(k. A. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA GIFT OF PROFESSOR BENJAMIN H. LEHMAN tftatom $rtss Sous CHAUCER SKEAT VOL. III. HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK TORONTO AND MELBOURNE juries "W CHAUCER THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE THE PARDONERES TALE THE SECOND NONNES TALE THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE FROM THE CANTERBURY TALES EDITED BY THE REV. WALTER W. SKEAT LITT.D., LL.D., D.C.L., PH.D. Elrwgton and Borworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the University of Cambridgt New Edition, Kevised AT THE CLARENDON PRESS MDCCCCIV [All rights reserved] OXFORD PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS BY HORACE HART, M.A. PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY Add to Lib. GIFT CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTION vii GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE . . t GROUP C. THE WORDS OF THE HOST TO THE PHY- SICIAN AND THE PARDONER ... 38 THE PARDONER'S PROLOGUE ... 40 THE PARDONERES TALE .... 44 GROUP G. THE PROLOGUE OF THE SECOND NUN'S TALE 61 THE PROEM TO THE SAME . . . 64 THE SECONDE NONNES TALE ... 65 THE PROLOGUE OF THE CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE 82 THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE . . 88 GROUP H. THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE . . . 114 GROUP I. THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE . . . 118 Notes to Group B 121 Notes to Group G .... ... 140 Notes to Group G 165 Notes to Group H 202 Notes to Group I 206 Glossarial Index . . 211 Index of Names ... .... 276 index of subjects explained in the Notes . . . 279 259 INTRODUCTION. FOR remarks upon Grammatical Forms occurring in Chaucer, 1 must beg leave to refer the reader to the Introduction to Dr. Morris's edition of the Prologue, Knight's Tale, &c. ; and to some further remarks in the Introduction to my edition of the Prioresses Tale, &c. (Clarendon Press Series), p. xlix. Remarks upon the Metre and Versification will be found in the Introduction to the Prioresses Tale, p. liii. ; followed by a Metrical Analysis of Part I. of the Squire's Tale, p. Ixvi. An account of the manner in which the text of the present edition has been formed will be found in the same volume, p. Ixxiii. It may suffice to repeat here that the text follows, in general, the readings of the Ellesmere MS. (called ' E.' in the footnotes), with occasional variations from six others, viz. the Hengwrt, Cambridge, Corpus, Petworth, Lansdowne, and Har- leian MSS., denoted respectively by the symbols Hn., C., Cp., Pt., Ln., and HI. Of these, all but the Harleian MS. are printed in full in Mr. Furnivall's splendid Six-text Edition, published for the Chaucer Society ; whilst MS. HI. is substantially the same as the text in Wright's, Morris's and Bell's editions. The text of Tyrwhitt's edition comes near to that of the Ellesmere MS., and does not much differ from that in the present volume. As in ' The Prioresses Tale,' &c., the Grouping of the Tales and the numbering of the lines exactly correspond with those of the Six- text edition, for the purpose of convenience of reference. The Tales here chosen belong partly to Group B (see Introd. to Prior. Tale, p. xii.) ; partly to Group C ; and partly to Groups G, H, and I. Group G, containing the Second Nun's Tale and the Canon's Yeoman's Tale, is printed here in full. viii INTRODUCTION. In my former Introduction, I endeavoured to explain all that seemed necessary for a right understanding of the text. But I have been reminded that I gave no explanation of the titles of the various parts of the Groups, such as * Man-of-Law Head- link/ and the rest ; and I have been asked to explain what a ' Head-link ' means. The answer is, that all these titles are copied exactly, for convenience, from Mr. Furnivall's Six-text edition, and that they were adopted by him, in the first instance, in order to show the exact condition in which the Canterbury Tales have come down to us in the existing MSS. Thus, before the Man of Law's Tale, we find, in reality, two introductory passages. The latter of these is the real Prologue, 11. 99-133. But it was necessary to find another name for the preliminary dialogue in 11. 1-98. The name fixed upon by Mr. Ftirnivall was a ' Link/ a term adopted in order so to name these connecting dialogues as to indicate the connection between the Tales. Thus the dialogue or Link connecting the Clerk's Tale with the Merchant's Tale (Group E, 11. 1213-1244, in Prioresses Tale, &c. pp. 100, 101) came to be called the * Clerk-Merchant Link,' and so in other cases. Hereupon there arose, however, a new difficulty. The Tales are left in an imperfect state, in unconnected groups, and there is nothing to show what Tale was intended to precede that told by the Man of Law. The result is, that the passage now under discussion, i.e. the first 98 lines of Group B, turns out to be a ' Blank-Man of Law Link.' To avoid this awkward expression, Mr. Furnivall determined to call it the ' Man-of-Law Head- link,' that is to say, a passage preceding the Man of Law's Pro- logue, without anything to join it on to anything else. The same explanation makes clear the meaning of The Squire Head- link, Group F, 11. 1-8, a passage only eight lines long. Similarly, at the end of the Man of Law's Tale, there is a passage (Group B, 11. 1163-1190) which has a double title; viz. Man-of-Law End- link, or Shipman's Prologue. Now for this double title there is a special reason. No doubt the passage is, properly, the Ship- man's Prologue, as it is rightly called in MS. Arch. Seld. B. 14. But it is convenient to have the alternative title, because in some PR ON UNCIA TION. IX MSS. it is wrongly called the Prologue of the Squire's Tale. The title Man-of-Law End-link expresses, therefore, that it is, in any case, a pendant or tag to the Man of Law's Tale, and that it must certainly follow that Tale, whatever other Tale it is to precede. These titles are, then, mere explanatory phrases, and are in all cases copied exactly from the Chaucer Society's Six- text edition. It is easy, by merely observing the names of these ' links/ to understand and to remember the exact extent to which the Tales were partially arranged by their author. PRONUNCIATION. There is yet one other matter on which I have been asked to say somewhat, viz. the Pronunciation of Chaucer's English. This matter I purposely left untouched until students should have become somewhat more familiar with the nature of the Metre and Versification, so far as that can be understood by using the modern pronunciation only. It is now, perhaps, high time to insist on the importance of making some attempt towards understanding, if only in a rough and approximate manner, the great changes that have occurred in our pronunciation since Chaucer's days, so that the beauty of his rhythm may not be marred by the application to it of that system of English pro- nunciation which is in use at the present day ; a system which might be applied to the reading of Dante or Boccaccio with the same fitness as to Chaucer, and with a very similar result as regards an approximation to the sounds with which the author was himself familiar. On the subject of Pronunciation, my guide is, as a matter of course, Mr. Alexander J. Ellis, whose standard work on Early English Pronunciation * is well-known, at any rate by name, to all 1 On Early English Pronunciation, with especial reference to Shakspere and Chaucer. By Alexander J. Ellis, F.R.S., F.S.A., London, Triibner and Co. Parts I and II are dated 1869; Part III is dated 1870; Part IV is dated 1874, extending to p. 1432. The work will be completed in two more parts. X INTRODUCTION. who have taken any interest in the matter. Mr. Ellis has treated the question so carefully and fully that an attempt on my part at giving a general notion of his results would be hardly fair to him or satisfactory to the reader ; but he has, fortunately, himself drawn up a brief abstract of his results, which was printed as Appendix A (pp. 253* 264*) in the second issue of the Aldine edition of Chaucer, edited by Dr. Morris. It is here reprinted by permission of the publishers, after revision by Mr. Ellis, for the present work. I also draw attention to Mr. Sweet's book on English Sounds, with its full Word-lists and abundance of examples \ The results there arrived at sufficiently agree with Mr. Ellis's, and fully con- firm them in all that is material. The pronunciation of English during the fourteenth century differed materially from that now in use. The following is an abstract of the conclusions at which Mr. Ellis has arrived respecting the pronunciation probably in use among the highly educated southern speakers for whom Chaucer wrote, and directions are subjoined for modern readers who wish to imitate it. A long =ab, as in father, alms, are' the usual continental sound of long a. The present pronunciation of a, as ai in wait, seems not to have become thoroughly established till the beginning of the eighteenth century. A short = ah, the short sound of ah, not now used in received English, but still common in the midland and northern provinces ; the usual continental sound of short a. The present very dif- ferent pronunciation, as a in cat, agreeing with the sound in the south-western and eastern counties, was not established till the seventeenth century ; those, however, to whom ah is difficult may use this a in cat. AA, the same as A long. 1 A History of English Sounds, from the earliest period, with full Word- lists. By H. Sweet, M.A. Oxford; Clarendon Press, 1888. (Originally published for the London Philological Society and the English Dialect Society in 1864.) PR ON UNCIA TION. XI A I = ah'ee, a diphthong consisting of ah pronounced briefly but with a stress, and gliding on to ee in one syllable ; sometimes used now in aye, and in the second syllable of Isaiah, as distinct from the first; the German sound of ai, nearly the Italian abil and the French at. Those who have a difficulty with this sound may use the ordinary pronoun I. The modern sound at, as in wait, was not thoroughly established till the seventeenth century, although it began to make its appearance in the first half of the sixteenth. Almost all dialects treat this combination differently from long A. See EY. AU=fl#o0, a diphthong consisting of ah pronounced briefly but with a stress, and gliding on to oo in one syllable : not used in modern English ; the German au, nearly the Italian au in Laura, the French aou. Those who have a difficulty with this sound may use the ordinary ou in house. The modern sound of au, as in Paul, was not established till the seventeenth century. AW, the same as AU. AY, the same as AI. B, as at present. C = before a, o, u, or any consonant, and = j before e, i,y. It was never called sh, as in the present sound of vicious, which then formed three syllables, vi-ci-ous. CCH=ta&, as in fetch CH=r, as in such, cheese, and in Greek words occasionally k, as at present. D, as at present. E long= in there, at in pair, a in dare ; that is, as at is now pronounced before r t or rather more broadly than before any other consonant, and without any tendency to taper into the sound of ee ; the German eh long, nearly the French e, and Italian open e. Those who find this sound too difficult may say at as in ail. The present use of the sound ofee in eel was not established till the beginning of the eighteenth century, although two sounds of e as in mere, there, were partially marked by ee and ea in the latter part of the sixteenth century, and ea very gradually changed to the sound of ee in the seventeenth. It is possible that a close Xll INTRODUCTION. and open sound of this letter, as in the Italian e chiuso and e apertu (which are allowed to rhyme), or the French / and e (which are not allowed to rhyme), may have existed, but as they were allowed to rhyme in Chaucer, they cannot be separated with certainty. Dickens's Sai-rey Gamp has the close sound, the usual Sarah has the open sound. E short = < in met, pen, well. E final = e, or short e lightly and obscurely pronounced, as the final e in the German eine herrliche gute Gabe ; nearly like the pre- sent a in idea or final er when the r is not trilled . This sound was always used in prose, when the final e was the mark of some final vowel in older forms of the language, when it marked oblique cases, feminine genders, plurals, inflections of verbs, adverbs, &c. But in poetry it was regularly elided altogether before a following vowel, and before be, bis, him, hire = her, hs re their, hem = them, and occasionally before hath, hadde, have, bow, her, >fcr. V vowel, the same as U. V consonant, the same as at present. W vowel, used in diphthongs as a substitute for U, and some- times used absolutely for 00, as \vdG = oode ) herberw=for&r00. W consonant, the same as at present. WH, a blowing through the lips when in the position for w, something like a whistle; still generally pronounced in the north of England, but commonly confused with with a substitution of the French le for the English the. Skinner's Lexicon contains hundreds of such absurdities, many of which were copied into Johnson's Dictionary, and some of them are certainly still be- lieved in. For a sample of these, see the ' Garland culled from Skinner f in my Introduction to Ray's Collection of Provincial Words, pp. xxi-xxvi, published by the English Dialect Society. And to this day correspondents write to Notes and Queries about certain hard words, asking for the ' etymology ' of them, instead of asking for the history of them, which is the more important matter. No wonder that they often receive six or seven dif- ferent answers, all perhaps equally unsatisfactory and useless, and learn no more about the matter than they knew at first. Of course the etymology will explain a word, but only if it xlviii INTRODUCTION. happens to be right ; the history of the word is, however, a surer guide, because it deals with quotations and facts, not with theories and fancies. I fear that we English have still much to learn before we are finally delivered from the alchemy of those who only work by guess, and from the tyranny of ingenious assertions. A list of books most useful for explaining Chaucer, and of the Dictionaries used in compiling the Glossarial Index, is given in my former Introduction, at p. Ixxvi. The present volume is, in the main, my own work. My chief obligations have been to Mr. Furnivall's Six-text edition, and to Tyrwhitt's notes. I wish to record my thanks to Miss Gunning, of Cambridge, and Miss Wilkinson, of Dorking, who considerably lightened the labour of preparing the Glossary by copying out, with proper references, and in many cases, with explanations, the words explained there. I have added the explanations where they were omitted, and revised the whole ; the etymological remarks being my own throughout. A con- siderable part of the Notes is due to my own reading, and has not appeared before ; this is particularly the case with respect to the Canon's Yeoman's Tale. In the present (revised) edition, a few new notes have been added ; and an Index has been subjoined, shewing where to find at once the more important explanations of words and subject- matter. Cambridge, Oct. 3, 1879. NOTE ON THE PARDONER'S TALE. It has been pointed out by Mr. Tawney and by Mr. Francis that this tale occurs in the Vedabbha Jataka, the 48th in FausboH's edition. The tale was therefore known to the Buddhists. ADDITIONS IN THE EDITION OF 1897. IN this edition several emendations have been made, and some errors have been corrected which had previously escaped notice. The following remarks are added, for the fuller information of the student. Note on p. xii, 1. 17. The remark by Dr. Ellis, that the final * 'was never pronounced in kire=her' is liable to exception in the case where the word hire (usually here) happens to occur at the end of a line. This is particularly noted at p. 171, in the note to G 150. Note on p. xxi. It is now recognised, in Sweet's First Middle- English Primer, p. 4, that the diphthongs ei and ai 'were beginning to be confused, probably through the a of ai being modified nearly to the sound of a in man ; ei probably had the broad sound of the diphthong in the Cockney pronunciation of name. 1 I do not hesitate to say that, in Chaucer, the diphthongs at, ay, ei, ey, all rime together ; and that the common sound was that of ei as above described, very nearly that of ay, ey in the modern English words pray and prey. The ruling of Dr. Ellis, that their common sound was like that of ai in Isaiah (p. xi), is quite untenable. Even Dr. Sweet seems to assume that ai had this sound originally; but we must not forget that English was spelt by Norman scribes, and there is no evidence that ai had the sound of ai in Isaiah even in late Norman. On the contrary, M. Gaston Paris says, of the Norman ai : ' Elle s'est originairement prononce*e ai [as ai in Isaiah\ mais deja a Pepoque de la derniere redaction du Roland elle se prononce e et assone avec , v O feyned womman, al that may confounde Vertu and Innocence, thurgh thy malice, Is bred in thee, as nest of euery vice 1 O Satan, enuious sin thilke day 365 That thou were chased fro our heritage, Wei knowestow to wommen the olde way ! Thou madest Eua bringe vs in seruage. Thou wolt fordoon this cristen manage. Thy instrument so, weylawey the whyle ! 370 Makestow of wommen, whan thou wolt begyle. This sowdanesse, whom I thus blame and warye, Let priuely hir conseil goon her way. ulde I in this tale lenger tarye ? She rydeth to the sowdan on a day, 375 And seyde him, that she wold eneye hir lay, And cristendom of preestes handes fonge, c ^ i l' Whyl I was on the londe amonges yow, ^ He can me kepe from harme and eek fro shame .^ In sake j>ee, al-though I se nat how. 830 As strong as euer he was, he is yet now. In him triste I, and in his moder dere, That is to me my seyl and eek my stere.' 1 So all bi4t HI., which has schamful. 2 E. Ln. the; the rest hir. 26 GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. Hir litel child lay weping in hir arm, And kneling, pitously to him she seyde, 835 * Pees, litel sone, I wol do thee noon harm/ ^ / With that hir kerchief 1 of 2 hir heed she breyde,^^ *^ And ouer his litel yen she it leyde ; And in hir arm she lulleth it ful faste, And in- to heuen hir yen vp she caste. 840 4 Moder/ quod she, ' and mayde bright, Marye, Soth is that thurgh womannes eggement Mankynd was lorn and damned ay to dye, For which thy child was on a croys yrent ; Thy blisful yen seye al his torment ; 845 Than is ther no comparisoun bitwene Thy wo and any wo man may sustene. Thou sey thy child yslayn bifor thyn yen, And yet now lyueth my litel 3 child, parfay ! Now, lady bryght, to whom alle woful crye'n, 850 Thou glorie of wommanhede, thou fayre may, Thou hauen of refut, bryghte sterre of day, Rewe on my child, that of thy gentillesse Rewest on euery rewful in distresse 1 O litel child, alias ! what is thy gilt, 855 That neuer wroughtest sinne as yet, parde, Why wil thyn harde fader han thee spilt ? O mercy, dere Constable F quod she ; ' As lat my litel child dwelle heer with thee ; And if thou darst not sauen him, for blame, 860 So 4 kis him ones in his fadres name !' 1 Ln. HI. kerchef; Pt. keerchef; E. Hn. couerchief; Cm. couerchif; Cp. couerchef. 2 E. Hn. Cm. ouer (wrongly) ; the rest of. s E. Ln. am. litel ; the rent have it. E. Yet ; the rest So. GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. Ther-with she loketh l bakward to the londe, And seyde, ' far-wel, housbond rewthelees !' And vp she rjst, and walketh doun the stronde Toward the ship ; hir folweth al the prees, 865 And euer she preyeth hir child to holde his pees ; And taketh hir leue, and with an holy entente She blisseth hir ; and in-to ship she wente. Vitailled was the ship, it is no drede, Habundantly for hir ful longe space, 870 And other necessaries that sholde nede She hadde ynough, heried be goddes grace ! ^> For wynd and weder almyghty god purchace And bringe hir hoom ! I can no bettre seye; But in the see she dryueth forth hir weye. 875 Explicit secunda pars. Sequitur pars tercia. Alia the king comth hoom, sone after this, Vnto his castel of the which I tolde, And axeth wher his wyf and his child is. The Constable gan aboute his herte colde, And pleynly al the maner he him tolde 880 As ye han herd, I can telle it no bettre, And sheweth the king his seel and [eek] 2 his lettre, And seyde, ' lord, as ye comaunded me Vp peyne of deeth, so haue I doon certeyn.' This messager tormented was til he 885 Moste biknowe and tellen, plat and pleyn, Fro nyght to nyght, in what place he had leyn. And thus, by wit and subtil enqueringe, Ymagined was by whom this harm gan springe. 1 E. Ln. HI. looked, loked ; the rest looketh, loketh. 2 The word eek seems wanted; but is not in the MSS. 28 GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. The bond was knowe that the lettre wroot, 890 And al the venim of this cursed dede, But in what wyse certeynly I noot. . Theffect is this, that Alia, out of drede, ^ His moder slow, that men may pleynly rede, ^ ^ For that she traytour was to hir ligeaunce. & ^ 895 Thus endeth olde Donegild f with meschaunceJ The sorwe that this Alia nyght and day Maketh for his wyf and for his child also, Ther is no tonge that it telle may. But now wol I vn-to Custance go, 900 That fleteth in the see, in peyne and wo, Fyue yeer and more, as lyked cristes sonde, Er that hir ship approched vn-to l londe. Vnder an hethen Castel, atte laste, Of which the name in my text nought I fynde, 905 Custance and eek hir child the see vp-caste. Almighty god, that saueth 2 al mankynde Haue on Custance and on hir child som mynde, That fallen is in hethen land eft-sone, In point to spille, as I shal telle yow sone. 910 Doun from the Castel comth ther many a wyght To jsguren on this ship and on Custance. But shortly, from the Castel on a nyght The lordes styward god yeue him meschaunce ! A theef, that had reneyed our creaunce, 915 Com in-to 8 ship allone, and seyde he sholde Hir lemman be, wher-so she wolde or nolde. 1 So Hn. Cp. Pt. HI. ; E. Ln. vn-to the ; Cm. to the. E. saued ; the rest saueth. s E. Cm. in-to the ; the rest omit the, GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 29 [The story relates that, by God's grace, the thief fell overboard and was drowned?^ How may this wayke womman ban this strengthe Hir to defende agayn this renegat ? O Golias, vnmesurable of lengthe, How myghte Dauid make thee so mat, (j^Jh. 935 So yong and of armure so desolat ? How dorste he loke vp-on thy dredful face? Wei may men seen it nas * but goddes grace ! Who yaf ludith corage or hardinesse To sleen him t Olofermis 2 f in his tente, 940 And to deliueren out of wrecchednesse The peple of god ? I seye for this entente, That ryght as god spirit of vigour sente To hem, and saued hem out of meschance, So sente he myght and vigour to Custance. 945 Forth goth hir ship thurgh-out the narwe mouth Of lubaltar and Septe, dryuing alway s , Som-tyme West, and som-tym North and South, And som-tyme Est, ful many a wery day, Til cristes moder (blessed be she ay !) 950 Hath shapen, thurgh hir endeles goodnesse, To make an ende of al hir heuinesse. 1 So E. HI. ; Ln. is ; the rest was. 2 E. Oloferne; HI. Olefernes; the rest Olofernus, Olefernus, or Dies- phernus ; see note. 8 E. alway ; but the rest ay. The latter would be better, but is hardly admissible on account of its terminating 1. 950. 30 GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. Now lat vs stinte of Custance but a throwe, And speke we of the Romayn Emperour, That out of Surrye hath by lettres knowe 955 The slaughtre of cristen folk, and dishonour Don to his daughter by a fals traytour, I mene the cursed wikked sowdanesse, That at the feste leet sleen both more and lesse. For which this emperour hath sent anoon 960 His senatour, with roial ordinance, And othere lordes, got wot, many oon, On Surryens to taken hey vengeance. They brennen, sleen, and bringe hem to meschance Ful many a day ; but shortly, this is thende, 965 Homward to Rome thei shapen hem to wende. This senatour repaireth with victorie To Romeward, sayling ful roially, And mette the ship dryuing, as seith the storie, In which Custance sit ful pitously. 970 No-thing ne l knew he what she was, ne why She was in swich array ; ne she nil seye Of hir estaat, although 2 she sholde deye. He bringeth hir to Rome, and to his wyf He yaf hir, and hir yonge sone also ; 975 And with the senatour she ladde her lyf. Thus can our lady bringen out of wo Woful Custance, and many another mo. And longe tyme dwelled she in that place, In holy werkes euer, as was hir grace. 980 1 E. Cm. om. ne ; the rest have it. 2 HI. although ; Ft. though that ; the rest though. GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 31 The senatoures wyf hir aunte was, But for al that she knew hir neuer the more ; I wol no lenger tarien in this cas, But to king Alia, which I spak of yore, That for his wyf wepeth 1 and syketh sore, 985 I wol retourne, and lete I wol Custance Vnder the senatoures gouernance. King Alia, which that hadde his moder slayn, Vpon a day fil in swich repentance, That, if I shortly tellen shal and playn, 990 To Rome he comth, to receyuen his penance And putte him in the popes ordinance In hey and low, and lesu Crist bisoughte Foryeue his wikked werkes that he wroughte. The fame anon through Rome toun 2 is born, 995 How Alia king shal come in pilgrimage, By herbergeours that wenten him biforn ; For which the senatour, as was vsage, Rood him agayn, and many of his linage, As wel to shewen his hey magnificence 1000 As to don any king a reuerence. Greet chere doth this noble senatour To king Alia, and he to him also ; Euerich of hem doth other greet honour; And so bifel that, in a day or two, 1005 This senatour is to king Alia go , To feste, and shortly, if I shal nat lye, Custances sone wente in his companye. 1 So all but E., which puts weepeth after That. 2 E. through out the toun ; the rest through Rome toun. 32 GROUP 3. THE TALE OF THE MAN Of LAWS. Som men wolde seyn, at requeste of Custance, This senatour hath lad this child to feste ; 10 I may nat tellen euery circumstance, Be as be may, ther was he at the leste. But soth is this, that, at his modres heste, . - Biforn Alia, during the mete s^.sp ace, **^ The child stood, loking in the kinges face. 1015 This Alia king hath of this child greet wonder, And to the senatour he seyde anon, * Whos is that fayre child that stondeth yonder?' ' I noot/ quod he, ' [parfay], and by seint John ! A moder he hath, but fader hath he non 1020 That I of wot ' but shortly, in a stounde, He told Alia how that this child was founde. Now was this child as lyk vn-to Custance 1030 As possible is a creature to be. This Alia hath the face in remembrance Of dame Custance, and ther- on mused he ^ If that the childes moder were aught she ^^L 6 ^ That was his wyf, and priuely he syghte, pV 1035 And spedde him fro the table that hemyghte. 'Parfay/ thoughte he, 'fantome is in my heed! I oughte deme, of skilful lugement, That in the sake see my wyf is deed/ And afterward he made his argument 1040 * What wot I, if that Crist haue l hider ysent 2 My wyf by see, as wel as he hir sente To my contree fro thennes that she wente?' E haue ; the rest bath. * E. ysent ; Cm. I-sent ; the rest sent. GROUP B. THE TALE 1 OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 33 And, after noon, hoom with the senatour Goth Alia, for to seen this wonder chaunce. 1045 This senatour doth Alia greet honour, And hastily l he sente after Custaunce. But trusteth wel, hir liste nat to daunce Whan that she wiste wherefor was that sonde. Vnnethe vp-on hir feet she myghte stonde. 1050 Whan Alia sey his wyf, fayre he hir grette, And weep, that it was rewthe for to see. For at the firste look he on hir sette He knew wel verraily that it was she. And she for sorwe as domb stant as a tre ; 1055 So was hir herte shet in hir distresse Whan she remembred his vnkyndenesse. Twyes she swowned in his owen syghte ; He weep, and him excuseth pitously : i Now god/ quod he, 'and alle 2 his halwes bryghte 1060 So wisly on my soule as haue mercy, That of your harm as giltelees am I As is Maurice my sone so lyk your face ; Elles the feend me fecche out of this place ! ' Long was the sobbing and the bitter peyne 1065 Er that her woful hertes myghte cesse ; Greet was the pite for to here hem pleyne Thurgh whiche pleyntes gan her wo encresse. I prey yow al my labour to relesse ; I may nat telle her wo vn-til tomorwe, 1070 I am so wery for to speke of sorwe. 1 E. Pt. hastifly ; the rest hastily, hastely. 2 HI. alle ; which the rest omit. VOL. III. D 34 GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. But fynally, when that the soth is wist That Alia giltelees was of hir wo, I trowe an hundred tymes been l they kist, And swich a blisse is ther bitwix hem two 1075 That, saue the loye that lasteth euermo, Ther is noon lyk that any creature Hath seyn or shal, whyl that the world may dure. Tho preyde she hir housbond mekely, In relief of hir longe pitous pyne, 1080 That he wold preye hir fader specially That, of his magestee, he wolde enclyne To vouche sauf som day with him to dyne; She preyde him eek, he sholde 2 by no weye Vn-to hir fader no word of hir seye. 1085 Som men wold seyn, how that the child Maurice Doth this message vn-to this emperour; -X But, as I gesse, Alia was nat so nyce .V^ To him, that was of so souereyn honour As he that is of cristen folk the flour, 1090 Sente any child, but it is bet to deme He wente him-self, and so it may wel seme. This emperour hath graunted gentilly To come to dyner, as he him bisoughte ; And wel rede I, he loked bisily 1095 Vp-on this child, and on his daughter thoughte. Alia goth to his in, and, as him oughte, Arrayed for this feste in euery wyse As ferforth as his conning may suffyse. 1 So in all the seven MSS. a E. wolde ; the rest sholde. GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 35 jJtt The morwe cam, and Alia gan him dresse, And eek his wyf, this emperour to mete ; And forth they ryde in loye and in gladnesse. And whan she sey hir fader in the strete, She lyghte doun, and falleth himjojeje. ' Fader/ quod she, ' your yonge child CustanceT *"Yrt#* *** Is now ful clene out of your remembrance. I am your doughter Custance V quod she, ' That whylom ye han sent vn-to Surrye. It am I, fader, that in the salte see Was put allone and dampned for to dye. mo Now, good fader, mercy I yow crye, Send me namore vn-to noon hethenesse, But thonketh my lord heer of his kyndenesse.' id Who can the pitous loye tellen al Bitwix hem thre, sin they ben thus ymette? 1115 But of my tale make an ende I shal ; The day goth faste, I wol no lenger lette. This glade folk to dyner they hem sette ; In loye and blisse at mete I lete hem dwelle A thousand fold wel more than I can telle. 1120 This child Maurice was sithen emperour Maad by the pope, and lyued cristenly. To Cristes chirche he dide gret honour ; But I lete al his storie passen by, Of Custance is my tale specially. In olde Romayn gestes may men fynde Maurices lyf ; I bere it nought in m^nde. ^ ^^^ ' 1 So in all the MSS. to be read as Custance (three syllables}. See the note. D 2 . tp * 36 GROUP B. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. This king Alia, whan he his tyme sey, With his Custance, his holy wyf so swete, To Engelond ben they come the^ryghte \vey. Wher-las they lyue in loye and in quiete. But litel whyl it lasteth, I yow heje, laye of this world, for tyme wol nat abyde ; Fro day to nyght it changeth as the tyde. Who lyued euer in swich delyt o^day That him ne moeued other conscience, VnJL* Or Ire, or talent, or som kin l affray, Envie, or pryde, or passion, or offence ? I ne sey but for this ende this sentence, That litel whyl in loye or in plesance Lasteth the blisse of Alia with Custance. For deth, that taketh of hey and low his rente, Whan passed was a yeer, euen as I gesse, Out of this world this king Alia he hente, For whom Custance hath ful gret heuynesse. Now lat vs preyen 2 god his soule blesse I And dame Custance, fynally to seye, Towards the toun of Rome goth hir weye. To Rome is come this holy creature, And fyndeth ther 8 hir frendes hole and sounde Now is she scaped al hir auenture ; And whan that she hir fader hath yfounde, Doun on hir knees falleth she to groun^e ; Weping for tendrenesse in herte blythe, She herieth god an hundred thousand sythe. 1130 1140 1145 1150 1155 1 E. som kynnes ; Cm. suwkenys ; HI. som maner ; Hn. Cp. Pt. som kyn ; Ln. sumkin. 2 E. praye to; HI. pray that ; the rest preyen, prayen, preien, or preyne. Supplied from HI. The rest, omit ther, but th* omission, spoils the Ijpe. . , tfu /C4^^j(J^ 465 Wher as, with harpes, lutes, and giternes, They daunce and pleye at dees bothe day and nyght, And ete also and drinken ouer her myght, Thurgh which they doon the deuel sacrifyse With-in that deueles temple, in cursed wyse, 470 By superfluitee abhominable ; Her othes been so gret and so dampnable, . /That it is grisly for to here hem swere ; ^T jT Our blissed lordes body they to-tere; , ru j}V Hem thoughte lewes 2 rente him nought ynough ; 475 VT And ech of hem at otheres sinne lough. 1 HI. prestcs. 2 So Cp. Ln. HI, ; E. Hn. Cm. that lewes ; Pt. fce Iwes. GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 45 ^ And ryght anon than comen tombesteres A* A *- cvCc -^JCA^ Fetys and smale, and yonge fruytesteres, ^ tL \ Singers with harpes p^^anojwafereres, Whiche been the verray deuelesofficeres 480 To kindle and blowe the fyr of i That is annexed vn-to glotonye ; The holy writ take I to my witnesse, That luxurie is in wyn and dronkenesse. -^ j erodes (who so^eltne stories soughte), *. Whan he of wyn was replet at his feste, Ryght at his owen table he yaf his heste 4<$ To sleen the Baptist lohn ful giltelees. Senek seith eek 2 a good word doutelees ; He seith he can no difference fynde Bitwix a man that is out of his mynde And a man which that is dronjkelewe, ** ^4^ "*' But that woodnesse, yfallen in a shrewe, "{( Perseuereth lenger than doth dronkenesse. O glotonye, ful of cursednesse, O cause first of our confusioun, O original of our dampnacioun, 500 Til Crist had bought vs with his blood agayn I Lo, how dere, shortly for to sayn, Abought was thilke cursed vilanye ; Corrupt was al this world for glotonye \ Adam our fader, and his wyf also, 505 Fro Paradys to labour and to wo Were driuen for that vice, it is no drede ; For whyl that Adam fasted, as I rede, 1 E. Hn. Cm. Pt. HI. agree here ; Cp. Ln. have two additional lines, but they are probably spurious. 3 Cp. Ln. eek ; the rest omit it. 46 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. He was in Paradys ; and whan that he Eet of the fruyt defended on the tree, Y.V^ 5 10 Anon he was out cast to wo and peyne.^- glotonye, on thee wel oughte vs pleyne ! O, wiste a man how many maladyes Folwen of excesse and of glotonyes, He wolde been the more mesurable 515 f his diete, sittinge at his table. Alias ! the shorte throte, the tendre mouth, :eth that Est and West, and North and South, In erthe, in eir, in water men l to-swinke To gete a glotoun deyntee mete and drinke ! 520 Of this matere, o Paul, wel canstow trete, 1 Mete vn-to wombe, and wombe eek vn-to mete, Shal god destroyen bothe/ as Paulus seith. Alias ! a foul thing is it, by my feith, To seye this word, and fouler is the dede, 525 Whan man so drinketh of the whyte and rede, That of his throte he maketh his pryuee, Thurgh thilke cursed superfluitee. The apostel weping seith ful pitously, * Ther walken many of whiche yow told haue I, 530 I seye it now weping with pitous voys, That thai 2 been enemys of Cristes croys, - ^ Of whiche the ende is deth, wombe is her god/ ^ ^ , ~ o- fr\ i.o . r//> ^J v: ' -JB & / i 'ow gret labour and cost i!s thee to lynde!' Thise cokes, how they stampe, and streyne, and'grynde, . And turnen substaunce in-to accident; ntkff***^ vW**** To fulfille al thy likerous talent L^JiJOL 540 1 E. HI. man ; the rest men. 2 That thai is Tyrwhitt's reading ; HI. Thay ; but the rest have Ther, probably repeated by mistake from 1. 530. GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 47 Out of the harde bones knokke they The mary, for they caste nought a-wey That may go thurgh the golet softe and swote ; Of spicerye, of leef, and bark, and rote Shal been his sauce ymaked by delyt, 545 To make him yet a newer appetyt. But certes, he that haunteth swich delices Is deed, whyl that he lyueth in tho vices. eJ&MAAVA. . , , , A [ cursed j thing is wyn, and dronkenesse Is ful of stryuing and of wrecchednesse. 550 O dronke man, disfigured is thy face, Sour is thy breeth, foul artow to embrace, And thurgh thy dronke nose semeth the soun As though thou seydest ay ' Sampsoun, And yet, god wot, Sampsoun drank neuer no wyn. 555 Thou fallest, as it were a stiked swyn, Thy tonge is lost, and al thyn honest cure ; For dronkenesse is verray sepulture Of mannes wit and his discrecioun. In whom that drinke hath dominacioun, 560 , , ""^ d-^s* He can no conseil kepe, it is no drede. Now kepe yow fro the whyte and fro the rede, And namely fro the whyte wyn of Lepe, That is to selle in Fishstrete or in Chepe. This wyn of Spayne crepeth subtilly 565 In othere wynes, growing faste by, Of which ther ryseth swich fumositee, That whan a man hath dronken draughtes thre, And weneth that he be at hoom in Chepe, He is in Spayne, ryght at the toune of Lepe, 570 Nat at the Rochel, ne at Burdeux toun ; And thanne wol he seye, ' Sampsoun, Sampsoun. 1 48 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. But herkneth, lordings *, o word, I yow preye, That alle the souereyn actes, dar I seye, Of victories in the olde testament, 575 Thurgh verray god, that is omnipotent, Were doon in abstinence and in preyere ; Loketh the Bible, and ther ye may it lere. Loke, Attila, the grete conquerour, Deyde in his sleep, with shame and dishonour, 580 Bledinge ay at his nose in dronkenesse ; ' \ A capitayn shoulde lyue in sobrenesse. > v And ouer al this, auyseth yow ryght wel Jjfl What was comaunded vn-to Lamuel Qr Nat Samuel, but Lamuel, seye I 585 Redeth the Bible, and fynde it expresly Of wyn yeuing to hem that han lustise ; Namore of this, for it may wel suffise. And now that 2 I haue spoke of glotonyer , * Now wol I yow defender! hasardrye. ^ '*j/> 590 Hasard is verray moder of lesinges, fc^jfa And of deceit, and cursed forsweringes, Blaspheme 8 of Crist, manslaughtre, and wast also Of catel and of tyme ; and forthermo, It is repreue and contrarie of honour 595 For to ben holde a commune hasardour. And euer the heyer he is of estaat, The more is he holden desolaat. If that a prince vseth hasardrye, In alle gouernaunce and policye 600 He is, as by commune opinoun, Yholde the lasse in reputacioun. 1 E. lordes ; the rest lordinges, lordynges, lordyngs. 2 E. HI. om. that ; the rest have it. 3 E. Blasphemyng ; the rest Blaspheme. 1 'ROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 49 Stilbon, that was a wys embassadour, Was sent to Corinthe, in ful greet honour, . Fro Lacidomie, to make her alliaunce. 605 And whan he cam, him happede, par chaunce, 'hat alle the grettest that were of that lond, Pleytnge atte hasard he hem fond. For which, as sone as it myghte be, He stal him hoom agayn to his contree, 610 And seyde, ' ther wol I nat lese my name ; Ne I l wol nat take on me so great defame, Yow for to allye vn-to none hasardours. Sendeth som 2 othere wyse embassadours ; For, by my trouthe, me were leuer dye, 615 Than I yow sholde to hasardours allye. For ye that been so glorious in honours Shul nat ally en yow with hasardours As by my wil, ne as by my tretee.' This wyse philosophre thus seyde he. 620 Loke eek that to 3 the king Demetrius The king of Parthes, as the book seith vs, Sente him a paire of dees of gold in scorn, For he hadde vsed hasard ther-biforn ; For which he heeld his glorie or his renoun 625 At no value or reputacioun. Lordes may fynden other maner pley Honest^ ynough to dryue the day awey. Now wol I speke of othes false and grete A word or two, as olde bokes trete. Gret swering is a thing abhominable, And fals swering is yet 4 more repreuable. 1 Hn. Ny; Cm. Nay (both put for Ne I) which shews the scansion. 3 Tyrwhitt inserts som ; // is not in our MSS. 3 Hn. Cm. Cp. Ft. to ; which E. Ln. HI. omit. 4 Cp. Ln. HI. om. yet. VOL. III. 50 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. The heye god forbad swering at al, Witnesse on Mathew ; but in special Of swering seith the holy leremye, 635 1 Thou shalt seye sooth thyn othes, and nat lye, And swere in dome, and eek in ryghtwisnesse ; ' But ydel swering is a cursednesse. Bihold and se, that in the firste table Of heye goddes hestes honurable, 640 How that the seconde heste of him is this * Tak nat my name in ydel or amis/ j rather he forbedeth swich swering Than homicyde or many a * cursed thing ; I sey that, as by ordre, thus it stondeth ; 645 This knowen, that his hestes vnderstondeth, How that the second heste of god is that. And forther ouer, I wol thee telle al plat, That vengeance shal nat parten from his hous, /". That of his othes is to outrageous. 1 By goddes precious herte, and by his nayles, And by the blode of Crist, that it is in Hayles, Seuen is my chaunce, and thyn is cink and treye ; By goddes armes, if thou falsly pleye, This dagger shal thurgh-out thyn herte go ' This fruyt cometh of the bicched 2 bones tw Forswering, ire, falsnesse, homicyde. Now, for the loue of Crist that for vs dyde, Leueth 8 your othes, bothe grete and smale ; But, sirs, now wol I telle forth my tale. Thise ryotoures three, of whiche I telle, * Longe erst er pryme rong of any belle, 1 Hn. Cm. HI. many a ; E. any ; Cp. Pt. Ln. eny other. 3 So*. Cp. ; HI. bicchid; Ln. becched; Hn. Cm.bicche; Pt. thilk, 3 E. Hn. Lete ; the rest Leueth, GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 51 Were set hem in a tauerne for l to drinke ; And as they satte, they herde a belle clinke Biforn a cors, was caried to his graue ; 665 hat oon of hem gan callen to his knaue, ' bet/ quod he, ' and axe redily, JJ^tv^^i "I/ What cors is this that passeth heer forby; And look that thou reporte his name wel/ ' Sir/ quod this boy, t it nedeth neueradel. 670 It was me told er ye cam heer two houres ; He was, parde, an old felawe of youres; And sodeynly he was y slayn to-nyght, For-dronke, as he sat on his bench vpryght ; Ther cam a priuee theef, men clepeth deeth, 675 That in this contree al the peple sleeth, And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo, And wente his wey with-outen wordes mo. He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence : And, maister, er ye come in his presence, 680 Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an aduersarie : Beth redy for to mete him euermore. Thus taughte me my dame, I sey namore.' ' By seinte Marie/ seyde this tauerner, 685 ' The child seith sooth, for he hath slayn this yeer, ^ ^Henne ouer a myle, with-in a greet village, A ' "r Both man and womman, child and hyne, and page. I trowe his habitacioun be there ; fa ' To been auysed greet wisdom it were, 690 Er that he dide a man a dishonour/ * Ye, goddes armes/ quod this ryotour, 1 Cp, Pt. HI. for ; which the rest omit. 2 ' 52 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. ' Is it swich peril with him for to mete ? I shal him seke by weye and eek by strete, I make auow to goddes digne bones ! 695 Herkneth, felawes, we thre been al ones ; Lat ech of vs holde vp his hond til other, And ech of vs bicomen otheres brother, And we wol sleen this false traytour deeth ; He shal be slayn, which that so many sleeth, 700 By goddes dignitee, er it be nyght.' Togidres han thise thre her trouthes plyght, To lyue and dyen ech of hem for other, As though he were his owen yboren 1 brother. And vp they sterte al 2 dronken, in this rage, 705 And forth they goon towardes that village, Of which the tauerner had spoke biforn, And many a grisly ooth than han they sworn, And Cristes blessed body they to-rente ' Deeth shal be deed, if that they may him hente.' 710 Whan they han goon nat fully half a myle, Ryght as they wolde han troden ouer a style, An old man and a poure with hem mette. This olde man ful mekely hem grette, And seyde thus, 'now, lordes, god yow see ! ' 715 The proudest of thise ryotoures three ^ Answerde agayn, ' what ? carl, with sory grace. Why artow al forwrapped saue thy face ? Why lyuestow so longe in so greet age?' This olde man gan loke in his visage, 720 And seyde thus, l for I ne can nat fynde A man, though that I walked in-to Ynde, Neither in citee nor in no village, 1 E. yboru ; Hn. ybore ; Cm. bore ; Pt. born ; Cp. Ln, HI. sworne. 2 Hn. Cp. La HI. al; E. Cm, Pt. and. GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 53 That wolde chaunge his youthe for myn age ; And therfore mot I han myn age stille, 725 As longe time as it is goddes wille. Ne deeth, alias ! ne wol nat han my lyf ; Thus walke I, lyk a restelees caityf, And on the ground, which is my modres gate, I knokke with my staf, bothe erly and late, And seye, " leue moder, leet me in ! Lo, how I vanish, flesh, and blood, and skin ! Alias ! whan shul my bones been at reste ? Moder, with yow wolde I chaungen my That in my chambre longe tyme.hath be, Ye ! for an heyre clowt to wrappe me 1" But yet to me she wol nat do that grace, For which ful pale and welkeoMs my face. But, sirs, to yow it is no curteisye To speken to an old man vilanye, But he trespasse in worde, or elles in dede. In holy writ ye may your-self wel rede, " Agayns an old man, hoor vpon his heed, Ye sEoTde aryse," wherfor I yeue yow reed, Ne doth vn-to an old man noon harm now, 745 No more than 1 ye wolde men dide to yow In age, if that ye so longe abyde ; And god be with yow, wher ye go or ryde, I mot go thider as I haue to go/ ' Nay, olde cherl, by god, thou shalt nat so/ 750 Seyde this other hasardour anon, ' Thou partest nat so lyghtly, by seint lohn ! Thou spak ryght now of thilke traitour deeth, That in this contree alle our frendes sleeth. 1 E. Hn. than that ; the rest omit that. 54 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. Haue heer my trouthe, as thou art his aspye, 755 Tel wher he is, or thou shalt it abye, By god, and by the holy sacrament ! For soothly thou art oon of his assent, To sleen vs yonge folk, thou false theef ! ' * Now, sirs/ quod he, ' if that yow l be so leef 760 To fynde deeth, turne vp this croked wey, For in that groue I lafte him, by my fey, Vnder a tree, and ther he wol abyde ; Nat for your bost he wol him no-thing hyde. Se ye that ook ? ryght ther ye shul him fynde. 765 God saue yow, that boughte agayn mankynde, And yow amende ! ' thus seyde this olde man. And euerich of thise ryotoures ran, Til he cam to that tree, and ther they founde Of florins fyne of golde ycoyned rounde 770 Wei ny an eighte busshels, as hem thoughte. No lenger thanne after deeth they soughte, But ech of hem so glad was of that syghte, For that the florins been so fayre and bryghte, That doun they sette hem by this precious hord. 775 The worste of hem he spake the firste word. ' Brethren/ quod he, ' tak kepe what I seye ; My wit is greet, though that I bourde and pleye. This tresor hath fortune vn-to vs yeuen, In mirthe and lolitee our lyf to lyuen, 780 And lyghtly as it comth, so wol we spende. Ey ! goddes precious dignitee ! who wende To-day, that we sholde han so fayr a grace ? But myght this gold be caried fro this place Hoom to myn hous, or elles vn-to youres 785 1 E. Cm. ye ; Hn. HI. yow ; Cp. Pt. Ln. to you. GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 55 For wel ye wot that al this gold is oures Than were we in hey felicitee. But trewely, by daye it may nat be ; Men wolde seyn that we were theues stronge/'*' And for our owen tresor doon vs honge. 790 This tresor moste ycaried be by nyghte As wysly and as slyly as it myghte. Wherfore I rede that cut among vs alle &T Be drawe, and lat se wher the cut wol falle ; And he that hath the cut with herte blythe 795 Shal renne to the 1 toun^ and that ful swythe, And bringe vs breed and wyn ful priuely. And two of vs shul kepen subtilly This tresor wel ; and, if he wol nat tarie, Whan it is nyght, we wol this tresor cane 800 By oon assent, wher as vs thinketh best.' * That oon of hem the cut broughte in his fest, And bad him drawe, and loke wher it wolde 2 falle ; And it fil on the youngest of hem alle ; And forth toward the toun he wente anon. 805 And al so sone as that he was gon, That oon of hem 3 spak thus vn-to that other, ' Thou knowest wel thou art my sworen 4 brother, Thy profit wol I telle thee anon. Thou wost wel that our felawe is agon; 810 And heer is gold, and that ful greet plentee, That shal departed been among vs thre. But natheles, if I can shape it so That it departed were among vs two, 1 HI. Ln. the ; which the rest omit. 2 E. Hn. Cp. wol; HI. wil ; Cm. Pt. Ln. wolde. 8 E. omits of hem ; the rest have it. * This seems best; E. Hh. Pt. sworn ; Cm. swore ; Cp. Ln. HI. sworne. 56 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. Hadde I nat doon a frendes torn to thee ?' 815 That other answerde, ' I not how that may be ; He wot how that the gold is with vs tweye, What shal we doon, what shal we to him seye ? ' * Shal it be conseil?' seyde the firste shrewe, 1 And I shal tellen thee \ in 2 wordes fewe, 820 What we shal doon, and bringe it wel aboute.' ' I graunte/ quod that other, ' out of doute, That, by my trouthe, I shal thee nat biwreye/ ' Now/ quod the firste, ' thou wost wel we be tweye, And two of vs shul strenger be than oon. - 825 Lok whan that^e is set, and ryght 8 anoon Arys, as though thou woldest with him pleye ; And I shal ryue him thurgh the sydes tweye Whyl that thou strogelest with him as in game, And with thy dagger lok thou do the same ; 830 And than shal al this gold departed be, My dere frend, bitwixen me and thee ; Than may we bothe our lustes al fulfille, And pleye at dees ryght at our owen wille.' And thus acorded been thise shrewes tweye 835 To sleen the thridde, as ye han herd me seye. This yongest, which that wente vn-to the toun, Ful ofte in herte he rolleth vp and doun The beautee of thise florins newe and bryghte. ' O lord ! ' quod he, ' if so were that I myghte 840 Haue al this tresor to my self allone, Ther is no man that lyueth vnder the trone Of god, that sholde lyue so mery as I !' And atte laste the feend, our enemy, 1 HI. the ; which the rest omit. 5 E. Hn. Cm. in a; the rest omit a. 3 E. Hn. Cm. that right; HI. and )?at ; Cp. and thanne ; Pt, Ln. and that. I take and from Cp. Pt. Ln., and ryght from E. Hn. Cm. GROUP 0. THE PARDONERES TALE. 57 Putte in his thought that he shold poyson beye, 845 With which he myghte sleen his felawes tweye ; For why the feend fond him in swich lyuinge, That he had leue him l to sorwe bringe, For this was outrely his ful entente To sleen hem bothe, and neuer to repente. 850 And forth he goth, no lenger wolde he tarie, Into the toun, vn-to a pothecarie, And preyede him that he him wolde selle Som poyson, that he myghte his rattes quell e ; And eek ther was a polcat in his hawe, 855 That, as he seyde, his capouns hadde yslawe, And fayn he wolde wreke him, if he myghte, On vermin, that destroyede him by nyghte. The pothecarie answerde, ' and thou shalt haue A thing that, al so god my soule saue, 860 In al this world ther nis 2 no creature, That ete or dronke hath of this confiture Nought but the mountance of a com of whete, That he ne shal his lyf anon forlete ; Ye, sterue he shal, and that in lasse whyle 865 Than thou wolt gon a paas nat but a myle ; This poyson is so strong and violent/ This cursed man hath in his bond yhent This poyson in a box, and sith he ran In- to the nexte strete, vn-to a man, 870 And borwed of 3 him large botels thre; And in the two his poyson poured he; The thridde he kepte clene for his 4 drinke. For al the nyght he shoop him for to swinke J E. Cm. hem ; the rest hym or him. 2 E. Hn. Cm. is; the rest nvs or nis. 3 Tyr. of; which the MSS. omit. 4 E. his owene ; but the rest omit owene. 58 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. In caryinge of the gold out of that place. 875 And whan this ryotour, with sory grace, Had filled with wyn -his grete botels thre, To his felawes agayn repaireth he. What nedeth it to sermone of it more ? For ryght as * they had cast his deeth bifore, 880 Right so they han him slayn, and that anon. And whan that this was doon, thus spak that oon, 1 Now lat vs sitte and drinke, and make vs merie, And afterward we wol his body berie/ And with that word it happede him, par cas, 885 To take the botel ther the poyson was, And drank, and yaf his felawe drinke also, For which anon they storuen bothe two. But, certes, I suppose that Auicen ^ Wroot neuer in no canon, ne in no fen, Mo wonder signes 2 of empoisoning C. Than hadde thise wrecches two, er her end Thus ended been thise homicydes two, And eek the false empoysoner also. O cursed sinne, ful of 8 cursednesse ! - 895 O traytpurs homicyde, o wikkednesse ! a*9!avT^* O glotonye, luxurie, and hasardrye ! Thou blasphemour of Crist with vilanye And othes grete, of vsage and of pryde ! Alias ! mankynde, how may it bityde, 900 That to thy creatour which that thee wroughte, And with his precious herte-blood thee boughte, Thou art so fals and so vnkynde, alias ! Now, good men, god foryeue yow your trespas, 1 E. so as ; the rest omit so. 2 E. Hn. Cm. signes ; Cp. Ln. HI. sorwes ; Pt. sorowes. 3 E. Hn. Cm. of alle ; Cp. Ln. HI. ful of; Pt. full of aL GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. 59 And ware yow fro the sinne of auarice. 905 Myn holy pardoun may yow alle warice, So that ye offre nobles or sterlinges, Or elles siluer broches, spones, ringes. Boweth your heed vnder this holy bulle ! Cometh l vp, ye wyues, offreth of your wolle ! 910 Your name 2 I entre heer in my rolle anon; In-to the blisse of heuen shul ye gon ; I yow assoile, by myn hey power, Yow that wol offre, as clene and eek as cleer As yejvere born ; and, lo, sirs, thus I preche., 915 ^And lesu Crist, that is our soules leche, K. So graunte yow his pardon to receyue ; For that is best ; I wol yow nat deceyue. But sirs, o word forgat I in my tale, I haue reliks and pardon in my male, 920 As fayre as any man in Engelond, Whiche were me yeuen by the popes hond. If any of yow wol, of deuocioun, Offren, and han myn absolucioun, Cometh 8 forth anon, and kneleth heer adoun, 925 And mekely receyueth my pardoun : Or elles, taketh pardon as ye wende, . ^ -fa Al newe and fresh, at euery nryles ende, ^44^*^ ^ So that ye offren alwey newe and newe Nobles and 4 pens, which that be gode and trewe. 930 It is an honour to euerich that is heer, That ye mowe haue a suffisant pardoneer Tassoille yow, in contree as ye ryde, .For auentures which that may bityde. 1 E. Com ; the rest Cometh, Comyth. 8 E. HI. names ; the rest name. 8 E. Hn. Com ; the rest Cometh, Comyth. * E. Hn. or ; the rest and. 60 GROUP C. THE PARDONERES TALE. Perauenture ther may fallen oon or two 935 Doun of his hors, and breke his nekke atwo. Lok which a seurtee is it to yow alle That I am in your felawship yfalle, That may assoille yow, both more and lasse, Whan that the soule shal fro the body passe. 940 I rede that our host heer shal biginne, For he is most envoluped in sinne. Com forth, sir host, and offre first anon, And thou shalt kisse the l reliks euerychon, Ye, for a grote ! vnbokel anon thy purs/ 945 ' Nay, nay/ quod he, ' than haue I Cristes curs ! Lat be/ quod he, ' it shal nat be, so theech ! 2 Thou woldest make me kisse thyn olde breech, And swere it were a relik o,f a seint ! ' - This pardoner answerde nat a word.; '*"?** 956 So wroth he was, no word ne wolde he seye. * Now/ quod our host, ' I wol no lenger pleye With thee, ne with noon other angry man/ But ryght anon the worthy knyght bigan, 960 Whan that he sey that al the peple lough, * Namore of this, for it is ryght ynough ; Sir pardoner, be glad and mery of chere ; And ye, sir host, that ben to me so dere, I prey yow that ye kisse the pardoner. 965 Ancf pardoner, I prey thee, draw thee neer, And, as we diden, lat vs laughe and pleye/ Anon they kiste, and riden forth her weye. Heere is ended the Pardoners tale. -s-~<- ^>***~^>*Z^^c4.Sac . - jr\f + GROUP G. THE SECOND NUN'S TALE. The prologe of the Seconde Nonnes tale. . *Y^ V^ J* "^HE ministre and the norice vn-to vices, *C^ jjf J. Which that men clepe in English \aielnesse. Ji* That porter of the gate is of delices, j^xl^ To eschue, and by hir contrarie hir oppresse, js~*" That is to seyn, by leueful bisinesse, Wei oughten we to doon al our entente, Lest that the feend thurgh ydelnesse vs hente For he, that with his thousand cordes slye Continuelly vs waiteth to biclappe, Whan he may man in ydelnesse espye, He can so lyghtly cacche him in his trappe, Til that a man be hent ryght by the lappe, He nis nat war the feend hath him in honde ; Wei oughte vs werche, and ydelnes withstonde. And though men dradden neuer for to dye, Yet seen men wel by resoun doutelees, That ydelnesse is roten 2 slogardye, Of which ther neuer comth no good encrees s ; And seen, that slouthe hir 4 holdeth in a lees Only to slepe, and for to ete and drinke, 20 And to deuouren al that othere swinke. 1 Hn. Cm. Cp. HI. hente ; E. shente, Pt. shent, Ln. schent, wrongly. 2 So E. Hn. Pt. Ln. ; Cm. rote ; Cp. hoten ; HI. also has roten, 3 E. Hn. no good nencrees; Cp. Pt. Ln. noon encrese; HI. good encres; Cm. encrees. 4 Cm. hire ; Pt. hure ; Hn. Cp. Ln. hir ; HI. her. 15 62 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONXES TALE. And for to putte vs fro swich ydelnesse, That cause is of so greet confusioun, I haue heer doon my feithful bisinesse, After the legende, in translacioun 25 Right of thy glorious lyf and passioun, Thou with thy gerland wrought of 1 rose and lilie; Thee mene I, mayde and martir seynt 2 Cecilie ! A Inuocacio ad Mariam. f I F / nd thou that flour of virgines art alle, Of whom that Bernard list so wel to wryte, To thee at my biginning first I calle ; Thou comfort of vs wrecches, do me endyte 8 Thy maydens deeth, that wan thurgh hir meryte The eternal lyf, and jDfjhe feend victorie, As man may after reden in hir storie. 35 Thou mayde and moder, doughter of thy sone, Thou welle of mercy, sinful soules cure, In whom that god, for bountee, chees to wone, Thou humble, and hey ouer euery creature, Thoujiobledest so ferforth our nature, 40 'hat no desdeyn the maker hadde of kynde, His sone in blode and flesshe to clothe and wynde. /X Withinne the cloistre blisful of thy sydes Toek mannes shap the eternal loue and pees, That of the tryne compas lord and gyde is, f / n Whom erthe and see and heuen, out of relees. Ay herien; and thou, virgin wemmeless, 1 Hn. Cp. Pt. of; E. Cm. Ln. HI. with. 3 Cp. Hn. Cm. Pt. Ln. martir seint ; HI. martir ; E. mooder. 3 Hn. mendite (shewing the scansion"). GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. 63 Bar of thy body, and dweltest mayden pure, The creatour of euery creature. Assembled is in thee magnificence 50 With mercy, goodnesse, and with swich pitee That thou, that art the sonne of excellence, Nat only helpest hem that prayen thee, But ofte tyme, of thy benignitee, Ful frely, er that men thyn help biseche, 55 Thou goost biforn, and art her lyues leche. | . Think on the womman Cananee, that sayde $ / V That whelpes eten somme of the crommes alle 60 That from her lordes table been yfalle ; And though that I, vnworthy sone,of Eue, 1 Be sinful, yet accepte my bileue. And, for that feith is deed with-outen werkes, So for to worchen yif me wit and space, 65 That I be quit fro thennes that most derk is ! O thou, that art so fayr and ful of grace, myn aduocat in that heye place ^er as withouten ende is songe ' Osanne^. " ^JL ^ Thou Cristes moder, doughter dere of Anne i 70 And of thy lyght my soule in prison lyghte, That troubled is by the contagioun Of my body, and also by the wyghte Of erthly luste and fals affeccioun ; $ A Jti' O hauen of refut, o saluacioun r^\ u 75 Of hem that been in sorwe and in distresse, Now help, for to my werk I wol me dresse. 64 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES. TALE. Yet preye I yow that reden that I wryte, \ Foryeue me, that I do no diligence - * jJL This ilke storie subtilly to endyte 1 ; ^K^Ji j 80 For both haue I the wordes and sentence h^ \f* Of him 2 that at the seintes reuerence N^^<\ qs The storie wroot, and folwe 8 hir legende, ^ And prey 4 yow, that ye wol my werk amende. [THE PROEM.] ^ , Interpretacio nominis Cecilie^ quam ponitfraler lacobus - pT lanuensis in legenda. r 'X&r* ^ Thirst wolde I yow 6 the name of seint Cecilie 85 *y jf JL Expoune, as men may in hir storie see, It i is to seye in english ' heuenes lilie,' For pure chastnesse of virginitee ; Or, for she whytnesse hadde of honestee, And grene of conscience, and of good fame 90 The sote savour 6 , 'lilie 7 was hir name. Or Cecile is to seye ' the wey to blynde,' For she ensample was by good techinge ; Or elles Cecile, as I writen fynde, c^ Is ioyned, by a manere conioyninge 95 Of ' heuene' and ' lia' ; and heer, in fi^uringe, The ' heuen ' is set for thought of holinesse, ^^ And ' lia ' for hir lasting bisinesse. 1 Hn. tendite (shewing the scansion). 8 So E. Hn. Cm. HI. ; but Cp. Pt. Ln. hem. 3 Cm. folwe ; E. Hn. HI. folwen ; Cp. Pt. Ln. folowen. * E. I pray ; Cp. And pray I ; the rest And pray (or prei, or preye). 5 E. omits yow ; the rest retain it. 6 E. favour ; the rest savour; see 1. 229. -4t*juA-+. q&U "^ C-*uu^ GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. 65 Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere, ' Wanting of blyndnesse,' for hir grete lyghte 100 Of sapience, and for hir thewes clere ; Or elles, lo ! this maydens name bryghte Of ' heuene ' and ' leos ' comth, for which by ryghte Men myghte hir wel ' the heuen of peple ' calle, Ensample of gode and wyse werkes alle. 105 For < leos ' ' peple ' in english is to seye, And ryght as men may in the heuene see The sonne and mone and sterres euery weye, Ryght so men gostly, in this mayden free, Seyen of feith the magnanimitee, no And eek the cleernesse hool of sapience, And sondry werkes, bryghte of excellence. And ryght so as thise philosophres wryte That heuen is swift and round and eek brenninge, Ryght so was fayre Cecilie the whyte 115 Ful swift and bisy euer in good werkinge, And round and hool in good perseueringe, And brenning euer in charite ful bryghte ; Now haue I yow declared what she hyghte. Explicit. Here bigynneth the Seconde Nonnes tale, of the lyf of Seinte Cecile. This mayden bryght Cecile, as hir lyf seith, 120 Was comen of Romayns, and of noble kynde And from hir cradel vp fostred in the feith VOL. m. F 66 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. Of Crist, and bar his gospel in hir mynde ; She neuer cessede, as I writen fynde, Of hir preyere, and god to loue and drede, 125 Biseking him to kepe hir maydenhede. And whan this mayden sholde vnto a man Ywedded be, that was ful yong of age, Which that ycleped was Valerian, And day was comen of hir mariage, 130 She, ful devout and humble in hir corage, Vnder hir robe of gold, that sat ful fayre, Had next hir flesshe yclad hir in anheyje. < And whyl the organs 1 maden melodye, To god alone in herte thus sang she ; 135 ' O lord, my soule and eek my body gye Vnwemmed, lest that I 2 confounded be :' And, for his loue that deyde vpon a tree, Euery seconde or 3 thridde day she faste, Ay biddinge in hir orisons ful faste. 140 [The tyme is comen, whan she moste] gon With hir housbonde, as ofte is the manere, And priuely to him she seyde anon, ' O swete and wel biloued spouse dere, Ther is a conseil, and ye wolde it here, 145 Which that ryght fayn I wolde vnto yow seye, So that ye swere ye shul me 4 nat biwreye.' Valerian gan faste vnto hir swere, That for no cas, ne thing that myghte be, He sholde -neuer mo biwreyen here: \^su^ 150 1 HI. Hn. organs; Ln. orgens ; E. Orgues ; Cp. Orgies; Pt. Orgels. 2 E. it ; the rest I. 3 E. Hn. and ; the rest or. * E. me ; the rest it ; see I. 150. GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. And thanne at erst to him thus seyde she, ' I haue an angel which that loueth me, That with greet loue, wher so I wake or slepe, Is redy ay my body for to kepe.' Valerian, corrected as god wolde, Answerde agayn, ' if I shal trusten thee, Lat me that angel se, and him biholde ; And if that it a verray angel be, 165 Than wol I doon as thou hast preyed me ; And if thou loue another man, for sothe Ryght with this swerd than wol I sle yow bothe.' Cecile answerde anon ryght in this wyse, ' If that yow list, the angel shul ye see, 1 70 So that ye trowe in Crist and yow baptyse. Goth forth to Via Apia/ quod she, ' That fro this toun ne stant but myles three, And, to the poure folkes that ther dwelle, Sey hem ryght thus, as that I shal yow telle. 175 Telle hem that I, Cecile, yow to hem sente, To shewen yow the gode Vrban the olde, k c^or secre nedes l and for good entente. I whan that ye seint Vrban han biholde, Telle him the wordes whiche 1 2 to yow tolde ; 180 And whan that he hath purged vow fro sinne, Thanne shul ye se that angel, er ye twinne.' 1 E. thynges ; the rest nedes, nedis, needes. a E. Cp. Ln. HI. whiche J>at I ; but Hn. Cm. Pt. omit that. F 2 68 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. Valerian is to the place ygon, And ryght as him was taught by his lerninge, He fond this holy olde Vrban anog ^^ &*Jb l8 5 Among the seintes buriels lotin And he anon, with-outen taryinge,' Dide his message ; and whan that he it tolde, Vrban for ioye his hondes gan vp holde. The teres from his yen leet he falle 190 ' Almyghty lord, o lesu Crist/ quod he, ' Sower of chast conseil, herde of vs alle, The fruyt of thilke seed of chastitee That thou hast sowe in Cecile tak to thee 1 Lo, lyk a bisy bee, with-outen gyle, 195 Thee serueth ay thyn owen thral Cecile ! For thilke spouse, that she took but l now Ful lyk a fiers leoun, she sendeth here, As meke as euer was any lamb, to yow !' And with that worde, anon ther gan appere 200 An old man, clad in whyte clothes clere, That hadde a book with lettre of golde in honde, And gan biforn 2 Valerian to stonde. Valerian as deed fil doun for drede Whan he him sey, and he vp hente him tho, -yH^And on his book ryght thus he gan to rede ' Oo Lord, oo feith, oo god with-outen mo, Oo 8 Cristendom, and fader of alle also, Abouen alle and 4 ouer al euerywhere ' Thise wordes al with golde y writen were. 1 E. HI. right ; the rest but. 2 E. bifore ; HI. to-forn ; the rest biforn, biforne, beforne. 3 E. Hn. Cm. O ; HI. On ; Cp. Pt. Ln. Of. 4 E. omits and ; the rest have if. GROVP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. 69 Whan this was rad, than seyde this olde man, ' Leuestow this thing or no ? sey ye or nay/ ' I leue al this thing,' quod Valerian, ' For sother l thing than this, I dar wel say, Vnder the heuen no wyght thinke may/ 215 Tho vanisshed the 2 olde man, he niste where, And Pope Vrban him cristened ryght there. Valerian gooth hoom, and fynt Cecilie With-inne his chambre with an angel stonde ; This angel hadde of roses and of lilie 220 Corones two, the which he bar in honde ; And first to Cecile, as I vnderstonde, ___, ^g >aji~4- He yaf that oon, and after gan he take ^^*~ ' That other to Valerian, hir make. t With body clene and with vnwemmed thought 225 Kepeth ay wel thise corones,' quod he 3 ; ' Fro Paradys to yow haue I hem brought, Ne neuer mo ne shal they roten be, Ne lese her sote sauour, trusteth me ; Ne neuer wyght shal seen hem with his ye, 230 But he be chaast and hate vilanye. And thou, Valerian, for thou so sone Assentedest to good conseil also, Sey what thee list, and thou shalt han thy bone/ ' I haue a brother,' quod Valerian tho, . 235 ' That in this world I loue no man so.y -A j f a / I pray yow that my brother may han grace To knowe the trouthe, as I do in this place/ 1 E. oother ; the rest sother. 2 E. Hn. Cm. this ; Pt. that ; Cp. Ln. the ; see note. 8 E. three ; HI. thre ; the rest quod he. 7O GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. The angel seyde, ' god lyketh thy requeste, And bothe, with the palm of martirdom, 240 Ye shullen come vnto his blisful feste.' And with that word Tiburce his brother com. And whan that he the sauour vndernom Which that the roses and the lilies caste, With-inne his herte he gan to wondre faste, 245 And seyde, ' I wondre this tyme of the yeer Whennes that sote sauour cometh so Of rose and lilies that I smelle heer. For though I hadde hem in myn hondes two, The sauour myghte in me no depper go. 250 The sote l smel that in myn herte I fynde Hath chaunged me al in another kynde/ Valerian seyde, ' two corones han we, Snow-whyte and rose-reed, that shynen clere, Whiche that thyn yen han no myght to see ; 255 And as thou smellest hem thurgh my preyere, So shaltow seen hem, leue brother dere, If it so be thou wolt, withouten slouthe, Bileue aryght and knowen verray trouthe.' Tiburce answerde, ' seistow this to me 260 In sothnesse, or in dreem I herkne this?' * In dremes,' quod Valerian, * han we be Vnto this tyme, brother myn, ywis. But now at erst in trouthe our dwelling is.' ' How wostow this/ quod Tiburce, ' in what wyse ? 265 Quod Valerian, ' that shal I thee deuyse. 1 The MSS. have swete here; but in 1. 247 we find only sote, soote, swote, suote, except swete in Pt. ; in 1. 229 we find E, soote; Hn. swote; Cm. sote; HI. soote; Cp. Pt. Ln. swete. GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. 71 The angel of god hath me the l trouthe ytaught Which thou shalt seen, if that thou wolt reneye The ydoles and be clene, and elles naught/ And of the miracle of thise corones tweye 270 Seint Ambrose in his preface list to seye ; Solempnely this noble doctour dere Commendeth it 2 , and seith in this manere : The palm of martirdom for to receyue, Seint Cecilie, fulfild of goddes yifte, 275 The world and eek hir chambre gan she weyue^ Witnes Tyburces and Valerians 8 shrifte, To whiche god of his bountee wolde shifte Corones two of floures wel smellinge, And made his angel hem the corones bringe : 280 The mayde hath broght thise 4 men to blisse aboue ; The world hath wist what it is worth, certeyn, Jc* o-i Deuocioun of chastitee to loue. Tho shewede him Cecile al 5 open and pleyn That alle ydoles nis but a thing in veyn ; 285 For they been dombe, and therto they been deue, And charged him his ydoles for to leue. 1 Who so that troweth nat this, a beste hejs/ "^T^ )j Quod tho Tiburce, ' if that I shal nat lye/ And she gan kisse his brest, that herde this, 290 And was ful glad he coude trouthe espye. 4 This day I take thee for myn allye/ Seyde this blisful fayre mayde dere ; And after that she seyde as ye may here : 1 E. Ln. HI. omit the ; the rest have it. a E. hym ; the rest it. 1 The MSS. have Cecilies, wrongly ; see note. * E. Hn. omit thise ; but the rest retain it, except Cm., which has brought tierc to blysse. * Cp. Pt. Ln. omit al ; but the rest retain it. /2 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. 1 Lo, ryght so as the loue of Crist/ quod she, 295 ' Made me thy brotheres wyf, ryght in that wyse Anon for myn allye heer take I thee, Sin that thou wolt thyn ydoles despyse. Go with thy brother now, and thee baptyse, And make thee clene ; so that thou mo we biholde 300 The angels face of which thy brother tolde/ Tiburce answerde and seyde, ' brother dere, First tel me whider I * shal, and to what man ? ' * To whom ? ' quod he, ' com forth with ryght good chere, I wol thee lede vnto the pope Vrban.' 305 1 Til Vrban ? brother myn, Valerian,' Quod tho Tiburce, * woltow me thider lede ? Me thinketh that it were a wonder dede. Ne menestow nat Vrban/ quod he tho, 1 That is so ofte dampned to be deed, 310 And woneth in halkes alwey to and fro, And dar nat ones putte forth his heed ? Men sholde him brennen in a fyr so reed If he were founde, or that men myghte him spye ; And we also, to bere him companye 315 And whyl we seken thilke diuinitee That is yhid in heuene priuely, Algate ybrend in this world shul we be !' whom Cecjle answerde boldely, myghten dreden wel and skilfull This lyf to lese, myn owen dere brother, If this were lyuinge only and non other. 1 E. Hn. Cm. that I ; the rest omit that. GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE 73 But ther is better lyf in other place, That neuer shal be lost, ne dred thee nought, Which goddes sone vs tolde thurgh his grace ; 325 That fadres sone hath alle thinges wrought l ; And al that wrought is with a skilful thought, u^^A- The gost, that fro the fader gan procede, Hath sowled hem, withouten any drede. By word and by miracle goddes sone, 330 Whan he was in this world, declared here That ther was other lyf ther men may wone/ To whom answerde Tiburce, ' o suster dere, Ne seydestow ryght now in this manere, Ther nis but god, lord in sothfastnesse ; < 5 ~ v z 335 And now of three how maystow bere witnesse ? ' * That shal I telle/ quod she, ' er I go. Ryght as a man hath sapiences three, Memorie, engyn, and intellect also, So, in o 2 being of diuinitee, 340 Thretersones may ther ryght wel be.' Tho gan she him ful bisily to preche Of Cristes come, and of his peynes teche, And many pointes of his passioun ; How goddes sone in this world was withholde, To doon mankynde pleyn remissioun, That was ybounde in sinne and cares colde : Al this thing she vnto Tiburce tolde. ts tng se vnto urce toe. *^**-\jUL / ' And after this Tiburce, in good entente, I With Valerian to pope Vrban he wente, 350 1 E. thyng y wroght ; Hn. Cm. thynges wroght. * E. omits o ; the rest have it. 74 GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONMES TALE. That thanked god ; and with glad herte and lyght He cristned him, and made him in that place Parfit in his lerninge, goddes knyghL And after this Tiburce gat swich grace, d That euery day he sey, in tyme and space, The angel of god ; and euery maner bone That he god axed, it was sped ful sone. It were ful hard by ordre for to seyn How many wondres lesus for hem wroughte ; But atte laste, to tellen short and pleyn, 360 The sergeants of the toun of Rome hem soughte, And hem biforn Almache the prefect broughte, Which hem og^osed \ and knew al her entente, And to the image of lupiter hem sente, And seyde, ' who so wol nat sacrifyse^ Swap of his heed, this is 2 my sentence here/ Anon thise martirs that I yow deuyse Oon Maximus, that was an officere r- n jy^ Of the Prefectes and his corniculere, (/' Hem hente ; and whan he forth the seintes ladde, 370 Him-self he weep, for pitee that he hadde. Whan Maximus had herd the seintes lore, He gat him of the tormentoures leue, - That thou nart blynd, for thing that we seen alle That it is stoon, that men may wel espyen, 500 That ilke stoon a god thou wolt it calle. I rede thee, lat thyn hand vpon it falle, And taste it wel, and stoon thou shalt it fynde, ^l/^< Sin thaTtBou seest nat with thyn ye'n blynde. ^It is a shame that the peple shal 505 So scorne thee, and laughe at thy folye ; For communly men wot it wel oueral, at myghty god is in his heuenes hye, And thise images, wel thou mayst espye, To thee ne to hem-self 1 mowe nought profyte, 510 For in effect they been nat worth a myte.' Thise wordes and swiche othere seyde she, And he weex wroth, and bad men sholde hir lede Horn til hir hous, * and in hir hous/ quod he, * Brenne hir ryght in a bath of flambes rede/ 515 And as he bad, ryght so was doon in dede ; For in a bath they gonne hir faste shetten, And nyght and day greet fyr they vnder betten. 1 E. Ln. insert ne before mowe ; the rest omit it. 8o GROUP G. THE SECONDS NONNES TALE. The longe nyght and eek a day also, For al the fyr and eek the bathes hete, 520 She sat al cold, and feelede no wo, It made hir nat a droppe for to swete. But in that bath hir lyf she moste lete ; For he, Almachius, with ful 1 wikke entente To sleen hir in the bath his sonde sente. 525 Thre strokes in the nekke he smoot hir tho, The tormentour, but for no maner chaunce He myghte nought smyte al hir nekke atwo ; And for ther was that tyme an ordinaunce, That no man sholde doon man 2 swich penaunce 530 The ferthe strook to smyten, softe or sore, This tormentour ne dorste do namore. But half-deed, with hir nekke ycoruen there, He lefte hir lye, and on his wey is 3 went. The cristen folk, which that aboute hir were, 535 With shetes han the blood ful faire yhent. Thre dayes lyued she in this torment, __ , And neuer cessed hem the feith to teche ; she hadde fostrec^ hem she gan to preche ; And hem she yaf hir moebles and hir thing, And to the pope Vrban bitook hem tho, And seyde, ' I axed this at* heuene-4dng, To han respyt thre dayes and namo, To recomende to yow, er that I go, Thise soules, lo ! and that I myghte do Here of myn hous perpetuelly a cherche/ 1 E. Hn. a ful ; Cm. a ; the rest ful. 2 E. men ; the rest man. * Cm. is went ; the rest he wente (or he went) wrongly ; see the note. * E. at ; the rest of ; see G 621. GROUP G. THE SECONDE NONNES TALE. 8l Seint Vrban, with his deknes, priuely The 1 body fette, and buried it by nyghte Among his othere seintes honestly. Hir hous the chirche of seint Cecilie hyghte ; 550 Seint Vrban halwed it, as he wel myghte ; In which, into this day; in noble wyse, Men doon to Crist and to his seint seruyse. Heere is ended the Seconde Nonnes tale. J . E. This ; the rest The. VOL. III. f " ^fi ' ~ &~+^<>. n Q. , U GROUP G. THE CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE. The prologe of the Chanons yemannes tale. Whan ended was 1 the lyf of seint Cecile, ! ( - Er we had riden fully fyue myle, 555 < At Boughton vnder Blee vs gan atake &&*<* Jr+ttA' A man, that clothed was in clothes blake, And vndernethe he wered a surplys 2 . His hakeney, that 3 was al pomely grys, So swatte, that it wonder was to see ; 560 It semed he 4 had priked myles three. The hors 5 eek that his yeman rood vpon So swatte, that vnnethe myghte it gon. Aboute the peytrel stood the foom ful hye, He was of fome al flekked as a pye 6 . 565 A male tweyfold on 7 his croper lay, It semed that he caried lyt array. Al lyght for somer rood this worthy man, t And in myn herte wondren 8 1 bigan What that he was, til that I vnderstood 570 How that his cloke was sowed to his hood ; For which, when I had longe auysed me, I demede him som chanon for to be. E. toold was al ; Cm. told was ; the rest ended was. So E. ; the rest have And vnder that he hadde a whit surplis. E. which Jjat ; the rest omit which. E. as he ; Cm. that he ; the rest he. 5 E. hakeney ; the rest hors. E. omits 11. 564, K, 65 ; the rest retain them. E. vpon ; the rest on. 8 E. to wondren ; the rest omit to. GROUP G. THE CANON'S YEOMAN^S PROLOGUE. 83 His hat heng at his bak doun by a laas, For he had riden more than trot or paas ; 575 He had ay priked lyk as he were wood, clote-leef he hadde vnder his hood For swote, and for to kepe his heed from hete. But it was ioye for to seen him swete ! His forhed dropped as a stillatorie, 580 Were ful of plantayn and of paritorie. /o*^"j . A> And whan that he was come, he gan to crye, ' God saue/ quod he, ' this ioly companye ! Faste haue I priked/ quod he, ' for your sake, By cause that I wolde yow atake, 585 To ryden in this 1 mery companye/ His yeman eek was ful of curteisye, And seyde, ' sirs, now in the morwe tyde Out of your hostelrye I sey you ryde, And warned heer my lord and my souerayn, 590 Which that 2 to ryden with yow is ful fayn, For his desport ; he loueth daliaunce.' 1 Frend, for thy warning god yeue thee good 3 chaunce/ Than seyde our host, 'for certes 4 , it wolde seme Thy lord were wys, and so I may wel deme; 595 He is ful iocund also, dar I leye. ^ Can he aught telle a mery tale or tweye, ^ And wel ycouered with a lampe 3 of glas, & w** M And mochel other thing which that ther was ? t ,.765 And of the pot and glasses enluting, cX^-tx, ****& That of the eyre myghte passe out no thing ? And of the esy fyr and smart also, Which that was maad, and of the care and wo That we hadde in our matires sifolyming, .. 770^ And in amalgaming and calcenmg v - Of quik siluer, yclept Mercurie^ude ? For alle our sleightes we can nat conclude. Our orpime'nt and sublymed Mercuric, Our grounden litarge eek on* the porphurie, 775 1 E. omits how ; the rest have it. 2 The MSS. have papeer, paupere. Tyrwhitt reads pepere. 8 The MSS. have lampe, or laumpe. See the note. * E. in ; Cm. & ; the rest on. 90 GROUP G. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. Of 1 ech of thise of ounces a certeyn Nought helpeth vs, our labour is in veyn. Ne eek our spirites ascencioun, Ne our materes that lyen al fixe adoun, * --; -- J Mowe in our werkmg no thing vs auayle. For lost is al our labour and trauayle, And al the cost, ^ twenty deuel weye, t^+- Is lost also, which we vpon it leye. Ther is also ful many another thing That is vnto our craft apertening ; 785 Though I by ordre hem nat reherse can, By cause that I am a lewed man, Yet wol I telle hem as they come to mynde, Though I ne can nat sette hem in her kynde ; crv*v - As bole annoniak, verdegrees, boras, And sondry vessels maad of erthe and glas, Our [many botelsl and our descensories,, _ T . / - ^ -- J ,, . Violes, croslets, and sublymatones, Cucurbites, an d alembykes eek, ^ ~fc^ /a^vlc-t <7 ^ , ^ And othere swiche, dere ynough^a leek. 795 Nat nedeth it for to reherse hem alle, Watres rubifying and boles galle, *> Arsenik, sal armoniak, and brimstoon ; And herbes coude I telle eek many oon, As egremoin,, valerian, and lunarie, ^L U^ixt^- 800 ^And othere swiche, if that me liste tarie. Our lampes brenning bothe nyght and day, To bringe aboute our craft, if that 8 we may. Our fourneys eek of calcinacioun, And of watres albificacioun, 4*4ss**+**-4 805 1 E. And ; the rest Of. a E. Cm. a ; Ln. in ; the rest on. 3 E. purpos if; the rest craft if that. GROUP G. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 91 Vnslekked lym, chalk, and gleyre of an 1 ey, Poudres diuerse, asshes, [and muk], and cley, ^Uox^ &+*^ Cered^okets 2 , sal peter, vitriole ; ^i^l* *-** . And diuers fyres maad of wode and cole ; (j Sal tartre, alkaly, and sal preparat,.., e^p^ J^J^ > 810 And combust materes and coagulat, Cley maad with hors or 3 mannes heer, and oile Of tdrtre, alum 4 , glas, berm, wort, and argoils, g ^^ ^ Resalgar, and our materes enbibing ; - * . t ' ^v-CU And eek of our materes encorporing, ^^TK 815 And of our siluer citrinacioun^ Our 5 cementing and fermentacioun, ^^ Our ingottes, testes, and many mo. I wol yow telle, as was me taught also, The foure 6 spirites and the bodies seuene, 820 By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord hem neuene. The firste spirit quik- siluer called is, The second orpiment, the thridde, ywis, Sal armoniak, and the ferthe brimstoon. The bodies seuene eek, lo ! hem heer anoon : 825 Sol gold is, and Luna siluer we threpe, Mars yren, Mercuric quik siluer we clepe, Saturnus leed, and lupiter is tin, And Venus coper, by my fader kin ! This cursed craft who so wol exercyse, 830 He shal no good han that him may suffyse ; For al the good he spendeth ther-aboute, He lese shal, ther-of haue I no doute. _ ' *^ Who so 7 that listeth puten his folye, * "**^> ^^T Lat him come forth, and lerne multiplye ; 835 1 The MSS. all retain an. 2 Miswritten pottes in E. 8 E. and ; the rest or. * Accent alum on the u. 6 E. And of oure ; the rest omit And of. 6 E. seuene j the rest foure. 7 E. omits so ; the rest have it. 92 GROUP G. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. And euery man that ought hath in his cofre, Lat him appere, and wexe a philosofre. p^^^^^^Ascajmjce that craft is so lyght to lere ? * ^ 'J( " Nay, nay, god wot, al be he monk or frere, Freest or chanoun, or any other wyght, 840 . ^^^JThough he sitte at his book bothe day and nyght, In lernyng of this eluish nyce lore, Al is in veyn, and parde, mochel more ! To lerne a lewed man this subtilte, Fy ! spek nat ther-of, for it wol nat be ; 845 conne he letterure, or conne he noon, As in effect, he shal fynde it al oon. For bothe two, by my sauacioun, Concluden, in multiplicacioun, Ylyke wel, whan they han al ydo ; 850 This is to seyn, they faylen bothe two. Yet forgat I to make rehersaille Of watres corosif and of lymaille^ And of bodies mollificacioun, And also of her induracioun, 855 Oyles, ablucions, and metal fusible, To tellen al wolde passen any bible That owher is ; wherfor, as for the beste, Of alle thise names now wol I me reste. For, as I trowe, I haue yow told ynow 860 To reyse a feend, al loke he neuer so _row. A ! nay ! lat be ; the philosophres stoon, Elixir clept, we sechen faste echoon ; For, hadde we him, than were we 2 siker ynow. But, vnto god of heuen I make avow, 865 For al our craft, whan we han al ydo, And 8 al our sleighte, he wol nat come vs to. 1 E. Cm. And ; the rest Al. 2 E. it ; the rest we. 3 E. With ; the rest And. GROUP G. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 93 He hath ymaad vs 1 spenden mochel good, For sorwe of which almost we wexen wood, But that good hope crepeth in our herte, 870 Supposinge euer 2 , though we sore smerte, To be releued by him afterward ; Swich supposing and hope is sharp and hard ; I warne yow wel, it is to seken euer; ^+^* That futur temps hath maad men to 8 disseuer 875 In trust therof, from al that euer they hadde. Yet of that art they can nat wexen sadde, Forvntohemitisabitterswete; So semeth it; for nadde they but a shete -D Which that they myghte wrappe hem inne a 4 ny fc And ft bak 5 to walken inne by day-lyght, They wolde hem selle and spenden on this 6 craft; They can nat stinte til no thing be laft. And euermore, wher that euer they goon, Men may hem knowe by smel of brimstoon ; 885 For al the world, they stinken as a goot ; Her sauour is so rammish and so hoot, That, though a man from hem a myle 7 be, The sauour wol infecte him, trusteth 8 me ; Lo 9 , thus by smelling 10 and threedbare array 890 If that men list, this folk they knowe may. And if a man wol aske hem pryuely, Why they been clothed so vnthriftily, They ryght anon wol rownen in his ere, And seyn, that if that they espyed were, 895 1 Cm. I-mad vs ; HI. i-made vs ; E. maad vs ; the rest vs made. 2 E. omits euer ; the rest have it. 3 Cm. to, which the rest omit. * E. Inne at ; the rest in a. 6 E. brat ; the rest bak ; see note. 6 E. the ; the rest this. 7 E. a Mile from hem ; the rest from hem a myle. 8 E. truste ; the rest trusteth. * E. And ; the rest Lo. 1a E. smel ; the rest smellyng. 1 a^/v^O 94 GROUP G. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. Men wolde hem slee, by cause of her science ; Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence ! Passe ouer this ; I go my tale vn-to. Er than l the pot be on the fyr ydo, Of metals with a certeyn quantite, 900 My lord hem tempreth, and no man but he Now he is goon, I dar seyn boldely For, as men seyn, he can doon craftily ; Algate I wot wel he hath swich a name, And yet ful ofte he renneth in a blame ; 905 And wite ye how ? ful ofte it happeth so, The pot tobreketh, and farewel ! al is go 1 1 Thise metals been of so greet violence, Our walles mowe nat make hem resistence, But if they weren wrought of lym and stoon ; 910 They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon, And somme of hem sinken in-to the ground Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound And somme are scatered al the floor aboute, Somme lepe 2 in-to the roof; with-outen doute, 915 Though that the feend nought in our syghte him shewe, I trowe he with vs be, that ilke shrewe 1 In helle wher that he is lord 8 and sire, Nis ther more wo, ne more rancour ne ire. Whan that our pot is broke, as I haue sayd, , 920 Euery man chit, and halt him yuel apayd. c-t--4-e. * So Cp. Ln. ; the rest swolwe vs. 5 E. thou ; the rest thee or the. 6 E. Hn. vp hym ; the rest him vp. I 2 Il6 GROUP H. THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE. Alias ! he nadde holde him by his ladel ! And, er that he agayn were in his sadel, Ther was greet showuing bothe to and fro, To lifte him vp, and mochel care and wo, So vnweldy was this sory palled gost. 55 And to the maunciple than spak our host, * By-cause drink hath dominacioun Vpon this man, by my sauacioun, I trowe he lewedly l wold telle his tale. For, were it wyn, or old or moysty ale, 60 That he hath dronke, he speketh in his nose, And fneseth 2 faste, and eek he hath the pose. He hath also to do more than ynough To kepe him and his capel out of slough ; And, if he falle from his capel eft-sone, 65 Than shul we alle haue ynough to done, In liftinge vp his heuy dronken cors. Tel on thy tale, of him make I no fors. But yet, maunciple, in feith thou art to nyce, Thus openly repreue him of his vyce. 70 Another day he wol, perauenture, Reclayme thee, and bringe thee to lure ; I mene, he speke wol of smale thinges, As for to pinchen at thy rekeninges, That wer not honeste, if it cam to preef.' 75 ' No/ quod the maunciple, ' that were a 3 greet mescheefl So myghte he lyghtly bringe me in the snare. Yet hadde I leuer payen for the mare Which 4 he rit on, than he shold with me stryue ; I wol nat wrathe him, al-so mot I thryue ! 80 1 E. Cm. Ln. put lewedly before he. 2 So E. Hn. Cp. Ln. HI. ; Cm. sneseth ; Pt. galpeth. 3 All the 7 MSS. retain a ; see the note. HI omits No. * E. Which that ; the rest omit that. GROUP H. THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE. 117 That that I spak, I seyde it in my bourde, And wite ye what ? I haue heer, in a gourde, A draught of wyn, ye, of a rype grape, And ryght anon ye shul seen a good lape. This cook shal drinke ther-of, if 1 I may ; 85 Vp peyne of deeth, he wol nat sey me nay !' And certeinly, to tellen as it was, Of this vessel the cook drank faste, alias ! What neded him 2 ? he drank ynough biforn. And whan he hadde pouped in this horn, 90 To the maunciple he took the gourde agayn ; And of that drink the cook was wonder fayn, And thanked him in swich wyse as he coude. Than gan our host to laughen wonder loude, And seyde, ' I se wel, it is necessarie, 95 Wher that we goon, good 3 drink we with vs carie, For that wol turne rancour and disese Tacord 4 and loue, and many a wrong apese. O thou 5 Bachus, yblessed be thy name, That so canst turnen ernest in-to game ! 100 Worship and thank be to thy deitee ! Of that matere ye gete namore of me. Tel on thy tale, maunciple, I thee preye/ ' Wel, sir/ quod he, ' now herkneth what I seye.' [Here follows The Manciple's Tale, 11. 105-362, with which Group H ends.} 1 E. Ft. if that ; the rest omit that. 2 So E. ; Cm. nedith hym; Hn. HI. neded it ; the rest needeth it. 3 E. that } the rest good. 4 So E. Hn.; Cm. Cp. Ln. HI. To acord ; Pt. To pees. 5 HI. thou ; which the rest omit. GROUP I. THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE. Heere folweth the Prologe of the Persones Tale. By that the maunciple hadde his tale al ended, The sonne fro the south lyne was 1 descended So lowe, that he nas nat, to my syghte, Degree's nyne and twenty as in hyghte. Foure 2 of the clokke it was tho, as I gesse ; 5 For eleuen foot, or litel more or lesse, My shadwe was at thilke tyme, as there, Of swich feet as my lengthe parted were In six feet equal of proporcioun. Ther-with the mones 3 exaltacioun, 10 I mene 4 Libra, alwey gan ascende, As we were entringe at a thropes ende ; For which our host, as he was wont to gye, As in this cas, our loly companye, Seyde in this wyse, * lordings euerichoon, 15 Now lakketh vs no tales mo than oon. Fulfild is my sentence and my decree ; I trowe that we han herd of ech degree. Almost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce, I prey to god, so yeue him ryght good chaunce, 20 That telleth this tale to vs lustily. Sir preest/ quod he, c artow a vicary ? 1 E. Cm. was ; the rest is. 2 The MSS. have Ten ; bnt see the note. s Perhaps for the mones we should read Saturnes ; see the note. 4 So all bnt HI., which has In mena. GROUP i. THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE. 119 Or art a person ? sey soth, by my fey 1 Be what thou be, ne brek thou nat our pley ; For euery man, saue thou, hath told his tale, 25 Vnbokel, and shew vs what is in thy male ; For trewely, me thinketh, by thy chere, Thou sholdest knitte vp wel a greet matere. Tel vs a tale anon, for cokkes bones I' This persone him * answerde, al at ones, 30 ' Thou getest fable noon ytold for me ; For Paul, that wryteth vnto Timothee, Repreueth hem that weyuen sothfastnesse And tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse. Why sholde I sowen draf out of my feste, 35 Whan I may sowen whete, if that me leste ? For which I seye, if that yow list to here Moralitee and vertuous matere, And than that ye wol yeue me audience, I wol ful 2 fayn, at Cristes reuerence, 40 Do yow plesaunce leueful, as I can. But trusteth wel, I am a Southren man, I can nat geste rom, ram, ruf by lettre, Ne, god wot, rym holde I but litel bettre ; And therfor, if yow list, I wol not glose. 45 I wol yow telle a mery tale in prose To knitte vp al this feste, and make an ende. And lesu, for his grace, wit me sende To shewe yow the wey, in this viage, Of thilke perfit glorious pilgrimage 50 That hyghte Jerusalem celestial. And, if ye vouche sauf, anon I shal Biginne vpon my tale, for which I preye Telle your auys, I can no bettre seye. Tyr. him ; which the MSS. omit. 3 E. omits ful ; the rest have it. I2O GROUP I. THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE. But natheles, this meditacioun 55 I putte it ay vnder correccioun Of clerkes, for I am nat textuel ; I take but the l sentens, trusteth wel. Therfor I make protestacioun That I wol stonde to correccioun.' 60 Vp-on this word we han assented sone, For, as vs 2 semed, it was for to done, To enden in som vertuous sentence, And for to yeue him space and audience ; And bede our host he sholde to him seye, 65 That alle we to telle his tale him preye. Our host hadde the wordes for vs alle : ' Sir preest/ quod he, ' now fayre yow bifalle ! Sey what yow list, and we wol gladly here' And with that word he seyde in this manere 70 * Telleth/ quod he, ' your meditacioun. But hasteth yow, the sonne wol adoun ; Beth fructuous, and that in litel space, And to do wel god sende yow his grace !' Explicit prohemium. [Here follows The Parson's Tale, with which Group I ends.} 1 E. omits the ; the rest have it. 2 So E. ; the rest it, which is inferior. NOTES. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE (GROUP B). A story, agreeing closely with The Man of Lawes Tale, is found in Book II. of Gowei 's Confessio Amantis, from which Tyrwhitt supposed that Chaucer borrowed it. But I have shewn, in the Preface, that Gower's version is later than Chaucer's, and that Chaucer and Gower were both alike indebted to the version of the story in French prose (by Nicholas Trivet) in MS. Arundel 56, printed for the Chaucer Society in 1872. In some places Chaucer agrees with this French version rather closely, but he makes variations and additions at pleasure. The first ninety-eight lines of the preceding Prologue are written in couplets, in order to link the Tale to the others of the series ; but there is nothing to show which of the other tales it was intended to follow. Next follows a more special Prologue of thirty-five lines, in five stanzas of seven lines each; so that the first line in the Tale is 1. 134 of Group B, the second of the fragments into which the Canterbury Tales are broken up, owing to the incomplete state in which Chaucer left them. Wherever a final e occurs, it is, in general, to be pronounced as a distinct syllable, unless elided before a vowel or h following. In like manner -es and -ed generally form distinct syllables. There are, in general, sufficient reasons for the full pronunciation of these final syllables, but these cannot here be stated. The reader is referred to Morris's edition of Chaucer's Prologue and Knightes Tale (Clarendon Press Series), p. xliv. and to the Preface to my edition of The Prioresses Tale, pp. xlviii.-lxxii. for general rules ; and to Ellis's Early English Pronunciation for a full discussion of the subject. In the first stanza, for example, the word trewe is dissyllabic, being plural : hewe is so, because it is a dative case governed by the prep, of, which formerly governed a dative, though now associated with the idea of a possessive case ; newe is so, because modified from the A. S. dissyllabic niwe. Chaffare (1. 139) is a gerund, and gerunds are commonly marked by the termination -e or -en (A. S. -anne). Ware is dissyllabic, being the A.S. ware. Sometimes an e is sounded in the middle of a word, as in wydewher (three syllables). Observe also clothes (A.S. claftas). In some French words, such as companye, the pronunciation of the e final is less certain, and seems to partake of poetic license ; yet there is nothing very remarkable in the assumption, since the same word contains four NOTES TO GROUP B. syllables to this day, and is accented on the penultimate, both in Spanish and Italian ; cf. Span, compania and Ital. compagnia. Again, such words as grace, space, from the Latin grattam, spatium, may fairly be allowed two syllables ; especially when we find cause (Lat. causam) with two syllables ; Cant. Tales, 4142, 5705. If, however, the final e be followed by a vowel, or (in some cases) by the letter h, it is elided, or, to speak more strictly, slurred over by rapid pronunciation. This is the case in the words dwelte (134), riche, sadde (135), and riche again (137)- Chaucer's lines, if read with attention, are beautifully melodious. Line 134. Surrye, Syria; called Sarazine (Saracen-land) by N. Trivet. 1. 143. Were it, whether it were. 1. 144. Message, messenger, not message ; see 1. 333, and the note. 1. 145. The final e in Rome is pronounced, as inl. 142 ; but the words the ende are to be run together, forming but one syllable, thende, accord- ing to Chaucer's usual practice ; cf. note to 1. 255. Indeed, in 1. 423, it is actually so spelt ; just as, in 1. 150, we have thexcellent, and inl. 151, (hemperoures. 1. 151. Themperoures, the emperor's. Gower calls him Tiberius Con- stantine, who was Emperor (not of Rome, but) of the East, A.D. 578, and was succeeded, as in the story, by Maurice, A.D. 582. His capital was Constantinople, whither merchants from Syria could easily repair ; but the greater fame of Rome caused the substitution of the Western for the Eastern capital. 1. 156. God him see, God protect him. See note to C. 715. 1. 161. Al Europe. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. is written the note ' Europa est tercia pars mundi.' 1. 1 66. Mtrour, mirror. Such French words are frequently accented on the last syllable. Cf. ministr' in 1. 168. 1. 171. Han doon fraught, have caused to be freighted. All the MSS. have fraught, not fraughte. In the Glossary to Specimens of English, I marked fraught as being the infinitive mood, as Dr. Stratmani, supposes, though he notes the lack of the final e. I have now no doubt that fraught is nothing but the past participle, as in William of Palerne, 1. 2732 ' And feithliche fraught ful of fine wines, which is said of a ship. The use of this past participle after a perfect tense is a most remarkable idiom, but there is no doubt about its occurrence in the Clerkes Tale, Group E. 1098, where we find 'Hath doon yow kept,' where Tyrwhitt has altered kept to kepe. On the other hand, Tyrwhitt actually notes the occurrence of ' Hath doon wrought ' in Kn. Tale, 1055, which he calls an irregularity. A better name for it is idiom. I find similar instances of it in another author of the same period. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. 123 ' Thai strak his hed of, and syne it Thai haf gert saltit in-til a kyt.' Barbour's Bruce, ed. Skeat, xviii. 167. I. e. they have caused it (to be) salted. And again in the same, bk. viii. 1. 13, we have the expression He gert held, as if 'he caused to be held ; ' but it may mean ' he caused to incline.' Compare also the following : 'And thai sail let thame trwmpit ill;' id. xix. 712. I.e. and they shall consider themselves as evilly deceived. The infinitive appears to have beenfraughten, though the earliest certain examples of this form seem to be those in Shakespeare, Cymb. i. 1. 126, Temp. i. 2. 13. The proper form of the pp. was fraughted (as in Marlowe, 2 Tamb. i. 2. 33), but the loss of final -ed in past participles of verbs of which the stem ends in / is common ; cf. set, put, &c. Hence this form fraught as a pp. in the present instance. It is a Scandinavian word, from Swed.fr akta, Dan. frag te. At a later period we find freight, the mod. E. form. The vowel-change is due to the fact that there was an intermediate form fret, borrowed from the French form fret of the Scandinavian word. This form fret disturbed the vowel-sound, without wholly destroying the recollection of the original guttural gh, due to the Swed. le. For an example of fret, we have only to consult the old black-letter editions of Chaucer printed in 1532 and 1561, which give us the present line in the form ' These marcharctes han don fret her ships new.' 1. 185. Ceriously, with great minuteness of detail. Used by Fabyan, who says that 'to reherce ceryously' all the conquests of Henry V would fill a volume ; Chron., ed. Ellis, p. 589. It is the Low Latin seriose, used in two senses; (i) seriously, gravely ; (2) minutely, fully. In the latter case it is perhaps to be referred to the Lat. series, not serius. A similar word, cereatly (Lat. seriatim}, is found three times in the Romance of Partenay, ed. Skeat, with the sense of in due order. 1. 190. This refers to the old belief in astrology and the casting of nativities. Cf. Prol. 414-418. 1. 197. Tyrwhitt shews that this stanza is imitated closely from some Latin lines, some of which are quoted in the margin of many MSS. of Chaucer. He quotes them at length from the Megacosmos of Bernardus Silvestris, a poet of the twelfth century (extant in MS. Bodley 1265). The lines are as follows, it being premised that those printed in italics are cited in the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. and Ln. : 'Prseiacet in stellis series, quam longior setas Explicet et spatiis temporis ordo suis, Sceptra Phoronei, fratrum discordia Thebis, Flamma Phaethontis, Deucalionis aque. In stellis Codri paupertas, copia Croesi, Incestus Paridis, Hippolytique pudor. 124 NOTES TO GROUP B. In stellis Priami species, audacia Tumi, Sensus Ulixeus, Herculeu&que uigor. In stellis pugil est Pollux et nauita Typhis, Et Cicero rhetor et geometra Thales. In stellis lepidum dictat Maro, Milo figurat, Fulgurat in Latia nobilitate Nero. Astra notat Persis, ./Egyptus parturit artes, Grsecia docta legit, prselia Roma, gerit.' The names Ector (Hector), &c. are too well known to require comment. The death of Turnus is told at the end of Virgil's ^Eneid. 11. 207, 208. Here have seems to be used as the form of the auxiliary verb, whilst han (for haueri) signifies possession. See han again in 1. 241. 1. 211. Compare Squieres Tale, F. 202, 203, and the note thereon. 1. 224. Mahoun, Mahomet. The French version does not mention Mahomet. This is an anachronism on Chaucer's part ; the Emperor Tiberius II died A.D. 582, when Mahomet was but twelve years old. 1. 228. 1 prey yow holde,I pray you to hold. Here holde is the infini- tive mood. The imperative plural would be holdeth ; see saueth, next line. 1. 236. Maumettrye, idolatry; from the Mid. E. maumet, an idol, corrupted from Mahomet. The confusion introduced by using the word Mahomet for an idol may partly account for the anachronism in 1. 224. The Mahometans were falsely supposed by our forefathers to be idolaters. 1. 242. Not, put for ne wot, know not. 1. 248. An imperfect line. There are a few such lines in Chaucer, in which the ceesural pause seems to count for a syllable. Scan it thus : That them | pertfur H of | his gret | noblesse |j Again, 1. 621 below may be read in a similar manner: But na | theles || ther | was gret | moorning || 1. 253. ' So, when Ethelbert married Bertha, daughter of the Christian King Charibert, she brought with her, to the court of her husband, a Gallican bishop named Leudhard, who was permitted to celebrate mass in the ancient British Church of St. Martin, at Canterbury.' Note in Bell's Chaucer. 1. 2 55- Ynow, being plural, may take a final e; we should then read th'ende, as explained in note to 1. 145. The pi. ino^he occurs in the Ormulum. 1. 263. A lie and some, collectively and individually ; one and all. See Cler. Tale, E. 941. 1. 277. The word alle, being plural, is dissyllabic. Thing is often a plural form, being an A.S. neuter noun. The words ouer, euer, never are, in Chaucer, generally monosyllables, or nearly so ; just as oVr, e'er, ne'er are treated as monosyllables by our poets in general. Hence the scansion is ' O'er al | le thing | ,' &c. 1. 289. The word at is inserted from the Cambridge MS. ; all the THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 125 other six MSS. omit it, which makes the passage one of extreme difficulty. Tyrwhitt reads 'Or Ylion brent, or Thebes the citee.' Of course he means brende, past tense, not brent, the past participle ; and his conjecture amounts to inserting or before Thebes. It is better to insert at, as proposed by Mr. Gilman. The sense is 'When Pyrrhus broke the wall, before Ilium burnt, (nor) at the city of Thebes, nor at Rome/ &c. Tyrwhitt well observes that * Thebes the citee ' is a French phrase. He quotes ' dedans Renes la cite? Froissart, v. i. c. 225. Chaucer regarded Ilium as the citadel of Troy. 1. 295. In the margin of the Ellesmere MS. is written ' Vnde Ptholo- meus, libro i. cap. 8. Primi motus celi duo sunt, quorum vnus est qui mouet totum semper ab Oriente in Occidentem vno modo super orbes, &c. Item aliter vero motus est qui mouet orbem stellarum currencium contra motum primum, videlicet, ab Occidente in Orientem super alios duos polos.' The old astronomy imagined nine spheres revolving round the central stationary earth ; of the seven innermost, each carried with it one of the seven planets, viz. the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn ; the eighth sphere, that of the fixed stars, had a slow motion from west to east, to account for the precession of the equinoxes, whilst the ninth or outermost sphere, called the primum mobile, or the sphere of first motion, had a diurnal revolution from east to west, carrying everything with it. This exactly corresponds with Chaucer's language. He addresses the outermost sphere or primum mobile (which is the ninth if reckoning from within, but the fast from without), and accuses it of carrying with it everything in its irresistible westward motion ; a motion contrary to that of the ' natural ' motion, viz. that in which the sun advances along the signs of the zodiac. The result was that the evil influence of the planet Mars prevented the marriage. It is clear that Chaucer was thinking of certain passages in Boethius, as will appear from consulting his own translation of Boethius, ed. Morris, pp. 21, 22, 106, and no. I quote a few lines to shew this : ' O ]>ou maker of J>e whele ]>at berej) ]>e sterres, whiche J?at art fastned to ]>i perdurable chayere, and turnest )>eheuene wij> a rauyssyng sweighe, and constreinest J>e sterres to suffren )>i la we ;' pp. 21, 22. 1 J>e regioun of J?e fire ]>at eschaufi]) by ]?e swifte moeuyng of ]>e firma- ment ;' p. no. The original is ' O stelliferi conditor orbis Qui perpetuo nixus solio Rapidum c&lum turbine uersas, Legemque pati sidera cogis ;' Boeth. Cons. Phil. lib. i. met. 5. ' Quique agili motu calet at thise Astrologiens gretly obseruen ;' &c. The curious reader may find much more to the same effect in the same Treatise, with directions to ' make roots ' in pt. ii. 44. The curious may further consult the Epitome Astrologise of Johannes Hispalensis. The whole of Book iv. of that work is ' De Electionibus,' 128 NOTES TO GROUP B. and the title of cap. xv. is ' Pro Itinere.' See Chaucer's Astrolabe, ed. Skeat, pref. p. liv. Lydgate, in his Siege of Thebes, just at the beginning, describes the astronomers as casting the horoscope of the infant CEdipus. They were expected ' to yeue a judgement, The roote i-take at the ascendent, Truly sought out, by minute and degre, The selfe houre of his natiuite, Not foiyet the heauenly mansions Clerely searched by smale fractions,' &c. To take a different example, Ashmole, in his Theatrum Chemicum, 1652, says in a note on p. 450 ' Generally in all Elections the Efficacy of the Starrs are (sic} used, as it were by a certaine application made thereof to those unformed Natures that are to be wrought upon ; whereby to further the working thereof, and make them more available to our purpose And by such Elections as good use may be made of the Celestiall influences, as a Physitian doth of the variety of herbes. But Nativities are the Radices of Elections, and therefore we ought chiefly to looke backe upon them as the principal Root and Foundation of all Operations ; and next to them the quality of theThing we intend to fit must be respected, so that, by an apt position of Heaven, and fortifying the Planets and Houses in the Nativity of the Operator, and making them agree with the thing signified, the im- pression made by that influence will abundantly augment the Operation,' &c. ; with much more to the same effect. Several passages in Norton's Ordinall, printed in the same volume (see pp. 60, 100), shew clearly what is meant by Chaucer in his Prologue, 11. 415-7. The Doctor could * fortune a person's ascendent,' i.e. render his horoscope lucky, by the election of a time, suitable to that horoscope, when the prescribed remedies were to be applied. 1. 314. Roote is the astrological term for the epoch from which to reckon. The exact moment of a nativity being known, the astrologers were supposed to be able to calculate everything else. See the last note. 1. 332. Alkaron, the Koran ; al is the Arabic article. 1- 333- Here Makomete is used instead ofMahoun (1. 224). See Irving's Life of Mahomet. Message, messenger. This is a correct form, according to the usages of Middle English ; cf. 1. 144. In like manner, we find prison used to mean a prisoner, which is often puzzling at first sight. 1. 340. ' Because we denied Mahomet, our (object of) belief.' 1. 360. ' O serpent under the form of woman, like that Serpent that is bound in hell.' The allusion here is not a little curious. It clearly refers to the old belief that the serpent who tempted Eve THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. 129 appeared to her with a woman's head, and it is sometimes so represented. I observed it, for instance, in the chapter-house of Salisbury Cathedral ; and see the woodcut at p. 73 of Wright's History of Caricature and Grotesque in Art. In Peter Comestor's Historia Libri Genesis, we read of Satan 'Elegit etiam quoddam genus serpentis (vt ait Beda) virgineum vultum habens.' In the alliterative Troy Book, ed. Panton and Donald- son, p. 144, the Tempter is called Lyuyaton (i. e. Leviathan), and it is said of him that he ' Hade a face vne fourmet as a fre may don ;' 1. 4451. And, again, in Piers the Plowman, B. xviii. 355, Satan is compared to a ' lusarde [lizard] with a lady visage? In the Ancren Riwle, p. 207, we are gravely informed that a scorpion is a kind of serpent that has a face somewhat like that of a woman, and puts on a pleasant countenance. To remember this gives peculiar force to 11. 370, 371. 1. 367. Knowestow is probably a trisyllable ; and the olde to be read tholde. But in 1. 371, the word Makestow, being differently placed in the line, is to be read with the e slurred over, almost a dissyllable. 1. 380. Moste, might. It is not always used like the modern must. 1. 401. See Lucan's Pharsalia. 1. 404. There are undoubtedly a few lines in Chaucer, in which the first foot consists of one syllable only ; this is one of them, the word But standing by itself as a foot. So also in B. 497, G. 341, &c. See Ellis's Early English Pronunciation, pp. 333, 649. This peculiarity was pointed out by me in 1866, in the Aldine edition of Chaucer, i. 174. For the sense of scorpion, see the extract from the Ancren Riwle, in note to 1. 360. So also writhed gost means the Evil Spirit, the Tempter. 1. 421. Pronounce euer rapidly, and accent successour on the first syllable. In the margin of MSS. E., Hn., Pt., and Cp. is the following note : ' Nota, de inopinato dolore. Semper mundane leticie tristicia repentina succedit. Mundana igitur felicitas multis amaritudinibus est respersa. Extrema gaudii luctus occupat. Audi ergo salubre consilium ; in die bonorum ne immemor sis malorum.' These maxims seem to be scraps taken from different authors. I have found one of them in Boethius, De Consolatione Philosophise, lib. ii. pr. 4 ' Quam multis amaritudinibus humanse felicitatis dulcedo respersa est ;' which Chaucer translated by f pe svvetnesse of mannes wellfulnesse is yspranid wi]> manye bitternesses ;' ed. Morris, p. 42 : and the same expression is repeated here, in 1. 422. Gower quotes the same passage from Boethius in the prologue to his Confessio Amantis. The next sentence is from Prov. xiv. 13 'Risus dolore miscebitur, et extrema gaudii luctus occupatS With the last clause, in 11. 426, 427, compare Eccl. xi. 8. 1. 438. Compare Trivet's French prose version : ' Dount ele fist estorier vne neef de vitaile, de payn quest apele bisquit, & de peis, & de feues, de sucre, & de meel, & de vyn, pur sustenaunce de la vie de la pucele pur VOL. III. K 130 NOTES TO GROUP B. treis atmz ; e en cele neef fit mettre la richesse & le tresour que lempife Tiberie auoit maunde oue la pucele Constaunce, sa fille ; e en cele neef fist la soudane mettre la pucele saunz sigle, & sauntz neuiroun, & sauntz chescune maner de eide de homme.' I.e. ' Then she caused a ship to be stored with victuals, with bread that is called biscuit, with peas, beans, sugar, honey, and wine, to sustain the maiden's life for three years. And in this ship she caused to be placed the riches and treasure which the Emperor Tiberius had sent with the maid Constance his daughter ; and in this ship the Sultaness caused the maiden to be put, without sail or oar, or any kind of human aid.' Foot-hot, hastily. It occurs in Gower, in The Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 3827, and in Harbour's Brace, iii. 418, xiii. 454. Compare the term hot- trod, explained by Sir W. Scott to mean the pursuit of marauders with bloodhounds ; see note 3 II to the Lay of the Last Minstrel. We also find hot foe, i.e. immediately, in the Debate of the Body and the Soul, 1. 481. 11. 451-462. Compare these lines with verses 3 and 5 of the hymn 'Lustra sex qui iam peregit' in the office of Lauds from Passion Sunday to Wednesday in Holy Week inclusive, in the Roman breviary. 'Crux fidelis, inter omnes Arbor una nobilis : Silua talem nulla profert Fronde, flore, germine : Dulce ferrum, dulce lignum, Dulce pondus sustinent Sola digna tu fuisti Ferre mundi uictimam ; Atque portum prseparare, Area mundo naufrago, Quam sacer cruor perunxit, Fusus Agni corpore. ' See the translation in Hymns Ancient and Modern, No. 97, part 3 (new edition), beginning ' Now the thirty years accomplished/ 1. 460. Hym and here, him and her, i.e. man and woman ; as in Piers the Plowman, A. Pass. i. 1. 100. The allusion is to the supposed power of the cross over evil spirits. See The Legends of the Holy Rood, ed. Morris ; especially the story of the Invention of the Cross by St. Helen, p. 1 60 'And anone, as he had made the [sign of the] crosse, J>e grete multitude of deuylles vanyshed awaye;' or, in the Latin original, 'statimque ut edidit signum crucis, omnis ilia daemonum multitudo euanuit;' Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, 2nd ed.'p. 311. Cf. Piers Plow- man, B. xviii. 429-431. 1. 461 . The reading of this line is certain, and must not be altered. But it is impossible to parse the line without at once noticing that there is a great difficulty in the construction. The best solution is obtained by THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 131 taking which in the sense of whom. A familiar example of this use of which for who occurs in the Lord's Prayer. See also Abbot's Shakespearian Grammar, Sect. 265. The construction is as follows ' O victorious tree, protection of true people, that alone wast worthy to bear the King of Heaven with His new wounds the White Lamb that was hurt with the spear O expeller of fiends out of both man and woman, on whom (i.e. the men and women on whom) thine arms faithfully spread out,' &c. Lymes means the arms of the cross, spread before a person to protect him, 464. See of Greece, here put for the Mediterranean Sea. . 465. Marrok, Morocco; alluding to the Strait of Gibraltar; cf. 1. 947. 474. Ther, where ; as usual. 475. ' Was eaten by the lion ere he could escape.' Cf. 1. 437. 491. See Revelation vii. 1-3. , 497. Here As seems to form a foot by itself. See note to 1. 404. 1. 500. Alluding to St. Mary the Egyptian (Maria Egiptiaca), who, according to the legend, after a youth spent in debauchery, lived entirely alone for the last forty-seven years of her life in the wilderness beyond the Jordan. She lived in the fifth century. Her day is April 9. See Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art ; Rutebuef, ed. Jubinal, ii. 106-150 ; Maundeville's Travels, ed. Halliwell, p. 96 ; Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, cap. Ivi. She was often confused with St. Mary Magdalen. 1. 508. Northumberlond, the district, not the county. Yorkshire is, in fact, meant, as the French version expressly mentions the Humber. 1. 510. Ofal a tyde, for the whole of an hour. 1. 512. The constable ; named Elda by Trivet and Gower. 1. 519. Trivet says that she answered Elda in his own language, 'en sessoneys/ in Saxon, for she had learnt mamy languages in her youth. 1. 525. The word deye seems to have had two pronunciations; in 1. 644 it is dye, with a different rime. In fact, Mr. Cromie's ' Ryme-Index * to Chaucer proves the point. On the one hand deye rimes to aweye, disobeye, dreye t preye t seye, tweye, weye; and on the other dye rimes to avoutrye, bigamye, compaignye, Emelye, genterye, lye, maladye, &c. 1. 527. For gat hir mynde, lost her memory. 1. 531. The finale in plese is preserved from elision by the caesura* pause. Or, we may read plesen ; yet the MSS. have plese. 1. 578. Alia, i.e. ^Ella, king of Northumberland, A.D. 560-567 ; the same whose name Gregory (afterwards Pope) turned, by a pun, into Alle- luia, according to the version of the celebrated story about Gregory and the English slaves, as given in Beda, Eccl. Hist. b. ii. c. I. 1. 584. Quyte her whyle, repay her time ; i.e. her pains, trouble ; as when we say ' it is worth while.'' Wile is not intended. 1. 585. 'The plot of the knight against Constance, and also her sub- sequent adventure with the steward, are both to be found, with some variations, in a story in the Gesta Romanorum, ch. 101 ; MS. Harl. K 2 132 NOTES TO GROUP B. 2270. Occleve has versified the whole story;* Tyrwhitt. See the Preface for further information. Compare the conduct of lachimo, in Cymbeline. 1. 620. Berth hir on hond, affirms falsely; lit. bears her in hand. Chaucer uses the phrase ' to here in hond ' with the sense of false affirmation, sometimes with the idea of accusing falsely, as here and in the Wyf of Bathes Prologue, C. T. 5975 ; and sometimes with that of persuading falsely, C. T. 5814, 5962. In Shakespeare the sense is rather * to keep in expectation, to amuse with false pretences ; ' Nares's Glossary. Barbour uses it in the more general sense of ' to affirm,* or 1 to make a statement,' whether falsely or truly. 1. 634. ' And bound Satan ; and he still lies where he (then) lay.' In the Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, Christ descends into hell, and (according to some versions) binds him with chains ; see Piers Plow- man, B. xviii. 401. 1. 639. Susanne ; see the story of Susannah, in the Apocrypha. 1. 641. The Virgin's mother is called Anna in the Apocryphal Gospel of James. Her day is July 26. See Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, cap. cxxxi ; Cowper's Apocryphal Gospels, p. 4. 1. 645. Here pale is pronounced as a dissyllable. 1. 647. * Where that he gat (could get) for himself no favour.' 1. 660. For pite renneth sone in gentil herte ; ' Khightes Tale, 1. 903. And see note to Sq. Tale, F. 479. 1. 664. Vs atiyse, deliberate with ourselves, consider the matter again. Compare the law -phrase Le rot s'avisera, by which the king refuses assent to a measure proposed. ' We will consider whom to appoint as judge.' 1. 666. I.e. a copy of the Gospels in Welsh or British, called in the French prose version ' liure des Ewangeiles.' Agreements were some- times written on the fly-leaves of copies of the Gospels, as may be seen in two copies of the A.S. version of them. 1. 669. A very similar miracle is recorded in the old alliterative romance of Joseph of Arimathea, 1. 362. The French version has : ' a peine auoit fini la parole, qe vne mayn close, com poyn de homme, apparut deuant Elda et quant questoient en presence, et ferri tie! coup en le haterel le feloun, que ambedeus lez eus lui enuolerent de la teste, & les dentz hors de la bouche ; le feloun chai abatu a la terre ; et a ceo dist vne voiz en le oyance de touz : Aduersus filiam matris ecclesie ponebas scandalum ; hec fecisti, et tacui.' I.e. 'Scarcely had he ended the word, when a closed hand, like a man's fist, appeared before Elda and all who were in the presence, and smote such a blow on the nape of the felon's neck that both his eyes flew out of his head, and the teeth out of his mouth ; and the felon fell smitten down to the earth ; and thereupon a voice said in the hearing of all, " Against the daughter of Mother Church thou wast laying a scandal; this hast thou done, and I held my peace."' The THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. 133 reading tacui suggests that, in 1. 676, the word holde should rather be held ; but the MSS. do not recognise this reading. 1. 697. Hir thoughts, it seemed to her ; thoughte is here impersonal; so in 1. 699. The French text adds that Domulde (Donegild) was, more- over, jealous of hearing the praises of Constance's beauty. 1. 701. Me list nat, it pleases me not, I do not wish to. He does not wish to give every detail. In this matter Chaucer is often very judicious ; Gower and others often give the more unimportant matters as fully as the rest. Cf. 1. 706 ; and see Squyeres Tale, F. 401. 1. 703. What, why. Cf. Squyeres Tale, F. 283, 298. 1. 707. Trivet says ' Puis a vn demy aan passe, vint nouele al Roy que les gentz de Albanie, qe sountz les Escotz, furent passes lour boundes et guerrirent les terres le Roy. Dount par comun counseil, le Roi assembla son ost de rebouter ses enemis. Et auant son departir vers Escoce, baila la Reine Constaunce sa femme en la garde Elda, le Conestable du chastel, et a Lucius, leuesqe de Bangor ; si lour chargea qe quant ele fut deliueres denfaunt, qui lui feisoient hastiuement sauoir la nouele;' i.e. 'Then, after half-a-year, news came to the king that the people of Albania, who are the Scots, had passed their bounds, and warred on the king's lands. Then by common counsel the king gathered his host to rebut his foes. And before his departure towards Scotland, he committed Queen Con- stance his wife to the keeping of Elda, the constable of the castle, and of Lucius, bishop of Bangor, and charged them that when she was delivered, they should hastily let him know the news.' 1. 722. Knaue child, male child ; as in Clerkes Tale, E. 444. 1. 723. At the fontstoon, i.e. at his baptism ; French text ' al baptisme fu nome Moris.' 1. 729. To don his auantage, to suit his convenience. He hoped, by going only a little out of his way, to tell Donegild the news also, and to receive a reward for doing so. Trivet says that the old Queen was then at Knaresborough, situated ' between England and Scotland, as in an intermediate place.' Its exact site is less than seventeen miles west ot York. Donegild pretends to be very pleased at the news, and gives the man a rich present. 1. 736. Lettres ; so in all 7 MSS. ; Tyrwhitt reads lettre. But it is right as it is. Lettres is sometimes used, like Lat. liter a, in a singular sense, and the French text has ' les lettres.' Examples occur in Piers Plowman, B. ix. 38 ; Bruce, ii. 80. See 1. 744, and note to 1. 747. 1. 738. Ij ye wol ought, if you wish (to say) anything. 1. 740. Donegild is dissyllabic here, as in 1. 695, but in 1. 805 it appears to have three syllables. I have before remarked that Chaucer alters proper names so as to suit his metre ; see Pref. to Prioresses Tale, p. Ixiii. 1. 13, or p. Ixiv. 1. 12 (2nd ed.). I. 743. Sadly, steadily, with the idea of long continuance. 134 NOTES TO GROUP B. 1. 747. Leftre; here the singular form is used, but it is a matter of in- difference. Exactly the same variation occurs in Barbour's Bruce, ii. 80 : * And, among othir, lettres ar gayn To the byschop off Androwis towne, That tauld how slayn wes that baroun. The lettir tauld hym all the deid,' &c. This circumstance, of exchanging the messenger's letters for forged ones, is found in Matthew Paris's account of the Life of Offa the first ; ed, Wats, pp. 965-968. See the Preface. 1. 748. Direct, directed, addressed ; French text ' maundez.' 1. 75 1 Pronounce horrible as in French. 1. 752. The last word in this line should certainly be nas (= was not), as has kindly been pointed out to me ; though the seven MSS. all have was. By this alteration we secure a true rime. 1. 754. Elf ; French text ' ele fu malueise espirit en fourme de femme,' she was an evil spirit in form of woman. Elf is the A. S. cdf t Icel. dlfr, G. alp and elfe ; Shakespeare writes ouphes for elves. ' The Edda distinguishes between Lj6salfar, the elves of light, and Dokkalfar, elves of darkness ; the latter are not elsewhere mentioned either in modern fairy tales or in old writers. ... In the Alvismal, elves and dwarfs are clearly distinguished as different. The abode of the elves in the Edda is 'Alfheimar, fairy land, and their king the god Frey, the god of light. In the fairy tales the Elves haunt the hills ; hence their name Huldufolk, hidden people ; respecting their origin, life, and customs, see I'slenzkar J>j6$s6gur, i. i. In old writers the Elves are rarely mentioned ; but that the same tales were told as at present is clear ;' note on the word dlfr, in Cleasby and Vigfusson's Icelandic Dictionary. See also Keight- ley's Fairy Mythology, and Brand's Popular Antiquities. The word is here used in a bad sense, and is nearly equivalent to witch. In the Prompt. Parv. we find 'Elfe, spryte. Lamia;* and Mr. Way notes that these elves were often supposed to bewitch children, and to use them cruelly. 1. 767. Pronounce agreable as in French, and with an accent on the first syllable. 1. 769. Take, handed over, delivered. Take often means to give or hand over in Middle English : very seldom to convey or bring. 1. 771. In the margin of MSS. E., Hn., Cp., and Pt. is written 'Quid turpius ebrioso, cui fetor in ore, tremor in corpore, qui promit stulta, prodit occulta, cuius mens alienatur, facies transformatur ? nullum enim latet se- cretum ubi regnat ebrietas.* This is no doubt the original of the stanza, 11. 771-777 ; cf. note to C. 561. There is nothing answering to it in Trivet. 1. 778. ' O Donegild, I have no language fit to tell,' &c. 1. 782. Mannish, man-like, i.e. harsh and cruel, not mild and gentle like a woman. But Chaucer is not satisfied with the epithet, and says he ought rather to call her * fiend-like,' THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LA WE. 135 1. 789. ' He stowed away plenty (of wine) under his girdle,' i.e. drank his fill. 1. 794. Pronounce constdbV much as if it were French, with an accent on a. In 1. 808 the accent is on o. Lastly, in 1. 858 all three syllables are fully sounded. 1. 798. ' Three days and a quarter of an hour ; ' i.e. she was to be allowed only three days, and after that to start off as soon as possible. Tide (like H$ in Icelandic) sometimes means an hour. The French text says ' deynz quatre iours,' within four days. I. 801. Croude, push; see 11. 296, 299 above. II. 813-826. Lines 813-819 are not in the French, and 11. 820-826 are not at all close to the original. 11. 827-833. The French text only has 'en esperaunce qe dure comencement amenera dieu a bon fyn, et qil me purra en la mere sauuer, qi en mere et en terre est de toute puissaunce.' 1. 835. The beautiful stanzas in 11. 834-868 are all Chaucer's own; and of the next stanza, 11. 869-875, the French text gives but the merest hint. 1. 842. Eggement, incitement. The same word is used in other descriptions of the Fall. Thus, in Piers Plowman, B. i. 65, it is said of Satan that 'Adam and Eue he egged to ille ; ' and in Allit. Poems, ed. Morris, B. 241, it is said of Adam that 'thurgh the eggyng of Eue he etc of an apple. ' 1. 859. As lat, pray, let. See note to Clerkes Prologue, E. 7. I. 873. Purchace, provide, make provision. So in Troilus, bk. ii. 1125, the line 'And of some goodly answer you purchace* means and provide yourself with some kind answer, i.e. be ready with a kind reply. II. 875-884. Much abridged from the French text. 1. 885. Tormented, tortured. However, the French text says the messenger acknowledged his drunkenness freely. Examination by torture was so common, that Chaucer seems to have regarded the mention of it as being the most simple way of telling the story. 1. 893. Out of drede, without doubt, certainly ; cf. 1. 869. The other equally common expression out of doute comes to much the same thing, because doute in Middle-English has in general the meaning of fear or dread, not of hesitation. See Group E. 634, 1155 ; and Prol. 487. 1. 894. Pleynly rede, fully read, read at length. In fact, Chaucer judi- ciously omits the details of the French text, where we read that King ^Ella rushed into his mother's room with a drawn sword as she lay asleep, roused her by crying ' traitress ! ' in a loud voice, and, after hearing the full confession which she made in the extremity of her terror, slew her and cut her to pieces as she lay in bed. 1. 901. Fleteth, floats. French text ' le quinte an de cest exil, come ele faflotaunt sur le mere/ &c. 1. 905. The name of the castle is certainly not given in the French 136 NOTES TO GROUP J8. text, which merely says it was ' vn chastel dun Admiral de paens,' i.e. a castle of an admiral of the Pagans. 1. 912. Gauren, gaze, stare. See note to Squ. Tale, F. 190. I. 913. Shortly, briefly ; because the poet considerably abridges this part of the narrative. The steward's name was Thelous. II. 932-945. These two stanzas are wholly Chaucer's, plainly written as a parallel passage to that in 11. 470-504 above. 1. 934. Golias, Goliath. See i Samuel xvii. 25. 1. 940. See the story of Holofernes in the Monkes Tale, B. 3741 ; and the note. I select the spelling Olofernm here, because it is that of the majority of the MSS., and agrees with the title De Oloferno in the Monkes Tale. 1. 947. In 1.465 Chaucer mentions the 'Strait of Marrok,' i.e. Morocco, though there is no mention of it in the French text ; so here he alludes to it again, but by a different name, viz. * the mouth of Jubalter and Septe.' Jubaltar (Gibraltar) is from the Arabic jabdlut tdrik, i.e. the mountain of Tarik ; who was the leader of a band of Saracens that made a descent upon Spain in the eighth century. Septe is Ceuta, on the opposite coast of Africa. 1. 965. Shortly, briefly; because Chaucer here again abridges the origi- nal, which relates how the Romans burnt the Sultaness, and slew more than 11,000 of the Saracens, without a single death or even wound on their own side. 1. 967. Senatour. His name was Arsemius of Cappadocia ; his wife's name was Helen. Accent victorie on the o. 1. 969. As seith the storie, as the history says. The French text relates this circumstance fully. 1. 971. The French text says that, though Arsemius did not recognise Constance, she, on her part, recognised him at once, though she did not reveal it. 1. 981. Aunte. Helen, the wife of Arsemius, was daughter of Sallus- tius, brother of the Emperor Tiberius, and Constance's uncle. Thus Helen was really Constance's first cousin. Chaucer may have altered it purposely ; but it looks as if he had glanced at the sentence ' Cest heleyne, la nece Constaunce, taunt tendrement ama sa nece,' &c., and had read it as ' This Helen. . . . loved her niece so tenderly.' In reality, the word nece means ' cousin ' here, being applied to Helen as well as to Constance. 1. 982. She, i.e. Helen ; for Constance knew Helen. L 991. To receyuen, i.e. to submit himself to any penance which the Pope might see fit to impose upon him. Journeys to Rome were actually made by English kings ; Alfred was sent to Rome as a boy, and his father, ^Ethelwulf, also spent a year there, but (as the Chronicle tells us) he went 'mid micelre weorftnesse,' with much pomp. THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWS. 137 1. 994. WikJted werkes ; especially the murder of his mother, as Trivet says. See note to 1. 894. 1. 999. Rood him agayn, rode towards him, rode to meet him; cf. 1. 391. See Cler. Tale, E. 911, and the note. 1. 1009. Som men wolde sayn, some relate the story by saying. The expression occurs again in 1. 1086. On the strength of it, Tyrwhitt concluded that Chaucer here refers to Gower, who tells the story of Constance in Book ii. of his Confessio Amantis. He observes that Gower's version of the story includes both the circumstances which are introduced by this expression. But this is not conclusive. It appears, rather, that Gower's version of the story is the later one of the two, and there is no reason why the expression som men may not refer to Nicholas Trivet, who also makes mention of these circumstances. See this further discussed in the Preface. In the present instance the French text has ' A ceo temps de la venuz le Roi a Rome, comensca Moris son diseotisme aan. Cist estoit apris priuement de sa mere Constance, qe, quant il irreit a la feste ou son seignur le senatour? &c. ; i.e. At this time of the king's coming to Rome, Maurice began his eighteenth year. He was secretly instructed by his mother Constance, that, when he should go to the feast with his lord the senator , &c. See also the note to 1. 1086 below. 1. 1014. Metes space, time of eating. This circumstance strikingly resembles the story of young Roland, who, whilst still a child, was instructed by his mother Bertha to appear before his uncle Charlemagne, by way of introducing himself. The story is well told in Uhland's ballad entitled ' Klein Roland,' a translation of which is given at PP- 335-340 of my ' Ballads and Songs of Uhland.' 'They had but waited a little while, When Roland returns more bold; With hasty step to the king he comes, And seizes his cup of gold. " What ho, there ! stop ! you saucy imp 1 " Are the words that loudly ring. But Roland clutches the beaker still With eyes fast fixed on the king. The king at the first looked fierce and dark, But soon perforce he smiled " Thou comest," he said, " into golden halls As though they were woodlands wild," ' &c. The result is also similar ; Bertha is reconciled to Charlemagne, much as Custance is to ^Ella. 1. 1034. Aught, in any way, at all ; lit. ' a whit.' 1. 1035. Syghte, sighed. So also pyghte, ' pitched ; ' plyghte, * plucked ; * and shryghte, ' shrieked.' It occurs again in the Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 1746: 138 NOTES TO GROUP B. 'Than took I with myn hondes tweye The arwe, and ful faste it out plyghte, And in the pulling sore I syghte.' 1. 1036. That he myghte, as fast as he could. 1. 1038. ' I ought to suppose, in accordance with reasonable opinion.' Chaucer tells the story quite in his own way. There is no trace of 11. 1038-1042 in the French, and scarcely any of 11. 1048-1071, which is all in his own excellent strain. 1. 1056. Shet, shut, closed. Compare the description of Griselda in the Clerkes Tale, E. 1058-1061. 1. 1058. Both twyes and owen are dissyllabic. 1. 1060. Alle his halwes, all His saints. Hence the term All-hallow- mas, i.e. All Saints' day. 1. 1 06 1. Wisly, certainly. As haue, I pray that he may have; see note to 1. 859 above. * I pray He may so surely have mercy on my soul, as that I am as innocent of your suffering as Maurice my son is like you in the face.' 1. 1078. After this line, the French text tells us that King JE\\a. presented himself before Pope Pelagius, who absolved him for the death of his mother. 1. 1086. Here again Tyrwhitt supposes Chaucer to follow Gower. But, in fact, Chaucer and Gower both consulted Trivet, who says here * Constaunce charga son fitz Morice del messager [or message] . . . . Et puis, quant Morice estoit deuaunt lempereur venuz, oue la compaignie honurable, et auoit son message fest de part le Roi son pere,' &c. ; i.e. ' Constance charged her son Maurice with the message .... and then, when Maurice was come before the emperor, with the honourable company, and had done his message on behalf of the king his father/ &c. 1. 1090. As he ; used much as we should now use 'as one.' It refers to the Emperor, of course. 1. 1091. Sente, elliptical for 'as that he would send.' Tyrwhitt reads send ; but it is best to leave an expression like this as it stands in the MSS. It was probably a colloquial idiom ; and, in the next line, we have wente. Observe that sente is in the subjunctive mood, and is equivalent to ' he would send.' 1. 1107. Chaucer so frequently varies the length and accent of a proper name that there is no objection to the supposition that we are here to read distance in three syllables, with an accent on the first syllable. In exactly the same way, we find Grisildis in three syllables (E. 948), though in most other passages it is Grisild. We have had Custance, accented on the first syllable, several times; see 11. 438, 556, 566, 576, &c. ; also Custdnce, three syllables, 11. 184, 274, 319, 612, &c. Tyrwhitt inserts a second your before Custance, but without authority THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 139 Perhaps it improves the line, but it is better to leave the text un- touched. 1. 1109. // am I; it is I. It is the usual idiom. So in the A. S. version of St. John vi. 20, we find ' ic hyt com,' i.e. I it am, and in a Dutch New Testament, A.D. 1 700, I find ' Ick ben 't,' i.e. I am it. The Mceso-Gothic version omits if, having simply ' Ik im ; ' so does Wyclif 's, which has ' I am.' Tyndale, A.D. 1526, has * it ys I." 1.1113. Thonketh, pronounced thonk'th; so also eyl'th, B. 1171, Abytfth, B. 1175 : Prioresses Tale, &c. p. 6. So also tdk'ih, 1. 1142 below. Of, for. 1. 1123. The French text tells us that he was named Maurice of Cap- padocia, and was also known, hi Latin, as Mauritius Christianissimus Imperator. Trivet tells us no more about him, except that he accounts for the title * of Cappadocia ' by saying that Arsemius (the senator who found Constance and Maurice and took care of them) was a Cappado- cian. Gibbon says * The Emperor Maurice derived his origin from ancient Rome ; but his immediate parents, were settled at Arabissus in Cappadocia, and their singular felicity preserved them alive to behold and partake the fortune of their august son Maurice ascended the throne at the mature age of 43 years ; and he reigned above 20 years over the east and over himself.* Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, cap. xlv. He was murdered, with all his seven children, by his successor, Phocas the Usurper ; Nov. 27, A.D. 602. His accession was hi A.D. 582. 1. 1127. The statement * I bere it not in mynde,' i.e. I do not remem- ber it, may be taken to mean that Chaucer could find nothing about Maurice in his French text beyond the epithet Christianissimus, which he has skilfully expanded into 1. 1123. He vaguely refers us to 'olde Romayn gestes,' that is, to lives of the Roman emperors, for he can hardly mean the Gesta Romanorum in this instance. In the Marchauntes Tale, where he really refers to the Gesta, he uses the definite article, and calls them 'the Romain gestes;' C. T. 10158. Gibbon refers us to Evagrius, lib. v. and lib. vi. ; Theophylact, Simocatta; Theophanes, Zonaras, and Cedrenus. 1. 1132. In the margin of MSS. E., Hn., Cp., Pt. is written' A mane usque ad vesperam mutabitur tempus. Tenent tympanum et gaudent ad sonum organi, &c.' 1. 1135. In the margin of MSS. E., Hn., Cp., Pt. is written Quia vnquam vnicam diem totam duxit in sua dilectione \vel delectatione] iocundam ? quern in aliqua parte diei reatus consciencie, vel impetus Ire, vel motus concupiscencie non turbauerit ? quern liuor Inuidie, vel Ardor Auaricie, vel tumor superbie non vexauerit? quern aliqua iactura vel offensa, vel passio non commouerit, &c.' Cp. Pt. insert inde before non turbauerit. This corresponds to nothing in the French text, but is what Chaucer in 1. 1139 ca ^ s * a sentence, 1 i.e. a choice saying. 140 NOTES TO GROUP C. 1. 1143. / gesse, I suppose. Chaucer somewhat alters the story. Trivet says that ^Ella died at the end of nine months after this. Haif- a-year after, Constance repairs to Rome. Thirteen days after her arrival, her father Tiberius dies. A year later, Constance herself dies, on St. Clement's day (Nov. 23), A.D. 584, and is buried at Rome, near her father, in St. Peter's church. The date 584, here given by Trivet, should rather be 583; the death of Tiberius took place on Aug. 14, 582 ; see Gibbon. NOTES TO THE PARDONERES TALE (GROUP C). The Words of the Host 1. 287. Wood, mad, frantic, furious; especially applied to the transient madness of anger. See Kn. Ta. 443, 471, 720 ; also Mids. Nt. Dream, ii. I. 192. Cf. G. wuthend, raging. 1. 288. Harrow, also spelt haro, a cry of astonishment ; see Non. Prest. Tale, 225. 'Haro, the ancient Norman hue and cry; the exclamation of a person to procure assistance when his person or property was in danger. To cry out haro on any one, to denounce his evil doings ;' Halli well's Dictionary. Spenser has it, F. Q. ii. 6. 43 ; see Harrow in Kitchin's Gloss, to Spenser, bk. ii. On the oaths used by the Host, see note to 1. 651 below. 1. 289. The Host is denouncing the decemvir Appius Claudius, whose false judgment had previously been described by the Doctor, in telling the story of Virginia. 1. 293. ' She (Virginia) bought her beauty too dear ; ' she paid too high a price ; it cost her her life. 1. 299. Bothe yiftes, both (kinds of) gifts ; i.e. gifts of fortune, such as wealth, and of nature, such as beauty. Compare Dr. Johnson's poem on The Vanity of Human Wishes, imitated from the tenth satire of Juvenal. 1. 302. Pilous, piteous, pitiful. Such is the reading of all the seven best MSS. Tyrwhitt found the reading erneful in some MSS., which he correctly supposes to be bad spelling for ermful, miserable, from A.S.earm t wretched ; see note to 1. 312. The meaning, in fact, is the same. 1' 303. Is nofors, it is no matter. Here it must be supplied, the full phrase being it is nofors. In some cases Chaucer not only omits if, but is also ; writing simply nofors, as in Group E. 1092, 2430. We also find I 'do no force, i.e. I care not, C. T. 6816; and They yeve no force, THE PARDONERES TALE. 14! they care not, Romaunt of the Rose, 4826. Palsgrave has ' I gyue no force, I care nat for a thyng, // ne men chault? 1. 306. Ypocras is the usual spelling, in English MSS., of Hippocrates ; see Prologue, 1. 431. So also in the Book of the Duchess, 571, 572 : * Ne hele me may no physicien, Nought Ipocras, ne Galien.' In the present passage it does not signify the physician himself, but a beverage named after him. ' It was composed of wine, with spices and sugar, strained through a cloth. It is said to have taken its name from Hippocrates sleeve, the term apothecaries gave to a strainer;' Halliwell's Diet. s.v. Hippocras. In the same work, s.v. Ipocras, are several receipts for making it, the simplest being one copied from Arnold's Chronicle : ' Take a quart of red wyne, an ounce of synamon, and half an unce of gynger ; a quarter of an ounce of greynes, and long peper, and halfe a pounde of sugar ; and brose all this, and than put them in a bage of wullen clothe, made therefore, with the wyne ; and lete it hange over a vessel, tyll the wyne be rune thorowe.' Halliwell adds that 'Ipocras seems to have been a great favourite with our ancestors, being served up at every entertainment, public or private. It generally made a part of the last course, and was taken immediately after dinner, with wafers or some other light biscuits;' &c. See Pegge's Form of Cury, p. 161 ; Babees Book, ed. Furnivall, pp. 125-128, 267 ; and Nares's Glossary, s.v. Htppocras. Galianes. In like manner this word (hitherto unexplained as far as I am aware) must signify drinks named after Galen, whose name is spelt Galien (in Latin, Galienus) not only in Chaucer, but in other authors, as pointed out by Tyrwhitt. See the sixth line on this page. 1. 310. Lyk a prelat, like a dignitary of the church, like a bishop or abbot. Mr. Jephson, in Bell's edition, suggests that the Doctor was in holy orders, and that this is why we are told in the Prologue, 1. 438, that his studie was but litel on the bible. 1 I see no reason for this guess, which is quite unsupported. Chaucer does not say he is a prelate, but that he is like one; because he had been highly educated, as a member of a ' learned profession ' should be. Ronyan is here of three syllables and rimes with man ; in 1. 320 it is of two syllables, and rimes with anon. It looks as if the Host and Pardoner were not very clear about the saint's name, only knowing him to swear by. In Pilkington's Works (Parker Society), we find a mention of 'St. Tronian's fast,' p. 80; and again, of *St. Rinian's fast, 1 p. 551, in a passage which is a repetition of the former. The forms Ronyan and Rinian are evidently corruptions of Ronan, a saint whose name is well known to readers of ' St. Ronan's Well.' Of St. Ronan scarcely anything is known. The fullest account that can easily be found is the following : - [42 NOTES TO GROUP C. 1 Ronan, B. and C. Feb. 7. Beyond the mere mention of his com- memoration as S. Ronan, bishop at Kilmaronen, in Levenax, in the body of the Breviary of Aberdeen, there is nothing said about this saint. . . Camerarius (p. 86) makes this Ronanus the same as he who is mentioned by Beda (Hist. Ecc. lib. iii. c. 25). This Ronan died in A.D. 778. The Ulster annals give at [A.D.] 737 (736) " Mors Ronain Abbatis Cinngaraid." -flEngus places this saint at the pth of February,' &c. ; Kalendars of Scottish Saints, by Bp. A. P. Forbes, 1872, p. 441. Kilmaronen is Kilmaronock, in the county and parish of Dumbarton. There are traces of St. Ronan in about seven place-names in Scotland, according to the same authority. Under the date of Feb. 7 (February, vol. ii. 3 B), the Acta Sanctorum has a few lines about St. Ronan, who, according to some, flourished under King Malduin, A.D. 664-684 ; or. according to others, about 603. The notice concludes with the remark 'Maiorem lucem desideramus.' Beda says that 'Ronan, a Scot by nation, but instructed in ecclesiastical truth either in France or Italy,' was mixed up in the controversy which arose about the keeping of Easter, and was ' a most zealous defender of the true Easter.' This controversy took place about A.D. 652, which does not agree with the date above. 1. 311. Tyrwhitt thinks that Shakespeare remembered this expression of Chaucer, when he describes the Host of the Garter as frequently repeating the phrase * said I well :' Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3. u ; ii. i. 226; ii. 3. 93,99- In terme, in learned terms ; cf. Prol. 323. 1. 312. Erme t to grieve. For the explanation of unusual words t the Glossary should, in general, be consulted ; the Notes are intended, for the most part, to explain only phrases and allusions, and to give illustrations of the use of words. Such illustrations are, moreover, often omitted when they can easily be found by consulting such a work as Stratmann's Old English Dictionary. In the present case, for example, Stratmann gives ten instances of the use of earm or arm as an adjective, meaning wretched ; four examples of ermlic, miserable ; four of earming, a miserable creature ; and five of earmthe, misery. These twenty-three additional examples shew that the word was formerly well understood. It may be added, that a particular interest attaches to this word, in con- nection with Shakespeare. We may first note that a later instance of ermen or erme, to grieve, occurs in Caxton's translation of Reynard the Fox, A.D. 1481 ; see Arber's reprint, p. 48, 1. 5. * Thenne departed he fro the kynge so heuyly that many of them ermed? i. e. then departed he from the king so sorrowfully that many of them mourned, or were greatly grieved. Now it is my firm belief that this verb to erme, slightly corrupted to erne, is the source of the verb to earn in Shake- speare, which has been further obscured by being changed into yearn in THE PARDONERES TALE. 143 modern editions. Examples are (using the modern corrupt spelling) : ' It yearns me not when men my garments wear,' i. e. it grieves me not ; Hen. V. iv. 3. 26. ' My manly heart doth yearn,' i.e. grieve ; Hen. V. ii. 3.3. * Falstaff he is dead, and we must yearn therefore ; ' Hen. V. ii. 3. 6. 'That every like is not the same, O Caesar, The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon;' Jul. Caesar, ii. 2. 129. It is remarkable that Shake- speare never uses the verb to yearn in the modern sense ; he expresses that idea solely by the verb to lo?ig, which he uses more than sixty times. The prefixed y, found sometimes in old editions also, means no more than the y in the prov. E. yale for ale. And cf. note to 1. 302. 1. 314. The Host's form of oath is amusingly ignorant ; he is con- fusing the two oaths ' by corpus Domini ' and ' by Christes bones,' and evidently regards corpus as a genitive case. Tyrwhitt alters the phrase to ' By corpus domini,' which wholly spoils the humour of it. Triacle, a restorative remedy; see Man of Lawes Tale, Group B, I 479- 1. 315. Moyste, new. The word retains the sense of the Lat. musteus and mustus. In Group H. 60 (see p. 1 16), we find moysty ale spoken of as differing from old ale. But the most peculiar use of the word is in the Prologue, 1. 457, where the Wyf of Bath's shoes are described as being moyste and newe. 1. 318. Bel amy, good friend; a common form of address in old French. We also find biaus douz amis, sweet good friend ; as in ' Chariot, Chariot, biaus doux amis ; ' Rutebuef ; La Disputoison de Chariot et du Barbier, 1. 57. Belamy occurs in an Early Eng. Life of St. Cecilia, MS. Ashmole 43, 1. 161. Similar forms are beau filtz, dear son (Piers Plowman, B. vii. 162) ; beau pere, good father ; beau sire, good sir. Cf. beldame. 1. 321. Ale-stake, inn-sign. Speght interprets this by ' may-pole.' He was probably thinking of the ale-pole, such as was sometimes set up before an inn as a sign ; see the picture of one in Larwood and Hotten's History of Signboards, Plate II. But the ale-stakes of the fourteenth century were differently placed; instead of being perpendicular, they projected horizontally from the inn, just like the bar which supports a painted sign at the present day. At the end of the ale-stake a large garland was commonly suspended, as mentioned by Chaucer himself (Prol. 667), or sometimes a bunch of ivy, box, or evergreen, called a ' bush ; * whence the proverb ' good wine needs no bush/ i.e. nothing to indicate where it is sold ; see Hist. Signboards, pp. 3, 4, 6, 233. The clearest information about ale-stakes is obtained from a notice of them in the Liber Albus, ed. Riley, where an ordinance of the time of Richard II is printed, the translation of which runs as follows : ' Also, it was ordained that whereas the ale-slakes, projecting in front of the taverns in Chepe and elsewhere in the said city, extend too far over the king's T44 NOTES TO GROUP C. highways, to the impeding of riders and others, and, by reason of theii excessive weight, to the great deterioration of the houses to which they are fixed, .... it was ordained, .... that no one in future should have a stake bearing either his sign or leaves [i.e. a bush] extending or lying over the King's highway, of greater length than 7 feet at most* &c. And, at p. 292 of the same work, note 2, Mr. Riley rightly defines an ale-stake to be ' the pole projecting from the house, and supporting a bunch of leaves.' The word ale-stake occurs in Chatterton's poem of ^Ella, stanza 30, where it is used in a manner which shews that the supposed Rowley ' did not know what it was like. See my note on this ; Essay on the Rowley Poems, p. xix. 1. 322. Of a cake ; we should now say, a bit of bread ; the modern sense of * cake ' is a little misleading. The old cakes were mostly made of dough, whence the proverb ' my cake is dough,' i.e. is not properly baked; Taming of the Shrew, v. i. 145. Shakespeare also speaks of 4 cakes and ale,' Tw. Nt. ii. 3. 124. The picture of the 'Simnel Cakes ' in Chambers' Book of Days, i. 336, illustrates Chaucer's use of the word in the Prologue, 1. 668. I. 324. The Pardoner was so ready to tell some 'mirth or japes' that the more decent folks in the company try to repress him. It is a curious comment on the popular estimate of his character. He has, moreover, to refresh himself, and to think awhile before he can recollect ' some honest (i.e. decent) thing.' II. 327, 328. The Harleian MS. has ' But in the cuppe wil I me bethinke Upon som honest tale, whil I drinke.' The Pardoneres Prologue. TITLE. The Latin text is copied from 1. 334 below ; it appears in the Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS. The A. V. has 'the love of money is the root of all evil ; ' i Tim. vi. 10. It is well worth notice that the novel by Morlinus, quoted in the Preface as a source of the Pardoner's Tale, contains the expression ' radice malorum cupiditate affecti.' See the Preface. 1. 336. Bulles, bulls from the pope, whom he here calls his ' liege lord;' see Prol. 687, and Piers the Plowman, B. Prol. 69. Alle and somme, one and all. Cp. Clerkes Tale, E 941, and the note. 1. 337. Patente ; defined by Webster as 'an official document, conferring a right or privilege on some person or party ; ' etc. It was so called because * patent ' or open to public inspection. ' When indulgences came to be sold, the pope made them a part of his ordinary revenue ; and, according to the usual way in those, and even in much later times, THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. 145 of farming the revenue, he let them out usually to the Dominican friars;' Massingberd, Hist. Eng. Reformation, p. 126. 1. 345. 'To colour my devotion with.' For saffron, MS. Harl. reads savore. Tyrvvhitt rightly prefers the reading saffron, as * more ex- pressive, and less likely to have been a gloss/ And he adds ' Saffron was used to give colour as well as flavour/ For example, in the Babees Book, ed. Furnivall, p. 275, we read of * capons that ben coloured with saffron/ And in Winter's Tale, iv. 3. 48, the Clown says ' I must have saffron to colour the warden-pies/ Cf. Sir Thopas, Group B, 1. 1920. As to the position of with, cp. Sq. Ta. 471, 641. 1. 346. According to Tyrwhitt, this line is, in some MSS., replaced by three, viz. *In euery village and in euery toun, This is my terme, and shal, and euer was, Radix malorum est cupiditas* 1. 347. Cristal stones, evidently hollow pieces of crystal in which relics were kept ; so in the Prologue, 1. 700, we have 'And in a glas he hadde pigges bones/ 1. 348. Cloutes, rags, bits of cloth. ' The origin of the veneration for relics may be traced to Acts xix. 12. Hence clouts, or cloths, are among the Pardoner's stock ; ' note in Bell's edition. 1. 349. Relih. In the Prologue, we read that he had the Virgin Mary's veil and a piece of the sail of St. Peter's ship. Below, we have mention of the shoulder-bone of a holy Jew's sheep, and of a miraculous mitten. See Heywood's impudent plagiarism from this passage in his description of a Pardoner, as printed in the note to 1. 701 of Dr. Morris's edition of Chaucer's Prologue. See also a curious list of relics in Chambers' Book of Days, i. 587; and compare the humorous descriptions of the pardoner and his wares in Sir David Lyndesay's Satyre of the Three Estates, 11. 2037-2121. 1. 350. Latoun. The word latten is still in use in Devon and the North of England for plate tin, but as Halliwell remarks, that is not the sense of latoun in our older writers. It was a kind of mixed metal, much resembling brass both in its nature and colour. It was used for helmets (Rime of Sir Thopas, B. 2067), lavers (P. PI. Crede, 196), spoons (Nares), sepulchral memorials (Way in Prompt. Parv.), and other articles. Todd, in his Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 350, remarks that the escutcheons on the tomb of the Black Prince are of laton over-gilt, in accordance with the Prince's instructions; see Nichols's Royal Wills, p. 67. He adds 'In our old Church Inventories a cross of laton frequently occurs/ See Prol. 699. ! 35 * The expression 'holy Jew ' is remarkable, as the usual feeling in the middle ages was to regard all Jews with abhorrence. It is suggested, in a note to Bell's edition, that it * must be understood of VOL, III. L 146 NOTES TO GROUP C. some Jew before the Incarnation.' Perhaps the Pardoner wished it to be understood that the sheep was once the property of Jacob ; this would help to give force to 1. 365. Cp. Gen. xxx. The best comment on the virtues of a sheep's shoulder-bone is afforded by a passage in the Persones Tale (De Ira), where we find ' Swering sodenly without avisement is also a gret sinne. But let us go now to that horrible swering of adiuration and coniuration, as don thise false enchauntours and nigromancers in basins ful of water, or in a bright swerd, in a cercle, or in a fire, or in a sholder-bone of a shepe; &c. Sir David Lyndesay inserts a cow's horn and a cow's tail in his list of pardoner's relics ; cp. note to 1. 349 above. In Part I of the Records of the Folk-lore Society is an article by Mr. Thorns on the subject of divination by means of the shoulder-bone of a sheep. He shews that it was still practised in the Scottish Highlands down to the beginning of the present century, and that it is known in Greece. He further cites some passages concerning it from some scarce books ; and ends by saying ' let me refer any reader desirous of know- ing more of this wide-spread form of divination to Sir H. Ellis's edition of Brand's Popular Antiquities, iii. 179, ed. 1842, and to much curious information respecting Spatulamancia, as it is called by Hartlieb, and an analogous species of divination ex anserino sterno, to Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, 2nd ed. p. 1067.' 1. 355. The sense is 'which any snake has bitten or stung.' The reference is to the poisonous effects of the bite of an adder or venomous snake. The word worm is used by Shakespeare to describe the asp whose bite was fatal to Cleopatra ; and it is sometimes used to describe a dragon of the largest size. In Icelandic, the term ' miftgarftsormr,' lit. worm of the middle-earth, signifies a great sea-serpent encompassing v the entire world. 1. 363. Fastinge. This word is spelt with a final e in all seven MSS. ; and as it is emphatic and followed by a slight pause, perhaps the final e should be pronounced. Cp. A.S. fastende, the oldest form of the pre- sent participle. It is not, perhaps, absolutely essential to the metre, for the word may be pronounced fasting, with an accent on the first syllable, thus making the first foot consist of but one syllable. See other examples of this in my Preface to the Prioresses Tale, p. Ixiii (or p. Ixiv, 2nd ed.). 1. 366. For heleth, MS. HI. has kelith, i.e. cooleth. 1. 379. The final e in sinne must not be elided ; it is preserved by the caesura. Besides, e is only elided before h in the case of certain words ; see Pref. to Prioresses Tale, p. liv (or p. Iv, 2nd ed.). 1. 387. Assoille, absolve. In Michelet's Life of Luther, tr. by W. Hazlitt, chap, ii, there is a very similar passage concerning Tetzel, the Dominican friar, whose shameless sale of indulgences roused Luther THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. J47 to his famous denunciations of the practice. Tetzel * went about from town to town, with great display, pomp, and expense, hawking the commodity [i.e. the indulgences] in the churches, in the public streets, in taverns and ale-houses. He paid over to his employers as little as possible, pocketing the balance, as was subsequently proved against him. The faith of the buyers diminishing, it became necessary to exaggerate to the fullest extent the merit of the specific .... The intrepid Tetzel stretched his rhetoric to the very uttermost bounds of amplification. Daringly piling one lie upon another, he set forth, in reckless display, the long list of evils which this panacea could cure. He did not content himself with enumerating known sins; he set his foul imagination to work, and invented crimes, infamous atrocities, strange, unheard of, un thought of; and when he saw his auditors stand aghast at each horrible suggestion, he would calmly repeat the burden of his song : Well, all this is expiated the moment your money chinks in the pope's chest.' This was in the year 1517. 1. 390. An hundred mark. A mark was worth about 135. ^d., and 100 marks about 66 135. ^d. In order to make allowance for the difference in the value of money in that age, we must at least multiply by ten ; or we may say in round numbers, that the Pardoner made at least 700 a year. We may contrast this with Chaucer's own pen- sion of twenty marks, granted him in 1367, and afterwards increased till, in the very last year of his life, he received in all, according to Sir Harris Nicolas, as much as 61 135. 40?. Even then his income did not quite attain to the hundred marks which the Pardoner gained so easily. 1. 397. Dowue, a pigeon; lit. a dove. Chaucer, in the Milleres Tale, has a line very like this, viz. 'As any swallow sitting on a berne.' 1. 402. Namely, especially, in particular ; cf. Kn. Ta. 410. 1. 406. Blakeberyed. The line means * Though their souls go a-blackberrying ; ' i.e. wander wherever they like. This is a well-known crux, which all the editors have given up as unintelligible. I have been so fortunate as to obtain the complete solution of it, which was printed in Notes and Queries, 4 S. x. 222, xii. 45, and again in my preface to the C-text of Piers the Plowman, p. Ixxxvii. The simple explanation is that, by a grammatical construction which was probably really due (as will be shewn) to an error, the verb go could be combined with what was apparently a past participle, in such a manner as to give the participle the force of a verbal substantive. In other words, instead of saying * he goes a-hunting,' our forefathers sometimes said ' he goes a-hunted.' The examples of this use are at least six. The clearest is in Piers Plowman, C. ix. 138, where we read of 'folk that gon a-begged,' i. e. folk that go a-begging. In Chaucer, we not only have an instance L 2 148 NOTES TO GROUP C. in the present passage, but another in the Wyfof Bath's Tale, Group D, ! 35 4> where we have ' to gon a-caterwawed,' with the sense of * to go a-caterwauling;' and it is a fortunate circumstance that in both these cases the unusual forms occur at the end of a line, so that the rime has preserved them from being tampered with. Gower (Conf. Amant. ok. i. ed. Chalmers, pp. 32, 33, or ed. Pauli, i. no) speaks of a king of Hungary riding out ' in the month of May,' adding *This king with noble purueiance Hath for him-selfe his chare [car] arayed, Wherein he wolde ryde amayed? &c. that is, wherein he wished to ride ^.-Maying. Again (in bk. v, ed. Chalmers, p. 124, col. 2, or ed. Pauli, ii. 132) we read of a drunken priest losing his way : ' This prest was dronke, and goth a-strayed ; ' i.e. he goes a-straying, or goes astray. The explanation of this construction I take to be this ; the -ed was not really a sign of the past participle, but a corruption of the ending -eth (A.S. -aft) which is sometimes found at the end of a verbal sub- stantive. Hence it is that, in the passage from Piers Plowman above quoted, one of the best and earliest MSS. actually reads ' folk that gon a-beggeth.' And again, in another passage (P. PI. C. ix. 246) is the phrase 'gon abrybeth,' or, in some MSS., 'gon abrybed/ i.e. go a-bribing or go a-thieving, since Mid. Eng. briben often means to rob. This form is clearly an imitation of the form a-hunteth in the old phrase gon a-hunteth or riden an honteth, used by Robert of Gloucester (Specimens of English, ed. Morris and Skeat, p. 14, 1. 387) 'As be rod an honteth, and par-auntre [h]is hors spurnde.' Now this honteth is the dat. case of a substantive, viz. of the A. S. huntaft or huntoft. This substantive would easily be mistaken for a part of a verb, and, particularly, for the past participle of a verb ; just as many people at this day are quite unable to distinguish between the true verbal substantive and the present participle in -ing. This mistake once established, the ending -ed would be freely used after the verbs go or ride. The result is that the present phrase, hitherto so puzzling, is a mere variation for ' gon a blake-berying,' i.e. ' go a-gathering blackberries,' a humorous expression for 'wander wherever they please.* A not very dissimilar expression occurs in the proverbial saying ' his wits are gone a-wool-gathering/ The Pardoner says, in effect, 'I promise them full absolution; however, when they die and are buried, it matters little to me in what direction their souls go.' 1. 407. Tyrwhitt aptly adduces a parallel passage from the Romaunt of the Rose, 1, 5766 THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. 149 'For oft good predicatioun Cometh of euil intentioun.' 1 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife ;' Phil. i. 15. 1. 413. In Piers Plowman (B-text), v. 87, it is said of Envy that 'Eche a worde that he warpe was of an addres tonge.' Cf. Rom. iii. 13; Ps. cxl. 3. 1. 440. For I teche, because I teach, by my teaching. 1. 441. Wilful pouerte signifies voluntary poverty. This is well illustrated by the following lines concerning Christ in Piers Plowman, B. xx. 48, 49 : 1 Syth he that wroughte al the worlde * was wilfullich nedy, Ne neuer non so nedy ne pouerer deyde.' Several examples occur in Richardson's Dictionary in which wilfully has the sense of willingly or voluntarily. Thus ' If they wylfully would renounce the sayd place and put them in his grace, he wolde vtterlye pardon theyr trespace;' Fabyan's Chronicle, c. 114. It even means gladly, thus in Wyclif's Bible, Acts xxi. 17, we find, *britherin res- seyuyden vs wilfulli.' Speaking of palmers, Speght says 'The pilgrim travelled at his own charge, the palmer professed wilful poverty.' The word wilful still means willing in Warwickshire ; see Eng. Dialect Soc. Gloss, C. 6. 1. 445. The context seems to imply that some of the apostles made baskets. So in Piers Plowman, B. xv. 285, we read of St. Paul 'Poule, after his prechyng panyers he made.' Yet in Acts xviii. 3 we only read that he wrought as a tent-maker. However, it was St. Paul who set the example of labouring with his hands ; and, in imitation of him, we find an early example of basket- making by St. Arsenius, ' who, before he turned hermit, had been the tutor of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius,' and who is represented in a fresco in the Campo Santo at Pisa, by Pietro Laurati, as ' weaving baskets of palm-leaves ; ' whilst beside him another hermit is cutting wooden spoons, and another is fishing. See Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, 3rd ed. ii. 757. 1. 448. The best description of the house-to-house system of begging, as adopted by the mendicant friars, is near the beginning of the Sompnour's Tale. They went in pairs to the farm-houses, begging a bushel of wheat, or malt, or rye, or a piece of cheese or brawn, or bacon or beef, or even a piece of an old blanket. Nothing seems to have come amiss to them. 1. 450. See Prologue, 1. 255 ; and cf. the description of the poor widow at the beginning of the Nonne Prestes Tale. 150 NOTES TO GROUP C. The Pardoneres Tale. For some account of the source of this Tale, see the Preface. The account which I here quote as the ' Italian ' text is that contained in Novella Ixxxii of the Libro di Novelle. 1. 463. In laying the scene in Flanders, Chaucer probably followed an original which is now lost. Andrew Borde, in his amusing Introduction of Knowledge, ch. viii, says : ' Flaunders is a plentyfull countre of fyshe & fleshe & wyld fowle. Ther shal a man be clenly serued at his table, & well ordred and vsed for meate drynke & lodgyng. The countre is playn, & somwhat sandy. The people be gentyl, but the men be great drynkers ; and many of the women be vertuous and wel dysposyd.' He describes the Fleming as saying * I am a Fleming, what for all that, Although I wyll be dronken other whyles as a rat? "Buttermouth Flemyng" men doth me call,' &c. 1. 464. Haunteden, followed after; cf. note to 1. 547. The same expression occurs in The Tale of Beryn, a spurious (but not ill-told) addition to the Canterbury Tales : 'Fo/y, I haunted it ever, ther myght no man me let;' I. 2319. 1. 473. Grisly, terrible, enough to make one shudder. It is exactly the right word ; see the Glossary. The mention of these oaths reminds us of the admission of my Uncle Toby in Sterne's Tristram Shandy, ch. xi, that * our armies swore terribly in Flanders? 1. 474. To-tere, tear in pieces, dismember. Cf. to-rente in Gloss, to Prioresses Tale (Clar. Press). Chaucer elsewhere says ' For Cristes sake swere not so sinnefully, in dismembring of Crist, by soule, herte, bones, and body ; for certes it semeth, that ye thinken that the cursed lewes dismembred him not ynough, but ye dismembre him more;' Persones Tale, De Ira. And see 11. 629-659 below. 'And than Seint Johan seid "These [who are thus tormented in hell] ben thei that sweren bi Goddes membris, as bi his nayles and other his membris, and thei thus dismembrid God in horrible swerynge bi his limmes ; ' Vision of Wm. Staunton (A.D. 1409), quoted in Wright's St. Patrick's Purgatory, p. 146. In the Plowman's Tale (Chaucer, ed. 1561, fol. xci) we have ' And Cristes membres al to-tere On roode as he were newe yrent.' Barclay, in his Ship of Fools (ed. Jamieson, i. 97), says *Some sweryth armes, naylys, herte, and body, Terynge our Lord worse than the Jowes hym arayed.' And again (ii. 130) he complains of swearers who crucify Christ afresh. THE PARDONFRES TALE. l$l swearing by his holy membres,' by his ' blode,' by ' his face, his herte, or by his croune of thorne,' etc. Todd, in his Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 264, quotes (from an old MS.) the old second commandment in the following form : 1 II. Thi goddes name and b[e]autte Thou shalt not take for wel nor wo; Dismembre hym not that on rode-tre For the was mad boyth blak and bio.' 477. Tombesteres, female dancers. 'Sir Perdicas, whom that kinge Alysandre made to been his heire in Grece, was of no kinges blod ; his dame [mother] was a tombystere ; ' Testament of Love, Book ii. ed. 1561, fol. ccxcvi b. Tombestere is the feminine form; the A.S. spelling would be tomb- estre; the masc. form is the A.S. tumbere, which is glossed by saltator, i.e. a dancer; the verb is tumbian, to dance, used of Herodias's daughter in the A.S. version of Mark vi. 22. On the feminine termination -ster (formerly -estre, or -stre} see the remarks in Marsh's Lectures on the English Language, printed in (the so-called) Smith's Student's Manual of the English Language, ed. 1862, pp. 207, 208, with an additional note at p. 217. Marsh's remarks are, in this case, less clear than usual. He shews that the termination was not always used as a feminine, and that, in fact, its force was early lost. It is, however, merely a question of chronology. That the termination was originally feminine in Anglo-Saxon, is sufficiently proved by the A.S. ver- sion of the Gospels. There we find the word witega frequently used in the sense of prophet ; but, in one instance, where it is necessary to express the feminine, we find this accomplished by the use of this very termination. 'And anna wses witegystre (another MS. witegestre};' i.e. and Anna was a prophetess, Luke ii. 36. Similar instances might easily be multiplied ; see Dr. Morris's Hist. Outlines of Eng. Accidence, pp. 89, 90. Thus, wassheslren (pi.) is used as the translation of lotrices; Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, ii. 57. But it is also true that, in the fourteenth century, the feminine force of this termination was becoming very weak, so that, whilst in P. Plowman, B. v. 306, we find ' Beton the brewestere ' applied to a female brewer, we cannot thence certainly conclude that ' brewestere ' was always feminine at that period. On the other hand, we may point to one word, spinster, which has remained feminine to this very day. Dr. Morris remarks that tombestere is a hybrid word ; in which I believe he has been misled by the spelling. It is a pure native word, from the A.S. tumbian, but the scribes have turned it from tumbestere into tombestere, by confusion with the French tomber. Yet even the Fr. tomber was once spelt lumber (Burguy, Roquefort), being, in fact, a word of Germanic origin. An acrobat can still be called a tumbler ; 1 53 NOTES TO GROUP C. we find 'rope-dancers and tumblers' in Locke ; Conduct of the Under- standing, 4. Indeed, the Cambridge MS. has here the true spelling tumbesteris, whilst the Corpus, Petworth, and Lansdowne MSS. have the variations tomblisteres and tomblesters. As to the source of the suffix -ster, it is really a compound suffix, due to composition either of the Aryan suffixes -- and -ter- t or of -yans- and -ter-'t cf. Lat. mag-is-ter, min-is-ter t poet-as-ter. The feminine use is peculiar to Anglo-Saxon and to some other Teutonic languages. 1. 478. Fruytesteres, female sellers of fruit ; see note to last line. 1. 479. Wafereres, sellers of confectionery, confectioners. The feminine form wafrestre occurs in Piers Plowman, v. 641. From Beaumont and Fletcher we learn that ' wafer-women ' were often employed ia amorous embassies, as stated in Nares' Glossary, q. v. 1. 483. Holy writ. In the margin of the MSS. E., Hn., Cp., Pt, and HI. is the note ' Nolite inebriari vino, in quo est luxuria/ quoted from the Vulgate version of Eph. v. 18. 1. 488. * Herod, (as may be seen by any one) who would consult the " stories " carefully.' The Harleian MS. has the inferior reading story ; but the reference is particular, not vague. Peter Comestor (died A.D. 1 198) was the author of an Historia Scholastica, on which account he was called ' the maister of stories,' or ' clerk of the stories,' as explained in the note to Piers Plowman, vii. 73 (Clar. Press). The use of the plural is due to the fact that the whole Historia Scholastica, which is a sort of epitome of the Bible, with notes and additions, is divided into sections, each of which is also called ' Historia.' The account of Herod occurs, of course, in the section entitled Historia Evangelica, cap. Ixxii ; De decollatione ioannis. Cf. Matt, xiv ; Mark vi. 1. 492. Senek, Seneca. The reference appears to be, as pointed out by Tyrwhitt, to Seneca's Letters ; Epist. Ixxxiii : ' Extende in plures dies ilium ebrii habitum : numquid de furore dubitabis? nunc quoque non est minor, sed brevior.' 1. 496. ' Except that madness when it has come upon a man of evil nature, lasts longer than does a fit of drunkenness.' 1. 499. * First cause of our misfortune ; ' alluding to the Fall of Adam. See 1. 505. 1. 501. Bought us agayn, redeemed us; a translation of the Latin redemit. Hence we find Christ called, in Middle English, the A^enbyer. 4 See now how dere he [Christ] bough te man, that he made after his owne ymage, and how dere he aienboght us, for the grete love that he hadde to us ; ' Sir J. Maundeville, Prologue to his Voiage (Specimens of Eng. 1298-1393, p. 165). See 1. 766 below. 1. 505. Here, in the margin of MS. E., Hn., Cp., Pt., HI. is a quotation from 'Hieronymus contra Jovinianum ' (i.e. from St. Jerome): 'Quamdiu ieiunauit Adam, in Paradiso fuit; comedit et eiectus est; THE PARDONERES TALE. 153 statim duxit uxorem.' See Hieron. contra Jov. lib. ii. c. 15 ; ed. Migne, ii. 305- 1. 510. Defended, forbidden. Even Milton has it; see P. Lost, xi. 86. See also 1. 590 below. 1. 512. * O gluttony I it would much behove us to complain of thee !' 1. 522. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written the quotation 1 Esca ventri, et venter escis. Deus autem et hunc et illam destruet/ For illam, the usual reading of the Vulgate is has ; see I Cor. vi. 13. 1. 526. Whyte and rede, white wine and red wine ; see note to Piers Plowman, B. prol. 228 (Clar. Press). 1. 529. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written ' Ad Philipenses, capitulo tertio.' See Phil. iii. 18. 1- 537- * How great toil and expense (it is) to pro vide for thee!* Chaucer is here addressing man's appetite for delicacies. Cf. fond, Non. Pr. Tale, 9. 1. 539. Here Chaucer humorously alludes to the famous disputes in scholastic philosophy between the Realists and Nominalists. To attempt any explanation of their language is to become lost in subtleties of distinction. It would seem however that the Realists maintained that everything possesses a substance, which is inherent in itself, and distinct from the accidents or outward phenomena which the thing presents. According to them, the form, smell, taste, colour, of anything are merely accidents, and might be changed without affecting the substance itself. See the excellent article on Substance in the Engl. Cyclopsedia ; also that on Nominalists. According to Chaucer, then, the cooks who toil to satisfy man's appetite change the nature of the things cooked so effectually as to con- found substance with accident. Translated into plain language, it means that those who partook of the meats so prepared, could not, by means of their taste and smell, form any precise idea as to what they were eating. The art is not lost. 1. 547. Haunteth, practises, indulges in ; cf. 1. 464. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written ' Qui autem in deliciis est, viuens mortuus est/ This is a quotation from the Vulgate version of I Tim. v. 6, but with Qui for qua, and mortuus for mortua. 1. 549. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written ' Luxuriosa res vinum, et contumeliosa ebrietas.' The Vulgate version of Prov. xx. I agrees with this nearly, but has tumultuosa for contumeliosa. This is of course the text to which Chaucer refers. And see note to B. 771. 1. 554. He means that the drunkard's stertorous breathing seems to repeat the sound of the word Sampsoun. The word was probably chosen for the sake of its nasal sounds, to imitate a sort of grunt. Pronounce the m and n as in French, but with exaggerated emphasis. So also in 1. 572. 154 NOTES TO GROUP C. 1. 555. See note to the MonkesTale, Group B, line 3245. In Judges xiii. 4, 7, the command to drink no wine is addressed, not to Samson, but to his mother. Of Samson himself it is said that he was ' a Nazarite,' which implies the same thing; see Numbers vi. 3, 5. 1. 561. In Chaucer's Tale of Melibeus (Six-text, B. 2383) we find ' Thou shalt also eschue the conseiling of folk that been dronkelewe ; for they can no conseil hyde ; for Salomon seith, Ther is no priuetee ther-as regneth dronkenesse ; ' and see B. 776. The allusion is to Prov. xxxi. 4 ' Noli regibus, O Lamuel, noli regibus dare uinum ; quia nullum secretum est ubi regnat ebrietas.' This last clause is quite different from that in our own version ; which furnishes, perhaps, a reason why the allusion here intended has not been perceived by previous editors. 1. 563. Namely, especially. Tyrwhitt's note is as follows : ' According to the geographers, Lepe was not far from Cadiz. This wine, of what- ever sort it may have been, was probably much stronger than the Gascon wines, usually drunk in England. La Rochelle and Bordeaux (1. 571), the two chief ports of Gascony, were both, in Chaucer's time, part of the English dominions.' ' Spanish wines might also be more alluring upon account of their great rarity. Among the Orders of the Royal Household, in 1604, is the following (MS. Harl. 293, fol. 162) : " And whereas, in tymes past, Spanish wines, called Sacke, were little or noe whit used in our courte, and that in later years, though not of ordinary allowance, it was thought convenient that noblemen . . . might have a boule or glas, &c. We understanding that it is now used as common drinke . . . reduce the allowance to xii. gallons a day for the court," ' &c. Several regulations to be observed by London vintners are mentioned in the Liber Albus, ed. Riley, pp. 614-618. Amongst them is 'Item, that white wine of Gascoigne, of la Rochele, of Spain, or other place, shall not be put in cellars with Rhenish wines.' See also note to 1. 565. 1. 564. To selle, for sale; the true gerund, of which to is, in Anglo- Saxon, the sign. So also 'this house to let* is the correct old idiom, needing no such alteration as some would make. Cf. Morris, Hist. Outlines of Eng. Accidence, sect. 290, subsect. 4. Fish Street leads out of Lower Thames Street, close to the North end of London Bridge. The Harleian MS. alone reads Fleet Street, which is certainly wrong. Considering that Thames Street is especially mentioned as a street for vintners (Liber Albus, p. 614), and that Chaucer's own father was a Thames Street vintner, there can be little doubt about this matter. The poet is here speaking from his own knowledge ; a consideration which gives the present passage a peculiar interest. Chepe is Cheapside. 1. 565. This is a fine touch. The poet here tells us that some of this strong Spanish wine used to find its way mysteriously into other wines ; not (he ironically suggests) because the vintners ever mixed their wines, THE PARDONERES TALE. 155 but because the vines of Spain notoriously grew so close to those of Gascony that it was not possible to keep them apart ! Crepeth subtilly = finds its way mysteriously. Observe the humour in the word growing, which expresses that the mixture of wines must be due to the proxi- mity of the vines producing them in the vineyards, not to any accidental proximity of the casks containing them in the vintners' cellars. In fact, the different kinds of wine were to be kept in different cellars, as the Regulations in the Liber Albus (pp. 615-618) shew. 'Item, that no Tavemer shall put Rhenish wine and White wine in a cellar together/ ' Item, that new wines shall not be put in cellars with old wines.' ' Item, that White wine of Gascoigne, of la Rochele, of Spain, or other place, shall not be put in cellars with Rhenish wines/ ' Item, that white wine shall not be sold for Rhenish wine/ ' Item, that no one shall expose for sale wines counterfeit or mixed, made by himself or by another, under pain of being set upon the pillory/ But pillories have vanished, and all such laws are obsolete. 1. 570. 'He is in Spain;' i.e. he is, as it were, transported thither. He imagines he has never left Cheapside, yet is far from knowing where he is, as we should say. 1. 571. 'Not at Rochelle/ where the wines are weak. 1. 579. 'The death of Attila took place in 453. The commonly received account is that given by Jornandes, that he died by the bursting of a blood-vessel on the night of his marriage with a beautiful maiden, whom he added to his many other wives ; some, with a natural suspicion, impute it to the hand of his bride. Priscus observes, that no one ever subdued so many countries in so short a time. . . . Jornandes, De Rebus Geticis, and Priscus, Excerpta de Legationibus, furnish the best existing materials for the history of Attila. For modern compilations, see Buat, Histoire des Peuples de V Europe; De Guignes, Hist, des Huns; and Gibbon, capp. xxxiv and xxxv;' English Cyclopaedia. And see Amedee Thierry, Histoire d* Attila. Mr. Jephson (in Bell's Chaucer) quotes the account of Atlila's death given by Paulus Diaconus, Gest. Rom. lib. xv: 'Qui reuersus ad proprias sedes, supra plures quas habebat uxores, valde decoram, indicto nomine, sibi in matrimonium iunxit. Ob cuius nuptias profusa conuiuia exercens, dum tantum uini quantum nunquam antea insimul bibisset, cum supinus quiesceret, eruptione sanguinis, qui ei de naribus solitus erat effluere, suffocatus et extinctus est/ 1. 585. Lamuel, i.e. King Lemuel, mentioned in Prov. xxxi. i, q.v. ; not to be confused, says Chaucer, with Samuel. The allusion is to Prov. xxxi. 4, 5 ; and not (as Mr. Wright suggests) to Prov. xxiii. In fact, in the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written ' Noli uinum dare/ words found in Prov. xxxi. 4. See note to 1. 561. 1. 591. Hazard, gambling. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is 156 NOTES TO GROUP C. written ' Policratici libro primo ; Mendaciorum et periuriarum mater est Alea.' This shews that the line is a quotation from lib. i. [cap. 5] of the Polycraticus of John of Salisbury, bishop of Chartres, who died in 1 1 80. See some account of this work in Prof. Morley's Eng. Writers, i. 597. 'In the first book, John treats of temptations and duties and other vanities, such as hunting, dice, music, mimes and minstrelsy, magic and soothsaying, prognostication by dreams and astrology/ See also the account of gaming, considered as a branch of Avarice in the Ayenbyte of Inwyt, ed. Morris, pp. 45, 46. 1. 603. Stilbon. It should rather be Chilon. Tyrwhitt remarks ' John of Salisbury, from whom our author probably took this story and the following, calls him Chilon ; Polycrat. lib. i. c. 5. " Chilon Lacedse- monius, iungendse societatis causa missus Corinthum, duces et seniores populi ludentes inuenit in alea. Infecto itaque negotio reuersus est [dicens se nolle gloriam Spartanorum, quorum uirtus constructo Byzantio clarescebat, hac maculare infamia, ut dicerentur cum aleatori- bus contraxisse societatem]." Accordingly, in ver. 12539 D- 605], MS. C. i [i.e. MS. Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd. 4. 24] reads very rightly Lacedomye instead of Calidone, the common reading [of the old editions]. Our author has used before Lacedomie for Lacedamon, v. 11692 [Frank. Tale, F 1380].' In the Petw. MS., the name Stilbon is explained as meaning Mercurius. So, in Liddell and Scott's Gk. Lexicon, we have ' (m'A/3)>er in word, neij?er in lyvynge.* And see note to 1. 474. 1. 643. Rather, sooner; because this commandment precedes those which relate to murder, &c. 1. 646. * They that understand his commandments know this,' &c. I. 649. Wyclif says ' For it is written in Ecclesiasticus, the thre and twenti chapitre, there he seith this : A man much sweringe schal be ful- filled with wickidnesse, and veniaunce schal not go away fro his hous ; ' Works, iii. 84. Chaucer here quotes the same text; see Ecclus. xxiii. n. 1. 651. So Wyclif, iii. 483 hit is not leeful to swere by creaturis, ne by Goddys bonys, sydus, naylus, ne armus, or by ony membre of Cristis body, as J>e moste dele of men usen.' Tyrwhitt says his nayles, i.e. with which he was nailed to the cross. Sir J. Maundeville, c. vii " And thereby in the walle is the place where 158 NOTES TO GROUP C. the 4 Navies of our Lord weren hidd ; for he had 2 in his hondes, and 2 in his feet : and one of theise the Emperoure of Constantynoble made a brydille to his hors, to here him in bataylle ; and thorgh vertue thereof he overcame his enemies," &c. He had said before, c. ii., that " on of the nayles that Crist was naylled with on the cross" was "at Constantynoble ; and on in France, in the kinges chapelle." ' Mr. Wright adds, what is doubtless true, that these nails 'were objects of superstition in the middle ages.' Notwithstanding these opinions, I am not satisfied that these comments are quite correct. I strongly suspect that swearers did not stop to think, nor were they at all particular as to the sense in which the words might be used. Here, for example, nails are mentioned between heart and blood ; in the quotation from Wyclif in the note to 1. 651, we find mention of 'bones, sides, nails, and arms,' followed by 'any member of Christ's body.' Still more express is the phrase used by William Staunton (see note to 1. 474 above) that ' God's members' include ' his nails/ On the other hand, in Lewis's Life of Pecock, p. 155 [or p. 107, ed. 1820], is a citation from a MS. to the effect that, in the year 1420, many men died in England 'emittendo sanguinem per iuncturas et per secessum, scilicet in illis partibus corporis per quas horribiliter iurare consueuerunt, scilicet, per oculos Christi, per faciem Christi, per latera Christi, per sanguinem Christi, per cor Christi preciosum, per clauos Christi in suis manibus et pedibus.' A long essay might be written upon the oaths found in our old authors, but the subject is, I think, a most repulsive one. 1. 652. Here Tyrwhitt notes 'The Abbey of Hailes, in Glocester- shire, was founded by Richard, king of the Romans, brother to Henry III. This precious relick, which was afterwards called " the blood of Hailes," was brought out of Germany by the son of Richard, Edmund, who bestowed a third part of it upon his father's Abbey of Hailes, and some time after gave the other two parts to an Abbey of his own foundation at Ashrug near Berkhamsted. Hollinshed, vol. ii. p. 275.' 'A vial was shewn at Hales in Glocestershire, as containing a portion of our blessed Saviour's blood, which suffered itself to be seen by no person in a state of mortal sin, but became visible when the penitent, by his offerings, had obtained forgiveness. It was now discovered that this was performed by keeping blood, which was renewed every week, in a vial, one side of which was thick and opaque, the other transparent, and turning it by a secret hand as the case required. A trick of the same kind, more skilfully executed, is still annually performed at Naples.' Southey, Book of the Church, ch. xii. He refers to Fuller, b. vi. Hist, of Abbeys, p. 323 ; Burnet, i. 323, ed. 1 68 1. See also the word Hales in the Index to the works published by the Parker Society ; and Pilgrimages to Walsingham and Canterbury (by Erasmus), ed. J. G. Nichols, 2nd ed. 1875, p. 88. THE PARDONERES TALE. 159 1. 65 3. 'My chance is seven ; yours is five and three.' This is an allusion to the particular game called hazard, not to a mere comparison of throws to see which is highest. A certain throw (here seven} is called the caster's chance. This can only be understood by an acquaintance with the rules of the game. See the article Hazard in Supplement to Eng. Cyclopaedia, or in Hoyle's Games. Cf. Man of Lawes Prologue, B 124 ; Monkes Tale, B 3851. Compare ' Not unlike the use of foule gamesters, who having lost the maine by [i.e. according to] true judgement, thinke to face it out with a false oath ; ' Lyly's Euphues and his England (qu. in Halliwell's edition of Nares, s.v. Main}. 1. 656. In the Towneley Mysteries, p. 241, when the soldiers dice for Christ's garments, one says 'I was falsly begyled withe thise byched bones, Ther cursyd thay be.' On the following page (p. 242), Pilate addresses a soldier with the words 'Unbychid, unbayn.' Unbayn (Icel. u-beinn) means, literally, crooked ; metaphorically, perverse ; and is a term of reproach. This suggests that unbychid could be similarly used. The readings are: E. Cp. bicched; Ln. becched; HI. bicched', Hn. Cm. bicche ; Pt. and old edd. thilk, thillte (wrongly). Besides which, Tyrwhitt cites bichet, MS. Harl. 7335; becched, Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd. 4. 24 ; and, from other MSS., bicched, bicchid, bitched, bicche. The general consensus of the MS. and the quotation from the Towneley Mysteries establish the reading given in the text beyond all doubt. Yet Tyrwhitt reads bicchel, for which he adduces no authority beyond the following. ' Bickel, as explained by Kilian, is talus, ovillus et lusorius ; and bicJeelen, talis ludere. See also Had. Junii Nomencl. n. 213. Our dice indeed are the ancient tessera (KV&OI) not tali (dffrpayaXoi) ; but, both being games of hazard, the implements of one might be easily attributed to the other. It should seem from Junius, loc. cit., that the Germans had preserved the custom of playing with the natural bones, as they have different names for a game with tali ovilli, and another with tali bubuli? I find in the Tauchnitz Dutch Dictionary * Bikkel, cockal. Bikkelen, to play at cockals.' Here cockal is the old name for a game with four hucklebones (Halliwell), and is further made to mean the hucklebone itself. The same Dutch Dictionary gives ' Bikken, to notch (the mill- stone).' In Wackernagel's Altdeutsches Handworterbuch, we find ' Bickel, Pickel, Spitzhacke ; Wiirfel,' i.e. (i) a pick-axe ; (2) a die. Also ' Bickelspil, Wiirfelspiel ; ' i.e. a game at dice. Wackernagel refers the etymology to the verb bicken or picJten, to pick or peck, which is clearly the same as the Dutch bikken, to notch. We may safely conclude (t) that the reading bicched is correct; l6o NOTES TO GROUP C. (2) that the English term bicched boon is equivalent to the Dutch bikkel, Ger. bickel, as far as the general sense is concerned, since they both relate to things employed in games of chance. Nevertheless, despite their apparent similarity of form, there seems to be no etymological connection between them, but they were named for quite different reasons. The Du. bikkel may be referred to the verb bikken, to notch, also to pick, peck, or mark ; so that the original sense of biltJcel was 'pick-axe'; however, it afterwards acquired the sense of 'huckle-bone,' and finally, that of * die/ The history of the word shews that the last sense arose from a transference of use, and not from the fact that the die was spotted or marked by making slight holes in its surface. But the Eng. bicched appears to have had the meaning of * accursed ' or * execrable ' ; see the New English Dictionary, where it is shewn that it was applied to other things besides dice ; as, for example, to a basilisk, a body, a burden, and to the human conscience. It is evidently an opprobrious term, and seems to be derived from the sb. bitch (M. E. bicche] opprobriously used. Hence the bicched bones two refer to ' the two accursed pieces of bone ' that are used in playing at hazard. I add a few more references by way of confirming the derivation of the Dutch bikkel. Hexham's Dutch Dictionary (ed. 1658) gives : * Een Bickel, ofte [or] Pickel, a hucklebone, or a die. Bickel, a pounce, or a graver. Bickelen, ofte Pickelen, to play at dice. Bickelen, ofte Bicken, to cutt, pink, or engrave. Een Bickeler, ofte Bicker, a stone-hewer, a stone- carver, or a cutter. Bicken, to cut or carue.' The Icel. pikka means both to pick and to prick. The A. S. picung means a stigma, or mark caused by burning. The German Pickel is explained by Heinsius as ' ein kleines Fleck, ein kleines Geschwiir auf der Haut ; ' and pickeln, he says, is sanft picken, mit etwas Spitzigem leise beriihren.' In Kuttner and Nicholson's German Dictionary I find * Picken, to peck with the bill, as birds do. Ein Vogel, der sich picket, a bird that picks, pecks, or proins itself.* This last throws a clear light on apiked in Chaucer's Prologue, 1. 365. 1. 66 1. The Pardoner now takes up the tale in earnest, beginning abruptly. The 'three rioters' have not been previously mentioned, though the word riot occurs in 1. 465. 1. 662. Pryme, about nine o'clock ; see notes to Non. Pr. Tale, 35 ; and to Group B. 2015 (SirThopas). Here it means the canonical hour for prayer so called, to announce which bells were rung. 1. 664. A hand-bell was carried before a corpse at a funeral by the sexton. See Rock, Church of Our Fathers, it. 471 ; Grindal's Works, p. 136. THE PARDONERES TALE. l6l 1. 666. That oon of them, the one of them ; the old phrase for ' one of them.' Kjiaue, boy. 1. 667. Go bet, lit. go better, i.e. go quicker; a term of encourage- ment to dogs in the chase. So in the Legend of Good Women (Dido, 1. 288) we have 'The herde of hartes founden is anon, With " hey ! go bet ! prick thou ! let gon, let gon ! " ' Halliwell says ' Go bet, an old hunting cry, often introduced in a more general sense. See Songs and Carols, xv ; Shak. Soc. Pap. i. 58 ; Chaucer, C. T. 12601 [the present passage]; Dido, 288; Tyrwhitt's notes, p. 278; Ritson's Anc. Pop. Poetry, p. 46. The phrase is men- tioned by [Juliana] Berners in the Boke of St. Alban's, and seems nearly equivalent to go along? It is strange that no editor has per- ceived the exact sense of this very simple phrase. Cf. ' Keep bet my good,' i.e. take better care of my property ; Shipmannes Tale, third line from the end. 1.679. This pestilence, during this plague. Alluding to the Great Plagues that took place in the reign of Edward III. There were four such, viz. in 1348-9, 1361-2, 1369, and 1375-6. As Chaucer probably had the story from an Italian source, the allusion must be to the first and worst of these, the effects of which spread nearly all over Europe, and which was severely felt at Florence, as we learn from the descrip- tion left by Boccaccio. See note to Piers Plowman, B. v. 13 (Clar. Press). 1. 684. My dame, my mother; as in Piers Plowman, B. v. 37. 1. 695. Auow, vow ; to make auow is the old phrase for to vow. Tyrwhitt alters it to a vow, quite unnecessarily ; and the same alteration has been made by editors in other books, owing to want of familiarity with old MSS. It is true that the form vow does occur, as, e.g. in P. Plowm. B. prol. 71 ; but it is no less certain that avow occurs also, and was the older form ; since we have oon auow (B. 334), and the phrase 'I make myn avou,' P. Plowman, A. v. 218 ; where no editorial sophistica- tion can evade giving the right spelling. Equally clear is the spelling in the Prompt. Parv. ' Avowe, Votum. Awowyn, or to make awowe, Voveo.' And Mr. Way says ' Auowe, veu; Palsgrave. This word occurs in R. de Brunne, Wiclif, and Chaucer. The phrase " performed his auowe" occurs in the Legenda Aurea, fol. 47,' Those who are familiar with MSS. know that a prefixed a is often written apart from the word ; thus the word now spelt accord is often written ' a corde ; ' and so on. Hence, even when the word is really one word, it is still often written 'a uow,' and is naturally printed a vow in two words, where no such result was intended. Tyrwhitt himself prints min avow in the Knightes Tale, 1. 1379, anc * again this avow in the same, 1. 1556; where no error is possible. See more on this word in my VOL, III. M 163 NOTES TO GROUP C. note to 1. i of Chevy Chase, in Spec, of Eng. 1394-1579. I have there said that the form vow does not occur in early writers ; I should rather have said, it is by no means the usual form. For the etymology, see the Glossary. 1. 698. Brother, i.e. sworn friend; see Kn. Tale, 273, 289. In 1. 704, yboren brother means brother by birth. 1. 709. To-rente, tare in pieces, dismembered. See note to 1. 474 above. 1. 713. This 'old man' answers to the romito or hermit of the Italian text. Note an old (indefinite), as compared with the olde (definite) in 1. 714. 1.715. Tyrwhitt, in his Glossary, remarks ' God you seel 7751. God him seel 4576. May God keep you, or him, in his sight! In Troilus, ii. 85, it is fuller : God you save and see I ' Gower has ' And than I bidde, God hlr seel 9 Conf. Amant. bk. iv (ed. Chalmers, p. 116, col. 2, or ed. Pauli, ii. 96). Cf. ' now loke the owre lorde !' P. Plowman, B. i. 207. See also 1. 766 below. 1. 727. This is a great improvement upon the Italian tale, which represents the hermit as fleeing from death. 'Fratelli miei, io fuggo la morte, che mi vien dietro cacciando mi.' 1. 731. Leuemoder, dear mother Earth. 1. 734. Cheste. Mr. Jephson (in Bell's edition) is puzzled here. He takes cheste to mean a coffin, which is certainly the sense in the Clerk's Prologue, E. 29. The simple solution is that cheste refers here, not to a coffin, but to the box for holding clothes which, in olden times, almost invariably stood in every bedroom, at the foot of the bed. 'At the foot of the bed there was usually an iron-bound hutch or locker, which served both as a seat, and as a repository for the apparel and wealth of the owner, who, sleeping with his sword by his side, was prepared to protect it against the midnight thief; ' Our English Home, p. 101. It was also called a coffer, a hutch, or an ark. This makes the sense clear. The old man is ready to exchange his chest, containing all his worldly gear, for a single hair-cloth, to be used as his shroud. 1. 743- In the margin of MSS. E., Hn., and Pt. is the quotation 'Coram canuto capite consurge,' from Levit. xix. 32. Hence we must understand Agayns in 1. 74 3> to mean before, or in presence of. 1. 748. God be with you is said, with probability, to have been the original of our modern unmeaning Good bye I Go or ride, a general phrase for locomotion ; go here means walk. Cp. ' ryde or go,' Kn. Tale, 493. Cf. note to 1. 866. 1. 771. The readings are : E. Hn. Cm. an .viij. ; Ln. a .vij. ; Cp. Pt. HI. a seuen. The word eighte is dissyllabic ; cf. A. S. eahta, Lat. octo. Wei ny an eighte busshels = very nearly the quantity of eight bushels. The mention of florins is quite in keeping with the Italian character of the poem. Those coins were so named because originally coined at THE PARDONERES TALE. 163 Florence, the first coinage being in 1252; note in Gary's Dante, In- ferno, c. xxx. The value of an English florin was 6s. Sd. ; see note to Piers Plowman, ii. 143 (Clar. Press). There is an excellent note on florins in Thynne's Animadversions on Speght's Chaucer, ed. Furnivall, p. 45. 1. 781. In allusion to the old proverb ' Lightly come, lightly go.' Cotgrave, s.v. Fleute, gives the corresponding French proverb thus : ' Ce qui est venu par la fleute s'en retourne avec le tabourin ; that the pipe hath gathered, the tabour scattereth ; goods ill gotten are com- monly ill spent.' In German 'wie gewonnen, so zerronnen.' 1. 782. Wende, would have weened, would have supposed. It is the past tense subjunctive. 1. 790. Doon vs honge, lit. cause (men) to hang us ; we should now say, cause us to be hanged. ' The Anglo-Saxons nominally punished theft with death, if above 120*. value; but the criminal could redeem his life by a ransom. In the 9th of Henry I. this power of redemption was taken away, 1 108. The punishment of theft was very severe in England, till mitigated by Peel's acts, 9 and 10 Geo. IV. 1829.' Haydn, s.v. Theft. 1. 793* To draw cuts is to draw lots ; see Prologue, 835, 838, 845. A number of straws were held by one of the company ; the rest drew one apiece, and whoever drew the shortest was the one on whom the lot fell. The shortest straw was the cut, i.e. the one cut short ; cf. Welsh cwtau, to shorten ; cwta, short ; cwtws, a lot. In France the custom was reversed ; the lot fell on him who drew the longest ; so that their phrase was ' tirer la longue paille/ 1. 797. So in the Italian story* rechi del pane e del vino/ let him fetch bread and wine. 1. 806-894. Here Chaucer follows the general sense of the Italian story rather closely, but with certain amplifications. 1. 807. That oon, the one ; thai other, the other. 1.819. Conseil, a secret; as in P. Plowman, B. v. 168. We still say ' to keep one's own counsel.' 1. 844. So the Italian story * II Demonio . . . mise in cuore a costui,' &c. ; the devil put it in his heart. 1. 848. Leue, leave. ' That he had leave to bring him to sorrow.' 1. 851-878. Of this graphic description there is no trace in the Italian story as we now have it. Cf. Rom. and Juliet, v. i. 1. 860. Al so, as. The sense is as (I hope) God may save my soul. That our modem as is for a/s, which is short for a/so, from the A. S. eall-swd, is now well known. This fact was doubted by Mr. Singer, but Sir F. Madden, in his Reply to Mr. Singer's remarks upon Havelok the Dane, accumulated such a mass of evidence upon the subject as to set the question at rest for ever. It follows that as and also are doublets, or various spellings of the same word, M 2 164 NOTES TO GROUP C. 1. 865. Sterue, die ; A. S. steorfan. The cognate German sterben retains the old general sense. See 1. 888 below. 1. 866. Goon a paas, walk at an ordinary foot-pace ; so also, a litel more than paas, a little faster than at a foot-pace, Prol. 825. Cotgrave has ' Aller le pas, to pace, or go at a foot-pace ; to walk fair and softly, or faire and leisurely.' Nat but, no more than only ; cf. North of England nobbut. The time meant would be about twenty minutes at most. 1. 888. In the Italian story ' amendue caddero morti,' both of them fell dead. 1.889. Avycen, Avicenna; mentioned in the Prologue, 1. 432. Avi- tenna, or Ibn-Sina, a celebrated Arabian philosopher and physician, born near Bokhara A.D. 980, died A.D. 1037. His chief work was a treatise on medicine known as the Canon (' Kitab al-Kanun fi'1-Tibb,' that is, ' Book of the Canon in Medicine'). This book, alluded to in the next line, is divided into books and sections ; and the Arabic word for * section* is in the Latin version denoted "by fen, from the Arabic fann, a part of any science. Chaucer's expression is not quite correct ; he seems to have taken ca non in its usual sense of rule, whereas it is really the title of the whole work. It is much as if one were to speak of Dante's work in the terms ' such as Dante never wrote in any Divina Commedia nor in any canto.' Lib. iv. Fen I of Avicenna's Canon treats 'De Venenis.' 1. 895. Against this line is written, in MS. E. only, the word 'Auctor;' to shew that the paragraph contained in 11. 895-903 is a reflection by the author. 1. 897. The final e in glutonye is preserved by the csesural pause ; but the scansion of the line is more easily seen by supposing it suppressed. Hence in order to scan the line, suppress the final e in glutonye, lay the accent on the second u in luxurie, and slur over the final -ie in that word. Thus O glut | ony* | luxii ] Tie and has | ardrye II 1. 904. Good men is the common phrase of address to hearers in old homilies, answering to the modern ' dear brethren.' The Pardoner, having told his tale (after which Chaucer himself has thrown in a moral reflection), proceeds to improve his opportunity by addressing the audience in his usual professional style ; see 1. 915. 1. 907. Noble, a coin worth 6s. 8J., first coined by Edward III. about 1339. See note to P. Plowman, B. iii. 45 (Clar. Press). 1. 908. So in P. Plowman, B. prol. 75, it is said of the Pardoner that he ' raughte with his ragman [bull] rynges and broches.' 1. 910. Cometh is to be pronounced Cornth, as in Prol. 839 ; so also in 1. 925 below. 1. 920. Male, bag ; see Prol. 694. THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 165 1. 935. The first two syllables in perauenture are to be very rapidly pronounced ; it is not uncommon to find the spelling peraunier, as in P. Plowman, B. xi. 10. 1. 937. Which a, what sort of a, how great a, what a. 1. 945. Ye, for a grote, yea, even for a groat, i.e. 40?. 1. 946. Have 7, may I have ; an imprecation. 1. 947. So theech, a colloquialism for so thee ich, so may I thrive The Host proceeds to abuse the Pardoner in not very decent terms. 1. 962. Ryght enough, quite enough; ryght is an adverb. Cf* 1. 960. NOTES TO THE SECOND NONNES TALE (GROUP G). For general remarks on this Tale, see the Preface. PROLOGUE. This consists of twelve stanzas, and is at once divisible into three parts. (1) The first four stanzas, the idea of which is taken from Jehan de Vignay's Introduction to his French translation of the Legenda Aurea. This Introduction is reprinted at length, from the Paris edition of 1513, in the Originals and Analogues published by the Chaucer Society, pt. ii. p. 190. (2) The Invocation to the Virgin, in stanzas 5-11; see note to 11. 29, 36. (3) An Envoy to the reader, in stanza 12 ; see note to 1. 78. Line I. Jehan de Vignay attributes the idea of this line to St. Bernard. He says' Et pour ce que oysiuete est tant blasmee que sainct Bernard dit qu'elle est mere de truffles [mother of trifles], marrastre de vertus : . . et fait estaindre vertu et nourrir orgueil,' &c. Chaucer says again, in his Persones Tale (de Accidia) 'And though that ignorance be the mother of alle harmes, certes, negligence is the norice. 1 1. 2. Ydelnesse, idleness ; considered as a branch of Sloth, which was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. See Chaucer's Persones Tale, De Accidia. 1. 3. Chaucer took this idea from the Romaunt of the Rose; see 11. 528-594 of the English version, where a lover is described as knocking at the wicket of a garden, which was opened by a beautiful maiden named Idleness. He afterwards repeated it in the Knightes Tale, 1. 1082 ; and again in the Persones Tale (de Accidia) ' Than cometh ydelnesse, that is the yate [gate] of all harmes. . . . Certes heuen is yeuen to hem that will labour, and not to ydel folke.' 1. 4. To eschue, to eschew ; the gerund. The sentence really begins 166 NOTES TO GROUP G. with 1. 6, after which take the words to eschue; then take 11. 1-3, followed by the rest of 1. 4 and by 1. 5. 1. 7. Jehan de Vignay's Introduction begins thus : ' Monseigneur sainct hierosme dit ceste auctorite " Fays tousiours aucune chose de bien, que le dyable ne te trouue oyseux." ' That is, he refers us to St. Jerome for the idea. We are reminded, too, of the familiar lines by Dr. Watts * For Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do.' 1. 8. Cf. Persones Tale (de Accidia) 'An idel man is like to a place that hath no walles, theras deuiles may enter on euery side.' 1. 14. Cf. Pers. Tale (de Accidia) 'Ayenst this roten sinne of accidie and slouthe shulde men exercise hemself, and use hemself to do good werkes;' &c. 'Laborare est orare' was the famous motto of St. Bernard. 1. 15. Though men dradden neuer, even if men never feared. 1. 17. Roten, rotten; Tyrwhitt's text reads rote of, i.e. root of. Yet roten seems right ; observe its occurrence in the note to 1. 14 above. 1. 19. 'And (men also) see that Sloth holds her in a leash, (for her) to do nothing but sleep, and eat and drink, and devour all that others obtain by toil.' The reading hir refers to Idleness, which, as I have before explained, was a branch of Sloth, and was personified by a female. See notes to 11. 2 and 3 above. Tyrwhitt has hem, which is not in any of our seven MSS. 1. 21. Compare Piers Plowman, B. prol. 21, 22 'In settyng and in sowyng swonken ful harde, And wonnen that wastours * with glotonye destruyeth.' 1. 25. After the legende, following the Legend; i.e. the Legenda A urea. A very small portion is wholly Chaucer's own. He has merely added a line here and there, such as 11. 489-497, 505-511, 535, 536. At 1. 346 he begins to be less literal; see notes to 380, 395, 443. 1. 2 7. St. Cecilia and St. Dorothea are both depicted with garlands. Mrs. Jameson tells us how to distinguish them in her Sacred and Legendary Art, 3rd ed. 591. She also says, at p. 35 'The wreath of roses on the brow of St. Cecilia, the roses or fruits borne by St. Dorothea, are explained by the legends.' And again, at p. 36 'White and red roses expressed love and innocence, or love and wisdom, as in the garland with which the angels crown St. Cecilia.' Red was the symbol of love, divine fervour, &c. ; white, of light, purity, innocence, virginity. See 11. 220, 244, 279. The legend of St. Dorothea forms the subject of Massinger's Virgin Martyr. 1. 29. Virgines must be a trisyllable here; such words are often shortened to a dissyllable. The word thou is addressed to the Virgin Mary. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written ' Inuocatio ad Mariam.' THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 167 1. 30. Speaking of St. Bernard, Mrs. Jameson says ' One of his most celebrated works, the Missus est, was composed in her honour [i.e. in honour of the Virgin] as Mother of the Redeemer ; and in eighty Sermons on texts from the Song of Solomon, he set forth her divine perfection as the Selected and Espoused, the type of the Church on earth;' Legends of the Monastic Orders, 2nd ed. p. 144. See a further illustration of the great favour shewn by the Virgin to St. Bernard at p. 142 of the same volume ; and, at p. 145, the description of a painting by Murillo, quoted from Stirling's Spanish Painters, p. 914. See also Dante, Paradise, xxxi. 102. 1. 32. Confort of us wrecches, comfort of us miserable sinners ; see note to 1. 58. Do me endyte, cause me to indite. 1. 34. Of the feend, over the Fiend. Tyrwhitt reads over for of, but it is unnecessary. Accent victorie on the o. 1. 36. Lines 36-51 are a free translation of a passage in Dante's Paradiso, Canto xxxiii. 11. 1-21 ; and are quoted in the notes to Gary's translation. 1. 36. * Vergine madre, figlia del tuo Figlio, I. 39. Umile ed alta piu che creatura, Termine fisso d'eterno consiglio, Tu se' colei che 1' umana natura II. 40, 41. Nobilitastl si, che il suo Fattore 11. 41, 42. Non disdegno di farsi sua fattura. 1. 43. Nel ventre tuo si raccese 1' amore, I. 44. Per lo cui caldo nelT eterna pace Cosi e germinato questo fiore. Qui sei a noi meridiana face Di caritade, e giuso, intra i mortali, Se' di speranza fontana vivace. Donna, se' tanto grande, e tanto vali, Che qual vuol grazia, e a te non ricorre. Sua disianza vuol volar senz' ali. H- 53 54- La tua benignita non pur soccorre 11- 53 54- A chi dimanda, ma molte fiate II. 55 56. Liberamente al dimandar precorre. 1. 51. In te misericordia, in te pietate, 1. 50. In te magnificenza, in te s'aduna Quatunque in creatura e di bontate.' The numbers at the side denote the corresponding lines. I add a literal prose rendering of the above passage : Virgin mother, daughter of thy Son, Lowly and yet exalted more than (any other) creature, Fixed limit of the eternal counsel, 168 NOTES TO GROUP G. Thou art she who didst so ennoble Human nature, that its Maker Disdained not to become His own creation. Within thy womb love was so rekindled, By the heat whereof, in eternal peace, This flower has thus budded. Here art thou to us the meridian torch Of love, and beneath, among mortals, Thou art the living fountain of hope. Lady ! thou art so great, and art of such avail, That whoso desires grace, and does not resort to thee. His desire endeavours to fly without wings. Thy benignity not only brings succour To him who prays for it, but many times Bountifully foreruns the prayer. In thee is mercy, in thee is pity, In thee is munificence, in thee is united Whatever excellence is in a created being. 1. 40. NoUedest, didst ennoble ; Dante's ' nobilitasti.' 1. 42. The translation is inexact. Dante says ' that its Maker (i.e. the Maker of human nature) did not disdain to become His own creature, 1 i.e. born of that very human nature which He had Himself created. Cf. 1. 49. 1. 45. ' That is, Lord and Guide of the threefold space ; ' i.e. of the three abodes of things created, viz. the earth, the sea, and the heavens. 1. 46. Out of relees, without release, i.e. without relaxation, without ceasing. Out of means without, as is clear from Prol. 487 ; Kn. Tale, 283 ; and relees means acquittance (O. Fr. relais) ; see Cler. Tale, E. 153, and Relesse in Gloss. Index to Prioresses Tale, &c. There has been some doubt about the meaning of this phrase, but there need be none ; especially when it is remembered that to release is another form of to relax, so that relees = relaxation, i.e. slackening. The idea is the same as that so admirably expressed in the Prolog im Himmel to Goethe's Faust. 1. 50. Assembled Is in thee, there is united in thee; cf. Dante 'in te s'aduna.* This stanza closely resembles the fourth stanza of the Prioresses Prologue, B. 1664-1670 ; see Prioresses Tale, p. 10. 1. 52. Sonne. By all means let the reader remember that sonne was probably feminine in English in Chaucer's time, as it is in German, Dutch, and Icelandic to this day. It will be found, however, that Chaucer commonly identifies the sun with Phoebus, making it mas- culine ; see Prol. 8, Kn. Tale 635. Still, there is a remarkable example of the old use in the first rubric of Part ii. of Chaucer's Astrolabie 'To fynde the degree in which the sonne is day by day, after hir THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 169 cours a-bowte.' So again, in Piers Plowman, B. xviii. 243 ' And lo I how the sonne gan louke her lighte in herself? 1. 56. Her lyues leche, the physician of their lives (or life). 1. 58. Flemed wrecche, banished exile. The proper sense of A. S. ivracca is an exile, a stranger ; and thence, a miserable being, an exile. The phrase ' fleming of wrecches,' i.e. banishment of the miserable, occurs in Chaucer's Troilus, iii. 933 (ed. Skeat). And see above, B. 460. Galle, bitterness. There is probably an allusion to the name Mary, and to the Hebrew mar, fern, mar ah, bitter. Cf. Exod. xv. 23 ; Acts viii. 23 ; Ruth i. 20. Cf. Chaucer's A B C, 1. 50. 1. 59. Womman Cananee, a translation of mulier Chananaa in the Vulgate version of Mat. xv. 22. Wyclif calls her 'a womman of Canane.' 1. 60. Compare Wyclif 's version ' for whelpis eten of the crummes that fallen doun fro the bord of her lordis ; ' Mat. xv. 27. 1. 62. Sone of Eue, son of Eve, i.e. the author himself. This, as Tyrwhitt remarks (Introd. Discourse, note 30), is a clear proof that the Tale was never properly revised to suit it for the collection. The expression is unsuitable for the supposed narrator, the Second Nun. 1. 64. See James ii. 17. 1. 67. Ful of grace; alluding to the phrase 'Aue gratia plena* in Luke i. 28. 1. 68. Aduocat, accented on the penultimate. 1. 69. Ther as, where that. Osanne, Hosanna, i.e. 'Save, we pray,' from Ps. cxviii. 25. See Concise Diet, of the Bible. 1. 70. The Virgin Mary was said to have been the daughter of Joachim and Anna ; see the Protevangelion of James, and the Legenda Aurea, cap. cxxi ' De natiuitate beatae Mariae uirginis.' 1. 75- Hauen ofrefut, haven of refuge. See the same term similarly applied in B. 852, above. Cf. Chaucer's ABC, I. 14. 1. 78. Reden, read. This is still clearer proof that the story was not originally meant to be narrated. Cf. note to 1. 62. 1. 82. Him, i.e. Jacobus Januensis ; see the Preface. At the, &c., out of reverence for the saint. 1. 83. Hir legende, her (St. Cecilia's) legend as told in the Aurea Legenda. 1. 84. The five stanzas in 11. 85-119 really belong to the Legend itself, and are in the original Latin. Throughout the notes to the rest of this Tale I follow the 2nd edition of the Legenda Aurea, cap. clxix, as edited by Dr. Th. Grasse; Leipsic, 1850. 1. 87. Several of the Legends of the Saints begin with ridiculous etymologies. Thus the Legend of S. Valentine (Aur. Leg. cap. xlii) begins with the explanation that Valentinus means valorem tenens, or else ualens tyro. So here, as to the etymology of Csecilia, we are I7O NOTES TO GROUP G. generously offered five solutions, all of them being wrong. As it is hopeless to understand them without consulting the original, I shall quote as much of it as is necessary, arranged in a less confused order. The true etymology is, of course, that Csecilia is the feminine of Csecilius, a name borne by members of the Csecilia gens, which claimed descent from Cseculus, an ancient Italian hero, son of Vulcan, who is said to have founded Prseneste. Cseculus, probably a nickname, can hardly be other than a mere diminutive of ccecus, blind. The legendary etymologies are right, accordingly, only so far as they relate to cat )>at blessed body of burieles shulde rise/ Of course the mistake of supposing s to be the mark of a plural was made in course of time, and the singular form biryel was evolved. This mistake occurs as early as in Wyclifs Bible, IV Kings xxiii. 17 j see Way's note in Prompt. Parv. p. 37, note I. Consequently, it is most likely that Chaucer has made the same mistake here. There is here a most interesting allusion to the celebrated catacombs of Rome, which are subterranean passages cut in the rock, and were used by the early Christians for the purpose of sepulture. See Chambers, Book of Days, i. 101, 102. Lotinge, lying hid. In MS. E., the Latin word latitantevn is written above, as a gloss. This was taken from the Lalin text, which has ' intra sepulchra martirum latitantem/ Stratmann gives six examples of the use of lotien or lutien, to lie hid. It occurs once in P. Plowman, B. xvii. 102, where outlaws are described as lurking in woods and under banks : * For outlawes in J>e wode and vnder banke lotyeth? 1. 20 1. An old man; i.e. an angel in the form of an old man, viz. St. Paul. Cf. note to 1. 207. 1. 202. With lettre of gold; Lat. 'tenens librum aureis litteris scrip- turn.' L. 203 is not in the original. 1. 205. When he (Valerian) saw him (the old man) ; and he (the old man) lifted up him (Valerian) ; and then he (Valerian) began thus to read in his (the old man's) book/ This is very ambiguous in Chaucer, but the Latin is clear. ' Quern uidens Ualerianus prae nimio timore quasi mortuus cecidit, et a sene leuatus sic legit.' THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 173 1. 207. Oo lord, one lord. Tyrwhitt prints o, ' to guard against the mistake which the editions generally have fallen into, of considering o, in this passage, as the sign of the vocative case.' For the same reason, I have printed Oo, as in MS. Pt., in preference to the single o, as in most MSS. Even one of the scribes has fallen into the trap, and has written against this passage 'Et lamentat.' See MS. Cp., in the Six-text edition. The fact is, obviously, that 11. 207-209 are a close translation of Eph. iv. 5, 6. Hence the old man must be St. Paul. 1. 208. Christendom, baptism ; Lat. * baptisma.' Seel. 217. 1. 216. We must read the before olde, not this or thaf, because e in the must be elided ; otherwise the line will not scan. 1. 223, 224. That oon, the one; sometimes written the ton or the toon. That other, the other ; sometimes written the tother. * The ton ' is obsolete; but 'the tother' may still be heard. That is the neuter of the A. S. def. article se, se6, \&t ; cf. Germ, der, die, das. As to the signification of the red and white flowers, see note to 1. 2 7 above. Compare Act v. sc. I of Massinger's Virgin Martyr, where an angel brings flowers from St. Dorothea, who is in paradise, to Theophilus. See note to 1. 248 below. 1. 232. For, because ; Lat. 'quia.' 1. 236. Afterwards repeated, very nearly, in Kn. Tale, 1. 338. 1. 243. Sauour vndernom, perceived the scent ; Lat. ' sensisset odorem.' 1. 248. Rose. We should have expected roses. Perhaps this is due to the peculiar form of the Latin text, which has ' roseus hie odor et liliorum.' Compare the words of Theophilus in the Virgin Martyr, v. I : ' What flowers are these ? In Diocletian's gardens the most beauteous, Compared with these, are weeds; is it not February. The second day she died? frost, ice, and snow Hang on the beard of winter : where's the sun That gilds this summer? pretty, sweet boy, say, In what country shall a man find this garden ? ' 1. 270. LI. 270-283 are certainly genuine, and the passage is in the Latin text. It is also in the French version, but it does not appear in the Early English version of the story printed by Mr. Furnivall from MS. Ashmole 43, nor in the English version printed by Caxton in 1483. Tyrwhitt's supposition is no doubt correct, viz. that this passage 'appears evidently to have been at first a marginal observation and to have crept into the [Latin] text by the blunder of some copyist.' He truly observes that these fourteen lines 'interrupt the narrative awkwardly, and to little purpose.' 174 NOTES TO GROUP G. 1. 271. Ambrose. ' Huic miraculo de coronis rosarum Ambrosius attestatur in praefatione, sic dicens,' &c. I cannot find anything of the kind in the indices to the works of St. Ambrose. 1. 276. Eek hir chambre, even hir marriage-chamber, i.e. even marriage. Weyue, waive, abandon. Lat. 'ipsum mundum est cum thalamis ex- secrata.' Weyue occurs again in some MSS. of Chaucer's Truth, 1. 20. 1. 277. Shrifte, confession. Lat. 'testis est Ualeriani coniugis et Tiburtii prouocata confessio, quos, Domine, angelica manu odoriferis floribus coronasti.' For Valerians, all the MSS. have Cecilies. Whether the mistake is Chaucer's or his scribes*, I cannot say; but it is so obviously a mere slip, that we need not hesitate to correct it. The French text is even clearer than the Latin ; it has 'et de cest tesmoing valerien son mary et tiburcien son frere.' Besides, the express mention of 'these men* in 1. 281 is enough, in my opinion, to shew that the slip was not Chaucer's own ; or, at any rate, was a mere oversight. 1. 282. 'The world hath known (by their example) how much, in all truth, it is worth to love such devotion to chastity.' Lat. 'mundus agnouit, quantum ualeat deuotio castitatis ; haec Ambrosius.' This is quoted as St. Ambrose's opinion. The parenthesis ends here. 1. 288. Beste, i.e. void of understanding, as a beast of the field is. Lat. ' pecus est.' 1. 315. And we. Tyrwhitt remarks that we should have been us. But a glance at the Latin text shews what was in Chaucer's mind ; he is here merely anticipating the we in 1. 318. Lat. 'et nos hi illius flammis pariter inuoluemur, et dum quaerimus diuinitatem latentem in coelis, incurremus furorem exurentem in terris.' The sentence is awkward; but we was intended. The idiom has overridden the grammar. 1. 319. Cecile. This is one of the clearest instances to shew that Chaucer followed the Latin and not the French version. Lat. ' Cui Caecilia ; ' Fr. ' et valerien dist.' Mr. Furnivall has noted this and other instances, and there is no doubt about the matter. 1. 320. Skilfully, reasonably; the usual meaning at this date. See I- 327. 1. 327. 'And all that has been created by a reasonable Intelligence.' 1. 329. Hath sowled, hath endued with a soul, hath quickened; Lat. * animauit.' ! 335- O 5"^ one God. We must suppose this teaching to be in- cluded in the mention of Christ in 1. 295 ; otherwise there is no allusion to it in the words of Cecilia. The doctrine had been taught to Valerian however; see 11. 207, 208. There are continual allusions, in the Lives of the Saints, to the difficulty of this doctrine. 1. 338. Chaucer is not quite exact The Latin says that three things THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 175 reside in a man's wisdom, the said wisdom being but one. * Sicut in una hominis sapientia tria sunt, ingenium, memoria et intellectus.' The notion resembles that in a favourite passage from Isidore quoted in Piers Plowman, B. xv. 39, to the effect that the soul (anima) has different names according to its functions. When engaged in remem- bering, we call it memory (memoria) ; when in judging, we call it reason (ratio) ; and so on. Compare the curious illustrations of the doctrine of the Trinity in Piers Plowman, B. xvi. 220-224, xvii. 137- 249. The illustration in the text is, as Mr. Jephson points out, by no means a good one. 1. 341. The word Thre stands alone in the first foot. Thre* | person | es may | ther ryght | wel be || See note to 1. 353. 1. 343. Come, coming, i.e. incarnation; Lat. ' aduentu.' Tyrwhitt read sonde, i.e. sending, message ; but incorrectly. 1. 345. Withholde, detained, constrained to dwell ; Lat. ' tentus ; ' Fr. ' tenu. f 1. 346. Hitherto Chaucer's translation is, on the whole, very close. Here he omits a whole sentence, and begins to abbreviate the story and alter it to suit himself. See his hint in 1. 360. 1. 351. That, who. In MS. E. the word is glossed by ' qui, scilicet Vrbanus.' It is remarkable that the relative who (as a simple relative, without so suffixed) is hardly to be found in English of this date, in the nominative case. The A.S. hwd is only used interrogatively. ' Hwd (who) appears as a proper relative first in its dative warn or wan in Layamon, ii. 632, iii. 50 [about A.D. 1200] ; in its genitive whas and dative wham in Ormulum, 3425, 10370 [about the same date]. The nominative who is found sometimes with a pronominal antecedent in Wycliffe, A.D. 1382-3 (Isaiah i. 10), and becomes common as a full relative in Berners* Froissart, A.D. 1523 ; ' March, Anglo-Saxon Gram- mar, p. 1 79. 1. 353. Goddes knyght, God's servant, or rather, God's soldier; see 1. 383, and the note. In the A. S. version of the Gospels Christ's disciples are called ' leorning-cnihtas.' In the Ormulum and in Wyclif cniht or kni$t sometimes means a servant, but more commonly a soldier. Priests are called 'goddes knyghtes* in Piers Plowman, B. xi. 304. In scanning this line, either lerninge is of three syllables (which I doubt) or else the first syllable in Parfyt forms a foot by itself; see note to 1. 341 above. 1. 362. AlmacTte; Lat. 'Almachiuspraefectus.' The reigning emperor was Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-235). 1. 363. Opposed, questioned, examined; written opposed in. most MSS., hot without good reason. The old editions have aposed. A similar confusion occurs in the Freres Tale, D. 1597, where only two MSS., 176 NOTES TO GROUP G. viz. Pt. and Ln., have the later spelling oppose, as against five others which rightly read opposen. The later spelling occurs in MSS. of Piers the Plowman, where we find oppose, to question, B. iii. 5 ; apposed, i. 47; apposeden, vii. 138. Skelton has it, in his Colin Clout, 267: 'For that they are not apposed By iust examinacyon In connyng and conuersacyon.' Mr. Dyce (note on this line) quotes from Horman 'He was opposed, or examyned of his byleue, De religione appellatus est;' Vulgaria, sig. Dii. ed. 1530. In Prompt. Parv. it is confused with oppose. Wedgwood explains that appose, or pose, lit. to lay near (Fr. apposer), was used in the particular sense of putting specific questions to a candidate for examination; whence the phrase an apposite answer, applied to one that was to the point ; see his article on Pose. But the New E. Diet, gives oppose as the original form. 1. 365. Sacrifyse, sacrifice to the idol. This was the usual test to which Christians were subjected ; see note to 1. 395. Compare Dan. iii. 14, 1 8. So in the Virgin Martyr, iv. 2 : 'Bow but thy knee to Jupiter, and offer Any slight sacrifice; or do but swear By Caesar's fortune, and be free!' 1. 367. Thise marlirs ; note that this is an accusative case. 1. 369. Corniculere, a sort of officer. The note in Bell's edition, that the French version has prevost here, is wrong. The word prevost (Lat. praefectus) is applied to Almachius. Maximus was only a subordinate officer, and is called in the Early Eng. version (MS. Ashmole 43) the 'gailer.' The expression 'Maximo Corniculario ' occurs only in the Lives of Valerian and Tiburtius, in the Acta Sanctorum (April 14). Riddle's Lat. Diet, gives ' Cornicularius, -i. m. a soldier who was presented with a corniculum, and by means of it promoted to a higher rank ; hence, an assistant of an officer, Suetonius, Domit. 1 7 ; then also in the civil service, an assistant of a magistrate, a clerk, registrar, secretary; Cod. Just.' Corniculum, -i. n. (diinin. of cornu). i. A little horn, Pliny; also, a small funnel of horn, Columella. An ornament in the shape of a horn worn on the helmet, with which officers presented meritorious soldiers ; Livy, 10. 44.* Ducange gives several examples, shewing that the word commonly meant a secretary, clerk, or registrar. Tyrwhitt refers us to Pitiscus. Lex. Ant. Rom. s.v. Cornicularius. 1. 373. ' He got leave for himself from the executioners.' Tormentonres, executioners; Lat. ' carnifices/ See 1. 527. Cf. tormentor in Matt, xviii. 34 ; see Eastwood and Wright's Bible Word-book. THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 177 1. 380. Prestes, priests. The original says that pope Urban came himself. 1. 383. Knyghtes, soldiers; as in 1. 353. Lat. Eia milites Christi, abicite opera tenebrarum, et induimini arma lucis.' See Rom. xiii. 12. 1. 386. Tyrwhitt notes a slight defect in the use of ydoon in 1. 386, followed by doon in 1. 387. The first six lines in this stanza are not in the original, but are imitated from 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 1. 395. 'This was the criterion. The Christians were brought to the image of Jupiter or of the Emperor, and commanded to join in the sacrifice, by eating part of it, or to throw a few grains of incense into the censer, in token of worship ; if they refused, they were put to death. See Pliny's celebrated letter to Trajan. Those who complied were termed sacrificati and ihurificati by the canons, and were excluded from the communion for seven or ten years, or even till their death, according to the circumstances of their lapse. See Bingham's Antiquities, b. xvi. 4. 5.' Note in Bell's edition of Chaucer. Cf. note to 1. 365. This stanza is represented in the original (in spite of the hint in 1. 394) by only a few words. ' Quarto igitur milliario ab urbe sancti ad statuam lovis ducuntur, et dum sacrificare nollent, pariter decollantur.' 1. 405. To-bete, beat severely ; dide him so to-bete, caused (men) to beat him so severely, caused him to be so severely beaten. I have no hesitation in adopting the reading of ed. 1532 here. To-bete is just the right word, and occurs in MSS. Cp., Ft, Ln. ; and, though these MSS. are not the best ones, it is clear that to-bete is the original reading, or it would not appear. I give two examples of the use of the word. 'Ure men hi to-betet,* i.e. they severely beat our men; Layamon's Brut, 1. 3308. ' Me to-beot his cheoken, and spette him a schorn ; ' men severely beat His cheeks, and spit upon Him in scorn ; Ancren Riwle, p. 106. See To-race and To-rente in Gloss, to Chaucer's Prioresses Tale, &c. ; see also Dide in the same. To scan the line, slur over ~ius in Almachius, and accent dide. 1. 406. Whippe of leed, i.e. a whip furnished with leaden plummets. Lat. ' eum plumbatis tamdiu caedi fecit,' &c. ; French text ' il le fist tant batre de plombees,' &c. ; Caxton 'he dyd do bete hym with plomettes of leed/ 1. 413. Encense, offer incense to ; see note to 1. 395. 1. 414. They. Over this word is written, in MS. E. 'scilicet Ministres.' The Latin original says that Cecilia converted as many as 400 persons upon this occasion. Hence the expression o vqys (one voice) in 1. 420. 1. 417. Withouten difference, i.e. without difference in might, majesty, or glory. 1. 430. Lewedly, ignorantly. The ' two answers ' relate to her rank and her religion, subjects which had no real connection. 1. 434. Lat. * de conscientia bona et fide non ficta ; ' cf. i Tim. i. 5* VOL. HI. N 178 NOTES TO GROUP G. 1. 437. To dreede, to be feared ; the gerund, and right according to the old idiom. We still say ' he is to blame,' ' this house to let* March, in his Anglo-Saxon Grammar, p. 198, says * The gerund after the copula expresses what must, may, or should be done. * Ex. Marines sunu is to syllanne, the Son of Man must be delivered up, Matt. xvii. 22 ;' &c. 1. 442. Bigonne, didst begin ; the right form, for which Tyrwhitt has begonnest. For the Mid. Eng. biginnen we commonly find onginnan in Anglo-Saxon, and the form for the past tense is ongan, ongunne, onga?i ; pi. ongunnon. The form in Middle English is bigan, bigunne (or bigonne), bigan; pi. bigunnen (or bigonne). The very form here used occurs in the Ayenbite of Inwyt, ed. Morris, p. 71. The suffix -st does not appear in strong verbs; cf. Thou sey, B. 848 ; thou bar, G. 48. The whole of 11. 443-467 varies considerably from the original, the corresponding passage of which is as follows : ' Cui Almachius : " ab iniuriis caepisti, et in iniuriis perseueras." Caecilia respondit : " iniuria non dicitur quod uerbis fallentibus irrogatur ; unde aut iniuriam doce, si falsa locuta sum, aut te ipsum corripe calumniam inferentem, sed nos scientes sanctum Dei nomen omnino negare non possumus ; melius est enim feliciter mori quam infeliciter uiuere." Cui Almachius : "ad quid cum tanta superbia loqueris?" Et ilia: "non est superbia, sed con- stantia." Cui Almachius : "infelix, ignoras,"' &c. (1. 468). However, Chaucer has adopted an idea from this in 11. 473, 475. 1. 463. To scan this, remember that luge has two syllables ; and accent confus on the first syllable. I. 485. Lat. *es igitur minister mortis, non uitae.' 1.487. Do wey, do away with; Lat. 'depone.' The phrase occurs again in the Milleres Tale; C. T. 3287, ed. Tyrwhitt. II. 489-497. These lines are wholly Chaucer's own. 1. 490. To scan the line, elide e in suffre, and read philosophre. 1. 492. Spekest; to be read as spek'st. 1. 498. Utter yen, outer eyes, bodily eyes. In MS. E. it is glossed by ' exterioribus oculis.' The Latin has ' nescio ubi oculos amiseris ; nam quos tu Deos dicis, omnes nos saxa esse uidemus; mitte igitur rnanum et tangendo disce, quod oculis non uales uidere.' 1. 503. Taste, test, try ; Lat. * tangendo disce.' The word is now restricted to one of the five senses ; it could once have been used also ol the sense of feeling, at the least. Bottom even ventures on the strange expression 'I trust to taste of truest Thisbe's sight? Mid. Nt. Dream, v. i. 280 ; such is the reading in the first folio. 1. 505-511. This stanza is all Chaucer's own. 1. 515. Bath offlambes rede; Lat. 'in bulliente balneo.' 11.516-522. The Latin merely has ' Quae quasi in loco frigido permansit, nee modicum saltern sudoris persensit.' THE SECOND NONNES TALE. 179 1. 533. Lat. 'earn semiuiuam emeritus carnifex dereliquit.' I. 534. 7s went, though only in the (excellent) Cambridge MS., is the right reading ; the rest have he wente, sometimes misspelt he went. In the first place, is went is a common phrase in Chaucer; cf. German er 1st gegangen, and Eng. he is gone. But secondly, the false rime detects the blunder at once ; Chaucer does not rime the weak past tense wente with a past participle like yhent. This was obvious to me at the first glance, but the matter was made sure by consulting Mr. Cromie's excellent ' Ryme-Index.' This at once gives the examples is went, riming with pp. to-rent, E. 1012 (Clerkes Tale); is went, riming with instrument, F. 567 (Sq. Tale); is went, riming with innocent, B. 1730, and ben went, riming with pauement, B. 1 869 (Prioresses Tale) ; all of which may be found in my edition of The Prioresses Tale, &c. Besides this, there are two more examples, viz. be they went, riming with sacrement, E. 1701 ; and that he be went, riming with sent, A. 3665. On the other hand, we find wente, sente, hente, and to-rente, all (weak) past tenses, and all riming together, in the Monkes Tale, B. 3446. The student should particularly observe an instance like this. The rules of rime in Chaucer are, on the whole, so carefully observed that, when once they are learnt, a false rime jars upon the ear with such discord as to be unpleasantly remarkable, and should be at once detected. II. 535, 536. These two lines are not in the original. ! 539- 'She began to preach to them whom she had fostered,' i.e. converted. To foster is here to nurse, to bring up, to educate in the faith; see 1. 122 above. The Latin text has 'omnes quos ad fidem conuerterat, Urbano episcopo commendauit.' Tyrwhitt makes nonsense of this line by placing the comma after hem instead of after/os/ra/, and other editors have followed him. In MSS. E. and Hn. the metrical pause is rightly marked as occurring after fostred. The story here closely resembles the end of the Prioresses Tale, B. 1801-1855. 1. 545. Do werche, cause to be constructed. 1. 549. Lat. 'inter episcopos sepeliuit.' 1. 550. 'It is now a church in Rome, and gives a title to a cardinal f note in Bell's edition. In a poem called the Stacyons of Rome, ed. Furnivall, 1. 832, we are told that 100 years' pardon may be obtained by going to St. Cecilia's church. Mr. W. M. Rossetti, in a note on this line, says' The Church of St. Cecilia, at the end of the Trastevere, near the Quay of Ripa Grande, was built on the site of the saint's own house in 230; rebuilt by pope Paschal I. in 821, and dedicated to God and Sts. Mary, Peter, Paul, and Cecilia ; and altered to its present form in 1599 anc * I 7 2 5- I n the former of these years, 1599, ^ body of the saint was found on the spot, with a contemporary inscription identifying her: the celebrated statue by Stefano Mademo, now in the church, represents her in the attitude she was discovered lying in. Francina N 2 180 NOTES TO GROUP G. does not name the 100 years indulgence of the text, but plenary indulgence on St. Cecilia's day.* 1- 553- After this line the Latin adds 'Passa est autem circa annos domini CC et XXIII, tempore Alexandri imperatoris. Alibi autem legitur, quod passa sit tempore Marci Aurelii, qui imperauit circa annos domini CCXX.' The confusion of names here is easily explained. Marcus Aurelius died in 180; but Marcus Aurelius Alexander Severtis (for such was his title in full) reigned from 222 to 235. The true date is generally considered to be 230, falling within his reign, as it should do. NOTES TO THE CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE. 1. 554. The lyf of selnt Cecile, i.e. the Second Nun's Tale. This notice is important, because it inseparably links the Canon's Yeoman's Tale to the preceding one. ! 555' Fyue myle, five miles. Tyrwhitt says that it is five miles ' from some place> which we are now unable to determine with certainty.' He adds that he is in doubt whether the pilgrims are here supposed to be riding from or towards Canterbury ; but afterwards thinks that 'the manner in which the Yeman expresses himself in ver. 16091, 2 [i.e. 11. 623, 624] seems to shew that he was riding to Canterbury.' It is really very easy to explain the matter, and to tell all about it. It is perfectly clear that these two lines express the fact that they were riding to Canterbury. It is even probable that every one of the extant Tales refers to the outward journey: for Chaucer would naturally write his first set of Tales before beginning a second, and the extant Tales are insufficient to make even the first set complete. Consequently, we have only to reckon backwards from Boughton (see 1. 556) for a five-mile distance along the old Canterbury road, and we shall find the name of the place intended. The answer to this is Ospringe. The matter is settled by the discovery that Ospringe was, as a matter of fact, one of the halting-places for the night of travellers from London to Canterbury. Dean Stanley, in his Historical Memorials of Canterbury, p. 237, quotes from a paper in the Archseologia, xxxv. 461, by Mr. E. A. Bond, to shew that queen Isabella, wife of Edw. II, rested in London on the 6th of June, 1358 ; at Dartford on the 7th; at Rochester on the 8th; at Ospringe on the 9th; and at Canterbury on the loth and nth; and returned, on the 12th, to Ospringe again. See this, more at length, in Mr. Furnivall's Temporary Preface to the Canterbury Tales (Chaucer Soc.), pp. 13, 14. THE CHA NOUNS YEMANNES TALE. l8l Mr. Furnivall quotes again from M. Douet-d'Arcq, concerning a journey made by king John of France from London to Dover, by wa} of Canterbury, in 1 360. On June 30, 1 360, king John left London and came to Eltham. On July i, he slept at Dartford ; on July 2, at Rochester; on July 3, he dined at Sittingbourne (noted as being 39 miles and three-quarters from London), and slept at Ospringe; and on July 4 came to Canterbury (noted as being 54 miles and a half from London). These extracts clearly shew (i) that the whole journey was usually made to occupy three or four days; (2) that the usual resting-places were (at least) Dartford, Rochester, and Ospringe; and (3) that Sittingbourne was considered as being about 15 miles from Canter- bury. Now, in passing from Sittingbourne to Canterbury, we find that the distance is divided into three very nearly equal parts by the situations of Ospringe and Boughton, giving five miles for each portion. The chief difficulty is that raised by Tyrwhitt, that the distance from Ospringe to Canterbury, only ten miles, leaves very little to be done on the last day. There is really no objection here worth considering, because we have Chaucer's express words to the contrary. Chaucer says, as plainly as possible, that the pilgrims really did rest all night on the road, at a place which can only be Ospringe ; see 11. 588, 589. Mr. Furnivall also notes (Temp. Pref. p. 29), that Lydgate, in his Storie of Thebes (in Speght's Chaucer, 1602, fol. 353 back, col. 2) makes the pilgrims, on their return-journey, return from Canterbury to Ospringe to dinner : ' And toward morrow, as soon as it was light, Euery pilgrime, both bet and wors, As bad our host, tooke anone his hors, When the Sunne rose in the East ful clere, Fully in purpose to come to dinere Unto Ospring, and breake there our fast.' Further illustrations might, perhaps, be found ; but we scarcely require them. 1. 556. Boughton-under-Blee. Here Blee is the same as the blee iq Group H. 1. 3, which see. It is now called Blean Forest, and the village is called Boughton-under-Blean, in order to distinguish it from other villages of the same name. I find, in a map, for examples, Boughton Aluph between Canterbury and Ashford, Boughton Malherb between Ashford and Maidstone, and Boughton Monchelsea between Maidstone and Staplehurst. 1. 557. A man, i.e. the Canon. This is an additional pilgrim, not described in the Prologue, and therefore described here in 11. 566-581, 600-655, &c. 1 82 NOTES TO GROUP G. 'The name of Canon, as applied to an officer in the Church, is derived from the Gk. Kavtov (kanon) signifying a rule or measure,, and also the roll or catalogue of the Church, in which the names of the Ecclesiastics were registered; hence the clergy so registered were denominated Canonici or Canons. Before the Reformation, they were divided into two classes, Regular and Secular. The Secular were so called, because they canonized in saculo, abroad in the world. Regular Canons were such as lived under a rule, that is, a code of laws published by the founder of that order. They were a less strict sort of religious than the monks, but lived together under one roof, had a common dormitory and refectory, and were obliged to observe the statutes of their order. The chief rule for these [regular] canons is that of St. Augustine, who was made bishop of Hippo in the year 395. . . . Their habit was a long black cassock with a white rochet over it, and over that a black coat and hood ; from whence they were called Black Canons Regular of St. Augustine.' Hook's Church Dictionary. There were several other orders, such as the Gilbertine canons of Sempringham in Lincolnshire, the Prsemonstratenses or White Canons, &c. See also the description of them in Cutts's Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages, p. 19. I should imagine, from the description of the Canon's house in 1.657, and from the general tenor of the Tale, that Chaucer's Canon was but a secular one. Still, their rule seems to have been less strict than that of the monks. 1. 561. Priked myles three, ridden hard for three miles. The Canon and his yeoman may be supposed to have ridden rather fast for the first two miles; and then, finding they could not otherwise overtake the pilgrims, they took to the best pace they could force out of their horses for three miles more. 1. 562. Yeman, yeoman, attendant, servant. His face was all dis- coloured with blowing his master's fire (11. 664-667), and he seems to have been the more honest man of the two. He is the teller of the Tale, and begins by describing himself; 1. 720. 1. 565. ' He was all spotted with foam, so that he looked like a magpie.' The word He (like his in 1. 566) refers to the Canon, whose clothing was black (1. 557) ; and the white spots of foam upon it gave him this appearance. The horse is denoted by it (1. 563), the word hors being neuter in the Oldest English. Most MSS. read he for it in 1. 563, but there is nothing gained by it. 1. 566. Male tweyfold, a double budget or leathern bag ; see Prol. 1. 694. 1. 571. Chaucer tells us that the Pardoner's hood, on the contrary, was not fastened to his cloak ; see Prol. 1. 680. ! 575- 'Rather faster than at a trot or a foot-pace.' Said ironically. Cf. Prol. 825. THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 183 1. 577. Clote-leef, the leaf of a burdock. Cotgrave has ' Lampourde, f. the Cloot or great Burre.' Also ' Glouteron, m. The Clote, Burre Docke, or great Burre.' And again ' Bardane, i. the Clote, burre-dock, or great Burre/ In the Prompt. Parv. we find * Clote, herbe ; Lappa bardana, lappa rotunda.' In Wyclif's Version of the Bible, Hosea ix. 6, x. 8, we find dote or cloote where the Vulgate version has lappa. In Vergil, Georg. i. 153, we have ' Lappaeque tribulique,' and a note in the Delphin edition, 1813, says 'Lappa, glouteron, bardane, BURDOCK; herba, capitula ferens hamis aspera, quae vestibus praetereuntium adhaerent.' The Glossary to Cockayne's ' Leechdoms ' explains A. S. date as arctium lappa, with numerous references. The word is closely related to G. Itlette, a bur, a burdock, O. H. G. chletta, chletto, Mid. Du. kladde, a bur (see Hexham); whence O. F. gleton, F. glouteron (see above). It is clear that dote originally meant the bur itself, just as the name of bur-dock has reference to the same. The dote is, accordingly, the Arctium lappa, or Common Burdock, obtaining its name from the dotes (i.e. burs or knobs) upon it ; and one of the large leaves of this plant would be very suitable for the purpose indicated. After this we may safely dismiss the suggestion in Halliwell's Dictionary, founded on a passage in Gerarde's Herball, p. 674 D, that the Clote here means the yellow water-lily. We know from Cockayne's 'Leechdoms' that the name date sed Ipe swimman wille (i.e. swimming clote) was sometimes used for that flower (Nuphar luted}, either on account of its large round leaves or its globose flowers ; but in the present passage we have only to remember the Canon's haste to feel assured that he -might much more easily have caught up a burdock-leaf from the road-side than have searched in a ditch for a water-lily. 1. 578. For swofe, to prevent sweat, to keep off the heat. See note to SirThopas, B. 2052. 1. 581. Were ful, that might be full, that might chance to be full. Were is the subjunctive, ard the relative is omitted. 1. 588. Now, &c. ; lately, in the time of early morning. 1. 589. This shews that, the pilgrims had rested all night on the road ; see note to 1. 555, and p. xiii. of Pref. to Prioresses Tale, &c. 1. 597. Aught, in any way, at all. Cf. Kn. Ta. 2187; and Prioresses Tale, B. 1792. 1. 599. Ye, yea. There is a difference between ye, yea, and yis, yes. The former merely assents, or answers a simple question in the affirma- tive. The latter is much more forcible, is used when the question involves a negative, and is often followed by an oath. See note to Specimens of Eng. 1394-1579, ed. Skeat, sect. xvi.i. (D), 1. 22 ; and note 184 NOTES TO GROUP G. to 5/s in the Glossary to my edition of William of Palerne. See an example of $ws (yes) after a negative in Piers the Plowman, B. v. 125. Similarly, nay is the weaker, no the stronger form of negation. 1. 602. A note in Bell's edition makes a difficulty of the scansion of this line. It is perfectly easy. The csesura (carefully marked in MS. E. as occurring after knewe} preserves the final e in knewe from elision. And ye | him knew | e, as | wel as | do I II Tyrwhitt reads also for the former as ; which is legitimate, because as and also are merely different spellings of the same word. It is true that the final e in wondre, and again that in werke, are both elided, under similar circumstances, in the two lines next following ; but the cases are not quite identical. The e in lenewe, representing not* merely the plural, but also the subjunctive mood, is essential to the conditional form of the sentence, and is of much higher value than the others. If this argument be not allowed, Tyrwhitt's suggestion may be adopted. Or we may read knewen. 1. 608. Rit, contracted from rideth ; see other examples in Pref. to Prioresses Tale, p. 1. See also slit for slideth in 1. 682 below. 1. 611. Leye in balaunce, place in the balance, weigh against it. 1. 620. Can, knows, knows how to exercise. 1.622. The Yeoman puts in a word for himself 'and moreover, I am of some assistance to him.' 1. 625. Vp so doun, i.e. upside doun, according to our modern phrase. Chaucer's phrase is very common ; see Pricke of Conscience, ed. Morris, 1. 7230; P. Plowman, B. xx. 53 ; Gower, Conf. Amantis, &c. 1. 628. Benedicite, pronounced bendiste, in three syllables, as in B. 1170, 1974. See note to B. 1170 (Prioress's Tale, &c.). 1. 632. Worship, dignity, honour ; here, respectable appearance. 1. 633. Ouersloppe, upper garment. So in Icelandic, yfirsloppr means an outer gown ; as, ' prestar skryddir yfirsloppum,' i.e. priests clad in over-slops, Historia Ecclesiastica, i. 473. The word slop is preserved in the somewhat vulgar ' slop-shop,' i.e. shop for second-hand clothes. 1. 635. Baudy, dirty. To-tore, torn in half. So in Piers Plowman, B. v. 197, Avarice is described as wearing a 'tabard' which is 'al to-torn and baudy.' 1. 639. The second person sing, imperative seldom exhibits a final e; but it is sometimes found in weak verbs, tellen being one of them. The readings are Telle, E. Cp. Pt. HI. ; Tel, Ln. Cm. 1. 641. For, &c. ; because he shall never thrive. The Yeoman blurts out the truth, and is then afraid he has said too much. In 1. 644, he gives an evasive and politer reason, declaring that his lord is * too wise ; ' see 1. 648. L 645. That that, that which. In the margin of MS. E. is written 1 Omne quod est nimium, &c. ;' which is probably short for ' Omne THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 185 quod est nimium uertitur in uitium.' We also find ' Omne nimium nocet.' The corresponding English proverb is ' Too much of one thing is not good ' (Heywood) ; on which Ray remarks ' Assez y a si trop n'y a ; French. Ne quid nimis ; Terentius. Mrjbev ayav. This is an apothegm of one of the seven wise men ; some attribute it to Thales, some to Solon. Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines ; Horaf. Sat. i. I. 106. L'ab- bondanza delle cose ingenera fastidio ; Ital. Cada dia olla, amargo el caldo; Spanish.' We also find in Hazlitt's English Proverbs 'Too much cunning undoes.' 'Too much is stark nought.' 'Too much of a good thing.' ' Too much spoileth, too little is nothing.' See also the collection of similar proverbs in Ida v. Diiringsfeld's Sprichwb'rter, i. 37, 38. 1. 648. Cf. Butler's description of Hudibras : ' We grant, although he had much wit, He was very shy of using it.' 1. 652. Ther-of no fors, never mind about that. 1. 656. If it to telle be, if it may be told. Cf. note to 1. 437. 1. 658. A blind lane is one that has no opening at the farther end ; a cul de sac. 1. 659. Theues by kynde, thieves by natural disposition. 1. 662. The sothe, the truth. The reader should carefully note the full pronunciation of the final e in sothe. If he should omit to sound it, he will be put to shame when he comes to the end of the next line, ending with to thee. A very similar instance is that of tyme, riming with by me, G. 1 204 below. The case is the more remarkable because the A.S. soft, truth, is a monosyllable; but the truth is that the definite adjective the sothe (A.S. \&t sdfte} may very well have supplied its place, the adjective being more freely used than the substantive in this instance. Chaucer has sothe at the end of a line in one more place, where it rimes with the dissyllabic bofhe ; G. 168. We may remark that the sothe is written and pronounced instead of the soth (as shewn by the metre) in the Story of Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, 1. 74 : ' He [they] witen the sothe, that is sen.' 1. 665. Peter I by St. Peter. The full form of the phrase 'bi seynt Peter of Rome ' occurs in Piers the Plowman, B. vi. 3. The shorter exclamation ' Peter 1' also occurs in the same, B. v. 544; see my note on that line. 1. 669. Multiplye. This was the technical term employed by al- chemists to denote their supposed power of transmuting the baser metals into gold ; they thought to multiply gold by turning as much base metal as a piece of it would buy into gold itself; see 1. 677. Some such pun seems here intended; yet it is proper to remember that the term originally referred solely to the supposed fact that the strength 1 86 NOTES TO GROUP G. of an elixir could be multiplied by repeated operations. See the article 'De Multiplicatione,' in Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 301, 818; cf. 131. Cf. Ben Jonson's Alchemist, ii. i : ' For look, how oft I iterate the work, So many times I add unto his virtue. As, if at first one ounce convert a hundred, After his second loose, he'll turn a thousand ; His third solution, ten ; his fourth, a hundred ; After his fifth, a thousand thousand ounces Of any imperfect metal, into pure Silver or gold, in all examinations As good as any of the natural mine.' 1. 686. To scan the line, accent yeman on the latter syllable, as in 11. 684, 701. 1. 687. To scan the line, pronounce euer nearly as ier, and remember that hadde is of two syllables. The MSS. agree here. 1. 688. Catoun, Cato. Dionysius Cato is the name commonly as- signed to the author of a Latin work in four books, entitled Dionysii Catonis Disticha de Moribus ad Filium. The work may be referred to the fourth centuiy. It was extremely popular, not only in Latin, but in French and English versions. Chaucer here quotes from Lib. i. Distich. 17: 1 Ne cures si quis tacito sermone loquatur ; Conscius ipse sibi de se putat omnia did.' See another quotation from Cato in the Nonne Prestes Tale, 1. 120; and see my note to Piers the Plowman, B. vi. 316. It is worth noticing that Catoun follows the form of the Lat. Catonem, the accusative case. Such is the usual rule. 1. 694. Dere abye, pay dearly for it. Abye (lit. to buy off) was cor- rupted at a later date to abide, as in Shak. Jul. Caesar, iii. i. 94. 1. 703. Game, amusement. In 1. 708, it is used ironically. Cf. erneit, i.e. a serious matter, in 1. 710. ' Rather than I'll be bray'd, sir, I'll believe That Alchemy is a pretty kind of game, Somewhat like tricks o' the cards, to cheat a man With charming.' The Alchemist, ii. i. NOTES TO THE CANON'S YEOMAN'S TALE. 1. 720. This Tale is divided, in MS. E, into two parts. Pars prima is not really a tale at all, but a description of alchemy and its professors. The real tale, founded on the same subject, is contained in Pars THE CH A NOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 187 Secnnda, beginning at 1. 972. The rubric means 'Here the Canon's Yeoman begins his tale.' The word tale is not to be taken as a nominative case. 1. 721. Neer, nearer; this explains near in Macbeth, ii. 3. 146. 1. 724. Ther, where; observe the use. In 1. 727, we have wher. 1. 726. Hose, an old stocking, instead of a hood. 1. 730. 'And, in return for all my labour, I am cajoled.' To *blere one's eye ' is to cajole, to deceive, to hoodwink. See Piers the Plow- man, B. prol. 74, and the note. 1. 731. Which, what sort of a; Lat. quails. On multiplye, see note to 1. 669. 1. 739. ' I consider his prosperity as done with.' 1. 743. I-upartie, jeopardy, hazard. Tyrwhitt remarks that the deri- vation is not from jeu perdu, as some have guessed, but fromjfttparfi. He adds * A jeu parti is properly a game, in which the chances are exactly even ; see Froissart, v. i. c. 234 " Us n'estoient pas \jeu parti centre les Francois;' and v. ii. c. 9 " si nous les voyons b.jeu parti."" From hence it signifies anything uncertain or hazardous. In the old French poetry, the discussion of a problem, where much might be said on both sides, was called a Jeu parti. See Poesies du Roy de Navarre, Chanson xlviii., and Gloss, in v. See also Ducange, in v. Joctis Partitus.' Ducange has ' Jocus partitus dicebatur, cum alicui facultas concedebatur, alterum e duobus propositis eligendi.' Hence was formed not only jeopardy, but even the verb to jeopard, used in the A.V., Judges v. 1 8 ; 2 Mace. xi. 7. Also in Shakespeare's Plutarch, ed. Skeat, p. 139, side-note 2. 1. 746. In the margin of MS. E. is written ' Solacium miseriorum, &c.' In Marlowe's Faustus, ii. i. 42, the proverb is quoted in the form 'Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.' Dr. Wagner says: 'The purport of this line may have been originally derived from Seneca, De Consol. ad Polybium, xii. 2 : est autem hoc ipsum solatii loco, inter multos dolorem suum dividere ; qui quia dispensatur inter plures, exigua debet apud te parte subsidere.' Cf. Milton, P. R. i. 398. The idea is that conveyed in the fable of the Fox who had lost his tail, and wished to persuade the other foxes to cut theirs off likewise. 1. 752. 'The technical terms which we use are so learned and fine. See this well illustrated in Jonson's Alchemist, ii. i : ' What else are all your terms, Whereon no one of your writers 'grees with other, Of your elixir, your lac virginis, Your stone, your medicine, and your chrysosperme, Your sal, your sulphur, and your mercury,' &c. 1. 764. Lampe; so in the MSS. It is clearly put for lambe, a cor- ruption of O. Fr. lame, Lat. lamina. Were there any MS. authority, l88 NOTES TO GROUP G. it would be better to read lame at once. Cotgrave has 'Lame; I a thin plate of any metall ; also, a blade/ &c. Nares has ' Lamm, s. a plate, from Lat. lamina. "But he strake Phalantus just upon the gorget, so as he batred the lamms thereof, and made his head almost touch the back of his horse ; " Pembr. Arcadia, lib. iii, p. 269.' Lame in old French also means, the flat slab covering a tomb ; see Roquefort. So here, after the ingredients have all been placed in a pot, they are covered over with a plate of glass laid flat upon the top. It is strange that no editor has made any attempt to explain this word. It obviously does not mean lamp I For the insertion of the p, cf. solempne for solemne, and nempne for nemne ; see Gloss, to Prior. Tale. 1. 766. Enluting. To enlute is to close with lute. Webster has ' Lute, n. (Lat. lutum t mud, clay). A composition of clay or othei tenacious substance, used for stopping the juncture of vessels so closely as to prevent the escape or entrance of air, or to protect them when exposed to heat.' The process is minutely described in a MS. by Sir George Erskine, of Innertiel (temp. James I.), printed by Mr. J. Small in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. xi. 1874-75, p. 193, as follows: * Thairfoir when all the matter which must be in, is gathered together into the pot, tak a good lute maid of potters clay, and mix it with bolus and rust of iron tempered with whitts of eggs and chopt hair, and mingle and worke thame weill togither, and lute 5oure pott ane inch thick thairwith, and mak a stopple of potters earth weill brunt, to shut close in the hole that is in the top of the cover of the pott, and lute the pott and the cover very close togither, so as no ayre may brek furth, and when any craks cum into it, in the drying of the lute, dawbe them up againe ; and when the lute is perfectly drie in the sunne, then take a course linen or canvas, and soke it weill in the whitts of eggs mixt with iron rust, and spred this cloth round about the luting, and then wet it weill again with whitts of eggs and upon the luting ; ' &c. 1. 768. The alchemists were naturally very careful about the heat of the fire. So in The Alchemist, ii. I : 'Look well to the register, And let your heat still lessen by degrees.' And again, in iii. 2 : ' We must now increase Our fire to ignis ardens, we are passed Fimus equinus, balnei, cineris, And all those lenter heats.' 1. 77- Matires sublyming, sublimation of materials. To 'sublimate' is to render vaporous, to cause matter to pass into a state of vapour by the application of heat. ' Philosophi considerantes eorum materiam, quoe est in vase suo, et calorem sentit, evaporatur in speciem fumi, et ascendit THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 189 in capita vasis : et vocant tublimationem; ' Theatrum Chemicum, 1659, vol. ii. p. 125. * Subtle. How do you sublime him [mercury] ? Face. With the calce of egg-shells, White marble, talc.' The Alchemist, ii. i. 1. 771. Amalgaming. To 'amalgamate' is to compound or mix intimately, especially used of mixing quicksilver with other metals. The term is still in use ; thus ' an amalgam of tin ' means a mixture of tin and quicksilver. Calcening. To ' calcine ' is to reduce a metal to an oxide, by the action of heat. What is now called an oxide was formerly called ' a metallic calx ; ' hence the name. The term is here applied to quicksilver or mercury. For example ' When mercury is heated, and at the same time exposed to atmospheric air, it is found that the volume of the air is diminished, and the weight of the mercury increased, and that it becomes, during the operation, a red crystalline body, which is the binoxide of mercury, formed by the metal combining with the oxygen of the air ; ' English Cyclopaedia, Div. Arts and Sciences, s. v. Oxygen. 'The alchemists used to keep mercury at a boiling heat for a month or longer in a matrass, or a flask with a tolerably long neck, having free communi- cation with the air. It thus slowly absorbed oxygen, becoming converted into binoxide, and was called by them mercurim precipitatus per se. It is now however generally prepared by calcination from mercuric nitrate ; ' id., s. v. Mercury. 1. 772. Mercurie cnide, crude Mercury. See note to 1. 820. See the description of Mercury in Ashmole's Theat. Chem. p. 272. The alchemists pretended that their quicksilver, which they called the Green Lion, was something different from quicksilver as ordinarily found. See treatise on 'The Greene Lyon,' in Ashmole's Theat. Chem. p. 280. 1. 774. Note the accents ' sublym^d Merciirie.' 1. 778. Here the 'ascension of spirits' refers to the rising of gases or vapours from certain substances ; and the ' matters that lie all fix adown' are the materials that lie at the bottom in a fixed (i.e. in a solid) state. There were four substances in particular which were technically termed ' spirits ; ' viz. sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, and arsenic, or (as some said) orpiment. See Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 81, 129 ;ii. 430; iii. 276. 1. 782. Here a = in ; being short for an, a variant of on, used in the old sense of ' in.' The expression signifies, literally, in the manner of twenty devils, i. e. in all sorts of evil and accursed ways. 1. 790. Bole armoniak. The latter word should rather be Armentak, i. e. Armenian, but we have armonisk again below, in 1. 798 ; see note to that line. ' Bole, a kind of fine, compact, or earthy clay, often highly coloured 190 NOTES TO GROUP G. with iron, and varying in shades of colour from white to yellowish, reddish, blueish, and brownish. Fr. bol, Lat. bolus, Gk. jScDXos, a clod or lump of earth ; * Webster's Diet., ed. Goodrich and Porter. Cotgrave has 'Bol, m. the astringent and medicinable red earth or minerall called Bolearmenie . . . Bol Oriental, et Bol Armenien Oriental, Oriental Bolearmenie; the best and truest kind of Bolearmenie, ministred with good effect against all poisons, and in pestilent diseases ; and more red than the ordinary one, which should rather be tearmed Sinopian red earth than Bolearmeny.' And again ' Rubrique Sinopique, Sinopian red earth, a heavy, massive, liver-coloured, and astringent earth, or minerall, which, put into water, soon moulders, and fals into pieces. This may very well be the ordinarie Bolearmonie [sic] that is, at this day, used by many surgeons in the staunching of blood, &c., but is not the true (Orientall) one, redder then it, and not so easily dissolved by water as it.' Verdegrees looks at first like a corruption of verd-de-gris, but that would mean 'green of gray,' which is nonsense. It is really an English version of O. F. vert de Grece, ' green of Greece ; ' which, possibly, was confused with the Eng. grease, from the notion that it is of a greasy nature. The French verdens is from the Latin viride certs, the green of brass. This term (viride ceris) is the common one in the old Latin treatises on alchemy. See the chapter in Albertus Magnus ' Quomodo viride seris fit, et quomodo rubificatur, et super omnia valet ad artem istam ; ' Theatrum Chemicum, ii. 436. It is the bibasic acetate of copper. 1. 794 Cucurbites, vessels supposed to bear some resemblance to a gourd, whence the name (Lat. cucurbita, a gourd). ' Cucurbita est uas quod debet stare in aqua, usque ad juncturam firmatum in caldario, ut non moueatur; nee cucurbita debet tangere fundum, quia frangeretur ; et cum aqua minuitur, fundas aliam, scilicet calidam et non frigidam, quia uas frangeretur ; ' Theatrum Chemicum, ii. 452. 1. 795. Dere ynough a leek, dear enough at the price of a leek. Cf. Clerkes Tale, E. 999. 1. 797. Watres rubifying, reddening waters. This is well illustrated by a long passage in The Boke of Quinte Essence, ed. Furnivall, p. 13, where instructions are given for extracting the quintessence out of the four elements. After various processes, we are directed to put the vessel into ' the fier of flawme right strong, and the reed water schal ascende ; ' and again ' thanne yn the stillatorie, to the fier of bath, cleer water schall asende ; and in the botum shall remayne the reed water, that is, the element of fier.' A long and unintelligible passage about ' rubrificatio ' and ' aqua spiritualis rubea ' occurs in the Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 41. See also ' modus rubrificandi ' and the recipe for ' aqua rubea ; ' id. iii. no. 1. 798. Arsenic was by some considered as one of the ' four spirits ; ' see note to 1. 778. For a long passage * de arsenico," see Theatrum THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 191 Chemicum, iii. 177; also p. no, and ii. 238. Sal armoniacum was another of them (see 1. 824) and is constantly mentioned in the old treatises ; see ' praeparatio salis Armoniaci secundum Rasim ; ' Theat. Chem. iii. 179 ; also pp. 89, 94, 102 ; ii. 445. In vol. ii. p. 138 of the same work, it is twice called ' sal armeniacwn.' See the account of sal ammoniac in Thomson, Hist, of Chemistry, i. 1 24. Brimsioon was also a ' spirit ' (see 1. 824) ; it is only another name for sulphur. 1. 800. Egrimoin, common agrimony, JEgrimonia officinalis ; valerian, Valeriana officinalis ; lunarie, a kind of fern called in English moon-wort, Botrychium lunaria. The belief in the virtue of herbs was very strong ; hence even Spenser says (F. Q. i. 2. 10) that the magician Archimago was thus enabled to turn himself into the shape of various animals, adding ' O who can tell The hidden power of herbs, and might of magic spell.' The root of valerian yields valerianic acid. The following quotation is from the English Encyclopaedia, s.v. Botrychium : ' In former times the ferns had a great reputation in medicine, not so much on account of their obvious as their supposed virtues. The lunate shape of the pinnae of this fern (B. lunaria) gave it its common name, and was the origin of much of the superstitious veneration with which it was regarded. When used it was gathered by the light of the moon, Gerarde says *' it is singular [i. e. sovereign] to heal green and fresh wounds. It hath been used among the alchymists and witches to do wonders withall, who say that it will loose locks and make them to fall from the feet of horses that grase where it doth grow, and hath been called of them Martagon, whereas in truth they are all but drowsy dreams and illusions ; but it is singular for wounds as aforesaid." ' In Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum, p. 348, is a full description of ' lunayrie,' with an engraving of it. It is there also called asterion, and we are told that its root is black, its stalk red, and its leaves round ; and moreover, that the leaves wax and wane with the moon, and on each of them is a mark of the breadth of a penny. See also pp. 315, 318 of the same work. 1. 805. Albificacioun, i.e. the rendering the water of a white colour, as distinguishing from the reddening of it, mentioned in 1. 797. In a long chapter printed in the Theatrum Chemicum (iii. 634-648) much is said about red and white colours. Compare the Alchemist, ii. i : * Subtle. I mean to tinct C in sand-heat tomorrow, And give him imbibition. Mammon. Of white oil ? Subtle. No, sir, of red? No doubt, too, water is here used in the sense of the Lat. aqua, to denote any substance that is in a liquid state. NOTES TO GROUP G. 1. 808. Cered poleets. Tyrwhitt reads Sered pokettes, and includes this phrase in his short ' List of Phrases not understood ; ' and indeed, it has never been explained. But there is little difficulty about it. Poket is the diminutive of poke, a bag, and means a little bag. Cered (Lat. ceratus) means waxed. Thus Cotgrave has ' Cire, m. -ee, f. waxed, seared; dressed, covered, closed, or mingled, with wax.' In many MSS. the word is spelt sered, but this makes no difference, since Cotgrave has seared ' in this very place. So we find both ' cere-cloth ' and ' sear- cloth.' It is obvious that bags or cases prepared or closed with wax would be useful for many of the alchemist's purposes ; see Theat. Chem. iii. 13. There was a special process in alchemy called ceration, but this has nothing to do with it; it means the reduction of any material to the consistency of soft wax ; Theat. Chem. ii. 442. Sal peter t Lat. sal petra, or rock-salt, also called nitre, is nitrate of potassa. A recipe for preparing it is given in Theat. Chem. iii. 195- Vitriole, i. e. sulphuric acid. See * vitrioli prseparatio ; ' Theat. Chem. iii. 95. 1. 810. Sal tartre, salt of tartar, i.e. carbonate of potash; so called from its having been formerly prepared from cream of tartar. Sal preparate, common salt prepared in a certain manner. See the section * quod ualeat sal commune, et quomodo prseparetur ; ' Theat. Chem. ii. 433, 435. 1. 812. Maad } i. e. prepared, mixed. Oile of tartre, oil of tartar. See the section * quomodo prseparatur tartarum, ut oleum fiat ex illo, quo calces soluuntur ; * Theat. Chem. ii. 436 ; and again ' ad faciendum oleum de Tartaro ; ' id. iii. 303. To scan 1. 813, remember to pro- nounce tartre as in French, and to accent alum on the latter syllable. Of tartr' | alum | glas berm | wort and | argofle || 1. 814. Resalgar, realgar, red orpiment, or the red sulphuret of arsenic ; symbol (As S 2 ) ; found native in some parts of Europe, and of a brilliant red colour. Resalgar is a corruption of the old Latin name, risigallum. The word is explained by Thynne in his Anim- adversions, ed. Furnivall, p. 36 ' This resalgar is that whiche by some is called Ratesbane, a kynde of poysone named Arsenicke, whiche the chimicall philosophers call their venome or poysone.' Enbibing, imbibition ; see this term used in the quotation from The Alchemist, in the note to 1. 805. It means absorption ; cf. Theat. Chem. iii. 132, 1. 27. 1. 8 1 6. Citrinacioun. This also is explained by Thynne, who says (p. 38) ' Citrinatione is bothe a coolor [colour] and parte of the philo- phers stoone.' He then proceeds to quote from a Tractatus Avicennae, cap. 7, and from Arnoldus de Nova Villa, lib. i. cap. 5. It was supposed that when the materials for making the philosopher's stone THE CH A NOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 193 had been brought into a state very favourable to the ultimate success of the experiment, they would assume the colour of a citron ; or, as Thynne says, Arnold speaks of ' this citrinatione, perfecte digestione, or the coolor provinge the philosophers stoone broughte almoste to the heighte of his perfectione.' So in the Alchemist, iii. 2 : 'How's the moon now? eight, nine, ten days hence He will be silver potate ; then three days Before he citronise. Some fifteen days, The magisterium will be perfected.' 1. 817. Fermentacioun, fermentation. This term is also noticed by Thynne (p. 33), who says ' fermentacione ys a peculier terme of Alchymye, deduced from the bakers fermente or levyne ; ' &c. See Theat. Chem. ii. 115, 175. 1. 820. Foure spirites. Chaucer enumerates these below. I have already mentioned them in the note to 1. 778; see also note to 1. 798. Tyrwhitt refers us to Gower's Confessio Amantis, bk. iv, where we find a passage very much to the point. I quote it from Chalmers' edition, correcting the spelling. Cf. Pauli's edition, ii. 84. ' And also with gret diligence Thei fonde thilke experience, Which cleped is Alconomye, Wherof the siluer multiplye They made, and eek the gold also. And, for to telle how it is so, Of bodies seuen in special, With foure spirites ioynt withal, Stant the substance of this matere. The bodies, whiche I speke of here Of the planetes ben begonne. The gold is titled to the sonne ; The mone of siluer hath his part ; And iron, that stant vpon Mart ; The leed vpon Saturne groweth ; And lupiter the bras bestoweth; The copper set is to Venus ; And to his part Mercurius Hath the quick-siluer, as it falleth, The whiche, after the boke it calleth, Is first of thilke foure named Of spirites, whiche ben proclamed. And the spirit which is seconde In sal armoniak is fonde. The thridde spirit sulphur is. The fourthe, sewend after this, VOL. III. O 194 NOTES TO GROUP G. Arsenicum by name is hote. With blowing and with fyres hote In these thinges whiche I saye Thei worchen by diuerse wave.' He further explains that gold and silver are the two ' extremities,' and the other metals agree with one or other of them more or less, so as to be capable of transmutation into one of them. For this purpose, the alchemist must go through the processes of distillation, congelation, solution, descension, sublimation, calcination, and fixation, after which he will obtain the perfect elixir of the philosopher's stone. He adds that there are really three philosopher's stones, one vegetable, capable of healing diseases ; another -animal, capable of assisting each of the five senses of man ; and the third mineral, capable of transforming the baser metals into silver and gold. 'It maketh multiplicacioun Of golde, and the fixacioun It causeth, and of his habite He doth the werk to be perfite Of thilke elixir, which men calle Alkonomye, as is befalle To hem that whylom were wyse. But now it stant al otherwyse. They speken faste of thilke stone, But how to make it now wot none, After the trewe experience. And natheles gret diligence They setten vp[on] thilke dede, And spillen more then thei spede. For alway thei fynden a lette Which bringeth in pouerte and dette To him that riche were tofore. The losse is had, the lucre is lore. To gette a pound they spenden fyue. I not how suche a craft shal thryue In the manere as it is vsed. It were better be refused Than for to werchen vpon wene [expectation] In thing which stant not as thei wene.' It is easy to see how the various metals were made to answer to the seven planets. Gold, the chief of metals and yellow, of course answered to the sun, and similarly silver, to the paler moon. Mercury, the swiftest planet, must be the shifty quicksilver; Saturn, the slowest, of cold and dull influence, must be lead. The etymology of copper suggested the connection with the Cyprian Venus. This left but two THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 195 metals, iron and tin, to be adjusted; iron was suggestive of Mars, the god of war, leaving tin to Jupiter. The notion of thus naming the metals is attributed to Geber ; see Thomson, Hist, of Chemistry, i. 117. Quicksilver, be it observed, is still called mercury; and nitrate of silver is still lunar caustic. Gold and silver are constantly termed sol and luna in the old treatises on alchemy. See further allusions in Chaucer's House of Fame, iii. 341-397, as pointed out in my Pref. to Chaucer's Astrolabie, p. Ixvi. 1. 834. ' Whosoever pleases to utter (i.e. display) his folly.' 1. 838. Ascance, possibly, perhaps. See Glossary. 1. 846. Al conne he, whether he know. The use of al at the beginning of a sentence containing a supposition is common in Chaucer ; see Prol. 734. Cf. al be, Prol. 297 ; Kri. Tale, 313. And see 1. 861. 1. 848. Bothe two, both learned and unlearned alike. 1. 861. 'To raise a fiend, though he look never so rough/ i.e. for- bidding, cross. 1. 874. // is to seken euer, it is always to seek, i.e. never found. In Skelton's Why Come Ye Nat to Court, 1. 314, the phrase 'they are to seke ' means ' they are at a loss ; ' this latter is the commoner use. 1. 875. Temps, tense. The editors explain it by 'time.' If Chaucer had meant time, it is reasonable to suppose that he would have said so. Surely it is better to take ' that futur temps ' in the special sense of 1 that future tense.' The allusion is to the phrase ' to seken ' in the last line, which is not an infinitive mood but a gerund, and often used as a future tense, as Chaucer very well knew. Compare the A.S. version of Matt. xi. 3 ' eart ]?u jse to cumenne eart ' with the Lat. 1 Tu es qui uenturus es.' 1. 878. Bitter swete, i.e. a fatal, though alluring, pursuit. An example of oxymoron ; cf. ' insaniens sapientia,' Horat. Carm. i. 34 ; ' strenua inertia,' Epist. i. xi. 28. 1. 879. Nadde they but, if they only should have (or, were to have). Nadde is for ne hadde, past tense subjunctive. 1. 880. Inne, within ; A. S. innan ; see 1. 88 1. A nyght, for on nyght, in the night. Perhaps it should be nyghte (with final e), and lyghte in 1. 88r. 1. 88 1. Bak, cloth ; any rough sort of covering for the back. So in most MSS. ; altered in E. to brat, but unnecessarily. That the word bak was used in the sense of garment is quite certain from two other passages which I shall cite. That it meant originally a covering for the back, will appear from a third one. (i) In William of Palerne, ed. Skeat, 1. 2096, we have 'Than brayde he brayn-wod & alle his bakkes rente, His berde, and his bright fax for bale he to-t wight [e].' I.e. then he became brain-mad, and tare all his clothes ; he plucked 2 196 NOTES TO GROUP G. asunder, for sorrow, his beard and his bright hair. Note that it is used here in all seriousness. (2) In Piers the Plowman, B. x. 362, men are blamed for hoarding up clothes, and mention is made of ' owre bakkes that moth-eten be, 1 i.e. of our garments that are moth-eaten for want of use. Here, in one MS., the gloss ' panni * is written above ; in another MS., the reading is ' bakclothis.' (3) In Piers the Plowman, A. xi. 184, we are reminded of the duty of providing bread and clothing for the poor : 1 Dowel it hatte [is called] To breke beggeris bred and bakken hem with clothis.' Pronounce the words And a rapidly, in the time of one syllable. 1. 907. To-breketh, bursts in pieces. Go, gone. This must have been a very common result; the old directions about * luting* and her- metically sealing the vessels employed are so strict, that every care seems to have been (unwittingly) taken to secure an explosion; see note to 1. 766 above. So in the Alchemist, iv. 3. 1 Face. O, sir, we are defeated ! all the works Are flown in fumo, every glass is burst : Furnace, and all rent down ! as if a bolt Of thunder had been driven through the house. Retorts, receivers, pelicans, bolt-heads, All struck in shivers ! ' 1. 921. Chit, short for chideth; so also halt for holdeth. 1.922. Som seyde, i.e. one said; note that sow is here singular, as in Kn. Tale, 2173. Hence the use of the thridde, i.e. the third, in 1. 925. 1. 929. So theech, for so thee ich, so may I thrive. See Pard. Tale, C. 947. 1. 933. Eft-sone, for the future ; lit. soon afterwards. 1. 934. ' I am quite sure that the pot was cracked.' 1. 962. The reading shyneth is of course the right one. In the margin of MS. E. is written ' Non teneas aurum,' &c. This proves that Tyrwhitt's note is quite correct. He says 'This is taken from the Parabolae of Alanus de Insulis, who died in 1294; see Leyser, Hist. Po. Med. JEvi, p. 1074. " Non teneas aurum totum quod splendet ut aurum, Nee pulchrum pomum quodlibet esse bonum." ' Shakespeare has 'All that glisters is not gold;' Merch. of Venice, ii. 7 65. Hazlitt's English Proverbs has 'All is not gold that glisters (Heywood). See Chaucer, Chan. Yeom. Prol. ; Roxburghe Ballads, ed. Collier, p. 102 ; Udall's Royster Doyster, 1566, where we read: All things that shineth is not by and by pure golde (Act v. sc. i). Fronti nulla fides, Juvenal, Sat. ii. 8. The French say, Tout ce qui luict n'est THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 197 pas or. Non e oro tutto quel che luce ; Ital. No es todo or lo que reluce ; Span' So in German' Est 1st nicht Alles Gold was glanzt ; ' and again ' Rothe Aepfel sind auch faul.' See Ida v. Dtiringsfeld's Sprichworter, i. 53, 107. Cf. Chaucer's House of Fame, i. 272. 1. 972. Pars secunda. This is where the Tale begins. Even now, the Yeoman has some more to say by way of preface, and only makes a real start at 1. 1012. 1. 975. Alisaundre, Alexandria. And othere three, and three more as well. 1. 999. / mente, I intended ; as in 1. 1051 below. ' But my intention was to correct that which is amiss.' The reading I-ment, as a past participle, adopted by Mr. Wright, is incorrect, as shewn by Mr. Cromie's Ryme-Index. Cf. Nonne Pr. Tale, 603 ; Sq. Tale, F. 108. See note to G. 534, above. 1. 1005. By yow, with reference to you canons. See By in Eastwood and Wright's Bible Wordbook. 1. 1012. Annueleer. So called, as Tyrwhitt explains, ' from their being employed solely in singing annuals or anniversary masses for the dead, without any cure of souls. See the Stat. 36 Edw. III. c. viii, where the Chappelleins Parochiels are distinguished from others chantanz annuales, et a cure des dimes nient entendantz. They were both to receive yearly stipends, but the former was allowed to take six marks, the latter only five. Compare Stat. 2 Hen. V. St. 2. c. 2, where the stipend of the Chapellein Parochiel is raised to eight marks, and that of the Chapellein annueler (he is so named in the statute) to seven.' 1. 1015. That is, to the lady of the house where he lodged. 1. 1018. Spending silver, money to spend, ready money. The phrase occurs in Piers the Plowman, B. xi. 278. 1. 1024. A certeyn, a certain sum, a stated sum. Cf. 1. 77^- 1. 1027. At my day, on the day agreed upon, on the third day. . 1029. Another day, another time, on the next occasion. . 1030. Him took, handed over to him; so in 11. 1034, 1112. . 1055. 'In some measure to requite your kindness.' See note to Sq. Tale, F. 471, and cf. 1. 1151. . 1059. Seen at ye, see evidently; lit. see at eye. .. 1066. 'Proffered service stinketh* is among Heywood's Proverbs. Ray remarks on it ' Merx ultronea putet, apud Hieronymum. Erasmus saith, Quin uulgo etiam in ore est, ultro delatum obsequium plerumque ingratum esse. So that it seems this proverb is in use among the Dutch too. In French, Merchandise offerte est a demi vendue. Ware that is proffered is sold for half the worth, or at half the price.' The German is 'Angebotene Hiilfe hat keinen Lohn; ' see Ida v. DUrings- feld's Sprichworter, i. 86. 1. 1096. Algates, at any rate. Observe the context. 1. 1103. That we it hadde, that we might have it. Hadde is here the 198 NOTES TO GROUP G. subjunctive. Perhaps hane (present) would be better, but it lacks authority. 1. 1126. Mortifye, mortify ; a technical term. See note to 1. 1431. 1. 1151. 'To blind the priest with.* See note to 1. 1055. I. 1185. Seint Gyles, saint Giles; a corrupted form of ^Egidius. His day is Sept. i ; see Chambers' Book of Days, ii. 296 ; Legenda Aurea, cap. cxxx. II. 1204, 1205. The rime is given by tyme (two syllables, from A.S. timd) riming with by me. The same rime occurs at least six times in Gower's Confessio Amantis (ed. Chalmers, bk. ii. p. 60, col. 2 ; bk. iii. p. 76. col. 2; also pp. 103, 105, 120, 157): * Haue feigned semblant ofte tyme To hem that passen al day by me.' 'And hindred me ful ofte tyme When thei no cause wiste by me ; ' &c., &c. In all six places, Mr. Chalmers prints byme as one word. See Tiy the (1. 1295); seyye(\. 1375). On referring to Prof. Child's Observations on the Language of Gower, I find seven references given for this rime, as occurring in the edition by Dr. Pauli. The references are i. 227, 309, 370 ; ii. 41, 114, 277 ; iii. 369. Dr. Pauli also prints byme as one word. 1. 1210. Scan the line by pronouncing the words or a rapidly. The last foot contains the words or a panne. 1. 1238, 1239. MS. E. omits these two lines : the other MSS. retain them. 1. 1 244. Halwes is in the genitive plural. ' And the blessing of all the saints may ye have, Sir Canon ! ' 1. 1245. ' And may I have their malison, 1 i.e. their curse. 1. 1283. 'Why do you wish it to be better than well?' Answering nearly to ' what would you have better ? ' 1. 1292. A rather lax line. 7s ther is to be pronounced rapidly, in the time of one syllable, and her-inne is of three syllables. 1. 1299. Pronounce simple nearly as in French, and remember the final e in tonge (A. S. tunge). 1. 1313. His ape, his dupe. See Prol. 706. The simile is evidently taken from the fact that showmen used to carry apes about with them much as organ-boys do at the present day, the apes being secured by a string. Thus, ' to make a man one's ape ' is to lead him about at will. The word apewarde occurs in Piers the Powman, B. v. 540. To lead apes means to lead about a train of dupes. In the Prioress's Prologue, B. 1630, I have explained ape by 'fool,* following former editors. It now occurs to me that the word ' dupe ' expresses the meaning still better. (This is corrected in the second edition.) 1. 1319. Heyne, wretch. This word has never before been properly explained. It is not in Tyrwhitt's Glossary. Dr. Morris considers it THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 199 as another form of hyne, a peasant, or hind, but leaves the phonetic difference of vowel unaccounted for. It occurs in Skelton's Bowge of Courte, 1. 327: ' It is great scorne to see suche an hayne As thou arte, one that cam but yesterdaye, With vs olde seruauntes suche maysters to playe.' Here Mr. Dyce also explains it by hind, or servant, whereas the context requires the opposite meaning of a despised master. Halliwell gives ' Heyne, a miser, a worthless person ; ' in which sense it occurs in Udall. Cf. Lowl. Sc. hain, to hedge in, preserve, spare; Low G. heinen, to hedge in, spare, save; Icel. hegna. 1. 1320. ' This priest being meanwhile unaware of his false practice.' See 1. 1324. 1. 1342. Alluding to the proverb ' As fain as a fowl [i.e. bird] of a fair morrow ;' given by Hazlitt in the form ' As glad as fowl of a fair day/ See Piers the Plowman, B. x. 153 ; Kn. Tale, 1579. 1. 1348. To stonde in grace; cf. Prol. 88. 1. 1354. ty our '' pronounced By'r, as spelt in Shakespeare, Mid. Nt. Dr. iii. i. 14. 1. 1362. Nere, for tie were; meaning 'were it not for.' 1. 1381. Sy, saw. The scribes also use the form sey or seigh, as in Kn. Tale, 208 ; Franklin's Tale, F. 850, in both of which places it rimes with heigh (high). Of these spellings sey (riming with hey) is to be pre- ferred in most cases. See note to Group B, 1. i (Prioresses Tale, &c.). 1. 1388. This line begins with a large capital C in the Ellesmere MS., shewing that the Tale itself is at an end, and the rest is the Yeoman's application of it. 1. 1389. * There is strife between men and gold to that degree, that there is scarcely any (gold) left.' 1. 1408. Alluding to the proverb ' Burnt bairns fear fire.' This occurs among the Proverbs of Hendyng, in the form ' Brend child fur dredeth.' So in the Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 1820 ' Brent child of fyr hath moche drede.' The German is ' Ein gebranntes Kind furchtet das Feuer;' see Ida v. Diiringsfeld's Sprichworter, i. 531. 1. 1410. Alluding to the proverb ' Better late than never ; ' in French ' II vaut mieux tard que jamais.' The German is ' Besser spat als me;' see Ida v. Diiringsfeld's Sprichworter, i. 204. 1. 1411. In Hazlitt's Proverbs ' Never is a long term.' 1. 1413. Bayard was a colloquial name for a horse ; see Piers Plow- man, B. iv. 53, 124; vi. 196; and 'As bold as blind Bayard' was a common proverb. See also Chaucer's Troil. and Cress, i. 218. 1. 1416. ( As to turn aside from an obstacle in the road.' 1. 1419. Compare this with the Man of Lawes Tale, B. 552. 1. 14.22. Rape and renue t seize and plunder. The phrase is of ZOO NOTES TO GROUP G. Scandinavian origin. Rape is preserved in the Swedish rappa, to seize, allied to M. E. rape, signifying * haste ' ; cf. Icel. rifsa, to plunder, Icel. rifa, to rive, to grasp. Renne is not connected with A. S. rennan, to run, but with Icel. rana, to rob, ran, seizure, plunder. The collocation of words is seen in the Icel. rifsi ok rdnum, with pilfering and plundering, Fornmanna Sogur, i. 119; ran ok rifs, plunder and robbery, id. ii. 119, vi. 42, vii. 363 (s. v. ran and rifs in Cleasby and Vigfusson's Icelandic Dictionary). Hence the Cleveland form of the phrase is ' to rap and reeve/ some- times 'to rap and ree;' see Rap in Atkinson's Cleveland Glossary. Mr. Atkinson remarks that ' heo rupten, heo rsefden' in Layamon, ii. 1 6, first text, is equivalent to 'hii rupten, hii refden' in the second; whilst the Ancren Riwle gives the form arepen and arechen, with the various readings rapen and rinen, ropen and rimen. Ihre quotes the English ' rap and ran, per fas et nefas ad se pertrahere.' Mr. Wedg- wood remarks that in rap and ran, to get by hook or crook, to seize whatever one can lay hands on, the word rap is joined with the synonymous [verb connected with the] Icel. ran, rapine. Palsgrave has ' I rap or rende, je rapine.' Coles (Eng. Diet. ed. 1684) has 'rap an\d] ren, snatch and catch.' The phrase is still in use in the (cor- rupted) form to rape and rend, or (in Cleveland) to rap and ree. 1. 1428. Arnoldus de Villa Nova was a French physician, theologian, astrologer, and alchemist; born about A.D. 1235, died A.D. 1314. Tyrwhitt refers us to Fabricius, Bibl. Med. JEt., in v. Arnaldus Villano- vanus. In a tract printed in Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 285, we have a reference to the same saying Et hoc est illud quod magni philosophi scripserunt, quod lapis noster fit ex Mercurio et sulphure praeparatis et separatis, et de hoc opere et substantia dicit Magister Arnoldus in tractatu suo parabolice, nisi granum frumenti in terra cadens mortuum fuerit, &c. Intelligens pro grano mortuo in terra, Mercurium mortuum cum salepetrse et vitriolo Romano, et cum sulphure, et ibi mortificatur, et ibi sublimatur cum igne, et sic multum fructus adfert, et hie est lapis major omnibus, quem philosophi qusesiverunt, et inventum absconderunt.' The whole process is described, but it is quite un- intelligible to me. It is clear that two circumstances stand very much in the way of our being able to follow out such processes ; these are (i) that the same substance was frequently denoted by six or seven different names; and (2) that one name (such as sulphur) de- noted five or six different things (such as sulphuric acid, orpiment, sulphuret of arsenic, &c.) 1. 1429. Rosarie, i.e. Rosarium Philosophorum, the name of a treatise on alchemy by Arnoldus de Villa Nova ; Theat. Chem. iv. 514. 1. 1431. The word mortification seems to have been loosely used to denote any change due to chemical action. Phillips explains Mortify THE CH A NOUNS YEMANNES TALE. 2O1 by ' Among chymists, to change the outward form or shape of a mixt body ; as when quicksilver, or any other metal, is dissolved in an acid menstruum.' 1. 1432. ' Unless it be with the knowledge (i.e. aid) of his brother.' The 'brother ' of Mercury was sulphur or brimstone (see 1. 1439). The dictum itself is, I suppose, as worthless as it is obscure. 1. 1434. Hermes, i.e. Hermes Trismegistus, fabled to have been the inventor of alchemy. Several books written by the New Platonists in the fourth century were ascribed to him. Tyrwhitt notes that a treatise under his name may be found in the Theatrum Chemicum, vol. iv. See Fabricius, Bibliotheca Grseca, lib. i. c. 10 ; and Smith's Classical Dictionary. The name is preserved in the phrase 'to seal hermetically? Mr. Furnivall printed, for the Early Eng. Text Society, a tract called The Book of Quinte Essence, ' a tretice in Englisch breuely drawe out of the book of quintis essenciis in latyn, that hermys the prophete and kyng of Egipt, after the flood of Noe, fadir of philosophris, hadde by reuelacioun of an aungil of god to him sende.' 1. 1438. Dragoun, dragon. Here, of course, it means mercury, or some compound containing it. In certain processes, the solid residuum was also called draco or draco qui comedit caudam suam. This draco and the cauda draconis are frequently mentioned in the old treatises ; see Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 29, 36, &c. The terms may have been derived from astrology, since ' dragon's head ' and ' dragon's tail ' were common terms in that science. Chaucer mentions the latter in his Astrolabie, ii. 4. 22. And see the remarks on 'Draco' in Theat. Chem. ii. 456. 1. 1440. &>/ and lima, gold and silver. The alchemists called sol (gold) the father, and luna (silver) the mother of the elixir or philosopher's stone. See Theat. Chem. iii. 9, 24, 25 ; iv. 528. Similarly, sulphur was said to be the father of minerals, and mercury the mother. Id. iii. 7. 1. 1447. Secre, secret of secrets. Tyrwhitt notes ' Chaucer refers to a treatise entitled Secreta Secretorum, which was supposed to contain the sum of Aristotle's instructions to Alexander. See Fabricius, Bibliotheca Grseca, vol. ii. p. 167. It was very popular in the middle ages. ^Egidius de Column^, a famous divine and bishop, about the latter end of the I3th century, built upon it his book De Regimine Principum, of which our Occleve made a free translation in English verse, and addressed it to Henry V. while Prince of Wales. A part of Lydgate's translation of the Secreta Secretorum is printed in Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, p. 397. He did not translate more than about half of it, being prevented by death. See MS. Harl. 2251, and Tanner, Bibl. Brit. s.v. Lydgate. The greatest part of the viith Book of Gower's Confessio Amantis [see note to 1. 820] is taken from this supposed 202 NOTES TO GROUP H. work of Aristotle.' In the Theatrum Chemicum, iii. 14, I find an allusion to the philosopher's stone ending with these words ' Et Aris- toteles ad Alexandrum Regem dicit in libro de secretis secretorum, capitulo penultimo : O Alexander, accipe lapiclem mineralem, vegeta- bilem, et animalem, et separa elemental See Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, sect. 19 ; iii. 19 (ed. 1871), or ii. 230 (ed. 1840). 1. 1450. Tyrwhitt says ' The book alluded to is printed in the Theatrum Chemicum, vol. v. p. 219 [p. 191, ed. 1660], under this title, Senioris Zadith fil. Hamuelis tabula Chemica. The story which follows of Plato and his disciples is there told, p. 249 [p. 224, ed. 1660], with some variations, of Solomon. " Dixit Salomon rex, Recipe lapidem qui dicitur Thitarios (sic) . . . Dixit sapiens, Assigna mihi ilium. . . . Dixit, Est corpus magnesiae. . . . Dixit, Quid est magnesia ? . . . Respondit, Magnesia est aqua, composita," &c.' The name of Plato occurs thrice only a few lines below, which explains Chaucer's mistake. We find 'Titan Magnesia* in Ashmole's Theat. Chem. p. 275 ; cf. pp. 42, 447. 1. 1457. Ignotum per ignotius, lit. an unknown thing through a thing more unknown ; i.e. an explanation of a hard matter by means of a term that is harder still. 1. 1460. The theory that all things were made of the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, was the foundation on which all alchemy was built ; and it was the obstinacy with which this idea was held that rendered progress in science almost impossible. The words were used in the widest sense ; thus air meant any vapour or gas ; water, any liquid; earth, any solid sediment ; and fire, any amount of heat. Hence also the theory of the four complexions of men. See Gower, Conf. Amant. bk. vii ; Theat. Chem. iii. 82 ; iv. 533, 537. 1. 1461. Rote represents the Lat. radix. A similar use of it occurs in Theat. Chem. ii. 463, where we read that the philosopher's stone ' est radix, de quo omnes sapientes tractauerunt.' 1. 1469. ' Except where it pleases His Deity to inspire mankind, and again, to forbid whomsoever it pleases Him/ 1. 1479. terme of his lyue, during the whole term of his life. 1. 1481. Bote of his bale, a remedy for his evil, help out of his trouble. NOTES TO THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE (GROUP H). Line i. Wife ye, know ye. The singular is / wot, A. S. ic wdt t Moeso-Goth. ik wait ; the plural is we witen or we wite, A. S. we witon, Moeso-Goth. weis witum. See 1. 82, where the right form occurs. 1. 2. Bob-up-and-down. This place is here described as being ' under the Blee,' i.e. under Blean Forest. It is also between Boughton-under- Blean (see Group G, 1. 556) and Canterbury. This situation suits very THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE. 203 well with Harbledown, and it has generally been supposed that Harble- down is here intended. Harbledown is spelt Herbaldoun in the account of Queen Isabella's journey to Canterbury (see Furnivall's Temporary Preface, p. 124, 1. 18 ; p. 127, 1. 21), and Helbadonne in the account of King John's journey (id. p. 131, 1. i). However, Mr. J. M. Cowper, in a letter to the Athenaum, Dec. 26, 1868, p. 886, says that there still exists a place called Up-and-down Field, in the parish of Thannington, which would suit the position equally well, and he believes it to be the place really meant. If so, the old road must have taken a somewhat different direction from the present one, and there are reasons for supposing that such may have been the case. The break here between the Canon's Yeoman's and the Manciple's Tales answers to the break between the first and second parts of Lydgate's Storie of Thebes. At the end of Part I, Lydgate mentions the descent down the hill (i.e. Boughton hill), and at the beginning of Part II, he says that the pilgrims had ' passed the thorp of Boughton- on-the-blee.' 1. 5. Dun is in the myre, a proverbial saying originally used in an old rural sport. Dun means a dun horse, or, like Bayard, a horse in general. The game is described in Brand's Popular Antiquities, 4to. ii. 289 ; and in Gifford's notes to Ben Jonson, vol. vii. p. 283. The latter explana- tion is quoted by Nares, whom see. Briefly, the game was of this kind. A large log of wood is brought into the midst of a kitchen or large room. The cry is raised that ' Dun is in the mire,' i.e. that the cart- horse is stuck in the mud. Two of the company attempt to drag it along ; if they fail, another comes to help, and so on, till Dun is extricated. There are frequent allusions to it ; see Romeo and Juliet, i. 4. 41 ; Beaumont and Fletcher's Woman-hater, iv. 3 ; Hudibras, pt. iii. c. iii. 1. no. In the present passage it means * we are all at a standstill ; ' or, 'let us make an effort to move on.' Mr. Hazlitt, in his Proverbial Phrases, quotes a line ' And all gooth bacward, and don is in the myr.' 1. 12. Do him come forth, make him come forward. Cf. Group B, 1888, 1889 (Prioress's Enn-link). 1. 14. A hotel hay, a bottle of hay ; similarly, we have a bar el ale, Monk's Prol. B. 3083. And see 1. 24 below. A bottle of hay was a small bundle of hay, less than a truss, as explained in my note to The Two Noble Kinsmen, v. 2. 45. 1. 1 6. By the monue, in the morning. There is no need to explain away the phrase, or to say that it means in the afternoon, as Tyrwhitt does. The Canon's Yeoman's tale is the first told on the third day, and the Manciple's is only the second. The Cook seems to have taken too much to drink over night, and to have had something more before 204 NOTES TO GROUP H. starting. The fresh air has kept him awake for a while at first, but he is now very drowsy indeed. Tyrwhitt well remarks that there is no allusion here to the unfinished Cook's Tale in Group A. This seems to shew that the Manciple's Prologue was written before the Cook's Tale was begun. See my Preface to the Prioresses Tale, p. xv. Note that the Cook is here excused ; 1. 29. 1. 23. 'I know not why, but I would rather go to^leep than have the best gallon of wine in Cheapside.' Me wer leuer slepe, lit. it would be dearer to me to sleep. Cf. 1. 14. 1. 24. Than constitutes the first foot ; beste is dissyllabic. 1. 29. As now, for the present ; a common phrase. 1. 33. Not wel disposed, indisposed in health. 1. 42. Fan, the fan or vane or board of the quintain. The quintain, as is well known, consisted of a cross-bar turning on a pivot at the top of a post. At one end of the cross-bar was the fan or board, sometimes painted to look like a shield, and at the other was a club or bag of sand. The jouster at the fan had to strike the shield, and at the same time to avoid the stroke given by the swinging bag. The Cook was hardly in a condition for this ; his eye and hand were alike unsteady, and his figure did not suggest that he possessed the requisite agility. See Quintain in Nares, and Strutt's Sports and Pastimes, bk. iii. c. i ; As You Like It, i. 2. 263, on which see Mr. Wright's note (Clar. Press Series). 1. 44. Wyn ape, ape-wine, or ape's wine. Tyrwhitt rightly considers this the same as the vin de singe in the Calendrier des Bergers, sign. 1. ii. b., where the author speaks of the different effects produced by wine upon different men, according to their temperaments. ' The Cholerick, he says, a vin de lyon ; cest a dire, quant a bien beu, veult tanker, noyser, et battre. The Sanguine a vin de singe ; quant a plus beu, tant est plus joyeitx. In the same manner, the Phlegmatic is said to have vin de mouton, and the Melancholick vin de porceau* Tyrwhitt adds ' I find the same four animals applied to illustrate the effects of wine in a little Rabbinical tradition, which I shall transcribe here from Fabricius, Cod. Pseudepig. Veteris Testamenti, vol. i. p. 275. " Vineas plantanti Noacho Satanam se junxisse me- morant, qui, dum Noa vites plantaret, mactaverit apud illas ovem, leonem, simiam, et suem: Quod principio potus vini homo sit instar ovis, vinum sumptum efficiat ex homine leonem, largius haustum mutet eum in saltantem simiam, ad ebrietatem infusum transformet ilium in pollutam et prostratam suem." See also Gesta Romanorum, c. 159, where a story of the same purport is quoted from Josephus, in libro de casu rerum naturalium.' Warton (Hist. E. P. ed. 1871, i. 283) gives a slight sketch of this chapter in the Gesta, referring to Tyrwhitt's note, and explaining it THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE. 305 in the words * when a man begins to drink, he is meek and ignorant as the lamb, then becomes bold as the lion, his courage is soon transformed into the foolishness of the ape, and at last he wallows in the mire like a sow.' Barclay, in his Ship of Fools, ed. Jamieson, i. 96, speaking of drunken men, says 'Some sowe-dronke, swaloyng mete without mesure.' And again ' Some are Ape-dronke, full of laughter and of toyes.' The following interesting explanation by Lacroix is much to the same effect : 4 In Germany and in France it was the custom, at the public entries of kings, princes, and persons of rank, to offer them the wines made in the district, and commonly sold in the town. At Langres, for instance, these wines were put into four pewter vessels called cimaises, which are still to be seen. They were called the lion, moftkey, sheep, and pig wines symbolic names, which expressed the different degrees or phases of drunkenness which they were supposed to be capable of producing : the lion, courage ; the monkey, cunning ; the sheep, good temper ; the pig, bestiality.' P. Lacroix ; Manners, Customs, and Dress during the Middle Ages, 1874, p. 508. A note in Bell's edition quotes an illustrative passage from a song in Lyly's play of Mother Bombie, printed hi the Songs from the Drama- tists, ed. Bell, p. 56 : * O the dear blood of grapes Turns us to antic shapes, Now to show tricks like apes, Now lion-like to roar ; ' &c. The idea here intended is precisely that expressed by Barclay. The Cook, being very dull and ill-humoured, is ironically termed ape-drunk, as if he were 'full of laughter and of toyes,' and ready to play even with a straw. The satire was too much for the Cook, who became excited, and fell from his horse in his attempts to oppose the Manciple. 1. 50. Chyuache, feat of horsemanship, exploit. See Prol. 85 for the serious use of the word, where in chiuachie means on an (equestrian) expedition. 1. 51. 'Alas ! he did not stick to his ladle !' He should have been in a kitchen, basting meat, not out of doors, on the back of a horse. 1. 57. Dominacionn, dominion. See note to G. 352 (Prioresses Tale, &c.) Cf. ' the righteous shall have domination over them in the morn- ing ; ' Ps. xlix. 14, Prayer-book Version. An early example of the word is in A Balade sent to King Richard, third stanza ' Uertue hath now no domtnacioun' printed at the end of Chaucer's works ; ed. 1561, fol. cccxxxv, back See Chaucer's Minor Poems, xiv. 16. 206 NOTES TO GROUP /. 1. 62. Fneseth, blows, puffs ; of which the reading sneseth is a poor corruption, though occurring in all the modern editions. Dr. Strat- mann gives ' Fneosen, sternuere; fnese, Tale of Beryn, ed. Furnivall, 1. 42.* This instance is not a very clear one, and perhaps the reading (in Beryn) should really be sneze. To fnese does not mean to sneeze, but to breathe hard. I have no doubt that the word neesings in Job xli. 18, meaning not ' sneezings ' but ' hard breathings,' is due to the word fnesynge, by which Wyclif translates the Latin sternutatio. In Jer. viii. 16 Wyclif represents the snorting of horses by fnesting. Cf A.S. fnast, a puff, a blast, fnastiaft, the windpipe ; fneosung, a hard breathing. Grimm's law helps us to a further illustration ; for, as the English / is a Greek p, a cognate word is at once seen in the common Greek verb Trvfca, I breathe or blow (not I sneeze). For further examples, see fnast, Owl and Nightingale, 44 ; fnaste, Havelok, 548 ; fna&ted (pt. tense), Gawaine and the Grene Knight, 1702 ; fnast, Alliterative Troybrook, ed. Panton and Donaldson, 168, 878. 1. 72. To reclaim a hawk is to bring it back to the hawker's hand; this was generally effected by holding out a lure, or something tempting to eat. Here the Host means that some day the Cook will hold out a bait to, or lay a snare for, the Manciple, and get him into his power ; for example, he might examine the details of the Manciple's accounts with an inconvenient precision, and perhaps the amounts charged, if tested, would not appear to be strictly honest. The Manciple replies in all good humour, that such a proceeding might certainly bring him into trouble. See Prol. 570-586. 1. 76. Read mauncipl\ and pronounce were a rapidly. 1. 83. 'Yea, of an excellent vintage/ 1. 90. Pouped, blown ; see Nonne Prestes Tale, 578. Here ' blown upon this horn ' is a jocular phrase for ' taken a drink out of this gourd.' NOTES TO THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE (GROUP I). Line I. Maunciple, manciple; see Group H. The connection between this Group and the preceding is, in reality, very slight. The best solution seems to be to suppose that the word maunciple here was merely inserted provisionally. When the Manciple told his tale, it was still morning; see Group H, 1. 16, and the note. The Pilgrims had but a very little way to go, however. Perhaps we may suppose that they halted on the road, having a shorter day's work before them than on the previous days, and then other tales might have been introduced ; so that the time wore away till the afternoon came. It is clear, from 1. 1 6, that the Parson's Tale was intended, when the final revision was THE PARSON'S PROLOGUE. 207 made, to be the last on the outward journey. Whatever difficulties exist in the arrangement of the tales may fairly be considered as due to the fact that the final revision was never made. 1. 4. Nyne and twenty. In my Preface to Chaucer's Astrolabie, p. Ixiii, I have explained this passage fully. In that treatise, part ii. sections 41-43, Chaucer explains the method of taking altitudes. He here says that the sun was 29 high, and in 11. 6-9 he says that his height was to his shadow in the proportion of 6 to n. This comes to the same thing, since the angle whose tangent is ^ is very nearly 29. Chaucer would know this, as I have shewn, by simple inspection of an astrolabe, without calculation. 1. 5. Foure, four p.m. The MSS. have Ten, but the necessity of the correction is undoubted. This was proved by Mr. Brae, in his edition of Chaucer's Astrolabe, pp. 71-74. We have merely to remember that ten p.m. would be after sunset, to see that some alteration must be made. Now the altitude of the sun was 29, and the day of the year was about April 20 (Pref. to Prioresses Tale, p. xiii) ; and these data require that the time of day should be about 4 p.m. Tyrwhitt notes that some MSS. actually have the reading Foure, and this gives us authority for the change. Mr. Brae suggests that the reading Ten was very likely a gloss upon Foure \ since four o'clock is the tenth hour of the day, reckoning from 6 a.m. The whole matter is thus accounted for. 1. 10. The manes exaltacioun, the moon's exaltation. I have discussed this passage in my Preface to Chaucer's Astrolabie, p. Ixiii. My explanation is that Chaucer uses exaltation here (as in several other passages) in its ordinary astrological sense. The * exaltation* of a planet is that sign in which it was believed to exert its greatest influence; and, in accordance with this, the old tables call Taurus the ' exaltation of the Moon,' and Libra the ' exaltation of Saturn.' These results, founded on no reasons, had to be remembered by sheer effort of memory, if remembered at all. I have no doubt, accordingly, that Chaucer (or his scribes) have made a mistake here, and that the reading should be 'Saturnes,' as proposed by Tyrwhitt. The sentence then means ' Therewith Saturn's exaltation, I mean Libra, kept on continually ascending above the horizon.' This would be quite right, as the sign of Libra was actually ascending at the time supposed. The phrase ' I mene Libra ' may be paralleled by the phrase 'I mene Venus;' Kn. Tale, 1358; see also Group B, 1860, 2141. Alwey, continually, is common in Chaucer; see Clerkes Tale, E. 458, 810. Gan ascende, did ascend, is the opposite to gan descende ; Clerkes Tale, E 392. It is somewhat remarkable that the astrologers also divided each sign into three equal parts of ten degrees each, called * faces ; ' mentioned in Chaucer's Astrolabie, ii. 4. 38, and in 1. 50 of the Squieres Tale. According to their arrangement, the first 10 degrees of 208 NOTES TO GROUP 7. Libra was called the ' face of the moon/ or * mones face.' This suggests that Chaucer may, at the moment, have confused face with exaltation, thus giving us, as the portion of the zodiac intended, the first ten degrees of Libra. I doubt if the phrase is worth further discussion. For further information see my Preface to Chaucer's Astrolabie; and, for an ingenious theory, offered in explanation of the whole passage, see Mr. Brae's edition of the same, p. 74. 1. 1 6. This means that the Parson's Tale was meant to be the last one on the outward journey. Unfortunately, there lack a great many more tales than one, as the matter really stands. 1. 26. ' Unpack your wallet, and let us see what is in it.' In other words, tell us a story, and let us see what it is like. 1. 32. See i Tim. i. 4, iv. 7 ; 2 Tim. iv. 4. 1. 42. Southren. In my Essay on Alliterative Poetry, printed in vol. iii. of the Percy Folio MS., ed. Hales and Furnivall, I have shewn that nearly all the alliterative poems are in the Northern or West-Midland dialect, as opposed to the East-Midland dialect of Chaucer, which approaches the Southern dialect. Still, it is the Parson himself, not Chaucer, who says he is a Southerner ; and perhaps the poet meant, naturally enough, to tell us that he was a Kentish man. The dialect of Kent was properly Southern. Many Southern forms occur in Gower. 1. 43. Rom, ram, ruf are of course nonsense words, chosen to re- present alliteration, because they all alike begin with r. In most alliterative poetry, the number of words in a line beginning with a common letter is, as Chaucer suggests, three. The word geste here means no more than 'tell a story,' without reference to the form of the story. Properly, the gesta were in prose ; see note to Group B, 2123. It is, however, worth noting that one very long alliterative poem on the siege of Troy, edited by Panton and Donaldson (Early English Text Society), bears the title of ' Gest Hystoriale.' The number of distinctively Northern words in it is very considerable. I think that this line has been forced by some out of its true meaning, and made to convey a sneer against alliterative poetry which was by no means intended. Neither Chaucer himself nor his amiable parson would have spoken slightingly of other men's labours. The introduc- tion of the words rom, ram, ruf conveys no more than a perfectly good-humoured allusion. That this is the true view is clear from the very next line, where the Parson declares that 'he holds rime but little better.' The most interesting question is why shouid Chaucer allude to alliterative poetry at all ? The answer is, in my view, that he distinctly wished to recognise the curious work of his contemporary William THE PARSONS PROLOGUE. 209 whose Vision of Piers the Plowman had, by this time, passed, 'as it were, into a second edition, having been extremely popular in London, and especially amongst the lower classes. The author was not a Southerner, but his poem had come to London, together with himself, before A.D. 1377. 1. 5 7. Textuel, literally exact in giving the text. The next line means ' I only gather (and give you) the general meaning.' Most quotations at this period were very inexact, and Chaucer himself was no more exact than others. 1. 67. Hadde the wordes. Tyrwhitt says ' This is a French phrase. It is applied to the Speaker of the Commons in Rot. Parl. 51 Edw. III. n. 87. " Mons. Thomas de Hungerford, Chivaler, qi avoit les paroles pur les Communes d'Angleterre en cest Parlement," &c.' It means was the spokesman. ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THE NINE-SYLLABLE LINE. In my Preface to the Prioress's Tale, ist ed. p. Ixiii., 2nd ed. p. Ixiv., I give some examples of lines in which the first foot consists of a single syllable. In the present volume, we may note similar lines, viz. B. 404^ 497, G. 341. As lines of this description are somewhat rare in modern English poetry, I may point out that there are twelve such lines in Tennyson's Vision of Sin, 1. 14-25. See further in my Preface to Chaucer's Legend of Good Women. ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THE SECOND NUN'S TALE. Besides the Legenda Aurea (see p. xxxii), Chaucer also consulted the Lives of Valerian and Tiburtius, in the Acta Sanctorum (April 14). See Dr. Kolbing's paper in the Englische Studien, i. 215 ; and see the note to 1. 369, on p. 176 above. Cf. Cockayne's Shrine, p. 149. VOL. III. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. = GroupB. C = Group C. G = Group G. H = Group H. I = Group I. The following are the principal contractions used : A.S. = Anglo-Saxon (i.e. Old English words in Bosworth's or G rein's Dictionaries). Dan. = Danish (Ferrall and Repp). Du.= Dutch (Tauchnitz edition). E.= English. E.E. = Early English (A.D. 1100- 1250). F. = French (Brachet). G. = German. Gk. = Greek. Icel. = Icelandic (Cleasby and Vig- fusson). Ital. = Italian (Meadows). Lat. M.E. Latin. Middle English (A.D. 1250- M.H.G. = Middle High German. Mceso-Goth. or Goth. = Mceso- Gothic. O.F. = Old French (Burguy, Roque- fort). Prompt.Parv. = Promptorium Parv- ulorum, ed. Way (Camden So- ciety). Sp. = Spanish (Meadows). Sw. = Swedish (Tauchnitz edition). W.= Welsh (Spurrell). Also the following : v. = verb in the infinitive mood; pr. s. or pt. s. means the third person singular of the present or past tense, except when I p. or 2 p. (Jirst person or second person) is added ; pr. pi. or pt. pL means, likewise, the third person plural of the present or past tense ; imp. s. means the second person singular of the imperative mood. Other contractions, such as s. for sub- stantive, pp. for past participle, will be readily understood. In the references, when the letter is absent before a number, supply the letter last mentioned. The references are to the Group and the line. 'Gloss. I.' means the Glossary to Dr. Morris's edition of the Prologue, Knightes Tale, &c. ; * Gloss. II.' means the Glossary to the Prioresses Tale, &c. ; both in the Clarendon Press Series. A., for on, prep, in, during ; a nyght, in the night, by night, G 880; a dayes, lit. on days, i. e. a-days, 1396. A. S. on, E. E. an, a. Abasshed, pp. ashamed, discon- certed, B 568. O. Fr. esbahir, to frighten ; cf. Ital. baire, to astonish (given by Diez), whence Ital. s-baire (Diez) ; possibly from the interjection bah I of astonish- ment. Abhominable, adj. abominable, C 471, 631. Lat. abominor, I deprecate an omen ; from ab and omen. Abit, pr. s. (for abideth), abides, G 1 1 75 . A.S. dbidan from bidan, to wait. Ablucions, s. pi. ablutions, wash- ings, G 856. Abought, pp. redeemed, atoned for, C 503. See Abye. P 2 212 GLOSSAR1AL INDEX. Abusion, s. guile, imposture, deceit, B 214. 'Abusion, f. an abusing, an error, fallacy, imposture, guile, deceit ; ' Cotgrave's French Diet. Abye, v. to suffer for, pay (dearly) for, C 756, G 694 ; pp. Abought, atoned for, C 503. A. S. dbycgan, to pay for ; from bycgan, to buy, See Aboughte in Gloss. I. Accident, s. any property or quality of a thing, not essential to its existence ; the outward ap- pearance, C 539. See the note. (Lat. cadere.} Aecorde, pr. s. subj. may agree, G 638 ; pp. Accorded, agreed, B 238. Fr. accorder, Lat. accord- are, from cor, the heart. Adoun, adv. down, Gin 3, 1 72; at the bottom, G 779. A. S. of- dune, lit. off the down or hill ; from dun, a hill, a down. Aduersarie, s. enemy, G 1476. O. Fr. adversarie (Burguy), Lat. aduersarius ; from Lat. ad, to, and uertere, to turn. Aduertence, s. mental attention, consideration of a matter in hand, G 467. The sense is brought out in Chaucer's Troilus and Cressida, iv. 698, where Cressida is in a state of abstraction ' Her aduer- tence is alwey elleswhere.' From Lat. uertere. Aduocat, s. advocate, intercessor, G 68. Lat. aduocare, from uox, voice. Affray, s. fear, terror, B 1137. See Gloss. II. Affirayed, pp. afraid, frightened, B 563- After, prep, according to, G 25 ; in expectation of, for, B 467. A. S. after ; see Gloss. II. Agast, adj. amazed, terrified, B 677. See Gloss. I. and II. Agayn, prep, against, B 580, C 427, G 1415; near, G 1279; opposite to, to meet, B 391 ; towards, to meet, B 399, G 1342. A. S. ongedn, towards, against. Agayns, prep, before, in presence of, C 743. Formed from A. S. ongedn, with addition of (adver- bial) suffix -es. This M.E. agayns is now corrupted to against. Agaynward, adv. back again, B 441. Agon, pp. gone away, C 810; pp, as adv. Agoon, ago, 436. A. S. dgdn, pp. of verb dgdn, to go by, pass by, which is equivalent to G. ergehen. Agryse, v. to shudder, to be seized with horror, B 614. A. S. dgrisan, to fear ; cf. A. S. grislic, grisly, horrible. Al, adj. all ; al a, the whole of, G 996; at al, at all, wholly, C 633. A. S. call, Goth, alls, all. Al, conj. whether, G 846 ; although, 861,0449,451. Al so = as, B 396, H 80. Albificacioun, s. albifi cation, whitening, rendering of a white colour, G 805. Lat. albtficatio- nem ; from albus, white, and facere, to make. Alderfirst, adv. first of all, G 423. A. S. air a, ealra, gen. pi. of eall, all, which became M. E. aller, alder, and alther. (Gloss. I. II.) Alembykes, s.pl. alembics, G. 794. * Alambique, a limbeck, a stilla- tory,' i.e. a vessel used in distilling, a retort ; Cotgrave's French Diet. From Span, alambique, borrowed from Arabic al-ambik, which again seems to have been borrowed from Gk. a/*j3i, a cup, used by Dioscorides to mean the cap of a still. Ale-stake, s. a stake projecting from an ale-house by way of a sign, C 321. See the note. Algate, adv. at any rate, C 292, G 318, 904. See below. Algates, adv. all the same, never- GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 313 theless, at any rate (lit. by all ways, by all means), B 520, G 1096. Here gate means a way. Cf. Icel. gala, a path, road ; G. gasse, a street. From the root of get, rather than of go. Alkaly, s. alkali, G 810. Arabic al-qall t the ashes of the plant glass-wort (Salicornid), which abounds in soda. Alkamistre, s. alchemist, G 1 204. Alchemy is Arabic al-kimid, where al is the Arabic article, and the sb. is borrowed from the Gk. X^Atcfa, chemistry, equivalent to XU/*fa,xvftuo'ts, a mingling, from \(u, to pour. (Etym. of the Gk. word somewhat uncertain.) Alle and some, collectively and individually, one and all, B 263, C336. Alliaunce, s. alliance, C 005. (Gloss. I. II.) Allye, s. ally, G 292, 297. Almes-dede, s. alms-deed, alms- doing, B 1156. Almesse, s. alms, B 168. A. S. almesse, borrowed from Lat. elee- mosyna, which from Gk. c\rj- /jLoavvT},- pity, a bounty; from e\(fiv, to have pity. Al-so, conj. as, B 396, H 80. A.S. eall-swd. Alum, s. alum, 6813. O. F. alum, (Roquefort), Lat. alnmen. Alwey, adv. continually, unceas- ingly, regularly, III. Am, in phr. it am I = it is I, B 1109. Amalgaming, s. the formation of an amalgam, G 771. Anamalga?n is a pasty mixture of mercury with other substances (properly with a metal). The derivation is from Gk. fjLa\ay^ia, an emollient, from Ha\a 7i8, G 424, etc. Aryght, adv. aright, rightly, G 1418. As, expletive, expressing a wish ; as hane, may He have, B 1061 ; as lot, i. e. pray let, 859. As ferforth as, adv. as far as, G 1087. As now, i. e. just now, B 740 ; on the present occasion, G 944 ; for the present, with the matter on hand, G 1019. As swythe, adv. as quickly as possible, G 1030, 1194, 1294. M. E. swythe, quickly ; from A. S. swift, strong, severe. Ascaunce, adv. perhaps, G 838. Tyrwhitt (note to C.T., 1. 7327) refers us to the present passage, to Tro. and Cress., i. 285, 292, and to Lydgate. It clearly means perchance, perhaps. The etymo- logy was discussed, ineffectively, in Notes and Queries, 4 S. xi. 251, 34 6 >47i; xii. 12, 99, 157, 217, 278. The difficulty has arisen from confusion with the modern askance, with which it may have nothing to do. The present word is related rather to some form in Old French ; and, since the publication of vol. vi. of Godefroy's O. F. Dictionary, I can * now solve the word entirely. The fact is, it is a hybrid compound, made up of E. as, and O.F. quanses or qanses (with qu or q pronounced as k\ signifying ' as if.' The E. as is, accordingly, redundant, and merely added by way of partial ex- planation. The M. E. asbances means 'as if in other passages, but here means, 'as if it were/ i. e. ' possibly/ ' perhaps ' ; as said above. Sometimes the final s is dropped, as here ; see examples of Askance or Askances in the New E. Dictionary; noting, that the* O.Du. quantsis ' there mentioned seems to be the O. F. word borrowed. The examples in Godefroy make the sense 'as if ' quite certain. He refers us to Gaston Paris, in Romania, xviii. 152; to Fcerster's edition of Cliges, 4553, and the note ; and to Partonope, ed. Crapelet, 1, 4495. Ascencioun, s. ascension, rising up, G 778. Ascende, v. to ascend, rise (a term in astrology), In. Ascendent, s. ascendant, B 302. The ' ascendant ' is that degree of the ecliptic which is rising above the horizon at the time of ob- serving a horoscope, and calcula- ting a nativity. A-sonder, adv. asunder, apart, B 1157. A. S. on-sundron, separate- ly, from sundor, separate. Aspye, s. spy, C 755. From O. F. espier, to espy, a word borrowed from O. H.G. spehon, to look at, cognate with Lat. spicere (in con- spicere), Skt. spa$. Assay, s. trial, G 1249, I 338- F. essai, a trial; from Lat. exagtum. Assembled, pp. united, G 50. F. assembler, Lat. assimulare, to collect, from Lat. simul, together. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 215 Assent, s. consent, conspiracy, C 758. Assentedest, pt. s. 2 p. consented- est, didst pay heed, G 233. Asshes, s. pi. ashes, G 807. A. S. asce, tesce, a cinder. Assoile, pr. s. i p. I absolve, pardon, C 387, 913. O. F. as- soldre, Lat. absoluere. Asterte, v. to escape, C 414 ; pt. s. Asterted, escaped, B 437 ; pt. s. subj. Asterte, might (or could) escape, 475. Cf. E. start, Du. storten, to precipitate, rush; G. sturzen. At, prep, from, of (used with axed), G 542, 621. 'Blithe would I battle for the right To ask one question at the ^ sprite.' Scott, Marmion, iii. 29. Atake, v. to overtake, G 556, 585. Cf. Icel. taka, to take ; the prefix is probably A. S. on, Icel. d. Cf. Icel. dtak, a touching. Atazir, s. evil influence, B 305. See note, p. 126. Atones, adv. at once, B 670. (Gloss. II.) Atte, contr. for at the ; as in atte fan, H 42 ; atte hasard, C 608 ; attefulle, at the full, in complete- ness, B 203 ; atte laste, at the last, B 506, C 844, G 683. Atwinne, adv. apart, G 1170. Modified from on tweonum, in two parts, where tweonum is dat. pi. of A. S. tweon, double, twin, by the influence of Icel. tvinnr, in pairs. Atwo, adv. in two, in twain, B 600, 697, C 677, 936, G 528. For on two. Auantage, s. convenience, profit ; to don his auantage, to suit his own interests, B 729 ; advantage, G 731. O. F. avantage, profit, from prep, avant, before, which from Lat. ab ante. Auantage, s. as adj. advantageous, B 146. Auaunced, pp. advanced, C 410. O. F. avancer, from avant. Auctoritee, s. authority, C 387. O. F. auctoriteit, Lat. auctorita- tem. Auenture, s. chance, adventure, B 465 ; peril, B 1151, G 946; pi. Auentures, accidents, C 934. O. F. aventure, from venir, Lat. uenire. Aught, adv. by any chance, in any way, B 1034; at all > G 597- Aungeles, s. pi. angels, B 642. Auow, s. vow, B 334, 0695. See note to C 695. Auowe, v. to avow, own publicly, proclaim, G 642. O. F. avouer, avoer ; from Lat. ad and uouere. Auter, 5. altar, B 451. O. F. auter (commonly autel), Lat. altare. Auys, s. opinion, I 54. F. avis; from a and vis, Lat. uisum, a thing seen, an opinion; from uideri, to seem. Auyse us, v. refl. consider with ourselves, B 664 ; imp. pi. Auys- eth, consider ye, C 583 ; pp. Auysed, well advised, C 690 ; Auysed me, taken counsel with myself, considered the matter, G 572. See above. Awake, v. to wake, H 7. (Gloss. II.) Aweye, adv. away, from home, B 593 ; astray, 609. A. S. onweg ; see Gloss, to Sweet's A. S. Reader. Axe, imp. s. ask thou, C 667 ; I p. s.pres.-Axe, I ask, G 426; 2 p. pi. pres. ask ye, G 460 ; pr. s. Axeth, asks, B 878 ; pt. s. Axed, G357J *P' S - /"-Axed, 6542; pt. pi. 2 p. Axed, ye asked, 430. A. S. dcsian. Axinge, s. questioning, question, G 423. See above. Ay, adv. aye, ever, for ever, B 296. Icel. ei GLOSSARIAL INDEX. B. Bak, s. cloth for the back, cloak, coarse mantle, G 88 1. See the note. Balaunce, s. balance, G 611. Leye in balaunce, lay in the bal- ance, i. e. advance as a pledge. Bale, s. misfortune, sorrow, G 1481. A. S. bealo, torment, wickedness; Goth, balwyan, to torment. Bar, pt. s. bore, carried about, B 476 (cf. the name Christopher), G 221, 1264. See Ber. Barbre, adj. barbarian, B 281. Lat. barbarus, Gk. fi&pflapos. Baronage, s. company of barons, retinue of lords, B 329. The more usual O.F. form is (the con- tracted) barnage; both from O.F. baron, a man. (Gloss. I.) Baskettes, s. pi. baskets, C 445. Dr. Murray finds that the Celtic origin usually assigned to this word is wrong. Bataille, s. battle, G 386. F. balaille, Low Lat. batalia, neut. pi. signifying combats. Baudy, adj. dirty, G 635. W. bawaidd, dirty, baw, dirt. Bayte, v. to bait, feed, eat, B 466. Icel. beita, to feed, to make to bite ; the causal of bita, to bite. Be. See Ben. Beautee, s. beauty, B 162. O.F. biaute, belief, from Lat. ace. belli- tatem ; from Lat. bellus, fair. Bechen, adj. beechen, made of beech, G 1160. A.S. becen, beechen, bece, b6c t a beech; cf. Lat./a^ws. Bede, v. to offer, proffer, G 1065 ; I p. pi. pt. Bede, we bade, we directed, I 65. A.S. beddan, to offer, bid; Goth, biudan, to bid. Bee, s. a bee, G 195. A.S. bed. An Old Sanskrit bha (meaning bee) is recorded in Bohtlingk and Roth's Skt. Dictionary. Beech, s. beech-wood, G 928. See Bechen. Bekke, pr. s. I pr. I nod, C 396. F. becquer; Cotgrave. Bel amy, i.e. good friend, fair friend, C 318. See note. O.F. bel, fair, ami, friend. Belle, s. bell, C 662, 664. A.S. belle. Ben, v. to be, B 227 ; pr. pi. Ben, are, 238; pr. s. subj. may be, is, G 1293 ; Be as be may, let it be as;it may, G 935 ; imp. pi. Beth, be ye, B 229, C 683, 6937 ; pp. Be, been, G 262. A. S. be6n, to be ; cf. Lat. fore, Skt. bhu. Ber, pt. s. bore, B 722. A.S. beran, pt. t. ic bar. See Bar. Berth hir on hond, beareth false witness against her, falsely affirms concerning her, B 620. See the note. Berie, v. to bury, C 884 ; pp. Beryed, 405. A. S. byrgan, to bury. Berm, s. barm, i.e. yeast, G 813. A. S. beorma, barm, leaven, yeast, froth. Berne, s. dat. a barn, C 397. The proper form of the nom. is bern, from A. S. bern, contr. from berern or bere-ern, i. e. a place for corn ; from bere, barley, corn, and cern, a place for stowing. Beste, s. beast, i.e. an animal without reason, brute animal, G 288; pi. Bestes, cattle, C 361, 365. O. F. beste, Lat. besfia. Besydes, adv. on one side, G 1416. Bet, adj. comp. better, B 311, 1091, G 1410. A.S. bet, better, from a base bat, signifying good ; cf. Goth, batiza, better. Bet, adv. better, G 1283, 1344; hence go bet, go more quickly, GLOSSAR1AL INDEX. 317 go as fast as you can, C 667. See the note. Beth.. See Be. Betten, pt. pi. kindled, G. 518. A.S. betan, to kindle; lit. to mend, from base bat, good. See Bet ; and Beete in Gloss. I. Beye, v. to buy, C 845, G 637. A. S. bycgan. Bible, s. book, G 857. Gk. /&/?- Xiov, a little book, /3t/3\os, a book. Bicched bones, s. pi. dice (lit. evil or accursed bones), C 656. See the note. Biclappe, ger. to clasp, grasp, ensnare, G 9. Allied to A. S. beclippan, to beclip, embrace. The A. S. clappan is to move, to palpitate; the Icel. klappa is to stroke ; also to clap the hands. Bidde, pp. bidden, commanded, B 440. Here han bidde = have bidden; bidde is not the pt. pl. t for that takes the form bede. See Bede. A. S. beodan ; pt. t. ic bead, pi. we budon ; pp. boden : cf. G. bieten, to offer. Biddinge, pres. part, praying, G 140. A. S. biddan, to pray ; cf. G. bitten, to beseech. Bifalle, pr. s. subj. may befal, I 68; pp. befallen, B 726. A.S. befeallan, to happen ; from feal- lan, to fall. Biforn, prep, before, B 997, C 665 ; in front of, G 679 ; before (in point of time), 763. A. S. beforan. Biforn, adv. before, B 704. Biforn-hond, adv. before-hand, G Bigonne, pt. s. 2 p. didst begin, G 442 ; pp. 428. Prefix bi, and A. S. ginnan, pt. t. gann (2 p. gunne), pp. gunnen. Bigyled, pp. beguiled, G 985, 1385. O. F. guile, guile, from a " Teutonic or Scandinavian source ; cf. Icel, vel, an artifice, wile, Bihete, pr. s. i p. I promise, G 707. Prefix be and A. S. hdtan, to command, promise. Biholde, pp. beheld, G 1 79. A. S. behealdan, pp. behealden. Bihynde, adv. behind, i. e. to come, future, G 1291. A. S. behindan. Biknowe, v. to confess, acknow- ledge, B 886. Lit. to be-know. Bileue, s. faith, belief, G 63. Cf. A. S. geledfa, creed ; with prefix ge instead of bi. BUeueth, imp. pi. believe ye, G 1047. Cf. A.S. geledfan, to believe ; with prefix ge for bi. Bireue, v. to take away, G 48^. A. S. beredfian, to take away, rob, bereave. Bisie, v. to trouble, busy ; bisie me, employ myself, G 758. A. S. bysgian, to occupy, from bysgu, occupation, employment. Bisinesse, s. busy endeavour, G 24. See Businesse. Bis tad, pp. hard bestead, greatly imperilled, B 649. Lit. placed ; from A.S. stede, a place, stead. Bitook, pt. s. delivered, gave, com- mitted (to the charge of), G 541. Formed from took, with prefix bi-. See Took. Bitter, adj. bitter; bitter swete, G 878. See the note. A. S. biter, bitter ; from bitan, to bite. Bitwixen, prep, betwixt, between, C 832. A. S. betweox, betwix. Bitymes, adv. betimes, early, soon, G 1008. Bityde, v. to happen, C 900, G 400. Prefix bi, and A. S. tidan, to happen ; from tid, time. Biwreyen, v. to betray, G 150; Biwreye, C 823, G 147 ; pp. s. 2 p. Biwreyest, disclosest, B 773. See Gloss. II. Bladdre, s. bladder, G 439. A. S. bldddre ; from A. S. blawan, to blow, puff out. GLOSSARTAL INDEX. Blake, adj. pi. black, G, 557. A. S, blcec. Blakeberyed, a, a-blackberrying, i. e. a-wandering at will, astray, C 406. See the note. Blent, pr. s. blinds, G 1391 ; pp. Blent, blinded, deceived, 1077. A. S. blendian, to make blind (3 p. s. pr. blent, he blinds) ; from blind, blind. Blered, adj. bleared, G 730. See the note. Probably only another form of blur. Cf. Bavarian plerr, a m ist before the eyes (Wedgwood) . Blesseth hir, pr. s. crosses herself, B 449 . Bllnne, v. to stop, cease, G 1171. A. S. blinnan, to cease ; contr. from bi, prefix, and linnan, to cease. Blisful, adj. blessed, B 845; happy, merry, 403. A. S. blis, joy ; cf. blithe. Blowe, pp. blown, filled out with wind, G 440. A. S. bldwan, to blow; cf. Lat. flare. Blundreth, pr. s. runs heedlessly, G 1414; I p. pi. pr. Blundren, we fall into confusion, we con- fuse ourselves, become mazed, 670. From Icel. blunda, to doze, blundr, a doze ; connected with A. S. blendan, to blend, confuse, and blind, blind. Blynde, adj. pi. blind, G 658. A. S. blind. See above. Blynde with, ger. to blind (the priest) with, G 1151. Blythe, adj. blithe, joyful, B 1154. A. S. blffie, glad, bliss, joy. Bodies, 5. pi. bodies, metallic bodies (metals) answering to the celestial bodies (planets), G 820, 825. Boist, s. box, C 307. O. F. boiste (Fr. boife), Low Lat. accus. boxida, bvxida, from Gk. vvflda, accus. of irvfcis, a box, a pyx ; properly a box made of boxwood ; Gk.7rvos,Lat. bnxus, the box-tree. Bole armoniak, Armenian clay, G 790. See the note. Boles, gen. sing, bull's, G 797. Bolle, s. a bowl, often a wooden bowl, G 1 2 10. A. S. bolla. Bond, pt. s. bound, B 634. A. S. bindan, to bind ; pt. t. ic band. Bone, s. petition, prayer, G 234, 356. Not from A.S. ben, a prayer, but from the cognate Scandinavian form ; Icel. bon, a prayer. Now spelt boon. Boras, s. borax, G 790. ' Borax, biborate of soda ; a salt formed by a combination of boracic acid with soda. Fr. borax, Span. borrax, Arabic buraq, nitre, saltpeter ; from Arab, baraqa, to shine ; ' Webster. But rather bor- rowed from Pers. burah, borax. Bord, s. table, B 430 ; board, i. e. meals, G 1017. A.S. bord, a board, a table. Bost, s. boast, B 401, C 764; pride, swelling, G 441. Probably not of Celtic origin, as W. host and Gael, bosd, a boast, are merely borrowed from English. Rather, connected with A. S. bog-ian, to boast; Liber Scintellarum, 46. Bote, s. relief, G 1481. E. boot, A.S. bot, a remedy; from the base bat, good. See Bet. Botel, s. bottle (of hay), H 14 ; pi. Botels, bottles, 0871. Botme, s. dat. bottom, G 1321. A.S. botm, dat. botme; cognate with Lzt.fundus, Gk. irvOnTjv. Bothe, adj. both, 6221. Boughte, pt. s. bought ; boughte agayn, redeemed, C 766. See Beye. Bounden, pp. bound, B 270. A. S. bindan, pp. bunden. Bourde, s. jest, H 81. O.F. bourde, a jest, pleasantry; sup- * posed to be a contraction of bohort, a mock tournament, knightly exercise, from horde, a GLOSSARIAL INDEX. barrier, the lists. The prefix 60- is explained from O. F. bot, a blow, stroke. (But this etymology is now given up.) Bourde, pr. s. i p. I jest, C 778. See above. Boweth, imp. pi. i p. bow ye, C 909. A. S. bugan, to bow, bend ; cf. Lat. fugare, to turn to flight ; Skt. bhuj, to bend. Brak, pt. s. broke, B 288. A.S. brecan, pt. t. brcec. Brast, pt. s. burst, B 697; pi. Braste, 671. A. S. berstan, to burst ; pt. t. ic bcerst. Either the r was transposed in course of time, or this form was brought about by Danish influence. Cf. Icel. bresta, to burst ; pt. t. brast. (Gloss. I.) Brede, s. breadth, G 1228. A.S. br/>. baptised, B 226, 355, G 352. Crommes, 5. pi. crumbs, G 60. A. S. cruma, a crumb, a fragment. Crone, s. crone, hag, B 432. Ap- parently of Celtic origin ; cf. Gaelic crionna, prudent, penuri- ous, old, ancient; crion, little, mean, crion, to wither, decay 224 GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. blast. Or rather, it answers to Picard car one, F. charogne, our carrion. Croper, s. crupper, G 566. Cf. F. croupiers. From O. F. crops, crupe (F. croupe), the rump of an animal ; apparently of Scandina- vian origin; cf. Icel. kryppa, a hump, hunch ; Icel. kroppr, a hump; Dan. krop, the trunk of the body. See Croppe in Gloss. I. Croslet, s. a crucible, G 1147; also Crosselet, 1117 ; pi. Croslets, 793. A diminutive of cross, ap- parently intended as a sort of translation of Lat. crucibulum. The latter seems to be from cruci-, decl. stem of crux, cross. Applied to a lamp with four wicks. Croude, v. to push, B 801 ; pr. s. 2 p. Crowdest, dost press, dost push, 296 (see note to 1. 299). A. S. crudan (not found). Crowding, s. pressure, motive power, B 299. See the note. Croweth, pr. s. re/I. ; him croweth = crows, 6362. A.S. crdwan, to crow, croak. Croys, s. cross, B 450, 844, C 532. O. F. crois, Lat. crucem t ace. of crux. Cucurbites, s. pi. cucurbites, G 794. ' Cucurbits, a chemical vessel originally made in the shape of a gourd, but sometimes shallow, with a wide mouth, and used in distillation;' Webster. From Lat. cucurbita, a gourd. Cure, s. care, endeavour, B 188; honest cure = care for honourable things, C 557; in cure = in her care, in her power, B 230. Fr. cure, Lat. cura, care. Cursednesse, s. wickedness,C 400, 498, 638, G noi. A.S. curs- ion, to curse ; curs, a curse. Curteisye, s. courtesy, B 166. O. F. curteisie ; from O. F. cort, a court, Lat. cohortem, ACC. of cohors. (Gloss. II.) Cut, s. a lot, C 793. W. cwtws, a lot ; originally the short straw, from cwta, short. (Gloss. I.) D. Dagger, s. dagger, C 830. From the root dag, which appears in dagges = pierces, and daggande = piercing, Morte Arthur, ed. Brock (E. E. T. S.), 2102, 3749. Not Celtic ; perhaps Eastern ; cf. Heb. dakhcih) to strike. Daliaunoe, s. playful demeanour, G 592. (Gloss. I. and II.) Dame, s. mother, C 684. F. dame, Lat. domina, lady. Dampnable, adj. damnable, C 472. Dampnacioun, s. damnation, C 500. Dampned,/>/>. condemned, B mo, G 310. O. F. dampner, Lat. darnnare, to condemn. Dar, pr. s. I p. I dare, B 273, G 214; pr. s. Dar, G 312; 2 p. Darst, B 860 ; pt. s. Dorste, durst, B 753, G532. A.S. ic dearr, I dare, he dearr, he dare ; pt. t. ic dorste. Daswen, pt. pi. daze, are dazed, are dazzled, H 31. Cf. Icel. dasask (i. e. dasa-sk], to become weary ; dasaftr, exhausted ; cf. also Swed. dasa, to be idle ; E. doze. Date, s. a date, term, period, G 1411. F. date, Lat. datum, a thing given. Day, s. day ; also, an appointed day for the payment of a sum of money, G 1040. A. S. dceg. Debaat, s. strife, G 1389. F. debat, from vb. debattre, which from battre, Lat. batuere, to beat. Deed, pp. as adj. dead, B 209, G 64, 204. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Deedly, adv. deadly, mortally, G 476. Dees, s. pi. dice, C 467, 623. (Gloss. II.) Defame, s. dishonour, C 612. Defamed, pp. defamed, slandered, C 415. F. diffamer, Lat. dtffa- mare, to defame. Defaute, s. fault, sin, C 370; a defect, G 954. (Gloss. II.) Defenden, v. to forbid, C 590 ; ger. Defende, G 1470 ; pp. De- fended, forbidden, C 510. F. defendre, Lat. defenders. Deknes, s. pi. deacons, G 547. Lat. diaconus. Del, s. part ; every del, every whit, entirely, G 1269. A. S. d I2I 7 The word is dissyllabic; A.S. duru. Dorste. See Dar. Doten, v. to grow foolish, act foolishly, G 983. Cf. F. ra-doter, to dote ; but the F. is borrowed from a Low-German source, which appears in the Du. dittten, to take a nap, to mope, from dut, a nap, sleep, dotage. Doublenesse, s. duplicity, G 1300. Doughter, s. daughter, B 151. A. S. dohtor. Doute, s. doubt, B 777, G 833 ; out of doute, doubtless, B 390, C 822. F. doute, doubt, from douter, Lat. dubitare, to doubt. Doutelees, adv, doubtless, C 492, G 16, 1435 ; without hesitation, B 226. Dowue, s. dove, pigeon, C 397. Of A. S. origin, though not easily found ; cf. Icel.dufa, Swed. dufva, Du. duif. (Somner's A. S. Diet, gives the form duua.} Dradden, pt.pl. subj. should dread, should fear, G 15. See Drede. Draf, s. draff, refuse, chaff, I 35. GLOSS ART AL INDEX. 227 A. S. drabbe, lees, dregs ; Du. draf, swill, hog's-wash ; Icel. draf, draff, husks. Dragoun, 5. dragon, G 1435. F. dragon, Lat. draconem, Gk. Spa/f- ovra. Drede, s. fear, G 204 ; doubt, C 507 ; it is no drede, there is no doubt, B 869; withouten drede, without doubt, 196. A. S. drad, dread, fear. Dreden, v. to fear, G 320; ger. to drede, to be feared, 437 ; 2 p. s. pres. subj. thou mayest dread, 477. A. S. dr&dan, to fear. Drenchen, v. to be drowned, B 455 ! PP- Drenched, G 949. The A. S. drencan is properly transitive, meaning, to make to drink, to drench. Drenchyng, s. drowning, B 485 ; Drenching, B 489. Dresse, v. to prepare (himself), get ready, B noo; address (myself), G 77 ; v. refl. address himself, G 1271; pi. s. refl. Dresseth hir, prepares herself, B 265 ; pr. pi. Dressen, prepare themselves, set forward, B 263 ; Dresse, 416; pr. pi. refl. direct themselves, i. e. take their places in order, 416. F. dresser ; from Lat. directus, direct. (See Brachet.) Dronke, pp. drunk, H 1 7. A. S. druncen, pp. of drincan, to drink. Dronkelewe, adj. drunken, over- come with drink, C 495. From the A. S. verb drincan, to drink. Dronkenesse, s. drunkenness, B 771, C 484. A. S. druncennes ; from drincan, to drink. Droppe, s. drop, 522. A dissyl- labic word ; A. S. dropa t a drop ; cf. G. tropfe. Drough, pt. s. drew (himself), G 685. A. S.dragan, to draw; pt. t. ic drdg or ic droh, I drew. Dryue, v. to drive ; dryue the day awey, pass the time, C 628. A.S. drifan, to drive. Dulle, adj. pi. dull, stupid, B 202. A. S. dol, foolish ; put for dwol, as shewn by A.S. gedwolgod, a false god or idol ; Goth, dwals, foolish ; cf. Du. dol, mad, G. toll, mad. Dulleth, />r. s. makes dull, stupefies, G 1093, 1172. Dun, s. the dun horse, (see note), H 5. A.S. dun, dun ; of Celtic origin; cf. W. dwn, dun, dusky, Gaelic donn, brown. Dure, v. to last, B 187, 1078. F. durer, Lat. durare, to last ; from durus, hard. Dwelte, pt. s. dwelt, B 134; pi Dwelten, 550. Grein gives an A.S. dwellan, to hinder ; cf. Icel. dvelja, to delay, Swed. dvdljas, to delay ; Sw. dvala, torpor, con- nects the word with A.S. dwol, dol. See Dulle. Dye, v. to die, B 644 ; pt s. Dyde, died, C 658. See Deye. E. Eek, adv. moreover, also, B 140, 444. A. S. ec, edc, eke, also. Eet, pt. s. ate, C 510. (Gloss. II.) Effect ; in effect, in fact, in reality, G 511. Eft, adv. again, B 792, G 1263. A.S. eft, again, back; cf. A.S. aft, again, allied to after. Eftsone, adv. soon after, G 1288 ; soon after this, H 65 ; hereafter, G 933 ; again, B 909. From A. S. eft, dv- Taoyttz, an appearance, (pavrafa, make to appear; from . I go, G 733; pr. pi. I p. Faren, we fare, live, 662 ; 2 p. Fare, ye fare, ye succeed, 1417; pr. s. Fareth, it turns out, 966 ; imp. pi. Fareth well = fare ye well, B 1159; pp. Fare, gone, B 512. A. S. faran, to go, to fare. (Gloss. I. and II.) Farewel, inter], farewell ! it is all over G 907, 1380; used ironi- cally , 1384. Faste, adv. quickly, G 245 ; as faste, very quickly, 1235. A. S. fcest, firm; adv. faste, firmly, also quickly. Faste, pt. s. fasted; pres. part. Fastinge, C 363. A.S. fasten, fast- ing ; fotstung, the season of Lent. Fayn, adj. glad, H 92 ; adv. gladly, willingly, B 173, 222. A.S. fagn, fain, glad; Icel. feginn. Fecchen, v. to fetch, G 41 1 ; pt. s. Fette, fetched, 548, 1365; pp. Fet, B 667. A. S. feccan ; pt. t. ic feahte, pp. gefetod. Feelede, pt. s. felt, 6521. A. S. felian, to feel; pt. t. icfelode. Feend, s. fiend, B 1064, C 844 ; enemy, B 454 ; evil spirit, G 86 1. A. S.feon, to hate ; whence pres. pt. feond, hating, a fiend; cf. Sanskrit pi, to hate. Feendly, adj. fiendlike, devilish, B 751, 783, G 1071. Fel, pt. s, befell, happened, 6141 See Falle, Felawe, s. companion, H 7 ; pi. Felawes, companions, G 747 ; comrades, C 696. Icel. felagi, a companion ; from fe, cattle, pro- perty ; and lagi, law, society ; applied to one who has a share in a property. Felonye, s. crime, B 643. Low Lat. fello, felo, a traitor, rebel, criminal ; O. F.fel, cruel (Roque- fort). Of uncertain and dis- puted origin; perhaps allied to Bret, fall, Irish feall, W. ffel, evil, wily. Femininitee, s. feminine form, B 360. Fen, s. chapter, or subdivision of Avicenna's book called the Canon, C 890. See the note. Fende, s. dat. fiend, B 780. See Feend. Fer, adj. far, B 508, 658. A. S. feorr. Fered, pp. terrified, afraid, G 924. From A. S. /, I blow. Folily, adv. foolishly, G 428, From F. fol, mad ; see Brachet. Folwen, pr. pi. follow, C 514. A.S.folgian. Fome. See Foom. Fond, pt. s. found, B 514, 607, C 608, G 185. A.S. findan, to find ; pt. t. icfand, pp.funden. Fonde, v. to endeavour, G 951 ; to try to persuade, B 347. A. S. fandian, to try, tempt. Fonge, v. to receive, B 377. From a form fangan, appearing in A. S. in the contracted form fon, to take ; cf. Du. vangen, G. fangen, to take. Font-ful water, fontful of water, B357- Fontstoon, s. font, B 723. Foom, s. foam, G 564 ; dat. Fome, 565, A. S.fdm (fdm), foam. Foot-hot, adv. instantly, on the spot, B 438. See note. Fostred, pp. nurtured, brought (up), B 275, G 122 ; nurtured in the faith, G 539. (Gloss. II.) Foul, adj. foul, bad ; for foul ne GLOSSARIAL INDEX. fayr, by foul means or fair, B 525. A.S./M/, foul. Founden, pp. found, B 612 ; pro- vided, 243. See Fond. Foure, num. four, B 491, G 1460. A. S. feower. The word is dissyl- labic, being treated as a plural adjective. Fourneys, s. furnace, G 804. F. fournaise y from Lat. ace. for- nacem. Foyson, s. abundance, B 504. O. F. foison, from Lat. ace. fusionem: which from fundere, to pour forth. For, conj. because, B 340, C 440, G 232 ; in order that, B 478 ; prep, because of, C 504; as being, 6457. A.S. /or. Forbede, imp. sing, forbid, may (He) forbid, G 996 ; pr. s. Forbedeth, forbids, C 643. A. S. forbeodan, Goth, faurbiudan. Forby, adv. past, by, C 668. Fordoon, v. to do for, to destroy, 6369. A. S.fordon, to destroy, ' do for ' ; cf. Lat. perdere. For-dronke, pp. very drunk, C 674* Cf. A. S. fordrencan, to intoxicate. The prefix for- is here intensive. Forgon, v. to forgo (commonly misspelt forego), G 610. A. S. forgdn, to forgo ; Goth, fanr- gaggan, to pass by ; cf. G. vergehen. Distinct from A. S. foregdn, to go before. Forlete, v. to give up, C 864, A. S. forlatan, to let go, relin- quish ; cf. Du. verlaten, to aban- don, G. verlassen. Fors, s. heed ; make no fors, take no heed, H 68 ; no/ors, it is no matter, it is of no 'consequence, B 285, C 303, G 1019, 1357. ' I gyue no force, I care not for a thing, // ne men chault ; ' Pals- grave's French Diet. Forswering, s. perjury, 657; s. pi. Forsweringes, 592. A. S. for-swerian, to swear falsely. Forth, adv. forth, forward, B 294, C 660. A. S./orft, forth, thence, forward. Forthermo, adv. moreover, C 594; Forthermore, 357. Forther ouer, adv. furthermore, moreover, C 648. Forthward, adv. forward, B 263. For-waked, pp. tired out with watching, B 596. A. S. prefix for, and wacian, to watch. For-why, conj. because, C 847. Forwrapped, pp. wrapped up, C 718. A.S. prefix for, and M. E. wrappen, to wrap, closely related to wlappen, to wrap (used by Wyclif). See Envoluped. Foryeue, v. to forgive, B 994 ; imp. s. Foryeue, may (He) for- give, C 904; imp. pi. Foryeue, forgive, G 79. A. S. forgifan, Goth, fragiban ; cf. G. vergeben. Fraught, pp. freighted, B 171. For an account of the idiom, see the note, p. 122. Cf. Swed. frakfa, Dan. fragte, to freight, load ; Swed. frakt, Dan. fragt, Du. vracht, a load, bnrden. Fredom, s. liberality, bounty, B 168. The A. S. fre 6 means both free and bountiful. Frendes, s. pi. friends, B 269. A. S.frednd, a friend ; pres. part, of a lost verb freon, to love this is shewn by Goih.frijonds, a friend, pres. part, of Goth, frtjon, to love. Cf. Skt. pri, to love. Frete, pp. eaten, devoured, B 475. A. S. fretan, to devour ; contr. from for-etan, to eat up ; cf. Goth. fra-itan, to eat up, from itan, to eat. Thus fret is short for far- eat ; and G. fressen = ver-essen. Freyned, pp. asked, questioned, G 433. A.S. frignan, to ask; Goth, fraihnan ; cf. Du. vragen t G.fragen t Lat. precari. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 333 Fructuous, adj. fruitful, I 73. Lat. fructuosus, fruitful; from fructus, fruit. Fruyt, s. result (lit. fruit), B 411. F. fruit, Lat./irwc/ws. Fruytesteres, s. pi. fern, fruit- sellers, C 478. Fulfild, pp. filled full, B 660; completed, fully performed, I 1 7. A.S.fullfyllan, to fill full, perform, accomplish. Fumositee, s. fumes arising from drunkenness, C 567. From Lat. fumus, fume, smoke. Furlong wey, a furlong's distance, B 557. A. S.furhlang, the length of a furrow, a furlong. Fusible, adj. fusible, capable of being fused, G 856. F. fusible, from Lat. fundere, to pour out. Fyn, s. end, B 424. F. fin, Lat. finis, end. Fynally, adv. finally, B 1072. Fynt, pr. s. finds, G 218. Contr. forfindeth. Fyres, s. gen. fire's, G 1408. A. S. fyr, Du. vuur y G. feuer, Dan. fyr, Gk. irvp. G. Galianes, 5. />/. medicines, C 306. So named after Galen. See the note. Galle, s. gall, G 58, 797. A. S. gealla ; cf. Lat./*/, Gk xkh> G-aloun, s. gallon, H 24. The forms galona and galo arc found in Low Lat. Game, s. sport, G 703, H 100. A. S. gamen, a sport, play. Gan, pt. s. began, G 462 ; used as aux., did, B 614, I u. A. S. ginnan, to begin ; pt. t. fc gann. Ganeth, pr. s. yawneth, H 35. A. S. gdnian, to yawn, gape. Gat, pi. s. obtained, got (for him- self), B 647, G 373. A. S. getan, Icel. geta, to get. The commoner A. S. form is gitan, pt. t. ic geat. Gaude, s. trick, course of trickery, 0389. Gauren, ger. to gaze, stare, B 912. (Gloss. II.) Gaye, adj. fine, G 101 7. F. gai t gay ; from O. H. G. wahi, bright, gay. Not O. H. G. gdch y gd t (j. jahe, quick, hasty; from O. H. G. gdn, to go. Gentillesse, s. kindness, G 1054 ; condescension, B 853. O. F. genf- illece, from gentil, gentle, noble, Lat. gentilis, belonging to a gens or family. Gentilly, adv. courteously, B 1093. Gentils, s. pi. gentlefolks, C 323. Gere, s. gear, property, B 800. A. S. gearwa, clothing, prepara- tion ; gearwan, to prepare ; from gearo, ready, yare. Gerland, s. garland, G 27. Pro- vei^al garlanda ; cf. Ital. ghir- londa, 'F.guirlande. Etym. doubt- ful ; Mr. Wedgwood fails to explain the Italian form. Gesse, v. to imagine, B 622 ; I p. s. pr. I suppose, 246, 1008, 1143, G 977. Cf. Du. gissen, Swed. gissa, to guess; Icel. gizka, to guess. Gestes, s. pi. gests, tales (Lat. gesta), B 1126. Get, s. contrivance, G 1277. Ap- pears in A. S. only in the com- pound and-get, the understanding. From gitan, to get. Gete, 2 p. s. pr. ye get, ye obtain, H 102. See Gat. Giltlees, adj. guiltless, B 643 ; Giltelees, 1062, 1073. Gin, s. snare, contrivance, G 1165. Contracted from F. engin, a machine. Giternes, s. pi. guitars, C 466. O. F. guiterne, also guiterre, guitare, Lat. cithara, Gk. /ciOapa, a stringed instrument. GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. Glade, v. to gladden, G 598. A. S. glced, glad. Gleyre, s. white (of an egg), G 806. ' Gleyre of eyryne [i. e. eggs] or other lyke, glarea ; ' Prompt. Parv. F. glaire (which in Ital. is chiara\ the white of an egg; corrupted from claire, from Lat. clarus, clear. Glose, v. to flatter, 1 45. F. glose, a gloss, from Lat. glossa, Gk. 7XcD<7r. s. i p. I agree, consent, 0327. O. F. granter, to grant. (Gloss. II.) Gree, s. favour, B 25. F. gre, inclination ; from Lat. gratus, pleasing. Grene, s. green, greenness, living evidence, G 90. Grenehede, s. greenness, wanton- ness, B 163. Grette, pt. s. greeted, B 1051, C 714. A. S. grctan, pt. t. ic grette. Grisly, adj. horrible, grewsome, C 473. A S. grislic, hideous, agrisan, to shudder at. Grope, pr. pi. I p. we grope, G GLOSS 'A RIAL INDEX. 235 679 ; imp. s. Grope, 1236. A. S. grdpian, to lay hold of; from grdp, a grasp. Cf. grip, gripe, grasp, grab. Grotes, s. pi. groats, fourpenny pieces, C 376. Du. groot, the name of a coin, originally of large size ; from groot, great. First used in Bremen, where they superseded smaller coins. Grounden, pp. ground, G 760. A. S. grindan, to grind ; pt. t. ic grand ; pp. grunden. Grys, s. gray, G 559. F. gris, O. H. G.gris, gray-haired ; cf. G. greis, a gray-haired man. Gyde, imp. s. may (He) guide, B 245. O. F. guider, another form of guier. See Gye. Gyde, s. guide, ruler, G 45. Gye, ger. to guide, regulate, 113; imp. s. do thou guide, O. F. guier, to guide, Ital. guidare ; from O. Szx.wltan, to observe; cf. O.H.G. wizan, to observe, whence G. weisen. Gyse, s. guise, wise, way ; in his gyse, as he was wont, B 790. H. Habuiidantly, adv. abundantly, B 870. From O. F. habonder, Low Lat. habutidare, to abound, written for Lat. abundare ; from ab and unda, a wave. Hakeney, s. hack-horse, hackney, G 559. Cf. F. haquenee, a nag, Span, hacanea, a nag ; said to be spelt facanea in Old Spanish, and to have a shorter form faca (Webster, Diez.). Halkes, 5. pi. corners, hiding- places, G 311. Cf. Mid. Eng. hale, a recess, Owl and Nightin- gale, 1. 2 ; A. S. heal, an angle, a corner ; probably from the verb helan, to hide. Cf. A. S. hulc, a cottage, cabin ; keolstor, a cavern. Hals, 5. neck, G 1029. A. S. heals, Icel. hdls, G. hah. Halt, pr. s. holds (put for holdeth), B 807 ; considers, G 921. Halwed, pt. s. consecrated, hal- lowed, G 551. A. S. hdlgian, to hallow ; from hdlig, holy. Halwes, s. pi. saints (lit. holy ones), B 1060 ; gen. pi. of (all) saints, G 1 244. A. S. hdlig, holy. Hamer, s. hammer, G 1339. A. S. hamor. Han, v. to keep, retain, C 725 ; to take away, 727 ; to obtain, G 234; to possess (cf. 'to have and to hold '), B 208 ; pr. pi. Han, have, B 142. A. S. habban, to have. Hap, s, luck, G 1209. W. hap, luck, Icel. happ, luck, chance. Happeth, pr. s. it chances, G 649 ; pt. s. Happede, happened, C 606, 885. See above. Harrow, inter j. alas 1 C 288. See the note. Hasard, s. the game of hazard, C 591, 681. O. F. asart (with ex- crescent /), Provencal azar, Span. azar t from Arabic al-zdr, the die, which from Pers. zdr, a die. Hamrdour, s. gamester, C 596 ; pi. Hasardours, 613, 618. Hasardrye, s. gaming, playing at hazard, C 590, 599, 897. Hasteth, imp. pi. refi. hasten, make haste, I 72. O. F. haster, to hasten ; from G. hast, haste ; cf. Icel. hastarligr, hasty. Kastou,/or hast thou, B 676. Haunteth, pr. s. practises, C 547 ; pt. pi. Haunteden, practised, 464. F. hauler , to haunt ; of uncertain origin. Hauteyn, adj. loud, C 330. F. hautain, haughty, from haut, O. F. halt, Lat. altus, high. Hawe, s. haw, yard, enclosure, C 855. A. S. haga t a hedge, a garden. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. He, used for it, G 867, 868. Heed, s. head, H 19 ; pi. Hedes, heads, G 398. A.S. hedfod, M.E. heued, contr. to heed. (Gloss. II.) Heeld, pt. s. held, esteemed, 625. A. S. healdan, pt. t. ic heold. Heer and ther, pJir. now here, now there ; never long in one place, G 1174. A.S. her. Heer, s. hair, G 812. A.S. hczr, Du. and G. haar. Helpeth, imp.pl. help ye, G 1328. A. S. helpan. Helplees, adj. helpless, B 303. Hem, pron. them, B 140 ; dat. to them, G 539, 540. A.S. hig, nom. they ; gen. heora, hira ; dat. heom, him; ace. hig. Hem-self, pron. pi. nom. them- selves, B 145. Heng, pt. s. hung, G 574. A. S. h6n, to hang ; pt. t. ic heng. Henne, adv. hence, C 687. A. S. heonan, henan, hence. Hente, v. to seize, C 710; pt. s. Hente, seized, caught, G 370, 1325; caught away, B 1144; raised, lifted, G 205 ; pr. s. snbj. may seize, G 7; pp. Kent, caught, 12. A.S. hentan, to seize. Her, pron. poss. their, B 137, 138, 140, 221, 373, C 892, G 363, 1387. A. S. heora, hira, of them ; gen. pi. of he*, he. Herafterward, adj. hereafter, G 1168. Herbergage, s. lodging, abode, B 147. O. F. herbergage (Roque- fort) ; from O. H. G. heriberga, a camp, an army-shelter; from O. H. G. herif an army, and berg- an, to hide, shelter. Herbergeours, s. pi. harbingers, providers of lodging, B 997. See above. Hence the modern har- binger, with excrescent (inserted) ft. Her-biforn, adv. here-before, B 613. Herde, s. shepherd, G 192. A.S. hyrde, a guardian of a herd, from heord, a herd. Here, v. to hear, B 182 pp. Herd, heard, 613, G 372. A. S. heran, hiran, to hear ; pp. gehired. Cf. Du. hooren, G. horen. Here, pers. pron. her, B 460. A. S. hire, of her, gen. sing, of hed, she. Herieth, pr. s. praiseth, B 1155; pi. Herien, G 47 ; pp. Heried, B 872. A.S. herian, to praise; from here, fame. Her-inne, adv. herein, G 1292. A. S. her, here ; and the adv. suffix inn an, within. Herknen, v. to hearken, listen to, G 691 ; Herkne, 1006; I p. s. pr. Herkne, I hear, 261 ; imp. pi, Herkneth, hearken ye, C 454. A. S. heorcnian, to listen to ; from hiran, to hear. Hernes, s. pi. corners, G 658. A. S. hyrne, a corner; from horn, a horn, a corner, cognate with Lat. cornu, whence our corner. Herte, s. heart, B 167, 1056, G 870 ; pi. Hertes, hearts, B 1066. A dissyllabic word ; A. S. heorte, pi. heortan ; cf. Gk. Kapfiia. Herte-blood, heart' s-blood, C 902. Here herte is the gen. sing, of the feminine substantive herte ; the A. S. heorte makes heortan in the genitive, not heortes. Her-to, adv. for this purpose, B 243. Heste, s. command, B 382, C 490, 641; dat. B ioi3;/>7. Hestes, commands, B 284, C 640. A. S. hces, a command, with added /. Hete, pr. s. I p. I promise, B 334, 1132. A. S. hdtan, to command, to promise ; cf. G. heissen, to bid. Hete, s. heat, G 1408. A. S. h&to. GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. h&tu, heat; Du. hille, G. hitze; shewing that hete is disyllabic. Hethen, adj. heathen, B 904. A. S. haften, of or belonging to a heath ; haft, a heath ; cf. Icel. heiftinn, a heathen, heffir, heath, G. heide, masc. a heathen, fern, a heath. Cf. pagan from Lat. pagus. Hethenesse, s. heathen lands, B 1 1 12. A. S. hceftennes, heathen- ism. See above. Heuene, gen. heaven's, of heaven, G 542. A. S. heofone, fern. ; gen. heofonan ; we also find heofon, masc. ; gen. heofnes. Hewe, s. dat. hue, colour, B 137, G 728 ; pretence, C 421. A. S. hiw, hue ; dat. hiwe. Hey, s. hay, H 14. A. S. hig ; Du. hoot, G. heu. Hey, adj. high, B 162, 252; severe, 795 ; def. Heye, C 633. A. S. hedh ; Icel. hdr, Du. hoog, G. hock. Hey and low, in, in high and low things, i. e. in all respects, wholly, B993- Heyer, adj. comp. higher, C 597. Heyne, s. a worthless person, G 1319. The ttue sense is ' miser ' ; it is so used by Udall, in his Apophthegmes (1564), bk. i. 22, and 1 06: 'haines and niggardes'; 'a niggard or kain.' Of Scand. origin ; cf. Icel. hegna, to hedge in, Swed. hdgna, to fence, guard, protect, Low G. hegenen, to hedge, protect, spare, save, (Liibben) ; Lowl. Sc. hain, to hedge in, preserve, save money, be penurious (Jamieson). Heyr, s. heir, B 766. O. F. heir (F. hoir), from Lat. ace. haere- dem. Heyre, adj. hair, made of hair, C 736 ; as sb. a hair shirt, sack- cloth, G 133. A. S. h/. Ingottes, G Si 8. From in, in, and A. S. ge6tan, to pour ; cf. Du. ingieten, to pour in ; G. eingws, a pouring in, from giessen, to pour. Inne, adv. within, G 880. A. S. innan, within ; from prep. in. Intellect, s. understanding, G 339. Lat. intellectus. lolitee, s. joviality, C 780. From F. joli, pleasant, from a Scandi- navian source ; Icel. jol, E. yule, a great feast held in midwinter. loyned, pp. joined, G 95. F. joindre, to join, Lat. iungere; Skt. yuj, to join. Ire, s. anger, C 657. Lat. Ira. luge, s. judge, B 814, G 462 ; pi. luges, C 291. F.juge, Lat. ace. iudicem. lugement, 5. judgment, opinion, B 1038 ; judgment, 688. lupartye, s. jeopardy, hasard, G 743. O. F. jeu parti, Lat. iocus partitus, a divided game, a game in which sides were taken. See note. lusten, v. to joust, H 42. O. F. jouster (F. jouter), to joust ; de- rived by Brachet from a Low Lat. iuxtare, to approach, from iuxta, near. Cf. E. jostle. lustise, s. a judge, B 665, C 289, G 497; the administration of justice, C 587. The O. F. justice meant (i) justice, and (2) the administrator of justice ; .and this double use of the word is retained in English. luyse, s. justice, judgment, B 795. The word isju-ys-e, in three syl- lables ; Roquefort gives the O. F. sb. juise, formed, by loss of d, from Lat. indicium, judgment. K. Kepe, pr. s. I p. I care ; I kepe han, I care to have, G 1368; pt. pi. Kepte, regarded, tended, B 269 ; imp. pi. Kepeth, keep ye, B 764, G 226. A. S. cepan, to keep; pt. t. ic cepte. Kepe, 5. heed ; tdk kepe, take heed, C 352, 360. Kerchef, s. kerchief, B 837. From O. F. covrir, to cover, and chef, the head ; it meant, originally, a covering for the head. Cf. cur- few, from O. F. covrir, and feu, fire. Key, s. key (pronounced kay), G 1219. A. S. c&g, also cage, a key. Kin, s. kindred, race, G 829. A. S* cynn, a kin, lineage. Kin, adj. kind ; som kin, of some kind, B 1137. A.S. cynn, akin, fit. 240 GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Kiste, pt. s. kissed, B 385; pi. Kiste, C 968 ; pp. Kist, in phr. been they kist = they have kissed each other, B 1074. A. S. coss, a kiss; cyssan, to kiss; cf. G. kussen. Kitte, pt. s. cut, B 600. M. E. cutten, to cut ; a Celtic word. Cf. Welsh cwta, short, cwtan, cytio, to shorten; Gaelic cutaich, to curtail, cutach, docked; cut, a bob-tail. (No; Scandinavian.) Knaue, s. boy, servant-lad, B 4^4, C 666; as adj. male, B 722. A. S. cnapa, cnafa, a boy, G. knabe, Icel. Jtnapi, a servant-lad. Knitte, ^er. to knit, I 47 ; Knit- test thee, pr. s. 2 p. refl. knittest thyself, joinest thyself, art in con- junction, B 307; see note on p. 127. A. S. cnyttan, to knit ; from cnotf, a knot, cognate with Du. knot. Knowestow, knowest thou, B 367 ; pp. Knowe, known, 890, 955. A. S. cndwan ; cf. Lat. noscere (for gnoscere). Knowleching, s. knowledge, G 1432. In the verb to Itnowlechen, the suffix is the common A.S. suffix -l&can\ in the sb. know- leche (our knowledge), the suffix seems to have been suggested by the verb. Knyght, s. knight, servant (of God), G 353. A.S. cniht, a servant ; cf. G. knecht. Kynde, s. dat. nature, G 41, 659 ; race, lineage, 121. A. S. cynd, nature. The final e is due to the fact that in all three passages it is a dative case. Kythe, pr. s. subj. may shew, B 636 ; pp. Kythed, shewn, G 1054. A.S. cyftan, to make known ; from eito 1 , known, which is the p. p. of cunnan, to know. Laas, 5. lace, band, G 574. O. F. las, laz (F. lacs), from Lat. laqueus, a noose. Our lasso is from the O. Spanish form of the same word. (Gloss. I.) Labour, s. endeavour, B 381. O. F. labour, Lat. ace. laborem. Ladde, pt. s. led, B 976, G 370, 374; brought, B 442 ; pp. Lad, 646. A. S. ladan, pt. t. ic ladde; connected with A. S. ItfSan, to travel. Ladel, s. ladle, H 51. The A.S. hladel meant the handle of a windlass for drawing water ; from hladan, to lade, draw. Ladyes, s. pi. ladies, B 254. Pron. laadee-ez, as a trisyllable. A. S. hldfdige, a lady. Lafte, pt. s. i p. I left, C 762 ; pp. Laft, G 883, 1321. A.S. lifan, to leave ; Icel. leifa. Lakketh, pr. s. lacks, G 498. Cf Icel. lakr, deficient. Lampe, s. lamina, thin plate, G 764. F. lame, a thin plate ; Lat. lamina. The insertion of ex- crescent p occurs after m in othei words in Chaucer ; as in solempne, dampne, empty, nempnen. Lampes, s. pi. lamps, G 802. Lappe, s. skirt or lappet of a gar- ment, G 12. A. S. Iceppa, a lap, border, hem ; Du. lap, a remnant, shred. Lasse, adj. less, C 602. A. S. Ices, less ; also lassa. Lat, imp. permit, let, G 164 ; lat take = let us take, 1254. A - s - latan, to allow, let ; Du. laten, G. lassen. Late, adj. late ; bet than neuer is late, G 1410. A. S. lat, slow. Latoun, s. a kind of brass, C 351. See the note. O. F. laton (F. laitoji), from Low Lat. ace. laton- em. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 241 Latyn, s. Latin, B 519. Lay, s. religious belief, faith, creed, B 376, 572. O.F. lei (F. Jo/), from Lat. ace. legem. Leche, 5. physician, C 916, G 56. A. S. Icece, a physician ; Idcnian, to heal; Goth, lekeis, leikeis, a physician. Lede, v. to govern, B 434 ; pr. s. subj. may bring, 357. A. S. Icedan. See Ladde. Leden, adj. leaden, G 728. Leed, s. lead, G 406, 828. A. S. ledd, lead ; leaden, leaden ; Du. lood, lead. Leef, adj. dear, precious, G 1467 ; yow so leef=so dear to you, so desired by you, C 760. A. S. leaf, dear ; G. lieb. The pi. is leue, voc. sing. hue. See Leue. Leek, s. leek, i. e. thing of small value, G 795. A. S. ledc, a herb ; whence gui-liclt. Lees, s. leash, G 19. F. laisse, from Lat. laxa, used to mean a loose rope, fern, oflaxus, loose. Leet, pt. s. let, caused (to be), B 959; let, G 190; imp. s. let, C 731. See Lat. Lemman, s. (leof- or lef-man) lover; lit. dear man, B 917. A. S. leof, dear, man, a human being of either sex. Similarly Lammas answers to A. S. hldf masse. Lene, ger. to lend, G 1024, 1037 ; imp. s. lend, 1026. A. S. lanan, to lend ; from Idn, a loan. The addition of excrescent d appears also in sound (F. son), hind (A. S. hlne), &c. Lenger, adj. comp. longer, B 262 ; adv. longer, B 374. A. S. lang, long ; comp. lengra, longer. Leos, s. pi. people, G 103, 106; Gk. \us. See the note. Leoun, s. lion, B 475. G 198. O. F. leon ; from Lat. ace. leon- em. Lepe, pr. pi. leap, G 915. A. S. VOL. III. 1 hledpan, to leap, run ; Du. loopen, to run (whence e-lope, inter- loper) ; cf. G. laufen, to run. Lere, ger. to learn, B 181, 630, C 325, G 838, 1056, 1349; v., C 578 ; pres. s. subj. may learn, G 607. Chaucer uses the word wrongly ; the A. S. laran, like G. lehren, meant to teach. (Gloss. II.) See below. Lerne, ger. to teach, G 844; Lerned of, taught by, G 748. Chaucer uses the word wrongly, and so does mod. prov. English. The A. S. leornian meant to learn, like mod. G. lernen. See above. Lerninge, s. instruction, G 184. Lese, v. to lose, <3 229, 745, 833 ; ger. G 321 ; I p. s. pres. subj. 1 may lose, 6225. A. S. leosan, to lose; Goih.fra-liusan. Lesing, s. lie, G 479 ; pi. Les- inges, lies, C 591. A. S. ledsung, a falsehood ; from A. S. leas, adj. meaning (i) loose, (2) false. Leste, adj. superl. least, B 1012. Leste, pr. s. subj. impers. it may please, B 742 ; pi. s. subj. it might please, I 36. A. S. lystan, to choose, gen. used impersonally ; from lust, wish, desire, pleasure. Let, pt. s. caused, permitted, B 373. See Lat. Lete, v. to forsake, B 325 ; ger. 331 ; to leave, 986 ; v. to let out, lose, 6406, 523 ; I p. s. pr. I let, permit, B 321, 410, 1119^ imp. pi. let go, give up, G 1049 A. S. l.Maked,G484. (Chaucer also has Maad, q. v.) A. S. macian, to make ; pp. macod. From the same root as E. match, an equal. Male, s. bag, wallet, C 920, G 566, I 26. O. F. male (F. malle}, a budget ; from O. H. G. malaha, a leathern bag. Cf. E. mail in fwa*7-bag. Malisoun, s. curse, G 1245. O. F. malison; from Lat. ace. male- dictionem ; so also benison is a doublet of benediction. Malliable, adj. malleable, such as can be worked by the hammer, G 1130. From Lat. malleus, a hammer, mallei. Maner, s. manner, sort, G 424 ; maner pley, kind of game, C 627 ; matter chaunce, kind of luck, G 527 ; maner latyn, kind of Latin, B 519; Manere, G 45, 142. O. F. maniere, manner ; from Lat. manus, the hand. Mannish, adj. man-like, i. e. un womanly, B 782. Cp. A. S. menn- isc, human. Manslaughtre, s. murder, C 593. A. S. sledn, to slay, kill. Marie, interj. marry, i.e. by St. Mary, G 1062. Mark, s. a piece of money, of the value of 135. \d. in England, G 1026 ; pi. Mark, i. e. marks, C 390. See note to C 390. Mars (the planet), G 827. Mary, s. marrow, C 542. A. S. mearh, marrow. (Gloss. I.) Mased, pp. bewildered, B 526, 678. (Gloss. I.) Mat, adj. struck dead, defeated utterly, B 935. O. F. mat, de- feated, languid, feeble, G. matt, dull. Borrowed from the game of chess, in which check-mate is a corruption of Persian shah mat f the king is dead ; Diez. Mater e, s. matter, subject, affair, B 322, 411, 581 ; pi. Materes, materials (of a solid character), G 776; gen. pi. Matires, of the materials, 770. O. F. matiere, matere, Lat. materia. Maumettrye, s. Mahometanism, B 236. Maumet is a corruption of Mahomet or Muhammed. Maunciple, s. manciple, H 25, 69, 103, I I. From Lat. manceps, a purchaser, contractor ; from manus, the hand, and caper e, to take. (Gloss. I.) Mawe, s. maw, B 486. A. S. maga, the stomach. (Gloss. II.) May, I p. s. pr. I can, B 231, 1070 ; Maystow, mayest thou, G 336. A. S. magan, to be able ; pr. t. ie mag ; pt. t. ic mihte ; Icel. mega, G. mbgen. May, s. maiden, B 851. A. S. m&g, a kinsman ; also, a son ; also, a daughter. Maydenhede, s. maidenhood, G 126. A. S. magdeiihdd. GLOSSARTAL INDEK. 245 Me die, v. to meddle, take part in, G 1184; imp. pi. Medleth, G 1424. O. F. medler, given by Burguy as another form of mesler, which is the Low Lat. misculare, to mix ; from Lat. miscere, to mix. Meel, s. meal, B 466. A. S. mcel, a time, a portion ; also, a meal. Memorie, s. memory, G 339. From Lat. memoria. Men, s. pi. men, people, folks ; often put for Man, one, with a verb in the singular, C 675, G 392 ; gen. Mennes, men's, B 202. Mene, pr. s. i p. I mean, speak of, B 641, G 1424, In; Menestow, meanest thou, G 309 ; I p. s. pt. Mente, intended, 999, 1051 ; pt. s. B 327. A. S. manan, to have in mind ; cf. G. meinen, to intend. Mene, adj. mean, intermediate, B 546, 61262. O. F. meien, moien (F. moyeri), from Lat. medianus ; which from Lat. medius, middle. Menes, s. pi. means, B 480. See above. Mercurie, Mercury, the planet, G 827. Mercurie, s. mercury, i. e. quick- silver, G 772, 774, 827, 1431, 1438. Meschance, s. misfortune, B 602, 610 ; Meschaunce, 896, 914; with meschaunce = with ill luck (to him), H 1 1. O. F. meschaance, a mishap ; from Lat. minus, less, i. e. badly, and cadentia, hap ; from Lat. cadere, to fall, happen. Mescheef, s. tribulation, trouble, H 76; misfortune, G 1378; Meschief, 713, 1072. O. F. meschief; from Lat. minus, less, badly ; and capuf, the head. Message, s. errand, B 1087 ; also, messenger, B 144, 333. F. mes- sage, Low Lat. missaticum, a message, missaticus, a messenger ; from mittere, to send. Messager, 5. messenger, B 724, 785. F. message?; see above. The n is excrescent, as in passen- ger, i. e. passager. Mesurable, adj. moderate, C 515. O. F. mesurable, Lat. mensura- bilis ; from metiri, to measure. Ministre, s. minister, B 168. From Lat. minus, less ; as magis- ter is from magis, more. Mir our, s. mirror, B 166, G 668. O. F. mlreor, a mirror ; from Lat. mirart, to gaze, wonder at. Mis, adj. amiss, wrong, blame- worthy, G 999. Icel. missa, a fault ; Icel. missa, A. S. missian, to miss. Misauenture, s. misfortune, B 616. O. F. mesavenfure. (Note that in most E. words taken from the French the prefix mis- is a cor- ruption of O. F. mes, Lat. minus.) In native words it is the (totally different) A. S. prefix mis-. Misbileue, s. belief of trickery, suspicion, G 1213. Here the prefix is probably the A. S. mis-, wrong. See above. Mistriste, v. mistrust, C 369. See Misauenture. Miteyn, s. mitten, glove, C 372, 373. F. mitaine, explained by some as a half-glove, from O.H.G. mittle, middle ; by others, more probably, as being from a Celtic source. Cf. Gaelic miotag, a worsted glove, Irish mitinigh, mit- tens. Mochel, adj. much, G 611, H 54 ; many, G 673. A. S. mycel, much. Moder, s. mother, B 696; gen. Modres, mother's, C 729, G 1243. A.S. mddor; cf Icel. moftir, G. mutter, Lat. mater, Gk. i^rrip, Skt. matri. Moebles, s. pi. movable goods, personal property, G 540. From Lat. mouere; cf. F. meubles, furniture. 246 GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Moeued, pt. s. moved, disturbed, B 1 1 36 ; pres.pt. Moeuyng, moving, 295. O. F. mouvoir, movoir, from Lat. mouere. Mollificacioun, 5. mollifying, softening, G 854. From Lat. mollis, soft." Mones, s. gen. moon's, 1 10. A. S. mona, gen. monan ; hence the M. E. gen. is often mone as well as mones ; see Gloss. II. Moneye, s. money, G 1033. O. F. moneie, from Lat. monefa, money, a mint. Mo, adj. more (in number), B 419, C 891, G 207, 675, 693, 723, 818 ; othere mo = others besides, 1001 ; na mo = no more, none else, B 695. A. S. md, more in number ; chiefly used as the com- parative of our many ; whereas the word more commonly means greater in size, used as the comp. of micltle, great. Mooder, s. mother, B 276. See Moder. Moorning, s. mourning, B 621. A. S. meornan, murnan, to mourn. Moot, pr. s. must, is to, B 294. See Mot. Moralitee, s. morality, i. e. a moral tale, I 38. From Lat. mores, manners. More and lesse, greater and lesser, i.e. every one, B 959. See Mo. Mortifie, v. to mortify ; lit. to kill; used of producing change by chemical action, G 1431 (see note to the line) ; Mortifye, 1 1 26. From Lat. mors, death. Morwe, s. morrow, morn; by the morwe, early in the morning, at dawn, H 16. A. S. morgen, morning. By change of g to w we get morwen, whence morwe by dropping n, which is mod. E. morrow. Direct contraction, with loss of g, gives morn. Mot, pr. s.ip.l must, I have to, B 227, 737, C 327, 725; si/6/, may, G 634, H 80 ; mot I theen = may I thrive, C 309 ; foule mot thee falle = foully (i. e. ill) may it happen to thee, H 40 ; pt. s. I p. Moste, I must, I ought, B 282 ; pt. s. must, had to, B 886, G 523; subj. might, B 380; vs moste = it must be for us, i.e. it should be our resolve, G 946. A. S. ie mot, I may; pt. t. ic mosle, I ought to, I must. Motyf, s. motive, incitement, B 628. F. motif; from mouvoir, to move; Lat. mouere. Mountance, s. amount, quantity, C 863. O. F. monfance, amount, value ; from monter, to mount ; which from mont, a mountain ; from Lat. ace. montem. Mow, 2 p. s. pr. subj. mayest, G 460; pi. Mowe, may, can, G 510, 780, 909; i p. pr. pi. Mowen, we cannot. From A. S. mag an, to be able. Moysty, adj. new (applied to ale), H 60; Moiste, C 315. O.F. moiste (F. moite}; from Lat. musteus, adj. of mustum, new wine, must. Mullok, 5. rubbish, refuse, con- fused heap of materials, G 938, 940. Gower uses mull in a similar sense ; see Specimens of English, ed. Morris and Skeat. MulloJe is a diminutive. It is connected with mould. Multiplicacioun, s. multiplying, i. e. the art of alchemy, G 849. Multiplye, v. to make gold and silver by the arts of alchemy, G 669, 731. Mused, pt. s. pondered, considered, B 1033. F. muser, to loiter, trifle. Myle, s. pi. miles, G 556; cf. Myles in 1. 561. In the former case the older form is retained; GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 147 cf. A. S. mila, the plural nom. gen. and ace. of mil, fern. sb. Mynde, s. memory, B 5 2 7 ; re- membrance, 908, 1127 ; tomynde = to (my) memory, 788. A. S. mynd, gemynd, memory, from munan, gemunan, to remember. Myte, s. a mite, thing of no value, G 511, 633, 698, 1421. It was borrowed from O. F. mite, ' the smallest of coins'; Cotgrave. From M. Du. mtjt, mite, a very small coin, a mite, a bit cut off. Cf. Icel. mcita, to cut. N. Nadde, pt. pi. had not, G 879, H 51. For ne Jiadde. Naked, pp. as adj. destitute, void, weak, G 486. A. S. nacod, naked, a pp. form. The verb to nake, to lay bare, is used by Chaucer in his translation of Boethius. Nam, pt. s. took, G. 1297. A. S. niman, to take ; pt. t. ic nam ; cf. G. nehmen, to take. Namely, adv. especially, B 563, C 402. Na mo, i. e. no more, none else, B 695 ; Namo, G 543. See Mo. Namore, adv. no more, never again, B 1 1 12, C 962, G 651, 1266. Nappeth, pr. s. naps, slumbers, nods, H 8. A. S. Anappian, to slumber. Nart, for ne art, i. e. art not, G 499- Nas, for ne was, i. e. was not, B 159, 209, 292, 938. Nat, adv. not, H 23 ; Nat but, only, C 403. Cf. prov. E. nobbut (i. e. not but), only. Nat, for ne at, i. e. nor at (see note, p. 6), B 290. So also Chaucer has nin for ne in ; see Gloss. II. TTatheles, adv. nevertheless, none the less, B 621, C 813, G 717. A. S. nd, not, ]>y, on that account, instrumental case of se, seo, }>-shop.' Owen, adj. own, B 1058, C 834 ; pi. Owene, G 1154. A. S. dgen, own ; from dgan, to possess. Cf. Icel. eiginn, own, from eiga, to possess. Oweth, pr. s. owneth, owns, pos- sesses, C 361. A. S. dgan, to possess ; Icel. eiga. Owner, adv. anywhere, G 838. A. S. dhw&r, anywhere. Oyles, s. pi. oils, G 856. From Lat. oleum, oil. P. Paas, s. pace, foot-pace, G 575 (see the note) ; gon a paas = go at a foot pace, C 866. From Lat. passtts, a step. Pace, ger. to pass ; to pace o/= to pass from, B 205. F. passer, Low Lat. passare, to pass over. From pandere. Palled, adj. enfeebled, languid, H 55. It is connected with pale, not with W. pallu, to fail, W. pally loss of energy. See Appalled in Murray's Diet. Palm, s. palmbranch, G 240. Lat. palma. Panne, 5. a pan, G 1210. A dis- syllabic word. A. S. and Icel. panna. Parauenture, adv. peradventure, perhaps, B 190. Par cas, by chance, B 885. Parde, inter] . F. par Dieu, C 672. Parfay, interj. by my faith, verily, 8849. O.F.parfei. Parfit, adj. perfect, G 353. F. parfait, Lat. perfectus. Paritorie, s. pellitory, Parietaria officinalis, G 581. 'In rural dis- tricts an infusion of this plant is a favourite medicine ; ' Flowers of the Field, by C. A. Johns. ' Part" toire, pellitory of the wall ; ' Cot- grave. From Lat. paries, a wall. Pas, s. pace, B 399 ; pi. Pas, paces, movements, 306. See Paas. Passen, v. to surpass, outdo, G 857. See Pace. Passing, adj. surpassing, excellent, G 614. Patente, s. a letter of privilege, so called because open to all men's inspection, C 337. From Lat. patere, to lie open. Paue, v. to pave, G 626. From Lat. pauire, to ram or beat down earth ; cf. Gk. iraiew, to strike. Payens, s. pi. pagans, B 534. F. paien, Lat. paganus, prop, a villager. See Hethen. Pees, s. peace, G 44 ; in pees = in silence, B 228. O. F. pes, Lat. ace. pacem. Pees, interj. peace ! hush ! B 836, G 95 i. Pens, s. pi. pence, C 376. (N. B. Pens was pronounced with sharp s, as in pens-ive, not with z, as in the pi. of pen.} Pepeer, 5. pepper, G 762. From Lat. piper, Skt. pippali. Perauenture, adv. perhaps, per- chance, C 935, H 71. See Parauenture. Percen, pr. pi. pierce, G 911. F. percer. Perfit, adj. perfect, I 50. See Parfit. Perseueraunce, s. continuance, G 443. See below. Perseuereth, pr. s. lasteth, C 497. From Lat. perseuerare. Perseueringe, s. perseverance, G 117. Person, s. parson, I 33. From Lat. persona. Peter, interj. by St. Peter, G 665. See note, p. 185. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 251 Peyne, s. pain, G 1398 ; penalty, H 86. F. peine, Lat. poena. Peyne, pr. s. I p. refl. I peyne me = 1 take pains, C 330, 395; pr. s. refl. Peyneth hir, endeavours, B 320. Peytrel, s. properly, the breast- plate of a horse in armour ; here used for the breast-plate of a horse's harness, G 564. Cf. O. F. poitral (Roquefort), Fr. poifrail, Lat. pectorale ; from Lat. pectus, the breast. Philosophre, s. philosopher, G 490; pi. Philosophres, 1427. Pinchen, ger. to find fault, H 74. F. pincer, O. F. pinser (for picer}, from a Low German source ; cf. Old Dutch pitsen, to pinch ; G. pfetzen, to cut ; O. H. G. pfezzen, to pinch ; Diez. Pitee, s. pity, B 292, 660. F. pitie, O. F. pited, Lat. ace. pieta- tem. (Gloss. II.) Pitous, adj. pitiful, sad, B 449. Pitously, adv. piteously, B 1059, C 298. Plages, s.pl. regions, B 543. From Lat. plaga, a region. Used twice by Chaucer in his Treatise on the Astrolabe (ed. Skeat, i. 5. 7; ii. 31. 10) to signify 'quarters of the compass.' Plantayn, s. plantain, G 581. F. plantain, from Lat. ace. plantagi- nem. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, i. 2. 52 * Your plantain-leaf is excel- lent for that.* The A. S. name was wegbrade, lit. way-broad (not way -bread) ; see weg-brade, in Gloss, to Cockayne's Leechdoms. Plat, adv. bluntly, flatly, openly, plainly, B 886, C 648. F. plat, flat ; from O. H. G. ; G. platt. Playn, adv. plainly, clearly, B 990. F. plain, Lat. planus. See Pleyn. Plesance, s. pleasure, will, delight, B 149, 276, 762, 1140. F. plaisance; from Lat. placere, to please. Pleyn, adj. plain, clear, B 324. F. plain, Lat. planus. See Playn. Pleyn, adv. plainly, clearly, B 886, G 360. See above. Pleyn, adj. full, G 346. F. plein, Lat. plenus. Pleyne, v. to complain, lament, B 1067, C 512. F. plaindre, Lat. plangere. Pleyntes, s. pi. complaints, lamen- tations, B 1068. O. F. plainte, Lat planctus, a lament. Plyght, pp. pledged, plighted, C 702. A.S. plihtan, to pledge; pp. gepliht ; pliht, a pledge ; G. pflicht, a duty. Plyte, s. plight, state, G 952. O. F. pliste, plyte, state, condition ; Roquefort. Point, s. ; in point = on the point, ready (to), B 331, 910. F. point t Lat. punctum. Pokets, s. pi. pockets, i.e. little bags, G 808. Icel. poki, a poke, bag ; whence Norm. dial, poque (F. poche], a pocket, pouch ; with F. dimin. suffix. Pokkes, s. pi. pocks, pustules, C 358. A. S. poc, Du. pok, a pock, pustule. Small pose is a corrupt form of ' the small pocks.' Polcat, s. polecat, C 855. Policye, s. public business, C 600. From Gk. n6\is, a state, city ; whence -no\tria, administration, Latinised as politia, and thence adopted into French. Pomely, adj. dapple ; in the com- pound pomely gris, i. e. dapple- grey, G 559 ; cf. Prologue, 616. Cotgrave has ' Gris pommele, a dapple gray.' Also ' Pommele,' daple, or dapled ; also round, or plump as an apple.' And again ' Pommeler, to grow round, or plump like an apple ; also, to GLOSSARIAL INDEX. daple.' Dapple, by the way, is from the verb to dab, and Wedg- wood well remarks, 'The re- semblance of dapple-gray to O. N. apalgrdr, or apple -gray, Fr. gris pommele, is accidental.' Porphurie, s. porphyry, i. e. a slab of porphyry used as a mortar, G 775. From Lat. porphyriies, Gk. iropfyvpiTrjs, like purple ; from noptyvpa, purple. Pose, s. a cold in the head, H 62. A. S. gepose, a stuffing or cold in the head. Potage, s. broth, C 368. (Gloss. II.) Pothecarie, s. apothecary, C 852. Poudre, s. powder, G 760 ; pi. Poudres, 807. F. poudre, O. F. poldre, Lat. ace. puluerem, dust. Pouert, s. poverty, C 441. O. F. poverte, Lat. paupertatem. Pound, s. pi. pounds, G 1364. A. S. pund, a pound ; pi. pttnd. So we say, * a five-pound note.' Pouped, pp. blown, H 90. An imitative word. See Gloss. I. Pouren, I p. s. pr. we pore, gaze steadily, G 670. Pourest, adj. superl. poorest, C 449. O. F. povre, Lai. pauper. Poynt, s. a stop, G 1480. See Point. Predicacioun, s. preaching, ser- mon, C 345, 407. From Lat. praedicare, to preach. Preef, s. the test, H 75 ; a test, proof, G 968, 1379. cf - F - prouver, Lat. probare, to prove. See Preue. Prees, s. press, throng, B 393, 646, 677. F. presse; from Lat. re- mere, to press. Prefectes, s. pi. prefects, G 369. Lat. praefectus. Preue, v. to prove, i. e. bide the test, G 645 ; to prove to be right, to succeed when tested, 121 2 ; pp. Preued, tested, 1336. Cf. F. proitver, Lat. probare, to test. But it is not certain that prove is a French word ; we find also A. S. profian, Icel. prqfa, G. prufen, to prove, try. 'For feof he bifl to profianne, he is to be held to be a thief;' Laws of Ine (A. D. 689-728) ; cap. x. Preyde, pt. s. prayed, besought, B 391. O.F. preier, Lat. precari, to pray. Preyere, s. prayer, G 256 ; Preyer, H 6. O. F. priere, preere. Priked, pp. spurred, G 561. A. S. priccian, to prick, goad ; Du. priJiJten. Priuee, adj. privy, private, secret, B 204, C 675; Priuy, G 1452. F. prive, Lat. priuatus. Priuetee, s. secret counsel, secrecy, B 548, G 1052, 1138 ; Priuyte, G 701. Profre, 2 p. s. pr. subj. mayst proffer, mayst offer, G 489. O. F. profrir, porofrir, to proffer ; Lat. pro and offer re. Prolle,/>r. pi. 2 p. ye prowl, prowl about, search widely, G 1412. See Prollyn, and Prollynge, in Prompt. Parv. The origin of it is doubtful. Propre, adj. fine, handsome, C 309. F. propre, proper; Lat. proprius. Prose, s. prose, I 46. F. prose, Lat. prota. Protestacioun, s. protest, I 59. Prow, s. profit, advantage, C 300, G 609. O.F. prou, prod, gain, advantage ; the source appears in Lat. prod-est, it is advantageous. Prye, v. to pry, look, peer, G 668. Origin unknown. Perhaps it is merely a peculiar use of F. prier, to pray ; also, to beseech, beg. Pryme, s. prime ; used in Chaucer, apparently, to signify 9 A.M., G 662. (Gloss. II.) GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 253 Pulpet, s. pulpit, C 391. Lat. pulpitum. Purchaser!, ger. to purchace, ac- quire, G 1405 ; imp. s. Purchace, may (He) provide, B 873. F. pourchasser, to hunt after, acquire. Purged, pp. absolved, cleansed (by baptism), G 181. Lat. purgare, to purify. Purpos, s. purpose, design, B 170. F. propos, Lat. proposition. The verb to purpose is both proposer and purposer in Old French. Purses, s. pi. purses, G 1404. F. bourse, Gk. ftvpaa, a skin. Purveiance, s. equipment, B 247 ; providence, 483. F. pourvoir (O. F. porvoir), to purvey or provide ; Lat. prouidere. Pye, s. magpie, G 565. Y.pie, Lat. pica. Pyne, s. suffering, B 1080. A. S. pin, pain ; Icel. plna, to torment. Q, Quelle, v. to kill, C 854 ; imp. s. may (he) kill, G 705. M. E. cullen, Icel. holla, to hit on the head, to harm, from kollr, head, top, gives E. kill; but quell is the A. S. cwellan. Quene, s. queen, G 1089 ; Queene, B 161. A. S. cwen, Gk. yvvrj, a woman. It is remarkable that Chaucer makes it a dissyllabic word ; see also Gloss. II. Queynte, adj. pi. strange, G 752. O. F. cointe, instructed, Lat. cognitus, known; but it seems to have been influenced by Lat. comptus, trimmed. Quike, ger. to make alive, quicken, G 481. A. S. cwiccan, to make alive ; cf. Icel. kvikna, to revive ; from A. S. cwic, Icel. kvikr, alive ; related to Lat. uiuus. Q,uik-siluer, s. quicksilver, i. e. lively silver, G 822. A. S. cwic, alive. Quyte, v. to repay (lit. quit), G 736, 1025; Quyten, 1027; Quyte with = to repay . . . with, 1055 ; to satisfy, pay in full, B 354 ; Quyte hir whyle = requite her time or trouble, lit. repay her time, i. e. her occupation, pains, trouble, B 584 ; I p. s. pr. I requite, C 420 ; pp. Quit, freed, G 66, 448. O. F. quiter (F. quitter}, Lat. quietare, to quiet, satisfy ; from quies, rest. B. Bad, pp. read, G 211. See Bede. Bammish, adj. ramlike, strong- scented, G 887. Cf. Icel. ramr, strong, fetid ; which is probably closely related to A. S. ramm, a ram. Bancour, s. rancour, ill-feeling, H 97. O. F. rancor, rancuer, ran- cure (F. rancune) ; from Lat. ace. rancorem, a rankling. Bape, v. to snatch up ; rape and renne, seize and plunder, G 1422. See the note. The Icel. hrapa means to rush, to hurry ; the proper word to use in this phrase would rather have been rive ; but there was probably a confusion here with the common Lat. verb rapere. Similarly the Icel. verb rana, to rob, to plunder, has been turned into renne, as if from A. S, rennan, to run. Thus rape and renne (as if from Lat. rapere, and A. S. rennan} has been substituted for the original Icel. hrapa (or rifsa) ok rcena. See Benne. Bather, adv. sooner, earlier (in point of time), B 225, 335, C 643. A.S. hrafte, soon ; hraftor, sooner. Battes, s. pi. rats, C 854. A. S. rat. Baue, I p. pi. pres. we rave, we speak madly, G 959. Etym. doubtful. Roquefort gives an 254 GLOSSARIAL INDEX. O. F. raver, to run about. Cf. Lat. rabere, to be mad ; from which, however, the F. has enrager. Recche, I p. s. pres. I reck, G 489. A. S. recan, Icel. rakja, O. Flemish roeken. See Rekke. Recchelees, adj. careless, indif- ferent (lit. reckless), B 229. A. S. recceleds ; cf. Du. roekeloos. Receit, s. receipt, i. e. recipe for making a mixture, G 1355, 1366. Receit is from Lat. pp. receptus ; recipe is the Lat. imperative sin- gular from the same verb, viz. recipere. Receyued, pp. accepted (as con- genial), acceptable, B 307. F. recevoir, Lat. recipere. Reclayme, v. to reclaim, as a hawk by a lure, i.e. check, H 72. From Lat. re, back, and clamare, to call. Recomandeth., pr. s. refl. com- mends (herself), B 278; ger. Recomende, to commend, commit, G 544. Lat. re, back; con, with ; mandare, to hand over. Rede, v. to read, G 206 ; I p. s. pr. I read, B 1095, C 508; I advise, C 793, 941, G 502, 1008, J 475 J PP- Rad read G 211. A. S. r&dan, to read, to advise ; cf. G. rathen, to advise. Rede, adj. as sb. red, i. e. the blood, B 356 ; as sb. red wine, C 526, 562 ; pi. Rede, red, G 1095. A. S. redd, red; Icel. rauftr, G. roth. The indef. form is reed, q. v. ; rede is def. or plural. Redily, adv. quickly, C 667. A. S. rdd, r 735 J & Regnes, kingdoms, 181. F. regne, Lat. regnum. Regneth, pr. s. reigneth, has dominion, B 776. From Lat. regnare. Reherse, v. to rehearse, recount, G 786. O. F. rehercer, to repeat, lit. to harrow over again; from herce, Lat. ace. herpicem, a har- row (Varro). See Gloss. I. Reh.ersai.lle, s. rehearsal, enume- ration, G 852. See above. Rekeninges, s. pi. reckonings, H 74. A. S. recnan, to reckon. Rekke, pr. s.ip.l reck, care, C 405 ; imp. s. reck, care, G 698 ; pr. s. Rekketh, accounts, cares, 632. See Recche. Rekne, ger. to reckon, B 158. A. S. recnan, to reckon ; G. rechnen. Relees, 5. relaxation, ceasing ; out ofrelees, without ceasing, G 46. O. F. reles, relais, relaxation ; from the verb relesser (F. relais- ser), which is the Lat. relaxare, to relax ; from tows, loose. Relente, v. to melt, G 1278. From prefix re-, again ; and Lat. lentare, to bend ; from Lat. lentm, pliant. Relesse, v. to relieve, relax, B 1069. O. F. relesser (F. relaisser), to relax ; Lat. relaxare, to relax ; from laxus, lax, loose. Releued, pp. relieved, made rich again, G 872. Lat. releuare, to lift up again. Remenant, s. remnant, remainder, G 1004. From Lat. manere, to remain. Remeueth, imp. pi. 2 p. remove ye, G 1008. From Lat. mouere, to move. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 355 Renegat, s. renegade, apostate, B 932. Low Lat. renegatus, one who has abjured his faith ; from negare, to deny. See below. Reneye, v. to renounce, abjure, B 376, G 268, 448, 459; i p. s. pr. subj. I (may) renounce, 464 ; pt. pi. i p. we abjured, B 340; pp. Reneyed, 915. Lat. rene- gare, to adjure, renounce, deny ; from negare, to deny. Shake- speare uses the Lat. form renege, King Lear, ii. 2. 84; Ant. and Cleop. i. 1.8. Kenne, ger. to run, C 796. G 1415 ; pr. s. Kenneth, runs, 905. A. S. rennan, yrnan, to run ; Icel. renna, G. rennen. Kenne, v. to ransack, plunder ; but only in the phrase rape and renne, seize and plunder, G 1422. See the note. Icel. rcena, to plunder ; ran, plunder; which appears in E. ransack. The word has been turned into renne, which properly means to run. See above ; and see Kape. Rente, 5. rent, toll, B 1142. F. rente, from F. rendre, Lat. red- dere, to restore, render. Repaireth, pr. s. returns, B 967. O. F. repairier=li3.\. ripatriare, to return to one's native country ; from Lat. patria, native country. Replet, adj. full, replete, C 489. Lat. repletus. Repreuable, adj. reprehensible, C 632. See below. Repreue, v. to reprove, tJ 70 ; pr. s. Repreueth, I 33. From Lat. reprobare ; whence O. F. reprover, to reprove. Repreue, s. reproof, shame, C 595. See above. Resalgar, s. realgar, G 814. ' Realgar, a combination of sul- phur and arsenic, of a brilliant red colour as existing in nature ; red orpiment;' Webster. F. realgar, answering to an O. F. resalgar t Low Lat. risigallum. Respyt, s. respite, delay (of death), G 543. O. F. respit, (F. repi/), Lat. respectus, a respect, regard, looking back. Hence respite and respect are doublets. Restelees, adj. restless, C 728. A. S. rest, rest, repose. Distinct from F. reste, rest; resler, to remain, Lat. restore. Reue, ger. to take away, G 376. A. S. redfian, to rob ; whence E. be-reave. Rewe, v. to suffer for, do penance for, G 997 ; imp. s. have pity ; B 853 ; pr. s. 2 p. Rewest, hast pity, 854. A. S. hredwian, to grieve ; from hre6w, grief. Rewful, adj. sorrowful, sad, B 854. See above. Rewthe, s. pity, ruth, B 529, 654, 689; as adj. pitiful, 1052. Formed from the verb to rewe (see above) ; but the A. S. sb. is hredw, grief. Still, the Icel. has hrygg. Rewthelees, adj. pitiless, B 863. Reyse, ger. to raise, G 86 1. Icel. reisa, to raise ; the A. S. is raran, whence E. rear. Ribaudye, s. ribaldry, ribald jest- ing* C 324. O. F. ribald, Low Lat. ribaldus, a ribald, a worth- less fellow. Riden, pt. pi. rode, C 968. See Rydinge. Ringes, s. pi. rings, C 908. A. S. hring, Icel. hringr ; cognate with Lat. circus, whence E. circle. Rist,/>r. s. contr. riseth, rises, B 864. Rit, pr. s. rides (contr. from rideth), G 608, H 79. Roialtee, s. royalty, 6418. From F. roi, Lat. rex ; Skt. rdjd, a king. Roialler, adj. comp. royaller, more royal, B 402. Rolleth, pr. s. rolls, turns over, G 838. O.F. roler (F. rouler); GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Lat. rotulare, to turn round ; from rota, a wheel. Rom, ram, ruf; nonsense words, to imitate alliteration (see note), U3- Bombled, pt. s. rummaged, fum- bled, G 1322. Of. Du. romme- len, to rumble, buzz ; also, to mix up, disarrange ; Dan. rumle, to rumble, to roll. See Gloss. II. Romen, v. to roam, B 558. Cf. O. F. romieu, romien, romier, Ital. romeo (Dante), a pilgrim to Rome. Hence romen =to go to Rome; the connection with E. roam is likely. Rong, pt. s. rang, C 662. A. S. hringan, to ring. Rose-reed, adj. red as a rose, G 254. (Trisyllabic.) Rote, s. root; an astrological term for the epoch of a nativity, B 314 (see note) : the radix, the fundamental principle, G 1461 ; root, source, B 358, G 1069, 1301. Icel. rot, Swed. rot (Scan- dinavian). Rote, in phr. by rote, i. e. by heart, C 332. O. F. rote, F. route ; allied to F. routine, O. F. rotine. ' Par rotine, by rote ; * Cotgrave. See Route. Roten, #>. rotten, 017,228. A.S. rotian, to rot, putrefy, pp. gerotod. The form rotten is Scandinavian ; Icel. rotinn, rotten, pp. ; rotna t to rot. Round, adv. roundly, fully, melo- diously, C 331. F. rond, O.F. roond, Lat. rotundus. Cf. Lat. ' ore rotundo/ Route, s. troop, throng, company, B 387, 650, 776. F. route, from Lat. rupta, a broken (band) ; from rumpere, to break. Cf. G. rotte, a troop ; O. Flemish rote. Route, v . to assemble in a com- pany, B 540. See above. Row, adj. rough, angry, forbidding, G 861. A. S. ruh, rough, rugged, hairy ; Du. ruw, rough, rugged. Rownen, v. to whisper, G 894. A. S. runian, to whisper ; from run, a rune, a magic character, a mystery ; O. Flemish ruunen, to whisper. Hence round, to whis- per, in Shakespeare. Rubifying, s. rubefaction, redden- ing, G 797. Rydinge, pres. pt. riding, G 623. A. S. ridan, Icel. rifta, to ride ; pt. t. ic rdd, pi. we riden ; pp. riden* Ryghtwisnesse, s. righteousness, C 637. A. S. rihtwis, righteous ; Icel. retviss. Righteous is a corrupt spelling of rightivise. Rym, s. rime (commonly misspelt rhyme), I 44. The spelling rhyme, or rhime (with h inserted from ignorance) is not older than A.D. 1550. From F. rime ; which however is, probably, from Lat. ace. rhythmum ; of Gk. origin. Ryme, v. to rime, to speak in verse, G 1093. See above. Ryotoures, s. pi. rioters, roysterers, C 66 1. Roquefort gives rioter, to dispute ; riote, noise, combat ; faire riote, to grumble, dispute; rios, a dispute, debate. The suggested connection with Du. ravotten, to romp, is unlikely. Ryue, v. to rive, pierce, C 828. Icel. rifa, Dan. rive, to rive, tear; cf. Icel. hrifa, to catch, grapple. 8. Sad, adj. sober, calm, settled, G 397; pi. Sadde, discreet, B 135. A. S. sad, sated, satiated (hence, settled, firm). Sadel, 5. saddle, H 52. A.S. sadel. Sadly, adv. in a settled manner, i. e. deeply, unstintingly, B 743. See Sad. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 257 Saffron with, to tinge with saffron, to colour, C 345. F. safran; from the Arab, zafarun, saffron. Sal armoniak, s. sal ammoniac, G 798, 824. Lat. sal armetiiacum, Armenian salt. * Sal ammoniac, chloride of ammonium, a salt of a sharp, acrid taste ; . . . also called .hydrochlorate, or muriate of am- monia ' ; Webster. The word armoniac certainly answers to the Lat. Armemacum in the old treatises. Nevertheless the right spelling is, perhaps, ammoniac ; ' dfjificaviaKov, TO, sal ammoniac, rock-salt, Dioscorides ' ; Liddell and Scott. Sal peter, s. saltpetre, G 808. Lat. sal petrce, rock-salt ; * so called because it exudes from rocks or walls ; nitrate of potassa ; called also nitre ' ; Webster. Sal preparat, s. prepared salt, G 810. See the note. Sal tartre, s. salt of tartar, G 810. ' Salt of tartar, carbonate of potash ; ... at first prepared from cream of tartar ' ; Webster. Salueth, pr. s. saluteth, B 731. F. saluer, Lat. salutare. Sans, prep, without, B 501. F. sans, O. F. sens, Lat. sine. Sapience, s. wisdom, G 101, m ; pi. Sapiences, kinds of intelligence (see note), 338. From Lat. sapere, to know. Satins, s. pi. satins, B 137. F. satin, Low Lat. setinus, adj. from Lat. seta, silk; whence also F. sole. Sauacioun, s. salvation, B 283, H 58. Saue, prep, save, except, B 217, G 1355. F. sauf', from Lat. sal- uns. Saue, imp. s. 3 p. save, may (he) save, G 1361 ; pt. s. 2 p. Sauedst, savedst, B 639 ; Saveth, imp. pi. VOL. III. save ye, 229. O. F. sauer, Lat. sahiare, to keep. Sauf, adj. safe, B 343, G 950. F. sauf, Lat. saluus. Sauour, s. savour, smell, G 887. F. saveur, Lat. ace. saporem. Sawe, s. discourse (lit. saw, or saying), G 691 ; saw, saying, 1441. A. S. sagu, a saying. Scabbe, s, scab, a disease of sheep, C 358. A. S. scab, sceab. Scaped, pp. escaped, B 1151. O. F. escaper, said to be from Low Lat. excappare, to get out of one's cloak, to flee. See Brachet, s. v. echapper. Scarsete, s. scarcity, G 1393. O. F. escharsete, sparingness, fru- gality ; from O. F. eschars, or escars, Low Lat. excarpsus, pp. of excarpere = excerpere, to select. Scatered, pp. scattered, G 914. A. S. scateran, to scatter ; cf. sceddan, to separate. Sclaundre, pr. s.ip.l slander, G 993 J 2 P* Sclaundrest, 695. F. esclandre ; from Lat. scandalnm ; whence also scandal. Slander and scandal are doublets. Scorpioun, s. scorpion, B 414. Lat. ace. scorpionem. Secre, adj. secret, G 178, 643. O.F. secroi, secreit', Lat. secre- tum. Secre of secrees, secret of secrets. Lat. Secreta Secretorum (the name of a book), G 1447. Secrenesse, s. secrecy, B 773. See, imp. s. 3 p. may (He) behold, or protect, B 156, C 715. See note to the latter passage, p. 162. See Seen. Seel, s. seal, B 882, C 337. O. F. seel ; from Lat. sigillum. Seen, v. to see, B 182. A. S. sedn, to see. See See, and Sey. Seistow, for sayest thou, G 260. See Seye. Seken, ger. to seek, i.e. a matter GLOSSARIAL INDEX. for search, 6874. A.S. secan, to seek ; ger. t6 seeenne. Seled, pp. sealed, B 736. See Seel. Sely, adj. blessed, holy, B 682; innocent, C 292 ; silly, simple, G 1076. A.S. scelig, happy. Sendeth, imp. 2 p. pi. send ye, C 614 ; pt. s. subj. Sente, would send, 61091. A. S. sendan. Sentence, s. judgment, order, I 17; verdict, G 366; Sentens, general meaning, I 58. From Lat. sententia. Sepulture, s. sepulchre, C 558. Lat. sepultura, burial. Sergeants, 5. pi. sergeants, G 361. F. sergent, Lat. seruientem, pres. pt. of seruire, to serve. Sermone, ger. to preach, speak, C 879. From Lat. sermo, a dis- course. Seruage, s. servitude, tliraldom, bondage, B 368. F. servage ; from F. serf, Lat. seruus. Seruisable, adj. serviceable, use- ful, G 1014. Sesoun, s. season, G 1343. O. F. seson, Lat. sationem, a sowing- time. Sette, pt. s. set, B 1053 ; re fl> set herself, i.e. sat, 329; sette her on knees = cast herself on her knees, 638 ; pi. refl. Sette hem, seated themselves, C 775 ; Setten hem adoun, set themselves, G 396 ; pp. Set, set, placed, put, B 440. A. S. settan, to place ; from sittati, to sit. Seurtee, s. security, surety, B 243, C 937. O. F. seurte, Lat. ace. secnritatem. Sey, pt. s. saw, B 583, 615, 809, 1051, 1128, C 961, G 355, 402 ; I p. I saw, G 589 ; 2 p. Sey, thou sawest, B 848 ; i p. pi. Sey, ye saw, G 1106; pt. pi. Seye, saw, B 218 ; Seyen, G 1 10 ; pp. Seyn, seen, B 172, 624. A.S. sedn, to see. Seye, ger. to say, tell, i. e. to be told, B 706 ; I p. s. pr. Sey, I say, 1139; P*' pt' Seyden, said, B 211 ; 2 p. Seydestow, saidst thou, G 334. A.S. secgan, pt. t. tc scegde. Shadwe, s. shadow, I 7. A.S. sceado. Shal, pr. s. is to, must, B 268, 665 ; i p. I am to (go), G 303 ; 2 p. Shal tow, for shalt thou, G 257. A. S. ic sceal. See Sholde. Shames, s. gen. of shame ; shames deth, death of shame, i. e. shame- ful death, B 819. A. S. scamu, shame. Snap, s. shape, form, G 44. A. S. gesceapu, shape ; from scippan, to create. Shapen, v. to devise, invent, B 210; pp. disposed (themselves), 142 ; prepared, 249 ; appointed, 253 ; planned, 951. A.S. scippan, to create, plan. Shauing, s. a thin slice, G 1239. A. S. scafan, to shave, scrape. Sheene, adj. showy, fair, B 692. A. S. scene, seine, beautiful, fair ; from sceawian, to show. Cf. G. schon, fair. Shetten, v. to shut, enclose ; gonne shetten, did enclose, G 517 ; pt. s. Shette, shut, 1142 ; pt.pl. Shette, 1218; pp. Shet, shut, B 1056, G 1137. A.S. scyttan, to lockup, pt. t. ic scyttode. Shete, s. a sheet, G 779; pi. Shetes, 536. A. S. scedt. Shifte, v. to apportion, assign, G 278. A. S. scif tan, scyftan, to appoint, divide ; Icel. skipta, to divide, distribute. Sholde, pt. s. had to, was to, G 1382, I 65. A.S. ic scolde, sceolde, pt. t. of sculan. The pres. t. is ic sceal. See Shal, Shul. Shoop, pt. s. formed, shaped, G GLOSSAR1AL INDEX. 259 1222; shoop him = purposed, intended, C 874. See Shapen. Showuing, s. shoving, pushing, H 53. A. S. scufan, to push, shove. Shrewe, adj. evil, wicked, 995 ; as sb., evil one, 917; an ill-tem- pered (male) person, C 496 ; pi. Shrewes, wicked men, rascals,835, G 746. ' Schrewe, pravus ; ' Prompt. Parv. Shul, pr. pi. shall, may, C 733; 1 p. I must, I have to, B 351 ; 2 p. pr. pi. Shullen, ye shall, G 241 ; pt. s. I p. Shulde, I should, I ought to, B 247. See Shal. Siker, adj. sure, G 934; certain, 1047; safe, 864. O. Friesic sikur, siker ; O. Saxon (Heliand) sikor ; Du. zeker ; O. H. G. sihhur, G. sicker. Sikernesse, s. security, safety, B 4 2 5. Siluer, s. silver, G 826. A. S. seolfor. Similitude, s. comparison ; hence, proposition, statement, G 431. Lat. similitude). Sin, conj. since, B 282, 1115, G 495, 504; adv. since, B 157. Contr. from A. S. sffiftan, since ; from sib\ time. See Sithen. Singular, adj. a single, G 997. Lat. singular is. Sith, conj. since, B 484, 814, G 1472; adv. afterwards, C 869. See below. Sithen, adv. afterwards, B 1121. A. S. sififtan, afterwards ; for sift %dm, since then; where sffi is from the adj. sz'S, late ; which from sift, a time. See below. Sithe, s. pi. times ; ofte sithe, many times, G 1031. A.S. sfiS, a time. See Sythe. Skilful, adj. discerning, B 1038, G 329. Icel. skil, discernment ; skilja, to separate. Skilfully, adv. reasonably, with good reason, G 320. (The M. E. sTiile often means a reason; see Gloss. II). Slee, v. to slay, G 896; Sle, 168; Sleen, C 846; ger. Sleen, G 481 ; pr. s. Sleeth, slays, C 676, 754 ; pr. pi. Sleen, they slay, B 964 ; pt. s. Slow, slew, B 627, 664, 894. A. S. dean, pt. t. sl6h, pp. slagen, to strike, slay. Sleighte, s. dat. craft, skill, G 867 ; pi. Sleightes, devices, 773, 976. Icel. slcegft, slyness ; sl&gr, sly. Sleue, s. sleeve, G 1224, 1231. A. S. slef, a sleeve. Slewthe, s. sloth, B 530; Slouthe, 0258. A.S. slavJS, sloth; from slaw, slow. Slit, p. s. slides (contr. from slideth), G 682. A. S. slidan. See Slyd- ing. Slogardye, 5. sloth, sluggishness, G 17. ' Shigge , deses, segnis;' Prompt. Parv. Slough, s. mud, mire, H 64. A. S. sloh, a slough, hollow place. Slouthe, s. sloth, G 258. See Slewthe. Slow, />/. s. slew, B 627, 664, 894. See Slee. Sluttish, adj. slovenly, G 636. Cf. Du. slodder, a sloven ; slod- dering, slovenly ; slodderen, to hang loosely about. Slyding, adj. unstable, slippery, G 732. See Slit. Smart, adj. brisk (said of a fire), G 768. The word smart, sb., is properly used of a sudden pain. Smert, s. smart, pain, G 712. Du. smart (O. Du. smerf), painfulness ; cf. G. schmerz. Smert e, I p. pi. pres. subj. may smart, may suffer, G 871. Cf. Du. smarten, to give pain. Smot, pt. s. smote, struck, B 669 ; Smoot, C 677. A. S. smitan, to smite ; pt. t. ic smdt. Snare, s. snare, B 571, H 77. Icel. snara, a twisted cord, a S 2 GLOSSARIAL INDEX. snare ; Swed. mara, a snare ; cf. Icel. snara, to twist tightly. Snow-whyte, adj. white as snow, G 254. Socour, s. succour, help, B 664. O. F. socors, help; from Lat. sHccurrere. Sodeyn, adj. sudden, B 421. O. F. sodain, Lat. snbitanens, sudden ; from sitbihts, sudden, which from subire ; from sub, under, and ire, to go. Softe, adj. gentle, slow, B 399 ; adv. softly, tenderly, 275. A. S. soft, G. sanft, soft, mild. Softely, adv. gently, quietly, G 408. Soiourned, pp. sojourned, dwelt, B 148, 536. O. F. soiorner, to dwell ; from Lat. swft, and diur~ nare, to delay, formed from diurnus, daily; which from dies, a day. Sol, Sol (the sun), G 826. Lat. sol. Solempne, adj. magnificent, illus- trious, B 387. O. F. ' solempne, cl%bre, de grande reputation, illustre ; ' Roquefort. Lat. solen- nis. Solempnely, adv. with pomp, solemnly, B 317, 399, 691, G 272. Som, pron. indef. one, a certain man, G 922; som shrewe is = some one (at least) is wicked, 995. A. S. som, sttm, some. Someres, s. gen. summer's, B 554. A.S. sumer. Somme, s. sum, G 1364; pi. Sommes, 675. F. somme, Lat. sutntna. Somtym, adv. sometimes, G 949. Bond, s. sand, B 509. A. S. sond, sand. Sondo, 5. sending, message, B 388, 1049 ; dispensation of providence, visitation, 760, 826; trial, 902 ; message (or messenger), G 525. A. S. sand, a message, sending, missicTn ; also, a messenger ; send an, to send. Sone, adv. soon, B 769, C 609. Sonne, 5. sun, G 52. A. S. snnne, Icel. sunna, G. sonne ; all feminine. Sooth., adj. true ; used as adv. truly, C 636. A. S. sdft, true ; cognate with Gk. Tos (Curtius). Sorwe, s. sorrow, grief, B 264, 1035. A. S. sorg, sorrow. Sory, adj. ill, C 876 ; miserable, H 55. A.S. sdrigt sore, wounded ; from A. S. sdr, a sore ; not from sorh, sorrow. Sote, adj. def. sweet, G 91, 229, 247, 251. Icel. se6n, to prosper, flourish, G. gedeihen. See below. Theech, contr. from thee ich, i. e. may I thrive, C 947, G 929. See above. Theffect, for the effect, result, B 893, G 1261. Theme, s. text, thesis of a sermon, C 333. Lat. thema, Gk. 0>a, a subject for discussion ; from ri- Orjjjii, I lay down ; cf. Skt. dhd, to place, put. Themperour, for the emperour, B 248 ; Themperoures, the empe- ror's, 151. Thende, contr. for the ende, the end, B 423, 965, G 1266. Thennes, adv. thence, B 308, 510, 1043 ; used as sb., the place that, G 66. From A. S. ]>anon t thence. Thentencioun,/or the entencioun, i. e. the intention, G 1443. Thentent,/or the entent, purpose, end, G 1306. Ther, adv. where, B 307, 308, 576, 602, 634; when, 474; whither, at which, 469 ; whereas, G 724. A. S. Jwer. Ther-aboute, adv. thereupon, therein, G 832. Ther - biforn, adv. beforehand, before the event, B 19 7, 624. Ther-oute, adv. outside there, G 1136. Therto, adv. there-to, moreover, B 135. Ther (A.S. \&re) is the dat. fem. sing, of the def. article ; understand a fem. sb., such as sacu, sake ; and we have t6 \>edw, manner, quality; from \e6n % to flourish. See Thee. Thexcellent, put for the excel- lent, B 150. GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. Thider, adv. thither, B 144, C 749. A. S. %ider. Thilke, demon, pron. that, B 190, 365, C 364 ; that very, that same, C 753, G 197 ; that sort of, I 50. A. S. tyylc ; from J>y, instrumental case of se, serf, ]>ync$, it seems to me ; G. mir dunkt ; slightly different from ])encan, to think, G. denken. Thinne, adj. pi. thin, poor, scanty, limited, G 741. A. S. Ipyn, thin ; \enian, to stretch; cf. Skt. tan, to stretch. Tho, adv. then, G 205, 424, 487, 692. A. S. ]>d, then. Thonketh, imp. 2 p. pi. thank ye, B 1113. A.S. ]>ancian, Icel. }>dkka, G. danken. Thoughte, pt. s. impers. it seemed, B 146; Thoughte hem, it seemed to them, 475. See Think- eth. Thral, s. servant, G 196. A.S. }>ral, Icel. J>ro;//. Thraldom, s. bondage, slavery, B 286, 338. See above. Threpe, I p. pi. pres. we call, assert to be, G 826. 'Threap, v. n. to maintain or insist perti- naciously ; to repeat or reiterate obstinately. A. S. tyredpian, to afflict, chide ; ' Atkinson's Cleve- land Glossary. Threting, s. threatening, menace, G 698. A. S. }>redtung, an urging, correction. Thridde, adj. ord. third, C 836, G 823, 925. A.S. \>ridda, third; from \>red, three. Thrift, *. success, prosperity in moneymaking, G 739, 1425. Icel. \>rift, profit. Thrifty, adj. cheap, profitable to the buyer, B 138. See above. Thropes, s. gen. village's, I 12. A.S. \>orp, Icel. >orp, G. dorf, Goth, thaurp ; cognate with Lat. turba, a crowd. Throwe, s. a short space of time, B 953 ; time, G 941. A. S. ]>ra/z, }>rdg, a short space of time, period. Thryue, ger. to thrive, prosper, G 1411. Icel. \>rlfa-sk, to thrive, where the final sk is reflexive, meaning ' self.' See Thrift. Thwcgh,prep. through, by, G 325. A. S. ]>urh, G. durch. Thurgh-out, prep, throughout, all through, B 256, 464 ; quite through, C 655. Til, prep, to, G 306. Icel. til, to. Tin, 5. tin, G 829. A. S. tin, prob. a shortened form of an Old British word ; cf. Irish stan, Gael. staoin, Welsh ystaen whence Lat. stannum. Tirannye, s. tyranny, cruelty, B 165. From Lat. tyrannus, Gk. rvpavvos, a tyrant. To, prep, to (used after its case), G 1449. A. S. to. To, adv. too, G 644 ; overmuch, G 1423; To dere, too dearly, C 293 ; To and fro, all ways, H 53- To-bete, v. to beat severely, G 405. See the note. A.S. td- 9 prefix, = G. zer-, Goth, and Lat. dis- t meaning, in twain, apart; and bedtan, to beat ; whence A. S. to-bedtan, to beat to pieces. Tobreketh, pr. s. breaks in twain, breaks asunder, G 907. A. S. to-brecan, to break in pieces, or in twain. See above. Togidres, adv. together, C 702, G 960. A, S. tdgadre. 266 GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. Tohewe, pp. hewn in twain, hewn in pieces, B 430, 437. A. S. to- heawan, to hew in twain. See Tobete. Tokening, s. token, proof, G 1153. A. S. tdcen, a token. See Teche. Tombesteres, s. pi. fern, dancing girls, lit. female tumblers, C 477. A. S. tumbian, to tumble, dance ; tumbere, a tumbler ; tumbestre, a dancing girl. See the note. Tonge, s. tongue, B 899, C 398. A. S. funge, G. zunge, Lat. lingua (for dingud). Hence tonge is a dissyllabic word. Took, pt. s. took, had, B 192; gave, handed over, G 1030, 1034, 1365, H 91. See Take. To-rente, pt. pi. rent asunder, C 709. A. S. /J-, in twain, and rendan, to rend ; the comp. to- renda occurs in O. Friesic. Torment, s. torment, suffering, B 845. From Lat. tormentum. Tormentour, s. tormentor, i. e. executioner, B 818, 0527, 532; pi. Tormentoures, 373 ; Tormen- tours, 376. See above. Torn, s. turn, C 815. See below. Torne, v. to turn, G 1403. Torned (so in most MSS.); Terued (E.}, pp. flayed, G 1171; Terve (E.), imp. s. 3 p. flay, G 1274. Low G. tarven. Tortuous, adj. oblique, a technical term in astrology, used of the six of the zodiacal signs which ascend most obliquely, B 302. Lat. tortuosus, twisted ; from torquere, to twist. To-swinke, pr. pi. labour greatly, 6519. Prefix to-, in twain (in- tensive), and swincan, to toil. To-tere, pr. pi. rend, tear in pieces, C 474 ; pp. To-tore, torn in pieces. A. S. to-teran, to tear in twain. See To-bete, Traitorye, s. treachery, B 781. From O. F. traitor, a traitor ; Lat. ace. traditorem, from tradere, to hand over. Trappe, s. trap, G n. A.S. trappe, a trap ; hence trappe is dissyllabic. Tresor, s. treasure, B 442, C 779. O. F. tresor, Lat. thesaurus, Gk. 6rjaavp6s ; from ri0rjfju t I lay up in store. Trete, pr. pi. discourse, treat, C 630. F. trailer, Lat. tractare, to handle. Tretee, s. treaty, C 619. F. traite, Lat. tractatus. See above. Tretys, s. treaty, B 233. Another form of the above. Trewe, adj. pi. true, B 135 ; used as sb. =the faithful, 456. A.S. tredwe, Icel. trur, G. treu. Trewthe, s. troth, truth, B 527. A. S. tredwft. Trey e, num. 'tray/ three, C 653. O. F. trei, treis, Lat. ires. Triacle, s. a sovereign remedy, B 479 C 314. O. F. triacle, Low Lat. theriacum, Gk. OrjpiaKov, a remedy against the wounds made by wild beasts ; from Orjp, a wild beast. Triste, pr. s. I p. I trust, B 832. Icel. treysta, to trust. Troden, pp. stepped, 0712. A. S. tredan, to tread. Trompe, s. trumpet, B 705. F. tramps, a trumpet ; from Icel. trumba, a pipe, a trumpet. Trone, s. throne (of God), heaven, C 842. F. trdne, O.F. trone, Lat. thronus, Gk. Opovos, a seat, chair. Trouthe, s. truth, G 238. A.S. treonfiS. Trowe, ger. to trust, believe, G 378 ; I p. s. pr. I suppose, be- lieve, imagine, B 288, 400, 1074, C 689, G 667, H 44; pr. pi. Trowe, suppose, believe, B 222; 2 />. ye believe, G 171; suppose, GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 267 imagine ye, C 439. A. S. treow- ian, Icel. trua, to believe, think to be true. Trusteth, imp. pi. 2 p. trust ye, believe ye, B 1048, G 229, 889, I 42. Icel. traust, sb. trust, treysta- sk, to trust in. Tryne compas, the threefold world, containing earth, sea, and heaven, G 45. Lat. trinns, three- fold, from ires, three. Twenty deuel weye, a, in the manner of twenty devils, in all sorts of evil ways, G 782. Tweye, num. adj. two, twain, C 817, 824, 828, G 677. A.S. twegen, twain, used in masc. ; twdj two, in the feminine and neuter. Tweyfold, adj. twofold, double, G 566. Twinne, v. to separate, B 517; ger. to depart (from), C 430 ; 2 p. pr. pi. ye depart, lit. ye part company, G 182. From the root two, A. S. twd ; cf. E. be-tween. Twyes, adv. twice, B 1058. A. S. iwywa, tuwa ; but the M. E. tiuyes is formed from A. S. twy, double, with adverbial suffix -es. Tyde, s. a certain portion of time, an hour, B 510, 798 ; see note to B 798 ; time of day, 1134. A. S. tid, Icel. tift, G. zeit, a time. Tyden, v. to befal, B 337. A. S. tidan, to happen ; from tid, time. Tyding, s. tidings, news, B 726. Icel. tiftindit news, tidings; from tffi, time. Tyme, s. time, G 1204. The word is dissyllabic, riming with by me ; see the note. A. S. tima, Icel. tlmi. V (for U and V). Valerian, s. valerian, G 800. Lat. ualeriana. Variaunt, adj. varying, changing, changeable, fickle, G 1175. From Lat. war/are, to vary, varius, different. Venim, s. venom, poison, B 891, C 421. O. F. venim, Lat. uene- num. Veiiquisshed, pp. vanquished, B 291. From O.F. venquis, pp. of vencre, to conquer. Lat. uin- cere. Verdegrees, s. verdigris, G 791. Derived (see the note) from O. F. vert de Grece, green of Greece. Vermin, s. vermin, C 858. From Lat. tiermis. Verray, adj. very, true, B 167, C 576, G 165. O.F. verai (F. vrai), Lat. ace. ueracem\ from Lat. uerus, true. Veyn, adj. vain, empty, power- less, silly, G 497. F. vain, Lat. nanus. Viage, s. voyage, B 259, 300, 312. O.F. veiage, from Lat. viaticum, lit. provisions for a journey, then a journey, in Fortu- natus (Brachet). Vicary, s. a vicar, I 22. From Lat. iiicarius, a deputy ; from Lat. uicis, change. Vilanye, s. discourtesy, C 740 ; licentiousness, G 231. O. F. vilanie, from wlain, a farm- labourer; from Lat. villa, a . farm. Violes, s. pL vials, phials, G 793. F. phiale, Lat. phiala, a sort of saucer, Gk. />.victualled,provisioned, R 869. See above. Vitriole, s. vitriol, G 808. F. 268 GLOSS ARIAL INDEX. vitriol, Lat. mlrlolum; from wi- trum, glass. Cotgrave has * Vitriol, m. vitrioll, copperose.' Vnbokel, imp. s. unbuckle, undo, C 945, I 26. The prefix iw- is here not the common negative prefix, but cognate with G. ent- ; cf. entbinden, to unbind. Bokel is O.F. 6oc/e (F. boiicle), Lat. bucula, boss of a shield. Vndernom, />/. s. perceived, G 243. A. S. underniman, to per- ceive, pt. t. undernam ; cf. G. un- ternehmen. From A. S. niman, to take. Vnderpyghte, />/. s. stuffed, filled underneath, B 789. Pyghte is pitched, pt. t. of M. E. picche, to pitch, place, set. Vnderstondeth, pr. pi. under- stand, C 646 ; imp. pi. under- stand, know, G 1165 ; pp. Vn- derstonde, understood, B 520. From A. S. standan, to stand. Vnfeyned, pp. unfeigned, true, G 434. From Lzt.Jingere. Vnkyndenesse, s. unkihdness, B 1057. From A. S. cynd, nature. Unkindness is unnaturalness, what is contrary to natural feeling. Vnnethe, adv. hardly, scarcely, B 1050, G 563 ; Vnnethes (with adverbial suffix -es), G 1390. A. S. tin-, not, edfte, easily ; from edft, easy. Vnsely, adj. unhappy, G 468. See Sely. Vnslekked, adj. unslacked, G 806. To slack is to deprive lime of cohesion by combining it with water. A.S. slacian, to slacken, relax ; sleac, slack. Vnthriftily, adv. poorly, G 893. See Thrift. Vntrewthe, s. untruth, B 687. Vnwar, adj. unexpected, B 427. A. S. war, wary, cautious ; cf. Lat. uereor, I fear. Vnweldy, adj. unwieldy, difficult to move, H 55. A.S. wealdan, to control. Vnwemmed, pp. unspotted, G 137, 225. A. S. wem, Icel. vamm, Goth, wamm, spot, blemish. Vnwit, s. want of wit, G 1085. A. S. gewitt, knowledge. Vnwiting, pr. part, unknowing, G 1320. A.S. witan t to know, G. wissen. Vouche-saaif, v. to vouchsafe, grant, B 1083 ; 2 p. pr. pi. ye vouchsafe, G 1246, I 52. Here vouche is the verb, and saw/ the adjective ; it means to * call (it) safe. 1 Voydeth, imp. pi. send away, G 1136. O.F. voide (F. vide), void. Voys, s. voice, rumour, B 155, C 531. O. F. vois (F. voix), Lat. ace. uocem, a voice; cf. Skt. vach, to speak. Vp, prep, on, upon, B 795, 884. A. S. up. Vp so doun, upside down, G 625. See the note. Vp -caste, pi. s. cast up, B 906. Icel. Itasta, to throw. Vpryght, adv. upright, C 674. Vsage, s. usage, custom, G 899. F. usage', from Lat. uti t to use. Vse, pr. pi. 2 p. ye use, G 1409. pp. Vsed, accustomed, 666. F user ; Lat. /i, to use. Utter, adj. outer, outward, G 498. A.S. ut, out; utter a, utera, outer. / Wafereres, s.pl. makers ofgaufres or wafer-cakes, confectioners, C 479. From an O. F. form waufre, commonly spelt gaiifre ; which from O. Low G. Cf. Do. wqfel, a wafer. Walke, pr. s. subj. a p. thou GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. 269 mayest walk, B 784. A. S. wealc- an, to roll; also, to walk. Wan, adj. wan, pale, 0728. A. S. wann, wan j sometimes, dark, dusky. Wan, pt. s. won, G 33. A. S. winnan, pt. t. ic wann, pp. wun- nen. War, adj. aware, G 13, 1079; be war = beware, take heed, take warning, 737. A. S. war, wary, cautious. Ware, pres. s. subj. (or Imp.}, may (he) warn, cause you to be ware, C 905. Cf. A. S. warian, to guard ; war, wary. See Ch. Prol. 662 ; and cf. Gloss. I. Ware, s. merchandise, B 140. A. S. ware, merchandise. Warente, v. to warrant, protect, C 338. O. F. warantir, to guard, warrant ; from O. H. G. werjan, warjan, to protect. Warice, v. to heal, cure, C 906. Formed from O. F. warir, garir (F. guerir), to preserve; from O. H. G. war] an t to protect. Warye, I p. s.pr. I curse, B 372. A. S. wergian, to curse; werg, accursed ; wearh, an accursed wretch. Wasshe, pp. washed, C 353. A. S. wascan, wascan ; pt. t. wosc, pp. wascen. See "Wesh. Wast, s. waste, B 593. A. S. weste, waste, deserted ; westen, a wilder- ness. Wawe, s. a wave, B 508; pi. Wawes, 468. A. S. wag, a wave. Wayke, adj. weak, B 932. A. S. wdc, weak ; Icel. vakr, veiler. Wayte, v. to expect, B 467 ; Way- ten, 264 ; pr. s. Wayteth, watches, 593. O. F. w alter, guaiter; from O. H. G. wahtan, to watch. Cf. F. guetter. We, pron. apparently used as ace. = us, G 315. But see the note. Weep, pt. s. wept, B 606, 1052, G 371. A. S. wepan, to weep; pt. t. we6p. See Wepen. Weex, pt. s. waxed, grew, G 513. See "Wex. "Wei, adv. well, i. e. well placed, happily or luckily situated, B 308. A. S. wel. "Wele, s. prosperity, B 175. A. S. wela, weal. "Welful, adj. full of weal, blessed, B 451. See above. Welked, pp. withered, C 738. A. S. wealwian, to roll up, dry, wither, shrivel. Cf. G. wellten, to wither. [The form is English ; not borrowed from German.] "Welle, s. well, source, 6323. A. S. wslla, Icel. vella, a well ; the more usual form is A. S. well. Wemmelees, adj. stainless, G 47. A. S. wem, Icel. vamm, Goth. wamm, a spot, blemish. "Wende, ger. to go, to wend, B 142, 253, 265 : pr. pi. Wende, go, 1157; 2 p. ye wend, travel, C 927 ; Wente him, pt. s. turned himself, i. e. went his way, G I no ; pp. Went, gone ; ben went, are gone, B 173 ; is went, is gone, G 534 (see note). A. S. wendan, G. wenden, to turn. Wenen, v. to ween, suppose, G 676 ; Wene, 1088 ; pr. s. Weneth, imagines, C 569 ; pr. pi. Wenen, suppose, 349 ; pt. s. subj. Wende, would have thought, C 782. A. S. wcnan, Icel. vana, Goth, wenjan, G. w'dhnen, to imagine; from A.S. wen, Icel. van, Goth, wens, G. wahn, expectation, hope. Wepen, pr. pi. weep, B 820 ; pt. s. Wepte, wept, 267 ; Weep, 606, 1052, G 371. See Weep. Werche, v. to work, do, make, perform, B 566, G 14, 1155, 1477. A. S. weorcan, to work. See Werkes. Were, pt. s. subj. should be, might 270 GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. be, G 581 ; Were it, whether it were, i.e. either, B 143; Were, 2 p. s. pres. indie, wast, B 366 ; pt. pi. Weren, were, G 1340. N.B. The A. S. ware is the 2 p. pr. indie, as well as subj. ; the forms wast, wert, are later ; hence Chaucer's use of were in B 366 is quite correct, and it need not be taken as an instance of the sub- junctive mood. From A. S. wesan, to be ; cf. Skt. vas, to dwell. Wered, pt. s. wore, G 558. A. S. werian, to wear ; pt. t. werode. Originally a weak verb. Cf. Icel. verja, Goth, wasjan, to put on clothing ; Lat. uestis, clothing. Werieth, pr. s. wearies, G 1304. A. S. werian, to weary. Werkes, s. pi. works, B 478, G 64. A. S. weorc, Icel. verk, Gk. epyov. Working, s. work, mode of opera- tion, G 1367; Werkinge, action, 116. Wesh, pt. s. washed, B 453. See Wasshe. Wete, s. wet, perspiration, G 1187. A. S. watci) wetness, moisture. Wex, s. wax, G 1 164, 1 268. A. S. wex, we ax, wax. Wexe, v. to wax, become, G 837 ; Wexen, 877 ; pr. pi. Wexen, be- come, 1095; I p. we become, 869 ; i p. s. pr. subj. Wexe, may I become, 1374 ; pt. s. Wex, be- came, B 563, 568. A. S. weaxan, Icel. vaxa, Goth, wahsjan, G. wachsen, to grow. Weye, s. way, B 385, G 1374; manner, wise, B 590, G 676. A. S. weg, way, road. Weyed, pt. s. weighed, G 1298. A. S. wegan, to weigh, Icel. vega, Lat. uehere. Weylawey, inter j. well away! alas ! B 370, 632, 810. A. S. wd la wd, lit. woe ! lo ! woe ! Weyue, v. to forsake, G 276 ; pr. pi. Weyuen, waive, set aside, I 33 ; pp. Weyued, removed, swung aside, B 308. O. F. weiver t guesver, guever, to waive. * Guesver, to waive, refuse, aban- don, give over, also, to surrender, give back, resign, redeliver ; ' Cot- grave. What, why, B 232, 374, 703, G 754. A. S. hwat. What so, whatsoever, 6711, 965. Whelpes, s. pi. dogs, G 60. A. S. hwelp. Whennes, adv. whence, C 335, G 247 ; of whennes = from whence, G 432, 433. A. S. hwanon. Wher, adv. wherever, C 748, G 727 ; Wher-as, where that, where, B 647, 1131, C 466, H 49. Wher-on ; long wher-on, \. e. along of what, because of what, G 930. Wher-so, adv. whether, B 294. Whete, s. wheat, I 36. A. S. hwate, wheat. Which, pron. what sort of, G 731 ; pL Whiche, which, 6553. A. S. hwylc, Goth, hwa-leiks, (i. e. who- like), Lat. qualis. Whider, adv. whither, G 303. A. S. hwider. Why, adv. for what reason ? why ? I 35. A. S. hwi, instrumental case of hwd, who. Whyle, s. time, B 370, 546 ; s. pi. Whyles, times; in the mene whyles e= during the mean while, 668. A. S. hwil, Goth, hweila, a time. Whyl-er, adv. formerly, G 1328. A. S. hwll, a time ; and er, for- merly. Whylom, adv. formerly, B 134, C 463. A. S. hwilum, dat. pi. of hwil, a time. Whyls, adv. while, 01137. A> S. hwiles, gen. sing, of hivil, a time. Whyte, adj. white; used as sb. white wine, C 526, 562. A. S. hwit, white; Icel. hvitr, Goth. hweits, G. weiss. CLOSSARIAL INDEX. 271 Whytnesse, s. whiteness, G 89. Widwe, s. widow, C 450. A. S. widwe, wuduwe. Wight, s. wight, man, B 656. See Wyght. Wike, s. week, C 362. A. S. wice, wuce, wucu, a week ; Icel. vika, a week. Wikke, adj. wicked, G 524. Cf. A. S. wicca, a wizard, wicce, a witch. Wilfully, adv. willingly, of free will, by choice, C 441. ' Wylfulle, voluntarius, spontaneus ; ' Prompt. Parv. Winne, ger. to get gain, C 461. A. S. winnan. Wisly, adv. certainly, B 1061. Cf. Icel. viss, sure ; Du. gewis, G. gewlss t certain ; from the root of witan, to know. Wite, v. to know, wit, G 621, 1333 J pr.pl 2 p. know ye, H I, 82 ; pt.s. subj. should know, knew, C 370; (if he) knew, C 513 \ pp. Wist, known, B 1072, G 282. A. S. witan, Icel. vita, G. wissen, Skt. vid, to know. See Wost. "With, prep, by, B 475, G 1437. Withholde, pp. detained, G 345. A. S. wtiS, against, and healdan, to hold. Withseye, v. to renounce, G 447, 457. A. S. wi'tf, against, and secgan, to say. Witnes, imp. s. let (it) bear wit- ness, G 277. A. S. witnes, know- ledge. Wittes, s.pl. understandings, senses, B 202. A. S. wit, gewit, mind, understanding. Wo, adj. sad, B 757. A. S. wd, woe, sb. ; but sometimes used as an adjective. Wol, pr. s. permits, H 28 ; wol adoun, is about to set, I 72 ; pr. pi. Wole, will, B 468; Wol, G 84; Woltow, wilt thou, G 307, 464; pt. s. Wolde, wished, B 698 ; pt.pl would, B 144. A. S. willan, to will, wish ; pres. t. ic wile, pt. t. ic wolde. Wolle, s. wool, C 448, 910. A. S. wull, wool, Icel. ull; but also dissyllabic, as shewn by Goth. wulla, wool, G. wolle. Wombe, s. the belly, C 522, 533. A. S. wamb, Goth, wamba. Wommanhede, s. womanhood, B 851, G 1346. Wonder, s. as adj. wondrous, wonderful, B 1045, C 891, G 308. A. S. wunder. Wonder, s. as adv. wondrously, G 75 1 J g rea %, 1035 ; Ver 7 H 94- Wone, ger. to dwell, inhabit, G 38; v. 332; pr. s. Woneth, dwelleth, 311. A. S. wunian, to dwell ; G. wohnen. Wood, adj. mad, C 287, G 450, 576, 869, 1377. A. S. wdd, Goth. wods, Icel. dor, mad. Woodeth, pr. s. plays the madman, acts madly, G 467. A. S. wodtan, wedan, to rage, G. wiithen. Woodnesse, s. madness, C 496. A. S. wodnes. Wook, pt. s. was awake, B 497 ; awoke, 806. A. S. wacan, pt. t. ic w6c, pp. wacen. Wordes, s. pi. words ; hadde the wordes, was spokesman (see note), I 67. A. S. word. Worm, s. snake (lit. worm), C 355. A. S. wyrma, wtirm, Icel. ormr, G. wurm, Lat. uermis. Wort, s. unfermented beer, wort, G 813. Somner's A. S. Diet, has wsrf, unfermented beer. Wost, 2 p. s. pr. knowest, C 824, G 653. A. S. witan, to know, has strong pt. t. used as present, viz. ic wdt, }>u wast, he wdt, I wot, thou wost (wottest), he wot (not wots). See Wite. Wostow,/orwost thou, i.e. know- est thou, G 265, 444, 469. See above. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Wot, pr. s. knows, B 195, 436, 439, 962, G 723. See Wost. Woxen, pp. grown, waxed, G 379, 381. See Wex. Woweth, pr. s. wooes, B 589. A. S. wdgan, to woo ; prob. orig. to bend ; cf. A. S. wog, woh, bent. Wrak, s. wreck, 6513. O. Fries. wrak, injured ; Du. wrak, broken, also a wreck ; Icel. reki, a thing drifted ashore. "Wraw, adj. savage, fierce, angry, H 46. Apparently merely a corruption of wroth (A. S. wrdft), i. e. wrathful ; cf. Icel. raftr, Dan. and Sw. vred, wrathful, angry. See other examples of wraw in Stratmann. Wrecehednesse, s. a miserable matter, folly, 1 34. From A. S. wrcec, wretched. Wreche, s. vengeance, B 679. A. S. wracu, vengeance. Wreke, v. to avenge, C 857. A. S. wrecan, to avenge, punish. Wrenches, s. pi. frauds, strata- gems, tricks, G 1 08 1. A. S. wrence, deceit, stratagem. Writen, pp. written, B 195. See Wroot. Wrong, pt. s. wrung, B 606. A. S. wringan, to wring, strain. Wroot, pt. s. wrote, B 725, 890, G 83. A. S. writan, to write ; pt. t. wrat, pp. writen ; Icel. rlta, to write. Wroth, adj. wroth, angry, H 46. A. S. wrdft, angry ; wrdft, wrath, anger ; Icel. reffir, angry, reifti, anger. Wrought, pp. made, G 326. A. S. weorcan, to work ; pt. t. ic worhte, I worked, I wrought. Wyde-wher, adv. widely, every- where, B 136. Wyf, s. mistress of a household, G 1015. A.S. wtf, G. weib, a woman. Wyght, s. wight, man, B 139, 203, G 215, 404, H 26. A. S. wihf, wuht, Goth, waiht, G. wicht ; Eng. wight and whit. Wyghte, s. weight, G 73. A. S. wiht, weight. Wyn ape, lit. ape-wine, H 44. See the note. Wynde, v. to wind about, twist and turn, G 980. A. S. windan, Icel. vinda, G. winden. Wyse, s. (fito/.) wise, manner, way, B 153. A.S. wise, a way; G. weise ; F. guise is from O. H. G. ; wise and guise are doublets. Wyse, adj. pi. as sb. wise men, G 1067. A.S. wiSy wise; from witan, to know. Wyte, s. blame, G 953. A.S. wife, a punishment, fine, blame; cf. witan, to punish; Icel. vita, to fine, mulct. Wyues, s. pi. wives, women, B 273,0910. See Wyf. Y. Yaf, pt. s. gave, B 939, 975, C 490, 887, G 223 ; pt. pi. Yauen, gave, G 415. See Yeue. Yblessed, pp. blessed, H 99. A. S. bledsian, to consecrate ; from bldd, blood. The prefix y- answers to A. S. prefix ge-. Yboren, pp. born, C 704. A. S. beran, to bear ; pp. boren, gebor- en. Ybounde, pp. bound, G 347. A. S. bindan, to bind ; pp. bunden, gebunden. Ybrend, pp. burnt, G 318. A.S. barnan, pp. barned. See Brenne. Ycaried, pp. carried, C 791. O. F. carter, to carry ; char, a car. Yeast, pp. cast, thrown, G 939. See Caste. Yclad, pp. clothed, G 133. A. S. gecladed, clothed. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. Ycleped, pp. called, H 2, G 129 ; Yclept, G 772. See Clepe. Ycome, pp. come, B 755. A. S. cuman, to come; pp. cumen, gecumen. Ycoruen, pp. cut, G 533. A. S. ceorfan, to cut ; pp. corfen, gecorf- en. Ycouered, pp. covered, G 764. From O. F. covrir, to cover ; from Lat. co-operire. Ycoyned, pp. coined, C 770. F. ' coin, Lat. cuneus, a wedge ; hence, a coin. Ycrammed, pp. crammed, C 348. A. S. crammian, to cram ; pp. gecrammed ; cf. Du. Itrammen, to fasten with cramps or clamps. Ycristned, pp. baptized, B 240. A. S. cristnian, to baptize. Ydelly, adv. idly, C 446. A. S. idel, idle, vain ; idellice, vainly. Ydo, pp. done, i.e. finished, done with, G 739, 850, 866, 899 ; Ydoon, fought, lit. accomplished, 386. A. S. gedon, pp. of don, to do. Ydoles, 5. pi. idols, G 269, 285, 298. From Gk. cOtaAo?, an idol. Ydrawe, pp. drawn, taken, G 1440. A. S. dragan, to drag, draw ; pp. gedragen. Ye, adv. yea, verily, B 417, G 471, 599, 1061 ; ye or nay, yea or nay, 212. A. S. ge, ged, G. Ye, s. (pronounced as long e in meet, followed by e obscure), eye, B 280; at ye=at eye, to sight, evidently, G 964, 1059 ; pi. Yen, eyes, B 552, 661, G 190, 498, 504, 1418. A. S. edge, pi. edgan ; cf. E. eyne. Yede, pt. s. went, G 1141, 1281. A. S. eode, Goth, iddja, I went; from the root i , to go ; cf. Skt. i, to go ; Lat. ire, to go. Yeer, s. pi. years, B 499, G 720, VOL. III. . T 978 ; Yeres, H 463. A. S. i Icel. dr, Goth, jer, G. jahr ; the A. S. pi. is also gear. Yeman, s. yeoman, servant, G 562, 587. Cf. O. Fries, gaman, a villager ; from ga, a village ; cf. Goth, gawi, G. gau, a dis- trict. Note esp. gduman, a pea- sant, pi. gauleute, in Schmeller's Bavarian Diet., col. 855. Yerne, adv. briskly, glibly, C 398. A. S. georn t eager ; georne, eagerly. Yet, adv. moreover, G 622. A. S. git, yet, still. Yeue, v. to give, G 390, I 64 ; ger. to give, for giving, C 402, G 990 ; imp. s. give, G 1193 ; 3 p. may (He) give, B 284, 602, H *5 J PP- Yeuen, given, B 333, 444, C 449, 779, 922, G 470, 480. A. S. gifan, pt. t. gcef, g eci f, PP- gifen J Icel. gefa, Goth. gifan, G. geben, to give. Yeuing, s. giving ; wyn-yening, wine-giving, the giving of wine, 587. Yf alien, pp. fallen, turned out, happened, C 938, G 61. 1043 ; having come upon, having be- fallen, C 496. A. S. feallan, to fall ; pp. gefeallen. Yfere, adv. together, B 394, G 380. Cf. A. S. gefera, a travel- ling companion; from A. S. faran, to go. Yfet, pp. fetched, G 1116. A. S. fetian, pp. gefetod. Yfounde, pp. found, 1152. A. S. Jindan, to find ; pp. funden, ge- funden. Yglosed, pp. flattered, H 34. Formed from F. sb. glose, a gloss, comment ; from Lat. glossa, Gk. y\wffffa, the tongue, &c. Ygo, pp. gone, B 599 ; Ygon, G 183. A.S. gdn, to go; pp. gegdn. Ygraunted, pp. granted, C 388. GLOSS A RIAL INDEX. Yhent, pp. seized, caught, C 868, G 536. A. S. hentan, to sieze. Yhid, pp. hid, G 317. A. S. hydan, to hide ; pp. gehyded. Yholde, pp. held, considered, C 602. A. S. healdan, to hold, pp. gehealden. Yif, imp. s. give, grant, B 462, 562, G 65. See Yiue. Yifte, s. gift, G 275 ; pi. Yiftes, C 295. A. S. gift. Yit, adv. yet, still, B 634. A. S. &* Yknowe, pp. known, B 314. A. S. cndwan, to know ; pp. gecndwen. Ylent, pp. lent, G 1406. A. S. Icenan, to lend, give ; pp. ge- l&ned, Yliehe, adv. alike, equally, G 1202. A. S. gelice, adv. ; cf. G. gleich. See Ylyke. Ylost, pp. lost, G 722. A.S. ledsan, to lose ; pp. loren, lorn. Here used as a weak verb. Ylyke, adv. alike, equally, G 850. See Yliche. Ymaad, pp. made, caused, B 693, G 868, 1149; Ymaked, made, C 545. A. S. macian, to make ; pp. macod, gemacod. Ymette, pp. met, B 1115. A.S. metan, to meet; pp. gemet. Ynow, adj. enough, sufficient, G 1018; pi. Ynow, B 255. A.S. genog, sufficient, Goth, ganohs. Ynow, adv. enough, G 864, 945. Yore, adv. of old, formerly, B 1 74, 272. A.S. gedra, formerly; from gear, a year. Youres, pron. poss. yours, C 672, 785 ; Your, yours, G 1 248. A. S. eower, of you ; whence your ; and later, youres. Yow, pron. pers. dat. to you, B 154. A.S. edw, dat. and ace. of g*> y e - Yowthe, s. youth, B 163. A.S. geoguV. Ypiked, pp. picked over, G 941. Cf. A. S. pycan, to pick, pull (Lye). Ypocras, Hippocrates ; hence a kind of cordial, C 306. See the note. Ypocrisye, s. hypocrisy, C 410. Yput, pp. put, G 762. Yren, adj. iron, G 759; s. iron, 827. A.S. iren, isen, iron ; G.eisen. Yrent, pp. rent, torn, B 844. A. S. rendan, to rend. Y-schette, pp. shut, B 560. A. S. scittan, scyttan, to lock up (Som- ner) ; cf. A. S. sceotan, to shoot ; Icel. skjdta, to shoot, also to shoot a bolt, shut. Ysent, pp. sent, B 1041. Yset,/>/>. seated (lit. set, put), C 392. A. S. settan, to set ; pp. geset. Yshape, pp. shaped, formed, H 43 ; Yshapen, shaped, i. e. con- trived, G 1080. A. S. scippan, to shape, make ; pp. scapen, gescapen. Yshpiuen, pp. shriven, C 380. A. S. scrtfan, to shrive ; pp. gescrifen. Yslawe, pp. slain, B 484, C 856 ; Yslayn, slain, B 605, 848, C 673. A. S. sledn, to strike ; pp. ge- slagen; when ceyslayn, by change of g into y, and yslawe (for ydaweri) by change of g into w. Ystonge, pp. stung, C 355. A. S. stingan, pt. t. ic stang, pp. stung' en, gestungen. Ysweped, pp. swept, G 938. A. S. swdpan, to sweep; pt. t. sweop, pp. swdpen. But here it is a weak verb, as at present. Ytake, pp. taken, B 348, 556. Icel. taka, to take. Yt aught, pp. taught, G 267. A. S. t&can, to teach ; pp. tceht, get&ht. Ythrowe, pp. thrown, G 940. A. S. }>rdwan, to throw ; pt. t, Ipredw : pp. }>rdwen, getyrdwen. Ytold, pp. told, G 627, I 31. A. S. tellan, pp. geteald. GLOSSARIAL INDEX. 275 "Fuel, adj. evil, ill, C 408 ; adv. evilly, ill, G 921. (Pron. nearly in one syllable.) A. S. yfel, Goth, ubils, G. ubel, evil, bad; A. S.yfele, evilly. Y wedded, pp. wedded, G 128. A.S. weddian, to pledge; pp. weddod, geweddod; from wed> a pledge. Ywis, adv. certainly, C 327, G 263, 439, 617, 689, 823, 1107, 1359. A. S. gewis, Du. gewis, G. gewiss, adv. certainly. From the root of witan, to know. Ywriten, pp. written, B 191, G 210. A. S. writan, to write ; pt. t. wrdt, pp. gewriten. T 2 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES, &c. N.B. Many of the names are commented upon in the Notes. Achilles, B 198. Adam, C 505, 508, Alisaundre, Alexandria, 975. Alkaron, the Koran, B 332. Alia, -ffilla, B 578, 604, 610, 659. Almachius, G 42 1, 435, 468, 487 ; Almache, 362, 431. Ambrose, seint, G 271. Anne, St. Anna, B 641, G 70. Apia, Via, i.e. Via Appia, the Appian way, G 172. Arnold of the newe toun, Arnoldus de Villa Nova, G 1428. See Theatrum Chemicum, iv. 514. Attila, 0579. Auicen, Avicenna, C 889. Bachus, Bacchus, H 99. Bayard, a horse's name, G 1413. (So called from his bay colour.) Bernard, St. Bernard, G 30. Blee, i. e. Blean, H 3. Bob-vp-and-down (see note), H 2 . Bought on vnder Blee, G 556. See note. Briton, adj. British, Welsh, B 666. Britons, Britons, B 545, 547. Bur deux, Bordeaux) C 571. Cananee, adj. Canaanite, G 59. Catoun, Cato (Dionysius Cato), G 688. See the note. Caunterbury, Canterbury, G 624, HS- Cecilie, St. Cecilia, G 28, 85, &c. ; Cecile, G 92, 94, &c. ; lyf of seint Cecile, 554. Chepe, Cheapside, C 564, 569, H 24. Corinthe, Corinth, C 604. Crist, Christ, B 277, 283, &c. distance, Constance, B 151, 226, 264, 319, 431, 438, &c. Danyel, Daniel, B 473. Dauid, David, B 935. Demetrius, C 621. Donegild, B 695, 778, 896. Ebrayk, adj. Hebrew, B 489. Ector, Hector, B 198. Egypcien Marie, Egyptian Mary, Sta. Maria -flSgyptiaca, B 500. Engelond, England, B 1130, C 921, G 1356. Ercules, Hercules, B 200. Eua, Eve, B 368 ; son of Eue, G 62. Europe, Europe, B 161. INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 377 Fishstrete, Fish Street, C 564. Flaundres, Flanders, C 463. Galianes, s. pi. drinks named after Galen, C 306. Golias, Goliath, B 934. G-rece, Greece, B 464. Gyle, St. Giles, St. TEgidius, G 1185. Hanybal, Hannibal, B 290. Hayles, the Abbey of Hailes, Gloucestershire, C 652. Hermengild, Hermengild, B 533, 539> 597* 625 ; gen. Hermen- gildes, 595. Hermes, Hermes Trismegistus, G H34- leremye, Jeremiah, C 635. . Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 151. lesu, Jesus, B 538. lewes, Jews, C 475. lohn Baptist, C 491. lohn, St. John, B 1019, C 752. lonas, Jonah, B 486. Itayle, Italy, B 441. lubaltar, Gibraltar, B 947. ludas, Judas, G 1003. ludith, Judith, B 939. lulius, Julius Caesar, B 199, 400. lupiter, Jupiter, G 364; the planet, 828. Lacidomie, Lacedaemon, C 605. Iiamuel, Lemuel, C 584. Lepe, a town in Spain, C 563, 570. Lia, Leah, G 96, 98. Libra, a sign of the zodiac, In. Londoun, London, H IT ; London, G 1012. Lucan, B 401. Mahoun, Mahomet, B 224, 340; Makomete, 333; gen. Mako- metes, 336. Marie, St. Mary the Egyptian, B 500. Marrok, Morocco, B 465. Mars, B 301, 305. Marye, Mary, B 841. Mathew, St. Matthew, C 634. Mauricius, Maurice, B 723 ; Mau- rice, B 1063, 1 1 21 ; gen. Mau- rices, B 1127. Maximus, G 338 ; Maxime, 377. May, s. May, G 1343. Niniuee, Nineveh, B 487; Niniue, G 9 7 4 . Northumberlond, Northumber- land, B 508, 578. Olofernus, Holophernes, B 940. Osanne, Hosannah, G 69. Paradys, s. Paradise, C 506, 509, 0227. Parth.es, Parthia (or,theParthians), 622. Paul, St. Paul, C 521, 1 32 ; Paulus, C523- Pirrus, Pyrrhus, B 288. Plato, G 1448, 1453, 1460. Pompei, Pompey, B 199. Bochel, Rochelle, C 571. Bomayn, adj. Roman, B 954 ; pi. Romayns, the Roman people, 291, 394, G 121 ; Romayn gestes, the gesta Romanorum, B 1126. Borne, B 142, 290, G 975. Homeward, to, towards Rome, B 968. Bonyan, St. Ronan, C 310; Ronyon, 320. See the note. Bosarie, s. Rosarium (name of a book), G 1429. Salomon, Solomon, G 961. Sampson, Samson, B 201 ; Samp- soun, C 554* 57 2 - Samuel, C 585. Sathan, Satan, B 582, 634. Saturnus, Saturn (the planet), G 828. Scottes, s. pi. the Scots, B 580. Semyram, Semiramis, B 359. INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. Senek, Seneca, C 492. Senior, the name of a book (see note), G 1450. Septe, Ceuta, in Morocco, B 947. Socrates, B 201. Sol, lit. the Sun, a name for gold, G 1440. Spayne, Spain, C 565, 570. Stilbon, C 603. See note. Surrye, Syria, B 134, 173, 177, 279> 387, 955- Surryen, adj. Syrian, B 153, 435 ; pi. Surryens, the Syrians, 394,963. Susanne, Susanna, B 639. Thebes, B 200, 289. Theseus (see note, p. 6), B 289. Tiburce, Tiburtius, G 242, 260 ; gen. Tiburces, 277. Timothee, Timothy, I 32. Titanos, Titan, a name for nesia, G 1454. Troye, Troy, B 288, G 975. Turnus, B 201. mag. Valerian, G 129, 162, &c. ; gen. Valerians, 277. Venus (the planet), G 829. Vrban, pope Urban, G 177, 179, 185, 217, 303, &c. Walys, Wales, B 544. Ynde, India, C 722. Ypocras, Hippocrates ; also, a cor dial named after him, C 306, INDEX TO THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS EXPLAINED IN THE NOTES. The more difficult words are explained in the Glossary; but some are further commented on in the Notes. These are entered in the following Index, and are distinguished by being printed in italics. The numbers refer to the pages. abide for abye, 1 86. accident, 153. agrimony, 191. al, use of, 195. Alanus de Insulis, 196. Albification, 191. ' Alchemist, the,' 187. Alestakes, 143. Alliteration, 208. Amalgam, 189. Ambrose cited, 174. angle, 126. Anna, St., 132, 169. cinnueleer, 197. ape, 198. Ape-wine, 204, 205. Appian way, 172. opposed, 175, 176. Arimathea, Joseph of, 132. Arnoldus de Nova Villa, 192, 200. Arsenic, 190. as, use of, 135, 138 ; etymology of, 163. Ascendant, 128. Astrolabe, Chaucer's, 126, 127, 128, 207, 208. Astrology, 123, 126, 127. Atazir, 126. atfe, 156. Attila, 155. auow, 161. Avicenna, 164. a^enbyen (redeem), 152. bak, 195. Harbour's Bruce, 130, 134. Basket-making by saints, 149. Bayard, blind, 199. bel amy, 143. Bell, sounded before a corpse, 160. ben* cite, 184. bere in hand, 132. Bernard, St., 167. bet, 161. bicched bones, 159. blakeberyed, 147. blind lane, 185. Bob-up-and-down, 202. Boethius, 125, 129. bole (earth), 189, 190. Boughton-under-Blee, 181. Bulls, Popes', 144. buriels, 172. by, 197. Caecilia, etymology of, 1 70; church of, 179; date of death, 180; patroness of music, 171. Cakes, 144. Calcination, 189. Canon, 164. Canons, 182. zSo INDEX OF SUBJECTS Cato, Dionysius, 186. cered pokets, 192. ceriously, 123. Ceuta, 136. Chaucer's father, 154. cheste, 162. Chilon, 156. Citrination, 192. clote-leef, 183. Clouts, 145. Commandments, ten, 151, 157. conseil, 163, 171. Cook's Tale, 204. corniculere, 176. crowd, 126, 135. cucurbites, 190. cuts, to draw, 163. dame, 161. Dante imitated, 167, 168. defenden, 153. Demetrius, 156. deye, dye, 131. Dialects, 208. Divination by the blade-bone, 146. dominacioun, 205. Dorothea, St., 166. dragoun, 201. drede, out of, 135. Drunkenness, 134, 153, 154. dryue away the day, 156. Dun in the mire, 203. e, final, 121. earn, yearn (in Shakespeare), 142. -ed, final, 121. eggement, 135. Election of voyage, 127, 128. Elements, the four, 202. elf, 134. Elves, 134. Empyrean, 171. erme, 142. ermfid, 140. -es, final, 121. Etymologies, strange, 1 70. Eve, son of, 169. Exaltation (in astrology), 207. Face (in astrology), 208 fan, 204. fen (chapter), 164. Fermentation, 193. Fish Street, 154. Flanders, 150. flemed, 169. Florins, 162. fneseth, 206. foot-hot, 130. fors, no, 140, 185. fraught, 122. Friars, 149. Galianes, 141. gauren, 136. Gerund, use of the, 154, 178. Gesta Romanorum, 131, 139. geste, 208. Gibraltar, 136. Giles, St., 198. good bye, 162. Gospels, MSS. of the, 132. Gower, 121, 122, 129-131, 137, 138, 148, 193, 194, 198, 201. grisly, 150. Hailes, blood of, 158. harrow I haro /, 140. haunten, 150, 153. Hazard, 159. here (her), dissyllabic, 171. Herbs, virtue of, 191. Hermes, 201. Herod, 152. lieyne, 198, 199. hey re, 171. Hippocrates, 140, 141. Hood, how worn, 182. Horoscope, 127, 128. House (in astrology), 1-26. hym and here (him and her), 130. Hymn, Latin, imitated, 130. hypocras, 140, 141. zgnotnm per ignotius, 202. Imbibition, 192. Indulgences, sale of, 144-147. *'/ am I, 139. iupertie, 187. EXPLAINED IN THE NOTES. Jacobus Januensis, 169. jeopardy, 187. Jew, a holy, 145. Knaresborough, 133. **yg*9 175, 177- lampe (lamina), 187. lane, blind, 185. latoun, 145. Legenda Aurea, 130, 165, 166, 169, 172, &c. Lemuel, king, 155. Lepe, town of, 154. lettres, lettre, use of, 133, 134. lo tinge, 172. lunarie, 191. luting, lute, 188. Lydgate, 128. Mahomet, 124. male (bag), 164, 182. Manuscripts ; see Notes. Mark, value of a, 147. Mary of Egypt, 131. Matthew Paris, 134. Maumetry, 124. Maurice, emperor, 139. message (messenger), 122, 128. Metals, seven, 194. Morocco, straits of, 131, 136. Mortification, 200. mcyste, 143. multiply e, 185, 1 86. namely, 147. Nativities, 127. nayles (an oath), 157, 158. Nicodemus, gospel of, 132. Nobles, 164. Nominalists, 153. Notes written in the margin in the MSS., 123, 125, 127, 129, 134, !39> J 52, 153, 155-157. 162, 177, 184. Oaths, 143, 150, 157. oo ( = one), 173. organs, 171. Ospringe, pilgrims at, 180, 181. ouersloppe, 184. ought (at all), 183. Oxymoron, 195. Pardons, 144-147. Past participle, 122, 179, 197. Past tense, second person of, 178; compared with pp., 179, 197. patente, 144. Pestilences, 161. Peter I, 185. Peter Comestor, 152. Piers Plowman, 149, 152, 153, 156, 208. Planets, ascension of, 1 26 ; position of, 127. pokets, cered, 192. Polycraticus, 156. pose (verb), etymology of, 176. ponped, 206. Prime, 160. Primum mobile, 125. Proper names in scansion, 138. Proverbs: all that glisters, 196, 197; as fain as a fowl, 199; every apple, 196, 197 ; burnt bairns, 199; better late, 199; lightly come, 163 ; proffered service, 197; too much, 185; solamen miserorum, 187. Ptolemaic theory, 125. purchace, 135. Quicksilver, 189, 195, Quintain, 204. rape and renne, 199, 200. Realgar, 192. Realists, 153. Reclaim a hawk, 206. relees, out of, 168. Relics, 145. rit (rideth), 184. Roland, young, 137. Romaunt of the Rose, 148, 165. Rome, journies to, 136. 282 INDEX OF SUBJECTS EXPLAINED Ronan, St., 141, 142. Root (in astrology), 127, 128; (in alchemy), 202. Rubrification, 190. saffron, 145. Sal Ammoniac, 191. Sal Petrae, 192. Salisbury, John of, 156. Sampsoun, 153. Scansion, peculiarities of, 124, 129, 138, 146, 164, 173, 175, 178, 184-186, 198. se (protect), 122, 162. Secreta Secretorum, 201. Seneca quoted, 152. Senior (a book), 202. Serpent in form of woman. 128, 129. Shoulder-bone of a sheep, 146. Signs of zodiac, 1 26. sol and luna, 201. sonne (sun), feminine, 168. sothe, dissyllabic, 185. spending siluer, 197. Spheres, nine, 125. Spirits, four, 189, 193. -stere, -ster, (suffix), 151. sterne (die), 164. Stilbon, 156. ' Stories, the,' 152. Sublimation, 188. substance, 153. Susannah, 132. Swearing, 150, 151, 157. sy (saw), 199. syghte (sighed), 137. taste, 178. temps (tense), 195. textnel, 209. the, joined to next word, 122. tide, 135. to-bet e, 177. tombestere, 151. tormentour, 176. Tortuous signs, 126. Torture, 135. to-tere, 150. triacle (treacle), 143. Trivet, Nicholas, cited, 121, 129, vp so doun, 184. Urban, St., 172. ver 'degrees, 190. Vigny, Jehan de, 165, 166. Vintners, 154, 155. 'Virgin Martyr,' 166, 173, 176. vow, old spelling of, 161. Wafer-women, 152. went, is (is gone), 179. weyue (abandon), 174. White and red wines, 153. who, as a relative, 175. wilful, 149, Wines of Spain and Rochelle, 154, 155 ; sorts of, 204 ; wine of ape, 204. with, construction of, 145. wood (mad), 140. wordes, hadde the, 209. worm (serpent), 146. ye,yis (yea, yes), 183. yearn (in Shakespeare), 142- THE END. OTHER WORKS BY THE SAME EDITOR. CHAUCER. The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Edited, from numerous Manuscripts. In Six Volumes, demy 8vo, with Portrait and Facsimiles. 4/. i6s., or i6s. each volume. Chaucerian and other Pieces, being a Supplementary Volume to the above. Edited from numerous Manuscripts. 8vo, iSs. The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. (School Edition.) Extra fcap. 8vo, is. The Prologue, The Knightes Tale, The Nonne Preestes Tale; from the Canterbury Tales. Edited by R. MORRIS, LL.D. A New Edition, with Collations and Additional Notes. Extra fcap. 8vo, 25. 6d. The Prioresses Tale, Sir Thopas, The Monkes Tale, The Clerkes Tale, The Squieres Tale, &c. Seventh Edition. 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