1994 Prospectus: Oxford, Corpus Christi College MS 201 (MS F) Documentary Edition Sample

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Incipit Passus Qvartus.

  	NOw is Meede þe Mayde / & no mo of alle.

  	I-browht by-fore þe kyng / with bedel & bayly.

  	A-non þe kyng kallid a Clerk / y knowe not his name.

  4	To take Meede þe Maide / & make hire at ese [*]

  	But y wille hire first a-say3e / & sotilly hire apose.

  	What wy3e of þis world / þat she were levest.  

  	& if she wirche be my wit / & my wille folwe.

  8	I wil for-gyve hire þe gyltis / so me god helpe.

  	¶ph;þanne þe Clerk curtesyly / dyde as þe kyng hym hyghte.

  	He took Meede by þe myddil / & mente hire to chambre. 

	& þe Clerk gan conforte hire / for gret conynge he hadde.

 12  	& fette furþ mirthe with menstralcy / Meede with to plese.

 	¶ph;Summe þat whonen at westmenstre / worchepe þey hire make.

  	fful Ientylly with Ioy3e / of þe Iustises manye.

  	Busked hem boldly to hire bour / þere þe beerde dwelliþ.

 16 	To conforte hire konyngly / by Clergyes leve.

 	Þey seide moorne not Meede / ne make þou no sorwe. 

	ffor we wille wisse þe kyng / & þy wey3e shape.

  	To be weddid at þy wille / & wher þe levest lykeþ.

 20 	ffor al consyecys craft / or cast / as y trowe.

 	¶ph;Þanne My3ldely Meede / mercyed hem alle. 

  	Of here grete goodnesse / & gaf to hem ecchone.

  	Cowpis / of klene gold / &with; cases of syluer.

 24 	Ryngis with rubyes / & rycchesse ful thykke.

 	ffor [*] þe leeste of here men / hadde a motoun of goolde.

  	Þan lawhte þei here leve / þo Lordis at Meede.

  	& with þat ; kemen Clerkys / & confortid hire þe same.

 28 	& beedyn hire be blythe / ffor we ben þyn owene.

 	ffor to wirche þy wille / þe whyles þou may laste.

  	Þanne she dede hendely / & be-hyghte hem þe same.

  	To loven hem lelly / & Loordis hem to make.

 32 	ffor in þe constorie in þe court / I shal do cowþe 3our name.

 	Shal no lewidnesse lettyn / þo clerkys þat y lovye.

  	Þat he worþ first a-vauncyd / for y am wel be-knowe.

 	Þere þat konynge clerkys / shulle knokke by-hy3nde.

 36 	¶ph;Þanne com þere a Confessoure / was coped as a ffrere.

 	To Meede þat Mayde / & meelyde þese wordis.

  	& seyde ful softly / as in scryfte it where.

  	Þey leernede men & lewede men / have leyn by þe boþe.

 40 	& þey ffals have defoulyd þe / þis fyftene wynter. 

	I shal a-soyle þe my-selue / for a seem of wheete.

 	& also ben þyn bedeman / & beere wel þyn name.

  	A-mongys Clerkys & knyghtys / here consyence to turne.

 44 	¶ph;Þan Meede for hire mysdedis / to þat; man turnede.

  	& shrof hire of hire shrewidnesse / shameles y trowe.

 	Whan she hadde told hire tale / she took hym a noble.

  	ffor to been hire bedeman / & hire brokour alse.

 48 	¶ph;A-non he assoylyd hire soone / & sytthen he seyde.  

  	We have a wyndowe wirchynge / wille sytte vs ful hy3e.

 	Wolde 3e glase þat gable / & grave þere-In 3oure name.

  	Sykirly sholde 3oure soule / in-to hevene sty3e.

 52 	¶ph;3ee wiste y þat quod Meede / þer is wyndowe ne awhter.

  	Þat y wolde do mende it / or make it at þe fulle. 

 	& do peynte me & myn name / a-pertly þere-Inne.

  	Þat ech a segge sholde see / I am syster to 3ow alle.

 56 	But god / to goode folke / swich grauynge defendiþ.

  	& wrytynge in wyndowis / of here wel dedys.

 	Ne awhter do peynte / for pompe of þe peple.

  	ffor crist knowith þyn consyence / & þyn kende wille.

 60 	Boþe þe coost & þy coueytyse / & who þe catel awhte.

  	Nesciat sinistra ; quid faciat dextera

 	Leete nowht þyn lyft half / neyþer late ne rathe;

  	Weetyn what þou wyrchist / with þyn ryght syde.

 64 	ffor þus biddis þe gospel / goodmen dos þerafter.

  	Mey3res with here Macerys / þat meenys been be-twene

 	Þe kyng / & þe Comounys / to kepen wel þe Lawys.

  	& punsshyn vpon pylory / & on pynynge stolys.

 68 	Boþe websteres & bakesterys / & bocheres & Cookys.

Notes

4 form = "a tese" Back

25 A vaguely triangular hole in the ms is patched so that nothing shows through from below in a more recent microfilm. The scribe indents this line three spaces, the next three lines four or five spaces and then tapers back out to the regular left margin, so the hole was in the ms originally. Back