quite sufficient to know the date approximately. The dialect, which is more particularly discussed in § 22, is apparently that of the West of England. On account of the usefulness of references to good specimens of Middle English, I have attempted, in the Glossarial Index, to make a list of all the words in the poem, but omitting multiplication of references in the case of every word. See the note prefixed to the Glossarial Index on p. 61.
Edition for the Roxburghe Club
§ 19. The poem has been printed before, as I have said, by Mr. Stevenson, for the Roxburghe Club, in 1849; but the number of copies printed was limited, and the book is scarce; for which reason it is now reprinted for the Early English Text Society. Mr. Stevenson's text is not free from faults; it would seem to have been printed from an imperfect transcript without collation of the proofs wit the MS. itself. The MS. itself also has several faults.[1] In the following list of the variations from the MS. in Mr. Stevenson's edition, the former of the two forms gives the word as it stands in the MS.; the latter the word as it stands in his edition; the numbers referring to the lines. It does not include the editor's numerous substitutions of v for u, of th for þ, and of capital letters for small ones. 1. MS. weduring; Stevenson prints wedering. 2. rommede—roumede. 4. wondurful—wonderful. 31. miȝht—might. 32. wele—wel. 39. werrede—wercede. 44. sikurede—sikured. 51. hiddem—hidden hem (evidently an editorial correction; but no notice is given). 55. Aftur—After. 65. speche—speeche. 74. my silf—myselfe. 81. skile—skill. 82. kinguus—kingus. 88. wrecheli—wretheli. 100. seruauntus—servantus. 106. Whan—When. 107. enchesoun—enchesson; oþure—other; kinguus—kingus. 108, &c. ouur—over. 109. oþure—othur. 124. &—In. grouuede—grounede. 127.&—In. 136. spilden—spildin. 142. ludus—ludis. 143. mascedonius—Mascodomus; (cf. l. 1073). 145. mascedonius—Mastredomus (sic). 148. hem—him.
- ↑ The chief of these are pointed out in the margin of the present edition; see ll. 51, 69, &c. Some others are discussed in the Notes.
