The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 6: San Marino, Huntington Library, MS Hm 128 (Hm) – PrologueWilliam LanglandEdited by Michael Calabrese, Hoyt N. Duggan, and Thorlac Turville-PetreAssociate Editors: M. Gail Duggan and Patricia R. BartTechnical Editor: Daniel Pitti Graduate Research AssistantsMichael Blum, John Ivor Carlson, Peter J. Eubanks, Carrie Lindley, Timothy L. Stinson, and Jordan Taylor. Computer Consultants and ProgrammersRobert Bingler, Chris Jessee, Daniel Pitti, and John Unsworth.The Medieval Academy of America and the Society for Early English and Norse Electronic Texts (SEENET) by Boydell and Brewer, Ltd.Woodbridge, SuffolkISBN: 97818438409232008

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Society for Early English and Norse Electronic Texts, Series Series A.9San Marino, Huntington Library, MS Hm 128Combined facsimile & documentary edition.Identification of handsPMB and PRB = Patricia BartHNDMC = Michael CalabreseIRA = Robert AdamsTTP = Thorlac Turville-Petre1 computer optical disk : col. ; 4 3/4 in.The University of Michigan Press and SEENETAnn Arbor Source copy consulted: San Marino, Huntington Library, MS Hm 128

Attribute Values brown ink anglicana bastarda italic Lombard Cap ornamented capital, N lines high rubricated touched in red textura underlined underlined in red green ink blue ink

LatinFrenchGerman18 Nov 2000 revise header Hoyt N. Duggan New header created [Prologue] IN a someressomer seysoun · whan setsofteHm.P.1: CrHm read set. Other B manuscripts have soft. Skeat argued that since set was written over an erasure in Hm, the error was introduced after the publication of Cr. See Skeat, xxii and n.1; and xxxiii, n. 1. However, George Kane, The Evidence for Authorship (London: Athlone Press, 1965), p. 41, n. 3, correctly points out that the first twelve lines were erased and written over by an early fifteenth-century scribe and thus could owe nothing to the Crowley editions. We cannot agree with Kane's further contention that the hand is different from that of the original scribe: the revision is probably by the original scribe. However, Kane is correct that "it is therefore indeterminable whether the agreement of HmCr in reading set resulted from vertical or lateral transmission. But that Hm acquired this reading very early is not in doubt." The fullest explanation of the causes of the erasure is by Captain R. B. Haselden, who detected no change of hand on this leaf. was the sunne y schoop me in-to shrowdes · as y a sheep were in abyte ofas an heremyte · vnholy of werkes wente wyde in þis world · wondres to here ac on a maij mornynge · on maluerne hilles me bifel a ferly · of fayrye me thougthe y was wery for-wandred · and wente me to reste vnder a brode banke · by a bornys syde and as y lay and lenede · and loked on the watres y slombred in-to a slepyng · it swyȝedsweyuedsweyed so merye · Thanne gan y meetyn · a merueylows sweuene that y was in a wyldernesse · wyste y neuere where as y be-helde into the Eest · an hye vntoto the sunne y sawe a tour on a tofte · rychelytrielich y-maked a deep dale byneþe · a dongeoun there-ynne wyth deep dyches and derke · and dredfull of syȝte a fayre feelde full of folke · fonde y there bytwene of alle manere of men · the mene and the ryche wurchynge and wandrynge · as the world asketh Summe putten hem to the plough · pleyȝeden full selde in settynge and in sowynge · swonken full hardeHm.P.21: Hm omits the following line, here in the spelling of L: And wonnen that wastours with glotonye destruyeth. In view of Hm's occasional agreement with F, it is perhaps worth noting that the same line is dislocated in F, where it appears after KD.P.24. and summe putten hem to pryde · apparayleden hem there-after in contynaunce of clothynge · comen dysgysed in prayers and penauncespenaunce · putten hem manye all for the loue of our lord · leueden full streyte in hope to haue aftyr · heuene-ryche blysse as ancres and heremytes · that holden hem in here selles · thatAnd coueytyn nouȝt in contree · to kary..en a-bo.wte for no lykerouse lyflode · here lykham to plese and summe chesoun chaffare · thei cheueden the bettre as it semyth byto our syȝt · that suche men .......schuldeþryueþ and summe merthes to make · asa[s]as menstralles kunneth and geten golde wyth her gle · synne...?...?...les y leeue ac iapers and iangalers iudas chyldren feyne.den hem fantasyes · and folys hem ma.de · and han her wytt at wylle · to werke yf they schulde that poule precheth of hem · y nel nouȝt preue it here Qui loquitur turpeloquium · ys lucyfer his hyne bydders and beggers · faste abo..wte ȝede wyth here belyes and here bagges · of brede full crammedycrammed Faytede..... for her food · fouȝten at the nale · In glotanye god it woot · goo they to bedde and rysen wyth rybawdye · þoo roberdes knaues slepe and sory slewthe · sueth hem euere pylgrymes and palmers · plyȝten hem to-gydre for to seke seynt Iame · and seyntes ate Rome they wenten forþe in here way · wyth many wyse tales and hadden leue to lyȝen · allHm.P.48: All and the <en> of lyȝen have been restroked in the same darker ink as the corrections in line Hm.P.49, just below, possibly compensating for the erasures in that line having damaged these characters. here lyfe after y say summe that seyden · they....... hadden souȝt seyntes to echeeche a tale that they tolde · her tonge was tempryd to lyȝe more than to seye sothe · it semethsemed by here speche heremytes on an hepe · wyth hokede staues wenten to walsyngham · and here wenches after grete lobyes an.d longe · that loþe were to swynke cloþeden hem in copes · to be knowe from othere and schopen hem heremytes · to hauen her esehere ese to haue I fond there freres · alle the foure ordres prech...yng the peple · for profit of hem-selfe glosede the gospel · as hem good lykede for couetyse of copes · construyd it as they.... wolde many of these mayster freres · mowen cloþe hem at lykyng for here money and here marchandyse · macchenmarchenmeten to-gydres for syþþe charyte haþ be chapman · and cheef to schryue lordes many ferlyes han fallen · in a fewe ȝeres but holy chyrche and they · holden bettre to-gydre · þe most myscheef on molde · ys mountynge wel faste there prechede a pardener · as he a preest were brouȝte forthe a bulle · wyth many buschopes seales and seyde that hym-self myȝte assoylen hem alle of falshede of fastyng · and of a-vowes broken lewed men lykedeleuedbelevid hym wel · and leuedenlyked ..........his wordes komen vp knelynge · to kussen hys bulles and rauȝt wyþ hys ragaman · rynges and brochesHe bonched hem with his breuet · & blered here eyesHm.P.73-74: In relation to other B manuscripts, these lines are transposed uniquely in Hm. he bunchede hem wyþ his breuet · and blessedeblered her yȝen And rauȝte with his ragman · rynges and broches thus thei gyven here golde · glotones to kepe and leneþ it suche loselles · that lechery haunten were þe buschop blessedyblissed · and wurþ boþe his .....herenerisHm.P.77: Heren, "ears," is written over an erasure, and what appears to be an otiose tilde is actually part of the material erased. Hm and F have the <-en> plural in place of the eris of most manuscripts. his seal schulde nouȝt by sent · to disceyue þe peple ac it ys nouȝt by the buschop · that the boye precheþ for the paryscheprestparysche prest and the pardener · parten the seluer that the porayle of the parysch · schulde haue if þei ne were parsones and parysch prestes · pleynede hem to the buschop that here paryschenesparisshesparysch were pouere · sytthe the pestilence tyme to haue a lycence and leue · at londoun to dwelle and syngen there for symony · for syluer ys swete buschopes and bachilers · bothe maystres and doctorys that han cure vndyr cryst · and crownyng in tokene and sygne that they schulden · schryuen here pareschenes prechen and prayȝen for hem · and the pouere feede and nowe they lyȝenLiggen at londoun · in lenten and Elles sumtymeSomme& summe serue the kyng · and his moneysiluer tellen in cheker and in chauncelrye · chalengen his dettes of wardes of wardemotys · of weyves ofand streyves and summe seruen. ofas seruauntz · lordes and ladyes and in stede of stewardes · sytten and demen here masse and here matynes · and many of her oures arn doon . · vndyuoutlyche · drede ys at the laste leste cryst in consistorye · accuseacorsecurse full manye y parceyuede of the powere · that petur hadde to kepe to bynden and vnbynden · as the book telleth howe he it lefte wyth loue · as our lord hyȝte amonges foure vertues · the beste of alle vertues that cardynals ben callede · and closynge ȝates there crystcrist is in hisin kyngdome · to close and to schutte and to opene it to hem · and heuene blysse schewe ac of the cardynalys ate the courte · that kauȝten of theþat name and power presumede in hem · a pope to make to han that power that petur · hadde inpungnen y nelle for in loue and lettrure · the eleccyon bylongethHm.P.109: Hm uniquely omits the following line, here given in the spelling of L: For-þi I can and can nauȝte of courte speke more. than came ther a kyng · knyȝthode hym ladde myȝt of the comenes · made hym to regne and þanne came kyn..de wytt · and clerkes he made forto conseyle the kyng · and the comune saue þe kyng and theand& his knyȝthode · and clergye bothe kasten that the comune · schulde hem-selfe fynde the comune tho contreuedcontreued · of kynde wytt craftes and for profit of the peple · ploughmen ordeynede to tyllye and to trauayle · as trewe lyfe as.keþ the kyng.. and the comune · and kyn..de wytt the þrydde schopen lawe and leaute · eche man to knowe his owne thanne lokede vp a lunatyk · a lene thyng wythalle and knelynge to þe kyng · clergeally he seydeHm.P.122-133: Captain Haselden notes that lines Hm.P.122-133 "are written over an erasure, occupying the space of eleven lines of the text as it was first written. With the aid of the ultra-violet lamp the erased writing (barely visible in the facsimile) can be read in certain places, and indicates that the line omitted by the original scribe was line 5." The first six lines to the word lowed have been supplied by the original scribe (Hand1) and the remainder of the passage is the work of Hand3. See the Introduction, § II.1.3.2. Cryst kepe þe syre kyng · and thi kyngryche and leene the lede þy lond · so leaute þe louye and for þy ryȝtfull rewlynge · be rewarded yn heuene and syþen yn þe ayer an hiȝe · an aungel of heuene lowed to speke in latyn · for lewyd men ne cowde · iangle ne iugge þat iustefye hem schulde but suffren and seruyn · for-thi seyde the aungel · Sum rex sum princeps · neutrum fortasse deinceps · O · qui iura regis christi specialia regis · Hoc vtquod agas melius iustus es esto pius · Nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate · Qualia vis metere · talia grana sere Si ius nudatur · nudo de iure metatur Si p?serit.ur pietas · de pietate metas thanne greuede him a golyard.... .GoliardeysHm.P.137: It is difficult to determine what Hm's reading might have been before the erasure following the final <d> of golyard. All other B manuscripts have Goliardeys. a glotoun of wurdes and .to the angel an hyȝe · answer..ed after Dum rex a regere · dicatur nomen habere Nomen habet sine re · ............studeat nisinisi studet iura tenere thanne gan alle the comune · crye in verse of latyn to the kynges conseyl · construe who-so wolde Precepta regis · sunt nobis vincula legis Wyth that ran ther a route · of ratones at ones and smale Mees wyth hem · mo than a þousand and comen to conseyla conseille · for the comen profit for a kat of a contree · came whan hym lykyde and ouer lepe hem lyȝtly · and lauȝt hem at his wylle and pleyȝ..ed wyth hem perelously · and possede aboute for doute of diuerse dredes · we dare nouȝt wel loke and if we grucche of his gamen · he woldewil greue vs alle cracche vs and clawe vs · and in his cloches holde that vs lotheth the lyfe · ere he lete vs passe myȝt we wyth eny wytt · his wylle towillewit wythstonde we myȝte be lordes on lofte · and lyuen at our ese a ratoun of renoun · moste resonablerenable of tonge seyde for a souereyn · helpe ...?...?...to hym-sylue y haue seyn segges quod he · in the sytee of londoun beren beyȝes full bryȝt · a-boute her nekkys and summe colers of crafty werk · vncoupled they wentewenden bothe in wareyne and in waast · where hymhem-self lyketh and other while they arn elles-whare · as y here telle Hm.P.163-173: Hand 1 initially wrote ten lines which he erased and replaced with these eleven lines in a lighter ink. were þer a belle on her beye · by ihesu as me thynkeþ men mygth wete where þey wente · and awey renne and rygth so quod that ratoun · resoun me scheweþ to bygge a belle of bras · or of brygth syluer and knyttyn it on hisa coler · for owr comyn profytHm.P.167: Cr1WHmG omit the following line present in all other B manuscripts: And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals þanne here we mowen, here given in the spelling of L. where he rytt or resteþrest · or renneth to pleye and ȝif hym lykelist forto layke · thanne loke we mowe ...?...and apperen yn his presence · therwhile hym pleye lykeþ and ȝif hym wraþþeþ be-war · and his weye schonye All þis rowte of ratouns · to this resoun assented · ac tho þe belle was ybrougth · and on the beye hanged · ther nas none waswas nonasne was a ratoun in all thatþeom. route Hm.P.174:For reasons unclear to us, the scribe begins to mark the caesura with a punctus elevatus. See the Introduction I.8 for all the Reme of fraunce that durste ahaueom.Hm.P.175: HmF's unique reading a is an unstressed form of haue, the reading of the other B manuscripts. bounden the beyȝebellebond  a-boute the kattys nekke ne haue take the kat by theNe hangen it aboute þe cattes hals  all Engelond to wynne and holdenhelden hem vnhardy  and her conseyl feeble and leetoun her labour loste  and all her longe studye · a mous that moche good cowde  as men thouȝtenme thouȝte stroke forthe sternely  and stood by-fore hem alle and to the route of ratouns  rehercede thes wurdes though we kullenculled the katt  ȝet schallsholde ther come a-nother to cacche vs and all our kynde  though we crepe vndur benches · for-thi y conseile all the comune  to late the kat wurcheworthe and be we neuer so bolde  the bellebelle hym to schewe · for y herde my syre seyn  it isseyn is seuene ȝeer passed · ther the catt ys a ketoun  the court ys full ...elengeyn. that wytnesseþ holy .....wryt · who-so wole it rede Ve terre vbi puer est rex For therFor may no thyngrenke þere reste haue  for ratouns by nyȝte therÞeFor while the kathe kaccheth konynges  he coueyteth nought our careyne but fedeth him wyth venysoun  dyffame we hym neuere butFor betur ys a lytyll lo.s · than a long sorowe the mase amonge vs alle  though we mysse a scherewe for many mennys malt  we mees wolden destruye and alle-so the route of ratouns  rende mennys clothes nere the kat of the courte  that kan ȝowe ouer-lepe for hadde ȝe rattes ȝour wylle  ȝe kowthe nat rewle ȝowe-sylueHm.P.198: There is a one space erasure between yow and sylue, probably an <e>. Part of the <w> is restroked over this erasure by hand1. · y sey for me quod the mous  y se so muche after schall neuer katþe cat ne ketounþe kitoun  by my conseyl be greuyd ne noNeThoruȝ carpyng of hisþis coler  that coste me neuere and thouȝ it hadde costed me katel  byknowe it y nolde but suffre as hym-sylf wolde  to do as hym lyketh coupled and vncowpled  to kacche what thei mowe forþy eche a wyse wyȝt y warne  wyte wel his owne What thes metels bymeneth  ȝe men that ben merye dyuyne ȝe for y ne dar  by dere god in heuene ȝit houed there an hundryd  in hureshouuesHm.P.208: Hures, "head coverings, caps" (OF). of selk sergeauntes it bysemydsemed  that serueden at the barre pleteden for penyes  and poundes the lawe and nauȝt for loue of our lord · vnlose her lyppes ones þu myghtyst better meete the myst  on maluerne hulles than gete a Mum of here mouthe  tyl money be schewede barouns and burgeis  and bonde-men als y say in this assemble  as ȝe schull here after bakesters and brewesters  and bochers manye wollen websters  and weuers of lynnen taylours and tynkers  and tolleretolleres in markatys masouns and mynourys  and many othere kraftes of alkyn lybbyng laborers  lopen forthe summe andAs dykers and deluers  that done here dedes ylle and dryven forthe the longe day  wyth dieu vous saueHm.P.222: The word saue is perhaps written over an erasure, though it may be explicable as roughness in the vellum. dame Emme kookes and her knaues  cryeden hote pyes hote goode gees and grys  go we dyne go we tauerners vntyl hem  tolden the same wyth wyn of oseye  and reed wyn of gascoyne Of the ryneHm.P.227: Oddly, the final <e> appears to have been written over an erased <e>, perhaps reflecting scribal self correction? and of the rochel  the roste to dyfye all this say y slepyng  and seuene sythes more ·