fol. 1rI
hic incipit Petrus P......lowman
de visione liber primusG.1.0: The two lines of the heading are bracketed together on the right. The script is more formal than that used in the body of the text and the heading may have been added by WH. See Introduction I.12. Compare finitur visionem in the left hand margin on f.32v G.8.217.m.1.
de visione liber primusG.1.0: The two lines of the heading are bracketed together on the right. The script is more formal than that used in the body of the text and the heading may have been added by WH. See Introduction I.12. Compare finitur visionem in the left hand margin on f.32v G.8.217.m.1.
InG.1.1: The <I> is in a different ink from that of the original transcription, and appears to have been added at the same time as
the heading, and therefore probably by WH. See note to head. a someres seyson when soft was the sonne
G.1.8KD.P.8
vndre a brood bank by G.1.8: A virgule has been added to separate the words by and a, which were originally written without an intervening space. The ink used is very similar to that used for the <u> to <v>
changes and it therefore seems probable that this and other virgules may have been added by the original scribe (i.e. by hand1.1)
as part of his later programme of corrections (see Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3). a borne syde
I slomered In-to a slepyng InG.1.10: The scribe altered In to Itt but then crossed through and rewrote as yt. yt sweyd so merye
G.1.20KD.P.20
some puvtten theym to plogh / pledenG.1.20: The G Cr1 reading pleden could be a form of "played" (the reading of remaining B manuscripts) with northern loss of the dipthong, but it could also be read as the present tense of the verb "to plead" (="wrangle"?). full selde
some puvtten theym to pryde & appareledG.1.23: Though not recorded as a G variant by Kane and Donaldson, the ampersand is definitely present, bringing G's reading into
line with that of F and H. See George Kane and E. Talbot Donaldson, eds, Piers Plowman. The B Version: Will's Visions of Piers Plowman, Do-Well, Do-Better and Do-Best. An Edition in the Form of
Trinity College Cambridge MS B.15.17, Corrected and Restored from the Known Evidence, with Variant Readings, rev. ed. (London: Athlone Press; Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988). No other B manuscripts read & appareled (all lack "and"). theym therafter
& couvetenG.1.29: In addition to the alteration of <u> to <v> in coueten, the loop of the first <e> has been re-outlined in brown ink. noght In contrey to cayren abowteG.1.29: Consideration of the scribe's usual practice suggests that the curl attached to the <t> of abowte is a residual <e> rather than an abbreviation mark.
For no lycorouvs lyuvelod theyrG.1.30: The <r> of theyr is in slightly darker ink and may be a later addition. Note that it takes up most of the space between words and that the
preceding <y> lacks the rising hairline stroke which normally precedes a following letter (compare the same word at G.1.34). lygham to please
& getten gold wyth theyr glee / synnles I troweG.1.34: The G H reading trowe (for remaining manuscripts leue) corresponds to that of Ax.
G.1.36KD.P.36
Feynen þem fantysyes & Foles themG.1.36: The minims here are ill-defined; it is possible that the scribe wrote theim rather than them, but the latter would be a more usual form for the G scribe. maken
A
fol. 1vI
Wyth þer belyes & þer bagges obff bred G.1.41: The alteration from ob to off appears to have been made after the following word, bred, had already been written, since it uses up most of the space between the two words. fuvll cruvmmed
slepandslep and sorye slowthe shewythG.1.45:The G reading shewyth, shared with Cr12 C, may be a genuine variant but note that, since the spellings <sh> and <s> are to some extent interchangeable in G, especially
in the earlier sections of the text (see Introduction III.4.1), the G spelling here may represent seweth, as in most remaining B manuscripts. theym euver
IG.1.58:This <I> is one of the capitals which indicate the beginnings of chapters. See the corresponding summary in the Table of Contents
at f.101v (the account of the second chapter of the first passus) and see also C. David Benson and Lynne S. Blanchfield, The Manuscripts of Piers Plowman: the B-version (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1997), 133. The large capital is presumably intended to replace the inline smaller capital. For
large and decorated capitals at the beginnings of other chapters see Judith A. Jefferson, "Divisions, Collaborations and other
topics: the table of contents in Cambridge University Library, MS Gg.4.31" in John A. Burrow and Hoyt N. Duggan, eds, Medieval Alliterative Poetry: Essays in Honour of Thorlac Turville-Petre (Dublin:Four Courts Press, 2010), 140-152, esp.141-44, and for evidence suggesting that the majority of such capitals may
have been added by WH, see Jefferson, "Divisions", 148-50. This particular example, however, appears to have been added by
the original scribe at the time of writing; presumably he recognised his error in failing to leave a space for a larger capital.
G.1.64KD.P.64
for sythe charyte was chapman & chefe to shryuveG.1.64: The first of these alterations (whereby sryue becomes shryue) appears to have been made by the original scribe and later re-outlined in brown ink. The faint mark of the original correction
is still visible at the bottom of the tail of the <h>. Compare the similar - and also very faint - addition by the original
scribe at G.1.89. lordes
þe most myscheyfe on mold ys mouvnyttyng vpG.1.67: G's reading vp for most manuscripts wel was originally shared by O. However, O adds wel to give vp wel, a reading shared with C2. fast
& lenvenG.1.77: In the case of G, the G Cr12 reading leven results from the mistaken identification by the <u> to <v> corrector (hand1.1) of the letter <n> as a <u> (Most manuscripts
read leneth). It seems possible that the reading in Cr12 was taken from G or from a G-related manuscript; see Introduction II.2.1.2. ytt suvch loseles þat leychyrye hawnten
were þe bysshop ye blessedG.1.78: G misreads the y- past participle prefix as ye (cf. most manuscripts yblissed). For G's treatment of this prefix, see Introduction III.1. or worth both hys yeres
fol. 2rI
& sygne that they shuvlden shryuveG.1.89: The ink of the <h> added to sryue to give shryue is paler than that of the rest of the word, but exactly the same colour as the <as> of masters two lines above, and the form corresponds to that used elsewhere by the original scribe. It therefore seems likely that
the correction was made by the original scribe. See also G.1.64. theyr perychynores
for-thy I can & can noght off þatG.1.111: The brownish ink of added þat appears to be the same as that used for the change from <u> to <v> in the following word. couvrt speke more
G.1.112KD.P.112
Then cam þer a knyghtG.1.112: The original word replaced by kyng is unclear but the final <t> is visible. kyng knygthode hym ledde
andthenG.1.114: Kane and Donaldson do not record G then for most manuscripts And þanne as a variant. came kynd wytt & clerkes he made
þisG.1.118: Kane and Donaldson do not record this as a variant, and, since the superscript letters are rather unclear, it is possible
that the G scribe did in fact intend to write þe. communvne contryuved off kynd wytt craftes
G.1.120KD.P.120
to tyll & to trauvell as treweG.1.120: Added <e> on trewe appears to be in the same ink as the alterations of <u> to <v>. lyve askethe
shop G.1.122: The loop of the <h> in shop has been enlarged in brown ink. law & loyalte ych man to know hys owene G.1.122: The majority of B manuscripts have final <e>, but hand1's preferred form elsewhere is without -e. See G.5.157, G.6.595, G.7.86 etc., though note the forms with final <e> at G.17.190 and G.17.199. Note also the similar deletion at G.1.207, where it seems possible that the deleted letter may have been an <s>. This deletion is in black ink.
then loked vp a luvnatyke a leleneG.1.123: As far as the deleted letters before lene are concerned, it is possible that the scribe originally wrote <ke>-, but it seems more likely that the first letter was
an <l> but that the second letter, i.e. the <e>, may have been ill-formed, that an attempt has been made to correct it, and
that this has been abandoned. thyng wyth-all
fol. 2vI
cryst kepe the syr kyng & theG.1.125: O originally had þe þi for G the, most manuscripts þi, but in O þe has been cancelled. M's reading þi results from correction. kyngryche
lowed todyd G.1.129: In G's original reading (lowed to, which is also the reading of most B manuscripts) lowed is a verb (="descended"). The alteration to lowed dyd results from misinterpretation of lowed as an adverb, something which also occurs in F, where the a-verse reads & lowhde spak in Latyn. speke In latyn for lewde men ne koude
hoc vtG.1.134: The G Hm reading vt (for most manuscripts quod) is also present in the C version. In Hm this reading appears as part of a long passage written over an erasure (this particular section is written
by Hm's Hand3, who is also the Hm rubricator). See note to this line in Michael Calabrese, Hoyt N. Duggan and Thorlac Turville-Petre,
eds, The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive, Vol.6: San Marino, Huntington Library MS HM 128 (Hm, Hm2) (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer for SEENET and the Medieval Academy of America, 2008), and for further discussion of the
relationship between Hm and G, see G's Introduction II.2.1.2. agas melius Iustus es esto pius
nomen habet sine re studeat nisiG.1.142: In Hm the reading studeat nisi, which is shared with G (most manuscripts read nisi studet) appears over an erasure. Iura tenere
þe profycy
off þe catt
SG.1.150: The letter <S> is formed from a series of linked dots. This and similar marks enable the reader to find sections referred
to in the table of contents. See f.101v. As Benson and Blanchfield point out (Manuscripts, 132), the mark is referred to in this table, so it has clearly been added as part of the original preparation of the manuscript.
The form of the letter, however, suggests the possibility that such marks were the work of WH rather than the original scribe;
see the form of the capitals used by WH on ff.69v, 72v and 103r, and see further Jefferson, "Divisions," esp. 148-50.
& ouverlepe theym lyghlycheG.1.150: Spellings of "lightly" without <t> are recorded by the MED. & laghte theym att hys wyll
G.1.152KD.P.152
for dovte off dyuers dredeG.1.152: Kane and Donaldson observe that the error in G's reading drede (for most manuscripts dredes) is "noted" but it is difficult to see what they mean unless they are referring to the following added virgule, something
which would raise questions about other similar additions. /G.1.152: Once again, the colour of the added virgule is the same as that of the <u> to <v> changes and it therefore seems likely that
it was made by the original scribe at a later date (see further Introduction II.1.1 and II.1.1.3). Virgules are frequently omitted in the earlier stages of the original transcription but become more frequent as the text
progresses. we dare not well loke
seyd for a souvereyne help to hym-seluvenG.1.159: A brown-ink flourish, apparently an abbreviation for <n>, has been added to the final <e> of original selue. This is in the same ink as the earlier alteration of <u> to <v>. The addition brings G's reading into line with that of
O C2. Kane and Donaldson do not record this G reading, though they do record the readings of O and C2.
G.1.160KD.P.160
I hauve senvese[n]e G.1.160: The form of the alteration from sene to seve is unusual and it is possible that the corrector realised his mistake and tried to remedy it. seggys quodh he In the cyte off london
& some colers wyth crafty werke vncovpeled they wentenG.1.162: M originally had wenden, as most manuscripts; the M reading wenten (shared with G Cr W Hm) results from correction.
both In warren & In wast where theym-seluve lykedG.1.163: In M the <d> of "liked" (a reading which M shares with G Cr1 W H) is written over an erasure. Most manuscripts read lyketh.
& ryght so quod the ratonG.1.167: The minims at the end of raton are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read rato. reyson me sheweth
fol. 3rI
and .. knytten on a coler for ouvr comen profytt G.1.169: G Cr1 W Hm omit a line at this point: "And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals · þanne here we mowen."
whereG.1.170: The <w> of where is slightly odd and it seems possible that the scribe originally started to write an initial <h>. he ryt or rest or rennyth to playe
butt thogh þe bell was broghtG.1.175: W's reading ybrouȝt, which is also the reading of a number of C manuscripts, is the reading adopted by Kane and Donaldson and Schmidt. Most B manuscripts have some form of "bought." & on the beygh hanged
the wyle he caccheth conyngesG.1.193: For the dropping of the g of unaccented -yng in original conynges, see H. C. Wyld, A History of Modern Colloquial English, 3rd ed. (Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1953), 289-90, E. J. Dobson, English Pronunciation 1500-1700, 2 vols (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1957), 950-1, Richard Jordan,
Handbook of Middle English Grammar: Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hauge: Mouton, 1974), § 175. Jordan suggests that the change occurred
in the fourteenth century in the North and North Midlands, but in the fifteenth century in the South. he couvytyth not our cayrencar[y]en
noere the catt off the couvrte þat canne youG.1.199: The minims at the end of you are residual; basically just a horizontal line. ouer ..pe lerype
G.1.200KD.P.201
for had ye ratons your wyll ye covld not reuvle you-selueG.1.200: Once again, G's minims are poorly defined. Kane and Donaldson read yo for G you.
ne carpyng off thys coloresG.1.203: The alteration which results in colores brings G into line with the C version manuscripts. Remaining B manuscripts read coler. that costed me neuer
deuvyneG.1.209: The alteration of <u> to <v> which results in devyne is in a different ink from the main body of such corrections and the form of the letter is more elaborate. ye for I ne dare by dere god In heyuvenG.1.209: The alteration of <u> to <v> in original heyuen has become just a residual brown smudge.
fol. 3vI
thow myghtest better mete mysteG.1.214: Final <e> on myste has been added half above and half below the cross of the <t> so that this now also forms the cross of the <e>. on maluveren hylles
G.1.220KD.P.221
taylyouvres tynkersG.1.220: Kane and Donaldson adopt G's reading "tinkers" (for remaining B manuscripts and tynkeres). The majority of A manuscripts also lack "and" at this point in the line, but their reading is otherwise different. & tollers In markettes
G.1.224KD.P.225
& dryuve forth þe long day wyth / dieu soit dame emmnvye G.1.224: The third and fourth minims of original emme have been changed to a <v> and a tail has been added to the fifth and sixth.
explicit primus passus de visione