THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA GIFT OF PROFESSOR BENJAMIN H. LEHMAN c ci^ ^S^^^^.^^ T^c^c^^ \^ >-.>^^ ^^^-^ ^^ ^^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/chaucerselectionsOOchaurich SELECTIONS FROM CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY TALES 'j^^y^' SELECTIONS CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY TALES (^EUesmere Text) EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY BY HIRAM CORSON, LL.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY ' A profoundly human soul liffth a marvellous power of speech ' THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1898 All rights reserved Copyright, 1897, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped September, 1896. Reprinted May, 1897 ; September, 1898. t^' ,'"" NorfajootJ ^ress J. S. Gushing & Co. - Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A. Add to lAh. PREFACE This edition of Selections from The Cante7'bury Tales has been prepared as an introduction to the study of Chaucer as a poet rather than as a writer of fourteenth century Eng- lish ; and, accordingly, all philological information not abso- lutely needed for such study has been omitted; but all requisite aids to a knowledge of the language as it is, irre- spective of its sources, are afforded by the synopsis of grammatical forms given in the General Introduction, and by a designation of the grammatical categories of all words recorded in the Glossary, except where the definitions indi- cate the same. It was not thought necessary to obtrude upon the stu- dent's attention the unimportant variations which the differ- ent texts of The Canterbury Tales exhibit. Attention is called in the Notes to any variation which gives a different meaning from the reading of the Ellesmere text. In a very few cases, other readings than those of the Ellesmere have been adopted, but their adoption has always been noted. It is remarkable how slight the variations in the several texts really are. The reproduction of the seven best manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales revealed the fact, not before so certainly known, that, with very few exceptions, we must 299 viii PREFACE And every student and editor of Chaucer must feel under obligations, direct or indirect, to the founder and indefati- gable conductor of the London Chaucer Society, the Early English Text, the New Shakespeare, the Browning, and other societies. Dr. F. J. Furnivall, to whom the whole learned world is more indebted than to any other living man, for being put in possession of manuscript literature of the earlier periods of the English language, and for being furnished with extensive material subservient to the study of later authors. HIRAM CORSON. Cascadilla Cottage, Ithaca, N.Y., August 29, 1896. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGES Preface v-vii General Introduction, biographical, grammatical, etc. . . xi-liv Prologue to the Canterbury Tales ...... 1-29 Selections from the Knight's Tale : Palamon and Arcite fall in love with Emily . . . 30-33 Arcite is set at liberty 33> 34 Description of a May morning, and of Arcite's visit to a grove 34,35 Description of the combat between Palamon and Arcite . 35, 36 Description of the symbolic images in the temple of Venus 37, 38 The paintings on the wall within the temple of Mars . 38-41 The paintings on the walls of the temple of Diana . . 41, 42 Description of Lycurgus, the great king of Thrace, who comes to the tournament in the service of Palamon . 42, 43 Description of Emetrius, the great king of India, who comes to the tournament in the service of Arcite . 43, 44 Emily's prayer and sacrifice to Diana, and the response of the goddess 44-46 The tournament ........ 47-54 The funeral rites of Arcite ...... 55-58 Theseus returns to Athens and is married to Emily . . 58-62 Selections from the Miller's Tale : Description of the carpenter's young wife . . , . 63, 64 Description of a parish clerk ...... 64, 65 ix X TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGES Prologue of the Reeve's Tale ....... 66, 67 Selection from the Reeve's Tale : Description of a miller and his wife .... 68, 69 Cook's Tale (unfinished) : Description of a London apprentice 70> 71 Reply of the Man of Law to the Host when called on for a tale; he makes allusion to Chaucer's writings . . 72, 73 Selections from Man of Law's Tale of the sad experiences of Constance, and her final happiness .... 74-87 Host and Monk : The merry words of the Host to the Monk (the Host's description of his termagant wife) .... 88, 89 The Monk's definition of tragedy 89 Selection from the Monk's Tale, De casibus virorum illustrium : The fall of Julius Ccesar ...... 90,91 Nun's Priest's Tale of the cock and the fox .... 92-106 Selections from Doctor's Tale : Description of Virginius's daughter, Virginia . . . 107-110 The Doctor's concluding remarks on the story of Vir- ginia no. Ill Pardoner's Tale of the three rioters ..... 112-119 Selections from the Wife of Bath's Tale : Fairies in King Arthur's days 120 The story of Midas's ears . . . . . . 121, 122 The true gentleman ....... 122, 123 Squire's Tale of Cambynskan and the horse of brass, etc. . 124-144 Canon's Yeoman's Prologue ....... 145-150 Canon's Yeoman's Tale of the trickeries of alchemy . . 151-174 Abbreviations used in Notes and Glossary . . . . 176 Notes 177-221 Glossary 223-277 GENERAL INTRODUCTION I. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Afi^er all the most careful and untiring researches of late years into contemporary records of every kind, the facts which have been gleaned having a direct or an indirect connection with the personal history of Chaucer are very few and far between. All the scattered fragments of his outer life which have been laboriously gathered up contrib- ute nothing to our knowledge of the real personality of the poet. But for such knowledge his works afford abundant material. Every devoted and sympathetic student of them can know much of what manner of man Geoffrey Chaucer was in his essential being ; and such knowledge is of vastly more importance than that of any quantity of mere bio- graphical circumstance. The year of his birth was long held to be 1328. The antiquary, John Leland (1500-155 2), who wrote the first life of Chaucer, contained in his Co7n?nentarii de Scriptofibiis Britaiinicis, not published till 1709, makes no mention of the year of his birth. In the brief biographical sketch prefixed to Thomas Speght's edition of his works, published in 1598, it is stated that ' Geoffrey Chaucer departed out of this world the twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord 1400, after he had lived about seventy-two years.' xii GENERAL INTRODUCTION In this statement there is only an implication of the birth year. In the life prefixed to Urry's edition of Chaucer, published in 1721, the year 1328 is for the first time actually stated as the date of his birth ; and this date was accepted until the investigations promoted by the London Chaucer Society, founded in 1868, showed it to be untenable, and pointed to the year 1340 as the most probable. It may have been a little earher, but certainly not later. His father, John Chaucer, who died in 1366, was ^citizen and vintner of London,' and his mother, whose Christian name was Agnes, was his father's second wife. It is prob- able, but not wholly certain, that the poet was a Londoner by birth. That he must have enjoyed good early advan- tages of education, in the conventional sense of the word, is evident enough ; but it is not necessary to suppose that his varied learning, as exhibited in his writings, impHes a resi- dence at a university. There is no reUable authority that he was either at Oxford or Cambridge, John Leland's ac- count of his residence at Oxford notwithstanding. In 1357, previous to which year nothing whatever is known of his life, Chaucer was a page in the household of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, second son of Edward HI. His first military service appears to have been in 1359, when Edward HI. made his last invasion into France ; but in what capacity he served is not known. He was taken prisoner at Retters, ' a place,' says Lounsbury, ' no longer known, at least to biographers of the poet. By most it is thought to be the village of Retiers, not very far from Rennes in Brittany. This view may be true, but it is certainly not plausible. When Chaucer was taken prisoner, Edward's forces had not been in that province, and there seems no ground to suppose that he was absent from the main army.' On the following first of March, 1360, the GENERAL INTRODUCTION xiii King paid ;^i6 towards his ransom; from which fact it may be inferred that he was no longer in the service of Prince Lionel, but in the immediate service of the King. From the last mentioned date up to the 20th of June, 1367, a period of seven years and more, no record of him or of his doings has been discovered. At the latter date he was pensioned by the King, ' de gratia nostra speciali et pro bono servitio quod dilectus valettus noster Galfridus Chaucer nobis impendit et impendet in futurum ' (of our special grace and for the good service which our beloved valet, Geoffrey Chaucer, has rendered and will render in the future). From this expression of the royal favour, it is quite evident that during the blank in the poet's life, be- tween 1360 and 1367, he was a favourite valet at the Court. In 1368, he is spoken of as ^unus valettorum Camerae Regis' (one of the valets of the King's Chamber), or Household, a position which he appears to have held till 1372, after which he is styled 'Armiger,' or 'Scutifer' (esquire). In 1369, he was again in military service of some kind, in P'rance, or elsewhere on the continent ; and on the 2oth of June, in the following year. Letters of Pro- tection, to continue in force until Michaelmas, were given him on the occasion of another visit to the continent, but in what capacity it is not known. That he was back in Eng- land on the 8th of October is evident from the fact that on that date he drew his pension in person. Chaucer's marriage, when it took place, and whether it was well or ill assorted, shares the fate of obscurity which is shared by nearly all the other events of his Hfe. But he must have been married before 1374, for, by a warrant dated the 13th of June of that year, 'the Duke of Lancaster (John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III.) granted him an annuity of ^10 for life, to be paid to him at the manor XIV GENERAL INTRODUCTION of the Savoy, in consideration of the good service which he and his wife PhiHppa had rendered to the said Duke, to his Consort, and to his mother the Queen/ This grant is sup- posed to have been a commutation of a pension granted in 1372 to his wife, PhiHppa. In September, 1366, a Philippa Chaucer is mentioned as one of the ladies of the Chamber to the Queen ; and there can be Httle or no doubt that she was the same PhiHppa Chaucer mentioned in the Duke of Lancaster's grant to Chaucer of an annuity of ^10. Some of Chaucer's biographers and critics have seen evi- dences of his matrimonial unhappiness, in various passages in poems which are known to have been written after his marriage. But such passages are, perhaps, no more trust- worthy as bearing testimony to the poet's own married life, than are passages in Shakespeare's Plays which critics have taken as evidence that Shakespeare's marriage was ill-assorted and unhappy. Whatever any of the Canterbury characters may be made to say derogatory to wives and the marriage state, Chaucer himself certainly had the highest estimate of womanhood, and he was not the man to give expression to bitter feelings of his own, if he had them, and he must have been exception- ally free from such feelings in all his relations in life. In December, 1372, Chaucer again left England, this time for Italy, and on international commercial business, he being joined in a commission with two citizens of Genoa, ' to treat with the Duke, citizens, and merchants of Genoa, for the purpose of choosing some port in England where the Genoese might form a commercial establishment.' Before his depart- ure, the sum of £^66 \y. 4^. was advanced to him for his expenses. That he was back in England by the 2 2d of November, the following year, appears from his receiving, at that date, his pension in person. There are no records of GENERAL INTRODUCTION XV his doings and experiences during this visit to Italy, nor of the places he visited, except Genoa and Florence. On the 4th of February, 1374, he received the additional sum of ;^25 ds. Zd. at the Exchequer, ' for his expenses while in the King's service at Genoa and Florence in the preceding year' (profisciendo in negociis Regis versus partes Jannue et Florence in anno xlvii) . No reUable evidence exists that he visited Petrarch, at Padua, during this visit, and learned from him the story of patient Griselda. It would be a pleasant fact, if it could be established as a fact, that these two poets met ; but conclu- sive testimony thereto is wanting. What the Clerk of Oxford, in The Cantej'hury Tales, is made to say in the Prologue to the Tale of Griselda, ' I wol yow telle a tale which that I Lerned at Padwe of a worthy clerk, As preved by his wordes and his werk ; . . . Fraunceys Petrak, the lauriat poete, Highte this clerk whos rethorike sweete Enlumyned al Ytaille of poetry,' — is all that can be produced in evidence, and this cannot be interpreted as an experience of the poet's own, except on the principle expressed by Caesar {^B. G. iii. 18), that ^ fere libenter homines id, quod volunt, credunt ' (men, for the most part, readily beheve what they wish to be true) . This was especially the case with William Godwin, who, in his big Life of Geoffrey Chaucer, 2 vols. 4to, tells us all about the visit of the English, to the Italian poet ! Some of the details of the visit, related by Godwin, with cool audacity, as simple matters of fact, are decidedly amusing. (See Vol. IL pp. 150-158.) He concludes his special and specious pleading with the remark that ' a man must have Mr. Tyrwhitt's appetite for XVi GENERAL INTRODUCTION the fascinating charms of a barren page and a meagre collec« tion of dates, not to perceive that the various coincidences enumerated ; — Chaucer representing the speaker as having learned his tale from Petrarca at Padua, though it was previously the property of Boccaccio ; Padua being then Petrarca's actual residence ; the embassy of Chaucer to Genoa in 1373 ; and Petrarca having in that very year trans- lated the tale into Latin prose ; — not to perceive, I say, that these coincidences furnish a basis of historical proba- bility, seldom to be met with in points of this nature.' These coincidences are, indeed, worthy of some consid- eration ; but, as Sir Harris Nicolas observes, ' until acci- dent brings some hitherto undiscovered document to light, Chaucer's visit to Petrarch and its attendant circumstances must remain among the many doubtful circumstances in the lives of eminent men, which their admirers wish to believe true, but for which their biographers ought to require surer evidence than what Godwin calls "coincidences which furnish a basis of historical probability." ' During the remainder of the reign of Edward III., who died in June, 1377, Chaucer received many additional ex- pressions of the royal favour, in the form of grants, appoint- ments, etc., and was sent, with divers noblemen, on secret missions to the continent. Of appointments in the civil service, one of the most important was that of ' controller of the customs and subsidy of wools, skins, and tanned hides in the port of London during the King's pleasure.' This position was held for a period of more than twelve years, namely, from June 8, 1374, until toward the end of 1386. His successor was appointed on the 4th of December of that year. To this appointment was added in 1382 that of 'the controllership of the petty customs, consisting of wines, candles, and other GENERAL INTRODUCTION XVll articles.' This position appears to have terminated at the same time with the other. Its duties he could perform either in person or by deputy ; those of the other con- trollership he was required to perform in person, and they must have been arduous. But on the 17th of February, 1385, he was granted the privilege of nominating a per- manent deputy. The royal favour shown to Chaucer by Edward III. was continued, without abatement, by his successor, Richard II. He enjoyed, if anything, an increase of royal favour under Richard. The annuity granted him by the late King was continued by letters patent. He was associated in some capacity with the ambassadors sent to France, the year following the succession of Richard, to negotiate the King's marriage with the daughter of the King of France. In May, 1378, furnished with letters of protection till the following Christmas, he was sent with Sir Edward Berkeley to Lombardy on some mihtary mission, the nature of which is not known. There is no record of any subsequent mission abroad with which Chaucer was in any way connected. The grants an4 appointments and missions which Chaucer owed to royal favour, whatever else they may signify, cer- tainly bear testimony to the confidence reposed in his great general ability, and confirmed by the capacity which he had shown for diplomatic and civil affairs ; and they are now of interest to us entirely on that account. It was largely due to his wide relationship with, and his active participation in, civil and state affairs, as stimulating and determining agencies, that Chaucer's poetical genius gave us, in The Canterbury Tales, and in the Prologue thereto, a better idea of what manner of people lived in England in the fourteenth century than do all the histories XVlll GENERAL INTRODUCTION of that period which have been written. And he did this without in the least transgressing the legitimate limits of his art, and because he did not transgress them. With a poet's impressibility, and a poet's eye for the characteristic, the picturesque, and the essential, he delineated for all time the features of the society around him; and to his poetry and to the Vision of William concerning Piers Plowman^ by William Langland, we are chiefly indebted for whatever sympathy (fellow-feeling) we may have with the life that was led by English men and English women in the great historic age of Edward the Third. ' It is life in its large- ness, its variety, its complexity,' says John Richard Green, in his Short History of the English People^ ' which surrounds us in The Canterbury Tales. . . . Taken as a whole the poem is the work not of a man of letters, but of a man of action. He has received his training from war, courts, business, travel — a training not of books, but of hfe.' That the three greatest princes of English literature, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton, should have been such business men as they were, Chaucer and Milton in civil and state affairs, and Shakespeare in theatrical and private affairs, is an argument against a prevalent idea that great poetical genius necessarily disqualifies a man for worldly business and worldly interests. Shakespeare did not say * In the face of my soul's works Your world is worthless and I touch it not Lest I should wrong them; . . . look upon his life ! Himself, who only can, gives judgment there. He leaves his towers and gorgeous palaces To build the trimmest house in Stratford town; Saves money, spends it, owns the worth of things, Giulio Romano's pictures, Dowland's lute; GENERAL INTRODUCTION xix Enjoys a show, respects the puppets, too, And none more, had he seen its entry once, Than "Pandulph of fair Milan Cardinal." ' ^ Milton was the great central figure of his age, sustaining to it the most intimate and sympathetic and active rela- tionships ; and of all that constituted its highest life, his works, both prose and poetical, are the best existing expo- nent. Of the principles involved in the great contest for civil and religious liberty, carried on in his day, his prose works are the fullest embodiment. Professor Goldwin Smith, in his article on Pattison's Milton, remarks : * Look- ing upon the life of Milton the pohtician merely as a sad and ignominious interlude in the Hfe of Milton the poet, Mr. Pattison cannot be expected to entertain the idea that the poem is in any sense the work of the politician. Yet we cannot help thinking that the tension and elevation which Milton's nature had undergone in the mighty struggle, together with the heroic dedication of his faculties to the most serious objects, must have had not a little to do both with the final choice of his subject and with the tone of his poem. " The great Puritan epic " could hardly have been written by any one but a militant Puritan.' And so it may be said, to get back to our poet, that The Canterbury Tales could hardly have been written by any one, the requisite poetical genius being given, who had not had the wide relationships and dealings with all sorts and conditions of men which Chaucer certainly had in the numerous positions in the civil service which he filled, and in the diplomatic missions in which he bore a part, along with men far his superior in rank. * The subordinate,' says Lounsbury, ^ doubtless furnished the brains and did the 1 Browning's Bishop Blou^ram. XX GENERAL INTRODUCTION business. The superior supplied the dignity, took the credit, and drew the larger portion of the pay.' Chaucer, however, appears to have been quite, amply paid for his various services. Where amounts are given, and they gen- erally are, in the state records to which we are almost entirely indebted for our scraps of knowledge regarding him, it must be remembered that these amounts represent, in value, at least, twelve times the same amounts in modern money. But it is evident that, from some cause or other, perhaps an excessive generosity, Chaucer was frequently in pecuniary straits. No evidence exists of extravagance in living. Chaucer was a member of the Parliament which was in session from the first of October to the first of November, 1386, he having been elected Knight of the Shire for Kent. 'All its proceedings were directed against the Ministers, who represented the party of which Chaucer's patron, the Duke of Lancaster, was the head.' Chaucer's loss of his two controllerships soon after the close of this ParHament may have had some connection with the stand he took in its proceedings. ' It is extremely likely,' says Sir Harris Nicolas, ' that he became obnoxious to Thomas Duke of Gloucester, and the other Ministers.' Whether likely or not, the fact that Chaucer was out of office during the ascendency of the Duke of Gloucester fac- tion, appears to have some such significance. In May, 1389, the regency came to an end, and Richard appointed a 'new Ministry, members of which were the Duke of York and John of Gaunt's eldest son, the Earl of Derby (Henry of Lancaster). The latter, previously hos- tile to the King, became one of his chief favourites and counsellors. With the new state of things Chaucer's fortunes were at GENERAL INTRODUCTION xxi once improved in the form of important and profitable ap- pointments. As early as the 12th of July, 1389, within two months after Richard assumed the reins of government, he was appointed to the profitable office of Clerk of the King's Works at the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, the Castle of Berkhemstead, the King's manors of Ken- nington, Eltham, Clarendon, Sheen, Byfleet, Childern Lang- ley, and Feckenham ; at the Royal Lodge of Hatherbergh, in the Forest, at the Lodges in the Parks of Clarendon, Childern Langley, and Feckenham, and at the Mews for the King's falcons at Charing Cross ; the duties attaching to which he was privileged to perform by deputy. In July, 1390, he was engaged to conduct the repairs done on St. George's Chapel, at Windsor. It was on the 6th of Sep- tember of this year that Chaucer was twice robbed of the King's money, which he had in his possession, to the amount of about ;^2o; also of his horse and other prop- erty. From the reimbursement of the money stolen he was exempted by a special writ dated January 6, 1391. (See ' The Robberies of Chaucer by Richard Brerelay and others at Westminster, and at Hatcham, Surrey, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 1390. Edited from the contemporary enrolments by Walford D. Selby, esq., of the Public Record Office.' — Chaucer Society. Life-Records of Chancer, I.) The above positions Chaucer held until some time in 1 39 1. Whether he was then deposed or voluntarily re- signed, is not known. John Gedney succeeded him, on the 1 7th of June, as Clerk of the Works at Westminster, etc., and on the 8th of July as Clerk of the Works at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Chaucer may have desired a season of Hterary leisure. The wonder is how he found time, in the midst of his engagements and of^cial duties, for the large amount of literary work which he accomplished. The un- XXli GENERAL INTRODUCTION finished state in which The Canterbury Tales and other of his works were left, may be, perhaps, attributed to the fact that when they were planned he calculated upon having more time for their completion than he afterwards, by reason of his official duties, was able to command. That he had proved himself, with his great and varied abilities and experiences, unqualified for the duties of the clerkships of the King's Works, is hardly to be supposed, and there is sufficient evidence that he had not declined in the royal favour. From the summer of 1391 up to the 28th of February, 1394, a period of nearly three years, nothing is known of Chaucer's way of life, except that, in 1886, Mr. Walford D. Selby communicated to the London Athenmim of November 20, 1886, a discovery in ColHnson's Histoij of Somersetshire (1791), that Richard Brittle and Geoffrey Chaucer some- time between June, 1390, and June, 1391, were appointed by the Earl of March, grandson of Lionel, Duke of Clar- ence, foresters to the North Petherton Park in Somerset- shire, and in 1398, Chaucer was appointed sole forester by Eleanor, Countess of March. On the 28th of February, 1394, Richard IL granted Chaucer ;^20 a year, for life. For some time previous to this date, it is evident that he was in straitened circum- stances, which continued, with occasional alleviations, for the remainder of his life. Several loans from the Ex- chequer are recorded, and anticipations of his pension. On May 4, 1398, he gets Letters of Protection from Richard IL, to the effect that ' Whereas the King had ap- pointed his beloved Esquire Geoffrey Chaucer, to perform various arduous and urgent duties in divers parts of the realm of England, and whereas the said Geoffrey, fearing that he might be impeded in the execution thereof by his GENERAL INTRODUCTION XXIU enemies [the Latin is cBmulos'], by means of various suits, had prayed the King to assist him therein, and that there- fore the King took the said Geoffrey, his tenants and prop- erty, into his special protection, forbidding any one to sue or arrest him on any plea £xcept it were connected with land, for the term of two years.' These Letters of Protection do not necessarily signify that Chaucer was in pecuniary distress (such letters having been frequent without such cause) ; but it is very likely that that was the fact of the case. In October of the same year Chaucer is granted, by letters patent, a tun of wine yearly, for life, — the immediate result of a petition he made to the King for the same. This grant and the Letters of Protection issued to him the previous May certainly bear testimony to the good- will of Richard toward him ; but it is not Hkely that his good-will was specially due to Chaucer's poetical genius, but rather to the ' various arduous and urgent duties in divers parts of the realm of England,' mentioned in the Letters of Protection. Within the year following, Richard was deposed and Henry of Lancaster was declared King, September 30, 1399. To him Chaucer immediately addressed the Envoy to his Compleint to his empty Purse : O conquerour of Brutes Albioun ! Which that by lyne and free eleccioun Ben verray king, this song to you I sende; And ye, that mowen al our harm amende, Have minde up-on my supplicacioun ! ' Chaucer received an immediate response to his appeal ; for, on the 3d of October, four days after he was declared King, Henry granted him an annuity of forty marks (^26 1 35". 4^.) in addition to the ;^20 granted him by XXIV GENERAL INTRODUCTION Richard. This grant may have been an expression of strong personal interest on the part of the son of his old patron. There is a record that on the 13th of October following, new copies of his two grants of pensions were given to Chaucer, the old ones of the 28th of February, 1394, and the 3d of October, 1399, having been lost. The Compleint was, no doubt, written sometime before Henry's accession to the throne, ^ on some occasion,' Skeat supposes, * of special temporary difficulty, irrespectively of general poverty ; and that the Envoy was hastily added afterwards, without revision of the poem itself.' Unless the Parson's Tale was finished later, the Envoy was, perhaps, Chaucer's very last composition which has come down to us. Professor Lounsbury thinks it ' a possibility, perhaps a plausible supposition,' that tHejQxy^of .Lancaster, was, partly at least, the original of the description of the Knight, in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, (See Studies in Chaucer, Vol. I. pp. 91-93.) He concludes his remarks thereupon with stating that ' no one will indeed pretend that the por- trait drawn in the Prologue of the Knight — who is specially celebrated as fighting for the Christian faith — can have been designed even remotely as a representation of the deeds of Henry IV. The events in which the former is described as sharing happened before the latter was born. Still it is con- ceivable that in the portrayal of the character Chaucer may have had in mind the son of his patron, upon whom had been fixed, long before he came to the throne, the hopes of the party discontented with the profligacy and misgovernment of Richard H. The view can only be taken for what it is worth. In the matter of positive evidence there is nothing in favour of it that is entitled to the name.' In 1399, Chaucer was not yet sixty years of age, if 1340 GENERAL INTRODUCTION XXV be the correct year of his birth, or not yet sixty-five, if he was born as early as 1335, and it may be inferred that he looked forward to several more years of life quite comforta- bly provided for, and under a sovereign to whom he could always look for assistance, \i it should be needed ; for on the 24th of December, 1399, he leased a house in the gar- den of St. Mary's Chapel, Westminster, for as many of fifty- three years as he might live, the rent being J[^2 13^'. and 4//. So it appears that the long lease was not taken for any other considerations than his own occupancy of the house ; for he had but a life interest in the lease, the premises to revert to the Gustos of the Chapel if the tenant died within the term. This lease is preserved in the Muniment Room of West- minster Abbey. Godwin gives it entire in his Life of Chaucer, London, 1803, Vol. II. pp. 640-642, Appendix, No. xxvi, the caption being ' Indentura inter custodem capelle [beate Marie Westmonasterii] et Galfridum Chaucer pro domo certo juxta capellam [predictam.] firma liii^ iv.' The last records of Chaucer are, that on the 21st of Feb- ruary, 1400, he received ;^io of the pension granted him by Richard 11. , which his successor had confirmed ; and on the 5 th of June, of that year, Henry Somere, Clerk of the Receipt of the Exchequer, received for him ^5, being part of ;^8 iTfS. ^d. due on the ist of March, of the pension granted him by Henry IV. Chaucer occupied his house but ten months after he took the long lease of fifty-three years ; for he died on the 25th of October, following, according to the inscription on the altar tomb of gray marble, erected by Nicholas Brigham, a date which is supposed to have been copied from the earlier tomb, and is probably correct. His body was buried in St. Benet's Chapel, in Westminster Abbey (south transept, or Poet's Corner). The inscription, now much defaced, runs : XXVI GENERAL INTRODUCTION M.S. QUI FUiT Anglorum vates ter maximus olim, Galfridus Chaucer conditur hoc tumulo : Annum si qu^ras domini, si tempora vit^, ECCE NOT^ SUBSUNT, QU^ TIBI CUNCTA NOTANT. 25 OCTOBRIS 1400. ^rumnarum requies mors. N. Brigham hos fecit musarum nomine sumptus 1556. In 1868, a memorial window was erected to the poet im- mediately above the tomb, a full description of which, by- Dean Stanley, is given in Appendix III. to Part i, of * A temporary preface to the six-text edition of Chaucer's Can- terbury Tales,'' by F. J. FurnivalL Chaucer's wife Philippa appears to have died in 1387, as subsequent to that year there is no record of any payment of her annuities. The last payment was made on the i8th of June, 1387. She was one of the ladies of the Chamber to the Queen until the latter' s death, in 1369. After that she appears to have been in the service of Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster, second wife of John of Gaunt, who granted her in 1372 a pension of ;£io a year. If, as has been supposed by some, and accepted as a fact by others, that Philippa Chaucer was the daughter of Sir Payne Roet, Guienne King of Arms, who came over from Hainault with the Queen of Edward III., she was then the sister of Katharine, widow of Sir Hugh Swynford, who became, in 1396, the third wife of John of Gaunt. This relationship, Speght states as a fact ; and he is followed by Urry and, of course, by Godwin, who always ' most powerfully and potently believes,' to use Hamlet's words, what he wishes to be true. ^Although,' says Sir Harris Nicolas, whose judicial mind is ever apparent, in his Life of Chaucer, ' it has not been GENERAL INTRODUCTION xxvii ascertained positively whom Chaucer married, the statement that his wife was Phihppa, daughter and coheiress of Sir Payne Roet, . . . scarcely admits of a doubt.' The only child of Chaucer known of with certainty was a son Lewis, for whom, when ten years of age, his father wrote the Treatise on the Astrolabe, ascribed, but not with entire certainty, to the year 139 1. This Treatise, if for no other reason, is interesting as an expression of paternal affection and tenderness. It has been carefully edited from the earliest manu- scripts, by Dr. Skeat, for the Chaucer Society. Nothing whatever is known of what became of this son. There was a Thomas Chaucer, supposed by some of Chaucer's biographers to have been the son of the poet. But after a great deal of controversy on the subject of his relationship to the poet, no positive conclusion has been arrived at. He held high positions, and by marriage acquired large estates. He died in 1434. For a presentation of the arguments which have been advanced on both sides in this never-to-be-settled question, the student who cares enough for the matter should consult Professor Lounsbury's Studies in Chaucer, Vol. I. pp. 102- 112. II. SOME FEATURES OF CHAUCER'S POETRY The only way, of course, truly to know Chaucer as a poet is through sympathetic reading of his poetry. It is only through such reading that any poet can be known, and not through presentations by critics, however sagacious, of the characteristics of his genius. But criticism which is the result of sympathetic relationship and consequent insight may serve to induce in a reader the right attitude toward a XXVlll GENERAL INTRODUCTION poet — the attitude demanded for the best response to him. Of such criticism James Russell Lowell's essay on Chaucer, contained in his My Study Windows, affords a signal ex- ample. Every student of Chaucer should give a careful reading, should give several careful readings, to this essay. I shall here call attention only to a few features of Chaucer's poetry, as exhibited in The Canterbury Tales ; namely, his similes, comparisons, and metaphors ; his max- ims, proverbs, and sententious expressions, generally; his use of alliteration ; and his Scriptural allusions. Chaucer's similes are in keeping with the light touch so generally characteristic of his poetry. They are very brief, and cause no stoppage in the current of thought and feeling, which never eddies about them. In this respect they bear a striking resemblance to the similes in the Hebrew poetry. See, for examples, Job v. 26 ; xiv. 2 ; Psalm i. 3, 4 ; xvii. 17 ; xxxi. 12 ; xxxvi. 6 ; xxxvii. 2, 35 ; xxxix. 11 ; Hi. 2, 8 ; Iviii. 4, 8; Ixxii. 6; Ixxxiii. 13, 14; xcii. 12; cii. 6, 7, 26; civ. 2; Proverbs xviii. 19; xxiii. 32; xxiv. 4; xxv. 11, 12, 19, 20, 25, 28; xxvi. I, 8; Isaiah xxxviii. 12; Ivii. 20; Iviii. II ; Jeremiah xxxi. 12 ; 2 Kings xxi. 13. The following afford good characteristic examples of Chaucer's similes : And of his port as meeke as is a mayde, A 69. Embrouded was he, as it were a meede Al fill of fresshe floures whyte and reede, A 89, 90. his eyen greye as glas, A 152. That stemed as a forneys of a leed, A 201, 202. His palfrey was as broun as is a berye, A 207. His nekke whit was as the fleur-de-lys, A 238. His eyen twynkled in his heed aryght As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght, A 268. GENERAL INTRODUCTION xxix As leene was his hors as is a rake, A 287. Whit was his herd as is the dayesye, A 332. whit as morne milk, A 358. His herd, as any sowe or fox, was reed, And therto brood as though it were a spade, A 552, 553. a toft of herys Reed as the brustles of a sowes erys, A 555, 556. His mouth as wyde was as a greet forneys, A 559. Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare, A 684. doumb as a stoon, A 774. Emelye that fairer was to sene Than is the lyUe upon his stalke grene And fressher than the May with floures newe, A 1035-1037. We stryven as dide the houndes for the boon. They foughte al day and yet hir part was noon; Ther cam a kyte, whil that they weren so wrothe. And baar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe, A 11 77-1 180. dronke as is a mous, A 1261. pale as asshen colde, A 1364. a courser stertyng as the fir, A 1502. Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle, A 1533. As fiers as leoun, A 1598. As wilde bores gonne they to smyte. That frothen whit as foom, for ire wood, A 1658, 1659. And lik a grifphon looked he aboute, A 2133. Cam ridynge lyk the god of amies. Mars, A 2159. And as a leoun he his lookyng caste, A 21 71. His voys was as a trompe thondrynge, A 2174. An egle tame as any lilye whyt, A 2178. As fayn as fowel is of the brighte sonne, A 2437. XXX GENERAL INTRODUCTION She was ful moore blisful on to see, Than is the newe pereionette tree, And softer than the vvolle is of a wether, A 3247-3249. Ful brighter was the shynyng of hir hewe Than in the Tour the noble y-forged newe. But of hir song it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe chitteryng on a berne. Therto she koude skippe and make game, ; As any kyde, or calf, folwynge his dame. Hir mouth was sweete as bragot or the meeth, Or hoord of apples leyd in hey or heeth. Wynsynge she was, as is a joly colt; Long as a mast and uprighte as a bolt, A 3255-3264. As whit as is the blosme upon the rys, A 3324. Thanne schalt thou swymme as myrie, I undertake. As dooth the white doke after hire drake, A 2375, 2376. And she was proud and peert as is a pye, A 3950. She was as digne as water in a dich, A 3964. They walwe as doon two pigges in a poke, A 4278. Gaillard he was as goldfynch in the shawe, A 4367. they were as glad of his comyng, As fowel is fayn whan that the sonne upriseth, B 1240, 1241. And sweete as is the brembul flour. That bereth the rede hepe,^ B 1936, 1937. And forth upon his wey he rood, As sparcle out of the broude, B 2094, 2095. As thikke as motes in the sonne beem, D 868. as a bitore bombleth in the myre, D 972. lyk an aspen leef he quook for ire, D 1667. He is as angry as a pissemyre, D 1824. Fat as a whale, and walkynge as a swan, D 1930. 1 hepe, hip, the fruit of the dog-rose. GENERAL INTRODUCTION XXxi Be ay of chiere as light as leef on lynde, E 121 1. That passen as a shad we upon a wal, E 131 5. My herte and alle my lymes been as grene As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene, E 1465, 1466. Lyk to the naddre ^ in bosom, sly, untrewe, E 1 786. And ful of jargon as a flekked pye,^ E 1848. For every mortal mannes power nys But lyke a bladdre, ful of wynd, ywys, G 438, 439. His forheed dropped as a stillatorie, G 580. The following afford good characteristic examples of Chaucer's metaphors : Up roos oure Hoost, and was oure aller cok, A 823. I have, God woot, a large feeld to ere, And wayke been the oxen in my plough, A 886, 887. My lookyng is the fader of pestilence [said by Saturn], A 2469, Unbokeled is the male, A 31 15. He hadde moore tow on his distaf Than Gerveys knew, A 3774, 3775. Gras tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage, A 3868. Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr y-reke, A 3882. Foure gleedes han we, whiche I shal devyse, Avauntyng, liyng, anger, coveitise : Thise foure sparkles longen unto eelde, A 3883-3885. As many a yeer as it is passed henne Syn that my tappe of lif bigan to renne; For sikerly whan I was bore anon Deeth drough the tappe of lyf and leet it gon, And ever sithe hath so the tappe y-ronne, Till that almoost al empty is the tonne. The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chymbe, A 3889-3895. 1 naddre, adder. '^ fiekked pye, spotted magpie. XXXll GENERAL INTRODUCTION Your bagges been nat fild with ambes as} But with sys cynk^ that renneth for' your chaunce, B 124, 125. Humblesse hath slayn in hire al tirannye; She is mirour of alle curteisye, Hir herte is verray chambre of hoolynesse, Hir hand ministre of fredam for almesse, B 165-168. Me list nat of the chaf, or of the stree Maken so long a tale, as of the corn, B 701, 702. In hym triste I, and in his mooder deere, — That is to me my seyl, and eek my steere, B %2>Z* This gemme of chastite, this emeraude. And eek of martirdom the ruby bright, B 1799, 1800. Thy sys^ fortune hath turned into aas} B 3851. But I ne kan nat bulte it to the bren, B 4430. Taketh the fruyt and let the chaf be stille, B 4633. For dronkenesse is verray sepulture Of mannes wit, and his discrecioun, C 558, 559. And on the ground, which is my moodres gate, I knokke with my staf erly and late. And seye, "leeve mooder, leet me in," C 729-731. Nay, thou shalt drynken of another tonne Er that I go, shall savoure wors than ale, D 170, 171. The flour is goon, ther is namoore to telle, The bren, as I best kan, now moste I selle, D 477, 478. I made hym of the same wode (i.e. jealousy) a croce, D 484. For if that they were put to swiche assayes. The gold of hem that hath now so badde alayes With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at eye It wolde rather breste atwo than plye, E 11 66-1 169. 1 ambes as, double aces. 2 sys cynk, six-five, ' a throw with two dice, being the highest throw with the exception of double sixes.' 8 sys, six (at dice). 4 aas, an ace. GENERAL INTRODUCTION XXxiii Youre herte hangeth on a joly pyn ! E 1516. Withouten coppe he drank al his penaunce, F 942. Unbokele, and shewe us what is in thy male, I 26. The following afford characteristic examples of Chaucer's maxims, proverbs, and sententious expressions : Wei koude he [the miller] stelen corn and tollen thries, And yet he hadde a thomb of gold, pardee, A 563. And yet this Manciple sette hir aller cappe, A 586. The wordes moote be cosyn to the dede, A 742. If even-song and morwe-song accorde, A 830. But sooth is seyd, gon sithen many yeres, That feeld hath eyen, and the wode hath eres, A 1521, 1522. Now in the crope, now doun in the breres, Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle, A 1532, 1533. For pitee renneth soone in gentil herte, A 1 761. He moot go pipen in an yvy leef, A 1838. Ther is no newe gyse that it nas old, A 2125. As sooth is seyd, elde has greet avantage; In elde is bothe wysdom and usage; Men may the olde at-renne and noght at-rede, A 2447-2449, And certeinly, ther Nature wol nat wirche, Farewel phisik, go ber the man to chirche, A 2759, 2760. This world nys but a thurghfare ful of wo, And we been pilgrymes passynge to and fro; Deeth is an ende of every worldes soore, A 2847-2849. Thanne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me, To maken vertu of necessitee, A 3041, 3042. Men sholde wedden after hire estaat. For youthe and elde is often at debaat, A 3229, 3230. Ne brynge nat every man into thyn hous, A 4331. XXXIV GENERAL INTRODUCTION Wei bet is roten appul out of hoord, Than that it rotie al the remenaunt, A 4406, 4407. . . . whil that iren is hoot, men sholden smyte, B 2226. ... he hasteth wel that wisely kan abyde, and in wikked haste is no profit, B 2244. Of fieble trees ther comen wrecched ympes,^ B 3146. A theef of venysoun, that hath forlaft His likerousnesse and al his olde craft, Kan kepe a forest best of any man, C 83-85. He is to greet a nygard that wolde werne 2 A man to lighte his candle at his lanterne, D 333, 334. "Who so first comth to the mille first grynt,^ D 389. With empty hand men may none haukes lure, D 415. Greet prees at market maketh deere ware, And to greet cheepe is holde at litel prys, D 522, 523. Who so that buyldeth his hous al of salwes,* And priketh his blynde hors ouer the falwes,^ And suffreth his wyf to go seken halwes, Is worthy to been hanged on the galwes, D 655-658. He is gentil that doth gentil dedis, D 11 70. So ech thyng that is oned in it selve, Is moore strong than whan it is to-scatered, D 1968, 1969. Love is noght oold as whan that it is newe, E 857. " Bet is," quod he, " a pyk than a pykerel, And bet than olde boef is the tendre veel," E 1419, 1420. Noon in this world that trotteth hool in al, E 1538. Lo, pitee renneth soone in gentil herte, E 1986. As many heddes as manye wittes ther been, F 203. That I made vertu of necessitee, F 593. '^ympes, grafts, scions. * salwes, willow-twigs, osiers. 2 werne, refuse. ^ falwes^ fallow-ground. ^ grynt, grindeth. GENERAL INTRODUCTION XXXV Therfore bihoveth hire a ful long spoon That shal ete with a feend, F 602, 603. That that is overdoon, it wol nat preeve Aright ; as clerkes seyn, it is a vice, G 645, 646. For whan a man hath over greet a wit, Ful oft hym happeth to mysusen it, G 648, 649. he that gilty is Demeth alle thyng be spoke of hym, y-wis, G 688, 689. But al thyng which that shyneth as the gold, Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; Ne every appul that is fair at eye, Ne is nat good, what so men clappe or crye, G 962-965. bet than nevere is late, G 1410. The word moot nede accorde with the dede, H 208. Thyng that is seyd is seyd, and forth it gooth, H 355, Chaucer's alliterations exhibit the light touch, as do his similes. They may generally pass unnoticed, but they, nevertheless, make flitting contributions to the melodious fusion of his verse. The Parson, in the Prologue to his Tale, or, rather. Treatise on Penitence, says, * I kan nat geeste " r//;;/, rain^ ruf,'" by lettre ' ; and it has been inferred that Chaucer had a con- tempt for alliteration ; but in the next line the Parson adds, * Ne, God woot, rym holde I but Htel bettre.' So it might as fairly be inferred that Chaucer held rhyme in small esteem. But nearly all his writings are in rhyme. It is never safe to identify the poet with his characters. He did not make any character the mere mouthpiece of his own opinions. The following, taken from a complete collection which I made, several years ago, when preparing an Index of Proper XXXVl GENERAL INTRODUCTION Names and Subjects to The Canterbury Tales, afford good characteristic examples of Chaucer's alHterations. The greater part of them, as I state in my Primer of English Verse, may have been written unconsciously by the poet ; his sense of melody often attracting words with the same initial or internal consonants, as well as assonantal words, — all contributing, more or less, to the general melody and har- mony. Feehng, according to its character, weaves its own vowel and consonantal texture : And smale foweles maken melodye, A 9 ; to seken straunge strondes, A 13; And though that he were worthy, he was wys, And of his port as meeke as is a mayde, A 68, 69; Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede, A 90; And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, A 124; Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte, A 149; A manly man, to been an abbot able, A 167; whan he rood men myghte his brydel heere Gyn- glen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere And eek as loude, as dooth the Chapel belle, A 169-171; His bootes clasped faire and fetisly, A 273; A Sergeant of the Lawe, war and wys, A 309; She hadde passed many a straunge strem, A 464; Ful byg he was of brawn and eek of bones, A 546; Ful longe were his legges and ful lene, A 591; They were adrad of hym as of the deeth, A 605 ; Tales of best sentence and moost solaas, A 798; FulfiUd of ire and of iniquitee, A 940; Of Thebes with hise waste walles wyde, A 1331; ther daweth hym no day, A 1676; With hunte and horn, and houndes hym bisyde, A 1678; And thus with good hope and with herte blithe, A 1878; Thebes with hise olde walles wyde, A i88o; With knotty, knarry, bareyne trees olde, A 1977; The open werre with woundes al bi-bledde, A 2002; Armed ful w^el with hertes stierne and stoute, A 2154; Hir body wessh with water of a welle, A 2283; And for to walken in the wodes wilde, A 2309; oon of the fyres queynte And quyked agayn, A 2334, 2335 ; Of faire yonge fresshe Venus free, A 2386; As fayn as fowel is of the brighte sonne, A 2437; to the paleys rood ther many a route Of lordes, A 2494; In gooth the sharpe spore into the syde, A 2603; Ther shyveren shaftes upon sheeldes thikke, A 2605 ; Up spryngen speres twenty foot on highte, A 2607; His hardy herte myghte hym helpe naught, A 2649; His brest to-brosten with his sadel-bowe, A 2691; That dwelled in his herte syk and soore, A 2804; That in that selve grove swoote and GENERAL INTRODUCTIOM XXXVll grene, A 2860 ; The grete toures se we wane and wende, A 3025 ; His rode was reed, hise eyen greye as goos, A 3317; sat ay as stille as stoon, A 3472; by hym that harwed helle, A 3512; so wilde and wood, A 3517; I am thy trewe verray wedded wyf, A 3609; He wepeth, weyleth, maketh sory chere; He siketh, with ful many a sory swogh, A 3618, 3619; Wery and wet, as- beest is in the reyn, A 4107; And forth she sailleth in the salte see, B 445; Er that the wilde wawes wol hire dryve, B 468; tellen plat and pleyn, B 886; She lighte doun and falleth hym to feete, B 1104; His fader was a man ful free, B 191 1; Ful many a mayde brighte in bour, B 1932; He priketh thurgh a fair forest, B 1944; By dale and eek by downe, B 1986; And priketh over stile and stoon, B 1988; Toward his weddyng walkynge by the weye, B 3216; Fortune was first freend and sitthe foo, B 3913; In pacience ladde a ful symple lyf, B 4016; Which causeth folk to dreden in hir dremes, B 41 19; His herte bathed in a bath of blisse, D 1253; the foule feend me fecche, D 1610; With scrippe and tipped staf ytukked hye, In every hous he gan to poure and prye, D 1737, 1738; To fecchen water at a welle is went, E 276; as light as leef on lynde, E 121 1; To lede in ese and hoolynesse his lyf, E 1628; He wepeth and he wayleth pitously, E 2072; Seken in every halke and every heme, F 1121; That swich a monstre or merveille myghte be, F 1344. And see, in the text, pp. 50, 51, the description of the tournament, vv. 2599-2635, wherein alliteration is organ- ically employed with a vigour of effect not surpassed in English poetry. Another feature of Chaucer's poetry is the frequent allu- sion to the Scriptures, and the many expressions which show the influence of Scripture language. Dr. Charles Words- worth, Bishop of St. Andrews, in his volume 07i Shakespeare* s Knowledge and Use of the Bible, London, 1864, remarks : * Take the entire range of English literature ; put together our best authors, who have written upon subjects not pro- fessedly rehgious or theological, and we shall not find, I believe, in them all united, so much evidence of the Bible having been read and used, as we have found in Shakespeare XXXVlll GENERAL INTRODUCTION alone.' He should certainly have made an exception in the case of Chaucer. Given any thousand consecutive lines, taken at random, from Shakespeare and from Chaucer, and it will be found, I think, that the proportion of allusions in those of the latter will be greater than in those of the former. Many of the supposed allusions noted by Bishop Words- worth are rather attributable to the current language of the time \ there is, however, in Shakespeare's Plays evidence of a large Bible influence. Exclusive of expressions showing Bible influence, without having direct reference to particular passages in the Bible, I noted, several years ago, when preparing for the Chaucer Society an Index of Proper Names and Subjects to The Canterbury Tales, allusions to the following books, chapters, and verses, in the Old and New Testaments, including the apocryphal books : Genesis i, 28: D 28; ii. 18: B 2294; iv. 19: D 54; xix. 33: C 485- 487; xxvii. : E 1 363-1 365; xxvii. : B 2288. Exodus xiv. : B 489, 490; xx. 7 : C 642 ; xxxiv. 28 : D 1 885. Leviticus x. 9 : D 1895; ^i^- 3^: C 744. Judges xi. 29-40: C 240-244; xiii. 4: C 555; xvi. 19-21 : D 721-723. I Samuel xxv. 2-34: E 1369-1371; xxv. 2-35: B 2290; xxviii. 7-25: D 1510. I Kings xi. 12: E 2301 ; xix. 8: D 1890. Job i. 21 : B 2190; i. 21: E 871, 872; ii. 6: D 1490; xii. 12: B 2354. Jeremiah iv. 2: C 635. Psalm i. I : B 2388; viii. i, 2: B 1643, 1644; x. 9: D 1657, 1658; xxxiv. 14: B 2882, 2883; xxxviii. 17: B 2820, 2821; cxxvii. l: B 2494; cxxxiii. 1-3 : B 2925. Proverbs xi. 14: B 2361; xii. 11 : B 2780; xii. 5: B 2387; xiv. 13: B 421-424; xiv. 20, XV. 15, xix. 7: B 115-121; xv. 16: B 2818, 2819; xvi. 32: B 2706; xvi. 24: B 2303; xvi. 7: B 2909, 2910; xvii. 22: B 2185; xviii. 24: B 2349; xix. 15: B 2779; xx. 3: B 2675; xi. 22, xxi. 9, 19: D 775-785; xxi. 19: B 2277; ^xi. 23: H 315; xxii. 24: D 2086, 2087; xxii. i: B 2828; xxiii. 9: B 2237; xxv. 16: B 2606; xxvi. 17: B 2732; xxvii. 9: B 2348; GENERAL INTRODUCTION xxxix xxviii. 23: B 2367; xxviii. 14: B 2507, 2508; xxviii. 23: B 2894, 2895; xxviii. 14: B 2886; xxiii. 5, xxviii. 22: B 2768, 2769; xxix. 5 : B 2368; xxxi. 4, 5 : C 584. Ecclesiastes iii. i: E 6; vii. 28: E 2247, 2248; vii. 28: B 2247; x. 19: B 2740; xi. 8: B 421-424. Song of Solomon ii. 10, 11 : E 2138-2140. Daniel vi. 16 et seq. : B 473-476. Jonah i. 12-17, ii. i-io: B 486, 487. Tobit iv. 19 : B 2308. Judith viii.-xiii. : B 2289; xiii. : B 939; xiii. 8: E 1368. Ecclesiasticus ii. 14: B 2729; iv. 30: D 1989; vi. 5 : B 2930; vi. 6: B 2357; vi. 14: B 2351; viii. 17: B 2363; xi. 29: A 4331 ; xii. 10: B 2376; xix. 8: B 2331; xxii. 6: B 2235; xxv. 25: D 653; xxx. 23: B 2186; xxxiii. 18: B 2944-2946; xxxiii. 19: B 2250; xl. 28: B 114; xli. 12: B 2380. I Maccabees iii. 18, 19: B 2851-2853. Matthew v. 3 : D 1923; v. 9: B 2870; v. 34: C 634; vii. 3: A 3919, 3920; xiv. l-ii : C 490, 491; xiv. 15-21 : B 502-504; xix. 3: D 74; xix. 5: D 31; xix. 17: B 2269; xix. 21: D 108-110; xxiii. 27; F 518, 519. Mark i. 7 : F 555; vi. 37-44: D 145, 146; xvi. 9: B 2265. Luke V. 10: D 1820; x. 7: D 1973; x. 18: B 366. John ii. i-ii: D ii; iv. 18: D 17-19; viii. 3: B 2223; xi. 35; B 2177; xii. 6: D 1351. Romans vii. 3: D 49^ xi. 33: B 2596; xii. 15: B 2179; xii. 17: B 2482; xii. 19: B 2650; xiii. 4: B 2630, 2631 ; xiii. 12: G 385. 1 Corinthians vi. 13: C 522, 523; vii. 6: D 65; vii. 9: D 52; x. 13: D 1661. 2 Corinthians i. 12: B 2824; xi. 14: D 1465; iii. 6: D 1794; iv. 17: B 2700. Ephesians v. 18: C 484; v. 22, 23: D 160; v. 25, 28, 29: E 1384. Phihppians iii. 18, 19: C 530-533. 1 Timothy ii. 9 : D 341-345 5 iv. 7 : I 33^ 34; v. 6 : C 547, 548; vi. 8: D 1881; vi. 10: B 2320; vi. 10 : B 3030. 2 Timothy iii. 16: B 4631, 4632; iv. 7 : G 387, 388. James i. 4: B 2707; i. 5 : B 2309; i. 13: E I153; i. 22: D 1937; ii. 13: B 3059; ii. 17: G64. I Peter ii. 21-23: B 2692-2694. I John i. 9 : B 3075-3077- Revelation vii. 1-3 : B 491-494; xii.: B 366. Xl GENERAL INTRODUCTION The allusions contained in the Parson's Tale (a treatise on Penitence, which necessarily abounds in Scripture texts) are not included in this Hst. It should also be stated that the prose Tale of Melibeus, which is that told by Chaucer himself, as one of the Canterbury pilgrims, has a much larger proportion of references than have any of the other tales. And this tale is no more than a translation of a French treatise entitled Le Livre de Melibee et de dame Prudence, which is not in itself an original work, but an adaptation supposed to have been made by Jean de Meun, of a Latin treatise, the Liber Consolatio7iis et Consilii of Albertano of Brescia. (See Professor Lounsbury's Studies in Chaucer,No\, I. p. 321, II. pp. 211, 271, 384.) The work was edited for the Chaucer Society, by Thor Sundby, with the following title : ' Albertani Brixiensis Liber Consolationis et Consihi, ex quo hausta est fabula Gallica De Melibeo et Prudentia, quam Anglice redditam et The Tale of Melibe inscriptam, Galfridus Chaucer inter Canterbury Tales recepit.' But exclusive of the allusions in the two prose tales, those in the other tales are, perhaps, more numerous than in any other great poem in the Hterature. Chaucer must have had a most intimate knowledge of the Bible (St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate, no doubt), and his quotations therefrom are made with that easy lightsomeness so peculiar to him, which indi- cates that they readily occurred to his mind in the course of composition. III. PRONUNCIATION ' Great efforts have been put forth during the past few years,* writes Professor Lounsbury, in his Studies in Chaucer, Vol. III. p. 271, 'to recover the pronunciation of Chaucer's time. The subject is an interesting one ; the pursuit of it has already been attended with marked success ; and the GENERAL INTRODUCTION xli importance of the information secured cannot well be over- rated. But there is always a tendency to extend the results of investigations of this character beyond their legitimate province, and to intrude them into matters with which they have no concern. That tendency is plainly manifesting itself at the present time in the views entertained about the proper pronunciation of Chaucer's words. Into a discussion involving honest diiference of opinion it is undesirable to import any terrns that are liable to beget ill-feeling. Yet it seems to me impossible to overlook the fact that the revival of interest in the poet has been accompanied to no small degree with a revival of what is perilously near pedantry, if not of pedantry itself. In more than one way is there danger of genuine literary appreciation of his writings being swamped in the attention paid to purely linguistic detail. There could be no more formidable obstacle raised to the popularization of his poetry than to require it to be pro- nounced according to the manner in which scholars, work- ing, it is true, with imperfect appliances, have concluded that it must have been pronounced, and to insist that it is in this way only that it can be pronounced properly. That special students should be expected to master such a system arises from the necessity they lie under of keeping up with the results of the latest investigations. For any attempt to impose it upon the general body of cultivated men there is not the slightest justification. ' The literary study of Chaucer is one thing ; the linguistic study is quite another. Let us assume, what we can never know certainly, that we are able to pronounce his words exactly as he pronounced them himself. This would be an invaluable acquisition for the student of language, especially for the student of phonetics. It would not help him or any one else a jot or tittle towards the appreciation of the beauty Xlii GENERAL INTRODUCTION and power of Chaucer's poetry. For most men it would produce consequences quite the reverse. It would detract from the effect of his lines instead of adding to them. The latter result could be reached only in the case of the ex- ceedingly few to which this particular pronunciation had become so familiar that all impression of strangeness had been worn away by frequency of use. If in reading a sen- tence of any writer we are led to think not of what it means, but of how it sounds, we may be looking at it as a contribu- tion to knowledge, but we are not really looking at it as literature, whatever may be the view we entertain of our own view. If a special student of Chaucer enjoys his verse only when he pronounces it as he supposes the poet himself pro- nounced it, there is not the slightest need of his depriving himself of the gratification he derives from that source. But he has no right to insist that others shall be forced to follow in his footsteps, and to feel that they are not making a genuine literary study of the author because they do not have the time to learn or the desire to adopt a pronuncia- tion the acquisition of which has been attended with no small labour to himself, and his practice of which is usually fraught with no small misery to others.' Just as these remarks are, with one decided exception, namely, that if we were able to pronounce Chaucer's words exactly as he pronounced them himself, it would not help a jot or tittle toward the appreciation of the beauty and power of his poetry, it must certainly be conceded that any one who, by much practice, has attained to a fluent, spontaneous, quite unconscious reading of Chaucer's verse, according to an approximate pronunciation of the time, so far as that has been determined, certainly gets a flavour therefrom which is not afforded by modern Enghsh pronunciation, — the flavour being partly due to a richer vocality than that of GENERAL INTRODUCTION xliii modern English. The guttural gh and the trilled r, also impart a peculiar vigour to the language, which modern English has lost, whatever compensations it has gained in its stead. Apart from certain niceties claimed, often with too much assurance, perhaps, by phonologists, an observance of the following rules will result in as good a pronunciation of Chaucer, not modern, as can be hoped for from the gen- eral run of students in the schools. Those who wish to acquaint themselves with the niceties claimed by phonolo- gists should consult Ellis's large work, On Early English Pronunciation^ with especial reference to Shakespeare and Chaucer, Sweet's History of English Sounds, and his First and Second Middle English Primers, the section on Chaucer's pronunciation in the General Introduction to Vol. VI. of Skeat's edition of The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, pp. xxv-xlvii, Chaucer's Pronunciatiofi and the Spelling of the Ellesmere Manuscript, by Professor George Hempl, and Chaucer's Sprache und Verskunst, by Professor Bernhard Ten Brink. Pronounce — a long, as in arm ; a short, the same, stopped, as in artistic^ arbitra- menty arboreal ; aa^ as a long; ai and ay^ as Italian and German, aiy French ai^ i.e. as «, in artistic^ with a stress, gliding into i short, as in pin; the same as the interjection ay, when properly pronounced, * ay^ there's the rub'; ati and aw, as the German au^ in Haus, the French aoUy i.e. as a in artistic, gliding into {oo)ze. b, as in modern English. C, as k or J, as in modern English, but not sh^ as in ocean, special ; where it is sh in modern English, it is s in Chaucer; spenally, A 15, condidoun, A 38, li<:ennat, A 220, absolunoun, A 222; ch^ as in much^ church; double ch is written cchy and pronounced the same as ch^ the articulation being held a little longer, perhaps. xliv GENERAL INTRODUCTION d, as in modern English. e long, as e in there , or a in dare, air (really the combined sounds of modern ^ and u^ intimately coalescing), and as a m pale ; in many words, e before r must have been pronounced as e still is in clerk, sergeant, Derby; t.g. fer^ Southwerk ; e short, as in men, end ; ei and ey^ e long (as in there, or a in dare, air), stressed and gliding into i (Ellis makes the pronunciation the same as that of ai and ay, which is questionable); eo, rarely used, as e long; eu and ew, in words of French origin, as the long sound of the French u, German ii ; in words not of French origin, as e long (as in there, or a in dare, air), stressed, and gliding into modern oo, as in the Italian Enropa ; e final, as a very light {u)p, as light as the final unaccented e in French verse-, ea, as e long; ee, as e long. f , as in modern English. g, as \vigin, before e, i, ox y, in words of French origin; elsewhere, as g in go ; gh, after a, o, u, as German ch, in auch ; after e, i, or y, as German ch, in nicht ; the French suffix -age may be pronounced, according to Ellis, as aadg, or without the d, as az in azure. I prefer the latter; gn, 2& n -\- y (consonantal). h, as in modern English; to what extent it was omitted as an initial, we cannot know with any certainty; hem may have been ^em, as in modern English; and it may have been often omitted in hath, hadde, have, and in some French words such as honour, honest, etc. i long, as in machine ; i short, as in pi7t ; ie or ye, final, makes two syllables, i -\- e final, Belmarye, Satalye, A 57, 58. j {i or / in Mss.), k, 1, m, n, as in modern EngHsh. ng had, probably, the varied pronunciation of the present ng, as in ring, finger, grange ; but- the simple ng, as in ring, may have been com- moner than at present. long, often represented by 00, as in old; short, the same, stopped, as the proclitic 0, in obey, ofnit; ou or ow, as long 0, stressed, and gliding into modern 00 ; ough, as ou + gh as described; oi and oy, as in boy, noise, quoit. p, ph, qu, as in modern English. r, trilled with the tip of the tongue, in all situations, initial, medial, or final. S, generally, perhaps, as sharp s, when final ; when between two vowels, or a vowel and a sub-vowel (that is, a voiced consonant), ass;; never sh or zh, as in modern English. GENERAL INTRODUCTION xlv th, as th in thin^ and th in theii^ in modern English; it is likely that the aspirate th was used in many words where, in modern English, the sub-vowel, ///, is used; e.g. with. U long, or ui, as Scotch ui^ in puir, French u., German u\ u short, as in put^ not as in but ; for v vowel, in Ellesmere text, u has been substituted in the text of this book. V, W, wh, as in modern English; zvh is the cognate aspirate of the sub- vowel w\ IV has a suppressed vocality; in forming wh, the position of the mouth is the same, but the aperture is slightly enlarged. X, y (consonant), as in modern English. y vowel, long and short, as i long and short. z, as z in zenith^ not as in azure. In pronouncing double consonants, the articulation is not actually repeated, of course, but it should be held longer than that of a single consonant ; e.g. in yronne, the double n should be pronounced as the double n in the Italian word Giovanni ; in Aprilky the double / should be pronounced as //-/ in all-living, IV. SYNOPSIS OF GRAMMATICAL FORMS, Most of which differ from those of Modern English NOUNS The genitive singular ends in -es : every shires ende, A 15; his lordes werre., A 47; Cristes gospel^ A 481; Seint Poules^ A 509. A few nouns, uninflected in the genitive singular in Anglo-Saxon, are also sometimes uninflected in Chaucer : yJz^^r, father's, A 781, G 829; but also fadres^ B 86l; brother.^ brother's, A 3084, G 1432. A few feminine nouns have the genitive singular in -' 8/ In vertu and in hooly almus dede They lyven alle, and nevere asonder wende. Til deeth departed hem this lyf they lede. And fareth now weel, my tale is at an ende. Now Jhesu Crist, that pf his myght may sende 1160 Joye after wo, governe us in his grace, And kepe us alle that been in this place. Amen, HOST AND MONK The Merry Words of the Host to the Monk Whan ended was my tale of Melibee, And of Prudence and hire benignytee, 3080 Oure Hoste seyde, "As I am feithful man, And by that precious corpus Madrian, I hadde levere than a barel ale That goode lief my wyf, hadde herd this tale ! For she nys no thyng of swich pacience 3085 As was this Melibeus wyf Prudence. By Goddes bones ! whan I bete my knaves, She bryngeth me forth the grete clobbed staves And crieth, ' Slee the dogges everichoon, And brek hem, bothe bak and every boon ! ' 3090 " And if that any neighebore of myne Wol nat in chirche to my wyf enclyne, Or be so hardy to hire to trespace. Whan she comth home she rampeth in my face, And crieth, ' False coward ! wrek thy wyf ! 3095 By corpus bones ! I wol have thy knyf, And thou shalt have my distaf and go spynne ! ' Fro day to nyght, right thus she wol bigynne, — * Alias ! ' she seith, ^ that evere I was shape To wedden a milksope or a coward ape, 3100 That wol been overlad with every wight ! Thou darst nat stonden by thy wyves right ! * B. SELECTION FROM THE MONK'S TALE 89 " This is my lif, but if that I wol fighte ; And out at dore anon I moot me dighte, Or elles I am but lost, but if that I 3105 Be Hk a wilde leoun, fool-hardy. I woot wel she wol do me slee som day Som neighebore, and thanne go my way ; For I am perilous with knyf in honde ; Al be it that I dar hire nat withstonde, 3110 For she is byg in amies, by my feith, That shal he fynde that hire mysdooth or seith. But lat us passe awey fro this mateere." The Monk's Definition of Tragedy " Tragddie is to seyn a certeyn storie, As olde bookes maken us mem6rie, Of hym that stood in greet prosperitee, 3165 And is y-fallen out of heigh degree Into myserie, and endeth wrecchedly ; And they ben versified communely Of six feet, which men clepen exametron. In prose eek been endited many oon, 3170 And eek in meetre in many a sondry wyse ; Lo, this declaryng oghte ynogh suffise.'* SELECTION FROM THE MONK'S TALE, DE CASIBUS VIRORUM ILLUSTRIUM The Fall of Julius Ccesar By wisedom, manhede, and by greet labour From humble bed to roial magestee Up roos he, Julius the conquerour. That wan al thoccident, by land and see. By strengthe of hand, or elles by tretee, 3865 And unto Rome made hem tributarie ; And sitthe of Rome the emperour was he Til that Fortune weex his adversarie. myghty Cesar ! that in Thessalie Agayn Pompeus, fader thyn in lawe, 3870 That of the orient hadde all the chivalrie As fer as that the day bigynneth dawe. Thou thurgh thy knyghthod hast hem take and slawe. Save fewe folk that with Pompeus fledde, Thurgh which thou puttest al thorient in awe, — 3875 Thanke Fortune, that so wel thee spedde ! But now a litel while I wol biwaille This Pompeus, this noble governour Of Rome, which that fleigh at this bataille. 1 seye, oon of hise men, a fals traitour, 3880 His heed of smoot, to wynnen hym favour Of Julius, and hym the heed he broghte. Alias, Pompeye, of thorient conquerour. That Fortune unto swich a fyn thee broghte ! 90 B, SELECTION FROM THE MONK'S TALE 9 1 To Rome agayn repaireth Julius 3885 With his triumphe, lauriat ful hye ; But on a tyme Brutus Cassius, That evere hadde of his hye estaat envye, Ful prively hath maad conspiracye Agayns this Julius in subtil wise, 3890 And caste the place in which he sholde dye With boydekyns, as I shal yow devyse. This JuUus to the CapitoHe wente Upon a day, as he was wont to goon, And in the Capitolie anon hym hente 3895 This false Brutus, and hise othere foon. And stiked hym with boydekyns anoon With many a wounde, and thus they lete hym lye ; But nevere gronte he at no strook but oon, Or elles at two, but if his storie lye. 3900 So manly was this Julius of herte, And so wel lovede estaatly honestee. That though hise deedly woundes soore smerte, His mantel over his hypes caste he For no man sholde seen his privetee ; 3905 And as he lay on diyng in a traunce, And wiste verraily that deed was hee. Of honestee yet hadde he remembraunce. Lucan, to thee this storie I recomende, And to Swetoun, and to Valerius also, 3910 That of this storie writen word and ende, How that to thise grete conquer6ures two Fortune was first freend and sitthe foo. No man ne truste upon hire favour longe, But have hire in awayt for evere moo ; 3915 Witnesse on alle thise conquer6ures stronge. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Heere bigynneth The Nonnes Preestes Tale of the Cok and Hen, — Chauntecleer and Pe^'telote A poure wydwe, somdel stape in age, Was whilom dwellyng in a narwe cotage Beside a greve, stondynge in a dale. This wydwe, of which I telle yow my tale, Syn thilke day that she was last a wyf, 4015 In pacience ladde a ful symple lyf. For litel was hir catel and hir rente. By housbondrie of swich as God hire sente She foond hirself, and eek hire doghtren two. Thre large sowes hadde she, and namo ; 4020 Three keen and eek a sheep that highte Malle. Ful sooty was hir hour, and eek hire halle, In which she eet ful many a sklendre meel ; Of poynaunt sauce hir neded never a deel. No deyntee morsel passed thurgh hir throte, 4025 Hir diete was accordant to hir cote ; Repleccioun ne made hire nevere sik, Attempree diete was al hir phisik, And exercise, and hertes suffisaunce. The goute lette hire no-thyng for to daunce, 4030 Napoplexie shente nat hir heed ; No wyn ne drank she, neither whit ne reed ; Hir bord was served moost with whit and blak, — 92 B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 93 Milk and broun breed, — in which she foond no lak ; Seynd bacoun and somtyme an ey or tweye, 4035 For she was, as it were, a maner deye. A yeerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute With stikkes, and a drye dych withoute. In which she hadde a cok, heet Chauntecleer. In al the land of crowyng nas his peer. 4040 His voys was murier than the murie orgon On messe dayes that in the chirche gon ; Wei sikerer was his crowyng in his logge Than is a clokke, or an abbey orlogge. By nature knew he eche ascencioun 4045 Of the equynoxial in thilke toun ; For whan degrees fiftene weren ascended, Thanne crew he that it myghte nat been amended. His coomb was redder than the fyn coral, And batailled as it were a castel wal ; 4050 His byle was blak, and as the jeet it shoon ; Lyk asure were hise legges and his toon ; Hise nayles whiter than the lylye flour. And lyk the burned gold was his colour. This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce 4055 Sevene hennes for to doon al his plesaunce, Whiche were hise sustres and his paramours, And wonder lyk to hym, as of colours ; Of whiche the faireste hewed on hir throte Was cleped faire damoysele Pertelote. 4060 Curteys she was, discreet and debonaire. And compaignable, and bar hyrself so faire Syn thilke day that she was seven nyght oold, That trewely she hath the herte in hoold Of Chauntecleer, loken in every lith ; 4065 He loved hire so that wel was hym therwith ; 94 B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE But swiche a joye was it to here hem synge, — Whan that the brighte sonne bigan to sprynge, — In sweete accord, ^^ My lief is faren in londe ; " For thilke tyme, as I have understonde, 4070 Beestes and briddes koude speke and synge. And so bifel, that in the dawenynge, As Chauntecleer among hise wyves alle Sat on his perche, that was in the halle, And next hym sat this faire Pertelote, 4075 This Chauntecleer gan gronen in his throte, As man that in his dreem is drecched soore. And whan that Pertelote thus herde hym roore, She was agast, and seyde, " O herte deere ! What eyleth yow, to grone in this manure? 4080 Ye been a verray sleper; fy, for shame ! " And he answerde and seyde thus : " Madame, I pray yow that ye take it nat agrief ; By God, me mette I was in swich meschief Right now, that yet myn herte is soore afright. 4085 Now God," quod he, " my swevene recche aright, And kepe my body out of foul prisoun ; Me mette how that I romed up and doun Withinne our yeerd, wheer as I saugh a beest Was lyk an hound, and wolde han maad areest 4090 Upon my body, and han had me deed. His colour was bitwixe yelow and reed, And tipped was his tayl, and bothe hise eeris. With blak, unlyk the remenant of hise heeris ; His snowte smal, with glowynge eyen tweye. 4095 Yet of his look for feere almoost I deye ; This caused me my gronyng doutelees." " Avoy ! " quod she, " fy on yow, hertelees ! Alias ! " quod she, " for by that God above ! B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 95 Now han ye lost myn herte and al my love. 4100 I kan nat love a coward, by my feith ! For certes, what so any womman seith, We alle desiren, if it myghte bee, To han housb6ndes hardy, wise, and free, And secree, and no nygard, ne no fool, 4105 Ne hym that is agast of every tool, Ne noon avauntour, by that God above ! How dorste ye seyn, for shame, unto youre love That any thyng myghte make yow aferd ? Have ye no mannes herte, and han a berd? 41 10 " Alias ! and konne ye been agast of swevenys ? No thyng, God woot, but vanitee in swevene is. Swevenes engendren of replecciouns. And ofte of fume, and of complecciouns, Whan humours been to habundant in a wight. 41 15 " Certes this dreem, which ye han met to-nyght, Cometh of the grete superfluytee Of youre rede colera, pardee, Which causeth folk to dreden in hir dremes Of arwes, and of fyre with rede lemes, 4120 Of rede beestes that they wol hem byte. Of contekes and of whelpes, grete and lyte ; Right as the humour of malencolie Causeth ful many a man in sleepe to crie. For feere of blake beres, or boles blake, 4125 Or elles blake develes wole hem take. Of othere humours koude I telle also That werken many a man in sleepe ful wo ; But I wol passe as lightly as I kan. Lo, Catoun, which that was so wys a man, 4130 Seyde he nat thus, ' Ne do no fors of dremes ? ' " Now, sire," quod she, " whan we flee fro the hemes, g6 B. NUN'S FJ^IEST'S TALE For Goddes love, as taak som laxatyf. Up peril of my soule, and of my lyf, I conseille yow the beste, I wol nat lye, . . . 4135 *' Madame," quod he, ^^ graunt mercy of youre loore. But nathelees, as touchyng daun Catoun, 4161 That hath of wysdom svvich a greet renoun, Though that he bad no dremes for to drede, By God, men may in olde bookes rede Of many a man, moore of auctorite 4165 Than evere Caton was, so moot I thee ! That al the revers seyn of his sentence, And han wel founden by experience That dremes been significaciouns As wel of joye as tribulaciouns, 4170 That folk enduren in this lif present. Ther nedeth make of this noon argument, The verray preeve sheweth it in dede. " Oon of the gretteste auctours that men rede Seith thus, that whilom two felawes wente 4175 On pilgrimage in a ful good entente. And happed so they coomen in a toun, Wher as ther was swich congregacioun Of peple, and eek so streit of herbergage. That they ne founde as muche as o cotage 4180 In which they bothe myghte logged bee ; Wherfore they mosten of necessitee, As for that nyght, departen compaignye ; And ech of hem gooth to his hostelrye. And took his loggyng as it wolde falle. 4185 That oon of hem was logged in a stalle, Fer in a yeerd, with oxen of the plough ; That oother man was logged wel ynough. As was his aventure, or his fortune. B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 97 That us governeth, alle as in commune. 4190 " And so bifel that longe er it were day, This man mette in his bed, ther as he lay, How that his felawe gan upon hym calle. And seyde, * Alias ! for in an oxes stalle This nyght I shal be mordred ther I lye ; 4195 Now help me, deere brother, or I dye ; In alle haste com to me ! ' he sayde. " This man out of his sleepe for feere abrayde ; But whan that he was wakened of his sleepe. He turned hym and took of this no keepe ; 4200 Hym thoughte his dreem nas but a vanitee. Thus twies in his slepyng dremed hee, And atte thridde tyme yet his felawe Cam, as hym thoughte, and seide, ' I am now slawe ! Bihoold my bloody woundes, depe and wyde ; 4205 Arys up erly in the morwe tyde. And at the west gate of the toun,' quod he, ' A carte ful of donge ther shaltow se. In which my body is hid ful prively ; Do thilke carte arresten boldely ; 4210 My gold caused my mordre, sooth to sayn.' And tolde hym every point how he was slayn. With a ful pitous face, pale of hewe ; And truste wel, his dreem he foond ful trewe ; For on the morwe, as soone as it was day, 4215 To his felawes in he took the way. And whan that he cam to this oxes stalle, After his felawe he bigan to calle. " The hostiler answerde hym anon And seyde, ' Sire, your felawe is agon ; 4220 As soone as day he wente out of the toun.' " This man gan fallen in suspecioun, — H 98 B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Remembrynge on hise dremes, that he mette, — And forth he gooth, no lenger wolde he lette, Unto the westgate of the toun, and fond 4225 A dong carte, as it were to donge lond, That was arrayed in that same wise As ye han herd the dede man devyse ; And with an hardy herte he gan to crye Vengeance and justice of this felonye. 4230 ' My felawe mordred is this same nyght. And in this carte he lith gapyng upright. I crye out on the ministres/ quod he, ' That sholden kepe and reulen this citee ; Harrow ! alias ! heere lith my felawe slayn ! ' 4235 What sholde I moore unto this tale sayn? The peple out sterte and caste the cart to grounde, And in the myddel of the dong they founde The dede man, that mordred was al newe. . • . And right anon, ministres of that toun Han hent the carter, and so soore hym pyned, And eek the hostiler so soore engyned, 4250 That they biknewe hire wikkednesse anon. And were an-hanged by the nekke bon. . . . " Now let us speke of myrthe, and stynte al this ; Madame Pertelote, so have I blis. Of o thyng God hath sent me large grace ; For whan I se the beautee of youre face, 4350 Ye been so scarlet reed aboute youre eyen, It maketh al my drede for to dyen ; For, al-so siker as In pidncipio^ Mulier est hoininis confusio, — Madame, the sentence of this Latyn is, 4355 *Womman is mannes joye, and al his blis ; ' . . . And with that word he fly doun fro the beem. B, NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 99 For it was day, and eke hise hennes alle ; And with a chuk he gan hem for to calle, For he hadde founde a corn lay in the yerd. . . . 4365 He looketh as it were a grym leoun, And on hise toos he rometh up and doun ; 4370 Hym deigned nat to sette his foot to grounde. He chukketh whan he hath a corn y-founde, And to hym rennen thanne hise wyves alle. Thus roial as a prince is in an halle, Leve I this Chauntecleer in his pasture, 4375 And after wol I telle his aventure. Whan that the monthe in which the world bigan, That highte March, whan God first maked man, Was compleet, and y-passed were also, Syn March bigan, thritty dayes and two, 4380 Bifel that Chauntecleer in al his pryde, Hise sevene wyves walkynge by his syde. Caste up hise eyen to the brighte sonne That in the signe of Taurus hadde y-ronne Twenty degrees and oon, and som-what moore, 4385 And knew by kynde, and by noon oother loore, That it was pryme, and crew with bhsful stevene. "The Sonne," he seyde, "is clomben up on hevene Fourty degrees and oon, and moore y-wis. Madame Pertelote, my worldes bHs, 4390 Herkneth thise blisful briddes how they synge, And se the fresshe floures how they sprynge ; Ful is myn herte of revel and solas ! " But sodeynly hym fil a sorweful cas ; For evere the latter ende of joy is wo. 4395 God woot that worldly joye is soone ago ; And if a rethor koude faire endite, He in a crony cle saufly myghte it write, lOO B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE As for a sovereyn notabilitee. Now every wys man, lat him herkne me ; 4400 This storie is al so trewe, I undertake, As is the book of Launcelot de Lake, That wommen holde in ful greet reverence. Now wol I torne agayn to my sentence. A colfox, ful of sly iniquitee, 4405 That in the grove hadde wonned yeres three, By heigh ymaginacioun forn-cast. The same nyght thurgh-out the hegges brast Into the yerd, ther Chauntecleer the faire Was wont, and eek hise wyves, to repaire ; 4410 And in a bed of wortes stille he lay. Til it was passed undren of the day, Waitynge his tyme on Chauntecleer to falle ; As gladly doon thise homycides alle That in await liggen to mordre men. 4415 O false mordrour lurkynge in thy den ! O newe Scariot, newe Genyloun ! False dissymulour, O Greek Synoun, That broghtest Troye al outrely to sorwe ! Chauntecleer, acursed be that morwe, 4420 That thou into that yerd flaugh fro the hemes ! Thou were ful wel y-warned by thy dremes That thilke day was perilous to thee ; But what that God forwoot moot nedes bee. After the opinioun of certein clerkis. . . . 4425 1 wil nat han to do of swich mateere. My tale is of a cok, as ye may heere, That took his conseil of his wyf with sorwe. To walken in the yerd upon that morwe That he hadde met that dreem that I yow tolde. 4445 Wommennes conseils been ful ofte colde ; B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE lOI Wommannes conseil broghte us first to wo And made i\dam fro Paradys to go, Ther as he was ful myrie and wel at ese. But for I noot to whom it myght displese, 4450 If I conseil of wommen wolde blame, Passe over, for I seye it in my game. Rede auctours where they trete of swich mateere, And what they seyn of wommen ye may heere ; Thise been the cokkes wordes, and nat myne, 4455 I kan noon harm of no womman divyne ! Faire in the soond, to bathe hire myrily, Lith Pertelote, and alle hire sustres by, Agayn the sonne, and Chauntecleer so free Soong murier than the mermayde in the see ; 4460 For Phisiologics seith sikerly, How that they syngen wel and myrily. And so bifel that as he cast his eye Among the wortes, on a boterflye, He was war of this fox that lay ful lowe. 4465 No-thyng ne liste hym thanne for to crowe, But cride anon, " Cok, cok ! " and up he sterte, As man that was affrayed in his herte, — For natureelly a beest desireth flee Fro his contrarie, if he may it see, 4470 Though he never erst hadde seyn it with his eye. This Chauntecleer, whan he gan hym espye, He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon Seyde, "Gentil sire, alias ! wher wol ye gon? Be ye affrayed of me that am youre freend ? 4475 Now, certes, I were worse than a feend, If I to yow wolde harm or vileynye. I am nat come your conseil for tespye, But trewely the cause of my comynge I02 B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Was oonly for to herkne how that ye synge ; 4480 For trewely, ye have as myrie a stevene As any aungel hath that is in hevene. Therwith ye han in musyk moore feelynge Than hadde Boece, or any that kan synge. My lord youre fader, — God his soule blesse ! 4485 And eek youre mooder, of hire gentillesse, Han in myn hous y-been to my greet ese, And certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese. But for men speke of syngyng, I wol seye, — So moote I brouke wel myne eyen tvveye, — 4490 Save yow, I herde nevere man so synge As dide youre fader in the morwenynge. Certes, it was of herte, al that he song ; And for to make his voys the moore strong, 4494 He wolde so peyne hym that with bothe hise eyen He moste wynke, so loude he wolde cryen ; And stonden on his tiptoon therwithal. And strecche forth his nekke, long and smal ; And eek he was of swich discrecioun That ther nas no man in no regioun 4500 That hym in song or wisedom myghte passe. I have wel rad, in ' Daun Burnel the Asse,^ Among hise vers, how that ther was a cok. For that a preestes sone gaf hym a knok Upon his leg, whil he was yong and nyce, 4505 He made hym for to lese his benefice ; But certeyn, ther nys no comparisoun Bitwixe the wisedom and discrecioun Of youre fader and of his subtiltee. Now syngeth, sire, for seinte charitee ; 4510 Lat se, konne ye youre fader countrefete." This Chauntecleer hise wynges gan to bete, B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 103 As man that koude his traysoun nat espie, So was he ravysshed with his flaterie. Alias, ye lordes, many a fals flatour 4515 Is in youre courtes, and many a losengeour, That plesen yow wel moore, by my feith, Than he that soothfastnesse unto yow seith, — Redeth Ecclesiaste of flaterye, — Beth war, ye lordes, of hir trecherye. 4520 This Chauntecleer stood hye upon his toos Strecchynge his nekke, and heeld hise eyen cloos, And gan to crowe loude for the nones. And daun Russell, the fox, stirte up atones, And by the gargat hente Chauntecleer, 4525 And on his bak toward the wode hym beer ; For yet ne was ther no man that hym sewed. O destinee, that mayst nat been eschewed ! Alias, that Chauntecleer fleigh fro the hemes ! Alias, his wyf ne roghte nat of dremes ! 4530 And on a Friday fil al this meschaunce. . . . Certes, swich cry, ne lamentacioun, 4545 Was nevere of ladyes maad whan Ylioun Was wonne, and Pirrus, with his streite swerd, Whan he hadde hent kyng Priam by the herd, And slayn hym, — as seith us Eneydos, — As maden alle the hennes in the clos, 4550 Whan they had seyn of Chauntecleer the sighte. But sovereynly dame Pertelote shrighte, Ful louder than dide Hasdrubales wyf. Whan that hir housbonde hadde lost his lyf, And that the Romayns hadde brend Cartage, — 4555 She was so ful of torment and of rage, That wilfully into the fyr she sterte. And brende hirselven with a stedefast herte. . . . 104 B' NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE This sely wydwe, and eek hir doghtres two, 4565 Herden thise hennes crie and maken wo, And out at dores stirten they anon, And syen the fox toward the grove gon, And bar upon his bak the cok away. And cryden, " Out ! harrow ! and weylaway ! 4570 Ha ! ha ! the fox ! " and after hym they ran. And eek with staves many another man ; Ran Colle, oure dogge, and Talbot, and Gerland And Malkyn, with a dystaf in hir hand ; Ran cow and calf, and eek the verray hogges, 4575 So were they fered for berkynge of the dogges. And shoutyng of the men and wommen eke ; They ronne so hem thoughte hir herte breke. They yolleden, as feendes doon in helle ; The dokes cryden, as men wolde hem quelle ; 4580 The gees, for feere, flowen over the trees ; Out of the hy ve cam the swarm of bees ; So hydous was the noys, a benedicitee ! Certes, he Jakke Straw, and his meynee, Ne made nevere shoutes half so shrille, 4585 Whan that they wolden any Flemyng kille. As thilke day was maad upon the fox. Of bras they broghten hemes, and of box. Of horn, of boon, in whiche they blewe and powped, And therwithal they shriked and they howped ; 4590 It semed as that hevene sholde falle. Now, goode men, I pray yow herkneth alle ; Lo, how Fortune turneth sodeynly The hope and pryde eek of hir enemy ! This cok, that lay upon the foxes bak, 4595 In al his drede unto the fox he spak, And seyde, " Sire, if that I were as ye, B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 10$ Yet wolde I seyn, as wys God helpe me, ' Turneth agayn, ye proude cherles alle ! A verray pestilence upon yow falle ; 4600 Now am I come unto the wodes syde, Maugree youre heed, the cok shal heere abyde ; I wol hym ete in feith, and that anon ! ' " The fox answerde, " In feith it shal be don ; " And as he spak that word, al sodeynly 4605 This cok brak from his mouth delyverly, And heighe upon a tree he fleigh anon ; And whan the fox saugh that he was y-gon, — " Alias ! " quod he, " O Chauntecleer, alias ! I have to yow," quod he, ^' y-doon trespas, 4610 In as muche as I maked yow aferd, Whan I yow hente and broght out of the yerd ; But, sire, I dide it of no wikke entente. Com doun, and I shal telle yow what I mente ; I shal seye sooth to yow, God help me so ! " 4615 " Nay thanne," quod he, " I shrewe us bothe two. And first I shrewe myself, bothe blood and bones. If thou bigyle me any ofter than ones. Thou shalt na moore, thurgh thy flaterye, Do me to synge, and wynke with myn eye, 4620 For he that wynketh, whan he sholde see, Al wilfully, God lat him nevere thee ! " *' Nay," quod the fox, " but God geve hym mes- chaunce. That is so undiscreet of governaunce That jangleth whan he sholde holde his pees." 4625 Lo, swich it is for to be recchelees. And necligent, and truste on flaterye. But ye that holden this tale a folye, — As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, — I06 B. NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Taketh the moralite, goode men ; 4630 For Seint Paul seith that al that writen is, To oure doctrine it is y-write y-wis ; Taketh the fruyt and lat the chaf be stille. Now, goode God, if that it be thy wille, As seith my lord, so make us alle goode men, 4635 And brynge us to his heighe blisse ! Amen, SELECTIONS FROM DOCTOR'S TALE Description of Virginius^s Daughter, Virginia Ther was, as telleth Titus Livius, A knyght that called was Virginius, Fulfild of honour and of worthynesse, And strong of freendes and of greet richesse. This knyght a doghter hadde by his wyf, — No children hadde he mo in al his lyf. Fair was this mayde in excellent beautee Aboven every wight that man may see ; For Nature hath with sovereyn diligence Y-formed hire in so greet excellence, As though she wolde seyn, *^ Lo, I, Nature, Thus kan I forme, and peynte a creature, Whan that me list, — who kan me countrefete ? Pigmalion? Noght, though he ay forge and bete, Or grave, or peynte ; for I dar wel seyn Apelles, Zanzis, sholde werche in veyn, Outher to grave, or peynte, or forge, or bete, If they presumed me to countrefete. For He that is the Formere principal Hath maked me his vicaire-general To forme and peynten erthely creaturis Right as me list, and ech thyng in my cure is Under the moone that may wane and waxe ; 107 I08 C SELECTIONS FROM And for my werk right no thyng wol I axe ; My lof-d and I been ful of oon accord. 25 I made hire to the worshipe of my lord ; So do I alle myne othere creatures, What colour that they han, or what figures." Thus semeth me that Nature wolde seye. This mayde of age twelve yeer was and tweye 30 In which that Nature hadde swich delit ; For, right as she kan peynte a hlie whit, And reed a rose, right with swich peynture She peynted hath this noble creature, Er she were born, upon hir lymes fre, 35 Where as by right swiche colours sholde be ; And Phebus dyed hath hire treses grete Lyk to the stremes of his burned heete ; And if that excellent was hire beautee, A thousand foold moore vertuous was she. 40 In hire ne lakked no condicioun That is to preyse, as by discrecioun. As wel in goost, as body, chast was she, For which she floured in virginitee With alle humylitee and abstinence, 45 With alle attemperaunce and pacience, With mesure eek of beryng and array. ' Discreet she was in answeryng alway. Though she were wise as Pallas, dar I seyn ; Hir facound eek, ful wommanly and pleyn ; 50 No countrefeted termes hadde she To seme wys ; but after hir degree She spak, and alle hire wordes, moore and lesse, Sownynge in vertu and in gentillesse ; Shamefast she was, in maydens shamefastnesse, 55 Constant in herte, and evere in bisynesse C. DOCTOR'S TALE IO9 To dryve hire out of ydel slogardye. Bacus hadde of hire mouth right no maistrie, For wyn and youthe dooth Venus encresse ; As man in fyr vvol casten oille or greesse. 60 And of hir owene vertu unconstreyned She hath ful ofte tyme syk hire feyned, For that she wolde fleen the compaignye Where Hkly was to treten of folye, — As is at feestes, revels, and at daunces, 65 That been occasions of dahaunces. Swich thynges maken children for to be To soone rype and boold, as men may se, Which is ful perilous, and hath been yoore, For al to soone may she lerne loore 70 Of booldnesse, whan she woxen is a wyf. And ye maistresses, in youre olde lyf. That lordes doghtres han in governaunce, Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunce ; Thenketh that ye been set in governynges 75 Of lordes doghtres, oonly for two thynges : Outher for ye han kept youre honestee, Or elles ye han falle in freletee, And knowen wel ynough the olde daunce, And han forsaken fully swich meschaunce 80 For everemo : therfore for Cristes sake To teche hem vertu looke that ye ne slake. A theef of venysoun, that hath forlaft . His likerousnesse and al his olde craft, Kan kepe a forest best of any man ; 85 Now kepeth wel, for if ye wolde ye kan ; Looke wel that ye unto no vice assente, Lest ye be dampned for youre wikke entente j For who so dooth, a traitour is certeyn ; I lO C. SELECTIONS FROM And taketh kepe of that that I shal seyn ; 90 Of alle tresons, sovereyn pestilence Is whan a wight bitrayseth innocence. Ye fadres and ye moodres eek, also, Though ye han children, be it oon or mo, Youre is the charge of al hir surveiaunce, 95 Whil that they been under youre governaunce ; Beth war, if by ensample of youre lyvynge. Or by youre nechgence in chastisynge, That they perisse ; for I dar wel seye. If that they doon, ye shul it deere abeye. 100 Under a shepherde softe and necligent The wolf hath many a sheep and lamb to-rent. Suffiseth oon ensample now as heere. For I moot turne agayne to my matere. This mayde, of which I wol this tale expresse, 105 So kepte hir self hir neded no maistresse ; For in hir lyvyng maydens myghten rede. As in a book, every good word or dede That longeth to a mayden vertuous. She was so prudent and so bountevous ; no For which the fame out sprong on every syde, Bothe of hir beautee and hir bountee wyde. That thurgh that land they preised hire, echone That loved vertu, save Envye allone. That sory is of oother mennes wele, 115 And glad is of his sorwe and his unheele (The doctour maketh this descripcioun) . The Doctor's Concluding Remarks on the Story of Virginia Heere men may seen how synne hath his merite ! Beth war, for no man woot whom God wol smyte, C. DOCTOR'S TALE III In no degree ; ne in which man ere wyse The worm of conscience may agryse 280 Of wikked lyf, though it so pryvee be That no man woot ther-of but God and he ; For be he lewed man, or elHs lered, He noot how soone that he shal been afered. Therfore, I rede yow, this conseil take, , 285 Forsaketh synne, er synne yow forsake. PARDONER'S TALE In Flaundres whilom was a compaignye Of yonge folk, that haunteden folye, As riot, hasard, stywes and tav^rnes, 465 Where as with harpes, lutes and gyternes, They daunce and pleyen at dees, bothe day and nyght, And eten also, and drynken over hir myght, Thurgh which they doon the devel sacrifise Withinne that develes temple, in cursed wise, 470 By superfluytee abhomynable. . . . Thise riotoures thre, of whiche I telle, Longe erst er prime rong of any belle. Were set hem in a taverne to drynke ; And as they sat they herde a belle clynke Biforn a cors, was caried to his grave. 665 That oon of hem gan callen to his knave : " Go bet," quod he, " and axe redily What cors is this that passeth heer forby, And looke that thou reporte his name week" " Sire," quod this boy, " it nedeth neveradeel, 670 It was me toold er ye cam heere two houres ; He was, pardee, an old felawe of youres. And sodeynly he was y-slayn to-nyght, For-dronke, as he sat on his bench upright ; Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth Deeth, 675 That in this contree al the peple sleeth. And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo, 112 C PARDONER'S TALE 113 And wente his wey withouten wordes mo. He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence, And, maister, er ye come in his presence, 680 Me thynketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an adversarie ; Beth redy for to meete hym everemoore ; Thus taughte me my dame ; I sey namoore." '^ By Seinte Marie ! " seyde this taverner, 685 " The child seith sooth, for he hath slayn this yeer Henne over a mile, withinne a greet village, Bothe man and womman, child, and hyne, and page ; I trowe his habitaciioun be there ; To been avysed greet wysdom it were, 690 Er that he dide a man a dishonour." "Ye, Goddes armes ! " quod this riotour, " Is it swich peril with hym for to meete ? I shal hym seke by wey, and eek by strete ; I make avow to Goddes digne bones ! 695 Herkneth, felawes, we thre been al ones, Lat ech of us holde up his hand til oother. And ech of us bicomen otheres brother. And we wol sleen this false traytour, Deeth; He shal be slayn, he that so manye sleeth, 700 By Goddes dignitee, er it be nyght ! " Togidres han thise thre hir trouthes plight To lyve and dyen ech of hem with oother. As though he were his owene y-bore brother ; And up they stirte, al dronken in this rage ; 705 And forth they goon towardes that village Of which the taverner hadde spoke biforn ; And many a grisly 00th thanne han they sworn ; And Cristes blessed body they to-rente, — Deeth shal be deed, if that they may hym hente. 710 ri4 C PARDONER'S TALE Whan they han goon nat fully half a mile, Right as they wolde han troden over a stile, An oold man and a poure with hem mette ; This olde man ful mekely hem grette, And seyde thus : '' Now, lordes, God yow see ! " 715 The proudeste of thise riotoures three Answerde agayn, ** What, carl with sory grace, Why artow al for- wrapped, save thy face ? Why lyvestow so longe, in so greet age ? " This olde man gan looke in his visage, 720 And seyde thus : '' For I ne kan nat fynde A man, though that I walked into Ynde, Neither in citee, ne in no village, That wolde chaunge his youthe for myn age ; And therfore moot I han myn age stille, 725 As longe tyme as it is Goddes wille. Ne Deeth, alias ! ne wol nat han my lyf ; Thus walke I, lyk a restelees kaityf. And on the ground, which is my moodres gate, I knokke with my staf erly and late, 730 And seye, ' Leeve mooder, leet me in ! Lo, how I vanysshe, flessh and blood and skyn ; Alias ! whan shul my bones been at reste ? Mooder, with yow wolde I chaunge my cheste That in my chambre longe tyme hath be, 735 Ye, for an heyre-clowt to wrappe me ! ' But yet to me she wol nat do that grace. For which ful pale and welked is my face ; But, sires, to yow it is no curteisye To speken to an old man vileynye, 740 But he trespasse in word, or elles in dede. In Hooly Writ ye may your self wel rede, Agayns an oold man, hoor upon his heed, C. PARDONER'S TALE II5 Ye sholde arise ; wherfore I geve yow reed, Ne dooth unto an oold man noon harm now, 745 Namoore than ye wolde men did to yow In age, if that ye so longe abyde. And God be with yow, where ye go or ryde ; I moote go thider as I have to go." " Nay, olde cherl, by God, thou shalt nat so ! " 750 Seyde this oother hasardour anon ; " Thou partest nat so hghtly, by Seint John ! Thou spak right now of thilke traytour, Deeth, That in this contree alle oure freendes sleeth ; Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his espye, 755 Telle where he is, or thou shalt it abye. By God and by the hooly sacrement ! For soothly, thou art oon of his assent To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef ! " " Now, sires," quod he, " if that ye be so leef 760 To fynde Deeth, turne up this croked wey. For in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey. Under a tree, and there he wole abyde ; Noght for youre boost he wole him no thyng hyde. Se ye that 00k? Right there ye shal hym fynde. 765 God save yow that boghte agayn mankynde. And yow amende ! " thus seyde this olde man. And everich of thise riotoures ran Til he cam to that tree, and ther they founde, Of floryns fyne, of gold y-coyned rounde, 770 Wei ny a seven busshels, as hem thoughte. No lenger thanne after Deeth they soughte. But ech of hem so glad was of that sighte. For that the floryns been so faire and brighte, That doun they sette hem by this precious hoord. 775 The worste of hem he spak the firste word. Il6 C PARDONER'S TALE *' Bretheren," quod he, " taak kepe what I seye ; My wit is greet, though that I bourde and pleye. This tresor hath Fortune unto us geven In myrthe and joHftee oure lyf to lyven, 780 And hghtly as it comth so wol we spende. Ey, Goddes precious dignitee ! who wende To-day, that we sholde han so fair a grace ? But myghte this gold be caried fro this place Hoom to myn hous, or elles unto youres, — 785 For wel ye woot that al this gold is oures, — Thanne were we in heigh felicitee. But trewely, by daye it may nat bee ; Men wolde seyn that we were theves stronge, And for oure owene tresor doon us honge. 790 This tresor moste y-caried be by nyghte As wisely and as slyly as it myghte. Wherfore, I rede that cut among us alle Be drawe, and lat se wher the cut wol falle ; And he that hath the cut with herte bUthe 795 Shal renne to the towne, and that ful swithe, And brynge us breed and wyn ful prively, And two of us shul kepen subtilly This tresor wel ; and if he wol nat tarie, Whan it is nyght we wol this tresor carie, 80c; By oon assent, where as us thynketh best." That oon of hem the cut broghte in his fest. And bad hem drawe and looke where it wol falle ; And it fil on the yongeste of hem alle, And forth toward the toun he wente anon ; 805 And al so soone as that he was gon. That oon of hem spak thus unto that oother: " Thow knowest wel thou art my sworne brother ; Thy profit woTi telle thee anon ; C. PARDONER'S TALE II7 Thou woost wel that oure felawe is agon, 810 And heere is gold, and that ful greet plentee. That shal departed been among us thre ; But nathelees, if I kan shape it so That it departed were among us two, Hadde I nat doon a freendes torn to thee?" 815 That oother answerde, " I noot hou that may be ; He woot how that the gold is with us tweye ; What shal we doon, what shal we to hym seye? " " Shal it be conseil ? " seyde the firste shrewe, '^ And I shal tellen in a wordes fewe 820 What we shal doon, and bryngen it wel aboute." " I graunte," quod that oother, " out of doute. That by my trouthe I shal thee nat biwreye." ''Now," quod the firste, "thou woost wel we be tweye, And two of us shul strenger be than oon. 825 Looke, whan that he is set, and right anoon Arys, as though thou woldest with hym pleye, And I shal ryve hym thurgh the sydes tweye, Whil that thou strogelest with hym as in game, And with thy daggere looke thou do the same ; 830 And thanne shal al this gold departed be. My deere freend, bitwixen me and thee. Thanne may we bothe oure lustes all fulfille. And pleye at dees right at oure owene wille." And thus acorded been thise shrewes tweye, 835 To sleen the thridde, as ye han herd me seye. This yongeste, which that wente unto the toun, Ful ofte in herte he rolleth up and doun The beautee of thise floryns newe and brighte ; " O Lord," quod he, " if so were that I myghte 840 Have al this tresor to my self allone, Il8 C. PARDONER'S TALE Ther is no man that lyveth under the trone Of God, that sholde lyve so murye as I ! " And atte laste the feend, oure enemy, Putte in his thought that he sholde poyson beye, 845 With which he myghte sleen hise felawes tweye ; For why? The feend foond hym in swich lyvynge, That he hadde leve hym to sorwe brynge. For this was outrely his fulle entente To sleen hem bothe and nevere to repente. 850 And forth he gooth, no lenger wolde he tarie, Into the toun, unto a pothecarie. And preyde hym that he hym wolde selle Som poysoun, that he myghte his rattes quelle ; And eek ther was a polcat in his hawe, 855 That, as he seyde, his capouns hadde y-slawe. And fayn he wolde wreke hym, if he myghte, On vermyn, that destroyed hym by nyghte. The pothecarie answerde, " And thou shalt have A thyng that, al so God my soule save ! 860 In al this world ther nis no creature, That eten or dronken hath of this confiture, Noght but the montance of a corn of whete, That he ne shal his lif anon forlete ; Ye, sterve he shal, and that in lasse while 865 Than thou wolt goon a-paas nat but a mile, This poysoun is so strong and violent." This cursed man hath in his hond y-hent This poysoun in a box, and sith he ran Into the nexte strete unto a man, 870 And borwed [of] hym large botelles thre, And in the two his poyson poured he ; The thridde he kepte clene for his owene drynke, For al the nyght he shoop hym for to swynke C, PARDONER'S TALE 119 In cariynge of the gold out of that place ; 875 And whan this riotour with sory grace Hadde filled with wyn his grete hotels thre, To hise felawes agayn repaireth he. What nedeth it to ^ermone of it moore ? For right as they hadde caste his deeth bifoore, 880 Right so they han hym slayn, and that anon, And whan that this was doon thus spak that oon : " Now lat us sitte and drynke, and make us merie, And afterward we wol his body berie ; " And with that word it happed hym, par cas, 885 To take the hotel ther the poysoun was, And drank and gaf his felawe drynke also, For which anon they storven bothe two. But certes, I suppose that Avycen Wroot nevere in no Canon, ne in no fen, 890 Mo wonder signes of empoisonyng Than hadde thise wrecches two, er hir endyng. Thus ended been thise homycides two, And eek the false empoysonere also. SELECTIONS FROM THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE Fairies i^i King Arthur's Days In tholde dayes of the Kyng Arthor, Of which that Britons speken greet honour, All was this land fulfild of fairy e. The elf queene with hir joly compaignye 860 Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede. This was the olde opinion as I rede, — I speke of manye hundred yeres ago, — But now kan no man se none elves mo. For now the grete charitee and prayeres 865 Of lymytours, and othere hooly freres. That serchen every lond and every streem, As thikke as motes in the sonne beem, — Bl^ssynge halles, charabres, kichenes, boures, Citees, burghes, castels, hye toures, 870 Thr6pes, bernes, shipnes, dayeryes, — This maketh that ther been no fairyes ; For ther as wont to walken was an elf, Ther walketh now the lymytour hymself, In undermeles and in morwenynges, 875 And seyth his matyns and his hooly thynges As he gooth in his lymytacioun. W6mmen may go saufly up and doun ; In every bussh or under every tree, Ther is noon oother incubus but he, 880 And he ne wol doon hem but dishonour. D. SELECTIONS FROM WIFE OF BATH'S TALE 121 The Story of Midas^s Ears In a musical contest between Pan and Apollo, on the flute and lyre, Midas, king of Phrygia, was made judge, and gave his decision in favour of Pan, for which decision Apollo metamorphosed his ears into those of an ass. Ovyde, amonges othere thynges smale, Seyde Myda hadde under his longe heres, Growynge upon his heed, two asses eres, The whiche vice he hydde as he best myghte, 955 Ful subtilly, from every mannes sighte, That save his wyf ther wiste of it namo. He loved hire moost, and triste hire also ; He preyde hire that to no creature She sholde tellen of his disfigure. 960 She swoor him nay, for al this world to wynne, She nolde do that vileynye or synne, To make hir housbonde han so foul a name. She nolde nat telle it for hir owene shame ; But nathelees hir thoughte that she dyde, 965 That she so longe sholde a conseil hyde ; Hir thoughte it swal so soore aboute hir herte, That nedely som word hire moste asterte ; And sith she dorste telle it to no man, Doun to a mareys faste by she ran. 970 Til she came there her herte was a-fyre, And as a bitore bombleth in the myre She leyde hir mouth unto the water doun : " Biwreye me nat, thou water, with thy soun," Quod she, "to thee I telle it and namo, — 975 Myn housbonde hath longe asses erys two. Now is myn herte all hool, now is it oute. 122 D. SELECTIONS FROM I myghte no lenger kepe it, out of doute." Heere may ye se, thogh we a tyme abyde, Yet, out it moot, we kan no conseil hyde. 980 The remenant of the tale if ye wol heere, Redeth Ovyde, and ther ye may it leere. The True Gentleman The wife of the knight in the Tale addresses her husband, who thinks her of low origin. " But for ye speken of swich gentillesse As is descended out of old richesse, mo That therfore sholden ye be gentil men, Swich arrogance is nat worth an hen. Looke who that is moost vertuous alway, Pryvee and apert, and moost entendeth ay To do the gentil dedes that he kan, 1115 And taak hym for the grettest gentil man. Crist wole, we clayme of hym oure gentillesse, Nat of oure eldres for hire old richesse ; For, thogh they geve us al hir heritage, — For which we clayme to been of heigh parage, — 1120 Yet may they nat biquethe for no thyng, To noon of us, hir vertuous lyvyng. That made hem gentil men y-called be, And bad us folwen hem in swich degree. " Wei kan the wise poete of Florence, 1125 That highte Dant, speken in this sentence, — Lo, in swich maner rym is Dantes tale, — ' Ful selde up riseth by his branches smale Prowesse of man, for God of his goodnesse Wole that of hym we clayme oure gentillesse ; 1130 For of oure eldres may we no thyng clayme. D. THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE 1 23 But temporel thyng that man may hurte and mayme/ " Eek every wight woot this as wel as I, If gentillesse were planted natureelly, Unto a certeyn lynage doun the lyne, 1135 Pryvee nor apert, thanne wolde they nevere fyne To doon of gentillesse the faire office ; They myghte do no vileynye or vice. " Taak fyr and ber it in the derkeste hous, Bitwix this and the mount of Kaukasous, 1140 And lat men shette the dores and go thenne, Yet wole the fyr as faire lye and brenne As twenty thousand men myghte it biholde ; His office natureel ay wol it holde, Up peril of my lyf, til that it dye. 1145 "Heere may ye se wel how that genterye Is nat annexed to possessioun, Sith folk ne doon hir operacioun Alvvey, as dooth the fyr, lo, in his kynde ; For, God it woot, men may wel often fynde 1150 A lordes sone do shame and vileynye ; And he that wole han pris of his gentrye, For he was boren of a gentil hous. And hadde hise eldres noble and vertuous, And nyl hymselven do no gentil dedis, 1155 Ne folwen his gentil auncestre that deed is, He nys nat gentil, be he due or erl ; For vileyns synful dedes make a cherl ; For gentillesse nys but renomee Of thyne aunc^stres, for hire heigh bountee, 1160 Which is a strange thyng to thy persone. Thy gentillesse cometh fro God allone ; Thanne comth oure verray gentillesse of grace, It was no thyng biquethe us with oure place." SQUIRE'S TALE At Sarray, in the land of Tartarye, Ther dwelte a kyng that werreyed Russye, lo Thurgh which ther dyde many a doughty man. This noble kyng was cleped Cambynskan, Which in his tyme was of so greet renoun That ther was nowher in no regioun So excellent a lord in alle thyng. 15 Hym lakked noght that longeth to a kyng ; As of the secte of which that he was born, He kepte his lay, to which that he was sworn ; And therto he was hardy, wys, and riche, Pitous and just, and evermore yliche ; 20 Sooth of his word, benigne and honurable. Of his corage as any centre stable ; Yong, fressh, and strong, in armes desirous As any bacheler of al his hous. A fair persone he was, and fortunat, 25 And kepte alwey so wel roial estat That ther was nowher swich another man. This noble kyng, this Tartre Cambynskan, Hadde two sones on Elpheta his wyf. Of whiche the eldeste highte Algarsyf; 30 That oother sone was cleped Cambalo. A doghter hadde this worthy kyng also That yongest was, and highte Canacee. But for to telle yow al hir beautee 124 F. SQUIRE'S TALE I2S It lyth nat in my tonge nyn my konnyng, * 35 I dar nat undertake so heigh a thyng ; Myn EngHssh eek is insufficient ; It moste been a rethor excellent, That koude hise colours longynge for that art, If he sholde hire discryven every part ; 40 I am noon swich, I moot speke as I kan. And so bifel that whan this Cambynskan Hath twenty wynter born his diadem e, As he was wont fro yeer to yeer, I deme. He leet the feeste of his nativitee 45 Doon cryen thurghout Sarray his citee. The last Idus of March after the yeer. Phebus, the sonne, ful joly was and deer, For he was neigh his exaltacioun In Martes face, and in his mansioun 50 In Aries, the colerik hoote signe. Ful lusty was the weder and benigne, For which the foweles agayn the sonne sheene, What for the sesoun and the yonge grene, Ful loude songen hire affecciouns, 55 Hem semed han geten hem protecciouns Agayn the swerd of wynter, keene and coold. This Cambynskan — of which I have yow toold — In roial vestiment sit on his deys. With diademe ful heighe in his paleys, 60 And halt his feeste so solempne and so ryche, That in this world ne was ther noon it lyche ; Of which, if I shal tellen al tharray, Thanne wolde it occupie a someres day ; And eek it nedeth nat for to devyse 65 At every cours the ordre of hire servyse. I wol nat tellen of hir strange sewes, 126 F, SQUIRE'S TALE Ne of hir swannes, ne of hire heronsewes. Eek in that lond, as tellen knyghtes olde, Ther is som mete that is ful deynte holde 70 That in this lond men recche of it but smal ; Ther nys no man that may reporten al. I wol nat taryen yow, for it is pryme, And for it is no fruyt, but los of tyme ; Unto my purpos I wole have my recours. 75 x\nd so bifel that after the thridde cours, Whil that this kyng sit thus in his nobleye, Herknynge his mynstrales hir thynges pleye Biforn hym at the bord dehciously, In at the halle dore, al sodeynly, - 80 Ther cam a knyght upon a steede of bras, And in his hand a brood mirour of glas ; Upon his thombe he hadde of gold a ring, And by his syde a naked swerd hangyng ; And up he rideth to the heighe bord. 85 In al the halle ne was ther spoken a word, For merveille of this knyght ; hym to biholde Ful bisily ther wayten yonge and olde. This strange knyght that cam thus sodeynly, Al armed, save his heed, ful richely, 90 Saleweth kyng and queene, and lordes alle, By ordre, as they seten in the halle, With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce. As wel in speche as in contenaunce, That Gawayn with his olde curteisye, 95 Though he were comen ageyn out of fairye, Ne koude hym nat amende with a word ; And after this, biforn the heighe bord. He with a manly voys seith his message After the forme used in his langage, 100 F. SQUIRE'S TALE 12/ Withouten vice of silable, or of lettre ; And for his tale sholde seme the bettre, Accordant to hise wordes was his cheere, As techeth art of speche hem that it leere. Al be it that I kan nat; sowne his stile, 105 Ne kan nat clymben over so heigh a style, Yet seye I this, as to commmie entente, Thus muche amounteth al that evere he mente, If it so be that I have it in mynde. He seyde, " The kyng of Arabe and of Inde, no My lige lord, on this solempne day Saleweth yow, as he best kan and may. And sendeth yow, in honour of youre feeste, By me that am al redy at youre heeste. This steede of bras, that esily and weel 115 Kan in the space of o day natureel, — This is to seyn, in foure and twenty houres, — Wher so yow lyst, in droghte or elles shoures, Beren youre body into every place To which youre herte wilneth for to pace, 120 Withouten wem of yow, thurgh foul or fair ; Or, if yow lyst to fleen as hye in the air As dooth an egle whan hym list to soore. This same steede shal bere yow evere moore, Withouten harm, til ye be ther yow lestc, 125 Though that ye slepen on his bak, or reste ; And turne ageyn with writhyng of a pyn. He that it wroghte koude ful many a gyn. He wayted many a constellacioun Er he had doon this operacioun, 130 And knew ful many a seel, and many a bond. " This mirrour eek, that I have in myn hond, Hath swich a myght that men may in it see 128 F. SQUIRE'S TALE Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee Unto youre regne, or to youre self also, 135 And openly who is youre freend or foo ; And over al this, if any lady bright Hath set hire herte on any maner wight, If he be fals she shal his tresoun see. His newe love, and al his subtiltee, 140 So openly that ther shal no thyng hyde. Wherfore, ageyn this lusty someres tyde, This mirour and this ryng that ye may see He hath sent to my lady Canacee, Youre excellente doghter that is heere. 145 " The vertu of the ryng, if ye wol heere, Is this, that if hire lust it for to were Upon hir thombe, or in hir purs it bere, Ther is no fowel that fleeth under the hevene That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene, 150 And knowe his menyng openly and pleyn, And answere hym in his langage ageyn ; And every gras that groweth upon roote She shal eek knowe and whom it wol do boote, Al be hise woundes never so depe and wyde. 155 " This naked swerd that hangeth by my syde Swich vertu hath that what man so ye smyte, Thurgh out his armure it wole kerve and byte. Were it as thikke as is a branched 00k ; And what man that is wounded with the strook 160 Shal never be hool, til that yow list of grace To stroke hym with the plat in thilke place Ther he is hurt ; this is as muche to seyn. Ye moote with the platte swerd ageyn Strike hym in the wounde and it wol close. 165 This is a verray sooth withouten glose, F. SQUIRE'S TALE 1 29 It failleth nat whils it is in youre hoold." And whan this knyght hath thus his tale toold, He rideth out of halle, and doun he h'ghte. His steede, which that shoon as sonne brighte, 170 Stant in the court as stille as any stoon. This knyght is to his chambre lad anoon And is unarmed and unto mete y-set. The presentes been ful roially y-fet, — This is to seyn, the swerd and the mirour, — 175 And born anon into the heighe tour, With certeine officers ordeyned therfore ; And unto Canacee this ryng was bore Solempnely, ther she sit at the table ; But sikerly, withouten any fable, 180 The hors of bras, that may nat be remewed, It stant as it were to the ground y-glewed ; Ther may no man out of the place it dryve For noon engyn of wyndas ne polyve ; And cause why? for they kan nat the craft; 185 And therfore in the place they han it laft, Til that the knyght hath taught hem the manere To voyden hym, as ye shal after heere. Greet was the prees that swarmeth to and fro To gauren on this hors that stondeth so ; 190 For it so heigh was, and so brood and long, So wel proporcioned for to been strong, Right as it were a steede of Lumbardye; Ther-with so horsly, and so quyk of eye, As it a gentil Poilleys courser were ; 195 For certes, fro his tayl unto his ere, Nature ne art ne koude hym nat amende In no degree, as al the peple wende. But everemoore hir mooste wonder was K 130 F, SQUIRE'S TALE How that it koude go, and was of bras ! 200 It was of fairye, as al the peple semed. Diverse folk diversely they denied; As many heddes as manye wittes ther been. They murmureden as dooth a swarm of been, And maden skiles after hir fantasies, 205 Rehersynge of thise olde poetries ; And seyde that it was lyk the Pegasee, The hors that hadde wynges for to flee ; Or elles it was the Grekes hors, Synoun, That broghte Troie to destruccioun, 210 As men may in thise olde geestes rede. " Myn herte," quod oon, ^' is everemopre in drede ; I trowe som men of armes been ther-inne. That shapen hem this citee for to wynne ; It were right good that al swich thyng were knowe." Another rowned to his felawe lowe, 216 And seyde, " He lyeth ! it is rather lyk An apparence, y-maad by som magyk ; As jogelours pleyen at thise feestes grete." Of sondry doutes thus they jangle and trete, 220 As lewed peple demeth comunly Of thynges that been maad moore subtilly Than they kan in hir lewednesse comprehende, They demen gladly to the badder ende. And somme of hem wondred on the mirour 225 That born was up into the hye tour, Hou men myghte in it swiche thynges se. Another answerde and seyde it myghte wel be Naturelly by composiciouns Of anglis, and of slye reflexiouns ; 230 And seyden that in Rome was swich oon. They speken of Alocen and Vitulon, F. SQUIRE'S TALE 131 And Aristotle, that writen in hir lyves Of queynte mirours, and of prospectives, As knowen they that han hir bookes herd. 235 And oother folk han wondred on the swerd That wolde percen thurghout every thyng ; And fiUe in speche of Thelophus the kyng, And of Achilles with his queynte spere, For he koude with it bothe heele and dere, 240 Right in swich wise as men may with the swerd Of which right now ye han youre-selven herd. They speken of sondry hardyng of metal, And speke of medicynes therwithal. And how and whanne it sholde y-harded be, 245 Which is unknowe, algates unto me. Tho speeke they of Canacees ryng. And seyden alle that swich a wonder thyng Of craft of rynges herde they nevere noon; Save that he Moyses and kyng Salomon 250 Hadden a name of konnyng in swich art ; Thus seyn the peple and drawen hem apart. But nathelees somme seiden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-asshen glas. And yet nys glas nat lyk asshen of fern ; 255 But for they han i-knowen it so fern, Therfore cesseth hir janglyng and hir wonder. As soore wondren somme on cause of thonder. On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer, and on myst. And on alle thyng til that the cause is wyst. 260 Thus jangle they, and demen and devyse, Til that the kyng gan fro the bord aryse. Phebus hath laft the angle meridional, And yet ascendynge was the beest roial, The gentil Leon, with his Aldrian, 265 132 F. SQUIRE'S TALE Whan that this Tartre kyng, this Cambynskan Roos fro his bord, ther as he sat ful hye. Toforii hym gooth the loude mynstralcye Til he cam to his chambre of parementz ; Ther as they sownen diverse instrumentz 270 That it is lyk an hevene for to heere. Now dauncen lusty Venus children deere, For in the Fyssh hir lady sat ful hye, And looketh on hem with a freendly eye. This noble kyng is set up in his trone ; 275 This strange knyght is fet to hym ful soone, And on the daunce he gooth with Canacee. Heere is the revel and the jolitee That is nat able a dul man to devyse ; He moste han knowen love and his servyse, 280 And been a feestlych man, as fressh as May, That sholde yow devysen swich array. Who koude telle yow the forme of daunces So unkouthe, and so fresshe contenaunces, Swich subtil lookyng and dissymulynges 285 For drede of jalouse mennes apercey vynges ? No man but Launcelet, and he is deed. Therfore I passe of al this lustiheed ; I sey namoore, but in this jolynesse I lete hem til men to the soper dresse. 290 The styward byt the spices for to hye. And eek the wyn, in al this melodye. The usshers and the squiers been y-goon, The spices and the wyn is come anoon. They ete and drynke, and whan this hadde an ende. Unto the temple, as reson was, they wende. 296 The service doon they soupen al by day ; What nedeth yow rehercen hire array? F. SQUIRE'S TALE 1 33 Ech man woot wel that a kynges feeste Hath plentee to the mooste and to the leeste, 300 And deyntees mo than been in my knowyng. At after soper gooth this noble kyng To seen this hors of bras, with al the route Of lordes and of ladyes hym aboute. Swich wondryng was ther on this hors of bras 305 That syn the grete sege of Troie was, — Ther as men wondreden on an hors also, — Ne was ther swich a wondryng as was tho. But fynally, the kyng axeth this knyght The vertu of this courser and the myght, 310 And preyde hym to telle his governaunce. This hors anoon bigan to trippe and daunce Whan that this knyght leyde hand upon his reyne, And seyde, " Sire, ther is namoore to seyne, But whan yow list to ryden anywhere 315 Ye mooten trille a pyn, stant in his ere, Which I shal telle yow bitwix us two. Ye moote nempne hym to what place also, Or to what contree, that yow list to ryde ; And whan ye come ther as yow hst abyde, 320 Bidde hym descende, and trille another pyn, — For therin Uth theffect of al the gyn, — And he wol doun descende and doon youre wille, And in that place he wol stonde stille. Though al the world the contrarie hadde y- swore, 325 He shal nat thennes been y-drawe ne y-bore ; Or, if yow hste bidde hym thennes goon, Trille this pyn, and he wol vanysshe anoon Out of the sighte of every maiier wight, And come agayn, be it by day or nyght, 330 Whan that yow list to clepen hym ageyn 134 ^- SQUIRE'S TALE In swich a gyse as I shal to yovv seyn, Bitwixe yow and me, and that ful soone. Ride whan yow list, ther is namoore to doone." Enformed whan the kyng was of that knyght, 335 - And hath conceyved in his wit aright The manere and the forme of al this thyng, Ful glad and blithe this noble doughty kyng Repeireth to his revel as biforn. The brydel is unto the tour y-born 340 And kept among hise jueles leeve and deere, The hors vanysshed, I noot in what manere. Out of hir sighte, — ye gete namoore of me ; But thus I lete in lust and jolitee This Cambynskan hise lordes festeiynge, 345 Til wel ny the day bigan to sprynge. Explicit prima pars. Sequitur pars secunda. The norice of digestioun, the sleepe, Gan on hem wynke, and bad hem taken keepe That muchel drynke and labour wolde han reste ; And with a galpyng mouth hem alia he keste, 350 And seyde, it was tyme to lye adoun, For blood was in his domynacioun. *^ Cherisseth blood, natures freend," quod he. They thanken hym galpynge, by two, by thre, And every wight gan drawe hym to his reste, 355 As sleepe hem bad ; they tooke it for the beste. Hire dremes shul nat been y-toold for me ; Ful were hire heddes of fumositee. That causeth dreem, of which ther nys no charge. They slepen til that it was pryme large, 360 The mooste part, but it were Canacee. F. SQUIRE'S TALE 1 35 She was ful mesurable as wommen be, For of hir fader hadde she take leve To goon to reste, soone after it was eve. Hir liste nat appalled for to be, 365 Ne on the morwe unfeestlich for to se. And slepte hire firste sleepe and thanne awook ; For swich a joye she in hir herte took, Bothe of hir queynte ryng and hire mirour. That twenty tyme she changed hir colour, 370 And in hire sleepe, right for impressioun Of hire mirour, she hadde a visioun. Wherfore er that the sonne gan up glyde She cleped on hir maistresse hire bisyde. And seyde that hire liste for to ryse. 375 Thise olde wommen that been gladly wyse. As is hire maistresse, answerde hire anon. And seyde, "Madame, whider wil ye goon Thus erly, for the folk been alle on reste?" " I wol," quod she, " arise, — for me leste 380 No lenger for to slepe, — and walke aboute." Hire maistresse clepeth wommen a greet route, And up they rysen wel a ten or twelve ; Up riseth fresshe Canacee hir-selve. As rody and bright as dooth the yonge sonne 385 That in the Ram is foure degrees up ronne. Noon hyer was he whan she redy was, And forth she walketh esily a pas, Arrayed after the lusty sesoun soote, Lightly for to pleye, and walke on foote, 390 Nat but with fyve or sixe of hir meynee. And in a trench forth in the park gooth she. The vapour which that fro the erthe glood Made the sonne to seme rody and brood, 136 F. SQUIRE'S TALE But nathelees it was so fair a sighte 395 That it made alle hire hertes for to lighte, — What for the sesoun, and the morwenynge, And for the foweles that she herde synge ; For right anon she wiste what they mente Right by hir song, and knew al hire entente. 400 The knotte why that every tale is toold, If it be taried til that lust be coold Of hem that han it after herkned yoore, The savour passeth ever lenger the moore, For fulsomnesse of his prolixitee ; 405 And by the same resoun thynketh me, I sholde to the knotte condescende And maken of hir walkyng soone an ende. Amydde a tree fordryed, as whit as chalk, As Canacee was pleyyng in hir walk, 410 Ther sat a faucon over hire heed ful hye, That with a pitous voys so gan to crye That all the wode resouned of hire cry. Y-beten hath she hir-self so pitously With bothe hir wynges til the rede blood 415 Ran endelong the tree ther as she stood, And evere in oon she cryde alwey and shrighte, And with hir beek hir-selven so she prighte. That ther nys tygre, ne noon so crueel beest. That dwelleth outher in wode or in forest, 420 That nolde han wept, if that he wepe koude. For sorwe of hire, she shrighte alwey so loude ; For ther nas nevere yet no man on lyve, — If that I koude a faucon wel discryve, — That herde of swich another of fairnesse, 425 As wel of plumage as of gentillesse F. SQUIRE'S TALE 1 37 Of shape, and al that myghte y-rekened be. A faucon peregryn thanne semed she Of fremde land, and everemoore as she stood. She swowneth now and now for lakke of blood, 430 Til werneigh is she fallen fro the tree. This faire kynges doghter, Canacee, That on hir fynger baar the queynte ryng, Thurgh which she understood wel every thyng That any fowel may in his ledene seyn, 435 And koude answeren hym in his ledene ageyn. Hath understonde what this faucon seyde. And wel neigh for the routhe almoost she deyde ; And to the tree she gooth ful hastily. And on this faukon looketh pitously, 440 And heeld hir lappe abrood, for wel she wiste The faukon moste fallen fro the twiste, Whan that swowned next, for lakke of blood. A longe while to way ten hire she stood, Til atte laste she spak in this manere 445 Unto the hauk, as ye shal after heere : " What is the cause, if it be for to telle, That ye be in this furial pyne of helle? " Quod Canacee unto the hauk above. " Is this for sorwe of deeth, or los of love ? 450 For, as I trowe, thise been causes two That causen moost a gentil herte wo. Of oother harm it nedeth nat to speke. For ye youre-self upon your-self yow wreke. Which proveth wel that outher love or drede 455 Moot been enchesoun of youre cruel dede, Syn that I see noon oother wight yow chace. For love of God, as dooth youre-selven grace. Or what may been youre helpe ; for West nor Est 138 R SQUIRE'S TALE Ne saugh I nevere, er now, no bryd ne beest 460 That ferde with hymself so pitously. Ye sle me with youre sorwe verrailly; I have of yow so greet compassioun. For Goddes love com fro the tree adoun, ^ And as I am a kynges doghter trewe, 465 If that I verraily the cause knewe Of youre disese, if it lay in my myght, I wolde amenden it er it were nyght, As wisly helpe me grete God of kynde ! And herbes shal I right ynowe y-fynde 470 To heele with youre hurtes hastily." Tho shrighte this faucon yet moore pitously Than ever she dide, and fil to grounde anon, And lith aswowne, deed, and lyk a stoon, Til Canacee hath in hire lappe hire take 475 Unto the tyme she gan of swough awake ; And after that she of hir swough gan breyde Right in hir haukes ledene thus she seyde : " That pitee renneth soone in gentil herte, Feelynge his similitude in peynes smerte, 480 Is preved al day, as men may it see, As wel by werk as by auctoritee ; For gentil herte kitheth gentillesse. I se wel that ye han of my distresse Compassioun, my faire Canacee, 485 Of verray wommanly benignytee That nature in youre principles hath set ; But for noon hope for to fare the bet, But for to obeye unto youre herte free. And for to maken othere be war by me, 490 As by the whelpe chasted is the leoun ; Right for that cause and that conclusioun. F. SQUIRE'S TALE 1 39 Whil that I have a leyser and a space, Myn harm I wol confessen er I pace." And evere whil that oon hir sorwe tolde 495 That oother weep as she to water wolde, Til that the faucon bad -hire to be stille, And with a syk right thus she seyde hir wille. " Ther I was bred, alias ! that harde day, — And fostred in a roche of marbul gray 500 So tendrely that no thyng eyled me ; — I nyste nat what was adversitee Til I koude flee ful hye under the sky — Tho dwelte a tercelet me faste by. That semed welle of alle gentillesse ; 505 Al were he ful of tresoun and falsnesse. It was so wrapped under humble cheere. And under hewe of trouthe in swich manere, Under plesance, and under bisy peyne. That I ne koude han wend he koude feyne, 510 So depe in greyn he dyed his coloures. Right as a serpent hit hym under floures Til he may seen his tyme for to byte, Right so this god of love, this ypocryte, Dooth so hise cerymonyes and obeisaunces, 515 And kepeth in semblant alle hise observaunces That sowneth into gentillesse of love. As in a toumbe is al the faire above, And under is the corps, swich as ye woot, Swich was the ypocrite, bothe coold and hoot, 520 And in this wise he served his entente. That save the feend, noon wiste what he mente Til he so longe hadde wopen and compleyned. And many a yeer his service to me feyned. Til that myn herte, to pitous and to nyce, 525 I40 F, SQUIRE'S TALE Al innocent of his corouned malice, For-fered of his deeth, as thoughte me, Upon his othes and his seuretee, Graunted hym love upon this condicioun. That everemoore myn honour and renoun 530 Were saved, bothe privee and apert ; This is to seyn, that after his desert, I gaf hym al myn herte and my thoght, — God woot, and he, that otherwise noght, — And took his herte in chaunge for myn for ay ; 535 But sooth is seyd, goon sithen many a day, 'A trewe wight and a theef thenken nat oon ; ' And whan he saugh the thyng so fer y-goon That I hadde graunted hym fully my love. In swich a gyse as I have seyd above, 540 And geven hym my trewe herte as fre As he swoor that he gaf his herte to me ; Anon this tigre ful of doublenesse Fil on hise knees with so devout humblesse. With so heigh reverence, and, as by his cheere, 545 So lyk a gentil lovere of manere. So ravysshed, as it semed, for the joye. That nevere Jason, ne Parys of Troye, — Jason? Cartes, ne noon oother man Syn Lameth was, that alderfirst bigan 550 To loven two, as writen folk biforn ; Ne nevere, syn the firste man was born, Ne koude man, by twenty thousand part, C6untrefete the sophymes of his art, Ne were worthy unbokelen his galoche 555 Ther doublenesse or feynyng sholde approche, Ne so koude thanke a wight as he dide me ! His manere was an hevene for to see F. SQUIRE'S TALE I4I Til any womman, were she never so wys, So peynted he, and kembde at point-devys, 560 As wel hise wordes as his contenaunce; And I so loved hym for his obeisaunce, And for the trouthe I demed in his herte, That if so were that any thyng hym smerte, Al were it never so lite, and I it wiste, 565 ' Me thoughte I felte deeth myn herte twiste ; And shortly, so ferforth this thyng is went, That my wyl was his willes instrument, — This is to seyn, my wyl obeyed his wyl In alle thyng, as fer as resoun fil, 570 Kepynge the boundes of my worshipe evere ; Ne nevere hadde I thyng so Hef ne levere As hym, God woot ! ne nevere shal namo. This lasteth lenger than a yeer or two That I supposed of hym noght but good ; 575 But finally thus atte laste it stood That Fortune wolde that he moste twynne Out of that place which that I was inne. Wher me was wo, that is no questioun ; I kan nat make of it discripsioun, 580 For o thyng dare I tellen boldely, I knowe what is the peyne of deeth ther-by ; Swich harme I felte for he ne myghte bileve ! So on a day of me he took his leve, So sorwefully eek that I wende verraily 585 That he had felt as muche harm as I, Whan that I herde hym speke and saugh his hewe; But nathelees I thoughte he was so trewe. And eek that he repaire sholde ageyn Withinne a litel while, sooth to seyn, 590 And resoun wolde eek that he moste go 142 F. SQUIRE'S TALE For his hon6ur, as ofte it happeth so, That I made vertu of necessitee, And took it wel, syn that it moste be. As I best myghte I hidde fro hym my sorwe 595 And took hym by the hond, Seint John to borwe, And seyde hym thus : * Lo, I am youres al ; Beth swich as I to yow have been and shal.' What he answerde it nedeth noght reherce ; Who kan sey bet than he, who kan do werse? 600 Whan he hath al i-seyd, thanne hath he doon. ' Therfore bihoveth hire a ful long spoon That shal ete with a feend,' thus herde I seye ; . So atte laste he moste forth his weye, And forth he fleeth til he cam ther hym leste. 605 Whan it cam hym to purpos for to reste, I trowe he hadde thilke text in mynde, That ^ Alle thyng repeirynge to his kynde Gladeth hymself,' — thus seyn men, as I gesse. Men loven of propre kynde newefangelnesse, 610 As briddes doon that men in cages fede ; For though thou nyght and day take of hem hede, And strawe hir cage faire, and softe as silk, And geve hem sugre, hony, breed and milk, Yet right anon as that his dore is uppe, 615 He with his feet wol spurne adoun his cuppe. And to the wode he wole, and wormes ete ; So newefangel been they of hire mete And loven novelrie of propre kynde ; No gentillesse of blood ne may hem bynde. 620 " So ferde this tercelet, alias, the day ! Though he were gentil born, and fressh and gay, And goodlich for to seen, humble and free. He saugh upon a tyme a kyte flee, F. SQUIRE'S TALE I43 And sodeynly he loved this kyte so 625 That al his love is dene fro me ago, And hath his trouthe falsed in this wyse. Thus hath the kyte my love in hire servyse, And I am lorn withouten remedie." And with that word this faucon gan to crie, 630 And swovvned eft in Canacees barm. Greet was the sorwe for the haukes harm That Canacee and alle hir wommen made ; They nyste hou they myghte the faucon glade. But Canacee hom bereth hire in hir lappe, 635 And softely in piastres gan hire wrappe, Ther as she with hire beek hadde hurt hirselve. Now kan nat Canacee but herbes delve Out of the ground and make salves newe Of herbes preciouse, and fyne of hewe, 640 To heelen with this hauk ; fro day to nyght She dooth hire bisynesse and hire fulle myght, And by hire beddes heed she made a mewe, And covered it with veluettes blewe, In signe of trouthe that is in wommen sene, 645 And al withoute the mewe is peynted grene, In which were peynted alle thise false fowles, As beth thise tidyves, tercelettes and owles ; And pyes, on hem for to crie and chyde, Right for despit, were peynted hem bisyde. 650 Thus lete I Canacee hir hauk kepyng ; I wol namoore as now speke of hir ryng Til it come eft to purpos for to seyn * How that this faucon gat hire love ageyn, Repentant, as the storie telleth us, 655 By mediacioun of Cambalus, The kynges sone, of whiche I yow tolde ; 144 ^' SQUIRE'S TALE But hennes-forth I wol my proces holde To speken of aventures and of batailles, That nevere yet was herd so greet mervailles-. 660 First wol I telle yow of Cambynskan, That in his tyme many a citee wan ; And after wol I speke of Algarsif, How that he wan Theodera to his wif, For whom ful ofte in greet peril he was, 665 Ne hadde he ben holpe by the steede of bras ; And after wol I speke of Cambalo, That faught in lystes with the bretheren two For Canacee, er that he myghte hire wynne ; And ther I lefte I wol ageyn bigynne. 670 Explicit secunda pars. Incipit pars tercia. Appollo whirleth up his chaar so hye Til that the god Mercurius hous, the slye — CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE Whan toold was al the lyf of Seinte Cecile, Er we hadde riden fully fyve mile, 555 At Boghton-under-Blee, us gan atake A man that clothed was in clothes blake, And undernethe he had a white surplys ; His hackeney, which that was al pomely grys, So swatte that it wonder was to see ; 560 It semed as he had priked miles three. The hors eek that his Yeman rood upon So swatte that unnethe myghte it gon ; Aboute the peytrel stood the foom ful hye, He was of foom al flekked as a pye. 565 A male tweyfoold upon his croper lay, It semed that he caried lite array. Al light for somer rood this worthy man, And in myn herte wondren I bigan What that he was, til that I understood 570 How that his cloke was sowed to his hood ; For which, whan I hadde long avysed me, I demed hym som Chanoun for to be. His hat heeng at his bak doun by a laas. For he hadde riden moore than trot or paas ; 575 He hadde ay priked hk as he were wood. A clote-leef he hadde under his hood For swoot, and for to kepe his heed from heete ; But it was joye for to seen hym swete ! L 145 146 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE His forheed dropped as a stillatorie 580 Were ful of plantayne and of paritorie ; And whan that he was come he gan to crye, " God save," quod he, " this joly compaignye ! Faste have I priked," quod he, *^ for youre sake, By-cause that I wolde yow atake 585 To riden in this myrie compaignye." His Yeman eek was ful of curteisye. And seyde, " Sires, now in the morwe tyde, Out of youre hostelrie I saugh you ryde. And warned heer my lord, and my soverayn, 590 Which that to ryden with yow is ful fayn ; For his desport he loveth daliaunce." "Freend, for thy warnyng God geve thee good chaunce ! " Thanne seyde oure Hoost, '^ for certes it wolde seme Thy lord were wys, and so I may wel deme ; 595 He is ful jocunde also, dar I leye ! Can he oght telle a myrie tale or tweye. With which he glade may this compaignye?" " Who, sire ? my lord ? ye, ye, withouten lye ! He kan of murthe, and eek of jolitee 600 Nat but ynough, also, sire, trusteth me ; And ye hym knewe as wel as do I, Ye wolde wondre how wel and craftily He koude werke, and that in sondry wise. He hath take on hym many a greet emprise, 605 Which were ful hard for any that is heere To brynge about, but they of hym it leere. As hoomely as he rit amonges yow. If ye hym knewe it wolde be for youre prow ; Ye wolde nat forgoon his dqueyntaunce 610 For muchel good ; I dar leye in balaunce G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE I47 Al that I have in my possessioun. He is a man of heigh discrecioun ; I warne yow wel, he is a passyng man." ^'Wel," quod oure Hoost, "I pray thee tel me than Is he a clerk or noon? Telle what he is." 616 " Nay, he is gretter than a clerk, y-wis," Seyde this Yeman, '' and in wordes fewe, Hoost, of his craft somwhat I wol yow shewe. " I seye, my lord kan swich subtihtee, — 620 But al his craft ye may nat wite at me, And somwhat helpe I yet to his wirkyng, — That al this ground on which we been ridyng. Til that we come to Caunterbury toun. He koude al clene turne it up-so-doun, 625 And pave it al of silver and of gold." And whan this Yeman hadde this tale y-told Unto oure Hoost, he seyde, " Benedicitee I This thyng is wonder merveillous to me, Syn that thy lord is of so heigh prudence, 630 By cause of which men sholde hym reverence, That of his worshipe rekketh he so lite. His overslope nys nat worth a myte. As in effect to hym, so moot I go ! It is al baudy and to-tore also. 635 Why is thy lord so sluttissh, I the preye. And is of power bettre clooth to beye, — If that his dede accorde with thy speche? Telle me that, and that I thee biseche." "Why?" quod this Yeman, " wherto axe ye me? 640 God help me so, for he shal nevere thee ! — But I wol nat avowe that I seye. And therfore keepe it secree, I yow preye, — He is to wys, in feith, as I bileeve ; 148 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE That that is overdoon it wol nat preeve 645 Aright ; as clerkes seyn, it is a vice ; Wherfore in that I holde hym lewed and nyce ; For whan a man hath over greet a wit, Ful oft hym happeth to mysusen it. So dooth my lord, and that me greveth soore. 650 God it amende ! I kan sey yow namoore." "Ther-of no fors, good Yeman," quod oure Hoost, " Syn of the konnyng of thy lord thow woost, Telle how he dooth, I pray thee hertely, Syn that he is so crafty and so sly ; 655 Where dwelle ye, if it to telle be ? " " In the suburbes of a toun," quod he, ^' Lurkynge in hemes, and in lanes blynde. Where as thise robbours and thise theves by kynde, Holden hir pryvee fereful residence, 660 As they that dar nat shewen hir presence ; So faren we, if I shal seye the sothe." " Now," quod oure Hoost, " yet lat me talke to the ; Why artow so discoloured of thy face? " " Peter ! " quod he, ''■ God geve it harde grace, 665 I am so used in the fyr to blovve, That it hath chaunged my col6ur, I trowe. I am nat wont in no mirour to prie. But swynke soore, and lerne multiplie ; We blondren evere, and pouren in the fir, 670 And for al that we faille of our desir. For evere we lakken oure conclusioun. To muchel folk we doon illusioun. And borwe gold, be it a pound or two, Or ten, or twelve, or manye sommes mo, 675 And make hem wenen, at the leeste weye, That of a pound we koude make tweye ; G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE 149 Yet is it fals \ but ay we han good hope It for to doon and after it we grope ; But that science is so fer us biforn 680 We mowen nat, al though we hadde it sworn, It over-take, it sht awey so faste. It wole us maken beggers atte laste." Whil this Yeman was thus in his talkyng This Chanoun drough hym neer, and herde al thyng 685 Which this Yeman spak, for suspecioun Of mennes speche evere hadde this Chanoun ; For Catoun seith that he that gilty is Demeth alle thyng be spoke of hym, y-wis. That was the cause he gan so ny hym drawe 690 To his Yeman, to herknen al his sawe, And thus he seyde unto his Yeman tho : " Hoold thou thy pees, and spek.no wordes mo ! For if thou do, thou shalt it deere abye ! Thou sclaundrest me, heere in this compaignye, 695 And eek discoverest that thou sholdest hyde." " Ye? " quod our Hoost, " telle on what so bityde ; Of al his thretyng rekke nat a myte ! " " In feith," quod he, " namoore I do but lyte." And whan this Chanoun saugh it wolde nat be, 700 But his Yeman wolde telle his pryvetee. He fledde awey for verray sorwe and shame. " A ! " quod the Yeman, " heere shal arise a game, Al that I kan anon now wol I telle, Syn he is goon, — the foule feend hym quelle ! 705 For nevere heer-after wol I with hym meete. For peny ne for pound, I yow biheete ! He that me broghte first unto that game, Er that he dye, sorwe have he and shame ; 150 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S PROLOGUE For it is ernest to me, by my feith ! 710 That feele I wel, what so any man seith. And yet for al my smert, and al my grief, For al my sorwe, labour, and meschief, I koude nevere leve it in no wise. Now wolde God, my witte myghte suffise 715 To tellen al that longeth to that art ; And nathelees yow wol I tellen part ; Syn that my lord is goon I wol nat spare ; Swich thyng as that I knowe I wol declare." CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE [part i] With this Chanoun I dwelt have seven yeer, 720 And of his science am I never the neer ; Al that I hadde I have lost ther-by, And, God woot, so hath many mo than I. Ther I was wont to be right fressh and gay Of clothyng and of oother good array, 725 Now may I were an hose upon myn heed ; And wher my colour was bothe fressh and reed, Now is it wan and of a leden hewe, — Who so it useth, soore shal he rewe, — And of my swynk yet blered is myn eye ; 730 Lo, which avantage is to multiplie ! That slidynge science hath me maad so bare. That I have no good wher that evere I fare ; And yet I am endetted so ther-by, Of gold that I have borwed, trewely, 735 That whil I lyve I shal it quite nevere, — Lat every man be war by me for evere. What maner man that casteth hym ther-to. If he continue, I holde his thrift y-do ; For, so helpe me God, ther-by shal he nat wynne, 740 But empte his purs, and make hise wittes thynne ; And whan he thurgh his madnesse and folye Hath lost his owene good thurgh jupartye, 151 152 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE Thanne he exciteth oother folk ther-to, To lesen hir good, as he hymself hath do ; 745 For unto shrewes joye it is and ese, To have hir felawes in peyne and disese, — Thus was I ones lerned of a clerk. Of that no charge, I wol speke of oure werk. Whan we been there as we shul excercise 750 Oure elvysshe craft, we semen wonder wise, Oure termes been so clergial and so queynte ; I blowe the fir til that myn herte feynte. What sholde I tellen eche proporcioun Of thynges whiche that we werche upon ; 755 As on fyve or sixe ounces, may wel be Of silver, or som oother quantitee ; And bisye me to telle yow the names Of orpyment, brent bones, iren squames, That into poudre grounden been ful smal? 760 And in an erthen pot how put is al, And salt y-put in and also papeer Biforn thise poudres that I speke of heer, And wel y-covered with a larape of glas ; And muchel oother thyng which that ther was, 765 And of the pot and glasses enlutyng. That of the eyr myghte passe out no thyng. And of the esy fir, and smart also. Which that was maad, and of the care and wo That we hadden in oure matires sublymyng, 770 And in amalgamyng and calcenyng Of quyk-silver, y-clept mercuric crude ; For alle our sleightes we kan nat conclude. Oure orpyment and sublymed mercuric, Oure grounden li targe eek on the porfurie, 775 Of ech of thise of ounces a certeyn. G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 53 Noght helpeth us, oure labour is in veyn; Ne eek oure spirites ascencioun, Ne oure matires that lyen al fix adoun, Mowe in oure werkyng no thyng us availle ; 780 For lost is al oure labour and travaille, And al the cost, a twenty devel way, Is lost also, which we upon it lay. Ther is also ful many another thyng That is unto oure craft apertenyng, 785 Though I by ordre hem nat reherce kan, By-cause that I am a lewed man ; Yet wol I telle hem as they come to mynde, Thogh I ne kan nat sette hem in hir kynde, — As boole armonyak, vertgrees, boras, 790 And sondry vessels maad of erthe and glas ; Oure urynals, and our descensories, Violes, crosletz, and sublymatories, Curcurbites, and alambikes eek. And othere swiche, deere ynough a leek ; 795 Nat nedeth it for to reherce hem alle, — Watres rubifiyng, and boles galle, Arsenyk, sal armonyak, and brymstoon ; And herbes koude I telle eek many oon, As egremoyne, valerian, and lunarie, 800 And othere swiche, if that me liste tarie ; Oure lampes brennyng bothe nyght and day, To brynge aboute oure purpos if we may ; Oure fourneys eek of calcinacioun. And of watres albificacioun, 805 Unslekked lym, chalk, and gleyre of an ey, Poudres diverse, asshes, donge, pisse, and cley, Cered pokettes, sal-peter and vitriole. And diverse fires maad of wode and cole \ 154 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE Sal-tartre, alkaly and sal-preparat ; 8io And combust matires, and coagulat ; Cley maad with hors and mannes heer, and oille Of tartre, alum, glas, berme, wort and argoille, Resalgar, and oure matires enbibyng, And eek of oure matires encorporyng, 815 And of oure silver citrinacioun, Oure c^mentyng and fermentacioun, Oure yngottes, testes, and many mo. I wol yow telle as was me taught also The foure spirites and the bodies sevene, 820 By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord hem nevene. The firste spirit quyk-silver called is, The seconde orpyment, the thridde, y-wis, Sal-armonyak, and the ferthe brymstoon. The bodyes sevene eek, lo, hem heere anoon ! 825 Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe. Mars iren, Mercurie quyk-silver we clepe, Saturnus leed, and Juppiter is tyn. And Venus coper, by my fader kyn. This cursed craft who so wol excercise 830 He shal no good han that hym may sufifise ; For al the good he spendeth ther-aboute He lese shal, ther-of have I no doute. Whoso that Hsteth outen his folic, Lat hym come forth and lerne multiplie ; 835 And every man that oght hath in his cofre, Lat hym appiere and wexe a philosophre. Ascaunce that crafte is so light to leere? Nay, nay, God woot, al be he monk or frere. Freest or chanoun, or any oother wyght, 840 Though he sitte at his book bothe day and night In lernyng of this elvysshe nyce loore, G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 55 Al is in veyn, and, parde, muchel moore ! To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee, — Fy ! spek nat ther-of, for it wol nat bee ; 845 And konne he letterure, or konne he noon, As in effect he shal fynde it al oon ; For bothe two, by my salvacioun, Concluden in multiphcacioun YHke wel, whan they han al y-do, — 850 This is to seyn, they faillen bothe two. Yet forgat I to maken rehersaille Of watres corosif, and of lymaille, And of bodies moUificacioun, And also of hire induracioun, 855 Oilles, ablucions, and metal fusible, — To tellen al wolde passen any bible That owher is ; wherfore, as for the beste, Of alle thise names now wol I me reste, For as I trovve I have yow toold ynowe 860 To reyse a feend, al looke he never so rowe. A ! nay ! lat be ; the philosophres stoon, Ehxer clept, we sechen faste echoon, For hadde we hym, thanne were we siker ynow ; But, unto God of hevene I make avow, 865 For al oure craft, whan we han al y-do. With al oure sleighte, he wol nat come us to. He hath y-made us spenden muchel good, For sorwe of which almoost we wexen wood, But that good hope crepeth in oure herte, 870 Supposynge ever, though we sore smerte. To be releeved by hym afterward. Swich supposyng and hope is sharpe and hard ; I warne yow wel it is to seken evere ; ThdXfutur temps hath maad men dissevere, 875 156 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE In trust ther-of, from al that evere they hadde. Yet of that art they kan nat wexen sadde, For unto hem it is a bitter-sweete, — So semeth it, — for nadde they but a sheete, Which that they myghte wrappe hem inne at nyght, And a brat to walken inne by day-lyght, 881 They wolde hem selle, and spenden on the craft ; They kan nat stynte til no thyng be laft ; And everemoore, where that evere they goon, Men may hem knowe by smel of brymstoon. 885 For al the world they stynken as a goot ; Hir savour is so rammyssh and so hoot That though a man a mile from hem be The savour wole infecte hym, truste me. Lo thus by smellyng, and threedbare array, 890 If that men liste, this folk they knowe may ; And if a man wole aske hem pryvely^ Why they been clothed so unthriftily. They right anon wol rownen in his ere And seyn, that if that they espied were, 895 Men wolde hem slee by-cause of hir science. Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence ! Passe over this, I go my tale unto. Er that the pot be on the fire y-do, Of metals with a certeyn quantitee 900 My lord hem tempreth, and no man but he, — Now he is goon I dare seyn boldely, — For as men seyn he kan doon craftily, Algate I woot wel he hath swich a name, And yet ful oft he renneth in a blame ; 905 And wite ye how ? Ful oft it happeth so The pot to-breketh, and farewel, al is go. Thise metals been of so greet violence G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 57 Oure walles mowe nat make hem resistence, But if they weren wroght of lym and stoon, 910 They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon, And somme of hem synken into the ground, — Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound, — And somme are scatered al the floor aboute, Somme lepe into the roof, withouten doute. 915 Thogh that the feend noght in oure sighte hym shewe, I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe ! In helle, where that he is lord and sire, Nis ther moore wo, ne moore rancour, ne ire ; Whan that oure pot is broke, as I have sayd, 920 Every man chit and halt hym yvele apayd. Somme seyde it was along on the fir makyng, Somme seyde nay, it was on the blowyng, — Thanne was I fered, for that was myn office. "Straw!" quod the thridde, "ye been lewed and nyce, 925 It was nat tempred as it oghte be." " Nay," quod the fourthe, " stynt and herkne me ; By-cause our fir ne was nat maad of beech. That is the cause, and oother noon, so theech." I kan nat telle wheron it was along, 930 But wel I woot greet strif us is among. " What ! " quod my lord, " ther is namoore to doone ; Of thise perils I wol be war eft-soone. I am right siker that the pot was erased; - Be as be may, be ye no thyng amased. 935 As usage is, lat swepe the floor as swithe, Plukke up your hertes and beeth glad and blithe ! " The mullok on an heepe sweped was, And on the floor y-cast a canevas, And al this mullok in a syve y-throwe, 940 158 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE And sifted and y-piked many a throwe. ^^ Pardee I ^^ quod oon, "somwhat of oure metal Yet is ther heere, though that we han nat al. Al though this thyng myshapped have as now, Another tyme it may be wel ynow. 945 Us moste putte oure good in ^venture ; A marchant, pardee ! may nat ay endure, Trusteth me wel, in his prosperitee. Somtyme his good is drenched in the see, And somtyme comth it sauf unto the londe." 950 "Pees!" quod my lord, "the nexte tyme I shal fonde To bryngen oure craft al in another plite ; And but I do, sires, lat me han the wite ; Ther was defaute in somwhat, wel I woot." Another seyde the fir was over hoot ; 955 But, be it hoot or coold, I dar seye this, That we concluden everemoore amys. We faille of that which that we wolden have, And in oure madnesse everemoore we rave ; And whan we been togidres everichoon 960 Every man semeth a Salomon ; But al thyng which that shyneth as the gold, Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told ; Ne every appul that is fair at eye Ne is nat good, what so men clappe or crye. 965 Right so, lo, fareth it amonges us : H^ that semeth the wiseste, by Jhesus, Is moost fool, whan it cometh to the preef ; And he that semeth trewest is a theef. That shul ye knowe er that I fro yow wende, 970 By that I of my tale have maad an ende. G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 59 [part ii] Ther is a Chanoun of Religioun Amonges us wolde infecte al a toun. Thogh it as greet were as was Nynyvee, Rome, Alisaundre, Troye, and othere three. 975 His sleightes and his infinit falsnesse Ther koude no man writen, as I gesse, Though that he lyve myghte a thousand yeer. In al this world of falshede nis his peer, For in hise termes so he wolde hym wynde, 980 And speke his wordes in so sly a kynde, Whanne he commune shal with any wight, That he wol make hym doten anon right, But it a feend be, as hymselven is. Ful many a man hath he bigiled er this, 985 And wole, if that he lyve may a while ; And yet men ride and goon ful many a mile Hym for to seke and have his aqueyntaunce, Nogt knowynge of his false governaunce ; And if yow list to geve me audience, 990 I wol it telle heere in youre presence. But, worshipful chanouns religious, Ne demeth nat that I desclaundre youre hous, Although my tale of a chanoun bee ; Of every ordre som shrewe is, pardee, 995 And God forbede that al a compaignye Sholde rewe o singuleer mannes folye. To sclaundre yow is no thyng myn entente, But to correcten that is mys, I mente. This tale was nat oonly toold for yow, 1000 But eek for othere mo ; ye woot wel how That among Cristes apostles twelve l60 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE Ther nas no tray tour but Judas hymselve. Thanne why sholde al the remenant have a blame, That giltlees were? By yow I seye the same, 1005 Save oonly this, if ye wol herkne me, — If any Judas in youre covent be, Remoeveth hym bitymes, I yow rede. If shame, or los, may causen any drede ; And beeth no thyng displesed, I yow preye, loio But in this cas herketh what I shal seye. In Londoun was a preest, an annueleer, That ther-inne dwelled hadde many a yeer. Which was so plesaunt and so servy sable Unto the wyf, where as he was at table, 1015 That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye For bord ne clothyng, wente he never so gaye ; And spendyng-silver hadde he right ynow. Ther-of no fors, I wol procede as now. And telle forth my tale of the chanoun 1020 That broghte this preest to confusioun. This false chanoun cam upon a day Unto this preestes chambre wher he lay, Bisechynge hym to lene hym a certeyn Of gold, and he wolde quite it hym ageyn. 1025 "Leene me a marc," quod he, "but dayes three. And at my day I wol it quiten thee ; And if so be that thow me fynde fals Another day, do hange me by the hals." This preest hym took a marc, and that as swithe, And this chanoun hym thanked ofte sithe, 1031 And took his leve, and wente forthe his weye. And at the thridde day broghte his moneye. And to the preest he took his gold agayn, G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE i6l Wher-of this preest was wonder glad and fayn. 1035 "Certes," quod he, "no thyng anoyeth me To lene a man a noble, or two, or thre, Or what thyng were in my possessioun. Whan he so trewe is of condicioun That in no wise he breke wole his day ; 1040 To swich a man I kan never seye nay." "What ! " quod this chanoun, " sholde I be untrewe? Nay, that were thyng y-fallen al of newe. Trouthe is a thyng that I wol evere kepe, Unto that day in which that I shal crepe 1045 Into my grave, or eUis, God forbede ! Bileveth this, as siker as the Crede. God thanke I, and in good tyme be it sayd, That ther was nevere man yet yvele apayd For gold ne silver that he to me lente ; 1050 Ne nevere falshede in myn herte I mente ; And, sire," quod he, " now of my pryvetee, — Syn ye so goodlich han been unto me. And kithed to me so greet gentillesse, — Somwhat to quyte with youre kyndenesse 1055 I wol yow shewe^ and, if yow list to leere, I wol yow teche pleynly the manere How I kan werken in philosophic ; Taketh good heede ye shul wel seen at eye That I wol doon a maistrie er I go." 1060 " Ye," quod the preest, " ye, sire, and wol ye so? Marie ! ther-of I pray yow hertely." "At youre comandement, sire, trewely," Quod the chanoun, " and ellis God forbeede." Loo, how this theef koude his service beede ! 1065 Ful sooth it is that swiche profred servyse Stynketh, as witnessen thise olde wyse ; M 1 62 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE And that ful soone I wol it verifie In this chanoun, roote of alle trecherie, That evere moore deHt hath and gladnesse, — 1070 Swiche feendly thoughtes in his herte impresse, — How Cristes peple he may to meschief brynge. God kepe us from his false dissymulynge ! Noght wiste this preest with whom that he delt, Ne of his harm comynge he no thyng felte. 1075 O sely preest, O sely innocent ! With coveitise anon thou shalt be blent. O gracelees, ful blynd is thy conceite, No thyng ne artow war of the deceite Which that this fox y-shapen hath for thee ; 1080 Hise wily wrenches thou ne mayst nat flee ; Wherfore, to go to the conclusioun That refereth to thy confusioun, Unhappy man, anon I wol me hye To tellen thyn unwit and thy folye, 1085 And eek the falsnesse of that 00th er wrecche. As ferforth as my konnynge may strecche. This chanoun was my lord, ye wolden weene — Sire Hoost, in feith, and by the hevenes queene, It was another chanoun and nat hee, 1090 That kan an hundred foold moore subtiltee. He hath bitrayed folkes many tyme ; Of his falshede it dulleth me to ryme. fevere whan I speke of his falshede, For shame of hym my chekes wexen rede, — 1095 Algates they bigynnen for to glowe, — For reednesse have I noon, right wel I knowe, In my visage, for fumes diverse Of metals, whiche ye han herd me reherce. Consumed and wasted han my reedenesse. noo G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 63 Now taak heede of this chanons cursednesse. " Sire," quod he to the preest, " lat youre man gon For quyk-silver, that we hadde it anon, And lat hym bryngen ounces two or three, And whan he comth, as faste shal ye see 1105 A wonder thyng which ye saugh nevere er this." " Sire," quod the preest, " it shal be doon y-wis." He bad his servant fecchen hym this thyng, And he al redy was at his biddyng. And wente hym forth, and cam anon agayn mo With this quyk-silver, soothly for to sayn ; And toke thise ounces thre to the chanoun. And he hem leyde faire and wel adoun. And bad the servant coles for to brynge. That he anon myghte go to his werkynge. 1115 The coles right anon weren y-fet, And this chanoun took out a crosselet Of his bosom, and shewed it to the preest. " This instrument," quod he, " which that thou seest, Taake in thy^j hand and put thy self therinne 1120 Of this quyk-silver an ounce, and heer bigynne. In the name of Crist, to wexe a philosofre. Ther been ful fewe to whiche I wolde profre To shewen hem thus muche of my science : For ye shul seen heer by experience, 1125 That this quyk-silver wol I mortifye. Right in youre sighte anon, I wol nat lye, And make it as good silver and as fyn. As ther is any in youre purse or myn, Or elleswhere, and make it malliable ; 1130 And elles holdeth me fals and unable Amonges folk for evere to appeere. I have a poudre heer, that coste me deere, l64 G' CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE Shal make al good, for it is cause of al My konnyng, which that I yow shewen shal. 1135 Voydith youre man and lat hym be ther-oute, And shette the dore whils we been aboute Oure pryvetee, that no man us espie, Whiles we werke in this philosophic." Al as he bad fulfilled was in dede ; 1140 This ilke servant anonright out yede, And his maister shette the dore anon, And to hire labour spedily they gon. This preest at this cursed chanouns biddyng Upon the fir anon sette this thyng, 1145 And blew the fir and bisyed hym ful faste ; And this chanoun into the crosselet caste A poudre, — noot I wher-of that it was Y-maad, outher of chalk, outher of glas, Or somwhat elles, was nat worth a flye, — 1150 To blynde with the preest, and bad hym hye The coles for to couchen al above The crosselet ; *' For in tokenyng I thee love," Quod this chanoun, " thyne owene handes two Shul werche al thyng which shal heer be do." 1155 ^'Graunt mercy! " quod the preest, and was ful glad, And couched coles as that chanoun bad ; And while he bisy was, this feendly wrecche. This false chanoun, — the foule feend hym fecche ! — Out of his bosom took a bechen cole, 1160 In which ful subtilly was maad an hole, And therinne put was of silver lemaille An ounce, and stopped was withouten faille The hole with wex, to kepe the lemaille in ; And understondeth, that this false gyn 1165 Was nat maad ther, but it was maad bifore ; G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 165 And othere thynges I shal tellen moore Herafterward, whiche that he with hym broghte, Er he cam there hym to bigile he thoghte ; And so he dide, er that they wente atwynne ; 1170 Til he had terved hym, he koude nat blynne. It dulleth me, whan that I of hym speke ; On his falshede fayn wolde I me wreke, If I wiste how, but he is heere and there. He is so variaunt, he abit nowhere. 1175 But taketh heede now, sires, for Goddes love ! He took this cole of which I spak above. And in his hand he baar it pryvely. And whyles the preest couched bisily The coles, as I tolde yow er this, 1180 This chanoun seyde, " Freend, ye doon amys. This is nat couched as it oghte be ; But soone Ishal amenden it," quod he. *^ Now lat me medle ther-with but a while, For of yow have I pitee, by Seint Gile ! 1185 Ye been right hoot, I se wel how ye swete ; Have heer a clooth, and wipe awey the wete." And whyles that the preest wiped his face. This chanoun took his cole with harde grace. And leyde it above upon the myddeward 1190 Of the crosselet, and blew wel afterward, Til that the coles gonne faste brenne. " Now geve us drynke," quod the chanoun thenne, " As swithe al shal be wel, I undertake. Sitte we doun, and lat us myrie make ; " 1195 And whan that this chanones bechen cole Was brent, al the lemaille out of the hole Into the crosselet fil anon adoun. And so it moste nedes, by resoun. 1 66 G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE Syn it so evene aboven couched was ; 1200 But ther-of wiste the preest no thyng, alas ! He denied alle the coles yliche good, For of that sleighte he no thyng understood ; And whan this alkamystre saugh his tyme, — " Ris up," quod he, " sire preest, and stonde by me, And for I woot wel ingot have ye noon, 1206 Gooth, walketh forth, and brynge us a chalk stoon. For I wol make it of the same shape That is an ingot, if I may han hape ; And bryngeth eek with yow a boUe or a panne 1210 Ful of water, and ye shul se wel thanne How that oure bisynesse shal thryve and preeve ; And yet, for ye shul han no mysbileeve, Ne wrong conceite of me in youre absence, I ne wol nat been out of youre presence, 1215 But go with yow, and come with yow ageyn." The chambre dore, shortly for to seyn. They opened and shette, and went hir weye, And forth with hem they carieden the keye, And coome agayn withouten any delay. 1220 What sholde I tarien al the longe day? He took the chalk and shoope it in the wise Of an ingot, as I shal yow devyse. I seye, he took out of his owene sleeve A teyne of silver — yvele moot he cheeve ! — 1225 Which that ne was nat but an ounce of weighte ; And taketh heede now of his cursed sleighte. He shoope his ingot in lengthe and eek in breede 6f this teyne, withouten any drede. So slyly that the preest it nat espide ; 1230 And in his sieve agayn he gan it hide, And fro the fir he took up his mateere G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 167 And in thyngot putte it with myrie cheere, And in the water vessel he it caste, Whan that hym luste, and bad the preest as faste, 1235 '^ Look what ther is, put in thin hand and grope, Thow fynde shalt ther silver, as I hope." What, devel of helle ! sholde it ellis be ? Shavyng of silver silver is, parde ! He putte his hand in, and took up a teyne 1240 Of silver fyn, and glad in every veyne Was this preest, whan he saugh that it was so. " Goddes blessyng, and his moodres also. And alle halwes, have ye, sire chanoun ! " Seyde this preest, " and I hir malisoun ! 1245 But, and ye vouchesauf to techen me This noble craft and this subtilitee, I wol be youre in al that evere I may." Quod the chanoun, " Yet wol I make assay The seconde tyme, that ye may taken heede 1250 And been expert of this, and in youre neede Another daye assaye in myn absence This disciplyne, and this crafty science. Tat take another ounce," quod he tho, '^ Of quyk-silver, withouten wordes mo, 1255 And do therwith as ye han doon er this With that oother, which that now silver is." This preest hym bisieth in al that he kan To doon as this chanoun, this cursed man, Comanded hym, and faste he blew the fir, 1260 For to come to theffect of his desir ; And this chanoun, right in the meene while, Al redy was the preest eft to bigile. And for a contenaunce in his hand he bar An holwe stikke, — taak kepe and be war, — 1265 l68 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE In the ende of which an ounce, and namoore Of silver lemaille put was (as bifore Was in his cole) and stopped with wex weel, For to kepe in his lemaille every deel. And whil this preest was in his bisynesse, 1270 This chanoun with his stikke gan hym dresse To hym anon, and his poudre caste in As he did er, — the devel out of his skyn Hym terve, I pray to God, for his falshede ! For he was evere fals in thoght and dede, — 1275 And with this stikke above the crosselet, That was ordeyned with that false get, He stired the coles, til relente gan The wex agayn the fir, as every man, But it a fool be, woot wel it moot nede ; 1280 And al that in the stikke was out yede. And in the crosselet hastily it fel. N6w, good sires, what wol ye bet than wel? Whan that this preest thus was bigiled ageyn, Supposynge noght but treuthe, sooth to seyn, 1285 He was so glad that I kan nat expresse In no manere his myrthe and his gladnesse, And to the chanoun he profred eftsoone Body and good. '^ Ye," quod the chanoun soone, " Though poure I be, crafty thou shalt me fynde ; 1290 I warne thee yet is ther moore bihynde. Is ther any coper her-inne?" seyde he. ''Ye," quod the preest, " sire, I trowe wel ther be." *' Elles go bye us som, and that as swithe. Now, goode sire, go forth thy wey and hy the." 1295 He v/ente his wey, and with the coper cam. And this chanoun it in hise handes nam, And of that coper weyed out but an ounce. G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 69 Al to symple is my tonge to pronounce, As ministre of my wit, the doublenesse 1300 Of this chanoun, roote of alle cursednesse. He semed freendly to hem that knewe hym noght, But he was feendly bothe in werk and thoght. It weerieth me to telle of his falsnesse. And nathelees yet wol I it expresse 1305 To that entent men may be war therby. And for noon oother cause, trewely. He putte the ounce of coper in the crosselet. And on the fir as swithe he hath it set. And caste in poudre, and made the preest to blowe. And in his werkyng for to stoupe lowe, 131 1 As he dide er, and al nas but a jape. Right as hym liste the preest he made his ape ; And afterward in the ingot he it caste. And in the panne putte it at the laste, 1315 Of water. In he putte his owene hand ; And in his sieve, as ye biforen-hand Herde me telle, he hadde a silver teyne ; He slyly tooke it out, — this cursed heyne, — Unwityng this preest of his false craft, 1320 And in the pannes botme he hath it laft. And in the water rombled to and fro. And wonder pryvely took up also The coper teyne, noght knowynge this preest. And hidde it, and hym hente by the breest, 1325 And to hym spak and thus seyde in his game, " Stoupeth adoun, by God, ye be to blame, Helpeth me now, as I dide yow whil-eer, Putte in youre hand, and looketh what is theer." This preest took up this silver teyne anon, 1330 And thanne seyde the chanoun, " Lat us gon I/O G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE With thise thre teynes whiche that we han wroght To som goldsmyth, and wite if they been ought ; For, by my feith, I nolde for myn hood, But if they were silver fyn and good, 1335 And that as swithe preeved it shal bee." Unto the goldsmyth with thise teynes three They wente, and putte thise teynes in assay To fir and hamer ; myghte no man seye nay. But that they weren as hem oghte be. 1340 This sotted preest, who was gladder than he? Was nevere brid gladder agayn the day, Ne nyghtyngale in the sesoun of May. Nas nevere man that luste bet to synge, Ne ladye lustier in carolynge, 1345 Or, for to speke of love and wommanhede, Ne knyght in armes to doon an hardy dede To stonden in grace of his lady deere, Than hadde this preest this sorry craft to leere ; And to the chanoun thus he spak and seyde : 1350 *' For love of God, that for us alle deyde, And as I may deserve it unto yow. What shal this receite coste, telleth now?" " By oure lady," quod this chanoun, " it is deere, I warne yow wel, for save I and a frere 1355 In Engelond ther kan no man it make." " No fors," quod he, " now, sire, for Goddes sake. What shal I paye? Telleth me, I preye." " Y-wis," quod he, "it is ful deere, I seye. Sire, at o word, if that thee list it have, 1360 Ye shul paye fourty pound, so God me save ; And nere the freendshipe that ye dide er this To me ye sholde paye moore y-wis." This preest the somme of fourty pound anon G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE I/I Of nobles fette, and took hem everichon 1365 To this chanoun, for this ilke receit. Al his werkyng nas but fraude and deceit. " Sire preest," he seyde, '* I kepe han no loos Of my craft, for I wolde it kept were cloos, And, as ye love me, kepeth it secree ; 1370 For, and men knewen al my soutiltee, By God, they wolden han so greet envye To me, by cause of my philosophye, I sholde be deed ; ther were noon oother weye." "God it forbeede," quod the preest; ''what sey ye ? 1375 Yet hadde I levere spenden al the good Which that I have, — and elles wexe I wood ! — Than that ye sholden falle in swiche mescheef." " For youre good wyl, sire, have ye right good preef," Quod the chanoun, '' and farwel, grant mercy ! " 1380 He wente his wey and never the preest hym sy After that day ; and whan that this preest sholde Maken assay at swich tyme as he wolde Of this receit, farwel, it wolde nat be ! Lo, thus byjaped and bigiled was he. 1385 Thus maketh he his introduccioun, To brynge folk to hir destruccioun. Considereth sires, how that in ech estaat, Bitwixe men and gold ther is debaat So ferforth, that unnethe is ther noon. 1390 This multiplying blent so many oon, That, in good feith, I trowe that it bee The cause grettest of swich scarsetee. Philosophres speken so mystily In this craft, that men kan nat come therby, 1395 172 G. CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE For any wit that men han now-a-dayes. They movve wel chiteren as doon these jayes, And in hir termes sette hir lust and peyne, But to hir purpos shul they nevere atteyne. A man may hghtly lerne, if he have aught, 1400 To multiphe, and brynge his good to naught. Lo, swich a lucre is in this lusty game A mannes myrthe it wol turne unto grame, And empten also grete and hevye purses, And maken folk for to purchacen curses 1405 Of hem that han hir good therto y-lent. O fy, for shame ! they that han been brent, Alias 1 kan they nat flee the fires heete ? Ye that it use I rede ye it leete, Lest ye lese al, for " bet than nevere is late " ; 1410 Nevere to thryve were to long a date. Though ye prolle ay, ye shul it nevere fynde. Ye been as boold as is Bayard the blynde, That blondreth forth and peril casteth noon. He is as boold to renne agayn a stoon, 1415 As for to goon bisides in the weye. So faren ye that multiplie, I seye ; If that youre eyen kan nat seen aright, Looke that youre mynde lakke noght his sight. For though ye looken never so brode, and stare, 1420 Ye shul nat wynne a myte on that chaffare. But wasten al that ye may rape and renne. Withdraweth the fir, lest it to faste brenne, — Medleth namoore with that art, I mene. For if ye doon youre thrift is goon ful clene, 1425 And right as swithe. I wol yow tellen heere. What philosophres seyn in this mateere. Lo, thus seith Arnold of the Newe Toun, G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 1 73 As his Rosarie maketh mencioun ; He seith right thus, withouten any lye, 1430 ' Ther may no man mercurie mortifie, But it be with his brother knowlechyng. Lo, how that he which that first seyde this thyng Of philosophres fader was, Hermes. He seith how that the dragon, doutelees, 1435 Ne dyeth nat, but if that he be slayn With his brother ; and that is for to sayn, By the dragon, Mercurie, and noon oother, He understood, and brymstoon by his brother, That out of Sol and Luna were y-drawe ; 1440 And therfore,' seyde he, ' taak heede^to my sawe ; Lat no man bisye hym this arte for to seche, But if that he thentencioun and speche Of philosophres understonde kan ; And, if he do, he is a lewed man, 1445 For this science and this konnyng,' quod he, ' Is of the secree of secrees, pardeeJ Also ther was a disciple of Plato That on a tyme seyde his maister to. As his book Senior wol bere witnesse, 1450 And this was his demande, in soothfastnesse, "Telle me the name of the privee stoon." And Plato answerde unto hym anoon, "Take the stoon that Titanos men name " — "Which is that?" quod he. ^^ Magnasia is the same," 1455 Seyde Plato. " Ye, sire, and is it thus ? This is ignotum per tgnocius. What is Magnasia, good sire, I yow preye?" " It is a water that is maad, I seye, Of elementes foure," quod Plato. 1460 174 G, CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE " Telle me the roote, good sire," quod he tho, " Of that water, if it be youre wille." " Nay, nay," quod Plato, " certein that I nylle ; The philosophres sworn were everychoon That they sholden discovere it unto noon, 1465 Ne in no book it write in no manere. For unto Crist it is so lief and deere. That he wol nat that it discovered bee, But where it liketh to his deitee Man for tenspire, and eek for to deffende 1470 Whom that hym hketh ; lo, this is the ende." Thanne conclude I thus, sith that God of hevene Ne wil nat that the philosophres nevene How that a man shal come unto this stoon, I rede as for the beste lete it goon ; 1475 For who so maketh God his adversarie. As for to werken anythyng in contrarie Of his wil, certes never shal he thryve, Thogh that he multiphe terme of his lyve ; And there a poynt ; for ended is my tale. 1480 God sende every trewe man boote of his bale. Amen, ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES AND GLOSSARY adj.^ adjective; adv.^ adverb; ;/., noun; gen.^ genitive; dat.^ dative; 5., singular; //., plural; pr. s., present tense, singular; pr. pl.^ present tense, plural; pt. j., past tense, singular; pt. pL, past tense, plural. When the person of a verb is indicated, the nunrrber i, 2, or 3 is placed before J. or//./ subj.pr. j., subjunctive present singular; subj. pr. pl.^ subjunctive present plural; subj.pt. s., subjunctive past singular; subj. pt. pl.y subjunctive past plural; subj. opt., optative subjunctive; imp. s., imperative singular; imp. pi., imperative plural; pp., past participle. The meaning of other contractions will be readily seen. Where the form of the defining word, or words, indicates the grammatical category, the latter is not otherwise indicated. In the Chaucer Society's Six-text Print, the Canterbury Tales are divided into nine groups, named A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, each group having a separate verse-numbering. Of these groups, six are represented in this book, namely. A, B, C, D, F, G, and the verse-numbering is given, in all cases, of the Six-text Print. The letters prefixed to the numbers, in the Glossary, indicate the groups to which the numbers belong. The Chaucer Society's six texts, known as the EUesmere, the Hengwrt, the Cambridge, the Corpus, the Petworth, the Lansdowne, are referred to as Mss. E., Hn., Cm., Cp., Pt., Ln., respectively. The Harleian Ms. 7334 is referred to as Ms. HI. 176 NOTES NOTES TO GROUP A I. et seq.: 'There is a pervading wholesomeness in the writings of this man, — a vernal property that soothes and refreshes in a way of which no other has ever found the secret. I repeat to myself a thou- sand times, — Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote, etc., and still at the thousandth time a breath of uncontaminate spring-tide seems to lift the hair upon my forehead. If here be not the largior ather^ the serene and motionless atmosphere of classical antiquity, we find at least the seclusiim nemus, the domos placidas^ and the oubliajice, as Froissart so sweetly calls it, that persuade us we are in an Elysium none the less sweet that it appeals to our more purely human, one might almost say domestic, sympathies. We may say of Chaucer's muse, as Overbury of his milkmaid, " her breath is her own, which scents all the year long of yune like a new-made haycock.". . . It is good to retreat now and then beyond earshot of the introspective con- fidences of modern literature, and to lose ourselves in the gracious worldliness of Chaucer.' — James Russell Lozvell. 'The genius of the poet shares the character of his position; he was made for an early poet, and the metaphors of dawn and spring doubly become him. A morning star, a lark's exultation, cannot usher in a glory better. The "cheerful morning face," "the breezy call of incense-breathing morn," you recognise in his countenance and voice — it is a voice full of promise and prophecy. He is the good omen of our poetry, the " good bird,'" according to the Romans, " the best good angel of the spring," the nightingale, according to his own creed, of good luck heard before the cuckoo. " Up rose the sunne, and uprose Emilie," N 177 1/8 A. NOTES and uprose her poet, the first of a line of kings, conscious of futurity in his smile. He is a king, and inherits the earth, and expands his great soul smilingly to embrace his great heritage. Nothing is too high for him to touch with a thought, nothing too low to dower with an affection. As a complete creature cognate of life and death, he cries upon God, — as a sympathetic creature he singles out a daisy from the universe (" si douce est la marguerite "), to lie down by half a sum- mer's day and bless it for fellowship. His senses are open and delicate, like a young child's — his sensibilities capacious of supersensual rela- tions, like an experienced thinker's. Child-like, too, his tears and smiles lie at the edge of his eyes, and he is one proof more among the many, that the deepest pathos and the quickest gaieties hide together in the same nature. He is too wakeful and curious to lose the stirring of a leaf, yet not too wide awake to see visions of green and white ladies between the branches; and a fair House of P^ame and a noble Court of Love are built and holden in the winking of his eyelash. And because his imagination is neither too " high fantastical " to refuse proudly the gravitation of the earth, nor too " light of love " to lose it carelessly, he can create as well as dream, and work with clay as well as cloud; and when his men and women stand by the actual ones, your stop-watch shall reckon no difference in the beating of their hearts. He knew the secret of nature and art, — that truth is beauty, — and saying "I will make a Wife of Bath as well as Emilie, and you shall remember her as long," we do remember her as long. And he sent us a train of pilgrims, each with a distinct individuality apart from the pilgrimage, all the way from Southwark, and the Tabard Inn, to Canter- bury and Becket's shrine : and their laughter comes never to an end, and their talk goes on with the stars, and all the railroads which may intersect the. spoilt earth forever, cannot hush the "tramp, tramp" of their horses' feet.' — Afrs. Browning's The Book of the Poets. * Of all the kings and queens, nobles and statesmen, warriors and churchmen of that stirring age, how few are to us anything but the merest shadow of a name; while those thirty pilgrims who met by chance at the Tabard, and journeyed together from Southwark to Can- terbury, have become, to use the phrase of a great modern poet, " pil- grims of eternity!"' — John OWIagan^ Esq.^ Dublin Afternoon Lect- ures on Literature and Art. Second Series. * What is the first broad general impression produced upon your mind by Chaucer? To this question, put suddenly to a reader of culture and sensibility recently introduced to the poet of the Canterbury Tales, the answer was — "An impression of lightsomeness." To the question which was immediately added, "and what is your second impression?" A. NOTES 179 the answer, — not less promptly given, and with the colloquial freedom which takes little effective liberties with language, — was, " his English- ness." It is not often that so much good criticism may be packed in so small a compass. Whether the Enghshness (to retain the collo- quialism) or the lightsomeness ought to rank first in a just analysis of the elements of Chaucer's writings might be disputed; but inevitably the lightsomeness is first to strike the mind, because it is of the very essence of his manner. His verse is full of buoyancy; its very art is easy, the wind is not freer, it is a south-west air with a rhythm in it, and a masterly skill in the pauses. Flippancy, or even happy smartness, is easy to manage, and implies none of the highest qualities in a writer of verse; but lightsomeness or buoyancy chiefly impresses the mind when the flights taken are long enough to give the idea of strength as well as that of elasticity.' — Matthew Browne's Chaucer'' s England, Vol. I. p. 41. *To Chaucer belongs in a high measure what marks Shakespeare supremely — a certain indefinable grace and brightness of style, an in- comparable archness and vivacity, an incessant elasticity and freshness, an indescribable ease, a never-faltering variety, an incapability of dul- ness. These men " toil not, neither do they spin," at least so far as one can see. . . . They wear their art "lightly like a flower." They never pant or stoop with efforts and strainings. . . . They never cease to scatter their jewels for fear of poverty; the treasury is always over- flowing because all things bring them tribute.' — John IV. Hates' s Es- says and Notes on Shakespeare, 8. * The sun in April runs a half-course in the Ram and a half-course in the Bull. " The former of these was completed," says the poet; which is as much as to say, that it was past the eleventh of April ; for, in Chaucer's time, the sun entered Aries on March 12, and left that sign on April 11. . . . The sun had, in fact, only just completed his course through the first of the (Velve signs, as the said course was supposed to begin at the vernal equinox. This is why it is called " the yonge Sonne," an expression which Chaucer repeats under similar circum- stances in the Squyeres Tale, F 385.' — Skeat. 14. feme hahves : distant saints, halwes being used, by metonymy, for shrines. 17. martir : Thomas k Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was assassinated at the altar,, in the cathedral, Dec. 29, 1 170, by four knights, servants of Henry II, for his defiance of the royal authority; canonized in 1173. 20. the Tabard: the inn in Southwark, with the sign of the tabard. See Glossary, s.v. * At the Dissolution of the Monasteries " a l80 A NOTES hostelry called the Tabard" was mentioned in the surrender of the Southwark property of the Abbot of Hyde; in the time of Speght (1602) the inn was managed by a Master J. Preston, who had then newly refitted it for the convenience of travellers, and Stow mentions it in his Survey of London (1598) as the most ancient of the many fair inns in Southwark. I do not think that the Chaucer Society will have quite fulfilled its mission if it dissolves without pronouncing definitely if we may take these, or any other references that can be found, as prov- ing that the Tabard was really a noted inn in the poet's time. For whether or no there was a Tabard Inn before the Canterbury Tales were written, it is impossible to believe that the spirit of advertisement is so entirely a thing of to-day, that one would not have sprung up as soon as the Tales became famous. And the question is of more than antiquarian interest, for a real Tabard Inn must of necessity carry with it a real Harry Bailey, and in that case what would Mrs. Harry Bailey have said to Chaucer's insinuation that she incited her husband to beat his rascals and generally to break the King's peace? [See the passage referred to, in this book, The murye zuordes of the Hoost to the Monk^ Group B, vv. 3079-31 13.] But even if Tabard Inn and its portly Host should be proved imaginary, it is impossible, to me, to doubt that Chaucer himself went a-pilgriming either in 1385 or 1386. The notes of places and times in the talk of his pilgrims are good evidence that he himself had travelled along the road. In February, 1385, he had been set free from the drudgery of his official work at the Customs by permission to appoint a deputy, and nothing seems more natural than that he should have used his new-found freedom to take a holiday jaunt, and that the talk and stories of his fellow-pilgrims gave him the idea of using a Canterbury Pilgrimage as a frame-work in which to set the various independent stories he had already written and the new ones which were seething in his brain.' — Alfred W. Pollard^ Introd. to his ed, of the C. T. A Knyght ther was : ther^ in the introduction of the several char- acters in the Prologue, is not the inceptive expletive, there^ but always refers to the Tabard Inn. Webster's Dictionary gives this line as an example of the expletive there. 43-78. 'The romantic figure, whose large white plume we descry in the dim distance, as it crosses the field of mediaeval story, is much more than a soldier — he is a warrior; not only a man who fights, but a man who makes war. And he is still more than a warrior, for he is a war- rior with a purpose; a man who makes war for an idea. Nor is this all, he is more even than a warrior with a conscience; for he has knelt at the altar and sworn to a faith, so that he carries a consecrated sword. A. NOTES l8l Once again, as our eye falls upon the scarf which he wears upon his arm, we note that this warrior, besides his will, his purpose, and his faith, has a sentiment, if not a passion too, and pricks over the plain before us, a soldier, a warrior, a believer, and a lover. The energy which comes with a purpose has given him dignity; the Church has taught him gentleness, and added her chrism; but woman has taken his troth and given him her badge, and immediately he is beautiful. . . . The Knight painted by Chaucer is a thoroughly characteristic figure. He had ridden far, a chivalric adventurer, defending truth and the ladies, and fighting in his lord's wars — no man farther — both in Christendom and in the Holy Land. He had often been served first at the board [rather, been placed at the head of the state table, on the dais], because of his nobleness, and his ransom, when he fell into cap- tivity, was high. He was wise (or humble and discreet), and, though brave as a lion, as gentle as a woman. Nor did he make any display in his person or dress. He rode a good horse, but was himself not " gay " to look at. His cassock of fustian was marked by his hauberk, but he had not changed his clothes on returning late from his travels : such was his devotion that he had gone straight on pilgrimage.' — Matthew Browne's Chaucer's England, Vol. I. pp. 110-112. 51. Alisdundre : Alexandria, in Egypt, won in 1365, by Pierre de Lusignan, King of Cyprus. 53. Pruce : Prussia. 54. Lettow: Lithuania. Ruce, Russia. 56. Gernade : Granada. 57. Algezir : Algeciras, in Spain, taken from the Moors in 1344. Belmarye, Benamarin, or Benmarin, a Moorish kingdom in Africa. 58. Lyeys : Layas, now Ayas, in Armenia, taken from the Turks by Pierre de Lusignan, ab. 1367. Satalye : Attalia, now Adalia, on the south coast of Asia Minor, taken from the Turks by Pierre de Lusignan, ab. 1352. 59. the Crete See: the Mediterranean. 60. aryve : Mss. E., Hn., armee; Cm. aryue; Cp., Ln. arme; Pt. armeye; HI. ariue. Pollard follows the E. reading, arniee^ which he explains, ' an expedition, especially one by sea,' on what ground does not appear. Of armee, Skeat remarks that it * gives no good sense, and probably arose from misreading the spelling aritie as arnie.'^ 62. Tramyssene : Tremezen, a Moorish kingdom in Africa. 65. Palatye : Palathia, 'one of the lordships held by Christian knights after the Turkish conquest.' — Tyrwhitt. 70, 71. He never e yet : ' In days when double negatives added force to the expression, Chaucer found it necessary to crowd four of them l82 A, NOTES into two lines to indicate in the strongest possible way the charm of manner which was the chief characteristic of the knightly character, the chivalric courtesy which, while guarding the man's own dignity, respected fully the rigjits and feelings of the lowest with whom he was brought into personal contact.' — Prof. Lounsbury s Studies itt Chaucer, Vol. II. p. 480. 79-100. ' Accompanying the Knight, and standing next to him in order of courtesy, stood the Squire, his son. (By the laws of heraldry the eldest sons of knights, and their eldest sons in perpetual succession, are esquires.) He has been a good while "in chivachie; " that is, out of his apprenticeship as a knightly man, expecting sometime to be himself invested. Being strong and brave, he will soon win his spurs; but at present his prize is *' his lady's grace." He is courteous, and, according to the chivalric code, full of ready serviceableness. That he carves the meat for his father is a matter of course; it was the duty of an esquire. He curls his hair egregiously. He is exqui- sitely got up, — "as fresh as the month of May" to look at; and has so many flowers about him, that he is positively embroidered with white and red roses, — the flowers of love and knighthood. He is strictly in the fashion of the day, with the short tunic that the clergy so hotly denounced as indelicate. He can joust, of course, and dance well, — which latter the Clerk cannot do, — and he has the Clerk's accomplishment besides; for he can write and draw an illuminated letter. He is so eager a votarist of the faith of chivalry, too, that he scarcely sleeps at all; he was up all night (as the nightingale was supposed to be) composing or singing love-songs. This young Squire appears to have a lady of his own, whose favour he hopes to win; but "so hot he loved" need not, by itself, imply that; for a young man might, by the laws of chivalry, love vaguely : not only a lady whom he had never seen, which was a common thing; but he might simply love . . . the universal essence of female beauty and goodness, if he could, as the metaphysicians say, posit it, so as to bring it within the range of an emotion.' — Matthezv Browne'' s Chaucer'' s England, Vol. I. pp. 113, 114. 83. Of his stature he was of evene leftgthe : as to his stature he was of medium height. 86. Flaundres : Flanders. Artoys, Artois. Picardye, Picardy. loi. I understand, with Tyrwhitt, that * the pronoun he relates to the Knight^ Skeat makes it relate to the Squire. 103. in cote and hood of grene : Idleness, in The Romaunt of the Rose, * hadde on a cote of grene of cloth of Gauret,' v. 573. 107. The sense is — * His arrows did not present a draggled appear- A. NOTES 183 ance owing to the feathers being crushed ' ; i.e. the feathers stood out erect and regularly, as necessary to secure for them a good flight. — Skeat. 115. Cristophere : St. Christopher; the figure of St. Christopher was looked upon with particular reverence among the middle and lower classes, and was supposed to possess the power of shielding the . person who looked on it, from hidden dangers. — Thoinas Wright's ed. of HI, text of C. T. 1 20. Seint Loy : St. Eligius, commonly known as the patron of * gold- smiths, blacksmiths, and all workers in metals, also of farriers and horses ' (Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legejidary Art). 'It is natural enough then, that the carter in "The P>iar's Tale" should invoke God and St. Loy when his horse is struggling to pull his cart out of the slough. But what is his saintship to the Prioress, or she to his saintship ? . . . * I believe the reference is to the fact that on a certain famous occa- sion, St. Eloy refused to take an oath — firmly declined to swear. And thus we arrive at what . . . appears to be the real sense of the words, viz., the Prioress never swore at all.' — Froin Prof. Hales' s letter to the Athe7tceum^ for Jan. 10, 1891, p. 54. 123. Entuned in hir nose : intoned in her nose. Nasality has long been associated with sanctity. * The old black-letter editions read voice (wrongly) .' — Skeat. * Some of the commentators object to the singing through the nose, and want to make voice of it; but it is a touch we can by no means part with.' — Matthew Browne's Chaucer's England. 124. Ajid Frenssh she spak : There is certainly no reflection meant to be cast upon the French of the school of Stratford-at-Bow. It is even possible that that French was considered superior to the French of Paris. *The poet represents her as having been educated at the school of Stratford-at-Bow near London; which Mr. Warton supposes to have been a fashionable seminary for nuns. This is very probable. Strat- ford-at-Bow, a Benedictine nunnery, was famous even then for its antiquity.' — Todd's Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 233. 130. And wel kepe : and well take care that no drop fell upon her breast. There should not be a comma after kepe; but all editions have it. 142. But for to speken of: But in respect to. 149. Or if men smoot it: Or if anyone struck it smartly with a stick; me7t is a weakened form of the indefinite A.S. man, one (Ger. man, Fr. 071). 152. tretys : shapely; of Dame Fraunchyse, in The Romaunt of the Rose, it is said, vv. 121 5, 1216, * Hir nose was wrought at poynt devys, For it was gentil and tretys.' l84 A. NOTES 156. For^ hardily, she was nat undergroive : For, to speak boldly, she was not undergrown; hardily is used absolutely here, that is, it is interposed without qualifying any word in the sentence. 157. as I was war : Chaucer intimates that he had an eye for the /make of a lady's dress. 165. A monk ther was: *a more luxurious fellow could scarcely have been drawn; ... a pampered ecclesiastic, in whom the tyrant is only laid to sleep under heavy folds of sensual content.' — Matthew Browne, for the maistrie : ' is equivalent to the French phrase pour la maistrie, which in old medical books is " applied to such medicines as we usually call sovereign, excellent above all others"; Tyrwhitt. We may explain it by " as regards superiority," or " to show his excel- lence." ' — Skeat. a fair for the maistrie may mean one well qualified for ecclesiastical preferment. 166. outrider e : 'formerly the name of an officer of a monastery or abbey, whose duty was to look after the manors belonging to it; or, as Chaucer himself explains it, in B 1255 — " an officere out for to ryde To seen hir graunges and hir hemes wyde." ' — Skeat. 173. seint Maure : the rule of St. Maur and that of St. Benet or Benedict were the oldest forms of monastic discipline in the Catholic church. St. Maur, who M^as a disciple of Benedict, established the Benedictine order in France; died ab. 542. 179. recchelees : this is the reading of all the Mss. of the * Six-text print,' other spellings being rekeles and recheles. The Ms. HI. has cloysterles. Skeat's note is: ^recchelees (in Ms. E.) means care- less, regardless of rule; but "a careless monk" is not necessarily "a monk out of his cloister." But the reading cloisterless (in Ms. HI.) solves the difficulty; being a coined word, Chaucer goes on to explain it in 1. 181.' But though a coined word, it certainly never could have needed explanation. The last word is yet to be said of this passage. 180, 181. Sicut piscis sine aqua caret vita, ita sine monasterio, monachus^ attributed, says Tyrwhitt, to a pope Eugenius. 183. And I seyde : Skeat remarks: 'This is a very realistic touch; as if Chaucer had been talking to the monk, obtaining his opinions, and professing to agree with them.' But is not seyde a pt. subj. (A.S. scede), meaning * should say ' ? / is emphatic. 184. ' What sholde he studie : Why should he study, etc.; humorous irony. 186. stvynken : construe with what sholde. A. NOTES 185 187. As Austyn bit : Skeat quotes from Wyclif's Works, ed. Mat- thew, p. 51 : ' Seynt Austyn techith munkis to labore with here hondis, and so doth seint Benet and seynt Bernard.' 188. Let Augustine have his drudgery reserved to himself. 189. A very humorous ' therefore.' There was no good reason why he should make himself mad by ever poring upon a book in cloister, or drudging with his hands; therefore he rode with whip and spur, after the hares. 197. A love knotte : * an intricate knot, typical of an indissoluble union.' 199. And eek his face : and his face also shone as if it had been anointed. 200. in good poynt : Fr. embonpoint^ O. Fr. en bon point, in good condition, corpulent. 202. That steffied : that shone as a fire of a cauldron. 203. 'This is part of the description of a smart abbot, by an anonymous writer of the XIII century : Ocreas habebat in cruribus, quasi innatse essent, sine plica porrectas.' — Tyrwhitt. 210. the ordres foitre : Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians. 212. He hadde maad : not out of generosity, it must be supposed, but to rid himself of them. 219. moore : he had power of hearing confessions greater than a curate. 224. tviste to have : knew he should have. 230. He may nat tuepe : He cannot weep although it pain him sorely. 251. vertuous : '(probably) energetic, efficient; cf. vertu in 1. 4.' — Skeat. Professor Lounsbury, in his comments on the punctuation of Chaucer's text, cites vv. 249 to 255, with the usual period after vert- uouSy and remarks : ' It is in the third line that the misleading charac- ter of the punctuation manifests itself. Virtue, in its ordinary modern sense, is not the quality for which Chaucer represents the friar as pre- eminently distinguished. In fact, it is the one for which he is not distinguished. "Virtuous," in this passage, is the tribute paid to his efficiency in collecting contributions. It describes the skill he dis- played in begging, and the success that attended his efforts. The poet goes on to celebrate the ability exhibited by the friar in this direction. . . . But the closing of the third line of the extract with a period con- veys the impression to one not carefully heeding the context, that the person characterized was virtuous as the word is now generally under- stood. The punctuation is, therefore, calculated to lead to misappre- 1 86 A. NOTES hension. The early editors, following their usual custom, had no point whatever at the end of this line. A comma appeared in that of 1602. This continued to be employed in all subsequent editions until that of Morell, in 1737. For it he substituted a semicolon. It was Tyrwhitt who first introduced the full stop, and this practice has been followed in all editions since his time. No one can read the passage carefully without coming to the conclusion that Morell's pointing is the most proper one, if not the only proper one.' — Studies in Chaucer ^ Vol. I. P- 344. 254. I7t principio : the opening words of John's Gospel : In prin- cipio erat Verbum, etc. Skeat gives a quotation from Tyndal, ' Such is the limiter's saying of In principio erat verbum^ from house to house.' The first chapter of John to the fourteenth verse, inclusive, is given at the end of the mass. 256. His purchas : Fals-Semblant, in The Romaunt of the Rose, V. 6838, says, * To winne is alwey myn entent; My purchas is better than my rent.' 257. And rage he koude : The sense is — ' and he could romp about, exactly as if he were a puppy-dog.' — Skeat. 259. For there : for at that time, or occasion. 268. doon : Carpenter, in his English of the Fourteenth Century^ says, 'This use of do is common, but improper.' But doon is not an auxiliary here, as he takes it to be, but a pro-verb, and stands for twinkle. There is no ellipsis. 271. and hye on horse : he sat erect upon his horse. 272. Flau7idryssh : Flemish. 276. were kept for any' thing : should be taken care of, guarded (against pirates), for (against, in opposition to) any and every thing, at any cost. The phrase is still common, in the negative expression, I wouldn't do it for any thing, i.e. against, or in return for, any thing. 277. Middelburgh : ' still a well-known port of the island of Wal- cheren, in the Netherlands, almost immediately opposite Harwich, beside which are the estuaries of the rivers Stoure and Orwell. This spot was formerly known as the port of Orwell or Ore well; in effect it was the port of the wealthy and thriving town of Ipswich, situated but a short distance up the last-named river. . . . Near its mouth, a most important naval engagement took place between King Alfred and the Danes in 880.' — Saunders. 285-308. ' I cannot easily bring myself to believe that he [Chaucer] is not giving some touches of his own character in that of the Clerk of A. NOTES 187 Oxford. . . . That, himself as plump as Horace, he should have described the Clerk as being lean, will be no objection to those who remember how carefully Chaucer effaces his own personality in his great poem.' — James Russell LozvelL 288. / undertake : I venture to say. 292. Nor was he so worldly as to hold office of any kind. 297. at be that : albeit that, although; but although he was a phi- losopher (the word being used with a subaudition of alchemist), yet had he but little gold in coffer. A fling at the pretensions of alchemy. Leigh Hunt quotes Plutarch : povera e nuda vai, Filosqfia, poor and naked goest thou, Philosophy. 301. gaii preye : prayed; and earnestly prayed for the souls of those who gave him the wherewith to go to school. 320. I/is purchasyng: his conveyancing; 'the learned Sergeant was clever enough to untie any entail, and pass the property as estate in fee simple.' W. H. H. Kelke, in N. and Q. 5 S. vi. 487, quoted by Skeat. 321. Nowher so bisy : ' One is never tired of repeating this exquisite couplet. So Lawyer Dowling, in Tom Jones^ wishes he could cut himself into I forget how many pieces, in order that he might see to all the affairs which he had to settle.' — Leigh Hunt. * Among the exquisite touches of satirical description with which the C. T. abound, there is none happier than that which paints one of the little affecta- tions of the eminent lawyer.' — Saunders. 323. I7t termes hadde he : Skeat explains : * he had in terms, knew how to express in proper terms, was well acquainted with.' May not the meaning rather be, In court terms (at the sessions of the court) he had at his command all cases and decisions that had occurred from the time of William the Conqueror. 324. Kyng Williajn : William the Conqueror. 325. make a thing : compose, draw up, a document. 340. ^Seint yulian was eminent for providing his votaries with good lodgings and accommodations of all sorts. In the title of his Legende, he is called "St. Julian, the gode herberjour" (harbourer).' — Tyrwhitt. 341. after on : according to one and the same high standard of excellence. 347. After the sondry sesons : according to the several seasons of the year. 361. Haberdasshere : * Haberdashers were of two kinds: haberdash- ers of small wares — sellers of needles, tapes, buttons, etc.; and haberdashers of hats.' — Skeat. 388. A Shipman : * Chaucer had ample opportunity for studying the 1 88 A. NOTES manners and customs of the sailors of his day: he made several voy- ages to France and elsewhere, and doubtless took mental notes of all he saw; and in fulfilling the duties of his office as Comptroller of the Customs of the Port of London, he had the best possible chances of seeing Jack ashore. Beside the finished portrait given us in the Pro- logue, there are other passages in his various tales which seem to indi- cate that the poet somewhat affected nautical matters : in fact, it would appear as though he had seen a good deal of ships and sailors, and as if mariners were a class of men for whom he had a great liking.' — P. Q. Km'keek's Chaucer^ s Shipman (^Essays on Chaucer ^ Y^ .^ published by the C. Soc?). 389. Dertetnouthe : Dartmouth, one of the chief maritime places of England, in Chaucer's time. ' It was, no doubt, looked on through the country as peculiarly the seaman's home.' — Saunders. 390. as he kouthe : that is to say, as well as he knew how, being a sailor. * Chaucer w^as not the first, nor has he been the last, to make fun of a sailor's horsemanship; that has long been a well-worn joke. The Italians of the middle ages were wont to tell comical stories about Venetians on horseback, and this probably as much on account of the nautical lives of the inhabitants, as because of the uselessness of horses in their city. . . . The word "rouncy," from the Mediaeval Latin Runcinus^ implies a heavy, powerful animal, either a pack- horse, or such as is used for rough agricultural purposes; in neither case was it suited for the saddle nor intended for such work. ... It is easy then to picture, first, the trouble he would have to keep up with the steeds of the Knight and the Squire, or the palfreys of the Ladies and the Monks; and next the utterly uncomfortable pace and seat of the animal; in addition to the rider's unskilfulness: — in fact, but for the name of the thing, walking would have been far preferable.' — P. Q. Karkeek's Chaucer''s Shipma7t. 397. Burdeuxward : Bordeaux-ward. 399. the hyer hond : the upper hand. 400. By water : * He sent them home to wherever they came from by tuaterj i.e. he made them " walk the plank," as it used to be called; or, in plain English, threw them overboard, to sink or swim.' — Skeat. 404. Hulle : Hull; Cartage: Carthage. 406. With 7?iany a tempest: a fine touch, ennobling the rough shipman. 408. Gootlond: Gottland, an island in the Baltic Sea; Fynystere : Cape Finisterre, the most western headland of Spain. 409. Britaigne : Brittany. 410. Maudelayne : ' We find actual mention of a vessel called the A. NOTES 189 Maudelaytie belonging to the port of Dartmouth, in the years 1379 and 1386; see Essays on Chaucer (C. Soc), p. 484. See also N. and Q. 6 S. xii. 47.' — Skeat. 413. To speke of: in respect to. 429. Esculapius : ^sculapius, god of medicine. 430. Deyscorides : Dioscorides Pedanius, a Greek botanist, born at Anazarba, in Cilicia, lived between 50 and 200 a.d. Rufus : a Greek physician of Ephesus, of the age of Trajan ; he wrote on anatomy. 431. Ypocras : Hippocrates, the celebrated Greek physician, born in Cos, 460 B.C. Haly (or Hali) : an Arabian astronomer, a~ commentator on Galen, nth century. Galyen : Galen (Claudius Galienus), the cele- brated Greek physician, born at Pergamus, 130 a.d. 432. Serapioji : John Serapion, an Arabian physician, I ith century.; Razis : a Spanish Arab physician of the loth century. Avycen : Avi- cenna (Latin form of Ibn-Sina), the most eminent of Arab physicians, 980-1037 A.D. 433. Averrois (or Averrhoes) : an Arabian philosopher and physi- cian, 1126-1198 A.D. ; translated, and wrote a commentary on, Aris- totle. Damascien : Johannes Damascenus, an Arabian physician and theologian of the 9th century. Constantyn : Constantinus Afer, a native of Carthage, a monk of Monte Cassino, and one of the founders of the school of Salerno (nth century). 434. Bernard: Bernardus Gordonius, professor of medicine at Montpellier, 14th century. Gatesden : John Gatesden, a distinguished physician of Oxford, in the first half of the 14th century ; author jof a medical treatise called Rosa Anglica, Gilbertyn : Gilbertus Anglicus, an English physician of the 13th century, author of Practica et Com- pendium AledicincB. 441. esy of dispence : moderate in his expenditures. 444. Therfore : another humorous //z^r^rzx\\^i\.^% Familiar Quo- tations ^ 8th ed. p. 642. 604. moste forth : had to go forth; the verb implied in the adv. 608. Alle thyng repeirynge : Boethius, De Consol. Phil. lib. iii. met. 2, which Chaucer translates : * Alle Hnges seken a3ein in to hir propre cours. and alle l?inges reioisen hem of hir retournynge a3ein to hir nature,' etc. Chaucer's Translation, ed. Morris (E. E. T. S.), p. 69. 610. Men loven of propre kynde : out of, or from, their own nature, naturally. 626. dene fro me ago : wholly from me gone. 638. Now kan fiat Canacee but: now can C. only. 641. To heelen with this hauk : to heal this hawk with. 649, 650. These lines are reversed in the six Mss.; the Cm., Cp., Pt., and Ln. omit the initial And. 652. as now : just now. 656. Cavibalus : the Cambalo of v. 31, the brother of Canace; in v. 667, Cambalo is the lover of Canace, who is to fight in the lists against her two brothers, Cambalo and Algarsif. 666. Ne hadde he ben holpe : had he not been helped. 672. Here endeth the * half-told story of Cambuscan bold.' The student should read Canto HI. of Book IV. of Spenser's Faerie Queene^ in which is described * The Battell twixt three Brethren with Cambell for Canacee; Cambina with true friendships bond Doth their long strife agree.' NOTES TO GROUP G 556. Boghton-under-Blee : Boughton-under-Blean. 558. Ms. E. And under-nethe he wered a surplys; the rest, with some variation of spelling, And under that he hadde a whit surplys. 578. For swoot : against sweat. 581. Were : might be; subject relative omitted. G. NOTES 217 593. God geve thee good chaunce : God give thee good luck. 596. dar I leye : I dare lay a wager. 601. Nat but ynongh : only enough, i.e. a great deal. 602. If ye knew him as well as I do. 607. but they : unless they learn it of him. 611. I dare lay in the scales against it. 621. at me : of me. 632. That of his worshipe : to be construed with wonder merveil- lous, third verse back; that of his dignity careth he so little (in the way of dress). 645. That that is overdoon : glossed in Ms. E. Omne quod est nimium & cetera ; what is overdone will not prove itself aright, will not bear testing; too much of a good thing, etc.; an idea variously expressed in many languages. 652. Ther-of no fors : no matter about that. 659. thise theves by kynde : these born thieves. 665. Peter ! by wSt. Peter; God geve it harde grace : curse on it! 688. Catoun : Dionysius Cato, author of Disticha de jfioribus ad filium (4th cent.). Tyrwhitt quotes Chaucer's original, lib. i. dist. 17: *Ne cures si quis tacito sermone loquatur; Conscius ipse sibi de se putat omnia dici.' 710. For it is a serious matter to me. 721. never the neer : never the nearer. 726. hose : the close-fitting drawers or breeches are meant. 731. which: what, what sort of; \^2X. qualis. 739. holde : regard, consider; y-do : done for. 746. Misery likes company. * Men seyn, " to wrecche is consolacioun To have an-other felawe in his peyne." ' — Troilus and Criseydcy bk. i. 708, 709. 749. no charge : no matter. 752. oure termes : our technical terms are so learned and so strange. 762. papeer : pepper; Skeat, in the Glossarial Index to the C. T, Complete Works, Vol. VI., defines the word paper ; in his ed. of the Man of Lawes Tale, etc., pepper. The other Mss. have papire, papeer, paupere, papere. The word certainly medins pepper. 768. esy fir : quiet fire and brisk also. 838. Ascaunce : 'possibly, perhaps; lit. "just as if." ' — Skeat. 839. «/, whether. 846. And know he book-learning or know he none, he shall, in fact, 2l8 G. NOTES find it all one. Mss. E. and Cm. And; rest, Al, which Skeat adopts, and explains * whether.' 857. 1^0 tellen al : to tell all would be beyond the capacity of any book. 861. al looke he : although he look never so fiercely (lit. roughly). 874. it is to seken evere : it is ever to seek (it being never found). 913. by tytnes : at times. 921. chit, chideth; halt, holdeth. 922. along on the fir niakyng : owing to the way the fire was made. 929. so theech : so thrive I. 944. as now : just now. 953. lat me han the wite : let me have the blame. 971. By that : by the time that. 973. wolde infecte : subject relative omitted. 975. Alisaundre : Alexandria. 1018. spendyng-silver : pocket-money, for chance expenses. 1024. a certeyn : a certain amount. 1056. a7id if: Ms. E. if that; the rest, and if. 1059. ye shut wel seen at eye : ye shall well see at eye, have ocular proof. 1096. Algates : at all events, at least. 1 103. hadde : subj. pt. pi. might have; tense sequence requires have; let your man go for quicksilver, that we have it at once. mo. cam anon agayn : came back immediately. 1 1 1 2. And toke : and delivered. 1134. Shal make : the subject relative omitted. 1 1 50. was not : the subject relative omitted. 1 151. To blynde : to blind the priest with. 1 171. terved : Mss. Hn., Cp. torned, Ms. Cm. ternede, Pt. turned, Ln. tornyd. In the text of Skeat's ed. of The Complete Works, Vol. IV. p. 545, torned^ but in the Notes, Vol. 5, p. 430, he says, * for tornid^ read terved^ i.e. flayed, skinned; Ms. E. has terued (so it may be read).' In the Six-text, it is ternedy the «, as Skeat supposes, being taken for an n. See his letter in the Athen<£um, March 24, 1894. 1 1 74. heere and there : in one place and another; there's no telling where he is. 1 1 75. he abit nowhere : has no fixed abode. 1 185. by Seint Gile : by St. Giles, i.e. yEgidius. 1 199. moste nedes : had necessarily to do. 1 22 1. What: why. 1225. yvele moot he cheeve ! bad luck to him ! 1 23 1, gan it hide : hid it. G, NOTES 219 1236. grope: feel about. 1244. halwes : gen. pi. to be construed with Goddes and moodres ; have : optative subj. pr. pi. 1245. and I their curse, unless, if ye vouchsafe to teach me, I will be yours in all that ever I can. 1 26 1, to theffect : to the realization of his desire. 1264. for a contenaunce : for appearance sake. 1 27 1, gan hym dresse : addressed himself. 1274. terve : subj. pr. s., flay him for his falsehood. Mss. Hn., Cp., Ln., HI. torne; Mss. Cm., Pt. turne. See note 11 71. 1277. That was ordeyned : that was prepared with that false con- trivance. 1278. relente gan : melted. 1 281. out yede : out went, ran out. 1295. hy the : hie thee, hasten. 1 319. heyne : see Glossary. 1320. Unwityng : an absolute construction; this priest not knowing of his false craft. 1324. noght knowynge : an absolute construction; this priest know- ing naught of the thing. 1329. ivhil-eer : erewhile, a little while ago. 1340. as hem oghte be : as it behooved them to be. 1357. No fors : no matter. 1362. nere : subj. pt. s. were not. 1365. and took: and delivered them every one to this canon, for this same recipe. 1368. I kepe han no loos : I care to have no praise. 1 37 1, and men knew en : if men should know. 1374. ther were : there would be no two ways about it. 1377. elles wexe I wood: may I otherwise lose my wits ! 1390. So fer forth : to such an extent. 1391. This multiplying : meant for a satirical paradox. 1395. that men: that one cannot come thereby (acquire it) for any wit that men have nowadays. 1398. in hir termes : in their trumpery of learned words. 1402. lusty game : pleasant game; used ironically. 1408. kan they ttat : an interrogative meant to be strongly assertive; certainly they can. 141 1. Never to thrive were too long a date. 141 3. Bayard the blyjtde : the phrase means any old blind horse; bayard meant, originally, a bay horse. 1414. That goes blindly about and takes no account of danger. 220 G. NOTES 141 5. He is as bold to run against a stone as to go around it in the way. 1422. rape and remie : Skeat defines, * seize and clutch^ and adds : *the phrase as it stands is meaningless; rape7t is to hurry, and rennen is to run, both verbs being intransitive. But it took the place of the older phrase repen and rinen, from A.S. hrepian and hrinan, to handle and touch. . . . Briefly, rape^ properly to hurry (Icel. hrapa), is a false substitute for A.S. hrepian, allied to G. raffen ; whilst renne, to run, is a false substitute for A.S. hrinatt, to touch, lay hold of.' 1426. The usual punctuation of this passage is a semicolon or period after dene, and a comma after swithe. It seems better to connect And right as swithe with what precedes than with what follows : For if you do, your thrift is gone full clean, and right quickly. 1428. Arjtold of the Newe Toun : Arnaldus Villanovanus, author of the Rosarium Philosophorum, a treatise on alchemy; born ab. 1235, died 1313, or '14, * described by the bibliographer Fabricius (Johann Albrecht) as a poet, physician, and philosopher, skilled in chemistry, suspected of magic, hostile to the friars, and on that account more than suspected of hexesy. ''-— Lounsbury. He was also in the diplomatic service of the kings of Sicily and Naples. His death took place when he was on his way to Avignon to visit, as a physician, Clement V. This pope died in 1314. 1431. * The word mortification seems to have been loosely used to denote any change due to chemical action.' — Skeat. 1434. Hermes: Hermes Trismegistus, i.e. 'thrice great Hermes.' * To this fabled prophet, priest, and king of early Egypt, who was in- vented by the first opponents of Christianity as the father of all human knowledge, were attributed numerous works composed at various times. Some ■ of these, which, though produced during the Middle Ages, bore his name, treated of the philosopher's stone and of the making of gold. They fully justified their claim to inspiration and antiquity so far as it rests upon incomprehensibility.' — Prof. Louns- bury^s Studies in Chaucer, Vol. II. p. 392. Bacon, in his Advancement of Learning, addressed to King James I, says : * there is met in your Majesty a rare conjunction, as well of divine and sacred literature, as of profane and human; so as your Majesty standeth invested of that triplicity, which in great veneration was ascribed to the ancient Hermes ; the power and fortune of a king, the knowledge and illumination of a priest, and the learning and uni- versality of a philosopher.' Students of Chaucer should not trouble themselves about the mean- ing of the quotation from Hermes, as it is entirely unintelligible, and \his fact is a part of Chaucer's satire. G. NOTES 221 1447. secree of secrees : Secreta Secretorum, ascribed to Aristotle, a very popular work during the Middle Ages. ' He who wishes to have a general idea of its character and contents will gain it most easily from reading the seventh book of Gower's " Confessio Amantis." An attentive perusal of that will obviate the necessity of reading the orig- inal, and will usually deprive one of the desire.' — Lounsburfs Studies in Chaucer^ Vol. II. p. 392. 1450. Senior : ' The story told of Plato and his disciple in this same tale of the Canon's Yeoman is taken, as Chaucer himself says, from a book called " Senior," though he has substituted the Greek philosopher for the Solomon of the original. The treatise is extant.' — Lounsbury s Studies in Chaucer, Vol. II. p. 392. On this Prof. Lounsbury has the following note : ' Fabricius gives the title Senioris Zadith filii Hamuelis Tabula Chymica. It was perhaps a translation from the Arabic, and was first printed at Frankfort in 1608.' 1461. the roote : * represents the Latin radix. In the Theat. Chem., ii. 463, we read that the philosopher's stone " est radix, de quo omnes sapientes tractauerunt." ' — Skeat. 1469. But where : except where it is pleasing. 1470. and eek : and also to forbid whomsoever it pleaseth him. 1475. I ^^de ' I advise as the best thing to do, to let it go. 1479. terme of his lyve : all his life. 1481. God sende : God send every true man remedy of whatever evil beset him. GLOSSARY a, one; upon a day, in one day, A 703. a, ah, B 4583. a, in, A 854, G 782. A.S. on. abegge, to aby, suffer for, pay for, A 3938. abeye, to aby, pay for, C 100. abhomynacions, abominations, B 88. abit, abideth, G 11 75. aboght, pp. paid for, A 3100. aboughte, pt. s. atoned for, A 2303. aboute, about, here and there, A 488. abrayde, pt. s. started up, B 4198. abregge, to abridge, shorten, A 2999. abyde, to submit, A 2650. abyde, subj. pr. pi. wait; thogh we a time abyde, though we wait awhile, D 979. abye, to buy off, atone for, pay for, A 4393. C 756, G 694. achaat, buying, A 571. achatours, buyers, A 568. . acorded not, was not fitting, A 244; pp. accorded, agreed, A 818. adoun, down, downwards, A 393; below, A 2995. adrad, pp. adread, in dread, afraid, A 605. aferd, pp. afeared, afraid, A 628, B 4109. afered, pp. afeared, afraid, C 284. afOlle, give an edge to, sharpen, make smooth, A 712. Fr. affiler. affray, n. fray, quarrel, B 1137. affrayed, pp. afraid, much scared, terrified, B 4468. af right, pp. affrighted, B 4085. after, prep, according to, A 125, 341, 347» 73i» 3329, F 389. again, in return, in reply, A 1092. agayn, again, back, adv. and prep. A 801, B 4599, C 716; against, towards, A 2680, B 3870, 4459, F 53, 57, G 1279, 1342, 1415. agayns, against, towards; 'rood hym agayns,' rode to meet him, B 999; before, in presence of, C743. agast, aghast, A 2341. ageyn, against, towards, A 1509, F 142; back; come ageyn, re- turn, A 4380. ago, pp. gone, B 4396, F 626. agreved, pp. aggrieved, angry, A 2057. agrief , in grief, in ill part, B 4083. agrise, to shudder, feel terror, be terrified, C 280. agryse, to shudder, B 614. 223 224 GLOSSARY al, although, though, whether, A 734, 744> 2709, 4394, 4396, F 506, G839, 861. al, all; al a shire, a whole county, A 584. al, adv. altogether, wholly, F 597. alambikes, alembics, G 794. alauntz, mastiffs, or wolf hounds, A 2148. albe, albeit, A 297, 2033. albificacioun, albefaction, G 805. al day, constantly, F 481. alderbest, best of all, A 710. A.S. eal, gen. pi. ealra; later forms, alra, aire, aller, alder, the d being excrescent. alderfirst, first of all, F 550. ale-stake, an alehouse sign, A 667. algate, always, A 571; anyhow, at any rate, G 904. algates, in everyway, at any rate, at all events, F 246, G 1096. alight, pp. ahghted, A 722, 2189. alkamystre, alchemist, G 1204. alle and some, all and some, one and all, A 2187. allegge, to allege, cite, produce, A 3000. aller, gen. pi. of all, A 586, 799, 823. almus dede, almsdeed, B 1156. al ones, all at one, C 695. along on, along of, owing to, because of, G 922, 930. A.S. gelang. al redy, already, A 1041. als, as, A 170. amadriades, hamadryads, A 2928. amalgamyng, amalgamating, form- ing an amalgam (in a chemical sense), G 771. amblere, ambler, a horse that ambles, A 469. amonges, amongst, A 759. amor vincit omnia, love con- quers all things, A 162. amorwe, amorrow, in the morn- ing, A 822. amounteth, signifieth, A 2362. amyddes, amidst, A 2009. anclee, ancle, A 1660. and, if, G 601, 1246, 1371. anglis, angles, F 230. an-hanged, pp. hanged, B 4252. anlaas, a short two-edged knife or dagger, A 357. annueleer, ' a priest employed to say annuals, or anniversary masses, for the dead,' G 1012. anon, at once, straightway, A 2865, 2869. a-nyght, at night, A 2007. apalled, pp. become pale, weak- ened, enfeebled, A 3053. apayd, pp. pleased; yvele apayd, displeased, dissatisfied, G 921, 1049. ape, dupe, gull, fool, G 1313; pi. apes, A 706. aperceyvynges, perceivings, per- ceptions, observations, F 286. apert, open, in public, D 11 14. apertenyng, appertaining, G 785. apiked, pp. trimmed, adorned, A 365. appalled, pp. made pale, F 365. apparaillynge, preparation, A 2913. areest, arrest, seizure, B 4090. areste, to stop; 'bigan his hors areste,' stopped his horse : A 827; * bigan ' is used here as GLOSSARY 22$ *gan,' more frequently, is used, as a tense auxiliary. aretted, pp. accounted, A 2729. argoille, 'crude cream of tartar, deposited as a hard crust on wine casks.' — Skeat. G 813. aright, exactly, A 267; favourably, B 4086. arm-greet, arm-great, as great as one's arm, A 2145. armurers, armourers, A 2507. armypotente, powerful in arms, A 1982. array, dress, C 47; equipage, dis- play, A 1932 arrayed, pp. arranged, A 2867. arrerage, arrearage, arrears, A 602. arrest, arest, 'a support for the spear when couched for the attack,' A 2602. arresten, to arrest, stop, B 4210. arrogance, haughtiness, preten- sion, D 1 1 12. artow, art thou, C 718, G 664, 1079. arwes, arrows, A 104, 2080, 2358, B 4120. arys, imp. s. arise, C 827. aryve, arrival; landing, disem- barkation of troops, A 60. as, used before an imperative, it imparts an entreaty to the idea of the verb, A 2302, 2317, 2325, B 859, 1061, 4133, F 458, 652. as, used before adverbs, and ad- verbial phrases, of time; as for that night, B 4183. as of, in respect to; as of colours, B 4058 as, where; thider as, thither where, C749. ascaunce, * possibly, perhaps,' G ascendent, ascendant, horoscope, A 417. as heere, just here, C 103. ashamed, pp. put to shame, A 2667. as now, just now, F 652, G 944, 1019. as nowthe, as now, just now, A 462. aspect, aspect (of a planet) , A 1087. asshen, ashes, A 2957, F 255. assise, assize, session, A 314. assoillyng, absolution, A 661. as swithe, quickly, G 1030. asterte, to escape ; that nedely som word hire moste asterte, that of necessity some word would have to escape her, D 968. astoned, pp. astonied, astonished, A 2361. a-stored, stored, supplied with stores, A 609. astronomye, astronomy (astrol- ogy), A 414. aswowne, in a swoon, F 474. at, from, of, G 621. atake, to overtake; gan atake, overtook, G 556, 585. a thre, in three, A 2934. atones, at once, immediately, B 670, 4524. atte, at the, B 4203. atte fuUe, at the full, entirely, A 651, 3936. atte laste, at the last, finally, A 707, 4403, C 844, F 576. atte leeste weye, at the least way, at least, A 1121. attemperaunce, temperance, at- temperament, C 46. 226 GLOSSARY attempree, temperate, moderate, B 4028. atwo, in two, B 697. atwynne, apart, G 11 70. auditour, auditor of accounts, A 594. aught, adv. by any chance, in any way, B 1034. aught, n. anything, G 1400. auncestres, ancestors, D 11 60. aungel, angel, A 1055. auter, aUar, A 2331, 2355. avaunce, to advance, be to one's advantage, A 246. avaunt, n. boast, A 227. avauntour, boaster, B 4107. avauntyng, boasting, A 3884. aventure, adventure, accident, chance, hap, fortune, A 25, 844, 1074, 1506, 2357, 2703, 2722, B 4189; risk, G 946; pi. avent- ures, A 795. avowe, to avow, declare openly, G 642. avoy ! fie ! B 4098. O. Fr. avoi ! avys, advice, consideration, A 786. avyse, to advise, consider; yet wol we us avyse, yet will we consider with ourselves, B 664. avysed, pp. advised, put on one's guard, C 690; avysed me, con- sidered with myself, G 572. avysement, advisement, delibera- tion, B 86. awayt, n. watch; have her in awayt, have her in watch, watch her, B 3915. axe, pr. I s. ask, C 24; pr. pi. G 640; imp. s. C 667. axeth, asketh, F 309. ay, ever, always, A 63, 233, 572, 646, 3876, B ^2>2>y 826, C 14, D 1 1 14, 1 144, G 947, 141 2. baar, pt. s. bore, A 108, iii, 237, B626. Bacus, Bacchus, i.e. wine, C 58. badder, worse, F 224. bake, pp. baken, baked, A 343. balaunce, balance, scale; *I dar leye in balaunce,' i.e. I dare pledge, G 611. bale, harm of any kind, misfort- une, sorrow, G 1481. balled, bald, A 198, 2518. harbour, barber, barber-surgeon, A 2025. baren, pt. pi. bore, carried; 'how that we baren us,' how we con- ducted ourselves, A 721. bareyne, barren, A 1977. bar hyrself so faire, bore, or con- ducted, herself so fairly, B 4062. barm, bosom or lap, F 631. barmclooth, lap cloth, apron, A 3236. baronage, assembly of barons, A 3096. barres, ornaments, A 329. batailled, battled, embattled, B 4050. bauderie, bawdry, A 1926; Skeat defines the word in this place, gaiety, mirth. baudy, dirty, soiled, G 635. bayard, originally a bay horse, then, any horse, G 1413. beautee, beauty, A 11 14. be, pp. been, A 60. bechen cole, beechen coal, G 460. bedes, beads, A 159. beggestere, beggar woman, A 242. be war, to be ware, wary, F 490. GLOSSARY 227 beech, beech-wood, G 928. beede, to offer, proffer, G 1065. A.S. beodan. beek, beak (of a bird), F 418. beem, beam (of light), D 868. been, bees, F 204. been, to be, A 140; pr. pi. are, G623. beer, pt s. bore, B 722, 4526. beere, bier, A 2871, 2877, 2900. beestes, beasts, animals, A 2929. beete, to mend, repair, A 3927. beeth, imp. pi. be, G 937. Belle, the, an inn with the sign of the bell, near the Tabard, in Southwark, A 719. bemes, trumpets, horns, B 4588. bene, bean, B 94. benedicite ! bless you ! or, bless us ! B 4583, G 628. benigne, genial, F 52. bent, arched, A 3246. bente, declivity, slope, A 1981. ber, imp. s. bear, carry, D 1139. berd, beard, A 270, 332, 406, 552, 588, 627, 689, B 41 10, 4548. bere, to bear, carry, F 148. bere, a bear, A 1640; gen. s. beres, A 2142. bereth hym beste, acquitteth him best, A 796. berkynge, barking, B 4576. berme, barm, yeast, G 813. berne, barn, A 3258; pi. bernes, D 871. berth, beareth; berth hire on hond, bears her in hand, wit- nesses falsely against her, B 620. berye, berry, A 207. beryng, bearing, behaviour, car- riage, C 47. bet, adv. better, A 241, 4376, B 1091, G 1344. bete, to beat, flap, B 4512; pr. i s. B 3087. beth, pr. pi. are, A 178, F 648; imp. pi. be, B 4520, C 97, 278, F598. betwixe, bewixt, A 277. beye, to buy, C 845, G 637. bible, book, in a general sense, G857. bi-bledde, pp. be-bled, stained with blood, A 2002. bifalle, pp. befallen, happened, A 795- bifil, pt. s. befell, happened, A 19. biforen-hand, beforehand, G 131 7. biforn, before, in front, A 590; beforehand, ahead, first in the market, A 572. bigile, to beguile, G 1263. bigiled, pp. beguiled, G 1385. biginne, to begin, A 853. bigyle, to beguile, deceive, B 4618. biheete, pr. i s. promise, G 707. biheste, n. promise, B 41. biknewe, pt. pi. acknowledged, confessed, B 4251. bileve, to remain, stay, for he ne mighte b. , because he could not stay, F 583. biquethe, to bequeath, D 1121; pp. D 1 1 64. bisette, pt. s. beset, occupied, used, employed, A 279. biside, near to, in the neighbour- hood of, A 445, 620. bisides, adv. aside, G 141 6. bisily, attentively, in an absorbed way, B 1095. bismotered, pp. besmutted, A 76. bisoghte, pp. besought. 228 GLOSSARY bisoughte, pt. s. besought, en- treated, B 1094. bistad, pp. bestead, beset, B 649. bisy, busy, attentive, A 1491, F 509. bisye hym, lat no man, let no man busy (trouble) himself, G 1442. bisyed hym, pt. s. busied himself, G 1 146. bisynesse, the state of being busy or occupied; care, diligence, C 56; anxiety, care, A 1928. bitone, bittern, the bird so-called; called also bumble, from the sound it makes, D 972. bitrayseth, betrayeth, C 92. bityde, to betide, happen, G 697. bitymes, betimes, soon, G 1008. bit, biddeth, A 187. biwaille, to bewail, B 3877. biwreye, to betray, C 823; imp. s. D 974. blankmanger, a fricasse of capon, etc., A 387. blent, pr. s. blinds, deceives, G 1391; pp. G 1077. blered, bleared, dimmed, deceived, G730. bleryng, blearing, dimming, blur- ring (the sight); bleryng of a proud milleres eye, deceiving, imposing upon, a proud miller, A 3865. blew, blue, A 564. blewe, blue, F 644. bleynte, pt. s. blenched, started back, A 1078. blissed hire, crossed herself, B 868. blondren, pr. pi. blunder, G 670. blondreth, goes blindly about, G 1414. blynde, to blind, deceive, G 1151. blynne, to cease, G 1171. blyve, quickly, A 2697. bocher, butcher, A 2025. boghte, pt. s. bought, A 2088; boghte agayn, bought back, re- deemed, C 766. boille, to boil, A 380. bokeleer, buckler, A 668. bokeler, buckler, A 471, 558, 3266. bokelynge, buckling, A 2503. bolle, bowl, G 1 210. boles, bulls, A 2139, B 4125. boles galle, bull's gall, G 797. bombleth, hums, as the bumble- bee and the bittern, which is called also bumble, D 972. bond, band, F 131. bood, pt. s. bided, stayed, A • 4399- boold, bold, A 458- boole armonyak, Armenian clay, G 790. boone, boon, prayer, petition, 2669. boond, pt. s. bound, B 634. boos, boss (of a shield), A 3266. boost, boast, boasting, bravado, C 764. boote, remedy, A 424, F 154, G 1481. boras, borax, A 630. bord, table, A 52. bore, pp. born, A 3891. boren, pp. bom, D 11 53. borwe, n. pledge, F 596. borwe, to borrow, A 4417. borwed, pt. s. borrowed, C 871. botelles, bottles, C 871. hotels, bottles, C 877. botme, bottom, G 1321. bountee, goodness, kindness, gen- eral worth, C 112, D 1 1 60. GLOSSARY 229 bountevous, bounteous, bountiful, C no. bour, inner room, B 4022. bourde, pr. i s. jest, C 778. bowes, boughs, A 642, 2917. box, boxwood, B 4588. boydekyns, bodkins, daggers, B 3892, 3897. bracer, a bowman's arm-guard, A III. bragot, * a liquor made of ale and honey fermented, with spices,' A 3261. bras, brass, B 4588. brast, pt. s. burst, B 697, 4408. brat (Ms. E. only; the others, bak), a coarse garment, cloak, G 881; the other word, bak, means a covering for the back. brat ful, brim full, chock full, choke full, A 2164. brawnes, muscles, A 2135. brede, breadth, A 1970, 2916. breed, bread, A 341. breem, bream, a kind of fish, A 350- brek, imp. s. break, B 3090. breke, to break, A 551 ; subj. pt. s. B 4578. brend, pp. burnished, A 2162, 2896; burned, B 4555. brende, pt. s. burned, B 4558. brenne, to burn, A 2867, D 1142, G 1 192; pr. pi. A 2331, 2355; subj. pr. s. G 1423. brennyng, burning, G 802; brenn- ynge, A 2000, 2338. brent, pp. burnt, A 2957, G 759. brente, pt. s. burned, A 2946, 2950. brest, pr. s. bursts, A 2610. brest, breast, B 1028. bresten, to burst, A 1980. bret-ful, brim-full, A 687. bretherhed, a religious brother- hood, A 510. breyde, to start up, awake, F 477. breyde, pt. s. drew, B ^2>T' briddes, birds, A 2929. brighte, brightly, A 1493. bringeth, imp. pi. bring, G 12 10. brode, adj. broad, A 2917. brode, adv. broadly, openly, plainly, A 739, G 1420. brondes, brands, A 2338. brood, broad, A 471, 549, 553, 3243. broste, pt. pi. burst, B 671. brother, gen. s. brother's, A 3084, G 1432. brouke, to brook, enjoy the use of, B 4490. browdynge, embroidery, A 2498. browes, eyebrows, A 3245. broyded, pp. braided, A 1049. broyden, pp. broidered, embroid- ered, A 3238. brustles, bristles, A 556. brybe, to rob or steal, A 4417. brymstoon, brimstone, A 629. brynge, imp. pi. bring, G 1207. burdoun, bass; stif b., strong bass, A 673. burgeys, burgess, citizen, A 369, 754. burned, pp. burnished, A 1983, B 4054. busk, bush, A 2013. but, unless, A 782, 11 20, 3005, 3948, C 741, F 361, G 607, 953, 984, 1432; and yet, A 701. but that, except that, A 3002. but if, unless, A 351, 582, 656, 3871, B 636, 3103, 3105, 3900, G 910, 1443. 230 GLOSSARY by, according to ; * by foreward and by composicioun,' according to compact and agreement, A 848; 'by his free assent,' A 852; re- specting, concerning, A 2021, G 1005. by that, by the time that, G 971. byjaped, pp. tricked, G 1385. byle, bill (of a fowl or bird), B 4051. bynne, bin, chest, A 593. by time, betimes, in due season, A 2575. by tymes, at times, G 913. by weste, to the west, westward, A 388. byt, biddeth, F 291. by thoght, pp. minded, A 767. byynge, buying, A 569. caas, law cases, A 323. caas, case (for arrows), quiver, A 2358, 2896. calcenyng, calcining, G 771. cam, pt. s. came, A 2882. camuse, flat, low and concave, A 3934. cantel, portion, A 3008. capouns, capons, C 856. care, sorrow, A 2072. careyne, carrion, carcase, corpse, A 2013. carf, pt. s. carved, A 100. carieden, pt. pi. carried, G 1219. carl, churl, A 545. caroles, carols, songs accompanied with dancing, A 1931. carpe, to talk, chatter, A 474. carte, chariot, car, A 2041. caryeden, pt. pi. carried, A 2900. cas, accident, chance, A 844. cas, case, arrow-case, quiver, A 2080. cast, considereth, A 2854; pp. de- termined upon, planned, C 880. caste, pr. i s. judge, suppose, A 2172; pp. determined upon, B 3891; pt. s. cast (about), A 2171. casteth, takes account of; and peril casteth noon, G 1414. casteth him, devotes himself, G 738. catel, property, means, A 373, 540, B 4017. ceint, cincture, girdle, A 329. celle, religious house, A 172. cered, pp. waxed, G 808. certes, certainly, surely, A 1265, G 594. certeyn, certain, sure, fixed, A 815, 2993; pi. certeyne, A 2996. certeyn, adv. certainly, A 375, 451. ceruce, ceruse, white lead, A 630. cesse, to cease, B 1066. ceynt, cincture, girdle, A 3235. chaar, car, chariot, A 2138, 2148, F 671. chaffare, business, traffic, A 4389; line of business, G 142 1. champartie, partnership in power, A 1949. champioun, champion, combatant, wrestler, A 239. chanones, canon's, G 1196. chanoun, canon, G 573. chaped, capped, A 366; chape, the metal plate or tip which pro- tects the end of a sheath or scabbard, belt, etc. chapeleyne, chaplain, A 164. GLOSSARY 231 chapman, merchant or supercargo, A397- charge, care, undertaking, A 733; weight, import, F 359; no charge, no matter, G 749. charitable, loving, kind, A 143. chasted, pp. chastened, subdued, 491. chasteyn, chestnut, A 2922. chaunce, happening, B 1045; luck; God geve thee good chaunce, G 593- chaunge, to exchange, C 734. chaunging, changing, A 1647. chaunterie for soules, *an en- dowment or foundation for the chanting of masses and offering of prayers, commonly for the founder,' A 510. cheere, face, countenance, expres- sion of countenance, A 857, 2897, G 1233, F 103, 545; be- haviour, manner, A 139; ap- pearance, A 728; expression of friendHness, B 1002. cheeve, to succeed; yvele moot he cheeve, bad luck to him, G 1225. chekes, cheeks, A 633. cherisseth, imp. pi. cherish, F 353- cherl, churl, a base, low fellow, D 1 158; pi. cherles, B 4599. cherubynnes, cherub's, A 624. cheste, clothes-chest, C 734. chevyssaunce, borrowing transac- tions, A 282. cheyne, chain, A 2988. chiere, cheer, countenance, A 2586; welcome, entertainment, A 747. chiknes, chickens, A 380. chirche, church, A 3312. chirkyng, a jumble of harsh, shrill cries, A 2004. chit, chideth, G 921. chiteren, to chatter, G 1397. chitteryng, chirping, A 3258. chivalrie, cavalry, troops of horse, B 3871. chymbe, chimb (also chime, and chine), the edge or rim of a cask, formed by the projecting ends of the staves, A 3895. chymbe, to chime (as a bell), A 3896. chyvachie, a cavalry expedition, A 85. citee, city, A 1066. citole, a stringed musical instru- ment, A 1959. citrinacioun, citronising, G 816. citryn, citrine, pale greenish- yellow, A 2167. clad, pp. clothed, bound, A 294. clappe, to talk noisily, babble, G 965. clateren, pr. pi. clatter, A 2359. claterynge, clattering, A 2954. clayme, subj. pr. pi. claim. clear, clear, A 1062. cleere, clearly, A 170, 2331. clene, adv. clean, wholly, entirely, ¥ 626, G 625, 1425. clennesse, cleanness (of Hfe), A 506. dense, to cleanse, A 631. cleped, pt. s. called, F 374; pp. A 121, 269, 2044, B 61, 725, F 11,31. clepen, pr. pi. call, A 620. clepeth, pr. s. calls, F 382. clergial, clerkly, learned, G 752. 232 GLOSSARY clerk, scholar, A 285, 480; pi. clerkes, scholars, writers, G 646. clerkis, pi. scholars, learned men, B 4425. clippe, to cut hair, A 3326, clobbed, adj. clubbed, B 3088. cloke, cloak, A 157. cloos, close, secret, G 1369. clos, n. close, enclosure, yard, B 4550. clote-leef, burdock leaf, G 577. cloysterer, an inmate of a clois- ter, a monk, A 259. coagulat, pp. coagulated, clotted, G811. cofre, coffer, money box, A 298. cokkow, cuckoo, A 1930. colblak, coal black, A 2142, 3240. COlde, cold, sad, A 1919; 'baneful, fatal,' B 4446. cole, coal, A 2692, G 809. coler, collar, A 3239, 3242. colered, pp. collared, with collars, A 2152. COlerik, choleric, bilious, irascible, A 587; causing choler or anger, col fox, coal- fox, black fox, B 4405. 'The old explatiation of col-fox as meaning "deceitful fox" is diffi- cult to establish, and is now un- necessary.' — Skeat. COlpons, shreds, A 679. COlpons, logs, billets, A 2867. combust, pp. burnt, G 811. Cometh, imp. pi. come, A 839. commune, to converse, G 982. commune, common; in commune, in common, generally, A 1251. communes, commoners, A 2509. compaignable, companionable, sociable, B 4062. compassyng, circumventing, scheming, contriving, plotting, A 1996. compeer, crony, A 670. compter, compeer, fellow rascal, A 4419. complecciouns, physical tempera- ments, B 41 14. COmpleint, complaint, A 2012. composicioun, agreement, A 848, 2651. comth, cometh, C 781. conclude, to succeed, G 773. concluden, to succeed, G 849. condescende, to come down to, F 407.^ condicioun, condition, disposition, character, quality, A 38, C 41, G 1039. confiture, a make-up, mixture, C 862 contort, comfort, A 773, 776. conforteth, comforteth, A 2716. conscience, sensitiveness, sympa- thy, pity, A 142, 150. conseil, a secret, C 819. conserve, subj. pr. s. preserve, A 2329. constellacioun, constellation, ' a conjunction of stars as affecting the destinies of men,' A 1088; so the word here ha^ the force of fortune, fate, destiny. contek, contest, contention, strife, A 2003; pi. contekes, B 4122. contenaunce, countenance, A 2010; appearance sake, G 1264; pi. contenaunces, countenances, looks, F 284. contree, country, part of the coun- try, A 340, 2137. convoyed, pt. s. accompanied on the way, A 2737. GLOSSARY 233 coome, pt. pi. came, G 1220. cope, cop, top, A 554. cope, a semicircular, ecclesiastical cloak, A 260. coppe, cup, A 134; pi. coppes, A 2948, 3928. corage, heart, A 22; courage, heart, spirit, A 1945; pi. cor- ages, hearts, A 11. coroune, crown, A 2875. corouned, pp. crowned, supreme, F526. corpus bones, B 3096. See note. corrumpable, corruptible, A 3010. cors, corpse, C 665, 668. cosyn, adj. cousin, allied to, in keeping with, A 742. cote, coat, A 328, 564. cote-armure, coat-armour, A 2140, 2160; pi. cote armures, A 2500, couched, pt. s. laid, G 1157, 11 79; pp. laid, A 2933, G 1182, 1200; inlaid, A 2161. couchen, to lay, G 1152. coude, pt. s. knew, A 327. countour, auditor of accounts, A 359. countrefete, to counterfeit, in a good sense, imitate, A 139. courseres, coursers, steeds, A 2501. courtepy, short cloak (or cape, perhaps) of coarse cloth, A 290. coveitise, covetousness, G 1077. covent, convent, G 1007. coverchief, kerchief, B 837; pi. coverchiefs, A 453. covered, pp. spread with food and drink of various kinds, A 354. covyne, deceit, trickery, artifice; lit. *a deceitful agreement be- tween two parties to prejudice a third.' — Skeat. A 604. cowardye, cowardice, A 2730. craft, skill, way of doing a thing, F 185; trickery, fraud, impost- ure, A 692. craft of rynges, ring-craft, F 249. crafty, skilful, clever, G 1290. craftily, skilfully, B 48. erased, pp. cracked, G 934. cridestow, criedst thou, A 1083. crispe, crisp, curly, A 2165. cristen. Christian, A 55. croper, crupper, G 566. croppes, crops, tops, shoots, buds, A 8. croslets, crucibles, G 793. crosselet, crucible, G 11 17, 1147, 1153- croys, n. cross, A 699, B 844. crul, curly, A 3314. crulle, pi. curly, A 81. cryke, creek, inlet, harbour, A 409. cucurbites, flasks for distilling, G 794- cure, care, A 303, 2853, C 22. curious, skilful, A 577. cursen, to curse, A 486. cut, lot, A 835, C 793, 794, 795. daliaunce, gossip, A 211; enter- taining discourse, G 592; pi. daliaunces, dallyings, fondlings, C66. dampned, pp. condemned, B iiio, C88. dar, pr. I s. dare, G 596. darreyne, to fight out, contest, decide by combat, A 1631. darst, darest, B 3102. daun, dan, a common M.E. title of respect, derived remotely from Lat. dominus, A 2673, 2891. B4161, 4502, 4524. 234 GLOSSARY daunce, the olde, the old game, the old way of love, C 79. daunger, jurisdiction, control, A 663. daungerous, imperious, domineer- ing, forbidding, A 517. dawe, to dawn, B 3872. dawenynge, dawning, daybreak, B 4072. dayerye, dairy, A 597; pi. dayer- yes, D 871. dayesye, daisy, A 332. debaat, strife, G 1389. debonaire, Fr. of good air, kind, gracious, courteous, affable, B 4061. dede, deed, A 742. deduyt, pleasure, A 2177. deed, dead, A 145, 148, 1122, 1644, D 1 1 56. deedly, deadly, A 1082. deef , deaf, A 446. deel, deal, part, bit, B 4024. deelen with, to have to do with, A 247. deeme, to judge, suppose, B 109 1. deere, dearly, A 3100, C 100, G 694. dees, dice, C 467, 834. deeth, death, A 3892; the deeth, pestilence, plague, A 605; but perhaps it means simply death; *they were afraid as death of him.' defaute, default, omission of some- thing which ought to have been done, G 954. deffende, to forbid, G 1470. degree, rank, A 2735. degrees, steps or rising seats, A 2579. deigned, pt. s. used impersonally; hym deigned nat, B 4371. delt, pt. s. dealt, G 1074. delve, to dig, A 536. delyvere, active, nimble, A 84. delyverly, adroitly, quickly, B 4606. deme, to judge, suppose, B 1038, G 595- demed, pt. s. judged, supposed, F 563, G 573, 1202; pt. pi. F 202. demen, pr. pi. judge, F 224. demeth, pr. s. supposeth, G 689; imp. pi. suppose, think, G 993. depardieux (de part Dieu), on the part of God, in God's name; certainly, B 39. departed, pp. divided, C 812, 814, 831. departen, to part, separate, B 4183. depeynted, pp. depicted, painted, A 2027, 2031, 2034, 2037, 2049, 2054. depper, adv. deeper, more deeply, B630. dere, to injure, wound, F 240. derke, dark, A 1995. derkeste, darkest, D 1139. descensories, 'vessels used in chemistry for extracting oils, per descensum.' — Tyrzvhitt. G 792. desclaundre, pr. i s. slander, G 993- desclaundred, pp. slandered, B 674. desdeyn, disdain, A 789. desirous, eager, ardent, zealous, F 23. despit, despite, dishonour, B 699. despitous, arbitrarily severe, piti- less, uncompassionate, A 516. GLOSSARY 235 desport, disport, playfulness, gaiety, A 137; sport, amuse- ment, G 592. dette, debt, B 41, 42. dettelees, debtless, free from debt, A 582. devys, decision, direction, A 816. devyse, speak of, tell, A 34; de- scribe, A 1048; to devise, con- ceive, A 1254; describe, relate, A 3883, B 613, 3892, 4228, F 65, 279, G 1223. deyde, pt. s. died, F 438. deye, dairywoman, B 4036. deye, to die, A 3034; pr. i s. B 4096. deynous, haughty, disdainful, A 3941- deynt§, adj. dainty, F 70. deyntee, adj. dainty, B 4025; val- uable, of a fine breed, A 168. deyntees, dainties, delicacies, A 346. deys, dais, A 370, F 59. dight, pp. dressed, A 1041; pre- pared, A 1630. dighte, to dight, prepare; I moot me dighte, I must prepare my- self to go, B 3104. digne, worthy, A 141 ; honoured, C695; haughty, repellent, A 517. dirryved, pp. derived, A 3038. dirryveth, deriveth, is derived, A 3006. dischevelee, dishevelled, A 683. disconfiture, defeat, A 2721. disconfort, discomfort, misery, A 2010. disconforten, to discomfort, dis- tress, A 2704. disconfitynge, discomfiture, A 2719. discovere, to reveal, G 1465. discovered, pp. revealed, G 1468. discoverest, uncoverest, revealest, G 696. discryve, to describe, F 424. discryven, to describe, F 40. disese = dis-ease, malease, discom- fort, trouble, distress, F 467, B 616, G 747. disfigure, disfigurement, deformity, D 960. disherited, pp. disinherited, dis- possessed, A 2926. disjoynt, disadvantage, A 2962. dispence, expense, expenditure, A 441. dispense, expense, expenditure, A 1928, 4388. disport, sport, amusement, diver- sion, A 775. disposicioun, position, in an astro- logical sense, A 1087. disposicioun, disposal, ordering, management, A 2364. dissevere, to separate, part, G 875. dissymulynges, dissimulations, F divisioun, discord, variance, A 2024. divisynge, arranging, fixing, ad- justing, A 2496. divynynge, divining, predicting, surmising, A 2521. do, to cause; wol do me slee, will cause me to slay, B 3107; thou shalt na moore do me to synge, B 4610. do, imp. s.; do hange me by the hals, cause to hang, have me hanged by the neck, G 1029; do fecche, cause to fetch, B 662; 236 GLOSSARY do thilke carte arresten, cause to stop that same cart, B 4210; pp. done; B 698. doctrine, teaching, instruction, B 4632. dogges, dogs, B 3089. doghtren, daughters, B 4019. doked, pp. docked, cut short, A 590. dokes, ducks, B 4580. dong, dung, A 530. dongeoun, donjon, the chief tower of a castle, the keep, A 1057. doomes, judgments, decisions, A 323- doon, pr. pi. do, A 268. doon, to cause; men wolde . . . doon us honge, men would cause us to hang, C 790; doon cry en, to have, or to be, cried, or an- nounced, F 46. doone, to, dat. inf. to do, be done, G932. dooth, causeth; dooth hem to reste, A 2621 ; dooth forth come, causeth forth to come, B 724; wyn and youthe dooth Venus encresse, C 59. dorste, pt. s. durst, A 227, 454, D 969; pt. pi. B 4108. doten, to dote, be foolish, act fool- ishly, G 983. doublenesse, duplicity, F 543, 556, G 1300. doughty, vahant, F 11, 338. doumb, dumb, silent, A 774, B 1055- doute, out of, without doubt, cer- tainly, indeed, A 487, D 978. doutelees, • without doubt, cer- tainly, A 2667, B 91, G 1435. dowves, doves, A 1962. drawe, pp. drawn, A 396. draweth, imp. pi. draw, A 835, 838. drecched, pp. vexed, troubled, B 4077. drede, n. dread, A 1998; doubt, B869, G 1229. dreden, to be afraid, B 41 19. dresse, gan hym, prepared him- self, B 1 100; addressed himself, G 1271; pr. pi. address them- selves, turn to go, F 290. drenched, pp. drowned, lost, G 949. dreye, dry, A 3024. dreynte, pp. drenched, drowned, B69. drogte, drought, A 595. droghte, drought, F 118. dronke, pp. drunken, A 1261, 1262, 1264. dronken, pt. pi. drank, A 820. drough, pt. s. drew, G 685. drouped, pt. pi. drooped, A 107. duetee, duty, A 3060. dulleth, makes dull, (perhaps) saddens, G 11 72. dure, to last, B 1078. duszeyne, dozen, A 578. dwelle, to remain, stay, A 2354. dyamauntz, diamonds, A 2147. dyapred, pp. ornamented with fig- ures of various devices, A 2158. dyde, pt. s. died, F 1 1 ; subj. pt. s. would die, D 965. dye, subj. pr. s. die, D 1145. dyere, dyer, A 362. dyke, to ditch, A 536. dyner, dinner, B 1094, 11 18. dys, dice, A 4384. dyvyne, adj. divine, A 122. dyvynynge, predicting, surmising, A 2515. GLOSSARY 23; ecclesiaste, ecclesiastic, A 708. echon, each one, A 820. eek, eke, also, moreover, besides, A 5, 41, I7i» 199,217,489. eelde, eld, old age, A 3885. eet, pt. s. ate, A 2048, B 4023. eft, again, F 631, G 1263. eft-soone, soon after; hereafter, G993- eggement, incitement, B 832. egremoyne, agrimony, G 800. elles, else, A 375, 735, B 1064, G 1377. elvysshe, elfish, strange, mysteri- ous, in an ironic sense, G 751, 842. embrouded, pp. embroidered, A 89. empoisonyng, n. poisoning, C 891. empoysonere, poisoner, C 894. emprise, enterprise, undertaking, A 2540, G 605. empte, to empty, G 741. empten, to empty, G 1404. enbibyng, imbibing, absorption, G814. enchesoun, occasion, F 456. enclyne, to incline, be disposed, B 1082; to bow, B 3092. encombred, pp. encumbered, A 508. encorporyng, incorporation, G 815. encrees, n. increase, A 2184. encresse, to increase, B 1068, C59. endelong, from end to end, A 2678; all along, F 416. endetted, pp. indebted, in debt, 0734- endite, to write, dictate, A 325; indite, compose, B 4397. endure, to continue, remain, G 947. enformed, pp. informed, F 335. engendrid, pp. engendered, be- gotten, produced, A 2997. engendren, pr. pi. engender, B 4"3- engyned, pp. racked, tortured, B 4250. enluting, coating with clay, G 766. enoynt, pp. anointed, A 199, 2961. enquere, to inquire, search into, B629. ensample, example, A 496, 505, 520, 2039; pi. ensamples, A 1953- entendeth, intends, purposes, D 1 1 14. entente, intent, purpose, B 40, 824, 867, 4613, C 88, 849, F 400, G 998, 1306. entree, entrance, 1983. entuned, pp. intoned, A 123. envyned, pp. supplied with wine, A 342. er, ere, A 36, 835. ercedekenes, archdeacon's, A 655. ere, ear, F 316; pi. eres, D 954. erles, earls, A 2182. erly, early, A 809. erys, ears, A 556, 589. eschaunge, exchange, A 278. eschue, to eschew, avoid, A 3043. ese, ease, entertainment, amuse- ment, A 768; delight, B 4487, G746. esed, pp. entertained, accommo- dated, A 29; set at ease, re- lieved, A 2670. esily, easily, comfortably, A 469. espye, to espy; gan espye, espied, A 1112. espye, n. spy, C 755. 238 GLOSSARY estaat, state, condition; in greet estaat, in fine condition (well fed and well groomed), A 203. estaatly, stately, dignified, B 3902. Skeat defines the word here, 'suitable to one's estate.' estat, estate, state, condition, A 522. estatlich, stately, dignified, A 140. estatly, stately, dignified^ A 281. estres, ' the inner parts of a building,' A 1971. esy, easy; esy fir, and smart also, quiet fire, and a brisk also, G 768; esy of dispence, moderate in expenditure, A 441. eterne, eternal, A 1109. evaungiles, gospels, B 666. evene, moderate, average; evene lengthe, medium height, A 83; even, without variation, A 2588. evene, evenly, A 2593; closely, A 1060. evere in oon, constantly in the same way, F 417. everich, every, A 241, 371; each, B 1004. everich a, every one, A 733. everichon, every one, A 747, G 1365- everichoon, every one, B 3089, G 960. every deel, every deal or part, A 368. everychon, every one, A 31. everychoon, every one, G 1464. ew, yew, A 2923. exametron, hexameter, B 3169. ey, egg, B 4035, G 806. eyen, pi. eyes, A 201, 625, 753, B 661, 4095. eyleth, aileth, A 1081. eyr, air, A 2992. facound, speech, C. 50. facultee, faculty; 'as by his fac- ultee,' according to his own estimate of his importance in the world, A 244. fader, gen. father's, A 781, G 829. fadme, gen. pi. of fathoms, A 2916. fadres, father's, B 861. failleth, fails, F 167. fair langage, elegant small talk, A 211. faire, adv. fairly, A 124, 273, 539, 606, 2659, 2697, B 4397j ^ 1 142. fairer, more respectable, A 754. fairye, inhabitants of fairyland, D 859; fairyland, F 96; used as a collective noun, bands of fairies, D 859; a product of magic, F 201. fairness, fairness (of fife), A 519. faldyng, coarse serge cloth, A 391. falle, to happen, B 4185; pp. fallen, A 2930; happened, A 324, 2703, B 4185. falsed, pp. falsified, F 627. famulier, familiar, as one of the family, A 215. fanne, fan, A 3315. fantome, phantom, fantasy, illu- sion, B 1037. fareth weel, imp. pi. farewell, B 1159. farsed, pp. crammed, stuffed, A 233. faste by, close by, A 719, D 970. faucon, falcon, F 411. faught, pt. s. fought, A 399. fayn, adj. fain, glad, A 2707. GLOSSARY 239 fayn, adv. fain, gladly, A 1257, B 41, C 857, B 4488. fecche, to fetch, B 662; subj. s. opt. B 1064, G 1 159. fee symple, 'the most absolute form of possession of an estate,' A 319. 'The meaning here may be either (literally) that the Sergeant could overcome all restrictions on ownership, or (metaphorically) that he could carry all before him.' — Pollard. feend, fiend, B 1064, 4476. feendly, fiendlike, devilish, G 1303. feere, fear, A 2344. feeste, n. feast, A 2483, B loio. feestlych, festive, F 281. felawe, fellow, associate, A 395, 653, 1624. felaweshipe, fellowship, com- pany, A 474. feld, pp. felled, cut down, A 2924. fen, ' the Arabic name of a part or section of Avicenna's Bpok of the Canon of medicine,' C 890. fer, far, A 388, 3921, B 658, 3872, 4187. ferde, pt. s. fared, F 461. ferden, pt. pi. fared, behaved, A 1647. fered, pp. feared, frightened, B 4576, G 924. fereful, used subjectively, full of fear, G 660. ferforth, farforth; as ferforth as, as far as, B 1099; to such an extent, to that degree, G 1390. fermacies, pharmacies, A 2713. fern, long ago; so fern, F 256. fern-asshen, fern-ashes, F 254. ferne = ferrene, distant; feme halwes, distant saints, i.e. shrines, A 14. ferre, farrer, farther, A 2060. ferrer, farrer, farther, A 835. ferreste, the farthest off, A 494. ferthe, fourth, B 823. ferthing, farthing, fourth part; any small quantity, morsel, A 134; some trifle or other, A 255. fest, fist, C 802. feste, n. feast, B 1007; pi. festes, A 1931. festeiynge, feasting, F 345. festne, to fasten, A 195. fet, pp. fetched, brought, A 819, 2527, B 667, F 276. fetisly, elegantly, A 124, 273; neatly, trimly, A 3319. fette, pt. s. fetched, G 1365. fetys, neatly made, A 157. feyne, to feign, A 736, F 510; pt. s. feyned, C 62, F 524; pp. A 705. feynte, subj. pr. s. faint, sink, G 753. fiers, fierce, A 1945, 2012. fighteth, imp. pi. fight, A 2559. figure, astrological prefigurement, A 2035. fil, pt. s. fell, A 845, B 670, 989, F473» 570; happened, A 1033, B 4394, 4531; pt- pl- fille, A 2666, F 238; subj. pt. s. A 131. filet, fillet, head-band, A 3243. fir, fire, A 1502, G 1339. firy, fiery, A 1493, 1922. fithele, fiddle, A 296. fix, pp. fixed, set, solidified, G 779. flatour, flatterer, B 4515. flaugh, pt. s. flew, B 4421. fledden, pt. pl. fled, A 2930. 240 GLOSSARY fleen, to flee, C 63. fleigh, pt. s. fled, B 3879; flew, B 4529, 4607. flekked, pp. flecked, spotted, G 565. fletynge, floating, A 1956. flex, flax, A 676. flikerynge, fluttering, A 1962. flok, flock, A 824. floryn, florin, a silver coin, A 2088. flotery, wavy, flowing, A 2883. flour, flower, B 1090. flour-de-lys, Fr. fleur-de-lis, lily- flower, A 238. flowen, pt. pi. flew, B 4581 floytynge, fluting, A 91. fly, pt. s. flew, B 4362. folwed, pt. s. followed, A 528. folwen, to follow, imitate, D 1156. fond, pt. s. found, A 701, 4389. fonde, to try, G 951. fontstoon, baptismal font, B 723. foo, foe, B 3913. foom, foam, A 1659, G 564, 565. foon, foes, B 3896. foond, pt. s. found, A 653, 4390, C 847; supported, B 4019. foot mantel, A 472. See note. for, the intoned causal, in the sense of because (the modern causal, for^ is always proclitic), A 443,4415,0 77, 721, D 1 109, ii53»F73. 74, 256, 583,0641. for, in order that, A 2879, B 3905, F 102. for, against, in spite of; ' for al his strengthe,' A 2645; against (in the sense of protecting or shielding), G 578; 'for any thing,' against, in opposition to, anything, A 276. forbeede, subj. pr. s. opt. forbid; God it forbeede, G 1375. for black, by reason of blackness, A 2144; for age, A 3053, 3867; colblak, for old, i.e. coal black by reason of age, A 2142; y^r is generally understood here as an intensive, for-old meaning very old. for me, so far as I am concerned, A 2924, F 357. for that, because, A 2068, B 4504. force, by, perforce, A 2554. for-dronke, pp. very drunk, C 674. fordryed, very dry, dried up, F 409. foreward, compact, agreement, A 829, 848, 852. for-fered, pp. much alarmed, F 527. forlete, to give up, forego, lose, C 864. forn-cast, pp. premeditated, B 4407. forneys, furnace, A 202, 559. forpyned, tormented; the prefix for is intensive ; * a forpyned goost,' is one that has had an excessive dose of purgatory, A 205. fors, force; no fors, no matter, B 4131, G 652, 1019, 1357. f orster, forester, A 1 1 7. forsaketh, imp. pi. forsake, C 286. for sothe, forsooth, A 283. fortunen, to presage, A 417. forward, agreement, A 33, 2619, B40. forwoot, foreknows, B 4424. for-wrapped, pp. wrapped up, C 718. f other, cart-load, A 530. GLOSSARY 241 foundred, pt. s. stumbled, A 2687. fowel, fowl, bird, A 190; pi. foweles, A 9, F 398. foyne, to thrust, A 2550. foynen, pr. pi. thrust, A 1654. foyneth, thrusteth, A 2615. frakenes, freckles, A 2169. frankeleyn, franklin, freeholder, country gentleman, A 331; pi. frankeleyns, A 216. fredom, freedom, liberality, A 46. freend, friend, A 670. freendlich, friendly, A 2680. freeten, pp. devoured, A 2068. freletee, frailty, C 78. fremde, foreign, F 429. frere, friar, A 621. freten, to devour, A 2019. fro, from, A 397, 692, 801. fruit, consequence, result, F 74. fulfild, pp. filled full, B 660, C 3, D 859. fulfiUe, to fill full; lustes all ful- fille, gratify desires to the full, c 833. fulsomnesse, overfulness, excess, F405. fume, vapour from an overloaded stomach, B 41 14. fumositee, fumosity, the fumes of wine drinking, F 358. funeral, funereal, A 2864. furial pyne, raging pain, F 445. fy, interj. fie ! B 4098. fyled, pp. filed, made smooth, A 2152. fyn, end, B. 3884. fynch, finch, a kind of bird, A 652. fynde, to find, invent, A 736; pr. pi. fynden, find, discover, A 1627. fyne, to cease, D 11 36. fyne of ground, fine in texture, A 453. fyr-reed, fire-red, A 624. Fyssh, Fish, the constellation, F 273- gadered, pp. gathered, A 2183. gadereth, gathereth, A 1053. gadrede, pt. s. gathered, A 824. gaf , pt. s. gave, A 424, 496, 600. gaillard, gay, sprightly, A 4367. galle, gall, G 797. galoche, shoe, patten, F 555. galpyng, gaping, F 350; pi. gal- pynge, F 354. galyngale, sweet cyperus root, A 381. game, n. sport, A 3259, B 4452, G703. gamed, it pleased, A 534. gan appeere, appeared, A 2346. gan callen, called, C 666. gan looke, looked, C 720. gan to holde, held, A 1506. gappe, gap, opening, A 1639, 1645. gapyng, gaping; gapyng upright, lying flat on the back, with the mouth open, B 4232. gargat, throat, B 4525. garleek, garlic, A 634. gastly, ghastly, A 1984. gat, got, A 703, 704. gat-tothed, Skeat explains, ' hav- ing the teeth far apart'; but this explanation admits of ques- tion, A 468. See note. gaude grene, light green, A 2079. gauded, having green gaudies, the large beads in the rosary repre- senting pater nosters, A 159. gauren, to gaze, F 190. 242 GLOSSARY gaylard, gay, merry; gaylard tappestere, merry barmaid, A gayler, jailer, A 1064. geere, clothing, general outfit, A 365. geestes, stories, F 211. geldehalle, guildhall, A 370. geldyng, gelding, eunuch, A 691. gent, slim and graceful, A 3234. gentil, well-born and well-bred, A 72; genteel, A 718; of a good stock, well-sired, F 195. gentillesse, gentility, D 1109, 1 1 17, 1 130, 1 1 59; gentleness, kindness, condescension, B 853. genterye, gentility, true gentle- ness, D 1 146. gentilly, courteously, graciously, B 1093. gentrye, rank by birth, D 1152. gere, gear, trapping apparatus of every kind, A 352, 2180. gerland, garland, A 666, 1054, 1507; pi. gerlandes, A 2937. gerner, garner, granary, A 593. gesse, to guess, suppose, imagine, B 622; pn I s. B 1088. get, contrivance, G 1277. geve, to give, A 232, 505, 611; sub. pr. s. B 4623, G 593. geven, to give, A 487. geveth, giveth, A 1253. giggynge of sheeldes, strapping of shields, A 2504. giltelees, guiltless, B 674, 1062. gipser, pouch, A 357. girdel, girdle, A 358. girles, young people of either sex, A 664. gise, fashion, way, A 663. giterne, gittern, a sort of guitar, glade, to make glad, cheer, enter- tain, F 634, G 598. gladeth, gladdens, cheers, F 609. glarynge, staring, A 684. gleede, live coal, A 1997; P^- gleedes, A 3883. gleyre of an ey, white of an tgg, G806. glood, pt. s. gUded, F 393. glose, gloze, flattery, excessive praise, F 165. glowynge, bright, shining, B 4095. go, pr. pi. go, walk, C. 748; pp. gone, B 1006, G 907. gobet, a small piece, bit, fragment, A 696. Goddes, God's, A 1084; pi. goddes, A 2925. gold-hewen, hewn or made out of gold, A 2500. goldsmythrye, goldsmithing, A 2498. goliardeys, a, glutton of words, a tonguester and teller of low stories, a buffoon, A 560. gon, pr. pi. go, G 1 143. gonne, pt. pi. gan, A 1658, 2955, G 1 192. good, n. property, possession, A 581, 611, G 745, 946, 949, 1289, 1376, 1401, 1406. goodlich, goodly, F 623; kind, G 1053. gooldes, marigolds, A 1929. goon, to go, A 377, 450; pr. pi. A 1267, 3022. goore, gore, gusset, A 3237. goost, spirit, C 43. goot, goat, A 688. gooth, imp. pi. go, A 2560, G 1207, GLOSSARY 243 governaunce, management of his business, A 281 ; his g., the man- agement, or control, of him, F governyng, control, A 599. grace, favour, A 88, 2316, 2322, G 1348. grame, grief, G 1403. grant mercy! great thanks, G 1380. graunt mercy, great thanks, B 4160, G 1 156. gree, step, rank, superiority, A 2733- greesse, grease, C 60. greet, great, A 364, 667, 2483, '1256. grene, n. green; used metaphori- cally for success in love, A 1512. Grete See, Great Sea, the Medi- terranean, especially that part which washes the coast of Pales- tine, A 59. grette, pt. s. greeted, B 105 1, C 714. greve, grove, B 4013; pi. greves, A 1495; branches, A 1507. greyn, dyed in, of a fast colour, F511. greyn, grain, corn, A 596. grifphon, griffin, A 2133. grisly, horrible, dreadful, A 1971, C708. gronen, to groan; gan gronen, groaned, B 4076. gronte, pt. s. groaned, B 3899. grope, to test, probe, A 644; pr. pi. try, test, G 679; imp. s. feel about, G 1236. grucche, same as grudge, to grum- ble, murmur, A 3863. grucchen, pr. pi. murmur, com- plain, A 3058, 3062. gruccheth, murmurs, complains, A 3045- grymme, grim, fierce, A 2519. grys, grey fur, A 194. grys, grey, G 559. gyde, n. guide, A 804. gye, to guide, A 1950; govern, A 3046. gyle, guile, deceit, A 2596. gyn, contrivance, F 128, 322, G 1165. gynglen, to jingle, A 170. gypon, gipoun, a short cassock, A 75. gyse, guise, way, manner, custom, fashion, A 1253, 2137, 2539, 291 1, 2941, F 332, 540. gyte, a woman's gown, or outer dress of some kind, A 3954. gyterne, gittern, a kind of guitar, A 4396; pi. gyternes, C 466. haberdasshere, a seller of hats, A 361. habergeon, a small hauberk, coat of mail, A 76. habundant, abundant, B 4115. habundantly, abundantly, B 870. hadde, subj. pt. pi. might have, G 1 103. hakke, to hack, A 2865. hals, neck, B 73, G 1029. halt, holdeth, F 61; regards, con- siders, G 921. halwes, saints, B 1060, G 1244; by meton. for shrines, A 14. haly dayes, holy days, A 3952. hamer, hammer, G 1339. han, to have, A 795, 1255, B 857, 4091; pr. pi. B 4487, F 186. 244 GLOSSARY hape, luck, G 1209. harde grace, hard grace, displeas- ure, G 665. hardily, boldly; used absolutely, to speak boldly, A 156. hardy, bold, daring, A 405, 1945, 2586, 2649, B 3093, 4104, 4229, F 19, G 1347- hardynesse, boldness, daring, A 1948. hardyng, hardening, tempering, F 243. harlot, ' fellow, usually one of low conduct; but originally merely a young person, without impli- cation of reproach.' — Skeat. harnays, harness, armour, A 2140. harneised, pp. harnessed, equipt, A 114. harneys, harness, armour, A 1630, 2496, 2696. harre, hinge, A 550. harrow ! interj. help ! B 4235, 4570. haryed, pp. roughly dragged, A 2726. hasardour, gamester, C 751. haste, to hasten, A 2052. hastifly, hastily, B 688, 1047. hastou, hast thou, B 676. hauberkes, hauberks, coats of mail, A 2500. haunt, practice, experience, skill, A 447. haunteden, pt. pi. followed after, practised, C 464. haunteth, practises, devotes one's self to, A 4392. havenes, havens, A 407. haveth, imp. pi. have, B 654. hawe, hedge, C 855. hawebake, baked haw, used for plain, rough food, any poor dish, B95- heddes, heads, F 203, 358. hede, head, A 1054. heed, head, A 293, 470, 551, 666, B837. heeld, pt. s. held, A 2736, 2894. heele, to heal, F 240, 471. heele, n. health, A 1271, 3102. heeled, pp. healed, A 2706. heelpe, pt. s. helped, A 1651. heeng, pt. s. hung, A 358, 676, 3250, G 574. heepe, heap, A 575. heere, here, A 1260. heer, hair, A 589, 675, 1049, 3314; pi. heeres, A 2883. heer biforn, herebefore, hereto- fore, B 613. heeste, best, behest, command, B 1013, F 113. heet, hight, pt. s. was named, B 4039. heete,pr. i s. promise, vow, B 1132. heeth, heath, A 6, 606, 3262. hegges, hedges, B 4408. heigh, high, A 316, 522, 1065; applied to the nose, aquiline, perhaps, A 2167; in heigh and logh, in high and low, wholly, entirely, B 993; the heighe bord, the high board, or table, F 85, 98. heighe, adv. high, B 4607. heih, high, A 2537. helmes, helms, helmets, A 2500, 2609. helpe, subj. pr. opt. help, F 469. hem, them, A 31, 379. hem semed, it seemed to them, F56. hem thoughte, it seemed to them, 64578,0771. GLOSSARY 245 hende, literally, handy, dexterous; gentle, civil, A 3856. heng, pt. s. hung, A 160; pt. pi. henge, A 677. henne, hence, A 2356, 3889, C 687. hent, pp. seized, B 4249, 4548. hente, to seize, lay hold of, A 229, 2638, C 710; pt. s. A 698, B 3895. 4525' 4612, G 1325; took away, B 1144. heraud, herald, A 2533 ; pi. heraudes, A 2599. herbergage, harbourage, lodging, B4179. herbergeours, harbingers, B 997. herberwe, harbour, A 403; lodg- ing, inn, A 765. herd, haired; thikke h., A 2518. herd, pp. heard, F 242. here agayns, against this, A 3039. heres, hairs, D 953. heris, hairs, A 3870. herketh, imp. pi. hark, G loii. herkne, to hearken, hear, A 2532, 4400. herkne, imp. s. hearken, listen to, G927. herkned, pp. listened, F 403. herkneth, imp. pi. hearken, listen, give ear to, A 788, 828, 855, 2674, B4391. hemes, corners, G 658. heronsewes, hernshaws, young herons, F 68. hert, hart, A 2065. herte, heart, A 533, B 4493; gen. s. herte blood, heart's blood, A 2006; pi. hertes, B 1066. hertelees, heartless, without cour- age, B 4098. hertely, heartily, A 762. herte-spoon, A 2606. 'The pro- vincial heart-spoon signifies the navel.' Tyrwhitt explains it as * the concave part of the breast, where the lower ribs unite with the cariilago etisiformis.'' heryed, pp. praised, B 872. heryeth, praiseth, B 1155. herys, hairs, A 555. heste, command, A 2532. hethenesse, heathendom, heathen land, A 49, B 11 12. heve, to heave, A 550. hevene, heaven, A 2561. hevenysshly, heavenishly, heav- enly, A 1055. hevynesse, sorrow, A 2348, 3058, B 1 145. hewe, to hew, A 2865. hewe, hue, colour, complexion, A 394, 458, 1038, 1647; pi. hewes, hues, colours (of a paint- ing), A 2088. hey, hay, A 3262. heyne, wretch, villain; distinct, according to Skeat, from hyne^ a peasant, or hind, G 1319. heyre-clowt, hair-cloth, C 736. hider, hither, A 672. hierde, herd, herdsman, A 603. highte, was called, named, A 616, 719, 1972, B 4021, D 1126, F 30, 33; is called, B 4378; were called, A 2920. him, dat. for himself, A 526, 703. hipes, hips, A 472. hir thoughte, it seemed to her, B 697, 699, D 965, 967. hir liste, it pleased her, F 365. hit, pr. 3 s. hideth, F 512. holde, to hold, maintain, preserve, D 1 144; pr. I s. regard, G 739; 246 GLOSSARY ' pp. held, regarded, esteemed, F 70. holden, pp. held, regarded, A 141, 2719. holdeth, imp. pi. hold, regard, G1131. holm, evergreen oak, A 2921. holpe, pp. helped, F 666. holpen, pp. helped, "A 18. holt, wood, grove, A 6. horn, home, F 635. honeste, becoming, right, fit, A 246. honestee, honourablenc^s, honour, dignity, B 3902, 3908; womanly virtue, C 77. hoo! interj. hold! stop! A 1706, 2656. hool, n. whole, A 3006. hoold, n. hold, possession, B 4064. hoole, whole, A 533. hooUy, wholly, A 599. hoom, home, A 400, 2365, B 1044. hoomly, adv. homely, A 328. hoomely, adv. plainly, simply, un- pretendingly, G 608. hoord, n. hoard, A 3262, C 775. hoot, hot, A 626, 687, G 1 186; def. hoote, A 394. hoote, hotly, A 97. hoote, pp. called, A 3941. hoppe, to hop, dance, A 4375. hoppen, pr. pi. hop, dance, A 3876. hoppesteres, female dancers, A 2017; 'shippes hoppesteres' is generally understood to mean, ships dancing on the waves. hors, pi. horses, A 74, 598. horsly, horselike, 194. hosen, hose, stockings, A 3955. hoses, stockings, A 3319. hostelrie, hostelry, inn, A 722. hostelrye, hostelry, inn, A 718, B4184. hostiler, innkeeper, A 241, B 4219, 4250. hou, how, A 2925, 2929. houndes (used generically), dogs, A 146. houres, (astrological) hours, A 416. housbondrie, husbandry, economy, thrift, B 4018. howped, pt. pi. whooped, B 4590. humblesse, humility, F 544. hunte, hunter, A 2018, 2628. hurtleth, dasheth, A 2616. hust, pp. hushed, A 2981. hy, imp. s. hasten; hy the, G 1295. hyder, hither, B 1041. hye, adv. high, A 271, 2075, 2138, 3267. hye, to hasten, F 291, G 1084, 1151. hyer, higher, F 387; hyer bond, upper hand, advantage, A 399. hym-selven, himself, A 184. hym thoughte, it seemed to him, A 682, B 4201, 4204. hyndreste, accumulative form, in- volving a comparative and a superlative ending, hindmost, A 622. hyne, hind, farm-servant, A 603, C688. ignotum per ignocius (ignotius), the unknown through, or by, the more unknown, G 1457. ik, I, A 3867, 3888. like, same, A 64, 175, 721, G 1366. impresse, pr. pi. impress (them- selves), G 1071. in, n. inn, lodging, B 1097, 4216. induracioun, induration, harden- ing, G 855. GLOSSARY 247 infect, pp. infected, rendered in- valid, A 320. infortune, misfortune, ill fortune, malign influence, A 2021. inne, adv. in, A 41, F 578, G 880, 881. In principio, the initial words of the fourth gospel, In the begin- ning, A 254. iren, iron; used as adj., iren squames, iron scales, G 759. janglere, prater, babbler, tongue- ster, gabbler, A 560. jape, a trick, G 131 2; pi. japes, A 705. jayes, jays (birds), G 1397. jeet, n. jet, B 4051. jet, fashion, A 682. jogelours, jugglers, F 219. joliftee, jollity, C 780. joly, fine, handsome, A 3931 ; delightful, F 48. jolynesse, festivity, F 289. journee, a day's march, A 2738. joynant, joining, adjoining, A 1060. juggement, judgment, A 778, 805, B 1038. jupartye, jeopardy, hazard, chance, G743. juste, to joust, tilt, A 96, 2604. justen, pr. pi. joust, tilt, A 2486. justes, the jousts, tilting match, A 2720. justise, justice, judge, B 665. kan, knows, A 210, 371, B 47, 49, F 112, G 600, 620; pr. pi. F 185. kanstow, canst thou, B 632. kaytyf, caitiff, wretch, A 1946. keen, kine, cows, B 4021. keepe, n. care, A 398, 503, 2688, B 4200, C 90, F 348. kembd, pp. combed, A 2143. kembde, pt. s. combed, arranged, smoothed, F 560. kempe, shaggy, A 2134. kene, keen, A 2876. kepe, to care, take care of, keep account of, A 130, 593, 2960, G 1368 ; pr. subj. A 2329. kepen, to take care of, C 798. kepeth, imp. pi. keep, G 1370, C86. kept, pp. taken care of, guarded, A 276. kepte, pt. s. took care of, watched, A 415, C 106. keste, pt. s. kissed, F 350. kist, pp. kissed, B 1074. kithe, pr. subj. s. make known, show, B 636. kithed, pp. shown, G 1054. kitheth, maketh known, manifest- eth, F 483. knarre, tough, thick-set man, A 549. knarry, gnarled, A 1977. knave, boy, servant, C 666 ; pi. knaves, servants, A 2728, B 3087. knave child, boy child, B 722. knobbes, large pimples, A 633. knotte, knot, denouement, F 401, 407. knowlechyng, knowing, know- ledge, G 1432. knyghthod, generalship, military skill, B 3873. konne, subj. pr. s. know, A 4396 ; konne he letterure, or konne he noon, know he book-learning, or know he none, G 846. konning, cunning, knowledge, power, skill, F 35, 248 GLOSSARY konnyng, knowing, ability, B 1099, F35, 251, G653, 1 135, 1446. korven, pp. carved, cut, A 2695. koude, pt. s. could, knew, A no, 382, 383,467, F39, 128. kouthe, pt. s. knew ; as he kouthe, as he knew, i.e. as well as he knew how, A 390. kowthe, pp. known, famous, A 14. kyde, kid, A 3260. kynde, kind, nature, B 4386, D 1 149, F 469, G 659. kynnes, gen. s., som k., of some kind, B 1137. laas, lace, cord, A 392 ; band, G574. lacynge, lacing, fastening, A 2504. lad, pp. led, A 2620, 4402. ladde, pt. s. led, B 4016. lady, gen. lady's, A 88, 695. laft, pp. left, G 1321. lafte, pt. s. left, failed, A 492. lakkede, pt. s. lacked, was want- ing, A 756. lampe, thin plate, G 764. large, adv. largely, broadly, coarsely, A 734 ; fully, A 2738. las, a lace, snare, trap, A 1951. lasse, less, A 4409, C 865. lat, imp. s. let, cause, A 840, B 859, G 936, 1254. late, lately, A 690. laten blood, to let blood, bleed, A 3326. latoun, latten, ' a compound metal, like pinchbeck, contain- ing chiefly copper and zinc' Skeat. A 699. laurer, laurel, A 2175, 2875, 2922. lauriat, laureate, crowned with laurel, B 3886. lay, law (of his religion), F 18. lay, pt. s. put up, lodged, G 1023. layneres, thongs, straps, A 2504. lazar, leper, A 242. leden, language, speech, voice, cry, dat. s. ledene, F435, 43^j 47^- leed, a caldron, copper, A 202. leef, desirous, C 760. leene, lean, A 287. leene, imp. s. lend, G 1026. leep, pt. s. leaped, A 2687. leere, to learn, D 982, G 1349 ; subj. pr. pi. F 104, G 607. leeste, at the, at least, B 1012. leet,pt. s. let, A 175,507 ; caused, A 2731, 2865, 2890, F 45. leete, to forsake, abandon, give up, G 1409. leeve, dear, C 731, F 341. leeveth, imp. pi. believe, A 3088. legge, to lay, A 3937. lekes, leeks, A 634. lemaille, filings, G 11 64, 1267, 1269. lemes, limbs, A 3886. lemes, gleams, B 4120. lendes, loins, A 3237. lene, to lend, give, A 611, G 1024, 1037 5 i"^P- s. give, A 3082. lenger, longer, A 330, 821, 2557, D 978, F 404. lengthe, height, A 83. lente, pt. s. loaned, G 1050. leoun, lion, A 1640, 1656, 2630. lepe, to leap, A 4378. lere, to learn, B 630. lered, pp. learned, C 283. lerne, to learn, A 308, C 70, G 1400 ; to teach, G 844. lerned, pp. taught, G 748. lese, to lose, B 4506, G 833 ; subj. pr. pi. lose, G 1410. GLOSSARY 249 lesen, to lose, G 745. • leste, pleasure, A 132. leste, it pleased, A 750, 787 ; subj. pr. s. A828, F 125. lesynges, leasings, lies, falsehoods, A 1927. lette, to delay, stay, tarry, B 11 17, 4224 ; pp. hindered, B 4030. letterure, literature, book-learn- ing, G 846. letuaries, electuaries, A 426. leve, leave, permission, A 1064, C 848; leave (of departure), A 4413. leve, to leave off, forsake, A 4414. leve, n. leave, departure, B 867. leve, dear, B 51. levere, liefer, rather, A 293, B 1027, 3083, G 1376. leves, leaves, A 1496. lewed, lewd, ignorant, unlearned, A 502, 574, C 283, F 221, G 647^ 844, 925. lewedly, ignorantly, unskilfully, B 47. lewednesse, ignorance, F 223. ley, imp. s. lay, A 841. leyd, pp. laid, A 3262. leyde, pt. s. laid, A 2877, B 838, D973- leye, to lay, A 2866, G 596, 611. leyser, leisure, F 493. licenciat, one licensed to hear confessions and give absolution independently of the parish priests, A 220. licour, liquor, sap, A 3. lief, dear, B 3084, 4069, G 1467. lifly, adv. to the life, A 2087. liggen, pr. pi. lie, B 4415. light, easy; light to leere, easy to learn, G 838. lighte, to lighten, to be light, cheerful, F 396. lighte, pt. s. lighted, alighted, dis- mounted, B 1 104, F 169. lightly, easily, C 752, 781, G 1400. likerous, lecherous, wanton, A 3244. likerousnesse, appetite, passion for game, C 84. liketh, pr. s. pleaseth, is pleasing, A 777, G 1469. limaille, fiUngs, G 1197. linage, lineage, kindred, B 999. lipsed, pt. s. lisped, A 264. list, it pleaseth, A 583, 1950, 2074, 3002, G 1056, 1360. liste, pt. s. it pleased, A 102, 1052, B 1048, 4466, G 1 3 13. litarge, litharge, G 775. lite, Httle, A 494, 2627, 2674, 3863, F 565, G 567. lith, pr. s. lieth, B 634, 4232, 4235, 4458, F 474. lith, limb, B 4065. lode, load, A 2918. lodemenage, pilotage, A 403. logge, n. lodge, B 4043. logged, pp. lodged, B 4181, 4186, 4188. loggyng, n. lodging, B 4185. logh, low, B993, 1 142. logyk, logic, A 286. loken, pp. locked, enclosed, B 4065. lokkes, locks (of hair), A 677. lomb, lamb, B 617. lond, land, A 194; upon lond, in the country, A 702. longen, pr. pi. belong, A 3885. longeth, belongeth, pertaineth, C 109, F 16. 250 GLOSSARY longynge, longing, belonging, suitable, F 39. loode-sterre, loadstar, A 2059. looke, subj. pr. s. G 861. looketh, imp. pi. look, A 3073. loore, lore, learning, instruction, teaching, A 527, B 4160, 4386, C 70, G 842. loos, praise, G 1368. looth, loath, undisposed, A 486; me were looth, it would be far from me, B 91. lordynges, dear sirs, my masters, A 761, 788, 828. lore, teaching, A 527. lorn, pp. lost, B 843; undone, for- saken, F 629. los, loss, A 2543, G 1009. losengeour, flatterer, deceiver, cozener, B 4516. loude, adv. loudly, A 171, 1509, 2562, 2597, 2600. lough estat, low, humble estate, or condition, A 522; in heigh and lough, in all things, in all respects, A 817. loughe, pt. pi. laughed, A 3858. love dayes, ' days for settling dis- putes, when the friar would act as judge, and favour whom he pleased,' A 258. lowke, ' an accomplice who en- tices the dupe into the thiefs company, a decoyer of victims.' — Skeat. A 4415. luce, a full-grown pike, A 350. luUeth, soothes, B 839. lunarie, moon-wort, G 800. lust, pleasure, A 192, 1932; de- sire, interest, F 402. lust, pr. s. it pleases, F 147. luste, pt. s. it pleased, G 1235. luste, pt. s. enjoyed, G 1344. lustes, desires, A 3066, 6833. lustier, gladder, G 1345. lustiheed, pleasure, enjoyment, F288. lusty, pleasant, A 2176, 2484, F 52, 389, G 1402 (ironic). lustynesse, pleasantness, A 1939. lyche, adj. like, F 62. lychewake, lichwake, the wake or watch held over a corpse, A 2958. lye, n. lie; withouten any lye, truly, A 3015, G 599, 1430. lyk, like, A 261. lylie, lily, A 1036. lym, lime, G 910. lymaille, filings of metals, G 853. lymes, limbs, A 2714. lymytacioun, limitation, the lim- ited district of a friar, D 877. lymytour, limiter; one licensed to beg within, or whose duties were confined to, prescribed limits, A 209, D 874; pi. lymy- tours, D 866. lynage, lineage, A mo, D 1135. lynde, lime-tree, A 2922. lyned, pp. lined, A 440. lytarge, litharge, A 629. lyth, lieth, A 3023, F 35. lyvere, liver; so vertuous a lyvere, one of so virtuous a life, B 1024. lyveree, livery, A 363. lyvestow, livest thou, C 719. maad, pp. made, A 212. maces, clubs, A 2559, 261 1. made, pt. s. caused, A 427; wrote, B57. magnasia, magnesia, G 1455. GLOSSARY 251 maister, master, C 680; pi. mais- tres, A 576. maister strete, main street, A 2902. maistow, mayst thou, A 2128. maistresse, mistress, C 106. maistrie, mastery, A 165; con- trol, C 58; a masterly piece of work, G 1060. make, mate, companion, A 2556, B 700. make a thing, draw up a docu- ment, A 325. maketh, doeth, A 3035. male, mail, leather bag, wallet, A 694; m. tweyfoold, a twofold, or double, budget or leather bag, G566. malisoun, curse, G 1245. malliable, malleable, G 1130. manace, menace, threat, A 2003. manasynge, menacing, threaten- ing, A 2035. maner, manner, kind, sort; a maner deye, a sort of dairy- woman, B 4036; what maner man, whatever manner of man, G 738; maner rym, sort of verse, D 1 1 27; maner wight, sort of per- son, A 71, F 138. manhede, manhead, manhood, courage, bravery, B 3861. mansioun, mansion (an astrologi- cal term), F 50. mantelet, small mantle, A 2163. many oon, many a one, A 317. marc, a coin equal to 13J. 4^., G 1026. mareys, morass, marsh, D 970. Marie ! marry ! originally an oath by the Virgin Mary, G 1062. market-betere, 'swaggerer in a market.' — Skeat. A 3936. martir, martyr, A 770. marybones, marrow-bones, A 380. matere, subject-matter, C 104. matires, gen. pi. oure matires sublymyng, sublimation of our materials, G 770. matrimoigne, matrimony, A 3095. maugree, in spite of, A 2618, 4602. maunciple, a purveyor or pur- chaser of provisions for an inn of court, A 544, 569. may, maiden, B 851. may, can, A 2510, 3003, 3005, B ion, 1070, F 181, 183, G 621. mayde, maid, B 831. mayme, to maim, injure, cripple, D 1132. maystow, mayst thou, i.e. canst thou, A 1918, 2496, 3016. mazed, pp. bewildered, B 678. mede, mead, meadow, D 860. medle, to meddle, G 11 84. medlee cote, a coat of mixed stuff, A 328. medleth, imper. pi. meddle, G 1424. meede, mead, meadow, A 89. meede, reward, A 770. meel, a meal, B 4023. meeth, mead, a fermented drink made of honey, etc., A 3261. meetre, metre, B 31 71. mele, meal (flour), A 3939. me list, it pleaseth me, A 3867. melle, mill, A 3923. men, a weakened form of the A.S. indefinite man (Ger. man, F. on), one, A 149, 346, 3032, F481. 252 GLOSSARY mente, pt. s. meant, A 2990, B 4614, G 999. mere, mare, A 541. merite, deserving (good or bad), C 276; here desert in a bad sense. mervaille, marvel, B 677. merye, pleasant, A 208. meschance, mischance, mishap, misfortune, A 4412, B 610. meschaunce, mischance, misfort- une, A 2008, B 4531, 4623. mescheef , misfortune, G 713, 1378. meschief , mischief, trouble, A 493, 2551- messageer, messenger, B 724. messager, messenger, A 1491. messe dayes, mass days, B 4042. mesurable, moderate, A 435, F 362. mesure, measure, moderation, C 47- met, pp. dreamed, B 41 16, 4445. mete, meet, fit, A 163 1. mete, meat, food, in a general sense, A 127, 136, 345, F 618; unto mete y-set, assigned a place at table, F 173. Methamorphosios, Metamorpho- seos, gen. s.. Liber being under- stood, B 93. In the title of Ovid's poem the word is in the gen. pi., Metamorphoseon Libri XV. mette, pt. s. impers. it dreamed; me mette, it dreamed to me, I dreamed, B 4084, 4088; (per- sonal), B 4192, 4223. A.S. mg^tan. mewe, a mew, coop, cage, F 643, 646. meynee, household, attendants, retinue, train, A 1258, 4381, B 4584, F391. mirre, myrrh, A 2938. mo, more, A 576, 849, 1935, ^ 54» C891. moche, adv. much, A 11 16. moerdre, murder, A 1256. moeved, pt. s. moved, B 1136. moevere, mover, A 2987. moUificacioun, moUification, soft- ening; bodies m., softening of bodies, G 854. mone, n. moan, B 656. moneye, money, A 703. montance, amount, C 863. mooder, mother, B 832, 841, 988, C 731; gen. s. moodres, B 1013, C729. moone, moon, A 403. moore, adv. more, A 3247, F 472. moore, adj. greater, A 219; for the moore part, A 3858. mooste, greatest; hir mooste won- der, F 199; the mooste part, F 361. moot, must, A 735, 738, 1644, 1645, 1646, 3030, B 3104, 4424, C 104, D 980, F 41; pi. moote, A 232, 732, 742; mooten, F 316; subj. pr. I p. B 4490. moralite, moral significance, B 4630. mordred, pp. murdered, B 4195. mordrour, murderer, B 4416. mordrynge, murdering, A 2001. mormal, gangrene, A 386. morne, morning, A 358, 3236. mortifie, to make (quicksilver, i.e. live silver) dead; in a general sense, to transmute, G 1431; mortifye, G 11 26. GLOSSAJiY 253 mortreux, kind of stew or pot- tage, A 384. morwe, morrow, morning, A 334, 1034, 1492, G 588. morwenynge, morning, A 1062, F 397; pi. morwenynges, D 875. mosel, muzzle, A 215 1. moste, pt. s. had to, A 712, 847, 2619, 2650, B 4496, F 577, 591, 594, G 1 199; subj. pt. moste, would have to, D 968, F 2,?>j 280; pt. pi. mosten, B 4182; us moste, it ought to be for us, we ought, G 946. motteleye, motley, A 271. motyf, motive, incitement, B 628. mowe, pr. pi. may, can, are able, A 2999, 3S86, G 780, 909, 1397. mowen, pr. pi. may, can, G 681. mowled, pp. grown mouldy, de- cayed, A 3870. moyste, soft, A 457. muche and lite, great and small, high and low, A 494. muchel, adv. much, A 132, 258. muchel, a great deal, A 467. muUok, rubbish, refuse, debris, A 3873, G 938. multiplicacioun, multiplication (of gold or silver), G 849. multiplie, technical term of al- chemy, to transmute base metals into gold or silver, G 669, 731, 835, 1401; pr. pi. G 1417. multiplying, transmuting metals into gold or silver, G 1391. murie, merry, A 2562, B 4041. murier, adj. merrier, B 4041 ; adv. more merrily, B 4460. murierly, more merrily, A 714. murthe, mirth, G 600. mury, merry, A 802. murye, merry, pleasant, A 235. murye, adv. merrily, C 843. muwe, mew, coop, A 349. myght, n. power, A 538. myrie, merry, pleasant, A 757, 764, 782, 857, 1499, 3325, G 597- myrily, merrily, pleasantly, B 4457» 4462. mys, amiss, G 999. mysaventure, ill fortune, misfort- une, B 616. mysdooth, misdoes, illtreats, B 3112. myshappe, to mishap, A 1646. myshapped, pp. happened ill, turned out badly, G 944. mysseith, missays, speaks evil of, B3112. myster, trade, handicraft, A 613. nadde = ne hadde, subj. pt. pi. * nadde they but a sheete,' had they only a sheet, G 879. nakers, a kind of drums, A 251 1. nam, pt. s. took, G 1297. nam = ne am, am not, A 11 22. namely, especially, A 1268, 2709, 3044- na mo, no more, no other, B 695, 4020, D 975. namoore, no more, A 11 22, 2366, G 1424. napoplexie = ne apoplexie, nor apoplexy, B 4031. narette = ne arette, subj. pr. pi. account, impute, ascribe not, A 726. narwe, narrow, small, A 625, B 4012. 254 GLOSSARY nas = ne was, was not, A 251, 404, 603. nas but, was only, G 1367. nat, not, A 246, 726. nat but, only, A 2722, C 866, F 391, 638, G601. nathelees, nathless, nevertheless, A35, 64161,0813,0965. nayles, claws, A 2 141. ne, adv. and adverbial conj. not, nor; ne — but, only, B 1139, D 881. nede, n. need, B 658. nede, adv. necessarily, F 1280. nede, to be necessary, B 871. neded, pt. s. was necessary, B 4024, C 106. nedely, necessarily, D 968. nedes, adv. needs, of necessity, necessarily, B 4424, G 1199. nedeth, is necessary, A 3028, C 670. neer, comp. nearer, A 839, G 721. neet, neat, cattle, A 597. nempne, to name, F 318. nere = ne were, subj. pt. s. were it not, G 1362; subj. pt. pi. A 2589. nevene, to name, G 821; subj. pr. pi. G 1473. neveradeel, not a bit, not at all, C670. newe, newly, A 428, 2162, 3256, B 4239; al of newe, all of late, G 1043. newefangel, fond of novelty, F 618. newefangelnesse, fondness for novelty, F 610. nexte weye, nearest way, A 2365. nis = ne is, is not, G 919. noble, a gold coin (6j. 8<3'.), A 3256. nobleye, nobleness, dignity, state, F77. noght, not, A 253. nolde — ne wolde, would not, A 550, 2704, B 87, D 962, F 421, G 1334. nones, for the, for the nonce, for the occasion, A 379, 545, B 4523- nonnerye, nunnery, A 3946. nonys, for the, for the nonce, A 523. noot = ne woot, i s. know not, A 284, 1039, iioi, B 1019, 4450, C 816; 3 s. knows not, A 1263, C 284. norice, n. nurse, F 347. norissyng, nourishing, nutritious- ness, A 437. nosethirles, nostrils, A 557. not-heed, closely shaved head, A 109. A.S. hnot. no thyng, used adverbially, not at all, in no wise, A 2505, B 4030, 4466, G 935, 1036, 1079. novelrie, novelty, F 619. now, very lately, a little while ago, G588. now and now, now and again, F 430. nowthe, now; as n., just now, at present, A 462. A.S. nu J^a. ny, nigh, near, close, A 588, 732, 2342, F 346. nyce, foolish, A 3855, B 1088, 4505, G 647, 842, 925; fas- tidious, scrupulous, A 398. nyghtertale, night-time, A 97. nyl = ne wyl, pr. 3 s. will not, D1155. nylle = ne wylle, pr. i s. will not, G 1463. GLOSSARY 255 nyn = ne yn, nor in, F 35. nys = ne ys, is not, D 1157. nys nat but, is only, A 2722. nyste, pt. s. knew not, F 502. 0, one, A 304, 363, 2549, 2725, 3072, B 52, 4180, F 581, G 997, 1360. observaunce, observance, respect, A 1045, 1500. of, out of, from, A 2523, B 614, 853, 4i99> 4486, 4613* F 162, 476, 477- of, used as the French de, du, and des, in the sense of some; 'of smale houndes hadde she,' etc., some small dogs had she, des petits chiens, A 146. of, as exponent of the source of an act = by, enformed whan the - kyng was of that knyght, F 335- of, as to, with regard to, B 90. of, used enclitically with a pro- noun; I pray you of, I pray of you, A 725. of, off, A 550, B 837, 3881 ; hath of his helm y-don, hath done off (doffed) his helm, A 2676. offertorie, offertory, an anthem chanted during the collection of offerings, A 710. office, secular position, A 292. offryng, voluntary contribution made to a priest personally, A 489. offrynge, offering (at the altar), A 450. ofte sithes, ofttimes, A 485. offer, oftener, B 4618. Oght, adv. ought, in any way, at all, G 597. oghte, pt. s. ought, A 660, B 1038, 1097, G 1340. oille, oil, A 630, 2961. olde daunce, old dance, old game, A 476. ones, once, A 765, B 861, 4618, G 748; at one (in purpose), C 696. on lyve, alive, A 3039, F 423. 00 ! interj. ho ! a call to command attention, A 2533. OOn, one (and the same), F 537; evere in oon, constantly, in the same way, F 417; al oon, all one (and the same), G 847; oon and oon, one by one, A 679; many oon, many a one, B 3170. Openers, fruit of the medlar tree, A 3871. ordeyned, pp. appointed, F 177; prepared, G 1277. ordinance, disposal, B 992; ar- rangement, A 2567; orderly constitution of things, A 3012. ordres foure, four orders, i.e. Do- minicans, Carmelites, Francis- cans, and Augustinians, A 210. Orient, the East, B 3871. orlogge, horologe, a timepiece of any kind, clock, or sundial, B 4044. orpyment, orpiment, ' trisulphide of arsenic,' G 759, 774, 823. Osanne, Hosannah, B 642. ought, in any way, A 3045. ought, anything, G 1333. ounces, small portions, A 677. outen, to out, show forth, exhibit, G834. out of, without, A 1623. out-hees, outcry, hue and cry, A 2012. 256 GLOSSARY outher, either, A 1645, 2556, B 1 136, C 17, 77, F420, 455. outher — outher, either — or, G 1 149. outrage, excess, A 2012. outrely, utterly, A 237, B 4419, C849. outridere, outrider, A i ')6. See note. over al, everywhere (Fr. surtout, Ger. iiberall), A 216, 249, 547- over al this, over and above all this, F 137. overeste, uppermost, A 290. overlad, pp. overborne, bullied over, B 3101. overslope, overslop, upper gar- ment, G 633. owher, anywhere, A 653, G 858. oynement, ointment, A 631. oynons, onions, A 634. paas, pace, walking-pace, A 825, 2897. G 575. pace, subj. I s. go on, A 36. pace, to pass, A 175, 574, 2998, 4409; subj. pr. s. F 494. pacient, n. patient, A 415. pacient, adj., patient, enduring, A 484. paleys, palace, A 2513. panade, *a two-edged cutlass.' — Skeai. A 3929. panne, pan, A 3944, G 1210; gen. s. pannes, G 1321. papeer, pepper, G 762. Skeat defines the word, paper. papir, paper, A 4404. See note. parage, kindred, family, birth, D 1 1 20. paramentz, rich robes, A 2501. paramour, gallantry; ' love-mak- ing.' — Skeat. A 4372, 4392. par cas, by chance, C 885. pardee (Fr. pardi, an obscuration of par Dieu, and used as an in- terjection, without a sense, per- haps, of its original meaning), indeed, verily, to be sure; the English interjection, egad, is, in like manner, an obscuration of ^by God,' A 563, B 856, 41 18, C 672, G 942, 995, 1447. pardoner, a licensed seller of pardons and indulgences, A 543. 669. parementz, adornments; chambre of parementz, presence-cham- ber, F 269. parfay, interj. by my faith, verily, B 849, 1037. parfit, perfect, A 72, 338, 532, 3009, 3072. parisshens, parishioners, A 488. paritorie, pellitory, a medicinal plant, G 581. partie, partisan, a party to one side or the other, A 2657. partrich, partridge, A 349. party, partly, A 1053. parvys, church-porch, supposed to be that of St. Paul's, A 310. pas, a pace, a foot pace, F 388. passed, pt. s. surpassed, A 448. passen, to surpass, be beyond the capacity of, C 857. passyng, surpassing, extraordi- nary, G 614. passynge, surpassing, A 2885. patente, letter patent, A 315. pecok, peacock, A 3926. peert, pert, A 3950. pees, peace, B 676. GLOSSARY 257 peire, pair, A 159. peples, peoples, groups of people, A 2513. peregryn (faucon), the pilgrim falcon, F 428. See note. pereionette tree, the newe ; Skeat explains, but not with certainty, ' the new (i.e. fresh-leaved) early-ripe pear-tree.' A 3248. perfit, perfect, A 1 27 1, perisse, subj. pr. pi. perish, C 99. perled, pp. pearled, adorned; perled with latoun, A 3251. perrye, precious stones, A 2936. pers, ' stuff of a sky-blue colour.' — Skeat. A 439, 617. person, parson, A 702, 706, 3943. persoun, parson; persoun of a town, parish priest, A 478. Peter ! by St. Peter ! G 665. peyne, pain, B 1065, F 509, pi. peynes, pains, troubles, F 480. peyne, to try hard; he wolde so peyne hym, he would try so hard, B 4495. peyned hire, pained herself, took pains, A 139. peynte, to paint, C 17, 32; subj. pr. s. C 15. peynted, pp. painted, A 1970, 2060, 2069, C 34. peynten, to paint, A 2087. peynture, painture, the art of painting, C 33. peytrel, poitrel, breast-piece, G 564. philosophre, philosopher (with a subaudition of alchemic prac- tices, as the following line shows: 'yethadde he but litel gold in cofre '), A 297. pigges bones, pigs' bones (which were shown as those of some saint), A 700. piggesnye, pig's eye, a term of endearment, A 3268. ^An ye became a nye ; hence the pi. nyes^ and even nynon (= eyne), as in Halliwell.' — Skeat. pighte, pt. s. pitched, A 2689. piled, pilled (i.e. peeled), bald, or scant of hair, A 627, 3935. pilwe-beer, pillow-case, A 694. pipen, to play the bag-pipe, A 3927- pitaunce, portion of food, A 224. pitous, piteous, compassionate, tender-hearted, A 143, F 20. plantayne, plantain, G 581. plat, the flat (or broadside of a sword), F 162; dat. platte, F 164. pla3m, plainly, B 990. pleintes, n. plaints, expressions of sorrow, B 1068. plentevous, plenteous, A 344. plesance, pleasing address, F 509. plesaunce, pleasure, A 2485. plesen, to please, A 610. pleye, to play, make sport, A 772; hym to pleye, to take his pleas- ure, A 1503; pt. pi. pleyde, A 3858. pleyen, to make sport, A 758. pleyn, full, A 315, 337. pleyn, adv. fully, A 327. pleyne, to plain, lament, B 1067. pleynen, pr. pi. plain, complain, A 1251. pleynly, plainly, fully, openly, without reserve, A 727. pleyynge, playing, diversion, amusement, A 1061. plight, pp. plighted, C 702. 258 GLOSSARY plite, plight, condition, G 952. plukke up, imp. pi. pluck up, G 937- pocok, peacock, A 104. point-devys, at, to a nicety, ex- actly, F 560. pokettes, pockets, little bags, G 808. polax, poleaxe, a sort of battle axe, A 2544. polcat, polecat, C 855. polyve, pulley, F 184. pomel, crown (of the head), A 2689. pomely, dappled, A 616; pomely grys, dapple-grey, G 559. popeler, poplar, A 2921. popelote, poppet, or puppet, A 3254. See note. poppere, dagger, A 3931. poraille, poor folk, A 247. porfurie, porphyry-slab on which substances are ground, G 775. portreiture, portraiture, A 2036. portreyynge, portraiture, paint- ing, A 1938. post, pillar, A 214. pothecarie, apothecary, C 852, 859. poudre-marchant, sharp flavour- ing powder, A 381. poure, poor, A 225, 477, 488, 537, 702. poure, to pore, A 185. povre, poor, A 260. powped, pt. pi. pooped, B 4589. poynaunt, piquant, high-seasoned, pungent, A 352, B 4024. poynt, in good, Fr. embonpoint, in good condition, corpulent, A 200. poynt of his desir, object, or aim, of his desire, A 1501. poyntes, tagged laces, A 3322. praktisour, practitioner, A 422. pray, n. prey, A 2015. praye, n. prey, A 2632. preche, to preach, A 712. preef, proof, G 968, 1379. prees, press, crowd, throng, B 646, 677, 865, F 189. preeve, proof, B4173. preeve, to prove, prove itself, G 645, 1212. preeved, pp. proved, tested, A 3001, G 1336. prentys, apprentice, A 4365. preved, pp. proved, F 481. preyden, pt. pi. prayed, entreated, A 811. preyen, pr. pi. pray, pray for, A 1260. preyere, prayer, A 2332 preyse, to praise, C 42. prie, to pry, peer, look, G 668. prighte, pt. s. pricked, F 418. prikasour, hard rider, A 189. priked, pp. spurred, ridden hard, G 561, 576, 584. priking, hard riding, A 191, 2599. prikke, prick, point; to that prikke, to that point, B 1029. prikynge, spurring, fast riding, A 2508. pris, prize, A 237; credit, reputa- tion, D 1 152. privee, privy, private, secret, G 1452; p. and apert, private and public, F 531. prof re, to proffer, G 11 23. profred, pp. proffered, G 1066. prolle, pr. pi. prowl, go about in search of, G 14 12. propre, proper, own, peculiar, A 540, Z^2>Ty his propre good, GLOSSARY 259 his own property, A 581; propre kynde, peculiar nature, F 610, 619. proprely, according to the pecul- iar character of each, A 729; y-clad proprely, in a way befit- ting a parish clerk, A 3320. prospectives, perspective glasses, lenses, F 234. proteccioun, protection, A 2363. prow, profit, gain, advantage, G 609. pryme, prime (of the day), 9 a.m., F 73; p. large, full prime, F 360. prymerole, primrose, A 3268. prys, price, estimation, worth, A 67. pryvee and apert, secretly and openly, in private and public, D 1114, 1 136. pryvely, privily, secretly, A 609. pryvetee, privity, privacy, A 4388. puUe, to pluck ; p. a fynch, equiva- lent to * pluck a pigeon,' swin- dle a greenhorn, A 652. pulled, pp. plucked, A 177. pultrye, poultry, A 598. purchace, subj. pr. s. provide, B 873. purchacen, to purchase, procure, get, G 1405. purchas, acquisition (by begging or other means), A 256. purchasour, conveyancer, A 318. purchasyng, conveyancing, A 320. purtreye, to portray, draw, A 96. purveiaunce, foresight, provi- dence, A 1252, 301 1. putte, pt. I s. put, A 2363. pye, pie, A 384. pye, magpie, A 3950, G 565; pi. pyes, F 649. pykepurs, pickpurse, A 1998. pyler, pillar, A 11 93. pyn, pin, F 316. pynched, pp. 'closely pleated.' — Skeai. A 151. pynchen at, cavil at, find fault with, A 326. pyne, suffering, pain, B 1080, F 445- pyned, pt. pi. tortured, B 4249. pynnes, pins, A 234. pypes, musical pipes, A 25 11. qualm, sickness, disease, A 2014. quelle, to kill, B 4580, C 854; subj. pr. s. opt. G 705. Questio quid juris, the question is, what of the law, A 646. questioun, discussion, A 2514. queynt, pp. quenched, A 2336. queynte, pt. s. quenched, went out, A 2334, 2337. queynte, quaint, strange, curious, A 2333, F 369, G 752 ; curiously made, F 234 ; applied to the spear of Achilles, which could both wound and heal, F 239. quite, to requite, pay, pay back, A 3864, G 736, 1025; subj. pr. s. A 770. quiten, to pay, repay, G 1027. quod, quoth, A 788, 839, B 858, G 1456. quyked, pt. s. revived, A 2335. quynyble, a very high voice, A 3332; 'the quinible was an octave higher than the treble; the quatreble was an octave higher than the mean. The mean was intermediate between 26o GLOSSARY the plain-song or tenor and the treble.' — Skeat. quyte, to requite, G 1055. rad, pp. read, A 2595, B 4502. rage, great rush of wind, A 1985. rage, * to romp, toy wantonly,' A 257. rammysh, rammish, ramlike, rank, G 887. rampeth, springs, flies; she ramp- eth in my face, B 3094. rape, G 1422. See note. raughte, pt. s. reached, A 1 36, 29 1 5 . recche, pr. i s. reck, care, B 94; pr. pi. F 71. recche, subj. pr. s. explain, inter- pret, B 4086. recchelees, reckless, A 1 79, B 4626. receit, recipe, G 1353, 1366, 1384. recorde, pr. i s. remind, A 829. rede, red, A 1969, G 1095. rede colera, ' red cholera caused by too much bile and blood (sometimes called red humour) .'' — Skeat. B4118. rede, pr. i s. counsel, advise, A 3068, 3071, C 285, 793, G 1008, 1409, 1475. redeth, imp. pi. read, D 982. redoutynge, reverence, honour, A 2050. redy, ready, A 354. reed, red, A 458, 552, 556, 1997, 3317- reed, counsel, advice, A 665, C 744. refereth, hath reference to, G 1083. refut, refuge, B 852. regne, reign, realm, kingdom, A 1624, 1638, 2299, F 135. reherce, to rehearse, A 732, B 89. rehersaille, rehearsal, G 852. rehersyng, rehearsing, A 1650. rekene, to reckon, A 401, 1954. rekenyng, reckoning, A 600; pi. rekenynges, reckonings, ac- counts, bills, A 760. rekke, imp. s. reck, care, G 698. relente, to melt, G 1278. relesse, to release, B 1069. relikes, reliques, A 701. remembrynge on, thinking, medi- tating on, A 1501. remenaunt, remnant, remainder, A 724. remewed, pp. removed, F 181. renges, ranks, A 2594. renne, to clutch, G 1422. See note. renne, to run, A 3890, G 1415; pr. pi. A 2868. renneth, runneth, F 479. rennyng, running, A 551. renomee, renown, D 1159. renoun, renown, reputation, A 316. rente, income, revenue, A 256, 373, B 4017. repaire, to repair, return, F 589. repeireth, repaireth, F 339. repeirynge, repairing, returning, F608. repleccioun, repletion, over- eating, B4027; pi. replecciouns, B4113. resalgar, realgar, a chemical com- pound, G 814. rescus, rescue, A 2643. rese, to shake, A 1986. resons, reasons, opinions, A 274. retenue, knyghtes of, retainers, A 2502. rethor, rhetorician, B 4397, F 38. reule, n. rule, A 173. reuled, pp. ruled, A 816. reve, reeve, steward, bailiff, A 542, 587 ; gen. s. reves, A 579. GLOSSARY 261 revel, minstrelsy, A 4402. revelour, reveller, A 4371, 4391- rewe, on a, in a row, A 2866. rewe, to rue, regret, G 729; to suffer for, G 997; have pity, A 3080; imp. s. have pity, B 853. reweful, sorrowful, sad, B 854. rewefulleste, ruefulest, A 2886. reyn, rain, A 492, 595. reyne, rein, F 313. reyse, to raise, G 861. reysed, pp. done military service, A 54. ribaudye, ribaldry, A 3866. ribible, rebeck, a kind of lute, A 4396. riche, richly, A 609. richesse, riches, A 1255. riden, pt. pi. rode, A 825, 2897. ridyng, tourney, joust, or proces- sion, A 4377. right, adv. just, A 661, 1096; en- tirely, A 804. righte, adj. right, direct; the r. way, A 2739, B 1130. ris, imp. s. rise, G 1205. rist, riseth, B 864. rit, rideth, A 2566, G 608. roche, rock, F 500. rode, complexion, A 3317. rody, ruddy, F 385, 394. roghte, pt. s. recked, cared for, B 4530- roialliche, royally, in grand style, A 378. rombled, pt. s. felt about, G 1322. romed, pt. s. roamed, walked about, A 1065; strolled, A 1069. romen, to roam, stroll, A 1099. romynge, roaming, walking, A 1071. ronne, pt. pi. ran, B 4578. ronnen, pt. pi. ran, A 2925. rood, pt. s. rode, A 328, 390, 622, 682, 3 999. roore, to roar, moan, groan, B 4078. roos, pt. s. rose, A 823, F 267. rooste, to roast, A 383. roreth of, resoundeth with, A 2881. rose, gen. s. rose's, A 1038. rote, a stringed instrument of some kind, A 236. rotie, subj. pr. s. rot, A 4407. rouncy, a common hackney horse, a nag, A 390. route, company, A 622, 2153, 2494, 2580, 2951, B650. routhe, ruth, pity, B 654, 1052, F 438. routhelees, pitiless, B 863. rowe, adv. roughly, sternly, fiercely, G861. rowned, pt. s. whispered, F 216. rownen, to round, whisper, G 894. rubible, ribible (dimin. of ribibe), rebec, a kind of violin, A 3331. Skeat says, ' A two- stringed musi- cal instrument, played with a bow, of Moorish origin; Arab, rabab.' rubifiyng, reddening, G 797. rudeliche, rudely, A 734. ruest, hast pity, B 854. ruggy, rough, uncombed, A 2883. rumbel, n. rumble, A 1979. ryde, pr. pi. ride, B 1102. ryden, pr. pi. ride, A 2869. ryden, pt. pi. rode, A 856. rym, verse, D 11 27. rys, branch, twig, A 3324. A.S. hris. rysen, pr. pi. rise, F 383. ryve, to rive, pierce, stab, C 828. 262 GLOSSARY sacred, devoted, A 1921. sadde, adj. pi. sad, sated, weary, tired, G 877. sadel-bowe, saddle-bow, A 2691. sadly, firmly, A 2602. sal armonyak, sal ammoniac, G 824. saleweth, saluteth, F 91. sal preparat, prepared salt, G 810. salueth, saluteth, A 1492. saluyng, saluting, A 1649 sangwyn, red, A 439. sarge, serge, a coarse stuff, A 2568. saufly, safely, B 4398, D 878. saugh, pt. s. saw, A 144, 850, 1995, 2017, B 1 103, 4608. sautrie, psaltery, a kind of harp, A 296. save, the herb sage, A 2713. sawce fleem, having a red pimpled face, A 625. sawe, a saying, G 691, 144 1. say, pt. s. saw, B 11 28. scaled, scabby, scurvy, A 627. See Leviticus xiii. 30-37. scapen, to escape, A 1107. scaped, pp. escaped, B 1151. scarsetee, scarcity, G 1393. scarsly, sparingly, frugally, A 583. scathe, misfortune, a pity, A 446. science, legal knowledge, A 316. sclaundre, slander, G 998. sclaundrest, slanderest, G 695. sclendre, slender, A 587. scole, school, style, manner, pro- nunciation, A 125. scoler, scholar, A 260. scoleye, to go to school, A 302. scriptures, writings, A 2044. se, to see, A 1918, 3025, F 366; imp. s. B 4392. seche, to seek, A 784, G 1442. sechen, pr. pi. seek, G 863. secree, adj. secret, B 4105, G 1370. secree of secrees, secret of se- crets, G 1447. see, on to, to look on (A.S. on- seon), A 1082; subj. pr. s., see to, have in sight, guard, protect; God yow see, C 715. see, sea, A 698, B 68, 1042. seege, siege, A 56. seeke, pi. sick, A 18. seel, seal, F 131. seen, to see, A 112 1, 2128; pr. pi. A 3027. seet, pt. s. sat, A 2075. seettes, seats, A 2580. seigh, pt. s. saw, A 193, 1066. seken, to seek, A 510; dat. inf. * it is to seken evere,' it is ever an object of search, and never found, G 874; pr. pi. A 1266. ^ selve, same, A 2860. sely, silly, simple, inoffensive, A 3896, B 682. semed, it seemed, F 56. semely, adv. seemly, properly, be- comingly, A 123, 136. semely, adj. seemly, comely, agree- able, A 751. semycope, short, ecclesiastical, semicircular cloak, A 262. semyly, seemly, becomingly, A 151. sendal, a kind ' of light, fine silk stuff, A 440. sene, dat. inf. to see, A 1035; pp. A 134. sentence, thought, meaning, sub- ject-matter, A 306, 798, B 4404; opinion, A 3002. serchen, pr. pi. search, explore, D 867. GLOSSARY 263 sermone, to preach, speak, C 879. sermons, pi. writings, B 87. Lat. sermones. servage, bondage, A 1946 serye, series, succession, argu- ment, A 3067. sesons, seasons, A 347. sessiouns, sessions of the peace, A 355. seten, pt. pi. sat, F 92. sethe, to seethe, A it^T,- sette, to set; ' sette a soper,' pre- pare a supper, A 815. seuretee, surety, assurance, F 528. sewed, pt. s. pursued, followed, B 4527. sewes, rich and delicate and rare dishes of various kinds, F 67. A.S. seaw, juice, sey, pr. pi. say, G 1375. seyde, subj. pt. i s. would say, A 183. seye, pr. i s. say, B 3880. seyen, to say, A 1268. seyl, sail (of a boat), A 696, B seyn, pp. seen, B 624, 1078. seynd, pp. singed, broiled, B 4035. shadwed, pp. shaded, A 607. shake, pp. shaken, A 406. shal, pr. s. has to, A 731, 831; I s. must, have to, A 853. shallow, shalt thou, B 4208. shamefast, fast, fixed, established in shame, modest, A 2055, C 55. shamefastnesse (corrupted in mod. Eng. into shamefacedness), modesty, A 840, C 55. shape, pr. I s. prepare, A 809; pp. made, born, B 3099. Shapen, to plan, arrange, A 2541 ; pr. pi. shape, prepare; 'ye s. yow to talen,' you are preparing yourselves to tell stories, A 772; pp. shapen, shaped, determined, A 1 108. shaply, fit, suitable, A 372. sharply, severely, A 523. shave, pp. shaven, A 588, 690. shawe, grove, A 4367. sheeldes, French crowns, ecus, bearing the figure of a shield, A 278. sheene, bright, beautiful, A 116, 160, 1068, B 692, F 53. sheep, sheep, a pastor's flock, A 496. sheete, to shoot, A 3928. shende, to harm, injure, spoil, A 4410. shene, bright, A 1509, 1994. shente, pt. s. injured, hurt, B 4031. shepne, shippen, stable, cowhouse, A 2000. shet, pp. shut, A 2597, B 1056. shette, to shut, D 1141; pt. s. G 1 142; pt. pi. G 1218; imp. pi. G1137. shipnes, shippens, stables, cow- houses, D 871. shirreve, shire-reeve, sheriff, A 359- sho, shoe, A 253. shode, parting of the hair; here, rather, the parted hair itself, A 3316; the temple (space back of the eye and forehead, the dividing place between the upper and lower head; A.S. sceadan, to divide), A 2007. sholde, pt. s. should, ought to, had a right to, A 450. shoon, pt. s. shone, A 198. 264 GLOSSARY shoope, pt. s. shaped, planned, C 874; pt. pi. G 1222, 1228. short-sholdred, 'short in the upper arm.' — Skeat. A 549. shorte with, whereby to shorten, A 791. shortly, briefly, B 990; used ab- solutely, in brief, A 30; in A 843, the ellipsis is supplied : 'shortly for to tellen'; B 1007, 1021, F 567. shot, arrow or crossbow bolt, A 2544- shrewe, pr. i s. curse, beshrew, B 4616, 4617. shrewe, adj. evil, wicked, G 995. shrewe, bad fellow, scroundrel, C 819; wicked, accursed one, G 917; pi. shrewes, rascals, scoun- drels, C 835, G 746. shrighte, pt. s. shrieked, B 4552, F417, 422, 472. shul, pr. pi. shall, A 3080, G 1155, 1412. shulder, shoulder, A 2163; pi. shuldres, A 678. shuUe, pr. pi. shall, A 2356. shullen, pr. pL shall, must, have to, A 3014. shyne, dat. s. shin, A 386. shynen, pt. pi. shone, A 2043. shyveren, pr. pi. shiver, break in pieces, A 2605. sighte, pt. s. sighed, B 1035. Significavit, a writ of excommu- nication, so called from its initial word, A 662. sike, adj. def. sick, A 424. siker, sure, certain, A 3049, B 4353, G 864, 934. sikerer, surer, more certain, more reliable, B 4043. sikerly, surely, certainly, A 137, 154, 3244, 3891, B 4461, F 180. sikes, sighs, A 1920. silable, syllable, F loi. singuleer, single; o singuleer mannes folye, one particular man's folly, G 997. sit, pr. s. sitteth, F 59, 179, sith, since, seeing that, D 969, 1 148, G 1472; afterward, C 869. sithe, times, B 1155, G 1031. sithen, afterwards, A 2617, B 1 1 21; since, B 58. sithes, times, A 485. sitte, subj. pr. s. sit, G 841; subj. pr.pl. G 1 195. sitthe, after that, afterwards, B z^^i-, 3913- skiles, reasons, reasonings, argu- ments, comments, F 205. skilful, discerning, reasonable, B 1038. sklendre, slender, slight, spare, B 4023. skriked, pt. pi. shrieked, B 4590. slake, slack, slow, A 2901. slaughtre, slaughter, assassination, A 2031. slawe, pp. slain, B 3873, 4204. sle, pr. pi. slay, F 462. slee, to slay, A 661; imp. s. B 3089. sleen, to slay, A 1645, 1646, C 836, 846. sleep, pt. s. slept, A 98, 397. sleere, slayer; the sleere of hym self, the suicide, A 2005. sleighte, cunning, craft, slyness, A 604; pi. sleightes, devices, G 773. slider, slippery, A 1264. slit, pr. s. slideth, G 682. GLOSSARY 265 slogardie, sluggardy, A 1042. sloo, sloe, the fruit of the black thorn, A 3246. slow, pt. s. slew, B 627, 664. sluttish, slovenly, G 636. slye, sly, crafty, artfully contrived, F230. smal, adv. little, men recche of it but smal, men care but little for it, F 71. smart, quick, brisk; esy fir, and smart also, quiet fire, and a brisk also, G 768. smerte, smartly, A 149. smerte, subj. pr. smart, pain; 'thogh him soore smerte,' though it pain him sorely, A 230; subj. pt. thogh him gamed or smerte, A 534, F 564; pt. pi. B 3903- smerte, n. smart, F 480. smoot, pt. s. smote, A 149; of smoot, smote off, B 3881. smothe, smooth, A 676.- smylere, smiler, one who smiles to deceive, A 1999. smyte, to smite, strike, A 1658. smyteth of, imp. pi. smite off, A 782. snewed, pt. s. abounded, A 345. snybbed, pp. snubbed, reproved, A 4401. snybben, to snub, reprove, repri- mand, A 523. so, adv. to such an extent, B 1056; accordingly, B 4348. sodeynly, suddenly, A 2333. solaas, solace, entertainment, amusement, A 798. solempne, festive, sportive, A 209; grand, A 364; stately, F 61, 179. solempnely, pompously, A 274; in great state, royally, B 691. som — som, one — another, A I255» 1257, 3031. som-del, somewhat, A 174, 446, B 401 1. somer, summer, A 394. somnour, summoner to ecclesiasti- cal courts, apparitor, A 543; somonour, A 623. somtyme, at one time, A 65, 85. sonde, a sending, message, visita- tion, B 826, 1049. song, pt. s. sang, A 710. songe, pp. sung, A 711. Sonne, gen. s. sun's, A 105 1, D 868. soond, sand, B 4457. soong, pt. s. sang, A 122, 1055, B 4460. soore, sorely, A 148, 230, B 3903, 4077, 4085, 4249, 4250, D 967, F 258, G 669. soory, worthless, despicable, G 1349. soote, adj. pi. sweet, A i; def. s. F 389. sooth, truth, A 284, B 832, 1013. sooth, true, A 1625, F 21. soothfastnesse, truth, B4518. SOOthly, truly, verily, indeed, A 117, 1936. sope in wyn, sop in wine, bread dipped in wine, A 334. soper, supper, A 348, 748, 799. sophymes, sophisms, trickeries, F 554. sore, sorely, A 1115, 2709. sort, lot, destiny, A 844. sorwes, sorrows, A 3071. sory, sorry; sory place, sad, dole- ful place, A 2004; sorrowful. 266 GLOSSARY mournful, A 2010; ill, bad, C 876. sothe, truth, A 845. sotted, pp. fooled, befooled, G 1341. soun, sound, A 674. soupen, pr. pi. sup, F 297. SOUple, supple, pliant, soft, A 203. SOUtil, subtle, fine spun, A 2030; s. pencel, skilful pencil, A 2049. SOutiltee, subtlety (skill in al- chemy), G 1 37 1. sovereyn, supreme, C 9, 91. sovereynly, in the highest degree, B4552. sowe, n. sow, A 552. sowed, pp. sewn, A 685. sowes, gen. s. sow's, A 556. sowke, to suck, A 4416. sowne, to sound, A 565, F 105. sowneth into, partaketh of the nature of, signifieth (Lat. sonat), F5I7- sownynge, importing, A 275 ; sow- nynge in, informed with, A 307, C54. space (of time) ; ' durynge the metes space,' at dinner time, B 1014; room, opportunity, F 493. spare, to refrain, abstain from, A 192, 737- sparre, spar, beam, A 1076. sparth, halberd, battle axe, A 2520. sparwe, sparrow, A 626. speces, species, A 3013. spedde, pt. s. speeded, caused to be successful, favoured, B 3876. spedeful, successful, profitable, advantageous, B 726. speeke, pt. pi. spoke, F 247. speke of, to, in respect to, A 413. speke, subj. pr. s. speak, A 734. speken, for to, in respect to, A 142. spiced conscience, A 526. See note. spilt, pp. destroyed, killed, B 857. spores, spurs, A 473. spradde, pp. spread, A 2871. sprynge, to spring, A 822. squames, scales; iren squames, G 759. stablissed, pp. established, A 2995. stant, pr. s. standeth, A 3923, B 618, 651, 655, 1055, F 171, 182, 316. stape, pp. stepped, advanced, B 4011. starf, pt. s. starved, died, B 633. staves, staffs, bludgeons, A 2510. stede, stead; in stede of, instead of, A 2140. steere, rudder, B 833. stemed, pt. s. shone, glowed, A 202. stepe, bright, sparkling, A 201, 753. sterres, stars, A 268. sterte, to start, A 1044; pt. s. A 1080, 2684, B 4467,4557. stertyng, starting, springing, A 1502. sterve, to die, C 865. stevene, voice, A 2562, B 4387, 4481; speech, language, F 150; they setten s., set a time, made appointment. A 4383. stierne, stern, strong, A 2154, 2610. stile, style, mode of speech, F 106. stillatorie, a distilling vessel, G 580. stille, adv. quietly, A 2985. stired, pt. s, stirred, G 1278. stirte, pt. s. started, B 4524, C 705. stirten, pt. pi. started, rushed, B 4567. GLOSSARY 267 stoke, to stick, stab, A 2546. stokkes, sticks, A 2934. stomblen, pr. pi. stumble, A 2613. stonde, to stand, B 1050 ; imp. s. stand, G 1205. stonden at, stand to, abide by, A 778. stongen, pp. stung, A 1079. stoor, store, stock (of a farm), A 598. storven, pt. pi. died, C 888. stot, a horse, a cob, A 615. stounde, brief space of time, B 1021. stoupeth, imp. pi. stoop, G 1327. stoute, bold, A 2154. strange, foreign, external ; a strange thyng to thy persone, D 1161. straughte, pt. pi. stretched, A 2916. straw! an exclamation, G 925. strawe, subj. pr. 2 s. strew, F 613. stree, straw, A 2918, 2933, 3873. streight, adv. straight, straightway, A 1650. streit, strait, strict, A 174; nar- row, A 1984; limited, B 4179. streite, straitly, closely, A 457. streite, pp. drawn, B 4547. strem, stream, A 464 ; pi. stremes, streams, currents, A 402 ; streams or rays of light, A 1495, ^ 38. strenger, stronger, C 825. strete, street, B 1103. strike of flex, hank of flax, A 676. strogelest, strugglest, C 829. stronde, strand, shore, B 825, 864; pi. strondes, A 13. stroof, pt. s. strove, A 1038. strouted, strutted, bulged, stuck out, A 3315. stubbes, applied especially to the stumps of small trees or shrubs ; (the diminutive is stubble), stubs, stumps, A 1978. studieth, imp. pi. study, K 841. stuwe, stew, fish-pond, A 350. style, steps for passing over a fence or wall, F 106. stynt, imp. s. cease, stop, A 2348, G927. stynte, to stop, cease, end, B 4347, G883. stynten, to stop, A 2732. stynteth, imp. pi. stop, A 2674. styth, anvil, A 2026. styward, steward, F 291; pi. sty- wardes, A 579. stywes, stews, brothels, C 465. sublymatories, vessels for chemi- cal sublimation, G 793. sublymyng, sublimation, G 770. substaunce, substance, means; 'of his substaunce,' out of his own means, A 489. subtil, * cunningly devised,' A 1054; subtle, treacherous, B 3890. subtilitee, subtlety (of knowledge and graft), G 620. subtilly, craftily, A 610; slily, C 798; with great caution, D 956; ingeniously, skilfully, F 222. suffisaunce, sufficiency, A 490; satisfaction; hertes s., content- ment of heart, B 4029. suffisaunt, sufficient, A 1631. surcote, overcoat, A 617. surplys, surplice, A 3323. surveiaunce, surveillance, over- sight, C 95. sustene, to sustain, bear, endure, B847. sustres, sisters, B 4458. 268 GLOSSARY swal, pt. s. swelled, D 967* swalwe, n. swallow, A 3258. swannes, swans, F 68. swatte, pt. s. sweat, or sweated, G 560, 563. sweped, pp. swept, G 939. swerd, sword, A 558, B 64, F 57 ; pi. swerdes, A 2026. swete, to sweat, G 579; pr. pi. G 1 186. swevene, dream, a vision in sleep, B 4086, 41 12; pi. swevenes, B 41 13; swevenys, B 4111. swich, such, A 3, 243, 485; pi. swiche, B 88, G 795, 801, 1071. swinke, to toil, labour, C 874. swithe, quickly; as swithe, as quickly (as may be), B 637, G 936, 1294; ful s., C 796; right as s., right quickly, G 1426. swoot, n. sweat, G 578. swoote, sweet, A 2860. swore, pp. sworn, A 810. swough, soughing of wind, A 1979. swough, n. swoon, F 476, 477. swowned, pt. s. swooned, A 2943, B 1058, F443, 631. swowneth, swooneth, F 430. swyn, swine, A 598. swynk, toil, labour, drudgery, A 188, 540, G 730. swynke, to toil, labour, drudge, G669. swynken, to toil, labour, drudge, A 186. swynkere, labourer, A 531. sy, pt. s. saw, G 1381. syk, sick, C 62. syk, n. sigh, F 498. syn, contracted form of sythen, since, A 601, 853, 1273, B 11 15, 4015, G630, 653, 656. syngeth, imp. pi. sing, B 4510. syve, sieve, G 940. taak, imp. s. take, A 789, 1084, D 1139- taake, imp. s. take, G 11 20. tabard, a herald's coat-of-arms; the Tabard, an inn in Southwark with the sign of the t., A 20; a loose frock or blouse, worn by ploughmen and other working men, A 541. table dormant, fixed side table, or sideboard, A 353. taffata, taffeta or taffety, a kind of silk stuff, A 440. taille, a tally, an account scored on a stick; took by taille, bought on credit, A 570. take, pp. taken, A 2724, G 605. takel, tackle, arrows, A 106. taketh, imp. pi. take, B 4630, 4633, C 90, G 1059, 1 1 76, 1227. talen, to tell stories, A 772. talent, desire, B 1137. tapes, ribbons, A 3241. tapicer, maker of tapestry, uphol- sterer, A 362. tappe, tap, a hole through which liquor is drawn from a cask, A 3890, 3892. tappestere, tapster, barmaid, A 241, Z?^Z^- targe, target, small shield, A 471. tarie, to tarry, G 801. taried, pp. delayed, F 402. taryen, to delay, F 73. taryynge, tarrying, delay, A 821. teche, to teach, A 308. teeris, tears, A 1921, B 70. telle, imp. s. tell, G 639,654, 1452. temple, an inn of court, A 567. GLOSSARY 269 temps, tense; that future temps, that future tense, refers, as Skeat points out, to the dat. inf., to seken, which precedes, used as a future tense, G 875. tene, sorrow, grief; vexation, A 3106. tenspire, to inspire, G 1470. tercelet, male hawk, F 504. tercelettes, small hawks, F 648. termes, court terms? A 323; pe- riods of life, A 3028; technical alchemic jargon, G 752, 1398. terve, subj. pr. s. flay, G 1274. terved, pp. flayed, skinned, G 471. See note. tespye, to espy, B 4478. testeres, head-pieces, helmets, A 2499. testes, vessels for assaying metals, G818. text, topic, theme, B 45. teyne, thin plate of metal, G 1225, 1229, 1240, 1318; pi. teynes, G 1332. thankes, gen. hir thankes, will- ingly, A 1626. thanne, then, A 535, 3003, D 1163. tharray, the array, A 716, F 63. that, art. the, A 1 13, B 4186, 4188, C 666, 802, 807, 816. that, as, as well as, B 1036. thavys, the advice, A 3076. the, pronominal adv. by that, on that account, used before com- paratives; * the murierly,* the more merrily, A 714. A.S. be, \>% instr. case of se, seo, b^et; the, in its pronominal character, stands for something which pre- cedes. the, thee, B 71, 72, G 663. thee, to thrive, B 4166, 4622, G 641. theech (=r:thee ich), so, so thrive I, G 929. theek {— thee ik), so, so thrive I, A 3864. theffect, the conclusion (of the whole matter), A 2366; the thing to be effected, A 2989; the realization, G 1261. thencens, the incense, A 2938. thenchauntementz, the enchant- ments, A 1944. thenche, to think of, imagine, A 3253. thencrees, the increase, A 275. thenken, pr. pi. think, F 537. thenketh, imp. pi. think, C 75. thenne, thence, D 1141. thennes, thence, B 1043. thentencioun, the intention, G 1443. ther, where, A 2082, F 179; wherein, C 886. ther as, where that, A 172, 224, 249, 1058, 1061, 1068, 1974, 2505, 2858, 2861, B 4192, 4449, F 267, 637, G 750. ther-by, by that means, G 722. therfore, for that, A 809, F 177. ther-to, in addition to that, more- over, besides, A 153, 239, 325^ 553, 757- thider, thither, A 1263; thider as, thither where, C 749. thikke, thick, A 549; close to- gether, A 25 10; thickly set, A 1075. thilke, that same, A 182, 1973, 2033» 2959, 3004, B 4015, 4210. thirled, pp. drilled, pierced, A 2710. 2/0 GLOSSARY tho, those, A 498, 2313, 2999. tho, then, A 2536, 2597, 2882, 2945» 3329* B 1079, F 305, 472, G 1461. thoccident, the Occident, the west, B 3864. tholde, the old, D 857. thombe, thumb, A 563. thonketh, imp. pi. thank, B 11 13. thorient, the orient, B 3875, 3883. thoughte, it seemed; it thoughte me, it seemed to me, A 385, 682, 785, B 697, 699, 4201, 4204, F527. thow, thou, B 848, 851, 852. thre, three, A 2934. threed, thread, A 2030. threpe, pr. pi. call, G 826. threste, to thrust, push, A 2612. thretyng, threatening, G 698. thridde, third, B 4203. thries, thrice, A 463, 562, 2952, 2954- thrift, success, prosperity, G 739, 1425. thriftily, becomingly, A 105. thrifty, successful, profitable, B 46. thropes, villages, D 871. throte, throat, A 2013. throwe, many a, many a time, many times, G 941. thurgh, through, A 1075. thurgh out, throughout, A 2567, 2574, B 1028. thwitel, a whittle, a knife, A 3933. thynges, things; herknynge his mynstrales hir thynges pleye, play their musical pieces, F 78. thyngot, the ingot, G 1233. thynketh, it seems, A 37, 3041, C681, F406. thynne, thin, A 679. I tidyves, small birds of some kind, j F 648. tigre, tiger, A 1657. til, to, into, unto, A 180, 2062, C 697» F 559. tirannye, tyranny, A 1 1 1 1 . tiraunt, tyrant, A 2015. titanos (Greek), Mime, gypsum white earth, chalk, etc.,' G 1454 to-, an intensive prefix to verbs and verbal nouns, imparting an idea of division, separation, de struction. to, too, B 41 15, F 525, G 644, 1423. to-breketh, breaks, goes to pieces, G907. to-breste, pr. pi. break in pieces, A 2611. to-brosten, pp. burst asunder, A 2691. toforn, prep, before, F 268. toft, tuft, A 555. togidre, together, A 824. to-hewen, pr. pi. hew in pieces, A 2609. toke, pt. s. took, delivered, G 1 1 1 2. tollen, to take a portion of a grist as payment for grinding it, A 562. tonge, tongue, A 712. tonne, tun, a large cask, A 3894; tonne greet, tun great, having the circumference of a tun, A 1994. too, toe, A 2726. took, pt. s. gave, G 1030, 1365; took agayn, gave back, re- turned, G 1034. tool, weapon, B 4106. toon, toes, B 4052. GLOSSARY 271 toos, toes, B 4370. tope, top, head, A 590. to-rent, pp. torn to pieces, C 102. to-rente, pt. pi. rent asunder, tore in pieces, C 709. torn, n. turn; a freendes torn, C 815. to-shrede, pr. pi. cut in shreds, A 2609. to-tore, pp. torn in bits, ragged, G635. touchede, pt. s. touched, A 2561. Tour, the, the Tower of London, where the mint was, A 3256. tourettes, rings attached to dog collars, A 2152. tourneiynge, tourneying, tourna- ment, A 2720. trappures, trappings, A 2499. travaillynge, in travail, in labour, A 2083. trays, traces, the draught-straps of a horse's harness, A 2139. traysoun, treason, betrayal, B 4513- trede, pr. pi. tread, A 3022. tretfch, a walk cut through woods, shrubbery, etc. F 392. trenchant, cutting, sharp, A 3930. treses, tresses, C -^^j. tresoun, treason, treachery, A 2001. tretee, treaty, B 3865. tretys, shapely, A 152. trewe, true, faithful, A 531. trille, to turn, F 316. triste, pr. I s. trust, B 832; pt. s. D958. trompe, trump, trumpet, A 674, 2174; pi. trompes, A 251 1, trone, throne, A 2529, C 842. trouthe, truth, fidelity, A 46; troth, faith, A 763, F 627. trusteth, imp. pi. trust, A 2182, B 1048. tukked, tucked up, A 621. turne, to turn, form in a lathe, A 3928. turneiynge, tourneying, A 2557. turneth agayn, imp. pi. turn back, B 4599. tweye, twain, two, A 704, 792, B 4035, 4095, 4490, C 30, 817, 824, 828. tweyfoold, twofold, double, G 566. twies, twice, B 4202. twiste, dat. s. branch, F 442. twiste, to twist, wring, anguish, F566. twyes, twice, B 1058. twynes, twine's; twynes threed, thread of twine, A 2030. twynne, lit. to go into two, to separate; then, to depart, move on, in a general sense, A 835, F577- tydes, tides, A 401. tygre, tiger, A 2626, F 419. typet, friar's hood or cowl, used as a pocket, A 233; * the long pen- dant from the hood,' A 3953. See note. unarmed, pp. divested of armour, F 173- unbokelen, to unbuckle, F 555. uncouthe, unknown, strange, F 284. undermeles, afternoons, D 875. understondeth, imp. pi. under- stand, G 1 165. undertake, pr. i s. venture to say, A 288. undertake, 'to conduct an enter- prise.' — Skeat. A 405. 2/2 GLOSSARY undren, the third hour of the day, 9 A.M.; the period thence on till noon, B 4412. unfeestlich, unfestive, unfit for a feast, jaded, F 366. unheele, misfortune, calamity, C 116. Tinkouth, unknown, strange, rare, A 2497. unknowe, pp. unknown, A 126, F 246. unkynde, unnatural, B 88. unnethe, uneasily, with difficulty, hardly, scarcely, B 1050, G 563, 1390. unslekked, pp. unslacked, G 806. untrewe, untruly, A 735. unweelde, unwieldy, unmanage- able, A 3886. unwit, want of wit or understand- ing, G 1085. unwityng, unknowing, G 1320. unyolden, pp. unyielded, uncon- quered, A 2642, 2724. Up, upon, on; up peril of my lyf, D 1 145. upon, on, A 617. Upon lond, perhaps the same as up country, far inland, A 702. up peyne, upon pain, or penalty, A 2543. upright, stretched out at full length, A 2008, B 4232. upriste, uprising, A 105 1. up-so-down, i.e. up as down, cor- rupted into upside down, G 625. But * upside down' may be a distinct form. usaunt, using, accustomed, A 3940. use, pr. pi. practise, G 1409. vanitee, emptiness, B 41 12, 4201. vanysshynge, vanishing; made a v., vanished, A 2360. variaunt, variant, changeable, G "75- vassellage, vassalage, good ser- vice, A 3054. vavasour, vavasor, landholder, in dignity next to a baron, A 360. veluettes, velvets, F 644. venerie, venery, hunting, the chase, A 166, 2308. Venus, carnal desire, lust, C 59. verdit, verdict, A 787. vernycle, ' copy of the supposed imprint of Christ's face on the handkerchief of Saint Veronica,' A 685. verrailly, verily, truly, F 462. verray, very, true, A 72, B 4081, 4173- vertu, virtue, power, energy, A 4. vertuous, A 251. See the note. veyl, veil, A 695. veyn, vain, A 1094. veze, a blast of wind, A 1985; glossed in EUesmere Ms., im- petus, 'The "impetus amens" of Statins refers rather to head- long hardihood than to physical forces.' — Pollard. viage, voyage, journey, A 77, 723, 792. vice, deformity, disfigurement, D 955- vigilies, vigils, A 377. vileyns, villainous, D 1158. vileynye, villainy, foul or abusive language which breaks the rules ' of good breeding, A 70, 740, C 740; ill-breeding, A 726; dis- grace, A 2729; base deed, D GLOSSARY 273 962; any ungentlemanly act, D 1138, 1151. violes, vials, phials, G 793. vitaille, victual, provisions, A 248, 569- vitailled, supplied with provisions, B869. voluper, a woman's cap, A 3241. vouche-sauf, to vouchsafe, A 812; pr. pi. A 807. voyden, to remove, put away, F 188. voydith, imp. pi. send away, dis- miss, G 1 1 36. waget, watchet, pale or light blue cloth, A 3321. waited after, watched for, looked out for, A 525. wake-pleyes, wake-plays, plays or games connected wdth a lich- wake, or corpse-watch, A 2960. walketh, imp. pi. walk, G 1207. wan, pt. s. won, A 442, B 3864, F 662, 664. wantowne, wanton, free, unre- strained, sportive, A 208. wantownesse, wantonness, A 264. wanye, to wane, decrease, A 2078. war, aware, A 157; wary, pru- dent, A 309. war, subj. pr. ; war him of, let him beware of, A 662. warne, pr. i s. notify, G 614. warned, pt. s. notified, informed, G590. warnyng, information in advance, G593. waste! breed, cake bread, A 147. wateryng, watering-place, A 826. wawes, waves, A 1958. T waymentynge, wailing, lamenta- tion, A 1921. wayted, pt. s. watched, A 571, F 129. wayten, to watch, F 444; pr. pi. F88. webbe, weaver, A 362. weder, w^eather, B 873, F 52. weel, adv. well, A 96. weene, to suppose, G 1088. weep, pt. s. wept, A 2345, 2878, B 1052, 1059, F 496. weex, pt. s. waxed, became, B 3868. wele, weal, happiness, A 1272, 2673, 3101; good fortune, wel- fare, C 115. welked, pp. withered, C 738. welle, spring, fountain, source, A 3037, F 505. wem, spot, blemish; harm, hurt, F 121. wend, pp. weened, supposed, F 510. wende, to go, pass away, A 3025 ; pr. pi. F 296. wende, pt. s. weened, supposed, A 1269, C 782; pt. pi. F 198. wene, to ween, suppose, A 1655. wenen, to ween, suppose, G 676. went, pp. gone, F 567. wepen, pr. pi. weep, B 820. were, to guard, defend, A 2550. were, to wear, F 147; pt. pi. A 2948. were, subj. pt. s. would be, G 606, 1043, 1374; might be, G 1038. wered, pt. s. wore, A 564, 680, 1929, 2175; werede, A 3235. werre, war, A 47, 2002. werreyed, pt. s. warred upon, or against, F 10. 274 GLOSSARY wers, worse, A 3872. werte, wart, A 555. wery, weary, B 107 1. wex, n. wax, A 675. wexe, to wax, grow, become, G 837, 1 1 22; subj. pr. I s. G mi- wexen, to wax, grow, become, G 877; pr. pi. G 869, 1095. wexeth, pr. s. waxeth, groweth, A 3024. wexing, waxing, increasing, A 2078. wey, way, A 1263. weyed, pt. s. weighed, G 1298. weylaway, interj. welaway, well- a-day, corruptions of A.S. wa- lawa, woe ! lo ! woe ! alas ! B 632, 4570. wezele, weasel, A 3234. what, somewhat, partly, F 54, 397- what, why, A 184, B 56, 4236, G 754. what, used as an exclamation, A 854. what so, whatsoever, F 157. what that, whatever, C 28. whelkes, pimples, blotches, A 632. whelp, dog, F 491; pi. whelpes, B 4122. wher, whether, A iioi, F 579. wher as, where that, A 11 13 B, 1131,4089,4178. where, whether, C 748. where as, where that, C 36, 466, G 659. which, what like, what kind of, A 2675, G 731; pi. whiche, A 40, F30. whil-eer, a while ago, G 1328. whilom, formerly, once on a time, in times past, A 795, 4365, B 4175,0463. whippeltre, cornel tree, A 2923. whit, white, A 564. wif, wife, woman; good wif, good wife, mistress of a household, A 445; good, in this combination, is a noun, in the sense of prop- erty; so, too, in goodman. wifhede, wifehood, B 76. wight, person, A 326, 537, 2485, 3937, B656, 41 15. wighte, weight, A 2145, 2520. wikke, wicked, malign, A 1087, B 1028, 4613, C 88. wilneth, willeth, A 2564. wise, manner, B 3890. wisly, surely, truly, B 1061, F 469. wist, pp. known, B 1072. wiste, pt. s. knew, A 224, 228, 280, 595, 711, B 1049, F565, G 1074. wit, reason, understanding, G 1300. wite, to know, G 621, 1333; pr. pi. G 906. wite, n. blame, G 953. witen, pr. pi. know, A 1260. with, by or through, by means of, A 705, 2018, 2022, 2724, 440*, B3101; along with, D 1 164. withdraweth, imp. pi. withdraw, G 1423. withholde, pp. withheld, A 511. See note. withseye, to withsay, oppose, A 805. wittes, wits, minds, F 203. wo, woful, sorrowful, A 351. wode, wood, G 809. wodebynde, woodbine, A 1507. wol, will, A 42. GLOSSARY 275 wolde, would, wished, A 276, B698. wolle, wool, A 3249. wolt, wilt, A 1624. wonder, adv. wondrously, A 483, 1654, 2903, B 4058, G 629, 751, 1035, 1 106, 1323. wonder, adj. wondrous, wonder- ful, B 1045, C 891, F 248. wonderly, wonderfully, A 84. wondre, to wonder, G 603. wone, n. wont, custom, usage, A 335, 1040, 1064. wonedon, pt. pi. dwelt, lived, A 2927. wonned, pp. dwelt, B 4406. wont, pp. accustomed, A 2932. wonyng, dwelling, A 606. wonynge, dwelling, A 388. wood, mad, A 184, 582,636, 1656, 1659, 2042, 2631, 2950, G 576, 869, 1377- woodnesse, madness, A 201 1. woost, knowest, A 2301, 2307, C 810, 824, G 653. WOOt, pr. I and 3 s. know, knows, A 389, 659, 1262, B 93, 1021, 4396,0278, 817. wopen, pp. wept, F 523. word, a corruption of ord, in the phrase ord and ende, begin- ning and end, B 391 1. worshipe, worthship, honour, dig- • nity, F 571, G 632. wortes, worts, herbs, B 441 1, 4464. worthy, * of high rank ' ? — Lonns- bury ; A 68 ; having means and a good social standing, A 243, 459. wostow, knowest thou, A 2304. woxen, pp. waxed, grown, become, C71. wrastleth, wrestleth, A 2961. wrastlynge, wresthng, A 548. wrecche, wretched, A 1106. wreche,n. wreak, vengeance,B679. wrek, imp. s. wreak, avenge, B 3095- wreke, to wreak, avenge, C 857, 1173- wrenches, crooked ways, deceits, impositions, G 1081. wrethe, wreath, A 2145. wrighte, wright, workman, A 614. write, pp. written, A 161. writen, pt. pi. wrote, F 233, 551. writeth, witnesseth, A 3869. writhyng, turning, F 127. wroghte, pt. s. wrought, A 497. wroot, pt. s. wrote, B 725. wrooth, wroth, angry, A 451. wydwe, widow, A 253, B 401 1. wylugh, willow, A 2922. wympul, wimple, a nun's head and neck cloth, A 151. See illustration in Webster and in The Century Dictionary. wyndas, windlass, F 184. wynke, to wink, nod, Y 348. Wynne, to win, conquer, A 594, 713, F 214. wynsynge, winsome, cheerful, merry, lively, A 3263. wyst, pp. known, F 260. wyves, wives, A 374. y-, a relic of the A.S. prefix, ge-, used chiefly with past participles, sometimes with the infinitive. y-bete, beaten; newe y-bete, newly forged, A 2162. y-beten, pp. beaten, F 414. y-bore, pp. borne, carried, A 378, 2694. 276 GLOSSARY y-bore, pp. born ; his owene y-bore brother, C 704. y-broght, pp. brought, A iiii. y-clenched, clinched; y-clenched overthwart and endelong, ' clamped across and length- ways,' A 1 99 1. y-cleped, pp. called, named, A 376, 410. y-corve, pp. cut, A 2013. y-coyned, pp. coined, C 770. y-do, pp. done, A 2534; ended, at an end, G 739. y-drawe, pp. drawn, G 1440. y-dropped, pp. bedropped, be- dewed, A 2884. ye, yea, G 599. yeddynges, songs, A 237. yede, pt. s. yode, went, G 1141, 1 281. yeerd, yard, B 4187. yeldynge, yielding, produce, A 596. yelewe, yellow, A 1929, 2 141. yeman, yeoman, commoner, feu- dal retainer, A loi. yemanly, in true yeomanlike fash- ion, A 106. yemen, yeomen, A 2509, 2728. yerde, yard, stick, rod, A 149. yeris, years, A 3869. yerne, eager, brisk, A 3257. yet, in addition, besides, moreover, A 201 1, 2017, G 622, 734. y-falle, pp. fallen, A 25. y-fallen, pp. happened, G 1043. y-fet, pp. fetched, F 174, G 1 1 16. y-finde, to find, F 470. y-forged newe, newly coined, A 3256. y-fostred, pp. brought up, A 3946. y-glewed, pp. glued, F 182. y-go, pp. gone, A 286. y-harded, pp. hardened, F 245. y-hent, pp. taken, seized, C 868. y-holde, pp. held, A 2958. y-kempd, pp. combed, A 4369. y-knowe, pp. known, A 423. y-lad, pp. drawn, A 530. y-laft, pp. left, A 3862. yle, isle, B 68. y-liche, adv. alike, A 2526, F 20, G 1202. ylike, adv. alike, G 850. y-lyk, adj. like, A 592. y-maad, pp. made, B 693. ymages, images, astrological fig- ures, A 418. y-meynd, pp. mingled, mixed, A 2170. ynogh, enough, A 373, B 872, 3172- y-norissed, pp. nourished, nurt- ured, A 3948. ynow, enough, G 945; pi. ynowe, F 470. yolden, pp. yielded, A 3052. yolle, pr. pi. yell, A 2672. yolleden, pt. pi. yelled, B 4579. yoore, long ago, for a long time, A 3897, C 69, F 403. yore agon, a long time ago, A 1941. youre, yours, G 1248. yow, refl. yourself, A 1105. y-piked, pp. picked, picked over, culled, G 941. y-preved, pp. proved, A 485. y-puUed, pp. plucked, A 3245. y-purfiled, embroidered, trimmed, A 192. y-raft, pp. seized, plundered, A 201 :;. GLOSSARY 277 y-reke, pp. raked 01 heaped to- gether, collected, A 3882. y-rent, pp. rent, torn, crucified, B 844. y-ronne, pp. run, A 8; arranged, A 2165. y-ronnen, pp. run, A 2693. y-sene, pp. seen, A 592. y-shryve, pp. shriven, A 226. y-slawe, pp. slain, slaughtered, C 856. y-spreynd, pp. sprinkled, A 2169. y-storve, pp. dead, A 2014. y-take, pp. taken, A 2617. y-teyd, pp. tied, A 457. yvele, evilly, G 921, 1049, 1225. y-wis, truly, indeed, B 4389, 4632, G689, 1 107, 1359, 1363. y-wonne, pp. won, A 2659. y-wroght, pp. wrought, A 196. y-wrye, pp. covered, A 2904. y-wympled, pp. wimpled, wearing a wimple, A 470. THE VOICE AND SPIRITUAL EDUCATION. By HIRAM CORSON, LL.D. ** A most interesting volume." — Boston Daily Advertiser. ** The book is replete with useful suggestions, clearly and vigorously expressed, and deserves a wide circulation." — Rochester Post Express. 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