Various Readings: IX. and X. omitted by Laing. 1 prince of price A. 2 haly gaist, the i in gaist written over the line by the same hand A, gast L. 5 virgin A. 6 sone of god A. 7 virking A. haly gaist A. X. 5 thouch 4. XI. printed by Laing. 1 Child L. 5 herbriour L. 6 lord A. Notes: V. 127, 128. Contentit seems to be a doubtful reading, as it cannot be taken as Past Part. here. Possibly the original reading was consentit. The meaning of the next verse is: The holy ghost that shone into her tabernacle. V. 129. Has made grow in her that royal lily-flower. V. 130. To reabill v. a. to reinstate, to restore. The meaning seems to be: To restore her to her legitimate state, or rather to make her present state legitimate. V. 131. pis vergin permanable, this perpetual virgin. V. 135. Cousignes s. A female cousin-germain. The word seems to be derived from the Old French cusinage, which accounts for the rhyme cousignes pas wes. V. 138. Fenze v. n. To feign is used here in the sense of to grow tired, or faint, to flag, for which Mätzner in his Altenglisches Wörterbuch quotes an exemple from Morte Arth. v. 1734. V. 139. Hir first scho halsit. She saluted her first. V. 145. Will, adj. Lost in error (Jamieson). To those lost in error a harbour. XV. 1 grcius A. herod A. Various Readings: XII. omitted by Laing. 3 for A. 5 prince A. thelem A. 3 Barne L. 4 With [Mary] his moder L. [be] A om. Allane A. XIV-XVI. omitted by Laing. 1 In the A, L. moder him present A, L. 3 lord and king A. and king A. 2 symeoun A. XIII. printed by Laing. 1 kingis A. 2 ba5 ffor A. kingis A. 6 adorne A, adore L. 5 symeoun A. 6 ffra A. prince Notes: V. 148. Efter aucht dais, after eight days. V. 150. Arles, erles s. An earnest of whatever kind, a pledge of full possession, from the Old French erre, plur. erres, Lat. arrha, arra, according to Mätzner, Altenglisches Wörterbuch. V. 151. Saule does not mean soul here, but sole. V. 153. Lude is contracted from luuede, luvede, loved. V. 158. A word is wanting in this verse, probably the article before cribe. Laing's reading With Mary his moder might also be adopted, to make the verse complete, for the first unaccented syllable is wanting too, as is not unfrequently the case, however, in this poem. V. 162. This verse had to be altered, as the reading of the MS. present does not rhyme with king (v. 164). V. 169. Herod believed that this gracious prince should reign over the whole Jewish kingdom. Denkschriften der phil.-hist. Classe. XLVIII. Bd. I. Abh. 5 Various Readings: 4 Into A. 6 bathelem A. Innocentis A. 7 ffor A. prince A. XVI. 1 god 4. 3 mary A. 7 The seventh line of this stanza is wanting in the MS. zareth A. XVIII. 1 twest A, twelft L. 2 Evangellis his [residence] L. 5 gret reverence AL. Notes: V. 175. misknew, he did not know. XVII-XIX. printed by Laing. 1 delling A 2 Angell L. 7 na- V. 182. This line has been supplied by the present Editor, the 16th stanza consisting of six verses only. The reason why the last line of the stanza was omitted by the scribe, probably was, because the two last rhymes of the stanza did not differ sufficiently from the two preceding ones, wherefore he mistook the rhyme spend: obedient for the final couplet of the stanza. V. 185. but mair abaid, without further delay. V. 191-194. The emendation menciounage, which we have inserted for mencioun, as the MS. reads, was required by the rhyme-word hantage. For the same reason we have substituted homage for reverence in v. 194. Laing has kept this word and altered the rhyme-words in the preceding verses, where he printed recordence (v. 191), residence (v. 193). Notes: V. 196. As Lendulphus ... 210 215 4 Doctouris L. XIX. 1 twelve L. 2 Pasche L. 3 Tempell L. can record. On this passage Laing has the following learned note: "The author referred to was Landulphus or Ludolphus of Saxony, a Carthusian monk of the 14th century, who has been styled 'Scriptor ultra sæculi sui sortem elegans' (Fabrii Bibl. Lat. Medii Ævi, vol. IV, p. 846; Eyringi Synopsis Hist. Liter., p. 433). His great work, entitled 'Divinum devotissimumque Vitae Christi Opus' was first printed in the year 1474, and passed through many editions. Translations of it into French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, had also appeared previous to the year 1500 (Ebert's Bibliographisches Lexikon). V. 199. Thair wes he tynt. There was he lost. V. 201. Schent, Past. Part. of to shend, to disgrace, put to shame. V. 203. Bene adv. well; here it has perhaps the meaning of almost. V. 207-209. These verses stand in the order 209, 207, 208 in the MS., whereby the structure of the stanza as well as the sense is spoiled. Kenand, Part. Pres. teaching, showing. V. 211, 213. The pronoun he supplied by Laing before had is necessary here, whereas him after schaw is not absolutely wanted, the rhythm of the verse also being in order, if tyme be read as a dissyllabic word. Various Readings: 6 wes thair A, was than L. 7 Lerand all L. XXII-XXIV. omitted by Laing. 2 But meik A. abstinace A. XXIII. 2 Juntis A. 3 meik A. 4 nocht AL om. XXIV. 1 ignorance A. 3 þi AL om. 6 probably doand, although it might possibly also be read deand in A. 7 [were] A om. Notes: V. 219. meik, as MS. A reads here and in v. 220, may be a mistake of the scribe; we have inserted meit instead of it; abstinence instead of abstinace, the reading of A, was required by the rhyme. V. 221. To tempe to tempt. = V. 224. Syne zeid in plane; then he went forth into the plain country, viz. to teach the people. V. 225, 226. Thoucht all my hare etc. If all my hair (i. e. every hair on my head) were hearts and able to think, if all my joints could sing with angels' voices, a comparison which, it is true, does not afford a very high idea of Kennedy's taste and poetical powers. V. 228. It was necessary here to insert the word nocht to make the verse intelligible: I could not show or explain the seventh part of thy pains etc. V. 230. Slik, sb. Slime, the slimy shore; the same word has this meaning also in Low German. The poet, who evidently has not a very clear idea of the geological nature of Palestine, is thinking here of his own country, viz. the Lowlands of Scotland. V. 233. To tell the teind to relate only the tenth part of thy adversity. V. 238. pai to etc. whilst they were endeavouring to kill thee. |