a 49. Luke xiv. 10.
a 50. yuel to knowe, 'hard to distinguish'.
a 72-5. These clumsy lines, which are found in all versions, exemplify the chief faults in Piers Plowman: structural weakness and superfluous allegory.
a 79. I wil... do wryte my biqueste, 'I will have my will written'; make(n), ger (gar), and lete(n) are commonly used like do(n) with an active infinitive, which is most conveniently rendered by the passive; so do wryte 'cause to be written'; dyd werche 'caused to be made' I 218; mad sumoun 'caused to be summoned' VI 179; gert dres vp 'caused to be set up' X 16; leet make 'caused to be made' IX 223, &c.
a 80. In Dei nomine, amen: A regular opening phrase for wills.
a 84. 'I trust to have a release from and remission of my debts which are recorded in that book.' Rental, a book in which the sums due from a tenant were noted, here means 'record of sins'.
a 86. he: the parson, as representing the Church.
a 91. douȝtres. In l. 73 only one daughter is named. In the B-text, Passus xviii. 426, she is called Kalote (see note to b 2 below).
a 94. bi þe rode of Lukes: at Lucca (French Lucques) is a Crucifix and a famous representation of the face of Christ, reputed to be the work of the disciple Nicodemus. From Eadmer and William of Malmesbury we learn that William the Conqueror's favourite oath was 'By the Face of Lucca!', and it is worth noting that the frequent and varied adjurations in Middle English are copied from the French.
a 114. 'May the Devil take him who cares!'