Cr1.15.552KD.15.532 Er any christendome was knowne ther , or any crosse honored
C.15.546KD.15.532 Er ar any cristendome was know ther · or any cros honourd
O.15.552KD.15.532Er þan anyO.15.552: OC2 alone have Er þan any; variants include Er (F), Ar (R), er þan (Hm), Er any (WCrGM), Er þat eny (B), and Er ar any (YCL). cristendom was knowenO.15.552: OC2 alone have the form knowen in place of knowe. þere or any crosse honoured
R.15.573KD.15.532 Ar cristendom were knowe þere or any cros þereR.15.573: R's cros þere is unique; all the other manuscripts of B read cros. Cx agrees with the
majority against R. honoured .R.15.573: Immediately hereafter, the beta manuscripts witness to
some 35 lines of text not present in alpha but clearly attested in the C
version. The entire question of the order of these complementary omissions (with alpha
witnessing uniquely to KD15.511-28 and beta now uniquely attesting KD15.533-69—and
short neighboring passages seemingly out of their logical order as well) is discussed by
Kane-Donaldson on pp. 176-79. Cf. section II.2.5, esp. paragraphs 5 and 6, of our Introduction for a different assessment of
the cause of this dislocation (but complete agreement with Kane-Donaldson on the proper
ordering of the text). The lines here omitted by alpha read as follows in beta:
It is reuth to rede how riȝtwis men lyued
How þei defouled her
flessh forsoke her owne wille
Fer fro kitth and fro kynne yuel yclothed ȝeden
Badly ybedded no boke but conscience
Ne no richchesse but þe Rode to reioyse hem
Inne
Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri &c
And þo was plente & pees amonges pore & riche
And now is routhe to rede
how þe red noble
Is reuerenced or þe Rode receyued for þe worthier
Þan crystes
crosse þat ouercam deþ and dedly synne
And now is werre and wo and whoso why axeth
For coueityse after crosse þe croune stant in golde
Bothe riche and religious
þat Rode þei honoure
Þat in grotes is ygraue and in golde nobles
For coueityse
of þat crosse men of holykirke
Shul tourne as templeres did þe tyme approcheth faste
Wyte ȝe nouȝt wyse men how þo men honoured
More tresore þan treuthe I
dar nouȝt telle þe sothe
Resoun & riȝtful dome þo Religious demed
Riȝt so ȝe clerkes for ȝowre coueityse ar longe
Shal þei demen dos ecclesie and ȝowre pryde depose
Deposuit potentes de sede &c.
Ȝif knyȝthod & kynde wytte and comune conscience
Togideres loue
lelly leueth it wel ȝe bisshopes
Þe lordeship of londes for euere shal ȝe
lese
And lyuen as leuitici as owre lorde ȝow
techeth
Per primicias & decimas
Whan costantyn of curteysye holykirke dowed
With londes and ledes lordeshipes
and rentes
An Angel men herde an heigh at Rome crye
Dos ecclesie þis day hath ydronke venym
And þo þat han
petres powere arn apoysoned alle
A medecyne mote þer-to þat may amende prelates
Þat sholden preye for þe pees possessioun hem letteth
Take her landes ȝe lordes
and let hem lyue by dymes
If possessioun be poysoun & inparfit hem make
Good
were to dischargen hem for holicherche sake
And purgen hem of poysoun or more perile
falle
Ȝif presthod were parfit þe peple sholde amende
Þat contrarien
crystes lawe and crystendome dispise.
F.11.487KD.15.532Er cristendom were knowe þere / or ony cros honowred.F.11.487: Alpha omitted the following lines, attested by beta manuscripts. For the ordering in Bx see the discussion in Kane-Donaldson, p. 176.
It is ruþe to rede how riȝtwise men lyuede
How þei defouled hir flessh forsoke hir owene wille
Fer fro kyth and fro kyn yuele ycloþed yeden
Baddely ybedded no book but conscience
Ne no richesse but þe roode to reioisse hem Inne
Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri &c.
And þo was plentee and pees amonges poore and riche
And now is rouþe to rede how þe rede noble
Is reuerenced er þe Roode receyued for þe worþier
Than cristes cros þat ouercam deeþ and dedly synne
And now is werre and wo and who-so why askeþ
For coueitise after cros þe croune stant in golde
Boþe riche and Religious þat roode þei honoure
That in grotes is ygraue and in gold nobles
For coueitise of þat cros men of holy kirke
Shul torne as templers dide þe tyme approcheþ faste
Wite ye noȝt yeThe Bx reading here is uncertain, since good manuscripts from beta both omit (BCC2LMOY) and include (CrGHmW) ye. wise men how þo men honoured
Moore tresor þan trouþe I dar noȝt telle þe soþe
Reson and rightful doom þo Religiouse demede
Right so ye clerkes for youre coueitise er longe
Shal þei demen dos ecclesie and youre pride depose
Deposuit potentes de sede &c.
If knyghthod and kynde wit and commune by conscience
Togideres loue leelly leueþ it wel ye bisshopes
The lordshipe of londes for euere shul ye lese
And lyuen as Leuitici as oure lord yow techeþ
Per primicias & decimas &c.
Whan Costantyn of curteisie holy kirke dowed
Wiþ londes and ledes lordshipes and rentes
An Aungel men herden an heigh at Rome crye
Dos ecclesie þis day haþ ydronke venym
And þo þat han Petres power arn apoisoned alle
A medicyne moot þer-to þat may amende prelates
That sholden preie for þe pees possession hem letteþ
Takeþ hire landes ye lordes and leteþ hem lyue by dymes
If possession be poison and inparfite hem make
Good were to deschargen hem for holy chirches sake
And purgen hem of poison er moore peril falle
If preesthode were parfit þe peple sholde amende
That contrarien cristes lawe and cristendom dispise.
F.11.487: A large drypoint <X> appears in the right margin, perhaps noting the omission of this passage, though the loss had
occurred in alpha and therefore could not have been in the immediate scribe's exemplar.