9Child unthewed. “Child untaught.” Compare The Proverbs of Alfred (art. 24), lines 298–318, on the problem of allowing a child to be improperly schooled. See MED, unthewed (ppl.), sense 1a, “Unversed in proper behavior, unmannerly, badly reared.”back to note source
10Thral. “Servant, slave, bondsman.” See MED, thral (n.(1)), sense 1a; Clanchy, England and Its Rulers, pp. 273–77; and compare bonde in The Saws of Saint Bede (art. 4), line 146 (note).back to note source
2–11King that is wilful . . . Athelyng brytheling. For other instances of estates satire in the Jesus 29 lyrics, compare The Saws of Saint Bede (art. 4), lines 91–174; When Holy Church Is Under Foot (art. 12), lines 27–32; and A Little Sooth Sermon (art. 16), lines 17–24.back to note source
11–12Athelyng brytheling, / Lond withuten lawe. Compare The Proverbs of Alfred (art. 24), lines 44–63, on the estates of noble and knight.back to note source
13Bede. The Venerable Bede (672–735) is not named elsewhere in the lyrics of Jesus 29, but The Saws of Saint Bede (art. 4) is attributed to him in the sole medieval manuscript that provides a title for that work. As Anglo-Saxon monk, saint, and author of the chief medieval history of Anglo-Saxon England, Bede’s authority in the lyrics of Jesus 29 is as substantial, although less mentioned, as that of King Alfred.back to note source