what is witterly wele  til weyleweye hym teche .

[^2116: R.18.230: R's blisse agrees only with G; F omits the word, merging this b-verse with the next line, while beta has lisse. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Þanne was þere a wiȝte  with to brode eyȝes .
Boek hiȝte þat bewpere  a bolde man of speche .
By godes body quod þis boke  I wil bere witnesse .
Þat þo þis barne was I-bore  þere blased a sterre .
Þat alle þe men[^a2233][^2117] in[^a2234] þis worlde  in o witt acordeden .
Þat swilk a barn was yborn  in bethlem þe[^2118] cite
Þat mannes soule schulde saue  and synne destuye dest[r]uye[^a2235] .
And alle þe elementz quod þe boke  here -of bereth witnesse .
Þat he was god þat alle wrouȝte  þe walkne furste schewede .
Þo þat weren in heuene  token stella comata .
And tendeden here as a torche  to reuerencen his burthe .
Þe liȝte folwed þe lorde  in-to þe lowe erthe
Þe water witnesseth þat he was god  for he wente on it .
Peter þe apostle parceyued his gate .
And as he wente on þat[^a2236][^2119] water  wel hym knewe and seyde .
Iube me venire ad te super aquas .
And lo how þe sonne gan loke[^a2237]  hire liȝte in hire-selue .
Whan sche sey hym suffre  þat sonne and mone[^a2238][^2120] made .
Þe erthe for heuynesse  þat he wolde suffre .
Quakede as quikke thynge  & al biquasche[^a2239][^2121] þe roche .
Lo helle miȝte nouȝte holde  but opnede þo god tholed .
And lete oute symondes sones  to sen hym hange on rode .
And now schal lucifer it lucifer [lese] it[^a2240][^2122]  þow hym lothe thenke .[^2123]
And I boek wil be brente  but ihesus rise to lyue .
In alle miȝtes of a[^a2241] man[^2124]  and his moder gladie .
And conforte al his kyn  and oute of care brynge .
And alle þe iewene ioye  vnioynen and vnlouken .
And but þei reuerencen  his rode & his resurreccioun .
And bileue on a newe lawe  be lost lif and soule .

[^a2233: men (R F) | wyse (Most beta mss)]

[^a2234: in (R F) | of (All beta mss)]

[^a2235: destuye dest[r]uye (R) | destroye (All other mss)]

[^a2236: þat (R) | þe (All other mss)]

[^a2237: loke (R F) | louke (Most beta mss)]

[^a2238: mone (R F) | se (All beta mss)]

[^a2239: biquasche (R F) | biquasht (Most beta mss)]

[^a2240: lucifer it lucifer [lese] it (R) | lucifer leue it (Most beta mss)]

[^a2241: a (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2117: R.18.237: Alpha's men breaks the alliterative pattern of the a-verse; cf. beta's wyse. Cr may have consulted both alpha and beta copies and tried to split the difference with its wise men. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2118: R.18.238: R's þe is supported only by W; all other B copies, including F, omit it. However, Cx agrees with RW on the presence of þe here.]

[^2119: R.18.247: R's þat is unique; the other B witnesses have þe. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2120: R.18.250: Beta reads se in place of alpha's mone. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2121: R.18.252: R's biquasche is an alpha variant; beta shows a preterite form, biquasht. Though many C manuscripts agree with beta on the tense of the verb (= toquasched), the best X family copies, as well as some in the P family, read toquasch, agreeing with alpha.]

[^2122: R.18.255: R uniquely omits an essential word at this point; the beta manuscripts read leue while F reads leese. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2123: R.18.255: Immediately hereafter, alpha omitted the following lines from Bx: For gygas þe geaunt with a gynne engyned To breke & to bete dounn þat ben aȝeines ihesus. A revised version of these two lines appears in the C version.]

[^2124: R.18.257: Beta omits the determiner, reading simply of man.]

¶ Suffre we seide treuthe  I here and se bothe .
A[^a2242][^2125] spiriȝt speketh to helle  and bitt vnsperre þe ȝates .
Attollite portas[^a2243]  a uoys loude in þat liȝt  to lucifer crieth .[^2126]
Princes of þis place  vnpinneth & vnlouketh .
For here cometh with croune  þat kynge is of glorie .

[^a2242: A (R F) | How a (All beta mss)]

[^a2243: portas (R F) | portas &c (Most beta mss)]

[^2125: R.18.263: Beta begins this line with How a; Cx agrees with alpha in omitting How.]

[^2126: R.18.264: Beta reads this passage as two lines, dividing alpha's line between the Latin and the English. Though most C manuscripts agree with the line division of beta, some of the best X family witnesses (XIP2K) agree with alpha.]

¶ Þanne siȝede[^2127] sathan  and seide to helle[^a2244] .
Swiche a liȝte aȝeynes oure leue  lazar it fette .
Kare and combraunce  is come to vs alle .
If þis kynge come in  mankende wil he fecche .
And lede hem[^a2245][^2128] þere lazar is[^a2246]  and liȝtliche me bynde .
Patriarkes and prophetes  han parled here-of longe .
Þat swhich a lorde and a liȝte  schal[^a2247][^2129] lede hem alle hennes .

[^a2244: helle (R F) | hem alle (All beta mss)]

[^a2245: hem (R F) | it (All beta mss)]

[^a2246: lazar is (R F) | hym lyketh (Most beta mss)]

[^a2247: schal (R F) | shulde (Most beta mss)]

[^2127: R.18.267: Alpha's form (i.e., R's siȝede), though semantically identical to beta's syked, was sufficiently unfamiliar to the F scribe to cause him to flounder, producing seyde. However, Cx's syhed is clearly identical to alpha (phonologically) and distinct from beta.]

[^2128: R.18.271: Beta reads it in place of alpha's hem. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2129: R.18.273: For alpha's schal, beta reads shulde. Although a few C manuscripts support beta, Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Listeneth quod lucifer  for I þis lorde knowe .
Bothe þis lorde and þis liȝte  is longe ago I knewe hym .
May no deth þis lorde[^a2248][^2130] dere  ne no deueles queyntise .
And where he wil is weye[^a2249][^2131]  ac ware hym of þe perils .
If he reue me of[^a2250][^2132] my riȝte  & robbe[^a2251][^2133] me be maistrie .
For be riȝt and be resoun  þe renkes þat ben here .
Body and soule be myne  bothe gode and ille .
For hym-self seide  þat sire is of heuene .
Þat[^a2252][^2134] ȝif adam ete[^a2253][^2135]  alle schulde deye 
And dwelle with vs deueles  þis thretynge he made .
And[^a2254][^2136] þat sothenesse is  seide þese wordes .
And I sitthen I-sessed[^2137]  þise seue[^a2255] hundreth wynter .
I leue þat lawe nil nauȝte  late hym þe leste .

[^a2248: þis lorde (R F) | hym (All beta mss)]

[^a2249: weye (R) | his waye (Most other mss)]

[^a2250: of (R Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2251: & robbe (R F) | he robbeth (All beta mss)]

[^a2252: Þat (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2253: ete (R) | ete þe apple (All other mss)]

[^a2254: And (R) | And he (All other mss)]

[^a2255: þise seue (R) | seuen (Most beta mss)]

[^2130: R.18.276: For alpha's phrase, þis lorde, beta reads hym. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2131: R.18.277: R uniquely omits a word here; all but one of the other B copies, including F, read is his waye; Bm transposes to his is. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2132: R.18.278: Beta apparently omitted of. But Cr agrees with alpha on the presence of this preposition; Cx concurs.]

[^2133: R.18.278: For alpha's & robbe, beta reads he robbeth. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2134: R.18.282: Beta omits Þat.]

[^2135: R.18.282: R uniquely omits þe apple from the end of this a-verse.]

[^2136: R.18.284: R uniquely omits he from the Bx phrase And he þat. Bx was already lacking an alliterating initial stave.]

[^2137: R.18.285: The readings of alpha and of Bx are doubtful here. Cf. F's Sytthe y was sesed. Beta reads And sitthen I seised.]

¶ Þat is soth seide sathan  but I me sore drede .
For þow gete hem with gile  and his gardyn breke .
And in semblaunce of a serpent  sete on þe appeltre .
And eggedest hem to ete  eue be hire-sulue .
And toldest hire a tale  of tresoun were þe wordes .
And al-so[^a2256][^2138] þow haddest hem oute  and hider atte laste .
It is nouȝt greythely gete  þere gile is þe rote .
For god wil nouȝt be bigiled  quod gobelyn ne be-iapede .
We han no trewe tilyle ti[t]yle[^a2257] to hem  for þoruȝ tresoun were þei dampned .
Sertes I drede me quod þe deuel  lest treuthe wil hem fecche .

[^a2256: al-so (R F) | so (All beta mss)]

[^a2257: tilyle ti[t]yle (R) | title (All other mss)]

[^2138: R.18.292: R's al-so is the alpha reading; beta has so. The X family of C agrees with beta. The P family reads Thus at this point.]

¶ Þis thretty winter as I wene  he wente aboute[^a2258][^2139] & prechede .
Ich haue assailed hym with synne  and some[^a2259][^2140] I asked .[^2141]
Where he were god or godes sone  he gaf me schorte answere .[^2142]
And þus he hath[^a2260][^2143] trolled forth  þis to and thretty wynter
And whan I seyȝ it was so  slepynge I wente .
To warne pilates wif  what done man was ihesus .
For iewes hateden hym  and han don hym to deth
And[^a2261][^2144] I wolde haue lengthed his lif  for I leue[^a2262][^2145] ȝif he deyede .
Þat his soule walde nauȝt[^a2263][^2146] suffre  no synne in his siȝte .
For þe body while it on bones ȝede  aboute was euere .
To saue men fram synne  ȝif hem-self wolde .
And now I se where a soule  cometh hyderward sailynge .
With glorie and[^a2264][^2147] grete liȝte  god it is I wote wel .
I rede we fle quod he  fast alle hennes .
For vs were better nauȝt be  þan biden his siȝte .
For thi lesinges lucifere  lost is alle oure preye .

[^a2258: he wente aboute (R F) | hath he gone (Most beta mss)]

[^a2259: some (R F) | sometyme (All beta mss)]

[^a2260: he hath (R Cr F) | hath he (Most beta mss)]

[^a2261: And (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2262: leue (R F) | leued (All beta mss)]

[^a2263: nauȝt (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2264: and (R O F) | & with (Most beta mss)]

[^2139: R.18.297: Cf. alpha's he wente aboute to beta's hath he gone. Beta's reading is obviously defective in alliteration. Cx agrees here with alpha.]

[^2140: R.18.298: In place of alpha's some, beta reads sometyme. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2141: R.18.298: RF's basic agreement here attests that alpha read I asked (F reads the b-verse as summe y have hym asked). Cx agrees with R, reading ich askede. By contrast, beta (reflected by LMW) appears to have construed this form as a past-participle, yasked.]

[^2142: In the right margin opposite these lines, there is a partially erased and illegible (under ultraviolet light) note in a near-contemporary hand. It is ten lines long: 4 lines + a signature line and then the same pattern repeated with the same signature, which might be Robert Smith or Robin Swift.]

[^2143: R.18.300: Beta transposes this phrase as hath he. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2144: R.18.304: Beta omits the conjunction And. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2145: R.18.304: This is an alpha reading; beta shows the preterite, leued. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2146: R.18.305: Beta omits nauȝt.]

[^2147: R.18.309: Beta reads & with. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Furst þoruȝ þe we felle  fram heuene so hiȝe .
For we leuede þi lesynges  we loupen oute alle with þe[^a2265] .[^2148]
And now for thi last lesynge  I-lore haue we[^a2266] adam .
And al oure lordschippe I leue  a londe and a water .
Nunc princeps mundi huius[^a2267][^2149] eicitur foras .[^2150]

[^a2265: with þe (R) | nil (F)]

[^a2266: haue we (R F) | we haue (All beta mss)]

[^a2267: mundi huius (R) | huius mundi (All other mss)]

[^2148: These verses are attested only in alpha, beta having lost them by eyeskip. In addition, only R shows the final phrase of 314b, with þe. The C version attests the authenticity of alpha's phrases in a revised version, where the second of these half-lines is clearly derived from a source common with alpha (cf. Russell-Kane 20.348: And now for a later lesynge).]

[^2149: R.18.317: R here shows a unique transposition of the Bx phrasing, huius mundi. Cx agrees with B majority on the order of this phrase.]

[^2150: R.18.317: In the left margin, beginning at this point, the leaf was torn on an inward and downward diagonal for a space of some 5.5 cm.; it was long ago repaired by stitching. No text is affected.]

¶ Efte þe liȝt bad vnlouke  and lucifer answered .
What lorde art þow quod lucifer  quis est iste .
Rex glorie þe liȝte seide[^a2268]  þe[^a2269] lord of miȝt & of man & alle maner vertues .[^2151]
Dominus virtutum . Duk[^a2270][^2152] of þis dym place  anone vndo þis ȝates .
Þat crist may come in  kynges[^a2271][^2153] sone of heuene .
And with þat breth helle braste[^a2272][^2154]  with belialles barres .
For any wey or warde  wide opned þe ȝates .

[^a2268: seide (R) | sone seide (All beta mss)]

[^a2269: þe (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a2270: Duk (R F) | Dukes (All beta mss)]

[^a2271: kynges (R) | þe kynges (All other mss)]

[^a2272: braste (R F) | brake (All beta mss)]

[^2151: Alpha obviously had a different arrangement of text here from the beta witnesses, which read: Rex glorie þe liȝte sone seide And lorde of myȝte & of mayne & al manere vertues. Dominus virtutum Dukes of þis dym place anon vndo þis ȝates. By contrast, R makes two lines of the passage, omits beta's sone before seide (as does F) and, with W, reads ma(n) for beta's mayne (F here reads man(er)e). F deviates from the line division found in R (which presumably reflects alpha) and abbreviates the passage, omitting Dominus virtutum.]

[^2152: R.18.321: The singular is an alpha variant; beta has Dukes. Among the C manuscripts, the P family agrees with alpha while the X family agrees with beta.]

[^2153: R.18.322: Here R shows a unique omission; the other B witnesses have þe kynges sone. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2154: R.18.323: The beta variant here is brake, which agrees with the reading of Cx.]

¶ Patriarkes and prophetes  populus in tenebris .
Songen seint Iohanes songe  Ecce agnus dei .
Lucifer loke ne miȝte  so liȝt hym a-blente .
And þo þat oure lorde loued  in-to his liȝt he lauȝte .
And seide to sathan  lo here my soule to amendes .
For alle synful soules  to saue þo þat be worthi .
Myne þei ben and of me  I may þe bet hem cleyme .
Alle-þouȝ reson recorde  and riȝt of my-sulue .
Þat ȝif þei ete þe apple  alle schulde deye .
I be-hiȝt hem nouȝt here  helle for euere .
For þe dede þat þei dede  þi deseite it made .
With gile þow hem gete  ageynes alle resoun .
For in my paleis paradys  in persone of an addre .
Falsliche þow fecchest[^a2273] þere  þinge þat I louede .

[^a2273: fecchest (R M O) | fettest (Most other mss)]

¶ Þus I-like a lusarde  with a ladi visage .
Theueliche þow me robbedest  þe olde lawe graunteth .
Þat gilours be bigiled  and þat is gode resoun .
Dentem pro dente et oculum pro oculo .
Ergo soule schal soule quite  and synne to synne wende .
And al þat man hath mys-do  I man wol amende it[^a2274][^2155] .
Membre for membre  be þe olde lawe was amendes .
And lif for lif al-so  and be þat lawe I clayme[^a2275] .
Adam and alle his issue  at my wille here-after .
And at [þ]at[^a2276] deth in hem fordede  my deth schal releue .
And bothe quik and quite  þat quent was þoruȝ synne .
And þat grace gile destruyeth[^a2277]  gode feith it asketh .
So leue it[^a2278] neuere[^a2279][^2156] lucifere  aȝeyne þe lawe I fecche hem .
But bi riȝt and resoun  raunsoun here my leges .
Non veni soluere legem sed implere[^a2280][^2157] 
Þow fetteste myne in my place  aȝeynes resoun[^a2281][^2158] .
Falsliche and felounliche  gode feith me it tauȝte .
To recouer hem thoruȝ raunsoun  and be non resoun elles .
So þat with[^a2282][^2159] gile þow gete  þoruȝ grace it was[^a2283][^2160] I-wonne .
Þow lucifer in liknesse  of a lither addre .
Gete be gile  þing[^a2284] e[^2161] þat god louede .

[^a2274: it (R) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2275: clayme (R F) | clayme it (All beta mss)]

[^a2276: at [þ]at (R) | þat (All other mss)]

[^a2277: destruyeth (R Cr F) | destruye (Most beta mss)]

[^a2278: it (R L F) | I (Most beta mss)]

[^a2279: neuere (R F) | nouȝte (All beta mss)]

[^a2280: implere (R) | adimplere (All other mss)]

[^a2281: resoun (R) | al resoun (All beta mss)]

[^a2282: with (Bx L) | þorw (Most beta mss)]

[^a2283: was (R F) | is (Most beta mss)]

[^a2284: þing (R F) | þo (All beta mss)]

[^2155: R.18.344: R's it is unique in line-terminal position and is entirely omitted by beta. Nevertheless, while R's phrasing here differs from F's, their common witness to the presence of the pronoun indicates that alpha's b-verse, unlike that of beta, attested it. Cx, which is revised here, also shows the pronoun in line-terminal position, reading to amenden it.]

[^2156: R.18.351: For alpha's neuere, beta reads nouȝte. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2157: R.18.353: R's verb here is unique; the other B manuscripts read adimplere. Cx also reads adimplere.]

[^2158: R.18.354: In place of R's resoun, the beta phrase reads al resoun while F shows ryght & resoun.]

[^2159: R.18.357: For L's and alpha's with, most beta witnesses have þorw. Among the C copies, the P family agrees with the beta error while most of the X family agrees with L and alpha.]

[^2160: R.18.357: Beta reads is. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2161: R.18.359: For alpha's þinge, beta reads þo.]

¶ And I in liknesse of a lede  þat lorde am of heuene .
Graciousliche þi gile haue quit  go gile a-gayne gile .
And as adam and alle  thoruȝ a tre deyeden . .
Adam and alle þoruȝ a tre  schule turne[^a2285][^2162] to lyue .
And gile is begiled  and in his gile fallen 
Et cecidit in foueam quam fecit .
Now begynneth þi gile  agayne þe to turnen .
And my grace to growen  ay grettere and grettere[^a2286] .[^2163]
Þe bitternesse þat þow hast browe  now brouke it þi-selue .
Þat art dottour[^2164] of deth  drinke þat þow madeste .[^2165]

[^a2285: turne (R F) | torne aȝeine (All beta mss)]

[^a2286: grettere (R F) | wyder (All beta mss)]

[^2162: R.18.363: Beta reads torne aȝeine; Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2163: R.18.367: Rather than repeat grettere as alpha does, beta reads wyder. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2164: R.18.369: This form is unusual but not unparalleled; cf. R.13.117:]

[^2165: R.18.369: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason beyond oversight is apparent.]

¶ For I þat am lord of lif  loue is my drinke .
And for þat drinke to-daye  I deyede vppon erthe .
I fauȝte so me thurstes[^2166] ȝut  for mannes soule sake .
May no drinke me moiste  ne my threst slake .
Til þe vendage falle  in þe vale of iosephath .
Þat I drinke riȝt ripe most  resurrexio mortuorum .
And þan schal I come as a kynge  crouned with angeles .
And han oute of helle  alle mennes soules .

[^2166: R.18.372: The verb form is that of alpha, but it also occurs in L; cf. the majority beta form þursteþ. The inflectional ending of Cx (= fursteth) agrees with the prevalent beta form.]

¶ Fendes and fendekynnes  bifor me schul stonde .
And be at my bidynge  where-so-euere me liketh .
Ac[^a2287][^2167] merciable[^a2288][^2168] to man   my kende þanne[^a2289] it[^2169] asketh .
For we beth bretheren of blode  but nouȝte in bapteme alle .
Ac alle þat beth myn hole bretheren  in blode and in bapteme .
Schal nouȝt be dampned to þe deth  þat is with-outen ende .
Tibi soli peccaui[^a2290] .
It is nouȝt vsed on[^a2291][^2170] erthe  to hangen a feloun .
Ofter þen ones  þouȝ he were a tretour .
And if þe kynge of þat kyngedom  come in þat tyme .
Þere þe felon thole shulde  deth or other-wise .
Lawe wolde he ȝaf hym lif  and[^a2292][^2171] he loked on hym .
And I þat am kynge of kynges  schal come suche a tyme .
Þere dome to þe deth  dampneth alle wikked .
And ȝif lawe wil I loke on hem  it lyth in my grace .
Whether þei deye or deye nauȝte  for þat þei deden ille .
Be it any-thinge abouȝte  þe boldenesse of here synnes .
I may[^a2293][^2172] do mercy þoruȝ riȝtwisnesse  and alle my wordes trewe .
And þouȝ holy writ wil I[^2173] be wroke  of hem pat deden ille .
Nullum malum inpunitum[^a2294] .
Þei schul be clensed clereliche  & waschen of here synnes .
In my prisone purgatorie  til parce it hote .
And my mercy schal be schewed  to many of my bretheren .[^2174]
For blode may suffre blode  bothe hungri and akale .
Ac blode may nouȝte se his[^a2295][^2175] blode  blede but hym rewe .
Audiui archana verba  que non licet homini loqui .
Ac my[^2176] riȝtwisnesse and riȝte  schal reulen alle helle .
And mercy al mankende  by-for me in heuene .
For I were an vnkende kynge  but I my kyn[^a2296][^2177] holpe .
And namelich at swich a nede  þere nedes helpe bihoueth .
Non intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo .
Þus be lawe quod oure lorde  lede I wil fram hennes .
Þo þat I[^a2297][^2178] louede  & leuede in my comynge .
And for þi lesinge lucifer  þat þow lowe[^2179] to eue .
Þow schalt a-bye it bittere  and bonde hym with cheynes .
Astarot and alle þe route  hudden hem in hurnes .
Þei durst nauȝt loke on oure lorde  þe boldest of hem alle .
But leten hym lede forth  what hym liked  & lete what hym lyste .

[^a2287: Ac (R) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a2288: merciable (R) | to be merciable (All beta mss)]

[^a2289: my kende þanne (R) | þanne my kynde (Most beta mss)]

[^a2290: peccaui (R) | peccaui &c (All beta mss)]

[^a2291: on (R) | in (All other mss)]

[^a2292: and (R F) | if (All beta mss)]

[^a2293: may (R L F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2294: inpunitum (R Bm Cot F) | inpunitum &c (Most beta mss)]

[^a2295: his (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2296: kyn (R F) | kynde (All beta mss)]

[^a2297: I (R F) | me (All beta mss)]

[^2167: R.18.380: R's Ac is unique among the B witnesses; F has But while beta reads And. However, Ac is also the reading of Cx.]

[^2168: R.18.380: R's reading is unique, presumably because alpha here suffered a loss of text; cf. beta's to be merciable." F weakly attempts a repair with not so merciable. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2169: R.18.380: Beta shows a transposed form of R's phrase: þanne my kynde. F rephrases the entire b-verse as my keende may not aske. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2170: R.18.385: R's preposition is unique; the other B witnesses show in. Nevertheless, though a few C manuscripts support the B majority reading, Cx agrees here with R.]

[^2171: R.18.389: In place of alpha's and, beta reads if. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2172: R.18.395: L here uniquely joins the alpha reading (the other beta copies omit may). Cx agrees with alpha and L.]

[^2173: R.18.396: In place of R's wil I, beta reads wil þat I. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2174: R.18.400: There is a long, superfluous bar extending from above the <-en> of bretheren far into the right margin beyond the vertical ruling.]

[^2175: R.18.402: Beta omits his. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2176: At the beginning of these two lines there is a slight ink stain from offset of the Bodleian ownership stamp in the margin of 96r.]

[^2177: R.18.406: Beta reads kynde. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2178: R.18.410: For alpha's I, beta reads me. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2179: R.18.411: This form, found in alpha and L, is an obsolete past tense and past participle of LIE (= "to tell an untruth"); the majority beta reading, leighe, is substantively the same. Cx's form for this verb is the same as in alpha and L.]

¶ Many hundreth of angeles  harpeden and songen .
Culpat caro purgat caro regnat deus dei caro .

¶ Þanne pipede pees  of poysye a note .
☞
Clarior est solitus[^a2298][^2180]  post maxima nebula phebus .[^2181]
Post inimicicias  clarior est et amor .
After scharpest[^a2299][^2182] schoures  quod pes  moste schene is þe sonne .
desunt

[R.18.422: In the bottom right margin of this page, there is a symbol resembling a modern script capital H, beneath which is written the word desunt in what appears to be an early-modern italic hand. The note was clearly intended to draw attention to the textual gap that occurs here. Leaves including the last twenty-three lines of Passus 18, all of Passus 19, and the first twenty-six lines of Passus 20 were detached from R and lost long ago.]

Is no weder warmer  þan after wateri cloudes .

[^a2298: solitus (R) | solito (All other mss)]

[^a2299: scharpest (R F) | sharpe (All beta mss)]

[^2180: R.18.419: R's uninflected form of this word is unique; the other B copies read solito. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2181: R.18.419: In the left margin opposite this line, there is a pointing hand, drawn in black ink.]

[^2182: R.18.421: Beta reads sharpe. Though a few C manuscripts concur with beta's reading, Cx agrees with alpha's scharpest.]

Passus vicesimus de visione vt supra [R.20.0: At the top left of fol. 96r, an early modern italic hand, probably the same as that found at the bottom of fol. 95v, adds the passus heading.]

Passus vicessimus

And bete men ouer bitter  and sum -body[^a2300][^2183] to litel .[^2184]
And greue men grettere  þan gode feith it wolde .
And spiritus iusticie  schal  iugen wol he nol he .
After þe kynges conseil  and þe comune like .
And spiritus prudencie  in many a poynt schal faile .
Of þat he weneth wold falle  if his witt ne were .
wenyng is no wisdom
Wenynge is no wisdom  ne wise ymaginacioun .
Homo proponit & deus disponit  and gouerneth alle .[^2185]
Gode vertues and nede is next hym  for anon he meketh .
And as lowe as a lamb  for lakkynge þat[^a2301][^2186] hym nedeth .

[^a2300: sum -body (R) | somme of hem (All beta mss)]

[^a2301: þat (R F) | of þat (All beta mss)]

[^2183: R.20.1: For R's sum-body, beta reads somme of hem. F has summe bodijs. Cx agrees with R.]

[^2184: R.20.1: The manuscript resumes after a lacuna running from KD18.411 to KD20.27.]

[^2185: Alpha's and beta's line division differ here. Beta reads as follows: Homo proponit & deus disponit & gouerneth alle good vertues Ac nede is next hym for anon he meketh. The C manuscripts also show considerable variation in how this series of lines is divided.]

[^2186: R.20.10: Beta reads of þat; a majority of the P family of C manuscripts agrees here with beta, but the X family and some P manuscripts agree with alpha.]

¶ For nede maketh nede  fele[^a2302] nedes lowh herted[^a2303] .[^2187]
Filosofres[^a2304][^2188] forsoke welth[^a2305]  for thei wolde be nedy .
And woneden wel[^a2306] elengly[^a2307][^2189]  and wolden nouȝte be riche .

[^a2302: nede  fele (R) | fele for (F)]

[^a2303: herted (R) | Of herte (F)]

[^a2304: Filosofres (R G C2 F) | Wyse men (All beta mss)]

[^a2305: welth (R F) | wele (Most beta mss)]

[^a2306: wel (R) | in (All beta mss)]

[^a2307: elengly (R F) | wildernesse (All beta mss)]

[^2187: R.20.11: This line is omitted by beta but attested by the C witnesses.]

[^2188: R.20.12: Beta reads Wyse men, taking the line to alliterate on /w/. However, Cx agrees here with alpha.]

[^2189: R.20.13: For R's wel elengly (cf. F's wol elengely), beta reads in wildernesse. Cx agrees here with alpha.]

¶ And god alle his grete ioye  gostliche he lefte[^2190]
And cam and toke mankende  & bicam nedy .
So he was nedy[^a2308][^2191] as seyth þe boke  in many sundri places .
Þat he seide in his sorwe  on þe selue rode .
Bothe fox and foule  may fle to hole and crepe .
And þe fisch hath fyn  to flete with or[^a2309][^2192] to reste .
Þere nede hath I-nome me  þat I mote nede a-byde .
And suffre sorwes ful soure  þat schal to ioye turne .
For-þi be nouȝt a-basshed  to bidde and to be nedy .
Sith he þat wrouȝte alle þe worlde  was wilfullich nedy .
Ne neuere none so nedy  ne pouerere deyede .

[^a2308: So he was nedy (R) | So nedy he was (All beta mss)]

[^a2309: or (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^2190: In the right margin, in black ink, there is an early ownership stamp for the Bodleian Library.]

[^2191: R.20.16: This phrase is transposed in beta as So nedy he was; F reads He was so needy. The P family of C manuscripts agrees with F on this phrasing, but the X family agrees with R.]

[^2192: R.20.19: Beta omits or, as does Cx.]

¶ Whan ned hadde vnder-nome[^2193] þus  anon I fel a-slepe .
And mette ful merueylously  þat in mannes forme .
Antecrist cam þanne  and alle croppe of treuthe .
Turned it vp-so-doun  and ouertilth[^a2310][^2194] þe rote .
And made[^a2311][^2195] fals springe and sprede  & spede mennes nedes .
In ech a contre þere he cam  he cutte a-wey treuthe .
And gert gile growe þere  as he a god were 

[^a2310: ouertilth (R) | ouertilte (All beta mss)]

[^a2311: made (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2193: R.20.25: At this point F and most beta manuscripts include a direct object, me; but R shares the omission with O, while M supplies the missing pronoun above the line. The same omission of me is seen in three of the best X family manuscripts of C: manuscripts XYcUc.]

[^2194: R.20.28: R's spelling here is unique (cf. the comments on this lection in the Introduction III.2.2.10, but the meaning is likely to be identical with that found in all the other B manuscripts, which read tilte. Cx has tulde.]

[^2195: R.20.29: Beta omits made but the C witnesses include it.]

Fryers
¶ Freres folwed þat fende  for he ȝaf hem copes .
And religiouses[^a2312][^2196] reuerensed hym  and rongen here belles .
And alle þe couent cam[^a2313][^2197]  to welcome a[^a2314][^2198] tyraunt .
And alle his as wel as hym  saue onliche foles .
Whiche foles were gladder[^a2315] e[^2199]  to deye þan to lyue .
Lengore sethe leute[^2200] was so rebuked .[^2201]
And a fals feend antecrist  ouer alle folke regned .
And þat we[^a2316][^2202] mylde men and holy  þat non meschef dradden .
Defiede alle falsenesse  and folke þat it vsede .
And what kynge þat hem conforted  knowynge hem gyle[^a2317][^2203] .
Þei corsed and her conseil  were it clerke or lewed .

[^a2312: religiouses (R) | religiouse (Most other mss)]

[^a2313: cam (R F) | forth cam (All beta mss)]

[^a2314: a (R) | þat (All other mss)]

[^a2315: gladder (R F) | wel leuer (Most beta mss)]

[^a2316: we (R F) | were(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a2317: gyle (R F) | any while (All beta mss)]

[^2196: R.20.33: This plural form is unique to R; beta and F both show the singular, as does the C version.]

[^2197: R.20.34: R's reading, cam, is unique among the B copies; F has cam holly; beta reads forth cam. Among the C manuscripts at this point, the P family reads þo cam but the X family agrees exactly with R.]

[^2198: R.20.34: For R's a, both beta and F read þat. Among the C manuscripts, the P family and several of the X family agree with the B majority; however, a majority of the X family, including the most reliable copies, agrees with R's reading.]

[^2199: R.20.36: Beta reads wel leuer. The C manuscripts agree here with alpha.]

[^2200: R.20.37: Alpha's leute is clearly the correct reading here, supported by Cr and Hm as well as Cx, but beta's reading seems to have been lenten.]

[^2201: R.20.37: There is a diagonal smudge of uncertain origin between the <d> of rebuked and the terminal punctus.]

[^2202: R.20.39: For alpha's we, beta reads were. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2203: R.20.41: For alpha's gyle, beta reads any while. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Antecrist hadde þus sone  hundredes at his baner .
And pride it bare  boldely aboute .[^2204]
With a lorde þat lyueth  after lykynge of body .
Þat cam aȝeyne consience  þat keper was and gyoure .
Ouer kynde cristene  and cardinales[^a2318][^2205] vertues .

[^a2318: cardinales (R) | cardynale (All other mss)]

[^2204: R.20.44: There is a diagonal smudge of uncertain origin between the <e> of aboute and the terminal punctus.]

[^2205: R.20.47: R's plural is unique in the B tradition; both F and beta read the singular cardynale. Among C copies, though manuscripts EcRcMcVcNc agree with R, Cx agrees with the B majority.]

¶ I conseile quod consience þo  cometh with me ȝe foles .
in-to vnite holy cherche  and holde we vs there .
And crie we to kende  þat he come and defende vs .
Foles fro þis fendes lymes  for peres loue þe plowman .
And crie we on[^a2319][^2206] alle þe comune  þat þei come to vnite .
And þere abide and bikere aȝeyne  belialles children .

[^a2319: on (R F) | to (All beta mss)]

[^2206: R.20.52: For alpha's on, beta reads to. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Kende consience þo herde  and cam out of þe planetes .
And sende[^a2320][^2207] forth his forreores  feueres & fluxes —
Couȝhes and cardiacles  crampes and tothaches .
Rewmes and radegondes  and roynouse skalles .
Byles and boches  and brennynge aguwes .
Frenesyes and foule eueles  forageres of kende .
Hadde I-priked and praied  polles of peple .
Largeliche[^a2321][^2208] a legioun  lose[^2209] here lif sone .

[^a2320: sende (R) | sent (All other mss)]

[^a2321: Largeliche (R F) | Þat largelich (All beta mss)]

[^2207: R.20.55: Only G agrees with R in reading an apparent present tense here; all other B manuscripts read sent. However, in light of the morphological and phonological ambiguities discussed in the Introduction III.2.2.10, and since R20.54 clearly depicts a situation in the preterite, it may well be that the R scribe intended sende here as a preterite. Although several C copies (DcQScFc) share the RG reading, Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2208: R.20.61: Beta reads Þat largelich. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2209: R.20.61: R's form here is unique, but L also attests a present-tense form, lese; most B witnesses, including F, show a preterite (e.g., W's loste). The Cx reading (lees) agrees with L.]

¶ Þere was harrow and helpe  here cometh kende .
With deth þat is dredful  to vndoen vs alle .

¶ Þe lorde þat lyuede after lust  þo a-loud criede .
After kniȝte[^a2322][^2210]  to come and bere his banere .
Alarme alarme quod þat lord  ech lyf kepe his owene .[^2211]

[^a2322: kniȝte (R) | conforte a knyghte (All beta mss)]

[^2210: R.20.65: In place of R's truncated kniȝte, which clearly involves an omission, beta reads conforte a knyghte. The omission appears to have occurred in alpha, with F attempting a typical repair by fleshing out a komely knyght. Cx agrees with beta, and no C manuscript shows a comparable error to that attested by the alpha manuscripts.]

[^2211: R.20.66: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason beyond oversight is apparent.]

¶ Þanne[^a2323][^2212] mette þise men  er mynstralz miȝt pipe .
And er heraudes of armes  hadden descreued lordes .

[^a2323: Þanne (R F) | And þanne (All beta mss)]

[^2212: R.20.67: Beta begins this line And þanne; the C manuscripts agree with alpha.]

Elde þe horel[^a2324][^2213]  he was in vaunt-warde[^a2325][^2214] .
And bare þe baner bifore deth  bi riȝt he it claymed .
Kende cam after hym[^a2326][^2215]  with many kene sores . .
As pokkes and pestilences  and muche poeple schente .
So kende thoruȝ corrupciouns  kulled ful manye .

[^a2324: horel (R F) | hore (All beta mss)]

[^a2325: vaunt-warde (R) | þe vauntwarde (All other mss)]

[^a2326: hym (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2213: R.20.69: Kane-Donaldson thought that the <l> of R's horel (= "whoremonger") was inserted later. The ink color is identical to that used by the R scribe, though the character form is much more compressed than his typical final <l>, so the likelihood is that he himself added the character, possibly even before copying the next line, in order to "correct" R to the alpha reading also found in F. Beta shows hore, which is also the reading of C. One would normally assume, when confronted by such an array, that the beta / C reading is authorial; however, in this instance it would be easy to argue that their shared phrase, Elde þe hore, is not only a classical example of an "easier reading" (because stereotypical) but that the initial omission of final <l> in R's transcription offers evidence of another motive that may explain the widespread presence of the dominant lection: censorship.]

[^2214: R.20.69: Following in, R uniquely omits þe. The C manuscripts here agree with the B majority.]

[^2215: R.20.71: Beta omits hym. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Deth cam driuende[^a2327] after  and al to duste daschte[^a2328] .[^2216]
Kynges and kniȝtes  caiseres and popes .
Lered ne lewed  he left[^a2329][^2217] no man stande .
Þat he hitte euene  þat euer stired after .
Many a louely[^a2330][^2218]  and lemmanes[^a2331][^2219] kniȝtes .
Swouned and swelted  for sorwe of dethes dyntes .

[^a2327: driuende (R L F) | dryuynge (Most beta manuscripts)]

[^a2328: daschte (R F) | passhed (Most beta mss)]

[^a2329: left (R F) | let (All beta mss)]

[^a2330: louely (R) | louely lady (All other mss)]

[^a2331: lemmanes (R) | lemmanes of (All beta mss)]

[^2216: R.20.74: Once more, R began with the correct reading, paschte (cf. beta's passhed and Cx's paschte) but was "corrected" by Hand2 to the erroneous reading attested in F. The likeliest cause for this seemingly bizarre series of "corrections" (cf. R5.178 and R18.53) is that Hand2 was comparing R to a debased alpha copy; in this particular instance, the scribe of that debased copy would have found daschte appealing on grounds of extra alliteration (aa|aa) as well as greater familiarity.]

[^2217: R.20.76: Beta reads let. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2218: R.20.78: Here R shows a unique omission: the other B and C witnesses attest louely lady.]

[^2219: R.20.78: Once more, R shows a unique reading (relative to its B cousins): most of them attest lemmanes of knyghtes. F shows an entirely unique half-line. However, in this instance, Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Consience of his curtesie  to kende he be-souȝte .
To sese and suffre  and se where þei wolde .
Leue pride priueliche  and be parfit cristene .

¶ And kende sesed þo  to se þe poeple amende .
Fortune gan flateren þanne  þo fewe þat weren alyue .
And be-hiȝte hem longe lif  and leccherie he sente .
Amonges alle manere men  wedded and vnwedded .
And gadered a grete hoste  al agayne consience .
Þis leccherie leyde on with lawhynge[^a2332][^2220] chere .
And with priue speche  and peynted wordes .
And armed hym in Idelnesse  & in heȝ berynge .
He bare a bowe in his hande  and many blody arwes .
Weren fethered with faire beheste  and many a fals treuthe .
With vntidy[^a2333][^2221] tales  he tened ful ofte .
Consience and his companye  of holy kerke[^a2334][^2222] þe techeres .[^2223]

[^a2332: lawhynge (R F) | a laughyng (Most beta mss)]

[^a2333: vntidy (R F) | his vntydy (All beta mss)]

[^a2334: kerke (R Cr F) | cherche (Most beta mss)]

[^2220: R.20.88: Beta reads a laughyng. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2221: R.20.93: At this point, beta reads his vntydy. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2222: R.20.94: Alpha is responsible for correctly alliterating kyrke, and is joined by Cr in that reading. The remaining beta and almost all C witnesses attest either chirche or cherche.]

[^2223: R.20.94: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ Þanne cam coueytise  and cast how he miȝte .
Ouercome consience  and cardinales[^a2335][^2224] vertues .
And armed hym in auarice  & vngriseliche[^a2336][^2225] liuede .
His wepne was al wyles  to wynnen and to hyden .
With glosynges and gabbynges  he giled þe peple .
Symonye hym seude[^a2337][^2226]  to assaile consience .
And preched to þe peple  and prelates þei hem maden .
To holde with antecrist  here temporautes to saue .
And come to þe kynges conseil  as a kene baroun .
And kneled to consience  in courte be-fore hem alle .
And gert goed faith fle  and fals to abide .
And boldliche bare adoune  with many a rede[^a2338][^2227] noble .
Muche of þe witt and wisdomm  of westmynster halle .
He iugged til a iustice  and iusted in his ere .
And ouertilte al his treuthe  with take þis vp amendement .
And in -to[^2228] þe arches in haste  he ȝede anon after .
And turned syuile into symonye  & sitth he toke þe official .
For a menyuere mantel[^a2339][^2229]  he made lele matrimonie .
Departen ar deth cam  and a[^a2340] deuos[^2230] schupte .

[^a2335: cardinales (R) | cardynal (All other mss)]

[^a2336: vngriseliche (R) | hungriliche (Most beta mss)]

[^a2337: seude (R) | sent (Most other mss)]

[^a2338: rede (R F) | briȝte (All beta mss)]

[^a2339: menyuere mantel (R F) | mentel of menyuere (All beta mss)]

[^a2340: a (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2224: R.20.96: Once more (cf. R20.47), R's rendering of this word as a plural is unique; the other B manuscripts attest the singular, cardynal. Among C copies, though manuscripts EcMcNc agree with R, Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2225: R.20.97: R's vngriseliche is unique; cf. beta's hungriliche and F's vngryly. R's form is not found in any C manuscript; moreover, the sole attestation for the word in MED, s. v. ungriseliche, is from this passage. MED offers a possible gloss of "Not hideously, sumptuously" but also notes that it may be merely an error for the commonly attested form, hungriliche.]

[^2226: R.20.100: R uniquely deploys this apparent nonsense word; almost all other B manuscripts read sent. However, on the basis of R's apparent metathesis of a very plausible reading unanimously attested in C manuscripts, Kane-Donaldson proposed emending B to that reading, suede.]

[^2227: R.20.106: In place of alpha's rede, beta and Cx correctly alliterate with briȝte.]

[^2228: R.20.110: Beta copies (except for Hm, which agrees with alpha), read to. Among the C manuscripts, the P family agrees with beta while the X family agrees with alpha.]

[^2229: R.20.112: Beta reads mentel of menyuere. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2230: R.20.113: Beta reads & deuos where alpha attests and a deuos. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Allas quod consience and cride þo  wolde crist of grace[^a2341][^2231] .
Þat coueityse were cristene  þat is so kene to fiȝte[^a2342] .[^2232]
And bolde and abydynge  þe[^a2343] while[^2233] his bagge lasteth .[^2234]

[^a2341: grace (R) | his grace (All other mss)]

[^a2342: to fiȝte (R F) | a fiȝter (Most beta mss)]

[^a2343: þe (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2231: R.20.114: R uniquely omits his before grace. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2232: R.20.115: For alpha's to fiȝte, beta reads a fiȝter. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2233: R.20.116: In place of alpha's þe while, beta has while. Cx is uncertain here since the manuscripts are almost evenly divided, with members of both major families supporting alpha and others agreeing with beta. However, those that agree here with alpha include most of the best copies of both X and P groups.]

[^2234: R.20.116: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ And þanne louȝ lif  and lete dagge his clothes .
And armed hym in haste  in harlotes wordes .
And helde holinesse a iape  and hendenesse a wastoure .
And lete leute a cherle  and lyere a fre man .
Consience and conseil  he counted it folye .[^2235]

[^2235: R.20.121: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ Þus relied lif for a litel fortue fortu[n]e[^a2344] .
And priked forth with pruyde  preiseth he no vertue .
Ne careth nauȝt how kende slow  & schal come atte laste .
And calle[^a2345][^2236] alle erthly creature  saue consience one 
Lif seith[^a2346] occide[^a2347][^2237]  and lauȝte hym a lemman .
Hele and I quod hee  and heyȝenesse of herte .
Schal do þe nauȝt drede  nother deth ne elde .
And to forȝete sorwe  and ȝif nauȝt of synne .

[^a2344: fortue fortu[n]e (R) | fortune (All other mss)]

[^a2345: calle (R F) | culle (All beta mss)]

[^a2346: seith (R) | leep(te) (All beta mss)]

[^a2347: occide (R F) | asyde (Most beta mss)]

[^2236: R.20.125: For alpha's calle, beta reads either kille (the lection found in WCrCO) or, more likely, culle (the reading of LM). The latter reading is also that of the C version. All three choices are textually and theologically viable, but the agreement of LM with C probably indicates the authorial original.]

[^2237: R.20.126: For R's non-alliterating seith occide , F has seyde occide , but beta (agreeing here with C) reads leep asyde.]

¶ Þis liked lif  and his lemman fortune .
And geten in here glorie  a gedelynge at þe laste .
On þat muche wrouȝte[^a2348][^2238]  slewthe was his name
Slewthe wex wondere ȝerne  and sone was of age .
And wedded on wanhope  a wenche of þe stues .
Hire sire was a sisoure  þat neuere swore treuthe .
On t homme to-tongge  ateynte at vch a queste .[^2239]

[^a2348: wrouȝte (R F) | wo wrouȝte (All beta mss)]

[^2238: R.20.132: Here alpha omitted a word; cf. the phrase from beta and the C version: moche wo wrouȝte.]

[^2239: R.20.136: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ Þus sleuthe was war of werre  and a slynge made .
And threw drede of dispaire  a doseine myle aboute .
For care consience þo  crieden cried[^a2349][^2240] vppon elde .
And bad[^a2350][^2241] fonde to fiȝte and afere wanhope .

[^a2349: crieden cried (R) | cryed (All other mss)]

[^a2350: bad (R F) | bad hym (All beta mss)]

[^2240: R.20.139: R's plural form for this line's verb is unique error.]

[^2241: R.20.140: After bad, alpha omits hym, witnessed by beta and the C version.]

¶ And elde hente gode hope  & hasteliche he schifte hym .
And wayued away wanhope  and with lif he fiȝteth .
And lif fleyȝ for fere  to fisike after helpe .
And bisouȝte hym of socoure  and of his salue hadde .
And gaf hym goel go[ld][^a2351] goed wone  þat gladede here hertes[^a2352][^2242] .

[^a2351: goel go[ld] (R) | golde (All other mss)]

[^a2352: here hertes (R) | his herte (All other mss)]

[^2242: R.20.145: R's plural possessive in this phrase is unique among the B manuscripts; both beta and F read his herte. However, all but six of the C manuscripts agree with R's reading.]

¶ And þei gyuen hym a-geyne  a glasen houe .
Lif leuede þat lechecrafte  lette schulde elde .
And to[^a2353][^2243] driue awaye deth  with dayes[^a2354][^2244] and dragges .[^2245]

[^a2353: to (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2354: dayes (R F) | dyas (Most beta mss)]

[^2243: R.20.148: Beta omits to. More than half a dozen of the P family manuscripts of C concur with alpha on this reading, but the rest—and all of the X family—agree with beta's omission.]

[^2244: R.20.148: R's dayes occurred as an error in alpha for dyas, witnessed in beta and in Cx.]

[^2245: R.20.148: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ And elde auntrede hym on lyf  and at þe last he hitte .
A fisisian with a furred hode  þat he fel in a palsie .
And þere deyede þat doctour  ar thre dayes after .
Now I se seyde lif  þat surgerie ne fisike .
May nouȝte a myte auayle  to medelen aȝeyne elde .

¶ And in hope of his hele  gode herte hente .[^2246]
And rode so to reuel  a riche place and a myrie .
Þe companye of conforte  men clepeden it sum -tyme .[^2247]

[^2246: R.20.154: The Bx phrase is herte he hente; Bo and Cot also omit he, but F includes it. Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2247: R.20.156: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ And elde anon after hym[^a2355][^2248]  and ouer myn hede ȝede .
And made me balled before  and bare on þe croune .
So harde he ȝede ouer myn hede  it wol be sene euere .[^2249]

[^a2355: hym (R F) | me (Most beta mss)]

[^2248: R.20.157: Where alpha reads hym, most beta copies read me. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2249: R.20.159: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason is apparent.]

¶ Sire euel ytauȝte elde quod I  vnhende go with þe .
Sith whanne was þe waye  ouer mennes hedes .
Haddestow be hende quod I  þow woldest haue asked leue .

¶ Ȝe leue lordeyne quod he  and leyde on me with age .
And hitte me vnder þe ere  vnnethe may ich here .
He buffeded me aboute þe mouthe  & bet out my wange tethe[^a2356][^2250]
And gyued me in goutes  I may nouȝt go at large .
nota
And of þe wo þat I was inne  my wif hadde reuthe .[^2251]
And wischede wel[^a2357][^2252] witterly  þat I were in heuene .
For þe lyme þat sche louede me fore  & leef was to fele .
An niȝtes nameliche  whan we naked were .
I ne miȝte in non maner  maken it at hire wille .
So elde and hee[^a2358][^2253]  it hadde[^a2359][^2254] forbete .

[^a2356: wange tethe (R F) | tethe (Most beta mss)]

[^a2357: wel (R) | ful (All beta mss)]

[^a2358: hee (R) | she sothly (Most beta mss)]

[^a2359: it hadde (R) | hadde(n) it (Most other mss)]

[^2250: R.20.165: The beta version of this b-verse is uncertain but is likely to have been that now attested in LMCr: & bett out my tethe. F reads the verse as R does, except that F's verb is the uniquely represented buscht. The reading of Cx agrees with R.]

[^2251: A bracket drawn in brown ink in the left margin focuses attention on these six lines; opposite the space between R20.169-70, at the nose of the bracket, a small nota is inscribed.]

[^2252: R.20.168: Cf. beta's ful and F's often. Cx agrees with R.]

[^2253: R.20.172: Hee, "she."]

[^2254: R.20.172: Here R shows a unique word order for a phrase which reads hadde(n) it in most other B manuscripts, including F. However, Cx agrees with R's phrasing.]

¶ And was[^a2360][^2255] I seet in þis sorwe  I say how kende passed .
And deth drouȝ neȝ me  for drede gan I quaken .
And cried to kende  oute of care me bringe .
Lo elde þe hore  haueth[^2256] my lif[^a2361] seye[^a2362][^2257] .
Awreke me ȝif ȝoure wille be  for I wolde be hennes .[^2258]

[^a2360: was (R F) | as (All beta mss)]

[^a2361: my lif (R F) | me (All beta mss)]

[^a2362: seye (R) | biseye (Most other mss)]

[^2255: R.20.173: For alpha's was, beta reads as. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2256: R.20.176: R's inflection for this verb is unique among B copies, but manuscripts RcMcQScZNc of C show the same form, haueth. F, beta, and Cx all attest hath.]

[^2257: R.20.176: R's seye is unique; both F and beta read biseye, as does Cx. The preceding phrase in R, my lif, is from alpha; beta and Cx read me.]

[^2258: R.20.177: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason for this omission is apparent.]

¶ If þow wilt ben Iwreke[^2259]  wende into vnite .
And halde þe þere euere  til I sende for þe .
And loke þow cune sum crafte  ar þow come þennes .[^2260]

[^2259: R.20.178: R's form for this verb is unique among B copies but closely resembles the spelling favored in many C manuscripts, awreke.]

[^2260: R.20.180: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason for this omission is apparent.]

¶ Conseileth[^a2363][^2261] me kende quod I  what crafte be[^a2364][^2262] best to lerne .[^2263]

[^a2363: Conseileth (R) | Conseille (All other mss)]

[^a2364: be (R) | is (All beta mss)]

[^2261: R.20.181: R's inflection for this verb is unique among B copies, but most C manuscripts agree with R. F and beta attest Co(u)nseille.]

[^2262: R.20.181: R's be is unique; beta reads is while F rephrases the entire b-verse as what craft y myȝhte leerne. Though several C manuscripts agree with beta, Cx agrees with R.]

[^2263: R.20.181: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason for this omission is apparent.]

love
¶ Lerne to loue quod kende  and leue[^a2365][^2264] alle othere .[^2265]
How schal I come to catel so  to clothe me and to fede .
And þow loue lelly[^a2366][^2266]  lakke schal þe neuere .
Wede[^a2367][^2267] ne wordly mete[^a2368]  while þi lif lasteth .
And þere be conseile of kende  comsed[^a2369][^2268] to rome .
Þoruȝ contricioun and confessioun  til I cam to vnite .
And þere was constable[^a2370][^2269]  cristene to saue .
And biseged sothly  with seuene grete geauntes .
Þat with antecriste helden  harde aȝeine consience .

[^a2365: leue (R Cr1 F) | leue of (Most beta mss)]

[^a2366: lelly (R F) | lelly quod he (Most beta mss)]

[^a2367: Wede (R F) | Mete (All beta mss)]

[^a2368: mete (R F) | wede (All beta mss)]

[^a2369: comsed (R) | I comsed (All beta mss)]

[^a2370: constable (R F) | conscience constable (All beta mss)]

[^2264: R.20.182: Cr joins alpha in omitting of after this verb. The other beta copies include it, reading leue of alle othre. Cx agrees with Cr and alpha in reading simply leef alle othere.]

[^2265: R.20.182: In the left margin opposite this line, in a black, late-medieval cursive hand, the word love appears.]

[^2266: R.20.184: At the end of this a-verse, the beta manuscripts interject quod he. Cx agrees with alpha in omitting the phrase.]

[^2267: R.20.185: In place of alpha's Wede ne worldly mete, beta reads Mete ne wordly wede; Cx agrees with alpha's phrasing.]

[^2268: R.20.186: R here omits any reference to the subject; cf. beta's I comsed and F's he comsed; F's reading suggests an inept attempt to restore a word sensed as grammatically necessary. Among the C copies, RcMcQScZFc read the b-verse as beta does, while the majority agrees with R. However, it is clear that, unlike any B manuscript, Cx positioned the pronoun reference in the a-verse: And y bi conseil of kynde.]

[^2269: R.20.188: Again R omits a stave (cf. conscience constable, the reading of beta and of Cx), presumably reflecting an error in alpha since F tries to patch up the same omission with he was mad a cunstable.]

¶ Sleuthe with his slynge  and harde saute he made .
Proude prestes come with hym  passynge an hundreth[^a2371] .[^2270]
In paltokes and piked shoes  and pisseres longe kniues .
Comen aȝeyne consience  with coueitise þei helden .

[^a2371: passynge an hundreth (R F) | moo þan a thousand (All beta mss)]

[^2270: R.20.192: Beta's b-verse breaks the alliterative pattern of the line, reading the b-verse as moo þan a thousand. Although two C manuscripts—P2Fc—agree with beta's reading (presumably through lateral contamination), Cx agrees exactly with alpha's b-verse.]

¶ Be þe[^a2372][^2271] marie quod a mansed prest  was[^a2373][^2272] of þe marche of erlande .
I counte namore consience  bi so I cacche siluer .
Þan I do to drinke a drauȝte  of gode ale .
And so seide sixti  of þe same contray .
And shoten aȝeine with shote  many a shef of othes .
And brode hoked arwes  godes herte and his nailes .
And hadden almoste vnite  and holinesse adowne .[^2273]

[^a2372: þe (R) | nil (All other mss)]

[^a2373: was (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2271: R.20.195: R's þe is unique among the B witnesses; the others omit the word. However, Cx agrees with R in including it.]

[^2272: R.20.195: Beta omits alpha's was. Several C copies support beta but Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2273: R.20.201: After this line, the R scribe failed to leave a blank line, his usual custom for dividing verse strophes. No reason for the omission is apparent.]

¶ Consience cride helpe  clergie or elles I falle .
Þoruȝ inparfit prestes  and prelates of holy cherche .
Freres herden hym crie  and comen hym to helpe .
Ac for þei coude nauȝt wel her crafte  consience forsoke hem .

¶ Nede neyȝede þo neere  and consience he tolde .
Þat þei come for no[^a2374][^2274] coueytise  to haue cure of soules .
And for þei aren pouer par auenture  for patrimonye hem faileth .
Þei wil flatere to fare wel  folke þat ben riche .
And sitthen þei chosen chele  and cheytifte[^2275] pouerte .
Late hem chewe as þei chese  and charge hem with no cure .[^2276]
For[^a2375][^2277] sitth freres forsoke[^2278] felicite[^a2376] of erthe .
Late hem be as beggeres  or lyue be angeles fode .

[^a2374: no (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2375: For (R F) | And (All beta mss)]

[^a2376: felicite (R G F) | þe felicite (Most beta mss)]

[^2274: R.20.207: Erroneous no appeared in alpha. C manuscripts support beta witnesses here in omitting it.]

[^2275: R.20.210: F is uniquely garbled in this b-verse, reading this variant as chastite. The most commonly attested reading in beta manuscripts at this point is cheitif (MCrHmCO); but the original beta reading is probably that of LW, which agrees with R and Cx: cheytifte. The widespread misreading of this word is probably owed to its comparative rarity relative to the adjective—as well as to the unexpected syntax.]

[^2276: R.20.211: Alpha omits the following two lines, which are attested by beta and by Cx: For lomer he lyeth þat lyflode mote begge Þan he þat laboureth for lyflode & leneth it beggeres.]

[^2277: R.20.212: Beta reads And. Cx agrees with beta.]

[^2278: R.20.212: Beta reads þe felicite. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ Consience of þis conseile[^a2377][^2279]  comsed for to lauȝwe .
And curteisliche conforted hem  and calde in alle freres .
And seide sires sothly  welcome be ȝe alle .
To vnite and holy cherche  ac o thyng I ȝow preye .
Holdeth ȝow in vnite  and haueth non enuye .
To lered ne to lewed  but lyueth after ȝoure reule .
And I wil be ȝoure borwe  ȝe schul haue brede & clothes .
And other necessaries Inowe  þow schalt[^a2378][^2280] nothynge lakke[^a2379][^2281] .
With þat ȝe leue logik  and lerneth for to louye .
For loue lefte þei lordschipe  both lond and scole .
Frere franceys and dominik  fo[^a2380][^2282] loue to be holy .

[^a2377: conseile (R F) | conseille þo (All beta mss)]

[^a2378: þow schalt (R) | ȝow shal (Most beta mss)]

[^a2379: lakke (R F) | faille (All beta mss)]

[^a2380: fo (R) | for (All other mss)]

[^2279: R.20.214: Immediately after conseile, beta adds þo. Though a number of P family manuscripts (RcMcQScZWaFcNc) agree with alpha in omitting þo, the word seems clearly attested in all other C manuscripts.]

[^2280: R.20.221: For R's þow schalt, beta reads ȝow shal and F shows for ȝee shal. Though a sizeable number of C manuscripts read ȝe shal, the majority agrees with beta.]

[^2281: R.20.221: Beta reads faille, but Cx agrees with alpha's lakke.]

[^2282: R.20.224: Neither MED nor OED2, s. v. for, cites an example of fo as viable for the preposition signified here, but it occurs in R in four widely separated contexts (cf. R2.64, R14.60, and R15.379) and probably represents an instance of idiolect apocope.]

¶ And ȝif ȝe coueyte cure  kende wol ȝow telle[^a2381] .[^2283]
Þat in mesure god made  alle manere thynges .
And sette it at a certeyne  and at a siker nombre .
And nempned hem[^a2382][^2284] names  and newe[^a2383][^2285] nombre[^a2384][^2286] þe sterres .
Quis[^a2385] numerat multitudinem stellarum[^a2386] .[^2287]
Kynges and kniȝtes  þat kepten[^a2387][^2288] and defenden .
Han officeres vnder hym[^2289]  and vch of hem certeyne .
And if þei wage men to werre  þei writen hem in nombre .
Wil no tresorere taken hym[^a2388][^2290] wages  trauaile þei neuer so sore .[^2291]

[^a2381: telle (R F) | teche (All beta mss)]

[^a2382: hem (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^a2383: names  and newe (R F) | names newe and (Most beta mss)]

[^a2384: nombre (R) | noumbred (All other mss)]

[^a2385: Quis (R) | Qui (All other mss)]

[^a2386: stellarum (R F) | stellarum & omnibus eis &c (Beta M Cr W Hm)]

[^a2387: kepten (R) | kepen (All other mss)]

[^a2388: hym (R) | hem (All other mss)]

[^2283: R.20.225: For alpha's telle, beta reads teche. Cx agrees with alpha's reading.]

[^2284: R.20.228: Beta omits alpha's hem, but Cx includes it.]

[^2285: R.20.228: Beta transposes the alpha phrase to newe and. None of the C manuscripts attests newe in the line in either position.]

[^2286: R.20.228: R's uninflected verb form is a unique error; F, beta, and C all attest noumbred.]

[^2287: R.20.229: R's Quis is unique; all other B and C manuscripts read Qui. R's complete omission of much of this Latin citation is unique among the B witnesses; O shares R's gap for the initial part of the omission, a phrase that beta renders as & omnibus eis (cf. F's & omnia eis). The most interesting feature of the attestational array for the B manuscripts here is that the C-version's citation of this text agrees completely in its shape with that of R.]

[^2288: R.20.230: R's preterite form is unsupported by any other B copy; the others all show kepen. Nevertheless, though most C witnesses agree with beta, three of the most authoritative X family manuscripts (XIP2) agree with R's preterite.]

[^2289: R.20.231: R is joined by Bm and Bo in reading hym, but F agrees with beta and with Cx on the plural pronoun, hem.]

[^2290: R.20.233: Once more F agrees with beta in reading the plural pronoun (hem) against R's singular; however, the entire phrase in which the pronoun occurs (take hem wages) has been corrupted in beta to read hem paye. The C version reads the phrase in exact agreement with F.]

[^2291: R.20.233: The final punctuation here appears ambiguous because it has been partially rubbed away; it may have been a punctus elevatus originally. After this line, the R scribe omits his customary practice of inserting a blank line to divide poetic strophes, presumably because the next line is the last one ruled for this side.]

¶ Alle other in bataille  ben yholde briboures .
Piloures and pike-herneys  in vch a parische[^a2389][^2292] acursed .
Monkes and moneales  and alle men of religion .
Heraude[^a2390][^2293] here reule wol  to haue a certeyne nombre .
Of lewed and of lered  þe lawe wil and asketh .
A certeyn for a certeyne  saue onlich of freres .
For-þi quod consience be criste  kende witt me telleth .
It is wikked to wage ȝow  ȝe wexeth of on[^a2391][^2294] nombre .

[^a2389: parische (R F) | place (All beta mss)]

[^a2390: Heraude (R) | Her ordre and (All beta mss)]

[^a2391: of on (R) | out of (All other mss)]

[^2292: R.20.235: The beta variant is place. C attests the same variant as alpha.]

[^2293: R.20.237: Alpha is responsible here for a botched a-verse (apparently alpha omitted ordre, leaving Her ande, which R took to be Heraude). F attempted a complete revision of alpha's a-verse to Þer is in here rewle wel. Beta and C witnesses have Her ordre and her reule wil.]

[^2294: R.20.241: Cf. R's of on to F's ouer ony and beta's out of. Once again it appears that R probably reproduces an alpha error here, which F attempts to correct. The C reading is the same as beta's.]

¶ Heuene hath euene nombre  and helle is withoute nombre .
For-þi I wolde witterly  þat ȝe were in þe registre .
And ȝoure nombre vnder notari[^a2392] sygne  & noþer mo no lesse .
Enuye herde þis  and hett freres go to scole .
And lerne logik and law  and eke contemplacioun .
And preche men of plato  and preuen it be senecca .
Þat alle thynges vnder heuene  ouȝte to be in comune .

[^a2392: notari (R L Hm G F) | notaries (Most beta mss)]

¶ He[^a2393] lyeth[^2295] as I leue  þat to þe lewed so precheth .
For god made to men a lawe  & moyses it tauȝte .
Non concupisces rem proximi tui &cetera .
And euele is þis I-holde  in paresches of englonde .
For persones & paresch prestes  þat schuld þe peple schryue .
Beth[^2296] curatoures calde  to know and to hele .
Alle þat ben here parshiens  penaunces[^a2394][^2297] enioynen[^a2395] .
And beth[^a2396][^2298] aschamed in here shrifte  ac shame maketh hem wende .
And fle to þe freres  as fals folke to westmenster .
Þat borweth and bereth it þider  & þanne biddeth frendes .
Ȝerne of forȝyuenesse  or lengere yere[^a2397] leue .[^2299]

[^a2393: He (R F) | And ȝit he (All beta mss)]

[^a2394: penaunces (R F) | penaunce (All beta mss)]

[^a2395: enioynen (R) | to enioigne (Most other mss)]

[^a2396: beth (R) | shulde(n) be(n) (Most beta mss)]

[^a2397: yere (R) | ȝeres (All beta mss)]

[^2295: R.20.249: Beta reads And ȝit he lyeth. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2296: R.20.254: R's Beth is a unique form but semantically equivalent to the predominant Ben.]

[^2297: R.20.255: Beta reads the singular, penaunce. The C manuscripts are divided between these two options, with members of both major families attesting each reading.]

[^2298: R.20.256: Beta reads shulden be. The C manuscripts agree with alpha. Once more, only R shows the verb form as beth.]

[^2299: R.20.259: R's unmarked possessive (=yere) is completely unique. For the entire phrase, the beta majority reads ȝeres loone. F's bleve seems an obvious editorial conjecture. R's leue is uniquely shared with L and is almost certainly the original B reading. It is shared with Cx.]

¶ Ac while he is in westmynstre  he wil be bifore .
And maketh[^a2398] hym merie  with other men[^a2399][^2300] godes .
And so it fareth with muche folke  þat to freres[^a2400][^2301] shriueth .
confession made to Fryers
As sisoures and executoures  þei schul[^a2401][^2302] ȝyue þe freres .
A parcel to preye for hem  & make hem[^a2402][^2303] murie .
With residue[^a2403] & remenaunt[^a2404][^2304]  þat other men by-swonke .
And suffre þe dede in dette  to þe day of dome .

[^a2398: maketh (R F) | make(n) (All beta mss)]

[^a2399: men (R) | mennes (All other mss)]

[^a2400: freres (R Cr F) | þe freres (Most beta mss)]

[^a2401: schul (R F) | wil(len) (All beta mss)]

[^a2402: hem (R) | hemself(en) (All beta mss)]

[^a2403: residue (R) | þe residue (All other mss)]

[^a2404: remenaunt (R) | þe remenaunt (All other mss)]

[^2300: R.20.261: R's unmarked possessive (=men) is unique among the B copies; however, though a majority of C manuscripts agrees with beta on mennes, a significant group of good copies in both families agrees with R.]

[^2301: R.20.262: Though Cr reads this phrase in agreement with alpha, beta apparently had to þe freres. Cx concurs with alpha.]

[^2302: R.20.263: Beta reads wil. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2303: R.20.264: The other B manuscripts read hemself here, but Cx agrees with R's reading; the alliterative pattern of the archetypal b-verse fails in C as well as B, probably through an error in line division.]

[^2304: R.20.265: R omits two determiners from the beta (and presumably Bx) phrase, which reads With þe residue and þe remenaunt. Cx shows a major difference here, completely omitting þe residue and.]

¶ Enuye here -fore  hatede consience .
And freres to filosophie  he fonde hem to scole .
Þe while coueytise and vnkendenesse  consience assailed .
In vnite holy cherche  consience helde hym .
And made pees portere  to pynne þe ȝates . .

¶ Of alle tale telleres  and tytereres an[^a2405][^2305] ydel .
ItD
Ipocrisie and he  an harde sawte þei made .[^2306]
Ipocrisie at þe ȝate  harde gan fiȝte .
Dvd
And wounded wel wikkedliche  many a[^a2406][^2307] wise techere .[^2308]
Þat with consience acorded  and cardinales[^a2407][^2309] vertues .

[^a2405: an (R) | in (Most beta mss)]

[^a2406: a (R Cr1 W F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2407: cardinales (R) | cardinale (All other mss)]

[^2305: R.20.272: R's an is unique in the B tradition; beta has in; F reads of. However, among the C manuscripts, most of the X family agrees with R. The P family and several members of the X family agree with beta.]

[^2306: R.20.273: In the right margin, there are remains of a pen trial, in light brown ink.]

[^2307: R.20.275: Though Cr1W agree with alpha on the presence of a here, the other beta copies omit it. A few C copies agree with beta on this point, but Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2308: R.20.275: As with R20.273, here there are remains of a pen trial, in the same hand.]

[^2309: R.20.276: R's use of the plural form here is unique in the B tradition (cf. R20.47, 96); the other B witnesses read cardinale. Manuscripts EcRcMcNc of the C tradition agree with R, but Cx agrees with the B majority.]

¶ Consience calde a leche  þat cowde wel shriue .
Go salue þo þat syke were[^a2408][^2310]  and thoruȝ synne ywounded .
Shrifte shuppte scharpe salue  and made men do penaunce .
For here misdedes  þat þei wrouȝt hadden .
And þat peres were payed  redde quod debes .

[^a2408: were (R F) | ben (All beta mss)]

[^2310: R.20.278: In contrast to alpha's preterite form (cf. F's weren), beta reads ben. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Summe liked nouȝt þis leche  and lettres þei sente .
Ȝif any surgien were in[^a2409] þe sege[^a2410][^2311]  þat softer coude playstre .
Sir lif[^a2411][^2312] to lyue in leccherie  lay þere and groned .
For fastynge of o[^a2412] friday[^2313]  he ferde as he wolde deye .
Þere is a surgien in þis sege  þat softe can handele .
And more of fisike be fer  and fairere he plastreth .
On frere flaterere  is fisisien and surgien .
Quatz[^2314] contricioun to consience  do hym come to vnite .
For here is many a man hert  þoruȝ Ipocrisye .

[^a2409: in (R Cr F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2410: sege (R Cr F) | segge (Most beta mss)]

[^a2411: lif (R Cr Hm F) | lief (Most beta mss)]

[^a2412: o (R) | a (All other mss)]

[^2311: R.20.283: In place of alpha's in þe sege (also attested by Cr), beta reads þe segge. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2312: R.20.284: Beta reads lief for alpha's lif, but the alpha reading is supported by Hm and Cr as well as by Cx. The Russell-Kane edition emends this reading, replacing it with that of beta.]

[^2313: R.20.285: All other B manuscripts read a fryday. Although one manuscript of C shows the same numerical determiner as R, Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2314: R.20.289: R's spelling for this verb, quatz, is anomalous and unique, probably attesting the Northeastern origins of the immediate scribe. Both Bx and Cx read Quod.]

¶ We han non nede quod consience  I wote no bettere leche .
Þen persone or parisch prest  penauncer[^a2413][^2315] or bischope .
Saue peres þe plowman  þat haueth[^2316] power ouer alle[^a2414][^2317] .
And indulgence may do  but if dette lette it .
I may wel suffre seyde consience  synnes ȝe desiren .
Þat frere flaterere be fette  and fisike ȝow seke .

[^a2413: penauncer (R) | penytancere (Most beta mss)]

[^a2414: alle (R G F) | hem alle (Most beta mss)]

[^2315: R.20.292: R's penauncer is unique; beta has penytancere and F reads pentawncer. No C copy supports R's lection.]

[^2316: R.20.293: Both beta and F render this form as hath (although F transposes the phrase). Mss RcNc in the C tradition replicate R's form, but Cx agrees with the B majority.]

[^2317: R.20.293: Beta reads ouer hem alle. Cx agrees with alpha.]

¶ Þe frere here-of herde  and hyȝede faste 
To a lorde for a lettere  leue to haue to curen .
As a curatoure he were  and cam with his lettere[^a2415][^2318] .
Boldely to þe bischope  and his breef hadde .
In contreyes þere he cam[^a2416][^2319]  confessiouns[^a2417] .[^2320]
And cam þere consience was  & knocked at þe ȝate .

[^a2415: lettere (R F) | lettres (All beta mss)]

[^a2416: cam (R F) | come in (Most beta mss)]

[^a2417: confessiouns (R) | confessiouns to here (Most beta mss)]

[^2318: R.20.299: Beta here shows a plural, lettres. The reading of Cx is uncertain; the P family agrees with beta while the X family agrees with alpha's singular form.]

[^2319: R.20.301: The beta form of the verb is come. All beta copies except W (which agrees with alpha in omitting the postpositional particle) read the phrase as come in. Cx agrees completely with alpha's lection.]

[^2320: R.20.301: R uniquely omits the end of this line, which in Bx reads to here.]

¶ Pees vnpynned it  was porter of vnite .
And in haste asked  what his wille were .
In faith quod þis frere  for profit and for helthe .
Carpe I wolde with contricioun  & þerefore cam I hider .

¶ He is syke seyde pees  and so ar many other .
Ipocrisie hath herte hem  ful harde is if þei keuere .

¶ I am a surgyan seyde þe frere[^a2418][^2321]  & salues can make .
Consience knoweth me wel  & what I can do bothe .
I preye þe quod pees þo  ar þow passe forther .
What hatestow I preye þe  hele nauȝte þi name .

[^a2418: frere (R F) | segge (All beta mss)]

[^2321: R.20.309: The beta reading for alpha's frere is segge, presumably intended to resolve an anomaly in the line's alliteration. However, Cx agrees with alpha.]

penetrans domos
¶ Certes seyde his felawe  sir penetrans domos .

¶ Ȝee go þi gate quod pees  bi god for alle þi fisike .
But þow cunne any[^a2419][^2322] crafte  þow comest nouȝt he he[r] -Inne[^a2420] .
I knewe swich on ones  nouȝt eyȝte wynter passed .
Come in þus Icoped  at a court þere I dwelte .
And was my lordes leche  and my ladyes bothe .
And at þe last þis lymitoure  þo my lord was oute .
He salued so oure wymmen  til summe were with childe .

[^a2419: any (R) | somme (All beta mss)]

[^a2420: he he[r] -Inne (R) | her-Inne (Most other mss)]

[^2322: R.20.315: R's any is unique in the B tradition; cf. F's more and beta's somme. However, though seven P family copies (RcMcQScZWaFc) read other, most C manuscripts agree with R.]

¶ Hende speche heet pees þo[^a2421] [^2323] opene þe ȝates .
Late in frere[^a2422][^2324] and his felawe  and make hem faire chere 
He may se and here her  so[^a2423][^2325] may befalle .
Þat lif thoruȝ his lore  schal leue coueitise .
And be adrad of deth  and withdrawe hym fram pride .
And acorde with consience  and kysse her eyther othere .

[^a2421: þo (R F) | nil (Most beta mss)]

[^a2422: frere (R) | þe frere (All other mss)]

[^a2423: her  so (R) | so it (All beta mss)]

[^2323: R.20.321: Beta omits þo. However, Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2324: R.20.322: R uniquely omits the determiner in the Bx phrase, þe frere. Only one C manuscript (Sc) duplicates this error.]

[^2325: R.20.323: Cf. F's er so. As the testimony of Cx suggests, this Bx line probably read as in R: He may se and here her so may befalle. Surviving beta manuscripts read He may se and here so it may bifalle.]

¶ Þus þoruȝ hende speche  entred þe frere .
And cam in to consience  and curteiseliche hym grette .
Þow art welcome quod consience  canstow hele syke[^a2424][^2326] .[^2327]
Here is contricion quod consience  my cosyn I-wounded .
Conforte hym quod consience  and take kepe to his sores .
Þe plastres of þe persone  and poudres ben[^a2425][^2328] to sore .[^2329]
And[^a2426][^2330] late hem liggen ouerlonge  and lothe is to chaunge hem .
Fro lente to lente  he lette his plastres bitte .

[^a2424: syke (R F) | þe syke (All beta mss)]

[^a2425: ben (R) | biten (Most beta mss)]

[^a2426: And (R) | He (All other mss)]

[^2326: R.20.329: Beta renders this phrase as hele þe syke; Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2327: R.20.329: In the lower left margin of fol. 100v, there are the smudged, partially erased remains of various pen trials.]

[^2328: R.20.332: R's ben is unique in the B tradition; cf. F's byte and beta's biten. However, Cx agrees with R.]

[^2329: There is a black ink stain about 2 cm. long in the right margin beside these lines.]

[^2330: R.20.333: Among the B copies, And is unique to R; beta and F read He. However, Cx agrees with R.]

¶ Þat is ouer-longe quod þis lymitoure  I leue I schal amende it .
And goth[^a2427][^2331] gropeth contricion  and gaf hym a plaistre .
Of a priue paiement  and I schal praie for ȝow .
For alle þat ȝe be holde to  al my Iif-tyme .
And make ȝow my lady  in masse and in matynes .
As freres of oure fraternite  for a litel siluer .

[^a2427: goth (R) | goth and (All other mss)]

[^2331: R.20.336: R's reading is unique; F and beta show goth and . Nine C manuscripts, mostly of the P family, agree with F and beta, but the majority of C witnesses, including most of the X family, agrees with R.]

¶ Þus he goth and g. adereth[^2332]  and gloseth þere he schriueth .
Til contricioun had . clene for-ȝetene  to crie and to wepe .
And wake for his wikked werkes  as he woned[^a2428][^2333] to done .
For confort of his confessoure  contricion he lefte .
contricion
Þat is þe souereynest salue  for alle kynne synnes .

[^a2428: woned (R) | was wont (All other mss)]

[^2332: There is a hole in the leaf here, the result of damage after copying.]

[^2333: R.20.343: From the b-verse of beta (as he was wont to done) and that of F (þat he was whont to doone), as well as that of Cx (as he was woned bifore), it appears that R accidentally omitted alpha's was; nevertheless, F's general adroitness and eagerness to repair corruption make it difficult to rule out the possibility that R's error is derived from an omission in alpha itself.]

¶ Sleuthe seye þat  and so dede pruyde .
And come with a kene wille  consience to assaile .
Consience cride eft  and bad clergye helpe hym .[^2334]
And al-so contricion  for to kepe þe ȝate .

[^2334: Between these two lines, there is a hole in the manuscript, but no text has been affected.]

¶ He lyeth and dremeth seyde pees  and so doth many other .
Þe frere with his fisyke  þis folke hath so[^a2429][^2335] enchaunted .
And plastred hem so hesily  þei drede no synne .

[^a2429: so (R F) | nil (All beta mss)]

[^2335: R.20.351: Beta omits so. Cx agrees with beta.]

¶ By crist quod consience þo  I wil become a pilgrime .
And walken as wide  as alle þe worlde lasteth .
To seke peres þe plowman  þat pruyde myȝte[^a2430][^2336] destruye .
And þat freres had a fyndynge  þat for nede flateren .
And contrepleteth me consience  now kende me auenge .
And sende me hap and hele  til I haue peres þe plowman .
And siththe

[R.20.359: Someone has scribbled these replacements in modern pencil in the right margin opposite this line.]

And sithe he[^2337] gradde after grace  til I gan a-wake .

[^a2430: myȝte (R F) | may (Most beta mss)]

[^2336: R.20.355: Beta reads may. Cx agrees with alpha.]

[^2337: R.20.359: Although the erasure here is thorough, with manipulation in Photoshop it is possible to make out the probable original reading.]

William Buttes
Passus ijus de dobest — —[^2338]

[^2338: R.20.359: Regarding the location and purport of this rubric, I have noted ("The Reliability of the Rubrics in the B-Text of Piers Plowman," Medium Aevum 54 (1985): 214, n.11) that it "is an anomaly with no significance other than as an indication of incidental contamination in the ordinatio of the MS. . . . It appears at the very end of the text of Piers Plowman and would seem to be an explicit, but this MS uses no explicits elsewhere and there is no clear indication that the scribe even realized he had reached the end of the entire poem." In actuality, the only manuscripts with an identical rubric are four C copies (XDcYcUc), which use the phrase as an incipit for the final passus.]