567. 'One, to curse to hell; the other, to slay men here (on earth)'; cf. Luke, xxii. 38.
575. 'A sword is no implement to guard sheep with, except for shepherds that would devour the sheep.' In later English, at any rate, a sheep-biter meant a thief (Halliwell). Cf. l. 583.
594. untrend, unrolled; not rolled up, but freshly pulled off.
605. Sathan, Satan; Heb. sātān, adversary, opponent.
610. Read reprende; cf. comprende in Chaucer.
625. ensyse, variant of assyse, fashion, sort; 'they are, surely, of the same sort.' See Assize, sect. 8, in the New E. Dict. Bailey gives: 'Ensise, quality, stamp; Old word'; with reference, doubtless, to this very line. Cf. assyse, fashion, manner, in l. 843 below.
626. frend, evidently put for fremde, strange, foreign, averse; which was difficult to pronounce.
633. Read maundements, i.e. commandments (trisyllabic). The form
commaundementes is too long for the line. See mandement in Stratmann and in Chaucer.
642. to prison. Evidently written before 1401, when Lollards were frequently sent to the stake for heresy. Cf. l. 650; and see note to l. 827.