The Ruthwell Cross Inscription and The Dream of the Rood line 58

ABSTRACT This article examines the divergence between line 58a of the text of The Dream of the Rood preserved in the Vercelli Book (tō þām æðelinge) and the corresponding verse in the text inscribed on the Ruthwell Cross (æþþilæ til anum). Scholars have tended to regard these variants as a pair of equally meritorious readings, which are metrically acceptable and contextually plausible. It is here argued, to the contrary, that the verse preserved on the Ruthwell Cross is the decidedly superior reading on account of its conformity to subtle regularities in the diction applied to Christ and his retainers. For various reasons, the verse tō þām æðelinge should be regarded as a scribal corruption of æþþilæ til anum, the anterior and superior reading.