G.1 – PPEA

G.1.4KD.P.4 G.1.8KD.P.8 G.1.12KD.P.12 G.1.16KD.P.16 G.1.20KD.P.20 G.1.24KD.P.24 G.1.28KD.P.28 G.1.32KD.P.32 G.1.36KD.P.36 G.1.40KD.P.40 G.1.44KD.P.44 G.1.48KD.P.48 G.1.52KD.P.52 G.1.56KD.P.56 G.1.60KD.P.60 G.1.64KD.P.64 G.1.68KD.P.68 G.1.72KD.P.72 G.1.76KD.P.76 G.1.80KD.P.80 G.1.84KD.P.84 G.1.88KD.P.88 G.1.92KD.P.92 G.1.96KD.P.96 G.1.100KD.P.100 G.1.104KD.P.104 G.1.108KD.P.108 G.1.112KD.P.112 G.1.116KD.P.116 G.1.120KD.P.120 G.1.124KD.P.124 G.1.128KD.P.128 G.1.132KD.P.132 G.1.136KD.P.136 G.1.140KD.P.140 G.1.144KD.P.144 G.1.148KD.P.148 G.1.152KD.P.152 G.1.156KD.P.156 G.1.160KD.P.160 G.1.164KD.P.164 G.1.168KD.P.168 G.1.172KD.P.173 G.1.176KD.P.177 G.1.180KD.P.181 G.1.184KD.P.185 G.1.188KD.P.193 G.1.192KD.P.197 G.1.196KD.P.192 G.1.200KD.P.201 G.1.204KD.P.205 G.1.208KD.P.209 G.1.212KD.P.213 G.1.216KD.P.217 G.1.220KD.P.221 G.1.224KD.P.225 G.1.228KD.P.229

fol. 1r

PassusB prol

hic incipit Petrus P......[lowman]
de visione liber primusC

InC a someres seyson when soft was the sonne

I shoope me In srowdes as I a shepe were

In habyte as a heremyte vnholy off werkes

went wyde yn thys world wonders to here

& on a may mornyng on mal{u}verne hylles

me befell a ferly off fayry In thoght

I was wery for-wandred & went me to rest

vndre a brood bank by P a borne syde

and as I lay & leyned & loked vpon the waters

I slomered In-to a slepyng {In}P yt sweyd so merye

then gan I to meten a mer{u}velo{u}vs swe{u}vene

that I was In wyldernes wyst I neuere where

as I beheld In-to þe est on heygh to the sonne

I seyghe a to{u}vr on a toft tryelyche y-maked

a depe dale byneth a dongeon thereynne

wyth depe dychys & derke & dredef{u}vll off syght

a fayre feld full off folke fond I þer-betwene

off all maner off men þe meyne & þe ryche

worchyng & wanderyng as þe world asketh

some p{u}vtten theym to plogh / pledenLX full selde

In settyng & In sowyng swonken full harde

And wynnen that wasters In glotonye dystroyen

some p{u}vtten theym to pryde & appareledT theym therafter

In covntenance off clothyng comen dysgysed

In preyers & pennance p{u}vtten þeim manye

for þe lo{u}ve off o{u}vr lord ly{u}veden full streyte

In hope to ha{u}ve after he{u}ven-rych blysse

& ankers & heremytes þat held þeim In þer selles

& co{u}vetenP noght In contrey to cayren abowteP

For no lycoro{u}vs ly{u}velod theyrP lygham to please

some chosen chaffere þei che{u}vene þe better

as ytt semyth to o{u}vr syght þat s{u}vch men thry{u}ven

and some myrthys to make as mynstrelles donne

& getten gold wyth theyr glee / synnles I troweT

butt Iapers & Iang{u}vlers I{u}vdas chylde{s}ren

Feynen þem fantysyes & Foles themP maken

& ha{u}ve þer wytt att wyll to worche yff þei sh{u}vld

þat paule preychyth off them I wyll pro{u}ve ytt here

qui loquitur turpeloquium ys lucyfers hyne

fol. 1v

bydders & beggers fast abovte yeyd

Wyth þer belyes & þer bagges o{b}ff bred P f{u}vll cr{u}vmmed

fast fayten for þer fode fo{u}vghten atte ale

In glotonye god woot goo þei to bedde

& rysen wyth rybawdye as roberdes kna{u}ves

slepand / slep and sorye slowthe shewythLX theym e{u}ver

pylgrimmes & palmers plyghten þem to-gedder

for to seke seynt Iames and seyntes att rome

þei went forth In þer way wyth many wyse tales

& had le{u}ve for to lye all þer ly{u}vys after

I seygh some þat seydon þat they had soght seyntes

to yche a tale þei told ther tong was tempered to lye

more þen to say soth / ytt semed by þer speche

heremytes on a hepe wyth hoked sta{u}vys

wenten to walsyngam & þer wenchys after

greyte lobyes & long þat loth were to swynke

clothed þem In copys to be knowen from other

and shoopen theym heremytes theyre easse for to ha{u}ve

I fond there freres all þe fo{u}vre orders

þat preyche{n}d þe pepole for profytt off theym-sel{u}ven

& glosen þe gospell as þem gode lykythe

For co{u}vetes off copes constr{u}ved as þem lyked

many off thes masters mowe clothe theym att lykyng

for þer money & marchandyce marchen to-gedders

for sythe charyte was chapman & chefe to shry{u}veP lordes

many farlyes ha{u}ve fallen In a fewe yeres

but yff holye ch{u}vrche & they hold not better to-gedders

þe most myscheyfe on mold ys mo{u}vn{y}ttyng vpT fast

þer prechyd a perdoner as he a prest were

bro{u}vght forth a bull wyth many bysshopes seylles

& sayd þat hym-selffe myght assoylen theym all

off falsnes& fastyng & off a-wowes broken

lewed men le{u}ved hym & lyked hys wordes

comen vp knelyng to kyssen hys bulles

he b{u}vnched þem wyth hys brey{u}vett & bleyred theyre eyne

& ra{u}vght hym hys ragman rynges & broches

þus they gy{u}ven theym gold glott{u}ons to kepe

& le{n}venT ytt s{u}vch loseles þat leychyrye hawnten

were þe bysshop ye blessedT or worth both hys yeres

hys seyle sh{u}vld not be sent to deceyue the poeple

but ytt ys noght butt þe bysshope þat þei both preychythe

for þe peryche prest & þe perdoner perten þe syl{u}ver

that þe perycyoners sh{u}vld ha{u}ve yff they {y} ne were

fol. 2r

persones & peryche prestes pleyned theym to the bysshop

that theyr perychys were pore syth the pestelence tyme

to ha{u}ve a lycence & le{u}ve att london to dwell

& syngen there for symonye syl{u}ver ys so swete

bysshopes & bachelers both masters & doctores

that ha{u}ve c{u}vre vnder cryst and crownyng In tokne

& sygne that they sh{u}vlden shry{u}veP theyr perychynores

preychen & preyen for theym & for þe pore fede

lyggen at london In lenten & elles

some ser{u}ven the kyng & hys syl{u}ver tellen

In checker & In chauncerye chalangen hys dettes

off wardes & wardemotes wey{u}vys and strey{u}vys

some ser{u}ven as ser{u}vantes lordes & ladyes

& yn þe styd off st{u}verdes sytten & demen

theyr messe & theyr matyns & many off þeir ho{u}vrs

are done vndeuotelyche drede ys att þe last

lest cryst In constorye a-c{u}vrse full many

I percey{u}ved off þe poyer þat pet{u}vr had to kepe

to bynden & vnbynden as the boke tellyth

how {þat} he ytt laft wyth lo{u}ve as o{u}vr lord hyght

amongest fowre wertews best off all wert{u}ves

that cardynales bene called & {and} closyng gates

there cryst ys In kyngdome to close & to shette

& to open ytt to them & hey{u}ven blysse shewe

but off þe cardynales att co{u}vrte þat kaught off that name

& power pres{u}vmed In theym a pope for to make

to ha{u}ve þat power þat petur had Imp{u}vngen I nyll

for In lo{u}ve & letter{u}vre the electyon belongyth

for-thy I can & can noght off þatC co{u}vrt speke more

hen cam þer a {knyght}P kyng knygthode hym ledde

myght off the com{u}vnes made hym to reynge

{and}thenT came kynd wytt & clerkes he made

for to covncell þe kyng and the com{u}vne sa{u}ve

the kyng & knyghthode and clargye bothe

casten þat the com{un}mvneP sh{u}vld theym-selfen fynd

þisP comm{un}vne contry{u}ved off kynd wytt craftes

& for þe profett off þe people plomen ordened

to tyll & to tra{u}vell as treweC lyve askethe

the kyng & þe com{u}vne & kynd wytt þe thyrd

shop P law & loyalte ych man to know hys owen{e} LG

then loked vp a l{u}vnatyke a {le}leneP thyng wyth-all

fol. 2v

& knelyng to þe kyng clargeally he sayde

cryst kepe the syr kyng & theT kyngryche

and lene the leyde thy land So loyalte þe lo{u}ve

and for þi ryghtfull re{u}vllyng be rewarded In hey{u}vun

and sythen In þe eyre an heyht a angell off hey{u}ven

lowed {to}dyd T speke In latyn for lewde men ne koude

Iangle ne I{u}vgge þat I{u}vstyfye theym sh{u}old

butt sufferen & ser{u}ven forthy seyd the angell

sum rex sum princeps neutrum fortasse deinceps

O qui Iura regis cristi specialia regis

hoc vtT agas melius Iustus es esto pius

nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate

qualia vis metere talia grana sere

si Ius nudatur nudo de Iure metatur

si seritur pietas de pietate metas

then gre{u}ved hym a golyerdes a gloton off wordes

& to the angell on heyhe answered after

dum rex a regere dicatur nomen habere

nomen habet sine re studeat nisiT Iura tenere

then gan all þe comm{u}vne crye In vers off latyn

to the kynges covncell constrewe wo-so wold

precepta regis sunt nobis vincula legis

wyth that ran there a ro{u}vte off rattons att ons

& small myse wyth theym mow then a thowsand

& comen to a covncell for the com{u}vn profytt

For a catt off a covntrey come when hym lyked

& o{u}verlepe theym lyghlycheLG & laghte theym att hys wyll

& pleyde wyth theym perylo{u}vslyche & possed a-bovte

for dovte off dyuers dredeT /C we dare not well loke

but yff we gruge att hys gamme he wyll gre{u}ve vs all

crache vs or clawe vs and In hys clochys hold

that vs lothes owre lyfe or he lett vs passe

myght we wyth any wytt hys wyll wythstand

we myght be lordes a-loft & ly{u}ven att oure easse

A raton off reynowne most reynable off tonge

seyd for a so{u}vereyne help to hym-sel{u}venT

I ha{u}ve se{n}ve / se[n]e P seggys quodh he In the cyte off london

beyren {bees} beȝes full bryght a-bovte theyre neckes

& some colers wyth crafty werke vncovpeled they wentenT

both In warren & In wast where theym-sel{u}ve lykedT

and other wyle they are elles-were as I here tell

were ther a bell on hys beygh by Iohn as me thynkyth

men myght wytt were they went & a-wey renne

& ryght so quod the ratonP reyson me sheweth

to bygen a bell off bras or off bryght syl{u}ver

fol. 3r

and {..} knytten on a coler for o{u}vr comen profytt T

whereP he ryt or rest or rennyth to playe

and yff hym lyst for to layke / then loke they mowen

and peren In hys presence wyle hym {pl} play lykyth

and yff he wrath hym beware and hys wa{s}y shonye

and thys ro{u}vte off ratons to thys reyson assented

butt thogh þe bell was broghtT & on the beygh hanged

there nas roten / r[a]ton In the ro{u}vte for all the realme off france

that d{u}vrst ha{u}ve bo{u}vnden þe bell a-bovte þe cattes neck

ne hangen abovte þe cattes hales all england to wynne

and helden theym vnhardy and theyre covncell feble

and letten theyre labo{u}vr lost & all theyre long studye

a mov{s}ce þat moch good covld as me tho thoght

stroke forth sternely & stode before theym all

and to þe ro{u}vte off ratons rehersed thes wordes

thogh we kyllenT þe catt yet shall theyreP come a-nother

to kachen vs & all our kynd / thogh we crepe vndre benchys

forthy I covncell all the comm{u}vne to lett the catt pas

& be we neuer so bold the bell hym to shewe

for I herde my syre seyne sey{u}ven yers passed

there the catt ys a kyten ys full elenge

that wyttnessyth woly wrytt wo-so wyll ytt rede

ve terre vbi rex puer est & cetera.

For may no re{n}vke / re[n]ke there rest ha{u}ve for ratons by nyght

the wyle he caccheth conyn{g}esLG he co{u}vytyth not our cayren / car[y]en

butt fedyth hym all wyth weneson defame we hym neuer

butt better ys a lytull losse then a long sorowe

they mase amonge vs all thoght we mysse a shreweP

for many mennes malt we mysse wold dystroy

& also the rovte off ratons rend mennes clothys

n{o}ere the catt off the co{u}vrte þat canne youP ouer {..pe} le{r}ype

for had ye ratons your wyll ye covld not re{u}vle you-selueP

I say for me quod the mov{s}ce I se so mykyll after

shall neuer catt ne kyton by my covncell be gre{u}ved

ne carpyng off thys coloresT that costed me neuer

& thogh ytt cost me beknow I nold

but suffer as hym-selfe wyll to do as hym lykyth

co{u}vplede & vnco{u}vplede to cache watt they mowe

forthy ech a wyse wyght I warne wytt well hys owen{e}P /

watt thys metall bemeneth ye menne that be merye

de{u}vyneP ye for I ne dare by dere god In hey{u}venP

yet ho{u}ved there a h{u}vndreth in how{u}ves off sylke

fol. 3v

sargeantes theym semed þat ser{u}ven att the barre

pleyden for peynes / pen[y]es and powndes the lawe

and noght for þe lo{u}ve off our lord vnlose theyre lyppes on{s}ce

thow myghtest better mete mysteP on mal{u}veren hylles

then gett a m{u}omme off hys {moth.} mowthe tyll money be shewed

barons & b{u}vrgesys & bondemen also

I sagh In þis assemble as ye shall here hereafter

baxters brewsters and bochers many

wollen websters & wey{u}vers off lynnen

taylyo{u}vres tynkersT & tollers In markettes

masones & my{n}vores / my[n]ores & many other craftys

off alkynnes laborers loppen forth some

as dykers & del{u}vers that done þeir dedes all

& dry{u}ve forth þe long day wyth / dieu soit dame e{mm}nvye P

cokes & theyr kna{u}ves cryen wott pyes wott

good gees & gryses gowe / go we dyne gowe / go we

tauerners vntyll theym told the same

wyte wyne & ossey & red wyne off gascoygne

off þe ryne & the rochell the rost to defyen

all thys I sagh slepyng & sey{u}ven sythes more

explicit primus passus de visione

◂

þe profycy

off þe catt

▸

G.1.0: The two lines of the heading are bracketed together on the right. The script is more formal than that used in the body of the text and the heading may have been added by WH. See Introduction I.12. Compare finitur visionem in the left hand margin on f.32v G.8.217.m.1.↩

G.1.1: The is in a different ink from that of the original transcription, and appears to have been added at the same time as the heading, and therefore probably by WH. See note to head.↩

G.1.8: A virgule has been added to separate the words by and a, which were originally written without an intervening space. The ink used is very similar to that used for the to <v> changes and it therefore seems probable that this and other virgules may have been added by the original scribe (i.e. by hand1.1) as part of his later programme of corrections (see Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3).↩

G.1.10: The scribe altered In to Itt but then crossed through and rewrote as yt.↩

G.1.20: The G Cr1 reading pleden could be a form of "played" (the reading of remaining B manuscripts) with northern loss of the dipthong, but it could also be read as the present tense of the verb "to plead" (="wrangle"?).↩

G.1.23: Though not recorded as a G variant by Kane and Donaldson, the ampersand is definitely present, bringing G's reading into line with that of F and H. See George Kane and E. Talbot Donaldson, eds, Piers Plowman. The B Version: Will's Visions of Piers Plowman, Do-Well, Do-Better and Do-Best. An Edition in the Form of Trinity College Cambridge MS B.15.17, Corrected and Restored from the Known Evidence, with Variant Readings, rev. ed. (London: Athlone Press; Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988). No other B manuscripts read & appareled (all lack "and").↩

G.1.29: In addition to the alteration of to <v> in coueten, the loop of the first <e> has been re-outlined in brown ink.↩

G.1.29: Consideration of the scribe's usual practice suggests that the curl attached to the <t> of abowte is a residual <e> rather than an abbreviation mark.↩

G.1.30: The <r> of theyr is in slightly darker ink and may be a later addition. Note that it takes up most of the space between words and that the preceding <y> lacks the rising hairline stroke which normally precedes a following letter (compare the same word at G.1.34).↩

G.1.34: The G H reading trowe (for remaining manuscripts leue) corresponds to that of Ax.↩

G.1.36: The minims here are ill-defined; it is possible that the scribe wrote theim rather than them, but the latter would be a more usual form for the G scribe.↩

G.1.41: The alteration from ob to off appears to have been made after the following word, bred, had already been written, since it uses up most of the space between the two words.↩

G.1.45:The G reading shewyth, shared with Cr12 C, may be a genuine variant but note that, since the spellings <sh> and <s> are to some extent interchangeable in G, especially in the earlier sections of the text (see Introduction III.4.1), the G spelling here may represent seweth, as in most remaining B manuscripts.↩

G.1.58:This is one of the capitals which indicate the beginnings of chapters. See the corresponding summary in the Table of Contents at f.101v (the account of the second chapter of the first passus) and see also C. David Benson and Lynne S. Blanchfield, The Manuscripts of Piers Plowman: the B-version (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1997), 133. The large capital is presumably intended to replace the inline smaller capital. For large and decorated capitals at the beginnings of other chapters see Judith A. Jefferson, "Divisions, Collaborations and other topics: the table of contents in Cambridge University Library, MS Gg.4.31" in John A. Burrow and Hoyt N. Duggan, eds, Medieval Alliterative Poetry: Essays in Honour of Thorlac Turville-Petre (Dublin:Four Courts Press, 2010), 140-152, esp.141-44, and for evidence suggesting that the majority of such capitals may have been added by WH, see Jefferson, "Divisions", 148-50. This particular example, however, appears to have been added by the original scribe at the time of writing; presumably he recognised his error in failing to leave a space for a larger capital.↩

G.1.64: The first of these alterations (whereby sryue becomes shryue) appears to have been made by the original scribe and later re-outlined in brown ink. The faint mark of the original correction is still visible at the bottom of the tail of the <h>. Compare the similar - and also very faint - addition by the original scribe at G.1.89.↩

G.1.67: G's reading vp for most manuscripts wel was originally shared by O. However, O adds wel to give vp wel, a reading shared with C2.↩

G.1.77: In the case of G, the G Cr12 reading leven results from the mistaken identification by the to <v> corrector (hand1.1) of the letter <n> as a (Most manuscripts read leneth). It seems possible that the reading in Cr12 was taken from G or from a G-related manuscript; see Introduction II.2.1.2.↩

G.1.78: G misreads the y- past participle prefix as ye (cf. most manuscripts yblissed). For G's treatment of this prefix, see Introduction III.1.↩

G.1.89: The ink of the <h> added to sryue to give shryue is paler than that of the rest of the word, but exactly the same colour as the <as> of masters two lines above, and the form corresponds to that used elsewhere by the original scribe. It therefore seems likely that the correction was made by the original scribe. See also G.1.64.↩

G.1.111: The brownish ink of added þat appears to be the same as that used for the change from to <v> in the following word.↩

G.1.112: The original word replaced by kyng is unclear but the final <t> is visible.↩

G.1.114: Kane and Donaldson do not record G then for most manuscripts And þanne as a variant.↩

G.1.117: As far as it is possible to tell, the original G reading was comune (as at G.1.115). However, the way the <v> has been written over the minims has obscured the <n>, making it necessary for the corrector to provide an abbreviation mark.↩

G.1.118: Kane and Donaldson do not record this as a variant, and, since the superscript letters are rather unclear, it is possible that the G scribe did in fact intend to write þe.↩

G.1.120: Added <e> on trewe appears to be in the same ink as the alterations of to <v>.↩

G.1.122: The loop of the <h> in shop has been enlarged in brown ink.↩

G.1.122: The majority of B manuscripts have final <e>, but hand1's preferred form elsewhere is without -e. See G.5.157, G.6.595, G.7.86 etc., though note the forms with final <e> at G.17.190 and G.17.199. Note also the similar deletion at G.1.207, where it seems possible that the deleted letter may have been an <s>. This deletion is in black ink. ↩

G.1.123: As far as the deleted letters before lene are concerned, it is possible that the scribe originally wrote <ke>-, but it seems more likely that the first letter was an <l> but that the second letter, i.e. the <e>, may have been ill-formed, that an attempt has been made to correct it, and that this has been abandoned.↩

G.1.125: O originally had þe þi for G the, most manuscripts þi, but in O þe has been cancelled. M's reading þi results from correction.↩

G.1.129: In G's original reading (lowed to, which is also the reading of most B manuscripts) lowed is a verb (="descended"). The alteration to lowed dyd results from misinterpretation of lowed as an adverb, something which also occurs in F, where the a-verse reads & lowhde spak in Latyn.↩

G.1.134: The G Hm reading vt (for most manuscripts quod) is also present in the C version. In Hm this reading appears as part of a long passage written over an erasure (this particular section is written by Hm's Hand3, who is also the Hm rubricator). See note to this line in Michael Calabrese, Hoyt N. Duggan and Thorlac Turville-Petre, eds, The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol.6: San Marino, Huntington Library MS HM 128 (Hm, Hm2) (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer for SEENET and the Medieval Academy of America, 2008), and for further discussion of the relationship between Hm and G, see G's Introduction II.2.1.2.↩

G.1.142: In Hm the reading studeat nisi, which is shared with G (most manuscripts read nisi studet) appears over an erasure.↩

G.1.150: The letter <S> is formed from a series of linked dots. This and similar marks enable the reader to find sections referred to in the table of contents. See f.101v. As Benson and Blanchfield point out (Manuscripts, 132), the mark is referred to in this table, so it has clearly been added as part of the original preparation of the manuscript. The form of the letter, however, suggests the possibility that such marks were the work of WH rather than the original scribe; see the form of the capitals used by WH on ff.69v, 72v and 103r, and see further Jefferson, "Divisions," esp. 148-50.↩

G.1.150: Spellings of "lightly" without <t> are recorded by the MED.↩

G.1.152: Kane and Donaldson observe that the error in G's reading drede (for most manuscripts dredes) is "noted" but it is difficult to see what they mean unless they are referring to the following added virgule, something which would raise questions about other similar additions.↩

G.1.152: Once again, the colour of the added virgule is the same as that of the to <v> changes and it therefore seems likely that it was made by the original scribe at a later date (see further Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3). Virgules are frequently omitted in the earlier stages of the original transcription but become more frequent as the text progresses.↩

G.1.159: A brown-ink flourish, apparently an abbreviation for <n>, has been added to the final <e> of original selue. This is in the same ink as the earlier alteration of to <v>. The addition brings G's reading into line with that of O C2. Kane and Donaldson do not record this G reading, though they do record the readings of O and C2.↩

G.1.160: The form of the alteration from sene to seve is unusual and it is possible that the corrector realised his mistake and tried to remedy it.↩

G.1.162: M originally had wenden, as most manuscripts; the M reading wenten (shared with G Cr W Hm) results from correction.↩

G.1.163: In M the <d> of "liked" (a reading which M shares with G Cr1 W H) is written over an erasure. Most manuscripts read lyketh.↩

G.1.167: The minims at the end of raton are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read rato.↩

G.1.169: G Cr1 W Hm omit a line at this point: "And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals · þanne here we mowen." ↩

G.1.170: The <w> of where is slightly odd and it seems possible that the scribe originally started to write an initial <h>.↩

G.1.175: W's reading ybrouȝt, which is also the reading of a number of C manuscripts, is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson and Schmidt. Most B manuscripts have some form of "bought."↩

G.1.184: Cr W Hm Y H also use the present tense of the verb "to kill." Remaining B manuscripts have either the preterite or the pluperfect.↩

G.1.184: Very residual <e> on theyre.↩

G.1.193: For the dropping of the g of unaccented -yng in original conynges, see H. C. Wyld, A History of Modern Colloquial English, 3rd ed. (Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1953), 289-90, E. J. Dobson, English Pronunciation 1500-1700, 2 vols (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1957), 950-1, Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hauge: Mouton, 1974), § 175. Jordan suggests that the change occurred in the fourteenth century in the North and North Midlands, but in the fifteenth century in the South.↩

G.1.196: The alteration from srewe to shrewe has been made in brown ink and is therefore clearly a later change. The form of the alteration, however, corresponds to that of similar changes made by the original scribe, see, e.g., that at G.1.89.↩

G.1.199: The minims at the end of you are residual; basically just a horizontal line.↩

G.1.200: Once again, G's minims are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read yo for G you.↩

G.1.203: The alteration which results in colores brings G into line with the C version manuscripts. Remaining B manuscripts read coler.↩

G.1.207: Compare with the apparent deletion of final <e> on owene at G.1.122. However, the presence of a hairline riser may suggest that the original final letter here was a sigma <s>.↩

G.1.209: The alteration of to <v> which results in devyne is in a different ink from the main body of such corrections and the form of the letter is more elaborate.↩

G.1.209: The alteration of to <v> in original heyuen has become just a residual brown smudge.↩

G.1.214: Final <e> on myste has been added half above and half below the cross of the <t> so that this now also forms the cross of the <e>.↩

G.1.220: Kane and Donaldson adopt G's reading "tinkers" (for remaining B manuscripts and tynkeres). The majority of A manuscripts also lack "and" at this point in the line, but their reading is otherwise different. ↩

G.1.224: The third and fourth minims of original emme have been changed to a <v> and a tail has been added to the fifth and sixth.↩