615. Fr. 'les apele l'escripture _enchanteors_, car il enchantent tant
l'ome que il les croit plus que soi meismes.' The Ayenbite has 'charmeres';
p. 60, l. 25.
616. Following Tyrwhitt, I have supplied the words between square brackets,
which are wanting in all the seven MSS. and in Thynne's edition. Tyrwhitt
supplies 'god; and thise flatereres betrayen.' But he does not tell us
where (if anywhere) he found these words.
617. The Fr. text has the very expression 'quant il chantent touz jors
_Placebo_.' The Ayenbite adds an explanation (p. 60, l. 7 from bottom):
viz. they all sing _Placebo_, that is to say, 'my lord saith truth,' or 'my
lord doth well'; and turn to good all that the master doth or saith,
whether it be good or bad. See my note to P. Plowman, C. iv. 467.
Note the name _Placebo_ in the Marchauntes Tale; see E. 1476.
619. Fr. 'Apres vienent les maudicons.... E saint Pol dist que tieus genz
ne poent le regne Dieu avoir.' This refers to 1 Cor. vi. 10, where the
Vulgate has: 'neque _maledici_ (A. V. 'revilers') ... regnum Dei
possidebunt.' So in Ayenb. p. 66, l. 22.
620. Not in the Fr. text. This is an old proverb, which Southey quotes, in
a Greek form, as a motto prefixed to his Curse of Kehama. His English
version of it is:--'curses are like young chickens, they always come home
to roost.'