1 Sevorde. The place-name probably refers to Shefford, Berkshire, rather than Seaford, a south coastal town in East Sussex. See South, ed., The Proverbs of Alfred Studied, pp. 25–42, who argues persuasively for Shefford’s associations with King Alfred’s life, and she uses its mention to date Proverbs in the twelfth rather than the thirteenth century. But see, too, Yeager, who reevaluates the legal ties of Shifford, Oxfordshire (From Lawmen to Plowmen, p. 116n59).↩back to note source

4 Eorl Alvrich. An unidentifiable name. South comments that “Alfrich was too common a name in Alfred’s time to admit of certain identification now, but its gratuitous insertion suggests that it had some real connection with early stories of the king” (The Proverbs of Alfred Studied,p. 41n67).↩back to note source

8 Englene londe. The phrase literally means “land of the English people.” See MED, Engle (n. (pl.)), sense 1; Englene is a genitive form.↩back to note source

14 clerek. “clerk, scholar,” that is, literate in Latin.↩back to note source

35–36 That him ne schal beo wone nouht of his wille, / The hine her on worlde wrthie thencheth. “That he shall lack nothing of what he desires / Who here in this world intends to honor him (i.e., God).” A literal translation of the convoluted syntax is provided by Hall: “that there shall not be wanting anything he desires to him who is purposed to honour Him here in this world” (2:296n35, 36).↩back to note source

38 under Criste seolven. Literally “under Christ himself,” but also with the general sense “anywhere.” See MED, under (prep.), sense 8a(e).↩back to note source

41 lokie himseolf one. “find out (something) by reading it himself.” See MED, loken (v.(2)), sense 5a, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

38–42 Ne may non ryhtwis king . . . laweliche holde. Compare these lines from The Sayings of the Four Philosophers (a poem found in the Auchinleck manuscript): “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” (No king can prosper in the land, / Under God Almighty, / Unless he can advise himself, / How he should lead in the land / Every person fairly) (Wright, ed., Political Songs of England, p. 254; translation mine).↩back to note source

52–53 Hwych so the mon soweth, / Al swuch he schal mowe. See 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Now this I say: He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap blessings.” And Galatians 6:8: “For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.” See also lines 59–60, and compare The Owl and the Nightingale (art. 2), lines 1039–42; Poema Morale (art. 3), line 23; and Whiting S542.↩back to note source

54 And everuyches monnes dom to his owere dure churreth. “And every man’s judgment returns to his own door.” For this proverb, see Whiting D342.↩back to note source

59–60 His sedes . . . to mowen. The moral on reaping what one sows is illustrated literally with a peasant’s labor. See note to lines 52–53, above.↩back to note source

63 knyhtes lawe. “knight’s duty.” See MED, laue (n.), sense 1d, “a special code of duties or rules applicable to a particular group or activity.”↩back to note source

44–63 The eorl and the ethelyng . . . hit wel fare. This proverb presents the societal roles of two estates: the nobility and the military (earls and knights). On the idea that each estate must fulfill its proper duties to sustain the social order, compare Ten Abuses (art. 15), especially lines 11–12, attributed to Bede. At line 55, both Morris and Hall divide this proverb into two sections (Morris, line 87; Hall, line 55).↩back to note source

65–67 The mon . . . wenliche lortheu. Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 22–23: “Wyt ant wysdom / Is god warysoun” (Wit and wisdom / Is good treasure), with the broad sense of warysoun being “reward, protection, security” (CHMS, 3:220–21). On lortheu, “teacher, master,” see MED, lor-theu (n.), sense 1a, a compound of lore (teachings) and theu (manners).↩back to note source

74 wrothe. See MED, wroth (adj.), sense 3c, “perverse, evil,” where this line is cited.↩back to note source

78 huntseventi. “seventy,” from Old English; see MED, hundseventi (card. num.).↩back to note source

77–84 Wythute wysdome . . . haveth wis mon? The need for wisdom to accompany wealth is not expressed in this manner in other Jesus 29 lyrics, but compare the adages on these topics in Weal and Will and Wit (arts. 6, 9).↩back to note source

83–84 For hwat is gold . . . haveth wis mon? “For what is gold but stone / Unless it’s owned by a wise man?” For this proverb, see Whiting G316.↩back to note source

86 howyen. “distressed.” See MED,houen (v.(1)), sense 1c, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

100 al that he haveth idrowe. “all he’s earned or accomplished.” See MED, drauen (v.), sense 2d(a), “to get (something).”↩back to note source

101 bitowe. “well applied, employed.” See MED, biten (v.(2)), sense 2a, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

93–101 Strong hit . . . thenne wel bitowe. Compare these lines from The Sayings of the Four Philosophers (a poem found in the Auchinleck manuscript): “Whoso roweth aȝein the flod, / Off sorwe he shal drinke; / Also hit fareth bi the unsele, / A man shal have litel hele / Ther agein to swinke” (Whoever rows against the current, / He shall drink of sorrow; / So it goes for the unfortunate, / A man shall have little strength / To strive against it) (Wright, ed., Political Songs of England, pp. 254–55; translation mine).↩back to note source

107–08 For nys no . . . furth upholde. For this proverb, see Whiting W687. On vexynde, “growing,” see MED, waxen (v.(1)), sense 1a. On feye, see MED, fei(e) (adj.), sense 1a, “fated to die,” of Old English derivation.↩back to note source

111 dowethes Louerd. “Lord of hosts.” See MED, douth(e) (n.), sense 1e, and compare On Serving Christ (art. 18), line 6, where duthe, derived from Old English, means “people, retainers.”↩back to note source

103–12 Mony mon weneth . . . leten schule. On the sentiments in this proverb — the expectation of a long life and the actual uncertainty — compare The Saws of Saint Bede (art. 4), lines 190–92; Death’s Wither-Clench (art. 7), lines 1–2; and Three Sorrowful Tidings (art. 23), line 4. On the tradition, see Woolf, pp. 86–87; and Louis, MWME, 9:3045.↩back to note source

116 Ayhte nys non ildre istreon ac hit is Godes lone. “Property’s not gained from parents but a loan from God.” For this proverb, see Whiting A240.↩back to note source

118 myd alle. “entirely, completely.” On the phrase, see MED, mid (prep.(1)), sense 11a; and compare The Owl and the Nightingale (art. 2), line 1458.↩back to note source

120 maythenes. “valuables, treasures.” See MED, madmes (n. pl.), the spelling found at line 123 and here in the TCC version.↩back to note source

114–20 Yf thu seolver . . . leten us byhinde. Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 321–22: “Frendles / Ys the dede” (Friendless / Is the dead) (CHMS, 3:234–35).↩back to note source

133 wit and wisdom, that alle thing overgoth. The author treats the pair wit and wisdom as a singular noun, as in the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 22–23: “Wyt ant wysdom / Is god warysoun” (CHMS, 3:220–21).↩back to note source

131–39 Lusteth ye . . . ileste mote. On the value of wisdom (wit), see also Will and Wit (art. 9).↩back to note source

142 arewe. “scoundrel, base fellow, ignoble person.” See MED, argh (adj.) used as a noun, sense 1c, of Old English origin.↩back to note source

141–43 If thu havest seorewe . . . ryd the singinde forth. For this proverb, see Whiting S512.↩back to note source

148–49 Thu hit myht . . . ful wel on. These lines sarcastically convey the bearing of the man who lies to your face: “You might tell it to such a man / As wishes you very well.” The next two lines give the scoundrel’s true feelings. See Hall, 2:301n159.↩back to note source

150 Withute echere ore. “Without any mercy.” See MED, ech (pron.), used as an adjective, sense 1c, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

152–55 Byhud hit . . . thin heorte bywite. Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 103–04 (Whiting F366): “Tel thou never thy fo / That thy fot aketh” (Never tell your foe / That your foot aches) (CHMS, 3:224–25). The advice never to speak of one’s inner sorrow is reminiscent of the Old English poem The Wanderer.↩back to note source

165–67 That uvele ywyveth . . . Dreori iwurthe. See Whiting M191. Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 312–13: “Moni mon for londe / Wyveth to shonde” (Many a man for land / Marries to his disgrace) (CHMS, 3:234–35).↩back to note source

168–71 Mony mon singeth . . . Wepen he myhte. See Whiting M194. Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 148–53: “Moni mon syngeth / When he hom bringeth / Is yonge wyf. / Wyste wot he brohte / Wepen he mohte / Er syth his lyf” (Many man sings / When he home brings / His young wife. / If he knew what he brought, / Weep he must / For the rest of his life) (CHMS, 3:226–27).↩back to note source

173–80 Ne wurth thu . . . hi nowiht welde. The sense of this proverb builds from the sentiments of section 14, about keeping one’s thoughts to oneself, and section 15, about choosing a wife. It tells a man never to reveal his secrets to his wife because she will chastise him for his mistakes with poor timing, in front of angry foes. For the word wille, the sense “intentions, opinions, thoughts” shades into “private thoughts, secrets” (see Hall, 2:302n185). For the word baleusythes, the sense “misfortune; destruction, death” (an Old English compound; see MED, bale-siþ (n.), sense 1a) shades into “private sorrows, regrets, mistakes.” For word-woth, “word-mad,” another Old English compound, see MED, word (n.), sense 2c(b), “unrestrained or wild in speech,” where this line is the only Middle English instance cited.↩back to note source

182 overprute. “excessive pride.” See MED, overprut (n.), where this is the only instance cited of the Old English word (oferprut) directly into Middle English. Compare overpride (n.) and overproud (adj.).↩back to note source

191 For ofte museth the kat after hire moder. “For often a cat learns to mouse from her mother.” For this proverb, see Whiting C89.↩back to note source

195 totrayen and toteone. “torment and harrass.” These alliterating verbs are both quite rare, with the former not found elsewhere. See MED, totraien (v.) and toten (v.(3)).↩back to note source

198 Mony appel is bryht withute and bitter withinne. “Many an apple’s shiny without and bitter within.” For this proverb, see Whiting A155.↩back to note source

200 Schene under schete. “Beautiful under sheet,” an alliterative euphemism for “sexually attractive.” See MED, shete (n.(2)), sense 1c, where this line (but not the idiom) is cited.↩back to note source

201–02 So is mony gedelyng godlyche on horse, / And is theyh lutel wurth. “So is many a soldier handsome on a horse, / And yet worth little.” For this proverb, see Whiting G3.↩back to note source

211 mod. “anger, wrath.” See MED, mod (n.), sense 7a, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

213 lude and stille. “under all circumstances, at any time,” literally “loud and quiet, openly and secretly.” See MED, stille (adv.), sense 4b.↩back to note source

214 vordrye. “advance, promote.” See MED, furtheren (v.), sense 2c, citing this line.↩back to note source

217–20 Salomon hit haveth ised . . . hine to seorewe. Of this saying, Hall notes: “Not said by Solomon, but by Syrus: ‘Malo in consilio feminae vincunt viros’” (With bad advice women conquer men) (2:304n231; translation mine). Publilius Syrus (85–43 BCE) was a Latin writer known for his sententiae (wise sayings). Famed for his wisdom, King Solomon is the putative author of the biblical book Proverbs; other ascriptions to Solomon occur at line 274, below (see note), and in Death’s Wither-Clench (art. 7), lines 21–26. Elsewhere in Jesus 29, Solomon is named for his building of the temple; see The Passion of Jesus Christ (art. 1), line 245, and Love Rune (art. 19), line 57.↩back to note source

221 in the loth. “in the land, among the people, everywhere.” See MED, led(e) (n.(2)), sense 2a. An alternate definition is “song,” as given by Morris (line 333), Hall (line 234), and Treharne (line 334). See MED, leth (n.(3)), sense 1a, and leden (n.), sense 2b, noting the other noun’s influence. The Jesus 29 spelling loth seems an error for leoth. Compare lede in Maidstone, led in Cotton Galba (South, ed., The Proverbs of Alfred Studied, p. 121), and MED, forten (v.), sense 1b, which suggests the better spelling.↩back to note source

222 As ‘cuenes forteoth.’ “That ‘women deceive.’” The line is one of several added to this section by the Jesus scribe. For cuenes, he writes scumes, an apparent error. Hall suggests it should be cwen us (3:304–5n235), and Treharne emends to cuenes (p. 452, line 335), as adopted here. For the verb, see MED,forten (v.), sense 1b, “deceive, lead astray,” where this line is cited.↩back to note source

224 cold red is quene red. “cold counsel is woman’s counsel.” Proverbial (see Whiting W505). Compare Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale — “Wommennes conseils been ful ofte colde” (CT VII[B2]3256) — and also Melibee (CT VII[B2]1096) and the Legend of Good Women, line 762. See The Riverside Chaucer, p. 940n3256.↩back to note source

229 icovere. “win” See MED, icoveren (v.), where this line is the only instance cited.↩back to note source

240 forcuth. “wicked, base, infamous.” See MED, forcouth (adj.), sense 1a, which cites this line.↩back to note source

241 bikache. “trick, deceive, elude.” See MED, bicacchen (v.), sense 1b, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

244 hiselthe. “piety.” See MED, iselthe (n.), sense 1c, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

247 hokede honde. “hooked hands,” that is, grasping, greedy hands, likened to a clawed vulture or demon. Hall notes that, in criminal slang, a “hook” is a pickpocket (2:306n259).↩back to note source

254 At chepynge and at chyreche. Compare A Little Sooth Sermon (art. 16), line 33: “At chireche and at chepyng, hwanne heo togadere come.”↩back to note source

263 mixe. “filth, dung.” On this strong word, see An Orison to Our Lord (art. 25), line 35 (note); and The Owl and the Nightingale (art. 2), line 636 (note).↩back to note source

274 For so seyde Salomon the wise. The reference may be to Proverbs 23:17–18: “Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long: Because thou shalt have hope in the latter end, and thy expectation shall not be taken away.” See Hall, 2:307n288. Solomon is also cited for his wisdom in lines 217–18 (on women’s cold counsel), and in Death’s Wither-Clench (art. 7), lines 21–26. Elsewhere in Jesus 29, Solomon is named for his building of the temple; see The Passion of Jesus Christ (art. 1), line 245, and Love Rune (art. 19), line 57.↩back to note source

280 Ne gabbe thu ne schotte. “Don’t scoff or yell.” See MED, gabben (v.), sense 2a, and shouten (v.), sense 1a. The spelling schotte is difficult. It does not appear in the other manuscripts (South, ed., The Proverbs of Alfred Studied, p. 121n446–47). Morris (line 411) suggests that it is an error for scholde, but the MED suggests shouten instead (see shotten (v.), sense 1b). Compare The Owl and the Nightingale (art. 2), line 291: “me ne chide with the gidie” (one shouldn’t quarrel with fools); and Whiting O59.↩back to note source

289 biluken. “express.” See MED, bilouken (v.), sense 3, where this line is cited.↩back to note source

290 And sottes bolt is sone iscohte. A common proverb (see Whiting F408). Compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 94–95: “Sottes bolt / Is sone shote” (A fool’s bolt / Is soon shot) (CHMS, 3:224–25).↩back to note source

294–95 For ofte tunge . . . nabbe non. For this widespread proverb, first recorded here, see Whiting T384; and compare the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 159–60: “Tonge breketh bon / Ant nad hireselve non” (Tongue breaks bone / Though itself has none) (CHMS, 3:228–29).↩back to note source

297–98 Wis child is / Fader blisse. “Wise child is / Father’s bliss.” For this proverb, see Whiting C228.↩back to note source

300 ler him mon thewes. “teach him good habits.” For mon thewes, “customs of men, proper human behavior,” see MED, man (n.), sense 12a. One of the Ten Abuses (art. 15) cited by Bede is “Child unthewed” (Child untaught; line 9).↩back to note source

303 Ever buven eorthe. “Of any seen on earth.” The line is an abbreviated idiom: “as ever yet seen above earth.” See MED, above(n) (prep.), sense 1c(b).↩back to note source

304 wexende. The emendation of werende to wexende is required for sense. Hall suggests wuniende, “dwelling” (2:308n316). This line is part of an amplifying insertion by the Jesus scribe (South, ed., The Proverbs of Alfred Studied, p. 112n231).↩back to note source

315 For betere is child unbore thane unbuhsum. “For better is an unborn child than a disobedient one.” For this proverb, see Whiting C200.↩back to note source

317 And let hit arixlye. “And allows it to have its own way.” The verb is attested only here; see MED, arixlien (v.), “to dominate, have one’s way.”↩back to note source

316–18 The mon the spareth yeorde . . . sore reowe. Compare Whiting Y1; and the Harley 2253 Hending, lines 40–41: “Luef child / Lore byhoveth” (Precious child / Needs instruction); and lines 49–50: “Whose yong lerneth, / Olt he ne leseth” (What one learns in youth, / He does not lose in old age) (CHMS, 3:222–23).↩back to note source