37. For stanza iii generally comp. ‘Decet regem discere legem. | Audiat rex quod praecipit lex. | Legem servare hoc est regnare. | Notitia litterarum lux est animarum,’ Wipo 1-4. An echo of this stanza is evident in, ‘The ferste seide, “I understonde | Ne may no king wel ben in londe, | Under God Almihte, | But he cunne himself rede, | Hou he shal in londe lede | Everi man wid rihte,”’ Wright, Pol. Songs, 254/7 (date 1311 A.D.). 38. #may# has possibly its independent force, is strong, has power, comp. 29/12, but the line is evidently corrupt; #ryhtwis# is a reminiscence of l. 34, as is also _riche_ in T. It is easy to supply beo after #king#, for TS have _ben_. But RJ, S are nearest the right reading with, Ne mai no riht cing ben under crist selve (selve SH{1}; self SH{2}, selfe SL). Read Ne may beon ryht king. #vnder criste#, a favourite expression in Layamon, as, ‘Ȝe beoð under criste[;] cnihten alre kennest | and ich æm rihchest alre kinge[;] vnder gode seolue,’ L 27230, 27976, 28056. 40. It is obvious to substitute for #wyttes#, _wrytes_, or better _iwriten_, as at 20/67, 70, after #writes# in T, but ‘his writings,’ i.e. manuscripts, seems suspicious, and if correct gives a feeble threefold repetition of the same idea; and further the relation between ll. 41 and 42 requires the explanation of #hw# as, ‘so as to know how,’ Skeat. A transposition of ll. 40, 41 with _welde_ read for #kunne# (which seems to be due to the following line), will give a better sequence of ideas, obviate repetition, and restore the alliteration. Comp. ‘ælc bi his witte[;] wisdom sæiden,’ L 25627; ‘he wes swiðe wis mon[;] and witful on bocken,’ id. 22097. For cunne RJ, S have icweme. 41. #lokie#, consult, examine, refer to records for himself: comp. ‘þat yow tels sent Ieremi, | If yee wald lok his propheci,’ CM 9333. 46. #leden#, guide; usually with personal object.