The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. XXXX: - San Marino, Huntington Library, MS 143 (X)
author: William Langland
source date: late 14th or early 15th century
edition published: XXXX
language: lat; fre; ger
availability: Commercially available: XXXX copyright XXXX, by SEENET

[^1][^2] I N a somur sesoun whan softe was þe sonne
Y shope me in-to shroudes[^a1] / as y a shep were
In abite as an heremite / vn-holy of werkes
Wente forth in þe world / wondres to here ·
And say many selles / and selkouthe thynges
Ac on a May mornyng / on maluerne hulles
Me biful for to slepe / for werynesse of-walked
And in alaunde a launde as y lay / lened y and slepte
And merueylousliche me mette / as y may[^a2] telle
Al þe welthe of the world / and þe wo bothe
Wynkyng as hit were / witterliche y sigh hit
Of treuthe and tricherye / tresounn tresou[n][^3] and gyle
Al y say slepynge / as y shal[^a3] telle
Estward y beheld / aftir þe sonne
And say a tour as trowed [y] trowed / treuthe was there-ynne
Westward y waytede / in a[^4] while aftir
And seigh a depe dale / deth as y leue
Woned in tho wones / and wikkede spiritus
A fair feld ful of folk / fond y þer bytwene
Of alle manere[^a4] men / þe mene and þe pore[^a5]
Worchyng and wondryng / as þis world ascuth
Somme potte hem to þe plogh / playde ful selde
In settynge and in sowynge swonken ful harde
And wonne þat þis wastors with glotony destrueth
And summe putte hem to pruyde / and parayled hem þer -aftir
In continance & clothyng / in many kyne gyse
In preiers and penaunces / potten hem mony
Al for loue of oure lord / lyueden swythe harde
In hope to haue a good ende / and heuenriche blisse
As Ankeres and Eremites / þat holdeth hem in here selles
Coueyten noȝt in contreys / to cayren aboute
For no likerous liflode / here lycame to plese
And summe chesen chaffare / þei cheueth þe bettre
As it semeþ to oure sighte / that suche men y-thryueth
And summe murthes to make / as mynstrels conneth
Wolleth neyther swynke ne swete / bote sweren grete othes
Fyndeth out foule fantasyes / and foles hem maketh
And[^a6] hath[^5] wytt at wille / to worche yf þei wolde
Thay Tha[t] Poule prechede[^a7] of hem / preue hit y myhte

[^a1: shroudes (X Dc P2 Uc) | shrobbis (most other mss) | a shrowde (Bm Bo Cot)]

[^a2: may (X) | may ȝow (all other mss)]

[^a3: shal (X Bm Bo Cot) | shal ȝow (all other mss)]

[^a4: manere (X Cot) | manere of (all other mss)]

[^a5: pore (X Bm Bo Dc Uc) | riche (all other mss)]

[^a6: And (X) | And han (most other mss)]

[^a7: prechede (X Bo Cot) | precheþ (all other mss)]

[^1: X.P.0: The name "J: Sotheby" is written above the text in a modern hand.]

[^2: X.P.1: The capital is in gold leaf and decorated in blue ink. The decoration brackets the entire left hand side of the page, continuing along the top and bottom of the text.]

[^3: X.P.12: There is an otiose suspension mark above the <o>.]

[^4: X.P.16: It is not our intention to gloss each and every correction, since the mark-up itself usually expresses the local textual situation well. We do, however, compose such notes where the reader needs more information about what is happening in the text. Here in the Prologue, for example, we want to alert readers right away to the work of the corrector(s), which will continue through the entire manuscript, and we want readers to know what is at stake in the potential attribution of changes to any particular hand. The addition of the article here repairs an obvious omission and aligns the text with all other C manuscripts. RK say that Hand 1 added this letter; HS wonder if it is in "different ink (?)." We agree with RK that it is Hand 1, because the letter form matches his usual lower-case <a>. Readers will see this type of autocorrection throughout the manuscript. In other instances, readers will see similar repairs by Hand 2, the author of the marginalia, who in some cases appears to be checking the text against an exemplar. In other cases, readers will see Hand 2 fail to correct error, or create error himself. Therefore, because correction in this manuscript will not be consistent in any hand, we want readers to pay close attention to the precision (or lack thereof) of the various acts of correction.]

[^5: X.P.38: Hand 2's ink and letter forms are evident (cp. his marginalia on this page), and his addition of hath, a form of the verb haven, aligns X with all the other C manuscripts, which read han, haven or hav. Two lines later he makes another correction, adding the verb is, that properly aligns the text with the majority reading. One might get the impression that Hand 2's corrections are efficient and precise, but we will find that they display a marked inconsistency.]

¶ Qui turpiloquium loquitur[^a8] is luciferes knaue
Bidders and beggers / fast aboute ȝede
Til here bagge and here bely / was bretful ycrammed
Fayteden for here fode / and foughten at þe ale
In glotonye þe[^a9] gomus / goth þei to bedde
And ryseþ with rybaudrye / þo robardus knaues
Slep and also slewthe / sueth suche euer
Pilgrymes and palmers / plighten hem to-gyderes
To seke seynt Iame / and seyntes of Rome
Wenten forth on here way / with many wyse tales
And hadde leue to lye aftir / al here lyf-tyme
// Hermytis wente to walsyngham
Eremites on an hep / with hokede staues
Wenten to walsyngham / and here wenches aftir
Grete lobies and longe / þat loth were to swynke
Clothed hem in copis / to be knowe fram othere
And made hemself heremites / here ese to haue
Frer

[X.P.56.m.1: The faint <F> abbreviation in the left margin, which we transcribe as Frer , does not appear in Grindley's transcription of the marginalia. For a full discussion of the marginalia, see the Introduction: Marginalia.]

I ·[^6] fonde þer -of Freris / alle þe foure ordres
// hyer preched frerys
Prechyng þe peple / for profyt of þe wombe
And glosede þe gospel / as hem good likede
For coueytise of copis / contraryed somme doctours
·
Mony of þise maistres / of mendenant freres
Here moneye and merchandise / maken to-gyderes
Ac sith charite hath be Chapman / and thief [c]hief[^7] to shryue lordes
Mony ferlyes han falle / in a fewe ȝeres
And but holichi rche holi chi rche and charite / choppe adoun suche shryuars
The moste meschief on molde / mounteth vp faste

[^a8: loquitur (X) | loquitur is (all other mss)]

[^a9: þe (X Bm Ac Dc NcL D A N) | þo (all other mss)]

[^6: X.P.56: After a line-initial first person pronoun I, Hand 1 has written a raised point. Throughout the manuscript, Hand 1 will often but not always use such a raised point regardless of how he spells the pronoun, I or y. Occasionally, Hand 1 will even insert such a raised point when the pronoun is medial in the line. We have recorded precisely what we see in all instances, whether there is or is not a raised point, so that readers can consider the meaning of such an early form of emphasis or punctuation.]

[^7: X.P.62: RK read thief in the manuscript and emend to [c]hief. It is notoriously difficult to distinguish <c> and <t> in Middle English hands, but in this case it appears that the scribe has in fact written a <t>, which he makes with two strokes, a descender and a distinct cross-stroke, as opposed to a <c>, which he makes with one continuous stroke. We take this to be simply a mechanical error and not an intended unique reading.]

¶ Ther prechede a Pardoner / as he a prest were
And brouth forth a bulle / with bischopis selys
Sayde þat hymself myhte / assoylen hem alle
Of falsnesses[^a10] and[^a11] fa stynges / of vowes ybrokene
Lewed men leued hym wel / and lykede his wordes
And comen and knelede / to kyssen his bulles
A[^8] bounchede hem with his bulles / and blered here yes
And raughte with his Rageman / Rynges and Broches
Thus ȝe gyue ȝoure gold / glotons to helpe
And leneth hit lorelles / þat lecherye haunten

[^a10: falsnesses (X) | falsnesse (most other mss)]

[^a11: and (X P2 Uc) | of (all other mss)]

[^8: X.P.72: A, "he." The scribe frequently uses a for the masculine singular pronoun, and also uses it at times for the feminine singular pronoun or, more rarely, for the third-person plural. We will note throughout the manuscript the various uses of a and identify them by part of speech, since a can also sometimes be a preposition.]

¶ Were þe bischop y-blessed / and worth bothe his eres
His seel sholde nouȝt be ysent / in deseyte of þe peple
Ac it is nouȝt by þe bischop y leue / þat þe boy precheþ
For þe parsche prest and þe Pardoner / parten þe seluer
That þe peple[^a12] in parsches / sholde haue yf þei ne were

[^a12: þe peple (X Fc) | þe pore peple (all other mss)]

// Hyer parsones & parische prestes playned to þe bischop
¶ Parsones and parscheprestis parsche prestis / pleyned to þe bischop
That here parsches were pore / sithe þis[^a13] pestelence-tyme
To haue alicence a licence and aleue a leue[^a14] / in Londoun to dwelle
And synge þer for symonye / while seluer is so swete
Bischopes and bachelers / bothe maystres and doctours
That han cure vnder crist / and crownyng in tokene
Ben charged with holychirche holy chirche / charite to tylie
That is lele loue and lyf / among lered and lewed

[^a13: þis (X Dc Uc) | þe (most other mss)]

[^a14: aleue a leue (X P2 Uc) | leue (all other mss)]

¶ Leyen in Londoun / in lenton and elles
Summe seruen þe kynge / and his siluer tellen
In þe Cheker and in þe Chancerye / chalenge n his dettes
Of wardus and of wardemotis / wayues and strayues
And summe aren as Seneschalles / and seruen oþer lordes
And ben in stede of Stewardus / and sitten and demen

// Concyence acusede prelates

[X.P.95.m.1: To the right of this marginal gloss appears a rectangular figure of unknown origin and intention.]

¶ Consience cam and cussed[^a15] hem / and þe comune herdehit herde hit
And seide ydolatrie ȝe soffren / in sondrye places manye
And boxes ben y-set forth / ybounde with yren
To vndertake þe tol / of vntrewe sacrefice
In menynge of myracles / muche wex hangeth there
Al þe world wot wel / hit myghte nouȝt be trewe
And for it profiteþ ȝow into pursward / ȝe prelates soffren
That lewed men in mysbileue / lyuen and dyen
I leue by oure lord / for loue of ȝoure coueytise
That al þe world be[^a16] the wors / as holy writ telleth

[^a15: cussed (X Dc P2 Uc) | accusid (most other mss)]

[^a16: be (X Bo Cot) | be þe (all other mss)]

¶ What cheste and meschaunce / to þe children of Irael ful
On hem þat fre were / thorwe two fals prestis
For Offines sone[^a17] / and fines his brother
Thei were discomfited in batayle / and losten Archa domini
And for here syre sey hem synne / and suffred hem do ille
And chastisid hem noght þerof / and nolde noght rebuken hem
Anon as it was tolde hym / that þe children of Irael
Were disconfit in batayle / and Archa domini lorn
And his sones slawe ther / anon he ful for sorwe
Fro his chayere þer he sat / and brake his nekke atwene
And al was for vengeance / he bet noght his children
And for þei were prestis / and men of holychirche holy chirche
God was wel þe wrother / and took þe raþer ve ngeance

[^a17: sone (X) | synne (most other mss)]

¶ For-thy y sey ȝe prestes / and men of holychurche holy churche
That soffreth men do sacrefyce / and worschipe maumettes
And ȝe shulde be here fadres / and techen hem betre
God shal take vengeaunce / on alle suche prestis
Wel hardere and grettere / on suche shrewed faderes
Than euere he dede / on Offines and Fines his fader
For ȝoure shrewed soffraunce / and ȝoure oune synne
Ȝoure masse and[^a18] ȝoure matynes / and many of[^a19] ȝoure oures[^9]
Ar don vndeuouteliche / drede is at þe laste
Lest crist in his constorie / a-corse of hem manye

[^a18: om. (X Bo Cot P2) | ȝoure (all other mss)]

[^a19: om. (X Bo Cot P2) | ȝoure (all other mss)]

[^9: X.P.125: The corrections to ȝoure by Hand 2 align X with all other C manuscripts.]

¶ I · parsceyued of þe power / that Peter hadde to kepe
To bynde and to vnbynde / as þe boke telleth
Hou he it lefte with loue / as oure lord wolde
Amonge foure vertues / most vertuous of vertues
That Cardinales ben cald / and closyng ȝates thare[^10]
Crist is in kynedom / to close with heuene
Ac of þe Cardinales at Court / þat caught han such a name
And power presumen in hemself / apope a pope to make
To haue þe power þat Peter hadde / inpugne hem y nelle
For in loue and lettrure / lith þe grete eleccoun elecc[i]oun
Contre-plede hit noght /[^11] quod Consience / for[^12] holichirche holi chirche sake

[^10: X.P.132: XP2 divide the lines thus, while most C manuscripts divide at ȝates.]

[^11: X.P.138: This very faint virgule separates two words here. The line's proper virgule appears at the caesura.]

[^12: X.P.138: In addition to being lined through, the word men is also subpuncted. The phrase men of would have been a unique reading, so it is not at all clear how Hand 1 initially obtained it, but somehow he recognized it as error and expunged it.]

¶ Thenne cam the[^a20] r[^13] akyng a kyng / Knyghchede Knygh[t]hede hym lawe[^a21][^14]
Myght of tho men / made hym to regne
And thenne cam kynde wytt / and knyghthed to-gedres
// Þe comune & kynde wit ordayned a plow
Caste þat þe comunes[^a22] sholde / here comunes fynde
Kynde wytt and þe comune / contreued alle craftes

[^a20: the (X) | ther (all other mss)]

[^a21: lawe (X) | ladde (all other mss)]

[^a22: comunes (X Sc) | comune (all other mss)]

[^13: X.P.139: Hand 2's correction aligns the text with all other C manuscripts.]

[^14: X.P.139: X's unique reading is ambiguous but is perhaps a form of MED leven, v. 1, def. 3(a): "[t]o allow (sb. or sth.) to survive, spare; allow (sb. or sth.) to remain unharmed," which is closest in implication (though only remotely) to the majority reading ladde.]

¶[^15] And for most profitable / aplogh a plogh gonne þei make
And with lele labour to lyue / while lif on londe lasteth
Thenne kynde witt to þe kynge / and to þe comune saide
Crist kepe þe kynge / and thy kyneriche
And lene the lede so þy londe / þat lewte þe louye
And for thy rightful ruylynge / be rewardid in heuene
Consience to Clergie / and to þe kynge sayde

[^15: X.P.144: Here we see the first of many uncolored <//> signs in the margins, which we take to be divisions into what we might call verse paragraphs. On the composition and function of this formework and its potential relations to the more formal colored parasigns, see the Introduction: I.5 Punctuation.]

¶[^16] Sum Rex sum Princeps / neutrum fortasse deinceps
O qui iura regis / christi specialia regis
Hoc vt agas melius / iustus es esto pius
Nudum ius a te / vestire[^a23] vult pietate
Qualia vis metere / talia grana sere
Si seritur pietas / de pietate metas

[^a23: vestire (X P2) | vestiri (all other mss)]

[^16: X.P.151: The blue paraph extends down the page to the end of the Latin lines.]

¶ Consience and þe kynge / in-to Court wente
Where houed an hundrid / in houes of selke
Seriantz it semede / that serueth at þe barre
Plededen for penyes / and poundes þe lawe
And nat for loue of oure lord / vnlose here lyppes ones
Thow myghtest betre meten myst / on maluerne hulles
// notate men of lawe
Than gete a Mum of here mouth / ar moneye were hem[^a24] shewed

[^a24: were hem (X) | be (most other mss)]

¶ Than ran þer aroute a route / of ratones / as hit were
And smale muys with hem / mo then athousend a thousend
Comen til a conseyl / for here comune profyt
For a Cat of a Court / cam whan hym likede
And ouerlep hem lightliche / and laghte hem alle at wille
// Hyere made ratonys a parlement

[X.P.169.m.1: Beneath this marginal gloss radiate three drypoint scores of unknown origin and intention, extending into a smear.]

And playde with somme parilously / and potte hem þer hym lykede
And yf we groche of his game / a[^17] wol greue vs sore
To his clees clawe vs / and[^a25] in his cloches vs halde
That vs lotheth þe lyf / ar he lette vs passe
Myghte[^a26] we[^18] with eny wyt / his wille wthsytte w[i]thsytte
We myhte be lordes alofte / and lyue as vs luste
A ratoun of renown / moste resonable of tounge
Sayde y haue seyen grete syres / in Cytees and in townes
Bere beyus of bryghte gold / al a-boute here nekkes
And colers of crafty werk / bothe knyghte[^a27] and squieres
Wer ther a belle on here beygh / by ihesu as me thynketh
Men Myghte y-wete where þei wente / and here beyȝ wa re bryghte syluer[^19]
And knytten hit on a coler / for oure comune profyt
And hongen hit aboute þe cattes halse / thanne here we mowe
Wher he riht[^a28] othere reste / or rometh to pleye
And yf us lust for to layke / than loke we mowe
And apere in his presence / þe while hym pleye lyketh
And yf hym wratheth ben we[^a29] war / and his way roume
Alle thise route of ratones / to þis resoun þei assentide[^a30]
Ac tho þe belle was y-broughte / and on þe beygh hangid
Ther ne was non of[^a31][^20] al þe route / for al þe reame of Fraunce
That derste haue ybounde þe belle / aboute þe kattes nekke
Ne haue hanged it aboute his hals / al yngelond to wynne
And leten here labour ylost / and al here longe study

[^a25: and (X) | and in (most other mss)]

[^a26: Myghte (X) | Myghte we (all other mss)]

[^a27: knyghte (X) | knyghtes (all other mss)]

[^a28: riht (X Gc) | rit (most other mss)]

[^a29: ben we (X Bo Dc P2) | we mowe be (most other mss) | be (Bm Cot Uc)]

[^a30: þei assentide (X Dc P2 Uc) | asentede (all other mss)]

[^a31: non of (X) | no raton in (most other mss)]

[^17: X.P.170: A, "he."]

[^18: X.P.173: Hand 2's correction aligns X with other C manuscripts.]

[^19: X.P.180: The scribe (or his exemplar) has omitted by eyeskip the b-verse of X.P.180 and the next line and a half. Other C witnesses read: Men Myghte ywete where þei wente and here way roume Ryȝt so quod þe raton reson me sheweth A belle to byggen of bras oþer of bryghte syluer (RK.P.183-RK.P.185). X had created nonsense by merging X.P.180 with the final words of RK.P.185. X.P.180 thus initially read Men Myghte y-wete where þei wente / and here way bryghte syluer. Hand 2 ingeniously adds the word beyȝ and converts way to ware obtaining, as we might translate, "as long as/if her bell were bright silver." This makes great sense of the otherwise garbled text. But the clever change makes us wonder whether Hand 2 had an exemplar, for if he did, why did he not simply supply the missing lines? Perhaps, therefore, these lines were missing from any and all exemplars used by Hands 1 and 2.]

[^20: X.P.189: HS are silent on this addition; RK assert that non is by a different hand from the main text and that of is by yet a third hand. Such speculation underlines the problem of attribution of hands. We have to attribute this correction to Hand X because the letter forms and ink do not immediately reflect the style of Hand 2 and yet are not in the same ink as the main text. The reading obtained is unique and must have been written over what was a two-letter word, perhaps on or in, readings attested in some other C manuscripts. Since the required reading is the much longer no raton in, the corrector was trying to repair the sense and must not have had access to the majority reading in his exemplar, assuming that this correction was part of a global check against an exemplar—an assumption that ought not to be made lightly. Almost every site of correction reveals part of a dramatic, if not always discernibly clear, textual history.]

// hyere spekyþ a mous of renoun
¶ Amous A mous þat moche good couthe / as me tho thoughte
Strok forth sturnely / and stod byfore hem alle
And to þe route of ratones / rehersede thise wordes
Thow we hadde ykuld þe Cat / ȝut shulde ther come another
To crache vs and alle oure kynde / thogh we crope vnder benches
For-thy y conseile for oure comune profit / lat þe Cat y-worthe
And be neuere[^a32] so bold / the belle hym shewe[^a33]
For y herde my syre sayn seuene ȝer y-passed
Ther þe Cat is but a kytoun / þe Court is ful elynge
Wyttenesse at holy wryt / who-so kan rede

[^a32: be neuere (X Dc P2 Uc) | neuere be we (most other mss)]

[^a33: shewe (X P2) | to shewe (all other mss)]

¶ Ve terre vbi puer est Rex
Y seye it for me quod þe mous / y se so muche aftur
Shal neuer þe Cat ne kytoun / be my conseil be greued
Ne carpen of here colers / þat costede me neuere
And thow hit costed my[^a34] catel / byknowen y ne wolde
But soffre and sey nouȝt / and[^a35] that is þe beste
Til þat meschief amende hem / þat many man chasteth
For many mannys malt / we muys wolde distruye
And þe route of ratones / of reste men a-wake
Ne were þe Cat of þe Court / and ȝonge kitones toward
For hadde ȝe ratones ȝoure ryot[^21] / ȝe couthe nat reule ȝow-suluen

[^a34: my (X) | me (all other mss)]

[^a35: and (X) | and so (all other mss)]

[^21: X.P.213: Hand 2's unique reading, ryot ( MED riot(e), likely def. 1(a): "Riotous living, dissipation, debauchery; extravagance, a course of extravagance") is, according to HS, written over the overwhelming majority reading of the C manuscripts, reed. We can confirm that the outline of a <d> is still visible, and the length of the erasure is four letters. If this is indeed the case, then Hand 2 has indeed erased an archetypal reading in favor of his own innovation.]

¶ What þis meteles bymeneth / ȝe men þat ben merye
Deuyne ȝe for y ne dar / by dere god almyhten

¶ Ȝut mette me more / of mene and of riche
As Barones and Burgeys / and bonde-men of thorpes
Al y say slepynge / as ȝe shal here her-aftur
Bothe Bakeres and Breweres / Bochers and other
Webbesteres and walkeres / and wynners with handes
As taylers and tanners / and tulyers þe erthe
As dykers and deluers / þat doth here dedis ylle
And dryueth forth here days / with d ew[^22] vous saue dame Emme
Cokes and here knaues / cryede hote pyes hote
Goode gees and grys / gawe dyne gawe
Tauerners til hem / tolde þe same
Whit wyn of Oseye / and wyn of gascoyne
Of þe reule and of þe rochele / the roost[^a36] to defye[^23]

[^a36: roost (X) | roost to (all other mss)]

[^22: X.P.223: A final minim is still visible in the four-character erasure, making it possible that the text once read dieu, the majority reading. But dew must be a form of MED deus, n. 1, so the reasons for the correction, converting to another form of the same word, are unknown, unless the initial reading was not in fact dieu, or unless with dew Hand 2 intended something we do not understand.]

[^23: X.P.228: X lacks a line that appears in most other C manuscripts: Al þis y say slepynge and seuene sythes more (RK.P.235).]

Passus primus de visione [X.1.0.h.1: HS say that the exact name erased is Pers le ploghman, but all that remains visible are the descenders of the <p>'s, as the erasure is quite thorough, and thus we can only conjecture the exact spelling of the name. We cannot determine whether the article was þe or le. Readers will also notice that portions of the red underline are damaged by the erasure. This suggests both that the act of deletion occurred after the rubrication and also that the deleter wanted, for uncertain reasons, to preserve the underlining as best he could. Possibly, but inconclusively, this could support the notion that the deletions were meant to be replaced with proper rubrication of the character's name. See Calabrese (2005), pp. 195-99 on this question and see also the Introduction: I.8 The Erasure of the Name of Piers Plowman.]

W hat[^24] the montaigne by-meneth / and þe merke dale
And þe feld ful of folk / y shal ȝou fair shewe
A louely lady of glorie[^25] / in lynnene in clothed[^a37]
Cam doun fro þe castel / and calde me by name
And sayde wille slepestou / seestow þis peple
Hou bisy þei ben / aboute þe mase
The moste party of this peple / þat passeth on þis erthe
Hadde thei worschip in this world / thei wilneth no bettere
Of othere heuene then here / thei halde[^a38] no tale
Y was afeerd of of [of] here face / thow she fayre were
And sayde mercy ma-dame / what may this be to mene
The tour vppon þe tofte quod she / treuthe is þer -ynne
And wolde þat ȝe wroghtoun / as his word techeth
For he is fader of fayth / and formor of alle
To be fayful to hym / ȝaf[^a39] ȝow fyue wittes
For to worschipe hym þerwith / þe whiles ȝe lyuen here
Wherfore he hette þe elementis / to helpe ȝow alle tymes
And brynge forth ȝoure bi- lyue / bothe lynnen and wollen
And in mesure thow muche were / to make ȝow attese
And comaundede of his cortesye / in comune thre thynges
Aren non ni defole nidefole but tho thre / and nemne hem y thenke
And rekene hem by rewe / reherse hem w her þe liketh
The firste is fode / and vesture þe seconde
And drynke þat doth the good / and drynke nat out of tyme

[^a37: in clothed (X) | yclothed (most other mss)]

[^a38: halde (X Cot Bo P2) | holden (most other mss)]

[^a39: ȝaf (X I Uc) | he ȝaf (all other mss)]

[^24: X.1.1: The initial is decorated in red ink, which extends nine lines above and the entire length of the page below.]

[^25: X.1.3: Concerning this correction, Calabrese (2005) writes that here ". . . Hand 2 has altered the text in a way that scarcely fits into any definition of "correction," obtaining a reading that disregards or converts, and for the worse, the meaning of the passage and/or the poetic structure of the verse" (YLS 19, p. 180 and n. citing Grindley's discussion). Hand 2's motivation in replacing an archetypal reading with a unique and non-alliterating one remains puzzling.]

¶ Loot in his lyue / thorw likerous drynke
Wykkede[^a40] wroghte / and wrathed god almyhty
// lo how loot lay be his doȝtres
In his dro nkenesse aday / his doughteres he dighte
And lay by hem bothe / as þe boke telleth
In his glotonye bygat / gurles þat were cherles
And al he witte þe wyn / his wikkede dede

[^a40: Wykkede (X) | Wickedly (most other mss)]

¶ Inebriemus eum vino / dormiamusque cum eo vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen / Genesis & cetera
Thorw wyn and thorw woman / there was loot acombred
For-thy drede delitable drynke / bothe day and nyghtes
Mesure is medecyne / thogh þow muche ȝerne
Al is nat good to þe gost / þat þe gott ascuth
Ne liflode to þe lycame / þat lef is þe soule
Leef nat thy lycame / for a lyare hym techeth
Which is þe wrecchede world / wolde þe bigyle
For the fend and thy flesch / folewen to-gederes
And þat schen th[^a41][^26] þe soule / and sayth hit the in herte
And wysseth þe to ben y-war / what wolde þe desseyue

[^a41: schen th (X) | seeth (most other mss)]

[^26: X.1.40: We cannot determine what was erased, but it could very well have been something akin to seeth, the reading of several manuscripts. Other manuscripts read seweth, but that would not fit into the erased space. The line caused some confusion among scribes. It is not clear what Hand 2 is intending with schenth: it could be a botched form of MED shenden, v., which can mean "(a) [t]o do harm to (sb.), injure; bring (sb.) to ruin, overcome; injure (sb., a part of the body, a faculty or capacity of the body), damage, afflict," in which case, þat in this line could refer to the devil, who harms the soul. All editors emend to seeth. Pearsall (2008) offers a helpful translation of this still confusing syntax: "And the soul sees that and tells you of it in your heart" (C-text, p. 58), with "that" referring to the devil's use of the flesh to provoke sin. If seeth is in fact the erased word, then we have another instance of Hand 2's corruption of the text.]

¶ A madame mercy / me lyketh wel ȝoure wordes
Ac þe moneye of þis molde / þat men so faste kepen
Telleth me to wham / þat tresour bylongeth

¶ Go to þe gospel quod she / and se what god sayde
Whenne þe peple aposed hym / of a peny in þe temple
And god askede at hem / hoes was þe koyne
Sesares thei sayde / sothliche we knoweth

¶ Reddite cesari sayde god / þat cesar byfalleth
Et que sunt dei deo / or ȝe don ylle
For riȝtfulliche resoun / sholde reule ȝow alle
And kynde witte be wardeyn / ȝoure we lthe to kepe
And tutor of ȝoure tresor / and take it ȝow at nede
For hosbondrye and he / holdeth to-gederes

¶ Y fraynede her fayr tho / for hym þat here made
The dep dale and þe derk / so vnsemely to se to
What may hit by-mene / madame y by-seche

¶ That is þe Castel of care / who-so cometh þer -ynne
May banne þat he born was / in body and in soule
Ther-ynne wonyeth a wyghte / þat wrong is his name
Fader of falshede / fond hit firste of alle
Adam and Eue / he eggede to ylle
And conseylede Caym / to cullen his brother
Iudas he byiapede / thorw iewene suluer
And afterward anhengede hym / hey vppon anhellerne an hellerne
He is lettere of loue / and lyeth alle tymes
That tristeth in tresor of erthe / he bytrayeth sonest
To combre men with coueytise / þat is his kynde and his lore

¶ Thenne hadde y wonder in my wit / what woman he[^27] were
// Hyer askyd wille who was þat woman þat spak to hym
That suche wyse wordes / of holy writ shewede
And y hanslede[^a42][^28] here on the hey name / or she thennes wente
What she were wytterly / þat wissede me so and tauhte

[^a42: hanslede (X Ac P Rc Vc) | halsede (most other mss)]

[^27: X.1.69: He, "she." In this manuscript, we often see he as the third-person singular feminine pronoun. We have not marked all instances, especially in long sequences where the pronoun is repeated frequently—where the context should make the meaning clear—but on occasion, for clarity, we have added notes to indicate this usage.]

[^28: X.1.71: It is not at all clear what XAcPRcVc intended with hanslede. We take this form to be metathesis of halsnen, obtaining the same meaning as the majority readings from related halsen; see MED , s.v. hanslen, v.: "To beseech (sb. that he do sth.) by invocation of God's name, etc.; entreat, implore, adjure." The variants present here and those in the other surviving witnesses illustrate, in any case, a wide range of verbs that merged over time; see MED , s.vv. halsnen, halsen, heilsen, and hansellen. In this ambiguous situation, Hand 2 tries to repair the a-verse with the addition of the first-person singular pronoun. Our thanks to Thorlac Turville-Petre for his insights on this reading.]

¶ Holy churche y am quod she / þou oughtest me to knowe
Y vndirfenge þe formeste / and freman the made
Thow broughtest me borewes / my biddyng to fulfille
Leue on me and loue me / al thy lyf-tyme

¶ Thenne y knelede on my knees / and criede here of grace
And preyede here pitously / to preye for me to amende
And also kenne me kyndly / on crist to biliue
Teche me to tresor / but telle me this ilke
How y may saue my soule / þat saynt art yholde
When alle tresores ben tried / treuthe is þe beste
I · do it vppon deus caritas / to deme þe sothe
Hit is a derworthe a druerie / as dere god hym-seluen
For who is trewe of his tonge / and of his two handes
And doth þe werkes þerwith / and wilneth noman no man ylle
He is agod a god by þe gospel / and graunte may hele
And also lyk oure lord / by saynt lukes wordes
Clerkes þat knowen hit is thus / sholde kenne it a-boute
For cristene and vncristene / claymeth it echone

¶ Kynges and knyghtes / sholde kepen hit by resoun
Rydon and rappe a-doun / in reumes aboute
And take transgressores / and teyen hem faste
Til treuthe hadde termyned / here trespas to þe ende
And halden with hem[^a43] and here[^a44] / þat han trewe action
And for no lordene loue / leue þe trewe partie
Treweliche to take / and treweliche to fyghte
Is þe professioun / and puyr ordre[^29]
That apendeth to knyghtes / and ho-so passeth þat poynt
Is appostata of knyghthed / for thei sholde nother faste
Ne forbere the serk / But fyghte and fende treuthe
And neuer leue for loue / in hope to lacche syluer

[^a43: hem (X) | hym (most other mss)]

[^a44: here (X) | with here (all other mss)]

[^29: X.1.98-X.1.101: X shares this line division with C manuscripts BmBoCotI.]

¶ Dauid in his daies / dobbed knyghtes
dede hem swere on here swerd / to serue treuthe euere
And god whan he bigan heuene / in þat grete blisse
Made knyghtes in his Couert / creatures tene
Cherubyn and Ceraphyn / suche seuene /[^30]
And anoþer lucifer loue lokest tho / ac litel while it duyred
He was an archangel of heuene / on of goddes knyghtes
He and oþer with hym / helden nat with treuthe
Lepen out in lothly forme / for his fals wille
That hadde lust[^31] to be lyk / his lord þat was almyghty

[^30: X.1.107: C manuscripts variously divide lines X.1.107-X.1.112, and only X divides line 107 at seuene, whereas most C manuscripts place the words And anoþer at the end of this line. (See the a-verse of X.1.108.) It is very strange that X.1.107 ends in a virgule, for Hand 1 very rarely ends the lines thus (e.g. X.9.145 and X.9.242), but perhaps in this instance he perceived some oddity and marked it with a virgule.]

[^31: X.1.112: In this bizarre correction, it appears that Hand 1 has deleted lost and written bost and then another hand has converted that reading to lust (the majority reading) by converting the <o> to <u>, and then the <b> to <l>. Oddly, in another C manuscript (P2), the opposite has occurred, as lust has been converted to bost.]

¶ Ponam pedem meum in Aquilone / & similis ero altissimo
Lord why wold he tho / þat wykkede lucifer
// lo fendis fille for pride
Luppen alofte //[^32] in þe north syde
Thenne sitten in þe sonne syde / þere þe day roweth
Nere hit for northerne men / anon y wolde ȝow telle
Ac y wol lacky no lyf / quod þat lady sothly
Hit is sikerore bi southe / þer þe sonne regneth
Then in þe north by many notes / noman no man leue other
For theder as þe fende fly / his fote for to sette
Ther he faylede and ful / and his felawes alle
And helle is þer he is / and[^a45] þere ybounde
Euene þe contrarie sitteth Crist / Clerkes wyteth þe sothe

[^a45: and (X Dc Ec) | and he (all other mss)]

[^32: X.1.115: At the caesura we see and have marked a rare double virgule of uncertain function.]

¶ dixit dominus domino meo / sede a dextris meis
Ac of þis matere nomore no more / n emnen[^a46] y n elle
Hewes in þe haliday / after hete wayten
Ac thei caren nat thow hit be cold / knaues when þe[^a47] worche

[^a46: n emnen (X Bo Cot I) | meuen (other mss) | nempne (Dc Fc Sc P2 Uc)]

[^a47: þe (X Rc) | þei (all other mss)]

¶ Wonder-wyse holy wryt / telleth how þei fullen
Summe in erthe summe in ayr / summe in helle depe
Ac lucifer lowest / lith of hem alle
For pruyde ther hym pokede / his payne hath non ende
And alle þat worchen þat wikked is / wenden thei sholle
Aftur here deth-day / and dwelle ther wrong is[^33]
And alle þat han wel y-wrouhte · wende þey sholle
war

[X.1.136.m.1: Hand 2 calls attention to the supplied lines with the word war. The lines were initially omitted by eyeskip on sholle and then bettere. See the similar instance at fol. 95v. in Passus 21. Grindley (2001), "Reading Piers Plowman," pp. 128, 135, designates two instances of war (here and at 95v) as "LR RP" (Literary Responses Reader Participation). Though coincidently war may bring attention to the immediate context in the poem—here in Passus 1 the Fall of Lucifer and fear of the Last Judgement—it constitutes not a literary response, but rather a practical aid, helping readers to navigate the existing formework of Hand 1 by being "aware" of the misplaced lines. The gloss is thus to be carefully distinguished from full imperative sentences using the word war at (58v and 72v, q.v.), which offer imperatives about what we should be "aware" of in the matter of the poem itself. See fol. 95v and codicological note for X.21.85.]

Estward til heuene / euere to abyde /
loke be-neþe for iij vers ben mys-set

[X.1.136.m.2: Hand 2 supplements his own left-marginal war by alerting us to look below for the lines omitted and supplied by Hand 1. The folio thus displays the great care that occasionally went into preparing the text.]

There treuthe is þe tour / that trinite ynne sitteth

[^33: X.1.134-135: Either Hand 1 initially omitted these lines but noticed quickly and marked the spot on the fly for correction during initial copying of this folio, or the lines were mis-arranged in his exemplar, causing him to copy them out cleanly, only later noticing the problem by proofing against a different exemplar or from memory of the poem. In the markup, we describe these lines as having been added "in-line" because they are comfortably tucked into the ruled lines of the folio rather than written in any margin. An example of a marginal addition of multiple lines appears at X.21.85-X.21.88, where four lines have been copied into the right margin of folio 95v.]

¶ Lere hit thus lewed men / for lettred hit knoweth
That treuthe and treweloue / is no tresor bettre
I · haue no kynde knowyng quod y / ȝut mot ȝe kenne me bettere[^34]
By what wey it wexeth / and wheder out of my menynges
Thow dotede daffe quod she / dulle aren thy wittes
To lyte lernedest y leue / latyn in thy ȝowthe

[^34: X.1.140: Hand 1 initially omitted this line but marked the spot for correction with a cross after bettere, and wrote the line at the bottom of the page.]

¶ Heu michi quod sterlilem ster[i]lem duxi vitam iuuenilem
Hit is a kynde knowynge / that kenet in thynherte thyn herte
For to louye thy lord / leuest of alle
Dey rather þen do / eny dedly synne

¶ Melius est mori / quam male viuere
And this y trowe be treuth / · ho-so kan tecche þe bettre
Lok þow soffre hym to seye / and so thow myht lerne
// notate þat loue is plante of pes
For treuthe telleth þat loue / ys triacle to abate synne
And most souerayne salue / for soule and for body
Loue is plonte of pees / most precious of vertues
For heuene holde hit ne myghte / so heuy hit furst[^35] semede
Til hit hadde of erthe yȝoten hit-silue
Was neuer lef vppon lynde / lyhtere theraftur
As when hit hadde of þe folde / flesch and blode taken
Tho was hit portatif / and persaunt as is þe poynt of anelde a nelde
May non Armure hit lette / ne none heye walles
For-thi is loue ledare / of oure lordes folk of heuene
And a mene as þe Mayre is / bitwene þe kyng and þe comune
Ryht so is loue ledare / and þe lawe shapeth
Vp man for his mysdedes / the mercement and he[^a48] taxeth
And for to knowe hit kyndly / hit comeseth by myhte
And in þe herte þer is þe hed / and þe heye walle
For of kynde knowynge of herte[^36] / ther comseth amyhte a myhte
And þat falleth to þe fader / þat formede vs alle
Lokede on vs with loue / let his sone deye
Mekeliche for oure mysdedes / to amende vs alle
And ȝut wolde hem no wo / þat wrouhte hym al þat tene
Bote mekeliche with mouth / mercy he by-soughte
To haue pitee on þat peple / þat paynede hym to dethe
Here myhtow se ensaumples / in hym-self one
That he was myhtfull and meke / and mercy gan graunte
T o[^37] hem þat hengen hym hye / and his herte thorlede
For-thy y rede ȝow riche / haueth reuthe vppon þe pore
Thow ȝe be myhty to mote / beth meke in ȝoure werkes
For þe same mesure þat ȝe meteth / amis other elles
Ȝe shal be weye þer -with / whenne ȝe wende hennes

[^a48: and he (X I P2) | he (all other mss)]

[^35: X.1.154: RK cite this addition, noting that the same change was made in Dc as well as X.]

[^36: X.1.166: HS aver that the entire phrase "kynde . . . herte" is over an erasure, a claim repeated by RK. While some rubbing is evident and some descenders are still visible, we cannot confirm the exact length of the erasure nor establish any reasons for it in relation to variant manuscript readings.]

[^37: X.1.175: The mark above the <o> appears to be a false start on the <h> that begins the next word.]

¶ Eadem mensura qua mensi / fueritis Remetietur vobis
// notate ȝe ryche
For thow ȝe ben trewe of ȝoure tonges / and treweliche wynne
And ben as chast as a child / þat chyht noþer ne fyhteth
But yf ȝe louye leeliche / and lene þe pore
Of such good as god ȝow sent / goodliche parte
Ȝe na haueth na more meryte / in masse ne in oures
Then malkyn of here maydenheed / when noman no man here couayteth[^a49]
For Iames þe gentele / iugeth in his bokes
That fayth with -outen þe feet / is feblore then nautht
And as ded as[^a50] dore nayl / but yf þe dedes folowe

[^a49: couayteth (X Bo Cot) | desireþ (most other mss)]

[^a50: as (X I Nc Q) | as a (all other mss)]

¶ Fides sine operibus mortua est
Chastite with -outen charite / worth cleyned c[h]eyned in helle
Hit is as lewed thyng as a laumpe / þat no liht is ynne
Mony chapeleynes aren chaste / ac charite hem fayleth
// notate hic vn kynde prestes
Aren none hardore ne hungriore / then men of holychirche holy chirche
Auerous and euel willed / when þei ben a-vaunsed
Vnkynde to here kyn / and to alle cristene
Shewen[^a51] here charite / and chiden aftur more
And ben a-combred with coueytise / thei can nouȝt c repe out
So harde haþ auaryce / y-hapsed hem to-gederes
And þat is no treuthe of þe trinite / but triccherye[^a52] synne
And aluther a luther ensaunple leef me / as for þe lewed peple
For this aren wordes y-wryten / in þe ewangelie

[^a51: Shewen (X) | Chewen (all other mss)]

[^a52: triccherye (X I P2 Uc) | triccherye and (all other mss)]

[^38] ¶ Date & dabitur vobis[^39]
For y dele ȝow alle / and þat is þe lok of loue & vnloseth grace
That conforteth alle carefole / acombred with synne
So loue is lecche of lyf / and lysse of alle payne
And þe graffe of grace / and grayest gra[þ]est way to heuene
For-thi y may seye as y saide eer / by shit s[ih]t[^40] of this texcestes[^a53][^41]
Whenne alle tresores ben tried / treuthe is þe beste
Loue hit quod þat lady / lette may y no lengore
To lere the what loue is / and leue at me she lauhte

[^a53: texcestes (X) | textes (most other mss)]

[^38: X.1.203: Just to the left of this line are two long ticks in text ink, which we take to have been indicators for the paraph. Hence, we do not transcribe them because the paraph was applied in blue.]

[^39: X.1.203-204: X and many other C manuscripts divide these lines thus, with the Latin phrase on its own line, not perceiving that it is actually part of a macaronic line, alliterating on /d/, which ends with the current a-verse of X.1.204.]

[^40: X.1.208: We take shit here, and below at X.18.31 and X.18.35 to be a simple transposition error, shared by XHc.]

[^41: X.1.208: Although MED , s.v. texte lists texcestes as a variant form in the plural, we consider it to be a substantive because of the extra syllable, which changes the rhythm of the b-verse.]

Passus secundus de visione vbi prius

A Nd[^42] thenne y kneled vppon my knees / and cried to here of grace
And sayde mercy ma-dame : for mary loue of heuene
That bar þat blessid barnn barn[^43] / þat bouhte[^a54] vs on þe rode
// heyre prayde will he moste fals knawe
Kenne me by sum craft / to knowe þe false
Loke vppon thy left half / and loo where he standeth
Fals and fauel / and fikel tonge lyare
And mony mo of here maners / of men and of wymmen
Y lokede vppon my luft half / as þe lady me tauhte
☜ rayede

[X.2.9.m.1: Pointing hands are rare in this manuscript. This one appears to be glossing the word yclothed, to which it directly points, with the synonym rayede ("arrayed"). But why gloss a common enough word such as yclothed? Hand 2's motivation remains unclear.]

And a womman as hit were / wonderly yclothed
She was purfiled in pelure / non puyrere on erthe
And crouned with a croune / þe kyng haþ non bettre
On alle here fyue fyngeres / ful richeliche yrynged
And thereon rede rubies and othere riche stones
Here robynge was rychere / þen y rede couthe
For to telle of here atyer / no tyme haue y nouthe
Here aray with here rychesse / raueschede my herte
Heos H[oe]s[^44] wyf a[^45] were / and what was here name
Leue lady quod y tho / layn nou ht[^46] yf ȝe knowen

[^a54: bouhte (X Hc) | bouhte vs (most other mss)]

[^42: X.2.1: The capital is decorated in red, extending the full length of the page.]

[^43: X.2.3: RK transcribe barun as the reading of X. This might render a form of barn (though unattested in the MED , s.v. barn), since the vowel is in the unstressed syllable, but the tilde over the <n> could be otiose, so we have simply transcribed barn.]

[^44: X.2.17: We have provided a correction to obtain the form hoes, which is attested in MED , s.v. whos, as a form of the genitive pronoun required here—PDE "whose."]

[^45: X.2.17: A, "she."]

[^46: X.2.18: What appears to be an otiose curl over the <g> here is actually a false start on the next letter, <h>.]

¶ That is mede þe mayde / hath niyed me ful ofte
And y-low on my lemman þat leute is hoten
And lakketh hym to lordes / þat lawes han to kepe
In kyngescourt kynges court in comune court / contraieth contra[r]ieth my techynge
In þe popes palays / he[^47] is pryue[^48] as my-sulue
Ac sothnesse wolde nat so / for she is a bastard
Oon fauel was he[^a55] re[^49] fader / þat hath a fykel tonge
And selde soth sayth / bote yf he souche gyle
And mede is manered aftur hym / as men of kynde carpeth

[^a55: he (X) | here (all other mss)]

[^47: X.2.23: He, "she."]

[^48: X.2.23: The <e> here has been touched up, as has the <e> of he two words earlier.]

[^49: X.2.25: Hand 2's correction brings X into agreement with all other manuscripts.]

¶ Talis pater talis filia & cetera
For shal neuer breere bere / berye as a vine
Ne on acroked a croked kene thorn / kynde fyge wexe

¶ Bona arbor bonum fructum facit
Holicherche Holi cherche
Y ouhte ben herrore then he / y com of abettere a bettere
The fader þat me forth brouhte / filius dei he hoteth
That neuere lyede ne lauhede / in al his lyf-tyme
And y am his dere doughter / ducchesse of heuene
That what man me louyeth / and my wille foleweth
Shal haue grace to good ynow / and a good ende
And what man[^50] mede loueth [^51] my lyf y dar wedde
He shal lese for here loue / a[^52] lippe of trewe charite
That helpeth man moste to heuene[^53] mede most letteth
Y do hit vppon dauyd / the doumbe wil noȝt lyen

[^50: X.2.38: RK cite P2 for the same addition.]

[^51: X.2.38: We attribute the addition of the word man and the addition of the punctus elevatus to Hand 2, because we detect a pattern where Hand 2 adds a punctus elevatus while performing another local correction. Hand 1, by contrast, uses only a virgule or a raised point at the caesura.]

[^52: X.2.39: Since we cannot confidently attribute the erasure (which is only partially accomplished) to the main scribe, we take the uncorrected reading, and, to be manuscript X's reading, and we attribute the correction, which aligns X with most other C manuscripts, to Hand X.]

[^53: X.2.40: HS state that <heue> of heuene are written over an erasure, but we cannot confirm that from inspection of the manuscript. If it is a change, it is in any case by Hand 1, and there are no variants. The corrigitur in the left margin of the next line may simply mark a stint of work completed at this spot. For as we will see throughout the manuscript, such marks come almost randomly, as if generated by breaks in the work, and thus they do not necessarily correspond to specific sites of correction, nor do they come at the ends of quires, passus, or even folios.]

¶ domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo & cetera
And dauyd vndoth hymself / as þe doumbe sheweth

¶ Et super Innocentem munera non accepit
To-morwe worth mede y-maried / to amansed a mansed wrecche
To oon fals faythlesse / of þe fendes kynne
Fauel thorw his flaterynge speche / hath mede foule enchaunted
And al is lyares ledynge / this lady is thus y-wedded
Soffre and thow shalt see suche as ben apayed
That mede is thus y-maried / to-morwe þou shalt aspye
Knowe hem wel yf þou kanst / and kepe the fro hem alle
That loueth here lordschipe / lasse other more
Lacke hem nat but lat hem worthe / til leutee be Iustice
And haue power to pynschen[^a56] hem / thenne pot forth thy resoun
For y bykenne the crist quod she / and his clene moder
And acombre thow neuere thy Consience / for coueityse of mede

[^a56: pynschen (X) | punyssche (most other mss)]

¶ Thus leste le[f]te me that lady / lyggynge as a-slepe
And y say how mede was maried / metyng as it were[^54]
// be-hold þe houshold of mede
Al þe riche retenaunce / þat rotheth ro[t]eth[^55] hem o fals lyuynge
Were beden to þe Bridale / abothe a bothe half þe contre
Of many manere men / þat of mede kynne were
Of knyghtes of clerkes / of other comune peple
As sysores sompnores / shyryues and here clerkes
Bydels and bailifs / and brokeres of chaffares
Vorgoers and vitalers / and voketes of the Arches
Y kan nouȝt rykene þe route / þat ran aboute mede
Ac simonye and syuile / and sysores of contrees
Were most pryue with mede / of eny men[^a57] me thoghte
Ac Fauel was þe furste / þat fette here out of chambre
And abrokor a brokor brouhte here forth / to be ioyned to þe false
When simonye and syuile / y-seyth[^a58] þer bothe wille
Thei assentede hit were so / at sylueres prayere
Thenne lup lyare forth / and saide loo here a Chartre
That Gyle hath gyue to falsnesse / and grauntid also mede
And preyeth Syuile to se hit / and Symionye Sy[m]onye[^56] to rede hit
Thenne Simonye and Syuyle / Standeth forth bothe
And vnfoldeth the feffament / þat fals hath y-maked
Thenne saide sy monye / þat syuyle it herde
A l þat loueth and byleueth / vp lykyng of mede
Leueth hit leuly le[l]ly[^57] / this worth here laste m ede
That foleweth falsnesse / Fauel and lyare
Mede and suche men / þat aftur mede wayten

[^a57: men (X) | men me (all other mss)]

[^a58: y-seyth (X Bm Bo Cot) | saugh (most other mss)]

[^54: X.2.58: The illegible character(s) in the right margin perhaps reflect a false start (the letter <b>?) at the gloss that follows below.]

[^55: X.2.59: Schmidt (2011) and Pearsall (1978) accept and print rotheth as a form of MED roten, v. 3, def. 1(a), "[t]o take root," here used reflexively, "to root themselves in false living." Pearsall later (2008) emends silently to roteth, and RK reads ro[t]eth.]

[^56: X.2.75: Hand 1 has simply written too many minims here, an error he will commit with some frequency, passim.]

[^57: X.2.80: Rather than a variant reading—some form of MED , adj., lefli, 1, 2 or 3?—the scribe's leuly appears to us to be simply an error, a partial dittography of the first word in the line.]

¶ Sciant presentes & futuri & cetera
// the feffement a-tuxe

[X.2.84.m.1: We take a tuxe to be a form of MED twix, prep.]

mede & falsnesse
Wyten and witnessen / þat wonyen on erthe
That mede is maried / more for here richesse
Then for holynesse oþer hendenesse / oþer for hey kynde
Falsnesse is fayn of here / for he wot here ryche
And fauel þat hath a fals speche / Feffeth hem by þis lettre
To ben prunyse pr[yn]se[^58] in pruyde / and pouert to dispice
To bacbite and to boste / and bere fals witnesse
To skorne and to skolde / and sklaundre to make
Vnbuxum and bold / to breke þe ten hestes
The Erldom of enuye / and yre he hem graunteth
With[^a59] the chastel of cheste / and chaterynge out of resoun
The counteth coun[te][^59] of coueytise / and consenteth to hem bothe
With vsurye and Auaryce / and other fals sleythus
In bargaynes and Brocages / with the borw of cheste
With al the lordschip of leccherye / in lenghe and in Brede
As in werkes and in wordes / and in waytynges[^a60] of yes
In woldes and in weschynges / and with ydel thouhtes
There þat wille wolde / and ne[^a61][^60] wermanschip wer[k]manschip faileth
Glotonye a[^61] gyueth hem / and grete othes to-gederes
Alday to drynke / at diuerse tauernes
And there to iangele and to iape / and iuge here Emcristene
And fastyngdayes to frete / byfore noone and drynke
With spiserye speke ydelnesse / in vayne speke[^a62] and spene
And sue forth suche felawschipe / til they ben falle in Slewthe
And a-wake with wanhope / and no wille to amende
For a[^62] leueth be lost / when he his lyf leteth
This lyf to folowe falsnesse / and folk þat on hym leueth
After here deth þa y dwellen day / with-outen ende
In lordschip with lucifer / as this lettre sheweth
With alle þe appurtinaunces[^a63] of purgatorye / and þe peyne of helle

[^a59: With (X Rc Uc) | With þe (most other mss)]

[^a60: waytynges (X Ec P) | waytynge (most other mss)]

[^a61: ne (X) | om. (most other mss)]

[^a62: speke (X Bo Cot) | speche (all other mss)]

[^a63: appurtinaunces (X I Uc) | portenaunce (most other mss) | appurtinaunce (Bm Bo Dc Rc P2 Q)]

[^58: X.2.89: See prinses at X.21.315, though the scribe's usual spelling is prince. The scribe's erroneous <u> was probably caused by anticipation of pruyde. We disagree with RK's assertion that the nasalization tilde has been added.]

[^59: X.2.95: The error here may have a paleographical motivation in an exemplar that read countey, the <y> of which was mistaken by Hand 1 or by an earlier scribe for a <þ>, subsequently transcribed as <th>.]

[^60: X.2.101: RK say that ne is in "another hand," but it is in the ink of Hand 1. Manuscripts BmBoCot put ne into the a-verse before wolde.]

[^61: X.2.102: A, "he."]

[^62: X.2.109: A, "he."]

// Witnessis of þe feffement a fayre hep

[X.2.114.m.1: Grindley (2001), p. 128, transcribes the last two words of the gloss as afayre heþ. The letters <p> and <þ> can look very similar, and we transcribe, rather, a fayre hep, which would make sense in the current context, as the gloss seeks to draw our attention to the great hoard in attendance at the proposed wedding; translate: "a fair heap," i.e., "a sizable crowd of guests."]

¶ In wittenesse o f þis[^63] thyng / wrong was the furste
And Peres þe Pardoner / of paulinesqueste paulines queste
Butte þe Bedel of Bannebury sokene
Raynald þe reue / and redyngkynges manye
Munde þe mullere / and monye mo othere
In þe date of the deuel / this dede is aseled
By syhte of sire Simonye / and syuyles leue

[^63: X.2.114: RK attribute this supralinear correction to a different hand, but Hand 1 more characteristically uses a sigmoid <s> at word endings.]

// Hyer teologi chidde ciuile & symonye
¶ Thenne tened hym teologie / when he this tales herde
And sayde to Symonye / now sorwe mot thow haue
Suche a weddyng to wurche / þat wrathe myhte treuthe
And ar this weddyng be wrouhte / wo to al ȝoure consayle
For mede is moilere / amendes was here dame
Al-thow fals were here fader / and fikeltonge fikel tonge her belsyre
Amendes was here moder / by trewe menne lokynge
And with -outen here moder amendes / mede may[^a64] be wedded
For treuthe plyhte here treuthe / to wedde on of here douhteres
And god graunte hit were so / so no gyle were
And thow haste gyue here / as gyle tauhte now god ȝeue þe sorwe
For syuyle and thi-sylue / selde fulfulleth
That god wolde were y-do / with -oute som deseyte

[^a64: may (X) | may nat (all other mss)]

¶ Y Theogie Theo[lo]gie þe tixt knowe / yf trewe doom wittenesseth
That laurence the leuyte / that lay on þe gred yre
Lokede vp to oure lord / and alowed sayde
God of thy grace · / heuene gates opene
For y man of thy mercy / mede haue diserued
And seche se[t]he man may an heye / mede of god diserue
Hit semeth sothly riȝt so on erthe /
That mede may be wedded / to noman no man bot treuthe
And thow hast feffed here with fals / fy on suche lawe
For by lesynges ȝe lacchen / largeliche mede
That ȝe nymeth the[^a65] notaries / to nauhte gynneth brynge

[^a65: the (X) | and (most other mss)]

¶ Holy churche and charite / ȝe cheweth and deuoureth
Ȝe shal abyggen hit[^a66] bothe / but ȝe amende þe sonner
For wel ȝe wyte wernardus / as holy writ telleth
That fals is faythles / the fende is his syre
And as abastard a bastard ybore / byȝete was he neuere
And mede is moylore / and[^a67] mayden of gode
Amyhte A myhte[^64] kusse the kyng / as for his kyne[^a68] womman
For-thy worcheth by wisdom / and by witt also
And ledeth here to londone / there lawe may declare
Where matrymonye may be / of mede and of falshede
And thow Iustices enioynen hem / thorw Ieroures[^65] othes

[^a66: abyggen hit (X I P2 Uc) | abigge (most other mss)]

[^a67: and (X Dc I P2 Uc) | a (most other mss)]

[^a68: kyne (X) | kynnes (all other mss)]

[^64: X.2.151: A, "she."]

[^65: X.2.155: RK's emendation to Iuroures is not necessary. See the range of forms in MED, s.v. jurour.]

¶ Ȝut beth y-war of þe weddynge / for witty is treuthe
And Consience is of his consayl / and knoweth ȝow alle
And yf he fynde ȝow in defaute / and with the fals holde
Hit schal sitte ȝoure soules / ful sore at þe laste

¶ Here-to assenteth syuyle / Ac symonye ne wolde
Til he hadde seluer for the seel / and signes of notaries
Tho fette fauel forth / floreynes y-nowe
And bade gyle to gyue / gold al aboute
And manliche[^a69] the[^a70] notaries / þat noon of hem fayle
And feffe fals witnesse / with floreynes y-nowe
For he may mede amaystrye / with his merye speche

[^a69: manliche (X Uc) | nameliche (most other mss)]

[^a70: the (X I Uc Yc) | to the (most other mss)]

¶ Tho this gold was y-gyue / grete was the thonkynge
That fauel and fals hadde / for here fayre ȝeftes
And comen ful courteysly / to conforte the false
And sayde softly / sese shal we neuere
Til mede be thy wedded wyf / wolle we nat stunte
For we haue mede amaystred thorw oure mery tonge
That he graunteþ to go / with a goode wille
To londone and to[^a71] loke / yf lawe wille iugge
To be maried for mone / med hath assented
Thenne was fauel fayn / and falsnesse blythe
And leten somne alle his seggus[^a72] · / in vche syde aboute
And bade hem alle be bowen / beggares and othere
To wende with hym to westminstre / his weddyng to honoure
Ac hakeneys hadde thei none / bote hakeneys to huyre
Thenne gan gyle to borwen hors / at many gret maystres
And shop þat ashereue a shereue / sholde bere mede

[^a71: and to (X I P2) | & (most other mss)]

[^a72: his seggus (X P2 Uc Yc) | seggus (most other mss)]

// Red hyer a blissed companye per con tra rium

[X.2.183.m.1: In this instance we see a rare bit of playful irony in the marginal annotation, mocking the "blessed company," which is, as per contrarium indicates, anything but.]

¶ Softliche in schaunbre[^a73][^66] / fram syse[^a74] to syse
And fals and fauel fecche forth sysores
And ryde on hem and on reue[^a75] s / righte faste by mede

[^a73: schaunbre (X) | sambure ~ saumbury (D Q U R)]

[^a74: syse (X) | syse to (all other mss)]

[^a75: reue (X) | reues (all other mss)]

[^66: X.2.183: It is not clear what the scribe intended with schaunbre. The manuscripts accordingly show some variation and confusion, with chaumbre the most common (and recognizable) reading, found in EcGcIMcNcP2Yc. RK's emendation s[am]b[u]re comes from DcQ, though the MED is unsure of its meaning; wondering if it is "?[a] saddle of some kind." See MED , s.v. samburi, n., citing only this line in Piers Plowman as evidence. However, since he has shown confusion of the graphemes <ch> and <sh> elsewhere to represent either /tʃ/ or /ʃ/ indeterminately (e.g. X.2.183, X.14.222, X.15.47, X.15.164, and X.20.294), the scribe may have been trying to write a form of MED chaumbre, n. 1., "[a] room or apartment for personal use; a private room or suite; chamber, bedroom," 5(a), "[a] room for the transaction of official business; consultation or counsel room, as of the King, Parliament, a guild, etc.," or 8(a), "[a] bridal chamber; marriage bed." In this unique formulation, X would be describing Meed's accommodations as part of the sheriff's hospitality on Meed's tour of the law courts.]

¶ Symonye and syuyle / seyden and sworen
That prestis and prouisores / sholden prelates serue
And y my-sulue syuyle / and symonye my felawe
Wol Ryde vppon Rectores / and ryche men deuoutours[^67]
And notaries on parsones / þat permuten ofte
And on pore prouisores / and on appeles in þe Arches
Sommnours and sodones sod[e]nes[^a76] / supersedias taketh
On hem þat loueth leccherye / lyppeth vp and rydeth
On secatours and such men / cometh softly aftur
And lat cope þe commissarie / oure cart shal he drawe
And fecchen oure vitailes / and[^a77] fornicatores
And maketh of lyare alangcart a lang cart / to lede al this othere
As fobbes[^68] and faytours / þat on here feet rennen

[^a76: sodones sod[e]nes (X I P2 Uc Yc) | sodenes þat (most other mss)]

[^a77: and (X I Uc) | of (most other mss)]

[^67: X.2.189: Deuoutours, "adulterers." A nonce word. The MED (s.v. devoutour, n.) cites only this instance.]

[^68: X.2.198: Fobbes, a nonce word. The MED (s.v. fob, n. 2) cites only this instance, defining it as "[a] cheat, trickster, deceiver." On this word in relation to the Piers Plowman corpus, see Eric Weiskott (2024).]

¶ Thenne fals and fauel / ryde forth to-gederes
And mede in þe myddes / and al this men aftur
Y haue no tome to telle / the tayl þat hem folewede
Of many maner men / for mede sake sende aftur
Ac gyle was forgoere / to gyen al this[^a78] peple
For to wisse hem þe way / and with mede abyde
Sothnesse seyh hem alle / and sayde but lytel
And prykede forth on pacience / and passed hem alle
And kam to þe kynges Court / and Consience tolde
And Consience to þe kyng / carpede hit aftur
Now by crist quod þe kyng / and y cacche myhte
Fals or fauel / or here felawe lyare
Y wolde be awreke in[^a79] tho wreches / and on here werkes alle
And do hem hange by þe halse / and alle þat hem maynteyneth
Shal neuere man on þis molde / maynpryse þe leste
But riht as þe lawe loketh / lat falle on hem alle
And comaundede a Constable / that cam at þe furste
Go a-tache tho tyrauntes / for eny tresor y hote
Lat fetere falsnesse faste / for eny skynes ȝeftes
And gurdeth of gyles heed / lat hym goo no wyddore
And bryngeth mede to me / maugrey hem alle
And yf ȝe lacchen lyare / lat hym nat a-skape
Ar he be put on þe pylorye / for eny preyere ich hote
drede stod at þe dore / and[^a80] dene herde
What was þe kynges wille / and wyghtliche wente
And bad falsnesse to fle / and his feres alle

[^a78: this (X I P2 Uc Yc) | the (most other mss)]

[^a79: in (X Sc Yc) | on (all other mss)]

[^a80: and (X I Yc) | al þat (most other mss)]

// for drede falsnesse fleyȝ to þe freris
¶ Falsnesse for fere tho / fleyh to þe freres
And gyle doth hym to gone / agaste forto for to deye
And[^a81] marchauntes mette with hym / and made hym abyde
And by-schytten hym in here shoppe[^a82] / to shewen here ware
And paraylede hym lyke here prentys / the peple to serue
Lyhtliche lyare / lep awey thenne
Lorkyng thorw lanes / to-logged of moneye
He was nawher welcome / for his many tales
Oueral y-honted / and y-hote trusse

[^a81: And (X Ac) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^a82: shoppe (X I Gc Kc P2) | shoppes (all other mss)]

¶ Tyl Pardoners hadde spye[^a83] s[^69] on hym / and polleden hym in-to house
Thei woschen hym and wypeden hym / and wonden hym in cloutes
And senten hym on sonendayes / with seeles to churche
And gaf pardon for pans / pound-mele a-boute
Thenne lourede leches / and lettre[^a84] thei sente
That lyare sholde wonye with hem / watres to loke
Spysours speken to hym / to aspye he[^a85] re ware
For a[^70] can on here craft / and knoweth manye gommes
Ac mynstrals and mesagers / mette with lyare ones
And of-helden[^a86] hym half ȝere / and eleue dayes

[^a83: spye (X) | pyte (most other mss)]

[^a84: lettre (X) | lettres (all other mss)]

[^a85: he (X) | here (all others mss)]

[^a86: of-helden (X I Yc) | wiþhuld (most other mss)]

[^69: X.2.234: Calabrese (2005) has commented on this particular correction: "Both the altered and the original readings in X are unique. It is not difficult to discern how 'pyte,' at some stage of copying or in Hand 1's immediate effort, gave rise to 'spyce': the forms share a 'py,' and scribes often confuse the letters t and c, so that 'pyte' preceded by a blot or erasure could easily be misread as 'spyce' by a scribe copying for shape rather than sense. Hand 2's intervention creating 'spyes' from this indicates that he does not seem to have had any source of textual authority available and has tried, therefore, to invent a 'pye' reading that accords with his sense of the Pardoners as agents of surveillance. The alteration lacks the sense of fellowship in treachery that 'pity' ironically expresses, but in contrast to 'spyece' it is nonetheless provocative and thematically rich. And it suggests that Hand 2 made no use of any witness here" (p. 176).]

[^70: X.2.241: A, "he."]

¶ Ac Freres thorw fayre speche / fetten hym thennes
// Ȝit freris fette hom lyere wyt hem to dwelle
And for knowyng of countreys[^a87] / they copeden hym as a frere
Ac he hath leue to lep out / as ofte as hym liketh
And is welcome when he cometh / and woneth with hem ofte
Symonye and syuile / senten to Rome
And putte hem thorw appeles / in þe popes grace
Ac Consience to þe kyng / accused hem bothe
And sayde syre kyng / by crist but clerkes amende
Thy kynedom thorw here Coueytise / wolout wol out of kynde wende
And holy churche thorw hem / worth harmed for euere
Alle fledde for fere / and flowen in-to hernes
Saue mede þe mayde / noma no ma durste abyde
Ac treuliche to telle / atremblede a tremblede[^71] for fere
And bothe wepte and wrang / when she was attached

[^a87: countreys (X I Yc) | comeres (most other mss)]

[^71: X.2.256: A, "she."]

Passus tercius de visione vt prius

N ow[^72] is mede þe mayde / and namo of hem alle
Thorw Bedeles and Baylifs / y-brouhte byfor þe kyng
The kyng callede a clerke · y can nat his name
To take mede þe mayde / and maken here at ese
Y shal asaye at[^a88] here my-sulue / and sothliche appose
What man of this world / þat here leuest hadde[^a89]
And yf she worche wysely / and by wys men consayl
Y wol forgyue here alle gultes / so me god helpe

[^a88: asaye at (X I P2 Yc) | asaye (most other mss)]

[^a89: hadde (X I Dc Yc) | haue (most other mss) | to haue (Fc Mc P2 Q Sc)]

[^72: X.3.1: The ornamented capital <N> is in blue in a box of red with red flourishes around a smiling, rather self-contented, feminine face that is likely to be that of this passus's main player, Lady Meed. Two other abstract faces emerge from the top of the ornamented capital in the left margin, four to five lines above the beginning of this passus.]

// Hyer was mede conforted
¶ Cortesliche þe Clerk thenne / as þe kyng hyhte
Took mede by þe myddel / and myldeliche here brouhte
In-to Boure with blisse / and by here gan sitte
Ac there was myrthe and mynstracie / mede to plese
That wendeth to westmynstre · worschipede here monye
Genteliche with ioye / the Iustices somme
Boskede hem to þe bour / ther this buyrde dwelte
And confortede here as they couthe / by the clerkes leue
And sayden mourne nat mede / ne make thow no sorwe
For we wel[^a90] wisse the kyng / and thy way shape
For to wedde at thy wille / where the leef licketh
For al Consiences cast / and craft as y trowe

[^a90: wel (X) | wol (all other mss)]

¶ Myldeliche mede thenne mercyede /[^73] hem alle
Of here grete goodnesse / and gaf hem vchone
Coupes of clene gold / coppes of syluer
Rynges with rubees / and othere riche ȝeftes
The leste man of here mayne / a motoun of gold
Thenne[^a91] they hadde lauhte here leue / at this lady mede

[^a91: Thenne (X) | Whenne (most other mss)]

[^73: X.3.21: In a rare error, the scribe has misplaced the virgule, locating it not at the caesura after thenne, but rather between the lifts of the b-verse.]

// notate ȝe lewed auanced
¶ Thenne come clerkes / to conforte here the same
And beden here be blythe / for we beth thyn owene
For to worche thy wille / the while þou myhte dure
[^74] And Mede hendeliche / behyhte hem þe same
To louye hem leeliche / and lordes to make
And purchace ȝow prouendres / while ȝoure panes lasteth
And bygge ȝow benefices / pluralite to haue
And in þe constorie at court / do calle ȝoure names
Shal no lewedenesse lette / þe clerk þat y louye
That he ne worth furste vaunsed / for y am byknowe
There connynge clerkes shal clokke byhynde

[^74: X.3.30: There are rough vertical patches indicative of erasure in the margins to the left of this line, corresponding to the shape of a paraph.]

[X.3.38.m.1: These vertical slash marks extend down the full length of the marginalia.]

// a comfessour co[n]fessour

[X.3.38.m.1: The scribe has written comfessour instead of confessor, perhaps an error made through anticipation of upcoming comforted.]

as a frere comforted mede & sayde as ȝe may rede
¶ Thenne come þer a confessour / y-coped as afrere a frere
To mede þe mayde / myldeliche he sayde
Thow lewed men and lered men haued layn by the bothe
Falshede[^a92] yfonde the / al this fourty wyntur
Y shal assoyle the my-s ulue / for a seem whete
And ȝut be thy bedman / and brynge adoun Consience
Amonge kynges and knyhtes / and clerkes and the lyke

[^a92: Falshede (X) | And falshede (most other mss)]

¶ Thenne mede for here mysdedes / to this man knelede
Shrefe here of here synne / shameles y leue
Tolde hym atale a tale / and toke hym anoble a noble
For to ben here bedman / and to bere wel here ernde
Among knyhtes and clerkes / consience to turne
And he assoilede here sone / and sethen a[^75] sayde

[^75: X.3.50: A, "he."]

¶ We han a wyndowe a-wurchynge wol stande vs fulheye ful heye
Wolde ȝe glase þat gable / and graue ther ȝoure name
In masse and in mataynes · for mede we shal synge
Solempneliche and softlyche / as for a suster of oure ordre
Loueliche þat lady / laghynge sayde
Y shal be ȝoure frende frere / and fayle ȝow neuere
The whiles ȝe louyen this lordes that lecherye haunteth
And lacketh nat this ladyes / þat louyeth þe same
Hit is but frelete of fleysche / ȝe fyndeth wel by bokes
And cours[^a93] of kynde · wher-of we comen alle
Ho may a-skape þe sclaundre þe skathe myhte sone be mended
Hit is synne as of seuene noon s annour relesed
Haueth mercy quod mede / on men þat hit haunteth
And y shal cuuere ȝoure kyrke / and ȝoure cloustre clo[i]stre[^76] make
Bothe wyndowes and wowes / y wol amende and glase
And peynten and purtrayen / ho payede for þe makyng
That euery seg shal se / y am a sustre of ȝoure ordre
Ac god to alle good folk · suche grauynge defendeth
To writen on wyndowes / of eny wel dedes
An Auntur pruyde be paynted there / and pomp of the world
For god knoweth thi consience / and ho þe catel ouhte[^77]
For-thy l eue lordes · leueth suche writynges
God in þe gospel / suche grauynge nouȝt alloueth

[^a93: cours (X) | a cours (most other mss)]

[^76: X.3.64: We might indicate cloustre as a variant of majority cloistre that is shared with Yc, but the form is unattested in the MED and probably witnesses another instance of the scribe having added an extra minim.]

[^77: X.3.71: Likely because of eyeskip from consience to covetousness that occurred sometime earlier in the transmission, X and several other C manuscripts lack two half-lines that would have been the b-verse of X.3.71 and the a-verse of X.3.72, here given in RK's rendering: and þy kinde wille / Thi cost and here couetyse. The error must have been impossible to detect without comparison to other manuscripts, because both poetically and syntactically, the single line created by the omission is perfectly fine; however, omission notwithstanding, the b-verse of X.3.71 may seem oblique and Pearsall's gloss is useful to recall: god knoweth "to whom the money that was spent on the benefaction properly belongs" (C-text, p. 83).]

¶ Nesciat dextra quid faciat sinistra
Lat nat thy lyft hand / oure lord techeth
Y wyte what thow delest / with thi ryhte syde
// Hyer prayde mede for veteyleres & oþere mo to þe mair

¶ Ȝut mede the Mayr / myldeliche he[^78] by-souhte
Bothe schyreues and seriauntes / and suche as kepeth lawes
To punischen vppon pilories / and vppon[^a94] pynyng stoles
As Bakeres ac[^a95] Breweres / Bocheres and cokes
For thyse men don most harm / to þe mene peple
Rychen thorw regraterye / and rentes hem beggeth
With that þe pore peple / sholde potte in here wombe
For tok thei on[^a96] trewely / they tymbred nat so heye
Ne bouhte none burgages / be ȝe ful certayn
Ne thei han no pite on the peple / þat parselmele mot begge
And thow thei take hem vntidy thyng / no tresoun þei ne halden hit
And how[^a97][^79] thei fillen nat ful / þat for lawe is seled
A[^80] grypeth þerfore a gret[^a98] / as for þe grayeth treuthe
Many sondry sorwes / in Citees falleth ofte
Bothe thorw fuyr and thorw flood / al[^a99] thorw fals peple
That bygyleth goode men / and greueth hem wrongly
The whiche þat crien on here knees / þat crist hem auenge
Here on this erthe / or elles in helle
That so bigileth hem / of here goed / þat god on hem sende
Feuer or fouler euel / other fuyr on here houses
Morreyne or other meschaunces / and mony tymes hit falleth
That Innocence is herde / in heuene amonge seyntes
That louten for hem to oure lord / and to oure lady bothe
Graunte gylours on erthe grace to amende
And haue here penaunce on puyre erthe / and nat þe peyne of helle
And thenne falleth ther fuyr / on fals men houses
And goode mennes for here gultes / gloweth on fuyr aftur
Al this haue we seyn · þat som-tyme thorw abreware a breware
Many burgages ybrent / and bodies þer -ynne
And thorw[^81] a candle clemynge / in cursed[^a100] place
Ful a-doun and forbrent / forth alle þe rewe

[^a94: vppon (X Dc I Uc Yc) | on (most other mss)]

[^a95: ac (X) | and (all other mss)]

[^a96: on (X) | on (most other mss)]

[^a97: how (X) | thow (most other mss)]

[^a98: a gret (X Dc) | as gret (most other mss)]

[^a99: al (X I P2 Uc Yc) | and al (most other mss)]

[^a100: cursed (X) | a cursed (all other mss)]

[^78: X.3.77: He, "she."]

[^79: X.3.88: We surmise that Hand 1 erased his own <ȝ>, and so intended the reading how.]

[^80: X.3.89: A, "they."]

[^81: X.3.106: There is a hole in the manuscript which the scribe accommodated when writing thorw. What may appear in images to be underlining is actually text from folio 13r showing through this hole.]

¶ For-thy mayres þat maketh fre men / me thynketh þat ȝe ouhten
· Nota ·
For to spyre and to aspye / for eny speche of suluer
What maner muster / oþer marchandise he vsed
Ar he were vnderfonge fre / and felawe in ȝoure rolles
Hit is nat seemely for-sothe / in Citee or[^a101] in borw toun
That vsurers oþer regraters / for eny skynes ȝeftes
Be y-franchised for a fre man / and haue afals a fals name

[^a101: or (X Nc) | ne (most other mss)]

¶ Ac Mede þe mayde þe mayre / a[^82] bisowte
Of alle suche sullers seluer to take
Or presentes without pans / and oþer priue ȝeftes
Haue reuthe on this regraters / þat han riche handes

[^82: X.3.115: A, "she."]

¶ In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt
Loue hem for my loue · quod this lady mede
And soffre hem som-tyme / to selle aȝeyne þe lawe
Salamon þe sage / a sarmon he made
In amendement of mayres / and oþer stywardes
And wittenesseth what worth of hem / þat wolleth take mede

¶ Ignis deuorabit tabernacula eorum / qui libenter accipiunt munera
Amonge thise lettred lordes / this latyn is to mene
That fuyr shal falle and forbrenne / al to blew aysches
The houses and þe homes / of hem þat taketh ȝeftes

¶ The kyng fram conseyl come / calde aftur mede
And sente to se here / y myhte nat se þat ladde here
Fol corteisliche þe kynge / as his kynde wolde
Lacked here a litel whith / for þat she louede gyle
And wilned to be wedded / with-outen his leue
And til treuthe hadde y-tolde here / atokene a tokene fram hym -sulue
And saide vnwittiliche womman / wrost wro[uh]t hastow ofte
And monye a gulte y haue the forgyue / & my grace graunted
Bothe to the and to thyne / in hope thow shost amende
And ay the lengur y late the go / the lasse treuthe is with the
For wors wrouhtestou neuere / then now tho thow fals toke
Ȝut y for-gyue the þis gult / godesforbede godes forbede eny more
Thow tene me and treuthe / and thow mowe be atake
In the Castel of Corf / y shal do close the as an anere[^83]
Or in a wel wors woen wo[ne][^84] / be seynte mary my lady
That alle wantowen women / shal be war[^a102] be þe one
And bitterliche banne the / and alle þat bereth thy name
And teche the to louye treuthe / and take consail of resoun
Y haue a knyght Consience / cam late fro be-ȝende
Yf he wilneth the to wyue / wolt thow hym haue
Ȝe lord quod that lady / lord hit me forbede
But y be holly at thyn heste / lat hange me elles
// Hyer was concience cald to haue weddid mede

[^a102: be war (X) | be war by (most other mss)]

[^83: X.3.142: It is likely that X intended the majority ancre and accidently wrote <e> instead of <c>; it is not likely, though it is not impossible, that he intended anere, as a adjectival noun, MED , s.v. aner, adj., "[s]olitary, lonely." Concerning this passage at large, note that, although X's rendering of lines X.3.142-X.3.145 is not unique, RK's and Pearsall's editions (lines 141-145 in both) construct the lines differently from X. Schmidt, by contrast, rejects this reconstruction and follows X. (See his lines 140-144.)]

[^84: X.3.143: We take woen to be a metathesis for the noun wone, meaning a dwelling place.]

¶ Thenne was Consience y-kald / to come and apere
Byfore þe kyng and his consayl / as clerkes and oþere
Knelyng consience to þe kyng loutede
What his wille were and what he do sholde
Woltow wedde this mede / yf y wol assente
For she is fayn of thy felawschipe / and for to be thy make ·

¶ Quod Consience to the kyng / Crist hit me forbede
Ar y wedde suche awyf a wyf / wo me by-tyde
For she[^a103] is[^85] frele of here fayth · and fikel of here speche
And maketh men mys-do / manye score tymes
In trist of here tresor / he[^86] teneth fol monye
Wyues and wedewes / wantounesse he techeth
And lereth hem to lecherye / þat louyeth here ȝeftes
Ȝoure fader she afelde[^a104] / fals and she to-gederes
He hath apoisend popes / he appeyreth holy churche
Is nat abettere a bettere baude by hym / þat me made[^87]
Bytwene heuene and helle / and erthe thogh men soughte
For she is tikel of here tayl / tale-wys of tonge
As comyn as þe cartway / to knaues and to alle
To Monekes to alle men / ȝe musels in hegge[^a105]
Lyggeth by here when hem lust / lered and lewed
Sysores and somnours / suche men he[^a106][^88] preiseth
Shyreues of shyres · were shent yf he nere
For he doth men lesen here lond / and here lyf bothe
He lat passe prisones / paieth for hem ofte
And gyueth the gaylers gold / and grotes to-gederes
To vnfetere the fals / and fle wher hym liketh
And taketh treuthe by the top · / and teieth hym fa ste[^89]
And hangeth hym for ha trede[^90] / þat harmede nere
To be cursed in þe[^a107] constorie / a[^91] counteth nat arusche a rusche
For a[^92] copeth þe commissarie / and coteth his clerkes
He is assoiled thus sone / as here-sulue lyketh
He may ny as muche do / in amonthe a monthe ones
As ȝoure secrete seel / in sixe score dayes
He is priue with þe pope / prouysours it knoweth
For symonye and here-sulue / seleth here bulles
He blesseth this bischopes / thow thei ben ny lewede
He prouendreth parsones / and prestes he maynteneth
To holde lemmanes and lotebyes / al here lyf-dayes
And bringeth forth barmes bar[n]es[^93] / aȝenes forbodene lawes
// notate prestes gurles

[^a103: she (X) | she is (all other mss)]

[^a104: afelde (X I P2 Yc) | felde (all other mss)]

[^a105: hegge (X Hc I) | hegges (most other mss)]

[^a106: he (X) | here (all other mss)]

[^a107: in þe (X Dc I Uc Yc) | in (most other mss)]

[^85: X.3.159: Here Hand 2's addition of is aligns X with all other C manuscripts.]

[^86: X.3.161: He, "she."]

[^87: X.3.166: Hand 2 has added a separation mark, resembling a modern colon, between the <e> he added to obtain baude and the next word, by. In what seems like an unrelated phenomenon and a coincidence, the virgule, which is the work of Hand 1, occurs after hym in this line, when it should have come at the actual caesura after baude . There are no signs of its having been erased or moved.]

[^88: X.3.172: He, "she."]

[^89: X.3.178: HS saw (and we can still see) traces of the original reading: techeth hym folte (trans: "teaches him falsely") which is the sense also of IP2UcYc, and which has a distinctly different meaning from what Hand 2 has obtained through correction (trans: "tie him up fast"), the sense of the majority of manuscripts.]

[^90: X.3.179: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with most other manuscripts.]

[^91: X.3.180: A, "she."]

[^92: X.3.181: A, "she."]

[^93: X.3.190: An otiose minim renders the intended <n> an <m>. Compare the situation to that of barn (X.2.3).]

¶ Sunt infelices / quia matres sunt meretrices
Ther she is wel with eny kyng / wo is þat[^a108] rewme
For she is fauerable to þe fals / the whiche defouleth treuthe
By ihesu with here ieweles / the Iustices she shendeth
He lyth aȝeyn þe lawe / and leith[^a109] hym þe gate
That fayth may nat haue his forth / here floreynes goth so thykke
And leet[^a110] þe lawe as here luste / and louedayes maketh
Thorw which loueday is loste / þat leute myhte wynne

[^a108: þat (X I Uc Yc) | þe (all other mss)]

[^a109: leith (X) | letteth (most other mss)]

[^a110: leet (X Yc) | ledeth (most other mss)]

¶ The mase for amene a mene man / thow he mote euere
Lawe is so lordliche / and loth to make eny[^a111] ende
With -oute presentes oþer pans / he pleseth ful fewe
Trewe Burgeys and bonde / he bryngeth to nauhte ofte
And al þe comune in care / and in coueytise

[^a111: make eny (X I P2 Uc Yc) | maken (most other mss) | make an (Dc Mc Sc)]

¶ Religioun he al to-reueth / and oute of reule to lybbe
Ther ne is Cite vnder sonne ne noon so ryche reume
Ther he is alowed and ylet by þat laste shal eny while
With -outen werre oþer wo / oþer wickede lawe
And custumes of coueytise / þe comune to destruye
Vnsittyng soffraunce / here suster and here-sulue
Han al-mest mad / but marye the helpe
That no lond ne loueth the / and ȝut leeste thyn owene

¶ For clerkes and coueitise / mede hath[^94] knet to-gederes
That al þe witt of the world / is woxe in-to Gyle
Thus lereth this lady thi lond / now lord ȝeue here sorwe
For pore men dar nat pleyne / ne no pleynt shewe
Such amaister a maister is mede / among men of gode

[^94: X.3.212-213: The word hath in this line and the first three letters of woxe in the next line have been touched up in a different ink by an unknown hand that resembles Hand 2 in ink and letter forms. There appears to be no actual alteration to the text.]

// Hyer muornede mede for concience acusede here
¶ Thenne mournede mede / and menede here to þe kyng
To haue space to speke / spede yf amyhte a myhte[^95]
The kyng grauntede here grace / with agoode a goode wille
Excuce the yf thow kanst / y can nomore segge
For Consience acuseth the / to congeye the for euere

[^95: X.3.218: A, "she."]

¶ Nay lord quod þat lady / leueth hym þe worse
When ȝe[^a112] wyteþ witterly / in whom þe wrong liggeth
Ther þat meschief is greet / mede may helpe
And þat knowestou[^a113] Consience / y cam nat to chyde
Ne to depraue thy persone / with a proed herte
Wel thow wost weye / but yf thow wille gabbe
Thow hast hanged on my half / enleuene tymes
And also gryp[^a114] my gold and gyue hit where þe liked
Why thow wrathest þe now / wonder me thynketh
Ȝut y may as y myhte / menske þe with ȝeftes
And maynteyne thi manhede / more then thow knowest
Ac thow hast famed me foule / byfore þe kyng here
For kulde y neuere no kyng / ne conseilede so to done
Ac y haue saued my-selue / sixty thousend lyues
Bothe here and elles-where / in alle kyne londes
Ac thow thy-sulue sothly / ho[^a115] hit segge durste
Hast arwed many hardy man / þat hadde wille to fyhte
To berne and to bruttene / to bete adoun strenghtes
In contrees there the kyng cam / consience hym lette
That he ne felde nat his foes / tho fortune hit wolde
And as his wyrdus were ordeyned / at þe wille of oure lorde
Caytifliche thow Consience / conseiledest þe kyng to[^96] leten
In his enemyes handes / his heritage of Fraunce
Vnconnynge is þat Consience / a kyndom to sulle
For þat conquereth[^a116] thorw a comune helpe a kyndom or ducherie
Hit may nat be sold sothliche / so many part asketh
Of folk þat fauht þerfore / and folwede þe kynges wille
The leste ladde þat longeth with hym / be þe londe ywonne
Loketh aftur lordschipe / or oþer large mede
Wherby he may as aman a man / for eueremore lyue aftur
And þat is þe kynde of a kyng / þat conquereth on his enemys
To helpe heyliche alle his ofte / or elles graunte
Al þat his men may wynne / do ther-with here beste
For-thy y consayl no kynge / eny conseyl aske
A t[^97] Concience þat coueiteth / to conquere areume a reume
For sholde neuere Consience / be my constable were y akyng a kyng quod mede
Ne be Marschal ouer my men / there y moste fyhte
Ac hadde y mede ben his marchel / ouer his men in Fraunce
Y durste haue y-leyd my lyf / and no lasse wedde
He sholde haue[^a117] be[^98] lord of þat lond / a-lenghe and a-brede
And also kyng of þat kuth / his kyn for to helpe
The leeste brolle of his blod / a Barones pere
Vnconnyngliche Consience[^a118] / conseiledest hym thenne
To lete so his lordschipe / for a litel mone
Hit bycometh for akyng a kyng þat shal kepe a reume
To ȝeue men mede / þat meekliche hym serueth
To aliens and to alle men / to honoure hem with ȝeftes
Mede maketh hym be by-loued / and for aman a man y-holde
Emperours and Erles / and alle manere lordes
Thorw ȝeftes haen ȝemen / to ȝerne and to ryde
The pope and alle prelates / presentes vnderfongen
And ȝeuen mede to men / to meyntene here lawes
Seruantes for here seruyse mede they asken
And taken mede of here maistres / as þei mowen acorde
Bothe Begeres and bedemen / crauen mede for here preyeres
Munstrals for here minstracie / amede a mede thei asken
Maistres þat kenneth clerkes / craueth therfore mede
Prestes þat prechen / and þe peple techen
Asken mede and maspans mas pans / and here mete bothe
Alle kyn crafty men / crauen mede for here prentises
Marchaundise and mede / mot nede to-gederes[^a119]
Is no lede þat leueth / þat he ne loueth mede
And glad for to grype here / gret lord oþer pore
// Hyere holdeth þe kyng wyt mede

[^a112: ȝe (X) | ȝe wyten (most other mss)]

[^a113: knowestou (X Fc I) | knoweþ (most other mss)]

[^a114: gryp (X Dc Nc P2 Yc) | grypen (all other mss)]

[^a115: ho (X I Nc P Uc) | ho so (all other mss)]

[^a116: conquereth (X P2 Uc Yc) | is conquered (most other mss)]

[^a117: haue (X) | haue ben (most other mss)]

[^a118: Consience (X I Dc Uc Yc) | þow Conscience (most other mss)]

[^a119: to-gederes (X I P2 Uc Yc) | go to-gederes (all other mss)]

[^96: X.3.243: Here Hand 2's addition converts X's majority reading into a minority reading, to leten, shared by ISc.]

[^97: X.3.256: An unknown hand has altered the <c> in dark ink to obtain the majority reading At. AcFcP2 read ac, the original reading of X.]

[^98: X.3.261: All but one of the C witnesses has some form of ben here, so though Hand 2's spelling be is unique, his correction attempts to align X with the majority reading.]

¶ Quod þe kyng to Consience / by crist as me thynketh
Mede is worthy me thynketh / þe maistrye to haue
Nay quod Consience to þe kyng / clerkes witeth þe sothe
That mede[^a120] is euermore / amayntenour a mayntenour of Gyle
As þe sauhter sayth by such þat ȝeueth mede
Tha[^a121] t vnlaufulliche lyuen / hauen large handes
To ȝeue men mede / more oþer lasse
Ac ther is mede and mercede / and bothe men demen
A desert for som doynge derne oþer elles
Mede many tymes / men ȝeueth bifore þe doynge
And þat is nother resoun ne ryhte / ne[^99] in no rewme lawe
That eny man Mede toke / but he hihte hi[t] myhte deserue
And for to vndertake / þe[^a122] trauaile for another
And wot neuere witterly / where he lyue so longe
Ne haue hap to his hele / mede to deserue
Y halde hym ouer hardy / or elles nat trewe

[^a120: mede (X) | mede is (all other mss)]

[^a121: Tha (X) | That (all other mss)]

[^a122: þe (X) | to (all other mss)]

[^99: X.3.295: The markup is inadequate here. A single minim of an original <m> has been overwritten to form the needed <e> of ne.]

¶ That pre manibus is paied / or his pay asketh
Harlotes and hoores / and also fals leches
They asken here huyre / ar thei hit haue deserued
And Gylours gyuen byfore / and goode men at þe ende
When þe dede is y-do / and þe day endit
And þat is no mede / but amercede a mercede amanere a manere dewe dette
And but hit prestly be y-payed / þe payere is to blame
As by the book þat byt / no-body with -holde
The huyre of his hewe / ouer eue til amorwe a morwe

¶ Non morabit morabit[ur] opus mersenarii & cetera
And ther is resoun as a reue / rewardynge treuthe
That bothe the lord and the laborer / be leely yserued
The mede þat many prest taken / for masses þat thei syngen

notate presbiteri
¶ Amen Amen Matheu seyth / Mercedem suam recipiunt
In Marchandise is no mede / y may hit wel a-vowe
Hit is as[^a123] apermutacoun a permutacoun a permutac[i]oun[^100] apertly / on peneworth for another
And thow the kyng of his cortesye / Cayser or pope
Ȝeue lond or lordschipe / oþer[^a124] large ȝeftes
To here[^a125] and to[^a126] lege / loue[^a127] the cause
And yf tho lele and lege / be luyther men aftur
Bothe kyng and Cayser / and þe crouned pope
May desa lowe[^101] that thei dede / and do þerwith another
And by-nyme hit hem anone / and neuere-more aftur
Noyther eny of[^a128] here ayres / hardy to claymen
That kyng oþer kayser hem gaf / Catel oþer rente
For god gaf salomon / grace vpon erthe
Richesse and resoun / the while he ryhte lyuede
And as sone as god seyh / a[^102] sewed nat his wille
Arefte A refte[^103] hym of his richesse / and of his ryhte mynde
And[^a129] hym lyued[^104] in mysbileue / y leue he be in helle
/

[X.3.331.m.1: In the margin to the left of this line we see a virgule. This mark is not likely to be an uncolored paraph indicator, which would normally appear as two slashes. Rather it may be a corrector's mark, to refer himself to the need for correction in that line. And in this line we do see a correction by Hand 1 of goose to glose.]

So god gyueth no-thyng / þat si ne[^105][^106] is the g lose
And ryhte so sothly may kyng and pope
Bothe gyue and graunte / there his grace lyketh
And efte haue hit aȝeyne / of hem þat don ylle
Thus is mede and[^107] mercede / as two maner relacions[^108]
Rect and indirect / reninde bothe
On a sad and a siker / semblable to hem-suluen
Ac adiectif and sustantif / vnite asken
And acordaunce in kynde / in case and in nombre
And ayther is otheres helpe / of hem cometh retribucioun
And that[^a130] þe gyft þat god gyueth / to alle lele lyuynge
Grace of good ende / and gret ioye aftur

[^a123: is as (X I Uc) | is (most other mss)]

[^a124: oþer (X Ec P) | or (most other mss)]

[^a125: here (X Bm P2) | here lele (most other mss)]

[^a126: and to (X I P2 Yc) | om. (most other mss) | and (Dc Gc Kc Mc Uc)]

[^a127: loue (X I P2 Uc Yc) | loue is (all other mss)]

[^a128: eny of (X I P2 Uc Yc) | thei ne (most other mss)]

[^a129: And (X) | And soffrede (all other mss)]

[^a130: that (X I Uc Yc) | that is (all other mss)]

[^100: X.3.316: Both Pearsall (2008) and RK adopt X's spelling, a form which, however, is not attested in the MED .]

[^101: X.3.322: The majority reading, which all editors print, is a form of PDE "disavow," which is justly required by the sense. It appears that X once read, accordingly, desauowe, but that some hand, in darker ink—we cannot say for sure it is Hand 2—has altered to a form on PDE "disallow," a reading shared with FcQSc.]

[^102: X.3.328: A, "he."]

[^103: X.3.329: A, "he."]

[^104: X.3.330: Since X's unique opening lacks the verb soffrede—required to make sense with the infinitive lyue—Hand 2 has tried (imperfectly) to repair the meaning by altering to lyued. The sense of the majority reading is "he (God) allowed him (Solomon) to live in misbelief."]

[^105: X.3.331: The underlining is in an ink closely resembling that of the marginal glosses and the running header—that of Hand 2. He has underlined both the Latin si and the English ne, perhaps at a glance thinking that they formed one Latin word. The same ink appears in a second underline at X.3.335.]

[^106: X.3.331: C witnesses vary greatly here. Most manuscripts read synne ne, while IUcYc read si ne; X's reading is ambiguously spaced, so it actually may be either one or two words. That majority reading synne ne might mean something like "[God gives nothing for which] sin is not the gloss," which is oblique. But the two-word reading si ne (which all editors actually adopt) constitutes Latin si, "if," plus the English negative particle ne. Pearsall (2008) thus translates the line: "So God gives nothing without an if in the margin," and he takes this as a reference to God's promise to Soloman "after the dedication of the temple, where si marks a series of stern conditions (2 Chr. 7:13, 17, 19)" (C-text, p. 93).]

[^107: X.3.335: What may appear here in the image to be an erasure is merely a blemish in the vellum that the scribe has written over.]

[^108: X.3.335: The underlining is in an ink closely resembling that of the marginal glosses and the running header—that of Hand 2. The same ink appears in the underlining at X.3.331.]

¶ Retribuere dignare domine deus & cetera
Quod the kyng to Consience / knowen y wolde
What is relacion rect / and indirect aftur
Thenne adiectyf an[^109] sustantyf / for englisch was it neuere
Relacioun rect quod Consience / is arecord a record of treuthe

[^109: X.3.346: An, "and."]

¶ Quia ante-late rei recordatiuum est
Folowynge and fyndynge / out þe fundement of a strenghe
And styfliche stande forth / to strenghe þe fundement
In kynde and in case / and in þe cours[^a131] of nombre
As aleel a leel laborer byleueth þat his maister
In his pay and in his pite / and in his puyr treuthe
To pay hym yf he parforme / and haue pite yf he faileth
And take hym for his trauaile / al þat treuthe wolde
So of holy herte cometh hope / and hardy relacoun
Seketh and seweth / his sustantif sauacioun
That is god the ground of al / agraciouse a graciouse antecedent
And man is relatif rect · / yf he be rihte trewe

[^a131: þe cours (X Dc Uc Yc) | cours (all other mss)]

¶ He a-cordeth with crist in kynde /[^110]
Verbum caro factum est / in case
Credere in ecclesia / in holy kyrke to bileue
In nombre Rotye and aryse / and remissioun to haue
Of oure sory synnes / to be assoiled and y-clansed
And lyue as oure crede vs kenneth / with crist withoutenende withouten ende
This is relacion rect / ryht[^a132] adiectyf and sustantyf
Acordeth in alle kyndes / with his antecedent
Indirect thyng is / as ho-so coueytede
Alle kyn kynde to knowe and to folowe
And with -oute cause to cache / and come to bothe nombres
In whiche ben gode and nat gode / and graunte here nauhte[^a133][^111] will
And þat is nat resonable ne rect / to refuse my syre name
Sethe y am his sone and his seruant / sewe for his ryhte
For ho-so wolde to wyue haue / my worliche douhter
I · wolde feffe hym with alle here fayre / and[^a134] here foule taylende
So indirect i s in-lyche to coueyte
To a-corde in alle kynde / and in alle kyn nombre
With -outen coest and care / and alle kyn trauayle
As[^112] relacoun rect is / a ryhtful custume
As a kyng to clayme / the comune at his wille
To folowe and to fynde hym / and seche at hem his consayl
That here loue to his lawe Thorw al þe lond a-corde
So comune claymeth of a kyng / thre kyne thynges
Lawe l oue and lewete / and hym lord antecedent
Bothe heued and here kyng / haldyng with no parteyȝe
Bote standynge as a stake þat stikede in a mere
Bytwene two lordes / for a trewe marke
Ac þe moste partie of peple / now puyr indirect semeth
For they wilnen and wolden / as beste were for hem-sulue
Thow the kyng and þe comune / al the coest hadde
Such inparfit peple / repreueth alle resoun
And halt hem vnstedefast for hem lakketh case
As relacoynes relac[yo]nes indirect / rercheth re[c]cheth thei neuere
Of the cours of case / so thei cache suluer
Be the peccunie y-paied / thow parties chyde
He þat mede may lacche / maketh lytel tale
Nyme he anoumbre a noumbre / of nobles or of shillynges
How þat cliauntes a-corde / a-counteth mede litel
Ac adiectyf and sustantyf / is as y her[^a135] tolde
That is vnite a-cordaunde[^a136] / in case in gendre and in noumbre
And is to nempne in oure mouth / more no[^a137] mynne[^113]
But þat alle maner men / wymmen and childrene
Sholde confourme hem to o kynde / on holy kyrke to bileue
And coueyte þe case / when thei couthe vnderstande
To syke for here synnes / and soffre harde penaunces[^a138]
For þat lordes loue / that for oure loue deyede
And coueytede oure kynde / and be kald in oure name

[^a132: ryht (X I Dc P2 Yc) | ryht as (all other mss)]

[^a133: nauhte (X Nc) | noyther (most other mss) | noþers (Ac Ec Mc P Rc Vc)]

[^a134: and (X Dc Fc Q Sc) | and with (most other mss)]

[^a135: her (X Dc Nc Q) | er (most other mss)]

[^a136: a-cordaunde (X) | a-cordaunce (most other mss)]

[^a137: no (X Yc) | ne (all other mss)]

[^a138: penaunces (X Dc I Uc Yc) | penaunce (all other mss)]

[^110: X.3.360-X.3.361: XI alone divide the lines thus; Y writes them as one line, and all other manuscripts present them as two lines, divided at factum est; that is, they place what is the a-verse of X.3.361 as the b-verse of the previous line. That X has written and struck out the beginning of the word verbum indicates some confusion perhaps about how to render these lines. XI seem not to have understood that the line is macaronic, alliterating on <c>.]

[^111: X.3.371: What may appear here in the image to be an erasure is merely a blemish in the vellum that the scribe has written over.]

[^112: X.3.379: RK transcribe As, while Pearsall transcribes Ac. The second character of the first word is ill-formed.]

[^113: X.3.401: The tail of the y has been touched up in a dark ink.]

¶ deus homo and nyme hym in-to oure noumbre now and euere-more
Qui in caritate manet / in deo manet et deus in eo
Thus is man and mankynde / in maner of sustantyf
As hic & hec homo / askyng an[^114] adiectyf
Of thre trewe termisonus / trinitas vnus deus

[^114: X.3.411: It looks as if the scribe had started to write an erroneous <d>, but never finished the letter, so we do not transcribe it. The article an is obviously required here. P2 has the erroneous and.]

¶ Nomin atiuo pater & filius & spiritus sanctus[^115]
Ac ho-so rat of regum / rede me may of mede
How he absoloun / to hangynge brouhte
And seche se[t]he for / sauel / saued akyng a kyng for mede
Regum
Agaynes godes comandement / god tok such a vengeaunce
That saul for þat synne / and his sone deyede
And ȝaf the kyndom / to his knaue / þat kept shep and lambren
As me ret in regum / aftur Ruth of kynges
How god sente to sauel / be samuel þe prophete
That a-gag of Amalek / and alle his leege peple
Sholde deye dersly der[f]ly[^a139] / for dedes of here eldres
Sauel quod samuel / god hym-sulue hoteth
To be buxum at my byddyng / his loue to fulfille
Haste the with al thyn oste / to þe lond of Amalek
And alle þat leueth on þat lond / oure[^a140] lord wol þat thow sle hit
Man & womman and wyf / childe wedewe and bestes
That dwelleth in amalek / mebles and vn-mebles[^116]
Man and alle[^a141] bern hit bere hit nat a-wey be hit neuer so riche
For eny mede of money / al that thow myhte
Spille hit spare hit nat / and thow shalt spede th[^a142] e bettere[^117]
And for a[^118] coueytede here catel / and the kyng sparede
For bar hym and his beste bestes / as þe byble wittenesseth
Other-wyse then god wolde / and warnede hym by þe prophete
God sayde to Samuel / þat Sauel sholde deye
And al is for þat synne / shentfolyche ende
Thus was kyng sauel ouercome / thorw coueytise of mede
That god for euere and alle[^a143] eyres aftur
The culorum of this kaes / kepe y nat to shewe
An Auntur hit nuyede me / noen ende wol y make
For so is the world went / with hem þat han þe power
// He þat sayth trewþe schal be schent
That he þat sayth men sothest / is sonnest yblamed
In[^a144] Consience knowe this / for kynde wit me tauhte
That resoun shal regne / and reumes gouerne
And riht as agag hadde / happe shal somme
Samuel shal sle hym / and sauel shal be y-blamed
And dauid shal be ydyademed / and a-daunte[^a145] alle oure enemyes
And o cristene kyng / kepe vs echone
Shal no mede be maister / neuere-more aftur
Ac loue and lownesse and lewete to-gyderes
Tho shal be maistres on molde / trewe men to helpe
And ho-so taketh aȝeyn treuthe / or transuerseth aȝeyns resoun
Lewete shal do hym lawe / and no lyf elles
Shal no seruaunt[^a146] for[^a147] seruicie[^a148] · / werie a selk houe
Ne no pelure in his paueloun[^119] / for pledyng at þe barre
Muchel[^a149] is thorw mede / mony tymes y-soffred
And letteth the lawe / thorw here large ȝeftes
As[^a150] kynde loue shal come ȝut / and Consience to-gyderes
And maky of lawe laborer[^a151] / suche loue shal aryse
And such pees among þe peple / and aparfit a parfit trewthe
// lo how iewe sc hull conuerte for ioye
That iewes shal wene in he[^a152] re wit / & wexen so glade
That here kyng be ycome / fro þe Court of heuene
The which moises or messie / þat men ben so trewe
For alle þat bereth baslard / briht swerd oþer launce
Ax oþer hachet / or eny kyne wypne
Shal be demed to þe deth / but yf he do hit smythye
In-to sykel or in-to sythe / to shar oþer to coltur

[^a139: dersly der[f]ly (X I Uc Yc) | delefully (other mss)]

[^a140: oure (X) | oure lord (all other mss)]

[^a141: alle (X) | alle thynges (most other mss)]

[^a142: th (X) | the (most other mss)]

[^a143: alle (X) | alle his (most other mss)]

[^a144: In (X) | I (most other mss)]

[^a145: a-daunte (X Mc Uc Yc) | daunten (most other mss)]

[^a146: seruaunt (X Gc Kc Sc Uc) | seriaunt (all other mss)]

[^a147: for (X I Yc) | for þat (most other mss)]

[^a148: seruicie (X I) | seruice (all other mss)]

[^a149: Muchel (X I Yc) | Muchel euel (most other mss)]

[^a150: As (X I P2 Yc) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^a151: laborer (X Ec) | a laborer (most other mss)]

[^a152: he (X) | here (all other mss)]

[^115: X.3.413: The first word in this line suffers from some scribal repair, for the scribe had initially written Noit and had to write over it to correct himself. RK state that they see an <m> written over the letter <t> in the main hand, but one can decode the scribe's repair work differently, according to a variety of suspensions of similar (though not exact) forms listed in Cappelli (p. 238). We transcribe Nominativo, with the tilde supplying the nasals and thus interpreting the <a> as the letter that has been written over the offending <t>. But if the <a> we see is actually an <n> with a superscript <a>, then we could transcribe Nominativo. The playfully ingenious literary context likely threw the scribe off, as the poem here intends a phrase meaning "in the nominative [case]" where one would expect nomine (in the name [of the Father and Son, etc.]). See Pearsall's note for an explanation of the grammatical conceit that informs this episode (C-Text, p. 97, n. to l. 405). No matter how one transcribes it, the scribe has labored, evidently, to get this clever pun correct, which may indicate his keen comprehension of this notoriously arcane sequence in the text. If X had gotten it wrong, in fact, he would have been the only one to have done so, as the surviving witnesses show no variants here.]

[^116: X.3.429-X.3.430: The textual situation is complex, for most editors reject the phrase That dwelleth in amalek, which is found in XDcIP2UcYc. The other witnesses, and subsequently the modern editors, omit this half line, starting the two lines with mebles and bern, respectively.]

[^117: X.3.432: The added <e> is followed by a mark resembling a modern colon to separate the words the and better.]

[^118: X.3.433: A, "he."]

[^119: X.3.456: RK and Pearsall read panelon, which Pearsall glosses as "cap (coif)." Schmidt prints, as we do, paueloun, which he glosses as "a lawyer's cape," per MED paviloun, n. 2.]

¶ Conflabunt gladios suos in vomeres & lancias[^a153] in falces
Vche man to pley with aplogh a plogh / apikois a pikois oþer a spade
Spynne oþer speke of god / and spille no tyme
Prestes and parsones placebo / and dirige
Here sauter and here seuene phalmes p[s]almes for alle synful preyen
Haukyng or huntyng / yf eny of hem hit vse
Shal lese þerfore his lyflode / and his lyf par -auntur
Shal nother kyng ne knyght / Constable ne Mayre
Ouerkarke þe comune / ne to þe Court sompne
Ne potte men in panele / ne do men plihte here treuthe
But aftur þe dede þat is y-do / the doom shal recorde
Mercy or no mercy / as most trewe acorden
Kynges Court and comune Court / constorie and shaprie[^a154][^120]
Al shal be but a couert / and o · barn[^121] be Iustice
And þat worth trewe tonge / atydy a tydy man þat tened me neuere
Batailes sholle neuere eft be / ne man bere eg-toel
And yf eny smyth smethen hit / be smyte þer -with to dethe

[^a153: lancias (X I P2 Yc) | lancias suas (most other mss)]

[^a154: shaprie (X) | chapitre (most other mss)]

[^120: X.3.481: The form shaprie is unattested in the MED . Hence, we do not suggest a correction, because we cannot say for certain that the scribe intended the expected form of majority chapitre.]

[^121: X.3.482: In this interesting situation, Hand 2 has crossed out the overwhelming majority reading buryne meaning "man" and substituted barn meaning "child," perhaps thinking of Christ. (Gc also reads barn and by correction as well.) This is more evidence that Hand 2 was not employing, or not choosing to follow, Hand 1's exemplar in his corrections.]

¶

[X.3.486.m.1: This marginal gloss is one of three references to prophecy in the margins; see our dicsussion of their origin and meaning in the Introduction: I.4 Script and Hands. In this instance, profecia petri is preceded by a symbol that we encounter elsewhere in the manuscript, whose function we also discuss in the introduction. Ralph Hanna has examined the figure for us and sees it as a variation of the scribe's usual pre-colored paraph marker, <cc>, but here it must function as a sort of marker to frame the annotation.]

prophecia petri
¶ Non leuabit gens contra gentem gladium nec excercebuntur ex[er]cebuntur[^122] vltra ad prelium
Ac ar this fortune falle / fynde me shal the worste
Be sixe gonnes[^a155][^123] in a ship / and half a shef of Arwes
And the[^a156] lyȝt[^124] of þe[^a157] mone shal make þe iewes turne
And saresines for þat syhte / shal syng Credo in spiritum sanctum
For Machameth and mede / and mishap þat tyme

[^a155: gonnes (X) | sonnes (all other mss)]

[^a156: the (X) | the middel (most other mss)]

[^a157: þe (X Dc) | a (all other mss)]

[^122: X.3.486: X, RK, Skeat, and Galloway's volume in the Penn Commentary on Piers Plowman all have excercebuntur , but Schmidt and Pearsall correct to exercebuntur , which is the Vulgate reading (Isaiah 2:4); Alford (1992) prints both the reading of X and of the Vulgate (p. 41). We take excercebuntur to be a simple lapsus calami rather than a substantive variant.]

[^123: X.3.488: Calabrese (2005) was unsure if <s> was converted to <g>, or whether Hand 1 had simply written <g> ( p. 178, n. 21). Here, however, we indicate the conversion, in agreement with RK. This change indicates that Hand 1 is capable of creating unique error.]

[^124: X.3.489: Calabrese (2005) has discussed this "correction" as follows: "Hand 2 again creates a unique reading when compelled by an omission to improvise. Conscience confronts Lady Meed with an apocalyptic prophecy of reform, signaled by the 'middle of the moon' (the full moon) at the time of the crucifixion. X omits the needed word 'middle' . . . . Hand 2 was perhaps baffled by the oddity of the passage and so has supplied the unique, un-alliterating 'lyȝt,' a reading that comes from no surviving exemplar and is probably an impromptu invention" (p. 178).]

¶ Quia melius est bonum nomen / quam diuicie multe
As wroth as wynd / wax mede þer -aftur
Loo what salamon sayth quod she / in sapiense in þe bible
That ȝeueth ȝeftes taketh ȝeme / the victorie a[^125] wynneth
And muche worschipe ther-with / as holy writ telleth

[^125: X.3.495: A, "he."]

¶ Honorem adquiret / qui dat munera
I · leue the lady quod Consience / for þat latyn is trewe
Thow art lyk alady a lady þat alessoun a lessoun radde
Was omnia probate / þat plesede here herte
That lef was no lengur / and at þe leues ende
Ac hadde she loked in þe luft half / and þe lef turned
A[^126] sholde haue yfonde folwynge fele wordes aftur

[^126: X.3.503: A, "she."]

¶ Quod bonum est tenete / atixst a tixst of treuthe m akynge makynge[^127]
So ho-so techeth sapience / fynde he shal foloweth[^a158]
A ful teneful tyxst / to hem þat taketh mede
The whiche þat hatte as y haue rad / an oþer þat can rede
Animam aufert Accipiencium
Worschipe a[^128] wynneth þat wol ȝeue mede
Ac he þat resceyueth here or[^a159] recheth here is rescetour of Gyle

[^a158: foloweth (X) | that foloweth (all other mss)]

[^a159: here or (X I Uc Yc) | or (most other mss)]

[^127: X.3.504: RK read in a kynge. However, the scribe's spacing is sufficiently uneven that it seems reasonable to think he intended makynge, the reading of all other C manuscripts.]

[^128: X.3.509: A, "he."]

Passus quartus de visione vt prius

S ethe[^129] saide þe kynge y soffre ȝow no lengore
Ȝe shal sauhtene for sothe / and serue me bothe
Kusse here quod the kyng · Consience yhote
Nay by Crist quod Consience / congeie me are[^a160]
But resoun rede me þer -tyl · / rather wolde y dey
And y comaunde quod the kyng / to Consience thenne
Rape the to ryde · and resoun þat thow seche
Comaunde hym þat he come / my consayle to here
For he shal reulen my rewme / and rede me the beste
Of mede and of mo othere / and what man shal here wedde
And acounte with the Consience / so me Crist helpe
How thow ledest my peple / lered and lewed
Y am fayn of that foroward / in fayth tho quod Consience
And rood forth to resoun / and rouned in his ere
And sayde hym as þe kyng sayde / and sennes he took his leue
Y shal aray me to ryde / quod resoun reste the while[^a161]
And kalde Catoun his knaue / Corteys of speche
And also thenne[^a162] trewe tonge / telle me no tales
Ne lesynges to lauhe of / for y louede hit neuere
// Hyer rayson bad sadele his hors þat hyȝte suffre
And sette my sadel vpon soffre / tyl y se my tyme
And lat warrokye[^a163] hym wil[^a164] / with auyseth[^a165] þe byfore
For hit is þe wone of wil / to wynse and to kyke
For-thy lat peytrele wil / and pole hym with peynted wittes
Thenne Consience on his capel / comesed to pryke
And resoun with hym ryȝt / rounynge to-gederes
Whiche a maister mede was / amonges pore and ryche

[^a160: are (X I Yc) | rather (all other mss)]

[^a161: while (X I Uc Yc) | a while (most other mss)]

[^a162: thenne (X) | thomme (most other mss)]

[^a163: warrokye (X I Yc) | warrokye hym (all other mss)]

[^a164: wil (X I Yc) | wel (all other mss)]

[^a165: auyseth (X) | auyse (most other mss)]

[^129: X.4.1: A smiling face, perhaps that of Lady Meed, emerges in the left margin from the top of the ornamented capital.]

¶ Ooen wareyn wisman / and wily man his felawe
Fayn were to folowe hem / and faste ryden aftur
To take reed of resoun þat recorde sholde
Byfore þe kyng an Consience / yf þe comune playne
Oon wily man and witty man / and wareyne wryng lawe
Ac Consience knewe hem wel / and carped to resoun
Here cometh quod Consience / þat Coueytise seruen
Ryde forth syre resoun / and rech nat of here tales
For there is wrath and wranglynge / there wol they abyde
Ac there is loue and leutee / hit lyketh nat here hertes

¶ Contricio & infelicitas in viis eorum / et vi am pacis non cognouerunt / non est timor dei ante oculos eorum
They gyue nat of good fayth / woed god[^a166] the sothe
For þey wolde do for a dyner / oþer a deseyne d[o]seyne of capones
More then for oure lordes loue / oþer oure lady goddes moder
Thenne resoun rood forth / Ac took reward of no man
Bute dede as Consience hym kennede / til he þe kyng mette
Corteyslyche þe kyng thenne / cam and grette resoun
And bytwene hym-sulue / and his sone sette tho sire resoun
And speke wyse wordes / alonge a longe while to-gederes
And thenne cam p ees in-to[^130] parlement / and putte vp abille a bille
How wrong wilfully / hadde his wyf for-leyn
And how he raueschede Rose / the ryche wydewe by nyhte
And margarete of here mayden-hod / as he mette here late
Bothe my gees and my grys / and my g ras he taketh
Y dar nat for his felawschipe / in fayth pees sayde
Bere sikerlyche eny seluer / to seynt Gyles doune
And a wayteth[^a167][^131] ful wel when y seluer take
What wey y wende / wel ȝerne he aspyeth
To robbe me or to ruyfle me / yf y ryde softe
Ȝut is he bold for to borw / Ac baddelyche he payeth
For he borwed of me bayard / a[^a168][^132] brouhte hym hom neuere
Ne[^a169] ferthyng therfore / for nouhte y couthe plede
A[^133] meynteyneth his men / to morthere myn hewes
And forstalleth my fayres / and fyhteth in my chepynges
And breketh vp my bernys dores / and bereth[^134] a-wey my whete
And taketh me but a tayle / for ten quarteres otes
And ȝut he man as th et[^135] me and myne / and a[^136] lyth[^a170] be my mayde
Y am nat hardy for hym / vnnethe to loke[^137]
How wrong was a wykked man / and muche wo wrouhte
Tho was wrong afered / and wisdom a[^138] souhte[^a171]
On men of lawe wrong lokede / and largelyche hem profered
And for to haue here helpe / handy-dandy payde
Hadde y loue of the lord / lytel wolde y reche
Of pees and his power / thow he pleyne euere
Thorw wrong and his werkes / there was mede y-knowe
For wysdom and wyt tho / wenton to-gyderes
And token mede with hem / mercy to wynne
Ȝut pees put forth his heued / and his panne blody
With-outen gult god wot / was gyue me this schathe
Consience knoweth hit wel / and al þe Comune trewe
Ac wyles and wyt / were aboute faste
To ouercome þe kyng / thorw catel y y[f] they myhte
The kyng swor by Crist / and by his croune bothe
That wrong for his werkes / sholde w[^a172] o tholye
And comaundede a Constable / to caste wronge in yrones
Ther he sholde nat in seuene ȝer / see his feet ne handes
God woot quod a wys oen þat were nat the beste
Yf he amendes may do / lat maynprise hym haue
And be borw for his bale / and buggen hym bote
And amende þat is mysdo / and euere-more þe betere
Witt acordede therwith / and witnessede þe same
Betere is þat bote / bale adoun brynge
Then bale be y-bete / and bote neuer þe betere
Then gan mede to m eken here / and mercy she bisouhte[^a173]
And profrede pees apresent a present / al of puyre golde
Haue this man of me quod she / to amende thy scathe
For y wol wage for wrong / he wol do so no mare
Pitousliche pees tho / preyede the kyng
To haue mercy on þat man / that many tymes hym greuede
For he[^a174] waged me wel / as wysdom hym tauhte
And mede hath made my mendes · / ymay y may no more asken
So alle my claymes ben quyt / by so þe kyng assente
Nay by crist quod þe kyng / for Consiences sake
Wrong goth nat so away / ar y wete more
Lope he so lihtliche / lawen he wolde
And efte the baldore to be[^a175] to bete myn hewes
Bute resoun haue reuth on hym / he shal reste in my stokkes
As longe as y lyue / for his luther werkes
Summe men radden resoun tho / to haue reuthe vppon þat shrewe
And for to consayle þe kynge / on Consience thei lokede
That mede myhte be maynpernour · Mede thei by-souhte

[^a166: woed god (X) | god wot (most other mss)]

[^a167: And a wayteth (X) | He awaytteth (most other mss)]

[^a168: a (X Dc Uc Yc) | and (all other mss)]

[^a169: Ne (X) | Ne no (most other mss)]

[^a170: a lyth (X Dc Uc Yc) | lyth (all other mss)]

[^a171: a souhte (X Dc P2 Uc) | souȝt (P2) | he bysouhte (most other mss)]

[^a172: w (X) | woo (most other mss)]

[^a173: she bisouhte (X I Mc Uc Yc) | bisouȝt (most other mss)]

[^a174: he (X I P2 Yc) | he hath (all other mss)]

[^a175: the baldore to be (X Uc Yc) | be þe boldere (most other mss) | þe boldere be (I P2)]

[^130: X.4.46: Just before the <i> of in there is what looks like a common suspension mark, but none is needed here. Perhaps it is an attempt to dot or otherwise reinforce the <i>, which was blurred by the erasure of the previous word. We read it thus, as an offset reinforcement of the <i>, especially since <in> looks to have been re-stroked as well, and therefore we do not transcribe it as an independent graph.]

[^131: X.4.53: A, "he."]

[^132: X.4.57: A, "he."]

[^133: X.4.59: A, "he."]

[^134: X.4.61: Another hand has added a mark, resembling a modern hyphen, over the erasure to link the <b> to the rest of the word.]

[^135: X.4.63: RK see the original reading as manestheth, altered to manaschet by another hand. We see it thus: the original reading is manescheth. Another hand has overwritten the first <e> with <a>, and re-inked <et> after erasing a still visible final <h>. That same hand has also stroked the original <c> into a <t> (the opposite of what RK assert), resulting in manasthet, perhaps a preterite tense form. The word comes from MED manacen, v., and means simply "to threaten." All editors print the majority form ending in -eth. We cannot confidently attribute these corrections to Hand 2, though they are surely not in the ink of the main hand.]

[^136: X.4.63: A, "he."]

[^137: X.4.64: For unclear reasons, X uniquely omits the following line: The kyng knew he sayde soth for Conscience hym tolde (RK.4.64).]

[^138: X.4.66: A, "he."]

¶ Rede me nat quod resoun / no reuthe to haue
// lo what resoun sayde
Til lordes and ladies / louen alle treuthe
And hatien alle harlotrie / to heren hit oþer to mouthen hit
And tyl purnele porfiel · be putte in here whicche
And chersyng[^a176] · / be chasted with ȝerdes
And harlotes holynesse / be an heye ferie
[trefoil]

[X.4.114-119: In the right margin is a drypoint figure of a three-petalled flower or trefoil.]

Til Clerkene Coueytise / be cloth for þe pore
And here pelure and here palfrayes / pore menne lyflode
And religious out-ryderes / be reclused in here Cloistres
And be as Benet hem bad / dominik and fraunceys
Til þat lerede men lyue / as thei lere and teche
And til þe kynges consayl / be alle comune profit
And til byschopes ben bakeres / Breweres and taylours
[circled cross]

[X.4.120: In the right margin is a circled cross in drypoint. Since there is some trace of a stem-like line extending from its right, it may have been intended to be another flower.]

For alle manere men þat me fynt neodefole
And til saynt Iames be souhte / there pore sykke lyggen
In prisones and in pore cotes / be pilgrimages to Rome
So þat noon go to galys but yf he go for euere
And alle Rome rennares / for ruyflares[^a177][^139] in Fraunce
to bere no seluer ouer see / þat sygne of kyng sheweth
Nother y-graue ne vngraue / of gold oþer of suluer
Vp forfeture of þat fee / ho fyndeth hem ouerward
But he be marchaunt or his man / or messager of[^a178] lettres
Prouisour or preest / oþer penaunt for his synnes
And quod resoun by þe rode / y shal no reuthe haue
Whiles mede hath the maistrie / þer motyng is at Barres[^a179]
Ac y may seyen ensaumples / as y see othere
Y sey it nat for my-sulf / quod resoun and it so were
That y were kyng with crroune c[r]oune / to kepe my reume
Shulde neuere wrong in this worlde / þat y wyte myhte
Be vnpunsched in my power / for perel of soule[^a180]
Ne gete my grace thorw eny gyfte / ne glosynge speke[^a181]
Ne thorw mede mercy / by marie of heuene

[^a176: chersyng (X) | chyldren chersyng (most other mss)]

[^a177: ruyflares (X) | robbers (most other mss)]

[^a178: of (X) | with (most other mss)]

[^a179: Barres (X I Uc Yc) | barre (all other mss)]

[^a180: soule (X I P2 Yc) | my soule (all other mss)]

[^a181: speke (X) | speche (all other mss)]

[^139: X.4.125: The characters <ru> are touched up in a different ink.]

¶ For nullum malum / man mette with inpunitum
And bad nullum bonum / be irremuneratum
Lat thy Confessour syre kyng / construe this in englische
And yf ȝe worthe wor[c]he it in werke / y wedde bothe myn handes
That lawe shal ben alaborer a laborer / and lede afelde donge
And loue shal lede thi land / as the leef lyketh
Clerkes couiplede co[u]plede hem to-gederes / to construe this clause[^140]
Kyndeliche what it meneth[^141]

[^140: X.4.146: By converting to clause, Hand 2 has aligned X with the vast majority of C manuscripts.]

[^141: X.4.146-X.4.147: X and several other manuscripts omit from line 146 almost an entire a-verse, þat were confessours; these manuscripts divide the lines differently in response, and in X's case a half-line is remaindered as X.4.147.]

// lo mede bad men of lawe stoppe resoun
¶ Mede in the mot-halle tho / on men of lawe gan wynke
In signe þat thei sholde / with som sotil speche
Reherce the[^a182] r[^142] anon ryhte / þat myhte resoun stoppe
Ac al ryhtful recordede / þat resoun treuthe sayde
And kynde[^a183] and Consience / corteysliche thonkede
Resoun for his ryhtful speche / ryche and pore hym louede
And sayden we seyn wel / syre resoun be thi wordes
That mekenesse worth mayster / ouer mede at þe laste
Loue l ette[^143] of mede tho[^a184] lyhte / and leutee ȝut lasse
And cryede to Consience / the kyng myhte hit here
Ho-so wilneth here to wynne[^a185] quod he / for welthe of here goodes
But he be knowe for a cokewold / kut of my nose
// Hyere murned mede for sche was clepid hore
Mede mornede tho / and made an heuy chere
For þe comune calde here / queynte comune hore
A sysour and a somnour / tho softliche forth ȝede
With mede þe mayde tho out of þe moet-halle
A shyreues Clerk cryede / a capias mede

[^a182: the (X P2 Uc Yc) | tho (most other mss)]

[^a183: kynde (X I Yc) | kynde wit (most other mss)]

[^a184: tho (X P2 Uc Yc) | om. (all other mss)]

[^a185: wynne (X Fc I P2 Yc) | wyue (most other mss)]

[^142: X.4.150: The original reading the, though attested, makes no sense. Hand 2, obviously active on this folio, changed it to an adverb there, which does make sense and is also attested. The original scribe may have mistaken the archetypal tho for the and Hand 2, perhaps with no exemplar to witness tho, fixed it as best he could.]

[^143: X.4.156: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with most other manuscripts.]

¶ et saluo custodias / set non cum carcertis carcer[a]tis
The kyng to consayl tho toek · Consience and resoun
And modiliche vppon mede / many tymes[^a186] lokede
And lourede vppon men of lawe and lyhtlych sayde
Thorw ȝoure lawe as y leue / y lese many chetes
Mede and men of ȝoure craft / muche treuthe letteth
Ac resoun shal rykene with ȝow / yf y regne eny while
And deme ȝow by this day / as ȝe haen deserued
Mede shal nat maynprise[^a187] / by marye of heuene
Y wol haue leutee for my lawe / and late be al ȝoure iangle
And by lele and lyf-holy / my lawe shal be demed
Quod Consience to þe kyng / with -oute þe comune helpe
Hit is ful hard by myn heued · / herto to bryngen hit
And alle ȝoure lege lordes[^a188] / to lede thus euene
By hym þat rauhte vp[^a189] þe rode quod resoun to the kyng
But ȝe reule thus alle reumes / reuet t[^a190][^144] me my syhte
And brynge alle men to bowe / with-outen bittere wounde
With-outen mercement or manslauht / amende alle reumes
Y wolde hit were quod the kynge · wel alaboute al aboute
For-thy resoun redyly / thow shalt nat ryden hennes
But be my cheef Chaunceller / in Cheker and in parlement
And Consience in alle my Courtes / be a kynges Iustice
Y assente sayde resoun / by so ȝow-sulue y-here

[^a186: tymes (X) | tyme (most other mss)]

[^a187: maynprise (X Kc Uc Yc) | maynprise ȝou (most other mss)]

[^a188: lordes (X P2 Yc) | ledes (all other mss)]

[^a189: vp (X I Uc Yc) | on (most other mss)]

[^a190: reuet t (X) | reueth (most other mss)]

[^144: X.4.180: We do not know what Hand 1 intended by converting <h> to <t>. The word he obtains may still be a form of MED reven, v. 5, "[w]ith double object: (a) to deprive (sb.) of (sth.), take (sth.) from (sb.)." It seems unlikely but not impossible that the scribe intended a form of MED riveten, v. 1., "[t]o fasten with rivets; also, clinch (a nail)."]

¶ Audiatis alteram partem / amonges aldremen and come neres
And þat vnsittynge suffraunce / ne sele ȝoure priue lettres
Ne no supersedias sende / but y assente quod resoun
And y dar lege my lyf / þat loue wol lene þe seluer
To wage thyn and helpe wynne / þat thow wilnest aftur[^145]
More then alle thy marchauntes / or thy mytrede Bysshopes
Or Lumbardus of lukes / þat leuen by lone as iewes
The kyng comaundede Consience tho / to congeye alle his offeceres
And receyue tho that resoun louede / and riht with þat y wakede

[^145: X.4.192: A series of dark and light pen trials appear to the lower right of this line.]

Passus quintus de visione vbi prius

T hus y awakede woet god / whan y wonede in Cornehull
Kytte[^146] and y in a cote / y-clothed as a lollare
And lytel y let by / leueth me for sothe
Amonges lollares of londone / and lewede Ermytes
For y made of tho men / as resoun me tauhte
For as y cam by Consience / with resoun y mette
// Hyer concience & raysoun a-ratyd // wille for his lollynge

[X.5.7.m.1: The marginal gloss contains two sets of virgules, but constitutes only one continuous comment.]

In an hot heruest / whenne y hadde myn hele
And lymes to labory with / and louede wel fare
And no dede to do / but to[^a191] drynke and to slepe
In hele and in inwitt / oen me apposede
Romynge in remembraunce / thus resoun me aratede
Can thow seruen he sayde / or syngen in a churche
Or koke for my cokeres / or to þe Cart piche
Mowen or mywen / or make bond to sheues
Repe or been a rypereue / and aryse erly
Or haue an horn and be hayward / and lygge þer -oute nyhtes[^a192]
And kepe my corn in my croft / fro pykares and theues
Or shap shon or cloth / or shep and kyne kepe
Heggen or harwen / or swyn or gees dryue
Or eny other kynes craft / þat to þe comune nedeth
Th at þ ou beter e the by / þat byleue [^147] & þe the fayrer the fynden[^148]
Sertes y sayde / and so me god helpe
Y am to wayke to wurcche / with sykel or with sythe
And to long lef me / lowe to stoupe
To wurche as a werkeman / eny while to duyren
Thenne hastow londes to lyue by / quod resoun or lynage ryche
That fynde[^a193] the thy fode / for an ydel man þow semest
A spendour þat spene mot / or a spille-tyme
Or beggest thy by-lyue / aboute at men hacches
Or faytest vppon frydayes / or feste-day[^a194] in churches
The whiche is lollarne lyf / þat lytel is preysed
There ryhtfulnesse rewardeth ryht as men deserueth

[^a191: but to (X P2 Sc) | but (all other mss)]

[^a192: nyhtes (X Dc) | anyhtes (most other mss)]

[^a193: fynde (X Y G) | fyndeth (most other mss)]

[^a194: feste-day (X) | feste-dayes (all other mss)]

[^146: X.5.2: Hand X's correction aligns the text with the universal reading of the C manuscripts.]

[^147: X.5.21: We see here again, as we did above at X.2.38, that Hand 2, in the course of a larger repair, has added a punctus elevatus at a caesura newly made by his addition. Hand 1's own virgule is visible as well, between by and that. For a fuller account of the textual situation, see the note at the end of this line.]

[^148: X.5.21: Line 21 is quite a famous mess, as reflected in the range of editorial responses and renderings. (See C.5.21 in all editions.) The line illustrates paradigmatically the complexities of correction in this manuscript. In the a-verse, X originally read They y-betered, which Hand 2 converted to read That þu betere, also re-stroking the final <e> which must have been partially erased when he deleted <d>. The same hand has inserted the phrase and þe the fayrer in the b-verse after byleve, obtaining for the whole line something like "so that you would better yourself by means of that livelihood and find yourself to be (not only better) but fairer also." Pearsall, in his 1978 edition, adopts Hand 2's a-verse revision but not the b-verse insertion, while also adding an <r> to turn the be into therby, thus obtaining: That þou betere therby þat byleue the fynden, which Pearsall translates "By which you may improve the lot of those who provided you with food." In 2008, employing an entirely different version of the a-verse that RK also adopted (that is, the C-text majority reading), Pearsall revised completely to Hem that bedreden be byleue to fynden, which must simply mean "find food for those that are bedridden." Schmidt's reading, however, is economical while staying close to X's unrevised reading—though he, like Pearsall, takes the by as error for therby: They [ybetered be] therby, þat byleue the fynden. Though he employs brackets as if emending, he is really partially restoring X as it read before Hand 2 attempted to fix the text. Schmidt (2011) does add the word be which he presumed lost in X by eye skip; see his discussion (p. 339), where he offers this translation of his version: "(So that) those who provide you with your living have some advantage from what you do."]

¶ Reddet vnicuique iuxta opera sua
Or thow art broke so may be / in body or in membre
Or y-maymed thorw som myshap / where-by thow myhte be excused
// Hyer wille answered to rayson
When y ȝong ȝong[^a195][^149] was / many ȝer hennes
My fader and my frendes / foende me to scole
Tyl y wyste witterly / what holy writ menede
And what is beste for the body / as the boek telleth
And sykerost for þe soule / by so y wol contenue
And foend y nere[^a196] in fayth / seth my frendes deyede
Lyf þat me lykede / but in this longe clothes
And yf y be labour sholde lyuen / and lyflode deseruen
That laboure þat y lerned beste / þerwith lyuen y sholde

[^a195: ȝong ȝong (X I Yc) | ȝong (all other mss)]

[^a196: nere (X I Uc Yc) | y nere (all other mss)]

[^149: X.5.36: The fact that a word is repeated and not deleted in three manuscripts indicates that it might have been in a common exemplar of XIYc.]

¶ In eadem vocacione / quia[^a197] vocati estis sanctus[^a198][^150]
And so y leue in london / and ope-lond[^a199] bothe
The lomes þat y labore with / and lyflode deserue
Is pater noster and my primer / placebo and dirige
And my sauter som-tyme / and my seuene phalmes p[s]almes
This[^a200] y segge for here soules / of suche as me helpeth
And tho þat[^151] fynden me my fode / fouchen-saf y trowe
To be welcome when y come / oþerwhile in amonthe a monthe
Now with hym now with here / on this wyse y begge
With -oute bagge or botel / but my wombe one
And also more-ouer / me thynketh syre resoun
Me sholde constrayne no Cler c[^152] / to no knaues werkes
For by þe lawe of leuyticy þat oure lord ordeynede
Clerkes y-crouned of kynde vnderstondynge
Sholde nother swynke ne swete / ne swerien at enquestes
Ne fyhte in no faume-warde / ne his foe greue

[^a197: quia (X) | qua (most other mss)]

[^a198: sanctus (X) | om. (most other mss)]

[^a199: ope-lond (X I Uc Yc) | on londen (most other mss)]

[^a200: This (X I Fc Uc Yc) | þus (all other mss)]

[^150: X.5.45: X's unique sanctus makes no sense gramatically as a masculine singular. It may have been motivated by an exemplar argeeing with DcUc sitis, which itself may have been a variation on estis from Ephesians 4:1, where Paul echoes his injunction at 1 Corinthians 7:20. Alternately, sanctus may be a marginal gloss that made its way into this line.]

[^151: X.5.51: We believe that the scribe has restroked only the ascender of a faint <t> after re-inking his pen.]

[^152: X.5.56: In this instance, our markup expresses that an <e> has been converted to a <c>, which is how we interpret Hand2's addition of a line across the <e>. The correction here is not the most skillful or elegant, but it is an attempt to express <c> and thus obtain a form of the majority reading clerk.]

¶ Non reddas malum pro malo
For hit ben eyres of heuene / alle þat be ycrouned
And in quoer and in kyrkes / Cristes mynistres

¶ Dominus pars hereditatis mee & cetera Et alibi clemencia non constringit
Hit bycometh for clerkes / Crist for to serue
And knaue[^a201] vncrounede / to carte and to worche
For sholde no clerke be crouned / but yf he come were
Of frankeleynes and fremen / and of folke y-wedded
Bonde-men and bastardus / and beggares children
Thyse bylongeth to labory / and lordes kyn to serue
God and good men as here degre asketh
Somme to synge masses / or sitten and wryten
Redon and resceyuen / þat resoun ouhte to spene
¶ Ac sythe bonde-men barnes / haen be mad bisshopes
And barnes bastardus / haen be Erchedekenes
And soutares[^a202] and here sones / for suluer han be knyhtes
And lordes sones here laboreres / and leyde here rentes to wedde
For the ryhte of this reume / ryden aȝeyn oure enemyes
In confort of the comune / and the kynges worschipe
And monkes and moniales / þat mendenant[^a203] sholde fynde
I·-made[^153] here kyn knyhtes / and knyhtes fees y-purchased
Popes and patrones / pore gentel blood refused
And taken Symondes sones / seyntwarie to kepe
Lyf holynesse and loue / hath be longe hennes
And wol til hit be wered out / oþer -wyse[^a204] ychaunged
For-thy rebuke me ryhte nauhte / resoun y ȝow praye
For in my Consience y knowe / what Crist welde w[o]lde y-wrouhte
Pre eyeres of aparfit a parfit man / and penaunce desirede[^a205]
Is the leuest labour / þat oure lord pleseth

[^a201: knaue (X Yc) | knaues (most other mss)]

[^a202: soutares (X) | sopares (most other mss)]

[^a203: mendenant (X Sc Yc) | mendenantes (all other mss)]

[^a204: oþer -wyse (X) | or oþer -wyse (most other mss)]

[^a205: desirede (X) | discrete (most other mss)]

[^153: X.5.81: The markup here is inadequate. As in several other instances, the scribe has put a raised point after <I>: I ·, the first instance being at X.P.56. In this case, however, the <I> is not the pronoun but rather the marker for the participle. Another instance of the use of a raised point with a participal occurs at X.7.251. In order to record the participle as a single word while also recording the raised point, we have had to forego the usual isolation of medieval punctuation with white space.]

¶[^154] Non de solo y sayde / for sothe viuit homo
Nec in pane / & in pabulo / the pater noster wittenesseth[^155]
Fiat voluntas dei / þat fynt vs alle thynges
Quod Consience by Crist y can nat se this lyeth
Ac it semeth no sad parfitnesse · in Citees to bygge[^156]
But he be obediencer / to[^157] prior or to mynistre
That is soth y saide / and so y beknowe
That y haue y-tynt tyme / and tyme myspened
Ac ȝut y hope as he / þat ofte hath y-chaffared
And ay loste an loste / and at þe laste hym happed
Aboute[^a206][^158] such abargayn a bargayn / he was þe bet euere
And sette al his los at aleef a leef / at the laste ende
Suche a wynnyng hym warth / thorw wordes of grace
Simile est regnum celorum thesauro abscondito in agro
Mulier qui qu[e] inuenit dragmam
So hope y to haue of hym þat is almyghty
A gobet of his grace / and bigynne atyme a tyme
That alle tymes of my tyme / to profit shal turne
Y rede the quod resoun tho / rape the to bigynne
The l yif[^159] þat is louable and leele to thy soule
Ȝe and contynue quod Consience / and to þe kyrke y wente
// Hyer wente wille to churche & ful aȝen a-sclepe
And to þe kyrke y gan go / god to honoure
Byfore þe crosse /[^160] on my knees knokked y my brest
Shyȝing[^161] for my synnes / seggyng my pater noster
Wepyng and waylyng til y was a-slepe
And thenne mette me muche more / then y byfore tolde
Of þe matere þat me mette furste / on Maluerne hulles
Y saw þe felde ful of folk / fram ende til oþer
And resoun y-reuestede / ryht as apope a pope
And Consience his crocer / byfore þe kyng stande
Resoun reuerentliche / to-fore al þe reume
// Hyer raysoun prechede
Prechede and preuede / þat this pestelences was for puyre synne
And the south-weste wynde / on a saturday at euene
Was partliche for pruyde / and for no poynt elles
Peretrees[^a207] and plumtrees / were possed[^a208] to þe erthe
In ensaunple segges[^a209] þat we sholde do þe bettere
Beches and brode okes / were blowe to þe grounde
And turned vpward here tayl / in tokenynge of drede
That dedly synne ar domes-day shal fordon hem alle
Of this mater y myhte mamele longe[^a210]
Ac y shal sey as y sayh / slepyhnge as hit were
How resoun radde al the reume to heuene
He bad wastoures to[^a211] wurche / and wynne here sustinaunce
Thorw som trewe trauail / and no tyme spille
He p ra eyde[^162] p ir nel[^163] / here purfyel to leue
And kepe hit in here cofre / for catel at here nede
Tomme stoue he tauhte / to take to staues
And fette felyce hoem · fram wyuene pyne
He warnede watte / his wyf was to blame
For here hed was worth half marc / and his hoed nat a grote
He bad butte[^a212] to kutte / a bo whe[^164] or twene
And bete Betene þerwith / but yf a[^165] wolde worche
He chargede Chapmen / to chasten here children
Late no wynnynge for-wanyen hem / the while thei ben ȝonge
For ho-so spareth the spryg / spilleth here[^a213] children
And so wrot the wyse to wyssen vs alle

[^a206: Aboute (X I) | He bouhte (most other mss) | A boute (Dc Uc)]

[^a207: Peretrees (X I P2 Yc) | Piries (all other mss)]

[^a208: possed (X Ac Ec I Yc) | poffed (most other mss)]

[^a209: segges (X) | to syggen ous (other mss)]

[^a210: longe (X) | ful longe (most other mss)]

[^a211: to (X I Mc P2 Yc) | go (most other mss)]

[^a212: butte (X Uc Yc) | bette (all other mss)]

[^a213: here (X I P2 Yc) | his (most other mss)]

[^154: X.5.90: The blue paraph here extends down the margin to the left of the entire Latin quotation, serving as both paraph and highlighting bracket.]

[^155: X.5.91: The red underline under the virgule and first two words of the b-verse has been partially erased, but is still visible. These English words—we take paternoster to be part of an English phrase in this setting—must have been accidentally underlined when the rubricator was marking all of the Latin half-lines in this sequence. It may be that the rubricator himself quickly saw the error and made the correction.]

[^156: X.5.94: It is not clear whether XUcYc's bygge, as intended, has the sense of the majority begge, of which bygge can be a form, or if it means "to dwell" or (less likely) "to buy." See MED , s.vv. beggen, biggen, and bien.]

[^157: X.5.95: The stroke over the word to is perhaps a remnant from an earlier erasure or just a stray mark.]

[^158: X.5.100: The word aboute is written as one word, appearing to be the preposition, but the majority reading is the 3rd sg. masc. pron. + verb ( MED , s.v. bien, v. 1(a), "[t]o purchase (sth.) acquire by purchase . . ." Since a frequently represents the 3 sg. masc. pron. "he" in this manuscript, it is possible that the scribe has run these separate words—a boute—together, or that they were already run together in his exemplar.]

[^159: X.5.109: HS and RK both assert that <ee> of leef was erased and replaced with <yi>; we wonder (cautiously) if, rather, an <ei> was erased and replaced with <yi>, obtaining a reading that X shares with manuscript J: lyif. Schmidt prints XI's lyif, which he takes as a form of lyf, the spelling that both RK and Pearsall adopt. If we are correct about the letters deleted, then the scribe erased two letters in sequence, even though the <i> alone would have served. The dot over the <i> remains, still visible despite the erasure. The corrector then rewrote both letters, converting <ei> to <yi>. MED records leif as a form of lif, so the reasons for the change remain unclear, unless Hand 2 was using an exemplar with the I reading, lyif.]

[^160: X.5.112: The virgule falls here at the middle of the a-verse rather than at the caesura.]

[^161: X.5.113: It is not at all clear what Hand 1 intended with shying, but it may be an error for a form of MED sighen, v.; Hand 2 also appears to be trying to obtain a form of that word with his correction to shyȝing. Sighen is a synonym for the majority C-text reading ( MED , s.v. siken, v. 2), for both words mean "[t]o sigh, moan."]

[^162: X.5.134: We agree with RK that "ra [appear] over re in another ink." Hand 2 attempted, it appears, to replace one suspension with another to achieve prayde, but neglected to erase the next <e> and so instead created the unique praeyde.]

[^163: X.5.134: HS see that "r [is] added to superior i." RK note similarly that "prinele [is] altered to pirnele [in] another ink." In adding an <r> to convert Hand 1's superscript <i> (<ri>), Hand 2 produces <ir>. Hand 2 here thus corrects to a form of the majority reading; see MED , s.v. Pernel(e), n., from sense (b), "[a] woman's name." We acknowledge as well that the markup here, in trying to express this conversion, is inadequate to show fully how the scribe, by adding an <r>, actually "deletes" only part of a suspension.]

[^164: X.5.140: Hand 2 appears to have erased a form of the majority reading bouhe and replaced it with bowhe. See MED, s.v. bough, n., for several instances of the spelling bowh in the attestations.]

[^165: X.5.141: A, "she."]

¶ Qui parcit virge odit filium
And sethe he apreide a preide[^166][^167] prelates / and prestes to-gyderes
That ȝe prechen to þe peple / priue hit ȝow-sylue
Lyue ȝe as ȝe lereth vs / we shall leue ȝow þe bettere
And sethe he radde religioun / here reule to holde
Laste þe kyng and his consayl / ȝoure comunes apayre
And be stewardus of ȝoure stedes / til ȝe be stewed bettere

[^166: X.5.147: A, "he."]

[^167: X.5.147: The scribe sometimes writes the pronoun a ("he") directly adjacent to the verb for which it is the subject. For instance, see X.4.53, awayteth. The text should read a preide, and Hand 2's addition of he reflects his failure here to recognize a as "he," thus creating this unique and erroneous reading he a.]

notate Religiosi
¶ Gregory þe grete Clerk / gart wryte in bokes
The reule of alle religious / rihtful and obedient
Ryht as fysches in þe floed / whan hem fayleth water
Dyen for drouthe / whenne they drye lygge
Ryht so religioun roteth and sterueth
That out of couent and of Cloystre / coueyteth to dwelle
For yf heuene be on this erthe / or eny ese to þe soule
Hit is in C loystre or in scole / by many skilles y fynde
For in C loystre cometh no man / to chyde ne to fyhte
In scole is loue and louhnesse / and lykyng to lerne
Ac mony day men telleth · bothe monkes and chanons
Haen ryde out of aray · here reule euele yholde
Ledares of lawedays / and londes y-purchaced
And pryked aboute on palfrayes / fram places and to maneres
And A[n] hep of houndes at here ers / as he alord a lord were
And but if his knaue knele · þat shal his coppe holde
He loketh al lourynge / and lordeyne hym calleth
Lytel hadde lordes ado / to ȝeue lond fro[^a214] heyres
To religious þat haen no reuthe / thow it ryne on here auters
prophecia · petri
In many places ther thei parsones ben / be hem-sulue at ese
Of þe pore haueth thei no pite / and þat is here puyre chartre
[crown]

[X.5.173-X.5.175: As visible in the digital image, in the margin to the left of the last lines of this folio is a drawing of a crown by an unknown hand.]

Ac ȝe leten ȝow alle as lordes / ȝoure lond lyth so b rode
Ac þer shal come akyng a kyng / and confesse ȝow alle
And bete ȝow as þe bible telleth / for brekynge of ȝoure reule
And amende ȝow monkes / bothe moniales and chanons
And potte ȝow to ȝoure penaunce / ad pristinum statum ire
And Barones and here barnes / blame ȝow and repreue

[^a214: fro (X Uc Yc) | fro here (most other mss)]

¶ Hij in curribus & in[^a215] equis / ipsi obligati sunt & ceciderunt
Freres in here fraytour / shal fynde þat tyme
Bred with -outen beggynge / to lyue by euere aftur
And constantyn shal be here cook / and couerour of here churches
For þe abbot of engelonde / and the abbesse his nese
Shal haue a knok vppon here crounes / and incurable þe wounde

[^a215: in (X Kc P2 Yc) | hij in (all other mss)]

¶ Contriuit dominus baculum impiorum virga virga[m] dnancium d[omi]nancium plaga insanabili
Ac ar þat kyng come / as cronicles me tolde
Clerkes and holychurche holy churche / shal be clothed newe
And sethe a confailede con[s]ailede þe kyng / his comine to louie
For þe comune is the kynges tresor / Consience woet wel
And also quod resoun / y rede ȝow ryche
And comuners acorde[^a216] / in alle kyn treuthe
Lat no kyne consayl / ne couetyse ȝow parte
That o wit and o wil / al ȝoure wardes kepe
Lo in heuene an heyh / was an holy comune
Til lucifer þe lyare / leued þat hym-sulue
Were wittiore and worthiore / then he þat was his maister
Holde ȝow in vnite / and he þat oþer wolde
Is cause of alle combraunces[^a217] / to confounde a reume
And sethe apreyede a preyede þe pope haue pite on holy chirche
And no grace ne graunte / til good loue were
Amonges alle kyne kynges / ouer cristene peple
Comaunde þat alle confessours / þat eny kyng shryueth
Enioyne hem pees for here penaunce / and parpetuel forȝenesse forȝe[ue]nesse
Of alle maner actions / and eche man loue other
And ȝe þat seketh seynt Iames / and seyntes of Rome
Seketh seynt treuthe / in sauaciouns[^a218] of ȝoure soules
Qui cum patre & filio / þat fayre hem byfalle
That sueth my sarmon Thus endede[^a219] resoun & cetera[^a220]

[^a216: acorde (X) | to acorde (all other mss)]

[^a217: combraunces (X I Yc) | combraunce (all other mss)]

[^a218: sauaciouns (X) | sauacioun (all other mss)]

[^a219: endede (X Uc Yc) | endeth (all other mss)]

[^a220: resoun & cetera (X Yc) | resoun (all other mss)]

[X.6.0.h.1: It appears that the scribe began writing line 1 of Passus 6, but then realized that he had omitted the passus heading, and so erased the <yht> of Ryht.] Passus sextus de visione & cetera

[^168] R yht with[^a221] þat ran repentaunce / and rehersede his teme
And made will to wepe / water with his eyes
Prinele P[ur]nele[^169] proude herte / platte here to þe erthe
And long was ar he[^170] lokede vp / and lord mercy cryede
And bihyhte to hym þat vs alle made
A sholde vnsowen here serk / and sette þeron[^a222] an hayre
To affayten here flesshe / þat fers was to synne
Shal neuere heyh herte me hente / but holde me lowe
And soffre to be mysseyde / and so dyde y neuere
But now wol y meke me / and mercy byseche
Of alle þat y haue hated / in myn herte
Repente þe quod repentaunce / as resoun þe tauhte
And shryue the sha rpeliche / and shak of alle pruyde

[^a221: R yht with (X I P2 Yc) | With (most other mss)]

[^a222: þeron (X I Nc Yc) | þer (most other mss)]

[^168: X.6.1: The capital is decorated in red, extending above sixteen lines and below into the bottom margin. A face is drawn in one of the red decorative loops adorning the initial.]

[^169: X.6.3: See X.5.134 and the textual note there describing how Hand 2 has made a correction similar to our editorial correction here.]

[^170: X.6.4: He, "she."]

// pride scryueþ hym hyere
¶ In[^a223] pr eueite[^171] pacientlyche / penaunce aske
For y formost and furste / to my fader and to my[^a224] moder
Haue be vnbuxum / y byseche god of mercy
And vnbuxum y be[^172] / nat a-baschet to agulte
God and goode men / so gret was myn herte
Inobedient to holychurche holy churche / and to hem þat þer serueth
Demed for here vuel vices / and exitede oþere
Thorw my word and my witt / here euel werkes to shewe
And scornede hem and oþere / yf y askil a skil founde
Lauhyng al aloude / for lewede men sholde
Wene y were witty / and wiser then another
Scornare and vnskilful / to hem þat skil shewede
In alle[^a225] maneres / my name to be knowe
Semyng asouerayn a souerayn oen / where-so me byfull
To telle eny tale / y trowed me wysor
To carpe and to consayle then eny Clerk or lewed
Proud of aparayle / inport in port amonges þe peple
Other-wyse then y haue / with -ynne or with -outen
Me wilnynge þat men wente / y were as in auer
Ryche and resonable / and ryhtful[^173] of lyuynge
Bostyng and braggynge / with many bolde othes
Vantyng vp my vaynglorie / for eny vnder-nymynge
And ȝut so synguler be my-sulue / as to syhte of peple
Was non such as hym[^a226] -sulue / ne non so popholy
Summe-tyme in o sekte / summe-tyme in another
In alle kyne couent / contreuede how y myhte
Be holden for holy / and honoured by þat enchesoun
Wilnynge þat men wente / myne werkes weren þe beste
And þe connyngest of my craft Clerkysh oþer other
And strengest vppon stede / and styuest vnder gyrdel
And louelokest to loke vppon / alykyngest a[^a227] lykyngest abedde
And likynge of such a lyf / þat no lawe preiseth
Prout of my fayre fetures / and for y song shille
And what y gaf for godes loue / to gossipes y tolde
They to wene þat y were / wel holy and wel almesfull[^a228]
And non so bolde a beggare / to bidde and to craue
Tales to telle in tauernes / and in stretes
Thyng þat neuere ne was[^a229] thouhte / and ȝut aswor a swor[^a230][^174] aseyh a seyh[^a231][^175] hit
And lyed o my lycame / and on my lyf bothe
Of werkes þat y wel dede / witnesses take
And sygge to suche / þat sytte me byside
Lo yf ȝe leue me nat / or þat y lye wenen
Ascuth at hym or at here / and he ȝow cantelle can telle
What y soffrede and seyh / and some-tymes hadde
And what y couthe and knewe / and of what kyn y cam of
Of al a[^a232][^176] wolde þat men wiste / when it to pruyde souneth
As to be preised amonges þe peple / thow he[^177] pore seme

[^a223: In (X Fc Kc) | I (all other mss)]

[^a224: and to my (X I Yc) | and (most other mss) | and to (Ac Ec Gc Mc Nc P Q Sc)]

[^a225: alle (X P2) | alle manere (all other mss)]

[^a226: hym (X I Uc Yc) | my (most other mss)]

[^a227: a (X Ac Vc) | and (all other mss)]

[^a228: wel almesfull (X I P Yc) | almesful (most other mss)]

[^a229: neuere ne was (X Uc Yc) | neuere was (most other mss)]

[^a230: aswor a swor (X) | y swor (most other mss)]

[^a231: aseyh a seyh (X) | y seyh (all other mss)]

[^a232: a (X) | y (most other mss)]

[^171: X.6.14: HS correctly saw that pruyde has been altered to preueite; RK also cite "another hand," and we attribute this change to Hand 2, who has in this instance "corrected" the archetypal and majority reading into something unique and idiosyncratic. See Calabrese's discussion of the issue ("Corrections, Interventions, and Erasures," pp.187-88).]

[^172: X.6.17: As RK note (RK.6.17), there is an irresolvable ambiguity here between pronomial y be and participial ybe. As there is sufficient space between <y> and <b>, we transcribe as two words here.]

[^173: X.6.33: There is a stroke over the <r> here, but it is only a partial form—probably an anticipation of the following <h>.]

[^174: X.6.51: A, "he."]

[^175: X.6.51: A, "he."]

[^176: X.6.59: A, "he."]

[^177: X.6.60: The manuscripts are divided between he (XDcIUcYc) and y, to which RK emend.]

¶ Si hominibus placerem / christi seruus non essem / nemo potest duobus dominis seruire
// Hyer goþ Enuye to scryfte
Now god for his goodnesse / gyue the grace to amende

¶ Quod repentaunce riht with þat / and thenne aroos enuye
Enuye with heuy herte / asked aftur shrifte
And cryede mea culpa / corsynge alle his enemyes
His clothes were of corse men[^a233] / and of kene wordes
A[^178] wroth his furste f[u]ste[^179] vppon wrath / hadde he[^180] wesches at wille
Sholde no lyf lyue / þat on his lond pissede
Chidynge and chalengynge þat was his cheef lyflode
And blame men byhynde herebak here bak / and bidde hem meschaunce
And þat a wiste by wille / to watek yn he tolde hit
And al þat he wiste by watte / tolde hit wille aftur
And made of frendes foes / thorw fikel and fals tonge
Or thorw myhte of mouthe / or thorw mannes sleythes
Venged me vele tymes / other vrete myself with -ynne
Lyke a sc hupestares sharre / and shrewed myn euencristene
Aȝeyn þe consayl of Crist / as clerkes fyndeth in bokes

[^a233: corse men (X Yc) | corsement (most other mss)]

[^178: X.6.67: A, "he."]

[^179: X.6.67: Here and at X.19.147, the scribe adds an erroneous <r> to what should be fuste. At X.19.114 and X.19.136, he makes the same mistake, but corrects himself.]

[^180: X.6.67: X and several other manuscripts omit a ("he") found in most C witnesses and here supplied by Hand 2.]

¶ Cuius maledictione os plenum est & amaritudine / sub lingua eius labor & dolor
Filij hominum dentes eorum / Arma & sagitte & lingua eorum gladius acutus
And when y may nat haue þe maystrie / suche malecolie y take[^181]
That y cache þe crompe the cardiacle sume-tyme
Or an ague in suche angre / and som-tyme afeuere a feuere
That taketh me al[^a234] twelmonthe / til þat y despise
Leche-craft of oure lord / and leue on a wycche
And segge þat no clerk ne can / ne Crist as y leue
To the soutere of southewerk / suche is his grace
For god ne goddes word / ne gras helpe me neuere
But thorw acharme a charme hadde y chaunce / and my chef hele
Y myhte nat ete many ȝer / as aman a man ouhte
For enuye and euyl wil / is euel to defye
May no sugre ne swete thyng / a-swage my swellynge
Ne derworth drynke / dryue hit fro myn herte
Ne noþer shame ne shryfte / but ho-so shrapede my mawe

[^a234: al (X Yc) | al a (most other mss)]

[^181: X.6.80: Although RK emend to [with] malecolie ytake, the reading as we see it (in agreement with Pearsall and Schmidt) is actually pronoun + verb: suche malecolie y take.]

Repentance
¶ Ȝus redily quod repentaunce / and thow be ryht sory
For thy synnes souereynly · and biseke god of mercy
I · am euere sory sayde enuye / y am selde othur
And þat maketh me so megre / for y ne may me venge
Ȝut am y brokour of bakbytynge / and to blame menne w are[^182]
Amonges[^183] marchauntes many tymes / and nameliche in londone
When he solde and y nat thenne was y aredy
To lye and to loure / and to lakke myn neyhebores
Here werkes and here wordes / where þat y seete
Now hit a-thynketh me in my thouhte / þat euere y so wrouhte
[^184] Lord ar y lyf lete / for loue of thy-sulue

[^182: X.6.98: Here Hand 2 has corrected the impossible reading were to the majority reading, ware, which likely means here "diligent, at pains" ( MED , s.v. ware adj., 2(b) [b]).]

[^183: X.6.99: Here in amonges and in a few words toward the bottom of the folio the ink gets quite light and the main hand appears to have touched up a few faint letters.]

[^184: X.6.104-X.6.105: Lines X.6.104-X.6.105 are written over erased lines by Hand 1. RK say that RK.6.104 is written over an unspecified erased line and that RK.6.105 is written over RK.6.106. We agree that the lines are erased but cannot determine what was initially miscopied under the current text.]

¶ Graunte me gode lord / grace of amendement
// Wrathe goth to schryfte
Thenne a-wakede wrathe / with two wyhte eyes
And with a niuilynges[^a235] nose / nippynge his lippes
I am wrothe[^a236] quod þat weye / wol gladliche smyte
Bothe with stoon and with staf / and stele vppon myn enemye
To sle hym sleyliche / sleythes y by-thenke
Thow y sitte this seuene ȝer / y sholde nat wel telle
The harm þat y haue do / with hand and with tonge
Inpacient in alle penaunces / and pleyned as hit were
On god when me greued auht / and grochede of his sonde
As som-tyme in somur / and also in heruest
But y hadde weder at my wille · y witte god þe cause
In alle manere angres / þat y hadde or felede
Amonges alle manere men / my dwellyng is som-tyme
With lewed and lered / þat leef ben to here
Harm of eny man / byhynde or bifore
// freris ben wrothe
Freres folewen my lore[^185] fele tyme and ofte
And preuen inparfit / prelates of holychurche holy churche
And prelates pleyneth on hem / for they here parschiens shryuen
With -oute licence and leue / and her-by lyueth wrathe
Thus thei speke and dispute / þat vch on dispiseth oþer
Thus Beggares and Barones / at debat aren ofte
Til y wrathe wexe an hey / and walke with hem bothe
Or til they bothe be beggares / and by spirituale libbe
Or alle riche and ryde · / reste shal y nat wrathe
That y ne mot folowe this folk / my fortune is non oþer

[^a235: niuilynges (X I Uc Yc) | nyuyling (most other mss)]

[^a236: wrothe (X Ec I P2 Yc) | wrathe (all other mss)]

[^185: X.6.121: Calabrese , in prior work (2005), offers one possible view of the situation. He detects here Hand 2 at work in changing an archetypal reading: "Hand 2 did not understand the verse's alliteration or the word 'fore' [ MED , s.v. fore, n. 2(b) folwen fore, 'to follow in the footsteps (of something); fig. to imitate (someone)']. In consequence, he altered it to 'lore,' a more familiar word simply meaning 'doctrine,' creating a unique reading" (p. 180). However, because we cannot with confidence attribute the change to any particular hand, we are compelled to designate the change as having been made by Hand X.]

¶ Y haue an Aunte to nonne / and an abbesse
Here were leuer swowe or swelte / then soffre eny payne
Y haue be coek in here kychene / and the couent serued
Mony mont hes with hem / and with monkes bothe
I · was the Prioresse potager / and oþer pore ladies
And made hem ioutes of iangelynge / dame Ione was abastard a bastard
And dame clarice a knyhtes douhter / a cokewolde was here syre
And dame purnele aprestis a prestis fyle / Prioresse worth he[^186] neuere
For he[^187] hadde childe in the chapun coke co[t]e / he[^188] worth chalenged at þe eleccioun
Thus sytte they sustres / sumtyme and disputen
Til thow lixt and thow lixt / be lady ouer hem alle
And thenne awake y wrathe / and wolde be a-venged
And thenne y crye and crache / with my kene nayles
Byte and bete / and brynge forth suche the wes
That alle ladyes me loteth lot[h]eth / þat louyet[^a237] eny worschipe

[^a237: louyet (X) | loueþ (most other mss)]

[^186: X.6.138: He, "she."]

[^187: X.6.139: He, "she."]

[^188: X.6.139: He, "she."]

¶ Amonges wyues and wydewes þan woned[^a238] y[^189] to sitte
Y-parrokeded Y-parrok[ed] in pues / the parsone hit knoweth
nota wyues
How lytel y louye / letyse at þe style
// Hyer was letise at stile y-schent for sche tok hali bred to rathe
For she had halybred haly bred ar y / my herte gan change
Aftur mete aftuward aftu[r]ward / she and she chydde
And y wrath was war / and warthe[^a239] on hem bothe
Tyl ayþer clepede oþer hore / and on[^a240] with the clothes
Til bothe here hedes were bar / and blody here chekes
Amonges monkes y myhte be / Ac mony tyme y spare
For there aren many felle frekes / myn a-feres to aspye
That is Priour and supriour / and oure pater Abbas
And yf y telle eny tales / they taken hem to-gyderes
And doen me faste fridayes / to bred and to water
Ȝut am y chalenged / in oure chapitre-hous as y a childe were
And balayshed on þe bare ers / and no brech bytwene
Y haue no luste lef me / to longe amonges monkes
For y ete more fysch then flesche there and feble ale drynke
Ac other-while when wyn cometh / and when y drynke late at euen
Y haue aflux a flux of a foul mouth / wel fyue daies aftur
And al þat y wiste wykked / by eny of oure couent
Y couȝthe[^a241] hit vp in oure Cloystre / þat al þe couent woet hit

[^a238: þan woned (X) | ame y woned (most other mss)]

[^a239: warthe (X I Uc) | worthe (most other mss) | wroth (Ec Nc P Rc Q Sc)]

[^a240: on (X I Uc Yc) | of (most other mss)]

[^a241: couȝthe (X Yc) | cowede (most other mss) | shewed (Mc Rc)]

[^189: X.6.146: There is considerable variation among the manuscripts here, but the most common reading is ame y woned, and Hand 2's addition of the pronoun y must be an attempt to approximate the expected sense of the passage.]

Repentance
¶ Now repente quod repentaunce / and reherce neuere
Consayl þat thow knowest / by continaunce ne by speche
And drynke nat ouerdelycatly / no[^a242] to depe neyther
That thy wil ne thy wit / to wreche[^a243] myhte turne

[^a242: no (X Yc) | ne (all other mss)]

[^a243: wreche (X I Yc) | wrathe (most other mss)]

¶ Esto sobrius he saide / and assoiled hym aftur
And bad hym bid to god / be his helpe to amende

// Heyr cam lecherye to schrefteward
¶ Thenne seyde lecherye alas / and to oure lady cryede
Lady to thy leue sone / loute for me nouthe
That he haue pite on me pitouur pito[ur] of his puyr mercy
With þat y shal quod þat shrewe saturdayes for thy moder loue
drynke but with þe doke / and dyne but ones
Y gulty in gost to god y me shryue
As in likynge of lecherye / my lycames gultes
In word and in wedes / in waytynge of eyes
For eche mayde þat y mette / y made[^190] here a signe
Semyng to synneward / and summe y gan taste
Aboute þe mouthe and by-nethe · by-gan y to grope
Til bothe oure wil was oen / and to þe werk we ȝeden
As wel fastyng dayes / and frydayes and heye festes[^a244] euenes
As leef in lente as out of lente / alle tymes y-lyche
Such werkes with vs were neuere / out of sesoun
Til we myhte no more / thenne hadde we mery tales
Of putour[^a245] and of paramours / and proueden thorw speche
And handlyng and halsyng / and also thorw kyssyng
Exited either oþer / til oure olde synne
Sotiled songes / and sente out olde baudes
To wynne to my wille / wymmen with gyle
By sorserie sum-tyme / and sum-tyme by maistrie
Y lay by þe louelokest / and louede here neuere aftur
When y was olde and hoor and hadde ylore þat kynde
[leftward-looking face]

[X.6.196-X.6.200: A face appears in the right margin, peering leftwards into the ruled text area just above the physical description of couetyse, which runs from X.6.199-X.6.208, just before his confession. The drawing reflects his bitelbrowed and baburlippid visage, perhaps also attempting to reflect how as a bonde-mannes bacoun / his berd was y-shaue.]

Y hadde likyng to lythe of lecherye tales
// Hyere cam couetyse to schrefteward
Now lord for thy lewete / on lechours haue mercy

[^a244: festes (X Mc Uc Yc) | feste (most other mss)]

[^a245: putour (X) | putrie (most other mss)]

[^190: X.6.181: The markup is not perfectly adequate to show what happened here. The scribe wrote two minims of the initial <m> and then started to write the following <a>, which he immediately corrected by making the first strokes of the <a> serve as the final minim.]

¶ Thenne cam couetyse / y can hym nat descreue
So hungrily and holow / sire heruy hym lokede
He was bitelbrowed and baburlippid with two blered eyes
And as a letherne pors / lollede his chekes
Wel syddore then his chyn / y-cheueled for elde
And as a bonde-mannes bacoun / his berd was y-shaue
With his hood on his heued / and his hat bothe
In a tore tabard / of twelue wynter age
But yf alous a lous couthe lepe / y leue[^a246] &[^191] y trowe
He ne[^192] sholde wandre vppon[^a247] þat walch / so was hit thred-bare

[^a246: leue (X) | leue it as (most other mss)]

[^a247: vppon (X Dc Uc Yc) | on (most other mss)]

[^191: X.6.207: In this instance, Hand 1 wrote the compressed and inadequate y leue y trowe. Hand 2 sensed something wrong and provided the quick fix of careting in an ampersand to obtain at least proper syntax and parallelism. Only one other manuscript, Dc, also reads and. Hand 2 may not have known how right he was, but he is actually restoring a reading now adopted (in and form) by all modern editors. Most manuscripts read the prolix, rejected y leue it as y trowe. Either Hand 2 here employs an exemplar superior to Hand 1's, or Hand 1's exemplar had the archetypal reading and he miscopied it, or Hand 2 simply intuited the best possible version of the line and thus repaired it as economically as he could.]

[^192: X.6.208: Hand 2 saw that negation was necessary, and so in this instance again we see that hand making a correction that aligns X to the majority reading.]

¶ Y haue be couetous quod this kaytif / y biknowe hit here
For som-tyme y serued / symme at þe style
And was his prentis y-plyht / his profit to wayte
Furste y lerned to lye / a leef oþer tweye
Wykkedliche to waye / was my furste lessounn lessou[n][^193]
To wy and to wynchestre / y wente to þe fayre
With many manere merchandise / as my maister hyhte
Ne hadde þe grace of Gyle / go among my ware
[^194] Hit hadde be vnsold / this seuene ȝer / so me godhelpe god helpe
Thenne drow y me amonge drapers / my donet to lere
To drawe the lyst along / the lengur hit semede
Amonges the ryche rayes / y rendrede alessoun a lessoun
To brochen hem with abatnelde a batnelde / and bande hem to-gyderes
Potte hem in pressoures / and pynne hem þerynne
Til ten ȝerde other twelue / tolde out threttene
My wyf was a webbe / and wollone cloth made
Sche[^195] spak to þe spynnesteres / to spynnen[^a248] oute
The pound tho[^a249] he payede hem by / peysed aquarter a quarter
More then myn auncer / when y wayed treuthe
Y bouhte here barly / and[^196] brew hit to sulle
Peny ale and poddyngale / she[^197] poured to-gederes
For laboreres and for[^a250] louh folk / þat lay by hym-sulue
Ac þe beste ale lay in m y[^198] bour / and in my bed chaunbre
And ho-so boumode ther-of / abouhte a bouhte[^199] hit þeraftur
A galon for a grote / and ȝut no grayth mesure
When hit cam in coppe-mele / this crafte my wyf vsede
Rose þe regrater / was here ryhte name
Rose þe regrater
Sche[^200] hadde holde hokkerye / this eleuene wynter

[^a248: spynnen (X P2 Uc Yc) | spynnen hit (most other mss)]

[^a249: tho (X I) | that (all other mss)]

[^a250: and for (X Yc) | and (most other mss)]

[^193: X.6.213: The tilde over the <n> here is otiose.]

[^194: X.6.217: There is an unexplained horizontal stroke before this line.]

[^195: X.6.225: Hand 2, we posit, has converted the now lost original X reading into the pronoun sche, the reading of five C manuscripts. Hand 1 may have written A as the singular feminine pronoun, which sometimes confused Hand 2 (as in line X.6.228 below), and so he converted it to a fuller form of the pronoun. RK adopt the IUc reading And, but that could not have fit in the space under Sche, which is cramped and extends a bit toward the left margin. Pearsall and Schmidt print Sche, accepting the correction. Most manuscripts read hue (meaning "he"). Compare changes at X.6.228, X.6.229, and X.6.236 below.]

[^196: X.6.228: The original scribe's reading, a, "she," is correct, though it must have confused Hand 2—thus his conversion to the unique reading and is a mistake. Hand 2's misunderstanding of the pronoun a and his failed attempt to "fix" what he thought was an error for and points to a larger problem of how we, as editors, apprehend the various scribal authorities in the text. As Grindley points out (in unpublished work shared with us) RK appear to "emend" to the reading a, but in doing so are actually simply restoring the original X reading.]

[^197: X.6.229: Hand 2 converted he, "she," to she by inserting the initial <s>. Other manuscripts are almost equally split between the reading he and she.]

[^198: X.6.231: Hand 2 has corrected to the majority reading.]

[^199: X.6.232: We read X's abouhte as pronoun a ("he") run together, as we often see, with the verb, a bouhte, which is the unanimous C-text reading. Therefore, there is nothing extraordinary about X's reading or spacing. However, RK also—unique among the editors—print bouhte, without any pronoun, rejecting the majority reading. Of course the very form abouhte can simply be from MED abien and the <a> thus not a pronoun at all. But we have interpreted it here as pronoun and verb run together.]

[^200: X.6.236: As in X.6.225 above, Hand 2 has converted what was likely an original feminine pronoun A into Sche.]

¶ Repentedest neuere quod repentaunce / ne restitucioun madest
Ȝus ones y was he rberwed quod he / with an heep of chapmen
Y roes and ryflede here males / when the[^a251] areste were
That was a rufol restitucioun / quod repentaunce for sothe
Thow wolt be hanged heye þerfore / here oþer in helle

[^a251: the (X) | they (all other mss)]

¶ Vsedest euere vsurye / in al thy lyf-tyme
Nay sothly he saide / saue in my ȝouthe
Y lernede among lumbardus / a lessoun and of iewes
To weye pans with a peyse / and parede þe heuegeste
And lente for loue of þe wed / the whych y lette bettere
And more worth then the moneye / or men þat y lenede
Y lene folk þat lese wole / a lyppe of vch a noble
And with lumbardus lettres / lene gold to Rome
So what buyrn of me borewede / a bouhte[^201] the tyme

[^201: X.6.250: It is not clear whether the scribe intended two words, the pronoun a plus the verb bouhte, from MED bien, v., as we have transcribed it, or one word abouhte, from MED abien, v., as RK transcribe, thus obtaining, technically, a unique reading for X, though with the same meaning. Most manuscripts read he bouȝt, and since X uses a for "he," it seems sensible to transcribe as we have. Notice that at X.6.232, just above on this folio, the scribe has run the two words even more closely together, which we mark up for separation. In that instance RK, in establishing their edited reading, reject the two-word form witnessed by all manuscripts and print only bouhte.]

¶ Lenedest euere eny lord / for loue of his mayntenaunce
Y haue lent lordes and ladyes / þat louede me neuere aftur
And haue y-mad many a knyht / bothe mercer and draper
Payed neuere for his prentished / nat apayre a payre gloues
That chaffared with my cheuesaunces / cheued selde aftur
Now redily quod repentaunce / and by þe rode y leue
// notate diuites
Shal neuere seketoure wel by-sette / the syluer þat thow hem lenest
Ne thyn heyres as y hope / haue ioye of þat thow wonne
For þe pope with alle his pentauncers / power hem fayleth
To assoyle the of this[^a252] synne / sine restitucioun[^a253]

[^a252: this (X P2 Uc Yc) | þi (most other mss)]

[^a253: restitucioun (X Dc Rc Uc) | restitucione (all other mss)]

¶ Numquam dimittitur peccat um & cetera
With false wordes and whites / haue y y-wonne my godes
And with Gyle and glosynge / y-gadered þat y haue
Meddeled my merchaundyse / and made a good mostre
The worste lay with -ynne / a greet wit y lat hit
And yf my neyhebore / hadde an hyne / or eny beste elles
More profitable then myn / y made many wentes
How y myhte haue hit / al my wit y caste
And but y hit hadde by other wey / at the laste y stale hit
[trefoil]

[X.6.270.m.1: The right margin has a trefoil figure in drypoint. Hm 128 has similar unexplained and extraneous shapes; see The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive edition of San Marino, Huntington Library Hm 128 (Hm and Hm2), Introduction I.9.6-7.]

Or priueliche his pors shoke / and vnpiked his lokes
And yf y ȝede to þe plough / y pynched on his half aker
That a foet lond or aforw a forw / fecchen y wolde
Of my neyhebore nexst / nymen of his erthe
And[^a254] y raap ouer -reche / or ȝaf hem red þat repe
To sese to me with here sikel / þat y ne sewe neuere
In halydayes at holy churche / when y herde masse
Ne hadde y neuere will witterly / to by-seche mercy
For my mysdedes / þat y ne mourned aftur
For loos[^a255] of good leef me / then for lycames gultes
As thow y deddly synne dede / y dradde[^a256] nat so sore
As whenne y lenede and leuede hit lost / or longe or hit were payed
And yf y sente ouer -see / my seruauntes to Bruges
Or in[^a257] pruys-lond my prenties / my profit to awayte
To[^202] merchaunde with my moneye / and maken here eschaunges
Myhte neuere me comforte in the mene-tyme
Nother matynes ne masse / ne no maner syhtes
Ne neuere penaunce parformede / ne pater noster sayde
That my muynde ne was / more in my godes in a doute
Then in the grace of god / and in his grete myhte

[^a254: And (X) | And yf (most other mss)]

[^a255: loos (X Gc Yc) | lost (most other mss) | los (Dc Kc Uc)]

[^a256: dradde (X I P2 Yc) | dradde hit (all other mss)]

[^a257: in (X I P2 Yc) | into (all other mss)]

[^202: X.6.284: HS note that the <T> of To is over an erasure, and we concur. Notice that I reads so, and it is possible that Hand 1 had a similar exemplar and began with, but quickly corrected, an initial <s>. This is only conjecture, however, since nothing is visible.]

¶ Vbi tezaurus tuus / ibi cor tuum
Now redily quod repentaunce / y haue reuthe of thy lyuynge
Were y afrere a frere in good fayth / for al þe gold on erthe
Y ne wolde cope me with thy catel / ne oure kyrke mende
Ne take ameles a meles mete of thyn / and myn herte hit wiste
Ȝif[^203] Thow were such as thow sayst y sholde rather serue[^a258]

[^a258: serue (X) | sterue (most other mss)]

[^203: X.6.295: Hand 2's addition creates a unique reading; XDcIUcYc all read Thou against þat þow in the other C manuscripts.]

¶ Melius est mori / quam male viuere
Y rede no faythful frere / at thy feste to sytte
Ȝut were me leuer by oure lord / lyue al by welle-cresses
Then haue my fode / and my fyndynge of fals menne wynnynges

¶[^204] Seruus[^a259] alterius cum fercula pingua pingu[i]a queris
Pane tuo pocius / vescere liber eris
¶ Thow art an vnkynde creature / y can the nat assoile
Til thow haue y-mad by thy myhte / to alle men restitucioun
For alle that hauen of thy good / haue god my treuthe
Ys haldyng at the heye dome / to helpe the restitue
Ȝe þe prest þat thy tythe toek / trowe y non other
Shal parte with the in purgatorye / and helpe paye thy dette
Yf he wiste thow were such / when he resseyued thyn offrynge
And what lede leueth þat y lye / look in þe sauter glosed on[^205]

[^a259: Seruus (X Hc I) | Seruus es (most other mss)]

[^204: X.6.300-X.6.303: The red paraph extends down a total of four lines and covers the marker for a paraph on X.6.302.]

[^205: X.6.309: X must not have recognized that the following Latin line was actually a line of macaronic alliterative poetry and thus needs to contain an English word; thus he uniquely divides this line after on, while the other manuscripts divide it after glosed, correctly placing On as the first word of the next alliterative line.]

¶ Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti
And there shal he wite witturly / what vsure is to mene
And penaunce the prest shal haue / þat prooud p[ro]ud is of his tithes
For an hore of here ers wynnynge / may hardiloker tythe
Then an errant vsurer haue god my treuthe
And arste shal come to heuene
/ wals he-man
Thenne was there a walschman / was wonderly sory
Hyhte ȝeuan ȝelde aȝeyn / yf y so moche haue
Al þat y wikkedly wan / sithen y witte hadde
And thow me[^a260] lyflode lakke / leten y nelle
That eche man ne shal[^a261] haue his / ar y hennes wende
For me is leuere in this lyue / as alorel a lorel begge
Then in lysse to lyue / and lese lyf and soule
// Robert ryfflere
Robert the ruyflare / on reddite lokede
And for þer was nat wher-with / a[^206] wep swythe sore
Ac ȝut þat synful shrewe / saide to the heuene
Crist þat on Caluarie / on þe cresse[^207] deyedest
Tho dysmas my brother / bisouhte ȝowof ȝow of grace
And haddest mercy vppon þat man / for memento his sake
So rewe on Robert / þat reddere ne haue
Ne neuere wene to wynne / with craft þat y knowe
For thy mochel mercy mitigacioun y biseche
dampne me nat at domesday / for þat y dede so ylle
What byful of this feloun / y can nat fayre shewe
Wel y woet a[^208] wepte faste / water with his yes
And knolechede to Crist / his coupe ȝut eft-sones
That repentaunce is pyk-staff / a wolde polesche newe
for he hadde layȝe by latro / luciferes aunte
Be þe rode quod repentaunce / thow romest toward heuene
By so hit be in thyn herte / as y here thy tonge
Trist[^209] in his mechel mercy / and ȝut þou myhte be saued
For al the wrecchednesse of this world / and wikkede dedes
Fareth as flo wm[^210] of fuyr / þat ful amydde Temese
And deyede with a drop water / so doth alle synnes
Of alle manere men þat with goode wille confessen hem[^211]
And cryen hym mercy / shal neuere come in helle
omnis iniquitas / quoad misericordiam dei est quasi sintilla in medio maris
Repente þe anon quod repentaunce[^212] ryhte to the vsurer
And haue his mercy in thy mynde / and merchaundise leue hit
For thow hast no good by good fayth / to gete the with a wastel
For the good that thow hast gete · / bygan al with falshede
And as longe as thow lyuest ther-with / þou ȝeldest nat bote borwest
And ȝif thow wyte neuere to whom / ne where to restitue
Bere hit to thy bischop / and bide hym of his grace
To by-setten hit hym-sulue / as beste be for thy soule
For he shal onswerie for the / at the hey dome
For the and for many mo / þat man shal ȝeue a rykenynge
What alered a lered[^213] ȝow to lyue with / and to lette ȝow fram thefte

[^a260: me (X Yc) | my (most other mss)]

[^a261: ne shal (X I Uc Yc) | shal (all other mss)]

[^206: X.6.324: A, "he."]

[^207: X.6.326: RK transcribe the word as crosse, but the tail of the <e> is clearly visible. For cresse as a variant spelling, see MED, s.v. crois, n.]

[^208: X.6.334: A, "he."]

[^209: X.6.340: This is a complex situation that must be explained. Some hand has correctly converted the initial <C> to <T>, to obtain the archetypal reading. The error may have arisen from some exemplar where lower case <c> and <t> were confused, or it may simply have arisen from the association of Christ with a phrase like in his mechel mercy. So the fact that KcUcYc also read Christ (UcYc being grouped with X frequently as part of a larger grouping; see RK, pp. 41-47) may not mean much. Because he is active on this folio and because the ink is different (as RK also assert), we have attributed this correction to Hand 2, though with only one dark stroke at issue, it could just as well be Hand 1 with a fuller pen, perhaps making this correction while adding underline on the page. In any case, this is an instance of a "good" correction.]

[^210: X.6.342: Calabrese (2005) has written about this correction: "Hand 1 had written that human evil 'Fareth as flonke of fuyr þat ful amydde Temese / And deyede with a drop water.' Hand 2 rejected flonke ( MED , s.v. flaunk, a spark, attested here and once in Cleanness) and altered to the unique flowm ( MED , s.v. flum, 1(a) a river, a stream of water; RK 6.335: 'Fareth as flo[nke] . . . '). The image is still meaningful (oceans can absorb rivers) but it loses the sublimity of the lone spark dying in the vast sea; the B text (KD 5.283) offers the more familiar term 'glede' instead of 'flonke.' The majority C-text reading is actually 'fonk' ( MED , s.v. fonke, (a) a spark of fire; also fig.; (b) something worthless or contemptible). Therefore if Hand 2 was in possession of (and strictly employing) Hand 1's exemplar or any other, he has overridden its authority. It seems much more likely that he had no exemplar, but rather was working as an active reader who was not afraid to assert his own authority as to the final form of the poem" (pp. 180-182).]

[^211: X.6.344-X.6.345: X shares this line division with C manuscripts DcIP2UcYc.]

[^212: X.6.347: The underlining on the line above is shaped like a modern curly bracket, with the center pointing directly at the <t> of repentaunce, which is written in darker ink, perhaps touched up by the agent of the underlining.]

[^213: X.6.357: A, "he."]

// Glotonyȝe goþ to schryfte
¶ Now bygynneth glotoun / for to go to shryfte
And kayres hym to kyrkeward / his coupte coup[e] to shewe
Fastyng on afriday a friday / forth gan he wende
by betene hous the brewestere / þat bad hym good morwen
And whodeward he wolde / the breuh-wyf hym askede
To holy churche quod he / for to here masse
And sennes sitte and be shryue / and synege nomore

¶ Y haue good ale gossip / Glotoun woltow assaye
Hastow quod he eny hote spyces
Y haue pepur and pyonie / and a pound of garlek
A ferthyngworth fenkel[^a262] sedes[^a263] / for fastyng dayes y bouhte hit

[^a262: fenkel (X) | of fenkel (all other mss)]

[^a263: sedes (X Kc Uc Yc) | sede (all other mss)]

¶ Thenne goth glotoun in / and grete othes aftur
Sesse þe souhteres / saet on þe benche
Watte þe wernare and his wyf dronke
Tymme þe Tynekare / and tweyne of his knaues
Hicke þe hackenayman / and hewe þe nedlare
Claryce of cockes lane / and the clerc of þe churche
Syre[^214] of prydie and purnele of Flaundres
An hayward an heremyte / the hangeman of tybourne
Dawe þe dikere / with a dosoyne harlotes
Of portours and of pike-porses / and of pilede toth-draweres
A rybibour and a[^a264] ratoner / a rakeare and his knaue
A ropere and a[^a265] redyngkynge / and Rose þe disshere
Godefray þe garlekmonger / and Gryffyth þe walshe
And of vphalderes an heep / herly[^215] by þe morwe
G euen[^216] glotoun with glad chere / good ale to hansull

[^a264: and a (X Ec P P2 Yc) | a (all other mss)]

[^a265: and a (X I P Sc Yc) | a (all other mss)]

[^214: X.6.375: Here the zeal to erase the name of the title character of the poem has extended to an innocent fellow by the same name. On this widespread but not comprehensive defacement of Piers and Plowman, see the Introduction: I.8 The Erasure of the Name of Piers Plowman.]

[^215: X.6.382: Herly, probably written with the intrusive <h> under the influence of the alliteration, is not attested in the MED , but it does appear as a form in the OED , s.v. early, adv.]

[^216: X.6.383: Hand 1 has written <e> over a false start on the next letter, <u>.]

¶ Clement þe Coblere / cast of his cloke
And to þe newe fayre / nemp nede forth[^a266] to sull
Hicke þe hackenayman hit his hod aftur
And bade bute[^a267] þe bochere / ben on his syde
There were chapmen y-chose / this chaffare to preyse
That ho-so hadde the hood / sholde nat haue þe cloke
And that the bettere thyng be arbitreres / bote sholde þe worse
Tho rysen vp rape / and rounned to-gyderes
And preisede this[^a268] penworthis / apart by hem-sulue
And there were othes an heep / for on sholde haue þe worse
They couthe nat by here Consience acorden for treuthe
Til Robyn þe Ropere / aryse they bisouhte
And nempned hym / for anoumper a noumper / þat no debat were
Hicke þe hostiler / hadde þe cloke
In couenaunt þat clement sholde / the coppe fulle
And haue hickes hood þe hostiler / and holde hym yserued
And ho-so repentede hym rathest / sholde aryse aftur
And grete syre glotoun / with a galoun of ale
There was leyhing and louryng / and lat go the coppe
Bargaynes and Beuereges bygan tho to awake
And seten so til euenson euenson[g] / and songen vm-by-while
Til glotoun hadde y-globbed / a galoun and a gylle
His gottes gan to gothly / as to grydy[^217] sowes
Apissed A pissed[^218] a potel / in a pater nost er whyle
A blew his rownd ruet / at his ryngebones[^a269] ende
That alle þat herde þe horun / helde here nose aftur
And wesched hit hadde[^a270] wasche with a weps of breres
He myhte noþer steppe ne stande / til he a staf hadde
And thenne gan he go lyke a glemans byche
Sum-tyme a-syde / and sum-tyme arere
As ho-so layth lynes / for to lacche foules
And when he drow to the dore / thenne dymmede his yes
And thromblede at the thresfold / and threw to þe erthe
And Clement þe coblere / cauhte hym by þe myddel
And for to lyfte hym aloft / leyde hym on his knees
Ac gloton was a greet cherl / and greued[^a271] in þe luftynge

[^a266: forth (X I P2 Yc) | hit forth (all other mss)]

[^a267: bute (X Yc) | bette (most other mss)]

[^a268: this (X I Uc Yc) | the (most other mss)]

[^a269: ryngebones (X Rc) | rygbones (most other mss)]

[^a270: hadde (X) | hadde be (all other mss)]

[^a271: greued (X P2) | groned (most other mss)]

[^217: X.6.406: XP2Yc read gydy, which must be from MED gidi, adj., 1(a), "[i]nsane, crazy; possessed by a devil; (b) foolish, stupid, senseless; (c) of an animal: mad, possessed; ?senseless, ?rabid." We have to attribute this correction to Hand X because the added <r> and the caret are sharp and faint and neither distinctly in the dark ink of Hand 2 nor clearly in the ink of the main hand. In any case, this correction aligns the text with the majority reading.]

[^218: X.6.407: A, "he."]

// Glotoun cowede a caudel in clementis lappe
¶ And cowed vp a caudel / in Clementis lappe
Ys non e so hungry hound / in hertford-shyre
durste lape of þat lyuynge / so vn-louely hit smauhte
With alle þe wo of this world / his wyf and his wenche
Beren hym to his bed / and brouhten hym þer -ynne
And aftur al this exces / he hadde an accidie aftur[^a272]
A sleep saturday and sonenday / til þe sonne ȝede to reste
Then gan he wake wel wanne / and wolde haue y-dronke
The furste[^a273] þat he spake was to[^a274] halt þe bolle
His wyf and his inwit / Edwitede / hym of his synne
A wax a-shamed þat shrewe / and shrofe hym a[^a275] swythe
To repentaunce ryht thus / haue reuthe on me he saide
Thow lord[^a276] that[^219] a-loft art / and alle lyues shope
To the god y glotoun / gulty / y me ȝelde
Of þat y haue trespased with tonge / y can nat telle how ofte
Sworn godes soule and his sides / and so helpe[^a277] me[^220] god almyhty
There no nede ne was / many sythe falsly
And ouersopped at my soper / and som-tyme at nones
More then my kynde / myhte deffye
And as an hound þat eet gras / so gan y to brake
And spilde þat y a-spele myhte / y kan nat speke for shame
The vilony of my foule mouthe / and of my foule mawe
And fastyn gdayes[^221] bifore noen / fedde me with ale
Out of resoun among rybaudes / here rybaudrye to here
Her-of gode god graunte me forȝeuenesse
Of al my luyther lyf / in al my lyf-tyme
For y vowe to verray god / for eny hungur or furste
Shal neuere fysch in[^a278] þe fryday / defyen in my wombe
Til abstinence myn Aunte / haue ȝeue me leue
And ȝut haue y chasted[^a279] here / al my lyf-tyme

[^a272: accidie aftur (X P2 Yc) | accidie (most other mss)]

[^a273: furste (X) | furste word (all other mss)]

[^a274: to (X) | who (all other mss)]

[^a275: a (X Mc) | also (most other mss) | as (Dc I Uc Yc)]

[^a276: lord (X P2 Yc) | lord þat (all other mss)]

[^a277: helpe (X Kc Mc Rc) | helpe me (all other mss)]

[^a278: in (X) | on (all other mss)]

[^a279: chasted (X) | hated (most other mss)]

[^219: X.6.432: In this instance, and then again just below at X.6.435, notice that Hand 2 has made a good correction, aligning the text to the reading of all other C manuscripts.]

[^220: X.6.435: In this instance, and just above at X.6.432, notice that Hand 2 has made a good correction, aligning the text to reading of all other C manuscripts.]

[^221: X.6.442: The scribe began the <d> of dayes, but quickly converted it to the needed <g>.]

¶ [X.7.0.h.1: The headers for Passus 7 (29v) and 19 (82v) and the trailer at the end of Passus 9 (44r) are the only such headings/trailers that begin, for unknown reasons, with a red paraph.] Passus septimus de visione

// Schouthe Sc[l]outhe cam to schryfte
T henne cam sleuthe al by-slobered with two slimed yes
Y moste sitte to be shryue / or elles sholde y nappe
Y may nat wel stande ne stoupe / ne with -outen a stoel knele
Were y brouhte in my bed / but yf my taylende hit made
Sholde no ryngyng do me to ryse[^a280] / til y were rype to dyne
A bigan benedicite with abolk a bolk / and his breste knokkede
Roxlede[^a281] and romede[^a282][^222] / and rotte at þe laste
What a-wake renke quod repentaunce / and rape[^a283] to shryfte
Yf y sholde deye be þis day / y drede me sore
Y can nat parfitly my pater noster / as þe prest hit syngeth
Y can rymes of robyn hode / and of randolf Erle of Chestre
Ac of oure lord ne of oure lady / þe leste þat euere was maked
Y haue voued[^a284] voues fourty / and forȝeten hem amorwen
Y parfourmede neuere penaunces[^a285] / þat þe prest me hihte
Ne ryht sory for my synnes / y seyh neuere þe tyme
And yf y bidde eny bedes / but yf hit be in wrath
That y telle with my tonge / is ten myle fro myn herte
Y am occuepied vch aday / haliday and oþere
With ydele tales / at þe ale / and oþerwhile in chirches
Goddes payne and his passioun / is puyre selde in my thouhte
Y visitede neuere feble man / ne fetered man in prisone
Y hadde leuere here an harlotrye / or a lesyng to lauhen of
Or to lacke men / or to likene[^a286] hem in vnlikyng manere
Th an[^223] al þat euere Mark made / Matheu Iohn or lucas
Vigilies and fastyngdayes / y can forȝeten hem alle
And ligge abedde in lente / and my lemman in myn armes
Til matynes[^224] and masse be y-do / thenne haue y a memorie at þe freres
Y am nat shryue somtyme / but yf seknesse hit make
Nat twies in ten ȝer / and thenne t elle y nat þe haluendele

[^a280: to ryse (X I Uc Yc) | ryse (most other mss)]

[^a281: Roxlede (X Uc) | Rascled (most other mss)]

[^a282: romede (X Dc Mc Rc Uc) | remede (most other mss)]

[^a283: rape (X Yc) | rape þe (all other mss)]

[^a284: voued (X I P2 Yc) | avowed (most other mss)]

[^a285: penaunces (X I Uc Yc) | penaunce (most other mss)]

[^a286: to likene (X I Yc) | likene (most other mss)]

[^222: X.7.7: The X reading is adopted by Schmidt (2011) as the "harder and so probably original form" ( Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.1, p. 355). He reads these words as coming from MED roxlen, v., "?[t]o become feeble, weaken" and MED romien, v. 1(a), "[t]o roar; — used of lions; also of bears and boars; (b) to cry out, lament; rage (as though mad)." Pearsall and RK however print Raxlede and remede, taking the latter to be MED remen, v. 1(a), "[t]o stretch, distend; stretch (a chain around the neck); (b) to stretch oneself, yawn; ~ and raxlen, raxlen and ~."]

[^223: X.7.24: Hand 2's correction to the comparative than aligns X with all other manuscripts, though they spell the word then.]

[^224: X.7.27: The final minim of <m> appears to be blotted in the ink of the main hand, but we do not see any correction or variant here.]

notate lewede prestes
¶ I · haue be prest and parsoun / passynge thritty wyntur
Ȝut kan y nother solfe ne synge / ne a seyntes lyf rede
Ac y can fynden in a feld / and in a forlong an hare
And holden a knyhtes Court / and acounte with þe reue
Ac y can nat construe catoun / ne clergialiche reden
Yf y begge[^225] and borwe hit / but yf hit be y-tayled
Y forȝete hit as ȝerne / and yf eny man hit aske
Sixe sithe oþer seuene / y forsake hit with othes
And thus haue y tened trewe men / ten hundrit tymes
And my seruauntes som-tyme / here salerie is bihynde
reuthe is to here rekenynge / when we shal rede acountes
so with wikkede will / my werkemen y paye
Yf eny man do[^a287] me a been feet / or helpeth me at nede
Y am vnkynde aȝen his cortesie / y can nat vnderstande hit
For y haue and haue y-had / sumdel haukes maners
Y am nat luyred with loue / but þer lygge ouht vnder þe tumbe
The kyndenesse þat myn emcristen / kud me ferne-ȝer
Sixty sythes y sleuthe / haue forȝeten hit sethe
In speche and in sparyng of speche / y spilde many a tyme
Bothe flesch and fysch / and vitailes kepte so longe
Til eche lyf hit lothed / to loke þeron or smylle hit
Bothe Bred and ale / Botere mylke and chese
For-sleuthed in my seruice / and y set hows[^226] a-fuyre
And ȝede aboute in my ȝouthe / and ȝaf me to no thedom
And sethe a beggare haue y be / for my foule sleuthe

[^a287: do (X Fc P2 Yc) | doþ (all other mss)]

[^225: X.7.35: We take begge to be a form of MED bien, v., 1(a), "[t]o purchase (sth.). . ." Compare the situation at X.5.94.]

[^226: X.7.52: It is impossible to determine the original X reading and thus to know why Hand 2 has made this correction, which applies a variant spelling of the majority reading hous.]

¶ Heu michi quod sterlilem ster[i]lem duxi vitam / iuuenilem
Repentest the nat quod repentaunce / and ryht with þat he swowened
Til vigilate the veile / fette water / at his eyus
And flatte hit on his face / and faste on hym cryede
And sayde war the for wanhope / þat wolde the bytraye
Y am sory for my synnes / sey to god[^227] thy-suluen
And bete thy-sulue vppon þe breste / and bidde hym of grace
For is no gult so greet / þat his goodnesse is more

[^227: X.7.60: Calabrese (2005) had argued that the insertion of god should be attributed to Hand 2 as potentially part of a thoughtful pattern of doctrinal adjustment to the text (pp. 188-190). The editors now see this particular addition to be in the hand of the main scribe, something Calabrese had himself pondered in a note to his discussion, where he says, "I raise and acknowledge the possibility that this may be an auto-correction by Hand 1 as well" (p. 190, n. 32).]

¶ Thenne sat sleuthe vp / and seynede hym ofte
And made vowe[^a288] to-fore god / for his foule sleuthe
Shal no sonday be this seuene ȝere / but yf seknesse hit make
That y ne shal do me ar day / to þe dere chirche
And here mateynes and masse as y amonke a monke were
Shal non ale aftur mete / holde me thennes
Til y haue euensong y-herd / y bihote to þe rode

[^a288: vowe (X) | a vowe or avowe (most other mss)]

¶ Ac wheche been þe braunches / þat bryngeth men to sleuthe
Is when men mourneth / not for his mysdedes
The penaunses[^a289] þat þe prest enioyneth / parformeth euele
doth non Almesdede / drat hym nat of synne
Lyueth aȝen þe bileue / and no lawe kepeth
And hath no likynge / to lerne ne of oure lord to here
But to harlotrie and to[^a290] hore-dom / or elles of som wynnynge
When me carpeth of Crist / or of clannesse of soule
A wexeth wroth and wol not here / but wordes of murthe
Penaunse and pore men / and the passioun of seyntes
He hateth to here there-of / and alle þat þer -of carpeth
This beth þe branches beth y-war / þat bryngeth a man to wanhope
Ȝe lordes and ladies / and legates / of holy churche
That feden foel sages / flateres and lyares
And han lykyng to lythen hem / in hope to do ȝow law he

[^a289: penaunses (X I Uc Yc) | penaunse (all other mss)]

[^a290: and to (X Yc) | and (most other mss)]

¶ Ve vobis qui ridetis & cetera
And ȝeueth such mede & mete / and pore men refuse
In ȝoure deth-deynge / y drede me sore
Laste tho manere men / to muche sorwe ȝow brynge
Consencientes & agentes / pari pena punientur
Patriarkes and prophetes / precheours of goddes wordes
Sauen thorw here sarmon / mannes soule fram helle
Ryht so flateres and fooles aren þe fendes procuratours
To entise men thorw here tales / to synne and to harlotrie
Clerkes þat knoweth this / sholde kenne lordes
Wh at[^228] dauid sayth of such men / as þe sauter telleth
Non habitabit in medio domu s mee qui facit supbiam sup[er]biam[^229] qui loquitur iniqua & cetera
Sholde non harlote haue audiense / in halle ne in chaumbre
There þat wyse men were / wittnesseth goddes wordes
Ne no mysproud man / amonges lordes be y-louede[^a291]
Clerkes and knyhtes welcometh kynges munstrals
And for loue of here lord / lyueth hem at festes
Muche more me thynketh / riche men ouhte
Haue beggares byfore hem / þe whiche ben goddes mustrals mu[n]strals
As he sayth hym-sulf / seynt Ion bereth witnesse
Qui vos spernit / me spernit
For-thy y rede ȝow ryche reueles / when ȝe maketh
For to solace ȝoure soules / suche munstrals to haue
The pore for afoul a foul[^a292] sage / sittynge at thy table
With alered a lered man to lere the / what oure lord suffrede
For to saue thy soule / fram satan thyn enemye
And fithele the with-oute flaterynge / of godfriday þe feste
And ablynd a blynd man for abordor a bordor / or abedredene a bedredene womman
To crye alargesse a largesse to-fore oure lord / ȝoure good loos to shewe
Thise thre manere munstrals / maketh aman a man to lauhe
And in his deth-deynge / they don hym greet confort
That by his lyue lened hem / and louede hem to here
Thise solaseth þe soule / til hym-sulue be y-falle
In awel a wel -hope for awrouhte a wrouhte[^230] so / amonges worthy seyntes
There flaterers and foles / with here foule wordes
Leden tho that lythed hem / to luciferes feste
With turpiloquio a lay of sorwe / and luciferes fythele
To perpetuel payne / or purgatorie a wikke[^a293]
For a[^231] lythed and louede / þat godes lawe despiseth

[^a291: y-louede (X) | alowed (most other mss)]

[^a292: afoul a foul (X Nc P) | fol (all other mss)]

[^a293: a wikke (X) | as wikke (most other mss)]

[^228: X.7.95: We agree with HS, who identify the main hand as writing at over an erasure; RK are not sure and cite "?another hand."]

[^229: X.7.96: We take the scribe to have intended to write superbiam. Either he accidently omitted the expansion or the underline has obscured it; compare per mariam at X.7.266, where the underline is broken to allow the suspension mark to be visible.]

[^230: X.7.118: A, "he."]

[^231: X.7.123: A, "he."]

¶ dare histrionibus & cetera
Tho was repentaunce aredy / and redde hem alle to knele
Y shal byseke for alle synnefole / oure sauiour of grace
To Amende vs / of oure mysdedes / do mercy to vs alle
God þat of thi goodnesse / gonne þe world make
And madest of nauhte auhte / and man liche thy-sulue
And sethe soffredeste hym to synege / a sykenesse to vs alle
And for oure beste as y beleue / what so þe boek telle

¶ O felix culpa &[^a294] necessarium peccat tum Ade
For thorw þat synne thy sone / ysent was til erthe
And bicam man of amayde a mayde / mankynde to amende
And madest thy-sulue with thy son / oure soule & oure body[^a295] ilych

[^a294: & (X) | o (all other mss)]

[^a295: oure body (X I P2 Yc) | body (all other mss)]

¶ Ego in patre & pater in me / et qui me videt / videt patrem meum & cetera
And sethe in oure secte / as hit semed deyedest
On a friday in fourme of man feledest oure sorwe
Captiuuam Capti[u]am duxi[^a296][^232] captiuitatem

[^a296: duxi (X) | duxit (all other mss)]

[^232: X.7.139: We could easily have marked up duxi as an error, to render duxit, obtaining the correct reading of Ephesians 4:8, quoting Vulgate Psalm 67:19. However, X's unique offering of the first person preterite may be an inventive adaptation of the biblical verses, maintaining the first person voice of Jesus established at X.7.136, beginning with Ego.]

¶ The sonne for sorwe þerof / lees liht for a tyme
A-boute mydday when most liht is / and mel-tyme of sayntes
Feddest tho with thy flesch and blood / oure forfadres in helle
Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris / vidit lucem magnam & cetera
The lihte þat lup oute of the / lucifer hit blente
And brouhte thyne y-blessed / fro thennes in-to þe blisse of heuene
The thridde day þer -aftur / thow ȝedest in-to[^a297] oure sekte
A synful marie þe sey / ar seynte marye þy dame
And also to solace synfole / thow soffredest it so were
Non veni vocare iustos set peccatores & cetera
And al þat mark hath y-made / Matheu Ion and lucas
Of thy douhtiokest dedes / was don in oure sekte

[^a297: in-to (X) | in (all other mss)]

¶ verbum caro factum est
And by so muche hit semeth / the sykerloker we mowe
Bidde and biseche the / yf hit be thy wille
That art furste oure fadur / and of flesch oure broþer
And sethen oure sauyour / and seydest hit with[^a298] thy tonge
That what tyme we synnefole men / wolden be sory for dedes[^233]
That we han don ylle / dampned sholde we ben neuere
Yf we knowlechede and cryde / Crist þerfore mercy
Quandocumque ingemuerit peccator / om nes iniquitate iniquitate[s] eius non recordabor ampliuus ampli[us]
And for[^a299] muchel mercy / and marie loue thi moder
Haue reuthe of alle these / rybaudes / þat repenten hem sore
That euere they gulte / aȝeyn þe god / in gost or in dede
Thenne hente y[^a300] an horn / of deus tu conuersus viuificabis nos
And Blewe hit with beati quorum[^234]
Remisse sunt iniquitates / & quorum tecta sunt peccata
That alle seyntes for synfol songen with dauid ·

[^a298: hit with (X I Uc Yc) | with (most other mss)]

[^a299: for (X I) | for that (most other mss)]

[^a300: y (X) | hope (all other mss)]

[^233: X.7.157-X.7.158: X shares this line division with C manuscripts DcIUcYc.]

[^234: X.7.165: X's line division is unique, as most manuscripts divide the lines at peccata, the end of the Latin phrase. X must not have seen that the entire two lines are really one macaronic long line, alliterating on <b>.]

¶ Homines & iumenta saluabis quamadmodum q[ue]madmodum multiplicasti misericordiam meam[^a301] deus
A thousend of men tho / throngen to-gyderes
Criede vpward to Crist / and to his clene moder
// Hyer askyd þe puple a palmere after treuþe
To haue grace to go to treuthe / god leue þat they mote
Ac þer ne was wye non so wys / þat the way thider couthe
But blostrede forth as bestes / ouer baches and hulles
Til late was and longe / þat thei a lede mette
Y-parayled[^a302] as a paynyem / in pilgrimes wyse
He bar a bordoun / ybounde with abrood a brood liste
In awethewynde-wyse a wethewynde-wyse / ywrithe al aboute
A bolle and a bagge / a[^235] bar by his syde
An hundret of Aunpolles / on his hat sette
Signes of syse / and shelles of galys
And many acrouch a crouch on his cloke / kayes of Rome
And þe vernicle bifore / for men sholde y-knowe
And se by þe signes / wham a[^236] souht hadde
This folk frayned hym furste / fro whennes he come

[^a301: meam (X) | tuam (most other mss)]

[^a302: Y-parayled (X P2 Yc) | Aparayled (most other mss)]

[^235: X.7.178: A, "he."]

[^236: X.7.183: A, "he."]

¶ Fro synoye he sayde and fro þe sepulcre of oure lord
In bedlem and in babiloyne / y haue be in bothe
In Armonye in Alisaundre / y haue be in bothe
Ȝe may se be þe signes / þat sitten on my cappe
Y haue souht gode seyntes / for my soule helthe
And y-walked ful wyde / in wete and in drye

¶ Knowest thow auht acorsent a corsent quod they / þat men calleth treuthe
Kouthest[^a303] wissen vs to-day / whoder-out treuth woneth
Nay so me god hehelpe [he]lpe / sayde þe gome thenne
I · saw neuere palmere with pyk ne[^237] with scripte scrip[p]e
Axen aftur hym / but now in þis place

[^a303: Kouthest (X) | Couthes thou (most other mss)]

[^237: X.7.194: The markup is inadequate. Hand1 has self-corrected an initial <m> to an <n> by covering the final minim with the required <e> for ne.]

[^238] ¶ quod a[^239] / and potte forth his heued
I · knowe hym as kyndely / as Clerk doth his bokes
Consience and kynde wyt / kenned me to his place
And maden me sykerenesse[^a304] sethen / to seruen hym for euere
Bothe to sowe and to sette / þe while y swynke myhte
And to sowen his seed / suewen his bestes
Withynne and with -outen / to wayten his profit
Iich [I]ch haue y-be his foloware / al this fourty wynter
And y serued treuthe sothly / som-del to paye
In alle kyne craftes / þat he couthe deuise
Profitable as for þe plouh apotte a potte[^240] me to lerne
And thow y sey hit my-sulf / y serue hym to paye
Y haue myn huyre of hym wel / and oþerwhiles more
He is þe presteste payere / þat eny pore man knoweth
He with-halt non hewe / his huyre ouer euen
He is as louh as alombe a lombe / and leel of his tonge
And ho-so wilneth to wyte / where þat treuthe woneth

[^a304: sykerenesse (X) | sykeren (most other mss)]

[^238: X.7.196: A mark like a virgule appears too far into the left margin to see fully, because of the tightness of the binding. Hence we note, but cannot interpret it. Possibly it marks a place for the erasure of Peres Plouhman.]

[^239: X.7.196: Again we see an incomplete attempt to erase the character's name, leaving Peter and plouhman still legible. In this case, however, Peter is an exclamation ([St.] Peter!), rather than the charcter's name. The deleter sometimes fails to make a distinction.]

[^240: X.7.206: A, "he."]

¶ Y wol wissen ȝow wel / ryht to his place
Ȝe leue Peres quod thise pilgrimes / and profrede Peres mede
Nay bi þe perel of my soule / Peres gan to swerie
Y ne wol[^a305] fonge aferthynge a ferthynge / for seynt Thomas shryne
Were hit i-tolde treuthe / þat y toke mede
A[^241] wolde l oue me þe lasse / a long tyme aftur
Ac ho-so wole wende þer treuthe is / this is þe way theder
Ȝe mote go thorw mekenesse / alle men and wommen
Til ȝe come into Consience / y-knowe of god sulue
That ȝe louye hym lord / leely aboue alle
That is to sey sothly / ȝe sholde rather deye
Thenne eny dedly synne do / for drede or for preeyere
And thenne ȝoure neyhebores nexst in none wyse apayre
Other-wyse then ȝe wolden / they wrouhte ȝow alle tymes
And so goth forth by þe brok / a brugge as it[^242] were
For to ȝe fynde aford a ford / ȝoure fader honoureth
Wadeth in at[^a306] þat water / and wascheth ȝow wel there
And ȝe shal lepe þe lihtloker / al ȝoure lyf-tyme

[^a305: ne wol (X I Uc Yc) | nolde (most other mss)]

[^a306: in at (X I Yc) | wel in (most other mss) | in (P2 U D)]

[^241: X.7.218: A, "he."]

[^242: X.7.227: HS say hit was erased, which is quite possible, but only the <h> is clearly visible, as RK correctly notice.]

¶ Honora patrem & matrem & cetera
And thenne shalt thow se swere nat / but if it be for nede
And nameliche an ydel / þe name of god almyhty
Thenne shalt thow come by a croft /[^243] Ac come thow þer -ynne[^a307]
The croft hatte coueyte nat / menne catel ne here wyues
Ne none of here seruauntes / þat nuye hem myhte
·

[X.7.237.m.1: Just to the left of this line is a very clear dot of unknown purpose.]

Loke þou bere nat þere a-way / but yf hit be thyn owene
Tho[^a308] stokkes þere stondeth / ac stynte thow nat þere
Thei hatte stele nat and sle nat stryk forth by bothe
And leueth hem in[^a309] þe luft hand / and loke þer -aftur
And hold wel þe[^a310] haliday / heye til euen
Thenne shaltow blenche at a berw / bere no fals witnesse
Is frithed in with floreynes / and othere fees monye
Loke thow plokke no plonte þere / for perel of thy soule
Thenne shaltow se say soth / so hit be to done
In none manere elles nat / for no mannes preeyre
And so shaltow come to a Court / as cleer as þe sonne
The mote is of mercy / the manere in þe myddes
And al þe wallyng is of wyt / for wil ne sholde hit wynne
The carneles ben of cristendom / þat kynde to saue
I·-botrased[^244] with bileue so / or two[^a311] best not y-saued
And alle þe hous / been yheled / halles and chaumbres
With no leed but with loue / and with lele speche
The barres aren of buxumnesse / as bretherne of o wombe
The Brygge hatte byde[^a312] wel / the bet may they[^a313] spede
Vche a piler is of penaunces[^a314] / and preyeres to seyntes
The hokes aren Almesdedes / þat þe ȝates hange on
Grace hatte þe gateward / a goed man for sothe
His man hatte amende ȝow / many man hym knoweth
Tel hym this ilke tokene / treuthe woet þe sothe
Y am sory of[^a315] my synnes / and so y shal euere
And parformed þe penaunce / þat þe prest me hihte
Biddeth amende ȝow / to meke ȝow to his maister grace
To opene and vndo / þe hye gate of heuene
That Adam and Eue aȝenes vs alle shette

[^a307: þer -ynne (X Uc) | nat þer -ynne (all other mss)]

[^a308: Tho (X) | Two (most other mss)]

[^a309: in (X Ec I P Yc) | on (most other mss)]

[^a310: þe (X Dc Kc Uc Yc) | þin (all other mss)]

[^a311: two (X) | thou (most other mss)]

[^a312: byde (X) | bid (most other mss)]

[^a313: they (X) | þow (most other mss)]

[^a314: penaunces (X I Uc Yc) | penaunce (most other mss)]

[^a315: of (X Dc Uc Yc) | for (most other mss)]

[^243: X.7.234: As HS note, starting with the b-verse in this line, the ink changes to a light chocolate brown. They do not indicate where the ink changes again, if at all, but we believe that the use of brown ink begun here extends to the end of folio 37v.]

[^244: X.7.251: The markup here is inadequate. As in several other instances, the scribe has put a raised point after <I>: I ·, the first instance being at X.P.56. In this case, however, the <I> is not the pronoun but rather the marker for the participle, with botrased. Another example of the use of a raised point with a participial <I> occurs at X.5.81. In order to record the participle as a single word while also recording the raised point, we have had to forego the usual isolation of medieval punctuation with white space.]

¶ Per Euam cuntis cun[c]tis clausa est / & per mariam verginem iterum patefacta est & cetera
A ful leel lady vnlek hit of grace
And he[^245] hath þe keye and þe clycat / thow þe kyng slepe
And may lede in þat he loueth / as here lef lyketh
And yf grace graunte the / to go in this wyse
Thow shalt se treuthe sitte / in thy-sulue herte
And solace thy soule / and saue the fram payne
And charge charite / achurche a churche to make
In thyne hole herte / to herborwe alle trewe
And fynde alle manere folk / fode to here soules
Ȝef loue and leute / and oure lawe trewe

[^245: X.7.268: He, "she."]

¶ Quodcumque pecieritis / in nomine meo dabitur enim vobis
Ac be war thenne of wrath nat[^a316] / þat wikkede shrewe
Wrathe naȝt
For he hath enuye to hym / þat in thyn herte setteth
And poketh forth pruyde / to preyse thy-suluen
The boldenesse of thy been-fetes / maketh the blynd thenne
So worth thow dryuen out as deux[^a317][^246] / and þe dore yclosed
Y-keyed and y-clyketed / to close the with -outen
Hapliche an hundred wynter / ar thow eft entre
Thus myhte thow lesen his loue / to lete wel by thy-sulue
And geten hit agayne thorw grace / Ac thorw no gifte elles
Ac ther ben seuene susteres / þat seruen treuthe euere
And aren porteres ouer þe posternes / þat to þat place bilongen
That on hatte astinence a[b]stinence / and vmbletee an-noþer
Charite and chastite / ben his chief maydenes
Pacience and pees / muche peple þei helpe
Largenesse þat lady / lat in ful monye
Noen of hem alle / helpe may in betere
For he payeth for prisones / in places and in peynes
And ho is sib to þis seuene / so me god helpe
Is wonderliche welcome / and fayre vnderfonge
Ho is nat syb to this seuene / sothly to telle
Hit is ful hard be myn heued eny of ȝow alle
To geten ingang at eny ȝate / bote grace be þe more

[^a316: wrath nat (X Uc Yc) | wrath (all other mss)]

[^a317: deux (X Uc Yc) | dew (most other mss)]

[^246: X.7.282: We do not know what the scribe intended by deux, for it is not an attested form of MED deu, n. 1, "[d]ew, moisture; also, mist or light precipitation." If, however, it is French, it could be an ingenious reference to the famous pair who were thrown out of Eden.]

¶ By Crist quod a cotte-pors / y haue no kyn there
Ne y quod an hapeward / by auht þat y knowe
Wyte god quod a wafrestere / wiste y this for sothe
Wolde y neuere forthere no foet / for no frere prechynge
Ȝus quod þe[^247] / and pokede hem alle to gode
Mercy is amayden a mayden there / hath myhte ouer hem alle
And she is sib to alle synfole / and here sone bothe
And thorw þe helpes[^a318] of hem two / hope þou non oþer
Thow myhte gete grace there / so thow go by-tymes

[^a318: helpes (X I Uc) | helpe (all other mss)]

[^247: X.7.304: Again we see that Perus and ploughman have been only partially scraped, leaving both easily legible.]

¶ Ȝe villam emi quod oen / and now y moste thedre
To loke how me liketh hit / and toek his leue at Peres[^248]
Anoþer anoen riht / nede he sayde he hadde
To falewe with fiue ȝotes ȝo[k]es / for-thy me bihoueth
To goo with a good wil / and graytheliche hem dryue
For-thy y pray ȝow / parauntur ȝif ȝe moten[^a319]
Treuth telleth hym this[^a320] / þat y be excused
Thenne was oen hihte actif / an hosbande he semede
Y haue wedded a wyf / wel wantowen of maneres
Were y seuen nyhte fro here syhte / shien[^a321] de[^249] he[^250] wolde
And loure on me and lihtly chyde / and sygge y louede another
For-thy the[^251] / y preye the telle hit treuthe
I may nat come for a kitte / so a[^252] cleueth on me

[^a319: moten (X) | meten (most other mss)]

[^a320: hym this (X I Uc Yc) | to hym (most other mss)]

[^a321: shien (X) | synnen (most other mss)]

[^248: X.7.310: Note here an unerased instance of the name Peres.]

[^249: X.7.318: Hand 2 has encountered a confusing reading and tried to make sense of it. We do not know what Hand 1 intended with shien, but it may be an error on his part for a form of schende, which is how Hand 2 must have interpreted it when he added the <de>. This seems to aim at obtaining MED shenden, v., though without the required form of the auxiliary "to be" that would express the sense of suffering (rather than rendering) harm that is required by the episode: see def. 1(e), "ben shent, to be lost, undone, ruined; ppl. shent, destroyed, confounded, brought to naught; (f) to be destroyed, be confounded." See also def. 2(a), which would also require "to be" to apply in the current context: "[t]o corrupt (sb. or sth.) morally." The majority reading is synnen, adopted by Pearsall and RK, where the sense is that the wife will sin if left without a husband, where X, as revised, indicates obliquely that she would suffer some harm. Schmidt rejects synnen and prints Uc's sighen, which he considers the "least unsatisfactory of the five available variants." He theorizes that chyden (found in no witness) would have been the best reading and wonders if X's shien(de) could be a "backspelling of a word intended for chyden but with the affricate represented, as often in X, by s(c)h" ( Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.1, p. 361). Schmidt is right about X's variations on <ch>/<sh> and their variability in X as graphemes representing /tʃ/ and /ʃ/, but he incorrectly reports that in X the "last two letters are erased and written over" by the <de> (p. 361). Rather, the <de> is careted in and there is no erasure in this line. Finally Schmidt wonders if "*shien" comes from OED , s.v. shy, v. 1., meaning to "take fright," which would explain X's reading, but he offers this with great caution.]

[^250: X.7.318: He, "she."]

[^251: X.7.320: As we often see, Peres and plouhman have been only partially erased, leaving both easily legible.]

[^252: X.7.321: A, "she."]

¶ Vxorem duxi / & ideo non possum venire
[^253] Famyne and defaute / folwen y wol Peres[^254]
Ac þe way is ful wikked / but ho-so hadde agyde a gyde
That myhte folowe vs vch afote a fote / for drede of mysturnynge

[^253: X.7.323: Before X.7.323, X uniquely omits a line found in all other C manuscripts, here given in RK's rendering: Quod contemplacion by Crist thow y care soffre.]

[^254: X.7.323: Note here an unerased instance of the name Peres.]

Passus octauus vt prius

Q vod þe[^255] be seynt petur of Rome
Ich haue an halfaker half aker to erye / by þe heye[^a322]
Haued ich y-ered þis halfaker half aker / and y-sowed hit aftur
Y wol[^a323] wende with ȝow / and þe way teche
That were along a long lettyng / quod þat[^a324] lady in a slayre
// Hyer bad ladies & oþer wymmen worche
What sholde we wommen worthe wor[c]he þe whiles
Y preye ȝow for ȝoure profit / quod Peres to þe ladyes
That somme sowe þe sak / for shedynge of the whete
And ȝe worthily wymmen / with ȝoure longe fyngres
That ȝe on selk and on[^a325][^256] sendel / to sowe whan tyme is
Chesibles for chapeleynes / churches to honoure
Wyue[^a326] s and wyddewes / wolle an flex spynneth
Consience conseyleth ȝow / cloth for to make
For profit of the pore / and plesaunce of ȝow-suluen
For y shal lene hem lyflode / but þe lond faylle
As longe as y leue / for[^a327] the[^257] lordes loue of heuene
And alle manere men / þat by þe molde is susteyned
Helpeth hym worche wittiliche / þat wynneth ȝoure fode
By Crist quod a knyhte tho / akenneth a kenneth[^258][^259] vs þe beste
Ac in tyme[^a328] treuely / y-tauhte was y neuere
Y wolde y couthe quod the knyhte / by Crist and his moder
Y wolde[^a329] som-tyme / for solace as hit were

[^a322: heye (X) | heye way (most other mss)]

[^a323: wol (X I Yc) | wolde (all other mss)]

[^a324: þat (X) | a (all other mss)]

[^a325: on (X Dc Uc) | om. (all other mss)]

[^a326: Wyue (X) | Wyues (all other mss)]

[^a327: for (X I Uc Yc) | for oure (most other mss)]

[^a328: in tyme (X Yc) | on þe teeme (most other mss)]

[^a329: wolde (X) | wolde assaye (most other mss)]

[^255: X.8.1: Conjectured reading: Perkyn þe plouȝhman. In this sequence of the text for Passus 8-9, the character Piers the Plowman figures prominently in the narrative, and accordingly we witness frequent erasure of the character's name.]

[^256: X.8.10: The erroneous final stroke on the <n> of on is likely an anticipation of the first stroke on the <s> of the next word.]

[^257: X.8.16: The majority reading is for oure, but Dc reads for þe, the reading actually adopted by Pearsall, RK, and Schmidt. If those editors are right, then Hand 2 has corrected to an archetypal reading to which he had access, though the correction may just be a simple, intuitive solution to the problem of a missing article.]

[^258: X.8.19: Again we see the conflation of pronoun a with the verb.]

[^259: X.8.19: A, "he."]

¶ Sikerliche sire knyhte / sayde[^260] thenne
Y shal swynke and swete / and sowe for vs bothe
// Hyer

[X.8.25.m.1: Conjectured reading: Pyers.]

ȝif knyȝtes leue to hunte & haueke & kepe hym & hise
And labory for tho thow louest / al my lyf-tyme
In couenant þat thow kepe / holykerke holy kerke and my-sulue
Fro wastores and fro wikked men / þat þis world struyen
And go hunte hardelyche / to hares and to foxes
To bores and to bokkes / þat breketh adoun myn hegges
And afayte thy faucones / to culle þe wylde foules
For þey cometh to my croft / my corn to diffoule
Courteisliche the knyhte thenne / comesed thise wordes
By my power[^261] / y plyhte the my treuthe
To defende þe in fayth / fyhte thow y sholde
And ȝut apoynt a poynt quod[^262] / y praye ȝow of more
Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt / but treuthe wol assente
And when ȝe mersyen eny man / late mercy be taxour
And Mekenesse thy mayster / maugre mede chekes
And thogh pore men profre ȝow / presentes and ȝyftes
Nym hit nat an auntur / thow mowe hit nauht deserue
For thow shalt ȝelden hit so may be / or sumdel a-buggen hit
Misbede nat thy bonde-man / the bette may the spede
Thogh he be here thyn vnderlynge / in heuene par -auntur
He worth rather reseyued / and reuerentloker sitte

[^260: X.8.23: Conjectured reading: Pers or perhaps peris, as HS and RK read it.]

[^261: X.8.33: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^262: X.8.35: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

¶ Amice ascende sup er ius[^263]
At churche in the Charnel / cherles aren euele to knowe
Or aknyhte a knyhte or aknaue a knaue / or a quene fram a queene
Hit bicometh to the knyhte / to be corteys and hende
Treu we of thy tonge / and tales loth to here
Bute they be of bounte / of batayles or of treuthe
Hoold nat with non harlotes / ne here nat here tales
Ac nameliche at þe mete / suche men eschewe
For hit beeþ þe deueles dysors / to drawe men to synne
Ne countreplede nat Consience / ne holy kyrke ryhtes
Y assente by seynt Gyle / sayde the knyht thenne
For to worche by thy wit / and my wyf bothe
And y[^264] shal[^a330] parayle[^a331] me quod Perkyn / in pilgrimes wyse
And wende with alle tho þat wolden lyue in treuthe
And caste on hym his clothes / of alle kyn craftes
His cokeres and his coffes / as kynde wit hym tauhte
And heng his hopur on his hales / in stede of a scryppe
A buschel of breed corn / brouht was þerynne
For y wol sowen hit my-sulf / and sethe wol y wende
To pilgrimages as palmeres doen / pardon to wynne
My plouh-pote shal be my pyk-staff / and pyche a-to þe rotes
And helpe my Coltur to kerue / and clanse þe forwes
And alle þat helpen me erye[^a332] / or elles to wedy
Shal haue leue by oure lord / to go & glene aftur me
And maken hym merye þer -myde / maugrey ho bigruchen hit
And alle kyne crafty men / þat conne lyue in treuthe
Y shal fynde hem fode / þat fayfulleche libbeth
Saue Iacke þe iogelour / and ionet of þe stuyues
And danyel þe dees playere / and denote þe bau de
And frere faytour / and folk of þat ordre
That lollares and loseles / lele men holdeth
And Robyn þe rybauder / for his rousty wordes
Treuthe telde t[o]lde me ones / and bad me telle hit forthere

[^a330: shal (X) | y shal (most other mss)]

[^a331: parayle (X I P2 Yc) | apparayle (all other mss)]

[^a332: erye (X Kc Yc) | to erye (most other mss)]

[^263: X.8.45: The rubricator has added in red the suspension on the <p>. Compare X.7.96, where the scribe forgets the same suspension mark. We believe that the scribe intended to copy the Latin correctly, and we take this as a simple lapse, which was caught and repaired during rubrication. Hence, we see no point in marking supius as a variant.]

[^264: X.8.57: Here with the addition of <y>, Hand 2 has corrected the text to the majority reading.]

¶ Deliantur Del[e]antur de libro viuencium
Y sholde nat dele with hem for holy chirche is hote[^a333] of hem no tythe to aske
Quia cum iustis non scribantur
// loke hyer what

[X.8.81.m.1: The outlines of <P> and <s> are still faintly visible in the manuscript. The suspension and the <s> are evident in HS.]

wyf hyȝte & his sone & his doȝter
They ben ascaped good aunter / now god hem amende
Dame worch when tyme is /[^265] wyf hehte
His douhter hihte do rihte so / or thy dame shal þe bete
His sone hihte soffre thy souereynes haue her wille
deme hem nat yf thow doest / thow shalt hit dere abygge
Consayle nat so þe comune / þe kyng to desplese
Ne hem þat han lawes to loke / lacke hem nat y hote þe[^a334]
Lat god y-worthe with al / as holy wryt techeth

[^a333: is hote (X I Uc Yc) | hoteþ (most other mss)]

[^a334: hote þe (X Dc I Yc) | hote (most other mss)]

[^265: X.8.82: Conjectured reading: peres.]

¶ Super Cathedram moysi sedent & cetera
Maystres as þe mayres is[^a335] / and grete menne senatours
What þei comaunde as by þe kyng / countreplede hit neuere
Al þat they hoten y hote / heiliche thow soffre hem
And aftur here warnynge and worchynge / worche þou þeraftur

[^a335: is (X P2 Yc) | ben (most other mss)]

¶ Omnia que dicunt facite & seruate
Ac aftur here doynge ne do thow nat / my dere sone quod Peres
For now y am olde and hoer / and haue of myn owene
To penaunces and pilgrimes[^a336] / y wol passe with this oþere
For-thy y wol ar y wende / do wryte my biqueste

[^a336: pilgrimes (X) | to pilgrimages (most other mss)]

¶ In dei nomine Amen / y make hit my-sulue
// Hyer makyþ his testament
He shal haue my soule / þat alle soules made
And defenden hit as fro þe fende / and so is my beleue
Til y come til his a-countes / as my crede telleth
To haue a remissioun and a relees / on þat rental y leue
The kyrke shal haue my caroyne / and kepe my bones
For of my corn and my catel / he craued my tythe
Y payede hit prestly / for perel of my soule
He is holdyng y hope / to haue me in his masse
And menege me in his memorie / amonges alle cristene
My wyf shal haue of þat y wan / with treuthe and no more
And delen hit amonges my douhteres / and my dere childres
For thouh y dey to-day / my dette is y-quited
I · bar hoem þat y borwed / ar y to bedde ȝede
And with þe resudue res[i]due and þe remenant / by the rode of lukes
Y wol worschipe þerwith / treuthe al my lyue
And ben a pilgrym at þe plouh / for profit to pore and ryche
Now is perkyn and þis pilgrimes to þe plouh faren
To erien this halfakes halfak[er] half ak[er] / holpen hym monye
dikares and deluares / digged vp þe balkes
Therwith was a-payed / and payede wel hem[^a337] here huyre
Oþer werkemen þer were / þat wrouhten fol ȝerne
Vch man in his manere / made hym-sulue to done
And somme to plese Perkyn[^266] / afeelde pykede wedes
At hey prime / leet þe plouh stande
And ouersey hem hym-sulue / ho-so beste wrouhte
He sholde be huyred þeraftur / when heruost tyme come
And thenne seet somme and songen at the ale
And holpe erye this halfaker / with hey trollilolly

[^a337: wel hem (X I) | wel (most other mss) | hem wel (Dc Uc Yc)]

[^266: X.8.122: Despite the flurry of erasures of the character's name in this sequence of the text, this instance was completely missed.]

¶ Quod þe[^267] al in puyre tene
But ȝe aryse þe rather / and rape ȝow to worche
Shal no grayn þat here groweth gladyen ȝow at nede
And thow ȝe deye for deul / þe deuel haue þat reche
Tho were faytours aferd / and fayned hem blynde
And leyde here legges alery / as suche lorelles conneth
And maden here mone to how þei may nat worche
And we praye for ȝow and for ȝoure plouh bothe
That god for his g race / ȝoure grayn multiplye
And ȝelde ȝow of ȝoure Almesse / þat ȝe ȝeuen vs here
We may nother swynke ne swete / suche sekenes vs ayleth
Ne none lymes to labory with / lord god we thonketh
// Hyere prayde faytours For

[X.8.140.m.1: Conjectured reading: Pers.]

Ȝoure prayeres quod and ȝe p ar fyt weren
Myhte helpe as y hope / Ac hey treuthe wolde
That no faytrye were founde / in folk þat goth abeggeth
Ȝe been wastours y woet wel / and waste and deuouren
That lele landtilynge land tilynge men leely by-swynken
Ac treuthe shal teche ȝow / his teme to dryue
Or ȝe shal ete barly breed / and of þe broke drynke
but yf he be blynde or brokelegged / or bolted with yren
Such poore quod shal parte with my godes
bothe of my corn and of my cloth / to kepe hem fram defaute
And Ankerus and Eremytes / þat eten but at nones
And freres þat flateren nat / and pore folke syke
What y and myn wolle fynde hem what hem nedeth
Thenne gan wastor to wrath hym / and wolde haue y-fouhte
And to þe profrede to fyhte
// Hyer wastour chydde
And bad hym go pisse / with his plogh / pyuische shrewe
A bretener cam braggyng / abostede / also
Wolle thow nulle thow quod he / we wol haue oure wille
And thy flour and thy flesch / feche whenne vs liketh
And maken vs murye þer -myde / maugreye h o[^268] be-grucheth
the tho pleynede hym to þe knyhte
// Hyer playned to þe knyȝt
To kepe hym and his catel / as couenant was bitwene hem
A-wreke me of this wastors / þat maketh this world dere
They a-counteth nat of corsynges[^a338] / ne holy kyrke nat dredeth[^a339]
For ther worth no plente quod[^269] / and þe plouh lygge
Courteisliche the knyhte thenne / as his kynde wolde
Warnede wastour / and wissede hym betere
Or y shal bete the by the lawe / and brynge þe in stokkes
· I · was nat woned to worche quod wastour / and now wol y nat[^a340] bygynne
And leet lyhte of þe lawe / and lasse of the knyhte
And sette[^270] at amase a mase[^a341][^271] / to playne hym whare he wolde
Now by Crist quod[^272] the[^273] y shal apayre ȝow alle
And houped aftur hunger / þat herde hym at the furste
Y preye the quod[^274] tho / pur charite sire hunger
A-wreke[^a342] me of this wastors / for þe knyhte wil nat

[^a338: corsynges (X I Uc Yc) | cursing (most other mss)]

[^a339: nat dredeth (X Dc Uc Yc) | dredeþ (all other mss)]

[^a340: now wol y nat (X I Uc Yc) | y will nouȝt now (most other mss)]

[^a341: amase a mase (X) | a pes (most other mss)]

[^a342: A-wreke (X Ec I) | A-wreke me (all other mss)]

[^267: X.8.128: Calabrese (2005) offers this line as partial evidence that the defacement of this character's name is contemporary with the manuscript (pp. 196-98), because we see here the touching up of letters adjacent to, and accidently damaged by, the erasure.]

[^268: X.8.159: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with most other manuscripts.]

[^269: X.8.164: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^270: X.8.170: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^271: X.8.170: We do not know what X may have intended by this reading, since it may be related to MED mase, "[a] source of confusion or deception," or alternatively related to MED mace, n., 1(c), "some kind of agricultural implement" (mase being attested as a form of mace).]

[^272: X.8.171: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^273: X.8.171: Conjectured reading: plouhman.]

[^274: X.8.173: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

// Hyer hunger faȝt wyt þe wastour & wyt þe bretoner
[^275] ¶ Hunger in haste tho //[^276] hente wastour by þe mawe
And wronge hym so by þe wombe / þat al watrede his yes
A[^277] boffatede þe Bretoner / aboute the chekes
þat alokede a lokede[^278][^279] lyke alenterne a lenterne / al his lyf aftur
And[^a343] beet hem so bothe / he barste ner her gottes
Ne hadde[^280] with apese a pese loof · preyede hym blyue
Haue mercy on hem hunger quod[^281] and lat me ȝeue hem benes
And þat was bake for bayard / hit may be here bote
Tho were faytours afered / and flowen in-to[^282] bernes
And flapton on with fuales[^a344][^283] / fro morwen til euen
That hunger was nat hardy / on hem for to loke
For a potte ful of potage / þat[^284] wyf made
An heep of Eremytes / henten hem spades
Sputeden Sp[i]teden and spradden donge / in dispit of hunger
They curuen here copes / and courtepies hem made
And wenten as werkemen to wedynge and to mowynge
Al for drede of here deth / such duntes ȝaf hunger
Blynde and Brokelegged / he botened a thousend
And lame men he lechede · with longes of bestes
Prestes and oþer peple / towarde[^285] they drowe
And freres of alle þe fyue ordres / alle for fere of hunger
For þat was bake for bayard / was bote for many hungry
drosenes and dregges / drynke for many beggares
There was no ladde þat lyuede / þat ne lowede hym to Peres
To be his holde hewe / thow he hadde no more
But lyflode for his lalour la[b]our / and his loue at nones
Tho was proud / and potte hem alle a[^286] werke
In[^287] daubynge and in deluynge / in donge afeld berynge
In threschynge in thekynge / in thwytinge of pynnes
In alle kyne trewe craft / þat man couthe deuyse
Was no beggare so bold / but yf ablynd a blynd[^288][^289] were
Þat durste with -sitte þat[^290] sayde / for fere of syre hunger
And[^291] was proud þerof / and potte hem alle to swynke
And ȝaf hem mete and money / as þei myhte deserue
Tho hadde[^292] pitee vppon alle pore peple
// Hyer bad hunger go aȝen
And bade hunger in haste / hye hym out of contraye
Hoem to[^a345] his owene ȝerd / and halde hym þere euere
Y am wel a-wroke / of wastours thorw thy myhte
Ac y preye the quod[^293] / hunger ar thow wende
Of beggares and biddares / what beste be to done
For y woet wel be hunger went / worche þei wol ful ille
Meschef hit maketh / they ben so meke nouthe
And for defaute this folk folweth myn hestes
Hit is nat for loue leue hit / thei labore thus faste
But for fere of famyen / in fayth sayde
Ther is no filial[^294] loue / with this folk / for al here fayre speche
And hit are my blody bretherne / for god bouhte vs alle
Treuthe tauhte me ones / to louye hem vchone
And to helpe hem of alle thyng · ay as hem nedeth
Now wolde y wyte ar thow wendest what were þe beste
How y myhte amayster hem / to louye and to labory
For here lyflode · lere me / now sire hunger
Now herkene quod hunger / · and holde hit for awysdom a wysdom
Bolde beggares and bygge / þat mowe here breed by-swynke
With houndes bred and hors breed hele hem when þei hungren
And baue[^a346] hem with benes / for bollyng of here wombe
And yf þe gromes[^295] gruche / bide hem go and swynke
And h e[^296] shal soupe swetture / when[^a347] hit hath deserued
Ac yf thow fynde eny folke / þat fals men han apayred
Conforte hem with thy catel / for so comaundeth treuthe
Loue hem and lene hem / and so lawe of kynde wolde

[^a343: And (X) | He (most other mss)]

[^a344: fuales (X Dc Ec Yc) | flayles (all other mss)]

[^a345: to (X Gc Nc) | into (most other mss)]

[^a346: baue (X Dc) | abaue (most other mss)]

[^a347: when (X) | when he (most other mss)]

[^275: X.8.175: Below the blue paraph are two strokes in red shaped like a <u>, which may well be a note by the rubricator indicating a missed paraph, which he later filled in with blue ink.]

[^276: X.8.175: At the caesura we see and have marked a rare double virgule of uncertain function.]

[^277: X.8.177: A, "he."]

[^278: X.8.178: The third-person singular masculine pronoun, here rendered as a, has been conflated with the verb.]

[^279: X.8.178: A, "he."]

[^280: X.8.180: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^281: X.8.181: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^282: X.8.183: Conjectured reading: peres.]

[^283: X.8.184: We take this reading as MED feuel, n., "[m]atter for burning, fuel," creating a strange image as opposed to the majority reading from MED fleil, n., 1(a), "[i]nstrument used for threshing grain, a flail" or 2(a), "[a] whip; a scourge."]

[^284: X.8.186: Conjectured reading: peres.]

[^285: X.8.194: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^286: X.8.201: A, preposition.]

[^287: X.8.202: What appears to be an otiose minim, actually an abandoned first stroke for the <d> of the following word, is attached to In.]

[^288: X.8.205: The third-person singular masculine pronoun, here rendered as a, has been conflated with the verb.]

[^289: X.8.205: A, "he."]

[^290: X.8.206: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^291: X.8.207: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^292: X.8.209: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^293: X.8.213: Conjectured reading: Peres /.]

[^294: X.8.220: The ink of the added <l> (added, we say, because the spacing is cramped) is not clearly Hand 1 or 2, so we designate it as Hand X. The manuscripts are divided here between various readings: fyal, fynal, finel, filial (which X obtains with the added <l>), feþful, and lel, indicating great confusion. RK emend to fial. We do not know what meaning they intend here, but Pearsall and Schmidt print X's filial. MED cites this line only s.v. filial (with no alternate spellings), and defines it as "becoming to, or expected of, a child in his dealings with a parent, or [as here] with a fellow Christian; faithful."]

[^295: X.8.231: The curl on this <g> is otiose.]

[^296: X.8.232: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with all other manuscripts.]

¶ Alter alterius onera portate
And alle manere men þat thow myhte Aspye
In meschief or in malese / and thow mowe hem helpe
Loke by thy lyue / lat hem nat forfare
Yf thow hast wonne auht wikkedliche / wiseliche despene hit

¶ Facite vobis Amicos de mammona iniquitatis
Y wolde nat greue[^a348] god quod Peres / for al þe good on erthe
Myhte y synneles do as thow sayst sayde Peres þe plouhman[^297]
Ȝe ybihote y bihote the quod hunger / or elles þe bible lyeth
Go to oure bygynnynge / tho god the world made

[^a348: greue (X Dc I P2 Uc Yc) | greve god (most other mss)]

[^297: X.8.243: Here is another instance of the character's name that was not erased.]

¶ As wyse men haen wryten / and as witnesseth Genesis
Þat sayth with swynke and with swoet / and swetynge face
By-tuyle By-tu[ly]e and by-trauayle / trewely oure lyflode

¶ In sudure sud[o]re and labore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo
And salomon þe sage / with þe same acordeth
The slowe Caytif for colde / a[^298] wolde no corn tylye
In somur for his sleuthe / he shal haue defaute
And go abribeth and abeggeth / and no man beten his hungur

[^298: X.8.251: A, "he."]

¶ Piger propter frigus noluit arrare mendicabitur in yeme & non dabitur ei
Mathew maketh mencioun / of a man þat lente
His suluer to thre maner men / and menyng they sholden
Chaffare and cheue þerwith / in chele and in hete
And þat best labored / best was alloued
And ledares for here laboryng / ouer al þe lordes godes
Ac he þat was a wreche and wolde nat trauaile
The lord for his lachesse / and his luther sleuthe
By-nom hym al þat he hadde / and ȝaf hit to his felawe
Þat leely hadde ylabored / and thenne the lord sayde
He þat hath shal haue / and helpe þer hym liketh
And he þat nauht hath / shal nauht haue and noman no man ȝut helpe hym
And þat he weneth wel to haue / y wol hit hym bireue
And lo what þe sauter sayth to swynkares with handes
Yblessed be al tho / that here by-lyue biswynketh
Thorw eny lele labour / as thorw lymes and handes

¶ Labores manuum tuarum quia manducabis & cetera
This aren euidences quod hunger for hem þat wolle nat swynke
That here lyflode be lene / and lyte worth here clothes
By Crist quod þe tho / this prouerbis y wol[^a349] shewe
To beggares and to boys / þat loth ben to worche
Ac ȝut y praye ȝow quod / pur charite syre hungur
Yf ȝe can or knowe / eny kyne thynges of fisyk
For somme of my seruauntes / and my-sulf bothe
Of al a woke worche nat / so oure wombe greueth[^299] vs
Y wot wel quod hungur / what sekenesse ȝow ayleth
Ȝe han manged ouer -moche / þat maketh ȝow to be syke
Ac ete nat y hote / Ar hungur the take
And sende the of his sauce / to[^300] sauery with thy lyppes
And kepe som til soper tyme / and site nat to longe
At noon ne at no tyme / and nameliche at þe sopere
Lat nat sire sorfeet / sittien sitt[e]n at thy borde
And loke þou drynke no day / ar thow dyne sumwhat
And thenk þat · on[^a350] ·[^301] for his delicat lyf  to þe deuel wente
And lazar þe lene beggare / þat longede aftur crommes
And ȝut hadde he hem[^302] nat / for y hungur culde hym
And sethen y say hym sitte / as he a syre were
In al manere ese / and in[^a351] Abrahammes lappe
And ȝif thow[^a352] pouer[^303] y þe rede
Alle þat great gr[a]t[^a353] in thy gate / for godesloue godes loue aftur fode
Part with hem of thy payne / of potage or of sowl
Lene hem som of thy loef / thouh thow þe lasse chewe
And thouh lyares and lechdraweres / and lollares knocke
Lat hem abyde til the bord be drawe / Ac bere hem none crommes
Til alle thyne nedy neyhbores / haue noen y-maked
And yf thow dyete the thus / y dar legge myn eres
That fysik shal his forred hodes / for his fode sulle
And his cloke of callabre / for his comune[^a354] legge
And be fayn be my fayth / his fysik to leete
And lerne to labory with lond / lest lyflode hem[^a355] fayle
Ther ar many luther leches / Ac lele leches fewe
They don men deye thorw here drynkes / Ar destyne hit wolde
By seynte Poul quod Peres / thow poyntest neyh[^304] þe treuthe
And leelyche sayst as y leue / lord hit þe forȝeld
Wende nouthe when thow wold / and wel thow be[^a356] euere
For thow hast wel a-wroke me / and also wel ytauhte me
Y behote the quod hunger / þat hennes ne wol y wende
Ar y haue y-dyned be þis day / and y-dronke bothe
Y haue no peny quod[^305] polettes for to begge
Ne noþer goos ne gries / but two grene cheses
And afewe a fewe croddes and craym / and a cake of otes
And bred for my barnes / of benes and of peses
And ȝut y sayde[^a357] be my soule / y haue no salt[^306] bacoun
Ne no cokeney be Crist / colloppes to make
Ac y haue poret ployntes pl[o]ntes / parsilie and skalones
Chibolles and chiruulles / and cheries sam-rede
And a cow with a calf / and a cart m are
To drawe afeld my donge / þe while þe drouthe lasteth
And by this lyflode we mote lyue / til lowe masse[^a358] tyme
And by that[^307] y hope to haue / heruost in my croftes
Thenne may y dyhte my[^a359] dyner / as me dere lyketh
Alle þe pore peple tho / pese-coddes fe tte[^308]
Benes and bake aples / they brouhten in here lappe
And profrede[^309] this present / to plese with hongur
Hunger eet al in haste / and askede aftur more
Pore folk for fere tho / fedde honger ȝerne
With craym and with croddes / with cresses and oþere erbes
By that hit nyhed neyh heruost / and newe corn cam to chepyng
And thenne were[^310] folke fayn and fedde hunger / dentiesliche dentie[f]liche
And thenne gloton with gode ale / garte hunger slepe
And tho wolde wastor nat worche / bote wandren[^a360] a-boute
Ne no beggare eten bred / þat benes ynne were
bote of cler-matyn / and coket / and of clene whete
Ne noon halpeny ale / in none wyse drynke
Bote of the beste and of þe brouneste þat brewestares sullen
Laborers þat han no lond to lyue on / but here handes
Deynede noȝt[^311] to dyne a day / of nyhte olde wortes
May no peny ale[^312] hem pay / ne no pece of bacoun
but hit be flesch[^a361] or fisch / y-fried or y-bake
And þat chaut and pluchaut / for chillyng of his mawe
And but yf[^a362] he be heyliche y-huyred elles wol he chydde
And þat he was werkeman ywrouhte warien þe tyme
Aȝenes Catones consayle / comseth he to gruche

[^a349: y wol (X I Yc) | wol y (most other mss)]

[^a350: on (X) | diues (most other mss)]

[^a351: and in (X I P2 Yc) | in (all other mss)]

[^a352: thow (X Yc) | thow be of (most other mss)]

[^a353: great gr[a]t (X Dc I Uc Yc) | greden (most other mss)]

[^a354: comune (X) | comunes (all other mss)]

[^a355: hem (X I Rc Uc) | hym (most other mss)]

[^a356: thow be (X Dc I Uc) | be thou (most other mss)]

[^a357: sayde (X I Uc Yc) | saye (all other mss)]

[^a358: lowe masse (X P2 Uc Yc) | lamasse (all other mss)]

[^a359: my (X I P2 Yc) | þy (all other mss)]

[^a360: wandren (X I Uc Yc) | wandred (most other mss)]

[^a361: flesch (X I P2 Yc) | fresh flesch (all other mss)]

[^a362: And but yf (X Uc Yc) | But (most other mss)]

[^299: X.8.278: The C manuscripts witness both greveth and (majority) groneth, but Hand 2 creates a unique reading with his addition of us. Additionally, he appears to have restroked the minims in the <u> of greueth.]

[^300: X.8.282: RK see this as correction by another hand, but HS do not specify; we see it as the main hand correcting an initial, erroneous <s>, the alliterating letter throughout this line.]

[^301: X.8.287: In this dynamic line, Hand 2 appears to have identified and perhaps marked for deletion with two raised points the word on, an error for the archetypal reading diues. But the correction was never carried out. We therfore have to interpret the uncorrected reading on as the X reading. And here we see again, as at X.2.38 and X.5.21 above, that Hand 2, in the course of local correction, has added a punctus elevatus, in this case supplementing Hand 1's virgule.]

[^302: X.8.289: We attribute this correction to Hand 2 because of the darker ink and the letter form of the <h>, but we do so only provisionally, because over an erasure, ink and letter forms can vary. Certainly, the correction does align the text with the majority reading. In accord with policy, we take the uncorrected reading ese to be the reading of X.]

[^303: X.8.292: The name Peres likely appeared under this erasure, but the erased space is larger than would normally contain the name alone.]

[^304: X.8.306: The scribe appears to have written another letter, perhaps a <t> and then quickly turned it into the needed <n>.]

[^305: X.8.312: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^306: X.8.316: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with all other manuscripts, though Hand 1's sale also means "salt."]

[^307: X.8.323: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with most other manuscripts.]

[^308: X.8.325: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with most other manuscripts.]

[^309: X.8.327: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^310: X.8.332: The subject-verb configuration indicating that the "people were happy" (folke fayn) is expressed variously in other C manuscripts, but Hand 2 has correctly seen that Hand 1's version lacked a form of the verb "to be," and so adds were to repair the line.]

[^311: X.8.340: The majority of C manuscripts omit negation, but several include a form of nought or no, so in this addition, Hand 2 may be employing a reading from an exemplar related to AcIP2, which themselves read noght.]

[^312: X.8.341: RK say that <e> is added in another hand, but the letter is not an addition.]

¶ Paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento
And thenne a[^313] corseth þe kyng / and alle þe kynges Iustices
Suche lawes to lerne / laboreres to greue
Ac whiles hungur was here maister / ther wolde non chyde
Ne stryue aȝeynes his statuyt / a[^314] lokede so sturne
Ac y warne ȝow werkmen / wynneth whiles ȝe mowe
For hungur hiderwardes hasteth hym faste
He shal a-wake thorw water / wastors to chaste
And ar fewe ȝeres be fulfeld / famyne shal aryse
And so sayth saturne / and sente vs to warne
Thorw flodes and thorw foule[^a363] wederes / fruyttes shollen fayle
pruyde and pestilences / shal moche peple feche
prophecia
T hre shypes and a schaef / with an viii eyȝte folwynge
Shal brynge bane and batayle / on bothe half þe mone
And thenne shal deth with -drawe / and derthe be Iustice
And dawe þe deluare / dey for defaute
But yf[^a364] god of his goodnesse / graunte vs a trewe

[^a363: thorw foule (X I Uc Yc) | foule (all other mss)]

[^a364: yf (X) | yf god (all other mss)]

[^313: X.8.348: A, "he."]

[^314: X.8.351: A, "he."]

Passus nonus vt prius

T Reuthe herde telle here-of / and to[^315] sente
to taken his teme / and tilion þe erthe
And purchasede hym apardoun a pardoun / A pena & A culpa
For hym and[^a365] his ayres / for euere to ben assoiled
And bad hym holden hym at hoem / and eryen his leyes
And alle þat holpe hym to erye / to sette or to sowe
Or eny manere mester / þat myhte[^316] auayle
Pardoun with þe[^317] perpetuelly he graunteth
Kynges and knyhtes þat holykyrke holy kyrke defenden
And ryhtfulliche in reumes / ruylen þe comune
Haen pardon thorw purgatorye / to passe ful lyhtly
With patriarkes and prophetes / in paradis to sitton
Bishopis y-blessed / yf they ben as they sholde
Lele and fol of loue / and no lord drede
Merciable to meke / and mylde to þe gode
And bitynge in badde men / but yf they wol amende
drede nat for no deth / to distruye by here power
Lechery amonges lordes / and here luyther custumes
+

[X.9.19.f.1: The function of this cross is unclear, as it is written across from a line that neither has nor needs any correction. One can speculate that it has something to do with the erasure in the line below, which accidentally deletes the word peres, mistaking it for the character's name.]

And suche liue as þei lereth men / oure lord treuthe hem graunteth
To be[^318] to þe apostles / alle peple to reule
And deme with hem at domes-day / bothe quyke and dede
Marchauntes in þe margine / hadde many ȝeres
Ac no pena & a culpa / no treuthe wolde hem graunte
For they holde nat here haliday / as holichirch holi chirch hem hoteth
And for they swore[^a366] by here soule / and[^a367] god mote hem helpe
Aȝen clene Consience / for couetyse of wynnynge
Ac vnder his secrete seal / treuthe sente hem a lettre
That bad hem bugge boldly / what hem best likede
And sethe sullen hit aȝeyn / and saue þe wynnynges
Amende mesondewes þerwith / and myseyse men fynde
And wyckede wayes / with here goed amende
And brugges to-brokene / by the heye wayes
Amende in som manere wyse / and mayndones ma[y]dones helpe
Pore peple bedredene / and prisones in stokkes
Fynde hem for godes loue / and fauntkynes to scole
Releue Religion and renten hem bettere
And y shal sende ȝow my-sulue / seynt Mihel myn Angel
That no deuel shal ȝow dere / ne despeyre in ȝoure doynge
And sethe sende ȝoure soules / þer y my-sulue dwelle
And abyde þer in my blisse / body and soule for euere
Tho were Merchauntes mury / many wopen for ioye
And preyde for the[^319] þat purchased hem þis bulles[^a368]
Alle þe peple hadde pardon ynow / þat parfitliche lyuede
Men of lawe hadde lest / þat loth were to plede
But they pre manibus were payed for pledynge at þe barre
Ac he[^a369] speneth his speche / and speketh for þe pore
That innocent and nedy is / and no man ha rm wolde
That conforteth suche in eny caes / and coueyteth nat he he[re] ȝiftes
And for þe loue of oure lord lawe for hem declareth
shal haue grace of agood a good ende / and greet ioye aftur
Beth ywar ȝe wismen / and witty of þe lawe
For whenne ȝe drawe to þe deth / and indulgences wolde haue
His pardoun is ful petyt / at his partyng hennes
That mede of mene men / for here motynge taken
For hit is symonye / to sulle þat sent is of grace
And þat is wit and watur / and wynde and fuyre the ferthe
Thise foure sholde be fre / to alle folk þat hit nedede
Alle libbyng laborers / þat lyuen with here handes
Lellyche and lauhfollyche / oure lord t reuthe hem graunteth
pardoun perpetuel riht as the[^320]
Beggares and Biddares beth nat / in þat bulle
Bote the sugestioun be soth / þat shapeth hym to begge
For he þat begeth or biddeth / but y[^a370] f they haue nede
He is fals and faytour / and defraudeth the nedy
And also gileth hym þat gyueth / and taketh agayne his wille
For he þat gyueth for goddes loue · wolde nat gyue his thankes
Bote ther he wiste were wel grete nede
And moste merytorie / and to[^a371] men þat he ȝeueth fore
Catoun acordeth ther-with cui des videto
Woet no man as y wene / who is worthy to haue
Ac þat most neden / aren oure neyhebores[^321]
And we nyme gode he de[^322] / as prisones in puttes
And pore folk in cotes / charged with childrene
And chief lordes rente / þat they with spynnyng may spare
Spenen hit on hous huyre / bothe in mylke and in mele
To make with papelotes / to a-glotye with here gurles
That greden aftur fode / and hem-sulue also
Soffre muche hungur and wo / in wynter tymes
And wakynge on nyhtes to rise to þe reule to rokke þe cradel
Bothe to carde and to kembe / to cloute and to wasche
And[^a372] to rybbe & to rele / rusches to pylie[^323]
That reuthe is to rede / or in ryme shewe
The wo of this wommen / þat wonyeth in cotes
And of monye oþer men þat moche wo soffren
Bothe a-fyngred and afurste / to turne þe fayre outward
And ben a-basched for to begge / and wollen nat be aknowe
What hym nedede[^a373] at here neyhebores / at noon and at eue
This[^a374] he[^324] woet witturly as þe world techeth
What other byhoueth / þat hath many childrene
And hath no catel but his craft / to clothe hym and to fede
And fele to fonge þerto / and fewe panes taketh
coterelis feste

[X.9.92.m.1: This uncommon marginal note refers to the kind of meal described here in the poem, a feast for a working man; coterelis is the genitive singlular of MED coterel, "A cotter, esp., a lesser cotter or a subtenant."]

There is payne and peny ale / as for a pytaunce y-take
And colde flesche and fische / as venisoun were bake
[^325] Fridays and fastyngdays / a ferthingworth of moskeles
Were afeste a feste with suche folk / or so fele cockes

[^a365: and (X P2 Rc) | and for (all other mss)]

[^a366: swore (X) | swere (most other mss)]

[^a367: and (X I Uc) | and so (most other mss)]

[^a368: bulles (X) | bulle (most other mss)]

[^a369: he (X I P2) | he that (all other mss)]

[^a370: y (X) | yf (most other mss)]

[^a371: and to (X I) | to (all other mss)]

[^a372: And (X) | om. (all other mss)]

[^a373: nedede (X Uc Yc) | nedeth (all other mss)]

[^a374: This (X) | This y (most other mss)]

[^315: X.9.1: Conjectured reading: Peres. Most of what can be seen in the digital image is bleed through from the verso.]

[^316: X.9.7: Conjectured reading: peres.]

[^317: X.9.8: Conjectured reading: peres þe plouhman.]

[^318: X.9.20: In this instance, the deleter failed to read the text, for the word he erased is not the name of the character but rather the plural of MED per (PDE "peer").]

[^319: X.9.42: Conjectured reading: Peres the plouhman.]

[^320: X.9.60: Conjectured reading: Peres the plouhman.]

[^321: X.9.71: XIYc all end line 71 at neyhebores, thus pushing the proper continuation of that line, And we nyme gode hede to the next line, setting off a domino effect of mismatched a- and b- verses that extends to X.9.79. Many manuscripts display problems with line division in this sequence; see RK's textual notes, p. 373.]

[^322: X.9.72: The original reading hete would have been a unique reading, and it is not clear if Hand 1 intended MED hete (PDE "heat"), or if it was simply a confusion of dentals. It is likely the latter, for he has erased the final <e> of hete, and converted to majority hede (PDE "to take heed"). The ink may appear darker because it is over an erasure, but the ascender of the <d>, which extends above the rubbed hide, clearly reveals his hand, so it is his auto-correction; and accordingly we do not record hete as a variant.]

[^323: X.9.81: The changes in this line are clearly in the hand of the main scribe. RK say they are in another hand, but we see, rather, that the ink is that of Hand 1. His addition of to thus aligns the text with all C manuscripts. His addition of &, however, obtains a reading found in about half of the C manuscripts, while half omit it. His initial And, which he did not excise, remains a unique blunder, and thus what exact source(s) prompted the corrections in this line remains unclear.]

[^324: X.9.88: All C manuscripts (Uc by addition) read the first person pronoun Y here, and it appears that Hand 2 is improvising without reference to an exemplar. Cp. X.9.127 below.]

[^325: X.9.94-X.9.105: A large drypoint cross appears in the margin to the left of these lines.]

¶ These are Almusse to helpe / þat han suche charges
And to conforte suche coterelles / and crokede men and blynde
Ac beggares with bagges þe whiche brewhous ben here churches
But they be blynde or to-broke / or elles be syke
Thouh he falle for defaute / þat fayteth for his lyflode
reche ȝe neuere ȝe riche / Thouh suche lollares[^a375] sterue
For alle þat haen here hele / and here ye-syhte
And lymes to labory with / and lollares lyf vsen
Lyuen aȝen goddes lawe / and þe lore of holi churche
Ac[^a376] ȝut ar ther oþere beggares / in hele as hit semeth
lunatyk lollares
Ac hem wanteth wyt / men and women bothe
The whiche aren lunatyk lollares / and lepares aboute
And madden as þe mone sit / more other lasse
Careth they for no colde / ne counteth of non hete
And aren meuynge aftur þe mone moneyeles þey walke
With a good witt[^a377] witteles / mony wyde contreyes
Riht as Peter dede and poul / saue þat þey preche nat
Ne none muracles maken / Ac many tymes hem happeth
To profecye of þe peple / pleinge as hit were
And to oure syhte as hit semeth / seth god hath þe myhte
To ȝeue vch a wyht wyt / welthe and his hele
And suffreth suche go so / it semeth to myn inwyt
Hit aren as his postles suche peple / or as his priue disciples
For a[^326] sent hem forth seluerles / in a somur garnement
With -oute bagge and bred / as þe book telleth
Quando misi vos / sine pane & pera & cetera
Barfoot and bredles / beggeth they of no man
And thauh a[^327] mete with the mayre / ameddes þe strete
A[^328] reuerenseth hym ryht nauhte / no rather then another

[^a375: lollares (X Nc) | lorelles (most other mss)]

[^a376: Ac (X Dc I Yc) | And (all other mss)]

[^a377: witt (X) | will (all other mss)]

[^326: X.9.119: A, "he."]

[^327: X.9.123: A, "he."]

[^328: X.9.124: A, "he."]

¶ Nemini salutauerit[^a378] per viam
Suche manere men matheu vs techeth
We sholde[^a379] haue[^329] hem to house / and helpe hem when they come

[^a378: salutauerit (X P2 Uc Yc) | salutaueritis (most other mss)]

[^a379: sholde (X I Yc) | sholde haue (all other mss)]

[^329: X.9.127: Here, Hand 2 corrects to the majority reading, seemingly displaying his use of an exemplar, but the addition could also be an intuitive one, based on the syntax and alliteration. Cp. X.9.88 above.]

¶ Et egenos vagos induc in domum tuam
For hit aren murye mouthed men / munstrals of heuene
And godes boys bourdyors / as the book telleth

¶ Siquis Si quis videtur sapiens / fiet stultus vt sit sapiens
And alle manere munstrals / me woet wel þe sothe[^330]
To vnderfongen hem fayre / byfalleth for þe ryche
For þe lordes loue or þe ladyes / þat they with longen
Men suffreth al þat suche sayen / and in solace taketh
And ȝut more to suche men / me doth ar they passe
Me syueth [g]yueth hem giftes and gold / for grete lordes sake
Ryht so ȝe ryche / ȝut rather ȝe sholde
Welcomen and worschipen / and with ȝoure goed helpen
Godes munstrals and his mesagers / and his mury bordiours
The whiche[^a380] lunatyk loreles / and lepares aboute
For vnder godes secret seal here synnes ben keuered
For they bereth none bagges / ne boteles vnder clokes
propure lollares

[X.9.144.m.1: One wonders what the glossator means by "proper lollers." Is the annotator contrasting these with the lunatyk lollares he commented upon at X.9.107 above? Considering the complexity of this term in social and religious history, it is interesting to see the annotator drawing attention to the two types of lollers, first the lunatics discussed by the poem and then another brand whom the annotator himself dubs "lollers proper." (That adjective is not in the text.) See MED , s.v. loller(e), def. 1. "A lazy vagabond, an idler, a fraudulent beggar," and def. 2. (a) "An English Lollard; (b) a Hussite."]

The whiche is lollarne lyf /[^331] and lewede Ermytes
Loken louhliche to lache men Almesse
In hope to sitte at euen / by þe hote coles
Vnlouke his legges abrood / or ligge at his ese
Reste hym and roste[^a381] / and his rug turne
drynke druie and depe / and drawe hym thenne to bedde
And whenne hym lyketh and luste / his leue is to ryse
And when he is rysen rometh out / and riȝt wel aspyeth
Where he may rathest haue a repaest / or a ronde of bacoun
Suluer or sode mete / and sum -tyme bothe
Loef oþer half loef / other alompe a lompe of chese
And cayreth[^a382] hit hoem to his cote / and cast hym to lyuene
In idelnesse and in ese / and by otheres trauayle
And what freke on this folde / fiscuth aboute
With a bagge at his bak / A[^332] begyneld wyse
And can eny craft in caes / he wolde hit vse
Thorw which craft a[^333] couthe come / to bred and to ale
And ouer -more to han[^a383] aftur[^a384] / to[^334] hele with his bonis
And lyueth lyke ·[^335] alollare a lollare / goddes lawe hym dampneth
For-thy lollares þat lyuen in sleuthe / and ouer -land strikares
Buth nat in this bulle quod til they ben amended
Ne no beggare þat beggeth / but yf they haue nede
The boek banneth beggarie / and blameth hit in this manere

[^a380: whiche (X I Yc) | whiche arn (most other mss) | whiche ben (Dc Ec Mc Nc Rc)]

[^a381: roste (X) | roste hym (most other mss)]

[^a382: cayreth (X Yc) | carieth (most other mss)]

[^a383: han (X Yc) | an (most other mss)]

[^a384: aftur (X) | hatur (most other mss)]

[^330: X.9.132: The line number "128" appears in the right margin, evidently in a modern hand.]

[^331: X.9.144: The virgule has a odd curvature here, probably in anticipation of the following <a> rather than because it is meant to be other than a standard virgule.]

[^332: X.9.158: A, preposition.]

[^333: X.9.160: A, "he."]

[^334: X.9.161: What appears to be an otiose tilde over the <t> is another of Hand1's anticipations, this time of the initial <h> of the following word. The markup is inadequate to show how he simply stopped the mistaken <h> with its top stroke, carrying on directly with the correct <t>.]

[^335: X.9.162: After lyke we detect a punctus, which may be just a stray mark.]

¶ Iunior fui &-enim senui / e e[t] alibi infirmata est vertus mea paupertate
Hit nedeth nat nouthe / anoon for to preche
And lere this lewede men / what þis latyn meneth
For hit blameth all beggarie / be ȝe ful certayn
For they lyue in no loue / ne no lawe holden
Ne weddeth none wymmen / þat they with deleth
Bringeth forth bastardus / beggares of kynde
// by-hold hyer of lollarne childre
Or þe bak or som bon þey breke / of he[^a385] re children
And goen and fayten with here fauntes for euere-more aftur
Ther aren mo mysshape / amonges suche beggares
Then of many oþere men / þat in[^a386] this molde walken
And tho þat lyueth thus here lyf / leue ȝe non other
Þai haue no part of pardoun / ne of preyeres ne of penaunces
Ac olde and hore / þat helples ben and nedy
And wymmen with childe / þat worche ne mowe
Blynde and bedredne / and broken in here membres
And alle pore pacient / apayed of goddes sonde
As mesels and mendenantes / men y-falle in meschief
As prisones and pilgrimes / and parauntur men y-robbed
Or by-lowe thorw luther men / and lost here catel aftur
Or thorw fuyr or thorw floed / y-falle in-to pouerte
That taketh thise meschiefes / mekeliche and myldeliche at herte
For loue of here lowe hertes / oure lord hath hem y-graunted
Here penaunce and here purgatorie vppon this puyre erthe
And pardon with the plouhman A pena & a culpa
And alle holy Eremytes / haue shal þe same
Ac Ermytes þat inhabiten / by the heye weye
And in borwes among brewesteres / and beggen in churches
Al þat holy Ermytes / hatede and despisede
As rychesses and reuerences / and ryche menne Almesse
Thise lollareslache draweres lollares lache-draweres / lewede Ermytes
Coueyten þe contraye / for as coterelles they libbeth
For hit ben but boyes / bollares at þe ale
Noyther of lynage ne of lettrure ne lyf-holy as Ermytes
That wonede whilom in wodes / with beres and lyons
Summe hadde lyflode of his lynage / and of no lyf elles
And summe lyuede by here letterure / and labour of here handes
And somme hadde foreynes to frendes / þat hem fode sente
And briddes brouhte somme bred / þat they by lyuede
Al they holy Ermytes / were of heye kynne
forsoken lond and lordschipe / and alle lykynges of body
// notate ȝe lewede ermytes
Ac thise Ermytes þat edifien thus / by the heye weye
Whilen were werkmen / webbes and taylours
And carteres knaues / and Clerkes with -outen grace
Holden[^a387] ful hungry hous / and hadde muche defaute
Long labour and litte wynnynge / and at the laste they aspyde
That faytede in frere clothinge / hadde fatte chekes
For-thy l efte[^336] they here labour / thise lewede knaues
And clothed hem in copes / clerkes as hit were
Or oen of som ordre / or elles aprofete a profete
Aȝen þe lawe he lyueth / yf latyn be trewe

[^a385: he (X) | here (all other mss)]

[^a386: in (X) | on (all other mss)]

[^a387: Holden (X Fc I Kc Q) | Helden (all other mss)]

[^336: X.9.214: Here we simply cannot determine the hand of the correction, for such a short insertion over an erasure can be any agent's work. Nor can we determine the original X reading, making markup in relation to the readings of other manuscripts impossible. Nevertheless, it is tempting to offer one scenario: Hand 1 originally, like UcYc (manuscripts with which X can be partially grouped) read loste, and Hand 2 converted that to majority lefte, simply by changing the <o> to <e>, since the clusters <ft> and <st> can be indistinguishable except by context. The same hand may be active at X.9.218, just below in the Latin, again where a short erasure and conversion are of unknown provenance but correctly repair the text. RK claim "another ink" for the Latin correction at X.9.218 (RK.9.213α) but do not specify hand or ink for X.9.214 (RK.9.210).]

¶ Non licet uobis legem voluntati / set voluntat e m coniungere legi
Kyndeliche by Crist / ben suche y-cald lollares
As by þe engelisch of oure eldres / of olde mennes techynge
He þat lolleth is lame / or his leg out of ioynte
Or y-maymed in som membre / for to meschief hit souneth
Rihte so sothly / such manere Ermytes
Lollen aȝen þe byleue / and þe lawe of holy churche
For holy churche hoteth alle manere peple
Vnder obedience to be / and buxum to þe lawe
Furste Religious of religioun / a reule to holde
And vnder obedience be / by dayes and by nyhtes
Lewede men to labory / lordes to honte
In frithes and in forestes / for fox and other bestes
That in wilde wodes been / or in waste places
As wolues þat wuryeth men wymmen and childrene
And vppon sonendayes to cese goddes seruice tohere to here
Bothe matynes and masse / and aftir mete in churches
To heren here euensong / euery man ouhte
Thus hit by-longeth for lordes[^a388] / for lered and for lewed
Vcche haly-day to here / holly þe seruise
Vigilies and fastyngdays / forther-more to knowe
And fulfille tho fastynges / but infirmite hit made
pouerte or oþer penaunces as pilgrimages and trauayles
Vnder this obedience / ar we vchone
And ho-so breketh this be wel waer / but yf he repente
Amenden[^337] hym and mercy aske / and mekeliche hym shryue
Y drede me and he dey / hit worth for o[^a389] dedly synne
Acounted byfore god[^a390] / but Consience excuse hym
Loke now where this lollares and lewede Ermites
Yf they breke þis obedience / þat beth so fer fram chirche
Where se we hem on sonendayes / the seruise to here
As matynes by þe morwe / til masse by-gynne
Or sonendayes at euensong / se we wel fewe
Or labory for here lyflode / as þe lawe wolde

[^a388: lordes (X Dc Nc P2) | lorde (most other mss)]

[^a389: for o (X) | for (most other mss)]

[^a390: god (X Fc) | crist (all other mss)]

[^337: X.9.243: RK wonder if the second <n> of amenden has been written in, but we see no such correction or addition here.]

// Hyere mette wille wyt lollare to þe meteward
¶ Ac aboute mydday at mele-tyme / y mette with hem ofte
Somme[^a391] in his cope / as he a Clerk were
A bacheler or abe wpe re a be wpe re[^338] / beste hym by-semede
And forth fo[r] þe cloth þat keuereth hym / ykald he is a frere
Wascheth and wypeth / and with þe furste sitteth
Ac while a[^339] wrouhte in þe world / and wan his mete with treuthe
He sat at þe syde benche / and at þe seconde table
Cam no wyn in his wombe / thorw þe woke longe
Ne no blanked on his bed / ne whyte bred byfore hym
The cause of al this caytiftee / cometh of many bischopes
That soffreth suche sottes / and oþere synnes regne
Certes ho-so durste sygge hit / Simon quasi dormit
Vigilare were fayrere / for thow haste a greet charge
For many wakere wolues / ar wroken[^a392] in-to thy foldes
Thy berkeres aren as[^a393] blynde / that bringeth forth thy lombren

[^a391: Somme (X) | Coming (most other mss)]

[^a392: wroken (X I Uc Yc) | broke (most other mss)]

[^a393: as (X P2 Uc Yc) | al (all other mss)]

[^338: X.9.254: In this line it appears that Hand 1, having started some incorrect letter where the <r> is needed in pere, quickly converted his own error. But the complete word obtained was still erroneous. Later, Hand 2 erased two letters after be and replaced them with <w>, obtaining an alternate spelling for the majority reading beau. X's original reading is thus lost, but it may have been the seemingly nonsensical abechpere. But see AND2 , s.vv. becher, v. 1, "to dig into, pierce," and bekier (with attested form bechier), "to peck," including in a figurative sense of backbiting. Additionally, see AND2 abecher, v., refl., means "to feed oneself." Hence, abechepere (a bechepere) could be a satirical portmanteau, playing on an expected beaupere, MED , s.v. beau, adj., 2., "honored father;—also as term for an ecclesiastical superior, a father confessor, a priest," in combination with the unexpected element of unbecoming personal habits of the clergy, resulting in something akin to "peckfather," "father digger," "father feeder," or "backbiting father."]

[^339: X.9.257: A, "he."]

¶ dispergentur oues / þe dogge dar nat berke
notate episcopi
The tarre is vntydy / þat to þe shep bylongeth
Her salue is of supersedeas / in sumnoures boxes
Thy shep ben ner al shabbede / the wolf shyt wolle

¶ Sub molli pastore & cetera
How herde where is thyn hond[^a394] / and thyn hardy herte
For to go wurye þe wolf that the wolle foureth fou[l]eth
Y leue for thy lacchesse · thow lesest many wetheres
And many a fayre flees / falsliche is y-wasche
When thy lord loketh to haue / allouaunce of his bestes
And of þe moneye thow haddest ther-with / his mebles to haue[^a395]
And þe wolle worth weye / wo is the thenne

[^a394: hond (X Ec Kc P2 Yc) | hounde (most other mss)]

[^a395: haue (X I P2 Yc) | saue (all other mss)]

¶ Redde racionem villicacionis / or in arrerage fall
Thyn huyre herde as y hope / hath nat to quyte thy dette
Ther as mede ne mercy / may nat amyte a myte a-vaille
But haue this for þat / tho þat thow toke
Mercy for mede / and my lawe breke
Loke now for thy lacchesse / what lawe wol the graunte
Purgatorie for thy paie / Ore O[r] perpetuel helle
For shal no pardon preye for ȝow there / ne no princes lettres
// Hyer a prest askyd persis bull to rede
[^340] quod a prest tho / thy pardon moste y rede
For y can construe vch a word / and kennen hit the an englische
And[^341] at his preeyre / the pardon vnfoldeth
And y by-hynde hem bothe / by-held alle þe bulle
In two lynes as hit lay / and nat alettre a lettre more
And was y-wryte ryhte thus / in witnesse of treuthe

[^340: X.9.287: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^341: X.9.289: Conjectured reading: Pers.]

¶ Et qui bona egerunt / ibunt in vitam eternam
Qui vero mala / in ignem eternam etern[u]m
Peter quod the prest tho / y kan no pardoun fynde
Bote dowel and haue wel / and shal[^a396] haue thy soule
And do yuele and haue euele / and hope thow non oþere
Bote he þat euele lyueth / euele shal ende
The prest thus and the[^a397] perkyn / of þe pardon iangelede
And y thorw here wordes a-woke / and waytede aboute
And seyh the sonne in the souhe sou[t]he / sitte þat tyme
Meteles and moneyles / on Maluerne hulles
Musyng on this meteles / A myle way y ȝede
Mony tyme this meteles / hath maked me to studie
Of that y seyh slepynge / if hit so be myhte
And of the fol pencyf in herte
And which a pardoun hadde / th[^a398] e peple to glade
And how þe prest inpugnede hit / throw two propre wordes
Ac men setteth nat by sowngewarie for me seth hit often fayle

[^a396: shal (X) | god shal (all other mss)]

[^a397: and the (X Yc) | and (all other mss)]

[^a398: th (X) | the (all other mss)]

// a somple of sweuenys
¶ Caton counteth hit at nauht / and Canonistres at lasse
Ac for þe boek bible / bereth witnesse
How danyel deuynede / and vndede þe dremes of kynges
Of Nabugodonasor / þat no pere hadde
And sethen aftur his sones / and sayde hem what they thouhte
And Ioseph mette merueilously / how þe mone and þe sonne
And the eleuene serterres s[t]erres ·[^342] haylsede hym alle
And thenne Iacob iuged / Iosepes sweuene
Beau fitz quod the fadur / for defaute we shal
Y my-sulue and my sones / seche the for nede
Hit biful as his fadur saide / in farao his tyme
That Ioseph was Iustice / Egipte to saue
His eleuene bretherne / hym for nede souhte
And his faur Isaak / and also his dame
Al this maketh me / on meteles to studie
And how þe prest preuede / no pardon to do wel
And demede þat dowel / indulgences passeth
Bionales and trionales / and bisshopes lettres
For ho-so doth wel here / at þe day of dome
Worth fayre vnderfonge / byfore god þat tyme
So dowel passeth pardoun / and pilgrimages to Rome
Ȝut hat þe pope power / pardoun to graunte
To peple with -outen penaunce / to passe in-to ioye
As lettrede men vs lereth / and lawe of holichurche holi churche

[^342: X.9.316: After serterres we see a dark punctus of unknown function.]

¶ Quodcumque ligaueris super terram erit ligatum & in celis
And so y leue lely / lord forbede elles
That pardoun and penaunces[^a399] and preyere[^a400] don saue
Soules þat haue syneged / seuene sythes dedly
Ac to triste vp this trionales / treuly me thynketh
Hit is nat so syker for þe soule / certes as y[^a401] dowel
For-thy y rede ȝow renkes / þat riche ben on this erthe
// notate de indulgennces indulge[n]ces

[X.9.341.m.1: The otiose tilde over the <e> of indulgences would needlessly double the nasal.]

& pardones & trionales
Vp truste of ȝoure tresor / trionales to haue
Be ȝe neuere þe baldere / t o breke þe ten hestes
And manliche ȝe maistres / mayres and iuges
That haen the welthe of this world / and wise men ben holde
To purshace ȝow pardoun / and the popes bulles
At þe dredful dome when dede shullen ryse
And comen alle bifore Crist / acountes to ȝelde
How we ladde oure lyf here / and his lawes kepte
And how we dede day be day / the doem wol reherce
A pouhe ful of pardon / there ne prouinciales lettres
Thow we befounden be founden in the fraternite / of alle fyue ordres
And haue indulgences doublefold / but dowel vs helpe
Y sette nat by pardon a pese / ne nat a pye hele
For-thy y consayle alle cristene / to crye god mercy
And marie his moder / be oure mene to hym
That god gyue vs grace here / ar we go hennes
Suche werkes to worche / the while we ben here
That aftur oure deth-day / dowel reherce
At þe day of dome we dede as he tauhte Amen
¶[^343] Explicit visio Willielmi · W · de Petro le plouhman

[^a399: penaunces (X I Uc Yc) | penaunce (all other mss)]

[^a400: preyere (X Gc) | preyeres (most other mss)]

[^a401: y (X I Yc) | is (most other mss)]

[^343: X.9.359.t.1: The headers for Passus 7 (29v) and 19 (82v) and the trailer at the end of Passus 9 (44r) are the only such headings/trailers that begin, for unknown reasons, with a red paraph.]

Et hic incipit visio eiusdem de dowel [X.10.0.h.1: Though the display divides the explicit of the previous passus from the incipit here, this header is really part of a single two-line rubric, marked by one paraph marker, that provides the transition from Passus 9 to Passus 10 and thus from the visio to the vita.]

T hus y-robed in russet / y romede a-boute[^344]
Alle a somur seson / for to seke dowel
And fraynede ful ofte / of folke þat y mette
Yf eny wiht wiste / where dowel was at ynne
And what man amyhte a myhte[^345][^346] be / of mony men[^a402] y askede
// Hyer will soȝte dowel & mette wyt · ij · freris
Was neuere wihte in þis world / þat me wisse couthe
Where this[^a403] longed lasse ne more
Til hit biful in[^a404] fryday / two freres y mette
Maystres of þe menore[^a405] / men of[^347] gret witte
Y haylsede hem hendly / as y hadde ylered
And preyde hem pur charite / ar they passede forthere
Yf they knewe eny contre / oþer costes aboute
Wher þat dowel dwelleth dere frendes telleth me ·[^348]
For ȝe ar men of this molde / þat moste wyde walken
And knowen contrees and Courtes / and many kynne plases
Bothe princes paleis / and pore menne cotes
// lo what a frere sayde of do-wel
And dowel and doeuele / where þei dwellen bothe

[^a402: men (X Ec I Rc Yc) | man (most other mss)]

[^a403: this (X I Uc) | þat he (most other mss)]

[^a404: in (X) | on a (all other mss)]

[^a405: menore (X I) | menores (most other mss)]

[^344: X.10.1: The foliage in the capital terminates in the left margin, mid-folio, with the stylized face of, perhaps, a sleeping man.]

[^345: X.10.5: We see here the conflation of pronoun a with an auxiliary.]

[^346: X.10.5: A, "he."]

[^347: X.10.9: Hand 1 seems to have started a <y> and converted it to <o>.]

[^348: X.10.13: The line ends in a bold punctus in dark ink, but the scribe does not normally use line-terminal punctus in this text, so it may be an accidental ink spot.]

¶ Sothly saide þe frere / a[^349] soiourneth with vs freres
And euere hath as y hope / and euere wol here-aftur
Contra quod y as a Clerk / and comsed to despute
And saide sothly sepcies in die ca dit iustes iust[u]s
Fallyng fro ioye ihesu woet þe sothe
Seuene sithe sayth þe boek synegeth day by day
the rihtfulluste reng / þat regneth in[^a406] erthe
And ho-so synegeth y sayde / certes he doth nat wel
For ho-so synegeth sicurly doth euele
And dowel and doeuele / may nat dwelle to-gyderes
Ergo he is nat al-wey athom at hom amonges ȝow freres
He is other-while elles-wher / to wisse the peple

[^a406: in (X) | vpon (other mss) | on (other mss)]

[^349: X.10.18: A, "he."]

// nota how þe ryȝt-wise falleþ vij syþis in þe day & ȝit standith stifly
¶ Y shal sey þe my sone / sayde þe frere thenne
How seuene sithes þe sad man / synegeth on þe day
By aforbisene a forbisene quod[^350] þe frere / y shal the fayre shewe
Lat bryng aman a man in a boet / amydde abrood a brood water
The wynde and þe water / and wagyng of the bote
Maketh þe man many tyme / to stomble yf he stande
For stonde he neuere so stifliche / thorw steryng of þe bote
Ai [A][^351][^352] bendeth and boweth / the body is so vnstable
And ȝut is he saef and sound / and so hit fareth by þe rihtfole
Thow he falle he falleth nat / but ho-so ful in a boet
That ay is saef and sound / þat sitte with -ynne þe borde

[^350: X.10.32: Here we see an eight-character erasure, where traces of initial <þ> and two instances of <e> may indicate that the reading was þe frere, which was erased because repeated. The erasure has damaged the phrase in a boet in the line below.]

[^351: X.10.37: A, "he."]

[^352: X.10.37: The scribe's error may have been caused by his anticipating An in next line; that is, he may have written A, plus the first minim of an <n>, and then never noticed or never corrected it.]

¶ So hit fareth quod þe frere / by þe ryhtful mannes fallynge
Thow he thorw fondynges falle / he falleth nat out of charite
So dedly synne doth he nat / for dowel hym helpeth
The water is likned to þe word[^a407] / þat wanyeth and waxeth
The godes of this grounde / ar like þe grete wawes
That as wyndes and wederes / waleweth aboute
The boet is liknet to oure body / þat bretil is of kynde
That thorw the fend and oure flesch / and this freel worlde
Synegeth seue sithe[^a408] þe saddest man on erthe
And lyfliost[^a409] of lyf / þat lyueth vnder sonne
Ac fre wil and fre wit / foleweth man euere
To repenten and to arise / and rowe out of synne
To contricion to confessioun / til he come til his ende
For rather haue we no reste / til we restitue
Oure lyf to oure lord god / for oure lycames gultes

[^a407: word (X) | worlde (all other mss)]

[^a408: sithe (X) | siþes (most other mss)]

[^a409: lyfliost (X) | lyfholiest (most other mss)]

// hyere departid will & þe freres
¶ Y haue no kynde knowlechyng / to conseyue al this speche
Ac yf y may lyue and loke / y shal go lerne bettere
Y bykenne the Crist quod he / þat on þe cross deyede[^353]
And y sayde þe same / saue ȝow fro meschaunce
And gyue me grace on þis grounde / with good ende to deye

[^353: X.10.58: The letter <y> is always dotted in this manuscript, but the other dot above the first <e> of deyede is simply a stray drop of ink.]

¶ I · wente forth wyde-whare / walkynge myn one
By a wilde wildernesse / and by a wode-syde
Blisse of þe briddes / a-byde me made
And vnder lynde vpon a launde / lened y a stounde
To lythen here layes / and here louely notes
Murthe of here mouthes / made me ther to slepe
And merueilousliche me mette / amyddes al þat blisse
A muche man as me thoghte / ylike to my-sulue
Cam and calde me / be my kynde name

// hyer wille wyt Þoȝt

[X.10.70.m.1: Translate: "here [we see] Will with Thought." The word wit in this gloss is a form of the preposition with. Readers might be confused because wit, a new allegorical figure in the story, appears soon and is the subject of the next marginal annotation on folio 46r.]

¶ What art thow quod y · þat thow my name knowest
That þou[^a410] wille quod he / and no wyht bettere
Woet y quod y who art thow / thouhte sayde he thenne
Y haue sued the this seuen ȝer / saw thow me no rather
Art thow thouht quod y tho / thow couthest me wisse
Where þat dowel dwelleth / And do me to knowe
dowel and dobet quod he / and dobest the thridde
Aren thre fayre vertues / and ben nat fer to fynde
Ho is trewe of his tonge / and of his two handes
And thorw lele labour lyueth / and loueth his emcristene
And ther-to trewe of his tayl / and of his two handes[^a411]
And is nat dronklewe / ne dedeynous[^a412] / dowel hem[^a413] foleweth
dobet doth al this / Ac ȝut he doth more
He is logh as a lomb / and loueliche of speche
And helpeth alle men / of þat he may spare
The bagges and þe bigerdeles / he hath to-broken hem alle
Þat þe Erl Auerous / held and his ayres
And of mammonaes mone / y-maked hym many frendes
And is ronne in-to religioun / and hath rendred þe bible
And precheth to þe peple seynt paules wordes

[^a410: þou (X I Uc) | wost thou (other mss) | þou wost (Fc Gc Kc Nc Q Z)]

[^a411: and of his two handes (X Dc Uc Yc) | and halt wel hus handes (most other mss)]

[^a412: dedeynous (X) | deynous (most other mss)]

[^a413: hem (X Kc) | hym (most other mss)]

¶ Libenter suffertis incipientes & cetera
Ȝe wordliche wyse / vnwyse þat ȝe soffre[^354]
Lene hem and loue hem / this latyn is to mene
dobest bere sholde þe bisshopes corose c[r]ose
And halie with þe hoked ende / alle[^a414] men to gode
And with the pyk pulte a-doun / preu aricatores legis
Lordes þat lyuen as hem lust / and no lawe acounten
For here mok and here mebles / suche men thenketh
Sholde no bisshop be / here biddynges to withsite
Ac dobest sholde drede hem nat / but do as god hihte

[^a414: alle (X Mc) | ille (most other mss)]

[^354: X.10.91: Double <f> is usually crossed, but the scribe has failed to do so here.]

¶ Nolite timere eos qui possunt occidere corpus & cetera
Thus dowel and dobet / demede a dobest
And crounede oen to be kyng / to kull with -oute synne
That wolde nat do as dobest / deuinede[^355] and tauhte
Thus dowel and dobet / and dobest the thridde
Crounede oen to be a kyng / to kepen vs alle
And to[^a415] reule alle reumes / by here thre wittes
bute oþere-wise ne elles nat / but as they thre assentede
Y thonkede thoght tho / þat he me so tauhte
Ac ȝut sauereth nat me thy sawes / so me Crist spede
Amore A more kyndore knowynge / coueyte y to here
Of dowel and dobet / and ho doth best of alle
Bote yf wit wol the wisse / quod thouhte where tho thre dwelleth
Elles knowe y noen þat can / in none kynne-ryche
Thouht and y thus / thre dayes we ȝeden
disputyng vppon dowel / day aftur other
And ar we y-war were / with wit gan we mete
He was long and lene / y-lyk to noon other
Was no pruyde on his parail / ne pouerte noythere
Sad of his semblant / and with a softe speche
Y durste meue no matere / to maken hym to iangle
Bote as y bad thouht tho / to be[^a416] mene betwene
And potte forth som purpos / to prouen his wittes
What was dowel fro dobet / and dobest fro hem bothe

[^a415: And to (X I Nc Uc Yc) | And (all other mss)]

[^a416: to be (X I Uc) | be (most other mss)]

[^355: X.10.103: The letters <ine> in this word are the product of re-stroking and/or erasure by Hand 1, and we can also see the remains of an ascender or supralinear suspension over what is now the second <n>. The original reading is not apparent. The textual situation for modern readers is confused somewhat by the fact that when Pearsall and RK choose to emend line 101's demede with a form of divined, they then accordingly switch their reading for this line to demede to avoid what would be repetition by the poet of the word divined. Schmidt keeps the X reading in both instances, and X's correction does not seem to be related to the causes for the emendation that Pearsall and RK think is required.]

// Hyere spekyþ wit
¶ Thenne thouht in þat tyme / sayde this wordes
Whare dowel and dobet / And dobest ben in londe
Here is oen wolde y-wyte / yf wit couthe teche
And what lyues they lyue / and what lawe þei vsen
And what þey drede and doute / dere sire telleth
Sire dowel dwelleth quod wit / nat a day hennes
In a C astel þat kynde made / of foure kyne thynges
Of erthe and ayer is hit maed / ymedled to-gyderes
With wynd and with water / wittyly enioyned
Kynde hath closed[^356] ther-ynne / craftily with -alle
Alemman A lemman þat he louyeth / ylyke to hym-sulue
Anima she hatte /to here hath enuye
A proued prikeare of fraunce / princeps huius mundi
And wole[^a417] wynne here awaye / with wyles and[^357] he myhte
And kynde knoweth this wel / and kepeth here þe betere
And hath do here with sire dowel / duk of this marches
dobet is here damysele sire doweles douhtur
To serue þat lady leely / bo þe[^358] late and rathe
dobest is aboue bothe / a bishopis pere
And by his leryng is lad / þat ilke lady Anima
Ac þe constable of þat Castel / þat kepeth hem alle
Is a wise knyhte with -alle / sire inwit he hatte
And hath fyue fayre sones / by his furste wyue
Sire se wel and sey wel / sire here wel þe ende
Sire worch wel with thyn hand / a wyht man of strenghe
And sire goed fayth go wel / grete lordes alle
Thise fyue ben sette / for to saue Anima
Til kynde come o r sende / and kepe here hym-sulue
What kynne thyng is kynde quod y / canst thow me telle
Kynde is creatour quod wit / of[^a418] two kyne thynges
Fader and formour of al þat / forth groweth
The which is god grettest / bygynnynge hadde he neuere
Lord of lyf and of lyht / of lisse and of payne
Angeles and alle thyng /aren at his wille
Man is hym most lyk / of membres and of face
And semblable in soule to god / but if synne hit make
And as thow seest the sonne / sumtyme for cloudes
May nat shyne ne shewe / on schalkes on erthe
So let lecherye and other luther synnes
That god sheweth[^a419][^359] nat suche synnefole men / and soffreth hem mysfare
And somme hangeth hem-sulue / and oþerwhile a-drencheth
God wol nat of hem wyte / bute lat hem y-worthe
As þe sauter sayth / by synnefole shrewes

[^a417: wole (X Uc Yc) | wolde (all other mss)]

[^a418: of (X Ac I Vc) | of alle (most other mss)]

[^a419: sheweth (X Ac I P2) | seweth (most other mss)]

[^356: X.10.133: As we see it, <the> was accidently written twice, so Hand 1 deletes it.]

[^357: X.10.137: And, "if."]

[^358: X.10.141: We cannot determine the original, erroneous reading in X, though HS see the word as bote. Hence, we transcribe <te> here under the erasure. It nonetheless appears that Hand 2 has made a proper correction. Hand 2 has also added two punctus, looking like a modern colon, to separate his addition from the next word in the line.]

[^359: X.10.163: The scribe likely supplied the minority reading sheweth here because of shewe just two lines above.]

notate hic aliqui
¶ Et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum
Such lyther lyuyng men in lome been ryche
Of gold and of oþer goed / at goddes grace hem fayleth
For they louyeth and by-lyueth / al here lyf-tyme
On catel more then on kynde / that alle kyne thynges wrouhte
The which is loue and lyf / þat last with -outen ende
Inwit and alle wittes / closed ben þer -ynne
By loue and by leute / þerby lyueth anima
And lyf lyueth by inwit / and leryng of kynde
Inwit is in the heued / and anima in herte

¶[^360] And moche wo worth hym / þat inwit myspeneth
For þat is goddes oune goed / his grace and his tresour
That many a lede leseth / thorw lykerous drynke
As lote dede and Noe / and herodes þe daffe
Ȝaf his douhter for adaunsynge a daunsynge / in a disch þe heued
Of þat blessed baptist / bifore alle his gestes
Euery man þat hath inwit / and his hele bothe
Hath tresor ynow of treuthe / to fynden hym-sulue
Ac fauntokynes and foles / þe which þat fauten inwit
Frendes shal fynde hem / and fram folye kepe
And holychurche holy churche helpe to · so sholde noman no man begge[^361]
Ne spille speche ne tyme / ne myspende noyther
Meble ne vnmeble / mete noþer drynke
Ac thenne dede we alle wel / and wel bet ȝut to louye
Oure enemyes enterely / and helpe hem at here nede
And ȝut were best to ben aboute / and brynge hit to hepe
That alle landes loueden / and in on lawe bileuede
Bishope[^a420] sholde ben here aboute / and bryng this to hepe
For to lese þerfore her lond / and her lyf aftur
The catel that Crist hadde thre clothes hit were
Ther -of[^362] was he robbed / and ruyfled or he on rode deyede
And seth al[^a421] his lyf / for lawe sholde loue wexe
Prelates and prestes / and princes of holychurche holy churche
Sholde nat doute no deth / ne no dere ȝeres
To wende as wyde / as þe worlde were
To tulie þe erthe with tonge / and teche men to louye
For ho-so loueth leueth hym[^a422] wel / god wol nat laton hym sterue
In meschief for defaute of mete / ne for myssyng of clothes

[^a420: Bishope (X) | bisschopes (most other mss)]

[^a421: al (X I) | he les (most other mss)]

[^a422: hym (X I Uc Yc) | hit (most other mss)]

[^360: X.10.177: In the margin to the left of this line we see again a <cc>, a variety of paraph indicator.]

[^361: X.10.187: This line has no virgule but rather a medial punctus after to, and we cannot help but wonder if that reflects some confusion about the line's metrical patterns. Schmidt (2011) puzzles over this line, calling its scansion "uncertain" and producing various theories about words lost from the archetype: "as it stands" says Schmidt, the line can scan on "cognitive alliteration" on /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ (Parallel Text Edition, vol. II.1, p. 383). Schmidt is correct about the <ch>/<sh> variation throughout this manuscript, as we have noted.]

[^362: X.10.197: The attribution to Hand 2 here is partially circumstantial because it is difficult to distinguish the <r> of the two hands, especially in a spot correction above the line like this, though this <r> very much resembles the letter form seen throughout the annotations. So, this may be a quick auto-correction by Hand 1 or, as we have marked it, part of Hand 2's comprehensive program of corrections, here fixing a basic omission.]

¶ Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono
Ho-so lyueth in lawe / and in loue doth wel
As this wedded men / þat this world susteyneth
For of here kynde þey come bothe confessours and martres
prophetus and patriarkes / popes and maydenes
For god saith hym-sulue / shal neuere goed appel
Thorw no sotil sciense / on sour stok growe
And is no more to mene / but men þat ben bygeten
Out of matrimonye nat moyloure / mowen nat haue þe grace
That lele legityme · by þe lawe may claymen
And þat my sawe is soth / þe sauter bereth witnesse

¶ Concepit in dolore & peperit iniquitatem
Caym þe corsede creature / conseyued was in synne
Aftur þat Adam and Eue / hadden y-syneged
With -outen repentaunce of here rechelesnesse arybaud a rybaud þei engendrede
As an hewe þat erieth nat / arweth[^363] hym to sowe
On a leye land aȝeynes his lordes wille
So was Caym conseyued / and so ben corsed wreches
Þat lycame haen aȝen þe lawe / þat oure lord ordeynede
Alle þat come of Caym · Caytyue[^a423] were euere
And for þe synne of Caymes seed / sayede god to Noe

[^a423: Caytyue (X Rc) | Caytyues (all other mss)]

[^363: X.10.220: In this interesting situation, we have marked up a nonsense reading with <sic>/<corr> elements: the scribe appears to have forgotten a <t> needed for auntreth ( MED , s.v. auntren, v., "happen"), which is the majority reading. Hand 2 also noticed the error but must not have been sure of the required reading, for it is not at all clear what he was trying to achieve with this offering of arweth. He might have been thinking of MED areuen, "to feel regret or remorse" (PDE "rue"), but his spelling would be in error. Perhaps we have simply an instance where nonsense (arweth) replaces nonsense (aunreth).]

¶ Penitet me fecisse hominem
And bad go shapen aship a ship / of shides and bordes
thy-sulue and thy sones thre / /[^364] and sethen ȝoure wyues
Boske ȝow to þat boet / and abideth þerynne
Til fourty[^a424] be fulfild / and floed haue y-wasche
Clene a-wey þe corsed bloed / þat of Caym spronge
Bestes þat now beth shal banne þe tyme
That euere þat corsed Caym / cam on þis erthe
Alle sholle deye for his dedes / by dales and by hulles
And þe foules þat flueth[^a425][^365] / forth with oþer bestes
Excepte onliche of vch akynde a kynde apayre a payre
That in thi chingled ship / shal be with þe y-saued
Here aboute þe barn / the belsires gultes
And al for here forfadres / ferden þe worse
The gospel is here-agayn / as gomes may rede
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris & cetera
Holy writ witnesseth / þat for no wikkede dede
That þe sire by hym-sulue doth þe sone sholde be þe worse
Ac westmustre law y wo et wel / worcheth þe contraye contra[r]ye
For thogh þe fader be afrankeleyn a frankeleyn / and for afelon a felon be hanged
The eritage þat þe eyer sholde haue / is at þe kynges wille
Ac þe gospel is a glose ther / and huydeth þe grayth treuthe
For god seid ensaumple / of suche manere issue
That kynde folweth kynde / and contrarieth neuere

[^a424: fourty (X P2) | fourty dayes (all other mss)]

[^a425: flueth (X) | fleeth (most other mss)]

[^364: X.10.228: At the caesura we see and have marked a rare double virgule of uncertain function.]

[^365: X.10.235: If this transcription, shared by RK, is correct, then the scribe may have intended flueth from MED , s.v. fluen, "to flow" (in accord with the flood that is being described). But if the <u> is really <i> plus an otiose minim, he may have intended flieth, from MED , s.v. flien, "to fly" (since the subject of the clause is birds). In fact, he may have been confused about whether he was writing, or supposed to write, a word that meant "flow," "fly," or "flee," the last of which is the reading in all other witnesses.]

¶ Numquam colligunt de spinis vuas Et Alibi[^366]
Bonus Bon[a] Arbor bonum fructum facit
Ac why þe world was a-dreynt / holy writ telleth
Was for mariages makynge / þat men made þat tyme[^367]
Aftur þat Caym þat[^a426] corsed / hadde ykuld abel
S yth[^368] adames sone / seth was engendred
And god sente to seth / so sone he was of age
That for no kyne catel / ne no kyne byheste
Soffre his seed seden with Caymes seed his brother
And seth for he soffred hit / god sayde me forthynketh
Þat y man made / or matrimonye soffrede
For goode sholde wedde goode / thouh they no goode ne hadde[^a427]
For y am via & veritas / and may a-vauncen alle
Ac fewe folke now folweth this / for thei ȝeue her childurne
For coueytise of catel / and connynge chapmen
Of kyn ne of kynrede / counteth men bote litel
And thogh he be louelich to loken on / and lossum abedde
A mayde and wel y-maried[^a428] / and of gode men y-spronge
bote he haue oþer goed / haue wol here no ryche
Ac lat hem be vnlouely / and vnlofsum abedde
A bastard a bond oen abegeneldes a begeneldes douhter
That no cortesye ne can / bute late here be knowe
For riche or y-rented wel / thouh he be reueled for elde
Ther ne is squier ne knyhte / in contreye a-boute
That he ne wol bowe to þat bonde / to beden here an hosebonde
And wedden here for here welthe / and weschen on þe morwe
That his wyf were wexe / or a walet ful of nobles
In ielosye ioyles / and iangelynge abedde
Many a payre sethe this pestelenses[^a429] / han plyhte treuthe to louye
Ac they lyen leix[^a430][^369] / here neyther lyketh other
The fruyt þat they brynge forth / aren many foule wordes
Haen þei no childerne bute cheste / and shoppes hem bitwene
Thogh they[^a431] hem to donemowe / bote þe deuel hem helpe
To folwe for þe flicche / feccheth they hit neuere
Bote they bothe be for-swore / þat bacon þei tyne
For-thy y conseyle alle cristene / coueyte neuere be wedded
For no coueytise of catel / in none kyne wyse
bote maydones and maydones marie ȝow to-gyderes
And wedewe and wedewares[^a432] / weddeth ȝow ayþer[^a433] oþer
And loke þat loue be more þe cause / then lond oþer nobles
And euery maner seculer man / þat may nat contynue
Wisely go wedde / and war þe fro þat synne
That lecherye is a lykyng thynge / a lymȝerd of helle
And whil þou art ȝong an ȝep / and thy wepene kene
A-wrek the þerwith on wyfyng / for godes werk y holde hit

[^a426: þat (X P2) | þe (most other mss)]

[^a427: ne hadde (X Ac Vc Yc) | hadde (most other mss)]

[^a428: y-maried (X P2 Uc) | ymanered (most other mss)]

[^a429: pestelenses (X I Uc Yc) | pestilens (other mss) | pestilence tyme (Ac Ec Fc Mc P Rc Sc Vc)]

[^a430: leix (X P2 Uc Yc) | lely (most other mss)]

[^a431: they (X) | they do (most other mss)]

[^a432: wedewe and wedewares (X) | wydewers and wydewes (most other mss)]

[^a433: ȝow ayþer (X Dc) | ayþer (most other mss)]

[^366: X.10.250: X shares this line division with C manuscripts DcGcIPUc.]

[^367: X.10.253: A vertical stroke of unknown function appears in red ink in the right margin at this line.]

[^368: X.10.255: HS wonder if the hand and ink are those of our Hand 2, but they are not sure. We agree that the brief nature of this correction makes identification of this hand impossible, so we register Hand X. The confusion and correction in this line arise because the ME conjunction sitthe can be spelled like the name Seth. All modern editors place the name in the a-verse and the conjunction in the b-verse (allowing the lower-case <s> to distinguish the two), but it appears that the corrector, faced with two words spelled <seth>, converted the name seth in the a-verse into the conjunction, leaving the b-verse seth to be taken as the name. Schmidt (2011) explains the b-verse seth as a pun on the character's name in the a-verse (p. 385). He and Pearsall thus print Seth and seth, while RK awkwardly emend corrected X back to un-corrected X, obtaining S[e]th, and emend b-verse seth to seth[en].]

[^369: X.10.279: X and several other manuscripts read leix against majority lely, but we do not know what word X intended with this otherwise unattested spelling.]

¶ dum sis vir fortis / ne des tua robora scortis
versus

[X.10.296.m.1: The marginal note is one of only two in the Rubricator's ink. (See also 95v.) It says simply versus, the Latin plural indicating that in the text to the left we are to find some "verses," on the subject of prostitution. Grindley transcribes verso and catalogues that word as "Literary Responses-Allegory and Imagery" which does not seem on point. Lynn Thorndike (1955) has studied the role of verses in the context of medieval instructional prose manuscripts and explains that such texts, "might contain poetical quotations, not merely from classical or other named authors, but of anonymous yet apparently well-known lines, usually introduced by some such phrase as 'Unde versus'" (p. 164). Though Piers is not prose, of course, we take this instance in Hm 143 to be just such an effort to call attention to the Latin verses. Pearsall (2008) explains the verses themselves and their origins in Prov. 29:3 and 7:23 (C-Text, p. 199).]

Scribitur in portis / meretrix est ianua mortis
And ȝe þat han wyues ben war / and worcheth nat out of tyme
As Adam dede and Eue / as y whil er ȝow tolde[^a434]
For sholde no bed-bourde be / bote yf they bothe were
Clene of lyf and in loue of soule / and in lele wedlok
For þat dede derne do no man sholde
Bote wyues and wedded men / as holy writ techeth

[^a434: ȝow tolde (X N Uc Yc) | tolde (most other mss)]

¶ Bonum est[^a435] vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat propter fornicacionem[^370]
That oþer -gatus ben gete · for gadelynges ben holden
And fals folk and fondlynges · faytors and lyares
Vngracious to gete goed / or gete loue of peple
A-wayten and wasten / alle þat they cacche mowe
Aȝen dowel they do yuele / and þe deuel serue
And after her deth-day / dwellen schollen in helle
Bote god ȝeue hem grace / here doynge[^a436] here to amende
And thus is dowel my frende / to do as lawe techeth
To louye and to loue the / and no lyf to greue
Ac to louye and to loue[^a437][^371] / leef me þat is dobet
Ac to ȝeue and to ȝeme / bothe ȝonge and olde
Helen and helpen is dobest of alle
For þe more aman a man may do / by so þat a[^372] do hit
The more he is worthy · and worth of wyse and of[^a438] goed ypresed

[^a435: est (X I Nc P2) | est vt (most other mss)]

[^a436: doynge (X P2) | goynge (most other mss)]

[^a437: loue (X Dc I Rc Uc) | lene (all other mss)]

[^a438: and of (X Dc I P2) | and (most other mss)]

[^370: X.10.303: RK transcribe uxerem and emend in this line. The tilde, however, can easily represent <or>.]

[^371: X.10.313: Confusion (modern and medieval) about how to understand a series of minims may be afoot here. The scribe may have intended loue, an error duplicating loue in the line above, or he may have intended lone which would be in accord with other manuscripts' lene. Or perhaps he intended loue as a form of MED louen v.1, def. 4(a), "[t]o make (sb., one's soul) humble."]

[^372: X.10.316: A, "he."]

Passus primus de visione de dowel

// wittes wyf chidde wit for he schewed so muche vn-stodied
T henne hadde wit a wyf / was hote dame studie
That ful lene lokede / and lyf-holy semede
She was wonderly wroth / þat wit me so tauhte
Al staryng dame studie sterneliche sayde
Wel artow wyse quod she to wyt / suche wysdomes to shewe
To eny foel or to flaterere / or to frentike peple
And sayde nolite mittere[^373] / ȝe men Margerie perles
Among hogges þa t hanhawes han hawes[^374] at wille
They do bote dreuele þer -on / draf were hem leuere
Then al þe preciouse perye / þat eny prince weldeth
Y syg hit by suche quod wit / þat sheweth by here werkes
Þat louyen lond and lordschipe / and lykynge of body
More then holynesse / or hendenesse or al þat seyntes techeth
Wysdom and wit now / is nat worth a carse
Bote hit be cardet with coueytise / as clotheres kemben here wolle
Ho can caste and contreue / to disseyue þe rihgtfole ri[gh]tfole
And lette with a loueday treuthe and bigile
That coueite can and caste thus / Ar cleped in-to þe consayle[^a439]

[^a439: þe consayle (X Rc) | consayle (all other mss)]

[^373: X.11.7: DcIP2UcYc also read in viam, which X alone deletes, perceiving correctly that it is not part of the Latin text of Matt 7:6, "do not cast [pearls before swine]."]

[^374: X.11.8: HS correctly note that the scribe had originally omitted haan , writing þat hawes. Realizing his error, he erased the final <t> and replaced it with superscripted <t>, using the space remaining to insert haan . HS's explanation makes more sense than RK's suggestion that haan is "by correction from haen." The scribe's preference for both fully written out han (27x:1x) and þat (1255x:0x) supports the HS account.]

¶ Qui sapiunt nugas & crimnam crim[ina] lege vocantur
Qui recte sapiunt / lex iubet ire foras
He is reuerensed and y-robed / þat can robbe þe peple
Thorw fallas and fals questes / and thorw fikel speche
Iob þe gentele in his gistes witnesseth[^375]
What shal worthen of suche when þei lyf leten
ducunt in bonis dies suos / & in find fin[e] descendunt ad infernum
The sauter saith þe same / of alle suche ryche

[^375: X.11.23: All editors emend gistes to gestes (stories, tales), but MED , s.v. gest(e), n.1, lists giste as a spelling variant. The scribe, however, does write gestes at X.15.215.]

¶ Ibunt in progenie patrum suorum / & vsque in eternum non videbunt lumen
Et alibi ecce ipi ip[s]i peccatores habundantes[^376] & cetera
Lo saith holy letrure / whiche lordes beth this schrewes
Tho þat god most goed ȝeueth / greueth most riht and treuthe

[^376: X.11.28: We take the raised point that follows the <h> of habundantes to be the indicator for the lengthy suspension, so we do not transcribe it separately.]

¶ Que perfecisti destruxerunt & cetera
// harlottes are sonnest holpe
Harlotes for here harlotrye aren holpe ar nedy pore
And þat is no riht ne resoun / for rather me sholde
Helpe hym þat hath nauhte / then tho that haen no nede
Ac he þat hath holy writ / ay / in his mouth
And can telle of treuthe / and of þe twelue aposteles
Or of þe passioun of Crist / or of purgatorie þe peynes
Litel is he loued or leet herfore / among lordes at festes
Nowe is þe manere at þe mete / when munstrals ben stille
The lewed aȝen þe lered / þe holy lore to dispite[^a440]
And tellen of þe trinite / how tho[^a441] slowe þe thridde
And brynge forth ballede resones / taken bernard to witnesse
And putten forth presumpcioun / to preue þe sothe
Thus they dreuele as[^a442] the deyes / the deite to knowe
And gnawen god with gorge / when here gottes fallen[^a443][^377]
Ac þe carfole may crye / and quake at þe ȝate
Bothe afyngred and a-furst / and for defaute spille
Is non so hende to haue hym / but hote hym go þer god is
Thenne semeth hit to my sihte / to suche þat so biddeth
God is nat in þat hoem / ne his helpe nother
Lytel loueth he þat lord / þat lente hym al þat blisse
That so parteth with þe pore / aparsel a parsel when hym nedeth
Ne were mercy in m ene men / more then in riht riche
Mony tymes[^a444] mendenauntes / myhte goen a-fyngred
And so saith þe sauter / y say hit in[^a445] memento[^378]

[^a440: dispite (X) | dispute (all other mss)]

[^a441: tho (X) | two (most other mss)]

[^a442: as (X I P2 Yc) | at (most other mss)]

[^a443: fallen (X) | fullen (most other mss)]

[^a444: tymes (X Dc I) | tyme (all other mss)]

[^a445: in (X Rc) | in (English) (most other mss)]

[^377: X.11.45: The scribe's unique phrase here, obtaining "until their guts fell" as opposed to the expected reading, "until their guts were full," may be meaningful, as it may be based on medical language referring to hernias or other ruptures; see Cyrurgie of Guy de Chauliac , ed Margaret S. Odgden, EETS 265 (Oxford, 1971), vol. 1, p. 501, 24-26 and 502, 31-34, for medical descriptions of such ruptures in which the gut has fallen; the text avers that the immediate cause of such burstynges includes strong forsynge of or unmeasurable hauntunge of wommen (502, 4-6). Such activity is often associated with the clergy, particularly friars in medieval literature, but does not seem immediately applicable to the over-fed lords here described at this point in Piers. See also the military use of the term, referring to the bowels protruding out from a wound, as in The English Charlemagne Romances I: Sir Ferumbras , ed. S. J. Herrtage, EETS ES 34 (1879, reprint 1966), l. 749: His guttes þer-with gunne out falle.]

[^378: X.11.55: In most other manuscripts, in is presented unrubricated as an English word, but the scribes of XRc have taken it to be Latin, making it fully a part of the phrase in memento. Originally, the word hit, which precedes the phrase, was also part of the underlining in X, but an unknown hand has erased its red underlining, the traces of which are still visible.]

¶ Ecce audiuimus eam id est caritatem[^379] in Effrata & cetera[^a446]
Clerkes and knyhtes carpen of god ofte
// hyer he tellith of prechinge at // paulis
And haen muche in here mouth / Ac mene in herte
Freres and and [and] faytours / haen founde vp suche questions
To plese with proude men / senes this pestelences
And prechyng at seynt poules / and puyr enuye of clerkes
That folk is nat ferme in þe faith / ne fre of here godes
Ne sory for here synnes / so[^a447] pruyde enhanced
In religion and in al þe reume / amonges riche and pore
That preyeres haen no power / this pestilences to lette
For god is deef now-adayes / and deyneth vs nat[^a448] to here[^380]
And gode men for oure gultes / he al to-grynt to deth
And ȝut this wreches of this world / is noen y-war by oþer
Ne for drede of eny deth / with -draweth hym fro pruyde
Ne parteth with þe pore / as puyr charite wolde
Bote in gaynesse and in glotonye[^a449] / for-glotten here godes
And breketh nat here bred to þe pore as þe boke hoteth

[^a446: & cetera (X Yc) | inuenimus eam in campis silue (most other mss)]

[^a447: so (X P2) | so is (all other mss)]

[^a448: vs nat (X Dc) | vs (most other mss) | nat vs (Ec Fc I Mc N P)]

[^a449: in glotonye (X Ec P P2 Yc) | glotonye (most other mss)]

[^379: X.11.56: RK, in editing this line, reject the majority id est caritatem, witnessed by X and most manuscripts. Pearsall and Schmidt, however, adopt the id est cartitatem reading in their editions.]

[^380: X.11.66: Since the majority reading, rejected rightly by RK, has no negation, the scribes of those texts must have read the word deyneth as a form of MED deinen, v. 2, "[t]o be haughty; scorn (sth.), reject (food), disdain (to do sth.); ~ with, be scornful of (sb.)" instead of MED deinen, v. 1, def. 1.(a) "[t]o consider (sth.) suited to one's worth or dignity, condescend (to do sth.); condescend to speak. . . usu. with neg," which cites this very line of Piers as an example. The majority reading would thus translate to "God refuses to hear us," as opposed to X's minority reading (adopted by all editors), "God deigns not to hear us."]

¶ Frange esurienti panem tuum
Ac þe more a[^381] wynneth and hath / þe world at his wille
And lordeth in ledes / the lasse goed he deleth
Tobie[^382] techeth nat so / taketh hede ȝe ryche
How he tolde in atyme a tyme / and tauhte his sone dele

[^381: X.11.74: A, "he."]

[^382: X.11.76: There is a mark to the left of the <T> in Tobie, which may be an attempt to indicate the gloss about Tobit in the left margin, though we have not seen such a device before in this manuscript. It may simply be a stray mark.]

// tobi toȝte his sone dele
¶ Si tibi sit copia / habundantur tribue[^383]
Si Autem exiguum illud impertire libenter stude
And is to mene no more / bote who muche goed weldeth
be large þer -of whil hit lasteth / to ledes þat ben nedy
And yf thow haue litel leue sone / loke by þy lyue
Get þe loue þer -with thogh thow worse fare
Ac lust no lord now ne lettred man / of suche lore to here
Bote lythen how þey myhte lerne / leest god spene
And þat loueth lordes now / and leten hit a dowel
For is no wit worth now / but if[^a450] hit of wynnynge soune
For-thy wit quod she be waer / holy write to shewe
Amonges hem þat haen hawes at wille
The which is a lykyng and a[^a451] luste / þe loue of þe world
And when wit was y-war / what studie menede
I myhte gete no grayn of wittes grete wittes
studie
But al lauhynge he louted / and loked vppon stud ie[^384]
Semyng þat y sholde / bysechen here of grace
And when y was war of his wille to þat womman gan y louten
And saide mercy ma-dame / ȝoure man shal y worthen
As longe as y lyue / bothe late and rathe
And for to worche ȝoure wille / þe while my lyf duyreth
With þat ȝe kenne me kyndeliche / to knowe what is dowel
For thy mekenesse quod she / and for thy mylde speche
Y shal kenne þe to clergie / my cosyn þat knoweth
Alle kynne kunnynges and comsynges of dowel
Of dobet of dobest for doctour he is knowe
scrypture
And ouer skripture þe skilfole / and screueynes were trewe
For he[^385] is sib to þe seuene ars / and also my suster
And clergices[^a452][^386] wedded wyf / as wyse as hym-sulue
Of lore and of lettrure / of lawe and of resoun
So with þat clergie can / and consail of scripture
Thow shalt kunne and knowe / kyndeliche dowel
Thenne was y as fayn / as foul of faire morwen
Gladdere then gleman / þat gold hath to ȝefte
// where clergie dwellith
And askede of here þe hey way whare þat clergie dwelte
And telle me som tokene quod y / for tyme is þat y wende
Aske þe hey wey hennes to soffre bothe wele and wo[^387]
Yf þou wilt lerne and ryde forth / by rychesse reste nat þerynne
For yf thow coueytest to be ryche / to clergie comest thow neuere
Bothe wymmen and wyn / wrothe[^a453][^388] ire and slewthe
Yf thow hit vse oþer haunte / haue god my treuthe
To clergie shaltow neuere come / ne knowe what is dowel
// lettygge letty[n]gge to come to clergie
As[^a454] if þow happe quod he / þat þou hitte on clergie
And hast vnderstandyng / what a[^389] wolde mene
Sey hym thy-sulue / ouer-se many bokes
And sey y grette wel his wyf / for y wrot here abible a bible
And sette here to sapience / and to þe sauter y-glosed
Logyk y lerned here / and al þe lawe aftur
And alle þe musons in musyk / y made here for to knowe
Plato þe poete / y putte hym furste to boke
sapience
Aristotel and oþere / to Arguen[^390] y tauhte
Gramer for gurles / y gart furste write
And bed be[t] hem with a baleyse[^391] / bute yf þei wolde lerne
Of alle kyne craftes · y contreuede here toles
Of carpentrie of keruers / and contreuede þe compas
And caste ouet[^a455][^392] by squire / bothe lyne and leuele
Thus thorw my lore ben men y-lered / thogh y loke demme
Ac teologie hath tened me / ten score tymes
Þe more y muse þer -on / the mystiloker hit semeth
And þe deppore y deuine / the derkore me thynketh hit
Hit is no science sothly / bote a sothfaste bileue
Ac for hit lereth men to louie / y beleue þeron þ e bettere
For loue is alykyng a lykyng thyng / and loth for to greue
Lerne for to louie / yf þe lik dowel
For of dobet and dobest / here doctour is dere loue

[^a450: but if (X I) | but (all other mss)]

[^a451: and a (X Ec P P2 Q) | and (most other mss)]

[^a452: clergices (X Fc Uc Yc) | clergies (most other mss)]

[^a453: wrothe (X) | wrathe (most other mss)]

[^a454: As (X) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^a455: ouet (X Uc Yc) | out (most other mss)]

[^383: X.11.78-X.11.79: X shares this line division with C manuscripts DcINcPP2Uc.]

[^384: X.11.93: Hand 2's correction aligns the text with the spelling of most other C manuscripts. Hand 1's spelling variant, stude (attested in MED , s.v. stude) may have arisen because he had just written Latin stude above, at X.11.79, though he did write the English word as studie, at X.11.91, just two lines above.]

[^385: X.11.105: He, "she."]

[^386: X.11.106: The scribe may have been thinking of MED clergise, "[l]earning, knowledge, scholarship" or this may simply be an error.]

[^387: X.11.114: XINP2 (and DcUc also, which do not break the lines thus) lack a form of quod he between wey and hennes in the a-verse. (The he would have provided alliteration on /h/.) This confused the scribe as to where this line and the following ones should begin and end. The result is that X.11.114 lacks alliteration; the a-verse of X.11.115 contains the /w/ in wilt that ought to complete another line beginning with wele and woe; and in X.11.115, ryde and rychess ought to be the two staves of an a-verse, but are here separated by the caesura, with rest now an otiose alliterating forth stave. It is a minor mess that, however, can still make sense, so the scribes of X did not correct. Secure alliterative patterning resumes at X.11.116.]

[^388: X.11.117: Hand 1 has uniquely written the adjective wroth (angry) instead of the needed noun wrath (anger), to be parallel with ire and slewthe.]

[^389: X.11.121: A, "he."]

[^390: X.11.128: X capitalizes the <A> of Arguen here, as RK helpfully retain, but Pearsall and Schmidt do not; perhaps the scribe took it to be an allegorical name.]

[^391: X.11.130: We have marked X's unique bed as an error for bet, but one wonders whether the scribe may have intended the 3rd sing. preterite of bidden, which would translate, with litotes, "entreat them with a stick."]

[^392: X.11.133: For this potentially confusing line about how Study teaches carpenters their work, editors either replace ouet with the variant mette, obtaining "cast measurements" (Pearsall and RK), or they change the verb to the unattested leide to obtain "laid out by square," which also renders more common alliteration. (See Schmidt (2011), calling his own emendation "radical," Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.1, p. 390.) The Z and B texts read, very comfortably, an alliterating phrase meaning "learned (i.e., taught) them the (use of) the level," and this l-patterning motivated Schmidt to emend to leide. He sees casten as a scribe's attempt to obtain a more familiar construction—"cast out" in the sense of "calculate" or "construct." (See MED , s.v. casten [20(a), 25(a)].)]

¶ Tho wente y my way with -outen more lettynge
And to clergie y cam / as clerkes me saide
Y grette hym goodly and graythly y hym tolde
How þat wit and his wyf / wissede me to hym
To kenne and to knowe kyndeliche dowel
By Crist quod Clergie yf thow coueyte dowel
Kepe þe ten comaundementis / and kepe þe fro synne
And byleef lely / how goddes sone alyhte
On þe maide Marie / for mankynde sake
And bycam aman a man[^a456] of þat maide / with -oute mankynde
And al þat holichurche holi churche / herof can þe lere
Leue hit lelly / and loke / þou do þeraftur
austyn
Austyn þe olde / her-of made bokes
Ho was his Autor / And hym of god tauhte
Patriarkes and prophetes / apostles and angelis
And þe trewe trinite / to Austyn apperede
And he vs saide as he sey / and so y bileue
That he seyh þe fader / and þe sone / and þe seynt spirit to-gederes
And alle thre bote o god / and her-of he made bokes[^393]
Ho beth his witnesses / Ego in patre & pater in me est

[^a456: aman a man (X I N P2 Yc) | man (most other mss)]

[^393: X.11.161: The line breaks in X.11.161-X.11.162 are unique to XDcP2Uc, likely related to the absence in these manuscripts of a form of the word "busily" to begin X.11.162. Cf. RK's rendering: And alle thre bote o god, and herof he made / [Bisily] bokes; ho beth his witnesses. In the case of X, the scribe encountered the problem at the end of a folio and tucked in the first line of the non-metrical Latin to complete his line X.11.162, which may, cleverly, alliterate on /p/ and /b/ and also certainly keeps a tidy mise-en-page. In boxing the Latin, the rubricator, with his own job to do, has written over the caesura. Ironically here, we see a corrector's mark in the margin left. Likely the corrector was not comparing the text to a superior manuscript that had the lines rendered correctly.]

¶ Et qui me vidit patrem meum vidit qui in celis est & cetera
Alle þe Clerkes vnder Crist / ne couthe this assoile
Bote thus hit bilongeth to bileue / alle þat liketh to dowel
For hadde neuere frek fyn with[^394] / the faith to dispute
Ne man mouhte haue meryhte me[r]yt[^395] / mouhte hit be y-preued

[^394: X.11.166: With, spelling variant of MED wit, n.]

[^395: X.11.167: X's unique readings in lines X.11.166-X.11.167 turn this attempted paraphrase of the Latin that follows into nonsense. Strangely, the third minim of <m> is over-stroked and thus possibly cancelled by Hand 1, obtaining, perhaps, neryhte, equivalent to ne ryhte. But in such confusion we have simply transcribed meryhte, which we have taken as error for majority meryte.]

¶ Fides non habet meritum vbi · humana racio & cetera
Thus in bileue[^a457] and lel · / and loue is the thridde
That maketh men to dowel / and dobet and dobest
Thenne scripture scorned me / and mony skiles shewed
And continaunce made on clergie / to congeie me hit semede
And lakkede alatyn a latyn[^396][^397] / and lyhte by me sette
And saide multi multa sciunt / & seipsos nessiunt
Tho wepte y for wo / and wrathe of here wordes
// Hyere fortune raueschid will & schewed hym a myrour þat hyȝte myddylȝerd
And in a wynkynge y warth / and wonderliche me mette
For y was rauysched rihte there for fortune me fette
And in-to þe lond of longyng / a[^a458] loue[^398] she me brouhte
And in a myrrour þat hihte myddel-erd / she made me to loke
And senes he saide to me / here myhte thow se wondres
And knowe þat þou coueytest / and come þer -to parauntur
Thenne hadde fortune folwyng here two fayre maydenes

[^a457: in bileue (X I Uc Yc) | bileue (most other mss)]

[^a458: a (X I Mc P2) | and (most other mss)]

[^396: X.11.173: A, preposition.]

[^397: X.11.173: The scribe may have intentionally merged a and latin as one word, or he may simply have randomly run them together; in either case, we take the widely witnessed phrase to mean "in Latin," though X, like many C-text manuscripts, lacks the direct object pronoun me, which all editors take to be archetypal.]

[^398: X.11.178: The scribe's a loue may be an error for the majority's and loue, or he may have intended a lone, since his <n> and his <u> are indistinguishable.]

¶ Concupiscencia carnis / men calde þ e eldre maide
And coueytise of yes / y-calde was þat oþer
And pruyde of parfit lyuynge / pursuede me faste
And bade me for my continence / counte clerkes techyng lihte

¶ Concupiscencia Carnis / confortede me of[^a459] this manere
And saide þou art ȝong and ȝep / and hast ȝeres y-nowe
For to lyue longe / and ladyes to louye
And in þis myrrour / thow myhte se murthes fol monye
That lede þe wol to lykynge / Al thy lyf-tyme
The seconde saide þe same / y[^a460] sewe thy wille
Til thow be alord a lord / and haue lond / leten y the nelle[^399]
That y ne shal folowe thy felowschipe / yf fortune lyke
A[^400] shal fynde me his frende / quod fortune þeraftur
The man þat me liketh to helpe / myhte nat myshappe
Thenne was[^a461] oen þat hihte Elde / þat heuy was of chere
Man quod Elde yf y mette with the / by marie of heuene
Thow shalt fynde fortune þe fayle / At thy moste nede
And Concupiscencia Carnis / clene the forsake
Bitterliche shaltow banne thenne / bothe dayes and nyhtes
Couetyse of yes / þat euere thow here knewe
And pruyde of parfit lyuynge / to moche perel the brynge
Ȝe reche þe neuere quod rechelesnesse stod forth in ragged clothes[^401]
Folowe forth þat fortune wole / þou hast ful fer to elde
Aman A man may stoupe tyme ynowe / when he shal tyne þe croune
Sir wanhope was sib to hym / as som men me tolde
For rechelesnesse in his rybaude[^a462] / riht thus he saide
Go y to helle or to heuene / y shal nat go myn one
Were hit al soth þat ȝe seyn / thow scripture and thow clergie
Y leue neuere þat lord ne lady / þat lyueth her in[^a463] erthe
Sholde sitte in goddis sihte / ne se god in his blisse

[^a459: of (X I) | on (most other mss)]

[^a460: y (X) | y shal (all other mss)]

[^a461: was (X P2 Rc) | was there (most other mss)]

[^a462: rybaude (X) | ribawdrie (most other mss)]

[^a463: in (X I) | on (all other mss)]

[^399: X.11.193: This line contains two virgules, likely reflecting the scribe's confusion as to where the caesura falls in this line; he was right the second time, after lond, the second lift of the a-verse.]

[^400: X.11.195: A, "he."]

[^401: X.11.204: This line contains no virgule, which should come after rechelessnesse. Perhaps lines with such structure, parenthetically identifying the speaker—something we would set off with commas—confuse scribes about where to place the caesura, though the line is perfectly metrical.]

¶ Ita possibile est diuiti intrare / in regno regn[um] celorum sicut camelus & cetera
For clergie saith þat he seyh / in þe seynt euaungelie
That y man y-maed was / and my name y-entred
In þe legende of lyf longe / ar y were
predestinaet thei prechen / prechours þat this sheweth
Or percyet[^a464][^402] inparfit / pult out of grace
Vn-writen for som wikkednesse / as holy writ sheweth

[^a464: percyet (X) | precheþ (most other mss)]

[^402: X.11.218: It is not clear what word the scribe intends, nor if he is writing Latin, English, or anglicized Latin. Uc reads prescient; Dc has prescite; and IYc have precyet. The majority reading, however, is precheth, which is likely scribal, arising from the local context and the frequency of forms of the verb "preaching" in this section. Modern editors emend. Schmidt (2011) prints what he calls "half Latin" prescite, from Dc, obtaining "foreknown [sc. to be damned]," ( Parallel Text Edition , vol II.1, pp. 393-4). Pearsall (2008) takes the reading to be Latin prescit, obtaining "foreknown to be (imperfect)" which likely balances predestined [to be saved] in the previous line. RK also print, as emended, p[resci]t though they do not italicize it as Latin, perhaps obtaining the same meaning as Pearsall understands, though like Schmidt, conceiving it to be anglicized Latin.]

¶ Nemo ascendit ad celum / nisi qui de celo descendit
And y leue hit wel by oure lord / and on no lettrure bettere
For salomon þe sage / þat sapience made
God gaf hym grace of wit / and of goed aftur
Neuere to man so moche / þat man can of telle
To reule alle reumes / and ryche to make
And demede wel and wysly / wymmen bereth wittenesse

¶ Nec michi nec tibi / set diuidatur
Aristotel and he / ho tauhte men bettere
Maistres þat men techen of goddis mercy and techen[^a465][^403]
Wittenesseth þat here wordes / and here werkes bothe
Were wonder goed and wisest in here tyme
And holichurche holi churche as y here / haldeth bothe in helle
And yf we sholde wurche aftur here werkes / to wynnien wyn[n]en vs heuene
That for here werkes and wyt / wonyeth now in payne
Thenne wrouhte y vnwysly / for alle ȝoure wyse techynge
Ac y countre-segge the nat clergie / ne thy connyng scripture
That ho-so doth by ȝoure doctrine / doth wel y leue
As[^a466] me were leuere by oure lord / a lyppe of goddes grace
Thenne al þe kynde wyt / þat ȝe can bothe and kunnyng of ȝoure bokes[^404]
For of fele witty in faith / litel ferly y haue
Thogh here gost be vngracious / god for to plese
For mony men in this molde / more sette here herte
In goed then in god / for-thy hem grace faileth
At he he[re] moste meschef / mercy were þe beste
And mercy of mercy · nedes moet aryse
As holy writ witnesseth / goddes word in þe gospel

[^a465: and techen (X Uc Yc) | om. (most other mss)]

[^a466: As (X) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^403: X.11.229: With techen repeated in this line in XUcYc, all modern editors emend the b-verse to prechen.]

[^404: X.11.239: In this cumbersome line, the scribe marks the caesura incorrectly before the second stave of the a-verse (can), though it is not clear exactly where, after can, the caesura actually falls.]

¶ E Adem mensura & cetera
Wel y-witted men and wel y-lettred clerkes
Seldom ar they seyen / so lyue as they lere
Wittnesseth godes word / þat was neuere vntrewe

¶ Super cathedra Moysi & cetera
// Hyer hard sentence for techeres ȝif þay leue noȝt wel
Ac y wene hit worth of monye / as was in noes tyme
Tho he shoop þe ship / of shides and bordes
Was neuere wrihte þat þer -on wrouhte / ne werkman ysaued
Bote briddes and bestis / and þe blessed Noe
And his wyf with his sones / and his sones wyues
Of wryhtes þat hit wrouhte / was noen of hem y-saued
God lene hit fare nat so / by folk þat þe faith techen
Of holy kirke þat sholde kepe / alle cristene soules
For Archa Noe nymeth hede / ys no more to mene
Bote holychurche holy churche herborw / to alle þat ben yblessed
Culorum
The culorum of this clause / curatores is to mene
That[^a467] carpentares vnder Crist / holy kirke to make
For lewed folk goddes foles / and his fre bestes

[^a467: That (X Ec N P2) | That ben (most other mss)]

¶ Homines & iumenta saluabis & cetera
At domes-day adeluuye a deluuye worth / of deth and fuyr at ones
Worcheth ȝe wrihtes of holy churche as holy writ techeth
Laste ȝe be loste as þe laboreres were / þat labered lab[o]red vnder Noe
A gode friday y fynde afeloun a feloun was y-saued
That vnlawefulliche hadde y-lyued / al his lyf-tyme
And for he biknewe on þe croes / and to crist shrof hym
He was sunnere y-saued then seynt Iohn þe baptiste
And ar Adam oþer ysaye / oþer eny of the profetes
That hadde y-ley with lucifer / mony longe ȝeres
A robbare was y-raunsomed rather then thei alle
With -oute penaunce oþer passioun / oþer eny other peyne
passet[^a468] forth paciently / to perpetuel blisse
Then marie maudelene / who myhte do worse
As in lykyng of lecherye / no lyf denyede
Or dauid þe douhty / þat denyed[^a469] how vrye
Mouhte sleylokeste be slawe / and sente hym to worre
Lelly as by his lokes / with aleare a leare[^a470] of gyle
Poul þe apostel no pite ne hadde[^a471][^405][^406] cristene peple to culle to dethe
And now beth this seyntes · by that men saith and souereynes[^407]
In heuene tho that worste wrouhten / þe while þat thei here were
By that þat salamon saith / hit semeth þat no wyht woet
Ho is worthy for wele or for wykkede
Wheþer he is worthy to wele or to wykkede pyne

[^a468: passet (X) | He passede (most other mss)]

[^a469: denyed (X I Uc Yc) | deuyned (most other mss)]

[^a470: aleare a leare (X Uc) | a lettre (most other mss)]

[^a471: ne hadde (X) | hadde (all other mss)]

[^405: X.11.283: RK cite X's reading inaccurately as he hadde.]

[^406: X.11.283: All modern editors divide this line in two, between hadde and cristene, adopting the reading of Uc against all other manuscripts which, like X, render a single long line.]

[^407: X.11.284: XIP2Yc alone break the line at souereynes; all other manuscripts divide the line after heuene.]

¶ Sunt iusti atque sapientes / & opera eorum in manu dei sunt & cetera
Thus y rechelesnesse haue y-rad registres and bokes
And fonde y neuere in faith / for to telle treuthe
That clergie of cristes mouthe comaunded was euere
For Crist saide to sayntes / and to suche as he louede

¶ Dum steteritis ante Reges vel presides & cetera
Thogh ȝe come bifore kynges / and clerkes of þe lawes[^a472]
Beth nat aferd of þat folk / for y shal ȝeue ȝow tonge
And connyng and clergie / to conclude suche alle
dauid maketh mensioun / he spake among kynges
And myhte no kyng ouercome hym / as in connynge of speche
Sothly saide rechelesnesse / ȝe se by many euydences
That wit ne witnesse wan neuere þe maistre
With -oute þe gifte of god · which[^a473] grace of fortune
For he þat most seith and saide / of the sothfaste trinite
Was Austyn þe oelde / þat euere man wiste
Saide thus in his sarmon / for ensaunple of grete clerkes

[^a472: lawes (X Yc) | lawe (all other mss)]

[^a473: which (X Uc Yc) | with (most other mss)]

¶ Ecce ipse ips[i] idiote rapiunt celum vbi nos sapientes in inferno mergimur
And is to mene no more to men þat beth lewed
Aren noen rather y-raueschid / fro þe rihte bileue
Comuneliche then clerkes / most knowyng in konnyng
Ne none sanere y-sauued / ne none[^a474] saddere in bileue
Then ploughmen an[^408] pastours / and pore comune peple
Lewed lele laboreres / and land tulyng peple
Persen with a pater noster / paradys oþer heuene
And passen thorgh purgatorie / penaunceles[^409]
For here parfit bileue / breuis oratio penetrat celum
Selde falleth þe seruant / so depe in arrerage
As doth the reue or Conturrollor / þat rykene moet and acounten
Of al þat they haen had / of hym þat is here maister
Ac lewede laborers / of litel vnderstondyng
Selde falleth so foule / and so depe in synne
As clerkes of holychirche holy chirche  þat sholde[^a475] socoure[^410] and saue
Lewede men in good bileue / and lene hem at here nede
Homo preponit p[ro]ponit quod apoete a poete tho / and plato he hihte

[^a474: ne none (X Dc Uc) | ne (most other mss)]

[^a475: sholde (X) | kepe(n) scholde (all other mss)]

[^408: X.11.311: An, "and."]

[^409: X.11.314: X alone divides the line at penaunceles; all other C manuscripts include for here parfit bileue as part of this verse. As it has done before at X.11.161-X.11.162, just above in this passus, X has created a unique macaronic line at X.11.315 (potentially alliterating on /p/) by joining for here parfit bileue to the otherwise non-metrical, free-standing Latin that follows.]

[^410: X.11.321: The hand and ink of this addition seem to us to be that of Hand 2 (RK also say "another hand"). Hand 2 saw something was missing and tried to repair. The majority reading kepen would have completed the alliteration nicely, but instead (with no exemplar handy?) he improvised by adding another /s/ word to an already full b-verse. And we see again, as at X.2.38, X.5.21, and X.8.287 that, in the course of making a local repair, Hand 2 has added a punctus elevatus at the casesura, which in this case lacked a virgule.]

¶ Et deus disponit quod he / lad la[t] god do his wille
All · þat treuth atta cheth attacheth / and testifieth for gode
Thow thei folwe þat fortune wole / in[^a476][^411] folye ich it holde
Ne Concupiscencia carnis / ne shal nat greue the grettly
Ne bigyle the / but yf thow wolle
// hyer ȝougthe sette at naȝt al þis
Ȝe fare wel fyppe quod fauntelete / and forth gan me drawe
Til Concupiscencia Carnis / a-corded til al my werkes
Of dowel ne of dobet / no deynte me ne thouhte
Ne clergie ne his conseile / y counted hit ful litel

[^a476: in (X) | no (all other mss)]

[^411: X.11.326: X is the only manuscript that reads in, which changes the meaning of the line completely from the reading of all other manuscripts, no, which is how all editors render it. One wonders who is speaking in this part of the poem, but it seems to be Plato as a poet, and therefore the voice of philosophy. X's reading would assert that it is foolish to follow Fortune, whereas the reading of all other manuscripts would approve of those who follow Fortune. So we invite our readers to contemplate the possible meaning of X's reading, which cautions against—rather than sanctions—following Fortune, obviously an incredibly dramatic issue at this point in Will's pursuit of physical pleasure. Pearsall (2008) notes that the "argument, that to follow the way of the world is reconcilable with adherence to Truth, is specious," (p. 215). Perhaps Hand 1, with his unique in folye (if an intentional reading) would agree. The line does not appear in this form in B.]

Passus secundus de dowel

A llas eye quod elde / and holynesse bothe
That wit shal turne to wrechednesse / for wil hath al his wille
Couetyse of yes conforted me aftur
And saide rechelesnesse / reche the neuere By so thow riche were
Confesse the to som frere / he shal asoile[^a477] the thus sone[^412]
How so euere / thow wynne hit
For while fortune is thy frende / freres wol the louye
And festene the in ther flaternite f[r]aternite[^413] / and for the by-seche
To here priour prouincial / his pardon to haue
And preeye p[re]ye for the pol by pol / yf thow be peccunio sus

[^a477: asoile (X Yc) | asoile the (all other mss)]

[^412: X.12.5-X.12.6: XDcKNP2UcYc omit a long half line found in most manuscripts (and printed by all modern editors), which should be the a-verse of X.12.5, here given in RK's version: Haue no consience how þou come to good. The loss of this half line therefore produces in X two faulty verses: X.12.5 may accidentally alliterate on <s>, but X.12.6 is a truncated verse with no apparent alliteration.]

[^413: X.12.8: The scribe's error results in a brilliant comic malapropism or portmanteau, flaternite, instead of fraternite, a stinging rebuke of the flattering friars. Cf. Conscience's final quest to seek Piers Plowman in the hope that freres hadde a fyndynge þat for nede flateren (that is, a proper provision for their needs to prevent their abusively flattering begging. See Pearsall (2008), C-text, p. 377. The association of friars with flattery is commonplace.]

¶ Pena peccuniaria non sufficit & cetera
By wissyng of this wenche y dede / here wordes were so swete
Til y forȝet ȝouthe / and ȝorn in-to elde
And thenne was fortune my foo / for al her fayre biheste
And pouerte pursuede me / and potte me to be lowe
And flittyng fond y the frere / þat me confessede
And saide he myhte nat me[^a478] assoile / but y suluer hadde
To restitute resonably / for al vnrihtfole wynnynge

[^a478: nat me (X Ch K Rc) | me nat (most other mss)]

notate hic freris
¶ Ouh quod y tho / and myn heued waggede[^414]
By my faith frere quod y / ȝe fare lyke þe woware
That wilneth nat þe wedewe · bote for to welde here godes
Riht so by þe rode quod y / rouhte ȝe neuere
Wher my body were y-bered / by so ȝe hadde my godes
And thenne louhe leaute / for y loured on[^415] þe frere

[^414: X.12.19: The scribe's self-correction after the <gg> of waggede has created blotting, and there are traces of the top of an erroneous <d> (or an inappropriate suspension) over the blotting. No variants are at play, and waggede is the majority reading, so this might simply have been a slip of the pen, quickly corrected, by Hand 1.]

[^415: X.12.24: The markup is inadequate. What looks like a <v> at the beginning of this word, which would read vn, is actually an <o>, produced by the scribe catching himself writing the initial <þ> of the next word, then rounding it off without the descender.]

¶ Why lourest[^a479] quod leaute / leue sire y saide
For this frere flaterede me / þe while[^a480] he fond me ryche
And now y am pore and penyles / at litel pris he sette me
Y wolde it were no synne y saide / to seien þat were treuthe
The sauter sayth hit is no synne / for suche men þat ben trewe
To segge as they seen / and saue only prestis

[^a479: lourest (X P2 Uc Yc) | lourest thou (all other mss)]

[^a480: þe while (X Dc K Uc Yc) | while (most other mss)]

¶ Existimasti inique / quod ero tibi[^a481] similis[^416]
Arguam te & statuam contra faciem tuam
Thei wolle allegge also / and by þe gospel preuen hit

[^a481: tibi (X I K P2 Yc) | tui (most other mss)]

[^416: X.12.31: XIKP2 alone present the Latin in two lines.]

¶ Nolite iudicare quemquam
And wher-of serueth lawe quod leaute / and no lyf vnder-toke
Falsnesse ne fayterye / for sumwhat þe apostel saide[^417]

[^417: X.12.36: The word saide is heavily blotted but has not been altered or corrected.]

¶ Non oderis fratrem secrete in corde & cetera[^418]
Thyng þat al þe world woet / wherfore sholdest thow spare
To rehercen hit al by retoryk / to arate dedly synne
Ac be neuere-more þe furste / the defaute to blame
Thouh thowe se say nat sum -tyme þat is treuthe
Thyng þat wolde be pryue / publische thow hit neuere
Nother for loue labbe it out / ne lacke hit nat[^a482] for enuye

[^a482: hit nat (X K Uc Yc) | hit (most other mss)]

[^418: X.12.37: This entire Latin line is written over an erasure. HS aver that line X.12.26 from above on this folio was initially written. The letter forms still visible in the right margin after the Latin—such as the outlines of the word ryche—do support this theory. In that case, eye-skip after the word saide (X.12.25 and X.12.36) likely caused the error.]

¶ Parum lauda vitipera vit[u]pera parcius
A saith soth quod scripture tho / and sk ypte[^419] an heyh and prechede
Ac þe matere þat she meuede / if lewede men hit knewe
The lasse as y leue louyon þey wolde
The bileue of oure lord / þat lettred men techeth
Of here teme and here tales / y took ful good hede
He[^420] saide in here sarmon / selcouthe wordes
Multi to amangerye a mangerye / and to þe mete were sompned
And whan þe peple was plenere ycome þe porter vnpynnede þe gate
And plihte in pauci priueiliche and lette þe remenaunt go rome
Al for tene of here tyxst tremblede myn herte
And in a wer gan y wex / and with my-sulue to despute
Where y were chose[^a483] / on holy churche y thouhte
That vnderfeng me at þe fonte / for on of godes chosene
For crist clepede vs alle / come yf we wolde
Sarrasynes and sismatikes / and so a[^421] ded þe iewes
And bad hem souke for synne / saue at his breste
And drynke bote for bale / brouke hit ho-so myhte

[^a483: chose (X) | chose or nat chose (most other mss)]

[^419: X.12.45: As HS correctly observe, there is an unexplained circular mark in another ink over the <te> of the word skypte.]

[^420: X.12.50: He, "she."]

[^421: X.12.59: A, "he."]

¶ O vos omnes sicientes venite ad aquas
Thenne may alle cristene come / and clayme þerto entre
By þat bloed he bouhte vs with / and baptem e[^422] as he tauhte
Qui crediderit & baptizatus fuerit & cetera
For thogh acristene a cristene man coueitede / his cristendom to renoye
Rihtfolliche to renoye no resoun hit wolde
For may no cherl chartre make / ne his chatel sulle
With -outen leue of þe lord / no lawe wol hit graunte
Ac he may renne in arrerage / and rome fro home
As arecheles a recheles Caytyf / other reneyed as hit semeth
As A[c] reson shal rekene with[^423] hym / and rebuken hym at þe laste
And consience a-counte with hym / and casten hym in arrerages
And potten hym aftur in prisoun / in purgatorie to brenne
And for his rechelesnes rewarde hym þere / riht to þe day of dome
Bote yf contricioun and confessioun / crye by his lyue
Mercy for his mysdedes · with mouthe and with herte
That is soth saide scripture[^424] · may no synne lette
Mercy þat he[^425] ne may al amende / and mekenesse her folowe
They bothe as oure bokes[^426] telleth / are boþe[^a484] godes werkes
Misericordia eius super omnia opera[^a485]
// hyere cam a trogian & sayde baw for bokes

[X.12.82.m.1: The erasure of the <t> of an original at only partially expunges the <a>, so we consider it to have been left standing deliberately, obtaining a trogian. This might represent some confusion on the part of the commentator, who might not have recognized the text's reference to troianes, a proper noun referring to the Roman emperor. Schmidt (2011) identifies troianes, the majority reading, as "a well-recognized form of Trajan's name" ( Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.2, p. 604, referencing Siegfried Wenzel, "L's Trioanus," YLS 10, 1996, pp. 181-5).]

Ȝe bawe for bokes quod oen · was broken out of helle
I troianes a trewe knyht y take witnesse of a pope
How y was ded and dampned / to dwellen in hell
For an vn-cristene creature · seynt Gregori woet þe sothe
That al þe cristendoem vnde[^a486] r Crist / ne myhte me crache fro thenne
Bote onlyche loue and leaute / as in my lawes demynge
Gregori wiste this wel / and wilned to my soule
Sauacion for þe soethnesse / a[^427] sey in my werkes
And for a[^428] wilnede wepynge · þat y were ysaued
God of his goodnesse · y-sey his grete will
And with -outen mo bedes biddyng · his bone was vnderfonge
And y-saued as ȝe may se · without syngynge of mo masses
Loue with -oute lele bileue / as[^a487] my lawe riht ful
Saued me sarrasyn soule and body bothe
Lo lordes what leute dede / and leele dome y vsed
Wel ouhte ȝe lordes þat lawes kepeth / this lesson to haue in mynde
And on Troianes treuthe to thenke / alle tyme[^a488] in ȝoure lyue
And louye for oure lordes loue / and do leute euermore
For lawe with -outen leutee · ley þer abene a bene
Or eny science vnder sonne · the seuene ars and alle
Bote loue and leute hem lede · y-lost is al þe tyme
Of hym þat trauaileth heron[^a489] · bote treuthe be his lyuynge
So loue and leute · hit ben[^a490] oure lordes bokes
And cristis oune clergie · he cam fro heuene to teche hit
And seynt Ion sethen saide hit of his techyng
// notate hyer how ȝe schull make festes
[^429] Qui non diligit · manet in morte
And nameliche pore peple / here preey rres may vs helpe
For god as þe gospel saith · goth ay as þe pore
And as þe euaungelie witnesseth / when we maken festes
We sholde nat clepie knyhtes þerto / ne none kyne ryche

[^a484: boþe (X) | aboue (most other mss)]

[^a485: opera (X I) | opera eius (most other mss)]

[^a486: vnde (X) | vnder (most other mss)]

[^a487: as (X I Uc Yc) | and (most other mss)]

[^a488: tyme (X Wa) | tymes (all other mss)]

[^a489: heron (X Uc Yc) | theron (most other mss)]

[^a490: hit ben (X Uc Yc) | ben (most other mss)]

[^422: X.12.64: We agree with RK that the final <e> has been written over the start of another minim.]

[^423: X.12.72: The word with is badly blotted, but there are no corrections.]

[^424: X.12.78: The finale <e> here appears to have been overwritten with an <o>, but as there are several cases on this folio of excessive inking, we have deemed this simply to have been an over-inked <e>.]

[^425: X.12.79: He, "she."]

[^426: X.12.80: What may appear in the images to be a complicated set of pen strokes is actually text from 55r showing through a small hole adjacent to this word.]

[^427: X.12.89: A, "he."]

[^428: X.12.90: A, "he."]

[^429: X.12.107-109: To the left of lines X.11.107-X.11.109, a triangle is cut out of the parchment, nine characters wide and three lines high; this damage must have occurred before the manuscript was written, as the scribe blithely writes around it.]

¶ Cum facitis conuiuia / nolite vocare amicos & cetera
Ac calleth the carefole þerto / the crokede and the pore
For vch a[^a491] frende fedeth other / and fondeth hou beste to quite
Meles and manschipes vch a riche man oþer
Ac for þe pore may nat paye · / y wol pay my-sulue
That louieth and leneth hem largeliche shal y quyte
Ac[^a492] Caluarie of cristis bloed / cristendoem gan sprynge
And bl ody bretherne / we by-come there / of o body y-wonne
As quasi modo geniti · gentel men vchone
No beggare ne boy among vs / but[^a493] hit synne make

[^a491: vch a (X Dc K Uc Yc) | eche (most other mss)]

[^a492: Ac (X Dc) | At (most other mss)]

[^a493: but (X I K Nc P2) | but yf (all other mss)]

¶ Qui facit peccatum seruus est peccati
In þe olde lawe as þe lettre telleth mennes sones me calde vs
Of Adames issue and Eue ay til god and man deyede[^430]
And aftur his resurectoun resurect[i]oun[^431] / redemptor was his name
And we his blody bretherne / as wel beggares as lo rdes
For-thy loue we as leue childerne · lene hem þat nedeth
And euery man helpe other / for hennes shal we alle
To haue as we haen serued / as holychirche holy chirche witnesseth

[^430: X.12.124: Though almost no other manuscripts read and, Hand 2's insertion has brought X into agreement with H2KN.]

[^431: X.12.125: We see no suspension here. Although we have marked this as a scribal error, MED does cite a form without <i>: a1456(a1402) *Trev. Nicod. (Add 16165) 113b: In witnesse of þe resurexcoun of oure lord Ihesus cryst. Cf. X.17.336, resurectoem.]

¶ Et qui bona egerunt ibunt & cetera
For-thy lerne we to[^a494] lawe of loue / as oure lord tauhte
And pore peple fayle we nat / while eny peny vs lasteth
For in here likenesse oure lord · lome hath be y-knowe
Witnesse in þe paske woke when he ȝede to Emaux
Cleophas ne knewe hym nat · þat he Crist were
For his pore parail and pilgrimes clothes
Til þat he blessed here bred / and brake hit hem bitwene
So by this[^a495] werkes thei wisten / þat he was ihesu
Ac by clothyng they knewe hym nat so caytifliche he ȝede
And al was ensample sothly / to vs synfole here
That we sholde be low and louelich / and lele vch man til oþer
And pacient as pilgrimes / for pilgrimes are we alle
In þe parail of a pilgrime / and in pore likenesse
Holy seyntes hym sey / Ac neuere in secte of riche
And seynt marie his moder / as Mathew bereth witnesse
Was a puyre pore mayde / and to apore a pore man y-wedded
Marthe on marie ma udelene · an huge pleynte she made
And to oure sauyour / sulue saide þis wordes

[^a494: to (X P2 Uc) | om. (most other mss)]

[^a495: this (X P2 Uc Yc) | his (most other mss)]

¶ Domine non est tibi cura quod Soror & cetera
And here aytheres wille · riht wel alowede[^432]
Ac pouerte god potte byfore · and preuede for þe betere
Maria optimam partem elegit que non & cetera
[^433] And alle þe wyse þat euere were · by auhte y can aspye
Preisede pouerte for beste / if pacience hit folowe
And bothe bettere and blessedere · by many fold then richesse
Al-thouh he be sour to soffre · þer cometh a swete aftur
As on a walnote with -oute · is a bittere barke
And aftur þat bittere barke · be þe scale a-weye
Is a cornel of confort · kynde to restore
So aftur penaunce and pouerte · pacientliche y-take
Maketh man to haue mynde in god and his mercy to craue
The which is þe cornel of confort / for alle cristene soules
And wel sikorere he slepeth þe segg þat is pore
And lasse drat by day or in derke to ben yrobbed
Then he þat is rihte ryche reson bereth witnesse

[^432: X.12.150-151: Because of eye skip to a repeated word (wille), XIKP2 lack what would have been the b-verse of X.12.150 and the a-verse of X.12.151, here given in RK's version: hasteliche god assoilede / And aytheres werkes and wille (RK.12.139a and RK.12.140b). That the line thus obtained in X coincidentally alliterates on /w/ likely helped to mask the error in transmission.]

[^433: X.12.153: At some time in its history, the folio has had a large triangle cut off of its right lower margin with no loss of text.]

¶ Pauper ego ludo / dum tu diues mditaris m[e]ditaris
Holy churche witnesseth ho-so forsaketh
His fader or his frendes · fren - de oþer sybbe
Or eny welthe in this world / his wyf or his childrene
For þe loue of oure lord / lotheth[^a496] hym to be pore
He shal haue an hundred-fold of heuene-ryche blisse
And lyf lastyng for euere / byfore oure lord in heuene

[^a496: lotheth (X) | loweth (most other mss)]

¶ Quicumque relinquit patrem & matrem & cetera
Crist acordeth efte her-with · clerkes wyteth þe sothe
What god saide hym-sulue to a segg þat he louede
Yf thow likest to lyue quod god þe lyf þat is parfit
Al þat thow haste here hastly go and sulle hit
Ȝef pore peple þe panes · þerof pors þou none
Ac ȝef hem forth to pore folk · þat for my loue hit aske
For-saek al and sue me / and so is thi beste

¶ Si vis perfectus esse vade & vende & cetera
Ȝut conseileth Crist · in commen vs all
Ho-so coueiteth to come to my kyneriche
He moet forsaken hym-sulue · his suster and his broþer
And al þat þe world wolde / and my will folowe

¶ Nisi renunciaueritis / omnia que posidetis pos[s]idetis & cetera
Mo prouerbes y myhte haue / of mony holy seyntes
To testifie for treuthe · þe tale þat y shewe
And poetes to preuen hit · Porfirie and plato
[^434] Aristotel Ennedy enleuene hundred
Tulius tolomeus · y can nat tell here names
Preueth pacient pouerte prince of alle vertues
And by þe grayn þat groweth god vs all techeth
Mesciefes Mesc[h]iefes on molde · mekeliche to soffren

[^434: X.12.190: It is apparent that the scribe is at times not making a clear effort to mark the caesura, and on this folio in particular it is difficult to distinguish a faint slash from a faint point from a stray mark; we have tried to record whatever is visible.]

¶ Nisi granum frumenti cadens in terram mortuum fuerit & cetera
Bote if þe seed þat sowen is in the sloo sterue
Shal neuere spir sprynge vp / ne spiek on straw kerue
Sholde neuere whete wexe · but whete furste deyede
On[^a497] oþer sedes also / in þe same wyse
That ben layd in louhe erthe · ylore as hit were
And thorw þe grace of god and grayn dede on erthe
At the laste launceth vp where-by we lyuen all
As[^a498] sedes þat ben sowen / and mowen soffre wyntres
Aren tidiore and touore · to mannes by-hofte
Then sedes þat sowe ben · and mowen nat with forstes
Ne wynde ne wederes / as in wynter tymes
As lynsed leksed · and lentesedes alle
Aren not so worthy as whete ne so wel mowe
In þe feld with þe forst · and hit frese longe
Riht so sothly þat soffry may penaunces
Worth allowed of oure lord · at here laste ende
And for here pacience ben y-presed / as for puyr martir
Or for a confessour y-kud · þat counteth nat a ruche
Fere ne famyne · ne fals mennes tonges
But as an hosebonde hopeth aftur · an hard wynter
Yf god gyueth hym þe lyf · to haue a goed heruost
So preueth this profetes · þat pacientliche soffren
Mescheues and myshappes · and many tribulaciones
Bitokeneth treuly · in tyme comyng aftur
Murthe for his mornyng / and þat muche plentee
For crist saide to seyntes · þat for his sake tholeden
pouerte and penaunce · and persecucioun of body
Then angelis in here anger · on this wyse hem grette

[^a497: On (X) | And (most other mss)]

[^a498: As (X K) | Ac (most other mss)]

¶ Tristicia vestra vertetur in gaudium
Ȝoure sorwe in-to solace / shal turne at þe laste
And out of wo in-to wele · ȝoure wirdes shal chaunge
Ac ho-so rat of th th[e] ryche · the reuers may fynde
How god as þe gospelle telleth / gyueth foel to name
And þat his gost shal go · and[^a499] goed bileue
And asketh[^a500] ho shal hit haue · þe catel · þat he kepeth so[^435]
In coffres and in bernis
And art so loth to leue / that lete shal thow nedes

[^a499: and (X I P2) | and his (most other mss)]

[^a500: asketh (X I K P2) | asketh hym after (most other mss)]

[^435: X.12.230: Since XIKP2 lack the words hym after, found in most C witnesses in the a-verse after asketh, these manuscripts uniquely break the lines at so instead of haue, thus moving the b-verse of RK.12.214 onto its own line as a broken verse (X.12.231).]

¶ O stulte ista nocte anima tua egrediatur tezaurisat & ignorat & cetera
An vnredy reue thy residue shal spene
That many mothe was maister · ynne · in Amynte-whyle A mynte-whyle[^436]
Vpholderes on þe hulle · shal haue hit to sulle
Lo · lordes lo ·[^437] and ladyes taketh hede
Hit lasteth nat longe þat is lycour swete
As pesecoddes · pere ionettes · plommes and cheries
That lihtlich launseth vp · litel while dureth
And þat rathest rypeth · rotieth most sonnest
On fat lond ful of donge / foulest wedes groweth
Riht so sothly suche þat ben bischopes
Erles and Erchedekenes / and oþere riche clerkes
That chaffaren as chapmen · and chide bote they wynne
And haen þe world at he he[re] wille · oþerwyse to leuene
Riht as wedes waxeth · / in wose and in donge
So ·[^438] of rychesse ope rychesse · ariste alle vices
Lo lond ouerleyd · with ·[^439] marl and with donge
Whete þat þer -on · wexeth · worth lygge ar hit rype
Riht so sothly for to segge treuthe
Ouer-plente pruyde norischeth · þer pouerte hit distrueth
For how hit euere be y-wonne · but hit[^a501] wel despeneth[^a502]
Worldly wele ys wykked thyng to hem þat hit kepeth
For if he be fer þer -fro / fol ofte hath he drede
That fals folk fecche aweye · felonliche his godes
And ȝut more hit maketh men / mony tymes & ofte
To synege and to souche sotiltees of Gyle
For coueytyse of þat catel / to culle hym þat hit kepeth
And so is many man / y-morthred for his moneye and his godes
And tho that dede þe dede · y-dampned þerfore aftur
And he for his hard holdyng / in helle parauntur
So coueytise of catel · was combraunce to hem alle
Lo how pans purchaseth / fayre places and deede[^a503]
That rote is of robbares · the rychesses[^a504] with -ynne

[^a501: hit (X I Yc) | hit be (all other mss)]

[^a502: despeneth (X Yc) | dispendid (most other mss)]

[^a503: deede (X) | drede (most other mss)]

[^a504: rychesses (X) | rychesse (most other mss)]

[^436: X.12.235: This phrase, a mynte-whyle ( MED , s.v. mint-while), is attested only in Piers Plowman and means "[a] minute, an instant; also, a rather short time." The scribe also runs the words together at X.13.205, though without capitalization of <a>. At X.19.201, however, he renders the phrase correctly as two words. We do not know why he has capitalized <A> here at X.12.235.]

[^437: X.12.237: Very rarely we witness in this (and other) Piers manuscripts what can only be interpreted as a nascent system of punctuation, as here the raised points function in soimething like the way modern commas do, separating the interjections and creating a cadence distinct from, but complementary to, the alliterative structure.]

[^438: X.12.248: Again we see a raised point functioning as a pause after the initial so.]

[^439: X.12.249: The line contains two clear punctus. Although the first marks the caesura, unlike in other instances, such as in the line above, any grammatical function after with is not clear.]

Passus tercius de dowel

A C wel worth pouerte · /[^440] for he may walke vnrobbed
Among Pilours[^441] in pees · yf pacience hym folowe
Oure prince ihesu pouerte chees / and his apostles alle
And ay þe lengere they lyuede / the lasse goed they hadde

[^440: X.13.1: The inconsistent and varied marking of the caesura continues on this folio where we sometimes even see a raised point and a virgule together.]

[^441: X.13.2: It is not at all clear why the scribe has capitalized Pilours, which simply means "robbers."]

¶ Tanquam nichil habentes & cetera
Ȝut ret me þat abraham and Iob · / weren wonder ryche
And out of nombre tho men / many mebles hadden
Abraham for his · hadde moche tene
For in greet pouerte he was put / a prince as hit were
Bynoem his hosewyf / and Abraham not hardy ones to letten hym
Ne for brihtnesse of here beaute · here spouse to be by-knowe
And for he soffrede and saide nauht · oure lord sente tookene
†
That the kynde[^a505] criede hym mercy  and delyuerede the weye his wyf[^442]
With moche welthe aftur

[^a505: kynde (X I Uc) | kynde kyng (most other mss)]

[^442: X.13.13-X.13.14: The breaks for lines X.13.13-X.13.14 are shared by XKYc, but the rubricator has intervened to repair what he must have seen as error. He thus aligns the text with his own sense of the correct line breaks, or in accord with his own corrector's exemplar. Accordingly he has added a rubricated punctus elevatus, midline before and delyuerede to indicate, correctly, a line break. He has also placed an obelus in the right margin, perhaps indicating that this newly differentiated line actually continues on the next line, where we find its b-verse, with moche welthe aftur. If this is true, then we witness here an insightful bit of editing and wonder why the other exotic, non-alliterating line breaks throughout the poem have not also been so repaired. Because we have seen Hand 2 similarly add punctus elevati during his local repairs to the text (X.2.38, X.5.21, X.8.287, and X.11.321), this line lends credence to the argument that Hand 2 and the rubricator are the same.]

¶ Iob þe gentele / what ioye hadde he on erthe
And how bittere he hit abouhte / as þe book telleth
And for a song in his sorwe / si bona accepimus a domino & cetera
derworthe and dere god / do we so mala
Alle his sorwe to solace / thorw that song turnede
And Iob bykam as a iolyf man / and al his ioye newe
Lo how pacience and pouerte / thise patriarkes releuede
And brouhte hem all aboue / þat in bale rotede
As grayn þat lith in greut / and thorw grace at the laste
Spryngeth and spredeth / so spedde þe fader Abraham
And þe gentel Iob · here ioye hath non ende
Ac leueth nat lewede men · þat y lacke rychesse
Thogh y preyse pouerte thus / and preue hit by ensaunples
Worthiore as by holy writ · and wyse fylosofres
Bothe to ben gode · be ȝe ful certeyn
And lyues þat oure lord loueth · and large weyes to heuene
As[^a506] þe pore pacient þe purgatorye[^a507] passeth
Rather then þe ryche / thogh they renne at ones
For yf a marchant and[^a508] mesager · metten to-gyderes
And sholden wende o wey · where bothe mosten reste
And rikene byfore resoun / aresonable a resonable acounte
What oen hath · what a-noþer[^a509] hath · and what they hadde bothe
The merchaunt mote nede be y-let / lenger then the messager
For þe parcel of his pauper / and oþer pryue dettes
Wol lette hym as y leue · the lenghe of amyle a myle
Ther þe messager doth no more · but with his mouth telleth his erende[^443]
And his lettre sheweth · and is anoon delyuered
And thogh they wente by the wey / tho two to-gederes
Thogh the messager make his way / amydde the fayre whete
Wol no wys man be wroth / ne his wed take

[^a506: As (X P2) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^a507: þe purgatorye (X I P2) | purgatorye (all other mss)]

[^a508: and (X Nc) | and a (most other mss)]

[^a509: a-noþer (X K P P2 Wa) | oþer (most other mss)]

[^443: X.13.40-X.13.41: XIKNP2UcYc divide the lines at erende, whereas most manuscripts divide it after telleth.]

¶ Necessitas non habet legem
Ne non haiward is hote · his wed for to taken
Ac if þe marchaunt make his way ouer menne corne
And þe hayward happe with hym for to mete
Oþer his hatt or his hoed / or elles his gloues
The marchaunt mote for-go / or moneye of his porse
And ȝut be y-lette as y leue / for the lawe asketh
Marchauntz for here marchaundyse / in many place to tolle
And ȝut thow they wende o way / as to wynchestre fayre
The marchaunt with his marchauntdyse / may nat go so swythe
As þe messager may / ne with so moche ese
For þat on bereth but a box · / a breuet þerynne
Ther þe marchaunt latte a male · / with many kyne thynges
And dredeth to be ded þerfore / and he in derke mette
With robbares and reuares / þat ryche men despoilen
Ther þe messager is ay merye · and his mouth ful of songes
And leueth for his lettres · þat no wyht wole hym greue
Ac ȝut myhte þe merchaunt / thorw his moneye and other ȝeftes
Haue hors and hardy men / thogh he mette theues
Wolde noon suche assailen hym · / for such as hym foloweth
And as safly as þe messager · and asone a[s] sone at his hostiele come
Ȝe wyte ȝe wyse men · / what this is to mene
The marchaunt is no more to mene / but men þat ben ryche
Aren alle acountable to crist · / and to þe kyng of heuene
That holde mote þe hey way / euene the ten hestes
Bothe louye and lene / lene le[l]e[^a510] and v nlele[^444]
And haue reuthe and releue · / with his rychesse by his power
Alle maner men[^a511] meschief y-falle
Fynde beggares bred / bakkes for þe colde
Tythen here goed treuthliche[^a512] · a tol as hit semeth
That oure lord loketh aftur · of vch a lyf þat wynneth
With -oute wyles or wronges · or wymmen at þe stuyues
And ȝut more to maken pees · / and quyten menne dettes
And spele and spare / to spene vppon þe nedfole
As Crist hym-sulf comaundeth alle cristene peple

[^a510: lene le[l]e (X) | þe lele (most other mss)]

[^a511: men (X) | men in (most other mss)]

[^a512: treuthliche (X) | treuliche (all other mss)]

[^444: X.13.70: The markup is inadequate. Having written a single minim for the <n> of vnlele and moved on directly to the anticipated <l>, the scribe corrected himself by adding the needed second minim over the lower part of the <l>. As a result, the upper stroke of the initially written <l> appears to be an otiose curl, similar to an <er> suspension.]

¶ Alter alterius onera portate
The messager aren this mendenantz þat lyuen by menne Almesse
+
Beth nat y- bounde as beth ȝe ryche to[^445] þe lawes
To lene ne to lerne / ne lentones to faste
And other pryue penaunces · þe which þe prest woet wel
That þe lawe ȝeueth leue / such low folk to be excused
As none tythes to tythe / ne to clothe the nakede
Ne in none enquestes to come / ne contiumax cont[u]max thogh he worche
Halyday or holy euene · / his mete to discerue
For if he loueth and byleueth · as the lawe techeth

[^445: X.13.82: Here we have an odd situation, a five-character blank space with no evidence of erasure or correction (noted as well by HS), though the corrector or some other hand has written a cross in the right margin to alert readers (or possibly to alert himself or another corrector) to the problem. There is considerable variety among the manuscripts as to what should fill that blank space, with witnesses about evenly divided between bothe two and bothe two the, which must refer to the laws that do not bind the "messenger" in Recklessness's allegory (i.e., the mendicants who beg). But the notion of "both" laws, however widely attested, is a bit confused by the list of three laws in the next line, not two. Based on this or on some sort of confusion, our scribe has omitted any phrase with bothe in it. The final effect in X makes sense with perfect syntax—as the messengers are not bound to the laws delineated in X.13.83—but loses the crucial b-verse alliteration that a word such as both or even Nc's eccentric bow would provide. This scribal hesitation and odd spacing may indicate confusion based on having multiple exemplars, especially since the cross in the margin indicates that something was wrong and perhaps more work was to be done.]

¶ Qui crediderit & baptizatus fuerit & cetera
Telleth þe lord atale a tale / as a trewe messager
And sheweth be seel / and seth by lettre with what lord he dwelleth
And[^a513] knowelecheth hym cristene / and of holykirke holy kirke byleue[^446]
Ther[^447] is no lawe as y leue · wol lette hym þe gate
Ther god is gateward hym-sulf / and vch a gome knoweth
So þe pore of puyr reuthe / may parforme þe lawe
In þat a[^448] wilneth and wolde / vch a wyht as hym-sulue
For þe wil is as moche worthe · of a wrecche beggare
As al þat þe ryche may rayme / and rihtfuly dele
And as moche mede / for amyte a myte þer he offreth
As þe ryche man for al his mone / and more as by þe gospell

[^a513: And (X Wa) | om. (all other mss)]

[^446: X.13.93: HS aver that the entirety of X.13.93 is written over the erasure of what was the mistakenly repeated b-verse from the previous line and the a-verse of this line (with what lord he dwelleth / And knowelecheth hym cristene), but nothing is now clearly visible under the erasure. This is clearly a case of Hand 1 catching an error and quickly making it right.]

[^447: X.13.94: The vellum is damaged under the <T> of the word Ther, but the scribe has made no change to the text.]

[^448: X.13.97: A, "he."]

¶ Amen dico vobis / quia hec vidua paupercula & cetera
So pore and pacient · parfitest lyf is of alle
// where -of seruen tit les

[X.13.104.m.1: A scribe, perhaps Hand 2 himself, has converted tithes to titles in accord with the topic being discussed by Rechelessness. See X.13.108 and X.13.118 for the references to priests' titles.]

þat prestes han
Vch a parfist parfi[t][^449] prest / to pouerte sholde drawe
For spera in deo · speketh of prestis þat han no spendynge suluer
That yf tha[^a514] y trauaile treulyche / and trist in god almyhty
Hem sholde neuere lacke lyflode / noþer lynnen ne wollene
The tytle ȝe take ȝoure ordresby ordres by · telleth ȝe ben a-vaunsed
And nedeth nat to nyme siluer · for masses þat ȝe synge
For he that toek ȝow a title / sholde take ȝow wages
Or þe bischop þat blessed ȝow / and enbaumed ȝoure fyng eres
For made neuere kyng no k nyhte / but he hadde catel to spene
As byful for aknyht a knyht / or fond hym for his strenthe
For hit is a carfol knyhte / and of a Caytif kynges makynge
That hath noþer lond ne lynage ryche / ne good los of his handes
The same y segge for sothe · by suche þat beth prestes
That[^a515] noþer connyng ne kyn / bote a croune one
And a title a tale of nauht / to his lyflode as hit were
Euele beth thei y-soffred suche þat[^a516] syngeth[^450] þe masse
Thorw here luyther lyuynge / and lewede vnderstondynge
A Chartre is chaleniable / byfore a chief Iustice
Yf fals latyn be in þat lettre / þe lawe hit enpugneth
Or peynted parentrelynarie / parseles ouerskipped
The gome þat gloseth so Chartres / for a goky is halden
So hit is a goky by god / þat in þe gospel fayleth
Or in masse or in matynes / maketh eny defaute

[^a514: tha (X) | they (most other mss)]

[^a515: That (X I P2 Yc) | That hath (most other mss)]

[^a516: þat (X) | þat shenden (most other mss)]

[^449: X.13.104: The scribe may have anticipated the <st> in prest, hence miswriting parfit as parfist.]

[^450: X.13.119: Hand 1 omitted the verb. Hand 2's supplied reading is unique as well. On this addition by Hand 2 see Calabrese (2005), pp. 192-94.]

¶ Qui offendit in vno · / in omibus om[n]ibus est reus
For ouerskipperes also / in þe sauter sayth dauid

¶ Psallite deo nost ro / ps allite / quoniam Rex deus[^a517] psallite sapienter
beth war bischoppes
The bishop shal be blamed · before god as y leue
That crouneth suche for goddes knyhtes / that conne sapienter[^451]
Nother syng ne rede / Ac neuer noþer is blameles
The bischop ne þe chapeleyn / for ignorancia non excusat
As ych haue herd in bokes
Thus rechelesnesse / in a rage /[^452] aresenede clergie
And scripture scornede · þat many skilles shewede
Til þat kynde cam clergie to helpe
And in þe myrour of mydel erthe / made hym efte to loke
To knowe by vch a creature / kynde to louye
And y bowed my body / bihelte al aboute
And seyhe þe sonne / and þe see /[^453] and þe sond aftur
Raysoun
And where þat briddes and bestis / by here make þei ȝeden
Wilde wormes in wodes / and wondur -fol foules
With flekede fetheres / and of fele colours
Man and his make / y myhte se bothe
pouerte and plente / bothe pees and werre
blisse and bale / bothe y sey atones at ones
And how þat[^a518] mede toke / and mercy refusede
Resoun y sey sothly / sewe alle bestes
In etynge and drynkyng / in engendrure of kynde
Aftur cors of concepcion / noon toek kepe of oþer
As when þei hadde roteyed Anon they reste after
Males drow hem to males / and[^a519] mor-wenynge by hem-sulue
And femeles to femeles / ferddede and drowe
Ther ne[^a520] cow ne cow-kynde / þat conseyued hadde
That wolde bere aftur bole · ne boer aftur sowe
Ther ne was no kyne kynde / þat conseyued hadde
That ne lees the lykynge of lost / of flesch as hit were
Saue man and his make · and þerof me wondrede
For out of resoun they ryde · / and rechelesliche token on
As in derne dedes / bothe drynkyng and elles
Briddes y beheld / in bosches made nestes
Hadde neuere weye wyt / to worche þe leste
Y hadde wonder at whan[^a521] / and where þe pye
Lernede to begge[^a522] stikkes · þat ley on here neste
Ther is no wriht as y wene · sholde worch here neste to paye
Yf eny mason made amolde a molde / þerto / · moche wonder me thynketh
And ȝut me merueylede more / mony of þe briddes
Hudden and helede / here egges dernely
For no foul sholde hit fynde / but his fere and hym-sulue
And som treden y toke kepe / and on trees bredde
· Raysoun
And brouhte forth here briddes / al aboue þe grounde
In mareys and in mores · in myres and in watres
dompynges dyuede dere god y sayde
Where hadde thise wilde suche wit / and at what scole
And how þe pocok caukede / þer -of toke y kepe
How vncorteyliche vncortey[s]liche þat cok / his kynde for[^a523] strenede
And ferlyede of his fayrenesse / and of his foul lenede
And sethe y lokede on þe see / and so forth on sterres
Mony selcouthes y seyh / aren nat to segge nouthe
Ne what on floures on felde / and of here fayre coloures
And how out of greeut and of gras growe so many hewes
And some soure and some swete selcouthe me thouhte
Of here kynde and of here colour / to carpe hit were to longe
Ac þat most meuede me · and my moed chaungede
Was þat y seyh resoun sewen alle bestes
Saue man and mankynde / mony tymes me thouhte
Resoun releuede[^a524] hem nat · noþer ryche ne pore
Question

[X.13.189.m.1: We take Question to be an English word because it would be defective were it Latin. The scribe might originally have intended Latin Questio, given the gloss Responcio below at X.13.200.m.1. Alternatively, the gloss there might be read as an English plural, Responcis. We are grateful to Wendy Scase for favoring the Latin interpretation (Responcio) for that gloss, since the final letter corresponds more clearly to an <o> than to the typical word-final <s> of the glossator's hand. Such marginal notes as these highlighting the question-response disputational form are of interest because of their rarity.]

Thenne y resonede resoun / and ryht til hym y sayde
Y haue wonder in my wit / so wys as thow art holden
Wherefore and why · as wyde as thow regneste
That thow ne reuledest[^a525] rather renkes then other bestes
Y se non so ofte forfeten / sothly so mankynde
In mete out of mesure / and mony tymes in drynke
In wommen in wedes / and in wordes bothe
They ouerdoen hit day and nyhte / and so doth nat oþer bestes
They reule h em al by resoun / Ac renkes ful fewe
And þerfore merueileth me / for man is moste y-liche the[^454]
Of wit and of werkes / why he ne loueth thy lore and leueth as þou techest
Responcio

[X.13.200.m.1: We are grateful to Wendy Scase for her suggestion that we transcribe this gloss as the Latin singular Responcio rather than as the English plural Responcis, despite the English gloss Question above (X.13.300.m.1), mixing languages in the expected question-response or quaestio-responsio pair. The deciding factor is the form of the final letter, where the glossator uniformly uses a fully sigmoid <s> in word-terminal position, showing that the final letter here is an <o>.]

And resoun aresonnede me / and sayde reche þe neuere
Why · y soffre or nat soffre certes he sayde
Vch a segge for hym-sulue · salamon vs techeth

[^a517: deus (X I K P2) | terre deus (all other mss)]

[^a518: þat (X I P2) | þat men (all other mss)]

[^a519: and (X I) | a (most other mss)]

[^a520: ne (X) | ne was (most other mss)]

[^a521: whan (X) | whom (most other mss)]

[^a522: begge (X) | legge (most other mss)]

[^a523: for (X Kc) | forth (most other mss)]

[^a524: releuede (X) | reulede (most other mss)]

[^a525: reuledest (X I Uc Yc) | reulest (all other mss)]

[^451: X.13.131: The C manuscripts are about evenly divided between sapienter and nat sapienter, with no actual difference in meaning since the next line supplies the needed negation and ME is flexible with double negatives. Further, XIP2 break lines X.13.132-X.13.134 differently from most C manuscripts, stemming from the lack in these manuscripts of what is the b-verse of RK.13.126, ne say a mass of the daye. The result, as is often the case, is newly-made lines with faulty or no alliteration: X.13.132 alliterates, notwithstanding, on /n/, but X.13.133 does not, and the severely truncated X.13.134 itself may nonetheless alliterate on the vowels. It is not apparent that the corrector inspected such junctures for alliterative failure, nor that he had the ability and resources (such as another exemplar) to identify and correct them if he had, though as we have seen, his practice is not consistent. See X.13.13-X.13.14 above.]

[^452: X.13.135: The effect of the two virgules is to set off the phrase, as if in apposition.]

[^453: X.13.141: Here we see again a double virgule, this time setting off elements in a list.]

[^454: X.13.198: In most other manuscripts the phrase Of wit and of werkes (the a-verse of X.13.199) comes at the end of X.13.198, so that the next line in most manuscripts begins with Why. X shares this line division with IKN. Interestingly, editors are divided on how to treat the situation: RK see the phrase Of wit and of werkes as spurious and omit it completely; Pearsall and Schmidt print it where most manuscripts have it, at the end of X.13.198. Accepting the words as part of X.13.198 creates quite a long line, while moving it to the next line creates alliteration on /w/, but makes that line quite long in turn. In either case, the seemingly extraneous half line here quite understandably has caused both scribal and editorial confusion.]

¶ de re que te non molestat / noli te[^a526] certare
Ho suffreth more then god quod he no gome as y leue
He myhte amende in amynte a mynte -while / al þat amys standeth
Ac he soffreth in ensaumple þat we sholde soffren alle
Is no vertue so fair / ne of valewe ne profit
So is soffrance souereynliche / so hit be for godes loue
And so witnesseth wyse · and wisseth þe frenche

[^a526: noli te (X I Yc) | noli, nolite (all other mss)]

¶ Bele vertue est suffrance mal dire est petit vengeance
Ben dire & ben suffrer / fait lui suffrable a bien venir
[^455] For-thy quod Resoun / y rede thow reule thy tonge euere
And ar thow lacke eny lyf · loke ho is to preyse
For is no creature vnder Crist · þat can hym-sule make
And if creatures cristene / couth make hem-sulue
Vch a lede wolde be lacles · leef thow non other
Man was made of such matere · he may nat wel a-sterte
That some-tyme hym bitit / to folewen his kynde
Caton acordeth ther-with nemo sine crimine viuit
// Hyer cawȝte will colour
Tho cauhte y colour anoen / and comesede to ben a-schamed
And awakede þer -with / wo was me thenne
That y ne hadde met more / so murye as y slepte
And saide anoen to my-sulue / slepynge hadde y grace
To wyte what dowel is / Ac wakynge neuere
ymaginatyf
And thenne was ther a wyhte / what he was y neste
What is dowel quod þat wyhte / y-wis sire y saide
To se moche and soffre al / certes is dowel
Haddestow soffred he sayde / slepyng tho thow were
Thow sholdest haue y-knowe / þat clergie ca ca[n] & conseyued more þen resoun
For resoun wolde haue rehersed / þe riht as clergie seide
Ac for thyn entermetynge / her artow forsake

[^455: X.13.212: The central bifolium of the quire was reversed in binding, transposing folios 60 and 61. Our text reverses the transposition and follows the proper sequence of lines in the poem, though we retain the folio numbers as they appear in the manuscript, so our sequence is as follows: 59, 61, 60, 62, 63.]

¶ Philosophus esses / si tacuisses & alibi
Locutum me aliquando penituit tacuisse nunquam
Adam þe whiles he spak nat · / hadde paradys at wille
Ac when he mamelede aboute mete / and musede for to knowe
The wisdom and the wit of god / he was pot out of blisse
Riht e so ferde Resoun by the / for thy rude speche
And for thow woldest wyte / why resones preuede[^a527]
Pruyde or presumpcioun / of thy parfit lyuynge
Resoun refusede the / and wolde nat reste with the
Ne clergie of his connynge / kepeth he[^a528] nat shewe
For shal neuere ar shame come / a shrewe wel chaste
For lat adronkene a dronkene daffe / in a dykke falle
Lat hym lygge lok nat on hym / til hym luste to ryse
For thogh resoun rebuke hym thenne recheth heneuere he neuere
Ne of clergie ne of kynde wyt counteth he nat a rusche
To blame hym or to bete hym / thenne y halde hit but synne
Ac when nede nymeth hym vp / Anoen he is a-schamed
And thenne woet he wherfore · and why he is to blame
Ȝe seggeth soth be my soule quod · y / I ·[^456] haue sey hit ofte
Ther smyt no-thyng so smerte / ne smelleth so foule
As shame ther he sheweth hym / vch man shoneth his companye
Why ȝe worden to me thus / was for y aresonede Besoun [R]eason
Ȝe certes quod he þat is soth / and shop hym to walke
And aroes vp riht with þat / and reuerensed hym fayre
And yf his wille were / A[^457] wolde his name telle

[^a527: preuede (X I K P2) | preuete (all other mss)]

[^a528: he (X K P2) | the (most other mss)]

[^456: X.13.250: We have not composed notes for each instance of the use of a raised point by Hand 1, but we draw the reader's attention here to the unusual combination of a raised point after quod, followed by a virgule after the first-person singular pronoun spelled y, and then rounded off by another raised point after the same pronoun, spelled I. This looks like an attempt either to distinguish the narration from the dialogue or to distinguish the unusual but correct collocation of two instances of the first-person singular pronoun.]

[^457: X.13.256: A, "he."]

Passus quartus de dowel vbi prius

I Am ymagenatyf[^458] quod he · / ydel was y neuere
Thogh y sete by my-sulue / suche is my grace[^459]
Y haue folewed the in fayth / mo then fourty wynter
And wissed the fol ofte / what dowel was to mene
And conseyled the for cristes sake / no creature to bygile
Noþer to lye ne to lacke / ne lere þat is defended
Ne to spille no speche / As for to speke an ydel
Ne no tyme to tyne / ne trewe thyng tene
Lowe the and leue[^a529] forth / in þe lawe of holychirche holy chirche
And thenne dost thow wel withoute drede / ho can dobet[^460] no force
Clerkes þat conne al / y hope they can do no bettere[^a530]
Ac hit soffiseth to be saued / and be such as y tauhte
Ac for to louye and to lene · and lyue wel and byleue
Is y-calde Caritas / kynde loue An engelysche
And þat is dobet yf eny suche be / ablessed a blessed man þat helpeth
That pees be and pacience / and pore with -oute defaute

[^a529: leue (X Ch I Z) | lyue (most other mss)]

[^a530: no bettere (X) | bettere (all other mss)]

[^458: X.14.1: An otiose curl, in a form seen occasionally in this manuscript as a suspension for <-es> ~ <-is>, appears at the end of this word.]

[^459: X.14.2: The last three words of this line appear to be written over an erasure; there is no change of hand and no variant reading obtained, so likely this was simply Hand 1 fixing a false start.]

[^460: X.14.10: The markup is inadequate. The scribe anticipated the <n> of the following word no, but immediately covered the single minim with the correct <d>.]

¶ Beacius est dare / quam petere
Ac catel and kynde wit / acombreth fol monye[^461]
Wo is hym þat hem weldeth / but he hem wel despene

[^461: X.14.18: RK think <y> is over a possible <e> as its left stroke is blotted in the shape that could have been an <e> that the scribe quickly corrected.]

¶ Scienti & non facienti / varijs flagellis vapulabitur
Ac comunlyche connynge / and vnkynde ryche[^a531]
As loreles to be lordes / and lewede men techares
And holychirche holy chirche horen helpe / Auerours Auerou[s] and coueytous
druyueth vp dowel / and distruyeth dobest
Ac grace is a graes þerfore / to don hem efte[^462] growe
Ac grace ne groweth nat / til gode wil gyue reyne
[^463] And waky thorw gode werkes / wikkede hertes
Ac Ar such a wil wexe / worcheth gode sulue
And sent forth the seynt espirit / to do loue sprynge

[^a531: ryche (X I K P2) | rychesse (all other mss)]

[^462: X.14.25: The letter <f> appears blotted, but there is no correction or change to the text.]

[^463: X.14.27: The central bifolium of the quire was reversed in binding, transposing folios 60 and 61. Our text reverses the transposition and follows the proper sequence of lines in the poem, though we retain the folio numbers as they appear in the manuscript, so our sequence is as follows: 59, 61, 60, 62, 63.]

¶ Spiritus vbi vult spirat
// Grace wyt-oute grace is noȝt
So grace with -outen grace of god / and also gode werkes
May nat be þan[^a532] syker / thogh we bidde euere
Ac clergie cometh bote of syhte / and kynde wit of sterres
As to be bore or by-gete / in such a constillacioun
That wit wexeth ther-of / and oþer wordes bothe

[^a532: þan (X) | þow (most other mss)]

¶ Vultus huius seculi sunt subiecti vultibus[^464] celestibus
So grace is a gifte of god / and kynde wit a chaunce
And clergie a connynge / of kynde wittes techyng
And ȝut is clergie to comende / for cristes loue more
Then eny connyng of kynde wit / but clergi hit reule
For moyses witnesseth þat god wroet / long ar crist were[^465]
And crist cam and confermede / and holy kyrke made
And in soend a signe wroet / and saide to þe iewes
That seth hym-sulue synnelees / sese nat y hote
To strike with stoen or with staf / this strompet to dethe

[^464: X.14.36: RK indicate that XKP2 all read vltibus, but we read it as a suspended form of majority vultibus and have so transcribed it. See Cappelli, p. 393, for vlt expanding to vult. It is nevertheless possible that the form is an error, created by or passed on to X, especially since the Latin quotation (still unidentified) does not appear to come from Scripture or another common source.]

[^465: X.14.41: The line is unique in X, in that it is constructed from RK.14.37a and RK.14.38b. This situation arises because X omits the b-verse and following a-verse that are found, variously constructed, in all other C manuscripts: in stoen with his fynger / Lawe of loue oure lord wrouht (RK.14.37b, RK.14.38a). The unique line obtained in X makes perfect sense but does not alliterate.]

¶ Quis vestrum sine peccato est
For-thy y conseile vch a creature clergie to honoure
For as aman a man m ay nat se / þat misseth his yes
No more can no clerk / but if hit come of bokes
God was here mayster and þe seynt spirit þe saumplarie[^466]
And said what men sholde wryte
And riht as syht serueth a man / to se hye þe[^a533] sterre[^a534][^467]
Riht so lereth lettrure / lewed men to resoun
And as a blynde man in bataile bereth wepene to fyhte
And hath non hap with his ax / his enemye to hutte
No more can a kynde witted man but clerkes hym teche
Come for al his kynde wit / thorw cristendoem to be saued
The whiche is[^468] coffre of cristis tresor · and clerkes kepe th þe keyes
To vlouken v[n]louken hit at here lykynge / the lewed and lered to helpe
To ȝeue mercy for mysdes mys[de]des ȝif men hit wol aske
Buxumliche and benyngnelyche / and bidden hit of grace

[^a533: hye þe (X K P2 Yc) | þe hye (all other mss)]

[^a534: sterre (X K P2) | strete (most other mss)]

[^466: X.14.50-X.14.51: X shares this line division with C manuscripts DcIKP2Uc.]

[^467: X.14.52: Hand 2's correction to sterre aligns X with KP2. The overwhelming majority reading is strete. The XKP2 confusion must relate to these manuscripts reading hye þe against þe hye in most C manuscripts. X of course reads sterre not from the initial scribe's exemplar but from correction, which raises the possibility that the text originally read strete (though nothing is visible now) and that we have another potential instance of Hand 2 enacting a repair, using a different exemplar from that of Hand 1.]

[^468: X.14.58: As RK and HS aver, the is appears to be written over þe. RK attribute to "another hand," and we agree with HS in attributing this correction, which aligns X with most C manuscripts, to Hand 2.]

¶ Arca dei in þe olde lawe leuytes hit kepte
Hadde neuere lewede[^a535] leue / to legge hand on þat cheste
Bote hit were prestis or prestis sone / patriarke or pphete p[ro]phete
Saul for he sacreficede / sorwe hym by-tydde
And his sones for his synnes / sorwe hem bytydde
And all lewede þat leide hand þer-on / loren lyf aftir
For-thy y conseyle all creatures / no clerk to despice
Ne sette shorte by here science / what so þei doen hem-sulue
Take we here wordes at worthe / for here wittenesses ben trewe
And medle we nat moche with hem / to meuen eny wrathe
Laste cheste chaufen vs[^469] to / and schoppe vch man oþer
And do we as dauid techeth / for doute of godes veniance

[^a535: lewede (X) | lewede man (all other mss)]

[^469: X.14.72: The deletion of alle corrects what would have been a unique reading and thus aligns X with other C manuscripts, an instance of the corrector, or the main hand, alert to error. The ink looks to be that of Hand 1, but it is impossible to determine who added these deletion marks. Despite the deletion, editions vary, for Pearsall prints alle, while Schmidt and RK do not.]

¶ Nolite tangere christos meos & cetera
For clergy is cristes vycary / to conforte and to cure
bothe lewede and lerede / were lost yf clergie ne were
astronomyȝe
Kynde wittede men / han a clergie by hem-sulue
Of cloudes and of costumes / they contreuede mony thynges
And markede hit in here manere / and mused þer -on to knowe
And of the selcouthes þat þei sye[^a536][^470] / here sones þer -of þei tauhten
For they helden hit for an hey science here sotiltees to knowe
Ac thorw here science sothly / was neuere soule y-saued
Ne brouhte by here bokes / to blisse ne to ioye
For al here kynde knowyng / cam bote of diuerse syhtes
Of briddes and of bestes / of blisse and of sorwe
Patriarkes and prophetus / repreuede here science
And saide here wordes ne here wysdomes / was but a folye
As to þe clergie of crist / thei counted hit but atryfle a tryfle

[^a536: sye (X) | seiȝen (all other mss)]

[^470: X.14.80: X's reading here of sye, from MED sen, v. 1, "[t]o see," is unique against seiȝen (from MED seien, v. 1, "[t]o say"). The various similar forms of the word must have created this distinction, and all editors preserve X's unique reading as correct.]

¶ Sapiencia huius mundi stul ticia[^471] est apud deum
For the hey holigost holi gost / heuene shal to-cleue
And loue shal lepe out aftur / in-to þis lowe erthe
And clennesse shal cach hit / and clerkes shollen hit fynde

[^471: X.14.89: It appears to us that Hand 1 has caused quite a mess in an attempt to blot out an unintended long <s>, converting an original stulsticia to the correct stulticia.]

¶ Pastores loquebantur adinuicem ad inuicem & cetera
Hit speketh þer of ryche men riht nouht ne of ryche lordes
Bote of clennesse of clerkes / and kepares of bestes

¶ Ibunt magi ab Oriente & cetera
Frer
Yf eny frere we[^a537] founde þere y ȝeue the fyue shillynges
Ne in no cote ne Caytfys hous[^472] / the beste of þe toune
To pastours and to poetes / Appered þe Angel
And bad hem go to Bedlem / goddes berthe to honoure
And song a song of solace / Gloria in excelcis deo
Ryche men rotte tho / and in here reste were
Tho hit shoen to þe shepherdes a sheware of blisse
Clerkes knowe[^a538] here[^a539] comet and comen with here presentes
And deden here homage honerably / to hym þat was almyhty
Why y haue tolde[^a540] al þis / y toek ful gode hede
How þou contraidest contra[r]idest clergie / with crabbed wordes
That is how lewede men and luythere lyhtloker were y-saued
The The[n] connynge clerkes of kynde vnderstondynge
And thow saidest sothe of somme / Ac y-se in what manere
Take two stronge men / and in temese cast hem
And bothe naked as a nedle[^473] here noen heuegore then othere
That oen hath connyng and can swymmen and dyuen
That oþer is lewed as of þat labour / and lerned neuere to swymme
Which trowest of tho two / in temese in moste drede
He þat can nat swymmen / y sayde hit semeth to alle wittes
Riht so quod þat renk[^474] resoun hit sheweth
Þat he þat knoweth clergie / conne sonnore aryse
Out of synne and be saef / thogh he synege ofte
Yf hym liketh and luste / then eny lewede sothly
For yf þe clerke be connynge / and knoweth what is synne
And how contricion with -oute confessioun / conforteth þe soule
As we seen in þe sauter / in psalmes oen or tweyne
How contricioun is comended / for hit cacheth awey synne

[^a537: we (X) | were (most other mss)]

[^a538: knowe (X) | knewe (most other mss)]

[^a539: here (X K Yc) | þe (all other mss)]

[^a540: tolde (X Mc N) | tolde the (most other mss)]

[^472: X.14.98: Following the a-verse of X.14.98, XDcIKP2UcYc lack a b-verse and a following a-verse found in most C manuscripts, here given in RK's rendering: crist was ybore / Bote in a burgeisis hous (RK.14.90b, RK.14.91a). The resulting line, X.14.98, consists of two phrases that lack the all-important verb telling us what happened there, that Christ was born.]

[^473: X.14.112: The markup is inadequate. The scribe initially wrote an <m>, which he then changed to the correct <n> by overwriting its third minim with an <e>.]

[^474: X.14.117: The <k> of renk has a decorative flourish that cannot here be a suspension. We have seen it as an occasional feature at the end of the a-verse, as here, though it is not confined to such loci.]

¶ Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates & cetera
And þat conforteth vch aclerk a clerk / and keuereth fro wanhope
In whiche floed þe fende / fondeth man hardest
There þe lewede lyth stille / and loketh aftur lente
And hath no contricion / ar he come to shrifte
And thenne can he lytel telle / but as his loresman hym lereth
Byleueth and troweth / and þat is aftur his parson
Other his parsche preest and parauntur bothe lewede
To lere lewede men / As luk[^475] bereth witnesse

[^475: X.14.133: As he will at X.17.246 and X.21.455, the scribe adds a decorative flourish to the Evangelist's name. It is not a suspension.]

¶ Dum secus ducit secum & cetera
Fol muchel[^a541] wo was hym marked þat wade shal with þe lewede
Wel may þe barne blesse / þat hym to boek sette
That lyuynge Aftur lettrure / saued hy hy[m] lyf and soule

[^a541: Fol muchel (X I N) | For mich (most other mss)]

¶ Dominus pars hereditatis / is Amerye A merye verset[^476]
notate theuis
Hit hath take fro tybourne twenty stronge theues
There lewede theues ben lolled vp / loke how þei ben saued
The thef þat hadde grace of god · a[^477] gode fryday As thow toldest
Was for A[^478] ȝeld hym creaunt to crist / and his grace askede
And god is ay gracious / to alle þat gredeth to hym
And wol no wikkede man lost[^a542] / bote if he wol hym-sulue

[^a542: lost (X) | be lost (most other mss)]

[^476: X.14.138: Some hand has erased the red underlining, which ought to have been confined to the Latin but had accidently extended to the first minim of <m> in Amery.]

[^477: X.14.141: A, preposition.]

[^478: X.14.142: A, "he."]

¶ Nolo mortem peccatoris & cetera
Ac thogh the theef hadde heuene / he hadde noen hey blisse
Ac[^a543] seynt Iohon Ioh[a]n and oþer seyntes / þat haen serued bettere
Riht As sum man ȝeueth me mete / and sette me Amydde þe flore
Ich haue mete more then y-now / Ac nat with muche worschi pe
As tho þat sitten at þe syde table / or with þe souereyns in halle
Bote as a beggare bordles be my-sulue on þe grounde
So hit ferde by þe feloun / þat a[^479] goed fryday was saued
A[^480] sit noþer[^481] with seynte Iohan / ne with simond ne[^482] Iude
Ne with maydenes ne with martires / ne with mylde weddewes
Bote as a soleyn by hym-sulue / y-serued vppon þe grounde
For he þat is ones a thef / is euere-more in daunger
And as þe lawe lyketh / to lyue oþer to dye

[^a543: Ac (X P2 Yc) | As (most other mss)]

[^479: X.14.152: A, preposition.]

[^480: X.14.153: A, "he."]

[^481: X.14.153: After writing a single minim, the scribe began the following letter, <o>, but stopped half way, commandeering the leftward stroke of the <o> to be the second minim of his <n>, by way of self correction.]

[^482: X.14.153: We can no longer see the erased letter, but it had an ascender, since the erasure has affected the tail of the <y> in the line above. It might have been an <I>, anticipating te following word, Iude. HS attribute the correction to the main scribe, which might be true because there is no change of ink.]

¶ de peccato propiciato noli esse sine metu
And for to seruen a seynt and suche a thef to-gyderes
Hit were no resoun ne riht / to rewarde bothe y-lyche
And riht as troianes þe trewe knyhte dwelde[^a544][^483] na t depe in helle
That oure[^a545] lord ne hauede hym lihtliche out / so leue y þat thef in heuene[^484]
For he is in þe loweste of heuene / yf oure byleue be trewe
And wel lofliche he lolleth / þere as by þe lawe of holychurche holy churche

[^a544: dwelde (X Z) | telde (most other mss)]

[^a545: oure (X I Sc) | oure lord (all other mss)]

[^483: X.14.161: HS note the change of ink here, and this correction might be by Hand 2, who is clearly active elsewhere on this page, including the two superscript additions on the very next line. Yet the letter forms are quite akin to those of the main scribe, so we register the correction as Hand X. Note the variants for this line. Strangely this deletion may have erased the correct, majority reading, telde, replacing it with the pedestrian dwelde, but there is no way to know for sure. Certainly, the insertion is cramped over what was a shorter original, and telde would certainly have fit. MED telden, v., meaning "(a) [t]o pitch (a tent), set up (a pavilion, tabernacle)," is well rendered by Pearsall's gloss "bivouacked," and can also simply mean "(f) to live, dwell," which motivated the conversion to the more familiar term.]

[^484: X.14.162: IDcKP2Yc all omit hym. As HS note, Hand 2 has inserted these corrections to the line. In both additions these changes move the text to the majority reading and are broadly adopted by editors.]

¶ Et reddet vnicuieque vnicu[i]que iuxta opera sua
Ac why þat on[^485] theef vppon þe cros / cryant hym ȝelde
Rather then þat oþer thogh thow woldest apose
Alle þe Clerkes vnder Crist / ne couthe hit[^a546] assoille

[^a546: hit (X I K P2) | this (most other mss)]

[^485: X.14.166: The C manuscripts are divided in including and omitting the demonstrative on here, but X must originally have read something that had to be erased in favor of on. The hand is undermined, and so we cannot establish the relationship between this and the other interventions on this folio, though since the rubrication has been damaged, the correction must have come very late in the production process.]

¶ Quare placuit / qui qui[a] voluit / & cetera
And so y sey by þe / þat sekest aftur þe whyes
How creatures han kynde wit / and how clerkes come to bokes
And how þe floures in þe fryth / cometh to fayre hewes
Was neuere creature vnder crist / þat knewe wel þe bygynnyng
Bote kynde þat contreuede hit furst / of his corteyse wille
He tauhte þe tortle to trete[^a547][^486] / the pocok to cauke
And Adam and Eue / and alle othere bestes
A cantel of kynde wyt / here kynde to saue
Of goed and of wykke / kynde was þe furste
Sey hit and soffred hit / And saide hit be sholde

[^a547: trete (X I) | trede (most other mss)]

[^486: X.14.175: The XI reading trete most likely means "to conduct oneself, behave in a certain way, act" ( MED , s.v. treten, v., def. 3[a]) and is thus a much more general term than the majority trede, which is, of course, required by the sense of the passage. See MED , s.v. treden, v., def. 6(a), "[o]f a male bird: to copulate; copulate with (a female), cover."]

¶ dixit & facta sunt
ymagenynge
Ac why a[^487] wolde þat wykke were / y wene and y leue
Was neuere man vppon molde / þat myhte hit aspie
Ac longe lybbynge men / lykened men lyuynge
To briddes and to bestes / As here bokes telleth
Þat þe fayrest foul / foulest engendreth
And feblest foul of flyhtis[^a548][^488] / þat fleeth oþer swymneth swym[m]eth
That is þe pocok and þe popeiay / with here proude fetheres
Bytokenen riht ryche men / þat reygne here on erthe
For pursue a pocok / or a pohen to cacche[^489]
And haue hem[^a549] an[^490] haste / at þyn owen wille
For þey may nat fle fer / ne ful hey neyther
For here fetheres þat fayre beth to fle fer hem letteth
His lethene[^a550][^491] is vnloueliche / and lothliche his careyne
Ac for his peynted pennes / þe pecok is honoured
More þan for his fayre flesch / or for his merye note
Riht so men reuerenced[^a551] more / þe ryche for here[^a552] mebles
Then for eny kyn he come of / or for his kynde wittes
Thus þe poete praiseth / þe pecok[^492] for his fetheres
And þe ryche man for his rentes / or for his rychesse[^a553] in his shoppes[^a554]
The larke þat is alasse a lasse foul is louelokest of ledene
And swettore of sauour / and swyftore of wenges[^a555]
To lowe lyuynge men þe larke is resembled
And to lele and lyf-holy / þat louyeth alle treuthe
Thus porfirie and plato / and poetes monye
Likneth in here logik / þe leste foul outen
And wher he be saef or nat saef / þe sothe woet no clergie
Ne of sortes ne of salamon / ne[^a556] scripture can telle
Wher þat þey ben in hell or in heuene / or Aristotel þe wyse
Ac god is so gode y hope / þat seth he gaf hem wittes
To wissen vs weyes þerwith / þat wenen to be saued
And þe bettere for here bokes / to bidden we ben yholde
That god for his grace gyue here soules reste
For letrede men were as lewede men ȝut / ne were þe lore of tho clerkes
Alle thise clerkes quod y tho / þat in[^a557] crist leuen
Segen with -oute[^a558] here sarmons / þat noþer saresynes ne iewes
With -oute bapteme As by here bokes / beth nat y-saued
ymagytyf ymagy[na]tyf

[X.14.217.m.1: HS correctly see that for some unknown reason Hand 2 has erased a previous version of the marginalia and replaced it, clearly shortening the original reading, which was most likely the character's full name, ymaginatyf, since the <y>, the <g>, and the <tyf> are still visible (under and after) the current word. We find the effort strange, since the resulting spelling is listed in MED only as an error, recorded once in an unrelated context in the Tale of Beryn ( MED , s.v. imaginatif, def. 2).]

Contra quod ymagynatif tho and comesed to loure
And saide vix saluabitur iustus in die iudicij

[^a548: flyhtis (X Rc) | flyht is (most other mss)]

[^a549: hem (X) | hem in (most other mss)]

[^a550: lethene (X I K) | ledene (most other mss)]

[^a551: reuerenced (X Sc) | reuerenseth (most other mss)]

[^a552: here (X I P2 Sc) | his (most other mss)]

[^a553: for his rychesse (X) | rychesse (most other mss)]

[^a554: shoppes (X I P2) | shoppe (most other mss)]

[^a555: wenges (X I K Nc) | wenge (all other mss)]

[^a556: ne (X) | no (all other mss)]

[^a557: in (X N Nc) | on (all other mss)]

[^a558: with -oute (X I P2) | in (all other mss)]

[^487: X.14.181: A, "he."]

[^488: X.14.186: It is difficult to determine if the XRc reading flyhtis is a genitive singular, a plural, or simply error for the majority reading flyht is. In all cases the phrase means "in relation to their ability to fly."]

[^489: X.14.189: We again see here the common decorative swirl on a word at the end of an a-verse.]

[^490: X.14.190: The original reading hen haste is unique, but a contemporary hand has careted in the article an, creating another unique reading. The ink may be that of Hand 1 or 2, so we simply say Hand X, who perceived a problem with the original reading and tried to solve it with an article, whereas almost all other manuscripts read the preposition in. I, however, reads in an, and though that is not a pure agreement, we have already seen on this folio that XI share other readings. (See line X.14.175 above and see RK, p. 44 for a list of XI agreements).]

[^491: X.14.193: The majority reading ledene means "speech," and it is not clear what the scribe intends with lethene. It likely relates to MED letheren, adj., 1(a), "[o]f leather, leathern; (b) composed of skin or membrane of a living creature." Whether the peacock skin is, in fact, unlovely is a matter of conjecture.]

[^492: X.14.198: The word pecok ends again with a decorative flourish.]

¶ Ergo saluabitur quod he and saide no more latyn
Troianes was atrewe a trewe knyhte / and toek neuere cristendoem
And he is saef saith the boek / and his soule in heuene
Ac þer is follyng of fon te[^493] and follyng in bloed chedyng[^494]
And thorw fuyr is fullyng / and al is ferme bileue

[^493: X.14.222: In the word fonte, between <t> and <e>, RK detect an "unfinished letter." We agree, and it looks as if the scribe had made a false start on a <d>.]

[^494: X.14.222: Here we see some orthographic confusion arising from <ch>/<sh> variation, where it is not clear whether the scribe is using these graphemes interchangeably—to represent either /tʃ/ or /ʃ/—or has simply written <ch> unintentionally. On a paleographic level, lower case anglicana <c> can resemble the rounded form of lower case <s>. This ambiguity might have been present in Hand 1's exemplar, though in this and other examples at X.2.183, X.15.47, X.15.164, and X.20.294, the forms are distinct. The instance at X.2.183, in which <sch> is the grapheme for /ʃ/ (schaunbre), might show the influence of Anglo-Norman.]

¶ Auenit[^a559][^495] ignis diuinus non comburens / set illuminans & cetera
Ac truth þat trespassed neuere / ne trauersede aȝens his lawe
Bote lyuede as his lawe tauhte / and leueth þer be no bettere
And yf þer were awolde a wolde[^496] / and in suche awille a wille deyeth
Ne wolde neuere trewe god / bote trewe treuthe were alloued
And wher hit worth or worth nat / the bileue is gret of treuthe
And hope hangeth ay þeron / to haue þat treuthe deserueth

[^a559: Auenit (X) | Aduenit (all other mss)]

[^495: X.14.224: The omission of <d> here maybe have been a simple lapsus calami, but it may also have been influenced by a familiarity with spoken Latin resulting in rapid or careless pronunciation which, over time, has resulted in modern Italian avvenire, <Lat. advenire. Hence, our hesitation to correct the form.]

[^496: X.14.227: A, "he."]

¶ Quia super pauca fuisti fidelis & cetera
And þat is loue and large huyre / yf þe lord be trewe
And acortesye a cortesye more þen couenant was / what so clerkes carpe
For al worth as god wol / and þerwith he vanschede

Passus quintus de visione vt supra

A Nd y awakede þerwith witteles ner-hande
And as a freke þ at[^497] fay were / forth can y walken
// Hyer ȝe may se schortly rehersed þe visionis

[X.15.3.m.1: We take visionis to be an Anglicized plural, rather than as a grammatically erroneous Latin genitive singular.]

to-fore sayd
In manere of mendenaunt[^a560] mony ȝer aftur
And many tymes of this meteles / moche thouhte y hadde
Furste how fortune me faylede At my moste nede
And how elde manced me / so myhte happe
That y lyuede longe / leue me byhynde
And Vansche alle my vertues / and my fayre lotes
And how þat freres folewede folk[^498] þat was ryche
And peple þat was pore at litel pris setten
Ne no cors of pore comine / in here kyrke-ȝerde most lygge
Bote quyke he by-quath hem auht / or wolde helpe quyte here dettes
And how þis co ueytyse ouercome / al kyne sectes
As wel lered as lewede / and lorde as þe boende[^499]
And how þat lewede men ben lad / but oure lord hem helpe
Thorw vnkunnynge curatours / to incurable peynes
And how þat ymaginatyf[^500] / in dremeles me tolde
Of kynde and[^a561] his connynge / and what connynge he ȝaf bestes
And how louyng he is to vch alyf a lyf / alonde a londe[^501] and o watere
For alle a[^502] wisseth and ȝeueth wit / þat walketh oþer crepeth
And y merueyle in herte / how ymaginatyf saide
That iustus bifore ihesu / in die iudicij

[^a560: mendenaunt (X) | a mendenaunt (most other mss)]

[^a561: and (X P2 Q Wa) | and of (all other mss)]

[^497: X.15.2: Hand 2's correction has brought X into agreement with all other manuscripts.]

[^498: X.15.9: The word folk ends with a flourish, sometimes found on the letter <k>, though this is not the end of the a-verse, a locus that sometimes gets such a flourish on various letters. Further, the entire word appears darker because it is written over a rough patch of vellum, where bleed through is evident. We see no correction here by any hand.]

[^499: X.15.14: RK report that I (their J) as well obtains its reading by correction; the initial reading of loende in XI, obtaining the error, was perhaps provoked by the l-alliteration and the general context of property ownership and inheritance that may have made the scribe think of "land" as another possession. In any case, some correcting hand has converted the <l> to a <b> and obtained the necessary, overwhelmingly majority reading meaning "the bondman," i.e., a tenant, servant, or vassal. (See MED bond(e), n. 1, and bond(e), n. 2 & adj.).]

[^500: X.15.17: The <f> of ymaginatyf has a flourish commonly seen in this position, just before the caesura.]

[^501: X.15.19: A, preposition.]

[^502: X.15.20: A, "he."]

¶ Non saluabitur / bote if vix / helpe
And when he hadde / y-saide so how sodeynliche he vanschede[^503]
And so y musede vppon þis matere þat me lust to slepe
And thenne cam concyence / and clergie aftur
And beden me ryse vp[^a562] and rome / and with resoun sholde y dyne
And y aroos and romede forth / and with resoun we mette
We reuerensede resoun / and romede forth softly
notate fratres
And metten with amayster a mayster[^504] / aman a man lyk afrere a frere
Concience knewe hym / welcomede hym fayre
They woschen and wypeden / and wenten to þe dyner
And there cam pacience as apore a pore thyng / and preeyede p[re]yede mete pur charite
I-lyk the as he a palmere were
Crauede and cryede / for cristes loue of heuene
Ameles A meles mete for a pore man / or moneye yf they hadde
Concience knewe hem wel / and welcomede hem all
Woschen and wipeden / and wenten to sytten
The maister was maed sitte furste / As for þe moste worthy
Resoun stoed and styhlede[^505] · as for styward of halle
Pacience and y · was pot to be mettes
And seten by oure-sulue / at a syde table
Clergie cald aftur mete / and thenne cam scripture
And serued hem thus sone / of sondry metes monye
Of Austyn of Ambrose / of alle þe foure euaungelies

[^a562: ryse vp (X Dc N Uc Yc) | ryse (most other mss)]

[^503: X.15.24: The placement of the virgule makes us wonder how the line scans; perhaps the alliteration falls on /h/ in hadde and how with sod receiving the final stress. Perhaps the line scans rather on /s/, with the caesura coming after so, but that is not where this scribe puts the virgule; clearly this dynamic line confused him.]

[^504: X.15.30: The <t> of mayster has a flourish commonly seen in this position, just before the caesura, but here it is indeed a suspension of the graphs <er>.]

[^505: X.15.40: Hand 2's ink and letter form are apparent in the addition of <t> to obtain the majority reading styhlede from MED stightelen, v., 1(a), "[t]o govern, rule, give orders," "manage (a kingdom, property); guide (people), direct; control (sth.)." I alone of the other C-text manuscripts witnesses X's initial nonsense reading syhlede.]

¶ Edentes & bibentes / que apud eos sunt & cetera
Ac of this mete þat mayster / myhte nat wel shewe[^a563][^506]
For-thy eet he mete of more cost / mortrewes and potages
Of þat men myswonne / they made hem wel at ese
Ac here sauce was ouersour / and vnsauerly ygrounde
In a morter post mortem / of many bittere peynes
Bote yf they synge for tho soules / and wepe salte teres

[^a563: shewe (X Gc I Q) | chewe (all other mss)]

[^506: X.15.47: Here we see some orthographic confusion arising from <ch>/<sh> variation, where it is not clear whether the scribe is using these graphemes interchangeably, to represent either /tʃ/ or /ʃ/, or is intending another word: shewe versus majority chewe. On a paleographic level, lower case anglicana <c> can resemble the rounded form of lower case <s>. This ambiguity might have been present in Hand 1's exemplar, though in this and other examples at X.2.183, X.14.222, X.15.164, and X.20.294, the forms are distinct. The instance at X.2.183, in which <sch> is the grapheme for /ʃ/ (schaunbre), might show the influence of Anglo-Norman.]

¶ Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis / nisi pro eis lacrimas & orationes effuderitis ea que in deliciiscomeditis deliciis comeditis in tormentis euo euo[metis] & cetera
Thenne as resoun radde · anoon right aftur
That Consience comaunde sholde / to do come scripture
And bringe breed for pacience / bytyng apartye
And to me þat was his mette tho and oþer mete bothe
He sette a sour loef and saide Agite penitenciam
And sethe he drow vs drynke diapseuerans dia pseuerans dia p[er]seuerans[^507]
As longe quod he as lyf[^508] and lycame may duyre
This is a semely seruyce / saide pacience
Thenne cam contricion þat hadd coked for hem all
And brouhte forth a pytaunce was pro hoc[^a564] orabit om nis sanctus in tempore oportuno
Thenne Consience confortede vs / bothe clergie and scripture
And saide cor contritum & humiliatum / deus non despicies
pacience was wel apayed / of this propre seruice
And made mery with this mete / Ac y mournede euere
For a doctour þat at[^a565] þe hey deys / dranke wyn faste

[^a564: hoc (X K P2 Uc) | hac (all other mss)]

[^a565: þat at (X Ch I T Yc) | at (most other mss)]

[^507: X.15.59: We take it that the scribe was confused but intended some version of the two-word phrase diu perseverans, resulting in this botched one word truncation. Across the B and C manuscripts, this line alternately reads diu perseverans (which Pearsall glosses as "long suffering" as in Matt.10:22) or dia perseverans which, according to Schmidt, puns on the former and can be translated as "a medical draught of perseverance" based on Latin dia, a drug. See Schmidt's explanation, A New Translation of the B-text, p. xlii.]

[^508: X.15.60: The <f> of lyf has a flourish commonly seen in this position, just before the caesura.]

¶ Ve vobis qui patentes[^a566] estis ad bibendum vinum
And ete manye sondry metes / mortrewes and poddynges
Brawen and bloed of gees / bacon and colhoppes
Thenne saide y to my-sulue / so pacience hit herde
Hit is nat thre daies doen / this doctour þat he prechede
At poules by-fore þe peple / what penaunce they soffrede
Alle þat coueyte to come / to eny kyne ioye
And how þat poul þe apostel / what penaunce he tholede
For oure lordes loue as holy lettre telleth

[^a566: patentes (X P2) | potentes (all other mss)]

¶ In fame and[^a567] in frygore & cetera
Ac me wondreth in my wit / why þat they ne preche
A s[^509] poul þe apostle[^510] prechede to þe peple ofte
Periculum est in falsis fratribus[^511]
Holy writ byt men be waer / and wysly hem kepe
frer
That no fals frere thorw flaterynge hem bygyle
Ac me thynketh loth thogh y latyn knowe[^512]
To lacken eny secte for alle be we brethrene / thogh we be diuerse y-clothed
Ac y wiste neuere freke / þat frere is y-cald[^513]
Of þe fyue mendynantz / þat toek this for his teme
And tolde hit with-oute glose
They preche þat penaunce is · / profitable to þe soule
And what meschief and male-ese / crist for man tholede
As[^a568] this doctour and dyuynour quod y / and decretistre of Canoen
And also a gnedy glotoun / with two grete chekes
Hath no pyte on vs pore · he parformeth euele
That aprecheth a precheth[^514] and preueth nat compacience ich tolde
And wisched witterly / with will ful egre
Þat in þat[^a569] mawe of þat mayster / alle þo metes were
bothe disches and dobelares / with alle þe deyntees aftur
Y schal iangle to þis iurdan / with his iuyste wombe
And apose hym what penaunce is / and purgatorie on erthe

[^a567: and (X P2) | et (all other mss)]

[^a568: As (X P2) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^a569: þat (X P2) | þe (most other mss)]

[^509: X.15.80: Various lines on this folio begin with Ac or At, and it appears that Hand 1 initially wrote Ac or At instead of the majority reading As, but then converted <c> or <t> to <s> in order to obtain the required As.]

[^510: X.15.80: Hand 1 first wrote apotle and wrote in an <s> to fix it in a quick auto correction.]

[^511: X.15.81: Here and elsewhere we see Latin underlined in black and not red. Theoretically, any of the hands in the manuscript could have added this black underline.]

[^512: X.15.84-X.15.85: XIKNP2 all break these lines at knowe, thus moving To lacken eny secte to the a-verse of the next line. It is not difficult to see why the scribes would be confused: X.15.84 looks to alliterate on /l/ and to have completed its a- and b-verses at knowe. The alliteration of X.15.85 is not clear, however, as it must fall on /b/, including the low-ranking word be of its b-verse. If XIKNP2 were trying to solve problems of length and alliteration by adjusting the line break, they just postponed them to the next long line.]

[^513: X.15.86-X.15.88: For these lines, too, a similar thing has happened as with X.15.84-X.15.85, as XIKP2 all break the line at ycald, while other manuscripts break at mendynantz (which comes at end of the next a-verse in X). Other manuscripts thus start their next line with þat and end with glose. The scribe must have thought that X.15.86 was complete with its freke and frere alliteration, and the result, again is the transfer of the problem to the next two, now faulty, lines (X.15.87-X.15.88).]

[^514: X.15.94: A, "he."]

¶ And why a[^515] lyueth nat as alereth a lereth[^516][^517] lat be quod pacience and saide
Thow shalt se thus sone / when he may no more
He shal haue apenaunce a penaunce in his foule paunche and poffe at vch a worde
And thenne shal gothelen his gottes and gynnen to galpe
Now he hath dronke so depe / a[^518] wol deuyne sone
And prouen hit by here pocalips / and þe passioun of seynt Aueroy
That noþer bacon ne brawn ne blaun-manger ne mortrewes
Is noþer fische ne flesche / but fode for penantes
And take wittenesse at atrinite a trinite[^519] / and take his felowe no[^a570] witnesse
What afond a fond[^520][^521] in aforel a forel / of a frere lyuynge
frer
And bote þe furste leef be lesynges leue me neuere aftur
And thenne is tyme to take / and to appose this doctour
Of dowel and of dobet / and yf dobet do eny penaunce
Y saed sae[t] stille as pacience wolde / and thus sone this doctour
As rody as a rose / rodded his chekes
Cowhede and capede / and consience hym herde
And tolde hym of a trinite / and toward me he lokede

[^a570: no (X I) | to (most other mss)]

[^515: X.15.100: A, "he."]

[^516: X.15.100: We see here again the conflation of pronoun a with a verb.]

[^517: X.15.100: A, "he."]

[^518: X.15.104: A, "he."]

[^519: X.15.108: We see here the conflation of the indefinite article a with its noun.]

[^520: X.15.108: We see here the conflation of the pronoun a with the verb. In the previous line and just following in this one, the scribe also conflates the indefinite article with its noun.]

[^521: X.15.109: A, "he."]

¶ What is dowel sire doctour quod y · is dobest eny penaunce

¶ Dowel quod this doctour / and he dronke aftur
do thy neyhebore non harm / ne thy-sulue nother
And thenne dost thow wel and wysly / y dar hit wel a-vowe

¶ Sertes sire thenne saide y / hit semeth nouhte here
In þat ȝe parteth nat with vs pore / þat ȝe passeth dowel
Ne louyeth[^a571] nat as ȝe lereth / as oure lord wolde

[^a571: louyeth (X Ec I P Vc) | liueþ (most other mss)]

¶ Et visitauit & fecit redempcionem & cetera
And ȝe fare thus with ȝoure syke freres / ferly me thynketh
That dowel wol endite ȝow in die iudicij
Thenne consience ful corteyslyche / a continaunce he made
And preynte vppon pacience to preie me be stille
And saide hym-sulue sire doctour / be so hit be ȝoure wille
What is dowel and dobet ȝe deuynours knoweth
Y haue y-seide quod þat segg / y can sey no bettre
Bote do as doctours techeth / for dowel y hit holde
That trauayleth to teche oþere / y halde hit for a dobet
And he þat doth as he techeth / y halde hit for þe beste

¶ Qui facit & docuerit magnus vocabitur
Now þou Clergie quod Consience carpe what is dowel
Haue me excused quod Clergie / be crist but in scole
Shal no such motyef be meued for me bote oþere
For Peres loue þe palmare ȝent þat inpugnede ones
Alle kyne connynges / and alle kyne craftes
Saue loue and leute / and lowenesse of herte
And no tixst ne taketh / to preue this for tre we
Bote dilige deum & patrem[^a572] & domine quis habitabit
And preueth by puyre skile / inparfyt alle thynges
Nemo bonus bote lele loue and treuthe
That loth is to be founde / quod Peres the pl oghman[^522]

[^a572: patrem (X I P2) | proximum (most other mss)]

[^522: X.15.146: The deleter missed this instance of the character's name, as happens frequently in the manuscript, and nearby within this very passus—e.g. on this line, at X.15.139, at X.15.158, and at X.15.161.]

¶ Pacientes vinciunt vinc[u]nt[^523][^524]
Byfore perpetuel pees / y shal proue þat y saide
And a-vowe byfore god / and forsaken hit neuere
That disce doce dilige deum / and thyn enemy helpe[^525]
Emforth thy myhte / caste hote coles on his heued
Of alle kyn speche fond thorw wit / & word his loue to wynne
Ȝef hym eft and eft / euere at his nede
Conforte hym with thy catel / and with thy kynde speche
And ley on hym thus with loue / til he lauhe on þe
And bote he bowe for this betynge / blynde mote he worthen
And whan he hadde y-worded thus / wiste no man aftur
Where Peres the plogman by-cam so priueyliche he wente
And resoun ran aftur / and riht with hym ȝede
Saue Concience and clergie / y couthe no mo aspye
Saue pacience properliche spak / tho Peres was thus ypassed
That loueth lely quod he / bote litel thyng coueyteth
Y wolde and y will hadde / to wynnen all fraunce
With -oute bruttenyge brutteny[n]ge of buyren / or eny bloed shedynge[^526]
Y take wittenesse quod he / of holy writ apartye a partye

[^523: X.15.147: X's unique reading here, vinciunt instead of the majority vincunt, may be the result of an accidently added minim after <c>, but it does create a properly inflected Latin verb that fits the syntax, a form of vincio, meaning "to tie or bind." But the scribe has no problem getting the word correct on the next folio at X.15.156, so his reading at X.15.148 is likely just an error for vincunt.]

[^524: X.15.147: Looking at the major division of line breaks in this sequence, as witnessed in the various manuscript groups, our readers will likely have difficulty correlating the line divisions of X.15.144-X.15.147 with those of modern editions. All modern editors (Pearsall, RK, Schmidt) render the lineation as follows, here given in RK's version (RK.15.135-RK.15.137): And preueth by puyre skile inparfyt alle thynges Nemo bonus Bote lele loue and treuthe that loth is to be founde Quod Peres the ploughman Pacientes vinc[u]nt .]

[^525: X.15.150: XIKP2Uc share this line division. They also appear to lack a few words that are found in the following a-verse after X.15.150 in most C manuscripts, Hertely þou hym (RK.15.141a). Thus X, conveniently with no loss of sense, places the word helpe at the end of X.15.150. Perhaps the Latin confused some scribes who were not sure if it were metrical or a tag, though since it begins with English That, it is really a macaronic verse. Likely they wondered, as well, how it scanned; that is, with all those /d/ sounds in a row, where does the caesura fall? The difficulty of the situation is no doubt reflected in modern editing: compare the solutions by Pearsall and Schmidt, who take the Latin as an entire metrical line itself, to that of RK, who follow the Latin with and thyn enemy. The resulting lack, essentially of one a-verse needed at X.15.151, has a domino effect on the rest of the lines in this folio, as each half line is forced upward. The final result is that all the lines make perfect sense syntactically, but the final two lines on this folio are faulty in alliteration and thus in meter.]

[^526: X.15.164: Above at X.15.47 and at X.14.222, we have seen some orthographic confusion arise from <ch>/<sh> variation, where it is not clear whether the scribe is using the graphemes interchangeably, to represent either /tʃ/ or /ʃ/, or is intending another word: shewe versus chewe (X.15.47), for example. Here, Hand 1 appears to have written <ch> to obtain the same spelling for /tʃ/ or /ʃ/ as in X.14.222, here chedynge, but has in this instance quickly caught himself and daubed the <c> into a rounded <s>. We say that this was done by Hand 1 because the ink is the same. On a paleographic level, lower case anglicana <c> can resemble the rounded form of lower case <s>. This ambiguity might have been present in Hand 1's exemplar, though in this and other examples at X.2.183, X.14.222 and X.15.47, and X.20.294, the forms are distinct. The instance at X.2.183, in which <sch> is the grapheme for /ʃ/ (schaunbre), might show the influence of Anglo-Norman.]

¶ Pacientes vincunt & cetera
For by hym þat me made / myhte neuere pouerte
Meseyse ne meschief / ne man with his tonge
Tene þe eny tyme / and þou take pacience
And bere hit in thy bosom / aboute where þou wendest
In þe corner of a carwhel car[t]whel / with a crow croune
Shal neuere buyren be abasched þat hath this abouten hym
Ne neuere hete ne hayl / ne helle pouke hym greue
Noþer fuyr ne floed / ne be aferd of enemye

¶ Caritas expellit omnen omne[m] timorem
Ne þer is[^a573] wyht in this world / þat wolde the lette
To haue alle londes at thy likyng / and the here lord make
And maister of alle here mebles / and of here moneye aftur
The kyng and alle þe comune / and clergie to þe loute
As for here lord and here ledare / and loue[^a574] as thow techest
This is a dido quod this doctour / a dysores tale
Al this[^a575] wit of this world / and wyhte menne strenghe
Cannat parfourme a pees / of the pope and his enemyes
profitable for bothe parties and potte þe boerd fro hym
And toek Clergie and Consience to conseyle As hit were
Ac Concience y toek kepe conieyod coniey[e]d sone this doctour
And sethe a[^527] saide to clergie / so þat y hit herde
By Crist quod Consience / clergie y wol nat lye
Me were leuere by oure lord / and y leue sholde
Haue pacience parfitlyche then half thy pak of bokes
Lettrure and longe studie / letteth fol monye
// Hyer wente consience & pacience
That they knoweth nat quod Concience what is kynde pacience
For-thy quod Concience crist y the byteche
With pacience wol y passe / parfitnesse to fynde
And wenten forth in here[^a576] way / with grete wille y folowede
Thenne hadde pacience as pilgrimes haen / in here poke vitayles
Sobrete or[^a577] symple speche / and sothfaste bileue
To conforte hym and Consience / yf they come in place
There vnkyndenesse and coueytise[^a578] / hungry contreys bothe
And as they wente by the way / of dowel can they carpe
They mette with a mynstral / as me tho thouhte
pacience apposede hym / and preyede a[^528] sholde telle
What craft þat he couthe / and corteyliche cortey[s]liche he saide
// Actiua vita pers plowmanis prentys
Ich am a mynstral quod this man / my name is actiua vita
Peres prentys þe plouhman[^529] / alle peple to conforte
What manere munstracye · my dere frende quod Concience
Hastow vsed or haunted / al thy lyf-tyme
Munstracye can y nat moche / bote make men merye
As a wafrrer waf[e]rer with wafres / ar[^a579] welcome godes gestes
Of thy[^a580] labour th u[^a581][^530] lauhe / þe lasse and þe more
The pore and the ryche / y plese and payn fynde
And fewe robes y fonge / or forrede gounes
Wolde y lye and do men lawhe / thenne lacchen y scholde
Or mantel or mone amonges lordes munstrals
Y can nat tabre ne trompy / ne telle fayre gestes
Farten ne fythelen at festes ne harpe
Iape ne iangele[^a582] ne genteliche pipe
Ne noþer sayle ne sautrien / ne syngen with þe geterne
Y haue no gode giftes / of thise grete lordes
For no breed þat y betrauaile furste to before lordes
Ner e hit þat þe parsche preyeth / for me on sonendayes
Y am sory þat y sowe / or sette but for my-sulue
Ac þe prest and oþere peple / preyeth for Peres þe Plouheman[^531]
And for me Actyf his man / þat ydelnesse hatte
Lordes and lorelles luther and gode
Fro Mihel-masse to Mihel-masse / y fynde mete and drynke
Y fynde payn for þe pote[^a583][^532] / and preen pre[y]en hym ych wolde
That pestilences to pees / and parfyt loue turnen
For founde y þat his blessynge / and his bulle myhte
Lette this luythere / and leche þe sike
As þe boek bereth witnesse / þat he bere myhte
In his mouthe mercy / and amende vs all

[^a573: Ne þer is (X I K P2 Uc) | þer nis (most other mss)]

[^a574: loue (X) | lyuen (most other mss)]

[^a575: this (X Dc I Sc Yc) | the (all other mss)]

[^a576: in here (X Ch I N) | here (most other mss)]

[^a577: or (X) | and (all other mss)]

[^a578: coueytise (X I K P2 Wa) | coueytise is (most other mss)]

[^a579: ar (X) | and (most other mss)]

[^a580: thy (X I Uc) | my (all other mss)]

[^a581: th u (X) | they (most other mss)]

[^a582: iangele (X Gc Nc) | iogele (most other mss)]

[^a583: pote (X) | pope (all other mss)]

[^527: X.15.187: A, "he."]

[^528: X.15.202: A, "he."]

[^529: X.15.205: Here we see another instance where the deleter failed to erase the name of Piers Plowman, in this case both in the text and in the marginal gloss. By contrast, see the erasures in the marginal glosses at 34v, 35v, and 37r.]

[^530: X.15.210: HS note that the <u> is written over a <y>, but in this strange instance, the scribe appears actually to have written <yy> and then caught himself to convert to the unique reading thu, which might be explainable. Because X, like IUc, reads thy instead of my for the first pronoun in this line, the scribe may have been confused about what should follow in sequence, even if his exemplar showed him the majority they, which, however correct, would have confused him after the minority thy. He may have been trying to write they, have miswritten it as thyy, wondered how to fix that to match thy, and corrected his error by creating the reading thu, thus matching the second person pronouns.]

[^531: X.15.223: Here we see another instance of an unerased name of Piers.]

[^532: X.15.227: It is not clear what X means by the unique reading pote, as one does not tend to put bread "in a pot," but that is the most likely meaning. See MED , s.v. pot(e), n. 1.]

¶ Super egros manus ponebant & bene habebunt & cetera
And thenne wolde y be bysy / and buxum to helpe
Vch a kyne creature / þat on crist leueth
For sethe he hath þe power þat peter hadde
He hath þe pott with þe salue

¶ Argentum & Aurum / non est michi quod habeo tibi do & cetera
Ac yf myhte of myracle hym fayle / hit is for men beth nat worthy
To haue þe grace of god / and no gulte of þe pope
For may no blessynge doen vs bote / but yf we wol amende
Ne mannes prayere maky pees / amonges cristene peple
Til pruyde be puyreliche for-do / and þat thorw payn defaute
Habundancia panis & vini[^533] / turpissimum peccatum aduenit
Plente of payn the peple of sodoume
And reste and ryche metes / rebaudes hem made
Pees quod pacience / y preye ȝow sire actyf
For þoȝ nere payn ne plouh / ne potage were
pruyde wolde potte hym-sulf forth / thogh no plough erye
Hit am y þat fynde alle folke / and fram hunger sa ue
Thorw[^534] the helpe of hym / þat me hyder sente
And saide lo here lyflode y-now / yf oure beleue be trewe
For lente neuere was here[^a584] lyf / but lyflode were shape
Wherof or wherfore and wher-with to lyuene
Þe worm and wonte vnder erthe and in water fisches
The Cryket by kynde of þe fuyr / and corleu by þe wynde
Bestes by grace[^a585] and by grayn / and by grene rotes
In menynge þat alle men myhte þe sa me
Leue thorw lele bileue As oure lord wittenesseth

[^a584: neuere was here (X I) | was þer neuere (most other mss)]

[^a585: grace (X Ec K) | gras (most other mss)]

[^533: X.15.244: We interpret the curl after the word vini to be a dot on the final <i>.]

[^534: X.15.251: Hand 2's correction here fixes an obvious error and aligns X with the reading of all other C manuscripts.]

¶ Quodcumque pecieritis in nomine meo / do[^a586] enim vobis Et alibi

[^a586: do (X K P2) | dabitur (most other mss)]

¶ Non in solo pane viuit homo & cetera
Hastow quod Actyf / ay such mete with the[^535]
Ȝe quod pacience And oute of his poke hente
A pece of þe pater noster / and profred hit to vs all
And y lystnede and lokede / what lyflode hit were
And thenne was hit fiat voluntas tua þat sholde fynde vs alle
Haue Actyf quod pacience and eet this when þe hungreth
Or when thow claumsest fo r[^536] colde / or clingest for eny drouthe
And shal neuere gyues the greue / ne grete lordes wrathe
Prisoun ne oþer payne / for pacience pacien[tes] vincunt
By so þat þou be sobre of syhte and of tonge
In etynge and[^a587] handlynge in alle thy fyue wittes
dar þe nat care for no corn / ne for cloth ne for drynke
Ne dieth[^a588] drede ne deuel / deye as god liketh
Wheþer thorw hunger or hete / at his wille be hit
For if thow lyuest aftur his lore the shortere lyf þe betere

[^a587: and (X K T) | in (most other mss)]

[^a588: dieth (X I) | deth (most other mss)]

[^535: X.15.262: The rubricator originally underlined this entire line in red, but the underlining was later erased. Erasure was done after the folio was completed beyond this line, because it has damaged the next line of text as well.]

[^536: X.15.268: The main scribe appears to have written <foc>, anticipating the <c> of the next word. He then quickly corrected that <c> to an <r> to obtain the needed for, after which he carried on.]

¶ Si quis Amat christum mundum non diligit istum
Thorw his breth bestes wexe and a-broed ȝeden

¶ dixit & facta fuerunt ergo[^537] thorw his breth
bestes lyueth bothe men and fisches
As witnesseth holy writ / when we seggeth oure graces
Aperis tu manum tuam & cetera
Hit is founde þat fourty wynter folke lyuede and tylde nat
And oute of þe flynt spronge þe floed þat folk and bestes dronke
And in Elies tyme / heuene was y-closed
That no reyn ne roen / thus þrat[^a589][^538] men on[^a590] bokes
That manye wynter men lyuede and no mete ne tylede
Seuene slepen as saith þe boek / more then syxty wynter
Lyuede with -outen lyflode / and at the laste awakede
And yf men lyuede as mesure wolde sholde neuere be defaute
Amonges cristene creatures · yf cristes wordes be trewe

[^a589: þrat (X) | rede(þ) (most other mss) | rat (I P2 T Uc Yc)]

[^a590: on (X I Uc Z) | in (most other mss)]

[^537: X.15.279: Most C manuscripts divide these lines differently, placing the phrase ergo thorw his breth as the first part of the a-verse of the next line.]

[^538: X.15.286: It is not altogether clear what happened here. Hand 1 wrote the initial error, þat, which cannot make any sense. Then he himself has added an <r> to repair the mistake; this obtains, perhaps, a third plural form of MED threten, v. 1, with sense 2(a), "[t]o rebuke. . . reprove, admonish," though this would make very awkward syntax: "as men caution in [their] books." However, perhaps he wanted ultimately—but failed—to delete the <þ>, which would have obtained rat. All editors, in fact, print rat, past tense of PDE "to read," which is a minority, but still widely attested, reading in C manuscripts. In the end X, one way or the other, now reads the ambiguous þrat.]

¶ dabo tibi secundum peticionem tuam
What is parfit pacience quod Actiua vita
Meeknesse and mylde speche And men of o will
The whiche wil loue lat to oure lordes place
And þat is charite chaumpion chief of all vertues
And þat is pore pacient / alle perelles to soffre
Where pouerte and pacience plese more god almyhty
Then rihtfullyche rychesse / and resonablelyche to spene

¶ Ȝe quis est ille quod pacience quik laudamus[^a591] eum
Thogh men rede of rychesse / rihte to þe worldes ende
Then when he drow to þe deth / that he ne dradd hym sarrore
Then eny pore pacient / and þat preue y be resoun
Hit are but fewe folk o f this ryche / that ne falleth in arrerage
There þe pore dar plede / and preue by puyr resoun
To haue allouaunce of his lord / by puyre lawe he claymeth
Ioye þat neuere ioye hadde / of rihtfull iuge he asketh
And saith loo briddes and bestes / þat no blisse ne knoweth
And wilde wormes in wodes thorw wyntres thow hem greuest
And makest hem wel neyh meke and mylde for defaute
Ther-aftur thow sendest hem somer þat is here souereyne ioye
And blisse to all þat been / bothe to wilde and to tame[^a592]
Thenne may beggares as bestes / aftur a blisse aske
That al here lyf haen lyued / in langour and defaute
Bote god sen de hem som-tyme sum manere ioye
Other here or ellis-wher / elles hit were reuthe
For to wroþer -hele was he wrouht þat neuere was ioye yschape
Angeles þat in helle now ben / hadden som-tyme ioye
And dyues in his deyntees lyuede and in douce vie
And now he buyth hit bittere / he is abeggare a beggare of helle
Many man hath his ioye here for al here wel dedes
And lordes and ladyes ben cald / for ledes þat they haue
And slepeth as hit semeth / and somur euere hem folleweth
Ac when deth awaketh hem of here we le[^539] / þat were er so ryche
Then aren hit puyre pore thynges in purgatorie or in hell
dauid in þe sauter / of suche maketh mynde
And sayth dormierunt / & nichil inuenerunt & cetera
Et alibi velud sompnum[^540] surgencium in[^a593] & cetera

[^a591: laudamus (X Dc K P2 Q) | laudabimus (most other mss)]

[^a592: to tame (X Yc) | tame (most other mss)]

[^a593: surgencium in (X Uc Z) | surgencium (most other mss)]

[^539: X.15.324: It appears that Hand 1 wrote were (anticipating a word later in the line) and so had to convert <r> to <l> to obtain the needed wele.]

[^540: X.15.328: X's reading, sompnum , is the Bx reading printed by Burrow and Turville-Petre and the reading that Schmidt prints in his editions of B and C . Pearsall and RK emend to sompn[i]um . Sompnum means "sleep"—though it can mean "dream" or even "vision" by extension ( DMLBS , s.v. somnus, n., senses 1 and 4, with similar senses going back to classical Latin [Lewis & Short, s.v. somnus]). Sompnium, which is the Vulgate reading (PS 72:20), means primarily "dream" or "vision" ( DMLBS , s.v. somnium, n., sense 1). Confusion between the two words may be based on similar meaning or on confusion over the transcription of minims. Since sompnum, according to Schmidt (2011), "is intended metonymically to signify 'dream'" ( Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.1, p. 420), it serves the meaning of the line and is taken by Schmidt as "possibly original" in addition to being the Bx and Cx reading (p. 420). In classical Latin, the word is a first declension masculine noun (somnus), so perhaps the scribes and even the poet, under the influence of the neuter sompnium, saw the majority sompnum as a neuter noun, hence accepting it as a nominative.]

Passus sextus de Dowel

A llas þat rychesse shal reue and robbe mannes soule
Fro þe loue of oure lord · at his laste ende
Hewen þat haen here huyre byfore[^541]
Aren euere-more pore / and selde deyeth oute of dette
To dyne ar he deserue hit / when his dyuer[^542] is doen and his dayes iourne
Thenne may men wyte what he is worth and what he hath deserued
A c[^a594] nat to fonge byfore for drede[^a595] dessallowynge
So y sey by ȝow ryche hit semeth nat þat ȝe sholle
// notate ȝe ryche men
Haue two heuenes / for ȝoure here beynge
Muche murthe is in may / amonge wilde bestes
And so forth whiles somur laste[^a596] here solace duyreth
And moche murthe among ryche men is / þat han meble ynow and hele
Ac beggares aboute myssomur bre dles[^543] they soupe
And ȝut is wynter for hem worse for weet-shoed þey gone
A-furste and a-fyngered / and foule rebuked
Of this world ryche men þat reuthe is to here
Now lord sende hem somur som-tyme to solace and to ioye
That al here lyf leden in lownesse and in pouerte
For al myhtest þou haue y-mad / men of grete welthe
And yliche witty and wys / and lyue with -oute nede
Ac for þe beste as y hope aren som pore and ryche
+

[X.16.22.m.1: A lightly inked cross in the margin to the left of X.16.22 may have been intended to call attention to the line division here, for a discussion of which, see the textual note.]

Riht so haue reuthe on vs alle / and amende vs for[^a597] thy mercy[^544]
And make vs alle meke lowe and lele and louynge and of herte pore
And sende vs contricion / to clanse with oure soules
And confessioun to kulle / alle kyne synnes
And satisfaccioun þe whiche / folfilleth þe fader will of heuene
And these ben dowel and dobet[^545] / and dobest of alle

[^a594: A c (X P2 Yc) | And (most other mss)]

[^a595: drede (X) | drede of (most other mss)]

[^a596: laste (X K N P2 Yc) | lasteth (most other mss)]

[^a597: for (X Dc Uc) | of (most other mss)]

[^541: X.16.3-X.16.5: Only XP2 divide the lines thus, as all other C manuscripts place Aren euere-more pore as the b-verse of RK.16.3, dividing the next line at deserue hit. Again, with X having pushed an entire b-verse to its next line, we see a domino effect on the next two lines. The problem in XP2 or their exemplars again comes from confusion over alliteration: X must have thought the /h/ alliteration complete in X.16.3, which it may be. We say "may," because Hewen þat haen here huyre byfore, if its b-verse begins at here, does not abide strictly by Duggan's Rules for the b-verse, lacking an adequate dip before either b-verse lift. (For a general overview and bibliography on " Duggan's Rules ," see Hoyt N. Duggan, "The End of the Line," in Medieval Alliterative Poetry: Essays in Honour of Thorlac Turville-Petre, ed. John A. Burrow and Hoyt N. Duggan, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006.) As an odd result of X's arrangement, because the next four half lines (RK.16.4-RK.16.5) are full of alliteration on /d/, X.16.5 still scans, while X.16.4 may scan, obliquely, on the vowels in euere and oute.]

[^542: X.16.5: RK give the X reading as dyner, but we transcribe dyuer, as does Schmidt, taking the word to be the ME form of AN dever (modern French devoir), "duty." See MED , s.v. dever, -er, n. and AND2 , s.v. deveir.]

[^543: X.16.13: Hand 1 wrote brecles, which is perhaps a nonce error/variant for MED brechelees, adj., meaning "[n]ot wearing breeches," a likely enough state of the poor, however unrelated to the notion of supping. Clearly what is demanded, however, is "breadless," so as we see it, Hand 1 has converted <c> to <d> to correct his own error in order to obtain the required reading. The stroke over the <r> may simply be a stray mark, or it may be a false start on a <d>. There is always the chance that Hand X (or Hand 2) has made this correction, and in that case brecles would be a unique variant.]

[^544: X.16.22-23: Here we see X wreaking more havoc with line breaks, as XKP2UcYc divide the lines thus, while most C manuscripts divide the line earlier, at vs alle. The error arises because X (in fact like many other manuscripts) lacks words that would have filled out an alliterative b-verse stress for X.16.22: thy renkes (in RK's rendering). Yet several other manuscripts offer not simply alle but al þat on þe rode deiedest (a phrase adopted by Schmidt as authorial, though it is rejected by Pearsall and RK). Hence, the situation is complex, and X (or its ancestor) again displays the urge to repair, this time not by pushing a b-verse down (see X.16.3-X.16.5 above) but by pulling an a-verse up to compensate for words it lacks in comparison to other C manuscripts. The result has a similar domino effect, as X.16.23 now is over-packed with three half lines worth of alliteration, though it might still scan on /l/.]

[^545: X.16.27: What may appear to be an erasure in the images is merely discoloration in the vellum.]

¶ Cordis contricio / cometh of soruthe[^546] of herte
And oris confessio / þat cometh of shrifte of mouthe
And satisfaccion þat for soules paieth / and for alle synnes quyteth

[^546: X.16.28: Although the exact form soruthe, which appears in XYc, is unattested as a form of the majority reading sorwe in MED (s.v. sorwe) and OED , (s.v. sorrow), both lexica attest forms such as sorþe and sorugh, placing soruthe well within the bounds of nonsubstantive, orthographic and phonetic variation.]

¶ Cordis contricio / Oris confessio / Operis satisfaccio
Thise thre with -oute doute / tholieth alle pouerte
And lereth lewed and lered / hey and lowe to knowe
Ho doth wel or bet / or beste aboue alle
And holy churche and charite / her-of a chartre made
And bote these thre þat y spak of / at domes-day vs defende
Elles is al an ydel / al oure lyuynge here
Oure preyeres and oure penances / And pilgrimages to Rome
Bote oure spensis and oure spendyng sprynge of atrewe a trewe welle
Elles is alle oure labour loest / loo how men write th[^547]
In fenestres at þe freres / yf fals be þe fondement
For-thy cristene sholde be in comune ryche noon coueytous for hym -sulue
For seuene synnes þat þer ben / þat assoilen[^a598] vs euere
The fend folleweth hem alle / and fondeth hem to helpe
Ac with rychesse tho rybaudes / rathest men bigileth
For þat[^a599] rychesses[^a600] regneth / reuerences folleweth
And þat is plesant to pruyde / in pore and in ryche
And þe ryche is reuerenced by resoun of his rychesse
There þe pore is potte by-hynde / and parauntur can more
Of wit and of wisdoem þat ferway is bettere
Then rychesse or ryalte / and rather y-herde in heuene
For þe ryche hath moche to rykene / and riht softe walketh
The hey way to heueneward / he halt hit nat fol euene
There þe pore preseth byfore / with a pak at his rugge

[^a598: assoilen (X) | assailen (most other mss)]

[^a599: þat (X Uc) | þer þat (most other mss)]

[^a600: rychesses (X Uc Yc) | rychesse (most other mss)]

[^547: X.16.40: Here the scribe has anticipated the last letter of the word, correcting himself as soon as he had written the upper stroke of the <h>.]

¶ Opera eorum sequntur seq[u]untur illos
Batauntliche as beggares doen / and baldeliche he craueth
For his pouerte and his pacience / perpetuel ioye
And pruyde in rychesse regneth rather then in pouerte
Or in þe mayster or in þe man / som mansion he haueth
Ac in pouerte þer pacience is / pruyde hath no myhte
Ne none of þe seuene synnes / sitte ne may þer longe
Ne haue power in pouerte / yf pacience hym folewe
For þe pore is ay prest / to plese þe ryche
And buxum at his biddyng / for his breed and his drynke
And buxumnesse and b oost[^548] aren / euermore at werre
And ayther hateth oþer and may nat wone to-gyderes
Yf wrathe wrastle with þe pore / he hath þe worse ende
For yf they bothe pleyne / the pore is bote feble
And yf he chyde or chattere / hym cheueth þe worse
For louelyche he loketh / and lowe is his speche
That mete or moneye of straunge men moet begge
And yf glotonye greue pouerte / ho[^a601] gadereth þe lasse
For his rentes wol nat reche / ryche metes to bugge
And thogh his glotonye be of gode ale / he goth to acolde a colde beddynge
And his heued vn-heled / vnesylyche[^549] y-wrye
For when he streyneth hym to strecche / the strawe is his shetes
So for his glotonye / and his grete synne
He hath a greuous penaunce / þat is welowo
When he awaketh and wepeth for colde
So he is neuere merye / so meschief hym folleweth
And thogh coueytyse wolde with þe pore w rastle / they may nat come to-gyderes
And by þe nekke namelyche / here noen may henten other

[^a601: ho (X) | he (all other mss)]

[^548: X.16.65: RK assert that X reads beest and that the first <e> was corrected to <o> to obtain the majority reading boest, which is also the scribe's usual spelling. But HS assert that <ee> has been corrected to <oo>, that is, from beest to boost. We agree with HS that both letters have been altered to obtain boost (not Hand 1's usual spelling) by Hand X.]

[^549: X.16.75: The vellum beneath vn-heled / vnesylyche appears to be abraded, but we do not see an erasure.]

¶ For men knowen wel þat coueytise / is of a kene will
And hath hondes and Armes / of a longe lenthe
And pouerte is bote a pety thyng / appereth nat to his nauele
And louely layk was hit neuere / bytwene alonge a longe and a short one[^a602]
And thogh Auaryce wolde Angry pouerte / he hath bote lytel myhte
For pouerte hath bote pokes / to potten in his godes
There Auaryce hath almaries / and yrebounden coffres
And where be bettere to breke / lasse boest hit maketh
To breke abeggares a beggares bagge / then an yrebounden coffre

[^a602: short one (X H2 T Yc) | short (all other mss)]

¶ And lecherye loueth no pore / for he hath bote litel siluer
Ne doth men dyne delitcatlyche / ne drynke wyne ofte
A straw for the stuyues hit stoed nat / hadde they noen haunt bote of pore
And thow sleuthe sewe pouerte / and serue nat god to paye
Myschief is ay amene a mene / and maketh hym to thenke
That god is his gretteste helpe / and no gome elles
And he is seruant alway he saith / and of his se cte[^550] bothe
And where he be or be nat / abereth a bereth[^551] þe signe of pouerte
And in þat secte oure saueour saued al mankynde
For-thy alle pore þat pacient is / of puyr rihte may claymen
Aftur here endynge here heueneryche blisse
Moche hardyore may he aske / þat here myhte haue his wille
In lond and in lordschipe in lykynge of body
nota
And for goddes loue leueth al / and lyueth as a beggare
As a mayde for amannes a mannes loue / here moder forsoke
Here fader and alle here frendes / and goth forth with here paramours
notate bene
Moche is suche amayde a mayde to louye / of aman a man þat such oen taketh
More then þat mayde is / þat is maried by brocage
As by assente of sondry persones / and suluer to bote
More for coueytise of catel / then kynde loue of þe mariage
So hit fareth by vch aperson a person þat possession forsaketh
And potte hym to be pacient / and pouerte weddeth
The whiche is syb to crist sulue / and semblable bothe
Quod Actyf tho al Angryliche / and Arguinge As hit were
What is pouerte pacience quod he / y preye þat thow telle hit

[^550: X.16.98: It appears that Hand 1 wrote the majority reading seute. See MED , s.v. sute, n., 2(a), "[a] band of followers; a retinue, company." Hand 2 then converted this to secte, which is synonymous and is also attested in the manuscripts. It is difficult to see a poetic preference for one over the other, as both scan and mean the same thing in context. Since secte is repeated two lines later, an argument can be made for either consistency or variety. The scribes' division on this matter is reflected by the poem's editors: RK and Schmidt print seute, while Pearsall prints secte.]

[^551: X.16.99: A, "he."]

[^552] ¶ Paupertas quod pacience est odibile bonum
Remocio curarum posessio sine calumpnia
donum dei sanitatis mater / absque solitudine semita
Sapiencie temporatrix temp[e]ratrix / negocium sine dampno
// Hyere ȝe may se it is god to be pouere
Incerta fortuna absque solicitudine felicitas
Y can nat construe al this quod Actiua vita
Parfay quod pacience propreliche to telle hit
Al this in engelysch hit is ful hard / Ac sumdel y shal telle the
Pouerte is the furste poynte þat pruyde moest hateth
Thenne is pouerte goed by goed skill thouh hit greue alitel a litel
Al þat may potte of pruyde / in eny place þer he regneth

[^552: X.16.117: The following Latin is presented as five separate lines, each underlined and all linked by the single large paraph. Three start with distinct upper case letters, but one has the less determinate <S>. The <d>, which is clearly dimorphic in Hand 1, is in the lower case form here despite being line-initial. It is not clear how much of X.16.117 is actually a line of poetry. It begins with a regular half-line alliterating on /p/, but it is not clear where that line itself would end. Pearsall and RK divide it at possessio, obtaining, we suppose, an AAXA line. Schmidt too takes this as a line of verse and, following the manuscripts, ends the line at bonum. All editors then render the rest of the Latin as extrametrical. The boundaries between presumed macaronic verse (X.16.117) and the rest of the (extrametrical) Latin definition of Poverty are not easy to determine.]

¶ Remocio curarum selde syt pouerte þe soth to declare
Or a iustice to iuge men / me enioyneth þerto no pore
Ne to be amair a mair ouer men / ne mynistre vnder kynges
Selde is eny pore y-pot / to penesche eny peple
Ergo[^553] pouerte and pore men parforme þe comandement

[^553: X.16.132: The markup here is inadequate. The suspension for Ergo is actually <Go>, even though the <G> must be said to represent in part an upper case <E>.]

¶ Nolite iudicare quemquam / possessio sine calumpnia
Selde is þe pore rihte ryche / but of his rihtfole eritage
Wynneth he nat with whittes[^a603][^554] false / ne with vnselede mesures
Ne boreweth of his neyhebore / but þat he may wel paye
And me leneth lyhtly fewe men / and me wene hem pore
The furthe hit is A fortune þat florischeth þe soule
With sobrete fro alle synnes / and also ȝut more
Hit defendeth þe flesche fram folies ful monye
A collateral confort / crists oune sonde

[^a603: whittes (X Yc) | wihtes (most other mss)]

[^554: X.16.135: The XYc reading appears to be a form of MED wit, n., perhaps def. 5. "a strategy, course of action, etc., esp. one showing wisdom or ingenuity; also, a contrivance," whereas the majority reading, and the one adopted by the modern editors, is a form of MED weght, n. 1, def. 4(a), "[t]he process of weighing," which fits the immediate context of mercantile exploitation.]

¶ donum dei ȝut is hit moder of myhte / and of mannes helthe
And frende in alle fondynges / and of foule eueles leche sanitatis mater
The sixte hit is apath a path of pees / ȝe thorwe þe pase of Aultoun
Pouerte myhte passe / with -oute perel of robbynge
For þer as pouerte passeth / pes folleweth comunely
And euere þe lasse þat on lede / þe lihtere his herte is there
As he þat woet neuere with wham / on nyhtes tyme to mete
Seneca pauper est absque solicitudine semita
The seuethe is a welle of wysdoem / and fewe wordes sheweth
For lordes alloueth hym litel / or leggeth ere to his resoun
A[^555] tempreth þe tonge to treuthward / þat no tresor coueyteth
The eyȝte hit is alel a lel labour / and loeth to take more
Then he may sothly deserue in somur or in wynter
And thogh he chaffare he chargeth no loes / may he carite wynne

[^555: X.16.152: A, "he."]

¶ Negocium sine dampno
The nythe hit is swete to soules / ne no[^a604] sucre swettore
For pacience is his paniter and pouerte payn here fyndeth
And sobrete ȝeueth here swete drynke / and solaceth here in all angrys
Thus lered me alered a lered man / for oure lordes loue seynt Austyn
That puyre pouerte and pacience / was alouh a louh lyuynge on erthe
A blessed lyf withoute bisinesse / bote onelyche for þe soule

[^a604: ne no (X) | no (most other mss)]

¶ Absque solicitudine felicitas
Now god þat al gyueth / graunte his soule reste
// What is liberum arbitrium
That wroet th us to wisse men / what pouerte was to mene
Thenne hadde Actyf aledare a ledare þat hihte lib e rum arbitrium[^556]
A[^557] knewe Consience ful wel / and clergie bothe
He þat hath lond and lordschipe quod he / at þe laste ende
Shal be porest of power / at his partynge hennes
Thenne hadde y wonder what he was þat leberum l[i]berum Arbitrium
And preyde pacience þat y apose hym moste
And he soffrede me and saide / assay his oþer name
Leue liberum arbitrium quod y / of what lond ar ȝe
And yf thow be cristes creature / for cristes loue telle me
Y am cristes creature quod he / and cristene in mony aplace a place
And in cristes court y-knowe wel / and of his kynne aparty a party
Is noþer Peter the porter ne poul with the fauchen
That wol defende me heuene dore / dynge y neuere so late
At mydnyhte at myday / my vois is so y-knowe
That vch a creature þat loueth crist / welcometh me faire
Whare-of serue ȝe y saide sir liberum arbitrium
Of som tyme to fihte quod he / falsnesse to destruye
And som tyme to soffre / bothe tene and sorwe
Layk or leue / at my lykyng chese
To do wel or wykke / a will with aresoun a resoun
And may nat be with -oute a body / to bere me where hym liketh
Thenne is þat body bettere þen þou ·[^558] quod y / Nay quod he no bettere
Bote as wode were a-fuyre / thenne worcheth bothe
And ayther is otheres hete / and also of o will
And so is man þat hath his mynde myd liberum Arbitrium
And whiles y quyke þe cors / y-cald am y Anima
And when y wilne and wolde Animus y hatte
And þat[^a605] y can and knowe / y-cald am y mens thouhte[^a606][^559]
And when y make mone to god / Memoria y hatte
And when y deme domes / and do as treuthe techeth
Thenne ys racio my rihte name / reson an englische
And when y fele þat folke telleth / my furste name is sensus
And þat is wit and wysdoem the welle of alle craftes
And when y chalenge nat[^a607] / chepe or refuse
Thenne am y Concience y-cald / goddes Clerk and his notarie
And when y wol do or do nat[^a608] / gode dedes or ille
Thenne am y liberum Arbitrium / As lered[^a609] men telleth
And when y louye lelly / oure lord and alle oþere
Thenne is lele loue my name / and in latyn Amor
And when y fle fro þe body / and feye leue þe caroyne
Thenne am y spirit speche-lees / and spiritus then y hote
Austyn and ysodorus either of hem bothe
Nempned me thus to name / now þou myhte chese
How þou coueytest to calle me / now þou knowest al my names[^560]

[^a605: þat (X K) | for þat (all other mss)]

[^a606: mens thouhte (X Yc) | mannes þouȝt (most other mss)]

[^a607: nat (X P2) | or chalange nat (most other mss)]

[^a608: do nat (X) | do (most other mss)]

[^a609: lered (X Gc K Mc P2) | lettred (most other mss)]

[^556: X.16.166: In this instance the rubricator himself has added in the needed character <e> in red to form the correct liberum. Notice that the marginal gloss has the corrected spelling of liberum and thus was likely written after the rubricator made his change. At X.16.170 below, the scribe misspells his name again (leberum), this time uncorrected, but he spells it correctly at X.16.173.]

[^557: X.16.167: A, "he."]

[^558: X.16.187: After þou, there is a raised point, which is not part of the abbreviation and which sets off the quod y with the mid-line virgule on the other side.]

[^559: X.16.193: The transmission of this line is complicated, varying over editions and over the B and C traditions. The issue concerns whether mens is a form of the English possessive, "belonging to a man," or is simply the Latin third-declension noun meaning "mind." We take X's reading to be the Latin word, which is glossed or defined in English by the following word, thouhte. Schmidt follows such an interpretation, printing "Mens, 'Thouhte'" (16.183). RK and Pearsall print the Latin—mens and Mens, respectively—without the word thouhte, evidently interpreting thouhte as a scribal gloss that had made its way into the tradition.]

[^560: X.16.209: To the right of X.16.206-X.16.213 are two holes in the manuscript that predate composition, since the scribe explicitly writes around them on the verso.]

[^561] ¶ Anima pro diuersis occacionibus[^a610] / diuersa nomina sortitur
dum sinificat si[g]nificat[^a611] corpus / Anima est / dum vult / animus est
dum recolit memoria est / dum / iudicat racio est
dum sentit sensus est / dum Amat / Amor est
dum declina declina[t] de malo ad bonum / liberum Arbitrium est
dum negat vel consentit / consiencia est / dum sperat[^a612] spiritus est
Ȝe beth as abischop a bischop quod y / al bourdynge þat tyme
For biss hopes y-blessed / they bereth many names
Presul and Pontifex / and metropolanus metropol[it]anus
And oþere names an heep / Episcopus and pastor
That is soth he sayde / now y se thy wille
Thow woldest knowe and conne / þe cause of all here names
And of myn yf thow myhteste me thynketh by thy speche
Ȝe sire y sayde by so no man were y-greued
Alle þe sciences vnder sonne / and alle þe sotil craftes
Y wolde y knewe and couthe kyndeliche in yn herte
Thenne artow in p arfit quod he / and oen of pruydes knyhtes
For such a lust and lykynge / lucifer ful fram heuene

[^a610: occacionibus (X K P2) | accionibus (all other mss)]

[^a611: sinificat si[g]nificat (X P2) | viuificat (all other mss)]

[^a612: sperat (X Ec K) | spirat (all other mss)]

[^561: X.16.210: The Latin is presented as six distinct lines, five of them beginning with a <d> in the form that is clearly lower case, all of them linked with a single large paraph, with each line underlined. Because these lines contain no English, editors correctly render them as extrametrical discourse.]

¶ Ponam pedem meum in Aquilone & cetera
Hit were aȝeyns kynde quod he / and alle kyne resoun
That eny creature sholde conne al / excepte crist one
Aȝenes alle suche salamon speketh / and despiseth here wittes
And sayth sicut qui mel comedit multum / non est ei bonum

¶ Sic[^a613] scrutator est magestatis / opprimatur a gloria
To engelische men this is to mene / þat mowen speke and here
The man þat moche hony eet / his mawe hit engleymeth
The wittore witt[i]ore þat eny wihte is / but yf he worche þeraftur
The bittorere he shal a-bugge / but yf he wel worche
Beatus saith seynt Bernard / qui scripturas legit

[^a613: Sic (X) | Sic qui (all other mss)]

¶ et verba vertit in opera / emforth his power
Coueytyse to conne / and to knowe sciences
Potte out of paradys / Adam and Eue
Sciencie appetitus hominem in-mortalitatis gloriam spoliauit
And riht as hony / is euel to defie
Riht so sothly sciences / swelleth amannes a mannes soule
And doth hym to be deynous / and deme þat beth nat lered
¶ Non plus sapere saide þe wyse / quam oportet sapere[^562]
Laste synne of pruyde wexe
// lo how freris prechen fallas & cetera
Freres fele tymes / to þe folk þer they prechen
Mouen motyues mony tymes insolibles and falaes
That bothe lewed and lered[^a614] / of here beleue douten
nota bene
To teche þe ten comaundementz / tensythe ten sythe were bettere
And thorw[^a615] that folk folliche / here fyue wittes myspenenen myspene[n][^a616]
As wel freres as oþere folk / foliliche spenden
In housynge in helynge in holy[^a617] clergie schewynge
More for pompe and pruyde / as þe peple woet wel
That y lye nat / loo for lordes ȝe plese
And reuerence þe ryche þe rather for here suluer
Aȝen þe consayl of crist / as holy clergie witnesseth

[^a614: lewed and lered (X Dc H2 N Yc) | lered and lewed (most other mss)]

[^a615: thorw (X K P2) | how (most other mss)]

[^a616: myspenenen myspene[n] (X P2 Yc) | myspendon (most other mss)]

[^a617: holy (X K P2) | heyh (all other mss)]

[^562: X.16.246: Pearsall (2008) tersely summarizes the problem here: "The split Latin quotation disturbs the alliteration and lineation in all C-MSS" (p. 275). X shares its line break with KP2Uc. RK rearrange the three half lines, while Schmidt and Pearsall render them as in X.]

¶ Ne sitis Acceptores / personarum
// notate de wikkyde techeres
Lo what holy writ wittnesseth / of wikkede techares
As holinesse and honestee / out of holy churche
Spryngeth and spredeth[^563] and enspireth þe peple
Thorw parfit preest-hoed and prelates of of [of] holychurche holy churche
Riht[^a618] oute of holychurche holy churche al euel spredeth
There inparfit preest-hoed is / prechares and techares
And so[^a619] hit by ensample / In somur -tyme on trees
Þere som bowes bereth leues / and som bereth none
Tho bowes þat bereth nat / and beth nat grene y-leued
There is a meschief in þe more / of suche manere stokkes
Riht so persones and prestes / and prechours of holy churche
Is þe rote of rihte fayth / to reule þe peple
notate omnes

[X.16.272.m.1: The second word in this gloss, after notate, is difficult fully to decipher. Grindley (2001), transcribes the whole phrase as nota image which he designates as LR-AI—Literary Response with "additional information" (p. 133). Drawing attention to literary techniques such as imagery is not at all characteristic of this marginal commentary, so instead of the English word image, weߞwith gratitude for consultation with Ralph Hannaߞtranscribe omnes, translating the whole phrase "pay attention, everyone." The urgent and broad alert inherent in this gloss fits a pattern of clerical and fraternal critique and exhortation running through the glosses. The immediate context concerns how clerical corruption functions like rotten roots that can never bear beautiful leaves or fruit—the powerful image that must have, understandably, misled Grindley in his provocative transcription.]

Ac þer þe rote is roton / resoun woet þe sothe
Shal neuere flour ne fruyt wexe / ne fayre leue be grene
For wolde ȝe lettered / leue þer[^a620] leche r ye[^564] of clothyng
And be corteys and kynde / of holy kyrke godes
Parte with þe pore / and ȝoure pruyde leue
And þerto trewe of ȝoure tonge / and of ȝoure tayl also
And hatien harlotrie / and to vnderfonge þe tythes
Of vsererus of hores / of alle euel wynnynges
Loeth were lewed / bote they ȝoure lore folwedenn folwede[n][^565]
And amenden of here mysdedes more for ensaumples[^a621]
Then for to prechen and preue hit nat / ypocrisye hit semeth
Ypocrisye is abraunche a braunche of pruyde / and most amonges clerkes
And is y-likned in latyn / to alothly a lothly donghep
That were al bysnewed [bysnewed] al with[^566] snowe / and snakes with -ynne
Or to a wal y-whitlymed / and were blak with -ynne
Riht so many prestes / prechours and prelates
That ben enblaunched / with bele paroles and with bele clothes
And as lambes they loke / and ly uen as wolues

[^a618: Riht (X) | Riht so (all other mss)]

[^a619: so (X K) | se (all other mss)]

[^a620: þer (X) | þe (most other mss)]

[^a621: ensaumples (X) | ȝoure ensaumples (most other mss)]

[^563: X.16.262: In this peculiar conjunction of letters, the scribe would seem to have written a long <s> and then corrected it to the more usual form of word-initial <s>, on the fly, giving the impression of a doubled or upper case <p>.]

[^564: X.16.274: The scribe appears to have written a second <e> here, which he immediately canceled in favor of the correct <r>. He then appears to have made a false start on a letter that resembles an <er> suspension, but is not one. He canceled this false start with the necessary <y>.]

[^565: X.16.280: The scribe has put an extra nasal over the <en>.]

[^566: X.16.285: The majority reading is bysnewed al. Hand 1 wrote al bysnewed but then caught himself and added the al correctly after the participle, failing or neglecting to delete the initial al.]

¶[^567] Iohannes Crisostomus carpeth thus of clerkes[^568]
Sicut de templo omne bonum progreditur / sic de templo omne malum procedit
Si sacerdocium integrum fuerit / tota floret ecclesia
Si Autem corupta fuerit / omnium fedes f[i]des marcida est
Si sacerdocium fuerit in peccatis / totus populus conuertitur ad peccandum
Sicut cum viderit videri[s] Arborem pallidam & marcidam / intelligis quod vicium habet in radice
Ita cum videris populum indissiplinatum & irreligiosum sine dubio sacerdocium eius non est sanum
// beth war of þis lered & lewed
Allas lewed men moche lese ȝe þat fynde
Vnkunnynge curatours / to be kepares of ȝoure soules
Ac thyng þat wykkedliche is wonne / and with fals sleythes
Wolde neuere oþerwyse god / but wikkede men hit hadde
As inparfiteprestes inparfite prestes / and prechours afur suluer
Seketours and sodenes[^569] / somnours and here lemmanes
And þat with gyle was gete vngraciousliche be y-spened
Curatours of holychurche holy churche / and clerkes þat ben Auerous
Lihtliche þat they leue / loseles hit deuoureth
Leueth hit wel lordes / both / lewed and lered
That thus goth here godes / at þe laste ende
That lyuen aȝen holy lore / and þe loue of charite

[^567: X.16.290: A single paraph serves to mark the first seven lines.]

[^568: X.16.290: A corrector has rightly noticed that the second half of this line is English, part of a macaronic line, and has thus erased the red underlining that had spanned it.]

[^569: X.16.302: Between the <o> and the <d> are two dots, above and below the line, perhaps marking this word for change(?). Some other readings are soutȝdenis, southdeknes, sodometes, sodomyes. But no further correction is evident.]

Charyte
¶ Charite quod y tho þat is a thyng for-sothe
That maistres commenden moche / where may hit be yfounde
Ich haue yleued in londone / monye longe ȝeres
And fonde y neuere in faith / as freres hit precheth
Charite þat chargeth nauht / ne chyt thow me greue hym
As poul in his pistul / of hym bereth wittenesse

¶ Non inflatur non est Ambiciosa
I · knewe neuere by Crist / clerk noþer lewed
That he ne askede aftur his / and oþere-whiles coueytede
Thyng that nedede hym nauhte / and nyme hit yf amyhte a myhte[^570]
For thogh me souhte alle þe sektes / of susturne and of brethurne
And fynde hym but fuguratyfly f[i]guratyfly / a ferly me thynketh

[^570: X.16.318: A, "he."]

¶ Hic in enigmate / tunc facie ad faciem
And so y trowe treuly / by þat me telleth of charite
Charite is a childische thyng / as holy churche witnesseth

¶ Nisi efficiamini sicut & paruuli & cetera
As proud of a peny / as of a pounde of golde
And as glad of a goune / of a gray russet
As of a cote of cannaca ca[mm]aca / or of clene scarlet
He is glad with alle glade / as gurles þat lawhen alle
And sory when he seth men sory / as thow seest childerne
Lawhe þer men lawheth / and loure þer oþere louren
And when aman a man swereth for soth / for sooth he hit troweth
Weneth he þat no wyhte / wolde lye and swerie
Ne þat eny gome wolde / gyle oþere ne greue
For drede of god þat so goed is / And thus gates vs techeth

¶ Quodcumque vultis vt faci ant[^571] vobis homines facite eis
Hath he no lykynge to lawhe / ne to likene men to scorne
Alle seknesses and sorwes / for solaces[^a622] he hit taketh
And alle manere meschiefs / as munstracie of heuene
Of deth ne of derthe drad he neuere
Ne mysliked thogh he lore / or leued þat ilke
That neuere payed peny aȝeyn in places þer he borwede
He[^a623] fynt hym his fode quod y / or what frendes hath he[^572]
Of rentes ne of oþere[^a624] rychesse / ne reccheth he neuere
A frende he hath þat fynd[^a625] hym / þat faylede hym neuere
Oen aperis tu manum / alle thynges hym fyndeth

[^a622: solaces (X Dc Yc) | solace (most other mss)]

[^a623: He (X) | Ho (most other mss)]

[^a624: ne of oþere (X K) | ne of (most other mss)]

[^a625: fynd (X K) | fyndeþ (most other mss)]

[^571: X.16.335: What appears to be an upper case <A>, mid-word in faciant, is the result of the scribe changing the beginning of a <c>—or possibly an <e>, which would have produced facient—to an <a> by adding the upper chamber and rightward stroke. Hence, we take the large size of the letter to have been unintended.]

[^572: X.16.342: X and K omit a line found in all other C manuscripts which, according to RK, is added in P2 in another hand: Rentes or other richesse to releue hym at his nede (RK.16.317). The omission clearly arises from the similarities of the a-verses of RK.16.317 and RK.16.318.]

¶ Fiat voluntas tua / festeth hym vch a daye
And also a[^573] can clergie credo in deum patrem
And purtraye wel þe pater noster / and peynten hit with Auees
And oþerwhile his wone is / to wynde[^a626][^574] in pilgrimages
There pore men and prisones ben and paye for here fode
Clotheth hem and conforteth hem / and of Crist precheth hem
What sorwe he soffrede / in ensaumple of vs alle
That pouerte and penaunce pacientlyche y-take
Worth moche meryte to þat man / þat hit may[^575] soffre
And when he hath visited thus fetured folk and oþer folke pore
Thenne ȝerneth he in-to ȝouthe / and ȝeepliche he secheth
pruyde with alle[^a627] purtinaunces / and pakketh hem to-gyderes
And laueth hem in þe lauendrie / laboraui in gemitu meo[^576]
Bouketh hem at his breste / and beteth hit ofte
And with warm water of his yes / woketh hit til he white

[^a626: wynde (X Z) | wende (most other mss)]

[^a627: alle (X Uc) | alle þe (most other mss)]

[^573: X.16.347: A, "he."]

[^574: X.16.349: The XYc reading, if intended to be a form of MED winden, v. 1, would likely be def. 1(b), "to go, advance, move forth; also, refl. betake oneself." This is almost synonymous with the majority reading, coming from MED wenden, v.]

[^575: X.16.354: There is a stray mark over the second minim of <m>, perhaps a false start, but there is no correction or change.]

[^576: X.16.358: RK interpret the Latin here as laboram, listing several manuscripts with that reading, but since it is impossible to distinguish the required <ui> from <m>, as each is simply three minims, we take the scribe to have intended the actual form of the verb from Psalms 6:7.]

¶ Lauabis me & super niuem dealbabor
And thenne syngeth he when he doth so / and som-tyme wypynge[^a628][^577]

[^a628: wypynge (X) | wepynge (most other mss)]

[^577: X.16.362: It is not clear what word the scribe has intended; nowhere else in the manuscript does he spell forms of MED wepen, v., with a <y>, but the MED does attest such forms. If, rather, he intends a form of MED wipen, v., it would probably be in the sense of def. 3(a), "[t]o wipe off (dirt, sweat, etc.); dry (tears)," or def. 4(a), "[t]o rub (one's eyes)," since these meanings relate to the notion of weeping required by the context.]

¶ Cor contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies
Were y with hym by Criest Cr[i]st quod y / y wolde neuere fro hym
Thogh y my byliue sholde begge / a-boute at menne hacches
Where clerkes knowe hym nat quod y / þat kepen holy churche
Peres the plouhman quod he moste parfitlyche hym knoweth

¶ Et vidit deus cogitaciones eorum
By clothyng ne by carpynge / knowe shaltow hym neuere
Ac thorw werkes thow myhte wyte / wherforth he walketh

¶ Operibus credite
He is þe murieste of mouthe at mete þer he sitteth
And compenable in companye a[^a629] s Crist hym-sulue techeth

[^a629: a (X Wa) | as (all other mss)]

¶ Nolite tristes fieri sicut ypocrite
[^578] Ych haue y-sey hym my-sulue som-tyme in russet
Bothe in gray and in grys / and in gult harneys
And also gladliche he hit gaf / to gomes þat hit nedede
Edmond and Edward / ayþer were seyntes
And cheef charite with hem / and chaste all here lyuee lyu[e][^579]

[^578: X.16.375: The indicator visible beside this line likely corresponds to the blue paraph on the line above.]

[^579: X.16.379: We have corrected to the majority liue, but it is possible that the scribe intended the plural liues, attested by KNWa.]

¶ Ich haue y-seye charite also / syngen and rede
Ryden and rennen in raggede clothes
Ac biddyng als a beggare / by-helde y hym neuere
Ac in riche robes rathest he walketh
Y-called and y-crimyled and his croune y-shaue
And in a frere flokke[^a630][^580] he was founde ones
// Charyte was wyth freres
Ac hit is fer and fele ȝer in franceys tyme
In[^a631] sekte sethe / to selde hath he be founde
Riche men a[^581] recomendeth / and of robes[^a632] taketh
Of tho that lelelyche lyuen / and louen and by-leuen
Beatus est diues sine macula

[^a630: flokke (X P2) | frokke (all other mss)]

[^a631: In (X Yc) | In þat (all other mss)]

[^a632: robes (X K P2) | here robes (most other mss)]

[^580: X.16.385: It might be tempting to relate X's unique reading to MED flok, n. 2, def. 1(a), "[a] lock or tuft of wool; also, a tuft of cotton, etc.," but that word does not appear to function metonymically for clothing; rather X's reading is simply the familiar MED flok, n. 1, def. 2(a), "[a] group of people."]

[^581: X.16.388: A, "he."]

¶ In kynges Court a[^582] cometh / yf his consaile be trewe
Ac yf couetyse be of his consaile / a[^583] wol nat come þer -ynne
Amonges þe comune in Court / acometh a cometh[^584] bote selde
For braulyng and bacbitynge / and berynge of fals witnesse

[^582: X.16.391: A, "he."]

[^583: X.16.392: A, "he."]

[^584: X.16.393: A, "he."]

¶ In constorie bifore commissarie / a[^585] cometh nat ful ofte
For ouer -long is here lawe / but yf þay lacche suluer
With bisshopes a[^586] wolde be / for beggares sake
Ac auaris oþer -whiles / halt hym with -oute þe gate
Kyngels Kynge[s] and Cardynals / knewen hym sum-tyme
Ac thorw Coueytyse and his consaile / y-congeyed is he ofte
And ho-so coueyteth to knowe[^a633] / such a kynde hym foloweth
As y tolde þe with tonge / alitel a litel tyme y-passed
For noþer he ne beggeth ne biddeth / ne borweth to ȝelde
He halt hit for a vyce / and a foule shame
To begge or to borwe / but of god one
Panem nostrum cotidianum[^587] / & cetera

[^a633: knowe (X Dc) | knowe hym (all other mss)]

[^585: X.16.395: A, "he."]

[^586: X.16.397: A, "he."]

[^587: X.16.406: No word other than cotidianum can possibly be intended in this phrase from the Lord's Prayer, so we expand while noting the absence of the formal suspension. This is likely less an error than a form of shorthand and haste when making this familiar reference. Alternately, the stroke that appears after <co> might have been intended as a suspension mark.]

Passus · vijus · de dowel & explicit [X.17.0.h.1: The heading indicates that this will be the final passus concerning Dowel.]

T here is no such y sayde / þat som-tyme ne borweth
Or beggeth or biddeth / be he ryche or pore
And ȝut oþer -while wroeth / with -outen eny synne
Ho is wroeth and wolde be a-wreke / holy writ preueth quod he
A[^588] passeth cheef charite / yf holy churche be trewe

[^588: X.17.5: A, "he."]

¶ Caritas omnia soffert s[u]ffert
Holy writ witnesseth þer were suche eremytes
Solitarie by hem-sulue / in here selles lyuede
With -oute borwynge or beggynge / bote of god one
Excepte þat Egide / a hynde oþer -while
To his selle selde cam / and soffred be mylked
Elles foules fedde hem / in frythes þer they wonede
Bothe Antony and arseny / and oþer fol monye
Paul primus heremita / hadde y-parrokede hym-sulue
That no man myhte se hym / for moes and for leues
Foules hym fedde / yf frere Austynes be trewe
For he ordeyned þat ordre / or elles þey gabben
Paul aftur his prechyng / paniars he made
And wan with his handes / al þat hym nedede

¶ Peter fischede for his fode / And his fere Androwe
Som they sode and som they solde / and so they lyuede bothe
Marie Maudeleyne / by mores lyuede and dewes
Loue and lele byleue / held lyf and soule to-gyderes
Marie Egipciaca / eet in thritty wynter
Bote thre litle loues / and loue was here soule
Y can nat rykene hem riȝt now / ne reherse here names
That lyueden thus for oure lordes loue monye longe ȝeres
With -oute borwynge or beggynge / or þe boek lyeth
And woneden in wildernesses amonges wilde bestes
Ac durste no beste byte hem / by day ne by nyhte
Bote myldelyche when þey metten / maden lowe there chere
And faire byfore tho men / faunede with þe tayles
Ac bestes brouhte hem no mete / bute onliche þe foules
In tokenynge þat trewe man / alle tymes sholde
Fynde honest men and holy men / and oþer rihtfole peple
notate relegiosi
For wolde neuere faythfull god / þat freres and monkes
Toke lyflode of luyther wynnynges / in all here lyf-tyme
As wittnesseth holy writ / what tobie saide to his wyf
When he was blynde he herde a laimbe la[m]be blete
Wyf be y-war quod he / what haue we her-ynne
Lord leue quod þat lede / no stole thynge be her-ynne

Thobi
¶ Videte ne furtum sit & alibi meliuus meli[us] est mori quam male viuere & cetera
This is no more to mene / bote menof men of holy churche
Sholde reseue riht nauht / but þat riht wolde
And refuse reuerences / and raueriers[^a634][^589] offrynges
Thenne wolde lordes and ladyes / be loth for to agulte
And to take of here tenauntes / more then treuthe wolde
And marchauntz merciable wolde be / and men of lawe bothe

[^a634: raueriers (X) | raueners (most other mss)]

[^589: X.17.45: X's reading may come from MED ravere, n., "[a] lunatic, madman" as opposed to the reading in all C manuscripts, which comes from MED ravinour, n., "[a] thief, robber, plunderer," a word rendered correctly just four lines later in X.]

¶ Wolde religious[^590] refuse rauenours Almesses
And thenne grace sholde growe ȝut and grene loue wexe
And charite þat chield is now / sholde chaufen of hym-sulue
And conforte alle cristene / wolde holy churche amende
Iop þe parfite patriarke / this prouerbe wroet and tauhte
To make men louye mesure / þatmonkes þat monkes ben and freres

[^590: X.17.49: There appears to be some blotting over the <o> in this word, but there is no correction or alteration of text.]

¶ Nunquam dicit Iop rugiet onager cum habuerit herbam
Iop con tra relegiosi
Aut mugiet bos · cum ante plenum presepe steterit
Brutorum Animalium natura te condempnat
Quia cum pabulum comune sufficiat
Ex adipe prodiit iniquitas tua
Yf lewede men knewe this latyn alitel a litel they wolden auysen hem
Ar they amorteysed eny more / for monkes or for Chanoun
Allas lordes and ladyes / lewede consayle h aue ȝe
To feffe suche and fede / þat founded ben to þe fulle
With þat ȝoure bernes and ȝoure b loed by goed lawe may clayme
For god bad his blessed as þe boek techeth

¶ Honora patrem & matrem & cetera
// takeþ kepe hyer of lewed peple & ek clerkes to whom ȝe schull First do

[X.17.67.m.1: The poem itself here warns that ignorant people are endowing an already wealthy clergy when they ought to be looking out for their own descendants. Pearsall (2008) points out that "honor thy father and mother" can mean providing for descendants (p. 285). In this context, this gloss might be broken down into three parts: 1) takeþ kepe hyer of lewed peple—that is, be aware here of what ignorant people do; 2) & ek clerkes—that is, also (take keep of) clerks by noting the corrupt role that clerks have in drawing money from families to priories and monasteries; and 3) to whom ȝe schull First do—that is, (notice here further) whom we should first "do" i.e, whom we should provide for, instead of the greedy clergy. The unexpected capital <F> of First might be happenstance, or might be for emphasis. We take do as MED don, v. 1, def. 7(a), "[t]o give (alms, charity), offer (sacrifice, an offering)." Consider also def. 9a(a), "[t]o act, behave, proceed; act or behave (in a certain manner)," which may apply as well. Given a greedy clergy, charity should begin at home; we should care for our own family, as a way of honoring both parentage and posterity.]

To helpe thy fader formost byfore freres or monkes
Or ar prestes or pardoners / or eny peple elles
Helpe thy kyn Crist bid[^591] / for þer bigynneth charite
And afturward a-wayte / ho hath moest nede
And þer helpe yf thow haste[^a635] / and þat halde y charite
Lo laurence for his largenesse / as holy lore telleth
That his mede and his manhede / for euere-more shal laste

[^a635: haste (X Ac Yc) | hast (most other mss)]

[^591: X.17.69: The manuscript seems to be damaged, perhaps with a water stain, over kyn Crist bid and some letters in the line below, but we do not detect any erasures here.]

¶ Iusticia eius manet ineternum in eternum
He gaf goddes men goddes goodes / and nat grete lordes
And fedde þat an-hungred[^592] were / and indefaute in defaute lyuede
Y dar nat carpe of clerkes now þat cristes tresor kepe
That pore peple by puyre riht / here part myhte aske
Of þat þat holychurche holy churche / of þe olde lawe claymeth
¶ Prestes on aparayl / and on p ur nele now spene

[^592: X.17.76: Here Hand 1 has misspelled his intended reading, afyngred, so we have marked this up with a correction. Hand 2 has added two dots, which we interpret as indicating deletion of the original reading. He has supplied the replacement, an-hungred, above the line. The correction aligns X with a number of other manuscripts (IKNcZ), though others have various forms of the word hunger. The majority reading, however, is that of Hand 1 (as we imagine his intention to have been), that is, afyngred. So in this instance Hand 2 has likely altered an archetypal reading.]

¶ Me may now likene lettred men to a loscheborw oþer worse
And to abadde a badde peny / with agode a gode printe
Of moche noone [m]oone[^593] þe metal is nauhte and ȝut is þe printe puyr trewe[^594]
And parfitliche y-graue / and so hit fareth by false cristene
Here follynge / is trewe cristen-doem of holy kyrke
The kynges marke of heuene

[^593: X.17.83: The required word here is moone, as the subject is "money," and we are not sure what X would have intended with noone which, if not nonsense, would be a form of "no one" or perhaps "none" (the canonical hour) which makes little sense here.]

[^594: X.17.83: The following three line breaks are unique to XIKP2 (though UcYc share a break with X at trewe at X.17.84 as well). See RK's rendering, following most C manuscripts, which breaks the lines at nauhte, y-graue, and is trewe. Perhaps in X's case the noone of X.17.82 threw off the alliteration, but that would not explain the same break in other manuscripts necessarily, for they lack that unique <n>-for-<m> error. As it is, none of lines X.17.83-X.17.86 scan.]

¶ Ac þe metal þat is mannes soule of this techares
Is a-layed with leccherye and oþer lustes of synne
That god coueyteth nat þe coyne þat crist hym-sulue printede
And for þe synne of þe soule / forsaketh his oune coyne
Thus ar ȝe luyþer y-likned / to lossheborwes sterlynges
That fayre byfore folk prechen and techen
And worcheth nat as ȝe fyndeth y-wryte and wisseth þe peple
For what thorw werre and wrake / and wikkede hefdes
May no preyere pees make / in no place hit semeth
Lewed men han no byleue and lettred men erren
Noþer see ne send s[o]nd / ne þe seed ȝeldeth
As they y-woned were / in wham is defaute
Nat in god þat he ne is goed / and þe grounde bothe
And þe se and the seed / þe sonne and þe mone
Doen her deuer day and nyhte / dede we so alse
Ther sholde be plente and pees perpetuel euere

¶ Wedur -wyse shipmen now / and oþer witty peple
Haen no by-leue to þe lyft / ne to þe lode sterres
Astronomiens alday in here arte faylen
That whilum warnede men byfore / what sholde byfalle aftur
Shipmen and sheep-herdes by þe seuene sterres
Wisten wel and tolde / when hit sholde ryne
tilyares þat tilede þe erthe / tolden here maystres
By the seed þat they sewe / what þey sulle myhte
And what lyue by and leue / the londe was so trewe

¶ Now failleth this folk / bothe follwares and shipmen
Noþer they ne knoweth[^a636] ne conneth a cours by anoþer
Astronamyens also / aren at here wittes ende
Of þat was kalculed of þe clymat / the contrarie þey fynde
Gramer þe grounde of al / bigileth nouthe childrene
For is noon ho-so nymeth hede þat can versifye vayre[^595]
Or formallych endite / ne[^a637] construe kyndelyche þat poetes made

[^a636: ne knoweth (X I Uc Yc) | knowith (most other mss)]

[^a637: ne (X I K P2) | ne can (most other mss)]

[^595: X.17.117: Line divisions vary here, as XDcIKNP2Uc render the phrase þat can versifye vayre in the b-verse here instead of in the a-verse of the next line. The problem in X (and perhaps in others, too) is the omission of another /n/ alliterating word, now, in the a-verse of X.17.117, which must have led X (or its ancestors), as we have often seen, to think the line incomplete and to import material from below, leading to the common domino effect on the next, newly made line. Related to this also is X's lack of the needed alliterative word can in X.17.118, that would have turned the phrase ne construe kyndelyche þat poetes made into a whole line, while here in X it is relegated in X to a b-verse.]

¶ Go we now to eny degre /and bote gyle be holde amaister a maister
And flaterrere for his vscher / and ferly me thynketh
doctours of decre / and of diuinite maistres
That sholde þe seuene ars conne / and assoile a quodlibet
Bothe[^a638] they fayle in philosophie / and philosoferes lyuede
Lord lete þat this prestes / lelly seien here masse
That they ouerhippe nat for hastite / as y hope they do nat
Thogh hit suffice for oure sauacioun soeth-faste byleue
As Clerkes in corpus cristi feste syngen and reden
That sola fides sufficit / to saue with lewede peple

[^a638: Bothe (X) | Bote (all other mss)]

¶ Ac ȝif prestes doen here deuer wel / we shal do þe bettre
For sarrasynes may be saued so / yf they so byleued
In þe letynge of here lyf / to leue on holy churche
What is holy churche chere frende quod y / Charite he saide
Lief and loue and leutee / in o byleue alawe a lawe
A loue-knotte of leutee / and of lele byleue
Alle kyne cristene / cleuynge[^596] on o will
With -oute gyle and gabbyng / gyue and sulle and lene
Loue lawe with -oute leutee / allouable was hit neuere
God lereth no lyf to louye / with -outen lele cause

[^596: X.17.135: The word appears blotted or water stained in the manuscript, but there is no correction here.]

¶ Iewes and gentel sarresines / iugen hem-sulue
That lelyche they byleue / and ȝut here lawe diuerseth
And o god þat al bygan · with gode herte they honoureth
And ayther loueth and byleueth / in o · god almyhty
Ac oure lord aloueth no loue / but lawe be þe cause
For lechours louyen aȝen þe lawe / and at þe laste ben dampned
And theues louyen and leute hatien / and at þelaste þe laste ben hanged
And lele men lyue as lawe techeth / and loue þer -of aryseth
The whiche is þe heued of charite / and hele of mannes soule

¶ dilige deum propter deum Id est propter veritatem & inimicum tuum propter mandatum Id est propter legem & Amicum propter Amorem id est propter caritatem
Loue god for he is goed / and grounde of alle treuthe
// notate bene de amore

[X.17.150.m.1: The Latin inflection that we have supplied was cropped out accidentally during trimming.]

Loue thyn enemye entierely / goddes heste to fulfille
Loue thy frende þat folleweth thy wille that is thy fayre soule
For when alle frendes faylen / and fleen a-way in deynge
Thenne seweth the soule to sorwe or to ioye
And ay hopeth eft to be / with here body at þe laste
In murthe or in mournynge and neuere eft to departe
And þat is charite leue chield / to be cher ouer thy soule

¶ Contrarie her nat as in Consience / yf thow wold[^a639] come to heuene
Where sarresynes y saide / y-se nat what is charite
Hit may be so þat sarresynes / haen such amanere a manere charite
Louen as by lawe of kynde / oure lord god almyhty
Hit is kyndly thyng creature / his creatour to honoure
For þer is no man þat mynde hath / þat ne meketh[^a640] and bysecheth
To þat lord þat hym lyf lente / lyflode hym sende
Ac many manere men þer ben / as sarresynes and iewes
Louyeth nat þat lord aryht as by þe legende sanctorum
And lyuen oute of lele byleue / for they loue on amene a mene
Aman A man þat hihte Makameth for messie they hym holdeth
And aftur his leryng they lyue and by lawe of kynde
And when kynde hath his cours / and no contrarie fyndeth
Thenne is lawe y-lefte and leute vnknowe

[^a639: wold (X) | wolt (most other mss)]

[^a640: meketh (X) | meketh hym (most other mss)]

¶ Beaute sanz bounte / blessed was[^a641] neuere
Ne kynde sanz cortesie / in no contreye is preysed
notate de Macometh
Me fynde wel þat Macometh / was aman a man y-cristened
And a cardinal of Court a gret clerk with -alle
And pursuede to haue be pope prince of holychirche holy chirche
Ac for he was lyk a lossheborw / y leue oure lord hym lette
For-thy souhte[^a642] in-to surie and sotiled how he myhte
Be maister ouer alle tho men / and on this manere a[^597] wrouhte

[^a641: was (X N) | was hit (all other mss)]

[^a642: souhte (X I P2) | souhte he (most other mss)]

[^597: X.17.178: A, "he."]

¶ He endaunted a douue / and day and nyhte here fedde
In ayþer of his eres priueliche he / hadde
Corn[^a643] coluere eet when he come in places
And in what place he prechede / and the peple tauhte
Thenne sholde þe coluere come to þe clerkes ere
Menyng as aftur mete / thus macumeth here enchauntede

[^a643: Corn (X I K) | Corn þat þe (most other mss)]

¶ And when þe coluer can this[^a644] then knelede þe peple
For Macometh to men swaer hi t was amessager a messager of heuene
And sothliche þat god sulue / in suche a coluere lyknesse
Tolde hym and tauhte[^a645] / how to teche þe peple
Thus macumeth in misbileue / man & womman brouhte
And on his lore thei lyuen ȝut / as wel lered as lewed

[^a644: can this (X) | cam thus (all other mss)]

[^a645: tauhte (X) | tauhte hym (all other mss)]

¶ And seth oure saueour / soffrede such a fals cristene
disceue so the sarrasyns sothlyche me thynketh
Holy men as y hope / thorw helpe of the holy goste
Sholden conuerte hem to Crist / and cristendoem to take
Allas þat men so longe / on Macometh bileueth
// be-hold se lo what prelates scholde do
So manye prelates to preche / as þe pope maketh
Of nasareth of vyneue [n]yneue / of neptalym of damaske
[^598] That they ne wente as holy writ byd Ite in vniuersum mundum
Sethe ȝe wilne þe name to be prelates and preche
The passioun of ihesus and as hym-sulue saide
So to lyue and deye Bonus Pastor animam suam ponit pro ouibus suis & cetera

[^598: X.17.198-X.17.201: X.17.198-X.17.201 share this line division with DcIP2UcYc; compare the majority arrangement offered at RK17.190-RK.17.193, where the lines divide at byd, name, ihesus, and deye, with the Latin Bonus, etc., set off as an extrametrical tag (RK.17.193α). Here in X, that Latin tag looks like a b-verse of a macaronic line, though there is no telling how the scribe perceived it beyond placement. Again, as we have often seen, the problem comes from confusion about the length of a particular line, in this case X.17.198, which, though compact, must alliterate on the two /w/ sounds. X (or its ancestors) did not see it this way and imported the a-verse of the next line (Ite in vniuersum mundum ) up into it, creating the oft-seen domino effect on the next lines. Notice how RK.17.191 (the b-verse of X.17.198 and a-verse of X.17.199) must alliterate on /u/ (vniuersum) and /w/ (wilne). None of this seems to have been apparent to the scribes who wrought the current line division.]

¶ Hit is reuthe to rede how riht holy men lyuede
How they deffoulen[^a646] here flesche / forsoke here owne wille
Fer fro couthe and fro kyn / euele y-clothed ȝeden
Baddeliche y-bedded / no boek but here Consience
Ne no rychesse but þe rode to reioysen hem ynne

[^a646: deffoulen (X Dc) | deffouled (most other mss)]

¶ Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri & cetera
And tho was pees and plente amonges pore and ryche
And now is reuthe to rede / how þe rede noble
Is reuerenced byfore the rode / and resceyued for the worthiore
To amende and to make / as with men of holy churche
// þe croys is coueytyd
Thenne cristes cros þat ouercome / deth and dedly synne

¶ And now is werre and wo / and who-so why asketh
For couetyse aftur a cros / the corone stand in golde
Bothe riche and religioues[^a647][^599] / þat rode they honouren
That in grotes is graue / and in golde nobles
For couetyse of the croes / clerkes of holichurche holi churche
Sholle ouerturne as þe templers dede þe tyme approcheth faste
Minne ȝe[^a648] lettred men · / how tho men honourede
More tresor then treuthe / y dar nat telle þe sothe
notate hic aliqui
How tho corsede cristene / catel and richesse worschipede
Resoun and rihtfol doem / tho religious dampnede

[^a647: religioues (X I Yc) | religious (most other mss)]

[^a648: ȝe (X I K P2) | ȝe nat (all other mss)]

[^599: X.17.215: We transcribe religioues here, though the reading may well be religiones, as RK note. This might also be an error for religiouses with the <s> accidentally left out.]

¶ riht so ȝe clerkes / ȝoure coueytise ar come auht longe
Shal dampne dos ecclesie / and depose ȝow for ȝoure pruyde
deposuit potentes de sede & cetera
Ȝif knyhthoed and kynde wit / and þe comune and consience
To-gederes louyen lelelyche / loueth[^a649][^600] hit bisshopes
The lordschipe of londes lese ȝe shal for euer
And lyuen as leuitici dede / and as oure lord ȝow techeth

[^a649: loueth (X) | leveth (all other mss)]

[^600: X.17.227: X's unique reading loueth, makes little sense. The reading of all other C manuscripts is leveth, and most C manuscripts read leveth wel—translate: "you had better believe it, bishops." The cause of the error is not clear, but it appears that Hand 1 wrote a <b>, perhaps anticipating the last word in the line, and then quickly inserted an <o> to convert the <b> into <l>, resulting in loueth, a error perhaps also influenced by the a-verse's louyen.]

¶ Per primicias[^601] & decimas & cetera
Whan Constantyn of his cortesye / holy kirke dowede
With londes and ledes / lordschipes and rentes
An angel men herde / an[^602] hye at rome crye

[^601: X.17.230: RK record a suspension of <i> alone here, with <r> fully present, but we take the curl after <p> in primicias, commonly a supension of <re>, to have been used here to represent <ri>.]

[^602: X.17.233: An unfinished character follows an.]

¶ dos ecclesie this day / hath y-dronke venym
And þat haen petres power / aren apousened alle
A medecyne moste þerto / þat myhte amende þe prelates
That sholde preye for þe pees / and possession hem letteth
Taketh here londe[^a650] ȝe lordes / and lat hem lyue by dymes
Yf the kynges coueyte / in cristes pees to lyuene
For if possession be poysen / and inparfit hem make
The heuedes of holychurche holy churche / and tho that ben vnder hem
Hit were charite to deschargen hem / for holychurche holy churche sake
And purge hem of þe olde poysen / Ar more perel falle
For were prest-hode more parfyte / that is þe pope formost
that with moneye maynteyneth men do[^a651] werre vppon cristene
Aȝen þe lore of oure lord / as seynt luk witnesseth

[^a650: londe (X) | londes (all other mss)]

[^a651: do (X) | to (most other mss)]

¶ Mihi vindictam & cetera his preyeres with his pacience to pees sholde brynge[^603]
Alle londes in-to loue / And þat in lytel tyme
The pope with alle prestes pax vobis sholde make
And take hede on[^a652] Macometh / thorw amylde a mylde dowue
Hadde al surie as hym-sulue wolde / and sarrasines in equitee
Naught thorw manslaght / and mannes strenghe[^604]
Macometh hadde þe maistrie
Bote thorw pacience and priue gyle he was prince ouer hem all
In such manere me thynketh moste þe pope
Prelates and prestis preeye p[re]ye and biseche
deuouteliche day and nyhte / and with -drawe hem fro synne
And crie to Crist a[^605] wolde his coluer sende
The whiche is þe hy holy gost / þat out of heuene descendet[^a653][^606]
To make a perpetuel pees / bitwene þe prince of heuene
And alle maner men / þat on this molde libbeth
Yf preste-hode were parfyt and preyede thus the peple sholde amende
That contrayen contra[r]yen now cristes lawes / and cristendoem dispisen
For sethe þat this sarrasines / scribz and this iewes
// id est

[X.17.265.m.1: We do not transcribe the raised points here because we take them to be the suspension markers.]

Credo in deum patrem
Haen alyppe a lyppe of oure bileue / the lihtlokour me thynketh
They sholde ho-so trauayle wolde / and of þe trinite teche hem
For alle paynyme preyeth / and parfitliche bileueth
In þe gre the[^607] of god / and his grace asken
And maken here mone to Macometh / here message to shewe
Thus in a fayth lyueth þat folk / and in afals a fals mene
And þat is reuthe for tho rihtfole men / þat in þat reume wonyeth
And aperel a perel for prelates / þat þe pope maketh
That bereth name of Neptalym of Niniue of damaske
For when þe hye kyng of heuene / sente his soule til erthe

[^a652: on (X I K) | how (most other mss)]

[^a653: descendet (X T Uc Yc) | descendyd (most other mss)]

[^603: X.17.247: C manuscripts vary as to where to place the Latin: XIKP2Yc place it here, at the start of RK.17.236; other manuscripts place it at the end of the previous line, but most present it alone on a separate line (as RK do), after RK.17.235. Its metrical status must have confused certain scribes, but it certainly is not part of a macaronic line.]

[^604: X.17.252-253: This line division is shared by XIK. Most C manuscripts present X.17.252-X.17.253 all as one line (cf. RK.17.241). Since the combined version of the line has four lifts on /m/, it is easy to understand why X divided the lines as it does, since they still appear to have alliterative patterning, though X.17.251 strains Duggan's Rules in the b-verse. For a general overview and bibliography on " Duggan's Rules ," see Hoyt N. Duggan, "The End of the Line," in Medieval Alliterative Poetry: Essays in Honour of Thorlac Turville-Petre, ed. John A. Burrow and Hoyt N. Duggan, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006.]

[^605: X.17.258: A, "he."]

[^606: X.17.259: It is difficult to tell if this word in X is Latin (as we have marked it so that it can be searchable as such), or English, or a combination or the two. If Latin, X's form could be the third singular future ("will descend") from descendere. If English, it is perhaps an unattested form of the preterite from MED descenden, v. Schmidt and Pearsall present X's reading simply as English: RK add <h> to obtain descendet[h], also English.]

[^607: X.17.268: HS and RK say that <the> in grethe is written over an erasure. We agree, and believe that X's obtained reading is a form of MED greith(e), n., meaning 1(a), "[r]eadiness, order, governance, control" or 1(b), "effective guidance, counsel; command." The overwhelming majority reading is the simple grete (with P2 reading grace of, influenced by the b-verse grace). I, however, a manuscript that shares several unique readings with X, reads grete of. Here is what might have happened. Like J, X also read grete of, which makes no sense (adjective + preposition). Then Hand 2, while correcting and composing his gloss directly at margin left, saw that something was wrong and erased the final <e> of grete, and perhaps the <t> as well, and then squeezed in <the> (with the <t> likely restroked), obtaining grethe of (noun + preposition). Neither hand noticed that the "error," as it were, or rather the variant we perceive by comparison, was the word of. So Hand 1 let it stand and Hand 2 changed archetypal grete, instead of deleting the offending of. We thank Dorothy Kim and Sarah Wood for assistance with this reading (direct consultation of the manuscript at the Huntington Library 7/29/13). MED greith(e) is rare, but appears in an interesting passage in Piers Ploughman's Creed that also concerns the topic of the Credo, as here in Piers 17 (and it also includes a version of the phrase grete god): PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15) 34: Sire, for grete gods loue, þe graiþ þou me telle, Of what myddelerde man myȝte y best lerne My Crede? ( MED , s.v. greithe, n., def. 1(b).]

¶ Mony myracles a[^608] wrouhte men for to torne
In ensaumple þat men sholde · se by sad resoen
That men myhte nat be saued / but thorw mercy and grace
And thorw penaunce and passioun / and parfyt bileue
And bicam man of a mayde / and metropolanus metropol[it]anus
And baptised and bisshemede[^a654][^609] / with þe bloed of his herte
Alle þat wilnede and wolde / with inwit bileue hit
Mony seynte sethe soffrede deth also
For to enferme þe fayth / ful wyde-whare deyede
In ynde in alisandre / in Armonye in spayne
And fro mysbileue mony men turnede
In sauacioun of mannes soule / seynte Thomas of Canterbury
Amonges vkynde v[n]kynde cristene in holy churche was slawe
And alle holy kirke honoured / thorw that deyng
He is a forbisene to alle bisshopis / and abriht a briht myrrour
And souereynliche of suche þat of surie bereth þe name
And nat in Ingelond to huppe aboute / and halewe men auters
And crepe in amonges curatours / and confessen aȝeyn þe lawe

[^a654: bisshemede (X I Yc) | bisshopid (most other mss)]

[^608: X.17.275: A, "he."]

[^609: X.17.280: The XIYc reading might come from MED bishamen, v., meaning "[t]o slander (sb.)," which is among the most bizarre readings one can imagine, attributing the act of slander to Christ. More likely this is an error for the interesting though minority reading (adopted by Pearsall, RK, and Schmidt) from MED bishinen, v., perhaps def. 2, "(a) [o]f God, Scripture, theology: to shed spiritual light upon (sth.); illuminate, enlighten; (b) to enlighten (the mind, etc.); (c) to make illustrious." These editors thus reject the overwhelming majority reading of the C manuscripts, bisshopid, from MED bishopen, v., "[t]o confirm (a baptized Christian); bestow salvation upon (the faithful)," since, as Schmidt (2011) says, the sacrament of confirmation is incongruous in the immediate context ( Parallel Text Edition , vol. II.1, p. 434).]

¶ Nolite mittere falcem in messem alienam & cetera
Many man for cristes loue / was martired amonges Romaynes
Or cristendoem were knowe þere / or eny croos honoured
Euery bisshope bi þe lawe / sholde buxumliche walke
And pacientliche thorw his prouynce / And to his peple hym shewe
Feden hem and follen hem / and fere hemfro hem fro synne

¶ In baculi forma / sit presul hec tibi norma
Fer trahe punge gregem seruando per omnia legem
And enchaunten hem to charite / on holy churche to bileue
For as þe kynde is of a knyhte / or for akynge a kynge to be take
And amonges here enemyes / in mortel batayles
To be culd and ouercome the comune to defende
So is þe kynde of a curatour for criste[^a655] loue to preche
And deye for his dere childrene / to defende[^a656] dedly synne
Bonus pastor & cetera[^610] / and nameliche þer þat lewede lyuen and no lawe ne knoweth

[^a655: criste (X P2) | cristes (all other mss)]

[^a656: defende (X) | destruye (all other mss)]

[^610: X.17.307: As we have seen before, here the C manuscripts vary on the placement of the Latin tag. XIK place the Latin here, while other manuscripts place it after the English.]

¶ Ac we cristene conneth þe lawe / and haen of oure tonge
Bischope[^a657] and bokes / the bileue to teche
Iewes lyuen in þe lawe / þat oure lord tauhte
Moises to be maister þer -of / til messie come
And on þat lawe they leue / and leten hit for þe beste
And ȝut knewe they crist þat cristendoem tauhte
And for a parfit profete / that moche peple sauede
[^611] And of selcouthe sores / saued men fol ofte
By þe myracles þat he made / messie he semede
Tho he luft vp lasar / þat layde was in graue

[^a657: Bischope (X I) | Bischopes (all other mss)]

[^611: X.17.315-X.17.316: A blue figure extending from X.17.315-X.17.316, most likely a blue paraph, has been erased from the left margin. One has also been erased from the left margin beside X.17.318-X.17.320, but that one has been replaced with a red paraph.]

[^612] ¶ Quadriduanus coeld / quyk · dede hym walke
Iewes sayde þat hit seye / with soercerye he wrouhte
And studeden how to struye hym / and struyden hem-sulue
And her power thorw his pacience / to puyr nauht brouhte
And ȝut they seyen sothly / and so doen þe sarrasynes
That ihesus was bote a iogelour / a iapare amonges þe comune
And a sofistre of soercerie / and a seudo-propheta
And that his lore was lesynges / and lakken hit alle
And hopen þat he be to come / þat shal hem releue
Moises oþer Macometh / here maystres deuyneth
And haen a suspectioun to be saef / bothe sarresynes & iewes
Thorw Moises and Macometh / and myhte of god þat made al
And sethe þat this sarresynes / and also þe iewes
Conne þe furste clause of oure bileue credo in deum patrem
Prelates and prestes / sholde proue yf they myhte
Lere hem littelum and littelum / and in ihesum christum filium
Til they couthe speke and spele / et in spiritum sanctum
Recorden hit and reden hit / with remissionem peccatorum
Carnis resurectoem resurect[i]onem & vitam eternam amen

[^612: X.17.318-X.17.320: A blue paraph extending from X.17.318-X.17.320 has been erased from the left margin, having been replaced with a red paraph. One has also been erased from the left margin beside X.17.315-X.17.316.]

Passus primus de dobet

L Eue liberum Arbitrium quod y · / y leue as y hope
// liberum arbitrium
Thow couthest telle me and teche me to charite as y leue
Thenne louh liberum Arbitrium / and ladde me forth with tales
Til we cam in-to a contre cor hominis hit heihte
Erber of alle pryuatees / and of holynesse
Euene in þe myddes / an ympe as hit were
That hihte ymago dei / graciousliche hit growede
Thenne gan y aske what hit hihte / and he me sone tolde
The tree hatte trewe loue quod he / the trinite hit sette
Thorw louely lokynges hit lyueth / and launseth vp blosmes
The whiche blosmes buirnes / benigne speche hit calleth
And þer -of cometh a goed fruyt / þe wiche men calleth werkes
Of holynesse of hendenesse / of helpe hym þat nedeth
The whiche is Caritas ykald Cristes oune fode
And solaceth alle soules / sorwful in purgatory

¶ Now certes y sayde and siȝte for ioye y thonke ȝow a thousend sethe[^613]
That ȝe me hider kende / and sethen þat ȝe fouchen saef
To sey me as hit hoteth / and he thonkede me tho
Bote thenne toek y hede / hit hadde schoriares to shuyuen hit vp
Thre shides of o lenghe / and of o kyne colour & kynde as me thoghte
Alle thre yliche long / and yliche large

[^613: X.18.16: This and the following four line breaks are unique to XIKP2. These manuscripts move what should be the a-verse of X.18.17 (y thonke ȝow a thousend sethe) up into the b-verse of X.18.16. The result is that X.18.16 and X.18.20 are hypermetrical and X.18.17-X.18.18, all made from disjointed half lines, do not scan. So again we see the domino effect that such dislocations and confusions can cause.]

¶ Moche merueyled me / on what more thei growede
And askede ofte[^a658] of hym / of what wode they were

[^a658: askede ofte (X I K) | askede efte (most other mss) | efte askede (Ac Ec Mc Nc P Rc Vc)]

¶ Thise thre shorriares quod he / that bereth vp this plonte
Bytokeneth trewely / the trinite of heuene
Thre persones indepartable / perpetuel were euere
Of o will of o wit / and he[^a659] r -with y kepe
The fruyt of this fayre tre / fro thre wikkede wyndes[^614]
The world is a wikkede wynd / to hem þat wolde treuthe
Couetyse cometh of þat wynde / and Caritas hit abiteth
And for-fret þat fruyt / thorw many fayre shites s[ih]tes[^615]
And with þe furste planke y palle hym down potencia dei patris

[^a659: he (X I) | her (most other mss)]

[^614: X.18.28: X omits the following line attested by all C witnesses: And fro fallynge the stok hit fayle nat of his myhte (RK.18.30).]

[^615: X.18.31: We take shites here, below at X.18.35, and earlier at X.1.208 to be a simple transposition error, shared by XIYc.]

¶ Thenne is þe flesch afel a fel wynde and in flouryng tyme
Thorw lecherie and lustes so loude he gynneth blowe
That hit norisheth nise shites s[ih]tes[^616] / and som-tyme wordes
And many wikkede werkes / wormes of synne
And al for-bet[^a660] Caritas / rihte to þe bare stalke

[^a660: for-bet (X) | forbit (most other mss)]

[^616: X.18.35: We take shit here, above at X.18.31, and earlier at X.1.208 to be a simple transposition error, shared by XIP2TYc.]

¶ Thenne sette y þe seconde planke / sapiencia dei patris
The which is þe passioun & þe penaunce & þe parfitnesse of ihesus
And þerwith y warde hit oþerwhile / til hit waxe rype

¶ And thenne fondeth the fende / my fruyte to destruye
And leyth a laddere þerto / of lesynges ben þe ronges
And with alle þe wyles þat he can / waggeth þe rote
Thorw bagbitares and braules[^a661] / and thorw bolde chidares
And shaketh hit ne were[^617] hit vnder-shored hit sholde nat stande
So this lordeynes lithereth þerto þat alle þe leues falleth
And feccheth a-way þe fruyt som-tyme / byfore bothe myn yes
And thenne palle y adoune the pouke / with the thridde shoriere
/

[X.18.49.m.1: Here we see a single slash of unknown significance. Perhaps for a moment, the scribe contemplated putting a paraph marker at X.18.49, but since it is only a single slash, we do not transcribe a paraph.]

The whiche is spiritus sanctus / and sothfaste bileue
And that is grace of þe holygost holy gost / and thus gete y the maystrye
I · toted vp-on þat tree tho / and thenne toek y hede
Where þe fruyt were fayre / or foul for to loke on
And þe fruyt was · fayre non fayrere be myhte[^618]
As[^a662] in thre degrees hit grewe / grete ferly me thouhte
And askede efte tho / where hit were all o kynde

[^a661: braules (X K Uc Yc) | braulers (all other mss)]

[^a662: As (X I) | Ac (most other mss)]

[^617: X.18.45: What appears here to be possibly a suspension of <er> or <re> is in all probability simply a badly written anglicana <e>.]

[^618: X.18.53: Although this line lacks a virgule, which should come between the a-verse and the b-verse after fayre, it has a raised point of unknown function after was in the a-verse.]

¶ Ȝe sertes he sayde and sothliche leue hit
Hit is al of o kynde / and þat[^619] shal y preuen
Ac somme ar swettore then somme / And somme wollen rotye
Me may se on an appul tree mony tyme and ofte
Of o kynde apples / aren nat iliche grete
Ne suynge smale / ne of swettenesse swete
Tho that sitten in þe sonne syde sannore aren rype
Swettore and saueriore / and also more grettore
Then tho that seld haen þe sonne / and sitten in þe North half
And so hit fareth sothly / sone by oure kynde

[^619: X.18.57: In this line on the words and þat and in the following line on the first instance of somme, letters are darker, either from restroking or from a flooded pen. We see no evidence, however, of a correction here, nor are there surviving variants that would point to a motivation for correction.]

¶ Adam was as tre / and we aren as his apples
Somme of vs soethfaste / and somme variable
Summe litel somme large / y-lik apples of kynde
As weddede men and wedewes / and riht worthy maydones
The whiche þe seynt spirit seweth / the sonne of al heuene
And conforteth hem in here continence / þat lyuen in contemplacioun
As monkes and monyals / men of holy churche
These haen þe ȝyfte[^a663] of þe holigoest holi goest / as hath þecrop þe crop of tre sonne[^a664]
Wedewes and wedewares / þat here own ee own[e][^620] wil forsaken
And chaste leden here lyf / is lyf of contemplacioun
And more lykynde to oure lord / then lyue as kynde asketh
And folewe þat the flesche wole / and fruyt forth brynge

[^a663: ȝyfte (X I K P2) | hete (most other mss)]

[^a664: sonne (X Ch) | the sonne (all other mss)]

[^620: X.18.74: RK read the word as "ownee (e(1) over n another ink)." We see no evidence of a different ink.]

¶ That Actiua lyf lettred men / in here langage hit calleth
Ȝe sire y sayde and sethen þer aren but tweyne lyues
That oure lord alloweth / as lered men vs techeth

¶ Actiua vita & contemplatiua vita
Why groweth this fruyt in thre degres / a goed skil he saide
Here beneth y may nyme / yf y nede hadde
Matrimonye amoist a moist fruyt / þat multiplieth þe peple
And thenne aboue is bettere fruyt / as bothe two ben gode
Wydewhode more worthiore then wedlok as in heuene
Thenne is virginite more vertuous and fayrest as inheuene in heuene
For þat is euene with angelis / and a ngeles pere
Hit was þe furste fruyte / þat þe fader of heuene blessed
And bad hit be of abat a bat of erthe aman a man and a maide
In menynge þat the fayrest thyng / the furste thynge shold honoure
And þe clennest creature / furste creature[^a665] knowe
In kynges Court and in knyhtes the clenneste men and fayreste
Shollen serue for þe lord sulue / and so fareth god almyhty
maydones and martres ministrede here on erthe
And on hey heuene is priueoste and next hym by resoun
And for þe fayrest fruyte / byfore hym as of erthe
And swete with -oute swellynge / sour worth hit neuere
¶ This is a propre p lonte[^621] quod y · / and priueliche hit bloweth
And bryngeth forth fruyt / folk of alle nacioun
Bothe parfit and inparfit / puyr fayn y wolde
Assay what sauour hit hadde and saide þat tyme
Leue liberum Arbitrium / lat some lyf hit shake
And anoon he hihte Elde / anhy an hy for to clymbe
And shaken hit sharpeliche / the rype sholden falle
And Elde clemp to þe c ropward thenne comsed hit to crye
A[^622] waggede wedewhed / and hit wepte aftur
A[^623] meued matrimonye / hit made afoyle a foyle noyse
For euere as Elde hadde eny down / þe de uel[^624] was wel redy
And gadered hem alle to-gyderes / bothe grete & smale
Adam and Abraham / and ysaye þe prophete
Sampson and samuel / and seynt Iohan þe Baptiste
And baer hem forth baldly no-body hym lette

[^a665: creature (X K H2) | creatour (most other mss)]

[^621: X.18.99: The <l> is written over what may be an aborted superscript, as if the scribe began by writing <þer> and realized the required letters were <pl>, hence quickly writing in an <l>, by way of correction.]

[^622: X.18.107: A, "he."]

[^623: X.18.108: A, "he."]

[^624: X.18.109: RK correctly see that directly after the first <e> is an unfinished letter, which we read as <l>, overwritten by the first minim of <u>, with the letter having been canceled by overwriting rather than by being erased.]

¶ And made of holy men his hoerd in limbo inferni
There is derkenesse and drede / and þe deuel maister
Thenne moued hym moed in magestate dei

¶ That libera voluntas dei / lauhte þe myddel Shoriare[^625]
And hit aftur þe fende / happe how hit myhte
¶ Filius by þe fadres wille fley with spiritus sanctus
To go ransake þat ragman / and reue hym of his apples
That thorw fals biheste and fruyt / furste man disseyued
And thenne spak spiritus sanctus / in gabrieles mouthe
To a mayde þat hihte marie ameke a meke thyng with -alle
That oen ihesus a Iustices sone / most iouken in here chaumbre
Til plenitudo temporis / tyme y-come were
That elde felde efte þe fruyt or full to be rype
That ihesus sholde iouste þerfore / and by iugenment of Armes
Who sholde fecche this fruyt / the fende or ihesus suluen
The mayde myldeliche / the messager she grauntede
And saide hendely to hym / lo me his hond-mayden
For to worchen his wille / with -outen eny synne

[^625: X.18.117: With Shoriare, which we take to be capitalized, the scribe may have been turning the speaking prop into an actual character. On the confusing proliferation of characters in Piers Plowman, see Calabrese (2018), "Posthuman Piers?: Rediscovering Langland's Subjectivities."]

Maria
Ecce Ancilla domini & cetera
¶ And in þe wombe of þat wenche / was he fourty wokes
And bycam man of þat maide / mankynde to saue
Byg and abydyng · and bold in his barn-hoed
To haue y-fouthte with þe fende Ar fol tyme come
Ac liberum Arbitrium leche-craeft hym tauhte
Til p lenitudo temporis by[^a666] tyme aprochede
That suche a surgien sethen ysaye was þer neuere
Ne noon so faythfol fisciscyen for all þat by-souhte hym
A[^626] lechede hem of here langour / bothe lasares and blynde

[^a666: by (X Dc K P2) | hy (most other mss)]

[^626: X.18.141: A, "he."]

¶ Claudi Ambulant leprosi mundant ur[^627]
And comen wommen conuertede / and clansed hem of synne
And luft vp lazar þat lay in his tombe
Quadriduanus coeld / quyk dede hym rome
Ac ar he made þat miracle / mestus cepit esse
And wepte watur with yes[^a667] / the why weten fewe
Ac tho that sey that selcouth sayde þat tyme
That he was god or godes sone for þat grete wonder
And some iewes saide / with sorserie he wrouhte
And thorw the myhte of Mahond / and thorw misbileue

[^a667: yes (X Yc) | his yes (all other mss)]

[^627: X.18.142: The scribe appears to have written another minim after <t> and then overwritten that with the superscript suspension.]

¶ demonium habes
Ihesus
Thenne is saton ȝoure saueour quod Ihesus & hath ysaued ȝow ofte
Ac y saued ȝow sondry tymes and also y fede ȝow
With fyue fisches and loues / fyue thousendes[^a668] at ones
And y lefte basketes ful of Broke mete bere awey ho-so wolde
Vnkynde and vnkunnynge quod Crist / and with aroep a roep smoet hem
And ouerturnede in þe temple here tables and here stalles
And drof hem out alle þat þer bouhte and solde
And saide this is an hous of orysones / and of holynesse
And when þat my will is / y wol hit ouerthrowe
And ar thre dayes aftur / edefye hit newe
The iewes tolde þe iustice how þat ihesus saide
Ac þe ouerturnynge of the temple / bitokened his resureccioun
Enuye and euel wil / ern in þe iewes
And pursuede hym priueliche / and for pans hym bouhte
Ne forte tumultus fieret in populo
Iudas
Of Ieudas þe iew ihesus oune disciple
This biful on a fryday / alitel a litel bifore Pasche

[^a668: thousendes (X Yc) | þowsant (all other mss)]

¶ That Iudas and iewes / ihesus thei mette
Aue raby quod tho ribaudes / and riht til hym they ȝede
And kuste ihesus to be knowe þerby / and cauht of þe iewes
Thenne ihesus to Iudas / and to þe iewes sayde
Falsnesse y fynde / in thy fayre speche
And kene care in thy kissyng and combraunce to thy-sulue
Thow shalt be myrrour to monye men to disceue
Wo to tho þat thy wyles vysen to þe worldes ende

¶ Ve homini illi per quem s candulum s cand[a]lum venit
Sethe y be tresoun am take / and to ȝoure will iewes
Soffreth my postles in pays / and in pees gange
This iewes to þe iustices / ihesus they ladde

¶ With moche noyse þat nyhte nere frentyk y wakede
In inwit and in alle wittes / aftur liber um Arbitrium
Y waytede witterly /  Ac whoder he wende y ne wiste[^628]
Abraham
And thenne mette y with aman a man / amyddelentones a myddelentones sonenday
As hoer as an hauthorn / and abraham he hihte
Of whennes artow quod y · / and hendeliche hym grette

[^628: X.18.184: We cannot tell what was under the erasures in this line, and these particular words have no variants in other C manuscripts, many of which offer the line in a different syntax. HS wonder if the erased word(s) under he ended in <d>, as a faint <d> is still visible under erasure. The addition of the word he we attribute to Hand 2 because of its ink and letter forms, and because we see the addition of a punctus elevatus at the caesura, a practice we have identified as a characteristic feature of Hand 2's pattern of correction (X.2.38, X.5.21, X.8.287, X.11.321, and X.13.13).]

¶ I am with fayth quod þat freke / hit falleth nat me to lye
An · heraud of Armes Ar eny lawe were
What is his Immesaunces[^a669][^629] quod y / in his cote Armure
+

[X.18.191.m.1: The cross that appears in the right margin is of unknown function, as there are no corrections to the text at this point.]

Thre persones in o pensel quod he / departable fram oþere
O speche and spirit / springeth out of alle
Of o wit and o · will were neuere a-twynne
And sondry to se vpon / solus deus he hoteth
Suche[^a670] they ben suyrelepes quod y · / they haen sondry names
That is soth saide he / thenne the syre hatte pater
And þe seconde is a sone / of þe sire filius
The thridde is þat halt al / a thyng by hym-sulue
Holy goest is his name / and he is in all

[^a669: Immesaunces (X I Yc) | cognisaunce (most other mss)]

[^a670: Suche (X P2) | Siþen (most other mss) | Suthe (Y D2 U D Ch W F N2)]

[^629: X.18.190: We do not know what XIYc may have intended with the word Immesaunces, for which no attestation appears in the MED .]

Of the trinite
¶ This is myrke thyng for me quod y / and for many anoþer
How o lord myhte lyue o thre / y leue hit nat y sayde

¶ Muse nat to moche þer -on quod faith / til thow more knowe
Ac leue hit lelly al thy lyf-tyme
That thre bilongeth to a lord / þat leiaunce claymeth
Miȝte and amene a mene / to se his owne myhte
Of hym-sulue and his seruant / and what soffreth hem bothe
God[^a671] bigynnyng hadde neuere / bote tho hym goed thouhte
Sente forth his sone / As for seruant þat tyme
To ocupien hym here / til issue were spronge
The whiche aren childrene of charite and holy church moder
Patriarches and prophetes / and apostles were the childrene
And Crist and cristendoem / and alle cristene holychurche holy churche
Bitokeneth þe trinite / and trewe bileue
O god almyhty / þat man made and wrouhte
Semblable to hym-sulue / Ar eny synne were
A thre he is þer he is / and here-of bereth wittnesse
The werkes þat hym-sulue wrouhte[^630] / and this world bothe

[^a671: God (X) | God that (most other mss)]

[^630: X.18.217: RK transcribe wreuhte here as the reading of X, and they list it as the only variant among C manuscripts. Pearsall and Schmidt print wrouhte without comment. Lower case <o> and <e> can often look the same, and we simply see <o> here. Compare the many instances of <eu> and <ou> nearby (or anywhere), such as bileue four lines above: in the usual <e> + <u> sequence, the tail of the <e> touches the base of the left minim of the <u> in a clear strong stroke. But in wrouhte we simply have a somewhat imperfectly finished <o>+<u> and thus no variant.]

¶ Celi enarrant gloriam dei & cetera
That he is thre persones departable · y preue hit by mankynde
And o god almyhty / yf alle men ben of Adam
Eue of Adam was / and out of hym y-drawe
And Abel of hem bothe / and alle thre o kynde
And thise thre þat y Carp of Adam and Eue
And abel here issue / aren bote oen in manhede
Matrimonye with -oute moylere is nauht moche to preyse
As þe bible bereth witnesse / A boek of þe olde lawe
That acorsede alle couples / þat no kynde forth brouhte

¶ Maledictus sit homo / qui non reliquit semen in Israel
And man with -oute amake a make / myhte nat wel of kynde
Multiplie ne more-ouer / with -oute amake a make louye
Ne with -oute a soware be suche seed / this we seen alle
Now go we to godhede in god fader of heuene
+
Was þe sone in hym-sulue / in asimile a simile as Eue[^631]
Was when god wolde / oute of þe wey y-drawe
And as abel of Adam / and of his wyf Eue
Sprang forth and spak / a spyer of hem tweyne
So oute of þe syre and of þe sone þe seynt spirit of hem bothe
+
is and ay were / And as thre persones palpable / as puylich puy[r]lich bote o mankynde[^632]
The which is man and his make / and moilere here issue
So is god godes sone / in thre persones the trinite
In matrimone aren thre / and of o man cam alle thre
And to godhede goth thre / And o god is all thre
Lo treys encountre treys quod he / in godhede and in manhede
Hastow y-sey this y seyde / alle thre and o god
In a somur y hym seyh quod he / as y saet in my porche
Where god cam gangynge / a thre riȝt be my gate

[^631: X.18.233: Here is an interesting situation. To the right of this line is a corrector's cross, which is most likely an in-house alert to something in the text that needs to be fixed, yet no action has been taken. RK divide the line differently, following the lone manuscript Wa (their W) that places the word was after Eue instead of placing it as the first word of the next line. It is unlikely that the corrector would have been alert to that, for it is only RK who privilege Wa's reading, with Pearsall and Schmidt printing X as is. Yet we see another cross five lines below at a more apparent textual problem, q.v. These crosses are not modern but contemporary with the manuscript, so they may be clues to parts of a textual history now lost.]

[^632: X.18.238: XIKP2Yc all present this long line thus, because they (and also DcUc, which do not, however, share the same line division) lack a b-verse, found in the other C manuscripts, that would complete is and ay were, here in RK's rendering: & worþ wiþouten ende (RK.18.232b). So X (or its ancestors) did not know what to do and crafted this three-part line with two virgules.]

¶ Tres vidit & vnum adorauit
Y roos vp and reuerensed god / and riȝt fayre hym grette
Wosch hes[^a672][^633] feet and wypede hem / and afturward they eten
And what y thouhte and my wyf he vs wel tolde
He bihihte vs issue and ayr in oure olde age
Fol trewe tokenes bitwene vs is / when tyme cometh þat y mete hym
How he fondede me furste / my fayre sone ysaak
To make sacrefice of hym / he heet me hym to honoure
I · with -saet nat his heste / y hope and bileue
Where y walke in this worlde / a[^634][^635] wol hit me allowe
Y circumsised my sone / also for his sake
My-sulue and my mayne / and alle þat male were
Bledden bloed for þat lordes loue / y hope to blisse þat tyme
Myen affiaunce and my faith / is ferme in his bileue
For hym-sulue saide y sholde[^a673] / y and myn issue bothe
Lond and lordschip ynow / and lyf with -outen ende
To me and myn issue / more he me bihihte
Mercy for oure mysdedes / as many tymes
As we wilnede and wolde / with mouhte and herte aske
And sethe a[^636] sente me to seyn / and saide that y sholde
Worschipe hym with wyn / and with breed bothe
At ones on an auter / in worschipe of the trinite
And made[^a674] sacrefice so / somwhat hit bitokneth
I leue þat ilke lord thenketh / anew a newe lawe to make
Fiet vnum ouile & vnus pastor

[^a672: hes (X Yc) | here (most other mss)]

[^a673: sholde (X) | sholde haue (most other mss)]

[^a674: made (X) | make (all other mss)]

[^633: X.18.249: Hes is the reading of Yc also, and yet that form is nowhere to be found elsewhere in X; Hand 2 must have found that adding <s> was easier than also trying to erase the <e> to obtain the more usual form, his. The resulting singular possessive pronoun clashes with they later in the line, though the text does range between singular (X.18.247) and plural (X.18.248) in this passage about the unified but tri-partite appearance of God (as the Trinity) to Abraham. Perhaps the scribes momentarily lost track of number.]

[^634: X.18.256: We agree with HS who record that Where y walke in is written over an erasure; they specifically say that it is written over For hym-sulue saide, the opening of X.18.261, mistakenly written here, likely from eye-skip because both lines follow a line that ends in bileue. The faint traces of letters still visible, such as the <d> from saide, support their ingenious conclusion.]

[^635: X.18.256: A, "he."]

[^636: X.18.266: A, "he."]

¶ Thus haue y ben his heraud here and in helle
And conforted many acarfol a carfol þere / þat aftur his comyng lokede[^a675]
For-thy y seke hym he saide / for seynt Iohan þe Baptiste
Saide þat a[^637] seyh here / þat sholde saue vs alle Ecce Agnus dei
Thenne hadde y wonder of his wordes / and of wyde[^a676] clothes
For in his bosome abaer a baer[^638] thyng / and þat[^a677] blessede ofte
And y lokede in his lappe / a lazar lay þerynne
With patriarkes and profetes / pleynge to-gyderes

[^a675: lokede (X Fc I Nc) | loken (all other mss)]

[^a676: wyde (X I) | his wyde (all other mss)]

[^a677: þat (X Z) | þat a (all other mss)]

[^637: X.18.275: A, "he."]

[^638: X.18.277: A, "he."]

Fayth
¶ What waytest thow quod fayth / and what wost thew th[o]w haue

¶ I · wolde y-wyte quod y tho / what is in thy lappe
Loo quod he and lette me see / lord mercy y saide
This is apresent a present of moche pris / what prince shal hit haue

¶ Hit is a preciouse present quod he / Ac the pouke hit hath atached
And me þerwith quod the weye / may no wed vs quyte
Ne noen bern ben oure borw / ne bryngen vs out of þat[^a678] daunger
Fro þe poukes pondefold / no maynprise may vs feche
Til he come þat y carpe of / Crist is his name
That shal delyuere vs som day out of þe deueles power
And bettere wed for vs wagen / then we ben alle worthy
And þat is lyf for lyf / or ligge thus euere
Lollyng in my lappe thus / til suche a lord vs feche

[^a678: of þat (X I Uc Yc) | off (most other mss)]

¶ Allas y saide þat synne so longe shal lette
The myhte of goddes mercy / that myhte vs alle amende
And wepte for his wordes / with þat saw y non[^a679] other
Rappliche renne þe riȝt way we wente
And y fraynede hym furst / fro whennes he come
What he hihte / and whoder he wolde / & whithliche he vs tolde[^639]

[^a679: non (X) | an (most other mss)]

[^639: X.18.298: This last line is perfectly in accord with other C manuscripts, but we notice that the scribe has used two virgules, the second correctly at the caesura, that function as modern commas do in creating pauses in a list. The first virgule may, more simply, reflect an initial error in marking the caesura, but the various flashes of what we would perceive as akin to modern punctuation are interesting to ponder.]

¶ [X.19.0.h.1: The headers for Passus 7 (29v) and 19 (82v) and the trailer at the end of Passus 9 (44r) are the only such headings/trailers that begin, for unknown reasons, with a red paraph.] Passus secundus de dobet

spes
I am spes aspie a spie quod he / and spere aftur a knyȝte
That toek me amaundement a maundement / vppon þe mont of synay
To reule alle reumes þerwith in riȝhte and in resoun
Lo here the lettre quod he / alatyn a latyn[^640] and ebrew[^a680][^641]
That that y sey is soeth / se ho-so liketh

[^a680: and ebrew (X) | and an ebrew (all other mss)]

[^640: X.19.4: A, possibly a preposition, though see the textual note here: RK and Schmidt take it to be the article.]

[^641: X.19.4: Despite the uniqueness of X's reading, Pearsall accepts and prints it, while RK and Schmidt emend to the majority and [an] ebrew (RK).]

¶ Is hit asseled y saide / may men y-se thy lettres
Nay he saide y seke hym / þat hath þe seel to kepe
The which is Crist and cristendoem / and croes þer -an y-hanged[^a681]
Were hit þer -with aseled / y woet wel þe sothe
That luciferes lordschipe / lowe sholde lygge

[^a681: þer -an y-hanged (X) | þeron to hange (most other mss)]

¶ Let se thy lettres quod y / we myhte þe lawe knowe
A[^642] pluhte forth a patente / a pece of an hard roche
Mandata dei
Where-on was writen two wordes / and on this wyse y-glosed

[^642: X.19.12: A, "he."]

¶ dilige deum & pro ximum
This was the tyxt trewly / y toek ful good gome
The glose was gloriou sly writen / with a gult penne

¶ In hijs duobus pependit · tota lex[^643] & cetera
Is here al thy lordes lettres quod y · / ȝe leef me he saide
And ho worcheth aftur this writ / y wol vndertaken
Shal neuere deuel hym dere / ne deth in soule greue
For thogh y sey hit my-sulue / y haue saued with this charme
Of men and of wommen / meny score thousend

[^643: X.19.17: We do not transcribe the two raised points on either side of the <l> because we take them to be part of the suspension for lex.]

fayth
¶ He seyth soth saide fayth / y haue y-founde hit trewe
Lo here in my lappe quod fayth / þat leuede vpon þat lettre
Bothe Iosue and Ieudith · and Iudas Macabeus
And six thousand mo quod fayth · y nyl[^a682] nat seyn here names

[^a682: nyl (X) | can (most other mss)]

¶ Ȝoure wordes aren wonderfol quod y tho / where eny of ȝow betrewe be trewe
And lele to bileue on / for body or for soule
Abraham saith þat he seyh / holly þe trinitee
Thre persones parselemele deparable depar[t]able fram oþere
And alle thre bote o god / thus abraham bereth witenesse
And hath y-saued þat bileued so / and sory for here synnes
He can no certeyn somme telle / and somme aren in his lappe
What nedede hit thanne · anewe a newe lawe to brynge
Sethe the furste sufficede to bileue / and be saued

¶ And now cometh this spees sp[e]s / that hath aspyed þe lawe
That of no trinite ne telleth / ne taketh mo persones
To godhede but o god / and on god almyhty
The which alle men aren holde / ouer al thyng to honoure
And seth to louye and to lene / for þat lordes sake
Alle manere men as moche as oure-sulue
And for to louye and bileue in o lord almyhty
Hit is liht for lewed / and for lered bothe
Ac for to bileue in o lord / þat lyueth in thre persones
And lereth þat we louye sholde / as wel lyares as lele

¶[^644] Go thy gate quod y · / to spes so me god helpe
Tho þat lerneth thy lawe / wollen litel while hit vse
And as we wenten in þe way / thus wordyng of this matere
¶ Samaritanus

[X.19.49.m.1: Here we see a <cc> symbol used to introduce the arrival of the Samaritan, and at once we see his name boxed as an annotation. These two scribal actions together signal that the Samaritan's dramatic arrival occasions some fanfare, to which readers should attend. Compare the instances and our notes at folio 91v (X.20.283); and cp. as well folio 17r (X.3.486), where in the right margin we see cc/ prophetia Petri.]

Thenne sey we a samaritaen / cam sittynge on a muyle
rydynge ful raply / þe rihte way we ȝeden
Comynge fram a contraye / þat men callide Ierico
To ioust in Ierusalem / he Iaced a-way ful faste
Bothe abraham and spees sp[e]s / and he mette at ones
In a wilde wildernesse / where theues hadde y-bounde
Aman A man as me tho thouhte / to moche care they brouhte
For he ne myhte stepe ne stande / ne stere foet ne handes
Ne helpe hym-sulue sothly / for semyuief he semede
And as naked as an nedle / and noen helpe abouten
Fayth furst of hym siht / Ac he fleyh a-syde
And wolde nat neyhele hym / by nyne londes lenghe
Hope cam huppynge aftur / þat hadde so y-bosted
How he with Moyses maundement / hadde mony men y-holpe
Ac when he hadde sihte of this syke / a-syde he gan hym drawe
And dredfully with -drow hym tho / and durste go no nerre hym

[^644: X.19.46: Hanna (in personal email correspondence) sees this particular instance of <cc> at Go thy gate as reflective of "a tendency [in manuscript culture] to mark changes of speakers in text with paraph." "Here," continues Hanna, the use is "kind of muddled—actually amid speech" but the <cc> paraph "is responding to the 'quod y' in midline as if it were marking a boundary." Since the <cc> is not the scribe's usual way of sectioning off text (as we say he normally uses //, whether colored or not), these instances of <cc> in the margins of the main text may constitute a separate iteration of correction and treatment of the text. (See the Introduction: I.5 Punctuation.)]

¶ Ac so sone sothe so the samaritaen / hadde sihte of this carfole
Alihte A lihte[^645][^646] anoen of lyard / and ladde hym in his handes
And to this wey a[^647] wente / his woundes to byholde
And parseued by his poues / he was in perel to deye
And bote if he hadde recouerer the raþer / þat ryse sholde he neuere
And vnbokelede his boteles / and bothe he atamede
With wyn and with oyle / his woundes he gan lihte[^a683]
Enbaumed hym / and boend his heued /[^648] and on bayard hym sette
And ladde hym forth l [forth][^649] to lauacrum / lex dei agrangee a grangee a grang[e][^650]
Is syxe myle or seuene / bi-syde þe newe marcat
And lefte hym þere alechyng / to lyue yf he myhte
And toek two pans the hostiler / to take kepe to hym
And þat more goth for his medicyne / y make the good aȝeynward
For y may nat lette quod that lede / and lyard he by-strideth
And rapede hym to ryde / the rihte way to Ierusalem
Bothe fayth and his felawe / spes folewede faste aftur
Ac y sewede the samaritaen / and saide how they bothe
Were afered and flowe / fram þe man y-wounded

[^a683: lihte (X I P2) | lithe (all other mss)]

[^645: X.19.66: A, "he."]

[^646: X.19.66: The C witnesses are divided between those with he lihte and an almost equal number with he alihte. Here, we take <a> to be the pronoun he, a common form in this manuscript, not infrequently run together with the verb.]

[^647: X.19.67: A, "he."]

[^648: X.19.72: Again we see the use of two virgules functioning as modern commas do, here to dramatically set off the individual actions of the Samaritan. The second is dutifully on the caesura, but the scribe is hearing additional rhythms and responding to the syntax and pace of the verse.]

[^649: X.19.73: The scribe must have started lauacrum before catching himself, but he never deleted the stray <l>.]

[^650: X.19.73: We determine that the scribe simply wrote an extra <e> because the form with doubled <e> is unattested among the forms in MED , s.v. graunge. We conclude, therefore that he intended to write a version of grange.]

Samarita Samarita[n]
¶ Haue hem excused quod he[^a684] the[^651] samaritaen here help may nat a-vaile
Ne no medicyne vnder molde / the man to hele brynge
Noþer faith ne fyn hope so festred aren his woundes
With-oute þe bloed of abarn a barn / he beth nat y-saued
The which barn mote nedes be born of amayde a mayde
And with þe bloed of þat barn / enbaumed and y-baptised
And thouh he stande and steppe / riȝt stronge worth he neuere
Til he haue eten al þat barn / and his bloed dronken
And ȝut he[^a685] plasterud with pacience / when fondynges hym priketh
For wente neuere man this way / þat he ne was here y-ruyfled
Saue my-sulue soethly and such as y louede
And ȝut bote they loue[^a686] lelly vpon þat litel baby
That his lycame shal lechen / at þe laste vs alle

[^a684: quod he (X) | quod (most other mss)]

[^a685: he (X Yc) | be (most other mss)]

[^a686: they loue (X) | thay leue (other mss)]

[^651: X.19.83: Here Hand 2's addition attempts to align X with almost all other C manuscripts, but he never completed the correction by deleting the he.]

// A question to the samaritan
¶ A sire y saide shal nat we bileue
As faith and his felawe / spes enfourmede me bothe
In thre persones aparceles a parceles[^652] departable fram oþere
And alle thre bote o god / thus abraham me tauhte
And hope afturward of o god / more me toelde
And lered me for his loue / to louye al mankynde
And hym aboue alle / and hem as my-sulue
Noþer lacke ne alose / ne leue þat þer were
Eny wikkedere in þe worlde / then y were my-sulue
And moest inparfyt of alle persones / and pacientliche soffre
Alle manere men / and thogh y myhte venge
Y sholde tholye and thonken hem / þat me euel wolden

[^652: X.19.98: A, preposition. Schmidt's glossary translates a parceles, s.v. a-parceles, to mean "as (distinct) parts."]

¶ A[^653] saide soeth quod the samaritaen / and so y rede the also
And as Abraham þe olde / of · o · god the tauhte
Loke thow louye and bileue / al thy lyf-tyme
Of þe trinite
And yf kynde wit carpe here-aȝen / or eny kyne thouhtes
Or eretikes with argumentis / thien hoend[^654] that thow hem shewe
For god þat albygan al bygan in bigynnynge of the worlde
Ferde furste as a fuste[^655] / and ȝut is as y leue

[^653: X.19.108: A, "he."]

[^654: X.19.112: There is a clear subpunction here, in Hand 1's ink, beneath the <e> of hoend, but its function is unclear and it may not express deletion, since the reading hond that would be obtained is rare in the manuscript, found only at X.16.84 and X.18.129. The scribe's usual spelling is hand, though hoend also appears several times in the manuscript, such as at X.19.155.]

[^655: X.19.114: The scribe erased an erroneous <r> and then attempted to close up the word with a horizontal stroke, in order to obtain fuste. He corrects himself in a similar mistake at X.19.136. At X.6.67 and X.19.147, he has made the mistake, but failed to correct it.]

¶ Mundum pugillo continens
As with a fuste with -oute a[^a687] fynger / yfolde to-gyderes
Til hym likede and luste to / vnlose that fyn ger[^656]
And profered hit forth as with the paume / to what place hit sholde
The paume is the pethe of the hand / and profereth the fyngeres
To ministre and to make / þat myhte of hand knoweth
And bitokeneth trewly / telle ho-so liketh
The holy goest of heuene / he is as þe paume
The fyngres þat fre ben / to folde and to cluche
Bitokneth soethly the sone / þat sente was til erthe
Touchede and tastede / at t echyng[^657] of the paume
Seynte marie amayden a mayden / and mankynde lauhte

[^a687: a (X) | o (most other mss)]

[^656: X.19.117: An otiose superscript resembling an <er> suspension appears above the <g>. It is probably a false start on a <d>, akin to the mistake he made in the line above, where he wrote and then deleted the word fynd. A similar mark appears at X.19.125.]

[^657: X.19.125: RK notice an "unfinished letter above e main hand," which we take as a false start on an <h>, having the appearance of an otiose superscript. A similar mark appears at X.19.117, q.v.]

¶ Natus est ex maria virgine
The fader is thenne as þe fuste / with fynger and with paume
To huyde and to holde / as holy writ telleth

¶ Omnia traham ad me ipsum
And þat the fynger gropeth he grypeth / bote yf hit greue þe paume
Thus are they alle bote oen / as hit an hand were
A fuste with a fynger / and a fol paume
And as þe fuste is a ful hand / y-folde to-gyderes
So is þe fader a fol god / the fuste of hem alle
As my fu ste[^658] is furste / Ar y my fyngeres shewe
And he fader and for meour[^659] / þe furste of alle thynges

[^658: X.19.136: The scribe erased an erroneous <rste> and then added <ste>, in order to obtain fuste. He corrects himself in a similar confusion of furste for fuste at X.19.114. At X.6.67 and X.19.147, he has made the mistake, but failed to correct it.]

[^659: X.19.137: The markup is not entirely adequate. RK correctly aver that the reading forneeour has been corrected. As we see it, Hand 1 wrote <ne> and then converted the <e> into a third minim to obtain <m>, producing the majority reading, formeour.]

¶ Tu fabricator omnium
And al þe myhte with hym is / was and worth euere
The fyngeres is a fol hand / for failed they or thombe
Portrey ne peynte / parfitliche y leue
Sholde ne[^a688] writ[^a689][^660] worche / were they a-wey
Riht so failed þe sone / the syre be ne myhte
Ne holde ne helpe / ne hente þat he louede

[^a688: ne (X I K Yc) | no (all other mss)]

[^a689: writ (X) | wriht (most other mss)]

[^660: X.19.142: X's writ is an attested form of MED wright(e), n. 1, meaning a workman—wholly appropriate to the context of manual labor. Alternately, perhaps, X's writ could mean, "something written; a document in writing, a written covenant" ( MED , s.v. writ, n., def. 1[a]), providing a fascinating twist in meaning and self-reflective reference to the poet's—and the scribes'—own labors.]

¶ dextere dei tu digitus
The paume is puyrliche the hand and hath power by hym -sulue
oþerwyse then þe writhen furste f[u]ste[^661] / or werkmanschupe of fyngres
For þe paume hath power to pulte out þe ioyntes
And to vnfolde þe fust / for hym hit bilongeth
And receue þat the fyngeres recheth / and refuse yf hem[^a690] liketh
A lle þat þe fyngeres and þe fust feleth and toucheth
Bote he be greued with here grype / the holy goost lat falle
And thus is the holy goste god / noyther grettore ne lassore
Then is the syre or the sone / and of þe same myhte
And alle thre is bote o god / as myn hoend and my fyngeres
Vnfolden or folden / a[^662] fuste wyse or elles
Al is hit bote oen hoend / how-so y turne hit
Ac ho is herte in the hand / euene in þe myddes
He may resceyue riht nauhte resoun hit sheweth
For þe fyngeres þat folde sholde / and þe fust make
For peyne of þe paume power hem fayleth
To cluche or to clawe / to clippe or to holde
Were þe myddel of myn hand / with -oute male-ese
In many kyne manere / y myhte my-sulfe helpe
Bothe meue and amende / thogh alle my fyngeres oke
Bi this simile he saide / y se an euydence
That ho-so synegeth in þe seynt spirit / assoiled worth he neuere
Noþer here ne elles-where / as y herde telle

[^a690: hem (X I Yc) | hym (all other mss)]

[^661: X.19.147: Here and at X.6.67, the scribe unintentionally adds an erroneous <r> to what should be fuste. At X.19.114 and X.19.136, he corrects himself in the same mistake.]

[^662: X.19.156: A, preposition.]

¶ Qui peccat in spiritu sancto & cetera
For he priketh god as in his paume that peccat in spiritum sanctum[^663]
For so[^a691] the fader is as þe fust / þe sone is as þe fynger
The holy gost of heuene / he is as þe paume
So ho-so synegeth aȝeyn þe seynt spirit / hit semeth þat he greueth
God þer -with[^a692] he gripeth / and wolde his grace quenche
For to a torche or to a taper þe trinite is likned
As wexe and a weke were twyned to-gyderes
And thenne flaumynge fuyr / forth of hem bothe
And as wex and weke / and warm fuyr to-gyderes
Fostren forth a flaume / and a feyr lye
That serueth this swynkares to[^a693] by a-nyhtes
So doth þe sire and þe sone / and seynt spirit to-gyderes
Fostren forth amonges folke / fyn loue and bileue
trinite
That alle kyne cristen // clanseth of synne
And as thow seest som-tyme sodeynliche of a torche
The blase be y-blowen out / ȝut brenneth þe weke
With-outen leye and lihte / lith fuyr in þe mache
So is þe holigost holi gost god / and grace with -outen mercy
To alle vnkynde creatures / þat coueyten to destruye
Leel lycame and lyf / þat oure lord shupte
And as glowyng gledes / gladeth nat this werkmen
That worchen and waken in wynteres nyhtes
A[^a694] s[^664] doth a kix ar a candle / þat cauht hath fuyr and blaseth

[^a691: For so (X) | For (all other mss)]

[^a692: þer -with (X I Yc) | þer (all other mss)]

[^a693: to (X) | to see (most other mss)]

[^a694: A (X) | As (all other mss)]

[^663: X.19.170: This phrase, peccat in spiritum sanctum, is rendered in the previous line in the ablative. In classical Latin, the verb (pecco, peccare) could take either the accusative or the ablative when paired with the preposition in, and it is also observed "[w]ith dat of pers. (late Lat.): Domino, Vulg. Deut. 1, 41; ID. 2 Reg. 12, 13," (Lewis & Short, s.v. pecco, sense 1). DMLBS shows only dat. (sense 3[b]), and in+acc (sense 3[c]), a restriction contradicted by the readings of X. Neither line is a direct biblical quotation. Rather, they are paraphrases from the Gospels (Mt. 12:32, Mk 3:29, Lk 12:10), where the original phrasings in all have verbs other than pecco, peccare, which govern, rather, the accusative only. All modern editors print spiritum sanctum at X.19.169, even though the majority reading in that line is in fact spiritu sancto.]

[^664: X.19.192: Hand 2's correction aligns X with all other C manuscripts.]

¶ No more doth sire ne þe sone ne seynt spirit to-gyderes
Graunten eny grace[^665] ne for-geuenesse of synnes
Til þat the holy goest / gynne to glowe and blase
So þat the holy gost gloweth but as a glede
Til þat loue and bileue / leliche to hym blowe
And thenne flaumeth he as fuyr / on fader and on filius
And melteth myhte in-to mercy / as we may se a[^666] wynter
Isekeles in euesynges / thorwe hete of the sonne
Melteth in a mynt-while / to myst and to water
So grace of þe holigost holi gost / the grete myhte of þe trinite
Melteth al to mercy / to merciable and to non oþere
And as wex with -outen more / vpo[^a695] a warm glede
Wol brennen and blasen / be they to-gyderes
And solacen þat mowen nat se sittynge in derkenesses[^a696]

[^a695: vpo (X) | vpon (most other mss)]

[^a696: derkenesses (X Yc) | derkenesse (most other mss)]

[^665: X.19.194: We agree with RK and HS, who see that this addition is by Hand 1, who simply provides a word he had left out—the reading of all C manuscripts.]

[^666: X.19.199: A, preposition.]

¶ So wol þe fader forȝeue / folke of mylde hertes
That reufulliche repenten / and restitucion make
In as moche as they mowen / amenden and payen
And yf hit sufficeth nat for a sech [as]e[t]h / þat in suche a will deyeth
Mercy for his mekenesse / wol maky good þe remenaunt
And as þe wyke and warm fuyr wol make a fayre flaume
For to murthe men with / þat in merke sitten
So wol Crist of his cortesye / and men crien hym mercy
Bothe forȝeue and forȝete / and ȝut bidde for vs
To þe fader of heuene forȝenesse forȝe[ue]nesse to haue
Ac hewe fuyr at a flynt / foure hundret wynter
Bote thow haue tasch to take hit with / tender and broches
Al thy labor is loste / and al thy longe trauaile
For may no fuyr flaume make · faile hit his kynde
So is þe holy gost god and grace / with -outen mercy
To alle vnkynde creatures / as Crist hym-sulue witnesseth

¶ Amen dico vobis nescio vos
Be vnkynde to thy emcristene / and al þat thow canst bidde
dele and do penaunce / day and nyht euere
And purchase al the pardoun · of pampilon and of Rome
And indulgences ynowe / and be ingrates[^a697][^667] to thy kynde
The holy goest hereth the nat ne helpeth the be thow certeyne
For vnkyndenesse quencheth hym / þat he can nat shine
Ne brenne ne blase clere / for blowynge of vnkyndenesse
Paul the apostel / preueth where y lye / si linguis hominum loquor loq[ua]r & cetera
For-thy beth y-war ȝe wyse men / þat with the world deleth
That riche ben and resoun knoweth / reule wel ȝoure soules
Beth nat vnkynde y conseyle ȝow / to ȝoure emcristene
notate

[X.19.235.m.1: Above the word notate, as HS identify, we see an erased phrase, beth war. This was likely written to exhort readers to heed the sage advice, Beth nat vnkynde, in the poem; there is no apparent reason for the erasure unless the scribe simply wanted to replace it with notate. We also note that a framing double virgule (<//>) to the left of notate has also been erased, again for unknown reasons.]

For mony of ȝow riche men / by my soule y lye nat
Ȝe brenneth ac ȝe blaseth nat / and þat is ablynde a blynde bekne

[^a697: ingrates (X Z) | ingrat (other mss) | ingratus (Y D2 D N2)]

[^667: X.19.227: According to the OED , this cannot be the English word ingrates, meaning more than one ungrateful person, because its first attestation, s.v. ingrate n., is from 1672 (Duke of Buckingham, Rehearsal 1. 8). MED attests only the adjectival form, s.v. ingrat, "[u]ngrateful, thankless." But one has to wonder if the scribe imagined this word to be English or Latin, as it exists in the nebulous space between the two tongues. RK and Schmidt print the Latin adjective ingratus, attested by four manuscripts, while Pearsall prints what appears to be an English word, ingrate. Therefore, X's rendering might in fact be English, though the rubricator has underlined it as though it were Latin.]

¶ Non om nis qui dicit domine domine intrabit in regnum celorum ·[^668] & cetera
Minne ȝe nat riche men / to which a myschaunce
That diues deyede / and dampned / for his vnkyndenesse
Of his mete and his mone / to men þat hit nedede
Ȝut wan he nat with wrong / ne with queynte sleythes
Bute riȝtfulliche as men þat [r]at / al his richesse cam hym
And on hym-sulue as sayth the boek / sotiled how he myhte
Moste lordliche lyue / and ȝut his lycame werie
Clothes of moest cost / as clerkes bereth witnesse

[^668: X.19.237: RK cite "reg with suspension," for XDcIUcYc. We take reg with its suspension mark and ce followed by a raised point as shorthand for the expected and common phrase regnum celorum.]

¶ Epulabatur splendide / & induebatur bisso & cetera
And for he was a nygard / and a nythynge to the nedfol pore
For godes tretor he is cald / for al his trewe catel
And dampned a[^669] dwelleth / with þe deuel in helle
And sethe he with -oute wyles wan / and wel myhte atymye
Lordliche for to lyue / and ly kyngliche be clothed
And is in helle for al þat / how wol riche no uthe
Excuse hem þat ben vnkynde / and ȝut here[^a698] y-wonne
With wyles and with luyther whites / and ȝut wollen nat atymye
To go semeliche ne sitte / seth holy writ techeth[^670]
Facite vobis amicos de mammona iniquitatis
Vch a riche y rede / reward herof take
And gyueth ȝoure goed to þat god þat grace of aryseth
For þat ben vnkynde to hise hope ȝe noen oþer
Bote they dwelle there diues is / dayes with-outen ende
Thus is vnkyndenesse / and quencheth as hit were
The grace of the holy goest / godes owene kynde
For þat kynde doth / vnkynde for-doth
/
[^671] As this corsede theues vnkynde cristene men / for coueytise and enuye
Sleth aman a man for his mebles / with mouthe or with handes
For that the holy goest hath to kepe / tho harlotes distruyeth
The which is lyf and loue / the leye of mannes body
For euery manere goed man / may be likned to atorche a torche
Or elles a taper to reuerense with the trinite

[^a698: here (X I K Yc) | here catel (most other mss)]

[^669: X.19.249: A, "he."]

[^670: X.19.255: The following line is omitted in X and a number of other manuscripts: That that wickedliche is wonne to wasten hit and make frendes (RK.19.250).]

[^671: X.19.264: X.19.264-X.19.265 are rendered as almost all C manuscripts are, but all the editors adopt the line division of DcUc, which place As this corsede theues in the b-verse of the previous line. We detect a single virgule in the margin to the left of this line, of uncertain function. We are not sure that it is related to the question of line division here.]

¶ And who-so morthereth a goed man / me thynketh bi myn inwit
A[^672] fordoth the lihte þat oure lord / loketh to haue worshipe of
And ȝut in mo maneres / men affenden þe holygost holy gost
Ac this is the worste wyse þat eny wiht myhte
S ynegen aȝen þe seynte spirit / assente to destruye
For coueytise of eny kyne thynge þat Crist dere bouhte
How myhte he aske mercy / or eny mercy hym defende
That wikkedliche and wilfulliche / wolde mercy anyente
Innocence is next god / and nyht and day hit crieth
Veniaunce veniaunce / forȝeue be hit neuere
veniance

[X.19.280.m.1: Above the word veniance in the left margin we still can detect the remains of an erased word that might have been a smaller version of the same word; the possible outlines of <venia> are still faintly visible.]

That shent vs and shedde oure bloed / for-schupte vs as hit semede

[^672: X.19.271: A, "he."]

¶ Vindicta Vindic[a] sanguinem iustorum
Thus veniaunce veniaunce verray charite asketh
And sethe Charite þat holy churche is chargeth this so sore
Leue y neuere þat oure lord at þe laste ende
Wol louye þat lyf / þat loue and Charite destruyeth
nota

[X.19.286.m.1: The nota may function here to indicate a change of speaker, much like the <cc> notation that we have occasionally seen in the manuscript (which we transcribe as a paraph marker) and also like the <//> paraph marker itself. We may witness here an incomplete program of marking pauses and transitions in the text, accomplished through various scribal tools. So at X.19.290 just below at the very next change of speakers, we see the black <//>.]

Y pose y hadde syneged so quod y / and sholde nouthe deye
And now am y sory þat y so · the seynte spirit agulte
Confesse me and crye his grace / god þat al made
And myldeliche his mercy aske / myhte y nat be saued

¶ Ȝus saide þe þe [þe] samaritaen / so thow myhtest repente
That rihtwisnesse thorw repentaunce / to reuthe myhte turne
Ac hit is bote selde y-seyen / there sothnesse bereth witnesse
Eny creature be coupable / bifore a kynges iustice
Be y-raunsomed for his repentaunce / þer alle resoun hym dampneth
The The[r] þat partye pursueth / the apeel is so huge
That may no kynge mercy graunte / til bothe men acorde
That eyþer partye haue equitee / as holy writ witnesseth

¶ Nunquam dimittitur peccatum & cetera
Thus hit fareth bi such folk / þat folewen here owene will
That euele lyuen and leten nat / to[^a699] hem forsake
Som drede of disparacion / thenne dryueth grace
That mercy in here mynde / may nat thenne falle
For goed hope that helpe thenne / scholde to wanhope þer turneth
And nat of þe nown -power of god / þat he ne is ful of myhte
To amende al þat amys is / and his mercy grettore
Thenne al[^673] oure wikkede werkes / as holy writ telleth

[^a699: to (X I Yc) | til (most other mss)]

[^673: X.19.306: The scribe, anticipating the beginning of the next word, wrote <o> but immediately corrected it to an <a> by supplying an upper chamber, making the letter oversized. Hence, we do not take it to have been intended as an upper case form.]

¶ Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius
notate hic bene
Ac ar this rihtwisnesse to reuthe turne / restuticou rest[it]u[ci]ou[n] hit maketh
As sorwe of herte is satisfaccioun / for suche þat may nat paye
Ac thre thynges ther ben / þat doth aman a man to sterte
Out of his oune house as holy writ sheweth
That is a wikkede wyf / þat wol nat be chasted
Here fore fere fleeth here / for fere of here tonge
And if his hous be vnheled / and reyne on his bedde
A[^674] seketh and seketh / til he slepe druye
Ac when s moke and smolder / smertheth his sihte[^675]
Til he be b lereyede or blynde / and þe borre in his throte
Coueth and corseth / þat Crist ȝeue hym sorwe
That sholde brynge in bettere wode / or blowen hit til hit brente
Thise thre that y telle of / thus ben vnderstande
The wyf is oure wikkede flesche / wol nat be chasted
For kynde cleueth on hym euere / to contrarie þe soule
And thogh he falle he fynte skiles / þat that[^a700] freelete hit made
And þat is lihtliche forȝeue / and forȝete bothe
To man þat mercy asketh / and amende thenketh
¶ The rayne þat rayneth / þere we reste sholde
Been seeknesses and oþere sorwes / þat we soffren ouhte
As Paul þe apostel / in his episteles techeth
Virtus in infirmitate perficitur
And thogh that men make moche deul in here anger
And be inpacient in here penaunces puyr resoun knoweth
That they haen cause to contrarien bi kynde of here seknesses[^a701]
And lihtliche oure lord at here lyues ende
Haeth mercy on suche men / þat euele may soffre
Ac þe smoke and þe smolder / þat smyt in oure yes
That is coueytise and vnkyndenesse / whiche quencheth godes mercy

[^a700: þat that (X Yc) | þat (most other mss)]

[^a701: seknesses (X Rc Uc Yc) | seknesse (all other mss)]

[^674: X.19.315: A, "he."]

[^675: X.19.316: By eye skip, X uniquely combines the first half line of RK19.307 with the b-verse of RK19.309, thus omitting the following lines found in all other C manuscripts: smyt in his sihte / Hit doth hym worse then his wyf or wete to slepe / For smoke & smolder (RK.19.307b-RK.19.309a).]

¶ For vnkyndenesse is þe contrarie / of alle kyne resoun
For þer ne is sike ne sory ne non so moche wrecche
That he ne may louye and hym lyke / and lene of his herte
Goed wil goed word / bothe wischen and wilnen
Alle manere men mercy / and forȝeuenesse
And louye hym yliche hym -sulue / that is lyue and[^a702][^676] ame nde
Y may no lengore lette quod he / and lyard a[^677] prikede
And wente a-way as wynd / and þer -with y a-wakede

[^a702: is lyue and (X I Nc T Uc Yc) | his lif (most other mss)]

[^676: X.19.342: The C manuscripts vary, but most read the possessive pronoun his, obtaining his lyf as the object of amend, the final word of this line. We do not understand the reasons for the insertion (or re-stroking) of the <n> in amende, the clear majority reading, as that repair does nothing to make sense of the muddled syntax wrought by his becoming the verb is. Note that RK emend to [and his lyf] amende as does Pearsall (both supplying an unattested and), while Schmidt prints that his lyf amende, keeping X's that, while rejecting its confusing minority reading, is.]

[^677: X.19.343: A, "he."]

Passus tercius de dobet

[^678] W Ollewaerd[^679] and watschoed / wente y forth aftur
As a recheles renk þat recheth nat of sorwe
And ȝede forth y-like alorel a lorel al my lyf-tyme
Til y waxe wery of the world / and wilnede eefte to slepe
And lened me to lenten / and long tyme y slepte
Of gurles and of gloria laus / greetliche me dremede
And how osanna by orgene oelde folke songe
¶ Oen semblable to þe samaritaen / and somdeel to Pers þe plouhman
Barfoet on an asse bake boetles cam prikynge
With -outen spores oþer spere / sprakeliche he lokede
As is þe kynde of aknyhte a knyhte / þat cometh to be dobbet
To geten here gult spores / and galoches y-couped
fayth
And thenne was faith in a fenestre / and criede a[^680] filij[^681] dauid
As doth an heraud of Armes / when Auntres cometh to ioustes
Olde iewes of Ierusalem / for ioye they songen

[^678: X.20.1: In the decorative foliage above the initial <W> of Passus 20 is the illustration of the head of a man, perhaps the dreamer or perhaps Faith (Abraham) himself.]

[^679: X.20.1-X.20.3: For an unknown reason, an erasure has been made in a circular motion around the ornamented capital, leaving the present red ornamentation somewhat blurred. Whatever may have motivated this erasure is unclear, but it caused damage to graphs to the right—the <O> of WOllewaerd here, and the <A> of As in the following line, which we believe were therefore restroked.]

[^680: X.20.13: A, interjection.]

[^681: X.20.13: X's filij, is in the vocative plural, where the present context demands the singular vocative fili. Nevertheless, the reading is shared by several other manuscripts: IKPP2Yc.]

¶ Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini
Thenne y afraynede[^a703] at fayth / what al þat fare by-mente
And ho sholde iouste in Ierusalem ihesus he saide
And feche þat þe fende claymeth · pers fruyt þe plouhman[^682]
Is Peres in this place quod y / and he printe on me
Liberum dei Arbitrium / for loue hath vndertake
Ihesus
That this ihesus of his gentrice / shal iouste in Pers Armes
In his helm and in his haberion / humana natura
That Crist be nat y-knowe / for consummtus consumm[a]tus deus
In plates the[^683] this prikiare shal ryde
For no dommt do[nn]t[^684] shal hym dere / as in deitate patris

[^a703: afraynede (X I K Q Yc) | fraynede (most other mss)]

[^682: X.20.19: This folio exemplifies the unevenness of the erasure of the character's name, which appears untouched three times, but is erased in two other instances.]

[^683: X.20.25: Conjectured reading: plouhman.]

[^684: X.20.26: The scribe's tendency to add otiose minims and the occasional unnecessary tilde resulted in the nonce form dommt. We believe that the scribe was attempting to write donnt, a form of MED dint, n., the majority reading among the manuscripts. IP2 read donte.]

¶ Who shal iouste with ihesus quod y iewes or scribz
Nay quod faith bote the fende / and fals doem to deye
deth saith a[^685] wol for-do / and a-down brynge
Alle þat lyueth or loketh / a[^686] londe or awatre a watre[^687]
Lyf saith þat alyeth a lyeth[^688] / and hath leide his lyf to wedde
That for al þat deth can do / with -ynne thre dayes to walke
And feche fro þe fende fruyt þe
And legge hit þere hym liketh / and lucifer bynde[^689]
And for-bete adown / and beynge[^a704][^690] bale deth for euere

[^a704: beynge (X) | brynge (most other mss)]

[^685: X.20.29: A, "he."]

[^686: X.20.30: A, preposition.]

[^687: X.20.30: A, preposition.]

[^688: X.20.31: A, "he."]

[^689: X.20.34: Blynde has been partially erased as a casualty of the erasure of plouhman in the line above.]

[^690: X.20.35: It is not clear whether the scribe's beynge is a mechanical error for intended brynge, or if he has written a whole other word, a form of MED bien v.; other variants in C manuscripts include bugge, bygge and begge, all of which could be forms of bien, which means, among other things "[t]o purchase (sth.), acquire by purchase" (def. 1a[a]), obtaining uncertain meaning in this context. Note also that RK, likely on the model of X.20.29 above, override the manuscript evidence, including that in X, for line X.20.35 (RK.20.34) and reverse the words adown / and to obtain [and adown] b[r]ynge, ostensibly to make better sense. Pearsall and Schmidt emend to brynge but print X's word order.]

¶ O mors mors tua / ero morsus
Thenne cam Pilatus with moche peple sedens protribunali pro tribunali
pilatus
To se how dou htyliche deth sholde do / and demen þere beyre rihte
The iewes and þe iustices / aȝeyns ihesus þey were
And alle þe Court cryede crucifige loude

¶ Thenne potte hym forth a pelour / bifore pilatus and saide
This ihesus of oure iewene temple / iaped and despised
To for-doen hit on a day / and in thre dayes aftur
Edefien hit eft newe / here he stant þat saide hit
And ȝut maken hit as moche in alle manere poyntes
Bothe as longe and as large / aloofte and o grounde
And as wyde as hit euere was / this we witnesseth alle

¶ Crucifige quod a cachepol / he can of wycche-crafte
Tolle tolle quod another / and toek of kene thornes
And bigan of grene thorn / a garlond to make
And sette hit sore on his heued / and sethe saide in Enuye
Aue raby quod þat ribaud / and redes shotte vp to his yes
And nayled hym with thre nayles / naked vpon a rode
And with a pole poysen potten vp to his lippes
And beden hym drynke his deth to lette and his dayes lenghe
And saiden yf he sotil be / hym-sulue now he wol helpe
And yf thow be Crist and Crist godes sone[^691]
Come adoun of this rode / and thenne shal we leue
That lyf þe loueth / and wol nat late the deye

[^691: X.20.57-X.20.59: Note that X and all C manuscripts divide lines X.20.57-X.20.59 thus, but all editors, perceiving faulty alliteration in X.20.58, rearrange the lines, first by bringing Come adoun of this rode into the b-verse of X.20.57 and then by rendering the next three half lines as one.]

¶ Consummatum est quod Crist / and comsed for to swoene
Pitousliche and pale / as prisoun þat deyeth
The lord of lyf and of liht / tho leyde his eyes to-gederes
The daye for drede þer -of with-drouh and derke bicam þe sonne
The wal of the temple to-cleyef euene al[^a705] to peces
The hard roch al to-roef / and riht derk nyht hit semede
The erthe to-quasche[^a706] and quoek as hit quyk were
And dede men for þat dene / cam oute of de pe graues
And tolde why þe tempest so longe tyme durede
For a bittur bataile þe ded body saide lyf & deth in this derkenesse[^692]
Here oen fordoth her oþer / Ac shal no wyht wyte witturlich ho shal haue þe maistry
Ar a soneday aboute the sonne rysynge and sank with þat til erthe
Somme saide he was godes sone þat so fayre deyede

[^a705: al (X K Yc) | a (most other mss)]

[^a706: to-quasche (X K P2 Yc) | toquaschte (most other mss)]

[^692: X.20.69: XP2 alone divide the lines thus, while other C manuscripts place lyf & deth in this derkenesse in the next line, which they then divide after oþer.]

¶ Vere filius dei erat iste
And somme saide he can of soercerie / goed is þat we assaie
Wher he be ded or nat ded / down or he be taken
Tho[^a707] theues tho tholed deth þat tyme
Vppon cros bi-syde Crist so was þe comune lawe
A cachepol of tho theues · cam[^a708] acraked a craked[^693] a-to he[^a709] r legges
And here arme[^a710] aftur of euereche of tho theues
Ac was no boie so bold · godes body to touche
For he was knyht and kynges sone / kynde forȝaf þat tyme
That hadde no boie hardynesse hym to touche in deynge
Longynus
Ac þer cam forth a blynde knyhte / with a kene spere y-grounde
Hihte longies as þe lettre telleth / and longe hadde lore his sihte
Bifore pilatus and oþere peple / in þe place he houed
Maugre his mony teth / he was mad þat tyme
Iouste with ihesus / this blynde iewe longies
For alle were they vnhardy þat houed þer or stode
To touchen hym or to turnen[^a711] hym or to taken hym down & grauen hym
Bote this blynde bacheler / that bar hym thorw the herte
The bloed sprang down by the spere / and vnspered the knyhte[^a712] yes
Tho ful the knyhte vppon knees and criede ihesu mercy
Aȝeyn my will hit was quod he / þat y ȝow wounde made
And s yhed and saide sore hit me forthenketh
Of þe dede þat y haue do / y do me in ȝoure grace
Bothe my lond and my licame at ȝoure likynge taketh hit
And haue mercy on me riȝtfol ihesu / and riht with þat a[^694] wepte
fayth reproued iewes
Thenne gan faith fouely þe false iewes to dispice
Calde hem Caytyues acorsed for euere
For þis was a vyl vilanye / vengeaunce ȝow bifall
That made þe blynde bete the dede / this was a boyes dede
Corsede Caytifues knythoed was hit neuere
To bete a body y-bounde / with eny briht wypene
The gre ȝut hath he geten / for al his grete woundes
For ȝoure chaumpioun Chiualer / chief knyht of ȝow alle
Ȝelde hym creaunt remyng riht at ihesu wille
For be this derkenesse y-do / deth worth y-venkused
And ȝe lordeyne[^a713] haen lost / for lyf shal haue maistrie
And ȝoure franchise þat fre was / y-fallen is in-to thraldoem
nota

[X.20.110.m.1: This folio and presumably the topic at hand has drawn much attention from the annotator, who here highlights with his nota the poem's remarks on the fate of the Jews; see also his fayth reproved iewes, above (X.20.98.m.1), and his gloss to the book of Daniel below (X.20.114.m.1).]

And alle ȝoure childerne cherles / cheue shal neuere
Ne haue lordschipe in londe / ne no londe tulye
And as bareyne be / and by vsure libbe
The which is lif þat oure lord / in all lawes defendeth
Daniel
Now ben ȝoure gode dayes y-doen / as daniel of ȝow telleth
When Crist thorw croos ouercam / ȝoure kyndoem sholde to-cleue

[^a707: Tho (X Ac Vc) | Two (most other mss)]

[^a708: A cachepol of tho theues · cam (X I Yc) | Quikliche cam a cacchepol (most other mss)]

[^a709: he (X) | here (all other mss)]

[^a710: arme (X) | armes (all other mss)]

[^a711: turnen (X) | tryne (most other mss)]

[^a712: knyhte (X) | knyhtes (most other mss)]

[^a713: lordeyne (X) | lordeynes (most other mss)]

[^693: X.20.78: A, "and."]

[^694: X.20.97: A, "he."]

¶ Cum veniat sanctus sanctorum cessat & cetera
What for fere of this ferly / and of þe false iewes
Y with -drow in þat derkenesse to descendit ad inferna
And there y seyh sothly secundum scripturas
Out of þe west as hit were / a wenche as me thouhte
Cam walkynge in þe way / to hell-ward she lokede
Mercy
Mercy hihte þat mayde / amylde a mylde thynge with-alle
And a fol benyngne buy rde / and buxum of speche
Here suster as hit semede / cam softly walkynge
Euene oute of þe eest / and westward she thouhte
truthe
A comely creature and a clene Treuthe she hihte
For þe vertue þat her folowede afered was she neuere
When this maydones metten / Mercy and treuthe
Ayþer asked oþer of this grete wonder
Of the dene and the derkenesse / and how þe day roued
And which a lihte and a leem / lay bifore helle
Y haue ferly of this fare in faith seide Treuthe
And am wendynge to wyte / what þis wonder meneth
¶[^695] Haue no merueyle þer -of quod Mercy / merthe hit bitokneth
Maria concipiet

[X.20.135.m.1: Grindley, transcribes the marginalia as Maria concepta, which we imagine would be translated as "Mary conceived [without sin]" (p. 134). According to Grindley's categories, this gloss is a "Narrative Reading Aid-Summation-Paraphrased Marginal Rubrics" akin to an earlier gloss at 28r: // Glotonyȝe goþ to schryfte. But the gloss at 89v actually reads Maria concipiet, "Mary will conceive," a reference to Isaiah 7:14: Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum. Ecce: virgo concipiet et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen eius Emmanuhel. The gloss thus references the scriptural prophecy behind the poem's promise in these verses of the redemption that will come through Christ's birth.]

Amayde A mayde þat hoteth Marie / amoder a moder with -outen velynge
Of eny kynde creature conceyued thorw speche
And grace of the holy gost / wax grete with childe
With -outen wommane wem / in-to this world brouhte hym
And þat my tale is trewe / y take god to witnesse
Sethe this barn was y-bore ben thritty wynter y-passed
deyede and deth tholede / this day aboute mydday
And þat is þe cause of this clips / þat ouercloseth now þe sonne
In menynge þat man shal fro me rkenesse[^696] be y-drawe
The while this lihte and this lowe shal lucifer ablende
For patriarkes and prophetes haen preched her-of ofte
That was tynt thorw tre / tre shal hit wynne
And þat deth down brouhte / deth shal releue
That thow tellest quod treuthe / is bote a tale of walterot
For Adam and Eue And abraham with oþere
Patriarkes aand prophetes / þat in peyne liggen
Leue hit neuere þat ȝone liht / hem alofte brynge
Ne haue hem out of helle / holde thy tonge mercy
Hit is bote truyfle þat thow tellest / y treuthe woet þe sothe
That thyng þat ones is in helle / out cometh hit neuere
Iop
Iop þe parfit patriarke / repreueth thy sawes

[^695: X.20.134: In the left margin we see here again a <//> to mark a paraph, which was never colored in, and which in this case marks a change of speaker.]

[^696: X.20.143: We attribute this important one-letter correction to Hand X. The uncorrected reading meekenesse agrees with variants in other manuscripts related to X (IGcUc), so this may have been the reading of Hand 1's exemplar. Whoever made the correction has aligned the text with the majority reading from MED mirk(e)nes(se), n., 1(a), meaning "[d]arkness," the obvious term required in this context.]

¶ Quia in inferno nulla est redempcio
Thenne mercy fol myldely / mouthed this wordes
Thorw experiense quod he / y hope they shal ben saued
For venym for-doth venym / þer feche y euydence
That Adam and Eue haue shullen bote
For of alle fretynge venymes / the vilest is the scorpioun
May no medecyne amende / the place there he styngeth
Til he ded · y-do þerto / and thenne he destruyeth
The verste venemouste / thorw vertu of hym-sulue
And so shal this deth for-do / y dar my lyf legge
All þat deth and þe deuel / dede formost to Eue
And riht as the gylour thorw gyle bigiled man formost
So shal grace þat bigan al · maken a goed ende
And bigile þe gilour · and þat is a goed sleythe

¶ Ars vt Artem falleret / now soffre we saide / Treuthe[^697]
/ Y se as me thynketh
Out of þe nype of þe north / nat ful fer hennes
Ryȝtwisnesse
rihtwisnesse come rennynge / reste we the while
For he woet more then we / he was ar we bothe
That is soth saide mercy / and y se here bisouthe
pes clothed in pacience

[X.20.176.m.1: The final <e> of pacience has been cropped.]

Where cometh pees pleiynge / in pacience y-clothed
Loue hath coueyted here longe / leue y non oþere
Bote loue haue y sente her som lettre / what this liht bymeneth
That ouerhoueth helle thus / he vs shal telle
Whenne pees in pacience y-clothed / aproched her ayþer oþer
Rihtwisnesse reuerencced pees in here rich clothyng
And preyede pees to tellen[^a714] / to what place she sholde
And here gay garnementes · wham she gladie thouhte
My wil is to wende quod pees / and welcomen hem alle
That many day myhte y nat se / for merkenesse of synne
Adam and Eue and other mo in helle
Moises and many moo / Mercy shal synge
And y shal daunse þer -to / do thow so sustur
For ihesus ioustede wel / ioy bigynneth dawe

[^a714: tellen (X) | tellen here (all other mss)]

[^697: X.20.170-X.20.171: The line division here is unique to X. Most other C manuscripts place the Latin on its own line and render now soffre we saide Treuthe y se as me thynketh as one line, though I runs the Latin and this whole line together as one.]

nota
¶ Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus & ad matitinum mat[u]tinum leticia
Loue þat is my lemman / such lettres he me sente
That mercy my sustur and y mankynde shal saue
And þat god hath forgyue / and graunted to alle mankynde
Mercy[^a715] and me to maynprisen hem alle
And þat C rist hath conuerted / the kynde of rihtwisnesse
In-to pees and pyte / of his puyr grace
Loo here þe patente quod pees / In pace in idipsum
And that this dede shal duyre dormiam & requiescam
Rauest thow quod rihtwisnesse / or thow art riht dronke
Leuest thow þat ȝone lihte / vnlouke myhte helle
And saue mannes soule suster wene hit neuere
At the bigynnynge of the world god gaf the doem hym -sulue
That Adam and Eue and al his issue
Sholde deye down-riht / and down[^a716][^698] in payne euere
Yf that thei touchen[^a717] þat tre / and of þe fruyt eten
Adam afturward aȝenes his defense
Freet of the fruyt / and forsoke as hit were
The loue of oure lord and his lore bothe
And folewede þat þe fend tauhte / and his flesch will
Aȝeynes resoun y rihtwysnesse recorde hit with treuthe
That her peyne is perpetuel no preyer may hem helpe
For-thy hem cheue as they chose and chyde we nat sustres
For hit is boteles bale the bite that they eten

[^a715: Mercy (X) | mercy my sustur (all other mss)]

[^a716: down (X I Yc) | dwelle (most other mss)]

[^a717: touchen (X) | touched (most other mss)]

[^698: X.20.204: Down here might be a repetition of the same word from the a-verse, so this might be a commonplace error, though it does make strained sense, syntactically, as a directional reference to hell.]

pees
¶[^699] And y shal preye quod pees / here payne moet haue ende
And þat he[^a718] r wo in-to wele / moet wende at þe laste
For hadde they wist of no wo · wele hadde thay nat knowen
For no wiht woet what wele is þat neuere wo soffrede
Ne what is hoet hunger þat hadde neuere defaute
Ho couthe kyndeliche whit colour descreue
Yf all þe world were whit or swan-whit all thynges
Yf no nyht ne were / no man y leue
Sholde y-wyte witterly / what day is to mene
Ne hadde god y-soffred / of som oþer then hym -sulue
He hadde nat wist witterly / where deth were sour or swete
For sholde neuere riȝt riche man / þat lyueth in rest and in[^a719] hele
Y-wyte what wo is / ne were þe deth of kynde
So god þat bigan al / of his gode wille
Bycam man of amayde a mayde mankynde to saue
And soffred to be sold / to se þe sorwe of deynge
The which vnkynytteth alle care / and comsyng is of reste
For til moreyne mete with vs / y may hit wel a-vowe
Ne woet no wyht as y were / what is y-now to mene
For-thy god of his goednesse þe furste man Adam
Sette hym in solace furste / and in souereyne merthe
And sethe he soffrede hym to synne sorwe to fele
To wyte what wele[^a720][^700] ther-thorw kyndeliche to knowe
And aftur god auntred hym-sulue / and toek Adames kynde
To wyte what he hath soffred in thre sundry places
Bothe in heuene and in erthe / and now to helle he thenketh
To wyte what al wo is / þat woet of alle ioye

[^a718: he (X) | her (most other mss)]

[^a719: and in (X I Q Yc) | and (most other mss)]

[^a720: wele (X) | wele was (most other mss)]

[^699: X.20.214: Here again we see a <//> paraph marker, added to the margins and never colored in, indicating, in this instance, a change of speaker.]

[^700: X.20.236: In this case a corrector's attempt to remedy the error of wel wat by deleting wat has failed to produce the reading of nearly all C manuscripts, wel was. The ink of the subpunction is darker than that of the main hand.]

¶ Omnia probate quod bonum est tenete
So hit shal fare bi this folk here folye and here synne
Shal lere hem what loue is / and lisse with -outen ende
For woet no wiht what werre is / þer -as pees regneth
Ne what is witterliche wele / til welaway hym teche
Thenne waster wa[s] ther a wihte · with two brode yes
Boek hihte þat beau pere / a bolde man of speche
boek

¶[^701] By godes body quod this boek / y wol here[^a721] witnesse
Tho þat this barn was y-bore þat[^a722] blased as a sterre
That alle þe wyse of the world / in o wit a-cordede
That such a barn was y-bore / in Bethleem þe Citee
That mannes soule sholde saue / and synne distruye
And all þe elementis quod the boek / here-of bereth witnesse
That he was god þat al wrouhte / the welkene furste shewede
Tho þat weren in heuene / token stella comata
And tenden hit as a torche / to reuerensen his burthe
The lihte folewede þe lord in-to þe lowe erthe
The water witnesseth þat he was god / for a[^702] wen te on hym druye
Peter þe Apostel / perseyued his gate
And as he wente on þe watur · wel hym knewe and saide

[^a721: here (X Uc Yc) | bere (most other mss)]

[^a722: þat (X I Yc) | þer (most other mss)]

[^701: X.20.248: Here, a scribe marks a change of speaker with a type of paraph marker, the <cc> symbol we have seen used before.]

[^702: X.20.258: A, "he."]

¶ domine iube me venire ad te
And lo how þe sonne gan louke · here lihte in here-sulue
When he sye hym soffre / þat sonne and se made
Lo þe erthe for heuynesse / þat he wolde soffre
quakid as a quyk thyng and also to-quasch þe roches
Loo helle myhte nat holde / bote opened tho god tholede
And lette out symondes sones / to sen hym honge on rode

¶ Non visurum se mortem & cetera
And now shal lucife r[^703] leue lihte / thogh hym loeth thynk
For ihesus as a geaunt with a gyn cometh ȝende
To breke and to bete adoun / all þat ben agaynes hym
And to haue out alle of hem þat hym liketh
And ȝut y boek wol be brente / bote he aryse to lyue
And comforte alle his kyn / and out of care brynge
And alle þe iewene ioye vnioynen and vnlouken
And bote they reuerense this resurexioun / and þe rode honoure
And bilewe on a newe lawe be ylost lyf and soule
Soffre we sayde treuthe / y here and se bothe
A spirit speketh to helle / and bit to vnspere[^a723] þe ȝates

[^a723: to vnspere (X I Yc) | vnspere (most other mss)]

[^703: X.20.269: In this instance Hand 1 appears to have written an incorrect final letter in expected lucifer, perhaps an <l> (which matches the shape of the erasure) in anticipation of the first letter in the next word. We attribute this good correction to Hand X because we cannot with confidence attribute it to either Hand 1 or Hand 2, but we have not marked up the original reading with an <app> element, since the original scribe cannot have intended to misspell the word. If Hand X had not made this correction, in fact, we would have done so ourselves with <sic><corr> elements and no further markup.]

¶ Attollite portas & cetera[^704] a vois loude in þat liht to lucifer saide
Princepes Princ[i]pes of this place / prest vndo this gates
For here acometh a cometh[^705] with croune / þe kynge of all glorie
¶

[X.20.283.m.1: Here we see in the left margin a <cc> symbol used to mark the speech of Satan in the poem, and we see at once his name as an annotation. These two scribal actions together signal that Satan's dramatic arrival occasions some fanfare to which readers should attend. Compare the situation and our note at folio 83v (X.19.49); and compare as well folio 17r (X.3.486), where in the right margin we see cc/ prophetia Petri.]

Satan
Thenne s yhed[^706] satoun and saide to helle
Such alyht a lyht aȝenes oure leue / lazar hit fette
Care and combraunce is come to vs all
Yf this kyn g come in / mankynde wol he fecche
And lede hit þer lazar is / and lihtliche me bynde
Patriarkes and prophetes / haen parled her-of longe
That such a lord and alihte a lihte / shal lede hem alle hennes
Ac arise vp Ragamoffyn / and a-reche me alle þe barres
That Belial thy beel-syre / beet with thy dame
And[^a724] y[^707] shal lette this loerd / and his liht stoppe
Ar we thorw brihtnesse be brente[^a725] · go bare we þe ȝates
Cheke and cheyne we and vch a shine[^a726][^708] stoppe
That no liht lepe in / at louer ne at loupe
Astarot hoet out / and haue out oure knaues
Coltyng and al his kyn · / the car to saue
Brumstoen boylaunt · brennyng out cast hit
Al hoet on here hedes þat entrith ney þe walles
Setteth bo wes of brake and brasene gonnes
And sheteth out shot ynow / his sheltrom to blende
Set Mahond at þe mangrel / and mulle-stones throweth
And crokes and kalketrappes / and cloye we hem vchone
lucefer
Lustneth quod lucifer / for y this lord knowe
Bothe this lord and this lihte / ys longe y-go y knewe hym
May no deth this lord dere / ne do[^a727] deueles quentyse
And where he wol is his way / ac waer hym of þe perelles
Yf he reue me of my rihte / A[^709] robbeth me of his maistrie
For bi riht and by resoun · þ þ[e] renkes þat ben here
Body and soule beth myne bothe gode and ille
For hym-sulue said hit / þat sire is of heuene
That Adam and Eue and all his issue
Sholde deye with doel / and here dwelle euere
Yf they touched atre a tre / or toek þer -of an appul
Thus this lord of liht such alawe a lawe made
And sethe he is alele a lele lord / y leue þat he wol nat
Reuen vs of oure riht / sethe resoun hem dampnede
And sethen we haen ben sesed · seuene thousand wynter
And neuere was þer -aȝeyne / and now wolde bigynne
Thenne were he vnwrast of his word þat witnesse is of treuthe
That is soeth saide satoun bote y me sore doute
For thow gete hem with gyle · and his gardyn broke
notate bene
Aȝeyne his loue and his leue on his londe ȝedest
Not in fourme of afende a fende / bote in fourme of anAddre an Addre
And entisedest Eue to eten bi here one / ve soli
And by-hihtest here and hym / aftur to knowe
As two godes with god bothe goed and ille
This with treson and tricherie · thow troyledest hem bothe
And dust hem breke here buxumnesse / thorw fals bihestes
And so haddest hem out / and hiddere at þe laste
Hit is nat graythly y-gete · ther gyle is þe rote
And god wolnat wol nat be gyled / quod gobelyne no[^a728] byiaped
We haen no trewe title to hem for thy tresoun hit maketh
For-thy y drede me quod þe deuel / laste treuthe wol hem fecche
And as thowe bigyledest godes ymages / in goynge of an addre
So hath god bigiled vs alle / in goynge of a weye
For god hath go quod gobelyne / in gome liknesse
This thritty wynter as y wene / and wente aboute and prechede
Y haue ass ayled[^710] hym with synne / and som-tyme ich askede
Where he were god or godes sone / he gaf me short answere
Thus hath[^711] he trolled forth lyke a tydy man this two & thritty wynter
And when y seyh hit was so / y sotiled how y myhte
Lette hem þat louede hym nat / laste they wolde hym martre
Y wolde haue lenghed his lyf / for y leued yf he deyede
That if his soule hider cam hit sholde shende vs all
For þe body whiles hit on bones ȝede / aboute was hit euere
To lere men to[^a729] lele / and vch man to louye oþer
The which lyf and lawe / be hit longe y-vysed
Hit shal vndo vs deueles / and down bryngen vs all
And now y se where his soule cometh sylinge hidward
With glorie and with lihte[^a730] / god hit is ich woet wel
Y rede we flee quod the fende / faste all hennes
For vs were bettere nat to be[^a731] / then abyde in his sihte
For thy lesinges lucifer / we losten furst oure ioye
And out of heuene hidore / thy pryde made vs falle
For we leued on thy lesynges / þat thow lowe til Eue
We haen ylost our oure lordschipe / alonde a londe[^712] and in helle

[^a724: And (X) | And y (all other mss)]

[^a725: brente (X Ch P2) | blente (all other mss)]

[^a726: shine (X) | chine (most other mss)]

[^a727: do (X Yc) | no (most other mss)]

[^a728: no (X I Uc Yc) | ne (most other mss)]

[^a729: to (X I K) | to be (all other mss)]

[^a730: lihte (X) | grete lihte (all other mss)]

[^a731: to be (X Fc) | be (all other mss)]

[^704: X.20.280: XIKP2 alone place this Latin at the beginning of this line.]

[^705: X.20.282: A, "he."]

[^706: X.20.283: What looks like an otiose tilde over the <y> of syhe is the beginning of an anticipated <h>.]

[^707: X.20.292: HS also identify this insertion as the work of Hand 2, who with this correction has aligned X with all other C manuscripts.]

[^708: X.20.294: We have seen <ch>/<sh> variation before in the graphemic representation of /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ (X.2.183, X.14.222, X.15.47, and X.15.164), but it is not clear if X's shine is just such variation, with the intended word being a form of MED chine, n., the majority reading, meaning "[a] crack, gap, or chink (as in a wall or rock)" (def. 1[a]), or if the scribe has actually intended a form of MED shine, n. 2, meaning "[r]adiance, brilliance; a flash of light, gleam" (def. 1[a]), a term which, however incorrect, could have been suggested by the context of the imagery of brightness being darkened.]

[^709: X.20.308: A, "he."]

[^710: X.20.339: Either Hand 2 or another hand (there is not enough of ink nor letter form to determine, so we say Hand X) has transformed the <o> into an <a> in order to obtain the majority reading, making this a successful instance of correction.]

[^711: X.20.341: After the final <h>, the scribe appears to have begun and then partially erased another <h>.]

[^712: X.20.357: A, preposition.]

¶ Nunc princeps huius mundi
Sethe þat satan myssaide thus foule
Lucifer for his lesynges / leue y noen oþer
Bote oure lord at þe laste / lyares here rebuke
And wyte hem al þe wrechednesse þat wrouhte is here[^713] on erthe
Beth y-waer ȝe wyse clerkes · and ȝe witty men of lawe
That ȝe belyen nat this lewed men for at the laste dauid
Witnesseth in his writynges · what is lyares mede

[^713: X.20.362: We follow RK who expand he to here (Schmidt likewise expands, but to her) because we see, as these editors must have, a bar for expansion over the <e>. The scribe of X sometimes expands he to hem, for example, in this way (e.g.: X.20.328 on the previous folio). But the <h> of he is so blotted here at X.20.362, as is the <h> of erthe at line's end, that the expansion is not readily apparent; in fact þat at mid line is blotted almost to illegibility, as is lihte at X.20.370 just below. But the frequent blotting on this line and folio has nothing to do with any correction or deletion.]

¶ Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem
Perdes omnes qui loquntur loq[u]untur mendacium
A litel y ouerleep for lesynges sake
That y ne sygge nat as y syhe suynde my teme
For efte þat lihte bade vnlouke
What lord artow quod lucifer / a voys aloude saide
The lord of myhte and of mayne / þat made alle thynges
Dukes of this demme place · anoen vndoth this ȝates
That Crist may come in / the kynges sone of houene[^714]
And with þat breth helle braek · with alle belialles barres
For eny wey or warde · wyde open þe ȝates
Patriarkes and profetes populus in tenebris
Songen with seynt Iohan / ecce agnus dei
Lucifer loke ne myhte / so liht hym ablende[^a732]
And tho that oure lord louede forth with þat liht flowen

[^a732: ablende (X Ec Wa) | ablente (all other mss)]

[^714: X.20.374: Houene, "heaven." Although this is not the scribe's usual spelling, forms with <o> are attested in the MED s.v. heven, n., so we do not take it to be a substantive variant.]

¶[^715] Lo me here quod oure lord lyf and soule bothe
lord
For alle synfole soules to saue oure bothe rihte
Myne they were and of me · y may þe bet hem clayme
Al-thouh resoun recordede / and rihte of my-sulue
That if they ete þe appul alle sholde deye
Y bihihte hem nat here / helle for euere
For the dedly synne that they dede thi deseite hit made
With gyle thow hem gete / a-gaynes all resoun
For in my palays paradys / in persone of an addere
Falsliche fettest there / þat me biful to loke
Byglosedest hem and bigiledest hem / and my gardyne breke
Aȝeyne my loue and my leue / þe olde lawe techeth
That gylours bigiled / and here[^a733] gyle falle
And ho-so hit out amannes a mannes eye / or elles his foreteth
Or eny manere membre / maymeth oþer herteth
The same sore shal he haue / þat eny so sermyteth
dentem p p[ro] dente / & oculum pro oculo
So lyf shal lyf lede[^a734] / ther lyf hath lyf anended[^a735]
So þat lyf quyte lyf þe olde lawe hit asketh

[^a733: here (X) | in here (all other mss)]

[^a734: lede (X) | lete (all other mss)]

[^a735: anended (X) | anyented (most other mss)]

[^715: X.20.381: Here we see an uncolored <//> added in the margin, in this case to indicate a change of speaker.]

¶ Ergo soule shal soule quyte · and synne to synne wende
And al þat men mysdede / y man to amenden hit
And þat deth fordede my deth to releue
And bothe quykie and quyte · that queynte was thorw synne
And gyle[^a736] bigyled · thorw grace at þe laste

[^a736: gyle (X I K Uc) | gyle be (most other mss)]

¶ Ars vt Artem falleret vt primus[^716]
So leue hit nat lucifer · aȝeyne þe lawe y feche
Here eny synfole soule / souereynliche by maistrie
Bot e thorw riht and thorw resoun raunsome here my lege
Non veni soluere legem set a dimplere
So þat with gyle was gete / thorw grace is now y-wonne
And as Adam and alle / thorwe a tre deyede
nota
Adam and alle thorw atre a tre shal turne to lyue
And now bygynneth thy gyle agayne on the to turne
And my grace to growe / ay wyddore and wyddore
The bitternesse þat thow hast browe now brouk hit thy-sulue
That art doctour of deth / drynke þat thow madest
For y þat am lord of lyf / loue is my drynke
And for þat drynke to-day / y deyede as hit semede
Ac y wol drynke of no dische / ne of deep clergyse
Bote of comune coppes alle cristene soules
Ac thy drynke worth deth · and depe helle thy bolle
Y fauht so me fursteth ȝut for mannes soule sake
Crist

[X.20.423.m.1: In the space below this marginalium there appears to be something erased, perhaps a first attempt to write the word Crist.]

Scicio S[i]cio[^717] May no pyement ne pomade ne preciouse drynkes
Moiste me to þe fulle / ne my furste slokke
Til þe ventage valle / in þe vale of Iosophat
And drynke riht rype / m ust[^718] resureccio mortuorum
And thenne shal y come as kynge / with croune and with angeles
And haue out of helle alle mennes soules

[^716: X.20.405: HS say that this addition, vt primus is in a different ink. We concur, and it can be in the hand of any of the correctors. It may be part of the program of annotations by Hand 2, though it appears to be written hastily and does not appear as clear as most of his annotations. Grindley does not include it in his transcription of the annotations. Vt primus must mean in this context something like "as we first saw," and must refer to the earlier instance of Ars vt Artem falleret above at X.20.170.]

[^717: X.20.423: RK emend to Sicio. We concur, but note that the DMLBS , s.v. sitire, has three attestations of the spelling with added <c>.]

[^718: X.20.426: HS record <o> under the <u>, but we cannot detect the original reading. It was likely <o>, obtaining most, and creating an interesting situation. The overwhelming majority reading of C manuscripts is, in fact, most, which RK adopt, while Pearsall and Schmidt print X's must. The word must comes from MED must, n., def. 1(a), "[t]he juice of grapes, unfermented or undergoing the process of fermentation; new wine." Most is attested in the MED as an alternate spelling, and it is not clear if the original scribe intended that word or most as an adverb modifying rype. Nor is it clear what meaning RK intend. In any case, a corrector has sensed confusion and acted to obtain X's must which, we believe, provides the required meaning, "immature wine."]

¶[^719] fendes and fendekynes byfore me shal stande
And be at my biddynge at blisse or at payne
Ac to be merciable to man / thenne my kynde asketh
For we beth brethrene of obloed o bloed[^720] / Ac nat in baptisme alle
Ac alle þat beth myn hole brethene breth[r]ene / in bloed and in baptisme
Shal neuere in helle eft come / be he ones oute

[^719: X.20.429: The marker in the left margin that we here display as a black parasign looks most like the <//> we have been noticing, but it looks a bit like the <cc> mark we have also been charting, which we also transcribe as a parasign. We take the intentionality and function of both to be the same, and this version looks like a hasty hybrid; it does not here, however, mark a change of speakers, but it does have the effect of a pause, as Christ moves to a new topic, as if after the end of a verse paragraph.]

[^720: X.20.432: The <o> of bloed looks quite like an <e>, but we interpret it as a slight mechanical variation on the scribe's part, neither a true error nor a variant, so we print bloed, as do all other editors. Note the emphatic difference between the two letters in the same word in the very next line, as if he wanted no ambiguity the next time he wrote the word but did not feel compelled to return and re-stroke the previous instance.]

¶ Tibi soli peccaui · & malum coram te feci
Hit is nat vsed on erthe / to hangen eny felones
Oftur then ones thogh they were tretours
And yf þe kynge of þe kyngdoem come in þe tyme
Ther a thief tholie sholde / deth oþer iewyse
Lawe wolde he ȝoue hym lyf / and[^721] he loked on hym
And y þat am kynge ouer kynges / shal come such a tyme
Ther þat doem to þe deth dampneth alle wikkede
And if lawe wol y loke on hem / hit lith in my grace
Where they deye or dey nat dede they neuere so ille
[^722] Be hit eny thyng abouhte the boldenesse of here synne
Or[^a737] may do mercy of my rihtwysnesse / and alle myn wordes trewe
For holy writ wol þat y be wreke of hem þat wrouhte ille

[^a737: Or (X) | Y (all other mss)]

[^721: X.20.440: And, "if."]

[^722: X.20.445: Enough of the erased graphs are visible under the erasure and overwriting to show that the scribe mistakenly copied and then deleted the Latin tag that he supplied at X.20.447, at the very bottom of the folio. He then copied here the proper English line over the erasure.]

¶ As nullum malum inpunitum / & nullum bonum irremuneratum
And so of alle wykkede / y wol here take veniaunce
And ȝut my kynde and[^a738] my kene ire / shal constrayne my will

[^a738: and (X Nc) | in (all other mss)]

¶ Domine ne in furore tuo Arguas me & cetera
To be merciable to monye / of my halue-bretherne
For bloed may se bloed bothe afurst and a-cale
Ac bloed may nat se bloed · / blede bote hym rewe

¶ Audiui arcana verba que non lucet homini loqui
Ac my rihtwysnesse and rihte shal regnen in helle
And mercy and mankynde bifore me in heuene
¶[^723] For y were an vnkynde kyng / bote y my kyn helpe
nota hic bene
And namliche at such a nede / þat nedes helpe asketh

[^723: X.20.458: Here, a hand has added the uncolored <//> in the margin; this instance does not mark a change of speakers but a transition in the current speech of Christ, as if marking off a verse paragraph.]

¶ Non intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo
Thus by lawe quod oure lord / lede y wol fro hennes
Tho þat y louye / and leued in my comynge
Ac for þe lesynge þat thow low lucife r til eue
Thow shal ab uye bittere quod god / and / boynde b[o]nde[^724] hym with chaynes
Astarot and alle oþere · hidden hem in hernes
They dorste nat loke on oure lord / the leste of hem alle
Bote leten hym lede forth / which hym luste /[^725] and leue which hym likede
Many hundret of Angels harpeden tho and songen

[^724: X.20.464: RK report that X's boynde has been corrected, presumably to the majority reading bonde. We see some potential blotting of the <y>, but we cannot detect any actual correction or letter transformation.]

[^725: X.20.467: We see here two virgules in one line, functioning like modern commas, setting off a non-restrictive relative clause, though the second one falls dutifully at the caesura.]

¶ Culpat Caro purgat Caro regnat deus dei Caro
Thenne piped pees / of poetes a note
Clarior est solito & cetera post inimicicias / Clarior est & Amor
Aftur sharpest shoures quod pees / most shene is þe sonne
Is no wedore warmore / then aftur watri cloudes
Ne no loue leuore / ne no leuore frendes
Then aftur werre and wrake / when loue and pees ben maistres
Was neuere werre in this world / ne wikkedere enuye
That loue and[^726] hym luste / to loulynge[^a739][^727] brouhte
And pees thorw pacience alle perelles stopede
Trewes quod treuthe / thow tellest vs soeth by ihesus
Cluppe we on couenaunt / and vch of vs kusse oþere
And lat no peple quod pees / perseyue þat we chydde
For inposible is no-thynge / to hym þat is almyhty
Thowe saiste soeth saide rihtwisnesse / and reuerentlich here custe
Pees and pees here per secula seculorum

[^a739: loulynge (X I Yc) | lauhynge (most other mss)]

[^726: X.20.477: And, "if."]

[^727: X.20.477: We take XIYc's reading to be a form of MED lullen, likely def. 1(a), "[t]o induce sleep in (a baby) by rocking, crooning, etc.; also, sing a lullaby; ppl. lulling, soothing." This makes for an interesting if imaginative variant from the majority reading, which means rather, "to laugh, rejoice, express pleasure; be happy, revel" ( MED , s.v. laughen, v., def. 1(c).]

[X.20.485.m.1: A single abbreviation, perhaps a nomen sacrum such as the Ihc seen further down on this folio, has been erased from the left margin.]

¶ Misericordia & veritas obuiauerunt sibi Iusticia & pax osculate sunt
Treuth trompede tho / and song te deum laudamus
And thenne lutede loue in a loude note

¶ Ecce quam bonum & quam iocundum & cetera
Til þe day dawed thes damoyseles caroled
That men rang to þe resureccioun / and riht with þat y wakede
And calde kitte my wyf / and Calote my douhter
Arise and go reuerense godes resurecciom resureccio[n]
And crep e to þe croes on knees / and kusse hit for a iewel
And rihtfollokest Arelyk A relyk / noon richore on erthe
For godes blessed body / hit baer for oure bote
And hit afereth th th[e] fende for such is þe myhte
May no grisly goest glyde þer hit shaddeweth

Explicit Dobet & incipit dobest

T hus y wakede and wrot · what y hadde y-dremed
And dihte me derely · and dede me to kyrke
To here holly þe masse and to to [be] hoseled aftur
// Hyer is a newe meteles how he say pers al blody
In · myddes of þe masse · tho men ȝede to offrynge
Y ful efte-sones a-slepe / and sodeynliche me mette
That þe[^728] was peynted al blody
And cam in with a cros / bifore þe comune peple
And riht lyke in alle lymes to oure lord ihesu
And thenne calde y Consience to kenne me þe sothe
is this ihesus the ioustare quod · y /[^729] þat iewes dede to dethe
Or hit is[^730] paynted hym sorede so rede[^731]
Quod Conciense and knelede tho / this aren Cristes Armes
His colours and his cote armure / ac he þat cometh so blody
Is Crist with his croes · conquerour of Cristene
Whi calle ȝe hym Crist / sennes iewes callede hym ihesus
Patriarkes & prophetes profecied bifore
To[^a740] alle kyn creatures / sholde knelen and bowen
A-noon as men nemned / þe name of god ihesu
Ihesus
Ergo is no name to þe name of ihesus
Ne noen so niedfol to nemnie by nyhte ne by day
For alle derke deueles / aren drad for to heren hit
And synfole ben solaced / and saued by þat name
And ȝe callen hym Crist for what cause telleth me
Is Crist more of myhte / and more worthiore name
Then ihesu or ihesus þat all oure ioye cam of
Thow knowest wel quod Concience and þou kunne resoun
That knyht kyng conquerour may be o persone
To be cald a knyht is fayr / for men shal knele to hym
To be cald a kyng is fairor / for he may knyhtes make
Ac to be conquerour cald / þat cometh of special grace
And of hardinesse of herte / and of hendenesse
To make lordes of laddes / of lond þat he wynneth
And fre men foule thralles / þat folleweth nat his lawes
The iewes þat were gentel-men · ihesu thei dispisede
Bothe his lore and his lawe now are they lowe cherles
As wydes[^a741] as þe worlde is wonyeth þer none
Bote vnder tribuyt and talage · / as tykes and cherles
And tho þat bycome cristene / bi consail of þe baptist
Aren frankeleynes and fre men Thorw follyng þat they toke
And Ientel-men with ihesu / for ihesu was y-folled
And vpon Caluarie /[^732] on cros y-crouned kyng of iewes
Hit bicometh for a kyng / to kepe and to defende
And conquerour of his conqueste / his layes and his large
And so dede ihesus þe iewes he iustified / and tauhte hem
The lawe of lyf · that laste shal euere
And fended hem fro foule eueles · feueres and fluxes
And fro fendes þat in hem was / and false bileue
[^733] Tho was he iesu of iewes gentel profete and kyng of here kyngdoem
And croune baer of thornes / and tho conquerede he on cros
As conquerour noble myhte no deth hym for-do ne adown brynge
That he ne aroos and regnede / and raueschede helle
And tho was he conquerour cald · of quyke and of dede
For he ȝaf Adam and Eue / and oþere mo blisse
That longe hadden leye bifore / as luciferes cherles
And toek lucifer the loethliche þat lord was of helle
And bonde as he is bounde · with bondes of yre
Ho was hardior then he / his herte b loed he shewede[^a742]
To make alle folk fre / þat folweth his lawe
And sethe he ȝeueth largeliche / all his lele lege
Places in paradys / at here partyng hennes
He may be wel called conquerour / and that is Crist to m ene
Ac the cause that he cometh thus / with his cros and his passioun
Is to wissen vs þer -with / þat when we ben y-tempted
Ther-with to fihte and fende vs fro fallyng in-to synne
And se bi his sorwe / þat ho-so loueth ioye
To penaunce and to pouerte / he mot putte hym-suluen
And moche wo in this world wilnen and soffren
Ac to carpe more of Crist / and how he cam to þat name
faythly for to speke / his furste name was ihesus
Tho he was bore in Bedlehem / as þe boek telleth
And cam to take mankynde / kynges and angeles
reuerensed hym riht fayre / with richesses of erthe
Angele[^a743] out of heuene / come kneled and songe

[^a740: To (X) | That (all other mss)]

[^a741: wydes (X Yc) | wyde (all other mss)]

[^a742: shewede (X P2 Yc) | shedde (most other mss)]

[^a743: Angele (X I) | Angeles (most other mss)]

[^728: X.21.6: Conjectured reading: Peres þe plouhman.]

[^729: X.21.10: There is a raised point between quod and y of uncertain function. The virgule falls at the caesura, as expected.]

[^730: X.21.11: The conjectured reading is very difficult to determine, though it is likely to be one of the following: Peres þe Plouhman who, Peres Plouhman who, or Peres þe Plouhman. RK conjecture the first, though our measurement of the spacing, based on a comparison of the erasure above at X.21.6, would suggest either the second or the third.]

[^731: X.21.11: We concur with all editors that the intended form here is so rede, though we note that MED records, s.v. sorede, adj., "Of a horse: reddish brown," with a completely different etymology, <OF soret.]

[^732: X.21.41: In this instance, the virgule does not fall at the caesura.]

[^733: X.21.48-X.21.51: XIP2Yc, with slight variation, all break the three lines differently from most C manuscripts, which divide the lines at profete, thornes, and noble, obtaining four lines. XIP2Yc lack the word cald in X.21.48, a shortfall that might account for the compression of these verses that causes, as we have seen before, a domino effect and creates in this case three long hypermetric lines.]

¶ Gloria in excelsis deo
Kynges cam aftur knelede and offrede
Mirre and moche gold / with -outen mercy askynge
Or eny kyne catel / bote knoweleched hym souereyn
Bothe of sand sonne and see / and sennes þei wente
In-to here kyngenekuth kyngene kuth by consail of Angelis
And þer was þat word fulfuld / þe which þou of speke

¶ Omnia celestia / terrestria / flectantur in hoc nomine ihesu
For alle þe angelis of he uene[^734] / at his burthe knelede
And al þe wit of the world was in[^a744] thre kynges
Resoun and rihtfulnesse / and reuthe thei offrede
Where-fore & why wyse men þat tyme
Maistres & lettred men / Magi[^735] hem calde
That a kyng cam with reson ykyuered vnder ensense
The seconde kyng seth sothliche offrede
war

[X.21.89.m.1: The original scribe had forgotten four lines and so has marked a cross to indicate that we are to read the inserted lines here. He then writes those lines vertically in the right margin. The rubricator, when he was working through the text, saw this and added four red dots around the cross at both the insertion point and at the lines themselves and then added the word war in the margin. War is from MED , s.v. waren, v. 1, def. 2: "Impv. ware, having the force of an interjection: (a) here, see, see here, look;—used to draw attention to oneself, the presence of someone or something, etc." On folio 6r, where we see war function similarly, the gloss draws attention to the insertion, making sure that we are "aware" of the need to go fetch these lines. The gloss is thus to be carefully distinguished from full imperative sentences using the word war (58v and 72v, q.v.), which offer imperatives about what we should be "aware" of in the matter of the poem itself. Thus, Grindley's categorization of war on 6r and 95v as "Literary Responses-Reader Participation"—a situation where the gloss enters "into dialogue with the text" (p. 135, p. 128)—can be misleading. Rather, these two instances where verses have been added are simply aids for reading the scribal apparatus. See the codicological note above for X.1.134-X.1.135.]

Rihtwisnesse vnder reed · gold resones felawe
Gold is likened to lewetee · that laste shal euere
And resoun to riche go lde / to riht and to treuthe
The thridde kyng cam / and kneled to ihesu
And presented hym with pyte / apperynge bi Mirre
For Mirre is mercy to mene / and mylde speche of tonge
Ertheliche honeste thynges · was offred thus at ones
Thorw thre kyne kynges / knelyng to ihesu
Ac for all this preciouse presentes / oure lord prince ihesu
Was noþer kyng ne conquerour til he comsed wexe
In þe manere of aman a man / and þat by moche sleythe
As hit bicometh for a conquerour / to conne mony sleythes
And many wyles and wyt / þat wol be aledare a ledare
And so dede ihesu in his dayes / who-so durste tellen hit
Som-tyme he soffrede and som-tyme he hudde hym
And som-tyme he fauht faste / and fley oþer -while
And som-tyme he gaf goed / and graunted hele bothe
Lyf and lyme / as hym luste he wrouhte
As kynde is of a conquerour so comesede ihesu
Til he hadde all hem / þat he fore bledde
In his iu uentee iuuentee this ihesus / at iewene feste
Turned watur in-to wyn / as holy writ telleth
And þer bigan god of his grace to dowel
For wyn is likned to lawe / and lyf holinesse
And lawe lakked tho for men / loued nat her enemyes
And Crist consayleth vs[^a745] / and comaundeth bothe
Bothe to lered and to lewed / to louye oure enemyes
So at þat feste furste / as y before tolde
Bigan god of his grace / and goodnesse to dowel
And tho was he cleped and calde not my[^a746] Crist but ihesu
A fauntekyn ful of wyt / filius Marie
For bifore his moder Marie made he þat wonder
That þe[^a747] furste and the[^a748] formoste / sholde ferme bileue
That he tho rw grace was gete / and of no gome elles
He wrouhte þat by no wyt / bote thorw word one
Aftur þe kynde þat he cam of / þer comsede he dowel
And when he was wexen more / in his moder absence
He made lame to lepe / and ȝaf liht to blynde
And fedde with two fisches / and with fyue loues
Sore a-fyngered folk / mo then fyue thousend
Thus he comfortede carefole / and cauhte a grettere name
The which was dobet · where þat he wente
For deue thorw his doynges / and dombe speke he[^a749] herde
And all he heled and halp / þat hym of grace asked
And tho was he cald / in contreye of þe comune peple
For þe dedes þat he dede / fili dauid ihesus
For dauid was the douhtiest / of dedes in his tyme
The buyrdes tho songe[^736]

[^a744: in (X) | in þo (most other mss)]

[^a745: vs (X Ch Yc) | þus (all other mss)]

[^a746: my (X) | only (most other mss)]

[^a747: þe (X Uc) | she (most other mss)]

[^a748: and the (X) | and (all other mss)]

[^a749: he (X Uc Yc) | & (most other mss)]

[^734: X.21.82: The scribe has converted an erroneous <m> to the needed <u> by using the <e> to cancel the extra minim.]

[^735: X.21.86: An unknown hand has careted in the <a> of Magi]

[^736: X.21.136: This line division, separating X.21.136 from X.21.137, is unique to XYc, whose scribes must not have understood that the Latin of the next line is needed here to complete one full alliterating macaronic line of poetry.]

¶ Saul interfecit mille / & dauid decem milia
For-thy þe contre þer ihesu cam calde hym fili dauid
And nempned hym of nazareth / and no man so worthy
To be Cayser or kyng / of the kyngdoem of Iuda
Ne ouer Iewes Iustice / as ihesus was hem thouhte
Here-of hadde Cayphas enuye and oþer iewes
And for to do hym to dethe / day and nyhte they casten
And culden hym on cros / wyse / at Caluarie on a fryday
And sethen burden[^a750] his body / and beden þat men sholde
Kepen hit fro nyhte-comares / with knyhtes y- armed[^737]
For no frende sholde hit fecche for profetes hem tolde
That þat blessed body / of buyrielles sholde ryse
And goen in-to Galilee / and gladien his apostlis
And his moder marie / thus men bifore deuyned
The knyhtes þat kepten hit / biknewen hem-suluen
That Angeles and Archangeles / ar the day spronge
Comen knelng to þat Cors and songen

[^a750: burden (X Yc) | buried (most other mss)]

[^737: X.21.146: HS correctly see that the scribe wrote <sh> (the first letters of the last word in the line above) plus possibly another letter to obtain sh.med. Either he quickly caught this and revised, or he let it stand until another hand made the repair. We have to attribute this to Hand X, but in any case the majority and correct reading has been obtained by this correction.]

¶ Christus resurgens / and hit aroos aftur
Veray man bifore alle[^a751] / and forth with hem ȝede
The iewes preyed hem of pees / and preyede tho knyhtes
Telle þe comune þat þer cam / a companie of his apostles
And by-wiched[^a752] as they woke and away stelen hit ·
Ac Marie Maudeleyne mette hym by þe weye
Goynge toward galilee / in godhede and in manhede
And lyues and lokynge and aloude criede
In vch a companye þer he cam christus resurgens
Thus cam hit out · þat Crist ouercam rekeuerede and lyuede

[^a751: alle (X K Yc) | hem alle (all other mss)]

[^a752: by-wiched (X) | by-wiched hem (most other mss)]

¶ Sic christum pati & intrare & cetera
For þat woman witeth / hit nat[^a753] be wel conseyl
Peter perseyued al this and pursuede aftur
Bothe Iames and Iohan / ihesu to seke
Taddee and ten mo / with Thomas of ynde
And as al thise wyse weyes / weren two to-gyderes[^a754]
In an hous al bi-shut / and here dore y-barred
Crist cam in and al closed / bothe dore and ȝates
To peter and to his apostlis and saide pax vobis
And toek Thomas by the hoende / and tauhte hym to grope
And fele with his fyngeres / his flesheliche herte
Thomas touched hit / and with his tonge saide

[^a753: nat (X) | may nat (most other mss)]

[^a754: two to-gyderes (X) | to-gyderes (all other mss)]

¶ dominus meus & deus meus
Thow art my lord y bileue · god lord ihesu
Deyedest and deth tholedest / and deme shalt vs all
And now art lyuynge and lokynge / and laste shalt euere
Crist Carpede thenne / and corteyliche cortey[s]liche saide
Thomas for thow trowest this / and treweliche bileuest hit
Y-blessed mote thow be / and be shalt for euere
And y-blessed mote they be in body and in soule
Tha Tha[t][^738] neuere shal se me in sihte / as thowe seste nowthe
And leelliche bileuen al this / y loue hem and blesse hem

[^738: X.21.184: In three instances, here and at X.21.296 and X.21.323, we markup up the reading tha/þa to correct to the scribe's usual form, that, but tha is attested in the MED as a form of that.]

¶ Beati qui non viderunt & crediderunt
And when this dede was doen / dobest he thouhte
And ȝaf[^739] power / and pardoun he graunted
To alle manere men / mercy and forȝeuenesse
Hym[^a755] myhte men to ass oyle / of alle manere synnes
In couenaunt þat they come / and knoleched to pay
To Peres pardoun þe plouhman Redde quod debes
Thus hath Peres power / be his pardoun payed
To bynde and to vnbynde bothe here and elles
And assoile men of alle synnes / saue of dette one
A-noon aftur an heyh / vp in-to heuene
He wente and woneth there / and wol come at þe laste
And rewarde hym riht wel / that reddet[^740] quod debet
payeth parfitly / as puyr treuthe wolde
And what persone payth hit nat / punischen he thenketh
And demen hem at domesday / bothe quyke and dede
The gode to godhede / and to grete ioye
And wikked to wonye in wo with-outen ende
Thus Consience of Crist / and of þe cros carpede[^741]
And conseyled me to knele þerto / and thenne cam me thouhte
Oen spiritus paraclitu s / to Peres and to his felawes
In liknesse of a lihtnynge / alyhte on hem alle
And made hem knonne & knowe / alle kyne langages
Y wondred what þat was · and wagged Consience
And was afered for the lihte / for in fuyres liknesse
Spiritus paraclitus ouerspradde hem alle
Quod Consience and knelede / this is Cristes messager
And cometh fro the grete god / grace is his name
Knele now quod Consience / and yf thow canst synge
Welcome hym and worshipe hym / with veni creator spiritus
And y sang þat song / and so dede many hundret
And criden with Consience / helpe vs god of grace
And thenne bigan grace / to go with[^742]
And conseilede hym and Consience / the comune to sompne
For y wol dele to-day / and deuyde grace
To alle kyne creatures / þat can his fyue wittes
Tresor to lyue by / to here lyues ende
And wepne to fihte with þat wol neuere fayle
Antecrist
For Auntecrist and hise / al the world shal greue
And a-combre þe Consience bote yf Crist the helpe
And false profetes fele flateres and glosares
Shal come and be curatours / ouer kynges and Erles
And thenne shal pryde be pope and prince of holychurche holy churche
Coueytise and vnkyndenesse Cardynales hym lede
For-thy quod grace or y go / y wol gyue ȝow tresor
And wepne to fihte with / when Auntecrist ȝow assaileth
And gaf vch man a grace / to gye with hym-suluen
That ydelnesse encombre hem nat / ne enuye ne pryde
diuisiones graciarum sunt
Som men he ȝaf wyt / with wordes to schewe
To wynne with treuthe þat the world asketh
As prechours and prestes and prentises of lawe
They leely to lyue · bi labour of tonge
And bi wit to wissen oþere / as grace hem wolde teche
And somme he kende hem craft and konnynge of syhte
With sullyng and buggynge / here bileue to wynne
And som he lered to laboure / alonde a londe[^743] and a-watre
And lyue by þat laboure / a leele lyf and a trewe
And somme he tauhte to tulye / to teche and to coke
As here wit wolde · when þe ty me tyme come
And somme to deuyne and to deuyde noumbres to kenne
And compace and coloures to make / and somme to se and to saye[^744]
What sholde bifalle bothe of wele and of wo
And[^a756] be y-waer bifore and astromnens astrom[i]ens thorw astronomye & philosopheres wyse
And somme to ryde & somme to rekeuere that vnrihtfulliche was wonne
He wissede men wynne hit aȝeyn / thorw whitnesse of handes
And fechen hit fro false men with foleuiles lawes
And somme he rered[^a757] to lyue in longyng to be hennes
In pouerte and in pacience · to preye for alle cristene
And al he lered to be lele / and vch a craft loue oþere
ne no boest ne debaet be among hem alle
Thouh somme be clenner then somme / ȝe sen wel quod grace
That all craft and connyng cam of my ȝefte
Loke þat noen lacke oþere / bute loueth as bretherne
And[^a758] he þat moest maistries can / be myldest of berynge
And crouneth Consience kyng / and maketh craft ȝoure styward
And aftur craftes consail clotheth ȝow and fedeth
For y make[^745] my procreatour[^a759] and my reue
And Registrer to reseyuen Redde quod debes
My prowour and my[^746] shal ben on erthe
// Hyer bygynnz

[X.21.266.m.1: Evidently while searching for and erasing the character's name, the deleter has also excised the phrase Peris plow from the marginalium here, though the outline of all the letters is still visible.]

And for to tulye treuthe / ateme a teme shal he haue
Grace gaf a teme / foure grete oxen

[^a755: Hym (X T Uc Yc) | And ȝaf hym (most other mss)]

[^a756: And (X) | As (most other mss)]

[^a757: rered (X Yc) | lered (most other mss)]

[^a758: And (X Dc Uc Z) | And he (all other mss)]

[^a759: procreatour (X) | procuratour (most other mss)]

[^739: X.21.188: Conjectured reading: peres.]

[^740: X.21.198: Hand 1 has added a <t> to convert the imperative verb into the future indicative. The question of verb forms appears to have confused scribes, since the manuscripts read, variously, reddet, reddit (present indicative), and also redde. The question is whether to treat the words in the phrase as an unconjugated tag or as grammatical terms that must match the local syntax, an interesting question that generated various scribal responses. Likewise, the final word in this line, debet (present indicative third singular) is sometimes rendered by scribes as debes even though the second person construction does not fit here.]

[^741: X.21.204: Someone, perhaps a modern hand, has numbered the thirteenth quire in the inner left margin of the folio.]

[^742: X.21.218: Conjectured reading: Peres the plouhman.]

[^743: X.21.242: A, preposition.]

[^744: X.21.247-X.21.248: The line division at X.21.247-X.21.248 is shared by XP2Yc, perhaps relating to the omission in X of a phrase (here given in RK's version) that several manuscripts witness: And somme to kerue (RK.21.241a). That half-line should be the start of X.21.247, though many manuscripts that also lack these words do not follow X's division. Hand 1 himself has done here what he often does when he perceives that a line is too short: he pushes up material from the next line, in this case, moving and somme to se and to saye from the next line, creating a domino effect and rendering X.21.247-X.21.249 hypermetrical, or otherwise faulty metrically.]

[^745: X.21.263: Conjectured reading: Peres the plouhman.]

[^746: X.21.265: Conjectured reading: plouhman Peres.]

¶[^747] That oen was luc a large beste and a lou-chered
And Marc and Mathewe the thridde myhty bestes bothe
Iohan
And ioyned til hem / oen iohan most gentill of all
The pris neet of[^748] passynge alle oþere
And sethe grace of his goednesse / gaef[^749] foure stottes
All þat his oxes erede / they two harwed[^a760] aftur

[^a760: two harwed (X) | to harwen (most other mss)]

[^747: X.21.268: Here at X.21.268 and again at X.21.274, a scribe has added the <//> uncolored paraph, in each case functioning to mark a sort of verse paragraph; notice the similarity in the phrases marked: That oen and Oen hihte.]

[^748: X.21.271: Conjectured reading: Peres plouh.]

[^749: X.21.272: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

¶[^750] Oen hihte Austyn / and Ambrose anoþer
Gregory the grete Clerk / and Ieroem þe gode
Thise foure the fayth to teche / folewe[^a761][^751] teme
And harwed in an hand-while / al holy scripture
With two aythes þat they hadde an oelde and a newe

[^a761: folewe (X) | folewede (most other mss)]

[^750: X.21.274: Here at X.21.274 and above at X.21.268, a scribe has added the <//> uncolored paraph sign, in each case functioning to mark a sort of verse paragraph; notice the similarity in the phrases marked: That oen and Oen hihte.]

[^751: X.21.276: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

¶ Id est vetus testamentum & nouum
And grace gaf Peres graynes / cardinales vertues
And sewe hit in mannes soule / and sethe he toelde here names

¶ Spiritus prudencie / the furste seed hihte
That ho-so ete / þat / ymageny he sholde[^752]
Ar he dede eny dede / deuyse wel þe ende
And lered men a ladel bugge with alonge a longe stale
That caste for to kele a crok / and saue þe fatte aboue
The seconde sethe[^a762] hihte / Spiritus temperancie
He þat eet of that seed / hadde such a kynde
Sholde neuere mete ne meschief maken hym to swelle
Ne sholde no s cornare[^753] / out of skille hym brynge
Ne neuere wynnynge ne welthe / or[^a763] wordliche richesse
Wasten[^a764] word of ydelnesse / ne wikede speche mene
Sholde no curious cloth / comen on his rugge
Ne no mete in his mouth / þat maister iohn[^754] spyced
The thridde seed that[^755] sewe / was spiritus fortitudinis
And ho-so ete of þa þa[t][^756] seed / hardy was euere
To soffre al þat god sente seeknesse and an g eres[^757]
Myhte no lyare with lesynge[^a765] / ne losse of worldly catel
Makyn hym for eny mornynge / þat he ne was murye in soule
And bold and abidynge / busmares to soffre
And plede al with pacience / and parce michi domine
And keured hym vnder consayl / of Caton the wyse
Esto forti Animo / cum sis dampnatus inique
The ferthe seed that[^758] sewe was spiritus Iusticie
And he þat ete of þat seed / sholde be euene trewe
With god and nat a-gast / bote of gyle one
For gyle goth so priueyly / þat goed fayth oþer -while
May nat be aspyed thorw spiritus Iusticie
Spiritus iusticie spareth nat to sp ille
[^759] Hem þat ben gulty / and for to corecte the kyng
And[^760] the kyng falle in any a-gulte
For counteth he no kynges · wreth when he in Court sitteth
To demen as a domes-man / a-drad was he neuere
Noþer of deuk ne of deth / þat he ne dede þe lawe
For presente or for preyere / or eny prinses lettres
He dede equite[^761] to alle / eueneforth his knowyng
Thise foure sedes[^762] sewe / and sennes he dede hem harewe
With olde lawe and newe / that loue myhte wexe
Among thise foure vertues / and vices distruye
For cominliche in Contrayes / cammokes and wedes
Fouleth the fruyt in the feld / ther thei growe to-gyderes
And so doth vices vertues / for-thy quod[^763]
Harweth alle þa þa[t][^764] conneth kynde / wit bi consail of doctours[^a766]
And tulieth aftur here techynge / the cardinal vertues
Aȝeynes thy graynes quod grace / bigynneth for to rype
Ordeyne the an hous quod[^a767][^765] in -to herborwe in thy cornes[^766]

[^a762: sethe (X Uc) | sede (all other mss)]

[^a763: or (X) | of (most other mss)]

[^a764: Wasten (X K Uc Yc) | Waste (most other mss)]

[^a765: lesynge (X Gc K Wa) | lesynges (most other mss)]

[^a766: doctours (X K P2 Yc) | this doctours (most other mss)]

[^a767: quod (X Nc P2 Yc) | om. (most other mss)]

[^752: X.21.283: The line likely alliterates on the vowels in ete and imageny, but perhaps the scribe was unsure of the caesura or was trying to highlight an alternate rhythm or syntax by using two virgules, as we again see some experimentation with nascent punctuation.]

[^753: X.21.290: The scribe seems to have started and abandoned another letter, perhaps <h> or <k>, over the <c> of scornare.]

[^754: X.21.294: At X.21.269 above, we expand this abbreviation as Iohan, which we find to be the common spelling in the manuscript referring to biblical instances of the name "John"; here, with Pearsall (2008), we take it to be "a contemptuous name for a fancy cook" ( C-text, p. 355), and so we expand as iohn.]

[^755: X.21.295: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^756: X.21.296: In three instances, here and at X.21.184 and X.21.323, we markup up the reading tha/þa to correct to the scribe's usual form, that, but tha is attested in the MED as a form of that.]

[^757: X.21.297: It appears that the scribe started and abandoned a <d>, the upper stroke of which appears above the <g>. He then added the darker <er> suspension.]

[^758: X.21.304: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^759: X.21.310: X alone divides the line at kyng, whereas most C manuscripts divide at corecte.]

[^760: X.21.311: And, "if."]

[^761: X.21.316: There appears to be faint, ambiguous underlining under the <ite> of equite, but it is most probably just smeared ink or offset.]

[^762: X.21.317: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^763: X.21.322: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^764: X.21.323: In three instances, here and at X.21.184 and X.21.296, we markup up the reading tha/þa to correct to the scribe's usual form, that, but tha is attested in the MED as a form of that.]

[^765: X.21.326: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^766: X.21.326: Hand X has obtained a unique reading with the addition of the word in, and one has to ponder his motivation, because the phrase he obtains is syntactically awkward: in to herborwe. Further, he has written his correction in over the erased vellum, indicating that his addition comes after the erasure of Peres. Calabrese (2005) has argued, based on the touch-ups that repair surrounding text near certain of the erasures of the character's name, that "the manuscript was acted upon after the erasures in ink and hand that look to be contemporary to the manuscript" (p. 198).]

¶ By god grace quod[^767] / ȝe moet gyue tymber
And ordeyne þathous þat hous / ar ȝe hennes wende
And grace gaf hym þe cros / with croune[^a768] of thornes
That Crist vpon Caluary / for mankynde on peyned
And of his bapteme / and bloed þat he bledde on rode
He made a manere morter / and mercy hit hihte
And þerwith grace bigan / to make agoode a goode fouidement fou[n]dement
And wateled hit and walled hit / with his paynes and his passiouin passio[u]n
And of all holy writ / he made aroef a roef aftur
And calde þat hous vnite / holy chirche an enlisch
And when this dede was doen / grace deuysed
A Cart hihte Cristendoem / to carie hoem Peres sheues
And gaf hym caples to his Carte / Contrissioun & confessioun
And made presthoed hayward / the while hym-sulue wente
As wyde as the world is / with Peres to tulye treuthe
And þe londe of bileue / the lawe of holichurche holi churche

[^a768: croune (X) | the croune (most other mss)]

[^767: X.21.327: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

¶ Now is to the[^768] / pryde hit aspiede
And gadered hym a grete oeste greue he thenketh
Consience and alle cristene / and cardinale vertues
Blowe hem doun and Bleke B[r]eke hem / and bete[^a769] a-to þe mores
And sente forth surquidours / his seriauntes of Armes
And his spye spille loue / oen speke euele bihynde
Thise two cam to Consience / and to cristene peple
And toelde hem tydynges / þat tyne thei sholde þe sedes[^769]
That sire[^770] sewe þe cardinale vertues
And Peres berne worth broke / and þei þat ben in vnite
Shal come oute of Consience / and ȝoure two caples

[^a769: bete (X) | byte (most other mss)]

[^768: X.21.343: Conjectured reading: Peres to the plouh.]

[^769: X.21.350: The C manuscripts disagree on where to divide these lines; XDcH2NP2TUcYc divide thus, while most others divide at sholde.]

[^770: X.21.351: Conjectured reading: Peres. Notice that for no apparent reason Peres in the very next line is left untouched.]

¶ Confessioun and contricioun / and ȝoure Carte the bileue
Shal be coloured so queyntly / and keuered vnder ȝoure[^a770] sophistrie
That consience shal nat knowe be contricioun ne bi confessioun[^771]
Ho is cristene or hethene
Ne no manere Marchaunt / þat with moneye deleth
Where he wynne with riht / with wrong or with vsure
With such colours and queyntises / cometh pruyde y-Armed
With the lord þat lyueth aftur / the lust of his body
To waston on welfare / and in wikked kepynge
Alle the world in a while / thorw oure wit quod pruyde
Quod Consience to alle cristene tho / my consayl is þat we[^a771] wende
Hastiliche to vnite / and holde we vs there
preye we þat a pees were / in berne[^772]
For witterly y woet wel / we be nat of strenghe
To goen agayn pruyde / bute grace were with vs
And thenne cam kynde wit / Consience to teche
And cryede and comaundede / alle cristene peple
To deluen a dich · depe aboute vnite
That holichurche holi churche stoede in holinesse / as hit were apole a pole
Consience comaundede to[^a772] alle cristene to delue
And make a moche moet / þat myhte be astrenghe a strenghe
To helpe holichurche holi churche and hem þat hit kepeth
Thenne alle kyne cristene / saue commune wommen
Repenteden and Refused · synne saue thei one
And a sisour and[^a773] sompnour þat weren for-sworen ofte
Wytyng and wilfully / with the false thei helden
And for suluer weren forswore / soth[^a774] thei wisten hit
Ther ne was cristene creature / that kynde wit hadde
That he ne halpe a quatite qua[n]tite / holinesse to wexe
Somme thorw bedes biddynge / and bi pilgrimages
Or oþer priue penaunses / and somme thorw pans delyng
And thenne walled watur / for wikked werkes
Egrelich ernynge / oute at menne yes
Clannesse of þe comune / and clerkes clene lyuynge
Made vnite holichurche holi churche / in holinesse stande
Y care nat now quod Consience / thow pryde come no uthe[^773]
The lord of lust shal be y-lette / al this lente y hope
Cometh quod Consience / ȝe cristene and dyneth
That haen labored lelly / al this lenten tyme
Here is bred y-blessed / and godes body þer -vnder
Grace thorw godes word / gaf[^774] power
Myhte to make hit / and menfor men for to eten hit
In helpe of here hele / ones in amonthe a monthe
Or as ofte as they hadden nede / tho þat hadden payed
To pardon þe Redde quod debet[^a775][^775]
How quod alle þe comune / thow conseylest vs to ȝelde
Al þat we owen eny wyhte / or þat we go to hosele
That is my conseil quod Consience / and cardinale vertures
Or vch man forȝeue oþer / and þat wol þe pater nostre[^776]

[^a770: ȝoure (X K P2 Sc Yc) | oure (most other mss)]

[^a771: þat we (X Nc P2 Q) | we (most other mss)]

[^a772: to (X) | tho (most other mss)]

[^a773: and (X N) | and a (all other mss)]

[^a774: soth (X) | sothly (all other mss)]

[^a775: debet (X) | debes (all other mss)]

[^771: X.21.356-X.21.357: XKP2Yc divide these lines at confessioun, while most C manuscripts divide at contricioun.]

[^772: X.21.366: Conjectured reading: Peres berne þe plouhman.]

[^773: X.21.389: The scribe appears to have begun and abandoned a letter or a suspension, but quickly replaced it with the needed <u>.]

[^774: X.21.394: Conjectured reading: Pers þe plouhman.]

[^775: X.21.398: The majority reading is Redde quod debes, which serves less as a sentence than as an entity describing what must be paid, or what is due of every Christian. However, X's own reading could be a dynamic variation on the poem's famous slogan, paraphrased thus: "Give back in return (each) as he ought."]

[^776: X.21.402: RK transcribe this word as nostrer .]

¶ Et dimitte nobis debita nostra & cetera
And so to ben assoiled and sennes to be hoseled
Ȝe bawe quod abreware a breware / y wol nat be y-ruled
By ihesu for al ȝoure iangelyng / aftur spiritus Iusticie
Ne aftur Consience bi Crist / y couthe sulle
Bothe dregges and draf / and drawe at on hole
Thikke ale or[^a776] thynne ale / and þat is my kynde
And nat to hacky aftur holinesse / hold thy tonge consience
Of spiritus Iusticie thow spekest moche an ydel
Caytyf quod Consience corsede wreche
Vnblessed art thow breware / but yf the gode helpe
Bote thow lyue bi lore of spiritus Iusticie
The cheef seed þat[^777] sewe / y-saued woest wo[r]st þou neuere
Bote Consience thy comune fode / and cardinale vertues
Leue hit we been lost / bothe lyf and soule
Thenne is many man y-lost · quod alewed a lewed vicory
Ich am a Curatour of holichurche holi churche and cam neuer in my tyme
Man to me þat me couthe telle / of cardinales vertues
Or þat acounted Consience / a cokkes fether or an hennes
Y knewe neuere cardinale / þat he ne cam fro þe pope
And we Clerkes when they come / for here comunes paieth
For here pelure and palfrayes mete / and pelours þat hem folweth
The comume comu[n]e clamat cotidie / vch aman a man to oþer
The contreye is þe corsedore þat cardinals cometh ynne
And þer they lygge and lenge moest / lecherye þer regneth
For-thy quod this vicory / bi verray god y wolde
That no cardinal come among þe comune peple
Bote in here holinesse holden hem stille
At Auenon among iewes cum sancto sanctus eris & cetera
Or in Rome as here reule wolde / þe relikes to kepe
And thow Consience in kynges Court / and sholdest neuer come thennes
And grace that thow gredest so of / gyour of all Clerkes
And with his newe[^778] and also his olde
Emperour of al þe world þat all men were cristene
Inparfit is þat pope / þat all peple sholde helpe
And soudeth hem þat sleeth suche as he sholde saue
Ac wel worth Peres the plouhman þat pursueth god in doynges[^a777]

[^a776: or (X) | & (all other mss)]

[^a777: doynges (X Uc Yc) | doynge (most other mss)]

[^777: X.21.415: Conjectured reading: Peres.]

[^778: X.21.435: Conjectured reading: Peres with his newe plouh.]

¶ Qui pluit super iustos / & iniustos at ones
And sente þe soule to saue / acorsed a corsed mannes tulthe
As brihte as to þe beste man / or to þe beste womman
Rihte so the payneth hym to tulie
As wel for a wastour / or for a wenche of the stuy ves[^779]
As for hym-sulue and his seruauntes / saue he is furste y-serued
So y-blessed be the þat peyneth hym to tulie
And trauaileth and tulieth / for a tretour also sore
As for a trewe tydy man / alle tymes ylyke
And worschiped be he þat wrouhte all / bothe gode and wi cke
And soffreth þat synnefole / be til som-tyme þat þei repente
And god amende þe pope / þat pileth holichurche holi churche
And claymeth bifore þe kynge / to be kepare ouer cristene
And counteth nat thow cristene / be culde and y-robbed
And fynde folke to fihte / and cristene bloed to spille
Aȝen þe olde lawe and þe newe lawe[^a778] / as Luk[^780] bereth witnesse

[^a778: þe olde lawe and þe newe lawe (X Yc) | lawe boþe old and nywe (most other mss) | old lawe & the newe (Dc H2 K T Uc)]

[^779: X.21.444: It appears that the scribe began some incorrect letter and has repaired it by conversion to <v>.]

[^780: X.21.455: The <L> of Luk has been re-stroked and heightened in the same ink, to render an upper case letter, and there is a decorative flourish on the <k>.]

¶ Non occides Michi vindictam & cetera
Hit semeth bi so / hym-sulue hadde his wille
He rekketh riht nauht / of þe remenaunt
And Crist of his cortesye þe cardinals saue
And turne here with[^781] to wisdoem / and to wele for þe soule
And[^a779] the comune quod this curatour counteth ful litel
The conseyl of Consience / or cardinals vertues
Bote hit sowne as bi sihte som-what to wynnynge
Of gyle ne of gabbynges · gyueth they neuer tale
For spiritus prudencie / among þe peple is gyle
And al tho fayre vertues / as vises thei semeth
For vch[^a780] man sotileth a sleythe synne to huyde
And coloureth hit / for a connyng and a clene lyuynge
Thenne lowh ther a lord / and bi this lihte saide
Y halde hit riht and resoun / of my reue to take
Al þat myn Auditour / or elles my styward
Conseileth me bi here a-counte / and my clerkes writyng
With spiritus intellectus / they cote[^a781][^782] þe reues rolles
And with spiritus fortitudinis / fecche hit wollehe woll he nullhe null he
And thenne cam þer akyng a kyng / and bi hiscorone his corone saide
Y am kyng with croune / the comune to reule
And holy kyrke and clerge fro cursed men to defende
And yf me lakketh to lyue by / þe lawe wol þat y take hit
Ther y may hit[^a782] hastilokest hit haue / for y am heed of lawe
And ȝe ben bote membres / and y a-boue alle
And sethe y am ȝoure alere heued / y am ȝoure alere hele
And holy churche cheef helpe / and cheuenteyn of þe comume comu[n]e
And what y take of ȝow two / y take hit at þe techynge
Of spiritus iusticie / for y iuge ȝow alle
So y may boldely be hoseled / fory for y borwe neuere
Ne craue of my comune / bote as my kynde asketh
In condicioun quod consience / þat þou comune defende
And rewle thy rewme / in resoun riht wel and in treuthe
That thow haue al thyn askyng / as thy lawe asketh

[^a779: And (X) | For (all other mss)]

[^a780: For vch (X K Uc Yc) | Iche (most other mss)]

[^a781: cote (X Uc Yc) | toke (most other mss)]

[^a782: may hit (X) | may (all other mss)]

[^781: X.21.460: We take with here to be a form of the majority wit. See MED , s.v. wit, n., senses 1-3.]

[^782: X.21.473: The XUcYc reading comes from MED coten, v. 2, "(a) [t]o annotate (a book); (b) to compute (years), reckon."]

¶ Omnia sunt tua ad defendendum / sed non ad deprehendendum
The vicory hadde fer hoem / and toek[^a783] his leue
And y wakned[^a784] þerwith / and wroet as mette[^a785]

[^a783: toek (X P2) | fayre toek (most other mss)]

[^a784: wakned (X P2) | awakyd (most other mss)]

[^a785: mette (X) | me mette (most other mss)]

Passus secundus de dobest

A nd as y wente by the way / when y was thus a-waked
Heuy-chered y ȝede and helyng[^a786][^783] in herte
For y ne wiste where to ete / ne at what place
// Hyere he mette wyt nede
And hit neyhed neyh þe noen / and with nede y mette
That afrounted me foule / and faytour me calde
Couthest thow nat excuse the · as dede the kyng and oþere
That thow toke to lyue by / to clothes and to sustinaunce
Was bi techyng and by tellyng / of spiritus temperancie
And þat thow nome no more / then nede the tauhte
And nede ne hath no lawe / ne neuere shal falle in dette
For thre thynges þat he taketh / is lyf for to saue
That is mete when men hym werneth for he no money welde th
Ne wyht þat now[^a787] wol be his borwe / ne no wed hath to legge
And he cacche in þat caes / and come ther-to by sleuthe
He synegeth nat sothlich / þat so wynneth his fode
And thow he come so to a cloth / and can no bettere cheuesaunce
Nede anoen riht nymeth hym vnder maynprise
And yf[^a788] lust for to lape the lawe / of kynde wolde
That he dronke at vch a dysch ar he deye for furste
So nede at greet nede / may nyme as for his owne
With -outen consail of Consience / or cardinale vertues
So þat he sewe and saue spiritus temperancie
for is no vertu be ver to spiritus temperencie[^784]
Noyther spiritus iusticie / ne spiritus fortitudinis
For spiritus fortitudinis forfeteth wel ofte
He shal do more þe þe[n] mesure / mony tymes and often
And bete men ouer bitere / and som body to litel
And greue men grettore / then goed faith hit welde[^a789][^785]
And spiritus iusticie shal iugen wol he nel he
Aftur þe kynges conseyl and þe comune lyke
And spiritus prudencie / in many a poynt shal faile
Of þat he weneth wolde falle / yf his wit ne were
Wenyng is no wisdoem ne wyse ymaginacioun

[^a786: helyng (X Z) | elyng (most other mss)]

[^a787: now (X Yc) | noen (most other mss)]

[^a788: yf (X Nc) | yf hym (most other mss)]

[^a789: welde (X) | wolde (all other mss)]

[^783: X.22.2: The XYc reading is likely a form of majority elyng. See MED , s.v. elenge, adj., 1(a), meaning in this context ". . . wretched, miserable, unhappy, sad." A form with <h> is listed in the quotations.]

[^784: X.22.23: XWa omit this line, as likely because of eyeskip as because of a defective exemplar. For a full account of the repair by Hand 2, see the note on the marginal dagger that marks the insertion point.]

[^785: X.22.28: Welde may be a form of MED 's welden, v., perhaps in sense 2(a), "to command." Possibly more likely, the scribe simply wrote <e> instead of <o>, which would have obtained the majority form, wolde.]

¶ Homo proponit deus disposuit[^a790][^786]
God gouerneth all gode vertues · and nede is nexst hym[^787]
For anoen he meketh / and as louh as alamb a lamb
For lakkyng þat hym nedeth
For nede maketh neede / fele nedes louh herted
Philosopheres forsoke welthe / for they wolde be nedy
And woneden · wel elyngly / and wolden nat be riche
And god al his grete ioye · goestliche he lefte
And cam and toek mankynde / and bicam nedy
So he was nedy as saith the boek in mony sondry places
That he saide in his sorwe / on þe sulue rode
Bothe fox and foule may fle / to hole and crepe
And þe fisch hath fyn to flete with to reste[^788]
Ther nede hath ynome me / þat y moet nede abyde
And soffre sorwes ful soure / þat shal to ioye torne
For-thy be nat abasched / to byde and to be nedy
Sethe þat[^a791] wrouhte al þe worlde was willefolliche nedy[^789]
Ne neuere noen so nedy / ne porore deyede
Whenne nede hadde vndernome[^a792] thus anoen yful y ful a-slepe
And mette ful merueylous ely / þat in mannes fourme
Auntecrist cam thenne / and al the crop of treuthe
Turned hit tyd vp-so-down / and ouertulde þe rote
And made fals sprynge and sprede / and speke[^a793]menne nedes
In vch a Contrey ther he cam / kutte a-wey treuthe
And garte gyle[^a794] growe þere as he a god were

[^a790: disposuit (X) | disponit (most other mss)]

[^a791: þat (X) | he þat (most other mss)]

[^a792: vndernome (X Uc Yc) | vndernome me (all other mss)]

[^a793: speke (X) | spede (most other mss)]

[^a794: gyle (X) | gyle growe (most other mss)]

[^786: X.22.34: The standard form of the final word in this common aphorism is disponit (present active third singular), meaning "disposes" or "orders things." X uniquely, however, offers the preterite form disposuit, which we take not to be an error, but rather potentially a creative spin on the usual phrasing. We would therefore translate, "Man proposes; God disposed" (i.e. God has already set things in order).]

[^787: X.22.35-X.22.37: XKYc divide X.22.35-X.22.37 thus, while most C manuscripts divide at vertues and meketh. We have seen this effect before where X, perhaps reacting to the apparent brevity of a line, moves a half line up, creating new divisions in the following lines, compromising the prosody.]

[^788: X.22.46: For an account of the codicology on this folio, see the note on X.22.50.]

[^789: X.22.50: Like X.22.46, X.22.50 has been added in the margins by a watchful Hand 1, who must have checked the text and thus remedied the omissions. It is not clear why X.22.46 was skipped, but X.22.50 was likely omitted by eye-skip from the word nedy. To indicate the place for the additions, the scribe has placed crosses in each margin at X.22.47 and, at X.22.51, an obelus in each margin.]

¶ Freres folewed þat fende for he ȝaf hem copes
And religious reuerensed hym / and rongen here belles
And al þe couent cam / to welcome atyraunt a tyraunt
And alle hise as wel as hym / saue onelich foles
Were wel gladere to deye then to lyue lengere[^790]
/[^791] Sethe leautee was so rebuked
And a fals fende auntecrist ouerall ouer all folke regnede
And þat were mylde men and holy þat no[^792] meschief dradden
defyede all falsnesse / and folke þat hit vsede
And what kyng þat hem confortede · knowynge here gyle
Thei corsede and here consail / were hit Clerk or lewed
Auntecrist hadde thus sone hondredes at his baner
And pryde hit baer baldly aboute
With a lord þat lyueth aftur likyng of body
That cam aȝen Consience / þat kepar was and gyour
Ouer kynde cristene / and cardinale vertues
Y consail quod Consi nce Consi[e]nce[^793] tho / cometh with me ȝe foles
In-to vnite holichurche holi churche / and halde we vs there
And crye we to kynde / þat he come and defende vs
foles fro this fendes lymes / for loue the
And crye we on al þe comune þat thei come to vnite
And þere abyde and bikere aȝeyn / beliales childrene
Kynde Consience tho herde and cam oute of the planetes
And sente forth his forreours feueres and fluxes
Cowhes and cardiacles crampes and toeth-aches
Reumes and Radegoundes / and roynouse scabbes
Byles and boches and brennynge aguwes
Freneseyes and foule eueles / forageres of kynde
Hadde y priked and preyede / polles of peple
Largeliche alegioun a legioun / lees the lyf sone

[^790: X.22.63: X and several other C manuscripts lack the phrase Which foles (in RK's spelling) at the beginning of X.22.62, leading to some confusion among the scribes about how to divide the line. XDcUc divide at lengere, while others divide at deye or lyue.]

[^791: X.22.64: At the beginning of this line we see a single </> mark, not the fully articulated paraph marker <//> that we frequently encounter. Since the mark comes at a glitch in line division, it is possible that the scribe was marking a point where he sensed error. However, it is also possible that, since the line division has produced the word sethe at the start of a line, the scribe has perceived a transitional phrase and attempted to mark a verse paragraph with a virgule.]

[^792: X.22.66: Here the scribe has covered the third minim of an <m>, likely anticipating meschief, with the <o> needed to finish no.]

[^793: X.22.75: RK say X reads consince, with the second <n> written over an <e>. Based on the spacing of the letters, however, we see the original reading as Consiiece, over which the <n> was then written. This attempted correction, however, failed to obtain the obviously needed character's name.]

¶ There was harow and helpe here cometh kynde
With deth þat is dredful to vndoen vs alle
The lord þat lyuede aftur lust / tho aloud cryede
Aftur conforte a knyhte come and beer his baner
Alarme alarme quod þat lord / vch lyf kepe his owene
Thenne mette thise men / ar mumstrals mu[n]strals[^794] myhte pype
And ar heroudes of Armes / hadden descreued lordes
Elde þe hore / he was in þe vaw-warde
And baer þe baner bifore deth / bi riht he hit claymede
Kynde cam aftur hym withmany with many kyne sores
As pokkes and pestilences · and moche peple shente
So kynde thorw corupcions kulde fol mony
deth cam dryuyng aftur / and al to duste paschte
Kynges and knyhtes / Caysers and popes
Lered ne lewed / he lefte no man stande
That he hihte[^a795] euene · þat euere stured aftur
Many a louly lady / and her e lemmanes knyhtes
Swowened and swelde[^a796] / for sorwe of dethus duntes
Concience of his cortesye / tho kynde he bisouhte
To sese and soffre / and se wher they wolde
L eue pruyde priueyliche / and be parfyt cristene
And kynde sesede tho / to se þe peple amende
Fortune gan flateren thenne to[^a797] few þat were alyue
And bihihte hem long lyf and lecherye he sente
Amonges alle manere men / wedded and vnwedded
And gaderet a greet oest / alle agayn Consience
This lecherye leyde oen[^a798] / with lauhyng chere
And with priue speche / and paynted wordes
And armed hym in ydelnesse / and in hey berynge
He baer a bowe in his hoend / and many brode arwes
Weren fythered with fare biheste / and many afals a fals treuthe
And with[^a799] vntidy tales / he tened ful ofte
Consience and his companye of holychurche holy churche þe techares
Thenne cam couetyse / and caste how he myhte
Ouercome Consience / and cardinal vertues
And Armed hym in A uaric e[^795] / and hungriliche lyuede
His wepne was al wyles / to wynnen and to hyden
With glosynges and b e gabbynges[^796] / he gyled þe peple

[^a795: hihte (X) | hitte (most other mss)]

[^a796: swelde (X) | swelte (most other mss)]

[^a797: to (X Uc Yc) | thaym (most other mss)]

[^a798: oen (X Nc Yc) | on (all other mss)]

[^a799: And with (X Wa) | With (all other mss)]

[^794: X.22.94: RK print muinstrals (without noting any variants), but Pearsall and Schmidt print munstrals. The scribe's usual form is munstrals, and he never spells the word with <muin>, so we take this to be yet another instance of his adding an otiose minim.]

[^795: X.22.124: HS notice that these letters are written over erasures and speculate that they may be in another ink; the original reading (and the basis of the errors) remains unknown.]

[^796: X.22.126: HS record that the <e> in be is touched up, but we see that the initial reading was bi, a unique reading, a proposition showing instrumentality. Perhaps Hand X perceived some problem and attempted a correction or clarification, though be can be a form of bi, obtaining no change, and thus it is not clear what he intended by the alteration.]

¶ Symonye hym suede / to assaile Consience
And presed on þe pope / and prelates thei made
To holde with auntecrist / here temperaltee to saue
And cam to þe kynges consail / as akene a kene Baroun
And knokked Consience / in Court bifore hemalle hem alle
And gert goed faith fle / and fals to abyde
And baldeliche baer adoun / with many abrihte a brihte noble
Moche of þe wyt and wisdoem / of westmunstre halle
He iogged til a iustice / and iustede in his ere
And ouertulde al his treuthe / with taek this on amendement
And in-to þe Arches in haste he ȝede anoen aftur
And turnede syuyle in-to Symonye / and sethe he toek þe official
And for ameneuer a meneuer mandel man[t]el he made leele matrimonye

departen ar dethe come / and a[^797] deuors shupte
¶[^798] Allas quod Consience tho / and cryede wolde crist of his grace
That couetyse were cristene / þat is so kene to fihte
And bolde and abydynge / þe while his bagge lasteth
And thenne lowh lyf / and lette dagge his clothes
And Armed hym in haste / in harlotes wordes
And helde holinesse a iape / and hendenesse a wastour
And leet leautee a cherl / and lyare afreman a fre man
Consience and conseil / he counted hit folye
Thus relyed lyf for a litel folye[^a800]
And priketh forth with pruyde preyseth he no vertue
Ne careth nat how kynde slowh · and shal come at þe laste
And culle all erthely creature / saue Consience one
Lyf lepte a-syde / and lauhte hym a lemman
Hele and y quod he / and heynesse of herte
Shal do the nat drede / noþer deth ne elde
And to forȝete ȝowthe / and ȝeue nat of synne
This likede lyf / and his lemman fortune
And geten in here glorie · agadlyng a gadlyng at þe laste
Oen þat moche wo wrouhte / sleuthe was his name
Sleuthe wax wonder ȝerne / and sone was of age
And wedded oen wanhope / awenche a wenche[^799] of þe stuyves
Here syre was a sysour þat neuere swoe r[^800] treuthe
Oen Tomme two to [two] tonge / a-teynt at vch enqueste[^a801]
This sleuthe was sley of werre / and a slynge made
And thorw[^a802][^801] drede of dispayr / adoysayne a doysayne myle aboute
For care Consience tho / cryede vppon elde
And baed hym fonde to fihte / and a fere afere wanhope
And elde hente gode hope / and hastiliche shroef hym
And wayued a-way wanhope / and with lyf he fihteth
And lyf fley for fere / to fisyk aftur helpe
And bisouhte hym of socour / and of here salue hadde
And gaef hym goelde goed woen / þat gladde here hertes
And they gyuen hym agayne a glasene houe
Lyf leuede þat lechecraft / lette sholde Elde
And dryue a-wey deth / with dyaes and drogges[^802]
And Elde auntered hym on lyf / and at þe laste he hitte
A fisician with a forred hoed / that he ful in a palesye
And þere deyede þat doctour ar thre dayes aftur
Now y see saide lyf / that surgerie ne fysyke
May nat a myte a-vayle / to medlen aȝen Elde
And in hope of his hele / goed herte he hente
And roed so to reuel · a ryche place and amurye a murye
The compeny of comfort · men clepede hit som-tyme
And Elde afur hym / and ouer myn heued ȝede
And made me balled bifore / and baer on þe crowne
So harde he ȝede ouer myn heued / hit wol be sene euere
Syre euele ythouȝte[^a803] Elde quod y vnhende go with the
Sennes whanne was þe way / ouer menne heuedes
Haddest thow be hende quod y / thow wost haue asked leue
Ȝe leue lordeyne quod he / and leide on me with age
And hitte me vnder þe ere / vnnethe may ich here
He boffe ted[^803] me aboute þe mouthe / and beet out my wayngteeth
And gyued me in gowtes / y may nat go at large
And of þe wo þat y was ynne / my wyf hadde reuthe
And wesched wel witterly / þat y were in heuene
For þe lyme þat she loued me fore / and leef was to fele
Anyhtes nameliche / when we naked were
Y ne myhte in none manere / maken hit at here wille
So Elde and hee / hit hadde for-bete
A nd[^804] as y saet in this sorwe / y say how kynde passede
And deth drow ney me / for drede gan y quaken
And cryede to kynde / out of care me brynge
Lo how Elde þe hore / hath me byseye
A-wreke me ȝif ȝoure wille be / for y wolde be hennes
Yf thow wolde[^a804] be wreke / wende in-to vnite
And halde the there euere / til y sende for the
And loke thow conne som craft / ar thow come thennes
Consaileth me kynde quod y / what craft be beste to lere
Lerne to loue quod kynde / and leef all othere
How shal y come to catel so / to clothe me and to fede
And thow loue lelly lacke shal the neuere
Wede ne worldly mete / while thy lif lasteth
And y bicounsel bi counsel of kynde comsed to Rome
Thorw contricion and confessioun til y cam to vnite
And there was Consience Constable cristene to saue
And biseged soethly / with seuene grete geauntes
That with auntecrist helden / harde aȝeyn Consience
Sleuthe with his slynge / and[^a805] hard sawt he made
Proute prestes cam with hym / passyng an hundred
In paltokes and pikede shoes / and pissares longe knyues
Comen aȝen Consience / with couetyse they helden
By þe Marie quod amansed a mansed prest / was of þe march of Ireland
Y counte no more Consience bi so y cache suluer
Then y do to drynke a drauht of goed ale
And so sayde syxty of þe same contreye
And shoten aȝeynes hym shotte many a shef of othes
And brode hokede Arwes / goddes herte and his nayles
And hadden al-most vnite / and holynesse adowne
Consience cryede helpe · Clergie or y falle

[^a800: folye (X) | fortune (most other mss)]

[^a801: enqueste (X Mc P Uc) | a queste (most other mss)]

[^a802: thorw (X Dc Uc Yc) | threw (most other mss)]

[^a803: ythouȝte (X P2 Yc) | taught (most other mss)]

[^a804: wolde (X Yc) | wolt (all other mss)]

[^a805: and (X Dc Ec K Rc) | an (most other mss)]

[^797: X.22.140: A, "he."]

[^798: X.22.141: Here again we see in the left margin a <cc> mark, uncolored, marking a change in speaker.]

[^799: X.22.161: The <w> of wenche appears to be blotted, but we see no correction to the text.]

[^800: X.22.162: Hand 1 appears here to have restroked whatever his original graph was—probably a badly formed <r>—for the final reading swoer.]

[^801: X.22.165: The scribe may have intended the preposition here, or his thorw may simply be an error—present tense instead of past tense—for the verb required in this sentence, the preterite of MED throuen, v. 1.]

[^802: X.22.175: HS say that this entire line is written over the erasure of X.22.177, which was incorrectly written in its place. Signs of erasure are still visible, but we cannot determine what was erased.]

[^803: X.22.192: What appears to be an otiose tilde over the <t> was produced by a false start on the following <d>.]

[^804: X.22.200: RK incorrectly say that the <A> of And is written over another letter. Rather, it is the second letter that is overwritten, sloppily.]

¶ Thorw inparfit prestes / and prelates of holychurche holy churche
Freres herde hym crye / and comen hym to helpe
And for they couthe nat wel here crafte Consience forsoek hem
Nede neyhede tho ner / and Consience he toelde
That they cam for Couetyse / to haue cure of soules
And for thei aren pore parauntur / for patrimonye hem faileth
Thei wol flatere to fare wel / folk þat ben riche
And sethen thei chosen che le / and Cheytyftee pouerte[^a806]
Late hem chewe as thei chose / and charge hem with no cure
For lomere he lyeth / þat lyflode moet begge
Then he þat laboreth for lyflode / and leneth hit beggares
And senne freres forsoke / the felice[^a807][^805] of erthe
Lat hem be as beggares / or lyue by angeles fode
Consience of this consail tho · comesed for to lawhe
And corteyliche cortey[s]liche confortede hem / and calde hem in all freres
And saide syres soethly welcome be ȝe alle
To vnite and holichurche holi churche / ac · o ·[^806] thyng y ȝow praye
Holdeth ȝow in vnite / and haueth noen enuye
To lered ne to lewed / but lyueth aftur ȝoure reule
Y[^a808] wol be ȝoure borwh / ȝe shal haue breed and clothes
And oþere necessaries ynowe / ȝow shal no-thyng lakke
With þat ȝe loue[^a809] logyk / and lerneth forto for to louye
For loue lefte they lordschipe / bothe lond and scole
Frere fraunceys / and domynyk for loue to be holy
And yf ȝe coueiteth cure / kynde wol ȝow telle
That in mesure god made alle[^a810] thynges
And sette hit at a serteyne / and at a syker nombre
And nempned hem names / and nombred þe sterres
Qui numerat multitudinem stellarum & cetera
Kynges and knyhtes þat kepten[^a811] and defenden
Haen officerys vnder hem / and vch of hem a certeyne
And yf thei wage men to werre / thei writen hem in nombre
Wol no tresorer taken hem wages / trauayle they neuere so sore
Bote hy ben nempned in þe nombre / of hem þat been y-waged
Alle oþere in bataile been y-holde brybours
Pilours and pike-harneys / in vch a parsch a-corsed
Monkes and monyales / and alle men of religioun
Here ordre and here reule wol / to haue a certeyne nombre
Of lewed and of lered / the lawe wol and asketh
A certeyne for a certeyne / saue[^807] o enliche of freres
For they For-th[y] quod Consience bi Crist / kynde wit me telleth
Hit is wikked to wage ȝow / ȝe wexeth out of nombre
For-thy y wolde witterly / þat ȝe were in registre
And ȝoure nombre vnde vnde[r] notarie sygne / and noþer mo ne lasse
Enuye herde this / and heete freres go to scole
And lerne logyk and lawe / and eke contemplacioun
And preche men of plato / and preuen hit by seneca
That alle thynges vnder heuene oute[^808] to be in comune
He lyeth as y leue / þat to þe lewed so precheth
For god made to m en men alawe a lawe and Moyses hit tauhte
Non concupisces rem proximi tui & cetera
And euele is this yholde in parsches of yngelond
For parsones and parsche prestes / þat sholde þe peple shryue
And they ben curatours cald / to knowe and to hele
Alle þat been here parschienes / penaunses enioynen
And be aschamed in here shryft / ac shame maketh[^a812] wende
And fle to þe freres / as fals folk to westmynstre
That borweth and bereth hit theddere / and thenne biddeth frendes
Ȝerne of forȝeuenesse / or lengore ȝeres leue[^809]
Ac while he is in westmynstre he wol be bifore
And maken hym murye · with oþere menne godes
And so hit fareth with moche folke þat to freres shryuen
As sisours and secutours / they shal ȝeue þe freres
A parcel to preye for hem / and make hem merye with þe remenaunt
That oþere men biswonke and soffren þe dede in dette to þe day of dome
Enuye herfore hatede Consience
And freres to filosophye / he foend hem to scole
The while Couetyse and vnkyndenesse Consience assailede
In vnite holichurch holi church · Consience heeld hym
And made pees porter / to pynne þe ȝates
Of all tale-tellares and titerares an ydel
Ypocrisye and they / an hard sawt they ȝeuen
Ypocrisye at þe ȝate harde gan fyhte
And wounded wel wykkedly many a wys techare
That with Consience acordede / and cardinal vertues
Consien ce calde a leche þat couthe wel shryue
Go salue tho þat syke were / and thorw synne y-wounded
Shrift schupte scharp salue / and made men do penaunses[^a813]
For here mysdedes that thei wrouht hadde
And þat Peres pardon were y-payd redde quod debes
Somme liked nat this leche / and letteres they sente
Yf eny surgien were in þe sege · that softur couthe plastre
Sire lyf to lyue in lecherye · lay þer and groned
For fastyng of a fryday · a[^810] feerde as he wolde deye
Ther is a su rgien in the sege that softe can handele
And more of fysyk bifer bi fer / and fayror he plastereth
Oen frere flaterrere / is fiscicien and surgien
Quod contricion to Consience do hym come to vnite
For here is many man hert / thorw ypocrisye
We haen no nede quod Consience / y woet no bettere leche
Then parson oþer parsche prest penytauncer or bischope
Saue þat haeth power ouer alle
And indulgence may do / but yf dette lette hit
Y may wel soffre sayde Consience sennes ȝe desiren
That frere flaterare be fet / and fisyk ȝow seke
The frere herof herde / and hyede faste
To a lord for a lettre / leue to haue to curen
As a curatour awere a were[^811] / and kam with his lettre
Baldly to þe bishope · and his breef hadde
In contrys þer he cam / confessiones to here
And cam þer Consience was / and knokked at þe ȝate
Pees vnpynned hyt / was porter of vnite
And in haste eschete / what his wille were
In fayth quod this frere / for profyt and for helthe
Karpe y wolde with Contricioun / and þerfore y cam heddere
He is syke saide Pees / and so ar many other
Ypocrysye haeth herde[^a814] hem / ful hard is yf thei keuere
Y am a surgien saide the frere / and salues can make
Consience knoweth me wel / and what y can bothe
Y preye the quod Pees tho / ar thow passe forþere
What hattest thow y praye the / hele nat thy name
Certes saide his felawe / sire / penetrans domos
// a general name for a frere
Ȝe go thy gate quod pees / bigod bi god for al thi fisyk
Bote thow conne eny craft thow comest nat here-ynne
Y knewe such oen ones / nat eyhte wynter passed
Kam ynne thus y-coped · at a Court þer y dwelte
And was my lordes leche / and my ladyes bothe
And at þe laste this lymytour tho my lord was oute
He salued so oure wymmen til some were with childe
Hende speche heet pees tho / opene the ȝates
Lat in þe frere and his felawe / and make hem fayere chiere
He may se and here here / so may bifalle
That lyf thorw his lore shal leue Couetyse
And be adrad of deth / and with-drawe hym fro pruyde
And acorde with Consience / and kusse here ayther oþer
Thus thorw hende speche entred the frere
And cam to Consience and corteyli ch cortey[s]lich[^812] hym grette
Thow art welcome quod Consience / can[^a815] thow hele syke
Here is contricioun quod Consience / my cosyn y-wounded
Conforte hym quod consience / and taek kepe to his sores
The plasteres of the parsoun / and poudres ben to sore
And lat hem lygge ouer-longe and loeth is to chaungen
Fro lente to lente he[^813] lat his plastres byte
That is ouer-longe quod this lymitour / y l eue yschal y schal amenden hit
And goeth gropeth contricion / and gaf hym aplastre a plastre
Of a pryue payement · and y shal preye for ȝow
And for hem þat ȝe aren helde h[o]lde to al my lyf-tyme
And make ȝow my ladye / in masse and in matynes
Of freres of oure fraternite · for a litel suluer
Thus he goeth and gedereth · and gloseth þer he shryueth
Til Contricioun hadde clene forȝete / to crye and to wepe
And wake for his wikkede werkes as he was woned bifore
For confort of his confessour Contricioun he lefte
That is the souereyne salue / for alle kyne synnes
Sleyth[^a816][^814] seyh þat / and so dede pruyde
And comen with a kene wil / Consience to assaile
Consience cryede efte / clergie come helpe hym
And baed contricioun to come / to helpe kepe þe ȝe ȝate
He lyeth a-dreint saide pees · and so doth mony oþere
The frere with his fisyk this folk hath enchaunted
And doth men drynke dwale þat men drat no synne
By Crist quod Consience tho / y wol bicome a pilgrime
And wenden as wyde / as þe world regneth
To seke þat pruyde myhte destruye
And þat freres hadde a fyndynge / þat for nede flateren
And countrepledeth me Consience / now kynde me a-venge
And se ende me hap and hele til y haue
And sethe he gradde aftur grace / tyl y gan a-wake

[^a806: Cheytyftee pouerte (X Uc Yc) | chaitif pouert (most other mss)]

[^a807: felice (X I Uc Yc) | felicite (most other mss)]

[^a808: Y (X) | And y (all other mss)]

[^a809: loue (X K Wa Yc) | leue (most other mss)]

[^a810: alle (X Sc) | alle manere (most other mss)]

[^a811: kepten (X P2) | kepen (most other mss)]

[^a812: maketh (X P2 Yc) | maketh hem (all other mss)]

[^a813: penaunses (X Ec Q Uc Yc) | penaunse (all other mss)]

[^a814: herde (X) | herte (most other mss)]

[^a815: can (X K Yc) | canst (all other mss)]

[^a816: Sleyth (X Yc) | (Anon) sleuthe (most other mss)]

[^805: X.22.241: A noun is required here, parallel to the majority reading, felicite, but XIUcYc read felice, perhaps a French adjective, or perhaps a simple error of omission.]

[^806: X.22.246: The scribe has written two punctus, one before and one after o as if to set off that one-letter word.]

[^807: X.22.269: We disagree with HS and RK who assert that an ampersand is erased after saue. Rather, it appears to be an <e>, or sigmatic <s>, erased as a false start.]

[^808: X.22.277: Oute is a variant of the majority form ouhte. See MED , s.v. ouen, v., def. 4(d), "[a]s modal verb expressing obligation, propriety, etc., in impers. constructions: it behooves (sb. to do sth.), it is proper, it befits;—with implied inf."]

[^809: X.22.288: A bit of red ink in the center of the bottom margin may represent all that is left uncropped of the rubricator's original quire signature.]

[^810: X.22.313: A, "he."]

[^811: X.22.327: A, "he."]

[^812: X.22.356: What appears to be an otiose curl over the second <c> is the result of a false start on the final <h> of corteylich.]

[^813: X.22.362: What looks like an otiose curl on the <e> here was produced by a false start on the <l> at the beginning of the following word.]

[^814: X.22.374: The expected reading here is a form of MED sleuthe, n., a character featured prominently in this episode. X's reading could be an error, as no such form as sleyth is attested as a spelling variant of sleuthe. Alternately or by accident, X's reading could be a form of MED sleight, n., def. 2(a), "[s]lyness, cunning, craftiness; guile, trickery, deceit." However, that would mean the creation of an entirely new character at this point in the poem. It is therefore more likely that the scribe's spelling is simply an error for sleuthe. On the confusing proliferation of characters in Piers Plowman, see Calabrese (2018), "Posthuman Piers?: Rediscovering Langland's Subjectivities."]