The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol. 7: <list><item>London, British Library, MS Lansdowne 398 </item><item>Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson Poetry 38</item></list>
– Passus 3William LanglandEdited by Robert AdamsAssociate Editors: Patricia R. Bart, M. Gail Duggan and Catherine A.
FarleyTechnical Editor: Daniel PittiGraduate Research AssistantMichael Blum, John Ivor Carlson, Carrie Lindley, Janice McCoy, Ashley Opps, Timothy L.
Stinson, and Jordan Taylor.Computer Consultants and ProgrammersRobert Bingler, Shayne Brandon, Cynthia Girard, Chris Jessee, Daniel Pitti, David Seaman,
and John Unsworth.The Medieval Academy of America and SEENET by Boydell and
Brewer, LTDWoodbridge, SuffolkISBN: (Individual) 9781843840947 (Institutional): 9781843840930
Commercially available:
copyright 2011, by SEENET
2006 Combined facsimile & documentary edition.Identification of handsIRA = Robert Adams1 computer optical disk : col. ; 4 3/4 in.The Medieval Academy of America and SEENET, by Boydell and
Brewer, LTD.Woodbridge, SuffolkSource copy consulted: London, British Library, MS Lansdowne 398 and
Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson Poetry 38
SEENET, A.9
Attribute Valuesbrown inkanglicana bastardaitalicLombard Capornamented capital, N lines highrubricatedtouched in redtexturaunderlinedunderlined in redgreen inkblue ink
LatinFrenchGermanNovember 2005 revise header, update DTD and ent files Hoyt N. Duggan New header created Passus tercius de visione petri plowman .
vt supra &cetera .Now is mede þe mayde and namo of hem alle . With bedelus and with bayliues y-brouȝt by-for þe
kynge Þe kyng called aclerkea clerke can I
nouȝt his name . To take mede þe mayde and maken hire at ese . I schal assay hire my-selue and
couthlichesothelichR.3.5:
R's couthliche is a unique variant, probably reflecting an alpha error
(beta = sothelich); F smooths this mistake to sotilly
hire. appose . What man of þis worldmoldeR.3.6:
The beta reading is molde. However, the entire a-verse represents a
problem. F's rendering of this half-line, What wyȝe of þis world, may
be the original, descended vertically from alpha. If that were the case, R (which is usually
much more faithful to copytext than F) would have slipped into the same modernized form for
the first stave word as beta did (man) but preserved the second as
rendered in alpha and Bx, (i.e., worlde), creating an instance of faulty
alliteration. By contrast, having modernized wyȝe out of this line,
beta would then have gone on, in the interest of alliterative regularity, to invoke the
archaism molde as a replacement for the original worlde. Unfortunately for this theory, the evidence from the other versions fails to
provide it with much support. The evidence of the A witnesses
overwhelmingly favors man as the first stave of this half-line. And a
significant majority of the same manuscripts supports worlde as the second
stave (RaUHaEKWa = molde), agreeing exactly with the testimony of
manuscript R in the B tradition (against both F and beta). Among the C copies, the agreement with R's non-alliterating phrase is universal. If
Langland's metrics seem too embarrassed by this evidence, it is still possible to theorize
that he intended the first stave word of the line to be What rather than
man, but this hypothesis remains awkward since it would require an
elevation of were in the b-verse from its apparent position in a
dip. þat hire were leuest . And if heoshe wurche be my witte and my wille folwe . I wile for-gyue hire þis gultesgilteR.3.8:
The beta reading is gilte. Ax agrees with beta, but
Cx agrees with alpha. so me god helpe . ¶ Curteysliche þe clerke þanne as þe kynge
hiȝte . Tok mede by þe middel and brouȝte hire
in-to chaumbre .Ac þere was murthe and ministraciemynstralcye mede to plese . ¶ Þei þat wonyeth at westmenstre
worschipped hire alle . Gentiliche with ioye þe iustices somme . Busked hem to þe bowre þere þe buyrde dweltedwelled . To conforte hire kendeliche by clergyse leue . And seyden mourne nouȝt mede ne make þow
no sorwe . For we wil wysewisse(n) þe kyng and þi weye schape .To be wedded at þi wille and where þe leef
lyketh . For alle consience craftecaste and castcraftR.3.19:
R's phrase, crafte and cast, represents the alpha order for this pair (cf.
F's craft or cast); in beta manuscripts they are reversed. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta's order. as I trowe .
¶ Mildliche medeMede þanneR.3.20:
Here R uniquely omits þanne (F attests this adverb's presence at the head
of the a-verse rather than the tail, as in beta). Both Ax and the X
family of C agree with beta's reading. The P family of C positions the adverb as in beta, but reads it as þo.
merciede hem alle .Of þeire grete godenesse and gaf hem vcheone . Coupes of clene gold and cuppes of siluer . Rynges with rubies and ricchessericchessesR.3.23:
Beta shows the plural, ricchesses. Both variants are available in the A tradition, but a significant majority of A witnesses
agrees with beta's reading. manye . Þe lest man of here meyne a
motoun of goolde . Þanne lauȝte þei leue þis lordes at mede .
¶ With þat comen clerkes to conforte hire þe
same . And beden hire be blithe for we beth þin owene
. For to wurche þi wille þe whyle þow miȝt
last . ¶ Hendeliche heo þanne be-hiȝte hem þe same . To loue ȝowR.3.30: F and most beta manuscripts show hem here (M has been erased and overwritten to match this majority reading), but L
uniquely agrees with R's ȝow. Although two A
manuscripts (RaU) agree with the LR reading, it seems clear that Ax
supports the F/beta variant. However, the A majority continues in the
following line with third-person plural references (RU again dissenting), but a large cluster
of fairly reliable B manuscripts (MCOF, as well as the BmBoCot set) all
suddenly shift to second-person plural pronouns at this point, coming back into alignment
with LR. It appears likely, then, in the light of this attestational pattern, that LR are not
randomly agreeing in error but witnessing, at R3.30, what actually appeared in Bx, that the other B copies, by contrast, are merely
drifting along with the third-person references established in previous lines of this passage
and fail to notice, until the next line, the sudden shift in viewpoint caught here by the two
most careful B scribes. lely and lordes to make .And in þe constorie at courte do calle
ȝoure names . Schal no lewednesse lette þe clerkesleodeR.3.32:
Although alpha's third stave shows defective alliteration (cf. beta's leode, which is also the reading of Ax), alpha's clerkes is supported by Cr and universally by the C version. The
possibility that alpha and C have randomly converged in error here, both
chancing upon the same word that neither alliterates in its line nor is an equivalent for the
word replaced, seems unlikely—especially since this particular pattern of alpha / C agreement in editorial change is one that recurs frequently throughout
the developing narrative. Only two explanations seem plausible for this array of
variants and for many similar ones; however, at this distance the two explanations are almost
indistinguishable: (1) While he was working on B, Langland began to be
much more concerned about his London readers not understanding obsolescent words like leode than about small metrical lapses and therefore entered a series of
marginal "updatings" into Bx's exemplar, moving it away, at times
awkwardly, from original A readings in order to meet his changed
perception of audience needs. When confronted with such evidence of authorial ambiguity in
his exemplar, the scribe of Bx usually hedged his bets by copying the
text unaltered, with the authorial change reproduced in his own margin (perhaps thinking it a
gloss). In the final stage of this process, alpha and beta followed their respective
proclivities, with alpha normally taking such an entry as authorial revision and using it to
supplant the original text while beta usually took it as a mere gloss, ignored it, and copied
what he saw in the body of the line of Bx. Or, (2) like its many
anomalous relatives in other "revised" lines, clerke(s) was indeed a
purely scribal gloss in the immediate ancestor of Bx and had no warrant
from the author, but still seemed sufficiently ambiguous to the Bx
scribe to deserve exact reproduction. The roles of alpha and beta in this scenario remain the
same as in the first. But what is painfully evident is that, by the time he began using the
exemplar of Bx to create the C text, Langland
either didn't care anymore about such small aesthetic matters or had completely forgotten who
had authored clerkes—or both! þat I louye . Þathehe neR.3.33:
Only the two alpha manuscripts here omit ne before the verb. The A version here agrees completely with beta. worth furst vaunsedauancedR.3.33:
R's vaunsed is a unique form among the B witnesses
but dominates the X family of C. The P family tends to agree with the
F/beta reading, auaunced. As would be expected, MED, s. v.vauncen, categorizes vaunsed as a clipped form derived
from the verb avauncen. Citations for this form are mostly from the
fifteenth century (but the passage from manuscript R is also cited as well as one from Robert
Manning). for ich am by-knowe .Þere connynge clerkes schulle clokke by-hynde . ¶ Þanne com þere a confessoure
ycopedcoped as a frere . To mede þisþe mayde he mellud þisR.3.36: R's phrase þis mayde is unique. F's has
þat Mayde while beta reads þe mayde. Both Ax and Cx agree with beta. wordes . And seyde ful sotelysoftlyR.3.37:
R's sotely is unique; the other B witnesses read softly; the C version is revised at this point, but Ax agrees with the B majority and no A copy agrees with R . in schrift as it were . Þeiȝ lewed men and lered men had leyne be
þe bothe . AndfalsedefalsenesseR.3.39:
Cf. F's Fals and beta's falsenesse. Though all three
variants are available in the A tradition, Ax
almost certainly agreed with R. As for C, the manuscript support in that
version for R's lection is almost universal. hauede I-folwed þe al þis fifty wynter . I schal assoyle þe my-selue for a seme of whete . And al-so be þi bedeman and
bere wel þi message . Amonges kniȝtes and clerkes consience to turne . ¶¶ Þanne mede for here misdedes to þat
man kneled . And schrof hire of hire schrewednesse schameles I trowe . Tolde hym a tale and toke hym a noble . For to ben hire bedeman and hire brocoure
alse . ¶¶ Þanne he assoyled hyre sone and
sytthen aheR.3.47:A, "he." sayde . We han a wyndow a-werchynge
wil sytten vs ful hiȝe . Waldestow glase þat gable and graue þereþere-inneR.3.49:
R's þere is unique; the other B
manuscripts have þere-inne. However, almost all C
witnesses agree with R. þi name . Syker schulde þi soule be heuene to haue .¶¶ Wist I þat quatz mede þere nysis wyndow no wowȝne awhter .R.3.51: Beta's version of the b-verse reads I wolde nouȝt
spare. It seems likely that the long passage of damaged or missing text in alpha after
this point (cf. R3.52) may actually begin with this b-verse. Þat I nenil wolde make and amendedo mende it or make it with of myneat þe fulle . These two lines are offered by alpha instead of eleven lines preserved in
beta (= KD3.52-62); it appears that the beta passage is archetypal but was somehow overlooked
or unavailable to alpha and that the two lines in their stead were introduced to patch the
resulting incoherence, adapted from two cognate lines in A (= Kane
3.50-51). Beta's cognate lines are as follows: Wist I that quod þat womman I wolde nouȝt spare For to be ȝowre
frende frere and faille ȝow neure Whil ȝe loue lordes þat lechery haunteþ
And lakkeþ nouȝt ladis þat loueþ wel þe same It is a frelete of flesche
ȝe fynde it in bokes And a course of kynde wher-of
we komen alle Who may scape þe sklaundre þe skaþe is sone amended It is synne of
seuene sonnest relessed Haue mercy quod Mede of men þat it haunte And I shal
keure ȝowre kirke ȝowre cloystre do maken Wowes do whitten and wyndowes
glasen.And my name write& do peynte me & myn name openlicheapertly þere-Inne . Þat vch aeuryR.3.54:
For alpha's vch a, beta reads eury. Alpha's reading is
supported by a majority of A witnesses, but beta's variant agrees with
C. segge schal IseseynR.3.54:
This form (cf. F's see) is an alpha reading that agrees with both Ax and Cx against beta's seye(n) (=
modern "say"). Ich am suster to ȝow alleof ȝowre hous .R.3.54: R's to ȝow alle is from alpha; beta reads of ȝowre hous. Both Ax and Cx
here support beta, the former by complete agreement, the latter by being an obvious revision
of the beta phrase (C = of ȝoure ordre).¶¶ Ac god to alle goed folke suche
grauynge defendeth . To writen in wyndowes of here wel-dedes . AndAn aunter pruyde be ypeyntedpeynted þere and pompe of þe world For godcristR.3.58:
R's god fails to alliterate properly (cf. the F/beta reading, crist, which does alliterate). Nevertheless, all the C
witnesses agree with R against F and beta. knoweth þi consience and þi kende
wille . ÞiAnd þiR.3.59:
The opening of this line in F reads Boþe þe coost; cf. beta's And þi coste. However, the P family of C agrees with R's
line opening (the X family has no reading here at all as a result of an earlier error that
merged two lines in its subarchetype). cost and þi coueytyse and who þe catel
owȝte . ¶¶ For-thi I
lere ȝow lordes leueth suche werkes . To writen in wyndowes of ȝoure wel-dedes . Or to grede after goddes men whan ȝe delen doles . An aunter ȝe han ȝoure hire here
and ȝoure heuene alseNesciat sinistra quid faciat dextera
R.3.64: The right end of this red boxing has been cropped. Lat nouȝt þi left half late ne rathe . Wite what þow worchest with þi riȝte syde . For þus bitt þe gospel goede men do here almesse . ¶¶ Meyres and maceeres þat menes ben
by-twene . Þe kyng and þe comoune to kepe þe lawes . To ponysch vppononR.3.70:
Beta reads on. Ax clearly agrees with beta here, but
the C families are divided, the P group supporting beta while the X
group agrees with alpha's vppon. pilaries and
pynynge stoles . Brewsteres and bakesteres bocheres and kokes . For þese aren men vppounonR.3.72:
Beta reads on. C is revised at this point, but the
A version attests an identical line, in which witnesses are mostly
divided between beta's reading and of þis molde þat moste
harme werchen . To þe pouere poeple þat parcelmel buggen . ¶And alsoFor theyR.3.74:
R's And also is unique but may derive from alpha; cf. beta's For they and F's &. C is revised at this
point, but the A version attests an almost identical line, in which
nearly all manuscripts agree with beta's opening phrase. poysene þe poeple
priuelich and ofte . Þei richen thorȝ regratrie and rentes hem
buggeth . With that þe pouer poeple schulde putte in here wombe . For toke þei on-trewely þei
tymbrede nouȝt so heyȝe . Ne bouȝte none burgeageburgagesR.3.78:
R's use of the singular burgage is unique but may reflect alpha (beta
attests the plural); cf. F's bargayn. Although manuscripts EWa of the A version agree with R's singular, it seems clear that both Ax and Cx read as beta does here. be yeR.3.78: Beta has
ȝe. F and G clearly have þe, but R's y and þ show sufficient overlap that the scribe's
intentions here are ambiguous. ful certeyne . ¶ Ac mede þe mayde þe mayre hath be-souȝte . Of alle suche selleres siluer to take . Or presentz with-oute pans as
peces of siluer . Rynges other othereor other ricchesseR.3.82: This awkward phrase, other othere richesse, almost
certainly derives from alpha; cf. F's smoothing omission, or rycchesse.
Beta has or other ricchesse. þe regratoures
to meyntene .¶ For my lordloueR.3.83:
Beta reads loue, which is also the reading of Ax in
an identical line. The C version is revised at this point, but an
analogous line (Loue hem for my loue quod this lady mede) confirms the
originality of beta's variant. quod þat lady loue hem vchone . And suffre hem to selle somdel aȝeynes
resoun . ¶ Salamon þe sage a sarmoun he
made . For to amende meyres and men þat kepe lawes . And tolde hem þis teeme þat I telle thenke . Ignis deuorabit
tabernacula eorum qui libenterlibenter accipiunt munera.R.3.88: Beta finishes the citation with a phrase omitted by alpha: accipiunt munera. &cetera
.Amonge þis letterede ledeledesR.3.89:
R's lede (a unique reading) is to be construed as a collective singular
(="these lettered folk"); the other B manuscripts witness the plural ledes. Both Ax and Cx attest a completely
different word for this alliterative stave: lordes. þis
latyn is to mene . Þat feer schal falle and beerne al to bloo
askes . Þe houses and þe homes of hem þat desireth . Ȝiftes or ȝereȝiftes be-cause of here officeoffices .R.3.92: Beta has the plural, Offices.¶ Þe kyng fram conseyle cam and called after
mede .And ofsent hire alswitheR.3.94: Only L (= alswythe) and M (= alsswythe) agree precisely with R in attesting this exact phrase and writing it as a
single word (cf. manuscript O = als wythe, WC = as
swiþe, and F = swyþe). However, both OED2s. v.alswith and MED in a quotation from the early
fourteenth-century King Alexanders. v.certe and smert(e), attest the phrase's occurrence in
this merged form in the fourteenth century, the former in Kyng Alisaunder (He þonked Kyng Alisaundre þerof, certe, And starf alswiþe,
wiþouten smerte) and the latter in Barbour's Bruce (His ansuer he tald alswith VIII. 153). The same a-verse occurs in the A version, where the archetypal reading appears to be that found in manuscripts WC of
B, but one of the oldest of the A copies, Vernon,
merges the words, reading aswiþe. The LMR form is likely to be that
of Bx. with seriantes manye . Þat brouȝten hire to bowre with blisse and
with ioye . ¶ Curteysliche þe kyng þanne cumsethcomsed to telle . To mede þe moayde melleth þis wordes . Vnwittiliche womman wrouȝt
hastow ofte . AcR.3.99: The cropped word cannot be supplied with
confidence, since F has synonymous But in place of beta's Ac. wors wrouȝtestow neuere þan þo þow fals toke . But I for-gyue þe þat
gulte and graunte þe my grace . Hennes to þi deth-day to dodoR.3.101:
R's to do is a unique variant. Most betas read simply do; cf. F's yf þou do. The same phrase occurs in A, where its form agrees with that found in beta. so namore .¶¶ I haue a kniȝt consience cam
late fram by-ȝunde . Ȝif he wilneth þe to wyue wil-tow hym haue .¶¶ Ȝee lord quatz þat lady lord
it me for-bedeforbede elles .R.3.104: R's b-verse is unique in the B tradition ; F and beta
read lorde forbede elles, which agrees with Ax.
However, R's phrasing is identical to that found in Cx. But I be holy at ȝoure heste lete
hange me sone . ¶¶ And þanne was consience I-calledcalde to comen and appere . By-forn þe kyng and his
conseylle as clerkes and othere . ¶¶ Knelynge consience to þe kyng lowtede . To wite what his wille were and what he do schulde . ¶¶ Wiltow wedde þis womman
quod þe kyng ȝif I wole assenten . For sche is ofis fayne ofR.3.111:
Here R omits a key word; beta reads is fayne of þi
felawship. The fact that F appears to try smoothing this passage (is of
fair shap) suggests that R's omission was inherited from alpha. Both Ax and Cx read the phrase as beta does. þi
felaschippe for to be þi make . ¶¶ quatz consience toto [þe]to þe kynge crist it me for-bede . Er I wedde swich a wif wo me bytyde . For sche is frele of hire feyth and fykelR.3.114: R's and fykel is paralleled by Hm and H in the beta tradition; however, beta
itself omitted the conjunction. F reads & fals. The beta reading
agrees with that of Ax, but R's phrasing is identical to that found in
Cx (emended out of the Athlone text by Russell and Kane). of
hire speche . And maketh men mys-do many
score tymes . Trust of hire tresor treyeth ful manye . Wyues and wydewes wantownnesse heo techeth . And lereth hem lecherie þat loueth hire ȝiftes . Ȝoure fader hesheR.3.119:He, "she." R's he, repeatedly deployed by the scribe in
this passage, is uncommon in form among the B manuscripts but not
substantive; OED2, s. v.heo, and MED, s. v.he (pron. 2), indicate that he is a variant for heo between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. feelde
þoruȝ fairefalsR.3.119:
R's faire is an alpha variant. Cf. beta's fals. The
same line occurs in A, where the original reading is clearly the same as
in beta; however, three A witnesses, VHaMa, agree with alpha's
variant. beheste . And hath appoysond popes and appayrethpeiredR.3.120:
R's present tense for this verb is unique among the B copies ; the
others show its form as a preterite. However, Cx clearly agrees with R's
verb form and the A manuscripts are split between present and past-tense
forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on a
potential ambiguity of tense marking in R. holy cherche Is nouȝt a bettere baude by hym þat me
made . By-twene heuene and helle
andR.3.122:
Beta reads in, but Ax and Cx
both agree here with the reading of alpha. eerthe þeyȝ men souȝte For sche is tykil of hire taile tale-wise ofof hir tongeR.3.123: R's phrase at the end of this line represents the alpha reading; beta has talwis of hir tonge. However, Cx
clearly agrees with alpha's phrasing while the A manuscripts are split
between the alpha and beta lections. . As comoun as a carte-wey to
ech a knaue þat walketh To monkes and to menstrales to mesels in hegges . Sysours and sompnoures suche men hire preyseth . Schirryues of schires were schent ȝif sche nere . For sche doth men lese her londe and here lif bothe . Sche latletethR.3.129:
R's lat is unique in form and appears, at first glance, to be a preterite;
the other B witnesses show a common present-tense inflection (e.g.,
LMCrWHmOGF = leteth); however, MED attests this form as 3rd
sing. pres., and it seems clear that R intends the same meaning as the other B manuscripts rather than a preterite (cf. payeth later in this
line). In the C version, lat is actually the
predominant reading among the X family. A similarly inflected form also appears in several
A manuscripts. See the Introduction III.2.2.10 for a full discussion of ambiguities in R's tense
marking. passe prisonsprisoneresR.3.129:
R's prisons is uniquely spelled (F and beta read prisoneres); however, MED, s. v.prisoun, verifies that the R form is viable as a variant of the Bx word. The plural, prisons (= "prisoners"), actually
appears in Bx at R7.30: Pore poeple or prisones
fynden hem here fode. R's form is also found in some A witnesses at this point, and is the predominant form in the cognate line of the C version. and payeth for hem ofte . And gyueth þe gayleres gold and grotes to-gyderes . To vnfettere þe false fle where hym lyketh . And taketh trewtheR.3.132: R's trewthe is an alpha
variant. Beta has þe trewe. Both phrasings occur in the other two
versions. They seem almost equally distributed in the A copies, while a
majority of C manuscripts, including the most important members of the X
family, agrees with alpha (but a significant minority, especially among the P family, agrees
with beta). by þe toppe and teyeth hym faste . And hangeth hym for hatrede þat harme dede
neuere .¶ To be cursed in constorie hesheR.3.134:He, "she." conteth nouȝt a rusche . For hesheR.3.135:He, "she." copeth þe comissarie and coteth his clerkes . HeSheR.3.136:He, "she." is assoyled assoneas sone
as hire-selue liketh . And may neiȝ as muche do in
amonetha moneth ones As ȝoure secret seal in six score dayes . ¶ For hesheR.3.139:He, "she." is priue with þe pope prouisoures it knoweth . For sire symonye and hire-selue sealeth here bulles . ¶HeShe blisseth þes bisshopes and prestes am.eyntenetha m.eyntenethmeynteneth .R.3.141: R's phrasing in this line represents a unique compression of two lines from
Bx, apparently necessitated by textual loss in alpha since F also
improvises at this point. Beta, which here appears to reflect Bx better, reads:She blesseth þise Bisshopes þeiȝe þey be lewed Prouendreth persones,
and prestes meynteneth. Nevertheless, when R and F witness an alpha variant in
this last half-line, with their inclusion of a reasserted pronoun (cf. F's & prestys she meynteneþ), they are presumably attesting Bx accurately since both the A and C versions agree on this point. To haue lotebies and lemmaneslemmannes and lotebiesR.3.142:
R here offers a reversal of the beta phrase, lemmannes and lotebies; F
uniquely omits and lotebies. Both the A and C versions agree with beta on this phrase. alle here
lif-dayes . And bringen forth barnes aȝeyne forbode lawes . Þere hesheR.3.144:He, "she." is wel with þe kynge wo is þe reume . For hesheR.3.145:He, "she." is fauourable to þe fals and
fouleth trewth ofte . ¶ By ihesus with hire ieweles þeȝowreR.3.146:
Beta reads ȝowre, which agrees with Ax. The
alpha reading is supported by Cx. iustices heo schendeth . And lith aȝeyne þe lawe and letlettethR.3.147:
R's let is unique; cf. Bx's letteth. hym þe gate . Þat feyth may nouȝt haue his forth
hire floreynes go so thikke . HeoSheletledethR.3.149:
R's let is unique; Bx has ledeth.
Cx agrees with Bx here. Cf. R's lat at R.3.129:. þe lawe as hire leste
and louedayes maketh . And doth men lese thoruȝ hire loue
þat lawe miȝt wynne . Þe mase for a mene man þouȝ he mote
hire euere . Lawe is so lordliche and loth to make ende
.With-owten presentz otherorR.3.153:
R's other is unique; the other B witnesses read or. Nevertheless, R's reading may well be original here since it agrees with
the majority of C witnesses, including the best copies from the X
family. pans hesheR.3.153:He, "she." pleseth fulR.3.153: R's ful is an alpha
variant shared with F; beta has wel, which agrees with the lection found
in half of the A manuscripts. Most of the other A
copies agree with RF, as does the archetype of the C version.
fewe . ¶ Barouns and burgeys heo bringeth in sorwe . And alle þe comoun in care þat
coueyten lyfR.3.155: R's lyf is unique among the manuscript witnesses of the
B version but is shared with Cr2-3. The other B copies read lyue. in trewthe . For clergiseR.3.156: R shares this reading (clergise for Bx's clergye) with Hm by
convergence. The A version agrees with the majority B reading here. and coueytise hesheR.3.156:He, "she." coupleth to-gyderes . Þis is þe lyf of þat lady now lord ȝif
hire sorwe . And alle þat meyteneth here men
meschaunce hem bytyde . For pore men mow haue no powere to pleyne
hem þoȝ þei smerte . Suche a maister is mede amonges men of goode . R.3.161:
Because the left margin has been lost to cropping, it is not possible to be confident that it
lacked the parasign that appears in LMWHmO. The scribe frequently fails to skip a line
between strophes when the last line falls at the foot of a page.Þanne mornede mede and mened
hire to þe kynge . To haue space to speke spede ȝif asheR.3.162:A, "she." miȝte .¶ Þe kynge graunted hire grace with a goede wille . Excuse þe if ȝow canst I can namore seggen . For consience acuseth þe to congey þe for euere . ¶¶ Nay lord quatz þat lady leue hym þe
worse . When ȝe witen witterly where þe wronge lyggeth . Þere þat mischief is grete mede may helpe . And þatnilR.3.169:
Only RF attest þat; beta omits it. The A version
agrees with beta; by contrast, a majority of C manuscripts attests the
presence of þat, but most of these omit þow. XIFc read
þat knowestou. þow knowest consience I cam nouȝt to
chyde . Ne depraue þi persone with a proude herte . Wel þow wost wernard but if þow wilt gabe . Þow hast hangen on myn half elleuen tymetymesR.3.172:
R's tyme is unique in form, an unmarked plural. Compare R.3.89:, R.10.224:, and R.15.407:). Both Ax and Cx agree with the ordinary plural of the other B
manuscripts. . And al-so I-gripegripedR.3.173:
Beta reads griped. my gold gyue it where þe liked . And whi þow wrathest þe now wonder me thenketh . Ȝet I may as I miȝte menske þe with ȝiftes
. And mayntene þi manhode . more þanne þow knoweste . ¶ Ac þow haste famed me foule by-fore þe kyng here . For kuld I neuere no kniȝtkyngeR.3.178:
R's kniȝt is an alpha reading; cf. beta's kynge.
Both Ax and Cx agree with beta. ne
conseyled þere-after . Ne dede as þow demest I do it on þe kynge . ¶¶ In normandy was he nouȝt I-nuyednoyed for my sake . Ac þow þi-selue sothelich
schamedest hym ofte . Crope in-to a caban for
cold of þi nayles . Wendest þat wynter wold a lastR.3.183: R's last is matched only by Hm; F and beta read (y)lasted.
Nevertheless, the Ax form agrees with RHm. euere . And draddest to be dede for a dym clowde . And heȝedest homward for hunger of þi wombe . ¶ With-oute pite pyloure pouer men
þow robbedest . And bere here bras at þi bak to caleys to selle . Þere I lefte with my lord his lif for to saue . I made hys men merie and murnygemurny[n]gemornyng lette . I batered hem on þe bak and bolded here hertes And dede hem hoppe fore hope to haue me at wille Hadde I be marschal of his men be marie of heueneI durste haue leid my lyf and no lesse wedde
He schuld haue be lord of þat lond a lenthe and
a brede . And al-so kynge of þat
kyth hys kyn for to helpe . Þe leste brol of his londblodeR.3.196:
Here alpha's alliteration fails; cf. beta's blode, a reading which is also
found in Ax and Cx. a barounes pere
. ¶ Cowardlich þow consience consayledest hym
þennes . To leuen his lordschippe for a
litel siluer . Þat is þe riccheste rewme þat reyn ouer-houeth . ¶ It bycometh to a kuynge þat kepeth a rewme . To ȝiue mede to men þat mekeliche hym
serueth . To alyenes and to alle men to
honoure hem with ȝiftes .Mede maketh hym by-loued
and for a man holden . ¶ Emperoures and erles and alle maner lordes . ÞurȝforR.3.205:
Beta reads For, but both Ax and Cx agree with alpha. ȝiftes han ȝoumenȝonge menR.3.205:
Beta's phrase is ȝonge men, a reading also found in Ax; however, Cx agrees with alpha. to ȝernenrenne(n)R.3.205:
Here beta reads synonymous renne. Ax agrees with this
non-alliterating reading, as does the P family of the C tradition, but
the X family clearly agrees with alpha's ȝernen, a choice endorsed by
both Russell-Kane and Schmidt. and to ride . ¶ Þe pope and alle prelates
presentes vnderfongen . And medeth men hem-selue
to meyntene here lawes . ¶ Seruantz for here seruise we
seth wel þe sothe . Taken mede of her meystres as þei mowen acorde
. Beggeres for here beggyngebiddynge bydden men mede . Minstrales for here murthe mede þei aske
¶ Þe kynge hath mede of his men to make pes
in londe .Men þat techetteche(n)R.3.213:
Here most B witnesses (including F) read teche(n).
Manuscript C reads techeþ, which may be what was intended by R (C's form
is used by R on many other occasions). MED, s. v.techen, acknowledges techet as a possible 3rd sing.
pres. inflection of techen, but the few citations are almost all from the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries. children crauen of hem mede . ¶ Prestes þat preche þe poeple
to godto godeR.3.214:
Here beta reads gode, but Hm agrees with alpha, specifically with F (= of god). Ax agrees with beta. asken mede . And masse-pans and here
mete atat þeR.3.215:
Beta reads at þe while F has at here. meal-tymes . ¶ Alle kynnes crafty men crauen
mede for here prentyces . Marchauntz and mede most nede go to-gyderes . No wiȝt as I wene with-oute mede may lybbe . ¶ Quatȝ þe kyng to consience by crist as
me thenketh . Mede isis wel worthyR.3.220: Beta reads wel worþi while F revises the entire a-verse,
producing Now ys Meede worthy. Ax reads this verse
exactly as R does, and though the C version introduces a phrasal
revision in mid-line, it also omits beta's qualifier before worthi,
supporting the originality of R's reading. þe maystrie to haue .R.3.220: The
eighth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the
right edge of the writing area for a space of some 12.5 cm, from R3.229-49.¶ Nay quatz consience to þe kynge and kneled to þe
erthe . Þere arn to manere of medes my lord bywithR.3.222:
Beta reads with, but Ax agrees with alpha.
ȝoure leue .to.....ratio bonorum
qui.operans iusticiam
In the right margin, in a brown contemporary hand, an early reader left behind this partially
legible note. Þat on god of his grace graunteth in his blisse . To þo þat wel werchen while þei ben here . Þe prophite precheth þere-offe and putte it in þe sauterR.3.225: In the right margin, just
inside the ruling, someone has added an oversized punctus for this line in a darker shade of
ink than that used by the original scribe.Domine quis habitabit in
tabernaculo tuo . &cetera . Lord who schal wonie in þi wones withand withR.3.227:
Beta reads and with; the line does not appear in either A or C. þi holy seyntes . Or resten oninR.3.228:
The alpha reading is here confirmed by LM, but the other beta copies show in. þin holy hilles þis askedaskethR.3.228:
Beta shows the present form, asketh. dauid . ¶¶ And dauid assoyleth it hym-selue as þe sauter telleth . psal xivR.3.230: The appropriate
scriptural reference has been inscribed in the right margin by an early
reader.Qui ingreditur sine macula & operatur
iusticiam . Þoo þat entren of o coloure and of one
wille . And haue I-wrouȝt werkes
with riȝt and with resoun . And he þat ne vseth nauȝt þe lyue of vsurie . And enformeth pouere men and pursueth
trewthe .morwmR.3.235: In the right margin are the remains of what appears to have been
a pen trial.Qui pecuniam suam
non dedit ad vsuram & munera
super innocentem . &cetera
. And alle þat helpeth þe innocent and holt with þe
riȝtful . With-oute mede doth hem goed
and þe trewetrewtheR.3.237:
Beta reads trewthe. helpeth : Richard A sixteenth-century
reader has recorded a pen trial, written vertically downwards in the right
margin. Suche maner men my lorde schal haue þis
furste mede . Of god at a grete nede whanne þei gon hennes . ¶ Þere is an-othere mede
mesurles þat maystres desireth . To meytene misdoeres mede þei take . And þere-offe seith þe sauter
in a salmes ende . In quorum manibus
iniquitates sunt dextra eorum repleta
est muneribus . And he þat gripeth here gold so me god
helpe . Schal abye it ful bittere or þe book lyeth
. ¶¶ Prestes and persones þat plesinge
desireth . Þat takedtake(n) mede and mone for masses þat þei songensyngeth .R.3.247: R's past-tense verbs in this line are unique; all other B manuscripts use present-tense forms. Cf. see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on R's problematic tense marking. Both the A and C versions of this line agree with Bx on these verbs being in the present tense. Taketh here mede here as mathew vs techeth
. Amen amen recipiebant mercedem suam .¶ Þat laboreres and lewed lowe folke taketh of here meystres . It nisisR.3.251:
The negative verb is unique to R; all other B manuscripts read is. no maner mede but a mesurable hire .¶ In marchaundise is no mede I may it wel a-vowe . It isR.3.253: Beta reads a
permutacioun. This is also the reading found in the other two versions.permutaciona permutacioun apertly a peny-worth for another . ¶¶ Ac reddestow neuereRegum þow recrayede mede . Whi þe vengaunce fel on saul and on his children . God sente to saul by samuel þe prophete . Þat agag of amalec andand alR.3.257:
In the B tradition, R uniquely omits al before the
phrase his poeple. However, though Ax reads the
phrase exactly as the B majority, a significant, closely interrelated
set of A manuscripts (TDChH2) also omits al at this point. The same phenomenon can be seen among the C witnesses, a small minority reading with R while most agree with F/beta. his
poeple after . Schulde deye for a dede þat don hadde here elderes . ¶ For-thi sayde samuel to saul god
hym-selue hoteth . Þe be buxum at myhisR.3.260:
Beta reads his biddynge, which is also the reading
found in the A version, but the C text agrees with
alpha's my. byddynge his wille to fulfille
. Wend to amalec with þin host and what þow fynst
þere slee it . Bernes and bestes brenne hem to dede . Wydewes and wyues wommen and chyldren . Mebles and vnmebles and al þat þow miȝt fynde . Brenne it bere it nauȝt a-way
be it neuere so riche . For mede ne for mone loke þow destruye it . Spille it and spare it nauȝt þow schalt spede þe
bettere .¶¶ And for he coueytede here
catel and þe kyng spared . For-bare hym and his bestes bothe
as þe bible wytnesseth . Otherwise þan he was warned of þe prophete
. God seyde to samuel þat saul schulde deye . And alle his seed for þat synne schentfulliche endedeende .R.3.272:The RF usage of past tense here (beta = ende) reflects
alpha and is shared by convergence with Hm. Though both A and C traditions attest—in isolated manuscripts—preterite forms
for this verb, it is obvious that the beta uninflected base form is archetypal in both of the
poem's other versions. Suche a meschief mede made saul þe kyng to haue . Þat god hated hym for euere and alle his heires after .
¶ Þe culorum of þis cas
kepe I nouȝt to schewe . AunterAn auentureR.3.276:
Beta opens this line with An auenture; F begins it with For
hap. The witness of the other two versions is in favor of An
aunter. it nuyed men non eende wille I make . For so is þis worlde went with hem þat han
powere . Þat who-so seyth hem sothes
is sonnest I-blamed . ¶¶ I consience knowe þis for kynde
witt me it tauuȝte . Þat rosounr[e]sounresoun schal regne and rewmes gouerne . And
riȝt as agag hadde And riȝt as agag hadde happe schulle
somme . The ninth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part of the same act as
the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a space of some 10 cm,
from R3.296-309. Samuel schal scleen hym and saul schal be blamed . And dauid schal be diademed and daunten hem
alle . And on cristene kyng kepen hem alle . ¶ Schal namore mede be mayster as hesheR.3.285:
Alpha's he does not differ substantively from beta; he
is a variant of heo, "she." See note at R.3.119:. is nowthe . IR.3.286: In the extreme right margin, beyond the
pricking, is what appears to a modern eye to be a barred 9, probably an <I> or <Q> in this hand, though it is unclear
what it signifies. Ac loue and lowenesse and lewte to-gyderes . Þese schul be maystres on molde trewthe to saue .¶¶ And hoo-so
trespaseth aȝeynes trewthe or taketh aȝeynes his wille . Lewte schal don hym lawe and no lif elles . Schal no seriaunt for here seruise were a
silk howue . Ne non pelure in his clook for pledyng atte barre . Mede of mysdoeres maketh many lordes . And ouer lordes lawes reuleth þe realmes . ¶ Ac kende loue schal come ȝut and consience to-gydere . And make of lawe a laborere suche loue
schal aryse . And suche peesa peesR.3.296:
Beta reads such a pees; the C
version agrees with alpha. amonge þe poeple and a parfit trewth . Þat Iuwes schal wene in here witt and wexen
wonder glade . Þat moyses or messye be come in-to þis eerthe . And haue wonder in here hertes þat men beth
so trewe . ¶¶ Alle þat bereth baslard brode-swerde or launce . Ax other hachet or eny wepne elles . Schal be demed to þe deth but ȝif he do it smythye . Into sycul or to sythe to schare or to
cultere . Conflabunt gladios suos in vomeres
&cetera . Ich man to pleye with aplowa plow
pycoys or spade . Spynne otherorR.3.306:
R's other is unique; the remaining B witnesses attest
or. sprede dong or lesespilleR.3.306:
This non-alliterating third stave (lese for Bx's spille) is an alpha reading. hym-self
with slewthe . ¶Prestes and persones with placebo to
hunte . And dyngen vppon dauid vch a day til eue . Huntynge or haukynge ȝif any of hem vse . His boste of his benefice worth by-nomme hym after . Schal neyther kyng ne kniȝt constable ne meyre . Ouer-lede þe comune ne to
þe court sompne . Ne putte hem in panel to don hem pliȝt here trewthe . But after þe dede þat is don on dom schal rewarde . Mercy or no mercy or no mercyor no mercyor no mercy as trewthe wil acorde . ¶ Kynges court and comune court constorie and chapitele . Alle schal be but on court and on baron be iustice . Þanne worth trewe tonge a tydy man þat tened me neuere Batayles schul non be ne noman bere wepne . And what smyth þat any smithiesmytethR.3.320:
R's smithie is the alpha variant; most of the beta copies attest either
smyþeþ (e.g., WO) or smyteth (LC). be
smiten þere-with to dededetheR.3.320:
R's dede is a unique variant, but its meaning is identical to the common
reading (dethe) found in other witnesses, both from the B and the C traditions. . Non leuabit gens contra gentem gladium
&cetera .¶¶ And ere þis fortune falle
fynde men schal þe werste . By six sonnes and a schippe and half a
schef of arwes . And þe meddel of a mone schal make þe Iewes torneto torneR.3.324:
Cf. beta's Iewes to torne; but the C reading clearly agrees with alpha's omission of to. . And sarasyns for þe siȝte þere-offeþat siȝteR.3.325:
R's þe siȝte þere-offe reflects alpha;
cf. beta's þat siȝte. The C reading is identical
to beta's. schul synge gloria
in excelsis . For makomet and mede myshappe schal þat tyme . For melius est bonum nomen
quam diuicie multe .¶ Also wroth as þe wynde wex mede in a while I cancan no latynR.3.329: R's omission of the negative in this phrase is unique among the extant B manuscripts but is shared by convergence with Cr3. quatz sche clerkes wote þe sothe . See what salomon seith in sapiencessapienceR.3.330:
R's genitive sapiences is unique; F and beta both attest the unmarked
possessive form. bokes . Þat hij þat ȝiueth ȝiftes þe victorie wynneth . And muche wurchip haad þerewith as holy
writt telleth . Honorem adquiret qui dat muneramunera &cetera .¶¶ I leue wel lady quod
consience þat þi latyn be trowetr[e]wetrewe . Ac þow art lyk a lady þat radde a lesson ones . Was omnia
probate and þat plesede hire herte . For þat lyne was no lengere atte þe
leuesendeleues ende . Had sche loked þat other half and þe lef I-turnedtornedR.3.338:
R's I-turned reflects an alpha reading; cf.
beta's torned. The Cx reading is identical to
beta's. . HeoShe schulde ahaueR.3.339:
R's a is unique in form but represents the same semantic element as the
majority's haue. founde fele wordes folwyng
þere-after . Quod bonum est tenete
trewthe þat tixt made .¶ And so ferd ȝe ma-dame
ȝe coude namore fynde . Þo ȝe loked on sapience sittynge in
ȝoure stodie . Þis tixt þat ȝe haue Itoldetolde were goed for lordes . The tenth leaf of Rawlinson is slit (part
of the same act as the cropping of leaves 1-7) at the right edge of the writing area for a
space of some 4 cm, from R4.12-18. Ac ȝow failede a cunnyng clerk þat
coude þe lef attorneda tornedR.3.344:a, "have." . And if ȝe seke sapience eft fynde schal ȝe þat
foleweth . A ful teneful tixt to hem þat taketh mede . And þat is animam
autem aufert accipientiumaccipientium &cR.3.347: After this Latin tag (completely omitted by F), beta adds &c.. Cx agrees with R in omitting it. . And þat is þe taile of þe tixt of þat þat
ȝe schedeschewedR.3.348:
R's schede is unique in form but probably represents the same intention as
beta's schewed (F omits the entire line). Nevertheless, neither
MED, s. v.sheuen (v. 1), nor OED2, s. v.show, acknowledges R's form as a viable inflected spelling for the verb in
question. . Þat þow we wynne worchipe and with memedeR.3.349:
Alpha introduced the error of me for original mede. haue victorie . Þe soule þat þe souȝdsoude taketh be so muche is bounde .