98. I read nil, as being simpler. The MSS. have ne wil, which would be read—'That I n'wil ay'; which comes to much the same thing.
100. set, fixed, bound. Ed. 1561 has—'For I am set so hy vpon your whele,' which disturbs the rimes.
102. MS. Sh. beon euer als trewe; ed. 1561 has—bene euer as trewe.
103. MS. Sh. 'As any man can er may on lyue'; ed. 1561 and MS. Ph. have—'As any man can or maye on liue.' It is clear that a final word has been dropped, because the scribe thought the line ought to rime with fyve (l. 98). The dropped word is clearly here, which rimes with manere in the Miller's Prologue, and elsewhere. After here was dropped, man was awkwardly inserted, to fill up the line. Ch. employs here at the end of a line more than thirty times; cf. Kn. Tale, A 1260, 1670, 1711, 1819, &c.
107, 108. Cf. Anelida, 247, 248.
123. Cf. Anelida, 216. MS. Ph. alone preserves ll. 124-133.
124. My lyf and deeth seems to be in the vocative case. Otherwise, my is an error for in.
125. For hoolly I perhaps we should read I hoolly.
126. The rime by me, tyme, is Chaucerian; see Cant. Ta. G 1204.
130. This resembles Cant. Tales, F 974 and A 2392.