880. _thyn owene merk_, thine own likeness; cf. 'ad imaginem suam,' Gen. i.
27. It appears, from P. Plowman, B. xv. 343, C. xviii. 73, that the words
_merke_ and _preynte_ (print) were both used of the 'impression' upon a
coin. From a comparison of the Vulgate version of Gen. i. 27 and Matt.
xxii. 20, we see that _imago_ was used in the same way. This explains how
_merk_ came to mean 'likeness,' and how _mark of Adam_ (in D. 696) came to
mean 'all such as are made in Adam's likeness.' See that passage.
883. _menes_, means, instruments of Thy will. The sing. _mene_, in the same
sense, occurs in P. Plowman, C. xvii. 96, and frequently in Sir Generides,
where it is spelt _meane_.
886. 'All's for the best'; a popular rendering of Romans, viii. 28. Cf.
Boeth. bk. iv. pr. 6. 194-6.