[35]. froure: so T, comfort, support; comp. 18/19. But fowre R is better.
[36]. heaued þeawes, cardinal virtues. V mentions only three of these here, but Temperantia (= Meað) afterwards takes part in the dialogue. Warschipe is Prudentia: gastelich strengðe is a translation of the Spiritus Fortitudinis of the very ancient Confirmation Prayer; VV has more literally ‘gost of strengþe,’ 83/22: V has Fortitudo only.
[38]. cunestable, chief officer: an early instance of the word in English.
[39]. durewart: comp. ‘Þe ȝeteward . þet is wittes skile,’ AR 270/26: in VV she is ȝeapnesse, ‘on of ðe holie mihtes ðe wel cunne ⁊ wel muȝe ðo gaten ⁊ ðo duren wel bilokin of ðis holi temple,’ 99/22. þe: so R, but ꝥ T: relative with subjunctive of purpose, like the Latin, ‘quae discernat quid sit admittendum, quid vitandum, quid excludendum.’
[40]. of feor, from a distance; explained in NED under afar, as an analytical form = OE. feorran, adv., from far. The latter is sometimes treated in ME. as a noun and combined with prepositions of, on, from: comp. 118/55, 198/31: oferrum in Minot vii. 70 is on + dat. s. neut. of feorr, adj.
[42]. warschipes: for the construction, see 10/167. R has warschipe, showing confusion of gender. The subject of warni is warschipe contained in the preceding genitive; see 6/18. fore, adv., previously, comp. 121/140; ‘Ah wel ich warni þe uore,’ SJ 47/15.
[44]. ꝥ . . . speken: see 81/77.
[45]. mete: so T, but meðe R: comp. 122/174. uueles: so T, faults of excess and defect, extremes: ‘muchel ⁊ lutel,’ 122/169. R has þinge, which perhaps points to an original uuele þinge. for ꝥ—halden, lit., for that is in every place (i.e. under all circumstances) virtue and disciplined conduct in the observance; which is practically, for the observance of that moderation is under all circumstances virtuous conduct. So ‘ꝥ ich demi riht ⁊ wisdom to donne,’ 122/185, the doing of that I judge to be proper and wise. This use of the gerundial infinitive is frequent in AR, comp. ‘ne beo þu nout Gius fere ne Gius make uorte birlen him so,’ 114/15, by pouring him out such a drink. With halden comp. ‘Al so me tempreð an baþ . . . also deð ðis haliȝe mihte alle ðes mannes ðeawes ðe hes luuiȝeð ⁊ healden cann,’ VV 107/18.
[46]. ꝥ nan &c., that none of them in any case should, in opposition to her, with excess overstep moderation: wid vnmeoð is duplicated in ouer mete.
[48]: ‘Iustitia sedeat in medio, ut sua cuique tribuat,’ V 208 b.