[Footnote 1: A second Latin version of an _Erthe_ poem, together with the same poem in Anglo-French, and in Middle English, occurs on the back of a Roll in the Public Record Office, dating from the time of Edward II (Ex^r. K. R. Proceedings, Bdle. 1; old No. 845/21), and in a 19th cent. transcript of this in MS. Brit. Mus. Addit. 25478; it is given in the Appendix. Both the Latin and the French appear to be translations or paraphrases of the English, with an additional verse or two.] [Footnote 2: The English text in the Appendix consists of nine four-lined stanzas, and is distinct from either of the two current versions of the poem. It appears to have been suggested by the opening lines of A, and may be regarded as a single sub-type of A, not affecting the main line of argument of the Introduction. (See Appendix, p. 46.)] [Footnote 3: This is repeated on each page of Bateman’s text, and is, perhaps, his own design.] [Footnote 4: See Bateman’s Preface.] [Footnote 5: Probably not the author but the copier of the MS.: see Notes.] [Footnote 6: All the stanzas of the B version are four-lined except MS. Porkington.] [Footnote 7: v. Wanley’s Catalogue.] [Footnote 8: My attention was called to this MS. by the kindness of Prof. Priebech.] [Footnote 9: MS. Laud Misc. is not written throughout in metrical lines, but the divisions of the stanzas, and, in most cases, of the lines, are clearly indicated.] [Footnote 10: The first leaf of this text has been torn out and the verses in brackets are only conjectural.] [Footnote 11: MS. Laud represents, in the main, the same version as MS. Lamb., but the variant readings preclude the idea of its being a copy of Lamb., unless the scribe deliberately tried to modify his original on the lines of Harl. 4486 and Rawl. P. The changes in the text (ll. 26, 27, 47: see Notes) show that it cannot be the original of Lamb. It appears to be a transcript from the same original made about the same date, or a little earlier than the Lambeth text.] [Footnote 12: Cf. MS. Brighton _nobley_.] [Footnote 13: Cf. MS. Selden _delful_.] [Footnote 14: The Latin and Anglo-French texts in the Appendix are evidently renderings of the English poem which accompanies them.] [Footnote 15: This is clearly seen in the Latin and French versions in the Appendix where the Latin text uses _terra in terra_, and the French _terre en terre_.] [Footnote 16: Vernon MS. _to resten on_, Digby, _shal rest right at_.] [Footnote 17: Cotton MS. _þe rof þe firste_.] [Footnote 18: Cf. Frendles ys þe dede (_Proverbs of Hendyng_, l. 288).] [Footnote 19: = heres þonkes, _of their own free will_.]