5-8. Comp. ‘Ki se fie en cest secle por fol tenc mult celui | Par mei
meimes le sai ne mie par altrui | Folement le menai itant cum ieo i fui
| Kar unkes ne fis riens de quanke faire dui | Trop i dui demurer trop
tart men apercui,’ Guischart 32-36; ‘vnnut lif to longe ich lede |
hwanne ich me biþenche[;] wel sore ich me adrede,’ OEM 192/3, 4.
6. #wel ful#: wel, wel D; ful J; the other MSS. wel, but T alters the
first half of the line. #wel# qualifies biþenche.
7. #ꝥ# = þet; see 32/55. #bi fealt# &c. is not original, but an
avoidance of the rare word chilce, which is in E e J T; D has chilðe, M
chilse. #chilce#, childishness, appears to be formed from child, on the
analogy of milce from mild; it occurs here only. L alters l. 8 for the
sake of the rhyme; the other MSS. are with T.