THE MORALL FABILLIS: FOOTNOTES
1 From lines by Gualterus Anglicus: The presentation of solemn things has a sweeter smile than that of humorous things
2 Whether there was good food, I leave it to the judgment of those nearby
3 To call the roll of those obliged to attend and order forfiture of the estates of all who are absent
4 Happy are those who learn from the suffering of others
5 The simple sheep dare not put his mouth to the earth (to eat)
6 I.e., Those who are poorly used have long memories
7 For he will suffer less who provides beforehand (Cato, Disticha ii.24)
8 Then he scutched it well and combed it in the inner part of the house
9 Bow at command and wait not until you burst (i.e., until it is too late)
10 "Keep pulling, my doves," then goaded them fiercely
11 And because of their wildness, they ruined the furrow
12 Then afterwards they unhitched the team from the plough since it was getting quite late
13 An honest man is not caught up in half-truths
14 There is no bribe [that] should turn me from righteousness
15 Then to a well for drawing water these "elders" came without hesitation
16 And tried to hide himself in the thickets; or, and tried to protect himself from the thickets
17 Now is this you? Not much of a hound, I think!
18 They think they hold their property through the grace of no one, regardless who they [the other] might be; or, so handsomely are they [themselves] dressed
19 A distorted visage suggests a distorted morality
THE MORALL FABILLIS: NOTES
These notes are laconic, intended to explain textual concerns and interesting social and literary influences which may stimulate class discussion. For the most part, the text of Henryson is quite traditional. I have generally accepted the emendations and changes made by a number of previous editors of Henryson, most notably G. Gregory Smith, H. Harvey Wood, and Denton Fox. In those instances in which the authorities have disagreed, I have most often accepted Fox's reading. In those instances in which my reading or emendation is significantly different from the Smith-Wood-Fox tradition, I have taken special note of my reasons for the change. All references to Fox in the notes are to his edition of the poems (1981), unless otherwise noted.
Prologue. Gualterus Anglicus' Recueil général des Isopets, which Henryson occasionally draws upon, begins similarly with a prologue on the sweetness and utility of fables. Most of the content of Henryson's Prologue is commonplace, though skillfully presented.
5 I have used Fox's speculative emendation which he did not include in his own text. He suggests that quhy that was likely the original reading.
6 Bassandyne: the haill misleving; the phrase of thi misleving is from the Makculloch manuscript.
7 O. Bassandyne, Charteris, Makculloch, and Bannatyne read Off. Fox's emendation.
8-14 The reader is the laborer harvesting the sweit sentence (line 12) from the bustious eird (line 8). Compare Chaucer's similar agricultural metaphors for critical processes in his Parlement of Fowles: "For out of olde feldes, as men seyth, / Cometh al this newe corn from yer to yere, / And out of olde bokes, in good feyth, / Cometh al this newe science that men lere" (lines 22-25); or the Nun's Priest's admonition, "Taketh the fruyt, and let the chaf be stille" (VII.3443).
12 sentence. A critical word in Henryson. Fox argues that in this context it means "meaning," while Wood asserts that it means the more traditional "moral." Given the traditional denotation of this term, either could work, but "meaning" is less repetitive in context.
15 ff The metaphor of the nuttis schell is a traditional component of medieval literary criticism. The concept of fruit within the chaff, or meat within the shell, originates in biblical exegesis along with classical rhetoric and is prominent in discourse as diverse as the art of preaching and the art of romance, fable, and fabliaux. Here the specific reference could be to Gualterus's prologue to his Isope. A good discussion of the sources and applications of the fruit within the nutshell tradition may be found in Bernard F. Huppé and D. W. Robertson, Jr., Fruyt and Chaf: Studies in Chaucer's Allegories (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963).
16 Haldis is from Makculloch. Bassandyne: aldis. and is is the Bassandyne reading and has been replaced with sueit and from Bannatyne.
22 For as we se is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: Forther mair.
30 to is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: in.
42 Correct it at your willis gratious. A variation on the humility trope that shifts responsibility of meaning to the audience. Compare Chaucer's narrator in Troilus III.1332-36, who puts "alle under correccioun" of the reader's "discrecioun" (X.56); or the Parson in the Prologue to his sermon who will put his work "under correccioun" in order to "stonde to correccioun" (X.60). See A. J. Minnis, Medieval Theory of Authorship, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988), especially pp. 160-210.
47 and is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: and in.
55 the mynd is attested in both Bannatyne and Makculloch. Bassandyne: thair myndis.
56 he . . . is is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: thay . . . ar.
58 facound and purpurat is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: as poete lawriate. The words facond and purpurate also appear in Makculloch and Charteris. Fox chooses Makculloch's in facound purpurate.
60 Tak is from Makculloch. Bassandyne: Lak.
The Cock and the Jasp. Fox suggests that the numerous medieval versions of this fable ultimately derive from the version by Phaedrus (III.xii) but that Henryson seems to work primarily from Gualterus (p. 194).
69 For medieval discussions of the physical, moral, and theological properties of jasper, see Joan Evans and Mary S. Serjeantson, English Medieval Lapidaries EETS o.s. 190 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933; rpt. 1960), p. 23 [London Lapidary], p. 43 [North Midland Lapidary], p. 93 [Peterborough Lapidary], p. 121 [Sloane Lapidary]. The color of the stone is regularly cited as green but with diverse hues (according to Peterborough), ranging from green to black and red. Henryson's seems to range from red (or yellow) to blue; see line 122: Part lyke the fyre and part lyke to the hevin.
74 Quhat be thairin is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Thay cair na thing.
82 in is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: ly in.
83 The Bassandyne on has been replaced with and from Bannatyne.
92 go is from Bannatyne and Makculloch; Bassandyne: ga.
98 This line is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: For les availl may me as now dispyis.
102 that lukand werk was is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: lukandis werkis ar.
118 fabill is inserted from Bannatyne. Bassadyne: of this.
120 This stanza begins the Moralitas in Bannatyne. In Bassandyne the Moralitas does not begin until line 127.
121 is is from Bannatyne and Makculloch; Bassandyne: was.
122 See note to line 69.
126 Of fyre nor fallis is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: Or fyre nor water.
128 prudence and cunning. See the four lapidaries cited in the note to line 69 for discussion of these properties of the stone along with its capacity to aid in victory (see lines 123 and 132).
139 can freit is from Charteris, Hart, and Smith. Bassandyne: can secreit. Bannatyne: nor keit; Makculloch: fre.
146-47 The allusion is to the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. 7:6, where Jesus admonishes against casting pearls before swine.
147 the is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne. Lines 799, 881, and 967 also follow this pattern.
The Two Mice. This fable is well-known in versions by Babrius (Fable 108), Horace's Satire II, and versions by John of Sheppey, Odo of Cheriton, and John Bromyard. Fox suggests that Henryson's immediate source is Gualterus's De mure rustico et urbane, no. 12 (p. 201). More likely, the source is Odo. The title in the Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian MSS is The Taill of the Vponlandis Mous and the Burges Mous.
163 sisteris deir. Fox notes that Gualterus does not identify a familial relationship, though John of Sheppey and John Bromyard make them sisters (p. 204). Henry-son's town mouse, though a woman, is also a "gild brother" (line 172) who takes whatever advantage of the liberties of travel that her station allows, and makes pilgrimage (line 181) over dale and down to "seik hir sister" (line 182).
165 uponland means "in the country" and may suggest the Scottish highlands.
166 Bassandyne: Soliter, quhyle under busk, quhyle under breier. The reading in this line is taken from Bannatyne.
167 The meaning of the last phrase of this line is probably "at other men's harm (expense)" or "to the harm of other men."
in uther is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: and uther.
168 owtlawis may be a more neutral term than it is in the modern sense, perhaps meaning "outcast" as well as "criminal." This term and the secrecy involved with the two mice has caused comment about their possible social roles.
172 The town mouse is a member of a merchant guild and the specificity of this reference is in part what has given impetus to arguments for the political interpretation of the tale. Subsequent references in lines 173 and 174 seem clearly topical.
173 The power of the burgess mouse in middle-class society is illustrated by the fact that she is "toll-free (tax exempt) without greater or lesser custom (duty)." The "great custom" was a tax levied on exports and imports while the lesser or "small custom" was levied on market goods.
175 Bassandyne: the cheis in ark and meill in kist. The reading in this line is taken from Bannatyne.
179 led is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: had.
183 Throw is taken from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Furth.
185 Bassandyne: Scho ran cryand, quhill scho came to a balk. The reading here is from Bannatyne.
190 This reading is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: The hartlie joy, God!
192 Fox uses the Bannatyne Quhilk that oft syis instead of the Bassandyne And grit kyndnes.
197 semple is from Bannatyne, Asloan, and Smith; Bassandyne: sober.
198 mysterlyk is the Asloan reading. Bassandyne: febilie.
199 erdfast is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: steidfast.
205 hyid is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: glyde.
206 peis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: candill.
208 This burges mous prunyit is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: The burges mous prompit. A burges mous is one from a borous town, that is, a town with sufficient population to support guilds, where she is a fre burges, one who may travel at will. See note to line 172.
213 efter that is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: sister, quhen.
215 ryte is from Bannatyne and Asloan; Bassandyne: rate.
216 syre, levand is from Asloan. Bassandyne: leving, and the Asloan in is substituted for Bassandyne's into.
217 The country mouse reminds the city mouse that their origins are humble and that they are not descended from landed gentry.
221 Bassandyne: For quhylis. quhy from Bannatyne is substituted for quhylis.
224 usit wes before is Fox's emendation from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: wes before usit.
231 sueit and is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and wonder.
232 in is from Bannatyne, Hart, Asloan, and Smith; Bassandyne: in the.
235 than seith [to boil] to him ane kow. The sense of this passage is that a small gift given with good will is better than a large gift given with reservations.
visage is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: curage.
246 unto is from Bannatyne, Asloan, and Harleian. Bassandyne: into.
251 na fall, na trap is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: nor fall trap which makes more sense but destroys the metric integrity of the line. A fall is a special kind of box-trap. For discussions of kinds of medieval mousetraps, see G`sta Berg, "Medieval Mouse Traps," Studia Ethnographica Upsaliensia XXVI, Varia 2 (1966), 1-13, and C. Roth, "Medieval Illustrations of Mouse-traps," Bodleian Library Record 5 (1954-56), 244-57. See Fox, p. 205.
253 Fox uses In skugry ay, which is found in Bannatyne. The problem, as he himself admits, is that skugry is not otherwise attested before the late eighteenth century. Even though Smith argues the reading is corrupt, the original Bassandyne reading is provided on the assumptions that the sense of "stubble" is "rustic" or that the phrase means "poorly dressed" and that the reading seems to have more historical authenticity.
254 Under cowert full is from Asloan. Bassandyne: And under buskis.
264 skelfis is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: thair skelfis.
266 grotis is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne and Asloan.
and is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: and eik off.
278 bot is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
285 And mane full fyne is the Charteris reading substituted by both Wood and Fox for the garbled Bassandyne And manfully fyne. The "gill" or jelly referred to here was a rustic dish but relatively elegant.
286 candill. A tallow candle for which mice are a hazard.
296 Bassandyne reads quha that. I have emended to that.
300 gude reid is from Bannatyne, Charteris, Asloan, and Harleian. Bassandyne: gndereid.
304 char is from Asloan. Bassandyne: sker.
312 fever is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: feuer scho.
322 your is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: onr.
326 Gib Hunter, later called Gilbert (line 338). Henryson often names his animals; see Lowrence the fox (line 429), or the three hens (line 483), or the nine hounds whom the widow calls upon (lines 546-47) - all of which adds to the liveliness of the verse.
329 Bawdronis was a generic name for "cat" used in Scotland. The closest modern equivalent is "puss" or "pussy."
331 tait is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: cant.
333 buk heid is a version of "blind-man's-bluff." This game, perhaps in line with the violence expressed in other medieval games, becomes a life-and-death matter.
336 the dosor is from Asloan. Bassandyne: ane burde.
337 the is from Bannatyne, Asloan, and Smith. Bassandyne: ane.
339 And be the clukis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Syne be the cluke.
342 Apon is from Asloan. Bassandyne: And to.
346 sair is from Bannatyne, Asloan, and Hart. Bassandyne: fair.
347 may fall is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: na fall.
357 eftirwart is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: weill thairefter.
360 The but was usually the kitchen of a small dwelling. The ben was the parlor. The sense is that the mouse's den is well-furnished with supplies throughout.
beinly is from Bannatyne, Asloan, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: bemly.
365 heir may ye find, will ye tak heid is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: ye may find, and ye will tak heid.
366 Bassandyne: In to this fabill. Bannatyne deletes to.
369 state is from Bannatyne, Smith, and Hart. Bassandyne: estate.
380 The sentiments of this stanza accord with Chaucer's "Truth: Balade de Bon Conseyl," where we are instructed: "Suffyce unto thy thing, though it be smal . . . Savour no more than thee bihove shal. . . . Gret rest stant in litel besinees" (lines 2, 5, 10).
382 makis it a god to be. See St. Paul's warning against making a god of your belly, Phil 3.19. Compare also Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale VI.533 and the Parson's Tale X.819-20.
383 Luke is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Lieke.
on deid is from Bannatyne and Asloan. Bassandyne: but dreid.
387 Thairfoir, best thing in eird is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Best thing in eird, thairfoir.
388 merry hart is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: blyithnes in hart.
392-93 Fox observes that the reference to Solomon does not equate with a specific biblical passage, though there are similar sentiments found in Ecclesiastes 3:12, 3:22. 5:18, and 8:15, but that perhaps Henryson is paraphrasing popular medieval wisdom books such as the Dicta Salomonis (p. 211).
The Cock and the Fox. Here Henryson's primary source seems to be Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale.
397-407 Fox suggests that the ultimate source for these lines may be Aristotle's Historia animalium, where the divinity of animals and their characteristics are discussed at length (p. 212). Henryson has fun juxtaposing their irrational bestiality with the humors and clever - and not so clever - inclinations of humans not only here, but throughout the fables.
399 kyndis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: kynd.
405 unto is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: to.
407 it excedis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: is excludit.
410 Bassandyne: ane gentill Chantecleir; Bannatyne: gentill Chantecleir, the form used here. Chanticleer is a common name given to literary roosters; compare Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale, which is Henryson's primary source for this fable, and the Old French beast epic Roman de Renart.
426 toun. A town may simply refer to a group of buildings in a designated area or habitation; here it suggests the manor or enclosed farmyard of the widow. See MED toun (n) 3.
430 jerperdies is Fox's emendation. Bannatyne: Iuparteis. Bassandyne: Ieperdie.
441 oft fulfillit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: full oft fillit.
447 I held is Fox's emendation. Bannatyne: forsuth I held. Bassandyne: I held up.
449 Dirigie is the traditional name for the Office for the Dead.
457 Yow for to serve is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: To mak yow blyith.
463 and is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: off.
465 on his tais stand, etc. Compare Nun's Priest's Tale where the fox convinces Chauntecleer to stand on his tiptoes and close his eyes, the better to crow (VII.3307 and 3331). Henryson's fox would have his victim not only stand on his toes and close his eyes, but turne him thryis about (line 473).
474 inflate is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: infect.
477 walkit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: wawland.
482 Off countermaund is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Off that cryme.
483 Pertok, Sprutok, and Coppok. Henryson triples the named hens to create a debate not unlike Dunbar's comic misandry (man-hating) in Twa Mariit Wemen and the Wedo. Pertok is the equivalent of Chaucer's Pertelote, Chauntecleer's favorite hen who is the only one with a kind word to say for him. Coppok is from Bannatyne; Bassandyne: Toppok (I follow this change in the hen's name throughout the tale).
486 reylock is from Bannatyne and, as Bruce Dickins and Fox argue, likely preserves the original sense better than the Bassandyne hay (see Fox, p. 216).
494 of is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: in.
498 orlege. Compare Nun's Priest's Tale, where the regularity of Chauntecleer's crowing is more certain "Than a clokke or an abbey orlogge" (VII.2854).
509 Sprutok. Perhaps her name derives from Latin sprutlet, hence "speckled." Henryson's naming of a hen whose relationship with Chauntecleer is less than caring offers an amusing variation on the joys of matrimony. See note to line 483.
517 speir is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: fpeir.
519 cauld and dry reflects the conditions of melancholy, and, perhaps, impotence. Chaucer's Pertelote calls Chauntecleer choleric (hot and dry, that is, given to anger) as well as melancholic (VII.2946), though mainly choleric (VII.2955).
523 that is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: with.
524 that set all hir delyte is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: he set all his delyte and uses the line as part of Pertok's speech. The characterization of the hen and the syntactic sense are better served by the Bannatyne version.
527 Bassandyne reads: I hecht be my hand, sen he is quyte. Alterations are from Bannatyne.
530 Coppok, the third of Chauntecleer's hens, is a moralist who sees divine justice in Chauntecleer's seizure, fit punishment for his adultery (line 536).
533 Fox adapts the Bannatyne reading, Seis coud he nocht with, primarily on metric grounds. However, the Bassandyne reading (reproduced here) makes perfect sense in the line. The kittokis ma than sevin is perhaps an allusion to Chaucer's Chauntecleer, who had seven hens (VII.2866).
536 Adulteraris that list is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: For adulterie that will.
539 rin. Possibly the source is "reign" rather than "run." See Fox, p. 218.
546 Birkye and Bell are from Bannatyne. Bassandyne uses Berk and omits Bell. See Fox, pp. 218-19, on the conventions of dog naming and the implications of the specific names.
555 raches is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: kennetis.
556 in mynd means "thoughtfully." The Fox cannot speak vocally since the cock is in his mouth, a circumstance he will too soon forget.
570 unto a is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: out of the.
576 murther, theif is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: fals theif and. However, as Fox points out (p. 220), "murther" is the harder reading. Similarly, on reir is also from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: not me neir.
578 lowe is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: friendschip.
581 coud nocht be is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: to be sa, which makes no sense in context.
582 Bot spake is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Quhairthrow.
592 is is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: ar.
609 fell is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
The Fox and the Wolf. This fable has several analogies but no known specific source. The title in Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian is The Taill how this foirsaid Tod, maid his confessioun to Freir Volf Vaitskaith.
616 fatal is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: subtell.
618 miching is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: waitting, which makes less sense since hunting per se was not illegal.
621 Thetes, the is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne reads simply the.
631 thair spheir is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: the spheir.
635 The fox's astrology in these lines is accurate - his signs are not good. For additional detail, see MacQueen, Robert Henryson, pp. 146-47.
649 watt is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: ken, a form of which is awkwardly repeated in the next line.
651 fait is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: men.
653 Deid is from Charteris. It is in Bassandyne and other versions but lacks the force of the Charteris reading.
657 lyif is is Fox's emendation. Bannatyne: lyfe is. Bassandyne: lyifis.
659 alyk ar is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: ar lyke.
662 ar hangit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: hangit up.
665 thence is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: hence.
667 Waitskaith is most likely translated "Do harm." Smith interprets it as "One who waits to do harm."
668 cum is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: cummit.
677 the lanterne and the sicker way is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: mirrour, lanterne, and sicker way. Fox notes biblical language akin to 2 Sam. 22:29 and John 14:6.
680 and is inserted from Bannatyne and omitted in Bassandyne.
684 Bassandyne uses Na at the beginning of this line, but the Bannatyne A seems better to fit the sense here. However, see also the note to line 2693.
697 Bannatyne's Bot to is more appropriate in the context of line 696 than Bassandyne's unto. Bassandyne's kneill at the end of the line would be an imperfect rhyme (see Fox, p. 228). Bannatyne's mele is therefore substituted.
712-14 The three parts of the Catholic sacrament of Penance are contrition, confession, and satisfaction (atonement). Smith provides details on Lawrence's theological situation (I, 13-14).
714 pennance is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: penitence.
717 Seikly is Fox's emendation. Bannatyne: And seikly. Bassandyne: Selie.
729 falt of flesch in to is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: fall no flesch unto.
736 Fox argues convincingly that the Bassandyne watter and is a misreading of the Bannatyne walterand (p. 230).
740 I have followed Fox in emending the Bassandyne may with the Charteris man. The sense of obligation in this word better suits the dramatic situation.
741 For is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: And. For the rest of the line, Bassandyne reads I haif nouther boittis nor net bait. The form of the line reprinted here is Fox's emendation based on his review of all variants (Poems, p. 32).
760 ane is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: aue. Line 1325 follows this pattern as well.
772 The hird him hynt is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: He harlit him.
775-95 Fox notes that Bassandyne seems to show "Protestant revisions" in this moralitas (p. 230). Bannatyne forms, such as contritioun instead of the Bassandyne provision in line 776, likely more nearly reflect Henryson's text in the historical setting.
777 mend is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: amend.
778 conclusioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: confusioun.
779 gois now to confessioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: now hes gude profes-sioun.
780 Can not repent is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Yit not repentis.
791 Bassandyne reads be noit. Bannatyne omits be.
794 Do wilfull pennance here is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Obey unto your God, a clearly Protestant change.
The Trial of the Fox. An analogue may be found in an addition to Odo of Cheriton. See Jamieson (1967), pp. 403-05. The title in Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian is The Taill of the Sone and Air of the foirsaid Foxe, callit Father Wer; alswa the Parliament of fourfuttit Beistis, haldin by the Lyoun.
798 That to his airschip micht of law succeid is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Till airschip be law that micht succeed.
806 get is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: geir.
832 wrangwis guidis, gold is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: wardlie gude and gold.
836-37 Both lines are adapted from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: To execute, to do, to satisfie / Thy letter will, thy det, and legacie. The Bassandyne lines once again seem to reflect an objection to Henryson's theology.
848 Oyas! Oyas! is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: on this wyis. The Bannatyne language is a traditional medieval command of attention to open a court and is still used in the United States.
852 Out off his buste is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: out off an bus. Similarly, bill from Bannatyne is substituted for bull in Bassandyne.
855 We is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: The.
856 ay lestand but ending is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: health everlestyng.
866-998 This entire parliament has drawn extensive commentary. In his portrayal of the unicorn and the three leopards, Henryson has apparently included some irony about English and Scottish heraldic symbols. For additional comment see MacQueen, Robert Henryson, pp. 149-53, and Fox, Poems, pp. 236-46.
869 gresis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: gers.
872 trippand is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: creippand.
873 Thre is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: The, and the Smith print uses Two. The Thre leopardis are most likely the three leopards of the English crown who are ironically serving the Scottish lion.
877 pollis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: towis. Pollis may also refer to "heads," a reading which could suit the context.
881 fut all is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: all fourfuttit.
895 The sparth is not the name of any animal now known. In a general sense, it means "battle-ax." A number of suggestions have been advanced. Dickins proposed emending the word to "swan." Elliott suggests the term refers to the antelope, "that ax welding beast." Fox suggests the animal is the pard. Whatever it is, the creature is fast.
898 jonet is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: gillet.
902 wodwys and wild wolfyne are from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: tame cat and Wildwood swyne. While the wildwood swine figures in poetry and proverb, the rhyme scheme suggests wild wolfyne is correct.
906 I have accepted Fox's emendation from Bannatyne as a means of dealing with the puzzling reading of the line in the original text: The wyld Once, the Buk and the Welterand Brok. Fox speculates that Henryson's erudition might have confused his scribes, since the meter in the line is bad, and the wyld Once has been a subject of speculation by every Henryson critic.
908 gay is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: gray.
914 bowranbane is another mystery. Werewolf and otter have both been suggested. The latter is likely a possibility only if Henryson knew some Gaelic. The "lerion" is a similar kind of problem. Suggestions range from young rabbit, little greyhound, and gray dormouse to a heraldic eagle.
915 The marmisset is a small monkey. The mowdewart is a mole. The latter has no eyes visible externally, which accounts for line 916.
919 In haist is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: With haist scho.
923 blenkit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: luikit.
926 The lyoun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: He.
948 fence. A technical term used to open proceedings of a parliament or court of law. It is basically an oath in which all swear they will observe proper protocol.
949 call is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: callit.
950 coit-armour. A cloth garment painted with heraldic arms that is typically worn by heralds on missions.
966 far doun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: laich.
970 "Blind-man's-buff" is the closest equivalent to bukhude now existing.
986 stait is from Bannatyne, Hart, and Harleian. Bassandyne: estait.
989 beist is in is my emendation. Bassandyne: kynd of beistis in. Bannatyne: beist into this. Hart, Harleian, and Smith: kynd of beist on.
991 gray stude is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: stude gray.
993 My lord is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: now see.
999 ye is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
1004 contumax. A legal term formally designating a person in contempt of court.
1014 chanceliary likely means, as Fox suggests, the office of the chancellor, reflecting the wolf's experience at a high level of administration. Wood, however, suggests the chancery hand, which would be a reflection on the wolf's learning. In either case, the wolf should have an appropriate background in language and law to make him a proper emissary.
1023 hattrell is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: hattell.
1024 lenand down means literally, "lying down" or "laid down." To avoid repetition I have used the gloss "prostrate" which captures the essence of the wolf's condition.
1032 The fyve schillingis was a significant sum. This specific figure occurs with some frequency in Henryson as an example of a large amount of money.
1035 This wolff weipand on his wayis went is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: This wretchit wolff weipand, thus on he went.
1042 Fox substitutes the reading a bank where the Bassandyne has abak. He argues that the reading is only slightly more satisfactory than the original Bassandyne text. However, the stealthy nature of the fox is better reflected in abak (as Smith argues), in the sense that the line suggests he was "on one side, to the rear."
1052 This new-maid is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Speir at your.
1053 reid cap. The close-fitting (pillion) cap awarded to the new doctorate. Henryson gives his new-maid doctour off divinitie (line 1052) a red cap, the cardinal's colors.
1060 hir is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: his.
1064 Compare Chaucer's Reeve's Tale, Canterbury Tales, I (A) 4054: "The gretteste clerkes been nought wisest men."
1067 garray is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: meriness.
1072 devorit. Fox emends deuorit to werryit. While werryit makes sense, I do not find persuasive Fox's argument that lines 1079-82 suggest that it is more appropriate. Werryit need not always mean pursue and harass in the same sense that "worried" means with regard to modern herds. Doggitly could apply in either case.
1087 sis is from Bannatyne. It is an abbreviated form of the Bassandyne assysis and works better in the metric pattern.
1089 and party tressoun als is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: pyking and treassoun als.
1095 bowcher. Bannatyne reads basare (executioner) and is followed by Fox. bowcher (executioner) is from Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian, which I follow here.
1100 fyne is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: syne.
1104 lyklynace is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: liknes.
1107 And gapis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Thinkand.
1109 sum gold is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: snm Gold.
1111 contemplatioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: gude conditioun. This line and many of the following apparently underwent Protestant revision in the Bassandyne text.
1112 Off pennance is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: As pilgrymes.
1113 As monkis and other men of religioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Approvand that for richt religioun.
1114 That presis God is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Thair God onlie.
1116 In wilfull povertee fra pomp and pryde is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Fechtand with lust, presumptioun and pryde.
1126 All major editors prior to Fox have placed a question mark at the end of this line, but Fox's argument that this is really a subordinate clause has the support of Henryson's usage. See Fox, Poems, p. 250.
1131 Solomon's saying here is akin to Ecclesiasticus 7:40.
1134-35 These lines have also likely suffered from Protestant revisions. The forms reproduced here are from Bannatyne and replace the following Bassandyne reading: Assaultand men with sweit perswasionis, / Ay reddy for to trap thame in an trayne.
1137 with ithand is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: draw neit with.
1139-40 The lines here are the Bannatyne version. They replace the Bassandyne reading: O mediatour! mercifull and meik / Thow soveraigne Lord and King, Celestiall. However, it is worth observing that even in Bannatyne, the lines reproduced in 1139-40 were replaced by the following: O lord eternall, moderator for us mast meke / Sit doun before thy fader celestiall. Clearly, the history of the lines reflects an effort to delete references to the Virgin Mary.
The Sheep and the Dog. The earliest version of this fable is in Phaedrus, though Henryson is closer to Gualterus in his adaption. This fable offers the best example of Henryson's knowledge of courts and legal procedure. Both the legal terminology and the court structure in this tale reflect contemporaneous Scottish courts as we know them. This tale is one of the major sources for those who speculate that Henryson was an attorney, or, at the very least, a notary.
1148 unto is from Bannatyne and Hart. Bassandyne: to.
1158 straitly is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: for.
1164 twa dayis is my emendation. Bassandyne: two dayis or. Bannatyne: the dayis.
1169 It was an important point of legal procedure for the summoner to endorse the summons as proof that he had served it.
1170 lay na mouth on eird means "put his mouth to the ground (to eat)." The sense is that the sheep had to travel in such haste that he did not even have time to eat.
1172-73 These lines are likely corrupt. The sense seems to be "The time for proceedings which the judge [traditionally] used then [was] when Hesperus began to show his face."
1174 The term noter or notary here involves a great deal more legal responsibility than that currently vested in the position. In this case, the notary serves as the clerk of the court. Notaries in the Middle Ages bore responsibilities roughly equivalent to those of paralegals or even solicitors today.
1183 certane is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: certaue.
1187 The sheep is completely within his rights in declining this court's authority. The bases which he suggests, an unsuitable time, a distant court, and a biased judge, remain appropriate legal bases for requesting delays or changes of venue to this day.
1194 as juge is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: iuge as.
1199 feriate is a problematic term. Fox relates it to some holidays (dies feriati), even though he admits he has not seen any use of this term with a period any shorter than a day. The likely sense of the term is "illegal." See The Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, hereafter cited as DOST, p. 451
1208 efter is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: efterwart. Bannatyne: eftir.
1209 tuke is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: tnke.
1211 or is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: nor.
1214 decretalis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: decreitis.
1216 Bannatyne uses the abbreviated form civil (spelled sewall) and is probably correct. For the convenience of the reader, I have retained the Bassandyne reading.
mony volum is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: volumis full mony.
1218 Contra et pro strait follows the emendation suggested by H. M. R. Murray and used by Fox (p. 258). It replaces the Bassandyne Contrait, prostrait.
1219 Sum a doctryne and sum a nothir hald is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: sum objection and sum can hald.
1220 thay is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: that thay.
1221 held is from Bannatyne and Harleian. Bassandyne: hald.
1224 summar and plane is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: sweirand plane.
1225 process fulminait refers to the formal issuing of the summons for the sheep to reappear in the court.
1230 This is the unique attestation of derenyeit in this sense. In general it usually means "challenge."
1251 persecutioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: the executioun.
1252 Obeyit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Obeyand.
1252 and couth is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: he couth.
1256 he is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: it.
1270 als is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
1273 porteous is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: portioun.
1277 The scraping out of names suggests malpractice satirized by Chaucer's Summoner to which the ridiculed Friar objects (Canterbury Tales, III (D) 1758-61).
1278 swa is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Hart. Bassandyne: tak.
skat is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: tat.
1289 And frawart is my emendation. Bassandyne: And hard. Bannatyne: With frawart.
1290 The sheep cannot "make an abode" on the hillsides because he lacks the protection of his fleece.
1295 O lord is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Lord God. See Fox's note (p. 262) on the pleas of mankind while God sleeps. He cites Psalm 44 (Vulg. 43): 22-23, where "we are counted as sheep for the slaughter" while God sleeps.
1300 syn is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: sone.
1301 This line is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Loist hes baith lawtie and eik law.
1305 Thay ar is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: He is.
1306 meid thay thoill is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: micht he lettis.
1307 this warld overturnit is. The lack of stability in the world after the fall is commonly lamented by those in adversity. Compare Chaucer's Lak of Stedfastnesse "for turned up-so-down / Is al this world for mede and wilfulnesse" (lines 5-6). It is perhaps noteworthy that the Bannatyne manuscript includes a copy of Chaucer's poem translated into a Middle Scots dialect ("Sumtyme this Warld so Stedfast was"), as well as "The Song of Troyelus: Gif no love is, O God, quhat feill I so," as well as eight other apocryphal poems attributed to Chaucer. The instability trope is commonplace. See Ernst Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages, trans. Willard R. Trask (New York: Harper Torchbook, 1963), pp. 94-98.
The Lion and the Mouse. Found in Babrius, Phaedrus, and Gualterus, though Henryson does not seem tied to any specific source. The opening of this tale is quite traditional. The prologue provides a setting for a dream vision, employing all the usual elements. Compare with Piers Ploughman or Chaucer's Romaunt, or the Squire's Tale, or Franklin's Tale, or Prologue to Legend of Good Women, or Knight's Tale, or Troilus.
1321 joly is from Bannatyne; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
1324 Fox emends "bemis" to the Bannatyne "lemis."
1335 rone is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: on rone.
1336 viola is from Charteris. Bassandyne: violat bla.
1340 Fox has emended Bassandyne's off to the.
1345 maid a cors is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne uses the Protestant revision cled my heid.
1348 It is worth noting that Henryson runs contrary to tradition in his description of Aesop, who was typically portrayed as deformed and misshapen.
1350 chymmeris is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: chemeis.
1355 The word lokker is otherwise unattested as an adjective.
1359 he weir is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: can beir.
1371 On etymological grounds, Fox accepts the Bannatyne reading, natall. The fact that "native" in this sense is unattested before Dunbar certainly does not mean that it would not have been in currency during Henryson's time. I believe the time frame is too close for conclusive argument, and thus I have retained the original reading.
1386 wald dedene is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: wald not disdayne.
1387 Concludand is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: Conclud and.
1396 roustie is from Charteris and Hart. Bassandyne: roustit.
blak is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: klak.
1398 Yit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Yis.
1405 wery is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: war.
1438 The original Bassandyne reading presumtioun is retained here. However, Fox has made an interesting case that Henryson intended to use prodissioun (treason) as the last word of the line. See p. 268.
1439 Erer is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: The rather. Fox follows Bannatyne; Wood follows Bassandyne.
1454-60 The lion shows off his legal expertise.
1460 Onto is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Vpon.
1467 kinglie. Charteris reads cumlie, which is also possible.
1471 spirituall is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: speciall.
1479 Quhat is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: Qnhat.
1503 Quhen is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: Qnhen.
1530 thus is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and.
1535 succour is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: snccour.
1548 thy gentilnes is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: off thy gentrace.
1562 abone is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: about.
1599 a commoun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: ane kinbute.
for is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: of.
1604 Wood puts a question mark after fortoun, but the syntax is problematic. Fox places the question mark at the end of the stanza, which makes for more complicated but intelligible syntax.
1608-14 These lines in particular have been used to reinforce the notion that Henryson is interested in topical references in this poem, most notably the Lauder rebellion of 1482 in which James III was seized by rebellious nobles and his advisors were killed. In the moralitas of "The Wolf and the Lamb" there are clearly topical comments on contemporaneous events. Most scholars believe Henryson has extended that approach in this tale.
1616 This line is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: I the beseik and all men for to pray.
The Preaching of the Swallow. Fox calls this "one of Henryson's richest and most complex fables" (p. 274), originating, perhaps, in Gualterus' brief account of 14 lines. Fox identifies a number of biblical parallels that appear to be functioning in this fable (pp. 277-79).
1633 materiale is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: naturall.
1678 grene is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: off grene.
1701 ar bethit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: laithit.
1702 wair is another textual enigma. My gloss follows the suggestion of Smith.
1709 I have used the traditional gloss for fleit. Fox makes an interesting case for personification in suggesting that the word means "frightened."
1711 smale is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: haill.
1722 dyke. "ditches" for drainage after the frost leaves the fields; or, perhaps, an embankment or stone walls.
1740 moir is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: mrir.
1744 lo se! - and linget seid is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and gude linget seid.
1758 befoir and se is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and foirse.
1760 evin at is from Charteris. Bassandyne: behald. Fox uses the Bannatyne at the, choosing to omit evin.
1761 ethar is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: the better.
1764 The sense is that the cauler's lark is borrowing trouble.
1779 quailye. Possibly quail, which were common enough in Scotland in the fifteenth century, but more likely the corn-crake (or landrail), noted for its craikand [crek, crek] in the corne.
1788 pyme. So in Bassandyne, Charteris print, and Harley 3865. The word is not in print elsewhere. Perhaps it should be pyne, though that would spoil the rhyme. "Cry" is certainly the sense.
1797 young is inserted from Bannatyne. It is omitted in Bassandyne.
1825-29 Henryson's description of flax processing in the Middle Ages is accurate. Smith provides additional detail (I, 27-28).
1849 intentioun is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: lutentioun.
1863 mocht is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Hart. Bassandyne: nocht.
1873 this is from Charteris, Hart, Harleian, and Smith. Bassandyne: thus.
1879 Bassandyne: Off sum the heid he streik. he streik is omitted in Bannatyne, and the line becomes more metrically regular with the omission.
1881-87 At this point, the swallow's remarks are directed to the reader who has become a member of her congregation during her sermon on the theme of prudence.
1900 and is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: in.
1902-04 Fox notes a reference to Augustinian doctrine here of three stages of sin: suggestio, delectatio, and consensio.
1903 in delectatioun is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: unto delectioun.
1917 This is a rhetorical formula repeated in Orpheus, lines 603.
1928 warldis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: warld.
1929 that is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: than.
1931 partit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: departit.
1946 to seis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: fra.
The Fox, the Wolf, and the Cadger. This is a common folktale. Henryson's version bears some affinity to the Roman de Renart. This fable is remarkably replete with proverbs. See Fox (Poems, passim) for discussion of the proverbial lore. The title is Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian is The Taill of the Wolf, that gat the Nekhering, throw the Wrinkis of the Foxe, that begylit the Cadgear. A cadgear is a travelling fish peddlar.
1957 breith is from Charteris. Bassandyne: wraith.
1958 Fox emends watching to waithing on the assumption that the latter (in its sense of hunting) makes more sense. However, since watching in the sense of "observing" is a part of hunting and the everyday behavior of canines, I see no reason to make the emendation.
1962 Russell gray. Russell means reddish brown; gray does not fit the sense well. (See line 1976 where the fox says he's red.) Fox wonders if gay might not be a suitable emendation (p. 290).
1983 thay is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: I.
1995 sonyeis is from Charteris. Bassandyne: senyes.
2010 To draw the straw before the cat is to distract it from its purpose.
2013 rude is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: reid.
2028 The word cadgear is not attested before Henryson.
2074 Till Flanderis refers to the skin merchants of the Netherlands. In essence, the cadgar is saying that he will not part with the fox's pelt to anyone at any price.
2083 Huntis up is both a hunting song and a traditional dance.
2089 The word nekhering is unusual and is first attested in Henryson. It has been suggested that the term is used as a pun with the meaning "a blow on the neck or shoulders." DOST suggests two meanings: "a) appar. a variety of herring, ?the shod. b) A blow, a buffet; ?specif., a blow over the neck and shoulders" (IV. 511). The cadger apparently uses both senses as he speaks to the fox of an apparently very large fish, though the cadger may be punning on a sharp blow to the neck (see Elliott's gloss, p. 195). Subsequently, the fox entreats the greedy wolf with the possibility of obtaining the big fish, but the wolf gets instead several blows to the head, enough to blind him, from the cadger who is eager to realize the second implication of his initial pun.
2090 creillis. A creel or large wicker basket which would be carried by a cart or in pairs on horses.
2103 hakkit. Fox follows Charteris with snakkit (snapped).
2114 Schir is from Charteris and Harleian. Bassandyne: Tchir. See also line 2131.
2120 The reference to forty days is to the forty days of Lent.
2148 dow not is from Charteris. Bassandyne: he will.
2152-53 The sense here is "if you get that herring secure in some place you will not need to go fishing anymore until Easter."
2154 In principio are the first two words of the gospel of St. John and were often used as a charm to ward off evil.
2168 als wraith as ony is from Charteris. Bassandyne: wavering as the.
2171 revenge him best is from Charteris. Bassandyne: revengit on him.
2193 fyne is from Hart and Harleian. Bassandyne: syne.
2206 but leis. "no doubt"; "without lies."
The Fox, the Wolf, and the Husbandman. Enumerating the three motifs that Henryson's fable contains (the angry farmer who gives his oxen to the wolf, the reflection of the moon mistaken for cheese, and the wolf in the bucket), Fox suggests that Petrus Alfonsi's Disciplina clericalis is the likely source for this fable. The motifs also occur in the Roman de Renart (p. 299). The title in Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian is The Taill of the Foxe, that begylit the Wolf, in the schadow of the Mone.
2238-39 How! Haik! is obviously the ploughman's call to his oxen. In the same sense Hald draught is a command which is used to encourage the oxen to keep pulling within the furrow.
2242 angrie as ane hair. Proverbial variant of "mad as a hare." See Fergusson's Scottish Proverbs, No. 712. Compare hare-brained, "bouncing about senselessly." The OED notes that the male hare is more wild in the breeding season, hence March hare (hare I.b).
2243 patill. A pattle is a long spade-like tool for removing earth stuck to the ploughshare.
2284 Fox has emended contrusit from Bassandyne to contrufit.
2346 The translation of unroikit as "heedlessly" is speculative, based on scribal error or dialect variation on the word rak (heed).
2372 hous is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: hors. Smith and Hart: house.
2389 draw well. A well from which water is drawn.
2392 schadow means "reflection," an unusual usage also found in The Testament of Cresseid.
2432 Arctand is from Charteris. Bassandyne: Actand.
2452 Fox glosses buttrie in its more traditional sense meaning "pantry." However, line 2453 makes that interpretation questionable at best. In any case, the citation may well be corrupt. The DOST provides one interesting alternative (p. 402) in the citation of a proverb for a Buttrie bag, meaning a slippery bag. Based primarily on the logic of context. I have decided to gloss buttrie as bucket, on the assumption that the association with the proverb, and the citation for Butt and Bute (both containers, albeit one for feet) make this meaning as likely as any other. The construction may have developed through ellipsis or some oral idiomatic expression. However, this speculation is by no means a firm solution to the conundrum.
2454 from is Wood's emendation. Bassandyne: ftom.
The Wolf and the Wether. The earliest version of this fable is found in Baldo. Henryson might have taken it from Caxton.
2468 with is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: wit.
2474 that is from Hart and Smith; it is omitted in Bassandyne.
2476 wichtlie wan is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: wretchitlie wan.
2516 thay is from Charteris and Hart. Bassandyne: Ihay.
2537 Largely on the basis of meter, Fox emends this line to read The volff ran till ane rekill suggesting that rekill may mean "heap" or "clatter." Logically, however, the Bassandyne reading makes better sense - the wolf has encountered a stream which is a barrier to his escape.
2548 Syne is from Charteris and Harleian. Bassandyne: Tyne.
2550 quhyte as ane freir. The Carmelites wore a white mantle; hence the White Friars.
2588-94 Fox suggests that these lines imitate Lydgate's The Churl and the Bird, lines 1-6, 15-16.
2604 Fox suggests lychtlie means "make light of" or "disparage."
2608 This line contains a proverbial reference to hall benches, a metaphor for high social station based on seating arrangements at court. The comment that such benches are slippery is intended to reflect the mutability of courtly favor. See also "The Want of Wyse Men," pp. 255-57.
The Wolf and the Lamb. The tale is perhaps taken from Gualterus, with some influences of Lydgate's "Tale of the Wolfe and the Lamb."
2628 him is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: he.
2628 Although Bassandyne reads beleuand, and there is no metric difference, Fox makes a convincing argument on historical grounds for presomyng from Bannatyne (p. 316).
2629 this is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: him.
2630 angrie austre. Bassandyne: awfull angrie. Bannatyne: angry austre.
2632 this bruke is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and bruke.
2638 your is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: yuor.
2667 pais. Bassandyne: prais. Bannatyne: paiss.
2668 pyne is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: pane.
2673 cheris is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: refuse.
2677 spew is from Bannatyne and Charteris. Bassandyne: did spew.
2682 Fox substitutes audience for evidence suggesting the former means "a due hearing." The use of evidence in three witnesses, however, seems to me to be persuasive.
2690 wyis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: gyis.
2693 Fox emends Na to Ha on the basis of appropriateness. However, the introductory use of the form no in a sentence which corrects an error is well attested in Middle English and Middle Scots and persists to this day. A parallel would be "No, it goes this way." See line 2340 for Henryson's use of this expression.
2697 Be Goddis woundis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: Be his woundis.
2701 hedit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: deid.
2703 syne is from Bannatyne and Harleian. Bassandyne: and.
2713 facultie. Fox follows Bannatyne with suteltie.
2716 poleit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne, Charteris, and Harleian: poete.
2729 aneuch is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: full grit.
2731 in peace ane pureman is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: the pure in pece to.
2734 This line refers to the practice of buying a tenant-farmer's lease "out from under him."
2738 crufe is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: caff. Bannatyne: cruse.
2744 A village was a lease for grazing rights.
2745 A gressome is the charge paid by a tenant on taking up or renewing a lease.
2750 cairt is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: court.
2760 be rad is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: dreid.
2769 pure with. Bassandyne reads pure had with.
2771 and men. Bassandyne reads and fell. Fox follows Charteris, as do I.
The Paddock and the Mouse. Henryson seems to be following Gualterus here, though versions are found in Lydgate's Isopet de Lyon, Babrius, Phaedrus, and the Greek Vita Aesopi. A paddock is a frog, corresponding to rava in Gualterus. Henryson twice refers to the beast as a toad. Apparently toads, frogs, and paddocks are sometimes treated indifferently in medieval literature.
2787-88 Fox suggests that these lines might be reversed (p. 326).
2789 rauk is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: rank.
2800 your is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: thy.
2802 Withoutin is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: Without. Bannatyne: Withowttin.
2803 yow is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: the.
2805 mervell than is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: grit wounder.
2806 without is from Bannatyne, Charteris, and Harleian. Bassandyne: withont.
2808 droun to wed is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: drounit be.
2815 swyme is from Charteris. Bassandyne: row.
2816 It is worth noting the duplicity in this line since adult frogs lack gills.
2819-32 The mouse's arguments are soundly based in medieval studies of physiognomy.
2841 na wyt is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: no cause. The toad's argument is "I have no knowledge about why I look as I do. Why should I be scorned for what I cannot control?"
suld I is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: I suld.
2842 Absolon. Compare Chaucer's Prologue to the Legend of Good Women F.203: Hyd, Absalom, thy gilte tresses clere, where Absolon's hair is projected as an exemplar of beauty. See Paul E. Beichner, "Absolon's Hair," Medieval Studies 12 (1950), 222-33.
2860 our is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: rycht.
2865 The "murder oath" was a medieval protocol assuring the safety of another party.
2873 carpand. crappald is Fox's emendation of the Bassandyne carpand. crappald and pad both mean "toad." The line is likely corrupt. There is, however, an intriguing reference in DOST to crapulus meaning "intemperate." The sense could certainly eliminate the problem of duplication in Henryson's line, but the earliest citation is 1721. The problem, therefore, remains to be solved. It is possible that the Bassandyne carpand in the sense of "loquacious" could be accurate, since the frog obviously has rhetorical skill.
2875 fute for fute means "side by side" in the most literal sense, given the way the mouse has bound herself to toad's leg.
2877 This line is taken from Bannatyne. Bassandyne reads: The mous thocht off na thing bot for to swym.
2887 Scho bowtit up and is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: With all her mycht scho.
2893 in is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: in to.
2895 In crying for a priest, the mouse believes it is time for her last rites.
2898 owthir is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: ony.
2904 bellieflaucht refers to flaying the creatures by pulling their skin off whole over the head.
fettislie is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: fettillie.
2915-16 Line 2915 is problematic. The sense of the Bassandyne text is "it were better for you to bear carts (wheelbarrows) of stone." Fox emends this line based on Craigie's suggestion as noted in Smith's edition. The corruption of the text, however, and the lack of a persuasive argument for the emendation make the original text (reproduced here) as likely an alternative as any. Fox also emends line 2916 to read Or sueitand dig and. However, he correctly notes that dig and delf are synonymous. I believe the Bassandyne line, printed here, is more likely.
2930 at is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: of.
2942 Fox chooses wardit instead of wrappit without much conviction.
2945 gounis is Fox's emendation. Bassandyne: gouins. Bannatyne: gownis.
2946 fysche is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: fitche (vetch), which seems unlikely in the context of the simile.
2947 wappit is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: wrappit.
2950 twyn is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: wyn.
2967 Of gud deidis is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne has the more Protestant Of faith in Christ.
2972 or is from Bannatyne. Bassandyne: and ane.