These lines bear a very remarkable resemblance to two others in the early mystery of the Harrowing of Hell, recently printed, and would lead us to think that the author of the Coventry play had had the other in his recollection:—
“Hard gates havy gon,
Sorewen soffred mony on.”—p. 15.
P. [361], l. 27. To stey to my fadyr.] “Touche me not yet, for I have not yet stied up to my fadir; but go to my brethren and seie to them, I stie to my fadir and to youre fadir, to my God and to youre God.”—John, xx. Wickliffe’s translation.
P. [362], l. 21. But now in herte.] This and the following twenty-one lines are repeated in the MS. in a different hand.
P. [383]. The Assumption of the Virgin. The whole of this pageant is written in a more recent hand, of the time, I should think, of Henry VIII. It will be observed that this composition differs considerably from the other plays.
P. [402], l. 1. Clamavit.] The Latinity throughout the MS. is very bad, but I have suffered it generally to remain as a criterion of the reliance to be placed upon the MS. text.
CORRECTIONS OF THE MS. AND ERRATA.
Transcriber’s Note: The errata have been corrected, except for the one about repeated lines. (The lines are indeed repeated. It’s just not clear what the author thinks you should do about it.)
P. [10], l. 21. After adultrye add semicolon.—P. [18], l. 5. For therin read ther in.—P. [35], l. 22. For deynful read deyn ful.—P. [65], l. 13. Add a full stop after dwelle.—P. [68], l. 27. For shepeof read shepe of.—P. [75], l. 10. Add a semicolon after offens.—P. [84], l. 6. Dele with.—P. [91], l. 31. For grannt read graunt.—P. [96], l. 6. Our, forte your.—P. [101], l. 16. For infere read in fere.—P. [101], l. 30. For allemanere read alle manere.—P. [103], l. 13. For besteryd read be steryd.—P. [108], l. 19. Seyth be, forte subtyl.—P. [131], l. 25. For ryngewele read rynge wele.—P. [145], l. 4. For trybutehym read trybute hym.—P. [154], l. 29. For yourspede read your spede.—P. [156], l. 17. For asyne read a syne.—P. [238], l. 1. For allewith read alle with. P. [256], l. 16-19. These lines are repeated from p. [252].—P. [263], l. 8. For behis read be his.—P. [283], l. 15. As, forte and.—P. [385], l. 30. After ded add a comma.