The Simonie: Two Authors?

The three texts of the Simonie, the Auchinleck manuscript, Bodley 48, and C. U. L. Peterhouse 104, differ considerably, with the Peterhouse text representing a second, distinct version marked by clearer syntax, smoother rhythms, increased alliteration, and added stanzas that reinforce the theme of the corruption that results from the betrayal of spiritual and secular ideals. The B text of PPl shows the probable influence of the Simonie, yet since the vocabulary of the Peterhouse version argues for a date of composition after 1380, it is quite possible that the explicit moral and intellectual direction of that version, which recalls PPl, has been influenced by WL’s poem.