fol. 3v (cont.)I
What thys mownteyne menethG.2.1: The G F reading meneth (for remaining B manuscripts bymeneth) is shared by several A manuscripts. & the marke dale
mater ecclesia
& sayd sonneG.2.5: The spelling which results from the addition of the macron (which is in the same brown ink as the u to v alterations) results in a spelling (sonne) corresponding to that normally used by the original scribe (see Introduction III.2). slepest þou / seest thow thys poeple
how besy they bynne allG.2.6: The shared G M Cr W Hm reading bynne all results from correction in M (the addition of alle by hand2). Remaining B manuscripts read ben. a-bovte the mase
the most parteG.2.7: The G Cr H reading parte need not necessarily be considered a substantive variant. It may simply be a spelling of "party" (the reading of remaining
B manuscripts) following the pattern of words such as pite (="pity") or words with -te suffixes such as "loyalty" and "plenty." For similar variants, see G.16.17. It seems unlikely, however, that the form parte can have originated with the G scribe, since he uses final -e for rather different purposes (see Introduction III.2), while the OED suggests that forms of "party" in -e died out during the fifteenth century. For a reading suggesting that the G scribe found -e = -y confusing (saffett for "safety"), see G.8.36. The scribe does also use spellings in <y>; see, e.g., partye at G.18.307. toff þe poeple that passeth on thys yerth
G.2.16KD.1.16
for to to wurshyp hym wythG.2.16: There is a small mark here in black ink, possibly an added punctuation mark. wyle ye byne here
& therefore he heght /G.2.17: Only the bottom of this virgule is visible and it is not clear that the mark is intentional. þe yerthe to helpe you echone
ere non nedefull but thysG.2.21: For a possible source for the G reading thys (for most manuscripts þo), note the C reading thyo with cancelled <y>. & neuenveneue[n]e G.2.21: G regularly has forms in neuen- for nempn-. Since the former is of Scandinavian origin and is a predominantly northern word, its use may reflect earlier northern influence,
but the G scribe himself clearly does not recognise the word neuen- since, when he makes his later corrections, he regularly alters to neuev-. See further Introduction III.4.1. theym I thynke
& reken theym by reyson & reherceG.2.22: Manuscript M originally shared the G Y reading reherce, but ye has been added later. Most manuscripts read reherse ye. theym after
fol. 4rI
and drynke when thow dryest but do yttG.2.25: The majority of A manuscripts share the G F H reading do ytt, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read do. not oft
lott
for lottG.2.27: Two dots (like a colon) follow the word lott, one above and one below the cross bar of the <t>. The presence of marginal lott suggests that they may be there for emphasis. Since they are in brown ink, they have probably been added by the scribe when
he was engaged in his later spelling corrections (hand1.1). In hys lyuve days for lykyng off drynke
vt seruare possumusposs[i]musG.2.33: Given the G scribe's general carelessness with minims, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions from the shared G F reading
possumus. Remaining manuscripts read possimus. de patre nostro semen
thruvgh wyne & women ther was loth IncomebredG.2.34: The G Hm form Incomebred (beside remaining B manuscripts acombred) is shared by a number of C manuscripts, but the variation, in the case of G at least, may be a matter of date: according to the OED, accumber does not appear after 1600.
G.2.36KD.1.34
forthy drede deylyectableG.2.36: The change from deylytable to deylectable, apparently made by the original scribe as part of his programme of spelling corrections (i.e. by hand1.1), may reflect the
date of the copy, since the OED does not record any instances of "delitable" after 1520. dryngke & þou shalt do þe better
no lyuvelode to the lygham that leuve ys to þeG.2.39: L W Hm C have no witness for Bx þi, G M Y þe, since they lack the b-verse of KD.1.37 and the a-verse of KD.1.38. souvle G.2.39: G and F omit a line at this point ("Leue not þi likam . for a liere hym tec[heþ]"). In M, the line appears in the margin
in a later hand. For readings in L W Hm C, see previous note.
G.2.52KD.1.51
cesarG.2.52: Most B manuscripts read Cesaris, but the G C H reading cesar is also the reading of most A manuscripts. For G's relationship with A, see Introduction II.2.2. þei seyden we see wellG.2.52: Most A manuscripts share the G H reading well, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read hym wel. echon
+
watt may ytt bemeyneG.2.61: The G Cr3 C2 F H reading bemeyne, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, is also found in the majority of C manuscripts and in a number of A manuscripts (J Ra Ha K Ma). Remaining B manuscripts read be to mene. madame I you beseche
may banne that he borne was to bodye & G.2.63: Most C manuscripts share the G O C2 H reading &. Remaining B manuscripts read or. to souvle
fol. 4vI
þat truvsten on hys treysuvre bytrayed ereG.2.71: The G R F reading bytrayed ere, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, agrees with that of most A manuscripts. Most B manuscripts read bitrayeth he. sonest
ecclesia
thowG.2.78:The G Cr F H reading thow, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, is also the reading of A and C. Remaining B manuscripts read And or and thu. broghtest me borowes my byddyng to fullfyll
G.2.80KD.1.79
Than I couvrbedcrouchedG.2.80: Added crouched has a <u> instead of a <v> which might suggest a scribe other than main corrector. The alteration, in any case, clearly post-dates
the <u> to <v> changes, since the word which this addition replaces (covrbed) has already been subject to this type of correction. Note also that the form of the <c> differs from that normally employed
by the main scribe but resembles that used in the reference on 106v, which in turn seems likely to have been written by "WH," who initials marginalia on ff.69v, 72v and in the margin of the Table of Contents on f.103. See also the signature on f.20r, although the latter is more formal. on my knes & cryed hyr off grace
& prayd hyr pytuouvsly toG.2.81: The G Hm R F H reading "piteously to" (for remaining manuscripts "piteously"), is also the reading of the majority of A manuscripts, and is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. pray for my synnes
when allG.2.86: The addition of all brings G's reading into line with that of the remaining B manuscripts. treysuors are tryedG.2.86: The G C reading tryed (for most B manuscripts tried quod she), which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson, is also that of the majority of A and C manuscripts. It should be noted, however, that it is not unusual for G to lose "quod" clauses (see readings at G.6.240, G.6.261, G.6.490 etc.). truvght ys the best
th..ty The word trew is underlined in the text (see G.2.89), suggesting that the marginal annotation may refer to this word.
he ys a god by the gospell o-grouvnd & o-loftG.2.91: The colour of the ink makes it clear that these hyphens are later additions.
G.2.96KD.1.95
and rydenG.2.96: The G F reading and ryden (for all other B manuscripts Riden) corresponds to that of Ax. & rappe a-downe In realmes a-bovte
G.2.100KD.1.101
and not to fast a fryday In fyueG.2.100: The <f> of fyue appears to have been altered from something else, possibly the first stroke of a <w>. score wyntersG.2.100: According to the OED, the plural form of "winter" without inflexion (i.e. the form found in all manuscripts apart from G) died out during the
sixteenth century.
For dauid In hys days dovbbed thythe knyghtes G.2.103: A letter <h> has been written in the bottom right hand margin. This cannot be a quire signature, but it may reflect numbering
of the pages (this is the eighth page of the text). There is no evidence for such letters elsewhere, but some may possibly
have been lost as the result of cropping.
fol. 5rI
cherubin & seraphin suche seyuven & other on otherG.2.107: The alteration of other to on other results in a reading which corresponds to that of L M Cr23 C O C2 Y. Remaining manuscripts read "other."
& ouer hys meyny made theymG.2.109: The minims here are not well-defined; the <m> looks very like an <n>. arkangeles
&G.2.110: The added ampersand is in brown ink, and therefore at first sight seems likely to have been added by the original scribe
as part of his programme of corrections. The form, however, is unusual; see material at the top of f.106v, which in turn seems likely to have been written by "WH," who initials marginalia on ff.69v and 72v, and in the margin of the Table of Contents on f.103. taw.ght þem by the trynyte the truvght for to to knowe
lucifer
G.2.112KD.1.111
luvcyferG.2.112: The word lvcifer has been partly boxed in brown ink, presumably not as part of the original transcription but at the time of the <u> to <v>
corrections. wyth leygyons lerned ytt In heyuven
ponam pedem meum In aquilone et s..G.2.119: The original here may have been sul or sil, i.e. the abbreviation for m in similis may not have been noticed. The deletion of s.. has been made both in red and in the usual grey ink. similis ero altissimo
& enden as I hereG.1.131: M originally shared G's reading here, but this was a spurious agreement since in M's case the form was simply a spelling variant for most manuscripts ere, later corrected by the M reviser. G's spelling practice suggests that his variant is substantive. See Eric Eliason, Thorlac
Turville-Petre and Hoyt N. Duggan, eds, Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, vol.5: London, British Library MS Additional 35287 (M) (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer for SEENET and the Medieval Academy of America, 2005), note to this line. sayd In truvght that ys the best
G.2.132KD.1.132
may be syker that theyre souvles shall wend to heyuvenG.2.132: The alteration of the <u> of original heyuen to <v> is now just a residual brown smudge.
G.2.136KD.1.136
lerne thys yeG.2.136: In the case of M's reading it ye (corresponding to G F thys ye, most manuscripts it þis), the word ye has been added in a later hand over an erasure. leyG.2.136: The scribe appears to have tried to change <y> of original ley- to <w> and then decided to rewrite the whole word as lewde. lewde men for lettered men h ytt knowen
that truvght ys treasouvrG.2.137: Most A manuscripts (though not Ra U E) share the G M reading treasour. Most B manuscripts read tresore þe. tryedst In yerth
fol. 5vI
loke thow suffer hym to say / & sythen lere ytt afterG.2.147: G Cr W Hm H omit a line at this point ("For thus witnesseth his worde · worcheth þow þere-after").
moises
that myght no armuvreG.2.158: The second letter of armure has been altered from a 2-shaped <r> to a long <r> by the original scribe at the time of writing. ytt lett / ne non heye wallys
G.2.164KD.1.164
and In the hert ys they heuved and theyG.2.164: G they for remaining manuscripts þe may be a back formation resulting from the occasional appearance in G of þe as a weak form of they. See Introduction III.1. heye well
that he was myghty & meke & mercy gan grauvantG.2.173: For use of otiose superscript <a> by the original scribe, see note to G.3.157. The similar practice by the brown ink corrector suggests that he and the original scribe were the same person. See Introduction
IV.1.1.
G.2.176KD.1.176
thogh ye be myghtyG.2.176: All A manuscripts except Ha and all C manuscripts except Dc Mc share the G Cr reading myghty, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read miȝtful. to mote bees / meke off G.2.176: Kane and Donaldson read the result of the correction of original off as of, i.e. they take the view that only one <f> has been deleted. This is possible but it would be unusual: forms of "of" with
-ff are common in G and do not normally attract the attention of the corrector. youvrseluven
for the same meysuvrs yeG.2.177: Most A manuscripts share the G H reading ye (for remaining B manuscripts þat ȝe). meyten amys or elles
fol. 6rI
G.2.180KD.1.179
for thoght youG.2.180.: G sometimes has the form you for the nominative where, as here, other manuscripts read ȝe. See G.5.148, G.6.580, G.7.10, G.7.132 etc. and Introduction III.1. be trew off youvr tounge & trewlych wynne
G.2.184KD.1.183
ye hauve no more meyrytt In a messezG.2.184: Added <ȝ> on messez is in slightly browner ink than the original. As the original scribe does not normally use yogh for the plural, it seems
unlikely that he is responsible for this change. For material by hand2, i.e. "WH," see marginalia on ff.69v, 70, 71 and 72v, as well as in the Table of Contents (f.103). It also seems likely that the note on f.106v was by the same commentator. ne In houvrs
fides
G.2.188KD.1.187
& deyd as a dorre nayleG.2.188: All A and C manuscripts share the G H reading nayle, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read tre. wyth-ouvte þe dede folow
castitas
caritas
are nonG.2.193: All A manuscripts except Ra D V J K Wa N and all C manuscripts except Q share the G F reading non, which is adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Most B manuscripts read no men. herder then they when þei ben avauvnced
auaricia
so hard hath auvaryce . G.2.199: Kane and Donaldson read the deleted letter as the prefix of the following past participle (hasped) but, whatever it was originally, it has clearly been crossed out. hasped theym to-geydderes
G.2.208KD.1.206
forthy I say as I seyd er by syght offG.2.208: The G H reading by syght off is shared by most A and C manuscripts, and is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson. Remaining B manuscripts read by. thesG.2.208: The A manuscripts Ra U Ch H2 J E K and all C manuscripts except for Dc P Sc share the G Hm reading thes (for remaining B manuscripts þe). textes
when all treysouvrs are truyedG.2.209: A tail has been added to the <u> of original trued to form tryed. trught ys þe best
explicit secundus passus de
visione