another hand" (F)--"While I over-delve it" (24,_c_), _ouer dylew yt_ in MS.--"into thi[_s_] yard" (25,_b_), supplied by M--"pow[_d_]er of Paris" (25,_d_), supplied by M--"Ye shall [_see_] _a_ good sport" (25,_d_), supplied by M: Brandl, however, suggests that _a_ = have, which provides, I think on reflection, a better reading without altering the text--"Be as _be_ may ... Mercy be wroth" (26,_a_ and _b_), "these lines are added at the bottom of the page" (F), _be_ is _it_ in original--"I shall _sleep_" (26,_b_),?MS. _skepe_ (F)--"rideth over the gallows" (26,_d_), _galouf_ in MS. for _galous_--"And thy own wife _brethel_" (27,_a_), see Brethel, _ante_ (382,_d_): F in a footnote (p. 22) says, "Qy. _bethell_, M," but M (p. 338) has "Qy. _brethell_"!--"Adieu, fair _master_" (27,_b_), F suggests _master[s]_--"such a _likely_ man" (27,_d_), _lyghly_ which F reads _lygh[t]ly_ = likely--"ye have sco[u]red a pair of fetters" (28,_d_), _scoryde_ in MS.: see _Scoured, post_, (461,_a_)--"_that_ sweet mouth" (28,_d_), _þo_ in MS.--"do _it [in]_ forma" (29,_c_), "fo" is struck out after _it_ in MS.: _in_ is supplied by M--"his side-gown may be _sold_" (29,_d_), _solde_ in F and M, but F has a note "solde MS., tolde M" which I do not understand: M at all events is intelligible in noting the _solde_ of his text as "MS. tolde"; but which is correct?--"spare that ye _may_" (30,_a_), so in MS and F, which I have followed: M reads _mow_ (to rhyme with _yow_, p. 30, line 1), and notes his departure from the original--"beshrew your ears, _a_ fair hand" (30,_b_), _&_ in MS. and F: M reads _a_--"Curia _tenta generalis_" (30,_c_), _Carici_ in MS.: see Curia, _ante_ (391,_a_)--"makest much [_tarrying_]" (30,_d_), supplied by M and adopted by F--"I can[_not_] express this inconvenience" (32,_d_), [_not_] supplied by M and adopted by F--"_Christus_ et _omnia jura_" (33,_c_), _sit_ in MS.: emended by Kittredge in M--"Equity to be laid over part[l]y" (33,_d_), _party_ in MS: this line was a puzzler to M and B in consequence of the wretchedly inaccurate copy of the text supplied to them, and on which they had to work. The variations are characteristic: F is direct from MS. and collated (?); M and B are copies of a copy made by the same person at different times: these differ alike one with the other, and with the F copy. (F) "Equyte to be leyde ou_er_ p_ar_ty, & mercy to prevayll." (M) O quyte to be leyde ou_er_, p_er_ty & mercy to prevayll! (B) O, quyte to be leyde, ou_er_ p_ar_ty and mercy to prevayll! The readings adopted or suggested are--(F) As given above. (M) Equyte to be leyde ou_er_, pety & mercy to prevayll! (B) O, quyte to be lewyde, ou_er_ pety _and_ mercy to prevayll! From this it will be seen that all differ with one another and from myself in interpreting