fol. 66r (cont.)I
passus
xiijus
Passus
xiijusxii[i]justertius
decimus[quartus] decimus . de
visione vt supra . —
—
I haue but on haterR.14.1:
Most beta copies have one hool hatere. L, however, shares the alpha
reading. quod haukyn I am þe lasse to blame
Þat wolen by-molen it many tymesR.14.5:
Beta reads the singular form, tyme; however, manuscripts G and Cr2-3 agree with alpha's plural. maugre my chekes .
¶ And coude I nouȝtR.14.13:
For alpha's nouȝt, beta reads neuere. by
crist kepen it clene an houre
Dobet þat schal schal beten and bouken itR.14.22: R's a-verse is unique; cf. beta's phrase: Dobet shal beten it
and bouken it. F has Dobet bowke it & beete it.
as briȝt as any scarlet .
R.14.24KD.14.21
And sitthen sende þe to satisfaccioun
for to sonnenR.14.24:
This variant is shared with F. Most beta manuscripts have sowen. it
after .
k iij
fol. 66vI
Si mea penna valet melior
mea litera fiet
Dextera pars penna Brevior et lenior debit esse In the left margin, an extended comment is written vertically, in a black secretary hand, beginning at R14.54 and reaching upwards in the margin to this point, R14.32. The second line of the comment is under the first and thus slightly closer to the text line initials.
Dextera pars penna Brevior et lenior debit esse In the left margin, an extended comment is written vertically, in a black secretary hand, beginning at R14.54 and reaching upwards in the margin to this point, R14.32. The second line of the comment is under the first and thus slightly closer to the text line initials.
R.14.32KD.14.29
¶ And I schal purueye þe paste quod
pacience þouȝ þowR.14.32:
R's þow is an alpha variant omitted by all beta manuscripts. Though C is substantially revised at this point, a half-line occurs in the cognate
passage of the final version that exactly confirms beta's reading (=RK C15.234). no
plowȝ erie
For lente nere was þereR.14.45:
R's þere is a unique addition to the text witnessed by the other B manuscripts; however, R's reading has a substantial likelihood of being
original since at the same point the C manuscripts attest either here or, more commonly, þere. lif but
liflode were schape .
R.14.52KD.14.46
LifR.14.52:
R's Lif appears, at first, to be lexically unique. F has & lyve and beta shows Lyue; many C
manuscripts agree with beta, but many others read Leue. The problem with
R's "uniqueness" is that this spelling may not reflect intentional lexical difference but
merely inadvertent phonological overlap between voiced <v> and voiceless <f> in
Langland's own dialect; cf. the archetypal B spelling for the noun (=
ModEng "life") at R.14.27: above: in þi
liue. þoruȝ lele byleue and loue as god
witnesseth .
Quodcumque
pecieritisR.14.53: Here alpha omitted the phrase a patre from
the Biblical citation as witnessed by beta. Nevertheless, the alpha reading may well be
original. Among the C manuscripts , the X family (generally regarded
as the more authoritative group) also omits the phrase. in
nomine meo &cetera Et alibi
.
¶ But I loked what þat liflodeR.14.55:
For alpha's þat liflode, beta reads lyflode it.
was þat pacience so preysed .
R.14.56KD.14.49-50
And þanne was aR.14.56:
RF's reading, was a, is an alpha variant shared with CrHm; beta reads was it a. pece of þe paternoster
fiat voluntas tua .
fol. 67rI
Or whan þow clomsest for colde or clingest for drouȝtheR.14.58:
Beta has drye for R's drouȝthe (F = drowhtys). Cx agrees here with R. .
And schalR.14.59: F begins this line with Þere shal while beta simply begins
with Shal. However, Cx agrees with R.
neuere feytouresR.14.59:
R's feytoures and F's faytour ) against beta's
correctly alliterating gyues probably reflects a misunderstood gloss in
Bx reading fetters. Cx agrees
here with beta. þe greue ne grete lordes wrathe .
R.14.60KD.14.54
Prisone ne payne foR.14.60:
Neither MED nor OED2 cites s. v.
for an example of fo as viable for the preposition
signified here, but it occurs in R in four widely separated contexts (cf. R2.64, R15.379, and
R20.224) and probably represents an instance of idiolect apocope. Beta here attests the
expected for, and F has whil.
pacientes vincunt .
Tharst þow neuere care for corne ne lynnen
clothe ne wollen .R.14.63: There is a superfluous bar over the <n> of wollen.
For if þow lyuest after his lore þe schorter lyf þe leuereR.14.66:
Beta shows better where alpha has leuere. Cx agrees with beta. .
R.14.68KD.14.61
¶ For thoruȝ his breth bestes wexethR.14.68: Cf. F's weren and beta's woxen or wexen. The C manuscripts are divided, typically witnessing the same forms as beta, but
seven of them (IP2RcMcScZWa) agree with R's wexeth. and a-brode ȝeden .
Ergo thoruȝ his breth mowen men and bestes
libbenR.14.70: For alpha's libben, beta reads lyuen.
The difference is, of course, purely phonological. .
As holy writ witnesseth whan men seggen
here
graceR.14.71:
F offers a completely different b-verse while beta shows the plural form graces. Although C has been slightly revised in this passage, Cx shows the same plural noun form as that in beta (but four manuscripts
[KDcWaGc] agree with R). .
R.14.76KD.14.67
Þat non rayn ne roen þus rett men onR.14.76:
R's rett is unique; the same is true of R's on. The
majority, including F, attest rede men in. Cx is
uncertain, but five manuscripts (YcIP2UcT) reflect a similar verbal
inflection to that found in R (rat), and XIUcZ agree with R's ensuing
preposition. bokes .
Þat many wynterR.14.77: R and Cr alone have singular wyntre. F omits the entire phrase in which this term occurs. Cx
clearly agrees with the RCr singular. men lyued and no mete ne teleden .
AmogesAmo[n]ges cristene creatoures if criste
R.14.81: R's
unmarked possessive, criste, is unique; all other manuscripts have crystes. Among C copies, only P2
agrees with R's form. wordes be trewe .
Ac vnkendenesse caristia maketh
amonges cristesR.14.82:
All other B manuscripts read crystene. poeple
.
Ociositas et habundancia panis R.14.87: F omits the entire citation; R leaves off the end, as seen in beta
manuscripts: peccatum turpissimum
nutriuit.
kiiij
fol. 67vI
R.14.96KD.14.86
And brynge his soule to blisse bi soR.14.96: Immediately following this word there is an unintended ink dot.
þat feith bere witnesse .
And surgyanes for dedly synneR.14.99: Many beta copies read
this noun as a plural: synnes. However, CrHmB agree with alpha.
whan schrift of mouthe faileth .
R.14.100KD.14.90
¶ Ac schrifte of mouthe more worthi is if manR.14.100: After man, R shares an omission of the verb be with C
alone. in-lich contrit
Þere contriciounR.14.103: Here
the R scribe uses two separate bars for expanding the final affix, one over the <c> and
another over the <u>; the second of these is partially obscured by the red boxing
above. What this instance indicates by inference, however, is that his intended spelling
(when the bar covers only his <c> or his <o>) is -cion, and
that the only warrant for expanding to -cioun is a bar extending beyond
the <o> of this syllable. These conclusions are confirmed by the scribe's overwhelming
preference for -cion forms when he spells them out fully. doth but
driueth it doun in-to a venial synne
.
R.14.112KD.14.102
¶ Whether pacience and pouerteR.14.112: Most of the beta manuscripts render this phrase as paciente
pouerte or pacience pouerte. In C, the phrase
becomes pouerte and pacience. quod haukyn
be more plesant to oure lord .R.14.112: Many beta manuscripts (and presumably Bx) read driȝte(n) for R's bland lord; F has god more as the end of the line; R's reading is in
agreement only with G, presumably by convergence. The C revision
abandons beta's archaic driȝte(n) in favor of god
almyhty
Whan itR.14.117: R's sole partner in reading it is L; F
reads &. The majority beta reading is he. In a
partially revised line, the C version also attests he
at this point. drouȝ to his deth day þat he ne dradde hym sore
fol. 68rI
Other here or elles-where kende wolde it
nereR.14.130: R's form here is unique; beta reads the negative as neuer(e); F rewrites the half-line completely. .
For to wrothor-hele was he
wrouȝt þat neuer
ioye was shapedR.14.131: R's ioye was shaped is an alpha phrasing substantively
shared with FHm; beta agrees with Cx in reading was ioye
shaped. .
Riȝt so resoun : scheweth þat þo men :R.14.134: Here alpha probably was identical to R's reading; R matches beta exactly
through the phrase þo men but is missing þat were riche
F reads þo men shulle redyly a-counte.
R.14.140KD.14.130
And is grete lykynge
to þe lifR.14.140: Cf. R's to þe lif to F's of lyf and
beta's to lyue. wyth-oute
labour of body .
R.14.144KD.14.131α
in ciuitate tua ad nichilum
eorum redigesR.14.144: R's eorum is a unique addition to this
citation. .
¶ Hewen þat han here huire
to-foreR.14.147: Alpha is responsible for to-fore where beta reads afore. At the same point, Cx has byfore. aren euermore nedy .R.14.147: A brace extends down the
right margin from this line to R14.152. Apparently, it is intended to call attention to the
nota at R14.149.
R.14.148KD.14.135
And selde deyeth oute of dette þat dineth or þeiR.14.148: In place of alpha's þei, beta reads he
(as does the X family of the C version; the P family of C agrees here with alpha). In the a-verse, beta reads deieth he
where R omits the pronoun and F revises the entire half-line. deserue it .
nota
And til he haue done his deuer and his dayes iourneR.14.149: In
the right margin, in a light brown ink and a near-contemporary hand, there is a large
nota.
¶ So I segge be ȝow riche it semethR.14.153: R parallels beta but omits nouȝt after semeth, completely inverting the intended sense of the assertion (beta's version is
vouched for by Cx). F rewrites the line. þat ȝe schulle
.
Haue to heuenes for ȝoure here-beinge and heuene þere-after .R.14.154: F offers a typically unique reading of this line (Cleyme two
hevynys oon here & anoþer heerafter); R's partial agreement with F in the a-verse
shows that R's to heuenes descends from alpha. R's for
is unique among the B copies. By contrast, the beta manuscripts show
considerable variation in the a-verse but clearly attest the singular form heuene. However, the fact that the Cx phrasing for the a-verse is
identical with R's strongly suggests that R's reading is the authorial one.
fol. 68vI
R.14.156KD.14.142
And sithe wald clayme huireR.14.156: R's huire is an alpha reading (cf. F's his
heere eft-soones); beta shows more.
De delicijs ad delicias difficile est ascendereR.14.159: In place of alpha's ascendere, beta has transire. .
And lyuen as lawe techeth don leute to alle .R.14.161: Beta ends
the line with hem alle. Only L agrees with R's omission of the pronoun,
while F offers a completely different phrase, his brothir.
Here for-ȝiuenesse of here synnes and heuene blisse after .R.14.169: Hereafter alpha omits
five lines present in beta (of which, the last two are also found in the C version):
Ac it nys but selde yseyn as by holy seyntes bokes
Þat god rewarded double reste to any riche wye
For moche murthe is amonges riche as in mete and clothyng
And moche murthe in Maye is amonges wilde bestes
And so forth whil somer lasteth her solace dureth.
Ac it nys but selde yseyn as by holy seyntes bokes
Þat god rewarded double reste to any riche wye
For moche murthe is amonges riche as in mete and clothyng
And moche murthe in Maye is amonges wilde bestes
And so forth whil somer lasteth her solace dureth.
¶ R.14.170: R uniquely omits a conjunction at the head of this line; beta
reads Ac (which agrees with the reading of Cx) while
F has But.
Beggeres aboute missomer bred-les þei soupe .R.14.170: In
the left margin, extending from this line to R14.183, there is a black brace and a hand (at
R14.178) pointing to these lines.
☞
R.14.184KD.14.174
¶ Ac pore poeple þi prisones loreR.14.184: R's prisones is simply an archaic formal variant for
beta's prisoneres (cf. R15.207 and R15.380, where beta also shows this
form). Perhaps because the F scribe was confused or troubled by this form (he uses prisoner in the other two instances mentioned), the a-verse in F seems
completely rewritten: But þe poore in prisoun lyȝn. As for R's lore, see Richard Jordan, Handbook of Middle English Grammar:
Phonology, translated and revised by Eugene Joseph Crook (The Hague: Mouton, 1974):
§199, remark 3. The spelling occurs as well at R5.409 and R18.61. in þe put of
mischief .
fol. 69rI
Conforte þi carfulle criste in þi riche
.R.14.189: The top right margin of fol. 69r has a tear in it that was long ago repaired
by stitching. The tear extended diagonally downwards and to the right for approximately 3.8
cm.
R.14.192KD.14.181
Þus in genere of alle his genitriceR.14.192: R's phrase, of alle his genitrice, is part of a complex
variation. Most beta copies read of gentries; L, which overlaps with R
here, reads of his genitrice; and F also shows partial agreement with R,
reading of alle Ientylis. ihesu crist sayde
.
To robberes toR.14.193: All other B manuscripts have robberes and to. reueres to riche and to pore .
To hores to harlotes to alle maner poeple .R.14.194: Beta omits this line. F renders its central phrase as harlotys
& to hoorys & to all oþer.
Knowlechynge and confessionR.14.198: This pair of nouns is transposed to Confessioun and
knowlechyng in the beta copies; F reads & be-knowleche it In confessioun.
and crauynge þi mercy .
Paternoster and penauncesR.14.209: With the exception of
Hm, which here joins alpha, the beta copies show the singular penaunce. In
a revised version of this line, Cx agrees with alpha, attesting a
plural. and pilgrimage to rome .
AndR.14.210: Cf. beta's But, which agrees with the opening of the line
in Cx; on the other hand, at the end of the a-verse, Cx agrees with R, which uniquely reiterates the possessive, reading oure
spendynge where beta merely has spendyng. F completely rewrites the
a-verse: With oure spendyng of spekynge. oure spenses and
oure spendynge springe of a trewe welle .
R.14.216KD.14.204
Ac with richesse þo ribaudesR.14.216: Beta shows the singular þat Ribaude. Cx agrees with alpha. rathest men by-gyleth .
For þere þat richesse regneth reuerencesR.14.217: Beta has the singular reuerence. Most C manuscripts concur, but three important ones, XYcUc, agree with alpha's
plural. folweth .
AcR.14.219: Beta has And; F reads But. The C manuscripts divide by major families on this lection, the P family
completely omitting the conjunction while the X family, like beta, attests And. þe riche is reuerenced bi reson of his richesse .
Of wit and of wisdome þat fer weiR.14.221: Most beta copies read awey. F omits the entire line.
Among the C manuscripts, KcUcDcZN agree with beta while the others agree
with R. is bettere .
fol. 69vI
¶ Þere þe pore prechethR.14.226: R's form is probably a distortion of alpha's procheþ (a
reading preserved in F) through misunderstanding a scribal suspension; cf. beta's preseth. The lection in C agrees with that of
beta. byfore þe riche with a pakke at his rugge .
¶ AcR.14.231: Beta has And; F reads But. C manuscripts attest either And (mostly in the X family)
or Also (P family).
pruide in richesse regneth rather þamþa[n] in pouert
R.14.232KD.14.217
OrR.14.232: For alpha's Or, beta shows Arst;
later in this a-verse, where alpha repeats or, Cr agrees with alpha but
beta has þan. On both of these readings, it appears that Cx agrees with alpha (although a cluster of five C
manuscripts—P2TH2PEc—reads oþur in place of or on both occasions). in þe
maister or in þe man : sum manseon hauethR.14.232: R uniquely omits he before haueth.
Cx confirms the correctness of the majority reading. .
For loulich he loketh and loueliche is his speche . These
lines are not found in beta. There are sufficient differences between R and F in these lines
to justify reproducing the latter's lines verbatim (cf. Appendix 1, R14.243-53, for details
and any cross-references to the C version):
For lowly he lookeþ / & lovely is his speche.
Þat ony meete or monee / of oþere men mote asken.
¶ & if Glotenye greve pouerte / he gadreþ þe lasse.
For hise rentys wil not reche / no ryche meetys to bygge.
& þowh his glut be in good ale / he gooþ a-cold to bedde.
& hys hevid euele y-helyd / & vnesely y-wryȝe.
For whan he streyneþ hym to strecche / þe straw is his schete.
So for his grete glotenye / he haþ a greuous penaunce.
Þat is wellawo whan he wakeþ / & wepiþ sore . for colde.
& sum-tyme for hise synnes / so he is neuere merye.
With-outyn moornynge a-moong . & myche myschef to boote.
For lowly he lookeþ / & lovely is his speche.
Þat ony meete or monee / of oþere men mote asken.
¶ & if Glotenye greve pouerte / he gadreþ þe lasse.
For hise rentys wil not reche / no ryche meetys to bygge.
& þowh his glut be in good ale / he gooþ a-cold to bedde.
& hys hevid euele y-helyd / & vnesely y-wryȝe.
For whan he streyneþ hym to strecche / þe straw is his schete.
So for his grete glotenye / he haþ a greuous penaunce.
Þat is wellawo whan he wakeþ / & wepiþ sore . for colde.
& sum-tyme for hise synnes / so he is neuere merye.
With-outyn moornynge a-moong . & myche myschef to boote.
¶ And þouȝR.14.254: Cf. R's þouȝ (shared with F) with the beta reading,
if. Cx agrees with alpha. coueytise walde cache þe pore þei may nouȝt come togideres .
And hath hondes and armes of longe lengthe .R.14.257: For R's longe lengthe, beta reads a longe
lengthe; F has an huge lengthe. Cx agrees with
beta.
fol. 70rI
And pouerte ne isR.14.258: R's ne is is unique in form but substantively in
agreement with the best of the early beta copies (LMWHmC), which read nis;
F and other beta witnesses (CrGYOC2) read is. Cx agrees with F and the inferior beta group. but a pety
thynge apereth nauȝt to his nauele .
Ne doth hym nauȝt dine delicatly ne drinke wyn ofte
.R.14.266:
Immediately following this line, alpha omits two lines present in beta (and in the C version, though somewhat garbled there):
A strawe for þe stuwes it stode nouȝt I trowe
Had þei none but of pore men her houses were vntyled.
A strawe for þe stuwes it stode nouȝt I trowe
Had þei none but of pore men her houses were vntyled.
Þat god is grettestR.14.269: Alpha and B omit his before grettest.
In correcting the error, F presumably misplaced the possessive and ended by creating the
phrase, grettest his helpe. helpe and no gome elles .
And he isR.14.270: R's he is is unique in the B tradition but agrees with the vast majority of C
manuscripts (of both major families). F and several beta witnesses (Cr W—and M after
alteration above the line) read he his. A few C
manuscripts support this reading. Most beta copies (including LHmOG—and M before
alteration) show simply his. seruaunt as he seith
and of his sute bothe .
And whereR.14.271: R's where, a contracted form of beta's
whether, is shared, among the B manuscripts, only
with L. However, most of the X family in the C tradition supports the RL
reading. The P family tends to support the common beta reading. he be or be nauȝt
he bereth þe sygne of pouerte .
R.14.276KD.14.263
In lordeR.14.276: Alpha almost certainly read lorde at the beginning of the
a-verse (cf. F's As a lord of) and seems a classic case of scribal
anticipation of lordschipe later in the line. Beta, by contrast, has londe. Cx agrees with beta. and in lordschipe and
lykynge of body .
And as a mayde for aR.14.278: R's a is a unique addition to the text witnessed by the
other B manuscripts; however, the vast majority of C copies agree with R's reading, so it is probably authorial in B
as well. mannes loue hire moder for-saketh .
Hire fader and alle hire frendes
and folwedR.14.279: R uniquely deploys the past tense; all others read folweth. But see the Introduction III.2.2.10 on tense ambiguities in this manuscript's tradition. hire make
.
R.14.280KD.14.267
Muche is þatR.14.280: In place of alpha's þat, beta seems to have read suche a. Cx certainly attests such
a. mayde to louie of hym þat suche on taketh .
R.14.286: R
uniquely omits Þe at the head of this line. Cx agrees
with the B majority.
Which is sib to god hym-selue and so neyȝ is pouerte .R.14.286: Beta's b-verse is entirely different, reading and so to his
seyntes. The b-verse of C is completely revised and distinct from
alpha or beta: and semblable bothe.
R.14.288KD.14.275
What is pouerte pacienceR.14.288: Beta here reads pouerte with
pacience. F omits the phrase entirely. The X family of C agrees
with R. Some P manuscripts read patient instead of pacience. quod he proprely to mene
.
fol. 70vI
Donum dei semitaR.14.291: R's semita is unique (Bx /
Cx = sanitatis), an obvious error by anticipation of
the same word later in the citation. mater absque
solitudine semita .
Or as iustice to iuge men R.14.307: The b-verse of this line was either garbled beyond hope or completely lost
by alpha; R omits it entirely while F repositions the caesura and fleshes out the line with
of gyltys. Beta reads enioigned is no pore, which is
similar to the reading of Cx.
Selde is enemye poreR.14.309: The problem here seems to have its source in alpha. R's enemye
pore is an obvious corruption of beta's any pore; F's þe poore looks like a typical effort to repair the alpha damage merely reflected
thoughtlessly by R. Cx agrees with beta. y-put to puneschen eny poeple .
Wynneth he nouȝt with wittes falsR.14.314: F seems to have been unhappy with alpha's reading, (presumably identical to
R's) and smoothed it to hise wyȝles. Beta's reading (weghtes fals = "false weights") seems more vivid and stylistically superior to R's wittes fals. Most P family copies within the C tradition
agree with beta. Nevertheless, R's relatively bland reading may in fact be authorial; a
comparison with C shows that five of the best X family manuscripts
(XYcKcTH2) agree with R on this lection. This agreement is highly
unlikely to have resulted from merely random convergence; at the very least, the bipolar
confusion of this variant array appears to reflect an ambiguously spelled form in the common
archetype of both versions. R's reading may, in fact, be no more than a formal variant of
beta's; cf. the comments on wit at R.15.225:. ne with vnseled mesures .
¶ Þe ferthe it is a R.14.317: R's it represents a unique addition to the text witnessed
by the other B manuscripts (including F), but it is
supported as authorial by a majority of C copies, including the most
reliable members of the X family. fortune þat florescheth þe soule .
Donum deiR.14.321: R
omits his usual blank line before the next verse paragraph, presumably because the next line
is the last one ruled for this side.
fol. 71rI
And for þe lawdeR.14.323: This variant array shows a truly puzzling
configuration of attestation, with C offering no help because of an
extensive revision to fix the confusion found in B witnesses. R's lawde agrees with the beta copies CY but makes no obvious sense; F uniquely
reads lawe, which is probably no more than a typical piece of that
scribe's speculative reconstruction. The most trustworthy beta copies (LMCrWHm) all agree on
land, which has the advantage of making ordinary sense, but Kane and
Donaldson prefer lewde, the reading of GOC2B.
euere a-liche a lemman of
alle clennesse .
¶ Þe sixte it isR.14.325: R's it is is unique among the B
copies; both F and beta read is. However, a large majority of C manuscripts agrees with R (though five C witnesses
support with beta. a path of pees ȝe þoruȝ þe papa[s] altoneR.14.325: R uniquely omits the preposition of before altone. G's source may also have omitted it since that manuscript supplies at. .
R.14.328KD.14.307
And euer þe lasse þat he bereth þe hardierR.14.328: R's
omission of he at this point is distinctive. F omits this entire line;
beta reads the phrase as hardyer he is.
is of herte .
For-thi seith senecca . Paupertas est absque
solitudineR.14.329: This error (for solicitudine) is shared with
F and thus derives from alpha, but it is also found in several beta manuscripts, indicating
that an uncommon Latin suspension in Bx may have been the original
stimulus to what seems, at first glance, an unlikely mistake. semita
.
R.14.332KD.14.310
¶ Þe seuenthe it is R.14.332: R's it is is, once more, unique among the B copies; both F and beta simply read is. Most of the X family in
the C tradition agrees with beta; however, a simple majority of C manuscripts (including some of the X set and most of the P set) agrees
with R. wel of wysdom and fewe wordes scheweth .
For lordes aloweth hym liteR.14.333: All the other B and C witnesses
read litel. or listeneth to his resoun
.
He tempreth þe tonge to trewthe-warde þatR.14.334: At the head of the b-verse, beta reads and in place of
alpha's þat; however, all of the C manuscripts agree
with alpha here. no tresor coueyteth .R.14.334: Immediately hereafter, alpha (as well as a
majority of C witnesses) omitted a Latin line on poverty found in beta:
Sapiencie temperatrix.
Sapiencie temperatrix.
¶ Þe eyȝtethe it is R.14.335: R's it is is, once more, unique among the B copies; both F and beta simply read is. However, most of the C copies agree with R (though half a
dozen—UcDcChEcGcN—support beta). a lele laborere and lothe to take more .
¶ Þe nythe it isR.14.339: R's spelling, nythe, is unique among the B copies and may seem an obvious error of the simplest sort: inadvertent omission of a
nasal bar; but virtually all of the C manuscripts share this spelling of
nyneth Both MED, s. v.
ninthe, and OED2, s. v.
ninth and nineth, acknowledge the possibility of this
spelling of the ordinal in Middle English.R.14.339: Once more, R uniquely reads it
is where the other B witnesses have is. As in
earlier instances in this listing passage, however, though a few C
manuscripts agree with beta's simpler rendering, the vast majority supports R's reiterative
phrase. swete to þe soule no sugur is swettere .
Þus lered me a leredR.14.342: R's form is shared with F; beta has lettred. Several
variants (including lewed!) occur at this position in C witnesses, but the majority agrees with alpha on lered.
man for oure lordes loue .
R.14.344KD.14.320-320α
For body and for soule solicitudine felicitas .R.14.344: Among the B copies, R uniquely omits
absque at the head of the Latin phrase. The same omission
occurs in three C manuscripts of the X family (TH2Ch), but Cx supports the B
majority.
¶ Allas quod haukynR.14.347: R completely drops the second stave of the a-verse (Bx
= þe actyf man þo ), probably mirroring alpha in this loss, while F gives
the appearance of trying to repair the damage, replacing the missing material with a simple
þanne. þat after my cristendom
Synne schewethR.14.350: R's scheweth is an alpha error shared with F; beta's suweth is obviously correct. vs euere
quod he and sori gan wexe .
And wepte water with his eyȝesR.14.351: R shares this version of
the plural with F; the beta form is eyghen. and weyled þe
tyme .
fol. 71vI
R.14.356KD.14.332
I were nauȝt worthi wite god R.14.356: Cf. R's wite god to beta's wote god. F
and some of the beta manuscripts completely omit the phrase woot
god. quod haukyn to werie any clothes .