The Temple or A Temple

"Mr. Foss" says (No. 21. p. 335.) that in Tyrwhitt's edition of Chaucer and in all other copies he has seen, the reading is— "A gentil manciple was there of a temple." In an imperfect black-letter folio copy of Chaucer in my possession (with curious wood-cuts, but without title-page, or any indications of its date, printer, &c.), the reading is— "A gentyl mancyple was there of *the* temple." That the above is the true reading ("the real passage"), and that it is to be applied to *the* temple, appears to me from what follows, in the description of the manciple. "Of maysters had he moo than thry…