ANCRENE WISSE, PART ONE: FOOTNOTES
1 Her biginneth . . . beoth to seggen, Here begins the first book [which is] about hours and prayers which are good to say.
2 Hwen ye earst ariseth . . . seggeth, When you first arise, cross yourself and say.
2-3 In nomine Patris . . . Amen, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen" (monastic invocation to the Trinity).
3 biginneth anan, begin (imper.) at once; Veni, Creator Spiritus, "Come, Creator Spirit" (hymn to the Holy Spirit, often attributed to Rabanus Maurus).
4-5 with up ahevene ehnen . . . with the verset, with eyes and hands lifted up towards heaven, bowing on knees forward upon the bed, and say out thus (i.e., in this posture) all the hymn with the versicle.
5-6 Emitte spiritum tuum, "Send forth your spirit" (versicle based on Psalm 103:30).
6 ant te ureisun, and the prayer (te = reduced form of the); Deus, qui corda fidelium, "God, who [did teach] the hearts of the faithful" (prayer to the Holy Spirit).
6-7 Her-efter, scheoiende ow . . . seggeth, After that, putting on your shoes and clothes (lit., shoeing yourself and clothing yourself), say.
7 Pater noster ant Credo, "Our Father" (i.e., the Lord's Prayer) and "I believe" (i.e., the Apostles' Creed).
7-8 Jesu Criste, fili Dei . . . miserere nobis, "Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us, you who thought it worthy (or, deigned) to be born of the Virgin, have mercy on us" (a prayer).
8-10 This word seggeth . . . sitten ye other stonden, Say (imper.) this word (or, speech) continually until you are completely ready. Have (imper.) this word much in use (i.e., use this prayer often) and in [your] mouth often, each time that you can, [whether] you sit or stand.
11-13 Hwen ye beoth . . . with theose gretunges, When you are completely ready, sprinkle yourself with holy water, which you always ought to have [available], and think on God's flesh (or, body) and on his precious blood, which is above the high altar, and fall down towards it with these greetings.
14-29 Ave, principium nostre creationis . . . Cum Patre, et cetera, "Hail, beginning of our creation, / Hail, price of our redemption, / Hail, viaticum (i.e., allowance for a journey; or, Eucharist at the last rites) for our pilgrimage, / Hail, reward of our expectation, / Hail, comfort for our patient suffering. // Be our joy, / You who will be [our] reward. / May our glory [be] in You / through all [time], for ever and ever. // Stay with us, O Lord. / Take away the dark night; / Wash clean every wrong; / Grant a holy remedy. // Glory [be] to you, O Lord, / You who were born of the Virgin. / With the Father, etc." (a prayer, or hymn typically recited at the elevation of the host).
30-31 Alswa ye schule . . . schule beon i-huslet, You ought to do likewise when the priest holds it (i.e., the host) up at the mass, and before the "I confess" (i.e., the form of confession used in the mass) when you are given the Eucharist (lit., houseled).
31-32 Efter this falleth o cneon . . . Godes fif wunden, After this, fall on [your] knees at your Crucifix with these five greetings, in remembrance of God's five wounds.
32-34 Adoramus te, Christe . . . qui passus es pro nobis, "We worship You, Christ, and bless You because You have, through the Holy Cross, redeemed the world. We worship Your Cross, O Lord. We contemplate Your glorious passion. Have mercy on us, You who have suffered for us" (antiphon and response for matins on the Feasts of the Invention and Exaltation of the Cross).
35-38 Salve, crux sancta . . . Mundi tulit talentum, "Hail, Holy Cross, / Worthy tree, / Whose precious strength / Bore the weight of the world" (hymn for the Mass of the Cross).
39-40 Salve crux, que . . . margaritis ornata, "Hail [O] Cross, [you] who are consecrated in the body of Christ, and by His limbs are decorated as with pearls" (antiphon for the Feast of St. Andrew).
41-46 O crux, lignum triumphale . . . egras sana, "O Cross, victorious wood, / True safety of the world, hail. / Among wood (or, trees) [there is] no such [a one] / In leaf, flower, bud. // Christian medicine, / Save the healthy (fem.), heal the sick (fem.)" (stanzas from the hymn Laudes crucis atollamus).
47 beateth, (imper.) beat.
47-48 Quod non valet . . . in tuo nomine, "What human strength is not strong [enough] for, [let it] be [done] in your name."
49-50 Hwa-se ne con theos five . . . gretunges, Whosoever does not know these five say the first, "We worship you" (see gloss to 1.32-35 above) kneeling, five times and cross yourself with each one of these greetings.
50-51 Miserere nostri . . . nobis, "Have mercy on us, [you] who have suffered for us" (the end of the response in the Adoramus te - see gloss to 1.32-34 above).
51-52 beateth ower heorte . . . with the thume, beat your heart (i.e., chest) and kiss the earth, crossed with the thumb.
52-55 Th'refter wendeth ow . . . yef ei is i-halhet, After that (lit., thereafter), direct yourself to our Lady's likeness and kneel with five "Aves," and lastly to the other images, and bow to your relics or kneel, namely to the saints to which you have turned your altars, so much more readily if any [of them] is consecrated (lit., hallowed).
56-58 Ther-efter anan-riht . . . ba stille, Immediately after that (lit., thereafter at once) [say] our Lady's matins (lit., morning song) - and say [it] in this way: if it is a work day, fall to the ground; if it is a holiday (i.e., feast day), bowing somewhat downward say, "Our Father" (i.e., the Lord's Prayer) and "I believe" (i.e., the Apostles' Creed).
58-59 Rihteth ow up . . . with the thume, Straighten yourself up after that and say, "Lord, open my lips" (versicle based on Psalm 50:17). Make a cross on your mouth with the thumb.
59-62 Ed Deus in adiutorium . . . Sicut erat, At "God [come] to [my] aid" (Psalm 69:2 as a response, recited at the beginning of each of the canonical hours except compline), [make] a large cross with the thumb and with the two fingers, from above the forehead down to the chest, and fall to the ground - if it is a work day, with the "Glory [be] to the Father" (i.e., the lesser doxology) or bow down if it is a holiday (i.e., feast day) until the "As it was [in the beginning]" (i.e., the last verse of the Gloria Patri).
62-68 Thus ed euch Gloria Patri . . . to ther eorthe, So (i.e., do the same - make the sign of the Cross) at the beginning (or, start) of the "Come" (i.e., the "invitation" to matins, Psalm 94) and in (i.e., during) the "Come," at "Come, let us adore" (Psalm 94:6) and at the "Hail Mary," and wheresoever you hear Mary's name named, and at each "Our Father" that belongs (lit., falls) to your hours and to the "I believe" (i.e., the Apostles' Creed), and to the collect at each and every canonical hour (lit., tide), and at the final verse of each and every (lit., every each) hymn, and at the last verse but one of the psalm, "Bless, Lord, all the works of the Lord" (the canticle of the three children - see Daniel 3:57). At all these very [things], if it is a holiday, bow somewhat downward. If it is a work day, fall to the ground.
68-69 Ed te biginnunge . . . as ich ear tahte, At the beginning of each and every canonical hour, [start] with.
69 Deus in adiutorium, "God [come] to [my] aid" (Psalm 69, recited at the beginning of each canonical hour except compline).
69-70 makieth rode-taken . . . te dei is, make the sign of the Cross (lit., Rood-token), as I taught [you] before. At "Come, Creator" (see gloss to 1.3) bow or kneel according to what the day is (i.e., which day it is).
70-73 With Memento . . . Homo factus est, At "Remember, Author of salvation" (from a Christmas hymn, Christe redemptor omnium), always fall down, and at this word - "Once born, You took on [our] form" (a later verse in the same hymn) - kiss the earth and also in the "We praise You, God" (i.e., the "Te Deum," a famous hymn intregal to matins) at this word (or, phrase): "You did not shudder at [the thought of entering] the Virgin's womb" (a later verse in the "Te Deum") and at the mass in the great "I believe" (i.e., the Apostles' Creed) at "from the Virgin Mary," and "[He] was made man" (later verses in the Creed).
74-76 Euch-an segge . . . i the dahunge, Let each one say her hours as she has written them [down], and each [canonical] hour separately, as far as you can, say in its [proper] time, rather too soon than too late if you cannot always keep the time. Matins by night in winter, in summer at the dawning (or, daybreak).
76-78 This winter schal biginnen . . . Pretiosa th'refter, This winter will begin at the Holy Cross Day (i.e., September 14) in the fall, and last until Easter. Prime [will be] early in winter, in summer around morning, and "Precious [in the sight of the Lord]" after that (Psalm 115:15, opening to a quasi-office associated with prime).
78-79 Yef ye habbeth neode . . . swa neodeth, If you have an urgent need to speak (lit., if you have need to speak because of any impetuosity, or haste), you may say it before and after matins immediately if it is thus necessary.
79-82 Non eaver efter mete . . . for ye eoteth twien, As long as summer lasts, [let] None (i.e., the canonical hour at midday, originally the ninth) always [be] after the meal, except when you all are fasting, and, when you sleep (i.e., take midday nap), after sleep. In winter, [let None come] before the meal, when you are all fasting; on Sunday (lit., the Sunday), however, [let it come] after the meal since you eat twice.
82-83 Ed te an salm . . . ant buhen, At the first (lit., one) psalm [of each canonical hour], you will stand if you are able, and at the second sit, and always with the "Glory to the Father" [you will] rise up and bow.
83-86 Hwa-se mei stonden . . . the Pater noster, Whosoever can stand, all for our Lady's honor, [let her] stand for God's sake (lit., side). At all of the seven [canonical] hours sing (imper.) "Our Father," and "Hail, Mary" both before and after; [sing] "Souls of the faithful" (versicle concluding prime) after each hour, before the "Our Father."
86-87 Ed threo tiden . . . haldeth silence, At [these] three hours, say "I believe" with "Our Father": 1) before matins and 2) after prime, and 3) after compline; from your compline until after "Precious [in the Lord's sight]" keep silence (Psalm 115:15 - see gloss to 1.76-78 above).
88-90 Efter even-song anan . . . efter uht-song, After vespers (lit., evensong) say at once your "I shall please [the Lord]" (an antiphon from the Office of the Dead, based on Psalm 114:9) each night when you are at leisure (or, are able), unless it be a holy night for a feast of nine lessons which comes in the morning, before compline, or after vespers.
90 Dirige, "Direct [my path]" (an antiphon from the Office of the Dead, based on Psalm 5:8).
90-92 In aniversaries . . . lux perpetua luceat eis, On anniversaries [of the death] of your dearest friends say all nine [lessons]. In place of "Gloria" at the end of each psalm, [say] "Give them eternal peace, Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them" (versicle and response from the Office of the Dead).
92-94 Ed Placebo . . . Laudate al ut, At "I shall please [the Lord]" sit until "[My soul shall] magnify [the Lord]" (the "Magnificat," from the Office of the Dead, based on Luke 1:46), likewise [sit] at "Direct [my path]," except at the lessons, at the "Have mercy" (Psalm 50, used in the Office of the Dead) and from "Praise [the Lord]" (Psalm 150, used in the Office of the Dead) completely to the end (lit., all out).
94 Requiescant in pace . . . Benedicamus, [Say] "May they rest in peace" (versicle from the Office of the Dead) in the place of (or, instead of) "Let us bless [the Lord]" (versicle recited near the end of the day).
95-96 Ine marhen . . . other stondinde, In the morning or at night after the intercessory prayers (lit., suffrages) of matins say the Commendation (see glossary), [say] the psalms sitting, the prayers kneeling or standing.
96-98 Yef ye thus doth . . . the mete-graces, If you do thus each night except Sunday night only, you do much better. On a one-meal-day we (i.e., members of our order) say both "I shall please [the Lord]" and "Direct [my path]" (see glosses to lines 88-90 above) after the prayers of thanks for food (lit., food-graces).
98 I twi-mel-dei . . . mote don, On a two-meal-day [we say them] after None, and you may do likewise.
99 Seove psalmes (i.e., the seven penitential psalms: 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142); fletanie, Litany; Fiftene psalmes (i.e., the fifteen gradual psalms, often recited for private devotion: 119-33).
100 o this wise, in this way.
100-02 the earste five . . . the forme five, the first five for yourself and for all who do or wish good to you. The second five for the peace of all Holy Church, the third five for all Christians' souls. After the first five [say].
102-04 Kyrie eleison . . . cui proprium est, "Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy" (a prayer used in both the mass and the divine office); "Our Father" . . . "and [lead] us not [into temptation]"; "Save your servants and handmaidens, my God, [who] are hoping in you" (versicle and response based on Psalm 85:2, 16:7); Let us pray: "God, whose nature it is [always to forgive]" (prayer).
105-07 Domine, fiat pax . . . placatus, "Lord, let there be peace in your strength and abundance in your towers" (Psalm 121:7 as versicle); Let us pray: "We beseech you to be pleased with the prayers of your church" (prayer).
107-09 Efter the thridde five . . . Deus omnium, After the third five, without the "Glory be to the Father" you must say "Lord have mercy"; three [times] "Our Father" . . . "and [lead] us not [into temptation]"; "From the gate of hell, O Lord, deliver their souls" (versicle from the Office of the Dead); Let us pray: "God, [Creator and Redeemer] of all the faithful" (prayer).
110-13 abuten under . . . hare meassen, around Tierce (or, morning), for around such time as people sing mass in all religious orders and our Lord suffered pain upon the Cross, you ought to be especially in prayers and in petitions, and likewise from Prime until mid-morning, when priests of the world (i.e., secular priests) sing their masses.
114 an Godd, one God.
115-19 ant thah is mihte . . . leovest, and nevertheless in Holy Writ power is directed to You, especially, You precious Father; wisdom to You, blessed Son; love to You, Holy Spirit. Give me, [O] one almighty God threefold in three persons (or, occupations), these very three things: power to serve You, wisdom to please You, love and desire to do it - power that I may do, wisdom that I can do, love that I want to do always what is most dear to You.
119-21 As thu art ful . . . of the, As you are full of every good - likewise, [there] is no lack of good where these three are: power and wisdom and love, joined together - [I pray] that You [may] grant them to me, Holy Trinity, in the worship of You.
122-26 Verset: Benedicamus . . . the wulle, Versicle: "Let us bless the Father and the Son along with the Holy Spirit; let us praise and exalt Him above all others forever" (versicle for Trinity Sunday); Let us pray: "Omnipotent, eternal God, You who have granted Your servants in the confession of the true faith to know the glory of the eternal Trinity" (prayer for Trinity Sunday). "Alpha and Omega" (a famous hymn to the Trinity by Hildebert of Lavardin [1056-1133] - see also Revelations 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13) - whoever has it (i.e., by heart), or whoever wants [may] say some other [prayer] about the Holy Trinity.
127-29 "A Jesu . . . deore-wurthe Laverd," "Ah, Jesus, [grant me] Your grace! Jesus, hung on a Cross for my sins, by the very five wounds [from] which You bled on it, heal my bloody soul of all the sins which she is wounded with by my five senses. That it [may] be so, in the memory of them (i.e., the five wounds), precious Lord, [I will pray]."
129-32 Fif Pater nostres . . . sancte crucis, [Say] five "Our Fathers"; versicle: "Let all the earth adore You, and recite a psalm to Your name"; Let us pray: "O righteous Judge" (hymn probably by Berengar of Tours [999-1088]) - if you can (or, know [it]), or [say] some other [prayer] about the Cross - "God, who by the precious blood of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, [wanted to sanctify] the emblem (or, standard) of the Holy Cross."
134 yiftes, gifts.
134-38 thet ich ham mote habben . . . eadi nome, that I might have them, and for the seven hours (i.e., the liturgical hours) that Holy Church sings, that I [may] share in them, [whether] I sleep or wake, and for the seven prayers in the "Our Father" against the seven capital and mortal sins, that you protect me from them and all their branches (or, perhaps, miseries - see glossary) and give me the seven happy blessings (or, happinesses) which You have, Lord, promised Your elect in Your blessed name."
138-40 Seove Pater nostres . . . preces, [Say] seven "Our Fathers"; versicle: "Send forth Your spirit" (versicle based on Psalm 103:30); Let us pray: "God, to whom every heart opens" (collect); We beg You, Lord, [to hear the prayers] of Your church; We beg You to hear, Lord, the prayers of the supplicants" (prayer from the Litany).
141-43 "For the ten heastes . . . Laverd," "For the ten commandments which I have broken, some or all, and for myself - for whatever of anything else which is tithed (i.e., which I have tithed) unfaithfully to You - in repentance for these breaches (or, violations), in order to reconcile myself to You, precious Lord, [I will say]."
143-45 verset: Ego dixi . . . misereri, versicle: "I said to the Lord, have mercy on me, heal my spirit, because I have sinned against You" (a response); Let us pray: "God, whose nature it is [always to forgive]" (prayer).
145-47 "[I] the wurthgunge . . . blisfule Laverd," "In honor, Jesus Christ, of Your twelve Apostles, that I might everywhere follow their teaching, that I might have through their prayers the twelve branches which blossom with love, as Saint Paul writes, blessed Lord [I will say]."
148-49 verset: Annuntiaverunt . . . presidiis, versicle: "They made known the works of God; and understood His deeds" (versicle and response for the Feast of the Apostles); Let us pray: "Hear us, God our salvation, and watch over us with the protection of Your Apostles" (collect for the Feast of the Apostles).
150-53 H[a]lhen the ye luvieth best . . . Laverd, The saints which you love best - in their honor say either more or less as your heart directs (lit., as [it] best weighs You in heart), and [say] the versicle[s] afterwards with their collect: "For all those who have done any good to me, said [it] to me, or wished [it] to me, and for all those who accomplish the six works of mercy, [O] merciful Lord [I will say]."
153-54 verset: Dispersit . . . Domine, versicle: "He has bestowed, He has given [to the poor]; His justice remains" (versicle and response for lauds); Let us pray: "Condescend to reward, Lord" (prayer for after the meal).
155 Hwa-se wule . . . Pater nostres, Whoever wants [may] say the psalm "To You I have lifted up [my eyes]" (Psalm 122) before the "Our Fathers."
157-59 beoth forth-fearen . . . Laverd, which have departed in the belief of the four Gospels which hold up all Christendom on four sides (i.e., corners), [I pray] that You [may] give them the four bridal-gifts in heaven, gracious Lord.
159-61 Yef ye seggeth nihene . . . betere, If you say nine - as there are nine troops of angels - [so] that God through His mercy [may] hurry them (i.e., the departed souls) out of pain into their (i.e., the angels') fellowship - you do even better.
161 De profundis, "From the Depths" (Psalm 129, one of the seven penitential Psalms).
162-63 Kyrie eleison . . . Fidelium, "Lord have mercy" three [times]; versicle: "From the gate of hell [deliver their souls]" (antiphon from the Office of the Dead); Let us pray: "[O God, Creator and Savior] of all the faithful" (prayer from the Litany).
164-67 Bi dei sum time . . . other asse, By day some time, or by night, gather in your heart all sick and sorrowful [people] who suffer distress and poverty, the pains which prisoners suffer and experience where they lie, weighed down heavily with iron, especially for the Christians who are in heathen lands, some in prison, some in as much servitude (or, slavery) as [an] ass is or ox.
167-69 Habbeth reowthe . . . are, Have pity on those who are in severe temptations: set all their sorrows in your heart and sigh to our Lord that He [may] take pity on them and look at them with the eye of His grace.
170 hwile, time.
170-72 Levavi oculos . . . famulabus, "I have lifted [my] eyes [to the mountains]" (Psalm 120); "Our Father"; versicle: "Return, O Lord - How long [will you stay away]? And be receptive to your servants" (prayer for Ash Wednesday); Let us pray: "Stretch out, Lord, [your right hand] to your servants and handmaids" (collect in the Litany).
173 heveth up . . . stondinde, lifts up God's body, say (imper.) this verse, standing.
174-75 Ecce salus . . . verus homo, "Behold the salvation of the world, the word of the Father, the true sacrifice (or, Host), living flesh, divinity complete, true man" (invocation in the consecration).
176-86 Ave, principium . . . Gloria tibi, Domine, "Hail, beginning of our creation, / Hail, price of our redemption, / Hail, viaticum (i.e., allowance for a journey; or, Eucharist at the last rites) for our pilgrimage, / Hail, reward of our expectation, / Hail, comfort for our patient suffering. // Be our joy, / You who will be [our] reward. / May our glory [be] in You / Through all [time]. Amen. // Stay with us, O Lord. // Glory [be] to You, O Lord" (see gloss to 1.14-29 above).
187-94 Set quis est locus . . . famule tue, But what place is there in me where my God may come into me, where God may come and remain in me, the God who created heaven and earth? Is it so, Lord, my God? Is [there] something in me which captures (or, contains) You? Who will grant to me that You may come into my heart and make it drunk and that I may embrace You, my one good? Who are You to me? Have mercy so I may speak. My spirit is a narrow house for You. In order that You come to it, let it be enlarged by You. It is broken down: restore it. It may have [things] which offend Your eyes, I confess and know, but who will clean it? Or to whom else except You will I cry out? Cleanse me, Lord, from my hidden [sins], and spare Your servant from others (i.e., other sins)" (Based on Augustine, Confessions, Book 1, chs. 2 and 5).
195 Miserere . . . magnam, "Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy on me, God, according to [Your] great [compassion]" (Psalm 50, used in the Office of the Dead).
195-96 ant swa al the salm . . . twien, and so [say] the psalm out with "Glory be to the Father" (the doxology) and "Christ, hear us" (an antiphon) twice.
196-203 Kyrie eleison . . . Dominum, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy"; "Our Father"; "I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen." (the Apostles' Creed); "Save Your servant, my God, who hopes in You" (versicle and response based on Psalm 85:2, 16:7); "Teach me to do Your will, because You are my God" (from Psalm 142:10); "Lord, hear my prayer, and may my cries reach You" (Psalm 101, one of the penitential Psalms); Let us pray: "Grant, we ask, all-powerful God, that Him whom we see obscurely and in a strange form, on whom we dine sacramentally on earth, we may see Him face to face, and that we may be worthy to delight in Him in heaven just as He actually and truly is, through the same Lord" (prayer for the Lauds of Our Lady).
203-06 Efter the measse-cos . . . easkith, After the kiss of peace (lit., mass-kiss), when the priest consecrates [the Eucharist] - there forget all the world, there be completely out of [your] body, there in sparkling (or, shining) love embrace your beloved (or, lover) who has lighted (or, descended) from heaven into the bower of your breast (or, heart), and hold Him firmly until He has granted you all that you ever ask.
207 This ureisun . . . strengthe, This prayer, [recited] before the great Cross, is of great power.
208-09 hwa-se mei . . . derve pine, whoever can - whoever cannot then, at some other time - [should] think on God's Cross and His cruel pain, as much as she ever most knows how or is able.
209-11 Ant biginne . . . bone, And [let her] begin afterwards the same five greetings (or, salutations) which are written above, and also kneel at each one and make the sign of the Cross, as it says there (i.e., above), and beat your (lit., the) breast and make one such prayer [as this].
212-13 Adoramus te . . . lignum, "(1) We worship You, Christ. (2) [We worship] Your Cross. (3) Hail, Holy Cross. (4) Hail, O Cross, which. . . . (5) O, Cross, wood [victorious]" (i.e., the five greetings mentioned above).
213 antefne, antiphon.
213-14 Salva nos . . . crucis, "Save us, Christ [our] savior, by the power of the Holy Cross" (antiphon from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross).
214-20 rode-taken . . . sanctam crucem as ear, sign of the Cross and say standing the psalm, "Rejoice [in the Lord]" (Psalm 99) with "Glory be to the Father" (the doxology). And then say the antiphon always in this way: "Save us, Christ [our] Savior, by the power of Your Holy Cross" (antiphon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross) and make the sign of the Cross with "[You] who have saved Peter on the ocean, have mercy on us" (antiphon based on Matthew 14:28-31) and beat [your] breast and then fall down and say, "Christ, hear us. Jesus Christ, hear us" (an antiphon); "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy"; "Our Father" . . . "and [lead] us not [into temptation]" (Lord's prayer); versicle: "Our protector, God, see and look into the face of Your Christ" (based on Psalm 83:10); Let us pray: "God, who [ascended] the Holy Cross" (antiphon for matins) as before.
220-27 Eft biginne . . . in sanctis eius, Begin again "We worship" (see gloss to 1.32-34 above) as before, all five; "Save us, Christ," the antiphon as before, the psalm "To you [Lord] I have lifted up [my eyes]" (Psalm 122); [say] the antiphon as before completely out (i.e., to the end), and then as before [kneel] to the ground; "Christ, hear us" twice; "Lord have mercy" three [times]; "Our Father" . . . "and [lead] us not [into temptation]"; versicle: "Our Protector," as before; Let us pray: "Defend (lit., be present), we pray, O Lord our God, those whom You cause to rejoice in the Holy Cross" (prayer for after the Mass of the Holy Cross) - a third time [say these prayers] just so, and a fourth time, and a fifth: change nothing at all except the psalms and the prayers. The first psalm [is] "Rejoice [in the Lord]" (Psalm 99), the second, "To You I have lifted up [my eyes]" (Psalm 122), the third, "Those who trust [in the Lord]" (Psalm 124), the fourth, "Lord, [my heart] is not lifted up" (Psalm 130), the fifth, "Praise the Lord in His sanctuary" (Psalm 150).
228-30 Ant in euch beoth . . . intemerata, And in each [there] are five verses. The five prayers are: "Lord, who [ascended] the Holy Cross" (collect); "Defend, Lord, we pray" (post-communion prayer); "God, who for us [consented that] Your Son should suffer" (collect); "God, who [with the precious blood] of Your only begotten Son" (mass prayer for Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross); "Upright Judge" (hymn); with "O blessed and unsullied" (variant of a prayer to the Virgin and St. John).
230-31 Ant hwa-se . . . salmes, And whoever does not know these five prayers, may always say one. And whoever thinks [it] too long may leave out the psalms.
232-35 Leafdi Seinte Marie . . . of heovene, Lady, Saint Mary, for the same great joy which you had within you in the very time that Jesus God, God's son, after the angel's greeting, took flesh and blood in you and from you, receive my greeting with the same "Hail" [as the angel used] and make me think little of each external joy, but comfort me within and obtain for me those [joys] from heaven.
235-37 Ant ase wis . . . sunnen, And as surely as in that same body which He took of you [there] was no sin, nor in yours - as people believe [that your body was sinless] after this same taking (i.e., the incarnation), whatever [it] might have been before - cleanse my soul of bodily sins.
238-40 Ave athet . . . sithen, "Hail [Mary]" until "The Lord be with you" (i.e., end of the first verse of the "Ave") as one begins the antiphon, and then the psalm, and after the psalm, [said] out completely five times, and so at [the end of] each psalm [say] "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord be with you" (the "Ave," based on Luke 1:28). "[My soul] magnifies [the Lord]" (the "Magnificat," based on Luke 1:46); "Hail, Mary" out completely five times.
241-44 tha thu sehe . . . of dede, when you saw the same joyful Son born from your pure body for mankind's healing (or, salvation), without ever any rupture, with intact virginity and virgin's honor, heal me who, I fear, am shattered by desire (or, by my will), whatever [the case may] be concerning [my] actions.
244-45 Ant yef me . . . ferredden, And give (or, grant) me in heaven to see your joyful face, and at least to behold the virgins' honor, if I am not worthy to be blessed in their companionship.
246-47 Ave, Maria . . . ear five, "Hail, Mary full of grace, [may] the Lord [be] with you"; "When I was in trouble [I cried out] to the Lord" (Psalm 119, first of 15 gradual psalms); "Hail" - five, as before.
248-52 tha thu sehe . . . in heovene, when you saw your dear precious Son after His cruel death arise to joyful life, His body seven times brighter than the sun, give (or, grant) me to die with Him and arise in Him - to die worldly (i.e., with respect to the world), to live spiritually - to share in His pains as a comrade on earth, in order to be His comrade in joy in heaven.
252-53 of his blisful ariste . . . muchele sorhe, from His joyful resurrection after your great sorrow.
253 ich am in her, I am in here.
254 Retribue servo tuo, "Restore your servant" (Psalm 118:7).
255-59 tha thu sehe . . . blissen, when you saw your bright, joyful Son, whom the Jews hoped to suffocate (or, kill) in the tomb, rise so worthily and so powerfully on Holy Thursday to His joy into His kingdom of heaven, grant me to throw all the world under foot (lit., feet) and climb with Him to heavenly joys - now, in heart (lit., heartily); when I die, spiritually; on Judgment Day, quite bodily.
259 Ave, Maria . . . tecum, "Hail, Mary, fully of grace, the Lord be with you" (first line of the "Ave").
259-60 In convertendo, "[The Lord] in reversing [the captivity of Zion]" (Psalm 125, one of the 15 gradual psalms).
261-64 thet fulde al the eorthe . . . in heovene, which filled all the earth when He received you into immeasurable (or, unimaginable) joy and with His joyful arms set you in the throne and [set] the queen's crown on [your] head, brighter than the sun, [O] high heavenly queen, receive these greetings from me in such a way on earth that I might greet you joyfully in heaven.
265 Ad te levavi, "To you I have lifted up [my eyes]" (Psalm 122, one of the 15 gradual psalms).
265-67 verset: Spiritus sanctus . . . Gratiam tuam, versicle: "The Holy Spirit will come over you and the strength of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35 as versicle for the Feast of the Assumption); Let us pray: "[Pour out] your grace" (collect for Easter vespers of Our Lady).
267 Antefne, [and say this] antiphon.
268-73 Ave, Regina celorum . . . exora, "Hail, Queen of heaven, / Hail, Ruler (lit., Lady) of angels, / Greetings, Sacred Root (or, source), / From whom light has arisen to the world, / Hail, O exceedingly beautiful [one], / And always pray to Christ for us" (antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady).
274-75 Verset: Egredietur . . . aulam, Versicle: "A shoot will spring out from the root of Jesse, and a flower will rise up from his root" (Isaiah 11:1 as a versicle and response). Let us pray: "God, who [lowered Himself to choose] the virginal palace (i.e., Mary's womb)" (collect for the Feast of the Assumption).
276-83 Gaude, Dei Genitrix . . . Interventrix, "Rejoice, Mother of God, unblemished Virgin, / Rejoice, [you] who have received joy from the angel, / Rejoice, [you] who have given birth to the splendor of eternal light, / Rejoice, Mother. / Rejoice, holy Virgin, Mother of God, / You alone are a virgin-Mother, / Every creature of your Son praises you, Mother of light, / Be for us a holy Intercessor (fem.)" (antiphon for Tierce of Our Lady).
284-85 Verset: Ecce, Virgo . . . utero, versicle: "Behold, a Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and His name will be called Emmanuel" (Isaiah 7:14, as a capitulum); Let us pray: "God, who from the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary" (prayer).
286-90 Gaude, Virgo . . . Dominum, "Rejoice, [O] Virgin, / Rejoice, Mother of God, / And rejoice, Mary, joy of all the faithful. / May the church, never ceasing, rejoice in your praises, / And, holy Lady, make us rejoice with you before the Lord" (untraced antiphon).
291-92 Verset: Ecce, concipies . . . generi, versicle: "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus" (based on Luke 1:31); Let us pray: "God, [You] who by the fruitful virginity of eternally blessed Mary [have obtained the reward] of salvation for the human race" (collect for the Tierce and Vespers of Our Lady).
294-99 Alma Redemptoris . . . miserere, "Gracious Mother of the Redeemer, who remains the accessible (or, open) gate of heaven / And star of the sea, help the falling people / To rise, who care to rise; you who have given birth to - / Nature was dumbfounded - your holy Father, / Virgin before and afterwards, from the mouth of Gabriel / Receiving that 'Hail,' have mercy on sinners" (an eleventh-century hymn sometimes used as an antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin).
300 Her sitteth . . . hwile, Sit here [to say] the "Aves," fifty or a hundred, or more or less according to [whether] one has time.
301-02 verset: Ecce, ancilla Domini . . . virginum, versicle: "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 as antiphon for the Feast of the Annunciation); Let us pray: "O holy Virgin of virgins" (a collect by Marbod of Rennes).
302-03 Hwa-se wule . . . tale of Avez, Whoever wants may stop above right after the first prayer, "[Pour out] your grace" (collect for Easter vespers of Our Lady), and [let her] say then her full count of "Aves."
304 Ad te levavi, "To you I have lifted up [my eyes]" (Psalm 122).
304-07 Eaver bivore . . . bi five, Before the psalm, always begin (imper. pl.) [with] one "Hail" until "The Lord [be] with you" and say the psalm standing. The psalms are chosen (lit., taken) according to the five letters of our Lady's name - whoever pays (lit., takes) attention [will see] - and all this same prayer runs by fives according to her five highest (or, most exalted) joys.
307 Tele i the antefnes, count (imper.) in the antiphons.
307-09 The ureisuns . . . kunnen, The prayers, which I have but (i.e., only) indicated, except the last [one], are written everywhere. Have written on a scroll whatsoever you do not know.
309-10 other-hwiles, sometimes.
311-12 swetest alre leafdi . . . mulierum, sweetest of all ladies, Lady, most beloved Lady, loveliest Lady. "O most beautiful of women" (Song of Songs 5:9, 17).
312 deore-wurthe, precious.
313 cwen of are . . . are, queen of grace, Lady, have mercy on me (lit., do me grace).
314 milce, mercy.
315-20 O Virgo virginum . . . et cetera, "O Virgin of virgins, / Mary Mother of grace, / Mother of mercy, / Protect us from the enemy / And receive [us] at the hour of death. / Through your Son, Virgin, / Through the Father, and the Paraclete (i.e., the Holy Spirit), / May you be present at [our] passing away, / And prepare a way for our departure. / Glory be to You, Lord, / [You] who were born from the Virgin, etc." (hymn).
326-27 Ant fallen . . . thus forth, And fall (imper., pl.) to the ground and kiss it (lit., her) at this last verse, whoever is in good health (lit., healthy headed), and then ten "Hail [Mary]s," and [say those] ten together, the tenth always [say it] out this way.
327-29 Ave, Maria . . . ventris tui, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord be with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (the "Ave," based on Luke 1:28, 42).
329-30 Spiritus sanctus . . . Filius Dei, "The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And therefore the holy one [who] will be born from you will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35 as versicle for the Feast of the Assumption).
330-31 Ecce ancilla . . . verbum tuum, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 as antiphon for the Feast of the Annunciation).
331-32 ant cusse . . . as ear, and kiss (imper.) the ground at the end, or a step, or a bench, or something higher, and begin, "Lady, sweet Lady," as before.
332-37 The forme tene . . . i the frumthe, [Say] the first ten of the fifty kneeling [alternatively] up and down; the second [group of ten] kneeling upright and still, except at the "Hail Mary" [you should make] some show [of kneeling] with the other knee a little; [say] the third ten down and upon the elbows right to the ground; [say] the fourth, the elbows on a step, or on a bench, and always bow your head (lit., with the head) at the "Hail"; the fifth ten [say] standing, and begin the cycle (lit., turn) again as at the start.
338-42 Al thet ye eaver seggeth . . . grace, All that you ever say of other prayers of this kind, [such] as "Our Fathers," and "Hail [Mary]s" in your own way, psalms and prayers, I am well pleased [with]. [Let] each one say as her heart best directs (lit., as [it] best weighs her in heart) the recitation of the Psalter, reading of English or French, holy meditations, your kneelings whenever (lit., whensoever) you can attend to [them], before meals (lit., food) and after - always as you do more, so [may] God further increase His precious grace [in] you.
342-44 Ah lokith swa . . . awakenin, But so look [to it], I beg you, that you are never unoccupied, but work or read or be in prayers and thus always do something [from] which good may arise (lit., awake).
344-45 The ures of the Hali Gast . . . tide, The hours of the Holy Spirit - if you want to say them, say each hour of them before our Lady's hour.
346-48 Toward te preostes . . . i-writen ow, Listen (imper.) to the priest's hours as far as you can, but [you] must not either recite or sing with him [so] that he might hear it. [Say] your graces (i.e., prayers of thanks at mealtimes) standing before meals (lit., food) and after, as they are written for you.
348-49 Ant with the Miserere . . . segge, And with the "[Lord] have Mercy" go before your altar and end the graces there. Whoever wants to drink between meals [should] say.
349-53 Benedicite . . . Deo gratias, "A blessing. The Son of God blesses our drink. In the name of the Father" (a monastic blessing) - and make the sign of the Cross afterwards. "Our help [is] in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God" (a versicle).
354 even, evening, night.
354-55 thencheth i hwet . . . Laverd, think in what you have angered our Lord during the day.
355 yeorne, eagerly, earnestly.
356-57 Yef ye habbeth . . . thenchen, If you have done any good, thank Him for His gift, without whom we cannot do well (i.e., any good), or think well.
357-65 Miserere . . . efter-warde clauses, "[Lord] have mercy" and "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have Mercy"; "Our Father" . . . "and [lead] us not [into temptation]"; versicle: "My God, Save your handmaidens [who are] hoping in you"; Let us pray: "God, whose nature it is [always to have mercy]" (prayer); and standing [say] "Visit, O Lord, this house" (prayer for Compline of Our Lady); and then lastly, "Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules" (antiphon for Easter) with three [signs of the] Cross with the thumb on the forehead, and then "Behold the Cross of the Lord; flee enemy; the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered. Alleluia" (antiphon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross). [Make] a large [sign of the] Cross as [you did] at "God, [come] to my aid" with "Behold the Cross of the Lord," and then [make] four [signs of the] Cross on four sides (i.e., in each of the four directions) with these four following clauses.
366-71 Crux † fugat . . . benignum, "The Cross puts to flight all evil. / The Cross is the restorer of things. / By this sign of the Cross / May all evil flee far away. / And by this very symbol, / May whatever is good be saved" (an untraced hymn).
372-73 On ende . . . slepen, At last, [make the sign of the Cross] over yourself and over the bed as well, "In the name of the Father and of the Son" (monastic invocation to the Trinity). In bed, as far as you can, do not do or think of anything but sleeping (lit., to sleep).
374-80 The ne con . . . adiutorium, Whoever either does not know matins (lit., morning song) or cannot say it, [let her] say in place of matins thirty "Our Fathers" and [thirty] "Hail, Marys" after each "Our Father," and "Glory be to the Father" after each "Hail," and finally, "Let us pray," - whoever knows [it] - "God, whose nature it is [always to forgive]" (prayer); "Let us bless the Lord" (versicle recited near the end of the day); "The souls of the faithful" (versicle concluding prime). For vespers (lit., evensong) [say] twenty, for every other [canonical] hour say fifteen in this way, except that at matins whosoever knows [it] will say first, "Lord, open my lips, and my mouth" (monastic prayer recited before beginning the divine office); "God, [come] to my aid" (Psalm 69:2 as a response, recited at the beginning of each of the canonical hours except compline), and at Compline, "Convert us, beneficent God" (versicle) and "God, [come] to my aid." At all the other hours, "God, [come] to my aid."
381-84 Hwa-se is unheite . . . singeth, Whosoever is unwell [may] cut out from matins ten and from each of the other [hours] five - [she may cut out] half of each one (i.e., each hour), if she is sicker. Whosoever is full of discomfort (i.e., terribly sick), [let her] be released from all. [Let her] take her sickness not only patiently but do [so] very gladly; and everything is hers that Holy Church reads or sings.
384-88 Thah ye ahen . . . her-abuten, Although you ought to think of God at all times (lit., in each time), most [of all], though, in your hours, [so] that your thoughts are not wandering then. If you, through carelessness, skip over words, or mistake a verse, make (lit., take) your "Pardon" with only your (lit., the) hand down on the ground - fall down completely (i.e., kneel with your body fully bowed forward) for serious mistakes, and reveal often in confession your carelessness in this (lit., hereabout).
389-91 This is nu . . . i-halden, This is now the first part (i.e., the first part is now finished), which has spoken up to now about your [divine] service (or, devotional duties). Whatever may now be concerning that (i.e., as the case may be concerning your divine service), these following rules (i.e., those concerning the inner rule) - I would they were kept by all, as they are by you, through God's grace.
ANCRENE WISSE, PART ONE: EXPLANATORY NOTES
The AW proper begins with a section devoted almost wholly to the outer rule - the description of the anchoress' hours. Part One sketches out in rough chronological order the daily prayers (with their accompanying antiphons, responses, versicles, hymns, psalms, etc.) from early morning to just before bedtime, with a scattering of votive prayers which could be recited during any spare moment. This is perhaps the most daunting part of AW for modern readers. As Dahood remarks in "Design in Part I of Ancrene Riwle," "The subject-matter is rather dry and, to many, alien: what prayers should be said and when, what gestures and postures should accompany the prayers, and what atonement should be made for errors of recitation. Many of the prayers, moreover, are not in Middle English but in Latin, and many are cited only by incipit. To modern readers Part I may seem curiously fragmented, a loose assemblage of incipits, prayers and instructions" (p. 1). However, Dahood shows, on the basis of manuscript divisions, that Part One has a tight structure consisting of four main parts, with heavy emphasis on the "normal routine," which was centered around the Little Office of the Virgin, a scaled back version of the divine office, with prescribed prayers for the seven canonical hours (matins/lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline). The Little Office formed the backbone of the anchoress' daily devotions.
The following outline of Part One has been adapted from Dahood's "Design in Part I of Ancrene Riwle," pp. 5-6.
Outline
I. Normal Routine (1.2-373)
A. Principal devotions between arising and bedtime (1.2-73)
1. Non-official devotions before matins
2. The daily office (1.74-98)
a) Gestures and postures, mainly accompanying the Little Office (1.82-84)
b) Performance and scheduling of the Little Office and dependent activities
(1.84-87)
c) Performance and scheduling of the Office of the Dead (1.88-98)
3. Non-official devotions after prime (1.99-337)
a) At terce and between prime and terce (1.99-172)
seven penitential psalms and the litany (1.99-113)
prayer to the Trinity (1.114-26)
prayer to the crucified Christ (1.127-33)
prayer for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (1.134-40)
prayer for forgiveness for broken ten commandments (1.141-49)
prayer to favorite saints (1.150-56)
prayer for the souls of the departed faithful (1.157-63)
special prayers for the poor and wretched (1.164-72)
b) During the mass (1.173-206)
at the elevation of the Host (1.173-203)
at the kiss of peace (1.203-06)
c) At about midday or at some other time (1.207-337)
special prayers to the Cross: the five greetings (1.207-31)
prayers based on the five joys of the Virgin (1.232-64)
Aves and hymns to the Virgin (1.264-337)
B. Lesser devotions and activities between arising and bedtime (1.338-53)
1. Recommended as defenses against idleness (1.338-45)
a) Additional Pater nosters, Aves, psalms, and prayers (1.338-40)
b) Singing from the Psalter (1.340)
c) Reading of holy meditations in English or French (1.340-42)
d) Work (1.343)
e) Hours of the Holy Ghost before corresponding hours of the Little Office (1.344-45)
2. Required (1.346-53)
a) Listening to the priest's hours as much as possible (1.346-47)
b) Graces before and after meals and when drinking between meals (1.347-53)
C. Bedtime Prayers (1.354-73)
1. Prayer for forgiveness (1.354-59)
2. Prayers and hymns with signs of the Cross (1.359-73)
II. Substitute Routine (1.374-84)
III. Penance for Errors of Recitation (1.384-88)
IV. A Short Formal Conclusion (1.389-91)
As Ackerman and Dahood point out, "Even after making allowance for optional acts of worship, one must conclude that the anchoress' liturgical day was a crowded one" (p. 36). See the Introduction (pp. 8-9) for a reconstructed itinerary.
Many scholars have attempted to match the liturgical practices outlined here to those of a particular order and thus narrow the search for the author. See the Introduction (pp. 11 ff.) for a summary of the various theories.
The best guide to the details of Part One is Ackerman and Dahood's edition, Ancrene Riwle: Introduction and Part I, along with Dahood's later article "Design in Part I of Ancrene Riwle." For more information on the origin or use of particular prayers, hymns, psalms, etc. in Part One, see especially the former. Barbara Raw's article, "The Prayers and Devotions of the Ancrene Wisse," in Chaucer and the Middle Ages: Studies in Honour of Rossell Hope Robbins, ed. Beryl Rowland (London: Allen & Unwin, 1974), pp. 260-71, is also useful in that it reveals the influence of late Anglo-Saxon liturgical practice.
2-3 As Ackerman and Dahood note, making the sign of the Cross and invoking the Trinity after awaking was an "established monastic custom" (p. 92n1).
13 hehe weoved. The anchoress could see the high altar through her "church-window," that is the slit or "squint" pointed towards the altar in the church. See 2.259-61 for a reference to this window.
49 In "The Liturgical Day in Ancrene Riwle," Ackerman takes the scattered instructions about such things as kneelings as evidence that the anchoresses had not gone through a novitiate and thus were not nuns: "explicit directions about kneeling, beating the breast, signing oneself with the cross, and the like are the best evidence that the original anchoresses were without liturgical training" (p. 739).
74 hire ures. These "hours" refer to the Little Office of the Virgin and represent the core of the liturgical day (see the headnote to Part One).
88 ff. This paragraph describes how the anchoresses are to say the Office of the Dead, which begins with the antiphon, Placebo Domino in regione vivorum ("I shall please the Lord in the land of the living").
95 efter the suffragies of uht-song seggeth commendaciun. Ackerman and Dahood explain: "Suffrages are prayers intercessory in nature and may include prayers for the souls of the dead. Commendations are prayers for the dead at burials and commemorative services which usually end Tibi, Domine, commendamus" (p. 96n41).
99 letanie. The Litany consists of a series of prayers and invocations to various saints. Though part of the public liturgy of the mass, it became very popular in private devotions as well.
127 fif wunden. The Five Wounds of Christ as well as the Five Joys of Mary (see Explanatory Note to 1.232) became stock motifs in literature and art by the late Middle Ages (see Ackerman and Dahood, p. 97n55).
134 seove yiftes of the Hali Gast. Ackerman points out that this series of prayers is "based on number symbolism" ( "The Liturgical Day," p. 737): the five wounds of Christ, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the prayer about the ten commandments, etc.
232 Here begin a series of five prayers based on the Five Joys of Mary, which describe the joy of the Virgin at five key events: 1) the Annunciation, 2) the Nativity, 3) the Resurrection, 4) the Ascension, and 5) the Assumption (of the Virgin into heaven). The subject was often treated in English lyrics - see, for example, the six poems in the section entitled "The Joys of Mary" in Karen Saupe's edition Middle English Marian Lyrics (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1998), pp. 137-46. Ackerman and Dahood note that the "theme of five joys was especially popular in England in contrast to the seven joys figuring in works originating on the Continent. Later, fifteen and even twenty-five joys were distinguished" (p. 100n100). These prayers must have been well known to either the scribe or intended readers of the Corpus version since they are heavily abbreviated, often with a single letter standing for an entire word (a practice unusual for this scribe): for example, line 1.255 appears in the MS as "Leafdi seinte Ma. for že il. m. b. žet tu h. ža žu sehe. . . . "
305-06 the fif leattres of ure Leafdis nome. A series of five biblical verses which spell out the name M-A-R-I-A with their first letters: the canticle Magnificat (from Luke 1:46-55), Ad Dominum cum tribularer (Psalm 119:1), Retribuo servo tuo (Psalm 118:17), In convertendo (Psalm 125:1), and Ad te levavi (Psalm 122:1) (Ackerman and Dahood, p. 102n120).
360 A "†" appears in the MS where the anchoresses are to make the sign of the Cross.
ANCRENE WISSE, PART ONE: TEXTUAL NOTES
57-58 buhinde sum-deal dune-ward seggeth Pasternoster. MS: buhinde sumdeal duneward seggeš. Pater noster. Tolkien, with an eye on Nero, suggests that a ; 7 (that is, a mark of punctuation and the abbreviation for ant) has fallen out before seggeš. In Cleo., Scribe B writes an ampersand over an original point, though Dobson calls this a "[f]alse alteration . . . but superficially attractive and also found in Nero . . . ; cf. also [Vitellius'] more consistent abaissez . . . et dites, which shows what the corrector [in Cleo.] and the Nero scribe had in mind" (p. 18, note n). The Corpus reading is retained here. [Cleo.: bu3inde sumdel duneward. (ant) segeš. Pater noster, with an ampersand written over the point; Titus (lost); Nero: buinde sumdel duneward. ant siggeš paternoster; Vernon: bouwynde sumdel dounward. sigge pater noster; Pepys: bowež sumdel dounward wiž že. Pater noster; Caius (lacking); Vitellius: abaissez auq . . . vers val. et dites [Pater] noster; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
62 hit [is] hali-dei. MS: hit hali dei. The missing is is restored here. [Cleo.: hit is hali dai; Titus (lost); Nero: hit is halidei; Vernon: hit is haly day; Pepys: it is haliday; Caius (lacking); Vitellius: sil est iour ouerable; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
86-87 bivoren uht-song ant efter prime ant eft[er complie]; from ower complie athet. MS: biuoren uhtsong ant efter prime. ant eft from ower complie ažet . . . Since the first part of the sentence stipulates three hours, the scribe probably omitted efter complie by eye-skip to the next phrase (from complie athet efter pretiosa), altering efter to eft. The text is restored on the model of Cleo. [Cleo.: biforen vchtsong. ant et prime ant et compelin. From ouwer compelin ošet . . . ; Titus (lost); Nero: biuoren vhtsong ant efter prime. ant efter cumpelie vrom žet efter preciosa . . . ; Vernon: Bifore matyns and after prime and after cumplye. til that preciosa; Caius (lacking); Pepys: Att Matyns. Att Pryme. and att complyn. with že Pater noster. and after Preciosa . . . ; Vitellius: Deua[nt] [matines et ap]res prime. et apres [com]pli. de vostre compli deskes [apres] . . . ; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
124 vere fidei eternae gloriam. MS: uere fidei eter. gloriam. Tolkien notes that trinitatis has been omitted after gloriam. [Cleo. (lacking); Titus (lost); Nero: uere fidei eterne trinitatis; Vernon (lacking); Pepys (lacking); Caius (lacking); Vitellius (lacking); Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).] In general Nero provides longer versions of Latin quotations.
125-26 hwa-se hit haveth, other [sum other] of the hali thrumnesse segge the wulle. MS: hwa se hit haueš. ošer of že hali žrumnesse segge že wulle. The text in Corpus - which now reads "or whoever wants [may] say of the Holy Trinity" - seems corrupt, probably due to eye-skip from one ožer to the second, and here the missing phrase sum ožer is supplied from Nero (since Cleo.'s text is problematic), giving the reading "or whoever wants [may] say some other [prayer] of the Holy Trinity." See Dobson (p. 24n3) for an involved description of this line, much corrected and muddled, in Cleo. [Cleo.: hwase hit haueš al (;) ošer sum. ošer of že hali Trumnesse; segge wase wulle; Titus (lost); Nero: hwo se hit haueš ožer sum ožer of še holi žrumnesse sigge že wulle; Vernon: hose hit hauež ožer of že holy trinite sigge žat wole.; Pepys (lacking); Caius (lacking); Vitellius: ke lad. ou auscun altre oroison de la seinte trinitee; die qe vult; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
145 MS: tweof apostles. Tolkien believes that tweof is "probably a genuine form," (p. 18, fol. 7v, line 10), and does indeed appear again in 4.481; 8.11 reads tweofte, however. Thus, it seems best to allow the MS form to stand. [Cleo.: tweolf apostles; Titus (lost); Nero: tweolf apostles; Vernon: twelue apostles; Pepys: alle žine Apostles; Caius (lacking).]
150 H[a]lhen. MS: Hlhen. Omitted a restored. [Cleo.: Hale3en.]
151 [F]or alle. MS: ¶or alle. Tolkien remarks, "a red paragraph [symbol], ornamented with blue, mistakenly substituted for F" (p. 19, fol. 7v, line 19). It is emended to F here. [Cleo.: For alle.]
158 yeven. A later reader or perhaps the emender has striken through yeuen, as Tolkien says, "with a bold stroke" (p. 19, fol. 7b, line 28), in the mistaken belief that 3euen/3eoue was a repetition of the same word. It clearly is not, however: marhe-yeven is a "morning gift" (or dowry) and the yeove (following at the top of the next folio) is the verb.
164 other. MS: oder. A clear mistake for ošer. [Cleo.: ošer.]
210-11 cneolin to euch an ant blescin. MS: cneolin to euchan ant blescin. Tolkien suggests emending cneolin and blescin to their singular imperative forms since the verbs before and after them are singular (p. 21, fol. 9a, line 1). However, it seems likely that a variation between singular and plural imperatives is a matter not so much of a copying error as an actual linguistic process. Thus, the plural forms are retained here: blescin (pl.) occurs between two singular imperatives segge "say!" and beate "beat!" [Cleo.: cneoli to vhan. ant blescin; Titus (lost); Nero: kneolinde to euerichon ant blesceš; Vernon: also knelen to uchon. and blessen; Pepys: knelež to vchone and blissež; Caius (lacking); Vitellius: genoilliez a chescune. et vous seignez; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
212 Tuam crucem. [Salve, crux sancta.] Salve, crux que. MS: Tuam crucem. Salue crux que. One of the five greetings listed here has fallen out between Tuam crucem "your cross" and Salue crux que "Hail, cross which . . . ," namely Salue crux sancta "Hail, Holy Cross," a phrase which appears in Cleo., Vitellius, and (in expanded form) Nero as well. The omission is probably due to eye-skip from one Salue crux to the next. The missing phrase is restored from Cleo. [Cleo.: tuam crucem. Salue crux sancta. salue crux que; Titus (lost); Nero: Adoramus te christe et benedicimus tibi quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti Mundum. Tuam crucem adoramus domine. tuam. gloriosam. recolimus passionem miserere nostri. qui passus es pro nobis. Salue crux sancta abor digna que sola fuisti digna portare regem celorum et dominum. Salue crux que in corpore O crux gloriosa o crux adoranda o lignum preciosum et admirablie signum per quod et diabolus ext uictus et mundus christi sanguine redemptus; Vernon: Adoramus te christe et bn t. g. p. crucem t. r. mund. Quam crucem et c. Salue crux et cetera. Salue crux que in corpore et cetera O crux lignum. et cetera; Pepys: Tuam crucem adoramus. Salue crux sancta. O crux lignum; Vitellius: Tuam crucem. Salue crux sancta. Salue crux que; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
262-63 cwene crune on heaved. MS: cwene crune of heaued. Of "off" should probably read on, as in the other versions. Perhaps the text was faulty in the exemplar, reflected in the heavily reworked text in Cleo. (see Dobson, p. 33, notes g, h) contributing to the confusion here. [Cleo.: cuwene (cwenene) crune on heaued (sette žé); Titus (lost); Nero: quene crune on heaued; Vernon: qweene croune on hed; Pepys: quenes croune vpon žine heued; Caius (lacking); Vitellius: corone de royne sur ta teste; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
270 MS: salue radix sancta. Although Tolkien sees an error here - "porta omitted after sancta" (p. 24, fol. 10r, line 17) - the other versions do not bear this out. [Cleo.: Salue radix sancta exqua mundo; Titus (lost); Nero: salue radix sancta ex qua mundo; Vernon: Salue radix sancta. ex qua mundo; Pepys (lacking); Caius (lacking); Vitellius (lacking); Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
372 On ende, [on] ow-seolf ant o the bedd bathe. MS: on ende ow seolf ant o že bedd baše. The text reads, "in the end yourself and on the bed both." An on probably omitted before ow is restored here. [Cleo.: On ende on ouself ant on oure bed baše; Titus: On ende on owself ant o že bed baše; Nero: alast ou sulf ant ower bed boše; Vernon: On ende. on ow self. and on the bed bothe; Pepys: on 3oure self and on 3oure bedde; Caius (lacking); Vitellius: A la fin sur vouis meismes et sur vostre lit ausi; Trinity (lacking); Lat. (lacking).]
386 owe[r] Venie. MS: owe venie. As Tolkien notes (p. 29, fol. 12r, line 20), the MS form is a clear mistake for ower. [Cleo.: ouwer venie; Titus: owre uenie; Nero: ower uenie; Vernon: ower venye; Pepys (recast); Caius (lacking).]