to continue in good werkes; or elles his repentance may not availe." (Chaucer's Persones Tale, p. 281-2.)

66

Stanza XXIII." Seven sythes," &c.-This saying is not Christ's, but Solomon's: "Septies enim in die cadet justus, et resurget." (Prov. xxiv. 16.) Perhaps the poet had in his mind these words of the gospel, "Et si septies in die peccaverit in te, et septies in die conversus fuerit ad te, dicens Pœnitet me!' dimitte illi." (Luc. xvii. 4.)

Stanza XXIV." Throwgh thi fleschly governaunce."-It means what is called in Paul's epistles, walking after the flesh,'-the opovnμа σaρкos, which puzzled so much the compilers of the Thirty-nine Articles.

Stanza XXVI.-Other Latin copies read, in hac via qua gradieris.

Stanza xxxI.-"Have reward.”—In modern English regard. But so Chaucer : "Take reward of thin owen value, that thou ne be to foule to thyself." (Persones Tale, p. 287.)

Stanza XXXIX.

-

"Thou knowyst.”—MS. You; the capital of the Saxon letter p (which occurs throughout the Sloane MS.) being here made exactly like Y.

Ibid." For erthe I was, and erthe schal be."-Alluding to those solemn words in Genesis iii. 19:

"In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo,

Donec revertaris in terram de qua sumptus es!

Quia pulvis es;

Et in pulverem reverteris !"

Stanza XLVI." Forghyve me my synnes."-The second word is redundant, and is perhaps a mistake.

Stanza XLVII.-" -“ Lokyn in leed.”—Alluding to the custom of burying in leaden coffins. See App. II. st. iii.

Stanza LII.- "That thou wylt me nevere forsake."-By transposing the fourth and fifth words, the line

may be restored to its proper measure; thus, nevere me forsake. There is no instance of 'nevere' accented otherwise than on the first syllable, throughout this poem.

Stanza LIII, line 2.—The MS. has god lord: which words do not seem intended to represent the "Domine Deus" in the text, because the paraphrase of the foregoing verse gives only 'Lord' for that double invocation, which is not used by the author in English. The editor's addition of a final e, makes the phrase good Lord, of which there is an example in st. LXV.

Stanza LXII. —“ Auditui.”—Here begins the Harleian fragment, in which the various readings of this stanza are:line 1, My synne yff I wolle not defende; and line 5, that he boute dere.

Stanza LXIII, line 2.-MS. Harl. repeats the pronoun, thus, thou turne; it omits the third line; reads play for "place" at the end of the fourth; and omits "thi" in the fifth.

Stanza LXIV, line 1.--Harl. reads ben for "be;" omits "to" in line 2; reads evermore for "ever" in line 5; and omits "Wyth" in line 8.

Stanza LXV.-"Thi mercy."-Harl. my trespas, whereby the sense is destroyed.

Stanza LXVI.— "Fadyr that art of myghtes most.”-Harl. read as thou, for "that." The phrase which follows seems to be equivalent to maximus virtutibus: it occurs in the beginning of the Legend of Saint Ede, edited by the editor of this work::

Stanza LXVII.—“ In hye.”—Harl. an hie.

Stanza LXVIII, line 3.—Harl. reads, me for to shende.

Stanza LXIX.— -Harl. adds both, after "shall" in the first line; in the fourth, it reads wolde for "wyll; and the fifth line stands thus-Yff I trespas I woll not hide.

Stanza LXXI.-" Gylty of synnes sevene."-The Harl. MS. inserts the, making the sense clearer, at the expense of the measure. The poet evidently alludes to “the seven deadly sins," which are thus recited in the elements of religious instruction of the Catholics, intitled "Institutio Christiana,” commonly prefixed to their manuals of devotion. "Septem peccata capitalia, quæ communiter mortalia appellantur. Superbia, Avaritia, Luxuria, Invidia, Gula, Ira, et Acedia." They formed the principal topics of the pulpit before the Reformation; and are largely discoursed of in the Persones Tale to illustrate which, the following short poem is here offered to the reader, from an elegant little Wicliffite MS. of the fourteenth century, in the Harleian collection. (No. 2339, ff. 116 b,-117 b.)

THESE BE THE VII. DEEDLY SYNNES THAT SUEN.

Pride is heed of alkyns synne,

That makith mannys soule fro God to twyn:

To wickide highnes he wole ay;

And loveth to myche his owne noblay.

Him silf he preisith in his thought.

And othere men he settith at nought.

The word "Of" is omitted by Harl. in the last line.

Stanza LXII. 1. 5.-For "as" Harl. reads that; and all for "ellys" in line 7.

Stanza LXXIII.- -The reading of "Nunc" for Tunc has been occasioned, probably, by the mistake of the rubrisher; who

painted the blue capital N without looking at a copy. Such mistakes are frequent in embellished MSS., but seldom affect the sense perhaps the old story of Mumpsimus, for Sumpsimus, may be accounted for in this way.

Stanza LXXIV.-The omission of a letter in the Latin text is supplied by the editor, as also at stanzas LXXXVI. and XCVIII. The only variation of the Harleian copy is, the omission of "my" in the second line.

Stanza LXXV.-Harl. reads oft be, for "be often," in line 2; and on for "of," in line 4; adds thou before "bowe,” in line 6; and omits me in line 7.

Stanza LXXVI.— -Harl. reads in for "to," in line 1; ofte do wrong, in line 2; and in thé thus, for "in thé this," in line 7.

Stanza LXXVII.-Harl. reads chaunge, for "clynge," in line 4; and may, for "schal," in line 6.

Stanza LXXVIII.-Harl. reads the second line thus, As thay that lie agaynst the sonne; transposes the words in line 4, thus, For drie to gedur my hert is ronne; and inserts it between me is," in line 5.

Stanza LXXIX.-Mistaking "me" for ne, in line 3, Harl. reads nor hedur nor thedur; it also reads On for "And," in line 7.

Stanza LXXX.-The first line seems to require adyght, or ydyght, for the simple participle "dyght." The author rarely uses any old prefix; but igone in st. XCIII., and ipast in st. XCVIII., are proofs that he was not averse to the use of it, and intended to say idyght, to fill up his measure.