172. at alle assaies, ‘in every way’: cp. ii. 2447.
Latin Verses. iii. 1. Iohannes: St. John the Evangelist, who is mentioned either as the teacher of brotherly love or because his Gospel contains the exhortations to St. Peter, ‘Feed my sheep,’ ‘Feed my lambs.’
2. ista, ‘this.’
3. bina virtute, perhaps charity and chastity, cp. 464 ff.
4. inculta, nominative in spite of metre, so auaricia in l. 8.
8. tepente, ‘being lukewarm,’ that is, held in a lukewarm manner.
196 (margin). Roberti Gibbonensis, Robert of Geneva, elected pope in opposition to Urban VI, under the title of Clement VII.
198. the god, see note on l. 72.
204. Simon, i.e. Simon Magus, whence simony has its name: cp. 442 ff., Mirour, 18451 ff., and Vox Clamantis, iii. 249, 1217, &c.
207 ff. The reference is to Lombard bankers employed as intermediaries in obtaining Church preferment. The ‘letter’ referred to is the papal provision, or perhaps the letter of request addressed to the pope in favour of a particular person: cp. Vox Clam. iii. 1375 f.,