for þe soþe schale be souȝte of ȝoure soules · so me god helpe,
Line 92
Þe suffraunce þat ȝe suffre · such wrongus to be wrouȝt;
While þe chaunce is in ȝoure choyse · cheose ȝe þe best]. [91—94. Occur in H only.]
ÞE king com from Counseyl · and cleped aftur Meede, [þe—counseyl] þe kinge fro coun|seil com T; þan þe kyng fro Counceil come D; Then cam þe kyng from þe counseyle H; þe king & his conseil com U. cleped] callide THUD.]
And of-sente hire a-swiþe · Seriauns hire to fette, [
The readings are,
And ofsente hire as swiþe seriauntis hire fecche (fette D) TD;
And sent aftur hir asswiþe · seriawntis hir fette H;
& of-sente here swithe · wiþ seriauntes here fette U.
In the latter, fette is transferred by mistake to the beginning of the line following.
] Line 96 And brouȝte hire to boure · with Blisse and with Ioye; [boure] borugh T; þe boure H. with—Ioye] þere þe king was ynne H.] [wiþ myrþe & wiþ mynstrasye · þei pleseden hir ychoone]. [Occurs in H only.] Corteisliche þe kyng · Cumseþ to telle, [Corteisliche] Certis TD. cum|seþ to telle] þoo seyde to mede H.] To Meede þe Mayden · [meleþ þeose] Wordes: [H omits this line. [meleþ þeose] There is no doubt that such should be the reading; but in V the scribe has mis-written it melodyes, which is nonsense; in T and H2 we find melis þise; in U it is moueþ þese; D corruptly has mekely þese.] Line 100 "[Unwittily, ywys,] · wrouht hastou ofte; [From T. V has the inferior reading, Qweynteliche, quaþ þe kyng; which makes the king begin to talk a third time. The other readings are, Certis unwysely H; Vnwittily wrought· hast þou wol ofte UD.] Bote worse wrouhtest þou neuere · þen whon þou fals toke. Ac I forȝiue þe þis gult · and graunte þe my grace; [H omits by mistake the last half of this line, and the first half of l. 104. my] TU omit.] Hennes to þi deþ day · do so no more. [do so] do þou so TUD; so þou do H.] Line 104 ¶ Ichaue a kniht hette Concience · com late from bi-ȝonde, [hette] U omits; D is here again corrupt.] Ȝif he wilne þe to wyf · wolt þou him haue?" [him haue] assente H.] ¶ "Ȝe, lord," quaþ þat ladi · "[Lord] for-beode hit elles! [ȝe] ȝa TU; ȝea H. [Lord TUD] V and H have God, which spoils the alliteration. hit] TH omit; U reads, lord it forbede elles.] Bote Ich holde me to oure heste · honge me sone!" [TDH2 omit this line. The others give,
Bote ich hoolly be at ȝoure heest · gurd off my nek H.
But y be holy at ȝour heste · hange me elles U.
] Line 108
