Notes.
How far the foregoing Tract has suffered from the Carelessness or Ignorance of the Transcriber, it will not be possible to determine, until another Copy shall be discovered. It is the Object of the following Notes to correct some of the more obvious Mistakes, as well as to trace the Historical Origin of the Tract, and to explain its References and Allusions. The Editor has not thought it necessary to preserve in every Instance the Contractions of the original Manuscript; but he has carefully retained the Spelling, even in some Cases where an Error of the Transcriber is evident. The Anglo-Saxon Letters, þ and ȝ, are used throughout the MS., and are preserved, as being characteristic of the Orthography of the Period.
[Page xxiii.] line 3.
Noȝt hauynge him þat openly crieþ.
There seems some Error or Omission of the Transcriber here; but the Allusion is probably to St. Matt. iv. 9. A learned Friend has ingeniously suggested to the Editor, that “nought-having” may mean disregarding, pro nihilo habentes, not fearing, abhorring, or thinking any Harm of him that openly crieth, “all these Things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me;” i. e. not fearing the Demon of Simony. “Avaunce” is perhaps substituted for adoraveris, in order to render the Passage more applicable to Clerical Simony, or Purchase of Preferment.