NOTES (continued 4)

Five-sixths of the infinitives end in en, showing Anglian influence, the remainder mostly in e, as bode 262 r. w. node, ileste 242 r. w. unstedefeste, ofþinche 203 r. w. swinke; exceptional are wernin 228, warni 226, seon 16, son 158. Dative infinitives are to baþien 245, beten 132, habben 39, swenchen 250, swinden 57, þenchen 252, for . . . cumen 154, for habben 53, for lesen 180, 182; possibly to frure 232, see note. Presents are s. 1. adrede, biþenche 6; 3. biswikeð, fulieð 12, þunchet 233, ofþinchet 10, hauet 65, þurþsicheþ 90, and the contracted forms (as numerous as the uncontracted), abuh 144, bernd 249, bet 126, 164, bit 126, iherð 89, itit 125, lest 167, sent 42, 46, ouersich 75, þench 33, wit 84: pl. 1. abuȝeð 195, brokeð 91, þenke we 190; 3. fareð 232, þolieð 202, wuneð 136: subjunctive s. 1. bidde 134; 2. wende 86; 3. ȝeue 122, giue 56, helpe 156, lipnie 22, 31, rede 8, 156, scilde 220, wite 122, wurð[e] 140: pl. 3. ?come 124: imperative s. 2. wende 86: pl. 2. sendeð 25, vnderstondeð 227. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. s. 3. isech 261; pl. 1. iseȝen 102; 3. 98: I b. s. 1. com 221; 3. binom 259, brec 183, com 117, nom 205; pl. 3. comen 139, 202, helen 160, stelen 159: I c. s. 3. unbond 188; pl. 3. bigunnen 243, swunken 254; subj. s. 3. bigunne 214, funde 68: II. pl. 3. witen 244, writen 224, wruȝen 160: III. pl. 3. luȝen 159: IV. s. 3. scop 84: V. s. 3. let 260, hechte 268 (weak form); pl. 3. biheten 242, holden 170, sowen 20, leten 266. Participles present: I c. berninde 218, bernunde 245: V. wallinde 218; past: I a. biȝeten 105, forȝeten 98, iqueðen 9: I b. bistolen 15, forholen 77, iborene 105: I c. iborȝen 165, r. w. sorȝe, ifunde 177, sprunge 173, unforȝolden 59: II. iwriten 118: II, III. unwron 160: III. biloken 81, icorene 104, forlorene 106: IV. forsworene 103. Past of Weak Verbs: s. 1. hefde 13, sede 155; 3. biþohte 150, cudde 191, herde 262, likede 11, seide 129, r. w. misdede: pl. 1. hefden 51, leden 93; 3. ledden 209, luueden 93, iquemde 269: subj. s. 3. hefde 137, hefð 147 (miswritten for hefde). Participles past: alesed 134, ibet 132, idemet 106, 171, fordemet 270, igult 27, hud 77, ihud 28, ofdred 43, offerd 157, meind 142, iclepede 104. Minor Groups: wat pr. s. 79, 89, 111, nute hi pr. pl. 236, wiste 1 pt. s. 15, wisten pt. pl. 139, nusten 1 pt. pl. 102, pt. pl. 225; ahte pt. s. 2, achten 1 pt. pl. 129; kon pr. s. 71, cunne pr. s. subj. 213, kuðe 1 pt. s. 9; þerf pr. s. 43, 44, 45, 163; scal pr. s. 24, 35, schal 19, sculen 1 pr. pl. 47, 95, 161, scule we 92, 95, sculen 2 pr. pl. 20, 49, pr. pl. 94, sculde pt. s. 263, sculden 1 pt. pl. 60, solde 51, sculden pt. pl. 265, sculde pt. s. subj. 118 (the past forms in u are Anglian); mei 1 pr. s. 14, mai pr. s. 35, 40, 69, mei 65, 88, 124, 145, muȝen 1 pr. pl. 157, 206, pr. pl. 66, 237 (in form subjunctive), muȝe pr. s. subj. 21, 55, 125, muȝen 2 pr. pl. subj. 25, pr. pl. subj. 19, mahte 1 pt. s. (Anglian mæhte) 222, mihte 13, michte 16, 1 pt. pl. 52, mihten pt. pl. 200; mot pr. s. 33; bon inf. 2 &c., bo 134, em 1 pr. s. 1, 4, is pr. s. 26, his 72, 121, 229, nis 77, 80, boð pr. s. 120 (in form plural), beoð 1 pr. pl. 17, boð pr. pl. 26, 75 &c., bið 233 (in form singular), bo 1 pr. s. subj. 4, pr. s. subj. 21 (7), beo 29, bo pr. pl. subj. 177, bon 94, wes 1 pt. s. 1, pt. s. 187, 208, weren pt. pl. 102, 230, 251, were pt. s. subj. 153, nere 199, ibon pp. 3; wule 1 pr. s. 155, pr. s. 34, 39, wile 55, uuel (miswritten for nule) 123, wulleð pr. pl. 97, 226, walde 1 pt. s. 14 (Anglian), pt. s. 35, r. w. unholde 149, wolde 147, nalde 185, 261, nolde 138, walde ȝe 2 pt. pl. 49, wolden pt. pl. 244, 266, nolden 238; don inf. 37, 69, 92, do 185, 186, to done inf. dat. 17, 37, deð pr. s. 35 &c., doð 53 (plural form), doð 1 pr. pl. 58, 60, misdoð 206, doð pr. pl. 19, 79, do pr. s. subj. 18, 21, 69, 210, dede pt. s. 2, misduden 1 pt. pl. 99, duden pt. pl. 265, misduden 192, dude 96, idon pp. 7 &c., fordon 270.

(2) of T. Strong declension of masc. and neut. nouns. In the s. n. aquerne 366, were 31 have added e: sune 188 represents sunu. Gen. -es, godes 313, goldes 70, werkes 64: d. -e, ate 262, biede 266, daie 80, 158; exceptions are deað 200, deuel 273, druken 262 (for drunke), fasten 147, 339, god 284, hunger 147 (hungre), peni 300, siluer 268 (seolfre), þanc 245, þing 320, mostly before a vowel, and fur 152, middenærd 195, peni 67, werc 116 at mid pause of the verse: misse 238 s. a. has added e. The pl. n. a. of masculines ends in -es, ængles 94, ȝietceres 271, bendes 190, but wintre 212, 356: neuters are folc 217, ȝier 142, iswinc 36, þing 84, word 9, 160, ibede 301 (gebedu), werkes 63 (4) (with masc. termination), deflen 97, a weak form: g. angles 355, 380, manke 70: d. dichen 41, ibeden 339, wallen 41, wrenchen 255, bende 136, 293, 398, wapne 340, winter 4, worde 312, write 101, angles 284, derlinges 389, erminges 323, gultes 318, werkes 258, wines 223. Of the strong feminines blisse 237, 380, este 363, idelnesse 7, mihte 76, 215, milce 72, reste 364, 373, rihtwisnesse 72, senne 129, 196, 205, sihte 369, soreȝe 142, 196, 378, strate 345, tilðe 57, þiesternesse 281, unhalðe 327, unisalðe 378, witnesse 113, 116, wombe 147, have added e in the s. n., aihte 42, 55, 263, niede 265 in the s. a. The other cases sing. and pl. end in e, s. g. blisse 357, helle 220, sowle 306; d. bote 318, dade 3, dure 124; a. milche 219, murihðe 396; pl. n. glede 222, unhalðe 199, wihte 78; g. blisse 355, misdade 132, 275, seuenihte 142; d. aihte 271, 321; a. dade 10, 89, 160, laȝe 172, soreȝe 168. Exceptions are woreldes 226 (4) s.g., sa 83 s. d., has 91 s. a., rauing 257; wihten 285 pl. n., honden 81 pl. d., luues 314 pl. a., tiden 139. Nouns of the weak declension have e in all cases of the singular; n. moȝe 187, almesse 28; g. lichame 306; d. deme 96, herte 309; a. grame 168, swiere 146: pl. n. are eien 75, 381, eueten 277, iferen 102, 233, 297; a. swiken 278. The minor declensions are represented by man s. n. 165, noman 24, mannes s. g. 30, 90, 113, manne s. d. 117, man 20, maniman 205, men pl. n. 162, 260, manne pl. g. 163, 380, pl. d. 342, men 263, 354; boc s. d. 118, 228; broðer s. n. 150, s. a. 187; fader s. n. 150, faderes s. g. 197, fader s. a. 188; suster s. n. 150, 187; frend s. n. 30, friende pl. d. 224, frend pl. a. 185, 304, friend 224; fiend pl. n. 283, fiendes pl. d. 223, r. w. friende.

Remnants of the strong declension of adjectives are wreches s. g. m. 338 (with woreldes f.), ealde[s] 195, euele s. d. m. 335, godelease 348, wrongwise 48, bare s. d. f. 211, stronge 283, gode s. d. neut. 73, unstedefaste 320, wilde 145, hardne s. a. m. 171, endelease 143, possibly dat., muchele s. a. f. 396. Weak are ealde s. n. m. 287, loðe 272, 287, narewe 349, swarte 282, brode s. n. f. 345, murie 156, bare s. d. m. 348, heuenliche 96, muchele 92, muchele s. d. f. 156, narewe s. a. m. 343, brode s. a. neut. 341, the comparatives and superlatives as betre 28, wunderlukeste 68, except elder 1 (ieldra), niðer 299, 347, werest 221. All other adjectives are uninflected in the singular: the termination in all cases of the pl. is e; arȝe n. 19, lichamliche d. 398, wreche a. 172, but arefeðheald 315, eadi 231, euel 172, 233, gradi 268, idel 9, iwar 334, weri 244 are not inflected. āgen is owen 30, oȝen 113, 116, 163, 265 without variation: āna gives one n. s. m. 86 (7): ān is on n. s. m. 67, f. 28, one s. d. m. 348, on 335, ore s. d. f. 383, one 209, 211, one s. d. neut. 384, on s. a. f. 139, nān, none n. s. m. 367, non 110, no 37, 50, non s. n. f. 289, nones s. g. neut. 372, none s. d. neut. 240, s. a. f. 239: ilca, ilke s. d. neut. 216. Of the numerals twam 312 is dat. Adjectives are freely used as nouns, s. n. foh, grai 365, sellich 183; s. g. godes 371, 372; s. d. gode 23, lothe 61, juel (yfle) 19; s. a. emcristen 310, beste 51, lasse 71, mast 112: the pl. has e, n. fremde 34, elderne 194, heie 164, unholde 36; a. deade 192; exceptions are elder 326 (ieldran), ȝeunger 326 (geongran), quica 192.

The personal pronouns are ich, i in ibie 4, ibiðenche 6, idude 2, ilade 5, ime 6, ine 16, 225, me, we, us, þu, þe, ȝie, eow. The pronoun of the third person is s. n. he m. 21, hie 114, ?hi 38, hit neut. 13; d. him m. 20, 21, 44; a. hine m. 110, 116, 385, him 34, him f. 129 (masc. form), hes 219, 241, his 263, hies 243, hes 40 (= he + es), 55, 56, hit neut. 17; pl. n. hie 22 &c., hi 382, he 248 (5), d. hem 62, 167, 180, 239 &c., a. hem 184, 305, hes 102, 186, 288, 314, mes 259 (= me + es). Reflexives are us self 310, him 21, 124, him selfen s. 14, 107, 115, him selfe 25, him self 111; definitives, þe self 29, him self 40, 114, 186, self 131, 218, 379, pl. hemself 229; possessives, mi 2, mine pron. 304, þi 29, his 30 &c., hire 31, ure 57, pron. 251, here 101. The definite article is sing. n. se m. 287, þe 39 &c., þa 349, þe f. 116, 205, þet 68 (neut. form), d. þan m. 63, 96, þe 83, 158, te in ate 92, þare f. 346, 347, 397, þe 83, 237, (a)te 127, ðer neut. 216 (fem. form), a. þane m. 341, 343, 353, þene 343, þe f. 265, þat neut. 51; pl. n. þe 103, d. þo 291, 340, 354, a. þo 278, þe 192, 278. The article is also frequently used as pronoun antecedent to relatives, as þe þe, he who 25, 66, se þe 53, 55, se þit 112 (= se þe hit), þan þe, to him who 71, þo þe, those who 213, 234, þar þat, of those who 192, þo þe, to those who 229, those to whom 267, 275, those who and those to whom 256, wið þo þe, with those whom 220. Other pronominal uses are of þare, of that other 328 (representing neut. noun), þar fore, for it 146, after þan(e) þe, conj., according as 362, þo, those 171. The compound demonstrative is þis s. g. f. 271, þesses 338 (masc. form), þesse s. d. neut. 328, 383, þos pl. n. 351, 352, ?þes 103, þese pl. d. 312, þos pl. a. 234, 303, 314; relatives þe 33, 73, in combinations þis 156, 251 (= þe is), þit 112, 141 (= þe hit): þe often means he who 14, 21, 30, se 221; þe, they who 257, þat, that which 22 &c., þe, to whom 296, of which 10. Interrogatives are hwo 135, hwat 78, 103, 137, hwan d. after prep. 95, 206, 330, to hwan, why 105, hweðer 240, hwilch 138 with correlative swilch 79, 399; ilca is ilke 216: indefinites, hwo se 114; me 48, 63, 342; sume pl. 149, 361; fele 9, 70, 212; feawe 349, 354; eiðer 62, 239, aiðer 306; oðer s. g. 30, 261, 267, 363, s. d. 116, 188, 360, s. a. 149, þoðre pl. 168 (= þe oðre), oðer 390; elch s. n. m. 107, 173, eche 344, ech 23, elch s. n. f. 360, aches s. g. f. 226, neut. 371, eche s. d. m. 86, achen 350, ache s. d. f. 235, elche s. a. m. 132, f. 89; ani s. n. m. 68, d. f. 273, a. neut. 53; mani n. s. m. 38, s. g. m. 36; afric s. n. m. 32, africh 65, afri 117; al s. n. m. 198, neut. 7, alle s. d. neut. 307, 340, pl. n. m. 22 &c., f. 78, alre g. 163, 189, 355, alle d. 318, 389, a. m. 224, a. f. 84, 89, a. neut. 84.

The infinitives are equally divided between -en, including isien 18, 379, 385, and -e: exceptions are fulendin 247, warnin 230, 232. Those of the second weak conjugation have -ien, -ie, wunien 153, 181, 249, samie 165, wunie 214, 376. A dat. inf. with inflection is to isiene 392, uninflected are to bete 134, to bihelden 392, to falle 316, to habben 39, te læte 345, te stonde 316, to swenche 254, to swinde 57, to þenchen 256, for to haben 53, for . . . to fulle 352, for lesen 182, 184. Presents s. 1. adrade 6, bidde 136; 3. barneð 253, bihoteð 38, exceptionally biswicað 14, mislicað 13, haued 70, 340, singed 311, contracted forms, three-sevenths of the total number, abit 130, abuið 146, bet 126, 166, bit 126, 357, itit 125, last 169, lat 129, lat 342, sent 42, wit 84 and others; pl. 1. abugeð 197, brekeð 91, findeð 332, wilnieð 319, but ileued 176, þenche we 192; 3. fareð 236, folȝeð 346, but habbed 141, 177: subjunctive s. 2. wende 86; 3. bringe 397, cume 156, ȝieue 56 (4), ȝeue 317, helpe 158, hopie 31, rade 158, reche 135, sende 27, silde 224, 303, warnie 304, wurðe 142; pl. 1. late 307, 341, luue 309, silde 308, ute 337, werie 339, all followed by we, haben 100, wurðen 334; 3. wende 400: imperative s. 2. wende 86; pl. 2. understondeð 231. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. s. 3. sat 266, iseih 265; pl. 1. iseien 98, 99, 102; subjunctive s. 3. iseie 118: I b. s. 3. brac 185, cam 117 (4), nam 209; pl. 1. come 330; 3. binomen 263, comen 206, halen 161, stalen 162, come 141: I c. s. 3. swanc 362, unbond 190; pl. 3. bigunnen 247, gunne 276, swunken 258; subj. s. 3. bigunne 218, funde 68: III. pl. 3. luȝen 161: IV. s. 3. sop 84: V. pl. 3. biheten 246, hielden 172, 298, leten 270, 352, sewen 22, lete 264. Participles present: I c. barnende 222: V. wallinde 222; past: I a. biȝiete 105, forȝieten 98, ispeken 9: I b. bistolen 17, forholen 76, iborene pl. 105: I c. iboreȝe 167, ifunde 179, sprunge 175, unforȝolden 59: II. iwrite 117, write 228: II, III. unwrien 162: III. biloken 81, icorene pl. 104, forlorene 106: IV. forsworene 103: V. biualle 198. Past of Weak Verbs: s. 1. hadde 15, sade 157; 3. bohte 186, kedde 193 (cȳðde), likede 13, sade 131, taihte 272; pl. 1. ladden 93, luueden 93; 3. arerde 172, hudden 162, ilaste 246, iquemde 273, leide 263, saden 227, sunegeden 262; subj. s. 3. hadde 139, 149 (= hadde he); pl. 1. swunke we 321. Participles past: alesed 136, ibet 100, 134, bicherd, bikeihte 322, idemd 106, demde 274, ofdrad 43, 288, ofdradde pl. 94, ispend 12, teald 120, wuned 57. Minor Groups: witen inf. 386, wot pr. s. 78, 89, 111, not 148 (= ne wot), witen pr. pl. 294, niten 240 (= ne witen), iwiste 1 pt. s. 17, wiste pt. pl. 141, nesten pt. pl. 229, 388 (= ne wisten); oh pr. s. 2; cunnen inf. 336, can 1 pr. s. 306, pr. s. 71, cunnen pr. pl. 305, cunne pr. pl. subj. 217, cuðe 1 pt. s. 9; þarf pr. s. 43, 45, 165; sal pr. s. 21, 26, sullen 1 pr. pl. 163, sulen 58, sulle we 92, sullen pr. pl. 103, sulle 22, 106, solde pt. s. 37, 267, solden 1 pt. pl. 47, 60, solde 51, solden pt. pl. 269; mai 1 pr. s. 16, miht 2 pr. s. 129, mai pr. s. 35, 44, maiȝ 88, 124, 217, muȝen 1 pr. pl. 159, 210, 332, pr. pl. 241, 288, 374, muȝe 207, pr. s. subj. 23, 55, 125, 338, muȝe we 1 pr. pl. subj. 325, mihte 1 pt. s. 15, 226, pt. s. 202, 1 pt. pl. 52; mot pr. s. 33, moten 1 pr. pl. subj. 317, 400; ben inf. 39 (12), bien 389, to be 2, am 1 pr. s. 1, is pr. s. 7, 72, nis 76, 79, beð 23, 32, 114, 1 pr. pl. 19, pr. pl. 75, 94, 237, bieð 291, 315, bed 104, 381, senden 290, bie 1 pr. s. subj. 4, 136, pr. s. subj. 29, 77, be 32, 251, bien pr. pl. subj. 80, ben 28, was 1 pt. s. 1, pt. s. 189, 212, waren 1 pt. pl. 100, 333, pt. pl. 102, naren 383, ware pt. s. subj. 155, nare 201, 1 pl. 322, iben pp. 3; wille 1 pr. s. 227, wulle 157, nelle 291, wile pr. s. 39, 55, nele 336, willeð pr. pl. 34, 97, 230, nelleð 374, wolde 1 pt. s. 16, pt. s. 35, nolde 140, 187, 265, wolde ȝie 2 pt. pl. 49, wolden pt. pl. 248, 270, nolden 247, nolde 242; don inf. 37, 69, 270, to done inf. dat. 37, to don 19, deð pr. s. 21, 221, doð 35 (8), 1 pr. pl. 60, pr. pl. 61, 78, do pr. s. subj. 8, 20, 23, 214, 1 pr. pl. subj. 308, dude 1 pt. s. 2, duden 1 pt. pl. 96, misduden 101, deden pt. pl. 269, 270, misduden 194, idon pp. 7, ido 304, fordon 274; forgoð pr. s. 358, goð pr. pl. 351, go we 1 pr. pl. subj. 343, 353.

Dialect: L is a copy of a Southern original made by a Midland scribe of the Southern border. His alterations, casual and inconsistent, affect mainly the sounds; the inflections are on the whole Southern, but the extensive retention of inflectional n is due to the scribe: the pronoun ha 215 and the infinitives warni 226, wernin 228 are Mercian features of the Katherine Group. T is South-Eastern bordering on Kent, with some trace of Midland influence, such as the exclusive representation of æ by a, the development of æ + g as ai, distinct from that of e + g as ei, the absence of breaking in ea before l + consonant, the past participles without prefix, the infinitives in -in, features which point to the northern border of the South-Eastern area as its place of origin. In phonology it closely resembles Vices and Virtues. The dialect of e is Middle South: its rhymes are mostly correct, and it is probably the best representative of the original. MS. E is assigned by Jordan to the same area, but nearer its northern border.

Vocabulary: The foreign element in these texts is small. French are bikehte bikeihte (first appearance), cunin kuning, ermine (f. a.), martres 50/362 (f. a.), sabeline (f. a.), serueden, werre: sōt is pre-Conquest French, soht 30/30, written for sŏtt, a pre-Conquest Latin borrowing: Sathanas with th is French. Scandinavian are bene, efninges eueningges (influenced by efen), ille, laȝe loȝe, lofte, niþinges, þralles þrelles, wrange wronge, and possibly fruden frute, lan 32/64: baþe boþe in a Southern text may descend from OE. bā þā (Björkman, 108).

Metre: The Septenarius is a purely syllabic metre of seven feet, with or without end-rhyme, fashioned on the model of such mediaeval Latin verse as the well-known méum | ést pro|pósit|úm || ín ta|bérna | móri; the first section of the line having four stresses with a masculine and the second three with a feminine ending. The trochaic rhythm of the verse is very often changed into iambic by the addition of a syllable as prelude before either half of the verse: the full scheme is accordingly (x)x́xx́xx́xx́ || (x)x́xx́xx́x̀. This is perfectly exemplified in the Ormulum with its invariable line of fifteen syllables, but in the PM, the earliest known attempt at the metre in English, the influence of the native prosody is strong, and a regular line like Þe Món | þe wúl|e sík|er bón || to háb|ben Gód|es blíssè L 39 is uncommon. The following scansions of L illustrate the deviations from the norm of the verse:

Elision of e occurs under the usual conditions: pronouns like me 6, 10, 15, þe 23, and nouns of the type of wintre 1, 4 are not subject to it. Instances of hiatus are worde 3, þe 13, werke 27. Syncopation of e occurs in muȝẹn, houẹne 25, biforẹn, souẹne 26, litẹl 28, and probably in muchẹl 28, though it might be regarded as forming part of a trisyllabic verse. The prelude is wanting in the first section, 4, 5, 6, 14, 20, 27, 28; in the second section, 8, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 26, 30; in both, 7, 11, 20, 24. It is doubled in the first section, 30, 52; in the second, 17. The first foot of each section is sometimes a trochee instead of an iamb; so in the first section, 9, 15, 17, 21, 25; in the second, 9. The unstressed element in a foot is sometimes wanting, 15, 20, 22; sometimes it is of two syllables, 8, 12, 24, 26 (three times), 29. Feminine endings before the caesura are not uncommon, 2, 9, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24; but the ending of the line is invariably feminine. A comparison of the manuscripts shows that the author’s practice was more correct than the representation of any of them; thus the unmetrical second section of 25 is in e, þe hwílẹ | he méi | to héuẹne. But it is clear that he used all the licences detailed above.

Introduction: The Moral Ode is, to all appearance, an original work, the natural product of an old man’s musings on life with its lost opportunities, death, and judgement. Its manner and spirit, simple, earnest, austere, sententious, are of the Old English cast. The author lived in Hampshire somewhere near the junction of the Stour with the Avon. He was probably a secular priest, for he makes no reference to the life of the cloister and names no saint or holy place. His theological learning was of a commonplace kind and without subtilty. He may have had some skill in medicine. He lived through the Anarchy, and the faithless vassal and the tyrannous noble wallow in his Inferno with the corrupt judge and extortionate official.

Another poem of similar content, the Sermon of Guischart de Beaulieu in Anglo-Norman, was written in England about the same time as the Poema Morale. If the author took his name from Beaulieu in Hampshire, where King John founded a Cistercian Abbey in 1204 A.D. (Dugdale v. 680), he may have written not far from the home of our poet. It abounds in striking parallels to the PM, but the editor of the Sermon thinks the resemblances are not sufficiently close to prove that Guischart used the English poem.

1. nu: in LT only. awintre ⁊ a lare: a winter and ek on lore J; of wintre ⁊ of lore M. ⁊ = ent; see 38/159.

2. welde mare: not in the usual meaning, possess more wealth, as at 21/89, 22/122, 130, 32/55, but either, am more respected, honoured, as at 18/22; ‘for worulde weorðscypes wealdan,’ Thorpe, Laws, ii. 324. 4, or more probably, possess more knowledge; if so, ‘knowledge comes but wisdom lingers.’ Comp. ‘of wisdom wilde,’ OEM 96/94. For welde D reads ealdi, M eldi, age, grow old.

3. child: comp. ‘Adhuc enim non pueritia in nobis sed, quod est gravius, puerilitas remanet: et hoc quidem peius est quod auctoritatem habemus senum, vitia puerorum,’ Seneca, Ep. iv; ‘To longe ich habbe sot ibeo | Wel sore ich me adrede,’ OEM 160/31. a worde, &c.: comp. 30/27: on worde ⁊ on dede D; of wordes & of dede M.

4. a: on D; of JM. on: at E; á e; of M.

5-8. Comp. ‘Ki se fie en cest secle por fol tenc mult celui | Par mei meimes le sai ne mie par altrui | Folement le menai itant cum ieo i fui | Kar unkes ne fis riens de quanke faire dui | Trop i dui demurer trop tart men apercui,’ Guischart 32-36; ‘vnnut lif to longe ich lede | hwanne ich me biþenche; wel sore ich me adrede,’ OEM 192/3, 4.

6. wel ful: wel, wel D; ful J; the other MSS. wel, but T alters the first half of the line. wel qualifies biþenche.

7. ꝥ = þet; see 32/55. bi fealt &c. is not original, but an avoidance of the rare word chilce, which is in E e J T; D has chilðe, M chilse. chilce, childishness, appears to be formed from child, on the analogy of milce from mild; it occurs here only. L alters l. 8 for the sake of the rhyme; the other MSS. are with T.

8. bute, unless; comp. ll. 24, 210, 271.

9. iqueðen: ispeken T; ispeke J. Comp. ‘Ifurn ich habbe isuneȝet mid wurken ⁊ midd muðe | ⁊ mid alle mine lime siððe ich sunehi cuðe | ⁊ wel feole sunne ido þe me ofþincheð nuðe,’ OEM 193/29-31.

10. þe: so T e, but þat EJM; þet D. OE. ofþyncan is impersonal, it takes dative of the person and genitive or, rarely, nominative of the cause; ‘him ðæs slæpes ofþuhte,’ Ælf., Hom. Cath. i. 86/19 is normal. The indeclinable relative þe here and in similar places, as ‘Ne do þu non oðer man þing þe þe wolde ofþunche gief me hit dude þe,’ OEH ii. 179/20, may be doing duty for the genitive (see 46/292 note). But in ME. generally hit is expressed as subject, 52/370, or the cause is nominative, 38/164, 42/203 (notwithstanding the verb in the singular), 145/104, or the subject is actually personal, 46/271; ‘his freonden hit ofþuhten,’ L 197. Þat in the other texts is nominative.

11. Comp. ‘Or me semblet puillent co ke ieo mult amai | Quant del plait me souent enz en mun queor mes mai,’ Guischart 1205, 6. Mest: Best J. The scribe should have put the stop after er.

12. Comp. ‘Mult est fous ke fait trop de sa volontez,’ Archiv lxiii. 84/301. After this line J interpolates, Mon let þi fol lust ouer-go · and eft hit þe likeþ; see 29/45.

13. þe is possibly miswriting of þen. M has also þe selþe, but e T D þo; E þer; J eny selhþe. The meanings given in the dictionaries for iselþe, luck, good fortune, happiness, do not give a good sense here; if it could mean experience, the sentiment would be like ‘si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.’ Morris in OEH i. 160/13 translates discretion.

14. elde &c.: comp. 20/72; 40/197; 48/323.

15. wiste: awuste E; á wyste e; iwiste TD; er þan ich hit wiste JM.

16. smike: smeke E; smeche e D; smoke J; smiche M.

17. al to þriste, all too bold, ready; comp. 157/127.

18. stondeð: B-T quotes under standan (of direction) ‘Swa micel ege stod deoflum fram eow,’ Ælf. Hom. Cath. i. 64/25, with meaning, came over; similar is ‘Norð-Denum stod atelic egesa,’ Beowulf, 783. In ME. stonden has developed the meaning, exists (comp. Fr. être < stare). For the construction comp. ‘non eige ne stand of louerde,’ OEH ii. 39/20, 139/28; ‘of iwel and dead hem stondeð greim,’ GE 392: men here is dative like hom. Variations are, ‘þer hem stod eie; þer hem ne sholde,’ OEH ii. 73/30; ‘him ne stod æie to naþing,’ L 11694; ‘alle heom stod him æie to,’ id. 27100; ‘wið dead him stood hinke and age,’ GE 432; 62/37; ‘uor elles vuele us stode,’ AR 312/9. For do, subjunctive after þanne with comparative, comp. 31/28; ‘he brycð swiðor on ðone suðdæl þonne he do on þone norðdæl; ⁊ sio hæte hæfð genumen þæs suðdæles mare þonne se cyle þæs norðdæles hæbbe,’ Orosius 24/26.

19. See 32/35. hwile þe: comp. 32/33, 55: elsewhere L has the more usual hwile ꝥ (always unmetrically), or hwile.

20. ȝe: hy E e; hi DM: but J has, Hwenne alle men repen schule · þat heo ear seowe. For ꝥ E has þer þe; e, þer; M, her þat.

21. to gode, for good; comp. 32/61. he (muȝe): hi D; ȝe E e M; ye J: similarly in the case of the following he.

22. lipnie, depend on, trust to: hopie E e; leue D; truste M.

24. bute—milde: a formula of frequent occurrence; see KH 80 note.

25. D alters, Sende sum god biuoren him | man, ꝥ wile to heuene; the scribe of E copied the end of l. 21, reading, þe wyle ȝe ben aliue, and in the second half of the next line, þanne ben after vyue.

27, 28 are misplaced, the other MSS. have them as in T. With 27 comp. ‘Ifurn ich habbe isunehed mid worke ⁊ mid worde,’ OEM 193/21; and with 28, ‘muchel ich habbe ispened; to lite ich habbe an horde. | Hord þat ich telle · is almesse dede,’ id. 193/24, 25; ‘Ne des altres uertuz nule ne reseruai | . . . | Or ai si despendu ke ieo nule nen ai,’ Guischart 1184, 6.

29, 30 are wanting in D. þe solf: þi self EJ. With mei . . . maȝe, comp. ‘Ne naueþ he mey ne mowe. | þat durre one þrowe. | Bi hym sitte ne stonde,’ OEM 79/208-10, 179/161, 2. With l. 30 comp. ‘Qui mieux aime autri que sei au molin fu mort de sei.’ ‘Videtur enim quod quis alium plus quam se amat qui alios admonitionibus et correctionibus pascit et seipsum non emendat,’ Hauréau, Notices, ii. 281, an application which robs the proverb of its apparent crude selfishness.

31. lipnie: lipne J; hopie E e T D; truste M.

32. ech: vych J; the others are with T.

33. to him: the others have him. þe mot: he is to be understood from him in the preceding clause, see 6/18 note. E has þe he mot, D, ꝥ he, M, þat he, the other MSS. he.

34. fremede . . . sibbe: a formula, see KH 64 note. A variant is, ‘to freomede ⁊ to kunne,’ OEH ii. 259/30. wule is singular; comp. T.

35. Comp. 30/19, 44/238. The proverb is common, as, ‘he ne mei hwon he wule, þe nolde hwule þet he muhte,’ AR 338/19; ‘hit is riht Godes dom, þet hwo ne deð hwon he mei, he ne schal nout hwon he wolde,’ id. 296/22; Hendyng C., stanza 46.

36. The fruits of many a man’s hard toil often pass into the possession of his enemies. Comp. 22/129, 30. From ‘Scrutetur foenerator omnem substantiam eius: et diripiant alieni labores eius,’ Psalm cviii. 11, in the OE. version, ‘Ealle his æhta unholde fynd, rice reðe mann, rycene gedæle; and his feoh onfon fremde handa,’ Thorpe, Psalter, 317/11. sare iswinc is plural.

37. don afirst, put off: OE. fyrst, respite: comp. ‘Vre deð he do in firste ȝet,’ OEH i. 71/294. slawen: so e; but sclakien E; slakien J; sleuhþen D; sclakie M. ‘Nolite deficere benefacientes,’ 2 Thess. iii. 13.

40. he his: he it E; he hit JD; he e M. mid iwisse, of a certainty: OE. mid gewisse: ‘mid iwissen,’ 38/139 is mid gewissum: ‘iwis,’ 187/349 represents s. neut. of gewiss: ‘fuliwis,’ 79/17, ‘fullȝewiss,’ 89/20 is the same strengthened by ful: ‘to fuliwis’ 190/445 shows the same treated as though it were a noun: similarly ‘to fuligewis,’ 192/508, a compound of fulli + gewiss; Orm has contracted ‘fuliȝwiss.’ From to wisse, mid wisse come ‘to nafre none wisse,’ 45/240, ‘mid neure nane wisse,’ 44/236. See KH 1209 note.

42-65. Comp. generally 27/274-291.

43 T. After For, þar ne has been omitted by the scribe.

44. þerf he, copied by mistake from the preceding line. The MSS. agree substantially with T: e has, þer ne mei hí be nime. laðe . . . loue: formal; comp. ‘mid lufe ge mid laþe,’ BH 45/8; ‘litel me is of ower luue, leasse of ower laððe,’ SJ 27/14.

45. of ȝeve ne of ȝelde, of bribes to officials and of taxes; things which subtract from his gains on earth. Comp. ‘hem þat desireth | Ȝiftes or ȝeresȝyues · bi cause of here offices,’ Piers Plowman, B. iii. 98, 99; Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht. 104/53; 44/256: Mede was very busy in those days. This is undoubtedly the original reading; J D concur, but E has of wiue ne of childe, similarly e; M of ȝunge ne of ȝelde: here in T is hire, usury.

46. For solf bereð E has the singular variant, suuel and bred, savoury meat and bread.

47, 48. Not in D. draȝen ⁊ don, convey our wealth and deposit it: comp. ‘La devriüm traire | trestot nostre afaire, | nostre estage prendre, | le nostre doner | por nos delivrer, | partir e despendre,’ Reimpredigt 56/110, which is possibly the source of the English; see also 51 note. Otherwise draȝen with þider would naturally mean, proceed to that place, as in ‘Traez uers cel pais chascon a grant espleit,’ Guischart 1259, but that leaves don without meaning. It has the sense of the fuller phrase in l. 42: see NED, do I 3. Morris indeed connects don wel which is against the metrical pause as indicated by the point after don in E e J: E e moreover read wel oft ⁊ wel ȝelome, and J has hit in l. 48 for naut. For wel ofte see 49/329, for wel ilome, 134/97. M reads þider we scolde bere ⁊ draȝe, ofte ⁊ wel ylome, with hit in the next line, as in J. ofte ⁊ ilome: OE. oft and gelōme; comp. 48/325, 119/78, 127/360; ‘Hi hedden teone and seorewe · ofte and ilome,’ OEM 89/14, 169/22; ON 1545; L 16500.

48. wrangwise dome: comp. 44/256. E reads mid wronge ne mid woȝe.

50. ne reue: ne se ireue e, the others with T. The ‘reue’ is the sheriff. Comp. ‘Ia nuls hom ki cel (i.e. luer) ad ne se deit esmaer | Kar li nel pot tolir ne prouost ne ueier,’ Guischart 614, 15; ‘Il nen i ad prouost ne nad plaiz ne contez | Sun aueir ni ert pris ne a marche menez,’ id. 375, 6.

51. hefden: hedde e; the others have the present. Comp. ‘Tut le mielz ke auum a deu nus deurum traire,’ Guischart 329.

53. er, for her, which the other MSS. have.

55. halden wel, possess to good purpose, make good use of. M reads wel wile wite.

56. hies: his E e; hit J; hi D; he M. hes: heo hit E; he his e; he hit J; he hi D; hi M.

58. doð: yeueþ J, with T.

62. Eiðer, both. Both of them shall hereafter seem both too little and too much; a curious way of saying, He shall think his good deeds too little and his bad deeds too much. The MSS. are in accord. Comp. ‘De tut le plus kat fait est dolens e pensanz | Del bien li semble poi · li mals li semble granz,’ Guischart 30, 31.

63. weien: comp. ‘Dunc serrat a chascon tuz ses biens demustrez | Sulum nostre labur dunc serrum mesurez | E les biens e les mals tuz nus serrunt pesez,’ Guischart 442-4.

64. swinkes lan: comp. ‘⁊ ta shall ure Laferrd Crist | Att ure lifess ende | Uss ȝifenn ure swinnkess læn | Wiþþ enngless eche blisse,’ Orm 111/3256-9; ‘lure ow is to leosen | ower swinkes lan,’ SK 804; ‘La receura chacon luer de sun labor,’ Guischart 311. lan: lyen E; lien e M; lean JTD: see 27/289.

66. þe (mare): þe þe E e M; se ꝥ D. J rewrites, þe riche and þe poure boþe · ah nouht alle ilyche. muȝen: mai E; mei e; the others omit as T.

67. Al se, just the same: e Eal se, omitting the nominative, like L, but He alse E; þe poure J; Al suo on D; Ase wel þon M. alse oðer: se þe oþer E e; alse þe oþer M; swo oþer D; þe riche J.

68. cheþ: ware e J D T M; ȝare E, a case of letter substitution.

69. mid—þonke: equivalent to ‘of gode wille,’ l. 73: see 10/167 note.

70. se þe þe: se þe E e; swo se D; so he M; J omits 69, 70. manke: the mancus was ‘not current coin but merely money of account,’ Grueber, Handbook of Coins, introd. p. ix: ‘fif penegas gemacjað ǽnne scylling and þrittig penega ǽnne mancus,’ Ælf. Gram. ed. Zupitza 296/15, 16. The word was in OE. mancus, g. -es. m. its pl. n. mancussas, pl. g. mancussa; s. mancs, pl. mancsas also occur (ES xxxix. 349). The Latin forms were mancusa, mancus, manca, from the last of which may have been derived an OE. *manc with pl. a. *mancas = mancys, Kemble, Codex Dipl. ii. 380, and pl. g. *manca, the original of manke here. e reads marke. golde may mean, in gold; OE. on golde, but more probably it is a mistake for goldes as in the other MSS. For fele with genitive see 132/9 note.

71. kon mare þonc, acknowledges, feels more thankful; like Fr. savoir gré. þen þe, to him who: ðan þe E e D; ye þat J; him þat M.

73, 74 T: see 203, 204 T.

74. ec lete appears to be a mistake for eðlete, of small account as in the other MSS.; ȝeþlete M: comp. Et lete 38/148, 153. of þan, of whom, of him whose; ðenne E e; þer J; þanne D; of him þat M. J rewrites ⁊ lutel he let on muchel wowe · þer þe heorte is ille; wherein ‘wowe’ is explained by Kock (Anglia xxv. 318) as = vowe, votive offering.

76. houen fur, probably daylight; possibly lightning or the stars: heuene · ⁊ fur J; dai ⁊ fur E; dei ⁊ fur e; ⁊ alle sterren D; sterre ⁊ fur M. þestre: see 123/230. T omits this line and substitutes a new line at 80, not in the other MSS.

79. þenkeð . . . doþ: doþ . . . queþeþ M.

80. swich se, such as: swilc se E e; comp. ‘þa com þær heofonlic leoht . . . swilc swa hi ær ne gesawon,’ Ælf. Lives, ii. 184/262; 76/29. swilch in T, with which the other MSS. agree, = such as; comp. 36/120; ‘Ðonne ic wæs mid Iudeum ic wæs suelc hie,’ Cura Past. 101/5. The fuller expression is seen in, ‘we ne magon . . . nan þing geseon swylc swilc hyt is,’ Blooms, ES xviii. 354/26.

80 T is probably the scribe’s own attempt to remedy the omission of l. 76: Boðe appears to refer to ‘crist’ and ‘drihte.’ þe his bien, such as be his, his own.

81. biloken: comp. 13/37.

82. wettre . . . londe: a common formula: comp. 26/271 note; 40/194; ‘Vor hi bynomen him saulen · in water ⁊ in londe,’ OEM 56/682, 162/13; ‘a londe ⁊ a watere,’ L 550, 562, 17990. See KH 245 note.

83. fuȝeles &c.: comp. 143/79.

84. wit ⁊ waldeð: wit ⁊ walt E. Comp. 139/17.

85. buten: abuten, in both places E e; al buten D: a buten ende represents OE. ā būtan ende, ever without end; by union of the first two words a false form abuten, without, grew up, as at 52/369, 371, 373, alongside abuten, OE. abūtan, onbūtan, around, about. J rewrites, He wes erest of alle þing · and euer byþ buten ende.

86. wende &c., go where you will; so ‘Ga quar þou ga,’ CM 14072; ‘for wende woder þou wende; þine daȝes beoþ at þe ende,’ L 16110. Expressions of the same form are ‘comen þer heo comen,’ L 20667, 23021; ‘fare wha swa auere fare,’ id. 20849, 23223; 104/176; ‘likien swa me liken,’ L 22511, 30544; ‘wreaðe se þu wreaðe,’ 141/54; 143/84; 145/115.

88. þe—wille: the MSS. have the order in T. uwer, anywhere: aihwar D (= OE. ǣhwǣr, everywhere); ichwer J; oueral M; but E e have eiðer, OE. ǣgðer, both; perhaps for eaðe, or eaðere, easily, more easily.

90. Wi, alas; not in E e; wy J; wai D. Comp. 36/105; ‘wei þet he eure hit wule iþenche,’ OEH i. 21/28; ‘Awi leof ware þu me, Heu dilecta mihi,’ OEH ii. 183/7: Heu is translated by Aweilewei, id. 183/15. hwat—rede, what shall be to us for advisable? a common tag; see KH 825 note.

91. gulteð, &c.: comp. 117/18.

92. et—dome: comp. ‘at þan muchele dome,’ L 23056; 16/136 note. D has at to heaȝe dome; M, atte heȝe dome.

93-96 are omitted in D. J has them in the order 93, 96, 94, then a new line, Crist for his muchele myhte · hus helpe þenne and rede, 95, 97.

94. engles: comp. 17/146; ‘Dunc tremblerunt li angle qui tant sunt beaus e clers | E nus que ferum dunc chaitif maleurez | Ki en peche uiuom,’ Guischart 446-8.

95. beren biforen us: e, omitting us, has the right reading. The phrase is Fr. mettre avant, put forward, allege as a plea; comp. ‘Mes tu iés si engresse e fole, | qu’avant vuels metre ta parole,’ Marie de France, Fables, ed. Warnke, 305/15, 16. Gabrielson, Archiv cxxviii. 327, notes the similarity of the expression to ‘Mais eiez charite ke uus metez de uant,’ Guischart 1896, but the metaphor there is that of interposing a shield against the darts of the devil. hom: wan E; hwan e J T; wham M: all the readings mean, what.

96. þo, a mistake for we, which the other MSS. read. deme is object of iquemen.

99. The variant iseien is peculiar to T: it is evidently due to l. 98.

101. Comp. 119/70, 72.

103. Comp. ‘Quant ileoc tremblerunt martir e confessur | Dites mei que ferunt pariurie e traitur,’ Guischart 319, 20. þes wichen in T may be a false division of words, or it may be a deliberate variation, meaning, these witches (wicca, wicce).

104. hwi: the other MSS. have the exclamation like T; a wei D; Awi M. The corruption in L has brought about the insertion of ⁊, which is also in D. ‘Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi,’ S. Matt. xxii. 14.

105. wi hwi: comp. ‘Wei hwi beo we uule on þisse wrecche world,’ OEH i. 33/36; ‘Wi qui þan mak we us sa kene,’ CM 23845. to hwon: to hwi D; hwi J.

107. bi clepie, accuse. D has biclepien, bitelle ⁊ deme.

108. All MSS. except L have temen or teme. For he J has hit, which is probably object of temen, the subject of schal being that of the preceding line.

110. ȝere, fully; OE. geare: the other MSS. have wel. For him J has, his þonk.

112. bi seiþ, declares; with mest, has most to say about it. Comp. ‘Seó wearð gebróht and besǽd þám cyninge,’ B-T. suppl. s.v. besecgan; ‘elch sinne þare him seluen biseið,’ OEH ii. 173/6. he seið e J; the others seiþ only; seit E. With stille, silent, comp. 135/105; ‘sedebit solitarius et tacebit, Me schal sitten him one ⁊ beon stille,’ AR 156/18.

114. hal: vnhol J. M has Þe man þat saiþ þat he is lame, himself he wot þe smerte.

115. ‘Igitur ex nostro iudicio iudicat nos Deus,’ Alcuin ii. 131.

116. J agrees with L, but E e have oðer with T, and D aider: all meaning, either death or life.

117. com to monne, was born; comp. 113/30.

118. The original is preserved in swilc hit si abóc jwriten e, as if it were written in a book; similarly E; J has Al so he hit iseye; D swich hit were on boc iwrite, | isien he sel hit þanne. iþenchen, remember: OE. geþencan.

119-121. Compare generally, ‘forðan ðe god ne besceawað na, hwilce we ær wæron, ac he besceawað, hwilce we beon, þonne we dælan sceolon sawle ⁊ lichaman. Þæt is to witanne, þæt god ne secð na þæs godan weorces angin, ac he secð þæne ænde, forðan ðe ælc man sceal beon demed be ðam geearnungum, þe he hæfð, þonne he of ðisum life hwyrfan sceal,’ AS. Hom., ed. Assmann, 149/138-43; Orm 111/3248-55. S. Bernard quotes as from Isidore, ‘Non iudicat Deus hominem de praeterita vita, sed de suo fine,’ Opera ii. 840: for further parallels see Alcuin ii. 141; Fecunda Ratis 4/8.

119. efter: in accordance with: comp. 119/80.

120. suilch, such as; comp. 34/80: swulc se E; swich se e; DM have iteald, iteld, estimated; J rewrites, Ah dom schal þolyen vych mon · after his endinge.

121. ȝefe is probably due to ȝeue in the next line; ȝif E e; ȝef M; yef J; ef D. The inversion in T is peculiar to it. e reads for the last half of the line ⁊ gód ȝíf gód ís þenne.

122. wite—lende: in T lende is probably pr. s. subj. of lenden, OE. lendan, to arrive, in the very rare causal use, bring to land (lǣnde, pt. of lǣnan, would, by rule, be lande in this text): the sense then may be, grant that he convey us to heaven, a forced meaning for lende; similarly J with, God yef vs vre ende gód · hwider þat he vs lende. On the other hand the scribe of D, regardless of the rhyme, can have meant only lǣnde in writing, wite whet he us lende, meaning, preserve what he has entrusted to us, i.e. our souls; the expression of a familiar idea as at 121/144; 127/339, 368, and similarly lenne in e r. w. þenne, must be taken to represent lǣne, pr. s. subj. of lǣnan. The meaning of L, with which E and M agree, is probably the same, but if lende means convey, then wite must have the rare sense of, see to it, provide, as in, ‘Wite ȝe þet ȝe ȝemen þenne halie sunnendei,’ OEH i. 11/28. It would seem that all the texts derive from a corrupt source; the author may have written ⁊ wite us þen we wende; comp. ‘For-þi er we wende. | Makie we us clene and skere. | Þat we englene ivere. | Mawe beon o buten ende,’ OEM 73/27-30; 21/116-17.

123. uuel: mistake for nule, due to the persistence of uuel from 121.

124. J reads, þat deþ cume to his dure. him is in L only: comp. 30/6.

125. Comp. ‘Mult avient sovent, | quant li mals le prent, | qu’il ne puet parler, | penitence prendre | ne le suen despendre, | partir ne doner,’ Reimpredigt 32/64. itit: bilimpeð D.

126. for þi: þi E e, with same meaning; D omits. biet is difficult; possibly it is a mistake for beiet, kneels; see 132/3; 143/84. For bit ⁊ bet, prays for pardon and amends, comp. 86/120. The variations in the MSS. here look like attempts to mend a faulty source. E, like T, has bit ⁊ beȝit ⁊ bet, prays for pardon, obtains it and amends: e has beot ⁊ beat ⁊ bit, the first verb probably from beoden, the second possibly for beȝat: þat bit ore J; þat ore bit M gives a good sense, but is plainly from the previous line. Finally the reading of D, ꝥ bit ⁊ bete ⁊ bet, suggests that the author wrote, þat beot bote ⁊ bet, that offers satisfaction and reforms; comp. 136/132, and for bet, 38/164.

127 T. þe deað: the article is often so prefixed in ME.; see NED. iii. 73 for examples.

128. latheð: leted E; leteþ e J M; uorlet D: probably the scribe of L meant to write lateð as in T, he does not elsewhere use th.

129, 130 T. These lines, not in L, were added on the margin of e and then partially erased. They are not, in my opinion, original. J has, Bilef sunne hwil þu myht · and do bi godes lore. | And do to gode hwat þu myht · if þu wilt habben ore. nah: for naht; Sin leaves you and not you it, when you cannot commit it any longer. him shows confusion of genders, synn is fem. For him þan þu, e has hi þanne þus, E hire þanne þus (= þu es). With the sentiment comp. ‘Nulla igitur laus est non facere quod facere non possis,’ Lactantius 579; ‘Si enim tunc vis poenitentiam agere, quando peccare non potes; peccata te dimiserunt, non tu illa,’ Alcuin ii. 135; ‘Or l’estuet laissier, | ne puet mais pechier, | n’at mais a durer,’ Reimpredigt 36/71 (l’ = son pechié).

130 T. abit, puts off, delays.

129, 130. Comp. ‘Ceo dit escriture: | Tant cum li huem dure | en sa poesté, | se dunc se repent: | a deu veirement | s’est ja acordé,’ Reimpredigt, 38/73. The reference is possibly to Isa. lv. 7. ꝥ: E e agree with T; For we hit ileueþ wel J; Swa ileuen we hit muȝen D.

132. þer: probably a miswriting of er, previously, hitherto: her T; hier D, in this world. haueð to: scal E; sceal e.

134. Ne—bet, ought I not rather to pray? In 136 T, bie ich means, may I be. For alesed . . . of bende, see 52/394. D reads, ne recche ic bote bi ic alesd; and M similarly.

135. scaweð, shows, is pointless: with T the other MSS. have icnaweð e; iknoweþ J D; knoweþ M; but icwoweð E, an error of anticipation.

137-140. Comp. generally, ‘El mund n’ad nul home, tant eit de leaute, | S’il aveit par mort le siecle trespasse, | E en enfern un oret este | E sentu la puur e veu le oscurte, | S’il reveneit en vie e en prosperite, | Ke james feit mal, tant serreit effree,’ Archiv lxiii. 81/152-7. In 138 T hit is a scribe’s mistake for hete.

137. twa bare tide, merely two hours; comp. 221/227. After 138, J has Swiþe grimlych stench þer is · ⁊ wurþ wyþ vten ende | ⁊ hwo þe enes cumeþ þer · vt may he neuer þenne wende, which are not in any other MS., followed by two lines corresponding to 42/221-2, which fit in better here.

139. þa hit: þit E T = þe hit; ꝥ e; ꝥ hit D; heo hit J; & wite hit M. The allusion is to such legends as those of Owain and Tundale. For mid iwissen, see 32/40.

140. wa wurð: so T M; but, uuel is E e; þer wurh D; þer þurh J. for, in exchange for.

141. In is a scribe’s mistake for Ent: wa wurð, or in E e uuel is, must be supplied from the preceding line. The second þe is a superfluous repetition of the last word on the preceding recto. J avoiding for reads ⁊ for þe blysse þat ende haueþ; endeles is þe pyne.

142. water drunch, water-drink; comp. ‘Alls iff þu drunnke waterr-drinnch,’ Orm ii. 149/14482. The other MSS. avoid the compound; water to drinke E; weter í drunke e; wateres drung J; betere were drinke wori weter D; wateres drinch M. atter: comp. ‘God for ure secnesse dronc attri drunch o rode,’ AR 364/17.

143. brede, roast meat; OE. brǣde: comp. ‘he nom his aȝe þeh | . . . þer of he makede brede. | he bredde heo an hiȝinge,’ L 30581, 3, 4.

144. All too dear he buyeth it, who giveth his neck for it.

145. ‘Plenus venter facile de ieiuniis disputat,’ S. Jerome, Epist. 158, 2.

146 is intelligible if of pine is understood after cnauð. E has þe naht not · hu hi scullen ilesten; similarly e.

147. stunde: hwile E.

148. Et lete: see 34/74 note. J reads ⁊ lete for crist beo wif.

149, 150 are wanting in e M. For oðerluker, see 125/270.

151. wawe . . . wene: the combination is formal: comp. 142/77: but E has wa . . . pine, e, wa . . . wawe; D, wo . . . wope; J, Eure he wolde in bonen beon · ⁊ in godnesse wunye | Wiþ þat he myhte helle fur · euer fleon ⁊ schonye, and similarly M.

152. Wið ꝥ þe, provided that, if only; wid þan þe E, wið þan ðe e M, = wīþ þǣm þe; Wiþ þat J; wið þet D. T J D M add he, unnecessarily, as it is in the principal clause.

153. J reads, ⁊ lete sker al þes worldes weole, where ‘sker’, utterly, is OWScand. skǽrr, clean.

154. L appears to mean, Because to attain to that great bliss is joy of a certainty. But cume in T E e, come in D are subjunctives dependent on for, in order that he may come, the subject not being expressed because of him in the principal clause; see 6/18: for . . . cumen in L could have the same meaning, comp. ‘for lesen’ 40/180, 182, but a subject is needed for is. For with the subjunctive is not common, but see NED. iv. 412, col. 3; in this use it descends from for þǣm þæt. J has Wiþ þat he myhte to heouene cumen. In Te þis = þe is; D has þet is, E þat is heuenriche. For mid iwisse, see 32/40.

155. ꝥ . . . of: see 1/3.

157. eþe: so E e D; J M omit; sore T is isolated, but J reads ⁊ sore vs of-drede.

158. he: in L only: the others agree with T: al is in L T only.

159, 160. þer men, wherein men. stelen . . . helen change places in T M only. wruȝen . . . ⁊ helen: the combination is formal; comp. ‘ase þe uikelares wreoð ⁊ helieð,’ AR 88/18; a reminiscence of ‘quoadusque veniat Dominus, qui et illuminabit abscondita tenebrarum et manifestabit consilia cordium’, 1 Cor. iv. 5.

162. riche: so J only; heiȝe E; heȝe e D M.

164 T. to þe: a mistake which has probably arisen out of an original þo: efning is constructed with wið.

163-166. Not in J. After scal E has þei, e þeh, D þeð, T þeih, nevertheless.

164. ofþincþ: see 30/10 note. The subject of bet is he, as implied by him preceding.

165. scameþ . . . gromeð: comp. ‘Teonen þolien ⁊ gromen ⁊ schomen umbe stunde,’ HM 7/8, and for the corresponding nouns in the next line, ‘Þu vs hauest iwroht þes schome. | And alle þene eche grome,’ OEM 83/334, 5; ‘Me to sorge, scaðe and same,’ GE 302; OEH ii. 173/13, 14, 23.

166. þo þre: so D þoðre, but þe oþre E e M. oft: e D M agree with T; but E has, þat sculle beon forlorene.

167, 168. Comp. ‘Ia ne porrat nuls dire ke il seit enganez | En tant com li oil clot serrat li plaiz finez,’ Guischart 444, 5.

168. mene, with him reflexive, complain; comp. ‘þat he ne mahte nanes weis | meanen him of wohe,’ SK 1235, 6. D has bimene; comp. ‘Men hem bimenin of litel trewthe,’ Rel. Ant. ii. 121/11. At 196/663, 205/280 it has the more usual sense, with reflexive, of bemoan. strengþe . . . wronge: comp. 19/48-51, 32/48-50, 44/256: the perversion of justice by bribed or overawed judges is a common theme in the literature of the time; see Wright, Political Songs, pp. 224-30. strengþe, violence, has usually a determining adjective in this sense, as ‘nawt wið luðer strencðe,’ SK 1234; ‘liste ne luðer strengðe,’ id. 1516, but see 60/18.

170. uuele holden, handled, treated, hardly; comp. ‘and heom heold swa harde; ⁊ mid hærme heom igrette,’ L 29937, 8. redde: a mistake for rerde, as in E; the others have arerde, set up, instituted; comp. 15/80, 85.

171. ec: Ac E; End e; ech D; Euerich M. 171, 172 are not in J.

176, 178. forð mid: see 1/19.

177. habbeð doules were: nabbeð god idon E e: comp. 44/254.

178. grunde: comp. 46/295; ‘alesde us of helle grunde,’ OEH i. 19/8; ‘al forloren into helle grunde,’ id. 21/35; see also 119/82. For faren forð mid, E e have, falle swiþe raþe.

179. are: ore E J D. The text means, ever without mercy and without end, but Lewin confusing ore with orde as in ‘Wiþþutenn ord ⁊ ende,’ Orm 234/6775, translates ‘ohne Anfang und Ende.’ e reads á ⁊ buten ende.

180. gate: dure E e J D; M omits. for lesen: for lese e; the others have to. The infinitive of purpose with for is uncommon, comp. 173/409.

181. sullic, wonder. wa . . . uneade, OE. unēaðe, are historically adverbs, lit. though to them it be wofully and grievously; bet, wwrs, &c., are used in the same construction; see 46/289: comp. with uneade, ‘þer fore hire wes uneðe,’ L 4503; ‘an heorte him wes unneðe,’ id. 26730. J has, he mawe wunye eþe, they may easily remain there.

182. for lesen: variants as in l. 180, but E for lesen. Comp. ‘Ki deu ne uolt conustre tut serrat cureicus | Il ne morrat ia meis ne por mei ne por uus,’ Guischart 223, 4.

183. helle brec, harrowed hell. ‘The Gospel [of Nicodemus] probably reached the climax of its popularity in England during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries,’ The ME. Harrowing of Hell, ed. Hulme, p. lxviii.

184: Comp. ‘Tant cher nus achatað de sun sanc precius,’ Guischart 220; OEM 49/434, 187/20. hom: hi D; the others, us.

185. mei . . . mei: comp. 30/29, where L has the usual pair, representing OE. mǣge, kinswoman, mǣg, kinsman: mouwe . . . mey E; maȝhe . . . mei e; moȝe . . . meie D; moȝe . . . mei M: but J Nolde hit nomon do for me.

188. bendes: comp. 81/67.

192 T. þar þat, of those who: comp. 1 Cor. vi. 2.

192. ꝥ, because. uuele: harde J D M, meaning hardship; comp. ON. 459, 527. habbeð . . . on honde, have to do with, have to suffer: similar expressions are ‘sorhen heom com on honde,’ L 30428; ‘for al hit trukeð us an hond; ꝥ we to temden,’ id. 16799; ‘and eoden him luðere an hond,’ id. 31265: ‘him for ðissere worulde wel on hand eode,’ Ælf. Lives i. 488/13. For the matter, comp. 183/241, 193/551-2.

193. honde: comp. 56/50: ande e.

194. sake: in L only. It means here, guilt, as in ‘Þa lakess mihhtenn clennsenn hemm | Off sakess ⁊ off senness,’ Orm 36/1126, 7. Other similar combinations are ‘sorge, scaðe and same,’ GE 302; ‘sorge and sare,’ Ælf. Lives i. 266/90; ‘swinc and sorwe and deades strif,’ GE 268. With T comp. 42/204, 136/136; ‘on sorhge leofodon and on geswincum,’ Ælf. de Vet. Test. 3/10; ‘labor et dolor,’ Psalm lxxxix. 10. For a watere, &c., see 34/82; on se ⁊ on londe D.

195, 196. Comp. ‘Adam le (i.e. nostre pais) nus tolit e sa fole moiller | E nus ki deaus uenimes lauum conpare chier | En grant cheitiuison mult nus pot en nuier,’ Guischart 695-7. forme: formes E e; uormes D.

197. Comp. 48/323; ‘þurst and hunger · chele and hete · þis beoð stronge pyne,’ OEM 37/9; ‘muchel hunger ⁊ hæte; at æuer ælche monnes ȝete,’ L 20441, 2. helde ⁊ unhelðe: comp. 20/72, 30/14, 48/323, 52/373. But, eche ⁊ al unelþe E; eche · ⁊ eal un helðe e; ache and vnhelþe J; ecðe (= eche) ⁊ al unhelðe D; eche ⁊ unhelþe M, show the original reading: OE. ece, æce, ache.

198. uniselðe: comp. 52/374; 26/256 note. J has vnyselyhþe.

199. unsele: vnhele J; vnvele D.

200. a hele: on hele E e D; myd blysse and myd wele J.

203, 204 T are copied by mistake from ll. 73, 74. As in both cases the lines are at the top of a folio, it may be inferred that the scribe of T was copying a MS. exactly page by page, and that l. 202 completed a gathering in his original with an added catchword Litel; that he, after beginning f 5^a with the catchword, laid aside his work, and on resuming it began at the wrong place. On discovering his mistake he started afresh.

201. lutel—mon: so T J D, it seems a small matter to many a man; but E e omit hit, read iþenchð, iðencð, and hu for ac, many a man little thinks how great, &c.

202. hwam: hwan e; whan M; whon J = for hwǣm, for hwon, why; vor hwy D = for hwȳ; E has for þan. hore must mean Adam and Eve; M reads adammes: but e reads þe, D þo, yet they begin the next line with Heore e, Here D, and J with heore in this line has Vre sunne and vre sor · vs may sore of þunche.

203. ofþinche: see 30/10.

204. sorȝe: see 40/194.

206. eðe: sore E J M.

208. an helle pine &c.: e M go with L; E with T; in pyne ⁊ on vnwunne J.

209. ledden: the other MSS. have the present tense. mid unriht: comp. ‘Ne wurþ þer vnryht ne wrong,’ OEM 143/85.

210. buten—do, unless God’s mercy intervene. longe: comp. 48/327, 169/342.

212. bi þan ilke iwichte, by the same measure, i.e. as great as his might; comp. 53/384: ah al by one wyhte J; nis him no þing litlinde, | ac bi emliche wihte D (litlinde, decreasing, see 126/327; emliche, equal). In T 216 mihte is a mistake for milce.

213. ‘Nuls ne pot tant pecher com deus pot parduner,’ Guischart 948.

214. hit bigunne, made a beginning, took the first step, i.e. repentance, hit being indefinite; comp. ‘Li sires est tut prest certes de nus aider | Se il en fust alkun kil uosist comencer,’ Guischart 703, 4. Less probable is, began to show mercy, Einenkel, Anglia iv., Anz. 92. Morris takes bigunne as subjunctive of bigan, to seek for. E reads, it bidde gunne.

218. wallinde: the other MSS. add pich, and have bed instead of bað: see 44/245, 120/104.

219. Comp. ‘Ke plus fait sun servise, plus fait ke maleurous,’ Archiv lxiii. 81/171; ‘Ki plus fait sun plaisir a celui fait il pis,’ Guischart 59; ‘Ki kunques mielz le sert cil ad peines plus granz,’ id. 102; ‘Hec est natura Diaboli, qui semper malefacit amicis suis et non aliis; pessime remunerat illos qui ei seruiunt,’ Eudes de Cheriton 232/7. fulle, utter, deadly: comp. ‘þat is my fulle i-vo,’ OEM 42/174; ‘nawt ane to hare freond, ah to hare fulle fon,’ HM 31/3; 24/202. For frond, E e M have wines; D wine. J omits ll. 219-22. Wurst is adverbial.

220. wih: wihd E; wið e D; fram M.

221. hi = ih, I.

222. þer—feche, might there procure for myself: but E e D M have for þer me, þerinne, þarinne, and D wende for mahte.

223. ꝥ his is a misreading of an original þeh ic, and on is for ou. wise men: comp. ‘De ceo ke io dirrai asez en ai garanz | Les mielz de seinte glise e tuz les plus uaillanz,’ Guischart 9, 10.

224. aboken: comp. ‘Hit is write in þe bok · þer me hit may rede,’ OEM 41/131.

226. unfrome, detriment: unfreme e; unureme M; hearme E; harme J; unwines D.

227. edi men ⁊ arme: comp. ‘Arme ⁊ edie ledin,’ Prov. of Alfred, ed. Skeat 7/39; ‘ne ermne ne eadine,’ OEH i. 115/19. For arme M reads strangely areȝe. ‘Entendez ca uers mei les petiz e les granz,’ Guischart 1.

229. twa uuele: uuele twa e, and similarly the other MSS. iferen in T is certainly the noun, companions, so iueren D and probably iuere in L: in the others ifere, in company.

230. maket niþinges, made worthless men, a reading due to the misunderstanding of the compound, as in T and the other MSS., stingy in giving away food: comp. ‘mete custi,’ L 19266. M has, þat were niþinges here.

231. For waning, D has sorinesse; for wow, all MSS. wop; comp. ‘þær nan stefne styreð butan stearc-heard | wop and waning, na wiht elles,’ Be Domes Dæge, 14/200; 2/10. efter eche streche, at every stride, on every hand; comp. 29/14; ‘bið swa mihtles on his modes streche,’ OEH i. 111/25, for the verb, ‘bot inwyth not a fote, | To strech in the strete þou hatȝ no vygour,’ E. E. Allit. Poems, 29/969. The other MSS. agree with T: after ache strate, along each road: for after comp. ‘Ðonne licggeað ða giemmas toworpne æfter strætum’ (= dispersi per plateas), Cura Past. 135/4; ‘Al þat verden æfter wæi,’ L 13776. M reads in eueriche strete.

With 232-4 comp. 120/100-2. from hete to hete may mean from one degree of heat to another, but the MSS. agree with T. The last half of the line which is peculiar to L does not mean, ‘and nearly freeze the wretches,’ as Morris translates, but, and each (change) for comfort to the wretches. The construction is probably the same as at 86/125; see 176/24 note: if to frure is a dat. inf., it is the only one in L without final n.

233. blisse: J has here and l. 235, lisse, rest, respite; a word often associated with blisse, as ‘Blisse ⁊ lisse ic sende uppon monnen’, OEH i. 15/2.

234. of—misse, they feel the privation of heat. The verb is also constructed with of, ‘Hwo þat for lyue þisse | þer-of schal mysse,’ OEM 73/34, 5, 87/7, 8; Minot ix. 13 note.

235. hi, heat and cold; the MSS. agree with T. The omission of the subject to nabbeð T 239 is grammatically correct, but the metre requires hie. lisse: T, so E e J M.

236. D reads Niteð hi hwer hi wonieð mest, they know not where they lament most. For mid—wisse, see 32/40.

237. walkeð: not ‘rolls’ as at 2/12; the place in the writer’s mind is ‘Cum immundus spiritus exierit de homine, ambulat per loca inaquosa, quaerens requiem; et non inveniens dicit,’ &c., S. Luke xi. 24.

238. See 32/35.

239. for þi: so J; for hi D; ⁊ hi M, but E has ac þi; e þi, therefore; comp. ‘Ich rede þi þat man bo ȝare,’ ON 860, 1548: ‘þi bileafden heo heore timbrunge,’ OEH i. 93/23.

240, 241. Suggested by ‘Qui enim haesitat similis est fluctui maris, qui a vento movetur et circumfertur,’ S. James i. 6; ‘Vir duplex animo inconstans est in omnibus viis suis,’ id. i. 8. walkeð here seems to mean, rolls, tosses; see 2/12. weri: comp. ‘wery so water in wore,’ Bödd., AE. Dicht. 148/32, said however of stagnant water. For weri J substitutes þar boþe.

241. a þanke: comp. ‘stif he wes on þonke,’ L 2110. For boð, D has seden, for senden. For the last three words J substitutes Mid hwom me heold feste; Morris, thinking it corrupt, conjectures, hwom me ne heold feste, or, me heold vnfeste, whom men considered unsteadfast. But the scribe of J has deliberately substituted for the men of infirm purpose those who fare sumptuously. These are they who in this world were those with whom men feasted.

242. ⁊ þa þe: e reads ⁊ to, which gives the best sense. heste, not often in the sense of promise: auht E; aht e. In T 246, naht has dropped out before ilaste.

243. ful enden: fulendi D; OE. fullendian, finish.

244. witen, went; OE. gewītan: the other MSS. have weren E e D; were J M.

245. e reads, þere is pich ðe æure wealð · þer sculle baðie inne, and so the others, but for þer—inne J has, ꝥ heo schulle habbe þere, and M, þat sculle þe beo inne. See 42/218 and comp. ‘In a bytter baþ | ich schal baþe naked. | Of pych and of brunston | wallynde is i-maked,’ OEM 181/209-12.

246. here: vuel E; uuel e. in werre ⁊ in winne, in war and in strife: the combination is at least rare. M has, mid werre ⁊ mid ywinne. unwinne in T 250, meaning distress, is also a rare word; comp. ‘Sinne me hauiþ in care ibroȝt | broȝt in mochil vnwinne,’ E. E. Poems, 21/5, 6: e has, in feoht end in iginne, where iginne is miswritten for iwinne; E in feoh (= feoht) end in iginne (= iwinne), in fighting and strife; comp. ‘ne bilæfde he næuer nænne; þat heold feht and iwin,’ L 9042, 4, 11522. D reads, in wele ⁊ in senne; J vnwreste · and eke false were.

247. E has ll. 249, 250 before 247, 248. In 251 T þis = þe is.

248. uersc, fresh water; OE. adj. fersc used exclusively of fresh as opposed to salt water. The other MSS. agree with T: nauene strien ne sture E; nauene striem ne sture e; ne auene strém · ne sture J; Hauene stream ne Sture D. There are two places where rivers called Avon and Stour meet, in Warwickshire near Stratford-on-Avon, and in Hampshire near Christchurch.

249. nawiht: nomon J; no þing D.

250. þa þe—lof, those to whom it was too pleasing, those who took too much delight in: ll. 250, 251 may be a reminiscence of the Anarchy; see 7/49, 6/44.

252. Those who had the power to do evil, (and) those (without the power) to whom it was sweet to contemplate it. But the other MSS., except T D, and M which omits the line, agree with E, þo þe ne mihte euel don · ⁊ lef was it to þenche. In T 256 þe does double duty as nom. to mihten, and as dat. to lief; comp. 118/28.

254. ⁊ á · on ðes deofles weorc · bliðeliche swunche e; comp. 40/177; ‘qui laetantur cum malefecerint, et exultant in rebus pessimis,’ Prov. ii. 14.

255. ‘Or ne set lum ki creire tant est fel e muanz,’ Guischart 13. Comp. 7/47.

256. Medierne, greedy of bribes. Comp. 32/48.

257. ꝥ: so þe E e, meaning, he to whom; comp. 161/187: Þe þat J; þo ꝥ D: wes has fallen out after wif.

258. ete: méte J; comp. ‘Inne mete ⁊ inne drinke ic habbe ibeo ouerdede,’ OEM 193/41. A variant is, ‘on hete and on wete,’ OEH i. 101/24; ‘on æte oððe on wæte,’ Ælf. Lives i. 354/270. druken in T 262 is miswritten for drunke (drynce) through confusion with druken 257 (druncen).

259. Who took from the poor man his property, and added it to his store. See 7/51, and comp. ‘leggeþ ine hord,’ OEM 47/364; ‘Vych mon hit scholde legge on hord,’ ON 1224.

260. lutel let of, held in small esteem; comp. 113/45; 143/99; ‘Ac se kyngc let lihtlice of oð ꝥ he com to Englalande,’ AS. Chron. D 211/16; ‘ne lete he nout wel of þet he is Godes ȝerde,’ AR 184/21; ‘þat prophet | þat drightin of sa mikel let,’ CM 9149; ‘þat of his wordus lette pure liht,’ AE Legenden, ed. Horstman, 44/206; ‘he let lutel to þe,’ HM 33/14. For similar expressions see 8/84, 124/264, 129/32, 173/417. borde: comp. 48/307: bode E J D; bibode e; hest M.

261. ⁊—aȝen: End te his aȝen e, and to his own relatives, and similarly in L T D, though the preposition be wanting. J has þeo þat almes, adding as next line, Ne his poure kunesmen · at him ne myhte nouht spede. E has And of his owen nolde ȝiuen.

262. sonde: so E J; sande e: but D agrees with T. In the second half of the line L stands alone, with an easy phrase, when he heard it announced. But E e have preserved the original, þer he sette his beode, nor would listen to God’s messenger, when He spread His table; the reference being to the parable of the marriage feast, S. Matt. xxii. 4, as expounded at 85/84-7. The OE. word bēod, bīed occurs in ‘Þu gearwodest beforan me swiðe bradne beod’ = ‘Parasti in conspectu meo mensam,’ Psalm xxii. 5. The readings of T, of D, þer he set (= sat) at his biede, and of J, þar he sat at his borde, are all corruptions of that original with identical meaning, as in ‘Noldest þu nefre helpen þam orlease wrec[che]n; | Ac þu sete on þine benche, underleid mid þine bolstre,’ Worcest. Frag. C. 25, 26.

263. ꝥ does double duty as dat., to whom, to loure, and as nom., who, to weren in the next line; similarly T: see 44/252. hit: him M; leuere þan beon schulde J.

265. þon þe: þam þe e, both meaning, to those to whom. E has ȝam, miswritten for þam, to whom. J rewrites, ⁊ luueden vntrewnesse · þat heo schulden beon holde; Morris translates þat, in which; it is a mistake for þar, which M reads. Comp. ‘treowe and holde,’ OEM 38/48: the offence is in OE. hlāford-swīcung, Morsbach’s Studien, l. 167. D omits ll. 263-6: J adds after 265, Heo schulleþ wunyen in helle · þe ueondes onwolde.

267. weren . . . abuten, were bent on; see 74/229 note. The other MSS. agree generally with T: ȝysceres E; ȝetseres D; ȝeseres M; gaderares J; witteres e = knowing, wise.

268. hechte to ⁊ tachte, bid and taught (them) to do: hem tihte ⁊ ec tauhte E; heom tihte ⁊ to tehte e; heom tycede and tahte J; ham tichede to ⁊ taðte D; tiȝte do ⁊ tehte M. The original was probably tuhte to ⁊ tehte, instigated and taught. Comp. 127/365; ‘Þe deofel heom tuhte to þan werke,’ OEH i. 121/33.

269. þen: so E e; it = þe en (40/196), in; ꝥ anie wise D; þat in alle wise M; And alle þeo þe myd dusye wise J, in foolish fashion.

270. fordon &c.: comp. ‘fordon ⁊ fordemed,’ SK 427; ‘fordude ant fordemde,’ SM 2/32. Here the Lambeth MS. ends.

271. of ðufte: see 30/10.

273. Comp. generally 76/27-32; 120/95-7. frute, toads: frude E; fruden J D: akin to OWScand. frauðr (Björkman, 76). Frod is a child’s name for a frog in Yorkshire, EDD. ii. 504. NED. iv. 570 quotes from Dives and Pauper, ‘Some man hadde leuer for to mete with a froude or a frogge in the waye than to mete with a knyght or a squyre.’

274. speke: speken E; spekeð J D. niðfulle: ondfulle D.

276. hate: so M; but hete E J D; OE. hete, enmity. eorre: ȝeorre E; herre D; erre M.

277. uuel: muchel J M.

278. swierte leie: comp. 76/17; 119/86-8: þiester leie D.

280. ꝥ beoð þa: comp. 1/10.

281. ateliche . . . eisliche: comp. ‘swo eiseliche and swo ateliche,’ OEH ii. 171/24: J reads ateliche ueondes ⁊ grysliche wyhtes.

282. ifon, seize: the other MSS. agree with T: ison E. ðurh sihte: bi sihtes J; mid isiȝte M. NED. explains bi sihtes, by looks or glances. The context rather requires, with open eyes, knowingly, wilfully, but I know no parallel. Comp. Heb. x. 26.

283. Comp. 134/93; ‘sathanas þe cwed,’ OEM 180/213. ealde: ‘serpentem antiquum, qui est diabolus et Satanas,’ Apocal. xx. 2: comp. ‘Se ealde deofol þe is mid andan afylled,’ Ælf. Lives ii. 180/183; ‘For to beon yuonded · of sathanas þen olde,’ OEM 38/28, 76/130; OEH i. 75/30; SK 1184; HM 15/14. belzebud: belsebuc E; belzebuc M: ‘est finalis litera b,’ Catholicon.

285. A common formula; comp. 119/85, 133/48; OEM 173/57-60; AR 144/21.

287. Wið, as regards: it has apparently the same meaning in ‘god heom aredde wið heore ifan,’ OEH i. 87/18, for aredden usually takes of or ut of. E T have of, about: comp. 187/350; J For al.

288. gamen ⁊ gleo, a favourite combination: comp. ‘Iluued ich habbe gomen and gleo,’ OEM 160/33; Minot iv. 57 note.

292 T. of þat, as concerns what; so far as what one may suffer here is concerned.

289, 90. ‘Tut est desespere iceo les par confund | Ke il seuent tres bien ia merci nen aurunt,’ Guischart, 125, 6; CM 23261-4. deð—wa, affects them so wofully, causes them such sorrow: see 40/181: such uses of don are very extensive in ME.; comp. 34/69; ‘don us mare wa on,’ SJ 43/8. naht: noþing J.

290. ꝥ, as that: bute þat E; Ase ꝥ J; swo ꝥ D.

292. þe, to whom. The use of þe as oblique relative is not common in OE.; comp. ‘he sealde his dohtor . . . þæm cyninge . . . þe he ær Æpira rice geseald hæfde,’ Orosius 118/27, where þe is preceded by another dative. It occurs more frequently in EME.: for þe = to whom, see 9/116, 12/13, 139/15; = in which, 113/36; with which, 88/4. Similarly þat is used in various relationships, with which 8/108, possibly 26/259; to whom, Orm 118/3439, HM 5/24; for whom, 21/92, 195/634; against which, 201/144, 218/147. E reads þe heom, to whom; the personal pronoun is given a relative force by the addition of the relative þe; comp. ‘þe holie man iob þe non ne was his efning on eorðe,’ OEH ii. 69/32, whose equal was not on earth: þet . . . hire 117/10 is analogous. J reads þet = to whom; comp. 143/84; D þer naht of godes bode, a hopeless corruption. þe nes naht of, who heeded not: see 8/84 note.

293-6. ‘Quant fustes baptizez de funz regenerez | Ke dunkes premisistes gardez ne li mentez | Ki or nirrad a lui il ert deseritez | Come fel e traitre pus en ert apelez | En destreit serrat mis e a tel ert liurez | Ki nel rendrat pas pus por mil mars dor pesez,’ Guischart 554-9.

294. cristen dom, baptismal vow. heolde, kept; see 48/310.

295. on—grunde: comp. 40/178. J reads anyþe helle grunde: a nyþe is found only here. It may be a preposition formed from an + neoþan (comp. anunder), like beneoþan and with the same meaning; but probably it is for a niþer as in T and D in niþerhelle grunde.

296. ut: so D: but E J vp. ‘Ne porrat morir | n’a merci venir, | senz fin i serat,’ Reimpredigt 34/67. marke: see 34/67, and comp. ‘myd markes and myd punde,’ OEM 89/18.

297. ibede: bene D.

298. D, vor naht hi solden bidde þer | ore ne ȝeuenesse, in agreement with T, in which hi must be supplied from hem in 301: see 6/18. ‘Almones ne ben faiz ne lur profiterunt | Messes ne ureisuns ia certes nes garrunt,’ Guischart 127, 8.

299. of: so E; but T J D M have wiþ, which is normal, as at 304, and for schilden 50/346, 82/121; biwerien 50/334; werien 50/335; biwiten 117/5, 149/168; witen 82/118, 149/170, 178. Less usual are ‘misdon wið’ 6/23 note; ‘loki wit’ 153/56. of, in respect of, as regards; a rare use for, against; comp. ‘uor to warnie wummen of hore fol eien,’ AR 54/26: and note wið interchanging with of, 46/287.

300. þer wið, against it, i.e. hell pine: see 1/3. habbe: wille D; wulle M. With ido T 304 comp. 122/185 note.

302. sceal, must. leche: comp. ‘Of vre louerd ihesu crist · þat is soule leche,’ OEM 51/508. From this place it has been inferred that the writer was a priest with some knowledge of medicine. Perhaps he is only asserting the claim of Christianity to benefit the body as well as the soul, as in 1 Thess. v. 23, and often in Missal and Breviary, ‘mente et corpore pariter expediti,’ &c.

304. we ꝥ: wel, swo D.

306. emcristen: euen cristen J; nexte M; see 26/265. After eal, se has probably dropped out: alse E; as J; swo D; al suo M.

307. Every thing we hear in the services of the Church: comp. ‘Al þet me ret and singeð . . . in halie chirche,’ OEH i. 125/27; ‘al þet holi chirche redeð ant singeð,’ AR 268/9; OEM 91/43. bifore godes borde, at the altar.

308. hanget ⁊ bihalt bi, derive their authority from and depend on. S. Matt. xxii. 40.

311. earueðhealde, difficult to keep; see 12/3. J rewrites, Ah soþ ich hit eu segge · ofte we agulteþ alle.

312. strang: see 21/94. lange: veste D. liht, easy: comp. 72/178; ‘All þiss to shæwenn niss nohht lihht | Shorrtliȝ wiþþ fæwe wordess,’ Orm 99/13032, 3: so lihtliche, 50/343, readily.

314. unne: lete J; leue M. bote: see 80/58 note.

315. wele: ayhte J.

316. eal: mest leggeþ vre swynk J; leggeð almest D; muchel M. Comp. 32/57.

318. of: for oft: ofte J D M; E omits. bicherd, misled. bi kehte, ensnared, deceived. But J reads for the latter, vuele by þouhte, saddened by remembrance of our sins: comp. ‘þe man kið him seluen mildhertnesse þe biðencheð on his sinnen,’ OEH ii. 189/5.

319. erminges, miserable mortals: mostly an adj. in ME. as at 76/22, 31. Morris suggested erninges, gains.

320. en: of E J. her ⁊: oþer E J D M.

321-3. Comp. 40/197, 8.

324. of þere, of that: J has þer of.

325. ofte &c.: see 32/47.

327. lange: comp. 42/210; 168/342.

328. J substitutes ⁊ after gode wel wurche · þenne ne þuruue noht kare, and be vigorous in pursuit of good: comp. 30/21, 32/61.

330. Unless we are on our guard, this world will make us drunk: the meaning of fordrenche is fixed by drinche l. 331. adrenche D M, drown. With wurðe . . . iwer, comp. 9/122; with us, 13/34.

331. scenche, draught; OE. scencan, to pour out; comp. KH 369 note. deofles: M reads, of one duole scenche, of a stupefying draught.

332. A man must know how to protect himself well, if it (i.e. the drink) is not to trip him up. See B-T. s.v. screncan. J is defective here; D omits ll. 331, 2.

333. Mid: Vor D. For almihtin, 337 T, see 79/17.

334. ꝥ: þe J; see 13/28. he: he ne E; heo . . . ne J; hi ne D.

335. werie . . . wið: see 48/299.

336. bi ȝiten: in e only; ȝiuen alle mancunne E; and similarly in the other MSS. The text may mean, acquired for mankind.

337. bene, pleasant, agreeable: ‘spatiosa via . . . quae ducit ad perditionem,’ S. Matt. vii. 13. J reads grene, rejecting, as often, the unusual word: comp. ‘the broad way and the green’ of Milton’s sonnet.

338. niȝeðe del, nine-tenths, the great majority: niȝende del D.

339. wei grene: the path to heaven is compared to what is still in some parts called a ‘green road’ or a ‘green way,’ ‘a road over turf between hedges,’ EDD., the ‘unmetalled road’ of the Ordnance maps, because, unlike the highway, it is used by few. J has, þene wey so schene, and in the next line, and þat is wel eþ-sene; M, ⁊ þat is þe worlde on-sene. The last half of T 344 appears to be corrupt.

341. us lað: comp. ‘lað þah him were,’ L 244; 145/106.

342. eal, wholly; but M al hare wil.

343. mid—hulde, along the lower (downward) slope: nuðer E; niðer helde D M. J omits ll. 343-4. mid, in the same direction as, like the modern ‘with the stream.’

344. godliese: gutlease D: the earliest quotation for godless, impious, in NED. is under 1528; words before that time are ranged under goodless, comfortless, worthless. But Mätzner puts examples from SK and HM under the former. Are the cheerless wood and the bare field Virgilian? Aeneas passes by the ‘descensus Averni’ ‘per tacitum nemus’ to the ‘lugentes campi’. bare: brode D.

345. hese: hes E; heste J M; hesne D. ðer: þat J, cognate acc.; comp. ‘I am a man farand þe way,’ CM 3295.

346. ꝥ beoð ða: see 1/10. sculdeð . . . wið: see 48/299: silten D (for silden, shielded); schedeþ wel J, possibly, separate themselves completely, but scheden requires from, 159/153, and in the presence of wið the reading may be regarded as a mistake for schildeþ.

347. ȝeanes: to ȝeanes E; ayeyn J; aȝenes M; D omits ll. 347, 8. Not, ‘along the cliffs,’ but, breasting the steep slope, up the high hill; comp. Milton’s ‘labour up the hill with heavenly truth.’

348. J reads, þeos leteþ awei al heore wil; comp. 157/133. fulle, perform; OE. fyllan: M has felle.

352. ne ðincð &c.: comp. 12/11 (piece v). J substitutes, Wel edy wurþ þilke mon · þat þer byþ vnderuonge.

353. þe lest haueþ murehþe J; Se ꝥ lest haueð blisce D.

354. for ðas, for the bliss of this world.

355. uuel: pyne J; hunger M.

358. In accordance with their deeds here, in proportion to the severity of their effort.

359. este: comp. 17/159.

360. Comp. ‘giueð hem to medes eche lif · ⁊ blisse · ⁊ heuene mid him seluen,’ OEH ii. 67/25; 74/233.

361. fah ne græi: fou ne grei E; fou ne grey J; foȝ ne grei M; D omits ll. 361-2. For the association of the words comp. ‘Ne hedde he none robe · of fowe · ne of gray,’ OEM 39/66; ‘gold · ne seoluer · vouh · ne gray,’ id. 94/28; ‘Monye of þisse riche. | þat werede fouh and grey,’ id. 165/27, 8. In French they are vair (L. varius) and gris, as in ‘jamais ne vestirai vair ne gris ne hermine | n’afulerai mantiel ourle de sabeline, | ne coucerai en lit covert de marterine,’ Le Chevalier au Cygne, in Bartsch & Horning, 349/14-16. OE. fāȝ, fāh, variegated, coloured, is also in ME. an adj., as at 81/82; ‘fah clað,’ L 24653. As a noun it means a variegated or shaded fur, as distinct from one of uniform colour, like græi, which is badger. kuning, rabbit fur, but cuniculus is glossed marderis, i.e. marten, in Fecunda Ratis 450, where it is associated with migale, ermine, which would go better with the general idea of sumptuosity. But marten is in the next line. konyng J; cunig EM.

362. aquierne, squirrel: OE. ācwern, in oldest form ācweorna, Sweet, Oldest E. Texts, 590: ocquerne E; Okerne M; Ne oter ne acquerne J. martres cheole, marten’s throat, explained by Mätzner as throat-piece, collar or boa of marten; but the expression, found here only, is a bad attempt at translating F. gole martrine, fur dyed red, as in ‘ses mantels fu riches et chiers | et fu toz faiz a eschaquiers; | l’uns tavels ert de blanc hermine | et l’altre ert de gole martrine,’ Eneas, 4029-32; a chess-board pattern in white and red. The pelisson of the period was a tunic of fur enclosed between cloths which permitted the red-dyed fur to be seen only at the front edges of the garment. These borders were called goules; comp. ‘Lermes li moillent le menton | E les goles del peliçon,’ Roman de Troie, ed. Constans, 15543-4; ‘Goules de martre, ne vos vuel plus porter,’ Raoul de Cambrai, 6227: the resemblance to the French word for throat has led to the translation here, as to the erroneous explanation of goules, gole, by ‘collet’ in Florence de Rome, 1959; Roman de Thebes, 6375-6. M has simply martrin, OF. martrine, marten’s fur. metheschele in T is for merðes chele, the first element being OE. mearð, marten; it is equivalent to the reading of E e. beuer, &c.: Beuveyr ne sablyne J.

363. sciet: sced E; scete D descend from OE. scīete, scēte, cloth, but scat T; schat M from OE. sceatt, property, money; as in ‘srud and sat,’ GE 795, 881, ‘srud or sat,’ id. 3169. J has, Ne þer ne wurþ ful iwis · worldes wele none. scrud, dress; not ‘shroud.’

365. See 125/291.

367, 368. D omits. na wið uten: noþing ȝit vten E; nowiht wiþ vte J: the latter and T appear to mean, there is nothing wanting to him: e is probably a corruption of na wiht uten, and ȝit in E is miswritten for wit = wið, as ȝihte 380 for wihte.

368. wane: T has the usual construction, as ‘deest mihi pecunia, mê ys fêos wana,’ Ælf. Gram. 202/11; ‘He nis naht fulliche cristene þat (= to whom) is ani wane of þese þrie,’ OEH ii. 15/22; 19/35; in E e wane is an adj. as in ‘ic eom wana of ðâm getele,’ Ælf. Gram. 202/11; 129/23. J has Nis heom nones godes wone.

369. gane, miswritten for wane, misery, the reading of D T; J has wone; E grame.

370. of ðinche: see 30/10. e ends with this line; what follows is from E.

371. treȝe: so D: J has the often-associated teone; comp. 133/61; 24/208 note. ‘La est uie senz mort ki tut tens li durreit,’ Guischart 1255.

373. ulde . . . vnhelðe: see 40/197.

374. sorewe . . . sor: comp. 147/137; ‘mid seorwen and mid seore,’ L 6885; ‘to forswelten isar ⁊ isorhe eauer,’ SJ 79/7; ‘iseien sor ⁊ seoruwe,’ AR 190/15; SK 1164: so too, ‘sorwȝe and sariness,’ VV 19/2; ‘seoruhful ⁊ sori,’ AR 88/12.

375. Seoþþe me dryhten iseo. So J, which cannot mean, ‘Afterwards one shall see the Lord’: probably in Seoþþe lurk Swo þer, and schal has fallen out, as it has in T. swa, even as, more fully in T, swo se; comp. 34/80: D reads, swo ase he is. For omission of the subject in T comp. 6/18 note. mid iwisse: see 32/40. Comp. ‘Kar deus sicum il est tuz tens senz fin uerunt,’ Guischart 117; ‘En l’un qui serat | dampne deu verrat | toztens en present,’ Reimpredigt 54/107.

377-80 are wanting in J. And ðeh, and yet.

378. ði, because. The reading of T, which is supported by D M, gives a better sense.

380. ȝihte, miswritten for wihte; comp. 52/367 note: wiȝte M; rihte D. See 42/212.

381. seon: wite M.

382. icnawen ⁊ iwiten, understand and get to know: iseon and iwyten J; iknowen ⁊ isien D; biknowe ⁊ yseo M. For mihte, J has Milce; M milse.

383. to: þer to D; may luste J. The usual preposition is after, as ‘þa lisste himm affterr fode,’ Orm ii. 39/11333; ‘Aȝȝ lisste himm affterr mare,’ id. i. 356/10220: but comp. 158/168; ‘Hi sete adoun ⁊ ete faste: for hem luste wel þerto,’ Legendary, 223/127. hleste in 387 T is explained in Specimens as a noun, desire: it can only be OE. hlystan, listen, suggested by ‘isien’ in the next line.

384. hali boc: in liue boc D; on lyues bec (MS. bee) iseon J.

385. alle &c.: to alle derlinges J.

386. he: so J D: for oþere J has wordliche.

387. wealded: haueð on wealde D, has in his power, under his rule: see 22/122, 198/40 for the synonymous ‘owen a wold.’

388. of him to sene, of seeing him; comp. 124/239 note. sed: so D. OE. sæd, sated, appears to be used here as a noun, for satiety. The adj. is common enough, ‘Ich nam noht giet sad of mine sinnes,’ OEH ii. 75/8; ‘for selden y am sad þet semly forte se,’ Bödd., AE. Dicht. 149/5. ‘Mult porreit estre liez quant deu senz fin uerreit,’ Guischart 1256. J has, Him to seonne murie hit is. In the second half of the line J D agree with T.

389. mere: OE. mǣre, glorious: swete J.

391. oþer: oþre D, both meaning, to another; Ne may nomon hit segge · ne witen myd iwysse J.

392. godes: heuene J. Here D adds, Vten eftin þiderward | mid aldre ȝernuolnesse | ⁊ vorsien þisne midelard | mid his wouernesse. || Ef we vorsieð þis loþe lif | vor heuenriche blisce, | þanne selð us Crist ꝥ eche lif | to medes on ecnesse. Zupitza notes that eftin is for efstin (that is, hasten, OE. efestan), and wouernesse is OE. wǣfernes, pomp, show.

393. rixlet: rixeð D; ricscleþ M; lesteþ J. abuten: buten J D; ay bute M: see 34/85.