445 ff. With this compare the corresponding lines in the Carmen super multiplici viciorum Pestilencia, under the head of ‘Avarice’ (246 ff.),
‘Vendere iusticiam nichil est nisi vendere Cristum,’ &c.
463 f. Cp. Mirour, 24973 ff.
467 f. Vt Crati bufo, &c.: cp. Mirour, 24962 f.
498. Cp. Mirour, 22835 f.
522. The insertion which is found after this line in the Digby MS. (and in no other) consists of eight lines taken from the original text of the passage 545-580, which was rewritten by the author: see ll. 561*-566* and 579* f.
523 ff. ‘Can a house be built without timber? But of what use is timber to the builder if it be not hewn?’ ‘Nonne’ for ‘Num,’ as frequently: see note on v. 731. It seems that ‘sibi’ refers to the builder rather than to the house; in any case, it has no reflexive sense. Finally ‘ligna’ is here used as a singular feminine: all the MSS. have ‘foret’ in l. 524 and ‘valet’ in 525.
The idea of the passage seems to be that good laws are as the material, and the ruler as the builder of the house.
529 ff. Cp. Conf. Amantis, vii. 2695 ff.
545-580. It is certain that the passage preserved to us in the Dublin and Hatfield MSS. is that which was originally written in those books which now exhibit an erasure; for in several places words are legible underneath the present text of these latter MSS. For example in S ‘maior’ is visible as the last word of the original l. 547, and ‘locuta,’ ‘aula,’ similarly in ll. 549, 551. The chief difference introduced is in the direction of throwing more responsibility on the king, who however is still spoken of as a boy. Thus instead of ‘Stat puer immunis culpe,’ we have ‘Rex puer indoctus morales negligit actus’ (or more strongly still ‘respuit’).