The natural result of altering _twenty_ to _A twenty_ (not only here, but again in D. 1695), was to induce the belief in students that _A twenty bookes_ is a Chaucerian idiom. I can speak feelingly, for I believed it for some years; and I have met with many who have done the same[14]. And the unfortunate part of the business is, that the restoration of the true reading shocks the reader's sense of propriety. This is to be regretted, certainly; but the truth must be told; especially as the true readings of the MSS. are now, thanks to the Chaucer Society, accessible to many. The student, in fact, has something to unlearn; and he who is most familiar with the old texts has to unlearn the most. The restoration of the text to the form of it given in the seven best MSS. is, consequently, in a few instances, of an almost revolutionary character; and it is best that this should be said plainly[15]. [xix]
The editions by Wright and Morris do not repeat the above amendments by Tyrwhitt; but strictly conform to the Harleian MS. Even so, they are not wholly correct; for this MS. blunders over two lines out of the seven. It gives l. 247 in this extraordinary form:--'For to delen with such poraile'; where the omission of _no_ renders all scansion hopeless. And again, it gives l. 371 in the form:--'Euery man for the wisdom that he can'; which is hardly pleasing. And in a great many places, the faithful following of this treacherous MS. has led the editors into sad trouble.
§ 14. THE HARLEIAN MS. The printing of this MS. for the Chaucer Society enables us to see that Mr. Wright did not adhere so closely to the text of the MS. as he would have us believe. As many readers may not have the opportunity of testing this statement for themselves, I here subjoin a few specimens of lines from this MS., to shew the nature of its errors.
So in Wright; for _beggere_ read _beggestére_.
But al that he might gete and his frendes sende; A. 299.
For eche of hem made othur to Wynne; A. 427.
Wright has 'othur _for_ to wynne.' This is correct; but the word _for_ is silently supplied, without comment; and so in other cases.
Of his visage children weren aferd; A. 628.
For _weren_, read _were_; or pronounce it _wer'n_. I cite this line because it is, practically, correct, and agrees with other MSS., it being remembered that 'viság-e' is trisyllabic. But readers have not, as yet, been permitted to see this line in its correct form. The black-letter editions insert _sore_ before _aferd_. Tyrwhitt follows them; Wright follows Tyrwhitt; and Morris follows Wright, but prints _sore_ in italics, to shew that there is here a deviation from the MS. of some sort or other.