Prophecy of Merlin -- The Versioning Machine 5.0

Bibliographic Information

Prophecy of Merlin

by Anonymous

Original Source

Diplomatic editions of this text are based on transcriptions created by James M Dean for The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester. http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/..

Versions are from: Trinity College Dublin MS 516 fol. 115r; Oxford University, Bodleian Library MS 6943 fol. 78r; Magdalene College. Cambridge MS 1236 fol. 91r.

Witness List

Witness dublin: The Prophecy of Merlin
Witness oxford: The Prophecy of Merlin
Witness cambridge: The Prophecy of Merlin

Textual Notes

There are three MS versions of this poem transcribed by James M. Dean and made publicly available through http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/. This version is based on his transcriptions.

Electronic Edition Information:

Responsibility Statement:

Text Encoding by Susan Schreibman
Transcription by James M Dean

Publication Details:

Published by Susan Schreibman.

This poem is being made available for demonstration purposes only. It may not be reproduced without. For further information, please contact Susan Schreibman at sschreib[at]umd.edu

Encoding Principles

Test document for versioning machine project. Marked-up collation of The Prophecy of Merlin.

DTD constructed from TEI poetry base with tagsets for linking, figures, analysis, transcr, textcrit.

Version dublin: The Prophecy of Merlin

The Prophecy of Merlin

When lordes wille is londes law,

Gloss note: the law of the land

Whane lordis wol leefe theire olde lawes,

Gloss note: abandon

Critical note: leefe. So Skeat and Gray. Robbins, Index and Supplement, § 3986 transcribes leefe as leese. The MS can sustain either reading.

And lordys wyll be londys lawys,

Gloss note: law of the land

Prestes wylle trechery, and gyle hold soth saw,

Critical note: Priests intend treachery, and guile turns into figures of speech

And preestis beon varyinge in theire sawes,

Gloss note: teachings;

Critical note: beon. So MS; Skeat, Gray been.

Lechery callyd pryvé solace,

Gloss note: is called secret pleasure

And leccherie is holden solace,

Gloss note: lechery is considered to be

And lechery is prevy solas,

Gloss note: secret comfort

And robbery is hold no trespace -

Gloss note: held to be no crime

And oppressyon for truwe purchace;

And robbery ys goode purchas:

Gloss note: booty

Note: purchas. Skeat glosses purchas as "bargain." It is that which is acquired.

Then schal the lond of Albyon torne into confusioun!

Critical note: Albyon. The legendary, antique name for Britain, as in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain. The fool in King Lear quotes this or a related poem when he says: "Then shall the realm of Albion / Come to great confusion" (III.ii.85-86).

Than is the lande of Albyoun

Nexst to his confusyoun

Gloss note: Near; its

Critical note: Than is the. Skeat's correction of MS Þat is is.

Than shall the londe of Albeon

Be turned into confusion.

Note: Britain

A M CCCC lx and on, few lordes or ellys noone.

Gloss note: In 1461 [there are];

Critical note: A M CCCC lx and on. RHR does not print this part of the poem, nor does he include the material I have here numbered 7-10 as if it were subjoined to the above six lines. The lyrics are separate poems, yet the thought seems to be related. The dating 1461 should be compared with "When Rome Is Removed" lines 60-63.

Version oxford: The Prophecy of Merlin

The Prophecy of Merlin

When lordes wille is londes law,

Gloss note: the law of the land

Whane lordis wol leefe theire olde lawes,

Gloss note: abandon

Critical note: leefe. So Skeat and Gray. Robbins, Index and Supplement, § 3986 transcribes leefe as leese. The MS can sustain either reading.

And lordys wyll be londys lawys,

Gloss note: law of the land

Prestes wylle trechery, and gyle hold soth saw,

Critical note: Priests intend treachery, and guile turns into figures of speech

And preestis beon varyinge in theire sawes,

Gloss note: teachings;

Critical note: beon. So MS; Skeat, Gray been.

Lechery callyd pryvé solace,

Gloss note: is called secret pleasure

And leccherie is holden solace,

Gloss note: lechery is considered to be

And lechery is prevy solas,

Gloss note: secret comfort

And robbery is hold no trespace -

Gloss note: held to be no crime

And oppressyon for truwe purchace;

And robbery ys goode purchas:

Gloss note: booty

Note: purchas. Skeat glosses purchas as "bargain." It is that which is acquired.

And whan the moon is on David stall,

Gloss note: David's stable

Note: David stall. David's stable, a reference to Christ's birth in Bethlehem (city of David). Of the apocalyptic element in this poem Gray comments: "On the more intellectual prophetic tradition, reflected in the Joachimite dream of a renovatio mundi, compare M. Reeves, The Influence of Prophecy in the Later Middle Ages (Oxford, 1969)."

And the kynge passe Arthures hall,

Gloss note: by-passes

Then schal the lond of Albyon torne into confusioun!

Than is the lande of Albyoun

Nexst to his confusyoun

Gloss note: Near; its

Critical note: Than is the. Skeat's correction of MS Þat is is.

Than shall the londe of Albeon

Be turned into confusion.

Note: Britain

Version cambridge: The Prophecy of Merlin

The Prophecy of Merlin

When feythe fayleth in prestys sawys,

Gloss note: With sharpened swords, and men ready to terrorize

Critical note:

sayings; When feythe fayleth. Versions of this lyric - identified as "Chaucer's Proverbs" - were regularly printed in earlier editions of Chaucer. Richard Morris's edition contains the following lyric:

Qwan prestis faylin in her sawes,

And Lordis turnin Goddis lawes

Ageynis ryght;

And lecherie is holdin as privy solas,

And robberie as fre purchas,

Bewar than of ille!

Than schall the Lond of Albion Turnin to confusion,

As sumtyme it befelle.

As printed in The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, rev. ed. (London: Bell, 1875), vol. 6, p. 307. Skeat prints a similar version of this poem from Caxton's edition of Chaucer, as the first one of the "Sayings" (or proverbs) of Chaucer:

Whan feyth failleth in prestes sawes,

And lordes hestes ar holden for lawes,

And robbery is holden purchas,

And lechery is holden solas,

Then shal the lond of Albyon

Be brought to grete confusioun.

See Skeat's Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 7 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1897), p. 450.

When lordes wille is londes law,

Gloss note: the law of the land

Whane lordis wol leefe theire olde lawes,

Gloss note: abandon

Critical note: leefe. So Skeat and Gray. Robbins, Index and Supplement, § 3986 transcribes leefe as leese. The MS can sustain either reading.

And lordys wyll be londys lawys,

Gloss note: law of the land

Lechery callyd pryvé solace,

Gloss note: is called secret pleasure

And leccherie is holden solace,

Gloss note: lechery is considered to be

And lechery is prevy solas,

Gloss note: secret comfort

And robbery is hold no trespace -

Gloss note: held to be no crime

And oppressyon for truwe purchace;

And robbery ys goode purchas:

Gloss note: booty

Note: purchas. Skeat glosses purchas as "bargain." It is that which is acquired.

Then schal the lond of Albyon torne into confusioun!

Than is the lande of Albyoun

Nexst to his confusyoun

Gloss note: Near; its

Critical note: Than is the. Skeat's correction of MS Þat is is.

Than shall the londe of Albeon

Be turned into confusion.

Note: Britain

Textual Notes

cambridge

Line number 1

Gloss note: With sharpened swords, and men ready to terrorize

cambridge

Line number 1

Critical note:

Qwan prestis faylin in her sawes,

And Lordis turnin Goddis lawes

Ageynis ryght;

And lecherie is holdin as privy solas,

And robberie as fre purchas,

Bewar than of ille!

Than schall the Lond of Albion Turnin to confusion,

As sumtyme it befelle.

Whan feyth failleth in prestes sawes,

And lordes hestes ar holden for lawes,

And robbery is holden purchas,

And lechery is holden solas,

Then shal the lond of Albyon

Be brought to grete confusioun.

See Skeat's Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 7 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1897), p. 450.

dublin

Line number 2

Gloss note: the law of the land

oxford

Line number 2

Gloss note: abandon

oxford

Line number 2

Critical note: leefe. So Skeat and Gray. Robbins, Index and Supplement, § 3986 transcribes leefe as leese. The MS can sustain either reading.

cambridge

Line number 2

Gloss note: law of the land

dublin

Line number 3

Critical note: Priests intend treachery, and guile turns into figures of speech

oxford

Line number 3

Gloss note: teachings;

oxford

Line number 3

Critical note: beon. So MS; Skeat, Gray been.

dublin

Line number 4

Gloss note: is called secret pleasure

oxford

Line number 4

Gloss note: lechery is considered to be

cambridge

Line number 4

Gloss note: secret comfort

dublin

Line number 5

Gloss note: held to be no crime

cambridge

Line number 5

Gloss note: booty

cambridge

Line number 5

Note: purchas. Skeat glosses purchas as "bargain." It is that which is acquired.

oxford

Line number 6

Gloss note: David's stable

oxford

Line number 6

oxford

Line number 7

Gloss note: by-passes

dublin

Line number 8

oxford

Line number 8

Gloss note: Near; its

oxford

Line number 8

Critical note: Than is the. Skeat's correction of MS Þat is is.

cambridge

Line number 8

Note: Britain

dublin

Line number 9

Gloss note: In 1461 [there are];

dublin

Line number 9

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