[241]. a þanke: comp. ‘stif he wes on þonke,’ L 2110. For boð, D has seden, for senden. For the last three words J substitutes Mid hwom me heold feste; Morris, thinking it corrupt, conjectures, hwom me ne heold feste, or, me heold vnfeste, whom men considered unsteadfast. But the scribe of J has deliberately substituted for the men of infirm purpose those who fare sumptuously. These are they who in this world were those with whom men feasted.
[242]. ⁊ þa þe: e reads ⁊ to, which gives the best sense. heste, not often in the sense of promise: auht E; aht e. In T 246, naht has dropped out before ilaste.
[243]. ful enden: fulendi D; OE. fullendian, finish.
[244]. witen, went; OE. gewītan: the other MSS. have weren E e D; were J M.
[245]. e reads, þere is pich ðe æure wealð · þer sculle baðie inne, and so the others, but for þer—inne J has, ꝥ heo schulle habbe þere, and M, þat sculle þe beo inne. See 42/218 and comp. ‘In a bytter baþ | ich schal baþe naked. | Of pych and of brunston | wallynde is i-maked,’ OEM 181/209-12.
[246]. here: vuel E; uuel e. in werre ⁊ in winne, in war and in strife: the combination is at least rare. M has, mid werre ⁊ mid ywinne. unwinne in T 250, meaning distress, is also a rare word; comp. ‘Sinne me hauiþ in care ibroȝt | broȝt in mochil vnwinne,’ E. E. Poems, 21/5, 6: e has, in feoht end in iginne, where iginne is miswritten for iwinne; E in feoh (= feoht) end in iginne (= iwinne), in fighting and strife; comp. ‘ne bilæfde he næuer nænne; þat heold feht and iwin,’ L 9042, 4, 11522. D reads, in wele ⁊ in senne; J vnwreste · and eke false were.
[247]. E has ll. 249, 250 before 247, 248. In 251 T þis = þe is.
[248]. uersc, fresh water; OE. adj. fersc used exclusively of fresh as opposed to salt water. The other MSS. agree with T: nauene strien ne sture E; nauene striem ne sture e; ne auene strém · ne sture J; Hauene stream ne Sture D. There are two places where rivers called Avon and Stour meet, in Warwickshire near Stratford-on-Avon, and in Hampshire near Christchurch.
[249]. nawiht: nomon J; no þing D.
[250]. þa þe—lof, those to whom it was too pleasing, those who took too much delight in: ll. 250, 251 may be a reminiscence of the Anarchy; see 7/49, 6/44.