An edition of the Middle English Pains of Sin from Cambridge, Magdelene College Library, Ms Pepys 2498

Abstract

The thesis presents a diplomatic edition of a Middle English prose text called the Pains of Sin, found in two important fourteenth century manuscripts, but hitherto unedited. The edition is annotated with explanations of meaning, descriptions of manuscript idiosyncrasies, and other points of interest. The text is a meditation on death and the afterlife, including the seven pains of purgatory, a catalogue of venial sins, the last judgement, the sufferings of hell and the joys of heaven, and special joys reserved for those who pursue a life of religious poverty. The introduction to the edition outlines the relationships between the different manuscript versions, including a hitherto unsuspected Anglo-Norman original for the text, which places the work in the Middle English tradition of translation from Latin and Anglo-Norman, and the huge growth in borrowing from French vocabulary that occurred in the late fourteenth century. Possible relationships with other Middle English works are discussed, including the Pricke of Conscience, the Ancrene Riwle, and Chaucer’s Parson’s Tale.