79 goes with l. 78, he must betake himself to the Church, before he can
find repentance; his eyes were previously too dim to see his guilt.
81. Transpose, ðore satanas forsakeð, and for l. 83 read to ihesu crist
him self bitakeð: comp. ‘Ich wole ȝou nou bitake ihesu crist,’ E. E.
Poems 106/165.
84. #mede#, reward, gives a poor sense; beten his nede would suit the
context; comp. 184/280, ‘For he wende bete his nede,’ Rel. Ant. ii.
278/10; ‘er he bete þy nede,’ Lib. Desconus, 1582.
86. #lereð# &c., learns what the priest teaches, i.e. the articles of
the faith.
88. #dreccheð#, tarries: comp. ‘ne wold he ðor | Ouer on nigt drechen
nunmor,’ GE 1420.
89-92. This stanza is imperfect, ll. 89, 91 do not rhyme. The former is
on an erasure. There is nothing corresponding in the original: it is
probably due to the scribe.
89. #to godeward#: not toward God; #ward# is a mere tag, as at 179/115,
180/146, 184/259, 194/588; comp. ‘frommard,’ 58/66 note, 70/165;
‘efterward,’ 77/63 note. For the construction comp. 89/28, 96/58, ‘ich
hopie to mede,’ AR 148/16; ‘hopieð to here michele wisdome,’ VV 67/13,
131/18; SJ 29/16; ‘forðæm hie gemunon ðone tohopan þe hie to ðæm
gestrionum habbað,’ Cura Past. 344/1.
90. #lereð#: Emerson restores the rhyme by reading leteð; but ‘leten of’
is apparently always accompanied by an adverb of degree; see 44/260
note.
91. #ðat# apparently refers to ‘gode’ l. 89: in one edition of the Latin
original ‘solis incendia’ is glossed ‘iusticie calores.’
93. #funt fat#: probably here only in ME. for the usual fantston, as at
85/101; CM 29200: OE. #fant-fæt#.
95. The punctuation of Mätzner and Morris, buten a litel; wat is tat?
involves taking ‘litel’ as a little thing. The meaning appears to be,
but a small something (= a slight imperfection) is that his mouth is
still crooked. Comp. ‘And þeonne sum lutel hwat he mei leggen on þe,’ AR
346/22; ‘Ah ȝette me an hwet,’ SK 767.