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A Mumming at London:
British Library Additional 29729 Verses

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f.141 recto
Folio 140 RectoFolio 140 VersoFolio 141 RectoFolio 141 VersoFolio 142 RectoFolio 142 VersoFolio 143 RectoFolio 143 VersoFolio 144 Recto

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Folio 141 Recto
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So did she sesar Iulius1 •
she made him first victorius •
thoughe to doo well she be full lothe •
of a bakers sone in sothe •
she made him amighty emperour •
and hool of rome was gouernoure •
maugrey the senat / and all ther myghte •
But whan the sonne / shone most bright •
of his tryumphe / fer and nere •
and he was corouned / with laurnier •
vnworthy thorough / his mortalle lawe •
with bodkyns / he was eslawe •
at the capitaylle / in Consistorye •
loo / affter all his gret victory •
sesar a bakers sone •
see how this lady can appalle •
the noblesse of thos prynces all •
she hath two tunys in her seller •
that on is full / of pyment cler •
confect2 with suger and spyces swete •
and mannys delectabell roote •
but this is yet the worste of all •
that other time is full of gall •
who tasteth one / ther is non other •
he moste taste eke of that other •
whos sodeyne chaynges ben not soffte •
ffor now she can raysse one alofte •
ffrom lowgħe estate / till hye degre •
In ould storyes / ye may see •
estates chaunge / who taketh kepe •
ffor on gyges3 that kept shepe •
she mad by vertue of a rynge •
ffor to be made / a worthy kynge •
and by fals mourdre / I dare expresse •
he cam e4 to all his worthynesse •
moste odyous / of all thynges •
and cresis5 richest of all kynges •
was so surgedus / in his pryde •
that he went vppon no syde •
non erthly thinge might hym perturbe •
nor hys ryall estate disturbe •
till on a night adreme he mette •
how Iubo6 in the ayre hym sette •
and Iubiter / he vnderstondes •
ecclesiasticus •
xxxi cap •
Notes
  1. Bracketed on both sides. ↩
  2. Trinity R.3.20 has "confeit." ↩
  3. Bracketed on each side. ↩
  4. The scribe has overwritten the final minim of "m" here with an "e" ↩
  5. Bracketed on both sides ↩
  6. Trinity R.3.20 has "Iuvo." ↩

The work on this manuscript witness was generously supported by a ZKS-Lendrum Fellowship in the Scientific Study of Manuscripts and Inscriptions at the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham University. The transcription of this work is owned by the editor and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The images are (c) British Library Board (British Library Additional MS 29729) and rights are reserved.