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THE POETICA.L WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER

EDITED BY RICHARD MORRIS

Editor of " Specimens of Early English," llampole's " Pririe of

Conscience," " Old English Homilies," etc., Member of

the Council of the Philological Society.

WITH MEMOIR BY SIR HARRIS NICOLAS NEW AND REVISED EDITION

VOL I

LONDON BELL AND DALDY Y"OEK STEEET

COVENT GARDEN

V

PREFACE.

^K\N this edition of Chaucer's poetical works Tyrwhitt's text has been re- placed by one based upon manuscripts where such are known to exist.

The various manuscript collections in the library of the British Museum, and in the University libraries of Oxford and Cambridge were carefully examined and compared before any special selection was made.

No better manuscript of the Canterbury Tales could be found than the Harleian manuscript, 7334, which is far more uniform and accurate (ban any other I have examined; it has, therefore, been se- lected, and faithfully adhered to throughout as the text of the present edition. Many clerical errors and corrupt readings have been corrected by collating it, line for line, with the Lansdowne MS. 851, which, notwithstanding its provincial peculiarities, contains many excellent readings, some of which have been adopted in preference to those of the Harl. MS.

In all doubtful or difficult passages reference has been made to the manuscripts consulted by Tyrwhitt, as well as to some few others in the British Museum collections. By this means many errors of

VI PREFACE.

(he original scribe have been avoided, and some few lines have had a little additional lio;ht thrown upon them ; among which we may instance the fol- lowing : —

1. " In goth the speres /«Z sadly in arest.''1

' Knigtes Tale, ii. 80, 1744."

The MS. reads " In goth the speres into the rest;" and Tyrwhitt reads " In gon the speres sadly in the rest."*

2. " Povert is hatel good, and, as I gesse A ful gret brynger out of busynesse." The Wyfof Bathes Tale, ii. 242, II. 339, 340.

The MS. reads ''Povert is hateful, and, etc." Tyrwhitt reads " Povert is hateful good."

These lines occur in a well-known passage in praise of poverty, which the Poet says " maketh a man his God, and eke himself to know." The reading hateful, therefore, does not strike one as very appropriate; and in the text "hatel" has been adopted from the Lansdowne manuscript as more suitable to the context ; hatel good corresponds to our expression a " bitter sweet," hatel signifying sharp, severe, a word not at all uncommon in early English writers.

Tyrwhitt, who exhibits great judgment in the readings adopted in his text, seems to have been unable to deal with the following passage, which

1 The arcst=the support for the spear.

2 In the " Flower and the Leaf," Speght reads—

" and lightly laid a spere

In the rest ; and so justes began."

(iv. 96. 282.) I have not hesitated to print —

"In the | arest | and so | justes | began."

PREFACE. Vll

occurs in the Mittens Tale, (ii. 107, 299), and alto- gether passes it over in his notes : — ■

" Therwith the night-spel seyde he anon rightes, On the foure halves of the hous aboute, And on the foure halves of the dore withoute ;

Lord Jhesu Crist, and Seynte Benedight Blesse this hous from every wikkede wight,

Fro nyghtes mare xvcrije the with Pater-noster.''

The Harl. MS. reads "For the nyghtes verray the white Pater-noster ;" and this, with slight vari- ations, is the reading of many good MSS.

Tyrwhitt reads " Fro the nightes marc the tuite pater-noster" which is not a whit more intelligible. The reading adopted in this text signifies " From the night-mare defend the with the pater-noster, ,"

All corrections of the original scribe in the Tales and other poems are printed in italics, so that the reader may see at a glance where the manuscript has been altered.

A word or two is necessary, perhaps, to explain the frequent occurrence of the final e, which so often occurs in the present text.

It is added on the authority of the best MSS. as marking, 1. The infinitive mood of verbs ; 2. the preterite of regular verbs, as distinguished from the past participle ; 3. the definite form, vocative case, and plural of the adjective, <fcc.

Men seyn | right thus | alway | the ney \ c slye Maketh | the fer | re lee | fe to be loth.3

3 Men say right thus always, the near, sly, or crafty (one) makes the more distant beloved (one) to be distasteful ; or the lover near at hand causes the distant one to be for- cotten.

viii PREFACE.

The MS. reads ney and lee/, and the sense has suffered in consequence ; neye (near) and leefe (dear one), coming after the definite article, required the final -e:1

There is no doubt that many passages which have suffered through the carelessness or ignorance of late transcribers might be restored by a little atten- tion to this point.

The following passages "will suffice for illustra- tion : —

(1) "Me thoughtc sche layde a grayn under my tonge." Prioresses Talc, iii. 128, 1. 210.

The e in thoughtc being sounded gives us a redun- dant syllable, but transposing as follows the c be- comes elided before the succeeding vowel: — ■ " Me though te | a grayn | sche layde," &c.

(2) " But of what congeled matere Hyt was uyste /redely."

House of Fame, v. 243, 1. 37.

By reading

"Hyt was | I nys | te re | dely,"

the exact metre is preserved.

(3) '' And furth the cokkowe gon procede anon, With ' Benedictus' thankyng God in hast, That in this May hem visite wold echon,

And gladden hem all while the f est e shall teste, And therewithal a lour/liter out he braste."

Court of Love, iv. 49, 1415, 1416.

The MS. reads lest and braste; teste is printed

in the text because it is the infinitive after shall ;

braste, being considered by the scribe as a preterite,

should be written brast, but cannot well rhyme with

Teste. The true reading I believe to be as follows : —

4 In the best MSS. of the works of Chaucer's friend and contemporary, Gower, the final -e is seldom omitted.

PREFACE. IX

And glad | den hem | whil-e | the fes j tc last, And there | with-al j a lough | tcr oute j he barst, And gladden them while the feast lastdlt, And therewithal a laughter out he burst.

In this case last = lasteth, lasts ; and barst = burst,

The following poems are included in this edi- tion:—

Troylus and Cryseyde is now, for the first time, printed entirely from a single manuscript : Harleian , 2280, collated with Harl. MSS. 1239, 2392, 3943, and Additional MS. 12044.

The Romaunt of the Rose is printed from the unique MS, in the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow.

The Court of Love and the Virelai (from MS. marked R. iii. 20, in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge),5 The Assembly of Foides, and The CucJcoio and the Nightingale (from Bodleian MS. Fairfax, 16),6 arc now, for the first time, taken direct from the manuscripts.

Aetas Prima' (from MS. Hh 4. 12. 2. (late MS. Moore 947) in the Public Library, Cambridge), and Prosperity (Bodleian MS. Seld. B. 24), have not been before printed, and now make their appearance tor the first time.

The Bol-e of the Duchesse. The House of Fame. Of Queen Anelyda and False A reyte. The Legende

5 These were kindly pointed out to me by Aldis Wright, Esq., of Trinity College, Cambridge, and collated with the MS. by the Rev. J. R. Lumbv, M.A.

" Collated with Harl. MS.7333, and Bodleian MS. Seld. B. 24.

7 I am indebted to Henry Bradshaw, Esq., King's College, Cambridge, for the transcript of this little poem, and to the Rev. W. W. Skeat for the collation with the MS. In the Appendix will be found a better version of this poem (on the fifth metre of the second book of Boethius' " Consolation of Philosophy,") from MS. Ii. 3. 21 (Univ. Lib., Cambridge).

X PHEFACE.

of Goode Women. 8 Complaynie of 'a Loveres Lyfe. The Complaynt of Mars and Vcnus.9 The Com- pleynte of the Dethe of Pite.10 Ballade de Vilage sauns Peynture.11 Ballade sent to King Richard. The Compleynt of Chaucer to his Purse.1- Good Counseil of Chaucer?3 EEnvoy de Chaucer a Sco</an. VEnvoy de Chancer a Bukton. Proverbcs of Chaucer. Chaucer's A. B. C.1*— are all copied from the Bodleian MS. Fairfax, 1G.

The Ballad commencing " Firste Fadir" is taken from Harl. MS. 7333.

The Orison to the Virgin, beginning " Moder of God," was found by me in Bodleian MS. Seld. B. 24, (a MS. marked with strong Scottish peculiari- ties.) and seems more accurate than the copy pub- lished in " Notes and Queries," from a MS. in the Advocate's Library.

A Goodly Bcdlad of Chaucer, the Praise of Women, and Chaucer s Words unto his Scrivener, arc from Thynne's edition of 1532.

The Flower and the Leaf, and Chaucer's Bream, unfortunately do not exist in manuscript, and have been taken from Speght's edition.

8 Collated with Bodleian MS. Seld. B. 24, MSS. IlarL 9832. Addit, 12524 (British Museum), and Gg. 4. 27, in the University Library, Cambridge, privately printed by H. Bradshaw, Cambridge, 1864.

9 Collated with MS. Ff. 1. 6, in the University Library, Cambridge. (Ed. H. Bradshaw, 1864.)

10 Collated with Harl. MS. 78.

11 See Appendix for a more complete version from MS. Cambridge, Ii. 3. 21 (University Library).

la Collated with Harl. MS. 7333 and Bodleian Seld. B. 24.

13 Collated with Cotton MS. Otho. A. xvm, and MS. Gg. 4. 27. (University Library, Cambridge.) Another and more complete version of this poem is printed in the Appendix, from Additional MS. 10, 340. (See Athenaeum, Sept. 14, 1867.)

■4 Collated with a MS. in the Hnnterian Museum, Glasgow.

PREFACE. xi

The Roundel is reprinted from Percy's Eeliques of Ancient English Poetry.

Chancers Prophecy, found in a MS. belonging to Mr. Singer, is taken from Sir Harris Nicolas's edition.

To Tyrwhitt's Essay on the "Versification of Chaucer," some sections on the Chaucerian metres have been added by the Rev. W. W. Skeat, of Christ's College, Cambridge (editor of Sir Launcelot).

The Glossary which accompanies this edition con- tains a reference to the most important passages ; and some few terms, overlooked or misunderstood by former editors, have been inserted and explained.

R. MORRIS.

Tottenham, Nov. 1806.

V-

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

N this re-issue of Chaucer's Poetical Works, some few alterations have been made in the Text and Glossary. The Editor has introduced additional matter in the form of Appendices, which, it is hoped, will add greatly to the com- pleteness of the present edition.

Appendix A. (p. 253*) contains an Essay on the Pronunciation of English in the time of Chaucer, by Mr. A. J. Ellis, author of " English Pronun- ciation, with special reference to Shakespeare and Chaucer."1 Mr. Ellis is well known for his long and able labours in Phonetics ; he has investigated the history of English Pronunciation with rare diligence and a knowledge that he alone of all Englishmen could bring to the task; and the results of his work are contained in the Essay which he has most kindly contributed to the present edition.

Appendix C. (p. 273*) gives a " Scheme of the Order of the Canterbury Tales, and the Halting

1 Published by Uio Chancer, Early English Tcxf, and rhilologieul Societies, 1868.

xiv PHEFACE.

and Sleeping Places of the Pilgrims on their Journey to Canterbury with Chaucer ; " reprinted by the kind permission of Mr. F. J. Furnivall, from his Temporary Preface to the Six-text edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.1

The Appendix at the end of Vol. VI. contains earlier versions of —

(a.) Ballade de Vilage sauns Peynture.

(6.) Good Counseil of Chaucer.

(o.) iEtas Prima, than those contained in the first edition.

1 All true lovers of Chaucer and Chaucerian studies can aid a good work by joining the Chaucer Society, (Triibner and Co., Publishers) whose six-text edition of the Canterbury Tales, will, when complete, form no unworthy tribute to the memory and genius of England's early and great poet

.-^1

CONTENTS.

IFE of Chaucer ....

Notes to Life ....

Essay on the Language and Versi fication of Chaucer ..... Introductory Discourse to the Canterbury Tales Chaucer's Pronunciation .... On the Genuineness of the Romaunt of the Rose Scheme of the Order of the Canterbury Tales Glossary .......

PAGK 1

93

117

197

253*

265*

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LIFE OF CHAUCER.

BY SIR HARRIS NICOLAS.

" That renownmed Poet Dan Chaucer, Well of English undefyled, On Fame's eternall beadroll worthie to be fyled."

Spenser.

'LTHOUGH great trouble was taken to illustrate the life of Chaucer, by his former biographers,1 the field of research was but imperfectly gleaned. Many material facts in his history have been very recently brought to light, and are now, for the first time, published ; but it is not from

1 Godwin, in his Life of Geoffrey Chaucer, (2 vols. 4to. 1803; second edition, 4 vols. 8vo. 1804), speaking of searches among the Public Records, says, " In this sort of labour I had been indefatigable," but il after all my diligence, I am by no means confident that I may not have left some par- ticulars to be gleaned by the compilers who shall come after me." 8vo. vol. i. p. xiii. Copies of most of the Records he bad seen are printed at length in the Appendix to that work, and are marked in the Notes to this Memoir by the letter (£5, the omission of which letter shows distinctly what has been since discovered.

B

"Z LIFE OF CHAUCER.

these discoveries only that this account of the Poet will derive its claim to attention. An erroneous construction has been given to much of what was before known of him ; and absurd inferences have, in some cases, been drawn from supposed allusions to himself in his writings. A Life of the Poet, founded on documentary evidence instead of imagi- nation, was much wanted ; and this, it is hoped, the present Memoir will supply.

Chaucer's parentage is unknown, and the con- jectures that have been hazarded on the subject arc too vague to justify the adoption of any of them.2 His name, which was of some antiquity, was borne by persons in a respectable station of society ; and it is likely that some of them were connected with the city of London.2 That he was of a gentle- man's, though not of a noble or distinguished family, can scarcely be doubted ; but the frequent occur- rence of passages in his writings, wherein he insists that conduct is the only proof of gentility, that he alone is truly noble who acts nobly, with others of a similar import, may possibly be ascribed to his de- sire to level the artificial distinctions of birth, from the consciousness of being, in that respect, inferior to those of whom his talents had rendered him the associate. Upon a supposed reference to himself in one of his works, he is considered to have been born in London ;3 but, as will afterwards appear, no re- liance can be placed on that passage.

2 For all the information that has been collected respect- ing persons of the name of Ciiauckg, see Note A. at the end of this Memoir.

3 " Also the citye of London that is to me so dere and

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 3

The time of his birth has been much discussed,4 in consequence of a deposition made by him at Westminster, in October 1380, in the remarkable controversy between Richard Lord Scrope and Sir Robert Grosvenor, that he was of the age of "forty and upwards," and " had been armed twenty-seven years." If by this statement it were meant that he was then only a little more than forty years old, he would have been born about 1345, whereas the birth of the Poet had been always hitherto assigned to the year 1328. There are strong reasons, de- rived from many passages in his own works, and in the writings of Gower and Occleve, (some of which will be afterwards cited), for believing that he was born long before 1345 ; and the mistakes in the ages of the deponents on that occasion, some of whom are stated to have been ten, and others even twenty years younger than they really were, pre- vents Chaucer's deposition from being conclusive on the point. Indeed, it would appear that the precise age of the deponents was not deemed of much con- sequence, and was inserted only as a matter of form ; but that the time they had served in the field being essential, because their personal knowledge of the fact in dispute greatly depended thereon, it was probably accurately represented. Chaucer, there-

swete, in which I was forth growen ; and more kindely love have I to that place, than to any other in yerth, as every kindly creture hath full appetite to that place of his kindely engendure, and to wilne reste and pece in that stede to ahide." " Testament of Love," book i. sect. 5. See the remarks in a subsequent page on this and other imaginary references to himself in that work.

4 Godwin's Life of Chaucer, 8vo. vol. i. p. xxi. et seq.

1 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

fore, may have been ten, or even fifteen years above forty in 138G, which would make the period of his birth nearly agree with the date usually assigned to it. lie had, he said, borne arms for twenty-seven years ; so that assuming- him to have been about fifty-five when examined at Westminster, he did not commence his military career until 1359, at which time he would have been above twenty-eight years of as;e.

Some of Chaucer's biographers suppose that he was educated at Oxford, and some again, at Cam- bridge ;5 while others solve the doubt, more ingeni- ously than probably, by concluding that he was at both Universities ; but there is no proof, however likely it may be, that he belonged to either.

It has been said that Chaucer was originally in- tended for the law, and that from some cause which has not reached us, and on which it would be idle to speculate, the design was abandoned. The ac- quaintance he possessed with the classics, with di- vinity, with astronomy, with so much as was then known of chemistry, and indeed with every other branch of the scholastic learning of tha age, proves that his education had been particularly attended

5 Upon the doubtful authority of a line in the " Court of Love," (1. 913,) in which he is supposed to speak of himself as " Philogenet of Cambridge, Clerk," it lias been concluded that he was educated at that University; "but," as is well observed in the Edinburgh Review (vol. ii. p. 433), "we cannot see how the acknowledged falsehood of one part of this designation can possibly prove the truth of the rest; or why Chaucer may not have invented a fictitious character to be attached to a false name." Leland says he was of Oxford; but his account of Chaucer is too full of mistakes to be entitled to any credit

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 5

to ; and his attainments render it impossible to be- lieve that he quitted college at the early period at which persons destined for a military life usually began their career. It was not then the custom for men to pursue learning for its own sake : and the most rational manner of accounting for the extent of Chaucer's acquirements is to suppose that he was educated for a learned profession. The knowledge he displays of divinity would make it more likely that he was intended for the Church than for the Ear, were it not that the writings of the Fathers were generally read by all classes of students. One writer says that Chaucer was a member of the Inner Temple, and that while there he was fined two shillings for beating a Franciscan friar in Fleet Street,6 and another observes, that after he had travelled in France, " collegia leguleiorum frequen- tavit."7 Nothing, however, is positively known of Chaucer until the autumn of 1359, when he himself says he was in the army with which Edward the Third invaded France, and that he served for the first time on that occasion. He was, he adds, made prisoner by the French during the expedition, which terminated with the peace of Chartres in May 1360. Between 1360 and 1367 no notice has been found of him, so that it is alike uncertain if he was ransomed, and when he returned to England.

In 1367 Chaucer was one of the " Valets of the King's Chamber," or, as the Office was sometimes

G Speght, who states that a Mr. Buckley had seen a record of the Inner Temple to that effect. 7 Lei and.

6 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

called, " Valet of the King's Household," a situa- tion always filled by gentlemen ; and by the designa- tion of " dilectus Valcttus noster," the King, in consideration of his former and future services, granted him, on the 20th of June in that year, an annual salary of twenty marks for life, or until he should be otherwise provided for.8 About that time he married Philippa, (one of the " demoiselles" or ladies in attendance on the Queen),9 who is stated to have been the eldest daughter of Sir Payne Eoet, a native of Hainault and King of Arms of Guienne, and sister of Katherine, widow of Sir Hugh Swyn- ford, once the mistress, but subsequently the wife of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster. Chaucer received his pension in November 1367, May 1368, and October 1369 ;10 and beinn- in the King's ser- vice abroad in the summer of 1370, he obtained the usual letters of protection, dated on the 20th of June in that year, to be in force until the ensuing Michaelmas."11 He must however have returned to England a few months afterwards, because he re- ceived in person his half year's pension on the 8th of October, though in April it was paid to Walter

H Rot. Pat. 41 Edw, III. p. I, m. 13. Foedera, N. E. vol. iii. p. 829. (£5. The payment of this pension on the 6th of November 1367 is the first notice of Chaucer on the Issue Rolls of the Exchequer, (Mich. 42 Edw. III. Vide Note B. at the end of the Memoir), and it is most probable that he did not obtain the appointment before June 1367.

9 Sec the Remarks on Chaucer's marriage towards the end of this Memoir. Tyrwhitt says it took place in 1360, but lie does not refer to any authority.

10 Issue Rolls of the Exchequer for the 4 2nd Edw. III. ( Fide Notes B. and C.) and 43rd Edw. III.

11 Rot. Pat. 44 Edw. III. p. 2. m. 20. ©.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 7

Walshe for him ;12 and he also received it himself in 1371 and 1372."

On the 12th of November 1372, Chaucer be- ing then one of the King's Esquires, was joined in a Commission with James Pronam and John dc Mari, citizens of Genoa, to treat with the Duke, Citizens and Merchants of Genoa, for the purpose of choosing some port in England where the Genoese misfht form a commercial establishment.14

An advance of G61. 13s. 4d. was made to Chaucer on the 1st of December 1372, for his expenses,15 and he left England soon after. All that is known of this mission is that he went to Florence as well as Genoa ;16 that he had returned before the 22nd of November 1373 ;16 and that on the 4th of Fe- bruary 1374, ho received 251. 6s. 8cl. at the Ex- chequer, for his expenses while in the King's service at Genoa and Florence in the preceding year.16

No circumstance in Chaucer's life has excited so much interest as his proceedings in Italy in 1373, from its having been imagined that he then visited Petrarch at Padua, and obtained from him the pa- thetic Tale of Griselda, which the Clerk of Oxenford recites during the Canterbury Pilgrimage ; an idea entirely founded upon the probability that such a

12 Issue Rolls 44 Edw. III. edited by Frederick Devon, Esq. 8vo. 1835, pp. 19,289.

13 Issue Rolls, 45, 46, and 47 Edw. III.

" Rot. Franc. 4G Edw. III. m. 8. Fcedera, X. E. vol. iii. p. 964. (55.

15 Issue Roll, Mich. 47 Edw. III. 1373. Vide Note D.

5 He received his .pension in person on that dav. Issue Roll, Mich. 48 Edw. III. Vide Note E.

S LIFE OF CHAUCER.

meeting might have taken place, and upon the fol- lowing lines in the Prologue to the Clerk's Tale : —

" I wil yow telle a tale, which that I Lerned at Padowe of a worth}- clerk, As provyd by his wordes and his werk. He is now deed, and nayled in his chest, Now God yive his soule wel good rest.

Fraunces Petrark, the laureat poete, Highte this clerk, whos rethorique swete Enlumynd al Ytail of poetrie, As Linian did of philosophic, Or lawue, or other art particnlere : But deth, that wol not suffre us dwellen here, But as it were a twyncling of an ye, Hem both hath slayn and alle schulwe dye. But forth to telle of this worthy man That taughte me this Tale."

It is a natural and generous wish that illustrious men, the ornaments of their several ages and coun- tries, whom Nature, by endowing with kindred minds and her highest intellectual gifts, would seem to have destined for friends, should have been ac- quainted with each other ; and that the admiration inspired by their respective Works should have been warmed and strengthened by personal affection. This universal feeling justifies more attention to the supposed friendship of Chaucer and Petrarch than a merely speculative question would otherwise deserve.

Tyrwhitt, after alluding to Speght's inaccurate statement, that " some write " that Chaucer and Petrarch were present at the marriage of Lionel Duke of Clarence with Violenta, daughter of Gra- leazzo Lord of Milan, at that city in 1369, as one occasion when he might have become known to the

LIFE OF CHAUCER. '.1

Italian Poet,17 proceeds to notice his mission to Genoa in 1372 as having afforded him another op- portunity of seeing Petrarch. He briefly discusses the point ; but it is evident that he had not formed a conclusive opinion upon it, his doubts being founded on the distance of Genoa from Padua, and on the interview not having been mentioned by Petrarch himself, nor by his biographers. Godwin, however, after answering this objection, vehemently insists that Chaucer did actually visit Petrarch at Padua in 1373, and that he then obtained from him the Tale of Griselda.

In his ardour, Godwin has however both over- looked and mistaken some material circumstances ; and his confidence in the fact not only induced him to cast unmerited reproaches upon the learned Tyrwhitt for merely presuming to express a doubt on the subject, but to give the reins to his own imagination by describing Chaucer's motives for seeking the interview, the interview itself, the feel- in >s of the two Poets, and the very tone and sub- stance of their conversation P8 This interesting question will now, it is hoped, be investigated on more rational grounds.

It is certain that Chaucer was not absent from England quite twelve months ; namely, from De-

17 Petrarch was certainly present on that occasion ; but the Rolls in the Tower have been examined without finding any evidence that Chaucer was one of the persons -win. formed the Duke of Clarence's retinue. The names of man;. of the individuals of the Duke's suite are printed in the Foedera, N E., vol. iii- pp. 842, 843, 844.

19 Life of Chaucer, vol. i. p. 463, et seq. Tor proof of tho statements in the text, see p. xvi. antea.

10 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

comber 1372 to November 1373, as be probably proceeded on his mission a few days after receiving the expenses for it ; and he is likely to have applied for the payment of his pension soon after his return. All that hitherto has been known on this point is, that he was instructed to go to Genoa, It was not even certain that he actually went there ; but it now appears that he was not only at Genoa in 1373, but that he was likewise sent on the King's affairs to Florence. Supposing him to have arrived at Genoa in January, to have gone to Florence a month or two afterwards, and to have remained in that city in April and May of that year, there would be nothing inconsistent with dates or probability in thinking that he might have proceeded to Padua, or to any other part of Northern Italy. It is true that in the record of the payment of his expenses in Fe- bruary 1374, he is only said to have been at Genoa and Florence ; but this may be explained by those cities being perhaps the only places to which the King had specially sent him ; and if he went to Padua for his own pleasure, there would be no greater reason for mentioning that city in the Accounts of the Exchequer, than any other place through which he passed on his journey from, or return to England. Of Petrarch's life in 1373 many circumstances arc related, and they too are all consistent with the possibility of his having seen Chaucer at Padua in the spring or summer of that year. Petrarch was at Arqua, near Padua, in January 1373 ; and he appears to have remained there until September, on the 27th of which month he arrived at Venice to plead the cause of Francesco Novello da Carrara

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 11

before the Senate. He would seem to have re- mained at Venice until about March 1374, as he is said to have been taken ill soon after his return to Arqua, to have languished for about four months, and to have died on the 18th, or 19th of July 1374.

The account which Petrarch gives of his transla- tion of the Tale of Griselda in his Letter to Boc- caccio, is referred to by Godwin as some evidence that the lines respecting that piece in the Canter- bury Tales are to be construed as applying to Chaucer ; and if Godwin's extract from that Letter were a faithful version of the original, his argument would have weight. He makes Petrarch write to Boccaccio on the 8th of June 1373, " Your work of the Decameron fell for the first time into my hands in an excursion I made to Arqua a few tveeJcs f^/o,''ly adding that he had rendered it into Latin, and that he then sent him the translation.

In the first place, it is proper to observe, that there is no date to the Letter which accompanied the translation, but that, at the conclusion of the Talc itself, these words are added : " Yaletc amici, valete cpistol* ; Inter Colles Euganeos G Idas Junii mccclxxiij."20 This date is implicitly adopted by Godwin j and though he repeatedly cites the Abbe

19 Life of Chaucer, vol. i. p. 463.

:o Opera Edit. 1554, p. 601, and Edit. Basle, 1581, p. 547. Two much earlier copies of that Letter are in the British Museum, one in Gothic characters without date, and another printed at Venice in 1493; but in neither of those copies does the latter part of the translation, containing the date, occur. That the date was not printed literally in the editions of 1554 and 1581 is evident from the figure " 6 " being used instead of a Roman numeral.

12 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

de Sade's Memoirs of Petrarch, lie has altogether omitted to notice that the date assigned to the Letter in that work,'-'1 (on the authority of a manu- script in the Royal Library at Paris,)— is not the 6th Ides of June 1373, but the 6th Ides of June 1374. De Sade so fully relies on the accuracy of the date of 1374 as to call the Letter "perhaps Petrarch's last letter;" and the emphatic farewell which the Poet takes in it, alike of his friends and of correspondence, would justify such a construction, if it were really written within six weeks of his de- cease.23 Moreover, there is not one word in the original of Petrarch's Letter, nor in his translation of Boccaccio's Tale, to justify Godwin's representation that the Decameron had " fallen into his hands for the first time in an excursion he made to Arqua a few weeks before," that is, a few weeks before the 8th of June 1373 or 1374. Petrarch's translation is dated " among the Euganean Hills," namely, at Arqua; and it is not likely that a person writing " from Arqua" should have spoken " of an excur- sion to Arqua." Accordingly nothing of the kind

-' Memoirea pour la Vie de Petrarque, 4to. tome iii. p. 798.

'-- In the printed Catalogue of the MSS. in the Jjiblio- theque du Eoi, the volumes marked Nos. 8521 and 5919 are said to contain copies of Petrarch's letter to Boccaccio ; but the date is not mentioned. No. 5919 in the Index (p. xciii.) would, however, appear to be an erroneous reference.

23 Godwin, following Dp Sade, explains these words by attributing them to Petrarch's disgust at having had his correspondence opened, copied, and pirated, and hence his resolution to write no more ; but as no complaint of the kind occurs in the Letter itself, the pathetic conclusion may much more naturally be attributed to his feelings on the approach of death. (Vol. ii. p. 470.)

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 13

occurs in Petrarch's Letter. All ho says to Boc- caccio on the subject is : " Librum tuum, quern nostn i materno eloquio, ut opinor olim juvenis edidisti, 'nescio quidom, unde, vel qualiter ad mo delatum vkli ; " mentioning neither the time when, nor the place where, he first saw the Decameron ; nor the time when he had translated the Tale of Grriselda. The " first time," the "few weeks," and the •'ex- cursion to Arqua," seem therefore to have proceeded from the same prolific fancy which has attempted to supply so many chasms in Chaucer's career.

If Petrarch's Letter does not fix the time of the translation, the accuracy of its date is comparatively immaterial, except so far as it is likely that he should have sent the translation to Boccaccio soon after it was finished; hut if it were not made until a few months, still more until " a few weeks," before June 1374, it is perfectly evident that he could not have given his version of the Tale to Chaucer at Padua before September 1373, when Petrarch went to Ve- nice ; nor before the November following, in which month Chaucer was unquestionably in England.

The truth is, however, that the precise time when Petrarch translated the Tale of Griselda is uncertain ; though his version of it was probably made before the period, in 1373, when Chaucer might have ob- tained it from him at Padua, so that the interview and the communication of the Tale are both possible if nut probable events. Chaucer is considered to hive boon well acquainted with the Decameron ; and Godwin asks, with some pertinency, why he chose to confess his obligation for the Tale to Petrarch rather than to Boccaccio, from whose volume Petrarch con-

14 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

fessedly translated it? — questions which Godwin himself thus answers, " For this very natural reason hecause he was eager to commemorate his interview with this venerable patriarch of Italian letters, and to record the pleasure he had reaped from his society. Chaucer could not do this more effectually than by mentioning his having learned from the lips of Pe- trarch a tale which had been previously drawn up and delivered to the public by another." Confident in this theory, Godwin triumphantly adds, " We may defy all the ingenuity of criticism to invent a differ- ent solution for the simple and decisive circumstance of Chaucer's having gone out of his way in a manner which he has employed on no other occasion, to make the clerk of Oxenford confess that he learned the story from Petrarch, and even assign the exact place of Petrarch's residence in the concluding part of his life."

However ingenious and plausible this reasoning may be, it is far from conclusive. Though Chaucer undoubtedly knew Latin and French, it is by no means certain, notwithstanding his supposed obliga- tions to the Decameron, that he was as well acquainted with Italian. There may have been a common Latin original of the main incidents of many, if not of all the Tales, for which Chaucer is supposed to have been wholly indebted to Boccaccio ; and from which originals Boccaccio himself may have taken them. That Chaucer was not acquainted with Italian may be inferred from his not having introduced any Italian quotation into his works,24 redundant as

21 Though Chaucer's writings liave not been examined for (he purpose, the remark in the text is not made altogether

LIFE OF CHAUCER, 15

they are with Latin and French words and phrases. His missions to Italy will, no doubt, be mentioned by those indiscriminate worshippers of genius, who endow their idols with all human attainments, as proof of his having spoken Italian ; but it should be remembered that Latin was then the universal lan- guage of the learned, which was Petrarch's motive for translating the Tale of Grisclda from Italian into Latin ; and there is an instance of the minister of a French Prince having declined to correspond in his vernacular lano-ua^o because he could neither write nor speak it,25 while two English envoys to France in 1404, (one of whom was Sir Thomas Swynford, the nephew of Chaucer's wife,) declared to the French ambassadors that they were as ignorant of French as of Hebrew.26 Unless then it be assumed against probability that Italian, of which there is no proof that Chaucer knew any thing, was as familiar to him as Latin, which language there is evidence he knew well, a sufficient reason is found for his having taken the Tale from Petrarch's translation, rather than from the Decameron.

It would be profitless to follow Godwin farther through the web he has spun out of his own imagi- nation on this subject, or to cite against himself his own equally baseless vision of Chaucer having first hoard of the existence of the Decameron from Pe-

from recollection, for at the end of Speght's edition of Chaucer's works, translations are given of the Latin and French words in the Poems ; but not a single Italian word is mentioned.

25 Journal of Bishop Beckington's Mission to tho Count of Armagnac in 1442, 8vo. p. 39.

* Retrospective Review, New Series, Vol. I. p. 341.

10 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

trarch in 1373, in support of the present suggestion that he was not so greatly indebted to that work as has been supposed.

The passage before cited in the Canterbury Tales requires however a few more observations. It is in his own character only, that Chaucer appears in the Pilgrimage, in the General Prologue, the Panic of Sir Thopas, and in the prose talc of Melibeus ; and each of the other personages is individually de- scribed, and has a distinct existence.

Their knowledge of the world, their wit and learn- ing, and the skill with which their narratives are written, must of course be attributed to the Author; and some of their feelings, thoughts, and passions may have had their prototype in his own bosom. But the creator of an imaginary hero can never be safely identified with his creation ; and when from a numerous group, a writer singles out himself in his own individual person, acts in his own corporeal capacity, pourtrays his own physical peculiarities, and clearly and intentionally describes his own con- duct, nay, when he even designates himself by name, it seems unreasonable that he should be supposed to relate a circumstance of his own life by any other mouth than his own. If, therefore, Chaucer had stated in the Bime of Sir Thopas, or in the Tale of Melibeus, where he appears in his own person, that he had learnt either of those Tales from any other writer, some faith would unquestionably be due to the statement. But the Clerk of Oxford, and others of the Pilgrims, may have been the portraits of original personages, and the Clerk might have learnt Griselda's history from Petrarch at Padua ; or, far

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 17

more likely, both the Clerk and the immediate source of the Tale were purely fictitious. Godwin's argument that Chaucer could have had no other motive for making those lines proceed from the Clerk's lips than an " eager desire to commemorate his interview with Petrarch/' is fairly met, even if it be not destroyed, by the suggestion, that such an object would have been much more effectually at- tained, had he himself recited the Tale of Griselda, and given to the Clerk (by whom it would have been both more properly and characteristically related) so moral and grave a story as that of Melibeus. More- over, the lines on which Godwin's theory rests are scarcely consistent with the passage towards the conclusion of the Clerk's Tale, where he speaks of Petrarch's having "written and indited" it, in a very different manner from his previous statement that he had " learned it at Padua " from Pe- trarch:—

" Every wight in his degre Schulde be constant in adversite, As was Giisild, therfore Petrark writeth This story, which with high stile he enditeth."

(n. 11. 207-210.)

Until however accident brings some hitherto undis- covered document to light, Chaucer's visit to Pe- trarch and its attendant circumstances must remain among the many doubtful circumstances in the lives of eminent men, which their admirers wish to believe true, but for which their biographers ought to re- quire surer evidence than what Godwin calls " co- incidences which furnish a basis of historical prob- ability."2?

2V Vol. ii. p. 479. VOL. I. C

18 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Chaucer's mission to Italy is the earliest evidence that his talents were appreciated hy the Crown ; and he must have performed the duties with which he was entrusted to the King's satisfaction, as he soon after received several marks of the Koyal favour. By a writ, dated at Windsor on the 23rd of April 1374, a pitcher of wine daily was granted to him for life, to be received in the port of London from the hands of the King's butler.'-'8 Upon this boon various observations have been written. The time and nature of the grant, and the probability of Chaucer, as one of the King's Esquires, being in attendance on his Sovereign on the 23rd of April, when the feast of Saint George was annually celebrated at "Windsor, are temptations for exercising the imagination as to the circumstances under which the gift took place ;C9 but this allowance was seon afterwards, if not always, commuted for a money payment ; and grants of wine seem to have been frequently made with no other object.

On the 8th of June 1374, Chaucer was appointed Comptroller of the Customs and Subsidy of Wools, Skins, and tanned Hides in the Port of London, during the King's pleasure, taking the same fees as other Comptrollers of the Customs and Subsidy. He was, like his predecessors,30 to write the rolls of his

28 Rot. Pat. 48 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 20. Foedera, N. E. vol. Hi. p. 1001. ©.

29 King Henry the Fourth gave John Gower, apparently the Poet, two gallons of wine in 1406. 'Wardrobe Accounts, Harleian MS. 319, f. 49 b.

30 Godwin, vol. ii. p. 97, who said he had examined simi- lar grants. These Rolls probably contain the Poet's auto- graph ; and though not now known to exist, they may hereafter be discovered.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 19

Office with his own hand ; he was to be continually present ; he was to perform his duties personally and not by Deputy ; and the other part of the seal which is called " the Cokct " was to remain in his custody.31 By a warrant dated on the 13th of the same month, the Duke of Lancaster granted Chaucer £10 for life, to be paid to him at the manor of the Savoy, in consideration of the good service which he and his wife Philippa had rendered to the said Duke, to his Consort, and to his mother the Queen.32 He re- ceived his pension of =£0 13s. 4d. as one of the King's Yalets in that year, and again in 1375. 33 On the 8th of November 1375 he obtained a grant of the custody of the lands and person of Edmond, son and heir of Edmond Staplegate of Kent,31, who died in 1372 ;35 but his ward became of age within three years. In the petition of the said Edmond Staplegate the son, claiming to exercise the office of L'utlcr at the coronation of Richard the Second, by tenure of the manor of Bilsynton in Kent, he says that he had paid Chaucer for his wardship and mar- riage the sum of <£101.36 On the 28th of Decem- ber 1375 the King granted Chaucer the custody of five " solidates " of rent in Solys in Kent, which were in the King's hands, in consequence of the minority of the heir of John Solys deceased, toge-

31 Rot. Pat. 48 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 7. Foedera, N. E. vol. iii. p. 1004. (ffif.

32 Receiver's Accounts in the Office of the Duchy of Lan- caster.

33 Issue Rolls 48 and 49 Edw. III.

31 Rot. Pat. 49 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 8. ©

30 Esch. 46 Edw. III. n. 58.

36 Rot. Glaus. 1 Eic. II. m. 45. <£.

20 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

thcT with the marriage of the said heir.3' The value of this gift could not have been great ; aud the ad- vantage which Chaucer derived from it is uncertain, nothing more being known of his ward than that he was the son of the deceased, that his name was Wil- liam de Solys, and that he was then an infant of the age of one year.38 The only record that has been found connected with Chaucer's execution of the Office of Comptroller of the Customs is dated on the 12th of July 1370, when the King granted him <£7l 4s. Gd. being the price of some forfeited wool, because one John Kent of London had conveyed the said wool to Dordrecht without having paid the duty, which sum had been obtained as a fine from that person. 3l} In May 1376 he received his own and his wife's pension at the Exchequer ; and after Michaelmas an advance of fifty shillings was made to him on account of the current half year's allow- ance.40 On the 18th of October 1376, and 12th of June 1377 he received his annuity from the Duke of Lancaster.41 Soon after, he was twice paid 40s.

37 Rot. Patent 49 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 4, A "solidate" of land, according to Blount, is as much laud as is yearly worth one shilling ; but there is great doubt as to its precise value.

38 Esch. 49 Edw. III. Second Part, No. 40. The name is erroneously printed Scolys in the Index to the printed Calendar. Solys is a manor in Bonnington in the hundred of Wingham ; and as the name of Solys was extinct there in the reign of Henry the Fourth, (Hasted's History of Kent, ed. 1790, vol. iii. p. 709) Chaucer's ward probably died young, and without issue. There is no later Inquisitiuii relating to the familv .

39 Rot. Pat. 50 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 5. <£.

40 Issue Roll, Mich. 50 Edw. III.

41 Receiver's Accounts in the Office of the Duchy of Lan- caster, from Michaelmas, 50 Edw. III. to Michaelmas, 1 Ric. II . Vide Note F.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 21

by the Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, for his half yearly Robes, as one of the King's Esquires ;4- and lie received £7 2s. Q~d. for his daily allowance of a pitcher of wine from the 27th of October 1376 to the 21st of June 1377.42

Towards the end of 1376, the King appointed Sir John Barley, and Geoffrey Chaucer, to perform some secret service, the nature of which has not been ascertained. No commission appears to have been issued to them , nor did they receive the usual letters of protection, whence it may perhaps be in- ferred that they were not sent abroad ; and all that is known on the subject is, that on the 23rd of De- cember in that year Sir John Barley was paid £1'3 Gs. Sd. ; and Chaucer, who is described as being in Burlcy's "comitiva" or retinue, £Q 13s. 4d. for their wages on the occasion.43

In February 1377 Chaucer was associated with Sir Thomas Percy (afterwards Earl of Worcester) in a secret mission to Flanders ; but, as their com- mission is not upon record, its object has not been discovered. Sir Thomas Percy was advanced 33?. Gs. 8d. and Chaucer 10?. on the 17th of that month for their expenses ;44 and a few days previously, Chaucer received letters of protection, in conse- quence of this mission, which were to be in force until Michaelmas in that year.45

42 Wardrobe Accounts of the 50 and 51 Edw. III. now in the Repository at Carlton Ride.

43 Issue Roll, Mich. 51 Edw. III. Vide Note G. 41 Ibid. Vide Note II.

'"' Rot. Franc. 51 Edw. III. m. 7. <3. This protection u-as dated on the 12th of February 1377. Though by the terms of his patent Chaucer was not permitted to be absei.t

22 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Froissart states that in February 1377 Chaucer was joined with Sir Guichard d' Angle, (afterwards Earl of Huntingdon,) and Sir Richard Sturry, to negotiate a secret treaty for the marriage of Richard Prince of Wales with Mary, daughter of the King of France. The English envoys, he says, met those of France at Montreuil-sur-Mer, where they re- mained some time, and then returned to England ; and in consequence of their proceedings the truce with France was prolonged to the first of the ensu- ing May.46 But, as was not uncommon, Froissart has apparently blended two distinct negotiations.

On the 20th of February 1377, the Bishop of Hereford, Lord Cobham, Sir John Montague, and Dr. Shepeye were empowered to treat with the French King for peace ;47 but at that time Chaucer had proceeded with Sir Tbomas Percy to Flanders. He must, however, have returned to England before April following, because on the 11th of that month he himself received 20?. at the Exchequer, which the King had given him as a reward for divers journeys he had made in his service abroad.48 On the 26th of that month several eminent persons, (one of whom was, as Froissart states, Sir Guichard d' Angle.) were appointed Ambassadors to negotiate a peace with France,49 but nothing is said in their commission of power to treat for the young Prince

from liis duties as Comptroller of the Subsidies, the obliga- tion evidently did not extend to any employment in the King's service.

46 Froissart par Buchon, vol. vi. pp. 102, 305. (£>.

47 Fcedera, N. E. vol. iii. p. 1073.

48 Issue Roll, Easter 51 Edw. III. Vide Note I. 4" Foedera, N. E. vol. iii. p. 1076.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 23

of Wales's marriage. Though not named in that commission, Chaucer was either attached to the em- bassy, or was entrusted with some secret affairs of a similar nature, for on the 20th of the same month letters of protection were issued to him, to continue from that day to the 1st of August ensuing,50 he being in the King's service abroad ; and on the 30th, the sum of 267. 13s. 4d. was paid for his ■wages on the occasion.51 Eut the payment of his expenses for this mission some years after,52 shows still more distinctly that the marriage was not then proposed.

Edward the Third died in June in that year; and these documents, which are the last of his reiVn relating to Chaucer, prove that he was still one of the King's Esquires, and that he enjoyed the Koyal confidence and favour.

The accession of Richard the Second proved ex- tremely favourable to Chaucer's interests. On the 16th of January 1378, Sir Guichard d' Angle, (who had been created Earl of Huntingdon,) Sir Hugh Segrave, and Dr. Skirlaw, were constituted Ambas- sadors to negotiate the King's marriage with a daughter of the French monarch.53 Chaucer ap- pears to have been attached to the mission, as he was afterwards paid his expenses for going to France, in that year, with the same object ;54 which facts agree, except in the dates, with Froissart's

50 Rot. Franc. 51 Edw. III. m. 5. ©.

"•' I<sue Roll, Faster 51 Edw. III. Vide Note I.

5- Vide pp. 27, 28. postea, and Note R. , 53 Fcedera, vol. vii. p. 184.

i4 Fsue Roll, Mich. 4 Rich. II. Vide pp. 27, 28. postea, and Note R.

24 J.TFE OF CHAUCER.

statement. The annuity of twenty marks, given him by the late King, was confirmed by letters pa- tent on the 23rd of March 1378 ;55 and in lieu of the pitcher of wine daily, twenty marks a-year were granted to him on the 18th of April following.6'' Chaucer appears to have returned to England early in that year; but his talents for diplomacy were not allowed to remain long unemployed. In May 1378 he was sent with Sir Edward Berkeley to Lombardy, to treat with Bernardo Visconti Lord of Milan and the celebrated Sir John Ilawkwood57 " pro ccrtis negociis expeditionem guerrse Kegis tangentibus,"58 a vague phrase, which there is scarcely enough in- formation on the policy of England towards the Italian states to explain. On the 10th of May Chaucer obtained the usual letters of protection until the ensuing Christmas ;59 on the 14th of that month he was paid 20?., being the arrears of his pension, and he received 11. 6s. 8d. in advance for the cur- rent half year ;58 on the 21st of May he had letters of general attorney for one year, in consequence of his absence abroad ;Co and on the 28th Sir Edward Berkeley was paid 1307. 6s. 3d. and Chaucer 56?. 13s. 4c?. for their wages and expenses.58

53 Recited in the Patentof the 1st of May 1388, by which his pensions were assigned to John Scalbv. Rot. Pat. 1 1 Ric. II. p. 2, m. 1. <£.

56 Ibid, and Original Writ of Privy Seal, dated 18th of April, 1 Ric. II. 1378 (Fide Note K); also Issue Roll, Easter 2 Ric. II. Vide Note L. •

67 A Memoir and Portrait of this remarkable person are given in the sixth volume of the Bibliotheca Topographia Britannica.

5S Issue Roll, Easter 1 Ric. II. Vide Note L.

39 Rot. Franc, p. 2, 1 Ric. II. m. G.

60 Ibid. Vide Note M.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 2-5

Of the precise object or result of his mission to Lombardy no particulars arc known ; but a fact of much literary value is established by one of the do- cuments connected with it ; namely, that (as has hitherto been only presumed) Chaucer was certainly the friend of the poet Gower. In case of any legal proceedings being instituted during his absence, it was necessary that Chaucer should appoint two persons to appear for him in the Courts ; and sup- posing one of the individuals to have been selected merely because he was a lawyer, the other would probably have been an intimate friend, on whose ability, zeal, and honour, he could entirely rely. Chaucer named John Grower and Richard Forrester (of whom nothing more has been found) as his re- presentatives ;6° and the identity of John Gower mentioned in that document with the Poet is not only highly probable in itself, but is supported by the name being very uncommon at that period, and by both of them being connected with the county of Kent.fil

The question of Chaucer's and Gower's friendship has been much discussed by his biographers,62 who consider that it existed for the greater part of their lives, but that it was dissolved some time before Chaucer's decease. At the end of " Troilus and Creseide," Chaucer thus mentions Gower : —

61 See the Notices of Gower, by the present biographer of Chaucer, in the Retrospective Review, N. S. vol. ii.

62 Tyrwhitt's Introductory Discourse to the Canterbury Tales, § 14. Todd's Illustrations of the Lives and Writiggs of Gower and Chaucer, p. xxvii. and Godwin's Life of Chaucer, vol. ii. p. 1, et seq.

26 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

" O moral Gowee, this Boke I directe To the, and to the philosophical Strode, To vouchensauf ther need is, to correcte, Of youre benignites and zeles goode."

and Gower, in the " Confcssio Amantis," makes Venus say : —

" And grete well Chaucer when ye mete As my disciple and my Poete ; For in the floures of his youthe, In sondry wyse, as he well couthe, Of dytees and of songes glade, The whiche he for my sake made, The laiu'e fulfylled is over all, Whereof to him in specyalle, Above all other, I am most holde : For thy nowe in his dayes olde, Thou shalle him tell this message, That he uppon his latter age, To sett an ende of all his werke, As he whiche is myne owne clerke, Do make his Testament of Love, As thou hast done thy shrift above, So that my Courte yt may recorde.''63

Tyrwhitt's grounds for supposing that their friend- ship afterwards ceased, are very light, as they con- sist only in the reflection which Chaucer makes, in the Prologue to the " Man of Lawes Tale," upon the choice of such horrible stories, or, as he calls them, " unkiude abhominations" as that of Canace and Apollonius Tyrius, both of which occur in the " Confessio Amantis,'" and upon the omission of the above complimentary lines in the copy of that Poem which Gower prepared after the accession of Henry

63 Confessio Amantis, ed. 1532, b. viii. f. 19Ub, and Har- leian MS. 3490

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 27

the Fourth.64 Tyrwhitt seems, however, to have answered his own suggestion, for he justly observes, that Chaucer could not have meant to show dis- respect to Gower in a piece in which, like the "' Man of Lawes Tale," almost every incident is bor- rowed from Gower ; and that the omission of the lines alluded to in the later copy of the " Confessio Amantis," may be explained by Chaucer being then dead. The " Confessio Amantis" is stated by its author to have been written in the sixteenth year of the reign of Richard the Second, 1302-3, when Chaucer was " in his dayes old," and " in his latter age," Chaucer being then about sixty-five,60 so that their friendship certainly endured until within seven years of his death ; and the probability is that it was never dissolved.

Chaucer must have returned from Italy before February 1379, as on the 3rd of that month he received the greater part of his original pension " with his own hands."66 He would, however, appear to have been absent from London, if not from England, between May and December in that year, for on the 24th of May 1379 the first pay- ment of the pension granted to him by Richard the Second, toccther with his other annuity, were issued to him, by assignment.67 On the 9th of the follow- ing December he was again in London, when he himself received his two pensions;68 but in July

61 Harleian MS. 3869.

65 Vide p. 3. and 4. antea.

00 Issue Roll, Mich. 2 Ric. II. Vide Note N.

c< Issue Roll, Easter 2 Ric. II. Vide Note 0.

Ci Issue Roll, Mich. 3 Ric. II. Vide Note P.

28 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

1380 they were paid him by assignment.^ Tn November 13S0 he was personally paid his wages and the expenses incurred on his mission to Lom- bardy, together with his half year's pension ;"° and in March 1381 he received 221. for his wages and the expenses of his missions to France in 1377, before mentioned.71 On the 8th of May 1382 ho was appointed Comptroller of the Petty Customs in the Port of London during pleasure, receiving the accustomed wages, which office he was to execute in person or by his sufficient deputy.72 He still, however, retained the situation of Comptroller of the Customs and Subsidies to which Edward the Third had appointed him ; and on the 25th of November 1384 he was permitted to absent himself for one month from the duties of that office, on account of his own urgent affairs ; and the Collectors of the Customs and Subsidies were commanded to swear in his deputy.73 Another favour was conferred upon him on the 17th of the following February, by his being allowed to nominate a permanent deputy.74. The Poet was thus partially released from duties, which, if they did not fetter his genius, must have consumed too much of his time to allow of his de- voting himself to his favourite pursuits.

The next notice of Chaucer is of considerable im- portance. He was elected a Knight of the Shire for Kent in the Parliament which met at West-

69 Issue Roll, Easter 3 Ric. II. Vide Note Q.

70 Issue Roll, Mich. 4 Ric. II. Vide Note R.

71 Ibid.

72 Rot. Rat. 5 Ric. II. p. 2, m. 15. <25.

73 Rot. Claus. 8 Ric. II. m. 30. <&.

74 Rot. Pat. 8 Ric. II. p. 2, m. 31. ©.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 29

minster on the 1st of October 1386, his colleague being William Betenham, and his mainpernors William Eeve and William Holt. Chaucer and Bctenharu were allowed 241. 9s. for their expenses in coming to, being at, and returning from the said Parliament, being 8s. per diem for sixty-one days.73 This fact tends to identify the Poet with Kent, in which county it is probable that he possessed some property ; for although there was then no law obliging persons who were elected Knights of a particular Shire to be residents therein, they were, in most cases, chosen from the superior gentry of the respective counties.76 The Parliament to which Chaucer was elected did not sit after the 1st of November 13SG, and all its proceedings were di- rected against the Ministers, who represented the party of which Chaucer's patron, the Puke of Lan- caster, was the head. While attending his Parlia- mentary duties, Chaucer was examined at West- minster, on the 15th of October, as a witness for Richard Lord Scrope, in defence of his right to the Arms " azure a bend or," against the claim of Sir llobert Grosvenor, in which controversy numerous persons of every rank gave their testimony. His deposition is material for the information it contains respecting himself, and interesting from the anecdote he relates : —

" Geoffrey Chaucer, Esquire, of the age of forty and upwards, armed for twenty-seven years, pro- duced on behalf of Sir Richard Scrope, sworn and examined. Asked, whether the Arms, ' Azure, a

75 Rot. Claus. 10 Ric. II. m. 16 d.

78 See remarks on Knights of the Shire } Note S.

30 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

bend Or,' belonged, or ought to belong, to the said Sir Richard ? said Yes, for he saw him so armed in France before the town of Betters (apparently the village of Retiers, near Rennes, in Brittany), and Sir Henry Scrope armed in the same Arms with a white label, and with a banner; and the said Sir Richard armed in the entire Arms, ' Azure, with a bend Or,' and so he had seen him armed during the whole expedition, until the said Geoffrey was taken. Asked, how he knew that the said Arms appertained to the said Sir Richard ? said, that he had heard say from old Knights and Esquires that they had been reputed to be their Arms, as common fame and the public voice proved ; and he also said that they had continued their possession of the said Arms ; and that all his time he had seen the said Arms in banners, glass, paintings, and vestments, and commonly called the Arms of Scrope. Asked, if he had heard any one say who was the first an- cestor of the said Sir Richard who first bore the said Arms ? said, No, nor had he ever heard otherwise than that they were come of ancient ancestry, and of old gentry, and used the said Arms. Asked, if he had heard any one say how long a time the an- cestors of the said Sir Richard had used the said Arms ? said, No, but he had heard say that it passed the memory of man. Asked, whether he had ever heard of any interruption or challenge made by Sir Robert Grosvcnor, or by his ancestors, or by any one in his name, to the said Sir Richard, or to any of his ancestors? said, No; but he said that he was once in Friday Street, in London, and as he was walking in the street, he saw hanging a new sign

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 31

made of the said Arms, and he asked what Inn that was that had hung out these Arms of Scrope ? and one answered him and said, No, Sir, they are not hung out for the Arms of Scrope, nor painted there for those Arms, hut they are painted and put there by a Knight of the county of Chester, whom men call Sir liobert Grosvenor ; and that was the first time he ever heard speak of Sir Robert Grosvenor, or of his ancestors, or of any other bearing the name of Grosvenor."77

It does not appear that Chaucer was ever elected to Parliament except in 1386 ; and no other facts relating to him have been discovered between 1386 and May 1388, than the half yearly payments of his pensions.

Towards the end of 1386, Chaucer must have been superseded in both his offices ; for on the 4th of December in that year, Adam Yerdeley was ap- pointed Comptroller of the Customs and Subsidies ;78 and on the 14th of the same month, Henry Gisors was made Comptroller of the Petty Customs in the port of London.79

His biographers attribute Chaucer's dismissal to his having taken an active part in the dispute be- tween the Court and the Citizens of London respect- ing the election of John of Northampton to the

77 De Controversia in Curia Militari inter Ricardum de Scrope et Robertum Grosvenor, Milites, Rege Ricardo Se- cundo, jiccclxxxv — MCCCXC — E Recordis in Turre Londi- nensi Asservatis. 2 vols. 8vo. 1831, vol. i. p. 178. His deposition is also printed in the Appendix to Godwin's Lite of Chaucer.

78 Rot. Patent 10 Ric. II. pt. 1, m. 9. <£. 7a Rot. Patent 10 Ric. II. pt. 1, ni. 4. ©.

32 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Mayoralty in 13S2 ; and they cite various passages in the " Testament of Love," which they suppose shew that, in February 1384, when Northampton was ordered to he arrested and sent to Corfe Castle,80 a process issued against the Poet, who tied for safety to the island of Zealand ; that lie remained in exile for two years ; that he met many of his confederates in Zealand, who had fled from the same cause, to whom he acted with great liberality ; that the persons who had the management of his affairs in England betrayed their trust ; that he experienced much dis- tress during his banishment; that he returned to England sometime in 1386, and on his arrival was sent to the Tower ; that he remained in custody for three years, and was released about May 1389, at the intercession of Anne of Bohemia, Queen of Richard the Second ; and that it was one condition of his pardon that he should impeach his former associates, to which terms he ultimately yielded. These circumstances, which, if true, would form the most important facts in Chaucer's life, stand only81 on the authority of passages in the " Testament of

80 Rot, Claus. 7 Ric. II. m. 9. @.

61 Mr. Todd, in his Illustrations of Gower and Chaucer, p. 309, assigns to Chaucer a Poem, at the commencement of a copy of the Canterbury Tales in the possession of the late Duke of Sutherland, in praise of Robert Vere, Earl of Oxford, which the author says was written "in a piyson colde," in the margin of which manuscript, after the word " Amen," is " per Rotheley ;" but this, Mr. Todd suggests, was the name of the transcriber, and not of the author; and he adduces in support of that opinion the circumstance of one of Chaucer's pieces being attributed to his copyist Adam Scrivener, the transcriber of Boetins and of Troilus and Cresside, whose '• necligence and rape" caused him " to rubbe and scrape so

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 33

Love," an allegorical composition, of which it is equally difficult to comprehend the meaning or the purport.

All these ingenious inferences and suppositions are, however, undoubtedly erroneous. Chaucer must have been in London from 1380 to May 1388, as he regularly received his pension, half yearly, at the Exchequer, with his own hands during that period j82 and, so far from there being any record to justify such a construction of the " Testament of Love," it is certain that he held both his offices in the Customs from May 13S2 until about December 1386; that in November 1384 he was permitted to be absent from his duties on his own private affairs, for one month ; that in February 1385 he obtained the farther indulgence of being allowed to exercise his office of Comptroller of the Subsidies by deputy; and that at the very moment when he is supposed to have been a prisoner in the Tower, he was sitting in Parliament as a Knight of the Shire for one of the largest counties in England.

Though the cause of Chaucer's dismissal from his employments in December 1386 has not been discovered, and though nothing more is known of him in 1387 and 1388 than that he received his pensions in those years,83 it is extremely likely that he became obnoxious to Thomas Duke of Gloucester, and the other Ministers, who had succeeded his

ofte a daye." It is however nearly certain that the Poem mentioned by Mr. Todd was written by a person called Rotheley, and not by Chaucer.

82 Issue Rolls from Easter 3 Ric. II. to Easter 11 Rie. II.

83 Issue Rolls, Easter 10 Ric. II. and Mich, land Easter 11 Ric. II.

VOL. I. v

34 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

patron the Duke of Lancaster in the Government. In November, 1386, a Commission issued for in- quiring, among other alleged abuses, into the state of the Subsidies and Customs ;84 and as the Com- missioners began their duties by examining the accounts of the Officers employed in the collection of the revenue,85 the removal of any of those per- sons soon afterwards, may, with much probability, be attributed to that investigation.

On the 1st of May, 1388, the grants of his two pensions of twenty marks each before noticed were, at his request, cancelled ; and the said annuities were assigned to John Scalby.86 This proceeding has been considered as a proof that Chaucer, being much distressed, had sold his pensions to Scalby ; and although such an inference is probable, its cor- rectness is by no means certain.

A great change in public affairs occurred in May 1389, by the young King assuming the reins of Government and appointing new Ministers, among whom were the Duke of York, and the Earl of Derby, eldest son of the Poet's patron, John of Gaunt. The Duke of Lancaster, who was then in Guienne, was immediately recalled, and he returned to England about December in that year ;87 but be-

64 Rot. Pari. vol. iii. p. 375. Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. i. p. 1.

°5 Lingard's History of England, vol . iv. p. 2S6. See farther remarks on this subject in Note T.

80 Rot. Pat. 1 1 Rie. II. p. 2, m. 1 ©. It does not appear who this individual was. A John de Scalby, of Scarborough in Yorkshire, was one of the persons of that town who were excepted from the King's pardon for insurrection in October 6 Ric. II. 1382. Rot. Pari. vol. iii. p. 136.

" Proclamations dated on the 6th and 8th of May 1389,

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 35

fore he arrived, Chaucer had found friends in the new Administration to advance his interests. On the 12th of July 1389, he was appointed to the valuable office of Clerk of the King's Works at the Palace of Westminster, Tower of London, Castle of Perkhemstead, the King's Manors of Kennington, Eltham, Clarendon, Sheen, Byfleet, Childem Lang- ley, and Feckenham ; also at the Royal Lodge of Hatberbergh in the New Forest, at the Lodges in the Parks of Clarendon, Childern Langley, and Feckenham, and at the Mews for the King's falcons at Charing Cross. His duties, which he was per- mitted to execute by deputy, are fully described in the patent:88 his salary was two shillings per diem, and there wore probably other sources of profit.

It is doubtful if this appointment arose from Chaucer's peculiar fitness for the situation, though passages of his writings might be adduced to shew that he possessed some knowledge of architecture. Payments were made to him as Clerk of the Works as early as the 22nd of July 1389 ;89 and in July 1390 he was commanded to procure workmen and materials for the repair of St. George's Chapel at Windsor.^ On the 22nd of January 1391 his appointment of John Elmhurst as his deputy, for repairs to be made at the Palace of Westmin- ster, and Tower of London, was confirmed by the

printed in the Rolls of Parliament, vol. iv. p. 404. Wal- syngham, 337. Knyghton, 2735. Lingard, iv. 303-4. Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. i. pp. 11, 17.

88 Rot. Pat. 13 Ric. II. p. 1, m. 30. <3.

89 Issue Roll, Easter 12 Ric. II.

90 Rot. Pat. 14 Ric. II. m. 33. <£>. and Issue Roll, Easter 13 Ric. II.

36 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Crown ;91 but Chaucer must have been superseded in the same year, because on the 16th of September fol- lowing, a John Gedney held that Office, so that Chau- cer did not fill the situation more than two years.93 The cause of his removal, and his position and employment during the ensuing three years, must be left to conjecture, a resource which his biogra- phers have freely adopted in tilling up this,93 and the other chasms in the Poet's history. All that is known of him is that he received payments as " late Clerk of the Works " on the 16th of December 1391, 4th of March and 13th of July 1392, and again in 1393 ;9-1 and it is nearly certain that he had no other pension than the <£10 per annum granted to him by the Duke of Lancaster in 1374, and his wages as the King's Esquire, (if indeed any other pecuniary advantage was attached to that situation than an allowance of 40s. half yearly for robes,) and that he did not hold any office during that period.

91 Rot. Patent 14 Ric. II. p. 2, m. 34. « Sciatis quod Nos assignavimus Johannem Elmhurst, quern dilectus ser- viens noster Galfridus Chaucer clericus operationum nostra- rum sub se deputavit, provisorem earundem operationum ad Palacium nostrum Westm' et Turrim nostram London' emendanda," &c. At the end are these words, " Per billam ipsius Galfridi.''

92 Rot. Patent 15 Ric. II. p. 1, m. 24. Godwin's Life of Chaucer, vol. iv. 67.

93 Godwin makes Chaucer to have retired to Woodstock, " which probably he had scarcely seen for seventeen years : " he gives his sentiments at tins period, and says he wiotethe Canterbury Tales and quarrelled with Gower ; vol. iv. pp. 58 et seq.

94 Issue Rolls, Mich, and Easter 15 Ric. II. and Easter 10 Ric. II. He is not mentioned on the Issue Rolls of the 17 Ric. II

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 3/

Oil the 28th of February 1394 Chaucer obtained a grant from tbe King of £20 for life, payable balf yearly at Easter and Michaelmas,95 being £6 13s. 4d. less than the pensions he surrendered in 1388. He received his new pension for the first time on the 10th of December 1394 ;9° and that be was then poor may be inferred from several advances having been soon after made to him at the Exchequer on account of his annuity, before the half yearly pay- ments became due. Tims, on the 1st of April 1395, he obtained £10 as a loan on the current half year's pension, which was repaid on the 28th of May fol- lowing ;96 on the 25th of June he borrowed £10 ;97 on the 9th of September £1 Gs. 8d. ;97 on the 27th of November, £8 6s. Sd. ;9« and on the 1st of March 1396, £1 13s. 4d. were paid to him, being the balance of the half year's pension, of which a large part had been advanced in the pre- ceding November.98 All these sums were paid into his own hands.

In 1395 or 1396, Chaucer was one of the attor- nies of Grep-orv Ballard, to receive seisin of the manor of Spitalcombe, and other lands in Kent, which tends still farther to identify him with that county."

As the issue Rolls of the Exchequer from Easter 1396 to Michaelmas 1397 have not been found, no information can be derived from them respecting

95 Rot. Tat. 17 Ric. II. p. 2, m. 35 ©.

98 Issue Roll, Micb. 18 Ric. II. Vide Note U.

67 Issue Roll, Faster 18 Ric. II. Vide Note V.

98 Issue Roll, Mich. 19 Ric. II. Vide Note W.

99 Rot. Claus. 19 Ric. II. m. 8 d.

38 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Chaucer in those years : hut the loss of those records seems to he fully supplied by the entry on the next existing Roll. On the 26th of October 1397, John Walden received £10 for Chaucer, being the balance of ,£30 due to him for his pensions for the three pre- ceding half years ; of which £30, he had received £10 on the 25th of December 1396, £5 on the 2nd of July 1397, and £5 on the 9th of August in the same year.1

From the next record of the Poet different con- clusions have been drawn, as, on the one hand, it has been considered evidence that he still enjoyed the favour of the Crown, and was employed on im- portant public affairs ; while on the other, it has been supposed to prove that he was then in great distress, harassed by his creditors, and obliged to beseech the king to protect him from the law. On the 4th of May 1398, letters of protection were issued to him, stating that whereas the King had appointed his beloved Esquire Geoffrey Chaucer, to perform various arduous and urgent duties in divers parts of the realm of England, and the said Geoffrey, feai'ing that he might be impeded in the execution thereof by his enemies,2 by means of various suits, had prayed the King to assist him therein, and that therefore the King took the said Geoffrey, his te- nants and property, into his special protection, forbidding any one to sue or arrest him on any plea except it were connected with land, for the term of two years.3 Though in judging of this document,

1 Issue Roll, Mich. 21 Ric. II. Vide Note X.

2 " aemulos.''

3 Rot. Pat. 21 Ric. II. p. 3, m. 26. <3.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 39

it must be borne in mind that similar language was often employed in other records of that nature, in eases where the party was not in pecuniary difficul- ties, yet the Eecords of the Exchequer for 1398 so strongly support the opinion that Chaucer was in distressed circumstances as to leave little doubt of the fact. It is evident that he could not wait for the payment of his pension at the usual half yearly periods, but that, as in the years 1395 and 1396, he frequently applied for money in advance. He was then old ; and as part of those sums were brought to him, instead of receiving them himself, it may be inferred that he was ill or infirm, for it does not ap- pear that he was absent from London. On the 3rd of June ] 398 he received his half yearly pension of £10 by the hands of William Waxcoinbe :4 on the 24th of July he himself4 obtained a loan of Gs. 8d. ; and a week after, namely, on the 31st, he again borrowed the same trilling sum.4 No farther appli- cation was made until the 23rd of August, when he received £5 Qs. 8cl. with bis own hands ;4 and on the 28th of October he was personally paid £10 on ac- count. s

These details seem conclusive proof that Chaucer experienced the miseries of poverty in the latter years of his life; and it is melancholy to contem- plate the venerable Poet, after such varied public services, and with those literary claims to national gratitude which posterity has so fully recognized, tottering, at the age of seventy-one, to the Exche- quer for miserable pittances in advance of his peu-

4 Issue Roll, Easter 21 Ric. II. Vide Note Y.

5 Issue Roll, Mich. 22 Ric. II. Vide Note Z.

40 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

sion. Happily, however, the close of his career wa.? brightened by the bounty of his Sovereign ; and his was not one of the many disgraceful instances in which Genius has been suffered to expire in penury and distress.

On the 15th of October 1398 Chaucer obtained another grant of wine ; but instead of a pitcher daily, he was to receive, from the 1st of the preced- ing December, one ton every year during his life, in the port of London, from the King's Chief Butler or his Deputy,6 which was probably equivalent to a pecuniary grant of about £5 per annum.

A considerable improvement took place in Chau- cer's fortunes on the accession of Henry the Fourth, his conduct on which event has been the subject of some injudicious remarks.7 The Poet had for the greater part of his life been patronized by the House of Lancaster, and was nearly connected by marriage with its late Chief. He must therefore have been personally known to the new Sovereign, to whose favour he had strong pretensions. The King ac- cordingly doubled Chaucer's pension within four days after he came to the throne, by granting him, on the 3rd of October 1399, forty marks yearly, in addition to the annuity of =£20 which King Richard had given him ;B but he was destined not long to enjoy the gift.

Having made oath in Chancery that the Letters Patent of the 28th of February 1394, and 13th of October 1399, before alluded to, had been acci- dentally lost, he procured, on the 13th of October

6 Rot. Pat. 22 Ric. II. p. 1, m. 8. ©.

7 Godwin, vol. iv. p. 139. See Note p. lxxi.

8 Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV. p. 5, m. 12. ©.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 41

1399, exemplifications of those records.9 It would seem that Chaucer closed his days near Westminster Abbey, for on Christmas Eve 1399 he obtained a lease,10 dated at Westminster, by which Robert Hermodes worth, a Monk and Keeper of the Chapel of the Blessed Mary of Westminster, with the con- sent of the Abbot and Convent of that place, de- mised to him a tenement situated in the garden of the said Chapel, for fifty-three years, at the annual rent of £2 13s. 4d. If any part of the rent was in arrear for the space of fifteen days, power was given to the lessor to distrain, and if Chaucer died within that term, the premises were to revert to the Gustos of the said Chapel for the time being, so that in fact the Poet had only a life-interest therein.11

The last notices of Chaucer are, that on Saturday the 21st of Februanr 1400, he received the pension of 201. granted by the late King, and which Henry the Fourth had confirmed ;12 am! that on Saturday the 5th of June following, 51., being part of 81. 13s. 5cl. due on the 1st of March, of the pension granted by Henry the Fourth, was received for him by Henry Somere,13 who was then Clerk of the Receipt of the Exchequer, afterwards Under Treasurer, and in 1408 a Baron, and subsequently Chancellor of that Court, to whom Occleve addressed two Ballads, and who was probabl}' a relation of the " Frere

9 Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV. p. 1, m. 18. ©.

10 An engraving of that Lease was published by the So- ciety of Antiquaries.

11 Printed in Godwin's Life of Chaucer, vol. iv. p. 365, from the original in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.

13 Issue Roll, Mich. 1 Hen. IV. Vide Note AA. 13 Issue Roll, Easter 1 Hen. IV. Vide Note BB.

42 LIFE OF CHAUCER,

John Somero," whose Kalendar i3 mentioned in Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe.

Chaucer is said to have died on the 25th of Oc- tober 1400, at the age of seventy-two, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. The precise date of his decease stands on better authority than the inscription on the tomb erected near his grave, by Nicholas Brigham, a Poet, and man of literary at- tainments, in the year 1556, who, from veneration for Chaucer, caused his child Rachel to be buried near the spot in June 1557. u It appears, that a tomb had been before placed over his remains; and the above date of his decease may have been copied from it. There can, however, be little doubt of the correctness of the period assigned to Chaucer's de- cease ; for had he lived many weeks after the end of September 1400, the payment of his pensions would have appeared on the Issue Roll of the Exchequer commencing at Michaelmas in that year and ending at Easter 1401 ; or at all events on some subsequent Roll.

The tomb which Brio-ham erected to Chaucer still remains, and forms one of the most interesting objects in Poet's Corner. It is of grey marble, and occupies the north end of a square recess in the wall, having a canopy of four obtuse arches, ornamented with crochets, pinnacles, and drops, in the pointed style. In front are three panelled divisions of starred quartrefoils, containing shields with the Arms of Chaucer, viz. Per pale argent and gules, a bend counterchanged ; and the same Arms also occur in an oblong compartment at the back of the

14 Wcever's Ancient Funeral Monuments, p. 26G.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 4'S

recess, where the following inscription was placed, but which is now almost obliterated, from the partial decomposition and crumbling state of the marble. A small whole-length portrait of Chaucer was de- lineated in piano on the north side of the inscrip- tion, but not a vestige of it is left; and the whole of the recess and canopy has recently been coloured black.15

" M.S.

QUI FCIT ANGLORUM VATES TER MAXIMUS OLIM,

GALFRIDUS CHAUCER conditur hoc tumulo:

ANNUM SI QU.ERAS DOMINI, SI TEMI'ORA VITVE

ECCE NOT;E SUBSUNT, QUiE T1BI CUNCTA NOTANT.

2.5 OCTOBRIS 1400.

.&RCMNARUM REQUIES MORS.

N. BRIGHAM HOS FECIT MUSARUM NOMINE SUMPTUS

1556."

On the ledge of the tomb the following verses were engraved :

" Si rogites quis eram, forsan te fama dockbit, Quod si fama negat, mundi quia gloria transit, IEec monumenta lege — "

Speght says, that the following lines occurred on

the original tomb :

" Galfridus Chaucer vates, et fama poesis Maternre, hac sacra sum tumulatus humo ; "

but they were part of an Epitaph written by Ste- phanus Surigonius, a Poet Laureat of Milan, and which, according to Ca.xton, " were wreton on a table hongyng on a pylere by his sepulture." lC

15 Neale and Brayley's History and Antiquities of the Abbey Church of St. Peter Westminster, vol. ii. p. 265. An engraving of this Tomb is given in Urry's edition of Chau- cer's Works, fol. 1721, in Todd's Illustrations of Gower and Chaucer, and in other Works.

,6 Caxton's Edition of Chaucer's translation of " Bocthius

44 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

The popular, but perhaps erroneous opinion, that the latter years of Chaucer's life were spent at Woodstock, or at Douington, has made it necessary, in the opinion of one of his biographers,1" to account for his being buried in Westminster Abbey ; and it is accordingly said that he died while attending his private affairs in London. It is however unques- tionable that Chaucer was in London in 1395, probably also in 1396 and 1397, and certainly in 1398, 1399, and 1400 ; and it is extremely likely that, at the time of his death, he was residing in the tenement near to the Abbey, of which a lease was granted to him in December 1399, and that he was therefore buried in that edifice.

Although it has not been ascertained positively whom Chaucer married, the statement that his wife was PniLippA, daughter and coheiress of Sib Payne Eoet,18 of Hainault, Guienne King of Arms, and sister of Katherinc, widow of Sir Hugh Swynford, (who was the mistress, and afterwards the wife, of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster) scarcely admits of a doubt. The authorities for the statement are, 1st, a Pedigree, compiled in the reign of Queen Elizabeth by Kobert Glover, Somerset Herald, a writer of the highest professional reputation ;19 2nd,

de Consolationo Philosophic," at the end of which is a copy of the said Verses. They are reprinted hoth in Speight's and in Urrv's edition of Chaucer's works.

17 Bale.

18 For remarks on the family of Koet, see Note CC.

19 This Pedigree was printed by Speght and Urry; but as the Compiler professed himself ignorant of her baptismal name, it would not appear to have been founded upon documentary evidence.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 40

the adoption of " Gules, three Catherine wheels Or," the Arms of Koet, by Thomas Chaucer, which occur repeatedly on his tomb, as his pa- ternal Coat, instead of the Arms usually attributed to him and to the Poet, viz. « Per pale Argent and Gules, a bend counter-changed," and which, at one period, Thomas Chaucer undoubtedly used."0 3rd, That John of Gaunt was the patron of the Poet, of his wife, and of his supposed son, Thomas Chaucer, if not also of his daughter. 4th, That the arms of many descendants of that Prince, by Katherine Swynford, were placed on Thomas Chaucer's tomb. To these strong presumptive proofs that Geoffrey Chaucer married Philippa Eoet, have been opposed, the facts that in January 1370, Edward the Third granted pensions to several of the " Domicelhe " of Philippa his late Queen, (who died on the 15th of

20 A drawing of Thomas Chaucer's Seal, of which the annexed is an accurate copy, is to be found in the Cottonian MS. Julius C VII. f. 153."

Though he relinquished the Arms of Chaucer for those of Roet, he appears to have retained the Chaucer Crest ; and the feet of his effigy on his monument in Ewelme Church rest on a Unicorn couchant. The cause of the introduction of a Bird on the Seal is not known.

40 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

August 1309), and that one of them was Philipjpa Picard, who obtained one hundred shillings per annum,21 whence Chaucer's biographers22 have, not unreasonably, identified her as the Poet's wife, be- cause King Richard the Second confirmed toPhilippa Chaucer, late " una Domicellarum " of Philippa Queen of England, his predecessor's grant of ten marks a year, which annuity was paid to "Geoffrey Chaucer her husband " on the 24th of May 1381.23 But an examination of other records has clearly proved that the inference is unfounded. The pension to Philippa Chaucer, of ten marks annually for life, was granted on the 12th of September 1366, nearly three years before the Queen's decease, by the de- scription of " Philippa Chaucer una Domicellarum Camera) Philippa? Regiuse Anglioe,"24 and she was paid it as early as the 19th of February 1368. 25 The Poet must therefore have married before Sep- tember 1366 ; and his wife could not possibly have been the Philippa Pycard to whom the annuity of £5 was given in January 1370.

Philippa Chaucer remained in the Queen's service until her death, for among the persons of the Royal Household to whom Robes were ordered to be given at Christmas 1368, were Philippa Chaucer,"6 and

21 Rot. Pat. 43 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 1 <&.

22 Tyrwhitt and Godwin. The latter (vol. ii. p. 374) says that " Philippa Pycard was unquestionably the wife of Chaucer."

23 Issue Roll, Easter 4 Ric. II. ©.

21 Rot. Pat. 40 Edw. III. p. 2, in. 30.

25 Issue Roll, Mich. 42 Edw. III. Vide Note DD.

26 Thynne says he had found "a record of the Pellis Exitus in the time of Edward the Third, of a yearly stipend

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 47

twelve other "Damoiseiles,"26 eight ''sous Damoi- selles," and several " Veilleresses," of the Queen's Chamber, one of which Veilleresses was Philippa Pycard.211 It cannot be doubted that the Philippa Pycard, the Veilleresse of 1369, was identical with Philippa Pycard the Domicella of January 1370, and (independently of the conclusive evidence before mentioned) could not have been the wife of Chaucer, because Philippa Chaucer is shown to have been one of the Queen's principal demoiselles in 1366, 1368, and 1369, when an inferior situation in the Eoyal establishment was held by Philippa Pycard, who received part of her annuity, by that name, in April 1370.28

If, as there is reason to believe, the father of Chaucer's wife was a native of llainault, and came to England in the retinue of Queen Philippa in 1328, it is not unlikely that Philippa Chaucer's baptismal name was given to her from being the Queen's god-daughter. It is probable that she entered the Royal Household at an early period of life ; and unless she married some time before her pension was assigned to her, the Poet could not have been less than thirty-five when she became his wife. After the Queen's death in 1369 she appeals

to Eiiza/jetheChawcere, domicelle Regine Philippa," whom he conjectures to have been the Poet's sister or kinswoman, and to have afterwards taken the veil at St. Helen's, Lon- don, " according," as Speght had " touched one of that profession in primo of King Richard the Second."

27 For remarks on the words " Domicellus " and " Domi cella," and the names of the Demoiselles of Queen Philippa, tee Note EE.

28 Issue Roll, 44 Edw. III.

48 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

to have become attached to the person of Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster, second consort of John of Gaunt, to whose children, by his first alliance, Katherine Lady Swynford (the supposed younger sister of Philippa Chaucer) was then go- verness.^ Before August 1372, the Duke had given Philippa Chaucer a pension of 107. per annum, which grant seems to have been commuted in June 1374 for an annuity of the same amount to her and her husband, for life, in consideration of the good services which they had rendered to the Duke, to his Duchess, and to the late Queen his mother.30 She received her pension out of the Duke of Lancaster's revenues in November 1379 ;30 and in 1380, 1381, and 1382 that Prince presented her with a silver gilt cup and cover, as a new year's gift, the records of which donations shew that she was then one of the three ladies in attendance on the Duchess, the two others being Lady Sanche Blount and Lady Blanch de Trumpington.30

As has been already stated, instead of the Arms attributed to the Poet, and which Thomas Chaucer himself once used, that person bore at his decease the Coat of Boet, namely, three wheels, evidently in allusion to the name. It was not unusual for a person to adopt the Arms of his mother, if an heiress, instead of his own paternal coat;31 hence the change

29 Excerpta Historica, p. 152, et seq.

30 Itegistrum Johannis Ducis Lancastrian, in the Office of the Duchy of Lancaster. Vide Note DD.

31 Thynne, in his " Animadversions" on Chaucer's Works, written in the reign of Henry the Eighth, speaking of Gower's Arms, says, " A difference of Arms seems a differ- ence of Families, unless you can prove that being of one

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 49

wade by Thomas Chaucer in his Armorial bearings could scarcely have arisen from any other cause than his having been the son of a lady whose maiden name was Koet. If, therefore, he were proved to have been the son of Geoffrey Chaucer, the state- ment that the Poet married the sister of Kathcrine Duchess of Lancaster, would be placed almost beyond dispute, strengthened as it would be by the facts that his wife and the said Thomas Chaucer, his supposed son, were both patronized by the Duke of' Lancaster, and that the Arms of that Prince, im- paled with those of Poet, the Arms of Beaufort, and the Arms of other persons descended from the Duke's connection with Katherine Swynford, were placed on his tomb.32 On the other hand, if the Poet married Philippa Poet, sister of the Duchess of Lancaster, the above facts leave no doubt that Thomas Chaucer was his son, so that the same evi- dence tends to establish both propositions. It is rather singular, however, if the Poet were so closely connected with a personage of such exalted rank and immense power as John of Gaunt, that he should not have attained a higher station in society ; and it is still more remarkable, that the name of Chaucer docs not occur among the numerous individuals

House they altered their Arms upon some just occasion, as that some of the House marrying one heir did leave his own Arms and bare the Arms of his mother, as was accustomed in times past." According to Glover's pedigree, the mother of Thomas Chaucer was the eldest daughter and coheiress of Kir Payne Koet. An instance of a similar change of Arms occurred in the case of Alice Duchess of Suffolk, (inly child of Thomas Chaucer, who adopted her mother's Arms of Burgiieksii instead nf those of Koet or Chaucer. 32 Vide Note F F.

VOL. T. E

50 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

whom the Duke mentions in his Will ; nor is it to he found in the printed Wills of any one member of the house of Beaufort, to all of whom a descent from the sister of Katherine Duchess of Lancaster would have rendered Thomas Chaucer the first or second cousin. Moreover, Thomas Chaucer would, like Sir Thomas Swynford, have been entitled to his mother's inheritance in Hainault, if she had been one of the coheiresses of Sir Payne Roet;33 but nothing has been discovered to shew that he asserted a right to any lands in that province.

Philippa Chaucer's pension was confirmed by Richard the Second ; and she apparently received it (except between 1370 and 1373, in 1378 and 1385, the reason of which omissions does not appear) from 1366 until the 18th of June 1387.3* The money was usually paid to her through her husband ; but iu November 1374 by the hands of John de Hevmesfhorpe,35 and in June 1377, (the Poet being then on his mission in Prance), by Sir Roger dc Trumpington,36 whose wife, Lady Blanch de Trum- pington, was, like herself, in the service of the Duchess of Lancaster. Though living in June 1387, she probably died before the end of the year, for after that time nothing is known of her ; and her annuities are not recorded to have been paid subsequent to 1387. This would agree with God- s' Vide Note C C.

31 Issue Rolls passim, and the Roll for Easter 10 Ric. II. 53 Issue Roll, Mich. 44 Edw. III. A facsimile of this entry and of the payment to her husband in that year, is given in the translation of that Roll by Frederick Devon, Esq. printed in 8vo. 1835.

3 'Issue Roll, Easter 51 Edw. III.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 51

win's hypothesis,37 that the Poet became a widower some time before his death, because in the verses addressed to " My Master Buktoun," he says, —

" And therfore, though I highte to expresse The sorwe and woo that is in manage; I dar not writen of hit no wikkednesse Leste I myself falle eft in swich dotage.'

He is presumed, besides Thomas Chaucer, to have had a son named Lewis ; for in his " Treatise on the As- trolabe," Chaucer thus addresses him : " Little Lowis, my sonne,38 I perceive well by ccrtaine evi- dences thine abilitie to learne sciences, touching numbers and proportions, and also wel consider I thy busic prayer in especiall to learne the Treatise of the Astrolabie. Then for as much as a Philoso- pher saith, hec wrapeth him in his friend, that con- disceudeth to the rightfull prayers of his friend, therefore I have given thee a sufficient Astrolabie for our orizont, compouned after the latitude of Ox- enford." Chaucer mentions him as a child, and says he was induced to compile that treatise, because the carts of the Astrolabe which he had seen were " too hard to thy tender age of ten yearc to con- ceive ;" and that he wrote in English, " for Latine ne canst thou nat yet but smale, my little sonne."

From his speaking of " our horizon compounded after the latitude of Oxenford," it lias been con- jectured that he was then living near that city,

37 Vol. iv. pp. 162-3. A Lydgate also says, —

" And to his sonne that called was I.uwis

He made a Tretise, ful noble and of great prise,

Upon th' Astrolabour."

52 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

whore, with greater probability, it is also supposed his son was at school ; while from his twice fixing on the 12th of March 1391, as the clay on which some calculations were made, it has been concluded that the piece was drawn up at that time, an in- ference not warranted by the premises. As the name of Lewis Chaucer lias not heen met with in any other place, he probably died young. It is extremely likely that Chaucer had a daughter, and also a sister, or some other relation named Eliza- beth ; for on the 27th of July 1377, the King exer- cised his right to nominate a Nun in the Priory of St. Helen's, London, after the coronation, in favour of Elizabeth Clumsier ;3i-> and on the 12th of May 1381, about sixteen years after the time when the Poet is presumed to have married, the Duke of Lancaster paid £51 8s. 2d. being the expenses of making " Elizabeth Chancy" a noviciate in the Abbey of Berking in Essex, which Elizabeth must have been a different person from the Nun of St. Helen's.-10

In this Memoir, such facts only have been stated as are established by evidence, even at the risk of its author being classed by some future Godwin among " the writers of cold tempers and sterile ima- ginations, who by their phlegmatic and desultory

39 Original Privy Seal 1 Ric. II. in (he Tower. Fide Note 26, p. 46, ante.

40 Uegistrum Joliannis Ducis Lancastrian. It is proper to observe, that every fact that has been discovered of a Geoffrey and Philippa Chaucer, Chaucers, or Chaucy, has been at- tributed to the Poet and his wife, though it is not impossible, however improbable, that there were contemporaries of the same names.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 53

industry have brought discredit upon the science of antiquities," and of incurring- the reproach which he has made against Mr. Tyrwhitt, of being " fasci- nated with the charms of a barren page, and a meagre collection of dates."41 Those who are satis- tied with probabilities, founded upon fanciful allu- sions to Chaucer himself or his contemporaries, in the Poet's writings, or who are pleased with ingeni- ous speculations as to the time. when, and the feel- ings under which his pieces were written, and what he may have said, or heard, or thought on different occasions, will have their taste amply gratified by a perusal of the most elaborate Life of Chaucer that lias yet appeared,4'-1 which work will also show them upon what slight and unstable foundations theories may be built. It is, however, by no means pre- tended that all the hypotheses which rest on passages in the Poet's works are fallacious, but it is dangerous to attach much weight to them ; and the caution of a profound investigator of his productions should be constantly borne in mind: — " A few historical par- ticulars relating to himself, which may he collected from his writings, have been taken notice of already, and perhaps a more attentive examination of his works might furnish a few more. We must be cautious, however, in such an examination, ef sup- posing allusions which Chaucer never intended, or of arguing from pieces which he never wrote as if they were his."43

Chaucer's works have been carefully perused,

41 Godwin's Life of Chancer, vol. ii. p. 478.

41 Ibid.

u Tyrwhitt's edition of the " Canterbury Tales."

54 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

with the object of finding facts in them for this Me- moir ; but, with tbe following few exceptions, little reliance can be placed upon any of his remarks. The '•' Testament of Love" has been already alluded to ; and there is not space in this Memoir to com- ment on all the passages that seem to illustrate his feelings, opinions, character, and attainments. His writings must be closely studied to form a proper estimate of the magnitude of his genius, the extent and variety of his information, his wonderful know- ledge of human nature, the boldness with which he attacked clerical abuses, and advocated the interests of honour and virtue, and more than all, of that phi- losophical construction of mind, which rendered him superior to the prejudices of his time, and placed him far in advance of the wisest of his contempo- raries.

From internal evidence it appears that the " Can- terbury PiJffrimaere" was written after the year 138G. Among the pilgrims, Chaucer has intro- duced himself ; and the following lines probably pre- sent a faithful picture of the poet's appearance : —

-" Oure host to jape bigan,

And than at erst lie loked upon me, Andsayde thus: 'What man art thou?' quod he. ' Thou lokest as thou woldest fvnde an hare, For ever upon the ground I se the stare.

' Approehe ner, and loke merily. Now ware you, sires, and let this man have space. He in the wast is schape as wel as I ; This were a popet in an arm to embrace For any womman, snial and fair of face. He senieth elvisch by his contenaunee. For unto no wight doth he daliaunce.' ' '*

41 Prologue to the " Rime of Sire Thopas,"

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 55

He then proceeds to recite the " Rime of Sire Thopas," in which he is interrupted by the host, from its not being worth listening to, but merely " rime dogerel ;" and at his request he relates the Tale of Melibeus, " amoral tale virtuous," in prose. In the " Man of Lawes Prologue," he alludes to himself by name, and mentions some of the pieces he had written : —

" but natheles certevn

I can righl-- now non other tale seyn,

That Chaucer, they he can but lewcdly

On metres and on rymyng eerteynly,

Hath Eeyd hem in such Englisch as he can

Of olde tyme, as knoweth many man.

And yif he have nought sayd hem, leeve brother,

In o bok, he hath seyd hem in another.

For he hath told of lovers up and doun,

Moo than Ovide made of mencioun

In his Epistelles, that ben so olde.

What schuld I tellen hem, syn they be tolde?

In youthe he made of Coys and Alcioun,

And siththe hath he spoke of everychon

These noble wyfes, and these lovers eeke,

Who-so wole his large volume seeke,

Cleped the seintes legendes of Cupide;

Ther maybe seethe large woundes wyde

Of Lucresse, and of Babiloun Tysbce ;

The sorwe of Dido for the fals Enee ;

The tree of Philles for hir Demephon;

Tlie pleynt of Dyane and of Erinyon,

Of Adrian, and cf Ysyphilee;

The barreyn vie stondyng in the see ;

The dreynt Leandere for his fayre Erro ;

The teeres of Eleyn, and eek and woo

Of Bryxseyde, and of Ledomia ;

The cruelte of the queen Medea,

The litel children hangyng by the hals,

For thilke Jason, that was of love so fals.

0 Ypermysti e, Penollope, and Alceste,

Youre wyfhood he comendeth with tho beste.

But eerteynly no worde writeth he

.r)G LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Of thilke wikked ensample of Canace, That loved hir owen brother synfully ; On whiche corsed stories I seye fy !

And therfore he of ful avysement

Wolde never wryte in non of his sermouns

Of such unkynde abhominaeiouns."

He also mentions many of his Works in the " Legende of Good Women." The God of Love accuses him of being his foe, and hindering his servants

"' with thy translacioun, And lettest folke from hire devocioun To serve met and Iwldest it folye To serve Love ; thou maist it nat denye, For in pleyne text, withouten nede of glose, Thou hast translated the Romaunce of the Rose, That is an heresye ayeins my lawe, And makest wise folke fro me withdrawe; And of Cresyde thou hast seyde as the lvste, That maketh men to wommen lasse triste."

" Al be hit that he kan nat wel eudite,

Yet hath he made lewde folke delyte

To serve you, in preysinge of your name,

He made the book that hight the House of Fame,

And eke the Deeth of Blauuche the Duehesse,

And the Parlement of Foules, as I gesse,

And al the Love of Palamon and Arcite

Of Thebes, thogh the storye ys knowen lyte,

And many an ympne for your haly dayes,

That highten balades, roundels, virelayes ;

And for to speke of other holynesse,

He hath in proce translated Boece,

And made the Life also of Seynt Cecile,

He made also, goon ys a grete while,

Origenes upon the Maudeleyne :

Him oughte now to have the lesse peyne,

He hath maade many a lay and many a thynge."

He says, —

" Ne a trewe lover oghte me not to blame Thogh that I speke a fals lover som shame,

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 57

They oghte rather with me for to holde

For that I of Creseyde wroot or tolde,

Or of the Rose, what so myn auctour mente

Algate God woot it was myn entente

To forthren trouthe in love, and yt cheryee,

And to ben war fro falsnesse and fro vice,

By swiche ensample : this was my menynge."

As a " penaunce" for his "trespace,"

" Thow shalt while that thou livest, yere by yere,

The moste partye of thy tyme spende

In makyng of a glorious Legende

Of Goode Women, maydenes and wyves,

That weren trew in loving al hire lyves."

" And whan this Book ys made, yive it the Quene Oa my byhalfe, at Elthain or at Sheene."

Love afterwards asks him,

" Hastow nat in a book, lyth in thy eheste, The grete goodnesse of the Quene Alceste, That turned was into a Dayesie ?

And I answerd ageyn, and sayde, Yis."

He likewise mentions in that piece his Poem of the " Flower and the Leaf," as is shown in another ex- tract.45

J n the " House of Fame" he alludes to himself more frequently than in any other of his productions. The Eagle sent by Jupiter informs him that " the God of Thonder" had of him

" routhe,

That thou so longe trewely Hast served so ententyfly Hys blynde neviwe Cupido, And faire Venus also,

45 Vide p. Gl, pcsl :a.

58 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Withoute giienloun ever yitte,

And neverthelesse hast set thy witte,

(Although in thy hede ful lytel is)

To make songes, dytees, and bookys

In ryme, or elles in cadence,

As thou best canst in reverence

Of Love, and of hys servantes eke,

That have hys servyse soght, and soke ;

And peynest the to preyse hys arte,

Although thou haddest never parte;

Wherfore, al-so God me blesse,

Joves halt hyt grete huniblesse,

And vertu eke, that thou wolt make

A nyghte ful ofte thyn hede to ake,

In thy studye so thou writest,

And evermo of love enditest,

In honour of hym and preysynges."

Jupiter is aware that the Poet had

"no tydynges

Of Loves folkc, yf they be glade Ne of noght elles that God made; And noght oonly fro ferre contree, That ther no tydynge cometh to thee, Not of thy verray neyghebors, That duelle almoste at thy dors, Thou herist neyther that nor this, For when thy labour doon al ys, And hast ymade rekenynges, Instid of reste and r.ewe thynges, Thou goost home to thy house anoon, And, also dombe as any stoon, Thou sittest at another booke, Tyl fully dasewvd ys thy looke, And lyvest thus as an herenryte, Although thyn abstynence ys lyte."

Iii this passage it is supposed that Chaucer alluded to his duties as Comptroller of the Customs and Subsidies, the accounts or " reckonings" of which he was to write with his own hands. If this con- jecture be true, it may also be inferred that he de-

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 59

scribed his U3ual habits, that he lived much alone, passing his time, after his official duties were over, in reading ; and that though in his seclusion from society he resembled a hermit, he yet was no enemy to the pleasures of the table.

Jupiter's winged messenger then says to him that Fame dwelleth where,

" Thyn ouiie boke liyt tellith ;"

and after describing her Palace, the Eagle addresses him by name,

" Geffrey, thou wost ryght wcl this."

When asked if he had " come hider to ban Fame," he betrays extraordinary indifference to that " last infirmity of noble minds," so commonly the attend- ant of Genius : —

" ' Nay, forsothc, frende !' quod I ;

' I cam noght hyder, graunt mercy,

For no suche cause, by my hede !

Sufficeth me, as I were dede,

That no wight have my name in honde.

I wote my-self best how Y stonde,

For what I dne or what I thynke,

I wil my selfe alle hyt drynke,

Certeyn for the more parte,

As ferforthe as I kan my» arte.' '"!5

It has been suggested,47 that in the following

lines Chaucer refers to some heavy calamity that had then recently befallen him. Misfortunes are so numerous that there is no difficulty in supposing him to have been in affliction, without seeking for a

43 House of Fame, b. iii. 1. 763-792. 47 Godwin, vol. iv. \>. 29.

60 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

particular cause : but, if, as is supposed, he wrote the House of Fame while he held his offices in the Customs, the event alluded to mav have beeu the last illness of his wife, who appears to have died about 1387: —

" Jovys, of his grace,

As I have seyde, wol the solace, Fynally with these thinges, Unkouthe syghtes and tydynges, To passe with thyu hevynesse, Soch routhe hath he of thy distvesse, (That thou suffrest debonairly, And wost thy-selfen outtirly, Disesperat of alle blys. .Syth that fortune hath made amy* The s(i-ot of al thyn hertes reste "Languish and eke in poynt to breste) That he thrugh hys myghty merite, Wol do than ese, al be hyt lyte." *■

A few other passages will he quoted from Chau - cer's Poems, in illustration of his feelings and taste. In the following lines in the Kniffhtes Tale, he seems to shew a strong belief in predestination : —

" The destyne, mynistre general, That executeth in the world overal The purveans, that God hath seye byforn ; So strong it is, that they the world hadde sworn The contrary of a thing by ye or nay, Yet somtyme it schal falle upon a day That falleth nought eft in a thousend yeere. For certeynly oure appetites heeie, Be it of werre, or pees, other hate, or love, Al is it reuled by the sight above."

Perhaps a line in his Ballad in " Commendacion

,; House of Fame, book iii. 1. 917-930.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 61

of our Ladie," justifies the opinion that lie was not fckillccl in music : —

" God wote on Musike I can not, but I gesse Alas why so, that 1 might saie or syng."

In the Legende of Goode "Women there is a per- onal description of much interest, as it shows Chau- cer's deep love of Nature, whom in another place4y he thus finely apostrophizes, —

" Nature, the vicare of the Almightie Lord."

Of flowers he greatly admired the humble daisy, whose etymology he thus fancifully explains, —

" The Daisie, or elles the ye of day,

The emperice and floure of floures alle "(11. 184, 185);

unless, indeed, as is not improbable, he adverts to that flower metaphorically for a lady of the name of Margaret : —

" And as forme, though that I konnebutlyte, On bokes for to rede, I me delyte. And to hem yive I feyth and fill credence, And in myn herte have hem in reverence So hertely, that ther is game noon That fro my bokes maketh me to goon, But yt be seldom on the holy day, Save certeynly whan that the monethe of May Is comen, and that I here the foules synge, And that the floures gynnen for to sprynge, Fairewel my boke and my devocioun.

" Now have I thanne suche a condicioan, That of alle the tioures in the mede Thanne love I most thise floures white and rede, Suche as men callen Daysyes in her toun ; To hem I have so grete affeccioun, As I seyde erst, whanne comen is the May,

49 Assemble of Foules, 1. 37'J.

62 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

That in my bed ther daweth me no day That I nam uppe, and walkyng in the mede To seen this floure ayein the sonne sprede Whan it uprisith early by the morwe ; That blisful sight softneth al my sorwe ; So glad am I whan that I have presence Of it, to doon it al/e reverence, As she that is of al/e floures flour, Fulfilled of al/e vertue and honour, And evere ilike faire and fresh of hewe, And I love it, and ever ylike newe, And ever shal til that myn herte dye, Al swere I nat, of this I wol nat lie.

" Ther lovede no wight hotter in his lyve ; And whan that hit ys eve I renne blyve, As sone as evere the sonne gynneth weste, To seen this flour how it wol go to reste ; For fere of nyght, so hateth she derkenesse, Hire there is pleynly sprad in the brightnesse Of the sonne, for ther yt wol unclose : Alias that I ne had Englishe ryme, or prose Suftisant, this flour to preyse aryght, But helpeth ye, that han konning and myght, Ye lovers, that can make of sentrment ; In this case oghte ye be diligent To forthren me somwhat in my labour, Whethir ye ben with the leef or with the flour, Fur wel I wot that ye han her biforne Of makynge ropen, and lad awey the cornp, And I come after, glenyng here and there, And am ful glad, yf I may fynde an ere Of any goodly word that ye han left ; And thogh it happen me to rehercen eft That ye han in your fresshe songes saved, Forbereth me, and beth not evele apayedc, Syn that ye see I do yt in the honour Of Love, and eke in service of the flour Whom that I serve " 50

There is so much cause for supposing Chaucer to have been pressed by pecuniary difficulties towards

iC Legende of Goode Women, 11. 29-83.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 63

the close of the reign of Kichard the Second, that the verses " to his Emptie Purse" have the interest of reality ; while the address to Henry the Fourth51 seems a petition for that increase of his pension, which he obtained immediately afterwards : —

'•To vow my Purse, and to .noon other wight,

Complayn I, for ye be my Lady dere !

I am sory now that ye been lyght,

For, certes, but yf ye make me bevy ehere;

Me were as leef layde upon my here,

For wliiche unto your mercy thus I crye,

Beeth hevy ageyne, or elles mote I dye !

Xow voucheth sauf this day or hyt be nyghte, That I of vow the blissful sounc may here, Or see your colour lyke the sunne bryghtc, That of yelownesse hadde never pere. Ye be my lyfe ! ye be myn hertys sterc ! Queue of comfort and goode eompanye ) Beth hevy aj-eyne, or elles moote I dye !

Now, Purse ! that ben to me by lyves lyght, And saveour as doun in this worlde here, Oute of this toune helpe me thurgh your myght, Syn that ye wole nat bene my tresrere, For I am shave as nye as is a frere But I pray unto your courtesye, Bethe hevy ayeyn, or elles moote I dye !

Explicit.

Chaucer unto the Kinge.

0 Conquerour of Brutes Albyoun ! Whiche that by lygne and free electioun Been verray Kynge, this song to vow I sende. And ye that mowen alle myn harme amende Have mynde upon my supplicacioun."

51 Godwin is so affected by the impropriety of Chaucer's thus addressing an Usurper as to suggest that " the Envoy" was not written by him : and unless it can be separated from the verses, he thinks that they also were the production of

64 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Chaucer more than once speaks of that " scathful harm, condition of poverty,"0'- in terms of such force and truth as would naturally proceed from one hy whom its ills had been experienced ; and the allusion to the subject in the House of Fame may therefore have been more than a playful fiction : —

"Goldc ...

As fine as ducket in Venise,

Of whiche to lite all in my pouclie is."

A passage in the introduction to the " Treatise on the Astrolabe," as well as the mention of his son Lewis, before referred to, is somewhat of a personal nature. Among Chaucer's motives for writing it, was, he says, that "me semeth better to writen unto a child twice a good sentence then he foryete it once. And Lowis if it so be that I shew thee in my lith English as true conclusions touching this matter, and not only as true but as many and subtill conclusions as ben yshewed in Latine in any common treatise of the Astrolabie, conne the , more thanke, and pray God save the King that is Lord of this langage, and all that him faith beareth and obeyeth everiche in his degree, the more and the lasse. But considereth well that I ne usurpc not to have founden this work of my labour or of mine engine. I nam but a leaned compilatour of the labour of olde astrologiens, and have trans- lated in mine English only for thy doctrine ; and with this swerd shall I sleen envie."

some other writer. (Vol. iv. p. 145). Yet Godwin was aware of Chaucer's connection with John of Gaunt, and that Henry the Fourth had doubled his pension. i2 Particularly in " The Man of Lawes Tale."

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 65

If the authenticity of the following- passage in some manuscripts of Chaucer's Works were unim- peachable, it would be one of the most interesting he ever wrote. At the end of " The Persones Tale," in all complete manuscripts, and in both the editions printed by Caxton, this affecting paragraph occurs : —

" Now pray I to yow alle that heren this litel tretis or reden it, that if ther be any thing in it that liketh hem, that therof thay may thanke oure Lord Jhesu Crist, of Avhom pro- cedith alle witte and al goodnes; and if ther be eny thing that displesith hem, I pray hem that thay arette it to the defaute of myn unconnyng, and not to my wille, that wolde fayn have sayd better if I hadde connyng; for the book saith, al that is when of oure doctrine is writen, and that is myn entent. JWierfore I biseke yow mekely for the mercy of God that ye praye for me, that God have mercy on me and foryeve me my giltes, and nameliche of my translaciouns and endityng in worldly vanitees, whiche I revoke in my re- tracciouns, as is the book of Troyles, the book also of Fame, the book of twenty-five Ladies, the book of the Duchesses, the book of seint Valentines day and of the Parliment of briddes, the Tales of Caunturbury, alle thilke that sounen into synne, the book of the Leo, and many other bokes, if thay were in my mynde or remembraunce, and many a song and many a leccherous lay, of the whiche Crist for his grete mercy foryive me the synnes. But of the translacioun of Boce de consolacioun, and other bokes of consolacioun and of legend of lyves of seints, and Omelies, and moralitees, and of devocioun, that thanke I oure Lord Jhesu Crist, and his moder, and alle the seintes in heven, bisekyng hem that thay fro hennysforth unto my lyves ende sende me grace to biwayle my gultes, and to studien to the savacioun of my soule, and graunte me grace and space of verray repentaunce, penitence, confessioun, and satisfaccioun, to don in this pre- sent lif, thurgh the benigue grace of him, that is king of kynges and prest of alle prestis, that bought us with his pre- cious blood of his herte, so that I moote be oon of hem at the day of doom that schal be saved ; qui cum Patre et Spiritu Suncto vivis et regnas Deus per omnia secula. Amen."

Tyrwhitt. in a note deserving of ffreat attention,

VOL. I. J?

GO LIFE OF CHAUCER.

after fully discussing the question, expresses his suspicion of the genuineness of the passage ; but there is nothing unreasonable in believing that Chaucer, when verging on the grave, under the in- fluence of spiritual counsels, and his mind filled with the most solemn and important thoughts, should have regretted the composition of any work of " worldly vanities," or in his having committed that regret to writing. At such a moment in any age, and still more when Chaucer lived, a religious mind may have reflected on some of his writings with sin- cere, however needless, compunction. It would therefore be unsafe to reject the addition as a for- gery; but the liberties often taken by Monkish transcribers justify great hesitation in receiving as genuine whatever did not obviously fqvm part of the original piece. One fact in favour of the authenticity of the passage must not be over- looked. Among Chaucer's works is enumerated the " Boke of the Lion," of which, it is presumed, no other notice exists than in Lydgate's Prologue to his translation of Boccaccio's Fall of Princes ; and as Lydgate is nearly correct in the list he has there given of Chaucer's other productions, it is not likely that he should have ascribed the "Boke of the Leon" to him without authority, or that it should have been inserted in that addition to the Parson's Tale from Lydgate's or any other person's invention . The objection taken by Tyrwhitt to the genuineness of the passage, that the Romaunt of the Bose is not among the regretted pieces, has little force. A man who has written much may not in enumerating his works remember the title, since he is known some-

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 67

times even to have forgotten the authorship itself, of some of his productions.

To one Poem a statement is attached which, if true, would, even more than its own pathetic cha- racter, ensure to it a profound interest, as in an early copy it is said to have been " made by him upon his dethe bedde leying in his grete an- guysse."53 Though the Verses are suspected not to be Chaucer's by some competent judges, their au- thenticity is fully admitted by Tyrwhitt.

Godwin also considers them genuine ; and having adopted the statement respecting the circumstances under which they were composed, he comments with his usual eloquence on the satisfactory proof the verses afford of the state of mind with which Chau- cer awaited the last awful change. But if they were not actually written in his last hours, they nevertheless show him to have been deeply influenced by religion ; and the less imminent the prospect of dissolution, the more likely would it be that they proceeded from habitual sentiments, and not merely from the feelings inspired by a death-bed. " They are expressive," in Godwin's opinion, of that serene frame of temper, that pure and celestial equanimity which so eminently characterized the genius of Chaucer and of Shakespeare : —

" Fie fro the pres, and duelle with soothfastnesse ; Suffice the thy good, though hit be smale, For horde hath hate, and clymbyng tikelnesse ;

63 Cottonian MS. Otho A xvm. This manuscript was destroyed in the fire which consumed so many volumes of the Cottonian library. It is found, Tyrwhitt says, without that statement in, two other MSS.

63 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Pies hath envye, and wele is blent over alle ; Savour no more than the behove shalle ; Do wel thy self that other folke canst rede, And trouthe the shal delyver, hit ys no drede.

Peyne the not ech eroked to redresse, In trust of hire that turneth as a balle, Grete rest stant in lyt besynesse ; Bewar also to spurne ayeyn an nalle ; Stryve not as doth a croke with a walle ; Daunte thy selfe that dauntest otheres dede, And trouthe the shal delyver, hit is no drede.

That the is sent receyve in buxumnesse, The wrasteling of this world asketh a falle; Her is no home, her is but wjddyrnesse, Forth pilgrime, forth best out of thy stalle, Loke up on hye, and thonke God of alle, Wevve thy lust, and let thy goste the lede, And trouthe shal the delyver, hit is no drede."

It has been said that Chaucer, when not employed in his official duties, resided chiefly at Woodstock,54 which fact is assumed from some lines in his "Dream," in his "Book of the Duchess," and in his " Parliament of Birdis ;" but neither of these Poems will really bear such an interpretation ; and it is remarkable, that the only place in his works in which he mentions Woodstock has not been cited in support of the conjecture. Tradition, and a passage in his Treatise on the Astrolabe, are also adduced in corroboration of that statement ; and he is sup- posed to have resided there until about 1397, when

54 Godwin's Life of Chaucer, ii. 99 to 103; iv. 68, 169, 172. He mentions a house in Woodstock Park as being de- scribed in deeds as "Chaucer's House," but this was more probably the house of Thomas Chaucer, to whom the Manor of Woodstock was granted by Henry the Fourth, ten years after the Poet's death. Vide p. 88, postea.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 69

it is said by Godwin that the Duke of Lancaster presented him with Donington Castle, near New- bury in Berkshire, with the intention, " in the feu- dal sense, to ennoble him !" 55 Whether Chaucer ever resided at "Woodstock cannot be determined; but the fact is very unlikely, and the only notice of that place in his works, by name, is in the " Cuckow and Nightingale," wherein he says that The Par- liament of Birds

" Shal be, witliouten any nay, The morowe, seynte Valentynes day, Under the maple that is faire and grene, Before the chambre window of the Queue, At Wodestoche upon the grene lay."

In that piece he observes that

" For loving in yonge folke but rage, And in o\do folk hit is a grete dotage,"

and speaks of himself as being " olde and unlusty." There are strong reasons for believing that neither Chaucer nor the Duke of Lancaster ever possessed Donington Castle. It belonged to Sir Bichard Abberbury in 1392,56 and in 1415 was the pro- perty of Sir John Phelip, the first husband of Alice, daughter and heiress of Thomas Chauccr.5T The idea, that the Poet was patronized by Queen Anne, consort of Bichard the Second, arises chiefly, if not entirely, from his saying in the " Legende of Goodc

55 Godwin's Life of Chaucer, iv. 93-106, 173.

56 Rot. Pat. 16 Ric. II. p. 3, m 13. i7 Esch. 3 Hen. V. n°. 42.

70 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Women," which, is stated to have been composed at her suggestion,58 —

" And whan this book is made, yive it to the Quene On my byhalfe, at Eltham or at Sheene."— 11. 496-7.

That Chaucer stood high in the favour of the Duke of Lancaster is unquestionable ; but there is nothing to prove, however probable it may be, that the an- nuities or offices bestowed on him by the King were obtained through that Prince's influence. The piece entitled " Book of the Duchess " is said by Lyd- gatc59 to have been written on the decease of Blanch, the Duke's first consort, who died in 1 369, and who is thus described : —

" Faire white she hete,

That was my Ladys name right, She was bothe faire and bryghte, She hadcfe not Mr name wronge."

Chaucer himself calls it, in his Legende of Goode Women, " The Dethe of Blaunche the Duchesse," but it is sometimes called " Chaucer's Dream ;" and the " Complaint of the Black Knight" has been thought to refer to events in the history of the Duke her husband.60

The little that is known of Chaucer's character

53 Lydgate says, —

" This Poete wrote at the request of the Quene A Legende of perfite holvnesse Of Good Women."

59 "He wrote also ful many a day agone

. . . The Dethe eke of Blaunche the Duchesse."

60 Godwin's Life of Chaucer, iii. 149 to 157

LIFE OF CHAUCER. # 71

is derived from the glimpses which he himself affords of his taste, habits, and feelings in his works ; but with these slight exceptions, all the minute traits that impart to personal history its greatest charm are entirely lost. Without them, any account of an individual must be dry and harsh ; presenting indeed a rude outline of form and features, but unattended by those lights, shades, and details which impart grace, expression, and interest, alike to painting, sculpture, and biography. "While, however, it is lamented that more has not been discovered of the great Father of English Poetry, it is a matter of congratulation that after the lapse of four centuries, so much has been ascertained respecting him. Com- pared with many eminent writers who lived nearer our own times, the particulars of Chaucer are numerous and satisfactory ; and though all obvious, and indeed all probable sources of information have been ex- hausted for this Memoir, many facts may yet be discovered of him when the arrangement of the Public Records, now in progress, shall be com- pleted.

By his literary contemporaries Chaucer's poetical genius seems to have been justly appreciated, while the documents that have been cited, show the esti- mation in which his abilities for public business were held by his Sovereign and the Government. It is a remarkable fact that every authentic notice of him has been derived from records of the confidence and bounty of the three Monarchs under whom he lived, or of the favour of an eminent Prince of the Blood B-oyal. Had he not, fortunately for the literary character of the Country, been thus distinguished

72 LIFE OF CILA.UCEK.

and rewarded, Ins "Works and the testimony borne to his merits by the poetical writers of Ins ago. would now be the only proofs of his existence. Tra- dition throws less than her usually weak and flicker- ing light upon his history, and even that little is of no value. He has himself told us that where genuine information is not to be obtained, we must be satisfied with whatever may be found in " old Books:—"

Yf that olde Bokes were awey,

Ylorne were of remembraunce the key ; Wei ought us thanne, honouren and beleve These bookes, there we han noon other preve.':

61

But if nothing else were known of Chaucer than what occurs in the "books" of Occleve, Gower, Lyd- gate, or Bale and Lcland, how imperfect and erro- neous would be our knowledge of his Life !

The versatility of his talents was extraordinary. Though known to posterity only as one of the greatest of our Poets, whose productions, in variety, merit, and extent, would seem to afford sufficient occupa- tion for the life of an ordinary man, Chaucer filled the various stations of a Soldier, of Yalet and Es- quire of the King's Household, of Envoy on nume- rous foreign missions, of Comptroller of the Customs, of Clerk of the Works, and of Member of Parliament. Nor is it improbable that other duties were en- trusted to him both by the King, and by the Duke of Lancaster ; for there is not the slightest infor- mation of his pursuits or employments during many years of his life. These blanks extend from his

fil Legende of Goode Women, 11.25-28.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 73

birth in 1328 until he served in the Trench wars in 1359; again from 1359 to 1367; from 1384 to 1386 ; from 1386 to 1389 ; and from 1395 until his decease ; forming altogether, from the time he became of age in 1349, until 1393, when he was sixty-five, no less than twenty-two years. Even in many of those years in which some trace of him lias been found, the notices afford no knowledge of bis occupations, as they consist only of entries of the receipt of his pension.

Much attention has been paid to the amount of Chaucer's income at different periods ;6- but the extreme difficulty of ascertaining the comparative value of money between the fourteenth and nine- teenth century, renders it almost impossible to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion on the subject. There is no proof, or indeed reason to suppose, that he inherited lands or other property, or that any estate was ever permanently granted to him ; and the idea of his having obtained the manor of Wood- stock and Donington Castle, to which all his biogra- phers have attached so much importance, is a delu- sion. From 1367 to 13S8, he received a pension of twenty marks or 13/. 6s. 8d. per annum; and •from 1374 to 1378, an allowance for a pitcher of wine daily, which was commuted for 107. os. 3±d. a year. He had, moreover, after 1374, an annuity of 10Z. for life from the Duke of Lancaster: his wife was in the annual receipt of ten marks after 1366; and he derived some advantage from the grant of two wardships in 1375. The joint income

63 Godwin, vol. ii. pp. 329, 494, 505.

74 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

of himself and his wife, in the latter part of the reign of Edward the Third, seems therefore to have been about 40?. per annum.

Besides his Pensions, Chaucer held the office of Comptroller of the Customs, the emoluments of which are not known ; and though his pension was given only until he should be otherwise provided for, he received it all the time he filled that situation.

In 137S, he gained about 3?. per annum by the grant of an annuity of twenty marks, or V3L 6s. 8cl. instead of the allowance for a pitcher of wine ; but his frequent missions abroad make it impossible to estimate his resources at that time. An addition, but of uncertain amount, was made to his income in 1382 by his appointment of Comptroller of the Petty Customs. In 1386, he was superseded in both his offices ; in 1388, his annuities were transferred to another person ; and the pension to his wife had ceased on her death in the preceding year, so that all he is known to have received between May 1388, and his being made Clerk of the King's Works in 1389, was his pension of 10/. from the Duke of Lan- caster. There are no means of estimating the value of the Clerkship of the Works, which, however, he did not retain more than two years ; and for aught that appears to the contrary, he had nothing besides the Duke of Lancaster's annuity of 10?. between September 1391 and February 1394, when the King granted him 207. for life. His income was conse- quently about 30?. from 1394 to 1398 ; but in Oc- tober of that year, it was increased by the yearly gift of a tun of wine, which was probably not worth

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 75

more63 than 57. Henry the Fourth in 1309 added forty marks to his pension, making 51?. 13s. 4c/. from the Crown, and 10Z. from the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster, being altogether 61/. 13s. 4c?. per annum.

Godwin, -who took much trouble to calculate the value of money in the fourteenth century, thinks that every sum should be multiplied by eighteen,64 which would make Chaucer's and his wife's income between 137-4 and 1337, from their pensions only, equal to about 720/. and in the last year of his life to 1,180/. But this calculation is certainly much too high ; and perhaps ten times the nominal value is a nearer approximation to the truth.

If then Chaucer derived only half as much from his offices as from his pensions, he must for a con- siderable period have had a sufficient income ; and though he was latterly impoverished, his resources shortly before his death were fully equal to his ne- cessities, even if they did not yield him the luxuries of life. From his foreign missions it is not likely that he gained much, if anything; and it is ex- tremely improbable that he accumulated money. Had he died possessed of lands, which were held of the Crown, in capite, the fact would have been shown by an Inquisition.

In considering Chaucer's pecuniary circumstances, it should be remembered that Thomas Chaucer, of whose filiation there can be little doubt, became on his marriage, about 1395, a person of extensive pro- perty and some political influence ; and it would be

63 See Godwin's inquiry on the subject, vol. ii. p. 404.

64 Life of Chaucer, vol. ii. pp. 331, 492.

76 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

extraordinary if lie did not obtain assistance from his son. The obscurity in which all Chaucer's family relations arc enveloped, makes this, however, mere matter of conjecture ; but false inferences are not likely to be drawn from the usual conduct of a son to his father. Had the Poet left a Will, or had such a document been made by Thomas Chaucer, this Memoir would probably not have been so de- ficient in facts respecting their domestic history.

The allusions to Chaucer by Ins contemporaries Goweb and Occleve, are extremely pleasing, their culogiums on his merits having been founded upon personal acquaintance. Gower's verses in which he mentions him have been already cited.

Occleve commemorated Chaucer not only with his pencil, but with his pen. In his Book " De llegimine Principis," ho thus expresses his sorrow for his death : —

"What shalle I ealle the, what is thy name?

Occleve, fader myne, men callen me ;

Occleve, sone, y-wis fader the same ;

Sone, I have herde or this men speke of the ;

Thow were aqueynted with Ciiaucers pardi' ;

God save his soulc! best of ony wight,

Sone, I wole holde the that I have the hight."04

Again, —

" But weleaway ! so is myne herte wo That the honour of Englisshe tonge is dede Of whiche I was wonte have counseile and rede

06 De Iiegimine Prineipum, p. 67, ed. Wright, Rox- burghe Club. 1860.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 77

0 maister dere and fader reverent,66 My maister Ciiaucers, floure of eloquence, Mirrour of fructuous entendernent, 0 universal fader in science ! Alias that thou thj-ne excellent prudence In thy bedde mortalle myghtest not bequethe What eyledDethe? alias! why wold he sle the?

0 Dethe! thou didest not harme singulere In slaughtre of hym, but alle this londe it smerteth ; But natheles yit hast thow no powere His name to slee ; his bye vertu astertethe Unslayne fro the, whiche ay us lyfly hertethe Withe bokes of his ornat endityng, That is to alle this laude enlumynyng."67

From another passage, it would seem that Occleve, who was many years younger than Chaucer, had profited by his instructions : —

" Mi dere maister God his soule quyte ;

And fadir Ciiaucers fayne wolde me han taught,

But I was dulle and lernede right naught." (p. 75.)

He then laments the loss of him as " this lomles verray tresour and richesse," and says, " Dethe was too hastyfe," for

" She myght han taryede hir vengeaunce a while, Til that some man hade egalle to the be : Nay, lete be that ; she knewe wele that this yle

65 The terms " Father " and " Maister " were long used to indicate respect for age, and for superiority in any pursuit or science. The former is thus explained by Chaucer in the Wife of Bath's Tale :—

" Now, sir, of elde ye reprevc me ; And certes, sir, though noon auctorit6 Were in no book, ye gentils of honour Sayn that men schuld an old wight doon favour And clepe him fader, for your gentilesse ; And auctours I schal fynden, as I gesse."

07 De Reg. Princip. (ed. Wright), p. 71,

73 LIFE OF CIIxVUCER.

May never man forth brynge like to the. And liir office nedes do mote she ; God bade hir do so, I truste for the beste : 0 maister, maister! God thy soule reste!,,G8

It is however in the part of his work " De consilio habendo in omnibus factis," that Occleve took the most effectual mode of perpetuating Chaucer. After calling him

" The firste fynder of our faire langage,"

describing him as his " father," his " worthy mais- ter," and invoking the blessed Virgin, in whose honour, he says, Chaucer had " written ful many a stile," to intercede for his eternal happiness, Occleve adds, —

" Althoughe his lyfe be queynt,69 the resemblaunce Of hym hathe in me so fresshe liveynesse, That to putte other men in remembraunce Of his persone I have here his liknesse Do make, to this ende in sothefastnesse, That they that have of hym lost thought and mynde By this peynture may ageyn him fynde.'-70

In the margin he has given the coloured portrait of Chaucer which will be afterwards described ; and he says,—

" The ymages that in the chirches ben, Maken folk thynke on God and on his seyntes, Whan they the ymages beholden and seen ; Wher as unsight of hem causeth restreintes Of thoughtes goode; whan a thyng depeynt is, Or entailede, yf men taken of it hede, Thought of the liknesse it wole in hem brede.

68 De Reg. Princip., pp. 75-76.

69 Quenched, extinguished.

70 De Reg. Princip., p. 179.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 79

Tit some holden oppynyoun and sey, That none ymages shulde ymaked be; They erren foule and gone out of the wey ; Of trouthe ban they skant sensibilitee ; Passe over now, blissede Trinite Upone my maisters soule mercy have, For hym Lady eke thy mercy I crave."71

Lydgate, who lived in the next generation, mentions Chaucer in terms of esteem and admira- tion. Speaking of the Canterbury Tales in his Pro- logue to the Story of Thebes, he calls him

" Floure of Poetes throughout all Bretaine ; "

and in the Prologue to the Translation of Boc- caccio's " Fall of Princes," where he gives a list of Chaucer's works, he says, —

" My maister Chaucer, with his fresh commedies, Is deed, alas ! chefe poete of Bretayne, That somtyme made full piteous tragedies, The fall of princes, he did also complayne, As he that was of makyng soverayne, Whom all this lande of right ought preferre, Sithe of our langage be was the lode-sterre.

•5"

In youtbe he made a translacion

Of a boke whiche called is Trophe

In Lumbarde tonge, as men may rede and se,

And in our vulgar, long or that ye deyde,

Gave it the name of Troylous and Cresseyde.

Whiche for to rede lovers them delyte, They have therin so grete devoeyon ; And to his poete also hymselfe to quyte, Of Boecius boke The Consolacioun Made in his tyme an hole translacion ; And to his sonne that called was Lowys He made a treatise, full noble and of gret prise.

71 De Reg. Princip., pp. 179-180.

80 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Upon that labour, in full notable forme Set them in order with ther divisyons, Menus wittes to accomplysshe and conforme, To understonde by full expert reasons, By domifyeng of sondrie mancions, The rote out sought at the ascendent, To forne or he gafe any jugement.

He wrote also full many a day agone Daunt in Englyssh, bymself so doth expresse, The pytous story of Ceix and Alcion, And the Deth also of Blaunche the Duchesse ; And notably dyd his busynesse, By great avyse his wittes to dispose To translate The Romaynt of the Rose.

Thus in vertu he set all his entenr, Idelnesse and vices for to fie; Of Fowles also he wrote the Parlyment, Therin remembrynge of ryall Egles thre, Howe in their choyse they felt adversitc', To fore Nature profered the batayle Eche for his partye, if he wolde avayle.

He did also his diligence and payne In our vulgar to translate and endyte Orygene upon the Maudelayn ; And of the Lyon a boke he dyd wryte ; Of Annelida, of false Arcite He made a Complaynte doleful and piteous ; And of the broche whiche that Vulcanus

At Thebes wrought, full diverse of nature ; Ovyde wryteth whoso therof had a sight For high desire he shuld nat endure, But he it had never be glade ne light. And if he had it onys in his might, Like as my maister saith and writeth in dede, It to conserve he shuld aye live in drede.

This poete wrote, at the request of the quene, A Legende of periite holynesse, Of good Women to fynd out nynetene That did excell in bounte and fayrenes, But for his labour and besinesse Was importable his wittes to encombre In all this world to fynd so grete a nombrc.

He made the boke of Canterbury Tales, When the Pylgryms rode on pylgrvmage

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 81

Throughout Kent, by hylles and by dales, And all the stories told in their passage, Endited them full well in our langage, Some of knighthode, some of gentilnesse, And some of love, and some of perfitenes,

And some also of grete moralite, Some of disporte, including grete sentence : In prose he wrote the Tale of Melibe And of his wife, that called was Prudence ; And of Grisildes perfite pacience ; And how the Monke of stones new and olde Piteous tragedies by the weye tolde.

This saved poete, my maister, in his dayes Made and composed ful many a fresh dite, Complaintes, ballades, roundeles, virelaies, Full delectable to heren and to se, For which men shulde of right and equite, Sith he of English in making was the best, Pray unto God to yeve his soule good rest."

But Lydgate's best eulogium is in his Praise of the Virgin Mary, printed by Caxton : —

" And eke my master Chauceris now is grave,

The noble rethor poete of Brytayne,

That worthy was the lawrer to have

Of poetrye, and the palme attayne,

That made first to dystylle and rayne

The gold dewe dropys of speche and eloquence

Into our tunge thrugh his excellence,

And fonde the flouris first of rethoryke Our rude speche only to enlumyne, That in our tunge was never none hym lyke ; For as the sonne doth in heven shyne In mvdday spere down to us by lyne, In whos presence no sterre may appere, Right so his ditees withouten ony pere."

To these testimonies to Chaucer's merits by his own countrymen, and probably, personal friends, can now be added a very interesting- ballad (hitherto unpublished) addressed to him by Eustache Dcs-

VOL. I. (i

82 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

champs, a contemporary French Poet.''2 Though Deschamps professes so great an admiration of Chaucer as to call him a Socrates in philosophy, a Seneca in morals, and an Angel in conduct, he de- scribes him only as a " great Translator." He ap- appears to have sent Chaucer, by a person called Clifford, a copy of his own writings, and to have requested a copy of one of his works in return : —

" 0 Socrates, plains de philosophic,

Seneque en mceurs et angles en pratique,

Ovides grans en tapoeterie,

Bries en parler, saiges en reLhorique,

Aigles tres haultz qui par ta theorique

Enlumines le regne d'Eneas,

L'isle aux geans, ceulx de Erath, et qui as

Seme les fleurs et plante le rosier

Aux ignorans de la langue Pandras;

Grant translatenr, noble Geoffroy Ciiaucikk.

Tu es damours mondains dieux, en Albie,

Et de la rose, en la terre angelique

Qui dangels Saxonne est puis fleuiie ;

Angleterre delle ce nom s'applique.

Le derrenier en l'ethiniologique

En bon Angles le livre translatas:

Et un vergier on du plant demandas

De ceuls qui font pour eulx auctoriser,

N'a pas long temps que tu edifias,

Grant translateur, noble Geoffroy Chatjcier.

A toy pour ce, de la fontaine Helj-e Requier avoir un ouvrage autentique, Dont la doys est du tout en ta baillie, Pour rafrecir d'elle ma soix ethique : Qu'en ma Gaule serai paralitique Jusques a ce que tu m'abuveras. Eustace sui qui de mon plans aras;

72 This ballad has been obligingly communicated by Thomas Wright, Esq., who received it from M. Paulin of Paris. It occurs in the MS. Reg. Paris, No. 7219, fol. 62.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 83

JNlais prens en gre les euvres d'escolier Que, par Clifford, de moy avoir pourras, Grant translateur, noble Geffkoi Ciiauciee.

l'enyoy.

Poete hault loenge destinve,

Et ton jardin ne seroie qu'ortie

Considere ce qui j'ay dit premier,

Ton noble plan, ta douce melodie ;

Mais pour scavoir, de rescrire te prie,

Grant translateur, noble Geoffry Chaucier."

The affection of Occleve has made Chaucer's per- son better known than that of any individual of his age. The portrait of which an engraving illustrates this Memoir, is taken from Occleve's painting al- ready mentioned in the Harleian MS. 4806, which he says was painted from memory after Chaucer's decease, and which is apparently the only genuine portrait in existence. The figure, which is half- length, has a back-ground of green tapestry. He is represented with grey hair and beard, which is biforked, he wears a dark coloured dress and hood, his right hand is extended, and in his left he holds a string of beads. From his vest a black case is sus- pended, which appeal's to contain a knife, or possibly " a penner," 73 or pencase. The expression of the countenance is intelligent ; but the fire of the eve seems quenched, and evident marks of advanced age appear on the countenance. This is incompar- ably the best portrait of Chaucer yet discovered.

A full-length portrait is found in an early if not contemporary copy of Occleve's Poems in the Royal

" Prively a penner gan be bonve, And in a lettre wrote he all his sonve."

Marcbant's Tide, 1. 9753.

84 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

Manuscript 17 D. vi. He appears very old, with grey hair and beard : he holds a string of heads in his left hand, and his right arm is extended, as if speaking earnestly. His vest, hood, stockings, and pointed hoots arc all black. Over the figure is written, in the same hand as the Poems, " Chaucers ymage." 74

There is a third portrait in a copy of the Canter- bury Tales made about the reign of King Henry the Fifth, being within twenty years of the Poet's death, in the Lansdowne MS. 851. The figure, which is a small full-length, is placed in the initial letter of the volume. He is dressed in a long grey gown, with red stockings, and black shoes fastened with black sandals round the ankles. His head is bare, and the hair closely cut. In his right hand he holds an open book ; and a knife or pencase, as in the other portraits, is attached to his vest.

A copy of Occleve's portrait, in a manuscript in the possession of the Rev. Mr. Tyson, was engraved in the Gentleman's Magazine75 in 1792; and if

74 A Portrait once existed in the Cotton MS. Otlio A xviii, but it was destroyed in the fire by which that library suffered. A full-length portrait was painted in the copy of Occleve's Poems in the Harleian MS. 4S26, but was long since cut out, an act thus denounced in rude doggerel about the time of Queen Elizabeth : —

" Off worthy Chawcer Here the pickture stood That muchh did wryght And alle to doe us good : Summe fiuyous foole Have cutt the same in twayne His deed doe shewe lie bare a barren brayne."

75 Vol. i.xii. p. 614.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 85

that ill-executed plate can be depended upon, it differs from those before mentioned in not having tbe knife at his vest.

A fourth portrait is given in a copy of tbe Can- terbury Tales now in tbe possession of Lord Francis Eo-erton, and is engraved in tbe " Illustrations of the Lives and Writings of Gowcr and Chaucer." In that painting tbe Poet is represented on a small white horse with black harness. His figure is small, short, and rather stout : he wears a long dark- coloured dress and hood, with a girdle, and a purse or gipciere, and he is booted and spurred.

A fifth portrait on vellum, with an account of Chaucer in a modern band, is in the additional ISIS. 5141, in the British Museum, and has been lately engraved.70 It is a full-lenoth, and in one corner is the date 1402, and an another corner a daisy; but it has no pretensions to the genuineness of Occleve's painting in the Harleian MS. 4306, and is perhaps not older than the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

Other portraits exist in the Picture Gallery at Oxford Can enm'avino- of which forms the frontis- piece of Urry's edition of his Works, printed in 1721), in the British Museum, and at Knowle. These are on board, and resemble tbe one last men- tioned ; but they seem to have been all formed from Occleve's painting, long after his time.

Urry and Grainger mention an original portrait which " was said to have been in tbe possession of George Greenwood of Chasteton in Gloucestershire,"' taken when he was about thirty years old ; and other

7C Shaw's Illustrations.

86 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

portraits arc said to be extant, but their authenticity is very questionable. The picture engraved in God- win's Life of Chaucer, which was formerly in the house at Huntingdon in which Oliver Cromwell was born, could not possibly have been a portrait of the Poet.

All the early portraits bear much resemblance to each other; and the probability of their being strong likenesses is increased by their agreeing with the description which Chaucer has given of himself in the Canterbury Tales before quoted, wherein he says he was a "' puppet," " small and fair of face," and " elvish," that is, according to Tyrwhitt, shy and reserved ; and that he was in the habit of looking steadfastly on the ground.

Thomas Chaucer, who is presumed to have been the Poet's eldest son, was probably born about the year 1367, and became, by his marriage and ser- vices, a person of considerable importance. Between December 1391 and 1404, he married Matilda, the second daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Buro-- hersh,77 with whom he acquired large estates in Ox- fordshire, among which was Ewelme, and in many

77 Esch. 15 Ric. II. p. 1. n. 8, whence it appears tliat Sir JoiiN Burgiieesh died on Thursday after the Feast of St. Matthew (the 21st of September) 1391, leaving two daugh- ters his coheirs, viz. Margaret, then the wife of Sir John Grenville, Knt. and fifteen years old ; and Matilda, then twelve years of age. The marriage of the said Matilda with Thomas Chaucer is stated in the Inquisition taken on his de- cease. As their only child, Alice, Countess of Suffolk, was above thirty years of age in 1435, and above thirty-two in 143G, she must have been born about 1404, which shews that her mother, who was unmarried in 1391, must have been married before 1403.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 87

other counties. Thomas Chaucer was appointed Chief Butler to Richard the Second ;"8 and on the 20th of March 1399, the King gave him twenty marks a year, in recompence of certain offices (not specified) which had heen granted to him for life hy the Duke of Lancaster, but to which the King had appointed William le Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire.70 In the same month he paid the King five marks for confirmation of two annuities of 107. each, charged on the Honour of Leicester, which John late Duke of Lancaster had granted to him.80 These facts are of importance, as they shew that he, as well as the Poet and the Poet's wife, and apparently also his daughter Elizabeth, were patronized by that Prince. King Henry the Fourth ascended the throne in September 1399, and on the 23rd of the following- month he confirmed the annuity granted to Chau- cer in March 1399, of twenty marks.81 Three days afterwards, the 26th of October 1399, the King- granted to Thomas Chaucer, Esq. the Offices of Constable of Wallingford Castle and Steward of the Honours of Wallingford and St. Valcry and of the Chiltern Hundreds, for life, receiving therefrom 407. a year, with 10/. additional for his deputy.8- In June 1400, his annuities being in arrear, the King- directed the Receiver of the Honour of Leicester to pay " nostre bien aime escuier Thomas Chaucer," the sum of 10/. then due to him.83 On the 5th of

78 Vide Rot. Pat. 12 Hen. IV. m. 34.

79 Rot. Pat. 22 Ric. II. p. m. 7.

80 Registrum Johannis Ducis Lancastrian.

81 Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV. p. 1, m. 10.

62 Rot. Patent. 1 Hen. IV. p. 1, m. 10.

83 Register of the Duchy of Lancaster, CC No. 1 5, fo. C I .

88 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

November 1402, lie was appointed " Chief Butler to the King for life ;"81 and in May 1406, he was an arbitrator respecting the manor of Hinton in North- amptonshire.85 On the 23rd of February 1411, the Queen granted him the farm of the manors of "Woodstock, Ilanburgh, Wotton, and Stonfield, with the hundred of Wotton, to hold the same during her life ; and on the loth of the following month the King assigned him the said manors and hundred for life, after the Queen's death.86 This grant, which tends to shew that Thomas Chaucer must have ren- dered some particular services to the Queen Con- sort, is the earliest evidence of the connection of any member of the Chaucer family with Woodstock. He represented Oxfordshire in Parliament in 1402, 1408, 1409, 1412, 1414, 1423, 1426, 1427, and 1429 ; and in the Parliament that met at Westminster on Monday after the octaves of St. Martin in 1414, he was chosen Speaker of the Commons.87 On the 4th of June, 1414, by the appellation of Thomas Chaucer " Domicellus," instead of Esquire, he was appointed a Commissioner to treat for Henry the Fifth's marriage with Catherine of France ; and to receive the homage of the Duke of Burgundy.88 In the same year he obtained a confirmation of all grants made to him by John Duke of Lancaster, by Richard the Second, or by Henry the Fourth.89 In

84 Rot. Patent. 4 Hen. IV. m. 19; and Rot. Pari. iv. 178 b.

85 Rot. Pail. vol. iii. p. 573.

8fi Rot. Patent. 12 Hen. IV. m. 7.

87 Rot. Pari. vol. iv. p. 35.

88 Rot. Franc. 2 Hen. V. iff. 22, a::i m. 19

89 Rot. Pari. vol. iv. p. ?S.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 89

1405, he was in the army under Henry the Fifth in France, with a retinue of twelve men-at-arms and thirty-seven archers : he was present at the hattle of Aginconrt ;9° and served in most of the expeditions under that monarch.'11 On the 1st of October 1417 lie was one of the Ambassadors to treat for peace with France ;92 and after the accession of Henry the Sixth, Parliament consented to his holding the office of Chief Butler, which had been confirmed to him by Henry the Fourtb,93 but in which he had been superseded in March 1418. 04 In January, 1424, he was appointed a member of the King's Council, with a salary of 40?. per annum;95 and in May 1425, he was one of the Commissioners in Parlia- ment to decide on the dispute between the Fail Marshal and the Earl of Warwick for precedency.96 In February 1427, he was abroad in the King's service ;97 and he was employed on many other oc- casions of trust and importance during the reigns of Henry the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth, but never at- tained a higher rank than that of Esquire.

Philippa Duchess of York, who was distantly re- lated to his wife, by her Will, dated on \ho Feast of St. Gregory 1430-1, appointed Thomas Chau-

90 History of the Battle of Agincourt, ed. 1832, pp. 338, 377.

91 Hot. Franc. 8 Hen. V. m. 4.

92 Rot. Norman. 5 Hen. V. m. 24, and 19. Ed. 1835, pp. 1 07-170, 205.

9J Rot, Pari. iv. p. 1 78 b.

gi Rot. Norman. 5 lien. V. m. 7. Ed. 1835, p. 284.

95 Rot. Pari. vol. iv. p. 201.

"; Rot. Pari. vol. iv. p. 262.

97 Pot. Franc. 5 Hen. VI. in. 14.

90 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

cer one of her executors, and bequeathed one hun- dred marks to him.98 In 1431, he, John Forres- ter," and others were the attornies of John Earl of Somerset, to deliver seisin of lands in Somerset- shire.1 Several notices of him occur in the Pro- ceedings of the Privy Council,2 whence it appears that he was often present in the Council ; and his name occurs in a list prepared in February 143(5, (though then dead) of persons of whom it was pro- posed to borrow money for support of the war in France. He was marked for the large sum of 200/. being much more than was demanded from any other person except the Bishops of Exeter and Ely, the Dean of Lincoln, and Sir John Cornwall, after- wards Lord Fanhope.3

Thomas Chaucer died in November 1434,4 and Matilda his wife on the 28th of April 1436;5 and were buried under a handsome monument in Ewelme church in Oxfordshire, with this inscription: — c

38 Nichols' Royal Wills, p. 228.

99 A Richard Forrester was one of the Poet's attornies in May 1378. John Earl of Somerset was the eldest son of Katherine Swynford by John of Gaunt ; and if Thomas Chau- cer was the son of Fhilippa Roet, he was the Earl's first cousin.

1 Charter in the British Museum 43 E. 18.

2 Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. iii. pp. 148, 155, 157, 163, 169, 266, 267, 286, and vol. iv. pp. 98, 263, 303, 304.

3 Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. iv. p. 323.

4 Esch. 13 Hen. VI. No. 35. Vide Note GG.

5 Esch. 15 Hen. VI. No. 53. Vide Note GG.

6 Their effigies are engraved in Gough's Sepulchral Monu- ments; and their tomb in Speght's edition of Chaucer, and in Skel ton's Antiquities of Oxfordshire.

LIFE OF CHAUCER. 9 J

IIIC JACENT THOMAS CHAUCER ARMIGER QUON'- DAM DOMINUS ISTIUS VILL.E ET PATRONDS 1STIUS ECCLESEE QUI OB1IT XVII DIE MENSIS NOVEMBRIS ANNO DOMINI MCCCCXXX1V EI M.V- TILD1S UXOR EJUS QU33 OBIIT XXVIII DUO MENSIS APEIL1S AXXO DOMINI MCCCCXXXVI.

They had only one child, Alice Chaucer, who must have been born not later than 1404, as she was found to be upwards of thirty years old at her father's death,4 and thirty-two years of age at her mother's decease in 1430. 5 She married first Sir John Phelip, E.G., who died issueless in 1415:" her se- cond husband was Thomas fourth Earl of Salisbury, who died in 1428, without children by her ;8 and about October 1430, she married William dc la rule, Earl of Suffolk,9 who was created Marquess and Duke of Suffolk, by whom she had three children.10 She appears to have adopted the Arms of Burgh- crsh, her mother's family, instead of those of Root or Chaucer.11 The fate of her last husband, the Duke of Suffolk, who was attainted and beheaded in 1450, is well known.

Their eldest son, John dc la Pole, who was created Duke of Suffolk in 1403, and died in 1491, married

7 Esch. 3 Hen. V. no. 42.

8 Esch. 7 Hen. VI. n°. 57.

9 The settlement made hefore her marriage with the Earl of Suffolk, dated 12th October, 9th Hen. VI. 1430, is among the Harleian Charters in the British Museum, marked 54 I. 9.

10 See a pedigree of De la Pole in Frost's Notices of Hull, p. 31.

11 The Seal attached to two Deeds executed by Alice Duchess of Suffolk, one in the 37th of Hen. VI. and the other in the 9th of Edward IV, contains the Arms of De la Pole, impaling a Lion rampant, apparently Burghersh. Chaitci.s iu the British Museum, 54 I. 16. and 54 I. 18.

92 LIFE OF CHAUCER.

the Princess Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister of King Edward the Fourth, by whom he had a numerous family, of whom. John de la Pole, the eldest son, was created Earl of Lincoln, vita patris, and was declared by Richard the Third heir apparent to the Throne, in the event of the death of the Prince of Wales without issue, so that there was strong prob- ability of the great great grandson of the Poet suc- ceeding to the Crown. The Earl of Lincoln was slain at the battle of Stoke in 1487, and died with- out children ; and being attainted, his honours were forfeited. Alice Duchess of Suffolk died on the 20th of May 1475, and was buried at Ewelme, where a splendid tomb was erected to her memory.12 Her issue having failed, the descendants of the Poet are presumed to be extinct.

12 Engraved in Gough's Sepulchral Monuments, Skelton's History of Oxfordshire, and in Hollis's Monumental Effigies of Great Britain.

Many acknowledgments are due from the Author to Tho- mas Duff us Hardy, Esq. Deputy Keeper of the Records in the Tower : to his brother, William Hard}', Esq. of the Duchy of Lancaster Office : and to Charles Roberts, Esq. of the Re- cord Office, Tower, for the obliging manner in which they furnished him with information from muniments in those Offices, respecting the Poet. Hii inquiries also received great attention from W. II. Black, Esq. of the Rolls House.

NOTES.

[Referred to p. 10.]

L'S^H ELAND says, Chaucer was of a noble family ; Pitts, that he was the son of a Knight; and Hearne, that he was a mer- chant ; while Speght suggests that his father might have been the "Richard Chaucer, Vintner of London," who, in 1349, bequeathed his tene- ment and tavern to the Church of St. Mary Aldermary. Speght also conjectures that Elizabeth Chaucer, a Nun of St. Helen's, London, was the Poet's sister, or some other relation. (See the Memoir, p. 60.) The will of the said Richard Chaucer, which was dated on Easter Day ( 1 2th of April) 1 349, and proved in the Hustings Court of the City of London by Simon Chamberlain and Richard Litlebury, on the Feast of St. Margaret the Virgin ("20th of July) in the same year, has been lately examined. It appears that he made the abovementioned bequest to the Church of Aldermary, and left other property to pious uses. He mentions only his deceased wife Mary, and her son Thomas Heyroun, and appointed Henry at Strete and Richard Mallyns his executors. Richard Chaucer had however by the said Mary, (or by some other wife) a son, John Chaucer, who was also a Citizen and Vintner of London ; for the said Thomas Heyi-oun, by his Will dated on the 7th of April 1349, and also proved in the Hustings Court, appointed his brother [i.e. his half brother] John Chaucer, his Executor, and on Monday after the Feast of St. Thomas the Martyr (13th of July) in the same year, John Chaucer, by the description of " Citizen and Vintner, Executor of the Will of my brother Thomas Heyroun," executed a deed relating to some lands. (Re- cords of the Hustings Court, 23 Edw. 111.) It is possible

94 NOTES.

that Richard Chaucer may have had other children besides his son John, though they, like John, are not mentioned

in his Will.

In the taxation of the 6th Edw. II. 131-132, in the counties of Cambridge, Huntingdon, Hertford, and Essex, the goods of a Bartholomew le Chaucer were valued at ten shillings, but it does not appear in which of those counties he resided. (Rot. Pari. vol. i. p. 449.) A Ge- rard le Chaucer was a Burgess of Colchester in the 24th Edw. I. (Ibid. vol. i. pp. 234, 262). A John le Chaucer was a citizen of London in 1299, (Monasticon Anglicanum, vol. iii. p. 326. Rot. Patent. 30 Edw. I. m. 24 d.) and another John Chaucer obtained Letters of Protection, beino; then in an expedition abroad, on the 12th of June, 12th Edward HI. 1338, (Eccdera, vol. ii. pt. iv. p. 23.) who may have been the John Chaucer, Deputy to the King's Butler in the port of Southampton in February and Novem- ber, 22 Edw. III. 1348, who seems afterwards to have held the same situation in the Port of London. (Original Writs of Privy Seal in the Rolls House.) In July 1349, a John Chausy received a gratuity for bringing Queen Philippa a black palfrey from' the Bishop of Salisbury. (Wardrobe Book, in the Rolls House.) In the 29th Edw. I. 1300, a Peter Chaucer was the husband of Isabella, daughter and heiress of Isabella, widow of Roger le Lorimer, late citizen of London. (Ancient Charter in Brit. Mus. 53 H. 2.) A Ralph le Ciiauser was living in 10 Hen. III. An Eltas Ciiauser lived in the reign of Henry the Third and Edward the First. (Thynne, cited in Speght'sLife of Chaucer.) A Nicholas Chaucer was summoned to at- tend the King's council on the 8th of June 1356. (Rut. Claus. 30 Edw. III. dors. m. 14.)

b:

[Referred to p. 6.] Issue Boll of the Exchequer, Mich. 42 (Edw. III.)

[1368.] " Die Sabbati vj.t0 die Novembris (1307.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex xx. marcas annua, tim ad scaccarium percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Kegi impenso per litteras suas pa- tentes nuper concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in perso-

NOTES. 95

lutionem^er manus proprios x. marcarum sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo videlicet de termino sancti Michaelis proximo preterito per breve suum de liberatione de hoc termino. vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

C.

[Referred to p. 6.]

Issue Roll, Easter 42 Edw. III. (1308.)

" Die Jovis xxvtrt. die Maii (1368.)

" Galfrido Chaucere uni vallettorum Camera Eegis cui dominus Hex xx. inarcas annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitara suam percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Regi impenso vel quousque alitor pro statu suo fuerit provisum per literas sitas patentes nuper con- cessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in persolutionem decern marcarum sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet de termino Pasche proximo preterito per breve suum de liberatione de hoc termino. vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

D.

[Referred to p. 7-]

Issue Roll, Mich. 47 Edw. III. (1373.)

" Die Mercurii x.\ivt0. die Novembris (1372.)

' Galfrido Chaucer valletto cui dominus Rex xx. marcas annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Regi impenso per literas patentes nuper concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in persolutionem x. marcarum de hujusmodi terto suo videlicet de termino Michaelis proximo preterito per breve suum de liberatione inter mandata de hoc ter- mino. vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

Ibid. " Die Mercurii prime- die Decembris

(1372.)

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis misso in secretis negociis domini Regis versus partes transmarinas de quibus idem dominus Rex ipsum Galfridum oneravit. In denariis sibi liberatis per maims proprios super expensis suis per breve de privato sigillo inter mandata de hoc termino. Unde respondebit. lxvjli. xiij.s. iiij.d."

96 NOTES.

E.

[Referred to p. 7] Issue Boll, Mich. 48 Edw. III. (1374.)

" Die Martis xxii. die Novcmbris (1373.)

" Galfrido Chancer vallettocui dominus Rex viginti mar- cas annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitani suam pei'ci- piendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Regi impenso per literas suaspatentes nupcr concessit. In de- nariis sibi liberatis per maims proprios in persolutionem decern marcarum sibi liberandarum de certo suo videlicet de termino Fasche proximo preterite per bi'eve snum de libe- ratione inter mandata de hoc termino.

vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

Ibid. " Die Sabbati iv. die Februarii (1374.)

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Eegis in denariis sibi li- beratis per manus proprios in persolutionem xxv.li. vj.s viij.d. sibi debitarum per compotum secum factum arl Scac- carium compotorum, de receptis, vadiis, et expensis per i psum in servicio Eegis factis, profisciendo in negociis Regis versus partes Jannue et Florence in anno xlvii.

xxv.li. vi.s. viij.d."

F.

[Referred to p. 20.]

EXTRACT FROM THE ACCOUNTS OE THE RECEIVER GENE- RAL OF JOHN DUKE OF LANCASTER FROM MICHAELMAS 50 EDAV. III. 1376, TO MICHAELMAS 5 RIC. II. 1377.

" In denariis solutis Galfrido Chaucer pro annuitate sua sibi debita pro termino Michaelis anno ldo. c.s., per literas Domini de Warranto datas apud Sauvoye xviij0 die Octobris anno 1°. [1376.]"

" Pascli. anno li° Galfrido Chancer pro annuitate sua pro termino Paschae, per litteras Domini de warranto datas apud Sauvoye xij" die Juniia" li° [1377] et acquietationem ipsius Galfridi super hunc compotum liberatam- c.s."'

NOTES. 97

G.

[Referred to p. 21.]

Issue Roll, Mich. 51 Edw. III.

" Die Martis xxiij". die Dec. (137G.)

•" Johanni de Bur lee militi misso in secretis negociis do- mini Regis de quibus per ipsum dominura regem extitit oneratus. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolutionem, &c. pro vadiis suis xiij.li. vj.s. viij.d.

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis misso ex precepto domini Regis in comitiva predicti Johannis in eisdem se- cretis negociis ipsius domini Regis. In denariis sibi libe- ratis per manus proprios in persolutionem decern marcarum quas dominus Rex sibi liberari rnandavit pro vadiis suis.

vj.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

II.

[Referred to p. 21. J

Issue Boll, Mich. 51 Edw. III.

" Die Martis xvi j". die Februarii (1377.)

" Thome de Percy militi misso in nuncium in secretis negociis domini Regis versus partes Flandrie xxxiij.li. vj.s. viij.d.

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis misso in consimilem nuncium versus easdem partes Flandrie. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios super expensis suis. x.li."

I.

[Referred to p. 22.] Issue lioll, Easter 51 Edw. 111.

" Die Sabbati xi°. die Aprilis (1377.)

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis in denariis sibi libe- ratis per manus proprios in persolutionem xx.li. qnas do- minus Rex sibi liberari rnandavit de dono suo pro regardo suo causa diversorum viagiorum per ipsum Galfridum fac- torum eundo ad diversas partes transmarinas ex precepto domini Regis in obsequio ipsius domini Regis per diversas \iccs. xx. 1.''

VOL. I. 11

98 NOTES.

Ibid. " Die Jovis xxx°. die Aprilis (1377.)

'; Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis misso in nuncium in secretis negociis domini Regis versus partes Francie. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios super vadiis suis. xxvi.li. xii.s. iiij.d."

K.

[Referred top. 24.]

Writ of Privy Seal, 18 April 1 Ric. II. (1378.)

" Richard par la grace de Dieu Roy Dengleterre et de France et Seignur Dirlande A lonurable piere en Dieu Levesque de Seint David nostre Chanceller Saluz. Come nosti'e trescher seignur et ael le Roy qi Dieux assoille oust nadgaires en sa vie grantez de sa grace especiale par ses lettres patentes desouz son grant seal a nostre ame Esquier Geffrey Cliaucer un pycher de vyn a prendre cheseun jour en port de nostre Citee de Londres par les mains du Botiller de nostre dit seignur et ael ou de sus heirs pur le temps esteant ou du lieutenant de mesrne le Botiller a toute la vie de mesme celui Geffrey, Nous en recompen- sacion du dit picher de vyn par jour et pur le bon service que lavantdit Geffrey nous ad fait et ferra en temps avenir lui eons grantez vynt marcs a prendre cheseun an a nostre Escheqer a toute la vie du dit Geffrey as termes de Seint Michel et de Basque par oveles porcions autre les vynt marcs a lui grantees par nostre dit Seignur et ael par ses lettres patentes desouz son grant Seal par nous confermees, a prendre an dit Escheqer cheseun an as ditz termes par oveles porcions. Vous mandons que receves devers vous les dites lettres de nostre dit Seignur et ael faites du dit pycher de vyn par jour et ycelles cancelles en nostre Chancellerie si facez faire sur cest nostre grant noz lettres desouz nostre grant Seal en due forme. Don souz nostre prive Seal a Westm. le xviij. jour D"averill Ian de nostre Regne primer.1'

L.

[Referred to p. 24.]

Issue Roll, Easter 1 Ric. II. (1378.)

" Die Veneris xiiij. die Maii (1378.)

"Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis cui Dominus Rex uvus Regis hujus xx marcas annuatim ad scaccarium ad

NOTES. 09

tutuui vitam suani per literas suas patentes nuper concessit' quas quidem literas dominus Rex nunc confirmavit eidem Galfrido percipiendas dictas xx marcas in forma predicta. In denariis sibi liberatis per assignationem sibi lactam in persolutionem xx.li. sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo videlicet de terminis Michaeh's et Paschse Ao ]j°. Regis Edwardi tertii et sancti Michael is tcrmino proximo pre- terite per breve de private sigillo. xx.li." " Eidem Galfrido in denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo videlicet de termino Michaelis proximo preterito. xxvi.s. viii.d."

Ibid. " Die Veneris xxviij. die Maii (1378.)

'•' Edwardo de Berkele militi misso in nuncium regis versus partes Lumbardie tam ad dominum de Melan quam ad Joliannem Hawkewode pro certis negociis expeditionem guerre regis tangentibus. In denariis per ipsum receptis super vacliis suis. cxxx.li. vj.s. viij.d."

" Galfrido Chaucer misso in comitiva ejusdem Edwardi ad easdem partes in nuncio regis predicti. In denariis per ipsum receptis super vacliis suis, &c.

Ixvi.li. xiii s. iiii.d.'' M.

[Referred to p. 24.]

Rot. Franc. 1 Ric. II. part ii. m. G, (1378.)

'•' Galfridus Chauser, qui de licencia Regis versus partes transmarinas profecturus est, habet literas Regis de gene- rali attornato sub nominibus Johannis Gower, et Ricardi Forrester sub alternatione ad lucrandum, &c. in quibus- cumque curiis Anglic per unum annum duraturas, &c. Teste Rege apud Westmonasterium xxi°. die Maii. AVil- lielmo de Burst' clericus Regis attornato."

N.

[Referred to p. 27.]

Issue Roll, Mich. 2 Ric. II. (1378-9.)

" Die Jovis tercio die Februarii (1379.)

,( Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex Edwardus avu3 )•■ gis hujus xl. marcas annuatim ad scaecaiiuin percipien- da i per literas suas, &c. concessit. &c. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios, &c. de termino sancti Mi- clmelis ultimo preterito. xii.li. xiii.s. iiij.d."

100 NOTES,

O.

[Referred to p. 27.]

Issue Roll, Easter 2 Ric. II. (1379.)

" Die Maitis xxiiij»°. die Maii (1379.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex avus Regis hujus xx. marcas annuatim," &c. "concessit, &C. In denariis sibi liberatis per assignation em sibi factam isto die in perso- lutionem xiii.li. xix.s. viij.d. sibi liberandarum de hujus- modi certo suo, videlicet, tercio die Februarii proximo preterite. xxvi.s. iiij d."

Eidem Galfrido cui dominus Rex nunc xviij". die Aprilis anno Regni sui primo xx. marcas annuatim, &c concessit et in recumpensationem unius picheri vini sibi per domi- num Regem Edwardum avum Regis hujus in portu Civi- tatis Londoniae per manus pincerne ejusdem Regis Ed- wardi et heredum suorum ad totarn vitam ipsius Galfridi quolibet die percipiendas per literas suas patentes nuper concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis per assignationem sibi factam isto die in persolutionem xii.li. iiij.d. sibi liberan- darum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, tam pro rata a predicto xviij". die Aprilis usque festum sancti Michaelis proximuin sequentem quam pro termino Pasche proximo preterite. xiii.li. vi.s. iiijd."

P.

[Referred to p. 27.] Issue Roll, Mich. 3 Eic. II. (1379.)

" Die Veneris ix°. die Decembris (1379.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex Edwardus xx. marcas annuatim," &c. [ut prius] " concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in persolutionem x. marcarum, &c. pro ter- mino Michaelis proximo preterite. vi.li. xiij.s. iiij.d."

" Eidem Galfrido cui dominus Rex nunc xx. marcas annuatim,'' &c. " concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolutionem x. marcarum, &c. pro ter- mino Michaelis. vi.li. xiij.s. iiij d."

NOTES. 101

Q.

[Referred to p. 28.]

Issue Roll, Easter 3 Eic. II (13S0.)

" Die Martis 3°. die Julii (1380.)

" Payment was made to ' Galfrido Chaucer' of the an- nuities due to him (under the grants from Edward the Third and Richard II. for this term, 'per assignationem sibi factam.' xiij.li. vj.s. viij.d."

R,

[Referred top. 28.]

Issue Boll, 4 Puc. II. (1380-1381.)

" Die Mereurii xxviij die Noveivbris (1380.)

"Eitlem Galfrido in denariis sibi liberatis per manus pro- prios in persolutionein xiiij. librarum sibi debitarum per compotum secum factum ad scaccarium computornm de receptis vadiis et expensis suis proficiendo in Nuncio Regis ad partes Lumbardie anno primo Regni Ricardi secundi per breve de privato sigillo inter mandata de termino Pasehe proximo prcterito. xiiij.li."

<: Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex Edwardus viginti marcas, &c. annuatim," &c. [ut prius] "concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolutionem decern marcarum, &c. pro termino Michaelis proximo pre- terito. &c. vj.li. xiii.s. viiij.d."

" Eidem Galfrido cui dominus Rex nunc xviii". die Aprilis anno Regni sui primo viginti marcas annuatim, &c. in recompensationem unius picheri vini concessit, &c. In denariis sibi liberatis per maims proprios," &c. " pro termino Michaelis. vj.li. xiii.s. iiij.d."

" Die Mereurii vj die Marcii (1381.)

" Galfrido Chaucer armigero Regis. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios per assignationem sibi factam isto die in persolutionem xxij.li. quas dominus Rex sibi Liberari mandavit de dono suo in recompensationem va- diorum suorum et custuum per ipsum factorum eundotam tempore regis Edwardi avi Regis hujusmodi in nuncium ejusdem avi versus Moustreir et Parys in partibusFrancie

102 NOTES.

causa tractatus pacis pendentis inter predictum avum et adversarium suum Francie quam tempore domini regis nunc causa locutionis habite de maritngio inter ipsum dominum regem nunc et filiam ejusdem adversarii sui Francie. xxij.li."

S.

[Referred to p. 29.]

It was first enacted by Stat. 1 Hen. V. c. 1, that Knights of the Shire should be residents within the counties for which they were chosen; and by Stat. 23 Hen. VI. c. 14, it was provided that Knights of the Shire " shall be not- able Knights of the same counties for the which they shall be chosen, or otherwise such notable Esquires, gentlemen of birth of the same counties, as shall be able to be Knights; and no man to be such Knight which standelh in the degree of a yeoman and under.''' The same prac- tice seems, however, to have prevailed for some time, before the accession of Henry the Fifth, as the "Writs to Sheriffs always commanded them to return two Knights from their respective counties. See also the Rolls of Parliament, vol. ii. pp. 104, 106, 310 b, 355 443 b; iii. 601 ; iv. 8 a, 350, 402. Of the persons elected for counties to the Par- liament in which Chaucer represented Kent, no less than forty were actually Knights. The persons who were oc- casionally chosen as Knights of the Shire in Chaucer's time, are thus described by himself, in his notice of the Franklein. After alluding to the Franklein's luxurious manner of living, he says : —

" At Sessions ther was he lord and sire. Ful ofte tyme he was Knight of the Schire. An anlas and a gipser al of silk, Heng at his gerdul, whit as morne myllc. A Schirreve hadde he ben, and a Counter. Was no wher such a worthi Vavaser."

Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, 1. 355-360.

[Referred to p. 34.]

Lingard adds, however, " we hoar not of any frauds discovered, or of defaulters punished, or grievances re- dressed;" but accusations and dismissals may nevertheless

NOTES. 103

have taken place. That great dissatisfaction existed re- specting the conduct of the Officers of Customs is shewn by the Commons having in the 11th Rie. II. 1387-8, peti- tioned that no Comptroller of the Customs and Subsidies should in future hold his Office for any other term than during good behaviour, and that if any such Officer held his Office for life, under Letters Patent, the said Patent should be revoked, and their estate in their Offices annul- led by Parliament, to which request the Royal assent was given. (Pot. Pari. vol. iii. p. 250.) In August 13S9, after llichard had assumed the Government, the Council ordered this enactment to be enforced, and that all appoint- ments of Custumer should in future be made, and the existing Officers confirmed by the Treasurer and Privy Council. (Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. 1, p. 9.)

U.

[Referred to p. 37.]

Issue Boll, Mich. 18. Eic. II. (1394.)

" Die Jovis x°. die Decembris (1394.)

" Galfrido Chaucere cui dominus Rex nunc xxviii0 die Februarii proximo preterito viginti libras annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam," &c. [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolutionem xxxvi.s. vij.d. sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet pi-o rata a predicto xxviii0. die Februarii usque ultimum diem Martii proximum sequentem.

xxxvi.s. vij.d."

"Eidem Galfrido. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolutionem decern librarum sibi liberanda- rum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet pro termino sancti Michaelis proximo preterito. x.li."

Ibidi " Die Jovis primo die Apiilis (1395.)

'•' Galfrido Chaucere cui," &c. [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujus- modi certo suo videlicet pro termino Pasclue proximo futuro x.li. unde respondebit. Postea restituit summam subscriptam ut patet in pelle xxviii0 die Maii proximo scquente."

104 NOTES.

V.

[Referred to p. 37.]

Issue Roll, Easter 18 Eic. II. (1395.) " Die Veneris xxvt0. die Junii (1395.)

" Galfrido Chaucere eui dominus Rex nunc xx.li. annu- atim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam ad terminos sancti Michaelis et Pasche per equales portiones reci- piendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Regi impensoet impendendo per literas suas patentes concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo videlicet pro termino sancti Michaelis proximo fntnro x.li. nnde rcspondebit."

Ibid. Die Jovis ix°. die Septembris (1395.)

"' Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex mine xx.li." [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super certo suo. xxvi.s viij.d.

Undo respondeat "

W.

[Referred to p. 37.]

Issue Roll, Mich. 19 Eic. II. (1395-6.)

" Die Sabbati xxvii0. die Novembris (1395.)

" Galfrido Chaucere cui dominus Rex" [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo videlicet pro termino Pasche proximo future viij.li. vj.s. viij.d."

Ibid. "Die Mcrcurii prime- dieMarci (139G.)

" Galfrido Chaucere cui dominus Rex nunc viginti li- bras annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam ad ter- minos sancti Michaelis et Paschra per equales portiones percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsum domino Regi impenso et impendendo per literas suas patentes concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios in persolu- tionem decern librarum sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi

NOTES. ] 05

corto suo, videlicet, pro termino : ancti Michaelis ultimo preterito, deductis vero viiij.li. vj s. viij.d. sibi liberatis de pi'estito super hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, xxvii°. die Novembris ultimo preterito per breve suum de liberate inter mandata de hoc termino. xxxiii.s. iiij.d."

X.

[Referred to p. 38.]

Issue Boll Mich. 21 Eic. II. (1307.)

" Die Veneris xxvit0. die Octobris (1397.)

" Galfrido Chauncer cui dominus Rex nunc xx. libras annuatim," &c. [ut prius.] "Indenariis sibi liberatis per manus Johannis Walden per assignationem sibi factam isto die in persolutionem xxx. librarum sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, pro terminis Michaelis et Paschse anno vicesimo et termino sancti Michaelis ultimo preterito, deductis vcro viginti libris sibi liberatis de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, xxvto. die Decembris ultimo preterito decern libris et secundo die Julij tunc proximo sequente c. solidis et ix°. die Augusti tunc proximo sequente c. solidis x.li."

Y.

[Referred to p. 39. J

Issue Boll, Easter 21 Eie. II. (1398.)

" Die Lunse tercio die Junii (1398.)

" Galfrido Chaucere cui dominus, &c." [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus Willielmi VTaxcom.be in persolutionem decern librarum sibi liberandarum de hu- jusmodi certo suo videlicet pro termino Pasche proximo preterito. x.li."

Ibid. " Die Mercurii xxiy. die Julii (1398.)

" Galfrido Chaucere cui dominus Rex," &c. [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo. vj.s. viij.d."

100 NOTES.

Ibid. Die Mercurii xxxi. die Julii (1398.)

"Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex,'' &c. [ut prius] "In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujusmodi certo suo. vj.s. viij.d."

Ibid. Die Veneris xxiii0. die Augusti (1398.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui,'' &c. [ut prius] "In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios de prestito super hujus- modi certo suo. cvj.s. viiij.d."

Z.

[Referred to p. .39.]

Issue Boll, Mich. 22 Eic. II. (1398.) " Die Lunse xxviii0. die Octobris (1398.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Rex nunc xx libras" [ut prius] " In denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprios do prestito. x.li."

AA.

[Referred to p. 41.]

Issue Boll, Mich. 1 Hen. IV. (1391—1400.)

" Die Sabbati xxj°. die Februarii (1400.)

" Galfrido Chaucer cui dominus Ricardus nuper Rex Anglic secundus post conquestum viginti libras annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam ad terminos sancti Michaelis et Pasche per equates portiones pereipiendas per literas suas patentes concessit quas quidem literas dominus Rex nunc confirmavit una cum arreragiis super dictam annuitatem debitis usque in confirmationem earun- dem, In denariis per ipsum receptis de predicto Henrico (Somere) per manus Nicholai Usk thesaurarii Calesire in persolutionem decern librarum sibi aretro existentium de hujusmodi certo suo videlicet pro termino sancti Michaelis ultimo preterito quas dominus Rex sibi liberari mandavit Habendas de dono suo per breve de privato sigillo inter mandata de hoc termino."

NOTES. 107

BB.

[Referred to p. 41] Issue Boll, Easter 1 Hen. IV. (1400.)

"Die Sabbati quinto die Junii (1400.)

" Galfrido Chauncer armigero cui domiuus Ricardus nuper Bex Anglie secundus viginti libras annuatira ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsum eidem domino Regi impenso per literas suas patentes nuper concessit, quas quidem literas dominus Rex nunc xxi°. die Octobris proximo preterito confirmavit et ratificavit habendas in forma predicta. In denariis sibi liberatis per mantis Henrici Somere in partem solutionis viij.li. xiii.s. v.d. sibi liberandarum de liujus- modi certo suo, videlicet, pro rata a predicto xxi°. die Octobris usque ultimum diem Marcii proximum sequen- tem per breve suum de liberate inter mandata de hoc ter- niino. c.s."

CO. [Referred to p. 44.]

It is remarkable that the name of Sir Payne Roet has not been found in any of the numerous Records that have been examined. All that has been discovered of him is the following statement in Weever's " Ancient Funeral Monuments," p. 413. "In St. Paul's, near unto Sir John Beauchamp's tomb, commonly called Duke Humphrey's, upon a fair marble stone inlaid all over with brass, (of all which nothing but the heads of a few brazen nails are at this day visible) and engraven with the representation and coat of arms of the party defunct thus much of a mangled funeral inscription was of late times perspicuous to be read, as followeth :

' IIic Jacet Paganus Roet Miles Guyenne Rex Ar- morum Pater Catherine Ducisse Lancastrle.'"

Dugdale, in his History of St. Paul's (ed. Ellis, p. 10,) merely says, that opposite Sir John Beauchamp's tomb, under a marble stone, lay Pagan Roet, King of Arms in the time of King Edward the Third.

1 OS NOTES.

That Katherine Duchess of Lancaster was the daughter of a person called Roet or Roelt of Hainault, is shewn by letters patent granted by her step son King Henry the Fourth, in October 1411, which recites that "divers in- heritances in the county of Hainault having descended to our beloved and trusty Knight Sir Thomas Swynford, from the most renowned "Lady Katherine de Ii oelt, deceased, late Duchess of Lancaster, his mother, certain persons of those parts doubting that the said Thomas, son and heir of the aforesaid Katherine, was begotten in lawful matrimony, have not, by reason of such doubts, permitted the same Thomas to possess the foresaid inheritance." The patent then proceeds to declare that he was her son and heir, and born in lawful wedlock. Rot. Pat. 13 Hen. IV. p. 1, m. 35; printed in the Fcedera, vol. viii. p. 704, and in the Account of the Swynford Family in the Excerpta His- torica, p. 158.

DD.

[Referred to p. 48.]

EXTRACTS FROM UNPUBLISHED RECORDS RELATING TO PHILIPP CHAUCER.

Issue Roll, Mich. 42 Edw. III. (1368.) " Die Sabbati xix°. die Februarii (1368,.)

" Philippae Chaucer cui dominus Rex decern marcas annuatim ad scaccarium percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsam Philippam Philippe Regine Anglie impenso per literas suas patentes nuper concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in persolutionem quinque marcarum sibi liberan- darum de hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, de termino sancti Michaelis proximo preterito de breve suo de liberate inter mandata de hoc termino. lxvj.s. viii d,"

Issue Boll, Mich. 43 Edw. III. (1369.) "Die Mercurii xxii°. die Novembris (1368.)

" Philippre Chaucer cui dominus Rex decern marcas annuatim ad scaccarium ad totam vitam suam percipien-

NOTES. 109

das pro bono servitio per ipsam Philippe Regine Anglic impenso per literas suas patentes nuper concessit. In denariis sibi liberatis in persolutionem quinque marca- rura sibi liberatarum do hujusmodi certo suo, videlicet, de termino sancti Michaelis proximo preterito per breve de ma<mo sigillo inter mandata de hoc termino.

lxvj.s. vnj.d.

Issue Roll, Easter 4 Eic. II. (1381.) " Die Veneris xxiv. die Maii (1381.)

" Philippre Chaucer nuper uni domicellarum Philippse nuper Regine Anglie, cui dominus Rex Edwardus avus Re^is hujus x. marcas annuatim ad scaccarium suum percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsam tarn eidem domino Regi quam dicte Regine impenso per literas suas patentes nuper concessit, quas quidem literas dominus Rex nunc confirmavit. In denariis sibi liberatis per maims predicti Galfridi mariti sui, in persolutionem v. marearum sibi liberandarum de hujusmodi certo suo, videltz pro termino Pasche proximo preterito.

iij.li. vi.s. viii.d

:)

Issue Boll, Easter 10 Ric. II. (1387.) " Die Martis xviii". die Junii.

"Philippe Chaucer, nuper uni domicellarum Philippe nuper Regine Anglie cui dominus Rex Edwardus avus Regis hujus decern marcas annuatim ad scaccarium, ad totam vitam suam ad terminos sancti Michaelis et Pasche per equales portiones percipiendas pro bono servitio per ipsam tarn eidem domino Regi quam Philippe nuper Reo-ine Anglie impenso per literas suas patentes concessit, quas quidem literas dominus Rex nunc confirmavit. J a denariis sibi liberatis per warms dicti Galfridi [Chaucer.]

lxvj.s. viij.d."

110 NOTES.

[Referred to p. 48.]

Writ of John Duke of Lancaster to the Clerk of his Wardrobe, dated 2nd January 2 Eic. II., 1380, commanding him to pay (inter alia),

" A Adam Baume pour le poys de cynk hanapes et cynk covercles d'argent stfrorrez de lui achatez dont un poise xliiij.s. iiij.d. par nous donez en la Veile de la Con- cepts on nostre Dame a un Chiraler le Seigneur de-Melane, a Sauvoye, et le seconde hanape poise xxxvilj.s. x.d. le tierce hanape poise xxxvij.s. viij.d. le quart hanapo poise xxxiiij.s. viijd. et le quint hanape poise xxxs. vd. les queux quatre hanapes ovesque leur covercles nousdonasincs le jour de l'an Kenoef a la maitresse notre treschere com- paigne, Dame Seuche Blount, Dame Blanche de Tromp. yngton, et Phdippe Chaucy, neot' livres sis soldz et unsze deniers. Et au dit Adam pour la fesure et lor des ditz cynk hanapes et cynk covercles pour chescun meindre que le pois est par cynk soldz et issint est la somme allouablo oyt livres vynt troys deniers."

Ibid, dated 6 March 4 Eic. II. (1381.) '•' Et a Robert Fransois pour deux hanapes ove covercles d'argent et surorrez de lui achatez et par nous donez lun do eux Philippe Chaucy, meisme le jour dys livres qnatorzse soldz et deux deniers."

Ibid, dated 6 May 5 Eic. II. (1382.)

" A Adam Baume par le pois ix. hanapes ove covercles d'argent et surorrez des diversespois de lui achatez et par nous donez," &c. "le jour de l'an Renoef l'an quint'' [here follows the names of the persons to whom they were respectively given] " le quint a Philippe Chaucy."

EE,

[Referred to p. 47.]

It is proper to notice the opinion expressed by Tyrwhitt that the title of " Domicella '' given to Philippa Pycard

NOTES. Ill

proves that she Mas unmarried at the time of her being in the Queen's service, because it applies equally to Phil ippa Chaucer. The words " Domicellus " and " Domicella " were however descriptive of station and office, and not of bachelorhood or maidenhood. The latter word is strictly synonymous with " Demoiselle," which " signifie aussi une fille nee de parens noble : il se dit aussi bien des femmes mariees que des filles." Dictionnaire de L'Aca- demie. Philippa Pycard was probably the wife of Geof- frey Pycard, to whom the King, in 1370, granted one penny and one bushel of corn a day, for his services to the late Queen.

By a Writ of Privy Seal, dated 10th of March, 43 Edw. III. 1369, Kobes were ordered to be delivered for the preceding Christmas, to "Luce atte Wode une des Dames;" to Elizabeth Chaundos, Philippa Chaucer, and others, '•' Damoiselles." to Mary Hervy and others, " Souz Damoi- selles," and to Johanna de Londres, Philippa Pykart, Ellen Proudefot, and others, " Veilleresses de laChambre nostre tres chere Compaigne la Peine." In the Poll mentioned in the text, the same Veilleresses, though de- signated by that name, are included among the Sous Damoiselles. The late Queen's Demoiselles to whom pensions were granted on the 20th of January 43 Edw. III. 1370, were Alice de Preston, Matilda Eisher, Johanna Kauley, Elizabeth Pershore, each ten marks; Johanna Cosin, Philippa Pycard, Agatha Lyngeyn, each one hundred shillings ; and Matikla Padescroft and Agnes Saxilby each five marks. Pot. Pat. 43 Edw III. p. 2, m. 1.

FF.

[Referred to p. 49.]

ARMS ON THE TOME OE THOMAS CHAUCER.

Over the head of the Effigy of Thomas Chaucer is a shield with the Arms of Poet only.

Over the head of the Effigy of his Wife, Matilda, daughter and coheiress of Sir Jonx Burgueesh, is a shield with the Arms of Bwrgiiersh only.

Below his feet, which rests on a Union couchant, is a shield containing the Arms of Despencer, impaling Burg- liERSH, showing an alliance of the Lords Birgihckst.

112 AOTES.

Below Iter feet, which rest on a Lion couchant, is a shield containing the Arms of Koet, quartering Burghersh, evidently intended for the Arras of Thomas Chaucer and his wife, there being other instances of such a com- bination of the husband's and wife's Arms, instead of being impaled in the usual manner.

In compartments round the tomb were twenty shields, ten, of which were indicative of the alliances of Alice, daughter and heiress of Thomas Chaucer, or of different branches of the family of his wife, Maud Burghersh. The other shields were appropriated to the alliance of John Duke of Lancaster with Katherine Rott, and to their descendants, as is shown by the accompanying Pedigree. The names in black letter in that Pedigree explain seven of the said ten shields. Of the three others, tivo were filled with repetitions of the Arms of Thomas Beaufort, and one with the Arms of Iloet, quartering Burghersh, as in the escutcheon over Thomas Chaucer's effigy.

It would thus appear that half of the Armorial deco- rations were appropriated to the alliances of Thomas Chaucer, or the alliances of his own distinguished rela- tions, and half to those of his Wife and daughter ; and (supposing him to have been the son of the Poet by Philippa Koet), some of the persons so commemorated were his Aunt the Duchess of Lancaster ; his three first Cousins, her children ; and his three first Cousins once re- moved, her grandchildren, with their respective Consorts.

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114 NOTES.

GG.

[Referred to p. 98.]

The Inquisition on the death of Thosias Chaucer was taken at Ipswich on the 13th of May 13 Hen. VI. 1435, and the Jury found that he held, conjointly with Matilda his wife, (who in Inquisitions taken in other Counties on his decease, is called the daughter and one of the heirs of Sir John Burghersh, Knight,) the moiety of the Manor of Stratford in the County of Suffolk, and various other lands ; that he died on Thursday next before the Feast of St. Edmund King and Martyr, 1434, and that Alice Countess of Suffolk was daughter and next heir of the said Thomas Chaucer, and was thirty years and upwards old.

By an Inquisition taken at Oxford, on Thursday next after the Feast of Pentecost 15 Hen. VI. 1437, on the death of Isabella, who was the wife of Stephen Hatt- feld, Esq. it was found that she held on the day of her death, conjointly with the said Stephen, the Manor of Nyvvenham, for term of her life, of the gift and grant of Thomas Dru and Edward Rede, with remainder to Tho- mas Chaucer and his heirs ; that the said Thomas Chaucer died on Thursday before the Feast of St. Edmund the Martyr, 13 Henry VI. 1434; that the aforesaid Isabella died on Thursday next after the Feast of the Apostles Philip and James ; that Joan the wife of Drew Barantyne, and Elizabeth wife of John Wenlok, were daughters and next heirs of the said Isabella; and that Alice, the wife of William de la Pole Earl of Suffolk, was daughter and next heir of the said Thomas Chaucer, and that she was thirty-two years old and upwards. (Esch. 15 Hen. VI. No. 47.) It is most probable that Thomas Chaucer had purchased the reversion of the said manor of Nywenham.

The Inquisition taken on the death of Matilda, the widow of Thomas Chaucer, shows that she died on Sa- turday next before the Feast of the Apostles Philip and James in 1436, seized of numerous manors in the counties of Cambridge, Bucks, Lincoln, Suffolk, Essex, Southamp- ton, Berks, Oxford, and Lincoln, and that Alice, the wife of William de la Pole Earl of Suffolk was her next heir, and then thirty-two years of age.

NOTES. 115

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

An illustration having been accidentally found of one of the best known passages in the Prologue to the Canter- bury Tales, it appears to justify a Note. Chaucer says of the Prioress, —

" And Frensch sche spak ful faire and fetysly,

Afcur the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,

Por Frensch of Parys was to hire unknowe."

Upon which Tyrwhitt remarks, that Chaucer thought but meanly of the French spoken in his time, though it was proper the Prioress should speak some sort of French. It may however be doubted whether Chaucer did not mean that she could not speak French at all; for it seems that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the expression " French of Stratford at Bow" was a colloquial paraphrase for English. In Feme's " Blazon of Gentrie," published in 1586, page 202, speaking of the Arms of Pressignie, Pa- radin says, " The bearer heerof, ne none of his name be English : but bycause it is a French Coate I will give it you in French blazonne : Le Seignior de Pressignie, port de azure et de or, un fasse de 6 pieces partie au pee : au chief pale, contrepale, fesse contrefesse, et deux cantons girons, de les mesmes : sur le toute, ou parmy, un escu d'argent. But if you would blaze in French of Stratford at Bow, say that Pressignie beareth barrewaies sixe peees, per pale counterchanged in chief, pale of sixe, par fesse transmuted, or an azure, between two cantons gyrons, of the first and second : over all a scutcheon argent."

Chaucer uses a similar expression in " the Milleres Tale," in his description of Absalon : —

" A mery child he was-

In twenty maners coude he skip and dance

{After the scole of Oxenforde tho)

And with his legges casten to and fro."

Evidently meaning that Absalon had never learn' danc-

116 NOTES.

ing. Chaucer frequently introduces Proverbs into his Pieces, and it is presumed that the allusion to " the school of Stratford at Bow," and to the " school of Oxford," were both proverbs before his time ; and the former certainly f as so in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

The following passage in the Prologue to the " Testa- ment of Love" contains Chaucer's opinion on the imperfect manner in which Englishmen spoke French and French- men English : —

" In Latin and French hath many soueraine wits had great delyte to endite, and have many noble things fulfilde, but certes there been some that speaken their poisie mater in French, of which spech the French men haue as good a fantasie as we have in hearing of French mens English. And many termes ther ben in English, which unneath we English men connen declare the know- ledginge : How should than a French man borne, socho termes conne iumpere in his matter, but as the Jay cha- tereth English : right so truly the understanding of Eng- lishmen wol not stretch to the priuie termes in Frenche, what so euer wee bosten of straunge langage. Let then Clerkes enditen in Latin, for they haue the propertie of science, and the knowing in that facultie : and lette Frenchmen in their French also enditen their queint terms, for it is kindely to their mouthes, and let us shewe our fantasies in such wordes as wee learneden of our dames tongue."

AN ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE

AND VERSIFICATION

OF CHAUCER,

THE CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION. The different judgments of the Language and Vei-sification of Chaucer stated. Plan of this Essay in three parts. 1; To vindicate Chaucer from the charge of having corrupted the English Language by too great a mixture of French with it. 2. To make some observations upon the real state of our language in his time. 3. To apply those observations and others to- wards illustrating the real nature of his versification.

Part the First. § I. The French Language intro- duced into England before the Conquest; $ II. confirmed and propagated by the new establishments at the Conquest; § III. was the ordinary language of the Court; § IV. was carried into the Provinces by the great Barons and military Commanders ; § V. and especially by the Clergy; § VI. who, both Secular and Regular, were chiefly for- eigners; § VII. The French Language continued to be much used as late as the reign of Edward III. § VIII. Conclusion, that the mixture of French in Chaucer's writings was not owing to any affectation of his, but to the causes abovementioned, which in his time had gene- rally introduced the Norman-Saxon instead of the Saxon Dialect ; the same mixture being observable in other contemporary authors.

Part the Second. § I. The proposed observations upon the English Language confined to the actual state of it in the time of Chaucer ; § II. and divided, so as to consider separately the Saxon and Norman parts of it. § III. The Saxon part considered in grammatical order.

120. CONTENTS.

1. The Prepositive Article. 2. Nouns substantive and adjective. ;>. Pronouns. 4. Verbs and Participles. 5. The indeclinable parts of speech. § IV. The Norman part considered generally, § V. and more particularly with respect to Nouns, substantive and adjective, Verbs, and Participles. § VI. Additional causes of the intro- duction of a great number of French terms into the Eng- lish Language.

Part the Third. § I. Preliminary observations upon English Poetry. The form of English Poetry probably borrowed from the Normans, there being no traces of Rime, or Meti'e, among the Saxons before the Conquest. The Metres and Rime of Modern Poetry derived from the Latin. § II. Progress of English Poetry to the reign of Henry II. Early attempts at riming. § III. Few English Poets known between the reign of Henry II. and that of Henry III. § IV. The Ormulum written in verses of fifteen syllables without rime. § V. The number of Rimers increased between the last mentioned period and the time Avhen Chaucer began to write. § VI. State of our Poetry at that time. § VII. Account of the Metres used by Chaucer. § VIII. The Heroic Couplet. _ § IX. Slur- ring and Elision. § X. Rules for Pronunciation. § XL Reasons for the above Rules. §. XII. Lines of Five Accents arranged in Stanzas. §. XIII. Lines of Four Accents arranged in Couplets. §. XIV. The Ballad Metre of the Rime of Sir Thopas. § XV. The Metre of the Cokes Tale of Gamelyn.

AN ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER.

HE Language of Chaucer lias under-

mdsrments.

gone two very different According to one,1 he is the " well of English undefiled ; " according to the other,2 he has corrupted and deformed the English idiom hy an immoderate mixture of French words. Nor do the opinions with respect to his Versification seem to have been less discordant. His

1 Spenser, F. Q. b. it. c. ii. st. 32.

2 Verslegan, c. 7. " Some few ages after [the Conquest] came the Poet Geffery Chaucer, who writing his poesies in English is of some called the first illuminator of the English tongue. Of their opinion I am not, though I reverence Chaucer as an excellent Poet for his time. He was indeed a great mingler of English with French, unto which language (by like for that he -was descended of French, or rather Wallon race) he carried a great affection."

Skinner, Etymol. L. A. Prsef. " Et hoc malesanonovitatis pruritu, Belgse Gallicas voces passim civitate sua donando patrii sermonis puritatem nuper non leviter inquinarunt, et Ciiaijcerus poeta, pessimo exemplo, integris vocum plaustris ex eadem Gallia in nostram llnguam invectis, earn, nimis antea a Normannorum victoria adulteratam,omni fere nativa gratia et nitore spoliavit."

122 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

contemporaries,3 and they who lived nearest to his time, universally extol him as the " chief Poete of Britaine," " the flour of Poetes," <fcc. titles, which must be supposed to imply their admiration of his metrical skill, as well as of his other poetical talents ; but the later critics,4 though they leave him in pos- session of the same sounding titles, yet they are almost unanimously agreed, that he was either totally ignorant or negligent of metrical rules, and that bis verses (if they may be so called) are fre- quently deficient, by a syllable or two, of their just measure.

It is the purpose of the following Essay to throw some light upon both these questions. Admitting

3 Lydgate, Occleve, et al. See the Testimonies prefixed to Urry's Edit.

4 I shall only quote Dryden, Pref. to his Fables. " The verse of Chaucer, I confess, is not harmonious to us; — they who lived with him, and some time after him, thought it musical ; and it continues so even in our judgment, if com- pared with the numbers of Lidgate and Gower, his contem- poraries: — 'Tis true, I cannot go so far as he, who published the last edition of him [Mr. Speght] ; for he would make us believe the fault is in our ears, and that there were really ten syllables in a verse where we find but nine. But this opinion is not worth confuting ; 'tis so gross and obvious an error, that common sense (which is a rule in every thing but matters of Faith and Revelation) must convince the reader, that equality of number in every verse which we call Ileroick, was either not known, or not always practised, in Chaucer's age. It were an easy matter to produce some thousands of his verses which are lame for want of half a foot, and some- times a whole one, and which no pronunciation can make otherwise."

This peremptory decision ha3 never since, that I know, been controverted, except by Mr. Urry, whose design of restoring the metre of Chaucer by a collation of Mss. was as laudable, a3 his execution of it has certainly been unsuc- cessful.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 123

the fact, that the English of Chaucer has a great mixture of French in it, I hope to shew, that this mixture, if a crime, cannot fairly he laid to his charge. I shall then proceed to state some obser- vations upon the most material peculiarities of the Norman- Saxon, or English Language, as it appears to have been in general use in the age of Chaucer ; and lastly, applying these observations to the poetical parts of the Canterbury Tales, as they are faithfully printed in this edition from the best Mss. which I could procure, I shall leave it to the intelligent Reader to determine, whether Chaucer was really ignorant of the laws, or even of the graces, of Ver- sification, and whether he was more negligent of either than the very early Poets in almost all lan- guages are found to have been.

Part the First.

§ I. In order to judge, in the first place, how far Chaucer ought to be charged as the importer of the many French words and phrases, which are so visi- ble in all his writings, it will be necessary to take a short view of the early introduction and long preva- lency of the French language in this country before his time. It might be sufficient, perhaps, for our purpose to begin this view at the Conquest : but I cannot help observing, from a contemporary His- torian, that, several years before that great event, the language of France had been introduced into the Court of England, and from thence among the people. The account which Tngulphus gives of this

124. ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

matter is,5 that Edward, commonly called the Con- fessor, having been educated at the court of his uncle Duke Richard II. and having resided in Nor- mandy many years, became almost a Frenchman. Upon his return from thence and accession to the throne of England, in 1043, he brought over with him a number of Normans, whom he promoted to the highest dignities ; and, according to Ingulphus, under the influence of the King and his Norman favourites, the whole nation began to lay aside their English fashions and imitate the manners of the French in many things. In particular, he says ex- pressly, that all the Nobility in their courts began to speak French, as a great piece of gentility.

§ II. This fashion however of speaking French, having been adopted only, in compliance with the caprice of the reigning prince, would not probably have spread very wide or lasted very long ; but at the Revolution, which followed soon after in 1066, the language of the Norman conqueror was inter- woven with the new political system,6 and the

3 Ingulph. Hist. Croyl. p. 62. ed. Gale. " Rex autem Edicardus natus in Anglia, sed nutritus in Normania et diutis- sime immoratus, pene in Gallicum transierat, adducens ac at- trahens de Normannia plurimos, quos variis dignitatibus pro- motes in immensum exaltabat.-. — Ccepit ergo tota terra sub Rege et sub aids Normannis introduces Avglicos ritus dimittere, et Francorum mores in multis imitari, Gallicum [scilicet] idioma omnes Magnates in suis curiis tanquam magnum gentilitium loqui, cliartas et chirographa sua more Francorum conficere, et propriam consuetudinem in his et in aliis multis erubescere."

6 Robert Holkot (as quoted by Selden, ad Eadmer. p. 189.) says, that the Conquuiour — " deliberavit quomodo lin- gitam Saxonicam jwsset dcstruere, et Angliam et Normanniam in idiomate concordare." — But Holkot wrote only in the fourteenth centurv, and I do not find that the earlier his-

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 125

several establishments, which were made for the support and security of the one, all contributed, in a greater or less degree, to the diffusion and perma- nency of the other.

§ III. To begin with the court. If we consider that the King himself, the chief officers of state, and by far the greatest part of the nobility, were all Normans, and could probably speak no language but their own, we can have no doubt that French " was the ordinary language of the court. The

torians impute to the King so silly a project. On the con- trary, Ordericus Vitalis, 1. iv. p. 520, assures us that William — " Anqlicam locutwnem plerumque sategit ediscere : ut sine in- terprets querelam suljectm legis posset intelligere, et scita rectitu- dinis uniquique (prout ratio dictaret) affectuose depromere. Ast a perceptions hvjusmodi durior cetus ilium compescebat, et tu- multus midtimodarum ocenpationum ad alia 7iecessario adtra- }iibat."—A\\d several of his public instruments, which are still extant in Saxon, [Hickes G. A. S. p. 1 64.— Frref. p. xv, xvi.] prove that he had no objection to using that lan- guage in business; so that it seems more natural to suppose, that the introduction of the French language was a conse- quence only, and not an object, of his policy.

7 I apprehend that long before this time the Danish tongue had ceased to be spoken in Normandy. It was never general there, as appears from a passage of Dudon, 1. iii. p. 112. Duke William I. gives this reason for sending his son Richard to be educated at Baieux: — " Quoniam quidem Rotomagensis civitas Romana potius quam Dacisca utitur eloquentid, et Bajocacensis fruitier frequentius Dacisca lingua quam Romana, volo igitur ut ad Bajocacensia deferatur quan- tocius mania, &c." If we recollect, that the Danish settlers under Rollo were few in comparison with the original inha- bitants, and had probably scarce any use of letters among them, we shall not be surprised that they did not preserve their language for above two or three generations.

From two other passages of the same Dudon we learn, that the Danish language, while it lasted in Normandy, was very similar to the Saxon [p. 99], and yet different from 't [p. 100] ; qualem decet esse sororem.

]26 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

few Saxons, who for some time 8 were admitted there, must have had the strongest inducements to acquire the same language as soon as possible, not merely for the sake of apprehending and answering insignificant questions in the circle, but because in that age affairs of the greatest importance were pub- licly transacted in the King's court, and there they might be called upon to answer for their possessions, and even for their lives. In an ecclesiastical synod, held in the presence of the King in 1072, the vene- rable Bishop of Worcester, Wulstan, (whose holy simplicity, as the Historian 9 calls it, seems to have preserved him from the degradation which almost all the other English Prelates underwent) was obliged to defend the rights of his see by an iu-

8 After the death of Edwin, and the imprisonment of Morcar in 1070, we do not read of any Saxon Earl, except Waltheof, and he was executed for misprision of treason about three years after. Orderic. Vit. 1. iv. p. 536. It is singular, that Waltheof, according to the Saxon law, suf- fered death for the concealment of that treason, for which Roger de Breteuil, Earl of Hereford, being tried secundum leges Normannorum, could only be punished by a forfeiture of his inheritance and perpetual imprisonment. Id. p. 535. From this time (says Ingulphus, p. 70.) Oomitatus et Baro- nias, Episcopalus et Prcelatias totius terra suis Nnriuannis Rex distribuit, et vix aliquem Angl'icum ad honor'n stutum vel alicujus dominii principatuin ascendere permisit.

9 Will. Malmesb. 1. iii. p. 118. Hie sancta simplicilas beati Vulstani, Sec. The story which follows perfectly jus- tifies this character. Matt. Paris, ad an. 1095, says that in another Synod there was a formal design of deposing Wul- stan, and that he was saved only by a miracle. He was accused " simplicitatis et illiteratura ;" — " et. quasi homo idiota, qui linguam Gallicanam non noverat, nee regiis consiliis in- teiesse poterat, ipso liege consetiiifute et hoc dicta/ite, decer- iikur deponendus."

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 127

terpreter, a monk (according to the same 10 Histo- rian) of very little eloquence, but wlw had a smat- tering of the Norman language.

§ IV. If we consider further, that the great Barons, to whom William11 distributed a largo share of his conquest, when released from their attendance in the King's court, retired to courts of their own, where they in their turn were surrounded by a numerous train of vassals, chiefly their own countrymen, we may be sure that the French lan- guage travelled with them into the • most distant provinces, and was used by them, not only in their common conversation, but in their civil contracts, their judicial proceedings, and even in the promul- gation of their laws.12 The many Castles, which William built13 in different parts of the island, must

10 Ibid. Ita data benedictione Monacho, minima facundia

viro, sed Normannicce sciolo, rem perorans obtinuit.

" There is a curious detail of part of this distribution in Ordericus Vitalis, 1. iv. p. 521, 2. which concludes thus: — "aliisque advenis, qui sibi cohaiserant, magnos et multos honores contulit; et in tantum quosdam prove.vit, ut multos in Anglid ditiores et potentiores haberent clientes, quam eovum in Neustria fuerant par elites." There is an account in the Monast. Angl. t. i. p. 400. of the Conqueror's giving the whole county of Cumberland to Ranulph de Meschines, and of the division which Ranulph made of it among his relations and followers, who appear to have been all foreigners.

12 The ancient Earls had a power of legislation within their Counties. William of Malmesbury, speaking of William Fitz-Osberne, Earl of Hereford, says : — " Manet in /tunc diem in Comitate ejus etpud Herefordum legion quas statuit inconcussa jirmitas ; ut nullus miles pro qualicunque commisso plus septem solidis solvat ; cum in aliis proviuciis ob purr am occasiunculam in transgressione prcecepti herilis, viginti vel viginti quinque pendantur." Lib. iii. p. 105.

13 Ordericus Vitalis, 1. iv. p. 5 11. observes, that before the conquest," Munitiones, quas Castella Galli nuncupant, Anglicis

i oo

1"» ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

also have contributed very much to the propagation of the French language among the natives, as it is probable that the Foreigners, of whom the garrisons were14 entirely composed, would insist upon carrying on all their transactions with the neighbouring coun- try in their own language.

§ V. But the great alteration, which, from poli- tical motives, was made in the state of the clergy at that time, must have operated perhaps more effica- ciously than any other cause to give the French language a deep root in England. The Conqueror seems to have been fully apprized of the strength which the new government might derive from a Clergy more closely attached to himself by a com- munity of interests than the native English were likely to be. Accordingly, from the very beginning of his reign, all ecclesiastical preferments, as fast as

firovinciis paucissimcc fuerant: et ob hoc Angli, licet bellicosi fuerint et audaces, ad rcsistendum tamen inimicis extiterant debiliores.''' William, at his landing, placed garrisons at Pevensey and Hastings. After the battle, he took possession of Dover, and left a garrison there. He caused "firmamenta qucedam" to be made at London, and built a strong citadel at Winchester. Upon his return from Normandy, after the first insurrection of the English, he built a castle within the city of Exeter; another at Warwick; and another at Nottingham. In the city of York, " munitionem firmavit, quam delectis militibus custodlendam tradidit." At Lincoln, Huntingdon, and Cambridge, " castra locavit, et tutdam eorum fortissimis viris commendavit." Ho had also garrisons at Montacute in Somersetshire, and at Shreivsbury. He built fortifications at Chester and Stafford. We read also of castles at Arundel and Stutesbury at this time; and Norwich via.?, so strong as to stand a siege of three months. Ord. Vit. p. 500 — 535.

14 Orderic. Vital. 1. iv. p. 506. Custodes m castdlis strenuos viros ex Gallis collocavit, et opulenta beneficia, pro quibus labores et penciila libenter tolcrarent, distribuit.

VERSIFICATION" OF CHAUCER. 129

they became vacant, were given to his Norman chaplains ; and, not content to avail himself of the ordinary course of succession, he contrived,15 upon various charges of real or pretended irregularities, to remove several of the English Bishops and Abbots, whose places were in like manner immediately sup- plied by Foreigners. In short, in the space of a very few years, all the Sees of England were filled with Normans, or strangers naturalized, if I may so say, in Normandy, and the greatest part of the

13 See the transactions of the Council held at Winchester, in the year 1070, ap. Flor. Vigorn. p. 636. Haying spoken of the degradation of Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Agelmar, Bishop of the East Saxons, he proceeds thus: Abbates etiam aliqui ibi degradati sunt, operant dante rege ut quamplures ex Anglis suohonore privarentur, in quorum locum suae geutis personas subrogavit, ob confirmationem sui (quod noviter acquisierat) regni. Hie et nonnullos, tarn episcopos quant Abbates, quos nulla evidenti causa nee concilia nee leges seculi damnabant, suis honoribus privavit, et usque ad Jin em vitce custodicB mancipatos detinuit, suspicione, ut diximus, tanttun inductus novi regni.

In confirmation of what is said here and in the text, if we examine the subscriptions to an Ecclesiastical Constitution in 1072, ap. Will. Malm. 1. iii. p. 117, we find that the two Archbishops, seven Bishops out of eleven, and six Abbots out. of twelve, were Foreigners: and in about five years more the four other Bishoprics, and five at least of the other six Abbeys, were in the hands of Foreigners.

Another Ecclesiastical Constitution made at this time has very much the appearance of a political regulation. It orders '• that the Bishops' seats shall be removed from towns to cities;" and in consequence of it the See of Lichfield was removed to Chester; that of Selesey to Chichester; that of Elmham to Thetford, and afterwards to Norwich ; that of Shireburne to Salisbury, and that of Dorchester to Lincoln. Will. Malm. 1. iii. p. 1 18. When the King had got a set of ' Bishop3 to his mind, he would wish to have them placed where their influence could be of most service to him.

VOL. T. K

130 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

Abbeys in tbe kingdom were under governors of tbe same description.

§ VI. It must be allowed, that the confessed superiority16 in literature of the Norman clergy over the English at that time furnished the King with a specious pretext for these promotions ; and it is pro- bable, that the Prelates, who were thus promoted, made use of the same pretext to justify themselves in disposing of all their best benefices among their friends and countrymen. That this was their con- stant practice is certain. Nor were the new Abbots less industrious to stock then* convents17 with Fo- reigners, whom they invited over from the continent, partly perhaps for the pleasure of their society, and partly (as we may suppose) in expectation of their support against the cabals of the English monks. And when the great Barons, following the royal example, applied themselves to make their peace

16 Ordericus Vitalis, 1. iv. p. 518, says, that the Normans at the Conquest found the English " agrestes et pene illiterates;" and he imputes, with some probability, the decay of learning among them, from the time of Beda and others, to the con- tinual ravages and oppressions of the Danes. See also William of Malmesbun-, 1. iii. p. 101, 2. It may be ob- served too, from Continuat. Hist. Croyland, by Peter of Blois, p. 114. that the first regular lectures (of which we have any account) at Cambridge were read there by four foreign Monks, who had come over into England with Jeffrey, Abbot of Croyland, former^- Prior of St. Evroul. They are said to have read "diversis m lucis a se divisi et formam Aurelianensis studii secuti," three of them in Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, and the fourth iii Theology.

17 See the preceding note. There was no great harmony 8t first between the English monks and their new governors. See the proceedings at Glastonbury under Thurstin [Will. Malm. 1. iii. p. 110], and at Canterbury against Wido. [Chron. Saxon, p. 179, 180. ed. Gibson.]

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with the Church by giving her a share of their plunder, it was their usual custom to begin their religious establishments with a colony18 from some Norman Monastery.

§ VII. In this state of things, which seems to have continued19 with little variation to the time

18 The Conqueror had put Goisbert, a Monk of Marmontier, at the head of his new foundation of Battle Abbey. Orel. Vital. 1. iv. p. 505. In like manner Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, sent for Monks from Sees to begin his Abbey at Shrewsbury. Id. 1. v. p. 581. Walter Espec also brought over Monks of Clervaulx to fill his two Abbeys, of Rivaulx and Wardun. Ailr. Eievall. ap. X Script, p. 338.

Beside these and many other independent foundations, which were in this manner opened for the reception of foreign Monks in preference to the natives, a considerable number of Religious Houses were built arid endowed, as cells to different monasteries abroad ; and as such were constantly filled by detachments from the superior society. They are frequently mentioned in our histories under the general name of the Alien Priories ; and though several of them, upon various pretexts, had withdrawn themselves from their foreign connexions and been made denizens, no less than one hundred and forty remained in 1414, which were then all suppressed and their revenues vested in the crown. See the List. Monast. Angl. v. i. p. 1035.

19 I suppose that, during this whole period of above 250 years, the English language was continually gaining ground, by slow and almost imperceptible degrees, in proportion nearly as the English natives were emerging from that state of depression in which they were placed by the Conquest. We have no reason to believe that much progress was made in either of these matters before the reign of King John. The loss of Normandy, &c, in that reign, and the consequent regulations of Henry III. and Louis IX., by which the sub- jects of either crown were made incapable of holding lands in the dominions of the other [Matth. Paris, ad an. 1244], must have greatly diminished the usual conflux of Normans to the English court ; and the intestine commotions in this country under John and Henry III., in which so many of the greater Barons lost their lives and estates, must eventuallv have

132 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

of Edward III. it is probable, tbat the French and English languages subsisted together throughout

opened a way for the English to raise themselves to honours and possessions, to which they had very rarely before been admitted to aspire.

In the year 1258, the 42 Henry III., we have a particular instance (the first, I believe, of the kind) of attention on the side of government to the English part of the community. The Letters Patent, which the King was advised to publish in support of the Oxford Provisions, were sent to each County in Latin, French, and English. [Annal. Burton, p. 41C. One of them has been printed from the Patent-roll, 43 H. III. n. 40. m. 15. by Somner in his Diet. Sax. v. Unnan, and by Hearne, Text. Roff. p. 391.] At the same time all the proceedings in the business of the Provisions appear to have been carried on in French, and the principal persons in both parties are evidently of foreign extraction.

If a conjecture may be allowed in a matter so little capable of proof, I should think it probable, that the necessity, which the great Barons were under at this time, of engaging the body of the people to support them in their opposition to a new set of foreigners, chiefly Poitevins, contributed very much to abolish the invidious distinctions which had long subsisted between the French and English parts of the nation. In the earl}' times after the Conquest, if we may believe Henry of Huntingdon [L. vi. p. 370.] " to be called an Englishman was a reproach : " but when the Clares, the Bohuns, the Bigods, &c, were raising armies for the expul- sion of Foreigners out of the kingdom, they would not pro- bably be unwilling to have themselves considered as natives of England. Accordingly Matthew Paris [p. 833.] calls Hugh Bigod (a brother of the Earl Marshall) virum de terra Anglorum naturalem et ingenuum ; and in another passage [p. 851.] he appropriates the title of " alienigenw" to those fo- reigners, " qui Regince attinentes per earn introducti fuerant in Angliam :" and so perhaps the word ought generally to be understood in the transactions of that reign. None but per- sons born out of England were then esteemed as Foreigners. About the same time we find an Archbishop of York jb- jecting to Clerks (recommended to benefices by the Pope), because they were ignorant of the English language" [Mat. Par. p. 831.]; which seems to imply, that a knowledge of

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 133

the kingdom ; the higher orders, both of the Clergy and Laity20, speaking almost universally French,

that language was then considered among the proper quali- fications of an Ecclesiastic : but that it was not necessarily required, even in the Parochial Clergy, appears from the great number of foreign Parsons, Vicars, &c, who had the King's Letters of protection in the 25th year of Edward I. See the Lists in Prynne, t. i. p. 709 — 720.

20 The testimony of Robert of Gloucester (who lived in the times of H. III. and E. I.) is so full and precise to this point, that I trust the Reader will not be displeased to see it in the words of a contemporary MS, Cotton Caligula, A. xi. : —

Thus com lo! Engelond into Normandies hond. And the Normans ne couthe speke tho bote hor owe. * speche, And speke French as dude at om,b and hor children dude al

so teche. So that hcie men of this lond, that of hor blod come, Holdeth alle thulke speche, that hii of horn uome. Vor bote0 a man conne Frenss, me telth of him (wel) lute ;d Ac* lowe men holdeth to Engliss and to hor owe speche

yuteS Ich wene ther ne beth man in world contreyes none, That ne holdeth to hor owe speche, bote Engelond one. Ac wel me wot vor to conne bothe wel yt is, Vor the more that a mon con, the more wurthe he is.

I shall throw together here a few miscellaneous facts in confirmation of this general testimony of Robert of Gloucester.

A letter of Hugh, Bishop of Coventry, preserved by Hove- den [p. 704.] assures us, that William, Bishop of Ely, Chan- cellor and Prime Minister to Richard I. " linguam AngUcanam prorsus ignorabat."

In the reign of Henry III. Robert of Gloucester, intending, as it should seem, to give the very words of Peter, Bishop of Hereford (whom he has just called "a Freinss bishop)," makes him speak thus: — " Par Crist," he sede, " Sir Tomas, tu is maveis. Meintben te ay fet." Rob. Glouc. p. 537.

There is a more pleasant instance of the familiar use of the

a But tlieis own. d They esteem. — lite, little.

b Did at borne. e But.

c For but f Yet.

134 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

the lower retaining the use of their native tongue, but also frequently adding to it a knowledge of the other. The general inducements which the English had to acquire the French language have been touched upon above ; to which must be added, that the children, who were put to learn Latin, were un- der a necessity of learning French at the same time,

French language by a bishop, as late as the time of Edward II. Louis, consecrated Bishop of Durham in 1318, was un- fortunately very illiterate — " laicus ; Latinum non intelligens, sed cum difficultate pronuncians. Unde, cum in consecra- tione sua profiteri debuit, quamvis per multos dies ante in- structorem habuisset, legere nescivit : et cum, auriculantibus [f. articulantibus] aliis, cum difficultate ad illud verbum metropolitica pervenisset, et diu anhelans pronunciare non posset, dixit in Gallico; Seit pur dite. — Et cum similiter celebraret ordines, nee illud verbum in anigmate proferre posset, dixit circumstantibus ; Par Seint Lowys, ilnefupas curteis, qui ceste parole id escrit." Hist. Dunelm. ap. Whar- ton, Ang. Sac. t. i. p. 761.

The transactions at Norham,in 1291, the 20 Edw. I. with respect to the Scottish succession, appear to have been almost wholly carried on in French, for which it is difficult to account but by supposing that language to have been the language of the Court in both nations. See the Roll de Superior. Reg. Angl. inPrynne, t. i. p. 487, et seq. Edward's claim of the Superiority is first made by Sir Roger Brabanson Sermone Gallico ; and afterwards the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the King himself, speak to the assembly of English and Scots in the same language. Ibid. p. 499, 501.

The answers of the Bishop of Durham to the Pope's Nun- cioes in Gallico [Walt. Hemingf. ad. an: 1295.] may be sup- posed to have been out of complaisance to the Cardinals, (though, by the way, they do not appear to have been Frenchmen ;) but no such construction can be put upon the following fact related by Matthew of Westminster [ad an. 1301. p. 438.] The Archbishop of Canterbury informs the Pope, that he had presented his Holiness's letters to the King in a full court " quas ipse dominus rex reverenter red- piens, eas publice legi coram omnibus, et in Gallica lingua fecerat patenter exponi."

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as it was the constant practice in all schools, from the Conquest'21 till ahout the reign of Edward III. to make the scholars construe their Latin lessons into

21 Ingulphus, a contemporary writer, informs us that this practice began at the Conquest, p. 71. " Ipsum etiam idioma [Anglicum] tantrum abhorrebant [Normanni], quod leges terra statutaque jLnglicorum regum lingua Gullied tractarentur ; et pueris etiam in schoiis principia literarum grammatica Gal- lice ac non Anglice traderentur ; modus etiam scribendi Auglicus omitteretur, et modus Gallicus in chartis et in libris omnibus ad- mitteretur." — And Trevisa, the translator and augmenter of Higden's Polychronicon in the reign of Richard II. gives us a very particular account of its beginning to be disused within his own memory. The two passages of Higden and Trevisa throw so much light upon the subject of our present enquiry, that I shall insert them both at length, from Ms. Harl. 1900. as being more correct in several places than the Ms. from which Dr. Hickes formerly printed themiu his Praef. ad Thes. Ling. Septent. p. xvii.

Higden's Polychron. b. i. c. lix. This apayringe of the birthe tonge is by cause of tweye thinges : oon is for children in scole, ayenes the usage and maner of alle other naciouns, beth compelled for to leve her owne langage, and for to con- strewe her lessouns and her thingis a Frensche, and haveth siththe that the Normans come first into England. Also gentil mennes children beth ytaught for to speke Frensche, from the tyme that thei beth rokked in her cradel, and kimneth speke and playe with a childes brooche. And up- londish men wole likne hem self to gentil men, and fondeth with grete bisynesse for to speke Frensche, for to be the more ytold of.

Trevisa. This maner was myche yused to fore the first moreyn, and is siththe som del ychaungide. For John Corn- waile, a maistre of grammar, chaungide the lore in grammer scole and construction of Frensch into Englisch, and Richard Pencriche lerned that maner teching of him, and other men of Pencriche. So that now, the yere of oure lord a thousand thre hundred foure score and fyve, of the secunde king Rychard after the Conquest nyne, in alle the gramer scoles of Englond children leveth Frensch, and construeth and lerneth an Englisch, and haveth therby avauntage in oon side and desavauntage in another. Her avauntage is, that

136 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

French. From the discontinuance of this practice, as well as from other causes, the use and, probably, the knowledge of French, as a separate language, re- ceived a considerable check. In the 36tb year of Ed- ward III. a law-2 was made, " that all pleas, in the courts of the Kino- or of any other Lord, shall be . pleaded and judged in the English tongue," and the preamble recites, " that the French tongue (in which they bad been usually pleaded, &c.) ivas too

thei lerneth her grammer in lasse tyme than children were wont to do. Desavauntage is, that now children of grammer scole kunneth no more Frensch than can her lifte heele. And that is harm for hem, and thei schul passe the see and travaile in strange londes, and in many other places also. Also gentel men haveth now mych ylefte for to teche her children Frensch.

31 This celebrated statute is said by Walsingham [p. 179] to have been made "ad petitionem Communitatis ;" but no such petition appears upon the Parliament-roll ; and it seems rather to have been an Act of Grace, moving from the King, who on the same day entered into the fiftieth year of his age; " unde in suo Jubileo populo suo se e.ihibuit gratiosum." Walsing. ibid. It is remarkable too, that the cause of sum- mons at the beginning of this Parliament was declared by Sir Henry Greene, Chief Justice, en Enghis (says the Re- cord for the first time) : and the same Entry is repeated in the Records of the Parliaments 37 and 38 Edw. III., but not in those of 40 Edw. III., or of any later Parliament ; either because the custom of opening the cause of summons in French was restored again after that short interval, or, per- haps, because the new practice of opening it in English was so well established, in the opinion of the Clerk, as not to need being marked by a special Entry.

The reasons assigned in the preamble to this Statute, for having Pleas and Judgments in the English tongue, might all have been urged, with at least equal force, for having the Laws themselves in that language. But the times were not yet ripe for that innovation. The English scale was clearly beginning to preponderate, but the slowness of its motion proves that it had a weight to overcome.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 137

mucJi unknown," or disused ; and yet, for near threescore years after this23 the proceedings in Par- liament, with very few exceptions, appear to have been all in French, and the statutes continued to be published in the same language, for above one hundred and twenty years, till the first of Richard III. § VIII. From what has been said I think we may fairly conclude, that the English language must have imbibed a strong tincture of tbe French, long before the age of Chaucer, and consequently

SJ All the Parliamentary proceedings in English before 1422, the first of Henry VI. are the few which follow.

The confession of Thomas Duke of Gloucester, taken at Calais by William Rickhill and recorded in Parliament, inter Plac. Coroh. 21 Ric. II. n. 9. It is printed in Tyrrell, v. iii. p. 793.

Some passages in the Deposition of Richard II. printed at the end of Knighton, int. X Scriptores.

The ordinance between William Lord the Roos and Ro- bert Tirwhitt, Justice of the King's Bench. 13 Hen. IV. n. 13.

A Petition of the Commons with the King's answer. 2 Hen. V. n. 22.

A Proviso in English inserted into a French grant of a Disme and Quinzisme, 9 Hen. V. n. 10.

At the beginning of the reign of Henry VI. the two lan- guages seem to have been used indifferently. The Subsidy of Wolle, &c. was granted in English. 1 Hen. VI. n. 19. A Proviso in French was added by the Commons to the Ar- ticles for the Council of Regency, which are in English. Ibid. n. 33. Even the Royal Assent was given to Bills in English. 2 Hen. VI. and n. 52. Be it ordeined as it is asked. Be it as it is axed, — and again, n. 55.

I have stated this matter so particularly, in order to shew, that when the French language ceased to be generally un- derstood, it was gradually disused in Parliamentary pro- ceedings; and from thence, I think, we may fairly infer, that while it was used in those proceedings, constantly and exclusively of the English, it must have been very generally understood.

138 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

that he ought not to be charged as the importer of words and phrases, which he only used after the example of his predecessors and in common with his contemporaries. This was the real fact, and is capable of being demonstrated to any one, who will take the trouble of comparing the writings of Chaucer with those of Robert of Gloucester24 and Robert of Brunne, who both lived before him, and

21 Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle has been published by Hearne, Oxf. 1724, faithfully, I dare say, but from incor- rect Mss. The author speaks of himself [p. 560.] as living at the time of the Battle of Evesham in 1265; and from another passage [p. 224.] he seems to have lived beyond the year 1278, though his history ends in 1270. See Hearne's Pref. p. Ixviii.

Robert Manning of Brunne, or Bourn, in Lincolnshire, translated into English rhymes, from the French of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, a treatise called " Manuel de Peches," as early as the year 1303. This work of his is preserved among the Harleian Mss. n. 1701, and the Bod- leian, n. 2323. [It has been edited by F. J. Furnivall, M.A. for the Roxburgh Society. Lond. 1862.] He also trans- lated from the French a history of England ; the first part, or Gesta Britonum, from Master Wace; the remainder, to the death of Edward I. from Peter of Langtoft. His trans- lation was finished in 1338. The latter part, with some extracts from the former, was printed by Hearne in 1725, from a single Ms.

Sir John Mandeville's account of his Travels was written in 1356. In the last edition, Lond. 1725, the text is said to have been formed from a collation of several Mss. and seems to be tolerably correct. [The edition of 1725, edited by J. 0. Halliwell, Lond. 1839, is copied from Cotton Ms. Titus c. xvi.]

Wicliff died in 1384. His translation of the New Testa- ment was printed for the first time by Lewis, Lond. 1731. There is an immense Catalogue of other works, either really his or ascribed to him, still extant in Ms. See his Life by Lewis ; and Tanner, Bibl. Brit. [The Old and New Testa- ment by Wicliff, together with Purvey 's Recencion, ed. Forshall and Madden, has been printed by the University Press. Oxford. Lond. 1850.]

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. I3t>

with those of Sir John Mandeville and Wieliff, who lived at the same time with him. If we could for a moment suppose the contrary; if we could suppose that the English idiom, in the age of Chaucer, re- mained pure and unmixed, as it was spoken in the courts of Alfred or Egbert, and that the French was still a foreign, or at least a separate language ; I would ask, whether it is credible, that a Poet, writing in English upon the most familiar subjects, would stuff his compositions with French words and phrases, which, upon the above supposition, must have been unintelligible to the greatest part of his readers ; or, if he had been so very absurd, is it conceivable, that he should have immediately be- come, not only the most admired, but also the most popular writer of his time and country ?

Part the Second.

Having thus endeavoured to show, in opposition to the ill-grounded censures of Verstegan and Skinner, that the corruption, or improvement, of the English language by a mixture of French was not originally owing to Chaucer, I shall proceed, in the second part of this Essay, for make some observations upon the most material peculiarities of that Norman- Saxon dialect, which I suppose to have prevailed in the age of Chaucer, and which, in substance, re- mains to this day the language of England.

§ I. By what means the French tongue was first introduced and propagated in this island has been sufficiently explained above; but to ascertain with any exactness the degrees, by which it insinuated itself and was ingrafted into the Saxon, would be a

140 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

much more difficult task,25 for want of a regular series of the writings of approved authors trans- mitted to us by authentic copies. Luckily for us, as our concern is solely with that period Avhen the incorporation of the two languages was completed, it is of no great importance to determine the pre- cise time at which any word or phrase became na- turalized ; and for the same reason, we have no need to inquire minutely, with respect to the other alterations, which the Saxon language in its several stages appears to have undergone, how far they proceeded from the natural mutability of human speech, especially among an unlearned people, and how far they were owing to a successive conflux of Danish and Norman invaders.

§ II. The following observations therefore will chiefly refer to the state in which the English lan- guage appears to have been about the time of Chaucer, and they will naturally divide themselves into two parts. The first will consider the remains of the ancient Saxon mass, however defaced or dis-

25 In order to trace with exactness the progress of any language, it seems necessary, 1. that we should have before us a continued series of authors ; 2. that those authors should have been approved, as having written, at least, with purity ; and 3. that their writings should have been correctly copied. In the English language, we have scarce any authors within the first century after the Conquest ; of those who wrote before Chaucer, and whose writings have been pre- served, we have no testimony of approbation from their con- temporaries or successors; and lastly, the Copies of their works, which we have received, are in general so full of in- accuracies, as to make it often very difficult for us to be assured, that we are in possession of the genuine words of the Author.

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guised by various accidents ; the second will endea- vour to point out the nature and effects of the accessions, which, in the course of near three cen- turies, it had received from Normandy.

§ III. For the sake of method it will be con- venient to go through the several parts of speech in the order, in which they are commonly ranged by Grammarians.

1 . The Prepositive Article j-e, peo, pat: (which answered to the b, yi, to, of the Greeks, in all its varieties of gender, case, and number,) had been long laid aside20, and instead of it an indeclinable the was prefixed to all sorts of nouns, in all cases, and in both numbers.

2. The Declensions of the Nouns Substantive were reduced from six to one ; and instead of a variety of cases in both numbers, they had only a Genitive case singular, which was uniformly deduced from the Nominative by adding to it es ; or only s, if it ended in an e feminine ; and that same form was used to express the Plural number57 in all its

26 [As late as 1340 the definite Article retained its varieties of gender, number, and ease in the Southern dialect.]

57 It is scarce necessary to take notice of a few Plurals, which were expressed differently, though their number was greater in the time of Chaucer than it is now. Some of them seem to retain their termination in en from the second Declension of the Saxons ; as, asschen, assen, been, fieen, schoon, ton, oxen, eyen, hosen, &c. Others seem to have added an n to the original final vowel denoting the plural, as, brethren, eyren, doughtren, sistren, children, foon, kyn. And a few seem to have been always irregularly declined ; as, men, wimmen, mice, lice, feet, &c. ; doer, good, hors, nut, scheep, swin, yer, being neuter nouns, have no plural termination. See Hicket, Gr. A. S. p. 11, 1:2.

142 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

cases : as Nom. S7wui; Gen. Shoures, Plur. Shoures. Nom. Name, Gen. Names, Plur. Names.-8

The Nouns Adjective had lost all distinction of Gender, Case, or Number. e9

3. The Primitive Pronouns retained one oblique case30 in each number : as, Ic, He, or / ; We : Obi. Me; Us :—Thou ; Ye: Obi. Thee; You.— He, She ; or They31 ; Obi. Him, Hire ; Hem.

Their Possessives were in the same state with the Adjectives ; Min, (Myn, Myne) ; Thin, (Thyn, Thyne) ; His, Hire, Hir ; Oure, Youre, Her (Here, Hire).3"-

28 There are traces of a Dative case denoted by a final e; as, Nom. bed; Dat. bedde; Nom. icif; Dat. wive, See.

29 The plural of monosyllabic Adjectives is denoted by the finale; as, Sing, blac ; Plur. b/ake ; Sing, cold; PI. colde, &c. The definite form (used after the definite Article and adjective Pronouns) and vocative case of Adjectives of one syllable have the termination e ; as, the bright-e sonne, the best-e begger, &c. 0 leev-e brother, 0 yong-e Hughe.

30 I take no notice here of the Genitive cases, min, thin, oure, youre, &c. as being at this time hardly ever distin- guishable from Pronouns Possessive. How are we to know whether min bolie should be rendered liber mei, or liber meus ? In the Plural number, however, in a. few instances, the Geni- tive case seems to have retained its proper power. C. T. v. 825, oure aller cok — would be more naturally translated — nostrum omnium gallus, than noster omnium. And so in P. P. fol. cxi. Youre allcr hele — vestrum omnium salus ; not, vestra.

31 [The Pronouns, They, Them, and Their, were Midland adaptations of the Northumbrian forms, Thaa (thai), Thar (thuir), Tham (thaim), into our language.] The Saxon Pro- nouns, Hit, Hem (hom), and HerQior), seem to have been in constant use in the time of Robert of Gloucester, [and in the Southern dialect as late as 1387.] Sir John Mandeville and Chaucer use They, for Hi; but never, as I remember, (in the Mss. of authority) Them, or Their.

32 The four last of these Possessive Pronouns were some-

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 143

The Interrogative and Relative Who had a Geni- tive and Accusative case, Whos, and Whom, but no variety of Number.

On the contrary, the Demonstrative, This, and That, had a Plural expression, Thise (Thes, This), and Tho, but no variety of case.

The other words, which are often, though im- properly, placed in the class of Pronouns, were all become undeclined, like the Adjectives; except, Eyther, alteruter ; Neyther, neuter ; Other, alter ; which had a Genitive case Singular, Eytheres, Neytheres, Otheres : Other, alius, had a Genitive case singular, and a Plural number, Other es ; and Aller (a corruption of ealria) was still in use, as the Genitive Plural of AUeP

times expressed a little differently, viz., Hires, Oures, Youres, and Hers. Oure, Youre, Here, are often used by Chaucer as independent forms — Ours, Yours, Theirs; as they are still, when the Noun to which they belong is understood, or when they are placed after it in a sentence. To the question, Whose book is this ? we answer, Hers, Ours, Yours, or Theirs : or we declare; This book is Hers, Ours, &c. I can hardly conceive that the final s in these words is a mark of the Possessive (or Genitive) case, as a very able writer [Short Introduction to English Grammar, p. 35, 6.] seems to be in- clined to think; because in the instances just mentioned, and in all which I have been able to find or to imagine, I cannot discover the least trace of the usual powers of the Genitive case. The learned Wallis [Gram. Angl. c. 7.] has explained the use of these Pronouns without attempting to account for their form. He only adds ; " Nonnulli, hern, ourn, yourn, hisn, dicunt, pro hers, ours, &c. sed barbate, nee quisquam (credo) sic scribere solet." If it could be proved that these words were anciently terminated in n, we might be led to conjecture that they were originally abbreviations of her own, our own, &c. the n being afterwards softened into s, as it has been in many other words. [The n is a substi- tution for the final e.]

3J It may be proper here to take a little notice of the

144 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

4. The Verbs, at the time of which we are treat- Pronoun, or Pronominal Adjective, Self, which our best Grammarians, from Wallis downwards, have attempted to metamorphose into a Substantive. In the Saxon language, it is certain that Sylf was declined like other Adjectives, and was joined in construction with Pronouns Personal and Substantives, just as ipse is in Latin. They said, Ie sylf, Ego ipse; Min sylfes, mei ipsius; Me sylfne, me ipsum, &c. Petrus sylf, Petrus ipse, &c. [See Hickes, Gr. A. S. p. 26.] In the age of Chaucer, Self, like other Adjectives, was be- come undeclined. Though he writes Self, Selve, and Selven, those varieties do not denote any distinction of case or num- ber; for he uses indifferently, himself and himselven; hem- self and hemselven. He joins it with Substantives, in the sense of ipse, as the Saxons did. In that selve grove. In illo ipso nemore. Thy selve neighebour. Ipse tuus vicinus. f Selve, selven, is properly the oblique case of self, and Chaucer's use of it is generally correct.] But his great departure from the ancient usage was with respect to the Pronouns Personal prefixed to Self. Instead of declining them through the cases which they still retained, he uses constantly, Myself, for, I self, and, Me self; Thyself, for, Thou self, and, Thee self; Him self and Hire self, for, He self and She self; and in the Plural number, Our self, for, We self, and Us self; Your self, for, Ye self, and You self; and Hem self, for They self.

It would be vain to attempt to defend this practice of Chaucer upon any principles of reason or grammatical anal- ogy. All that can be said for it is, that perhaps any regular practice was preferable to the confusion and uncertainty which seems to have prevailed before. Accordingly, the writers who succeeded him following his example, it became a rule, as I conceive', of the English language, that Personal Pronouns prefixed to Self were only used in one case in each number; viz. those of the First and Second Person in the Genitive case, according to the Saxon form, and those of the Third in the Accusative.

By degrees a custom was introduced of annexing Self to Pronouns in the Singular number only, and Selves (a cor- ruption, I suppose, of Selven) to those in the Plural. This probably contributed to persuade our late Grammarians that Self w as a Substantive; as the true English Adjective does

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 145

ing, were very nearly reduced to the simple state in which they are at present.

They had four Modes, as now ; the Indicative, the Imperative, the Subjunctive, and the Infinitive ; and only two expressions of Time, the Present and the Past. All the other varieties of Mode and Time were expressed by Auxiliary Verbs.

In the Inflexions of their Verbs, they differed very little from us, in the Singular number : i" love, Thou lovest, He loveth.Zi [The Singular in es or is is not sanctioned by the best Mss. It is, however, the ordinary inflexion of the Verb in all Northern dialects, as fares, gas, says j all of which occur in the Beeves Talc] ; but in the Plural they were not agreed among themselves ; some35 adhering to tlie "West Saxon form, [which geuerally prevailed in all dialects of the South of England as late as 1400],

not vary in the Plural number. Another cause of their mis- take might be, that they considered, my, thy, our your, to •which self is usually joined, as Pronouns Possessive ; whereas I think it more probable that they were the Saxon Genitive cases of the Personal Pronouns. The metaphysical Sub- stantive Self, of which our more modern Philosophers and Poets have made so much use, was unknown, I believe, in the time of Chaucer.

34 [Monosyllabic Verbs, which have t or d for the last con- sonant of the root, and one or two which have s, form the Third Person Singular in t, as in the Anglo-Saxon, or oldest English; as, bit, bites ; fynt, finds ; holt, halt, holds; rist, rises; slyt, slides, &c]

35 In the long quotation from Trevisa (which see above, n. 21.) it may be observed, that all his Plural Verbs of the present Tense indicative Mood, terminate in clh, [which is the usual verbal inflexion in the Southern dialects as late as 1387]; whereas in Sir John Mandeville and Chaucer they terminate almost as constantly in en, [according to the usage of the Midland dialect.]

VOL. I. L

146 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

We loveth, Ye loveth, Hi loveth ; and others adopt- ing, what seems to have been, the Teutonic [and Midland variety] ; We loven, Ye loven, They loven. In the Plural of the Past Tense the latter form pre- vailed universally, as in Anglo-Saxon or the oldest English: I loved, thou lovedst, he loved; We loveden, Ye loveden, They loveden.

The second person Plural in the Imperative Mode regularly terminated in eth ; as Loveth ye ;36 though the final consonants, according to the genius of the language, were frequently omitted, especially in verse.

[The Past Tense of Irregular or weak Verbs, ter- minates in ede, de, or te.f1

*36 Mand. p. 28E And at certeyn houres — thei seyn to certeyn officeres — Makethpees (i.e. Make ye silence). And than sein the Officeres, Now pees ! lysteneth (i.e. listen ye). — In the following page, Stondeth, is used for, Stand ye; and Putteth, for, put ye.

37 The methods, by which the final ede of the Past Tense was contracted or abbreviated, in the age of Chaucer, were chiefly the following :

1. By throwing away the d.

This method took place in Verbs, whose last Consonant was t, preceded by a Consonant. Thus caste, coste, hurte, putte, slitte, were used instead of castede, costede, hurtede, put- tcde, slittede.

2. By transposing the d.

This was very generally done in Verbs, whose last Con- sonant was d, preceded by a Vowel. Thus, instead of, redede, ledede, spredede, bkdede, fedede, it was usual to write, redde, ledde, spredde, bledde, fedde. — And this same method of transposition, I apprehend, was originally applied to shorten those words which we now contract by Syncope; as lov'd, liv'd, smil'd, heard, fear'd, which were anciently written lovde, livde, smilde, herde, firde.

3. By transposing the d and changing it into t.

This method was used 1 . in Verbs, whose last Consonant

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 147

The Saxon termination of the Infinitive in an had been long changed into en ; to loven, to liven ; the n is often represented by the final c. [Such forms as to sene, to done, &c. are gerundial, and equiva- lent to seenne, doenne. The Anglo-Saxon gerundial Infinitive ended in anne.~\

The Participle of the Present Tense began to be generally terminated in ing ; as, loving ; though the old form, which terminated in ende, or ande, was still in use ; as, lovende, or lovande.38 The Participle of the Past Tense continued to be formed in edj as, loved; except among the irregular Yerbs,

was t, preceded by a Vowel. Thus, letede, swetede, metede, were changed into, lette, swetie, mette. — 2. in Verbs, whose last Consonant was d preceded by a Consonant. Thus, bendede, bildede, girdede, were changed into, bente bilte, girte. — And generally, in Verbs, in which d is changed into t, I conceive that d was first transposed; so that divellede, passcde, dremede,felede, kepede, should be supposed to have been first changed into, dwellde, passde, dremde, felde, kepde, and then into, dwdte, paste, dremte, felte, kepte.

4. The last method, together with a change of the radical vowel, will account for the analogy of a species of Verbs, generally reputed anomalous, which form their Past Time and its Participle, according to modern orthography, in ght. The process seems to have been thus. Bring, bringede, brongde, brogde, brogte ; Think, thinkede, thonkde, ihokde, thokte ; Teche teched, tach.de, tachte, &c. Only fought, from Jight.ede, seems to have been formed by throwing away the d (according to method 1.) and changing the radical Vowel. See instances of similar contractions in the Francic language. Hickes, Gramm. Fr. Th. p. 66. [Some Verbs belonging to class 2 took a change of vowel, as radde, redde (read) ; ladde, leddc (led); schadde, schedde (shed).]

38 [Gower usually terminates his present Participles in ende. Participles in inge, which seem to have arisen out of the older form in inde, occur in Southern writers as early as a.d. 1300.]

148 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

where for the most part it terminated in en, or c ; as, bounden, founden.

The greatest part of the Auxiliary Verbs were only in use in the Present and Past Tenses of their Indicative and Subjunctive Modes. They were inflected in those tenses like other Verbs, and were prefixed to the Infinitive Mode of the Verb to which they were Auxiliary. I shol loven ; I wil, or ivol, loven ; I may, or mow, loven ; I can or con, loven, &c. We shullen loven ; We ivillen, or ivollen, loven ; We mowen loven ; We connen loven, &c. In the Past Tense, F9 shidde loven ; I ivolde loven ; I miglite, or moughte loven ; I coude, or couthe loven, jfec. We shulden, we ivolden, we mighten, or moughten, we couden, or couthen loven, <fec.

The Auxiliary To Haven was a complete Verb, and, being prefixed to the Participle of the Past time, was used to express the Preterperfect and Pretcrpluperfect Tenses. I have loved, Thou havest, or hast loved, He haveth, or hath loved ; We haven, or han loved, &c. I haddef10 loved, thou haddest loved, he hadde loved ; We, ye, they, hadden loved.

39 Shulde and Wolde are contracted from Shullede, and Wollede, by transposing the d, according to method 2.

Mighte and Moughtc are formed from mughede and moghede, according to method 3. Maghede, tnaghde, maghte ; Moghedc, moghde, moghte.

Coude is from connede, by transposition of the d, and soften- ing the n into u. It is often written couthe, and always so, J believe, when it is used as a Participle. In the same manner Bishop Douglas, and other Scottish writers, use Begouthe as the Praeterit of B-gin. Begonnede, begonde, bc- goude, begouthe.

40 Hadde is contracted from Havedc, as made is from makede. See Ilickes, Gram. Fr. Th. p. 66.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. ] 49

The Auxiliary To ben was also a complete Verb, and being prefixed to the Participle of the Past time, with the help of the other Auxiliary Verbs, supplied the place of the whole Passive voice, for which the Saxon language had no other form of expression. I am, thou art, he is loved ; We, ye, they, arm, or ben loved. I was, thou were, he ivas loved ; We, ye, they weren loved.41

5. With respect to the indeclinable parts of Speech, it will be sufficient to observe here, that many of them still remained pure Saxon : the greatest number had undergone a slight change of a letter or two : and the more considerable alterations, by which some had been disfigured, were fairly dedu- cible from that propensity to abbreviation, for which the inhabitants of this island have been lono- re-

O

markable, though perhaps not more justly so than their neighbours.

§ IV. Such was, in general, the state of the Saxon part of the English language when Chaucer

41 The Verb To do is considered by Wallis, and other later Grammarians, as an Auxiliary Verb. It is so used, though very rarely, by Chaucer. [Seem. 215, 444.] Hemorecom- monly uses it transitively: [n. 347, 956. Do strepe me. Faites me depouilkr.— II. 347, 957. Do me drenche. Faites me noyer.'] but still more frequently to save the repetition of a verb. [v. 269.

His eyghen twynkeled in his heed aright, As lion the sterres in the frosty night.]

Dr. Hickes has taken notice that do was used in this last man- ner by the Saxons : [Gr. A. S, p. 77] and so was faire by the French, and indeed is still. It must be confessed, that the exact power, which do, as an auxiliary, now has in our language, is not easy to be defined, and still less to be ac- counted for from analogy.

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began to write : let us now take a short view of the accessions, which it may be supposed to have re- ceived at different times from Normandy.

As the language of our Ancestors was complete in all its parts, and had served them for the purposes of discourse, and even of composition in various kinds, long before they had any intimate acquaint- ance with their French neighbours, they had no call from necessity, and consequently no sufficient induce- ment, to alter its original and radical constitutions. or even its customary forms. Accordingly, we have just seen, that, in all the essential parts of Speech, the character istical features of the Saxon idiom were always preserved : and we shall sec presently, that the crowds of French words, which from time to time were imported, were themselves made subject, either immediately or by degrees, to the laws of that same idiom.

§ V. The words, which were thus imported, were chiefly Nouns Substantive, Adjectives, Verbs, and Participles. The Adverbs, which are derived from French Adjectives, seem to have been formed from them after they were Anglicised, as they have all the Saxon termination liche or hj,4" instead of the French ment. As to the other indeclinable parts of speech, our language, being sufficiently rich in its own stores, has borrowed nothing from France, except perhaps an interjection or two.

The Nouns Substantive in the French lano-nage (as in all the other languages derived from the

42 A3 rarely, continually, veraily, bravely, &c, which cor- respond to the French adverbs, rarement, continuellement, veraiment, bravement, &c.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 151

Latin) had lost their Cases long before the time of which we are treating; but such of them as are naturalized here, seem all to bave acquired a Geni- tive case, according to the corrupted Saxon form, which has been stated above. Their Plural number was also new modelled to the same form, if neces- sary ; for in the Nouns ending in e feminine, as the greater part of the French did, the two languages were already agreed. Nom. Flour. Gen. Floures. Plur. Floures. JNToni. Dame. Gen. Dames. Plur. Dames.

On tbe contrary, the Adjectives, which at home had a distinction of Gender and Number, upon their naturalization here, seem to have been generally stript of both, and reduced to tbe simple state of the English Adjective, without Case, Gender, or Number.

The French Verbs were obliged to lay aside all their differences of Conjugation. Accorder, souffrir, recevoir, descendre, were regularly changed into — accorden, suffren, receiven, descenden. Tbey brought with them only two Tenses, the Present and the Past ; nor did they retain any singularity of In- flexion, which could distinguish them from other Verbs of Saxon growth.

The Participle indeed of tbe Present time, in some Verbs, appears to have still preserved its original French form ; as, vsant, suffisant, &c.

The Participle of the Past time adopted, almost universally, the regular Saxon termination in ed; as accorded, suffred, received, descended. It even frequently assumed the prepositive Particle ge, (or y, as it was latterly written,) which, among tlu

152 ESSAY ON 'THE LANGUAGE AND

Saxons, was very generally, though not peculiarly, prefixed to that Participle.

§ VI. Upon the whole, I helieve it may he said with truth, that, at the time which we are consider- ing, though the form of our language was still Saxon, the matter was in a great measure French. The novelties of all kinds, which the Revolution in 1006 had introduced, demanded a large supply of new terms ; and our Ancestors very naturally took what they wanted, from the Language which was already familiar to a considerable part of the Com- munity. Our Poets in particular, who have gene- rally the principal share in modelling a Language, found it their interest to horrow as many words as they conveniently could from France. As they were for a long time chiefly Translators, this expe- dient saved them the trouble of hunting for corres- pondent terms in Saxon. The French words too, being the remains of a polished language, were smoother and slid easier into metre than the Saxon, which had never undergone any regular cultivation : their final syllables chimed together with more fre- quent consonancies, and their Accents were better adapted to Rhyming Poetry. But more of this in the next Part.

Paut the Thikd.

Before we proceed in the third and last part of this Essay, in which we are to consider the Versifi- cation of Chaucer, it may he useful to premise a few observations upon the state of English Poetry antecedent to his time.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 153

§ I. That the Saxons had a species of writing, which differed from their common prose, and was considered by themselves as Poetry,43 is very cer- tain ; but it seems equally certain, that their com- positions of that kind were neither divided into verses of a determinate number of syllables, nor embellished with what we call Rhyme.41 There are

43 The account which Beda has given of Cffidmon [Eccl. Hist. 1. iv. c. 24.] is sufficient to prove this. He repeatedly calls the compositions of Cjedmon carmina—poetnata — and in one place, versus : which words in the Saxon translations are rendered, Leob,— Leob ponder-, or ponder — and perir- : and ars canendi'is translated Leo); crisepr or pans cjisept.

Asser also, in his life of Alfred, speaks of Saxonica poe- mata and Saxonica carmina [p. 16. 43.] and most probably the Cantilena per successiones temporum dttritce, which Mal- mesbury cites in his History, 1. ii. p. 52. were in the Saxon language. The same writer [1. v. de Pontif. edit. Gale.] mentions a Carmen triviale of Aldhelm (the author of the Latin Poem de Virginitate, who died in 709,) as adhuc vulgo cantitatum; and he quotes the testimony of King Alfred, in his Liber manual is, or Hand-hoc, as saying, " that no one was ever equal to Aldhelm in English Poetry."

u Both these circumstances are evident from the most cursory view of the several specimens of Saxon Poetry, which Hickes has exhibited in his Gram. Ang. Sax. c. xxi. and they are allowed by that learned writer himself. Un- willing however, as it should seem, to leave his favourite language without some sj'stem of versification, he supposes, that the Saxons observed the quantity of syllables in their verses, "though perhaps," he adds, "not so strictly as the Heroic Greek and Latin poets."

He gives three reasons for this supposition. 1. Because they did not use Rhyme. 2. Because they, transposed their words in such an unnatural manner. " Hoc autem cur face- rent Anglo-Saxonum Poetw, nulla, ut videtur, alia assignari causa potest, quam qua}, nt idem facerent, Gracos et Latinos poetas coegit ; nempe Metri Lex." 3. Because they had a great number of dissyllable and polysyllable words, which were fit for metrical feet.

However specious these reasons may appear, they are

154 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

no traces, I believe, to be found of either Rhyme or Metre in our language, till some years after the Conquest ; so that I should apprehend we must have been obliged for both to the Normans, who

certainly far from conclusive, even if we had no monuments of Saxon Poetry remaining ; but in the present case, I appre- hend, the only satisfactory proof would have been to have produced, out of the great heap of Poetical composition, in the Saxon language, some regular metrical verses ; that is, some portions of words, similar to each other in the nature and order of their component syllables, and occurring either in a continued series, or at stated intervals. If all external proofs of the nature of the Roman Poetry were lost, a few verses of Virgil or Horace would be sufficient to convince us, that their metres were regulated by the quantity of syllables ; and if Csedmon had really written in a metre regulated by the quantity of syllables, a few of his lines must have afforded us the same conviction with respect to the general laws of his versification.

For my own part, I confess myself unable to discover any material distinction of the Saxon Poetry from Prose, except a greater pompof diction, and a more stately kind of march.

Our ancestors affected a certain pomp of style in all their compositions. Angli (says Malmesbury, 1. i. p. 13) pom- patice dictare amant. And this affectation, I suspect, was the true cause of their so frequently inverting the natural order of their words, especially in Poetry. The obscurity aris- ing from these inversions had the appearance of Pomp. That they were not owing to the constraint of any metrical Laws (as Hickes supposes) may be presumed from their being commonly used in Prose, and even in Latin prose, by Saxon writers. Ethelwerd, an Historian descended in the fifth degree from King Ethelred [inter Script, post Bedam, p. 831 — 850], is full of them. The following passage of his history, if literally translated, would read very like Saxon Poetry: " Abstrahuntur tunc | ferventes fide | anno in eodem | Hibernia stirpe | tres viri lecti : | furtim consuunt lembum | taurinis byrsis; | alimentum sibi | hebdomada- rium supplent ; | elevant dies | per vela septem totidemque noctes, &c."

We do not see any marks of studied alliteration in the old Saxon Poetry ; so that we might attribute the introduc-

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 155

very early 45 distinguished themselves by poetical performances in their Vulgar tongue.

tion of that practice to the Danes, if we were certain, that it made a part of the Scaldic versification at the time of the Danish settlements in England.

However that may have been, Giraldus Cambrensis JDescr. Camb. p. 889. ] speaks of Anamination, which he describes to be what we call Alliteration, as the favourite rhetorical figure of both the Welsh and English in his time. " Adeo igitur hoc verborum ornatu duae nationes, Angli scil. et Cambri, in omni sermone exquisito utuntur, ut nihil ab his eleganter dictum, nullum nisi rude et agreste cen- seatur eloquium, si non schematis hujus lima plene fuerit expolitum." It is plain that Alliteration must have .had very powerful charms for the ears of our ancestors, as we find that the Saxon Poetry, by the help of this embellish- ment alone, even after it had laid aside its pompous phraseology, was able to maintain itself, without Rhyme or Metre, for several centuries. See Dr. Percy's Essay on the Metre of Pierce Plowman's Visions. Rel. of ancient Poetry, vol. ii.

45 I cannot find that the French antiquaries have been able to produce any Poetry, in any of the dialects of their lan- guage, of an earlier date than the Conquest of England, or indeed than the beginning of the Xllth century. However we read of a Thibaud de Vernun, Canon of Rouen, who, be- fore the year 1053, "multorum gesta Sanctorum, sed et Srt Wandregesili, a sua latinitate transtulit, atque in communis linguae usum satis facunde refudit, ac sic, ad quamdam tin- nidi rythmi similitudinem, urbanas ex Mis cantilenas edidit." [De Mirac. Sd Vulframni. Auctore Monacho Fontanell. temp. Will. I. ap. Dacherii Acta SS. Ord. Ben. t. iii. p. 379.] It is probable too, that the " vulgares cantus^ which, according to Raimond de Agiles [Gesta Dei, p. 180], were composed against Arnoulph, a Chaplain of the Duke of Nor- mandy, in the first Croisade, were in the French language; and there can be little doubt that William IX. Duke of Aquitain, upon his return from Jerusalem in 1101, made use of his native tongue, when " miserias captivitatis sua, ut erat jocundus et lepidus, tnultotiens retulit rythmicis versibus cum facetis 7nodu!atiotiibus." Ord. Vital. 1. x. p. 793. The History of the taking of Jerusalem, which is said to have been written by the Chevalier Gregoire Bechada, of Tours in Limoges,

156 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

The Metres which they used, and which we seem to have borrowed from them, were plainly copied from the Latin46 rhythmical verses, which, in the

" materna lingua, rythmo vulgari, ut popuhis pleniter intdlige- ret," [Labbe, Bibl. Nov. t. ii. p. 296.] has not been brought to light; so that probably the oldest French Poem of any length now extant is a translation of the Bestiarius by Philippe de Thaun, it being addressed to Aliz (Adeliza of Louvain) the second Queen of our Henry I.

There is a copy of this Poem among the Cotton Mss. Nero. A. v. The authors of the Histoire Litteraire de la France, t. ix. p. 173 — 90, suppose it to have been written about 1125, that is, thirty years before Le Brut, which Fauchet had placed at the head of his list of French Poems.

I shall take occasion in another place to show, that the real author of Le Brut was Wace (the same who wrote the Roman deRoii), and not Wistace, as Fauchet calls him.

46 The Latin Rhythmical verses resemble the Metrical in the number of syllables only, without any regard to quantity. " Arma cano virumque qui primus Trojae ab oris" would pass for a very good Rhythmical Hexameter. The greatest part however of these compositions were in imitation of the Iambic and Trochaic metres ; and in them, if the Accents fell luckily, the unlearned ear would often be as well pleased as if the laws of Quantity were observed. The two Rhythmical Hymns quoted by Beda [De Metris, edit. Putsch, p. 2380.] are sufficient to prove this. The first, he observes, "ad instar Iambici metri pulcherrime factus est." 0 rex aeterne Domine Rerum creator omnium, &c. The other is " ad formam metri Trochaici."

Apparebit repentina dies magna Domini Fur obscura velut nocte improvisos occupans.

In the former of these Hymns, " Domini," to a modern ear at least, sounds as well as "nomine;" and in the latter, " dies" and " velut," being accented upon their first Syllables, affect us no otherwise than "dices" and "velum" would have done.

From such Latin Rhythms, and chiefly those of the Iambic form, the present Poetical measures of all the nations of Roman Europe are clearly derived. Instead of long and short Syllables, the Feet of our Poetry are composed of Syl-

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 157

declension of that language, were current in various forms among those, who either did not understand, or did not regard, the true quantity of syllables; and the practice of Rhyming47 is probably to be de-

lables accented and unaccented, or rather of Syllables strongly and less strongly accented ; and hence it is, that we have so little variety ofFeet, and consequently of Metres ; because the possible combinations of Syllables accented and unac- cented are, from the nature of speech, much more limited in point of number, than the combinations of long and short Syllables were in the Greek and Latin languages.

47 We see evident marks of a fondness for Rhyme in the Hymns of S. Ambrosius and S. Damasus, as early as the fourth Century. One of the Hymns of Damasus, which begins,

" Martyris ecce dies Agatha?

Virginis emicat eximise," &c.

is regularly rhymed throughout. Prudentius,whohad a more classical taste, seems studiously to have avoided Rhymes ; but Sedulius and Fortunatus, in the fifth and sixth Centuries, use them frequently in their Hymns. See their works, and a Hymn of the latter ap. Fabric. Bib. Med. Mt&t. V. For- tunatus.

The learned Muratori, in his Dissertation de Rythmicd Veterum Poesi, [Antiq. Med. Mvi, Dissert, xl.] has col- lected together a vast heap of examples, which prove that Rhymes were very generally used in Hymns, Sequences, and other religious compositions in Latin, in the Vllth, VHIth, and IXth Centuries; so that for my own part I think it as probable, that the Poets in the vulgar languages (who first appeared about the IXth Century) borrowed their Rhymes from the Latin Poetry of that age, as it is evident that they did the forms of their versification.

Otfrid of Weissenberg, the earliest Rhymer that is known in any of the modern Languages, about the year 870, calls Rhyme, in the style of the Latin Grammarians, Schema omao- tcleuton [Prref. ad. Liutbert. ap. Schilter. Thes. Antiq. Teuton, t. i. p. 11.] And when the Monk, who has been cited in n. 45. says, that Thibaud de Vermin composed his Songs "ad quamdam tinnuli rythmi similitudinem," he must mean, I think, that he composed them "in imitation of

158 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

duced from the same original, as we find that prac- tice to have prevailed in Ecclesiastical Hymns, and other compositions, in Latin, some centuries hefore Otfrid of Weisseuberg, the first known Rhymer in any of the vulgar European dialects.

§ II. I wish it were in my power to give a re- gular history of the progress which our Ancestors made in this new style of versification ; but,48 ex- cept a few lines in the Saxon Chronicle upon the death of William the Conqueror, which seem to have been intended for verses of the Modern fashion, and a short Canticle, which, according to Matthew

(Latin) jingling Rhythm." I say, Latin, or at least some foreign, Rhythm, because otherwise he would rather have said in rythmo tinnulo. The addition of the epithet tinnulus seems to show plainly enough, that Rythmus alone did not then signify what we call Rhyme.

48 William of Malmesbury (de Gest. Pont. Angl. 1. iii.-p. 27 1 ) has preserved two Rhyming verses of Aldred, Archbishop of York, which that Prelate threw out against one Urse, Sheriff of Worcestershire, not long after the Conquest. " Hatest thou Urse — Have thou God's curse." " Vocaris Urus — Habeas Dei malediction em." Malmesbury says, that he inserts this English, " quod Latina verba non sicut Anglica concinnitati respondent." The Concinnity, I sup- pose, must have consisted in the Rhyme, and would hardly have been thought worth repeating, if Rhyme in English had not then been a novelty.

The Lines in the Saxon Chronicle, to which I mean to refer, are in p. 191 ed. Gibs. The passage begins,

I/ar-telar he let pyrtcean. -jeanme men rpSe rpeucean —

All the lines are not in Rhyme ; but I shall set down a few, in English characters, which I think could not have chimed together so exactly by mere accident.

Thet he nam be rihte And mid mycelan un-rihte

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 159

Paris/9 the Blessed Virgin was pleased to dictate to Godric, an Hermit near Durham, I have not been able to discover any attempts at Ehyming Poetry, which can with probability be referred to an earlier period than the reign of Henry the Second.

Of his leode

For littelre neode —

He ssette mycel deor-frith,

And he lsegde laga ther with —

He forbead tha heortas,

Swylce eac tha baras ;

Swa swithe he lufode tha hea-deor

Swylce he wsere heora feder.

Eac he ssette be tham haran,

That hi mosten freo faran —

The concluding lines are,

Se ael-mihtiga God

Kithe his saule mild-beortnisse

And do him his synna forgifenesse.

The writer of this part of the Chronicle (as he tells us himself, p. 189) had seen the Conqueror.

49 Hist. Angl. p. 100. Godric died in 1170, so that, according to tradition, the Canticle was prior to that period. The first Stanza being incorrectly printed, I shall only tran- scribe the last : —

Seinte Marie, Christes bur, Meidenes clenhad, moderes flur, Dilie mine sennen, rixe in min mod, Bringe me to winne with selfe God —

Hoc Cantkum (says M. P.) potest hoc modo in Latinum tiansferri.

Sancta Maria, Christi thalamus, vircjinalis puritas, matris flos, dele mea crimina, regna in mente meci, due me ad falicitatem cum solo Deo.

Upon the authority of this translation I have altered pinne (as it is in the print) to winne. The Saxon y is often mis- taken for a p.

160 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE ANL>

In that reign Layamon,50 a Priest of Ernleye, near Severn, as he calls himself, translated (chiefly) from the French of Wace51 a fabulous history of the

50 This work of Layamon is extant among the Cotton Mss. Cal. A. ix. A much later copy, in which the author, by a natural corruption, was called Laweman, was destroyed by the fire. There is an account of both copies in Wanley's Cat. Mss. Septent. p. 228. and p. 237.

The following short extract from fol. 7, 8, containing an .account of the Sirens, which Brutus met with in his voyage, will sej've to support what is said in the text of this Author's intermixing Rhymes with his prose,

Ther heo funden the Merminnen,

That beoth deor of muchele ginnen.

Wifmen hit thunchet ful iwis,

Bineothe thon gurdle hit thunceth fisc,

Theos habbeth swa murie song,

Ne beo tha dai na swa long,

Ne bith na man weri

Heora songes to hersen [See Lajamon's Brut. vol. i. p. 56, ed. Madden. Lond. 1847.]

51 The French Clerk, whom Layamon professes to have followed in his history, is called by Wanley [Cat. Mss. Sept. p. 228] Wate ; as if poor Maistre Wace were doomed to have his name perpetually mistaken. Fauchet, and a long string of French Antiquaries, have agreed to call him Wis- tace. I shall here, in justice to Maistre Wace, (for whom I have a great respect, not only as a very ancient but as a very ingenious Rhymer,) state my reasons shortly for believing, that he was the real author of that translation in French verse of Geffrey of Monmouth's Romance, which is com- monly called Le Brut.

In the first place his name is distinctly written in the text of three Mss. of very considerable antiquity. Two of them are in the Museum, viz. Cotton. Vitell. A. x. and Reg. 13 A. xxi. The third is at Cambridge, in the Library of Bennet College, n. 58. In a fourth Ms. also in the Museum, Harl. 6508 it is written Gazce aud Gace, by a substitution of G. for W, very usual in the French language.

Secondly, in the Ms. above mentioned of Layamon's his- tory, Cal. A. ix. if I may trust my own eyes, the name is Wace; and not Wate, as Wanley read it. The Saxon t is

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. IGL

Britons, entitled " Le Brut," which Wace himself, about the year 1155, had translated from the Latin

not very unlike a c. What Layamon Las said further, " that this Wace was a French Clerk, and presented his book to Alienor, the Queen of Henry" (the Second), agrees perfectly well with the date of Le Brut (in 1155, according to all the copies) and with the account which Wace himself, in his Roman de liou, has given of his attachment to Henry.

Thirdly, in a subsequent translation of Le Brut, which was made by Robert of Briuine in the beginning of the XlVth Century, he repeatedly names Maystcr Wace, as the author (or rather translator from the Latin) of the French History. See Jlearne's App. to Pref. to Peter Langtoft, p. xcviii.

In opposition to this strong evidence in favour of Wace, we have nothing material, except the Ms. of Le Brut quoted by Fauchet {de la Langue Francoise, 1. ii.), in which, according to his citation, the author is called Wistace. The later French writers, who have called him so, I apprehend, have only followed Fauchet. The Reader will judge, whe- ther it is not more probable, that the writer of the Ms. or even Fauchet himself, may have made a little slip in this matter, than that so many Mss. as I have quoted above, and the successive testimonies of Layamon and Robert OF Brunne, should have concurred in calling the author of Le Brut Wace, if that had not been his true name.

I will just add, that La vie de Seint Nicholas, which is frequently quoted by Ilic/ies (Gr. A. S. p. 146, 149, et al.), was probably a work of this same Wace, as appears from the following passage. (Ms. Bodl. 1G87. v. 17. from the end.)

Ci faut le livre mestre Gitace, Qil ad de Seint Nicholas fait, De Latin en Komaunz estreit A Osberd le fiz Thiout, Qui Seint Nicholas mout amout. —

And I should suspect, that Le Martijre dc St. George en vers Francois par Robert Guaco, mentioned by M. Lebeuf as «xtaut in the Bibl. Colbert. Cod. 3745 (Merri. de l'Acad. D J. et B. L. t. xvii. p. 731.) ought to be ascribed to the same author, as Guaco is a very strange name. The Christian name of Wace was Robert. See Huet, Ori*.. de Caen, p. 412. VOL. I. • M

1G2 ESSAY OX THE LANGUAGE AN))

of Geffrey of Monmouth. Though the greatest part of this work of Lay am on resemble the old Saxon Poetry, without Ehyme or metre, yet he often intermixes a number of short verses, of unequal lengths, but rhyming together pretty exactly, and in some places he has imitated not unsuccessfully the regular octosyllable measure of his French original. § III. It may seem extraordinary, after these proofs, that the art of Rhyming was not unknown or unpractised in this country in the time of Henry II. that we should be obliged to search through a space of above a hundred years, without being able to meet with a single maker of English Rhymes, whom we know to have written in that interval. The case I suspect to have been this. The scholars of that age (and there were many who might fairly be called so, in the English dominions52 abroad as well as at home) affected to write only53 in Latin,

82 The following passage of Roger de Hoveden (p. 672) gives a striking description of the extent of the English do- minions in the time of Richard I. Sciendum est quod tola terra, qua, est ab Anglia usque in Hispaniam, secus mare, videlicet Normannia, Britannia, Pictavia, est da dominio Regis Anglia. The Kings of France at that time were not pos- sessed of an inch of territory upon the coasts of the Ocean.

53 It will be sufficient to name John of Salisbury, Peter of Blois, Joseph of Exeter, Gerald Barry, Nigell Wireker, Geffrey Vinsauf. I should add to this list Walter Map, if there were not a tradition, not entirely destitute of probabi- lity, that he was the author of the Roman de St. Graal in French. I find this in an old Ms. of Tristan, Bib. Reg. 20 D. ii. p. antep. Quant Boort ot conte laventure del Saint Graal, teles come eles estoient avenues, clesfurent mises en escrit, gardees en lamere de Salibieres, dont Mestre Galticr Maple- strest a faire son livre du Saint Graal, par lamor du roy Henri son sengnor, qui fist lestorie tralater del Latin en Ro- manz. The adventure of the Saint Graal is plainly written

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 1G3

so that we do not find that they ever composed, in verse or prose, in any other language. On the other hand they, who meant to recommend them- selves by their Poetry to the favour of the great, took care to write in French, the only language which their patrons understood ; and hence it is, that we see so many French poems,5* about that

upon a very different plan from the other Romances of the Round Table, and is likely enough to have come from an Ecclesiastic, though rather, I confess, from a graver one than Walter Map may be supposed to have been. The French Romance, from which our Romance called " 3Iort d 'Arthur" is translated, seems to be an injudicious jumble of Le Brut, Lancelot, Tristan, the Saint Graal, and some other Romances of less note, which were all, I apprehend, origi- nally separate works.

64 Le Bvstiaire, by Philippe de Tliaun, addressed to Queen Adelisa; Le Brut and Le Roman du Rou, by Wace, have been mentioned above. Besides the Roman du Rou, there is another Chronicle of Normandy in French verse by dlaitrc Beneit, compiled by order of Henry II. Ms. Hurl. 1717. The same Beneit was, perhaps, the author of the Vie de St. Thomas, Ms. Hurl. 3775, though he there calls himself

" lucre Beneit, lepecheour, ove les Jieirs dras" —

At the end of a copy of Le Brut, Bib. Reg. 13 A. xxi. there is a Continuation of the History to the death of William II. in the same Metre, by a Geffrei Gaimar, which escaped the observation of Mr. Casley ; and at the end of another copy, Vitell. A. x. the History is continued by an anonymous author to the accession of King John.

Richard I. composed himself in French. A specimen of his Poetry has been published by Mr. Walpole, Cat. of Royal Authors, v. i. And his Chancellor, William Bishop of Ely (who, as has been observed before, " was totally igno- rant of the English language"), was by no means behind- hand with his Master in his encouragement of French Poets; for of this Bishop the passage in Iloveden is to be under- stood, which Mr. Walpole has applied to the King himself. It is part of a letter of Hugh Bishop of Coventry, who,

164 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

time, cither addressed directly to the principal per- sons at the English court, or at least written on such subjects as we may suppose to have been most likely to engage their attention. Whatever there- fore of English Poetry was produced, in this infancy of the art, being probably the work of illiterate au- thors and circulating only among the vulgar,55 we need not be much surprised that no more of it has been transmitted down to posterity.

§ IV. The learned Hickes, however, has pointed out to us two very curious pieces, which may with probability be referred to this period. The first of them is a Paraphrase of the Gospel Histories, en-» titled Or mulum,^ by one Orm, or Ormiri. It seems

speaking of the Bishop of Ely, says, that he, " ad augmentum et famam sui nominis, emendicata carmina et rythmos adulato- rios comparubut, et de regno Francorum cantor es et joculatores muneribus allexerat, ut de Mo cancvert in plateis; et jam dice batur ubique, quod non erat talis in orbe."' Hoveden, p. 103. OJ To these causes we may probably impute the loss of those Songs upon Hereward (the last perhaps of the Saxon heroes,) which, according to Ingulphus, " were sung about the streets" in his time. Hist. Croyl. p. 68. Robert of Brunne also mentions "a Rime" concerning Gryme the Fisher, the founder of Grymesby; Havelok the Dane; and his wife Goldeburgh, daughter to a King Athelwold; who all now, together with their bard,

— illacrymabiles Urgentur ignotique longrl Nocte. —

See translation of Peter of Langtoft, p. 25. and Camden's Brit. p. 569.

56 The Ormuluin seems to be placed by Hickes among the first writings after the Conquest [Gram. Aug. Sax. c. xxii. p. 165.], but, I confess, I cannot conceive it to have been earlier than the reign of Henry II. There is a peculiarity in the author's orthography, which consists in doubling the Consonants; e.g. brother, he writes brother r ; after, nffterr,

VERSIFICATION OE CHAUCER. 1G5

to have been considered as mere Prose by Hickes and by Wanley, who have Loth given large ex- tracts from it ; but, I apprehend, every reader, who has an ear for metre, will easily perceive that it is written very exactly in verses of fifteen syllables, without Rhyme, in imitation of the most common

&c. He has done this by design, and charges those who shall copy his book to be very careful to write those letters twice, which he has written so, as otherwise, he assures them, "they will not write the word right." Hickes has taken notice of this peculiarity, but has not attempted to explain the author's reasons for it; and indeed, without a more per- fect knowledge than we now probably can have of the Saxon pronunciation, they seem totally inexplicable. In the few lines, which I think it necessary to quote here as a specimen of the Metre, I shall venture (first begging Ormin's pardon for disregarding his injunction) to leave out the superfluous letters, and I shall also for my own ease as well as that of the reader transcribe them in modern characters. The first lines of Wanley's extract from Ms. Bod. Junius I. [Cat. Codd. Mss. Septent. p. 59.] will answer my purpose as well as any other.

Xu, brother Walter, brother min after the flashes kinde, And brother min i Cristendom thurh fulluht and thurh

trowthe, And brother min i Godes bus jet o the thride wise, Thurh that wit hafen taken ba an reghelboc to foljhen Under kanunkes had and lif swa sum Sant Awstin sette, Ic hafe don swa sum thu bad, and forth ed te thin wille, Ic hafe wend intil English godspelles haljhe lare, After that little wit tat me min Drihtin hafeth ler.ed —

[See Ormufam,Yo\. I. Prol. 11. 1-lfi, Ed. White, Oxford, 1852.]

The reader will observe, that, in calling these verses of fifteen syllables, I consider the words — kiude, trowthe, wise, sette, wille, lare — as dissyllables.

The laws of metre require that they should be so con- sidered, as much as foljhen and lened : and for the same reason thride in ver. 3 and hafe in ver. 6 and 7, are to be pronounced as consisting of two syllables.

It is the more extraordinary that neither Hickes nor

166 ESSAY OX THE LANGUAGE AND

species of the Latin Tetrameter Iambic. The other piece,57 which is a moral Poem upon old age, &c;, is in Rhyme, and in a metre much resembling the former, except that the verso of fifteen syllables is broken into two, of which the first should regularly contain eight and the second seven syllables ; but the metre is not so exactly observed, at least in the copy which Hickes has followed, as it is in the Orhvilum.

§ Y. In the next interval, from the latter end of the reign of Henry III. to the middle of the four-

Wanley should have perceived that Ormin wrote in metre, as he himself mentions his having added words for the sake of filling his Rime or Verse, for he calls it by both those names in the following passages:

Ic hafe set her o this hoc amang Godspelles wordes

All thurh me selfen manig word, the Rime swa to jillen —

And again,

And ic ne mihte noht niin fers 353 with Godspelles wordes WelfdUn all, and all forthi sholde ic wel ofte nede Amang Godspelles wordes don min word, min fers to Jillen —

It is scarce necessary to remark, that Rime is here to be un- derstood in its original sense, as denoting the whole verse, and not merely the consonance' of the final syllables. In the second quotation fers, or verse, is substituted for it as a synonymous term. Indeed I doubt whether, in the time of Ormin, the word Rime was, in any language, used singly to convey the idea of Consonant terminations.

57 A large extract from this Poem has been printed by Hickes [Gram. Ang. Sax. c. xxiv. p. 222.], but evidently from very incorrect Mss. It begins thus :

Ic am nu elder thanne ich was

A wintre and a lore; Ic wealde more than i dude,

Mi wit oh to be more.

[Trin. Col. Cam. MS. B. 14. 52, fol. 1.]

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 167

teentli century, when we may suppose Chaucer was beginning to write, the number of English Rhymers seems to have increased very much. Besides several, whose names we know,58 it is probable that a great part of the anonymous Authors, or rather Trans- lators,59 of the popular Poems, which (from their having been originally written in the Roman, or French, language) were called Romances, flourished

58 Robert of Gloucester, and Robert of Brunne have been mentioned already.

To these may be added Richard Rolle, the hermit of Hampole, who died in 1349, after having composed a large quantity of English rhymes. See Tanner, Bib. Brit. Art. Hampole. — Laurence Minot, M'ho has left a collection of Poems upon the principal events of the former part of the reign of Edward III. Ms. Cotton. Galba. E. ix. — Within the same period flourished the two Poets, who are mentioned with great commendations by Robert of Brunne [App. to Pref. to Peter Langt. p. xcix.] under the names " Of Ercel- doun and of Kendale." We have no memorial, that I know, remaining of the latter, besides this passage ; but the former I take to have been the famous Thomas Leirmouth, of Ercil- doun (or Ersilton, as it is now called, in the shire of Mereh,) who lived in the time of Edward I. and is generally dis- tinguished by the honourable addition of "The Rhymour." As the learned Editor of "Ancient Scottish Poems, Edin- burgh, 1770," has, for irrefragable reasons, deprived this Thomas of a Prophecy in verse, which had usually been ascribed to him [see Mackenzie, Art. Thomas Rhymour], I am inclined to make him some amends by attributing to him a Romance of "Sir Tristrem ; " of which Robert of Brunne, an excellent judge! [in the place above cited] says,

Over gestes it has th'esteem,

Over all that is or was,

If men it sayd as made Thomas.

59 See Dr. Percy's curious Catalogue of English Metrical Romances, prefixed to the third Volume of Reliques of ancient Poesy. I am inclined to believe that we have no English

1G8 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

about this time. It is unnecessary to enter into particulars here concerning any of them, as they ilo not appear to have invented, or imported from

Romance, prior to the age of Chaucer, which is not a trans- lation or imitation of some earlier French Romance. The principal of those, which, being built upon English stories, bid the fairest for having been originally composed in Eng- lish, are also extant in French. A considerable fragment of Hornehild, or Dan Horn as he is there called, is to be found in French Alexandrines in Ms. Harl. 527. The first part of Guy of Warwick is in French, in the octosyllable metre, in Ms. Harl. 3775. and the last part in the same language and metre in Ms. Bib. Reg. 8 F. ix. How much may be wanting I have not had opportunity to examine. I have never seen Bevis in French ; but Da Fresnay, in his Biblioth. des Romans, t. ii. p. 241. mentions a Ms. of Le Roman de Beuves de Ilanfonne, and another of Le Roman de Beuves et Rosiane, en Rime; and the Italians, who were certainly more likely to borrow from the French than from the English language, had got among them a Romance di Buovo d'Antona before the year 1348. Quadrio, Storia della Poesia, t. vi. p. 542.

However, I think it extremely probable that these three Romances, though originally written in French, were coin- posed in England, and perhaps by Englishmen ; for we find that the general currency of the French language here en- gaged several of our own countrymen to use it in their com- positions. Peter of Langtoft may be reckoned a dubious instance, as he is said by some to have been a Frenchman ; but Robert Grosscteste, the famous Bishop of Lincoln in the time of Henry III, was a native of Suffolk, and yet he wrote his Gliasteau a" Amours, and his Manuel des Pechees in French. [Tanner's Bib. Brit, and Hearne's Pref. to Rob. of Gloucester, p. lviii.] — There is a translation of Cato in French verse by lielis de Guincestre, i.e. Winchester, Ms. Harl. 4388. and a Romance also in French verse, which I suppose to be the original of the English Ipomedon [Percy's Cat. n. 22.] by Hue de Rotdande, is to be found in Ms. Cotton. Yesp. A. vii. — A French Dialogue in verse, Ms. Bod. 3904. entitled, '"' La pleinte par entre mis Sire Henry de Lucy Counte de Ni- chole et Sire Wauter de Bylelsworth pus la croiscrie en la tcrre Seinte," was most probably composed by the latter, who has

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 169

abroad, any new modes of Versification, by which (lie Art could be at all advanced, Co or even to have improved those which were before in use.

also left us another work in French prose. [See his article in Tanner, Bibl. Brit.] — Even a3 late as the time of Chaucer, Gower wrote his Speculum meditantis in French, but whether in verse or prose is uncertain. John Stowe, who was a dili- gent searcher after Mss. had never seen this work [Annals, p. 326] : nor does either Bale or Pits set down the beginning of it, as they generally do of the books which they have had in their hands. However, one French Poem of Gower's has been preserved. In Ms. Harl. 3869. it is connected with the Confessio Aniantis by the following rubric : " Puisqu'il ad dit cidevant en Englois par voie d'essample la sotie de cellui qui par amours aime par especial, dirra ore apres en Francois a tout le nionde en general une traitie selonc les auctours, pour essampler les am ants marriez, au fin q'ils la foi de leurs seints espousailles pourront par fine loialte guarder, et al honeur de dieu salvement tenir." Pr. Le creatour de Unite creature. It contains lv Stanzas of 7 verses each, in the last of which is the following apology for the language:

" Al' universite de tout le monde Johan Gower ceste Balade envoie, Et si jeo nai de Francois la faconde, Pardonetz moi qe jeo de ceo forsvoie ; Jeo suis Englois, si quier par tiele voie Estre excuse ."

Chaucer himself seems to have had no great opinion of the performances of his countrymen in French. [Prol. to Test, of Love, ed. 1542.] " Certes (says he) there ben some that speke theyr poysy mater in Frenche, of whyche speche the Frenche men have as good a fantasye, as we have in hearing of French mennes Englyshe." And he afterwards concludes with his usual good sense. " Let then Clerkes endyteu in Latyn, for they have the propertye of science and the know- inge in that facultye ; and lette Frenchmen in theyr Frenche also endyte theyr queynt termes, for it is kyndly to theyr mouthes ; and let us shewc our fantasyes in suche wordes as we lerneden of our dames tonge."

60 It was necessary to qualify the assertion, that the Rhymers of this period "did not inventor import from abroad any

170 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

On the contrary, as their works were intended for the ear more than for the eye, to be recited rather than read; they were apt to be more attentive to their Rhymes than to the exactness of their Metres, from a presumption, I suppose, that the defect, or redundance, of a syllable might be easily covered in the recitation, especially if accompanied, as it often was, by some musical instrument.

new modes of Versification," as, in fact, Robert of Brunne (in the passage referred to in n. 58.) has mentioned three or four sorts of verse, different from any which we have hitherto met with, and which appear to have been much cultivated, if not introduced, by the writers who flou- rished a little before himself. He calls them Couwee, Stranc/cre, Enterlace, and Baston. Mr. Bridges, in a sensible letter to Thomas Hearne [App. to Pref. to Peter Langt. p. ciii.] pointed out these terms as particularly "needing an explanation;" but Thomas chose rather to stuff his book with accounts of the Nunnery at Little Gidding, &c. which cost him only the labour of transcribing. There can be little doubt, I think, that the Rhymes called Couwee and Enterlacee were derived from the Versus Caudati and Interlaqueati of the Latin Rhymers of that age. Though Robert of Brunne in his Prologue professes not to attempt these elegancies of compo- sition, yet he has intermixed several passages in Rime Couwee; [see p. 266. 273, 6, 7, 8, 9, et al.] and almost all the latter part of his work from the Conquest is written in Rhyme Enterlacte, each couplet rhyming in the middle as well as at the end. [This was the nature of the Versus Interla- queati, according to the following specimen, Ms. Harl. 1002.

Plausus Grecorum | lux cecis et via claudis | Incola celorum | virgo dignissima laudis.]

I cannot pretend to define the exact form of the Rhyme called Baston, but I dare say it received its appellation from the Carmelite, Robert Baston, a celebrated Latin Rhymer in the reigns of Edward I. and II. [See Tanner, Bibl. Brit, in v. and Hearne's Pref. to Fordun, p. cexxvi. et seq.] His verses upon the battle of Bannockburn, in 1313, are printed in the Appendix to Fordun, p. 1570. They afford instances of al)

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 1 7l

§ VI. Such was, in general, the state of English Poetry at the time when Chaucer probably made his first essays. The use of Rhyme was established ; not exclusively (for the Author of the " Visions of Pierce Ploughman" wrote after the year 135001 without Phyme,) but very generally; so that in this respect he had little to do but to imitate his predecessors. The Metrical part of our Poetry was capable of more improvement, by the polishing of the measures already in use as well as by the introducing of new modes of versification ; and how far Chaucer actu-

the whimsical combinations of Rhymes which can well be conceived to find a place in the Latin heroic metre.

As to Rhyme Strangere, I suspect (upon considering the whole passage in Robert of Brunne) that it was rather a general name, including all sorts of uncommon Rhymes, than appropriated to am' particular species.

Upon the whole, if this account of these new modes of Versification shall be allowed to be anything like the truth. I hope I shall be thought justified in having added, "that the Art could not be at all advanced by them."

61 This is plain from fol. 68. edit. 1550, where the year 1350 is named as a year of great scarcity. Indeed, from the mention of the Kitten in the tale of the Rattons, fol. iii. iiii. I should suspect that the author wrote at the very end of the reign of Edward III. when Richard was become heir apparent.

The Visions of (i.e. concerning) Pierce Ploughman are generally ascribed to one Robert Langland; but the best Mss. that I have seen, make the Christian name of the author William, without mentioning his surname. So in Ms. Cotton. Vesp. B. xvi. at the end of p. 1. is this rubric. " Hie incipit secundus passus de visione Willelmi de Petro Plouhman." And in ver. 5. of p. 2. instead of, " Andsayde • sonne, depest thou?" The Ms. has, "And sayde; Willc, slcpest thou?" See also the account of Ms. Ilarl. 2376. in the Harleian Catalogue.

I cannot help observing, that these Visions have been printed from so faulty and imperfect a Ms. that the author,

172 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

ally contributed to the improvement of it, in both or either of these particulars, we are now to consider.

§ VII. The Metres used by Chaucer62 are princi- pally of three kinds. We find him employing — (1.) the heroic couplet, or lines containing five accents, and arranged in pairs ; (2.) lines of five accents, arranged in stanzas ; and (3.) lines of four accents, arranged in pairs, like the first kind.

§ VIII. Most of the Canterbury Tales are written iii the first Metre, which was accordingly the one chiefly discussed by Tyrwhitt. Professor Craik has ably shown that, " upon the whole, we cannot help

whoever he was, would find it difficult to recognize his own work. However, the judgment of the learned Doctors, Hickes and Percy, [Gram. A. S. p. 217. — Eel. of Anc. Poet, v. ii. p. 260.] with respect to the laws of his versification, is confirmed by the Mss. Each of his verses is in fact a dis- tich, composed of two verses, after the Saxon form, without Rhyme, and not reducible to any certain Metre. I do not mean to say, that a few of his verses may not be picked out, consisting of fourteen and fifteen syllables, and resembling the metre used in the Ormulum; and there are still more of twelve and thirteen syllables, which might pass for very tolerable Alexandrines: but then, on the other hand, there is a great number of his verses (warranted for genuine by the best Ms?.) which cannot, by any mode of pronunci- ation, be extended beyond nine or ten syllables : so that it is impossible to imagine, that his verse was intended to con- sist of any determinate number of syllables. It is as clear that his Accents, upon which the harmony of modern Rhythms depends, are not disposed according to any regular system. The first division of a verse is often Trochaic, and the last Iambic; and vice versa. The only rule, which he seems really to have prescribed to himself, is what has been taken notice of by his first Editor, viz. " to have three wordes at the leaste in every verse whiche beginne with some one letter." Crowley's Pref. to Edit. 1550.

G'2 The following remarks on the Chaucerian Metres, &c. are by the Rev. W. W. Skeat, Editor of " Sir Lancelot," &c.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 173

thinking that little or no impression has yet hecn made upon the substantial correctness of Tyrwhitt's conclusions," 63 and, no doubt, with certain modifi- cations, they will continue to be accepted. This present Essay, however (though leading to some- what similar results), is so far an independent one that it is based upon a careful analysis of every syl- lable occurring in the Knightes Tale ; and an at- tempt is also made to assign reasons for every rule which has been suggested by such a perusal. The present Edition has of course been preferred to Tyr- whitt's for the purpose.

The broad general result seems to be this : that, could the exact orthography and pronunciation of every word of the author be recovered, his Metre would probably prove to be in a high degree melo- dious, and hardly less remarkable for smoothness than it is for strength.

In the Knightes Tale, then, we find the lines in couplets, and each containing five accents. But it is by no means the case that each line generally contains ten syllables. It presents two remarkable variations, viz. that it sometimes contains eleven syl- lables, and sometimes nine. Of these, the former is the more frequent, and is obtained by the addition of an unaccented syllable at the end. A modern reader is too apt to lose sight of this fact, through non-observance of the rules following, which enjoin liio pronunciation of certain final syllables. If. for instance, we meet with the line,

Ci Craik, History of English Literature; vol. ii. b. iii. p. 43. ed. 1844.

174 ESSAY OX THE LANGUAGE AND

Him v.-olde be snybbe scharply for the nor.es. ( Pro]. 1. 523),

and omit to sound the final syllable, the next line,

A better preest I tiowe ther nowher non is,

is not a little startling ; and such an instance may

remind us that these eleven-syllable lines are far

mure common than they perhaps appear to he.

The following lines can be seen at first sight to

have eleven syllables :64

Byforn him stood, and bad him to be muiye (1. 528). But wel I \voot, that in this world gret pyneis (1. 46G). For verjgance that he saugh Dyane al naked (1. 1208).

It will appear hereafter that such lines as 5, 6, 15, 16, 21, 22, 33, 34, &c. have each a similarly re- dundant syllable.

The second variation is more curious, and has hitherto been little noticed. It is due to the fact of the first syllable in the line being deficient, so that the first foot consists of a single syllable, an accented one. This practice is common enough in octosyl- labic metre, and will be again discussed when we come to consider the Komaunt of the Eosc. For the present, it may be enough to cite the following lines, as containing no more than nine syllables (not count- ing the redundant final one), and which are properly scanned by making; the first svllable stand alone :

May, | with al thy floures and thy grene (1. 652). Ther | by aventure this Palamoun (1. 658). Now | it schyneth, now it reyneth faste (1. 678). Tho | it semede that this Palamon (1. 797). That | I am the woful Polamon (1. 876). In | that colde and frosty regioun (1. 1115).

(A All the references in this part of the Essay are to the Knightes Tale.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 175

For | to speke of knighthod of her bond (I. 1245). Ther | was in the oostes al aboute (1. 1635). Nymph | es, Faunes, and Amudryes (1. 2070). Cer | teyndayes and duracioun (1. 2138).

And there are probably many more lines of the same kind of which we cannot be quite so sure. To modern ears, such a usage is a great defect ; but it was, doubtless, intentional on Chaucer's part, and is easily accounted for by a comparison with the Romaunt of the Rose, as has been already suggested.

The great importance of this remark will appear from the fact that an examination of Tyrwhitt's text will show that, in every one of the above ten lines, he has considered it necessary to make up the full number of syllables. He has inserted in the first line 0, in the second as, in the third and; in the fifth he has changed ^e.into thilke, in the sixth that into thilke f5 in the seventh he has inserted As, and in the tenth of. In the remaining lines he has changed Tho it semede into Thou mightest wenen, oostes into hostelries, and Amadryes into Ama- driades.66 Even if he found Ms. authority for all of these changes, and for pursuing the same method in other places, I cannot but think that in some instances he has exercised superfluous care. Yet all students of Chaucer must ever admire his generally judicious treatment of his author.

r" Thilke is the reading sanctioned by MS. Lansd. 851.

66 If the reader wishes for further examples, lie will iind them in the Prologue, II. 170, 242, 247, 39.3 ; in the Knightes Tale, 11. 270, 374 ; in the Milleres Tale, 11. 122, 430 ; in the .Man of Lawes Prologue, 11. 39, CO ; in the Wvf of Bath's Prologue, 11. 188, 287, 732, in the Wyf of Bathes Tale, 11.

170 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

§ IX. Like every other good Poet, Chaucer makes free use of the licenses of slurring and elision. The distinction I would make between these two is the following*. The term elision can only be properly applied when a vowel is completely struck out and lost before another succeeding it, as when, e. g. the words ne am, or the effect are so completely run together as to be spelt nam, or thefficct. In a similar way, Chaucer writes nas for ne ivas, nys and nath for ne ys and ne hath (11. G4 and Go). This method has also been called contraction.

By the license of slurring, I mean that which has often in some cases been called elision; but this latter name is an unhappy one, as it does not truly describe the process, nor is it sufficiently comprehen- sive. Slurring is that rapid pronunciation of a syllabic, by reason of which it is nearly, but not quite, absorbed by the one succeeding it. Thus, in the line, —

Bright was the Sonne, and cleer that monvenynge

(I. 204),

the final c in sonne ought certainly to be pronounced, as in other places ; but it may be so lightly touched as not to disturb the melody of the line. Chaucer's usual practice is to slur over in this manner a final vowel, whenever it is succeeded by another vowel, or by the letter h ; but he does not always do so. Examples of it arc these : the y in many in 1. 6 •

260, 329, 6cc. ; all of which are shown to be true wine-syl- lable lines, from the fact that Tyrwhitt deemed it absolutely necessary to add a syllable to every one of them. More in- stances might be adduced, but the search for them is some- what tedious; and, perhaps, these twenty-Jii-e may suffice. It

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 177

Ful many a richc contre had he wonne j66 the ie in victorie in 1. 14 ;

And thus with victorie and with melodye ; the o in to in 1. G9 ;

And, certus, lord, to abi'den your presence; the e in couthe in I. 504, before an 7?;

Wei couthe he hewe woode, and water here;

and many more may easily he cited. Mr. Wright, in his introduction to the Canterbury Tales, calls this " a constant rule ; " but this is saying too much ; only at the 24th line we find the e in f aire retained, though an 7i follows ;

The fail e hardy quyen of Cithea. But it must further be noticed, that not vowels only, but many other syllables which are capable of a very

is but just to add that Tyrwhitt himself discussed this point, but unhappily decided that a nine-syllable cannot be musical, and he accordingly cites the line quoted by Urry, —

Nought | in purgatorie, but in helle, (1. 368),

with the remark that it " can never pass for a verse in anv form. Xor did Chaucer intend that it should. He wrote (according to the best Mss ), —

Not only in purgatory, but in helle ;"

an assertion which is contradicted by the present edition. It is, in fact, another example against him, in addition to those given above. See also The Freres Tale, 11. 69, 94 ; and The Sompnoures Prologe, 1. 31.

Cer | teinly he knew of bribours mo. Ar | tow than a bayely? Ye, quod he. Twen | ty thousand freres on a route.

c; An acute accent denotes that the syllable is accented; a grave accent, that it is fully pronounced. VOL. I. N

178 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE A XT*

rapid enunciation, can be thus slurred over , the licence then becomes a bolder one, but the melody does not suffer. An example may be seen in the line,

As eny raven fether it sehon for blak (1286),

where the syllables italicized are pronounced in the time of one. Tyrwhitt's remark on this point is most excellent. " Whoever," he says, " can taste the metrical harmony of the following lines of Milton, will not be embarrassed how to dispose of the (seem- ingly) superfluous syllables, which he may meet with in Chaucer ; " and he then cites, from the " Para- dise Lost,"

Ominous | conjecture on the whole success (n. 123). A pil | lar of state; j deep on his front engraven (n. 302). Celestial spi | rits in bond | age, nor the abyss (n. 658). No inconvenient di | et, nor too | light fare (v. 495). Things not reveal'd, which the invis | ibleKing(vn. 122).

With these, the reader should compare the following, from Chaucer :

Sche ga | dereth flou | res, pavtyewhyte and reede (195). We moste endure it; this | istheschort | and pleyn (233). I not | whethur sche | be wornman or goddesse (243). Al lie sche mayde, or be sche wi ] dewe or wyf (313). And seide thus: By God that sit | teth above (741).

The syllables thus shirred over arc very rarely other than these ; -er or -ur, -eih, -en, -el, -we.

Having thus called attention, firstly, to the variable number of the syllables in Chaucer's lines, and, secondly, to that slurring over of syllables which he commonly employs, I now proceed to give the following as the seven principal rules for a right pro- nunciation of his words, adding a few examples, and

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 179

afterwards subjoining a few reasons tending to show that these rules are sound.

§ X. Rules for Pronunciation.

1. French nouns substantive ending in -anee or -aunce, -ence, -oun, -ye or -ie, -or or -ere, -age, -our, -ure, and several other common terminations, are commonly accented, on the last syllable, (not counting the e final).

Examples abound ; the reader will readily find, by looking at the last words in the lines of the Knightes Tale, the words remembrance, observance, plesaunce, presence, absence, pynoiin, mencioun, envye, mercy, prayer, squye'r, matecre, usage, con- querour, aventure, &c, and he may add to the list such words as riches (1. 071), gerland (1071), de- sirous (816),infortune(1163),and a thousand others, where the modern English pronunciation does but tend to mislead him.

It should be added, however, that (inasmuch as French words often differ greatly from English ones in having a more equable and even stress on each syllable) many of these words, when Anglicized, possessed a variable accent ; so that we find both fortune and fortune, bareyn and bareyn, centre and contree, statue and statue, batayl and bataiile, etc. ; all of these occurring in the Knightes Tale only. For example, we have, in 1. 11,

And brought hire hoom with him in his contr£;

but, in line 6, close above it,

Ful many a rkhe cuntre hadde he wonne. Such a system of accentuation was obviously m<>$t

180 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

convenient for poetical usage ; and the practice of accenting final syllables was equally so, in immensely increasing the number of possible rhymes. Of this we become more conscious in the poems containing triple or quadruple rimes. See, c. g., the first stanza on Hercules in the Monkes Tale, where the rimes leoun and dragoun would have been other- wise inadmissible as answering to renoun and adovn.

Similarly, such a word as contrary, is sometimes to be pronounced contrary, as in 1. 1001,

Sle his contrary, or out of lystes dryve.

It must yet further be added that these French words should Lie allowed their full complement of syllables. Thus, menaoun and creature are not dissyllabic, but trisyllabic words.

2. Alike rule is to be applied to words ending in -ynge or -ing, many of which are Saxon. We find thus the words weddynge, comynge, waymentj'nge, rehersyng, desiryng, (ire. In these words also the accent is variable, especially in those that arc Saxon. Compare Iwntyng (821) with hunting (] 450) which latter line should be scanned, •

A mayden, and love huntyng and vinery;

the final syllable in mayden being one of those which is easily slurred over, as explained above.

3. Several (French) words terminating in -le or -re are spelt exactly as they still are in modern French, and should probably be pronounced with a like clip- ping of the final e , and with a heavy stress on the vowel ^receding it. Thus table, temple, miracle, obstacle,

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 181

propre, chambre, theatre, seem to have been com- monly pronounced tall', tempi', miracl\ obstacV, propr', chambr,! theatr . Thus in 1. 1111,

Within the temple of mighty Mars the reede,

though we cannot be certain that the final e was altogether suppressed. For other examples, see obstacle (929), temple again in 1. 70, (where cjocl- cUsse and clemence, having French terminations, are accented on the last syllable), people (104), chambre (207), table (447), and especially 1. 4 of the Cokes Talc,

Broun as a bery, and a propre felawe,

in which the cwsural pause after bery probably pre- served its final y from being slurred over. The same treatment should perhaps be applied to adjec- tives ending in -ible, -able, &c, as in the word orrible. in 1. 593,

In darkness and orrfble and strong prisoun.

it must be admitted, however, that this rule is merely conjectural, and is not at all of universal application ; for the second syllable in temple could easily be fully sounded if needed, as it is in 1. 1135, where it may be observed that the spelling of the word is altered to tempul, which may not be altoge- ther accidental. Compare the spelling chambur in 1. 29 of the Milleres Tale, and numerous other instances.

4. The final -cs is generally pronounced as a distinct syllable, whether it is the sign of the geni- tive case singular, as in hjnges (323) ; of the plural number, as in clothes (41) ; or when, it is an

182 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

adverbial ending, as in certes, elles, &c. Hence also elleswhere is a trisyllable in 1. 1255, Were it in Engelond, or elleswhere. In 1. 139, the word boclyes is lengthened out into three syllables, while in 1. 147 it has but two ; so in 1. 1609 maladies has four syllables. In 1. 1580 wJules is a monosyllable, and in 11. 78 and 134 honsbondes has but two syllables, but the suppres- sion of the final -es is very uncommon, and there can be little doubt that this rule is a sound one, and of great use. Observe the significant spelling ccrtus in 1. 64.

5. The final -ed of adjectives and past participles is also in general fully sounded, as in swoivned (55), croivned (169), but it could be suppressed at plea- sure, if the metre demanded it. See 11. 338, 339.

For in this world he lovedc no man so, And lie lovd' him as tendurly agayn.

The -ede of the preterites of weak verbs wras sounded as -de, and occasionally as -te, as shrighte slirihede ; SH/hte=sif/hede'.

6. With respect to the final -en, wefindth;;r («.) it is sometimes pronounced in full as in tellen, 1. 1,

Vvrhilom, as olde stories tellon us ;

(b.) it is often slurred over by a rapid pronunciation of it, as in 1. 119,

That alle the feldes gli | teren up | and doun ; and (c.) the e is perhaps occasionally altogether sup- pressed, as in 11. 963, 964,

And ye schiiU'n bothe anon unto me severe, That never y6 schull'n my corowne dere;

for observe the spelling schuln in 1. 1498,

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 183

Schuln the declare[n],C7 or that thou go henwe. 7. With respect to the final -e, the best practical method is to sound it fully, whenever it occurs, unless it is obviously not wanted. The chief excep- tion is in the case of possessive pronouns, which are almost invariably monosyllabic. See 11. 61, 78, 85, 93 for the word oure ; 11. 59, 62, 246 for youre ; 178, 180, 192, 203 for hire; and 11. 1460, 1461, 1462 for here (their). Hire is also a monosyllable when it is a personal pronoun, as in 1. 194. It is diffi- cult to point out instances where the -e final is not sounded, but it appears to be silent in dore (1564), feste (25), regne (19), and beste (460, 1). The reasons for this will be very fully discussed pre- sently.

The final -e is almost invariably, however, shirred over, or — if the reader really prefers the term — elided, whenever it is followed by a vowel or the letter h; so that, while it is fully sounded in sonne in 1. 1664,

Lang after that the sonne gan to springe ; it is but lightly uttered in 1. 839,

Under the sonne he looketh, right anon,

being nearly absorbed by the syllable he succeeding it. I say nearly advisedly, for an attentive listener to an Italian song will become aware how easily vowel sounds may be slurred over without being quite lost.

For good examples of the evident necessity of

67 The final n is needed here and in 11. G49, 736. For some excellent remarks on the -en of the infinitive mood, see Wright; Introduction to the Canterbury Tales, p. xi.

184 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

pronouncing this final vowel observe 11. 90, 842, and 1281 ;

Him thoughte that his herte wolde bieke; The brighte swerdes vente to and fro; With foure white boles in a trays.

Compare 1. 1324, where -cs occurs three times; For trusteth wel, that dukes, erles, kynges.

§ XI. Keasoks for the above Eules.

Actual trial seems to show that these rules, com- bined with the remarks preceding them on the slur- ring over of light syllables, are nearly sufficient to solve fully the versification of Chaucer, though the reader will require a complete familiarity with all of them, in order fully to appreciate the extent of their application. Doubts which may arise as to some of them will probably disappear upon further consideration, and it should be remembered that the licence, freely exercised by the poet, of varying the accent of many words at pleasure, often tends to obscure the true method of reading: the lines.

For convenience, I shall consider the rules in the order already given.

1. A large number of words in French and Ita- lian and Spanish were formed on the model of the accusative case singular of Latin substantives. For a- complete proof of this see Sin, G. C. Lewis : Essay on the Romance Languages. Hence, from the Latin ohservantiam was formed the Italian os- servanza or osservanzia, and the old French obser- vctunce or observance, accented as here marked. And if we compare the words in Chaucer with their

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 185

Italian forms, or with old French forms, all their apparent strangeness of pronunciation will be easily accounted for. In such Italian forms as absenza, menzione, invidia (envy), mercede, pregheria (prayer), scudiere (squire), materia, usdr/r/io, eon- quistatore, avventura, the pronunciation suggested is natural enough. So too in ricJiezze, ghirldnda, desioso (shortened from desiroso), infortuno, and almost all other instances. When, however, the French had clipped down the Latin forfunam to fortune, the accentuation was easily shifted by Englishmen, so as to make it fortune ; and hence the very convenient uncertainty of accent which was gladly adopted by Chaucer for poetical uses.

2. To trace the whole history of the termination -ing would take up too much space. It may suffice to say that the Saxon form of comyng was cumende, and the French form of desiryng was desirdnt, so that in both cases the accent which Chaucer gives can be accounted for. Besides the present partici- ples, we have nouns in -yng, such as Tiuntyng. Here the Saxon had also a noun, which was spelt huntung j or, in the oblique cases, huntunge, Jwnt- unga, huntungum.

3. This is not so much an established rule as a suo-o-estion. If, in French, the Latin observant ian) becomes observance, by the same process the word tabulam would also lose its two final syllables, and become table (pronounced as in modern French). Such appears to have been Chaucer's more usual practice.

4. The final -es is sounded because it was a dis- tinct syllable in Saxon. Thus cynges was the geni-

186 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

tivc case of cyngf'* a king (the c being pronounced in Saxon as 7c) ; cldtJias is the plural of clath, a cloth ; and, thirdly, the ending -es is a common ad- verbial ending in Saxon, and was fully pronounced. For French plurals in -es, see remarks on rule 7 below.

5. The full pronunciation of the final -eel arose from the fact that in Saxon many Verbs ended in -oele in the past tense, and -oil in the past participle. Thus, lufian, to love ; ic lufode, I lov'de ; lufod, loved. Some other Verbs employed a final -eele or -ed, fully sounded ; and, indeed, the practice of sounding the final -eel in many cases still exists.

6. With regard to the final -en ;

(a.) It often took the place of the Saxon endings -on or -an ;

(b.) It is a syllable that can be very easily slurred over.

(c.) It is easily suppressed, if necessary; and, indeed, many words in modern English, such a> lom, com, were once spelt boren, coren.

7. The final -e was generally sounded, because it was, in a large number of cases, the last relic of an old Saxon inflexion. This was particularly the ease in the infinitive moods of verbs ; so that the Saxon tell-etn (to tell) became, first of all, tell-en, then tell-e, with the e pronounced, then tell-e, with the e not pronounced, and finally tdl, as at this day. Li Chaucer's time tellen and telle were the usual forms ; and he very often employs these in the manner best suited to the melody of the verse, viz. by writing

68 A more usual form of the word was ryning, gen. cyn* inges.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 187

the form in -en before vowels, as deyen, 1. 745 ; the form in -e before consonants, as telle in 1. 496; or the form in -e before vowels, when the metre requires that the word shall be clipped, as stynte in 1. 476. Since, however, the final n in a Ma. is often indicated only by a stroke over the e, and this stroke is sometimes accidentally omitted, we find such lines as,

Then pray I the to rewe on my pyne (1. 1524), And spende hit in Vcmu heigh servise (1. 1G29),

where the Poet must have intended to use the forms rewen and spenden. In the latter case, indeed, this is rendered certain by the employment of jousten in the line above it. I can only enumerate here some of the cases in which -e final represents an old Saxon inflexion. It does so in various cases of the substantive, especially in the oblique cases and in the plural number ; in adjectives, especially when preceded by the definite article ; in many parts of the verb, besides the infinitive mood ; and very often in adverbs, of which it is an especial sign. A few examples may render this clearer. Thus, in 1. 4, tyme represents the A. S. tim-anj in 1. 5, sonne represents sunn-an; in 1. 6, ivonne represents the past participle wunn-en; in 1. 321 Icyte is a nomi- native, but then the Saxon form is cyt-a ; in 1. 29, waylce is the plural number, A. S. wcic-e ; in 1. 44, herde is the 3rd pcrs. sing, of the past tense, A. S. hyr-de ; in 1. 90, ivithoute is a clipped form of the A. S. preposition wiiJvut-an ; and, in general, most of the final <"s can be very well accounted for by comparison with an A. S. grammar.

But not only was the final -e sounded, owing to

188 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

the lingering forms of the old A. S. inflexions, but it was usual to do so also in the case of French nouns, just as, for instance, in the song "Partani pour la Syri-e" at the present day. Curiously enough, Tynvhitt says much more about the French e femi- nine (as he terms it), than about the A. S. inflexions, although the latter are of far more importance. Still it would be wrong to omit all mention pf this common French practice, as it accounts for the sounding of the -e in joye, Emelye, <fcc. whenever the metre demands it; thus, in 1. 1013,

Who spryngeth up for joye but Arcite?

and in 1. 828,

And Emelye, clothed al in greene.

Here again, if we compare the Italian forms gioj-a, Emili-a, the practice in question seems less sur- prising. But instead of saying, as Tynvhitt does, " that what is generally considered as an e mute in our language, either at the end or in the middle of words, was anciently pronounced, but obscurely, like the c feminine in French ; " I should be inclined to state the case somewhat differently, and to say that the e final in Saxon words is of more force and im- portance than in those derived from the French, and is baldly ever to be considered as obscurely pro- nounced, except before a vowel or the letter 7;. The French e final, on the other hand, may easily be dropped altogether, and this is why such words as regne (1. 8); feste (1. 25), grace (1. 315), heste (1. 400), tfce. may be monosyllables ; and the length- ening of them out into dissyllabic words is rather to be considered as a poetical licence than as repre-

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 189

seating the ordinary pronunciation of the words ; much as, in modern French, the practice is entirely confined to poetry. This nearly agrees, in some cases, with Kule 3, and gives it probability.

It is absolutely necessary, however, to guard against a mistake that may very easily be made. It must be remembered that in some cases the final e is merely orihoepic, and represents neither a Saxon inflexion, nor a French noun-ending, but solely has to do with the length of the preceding vowel ; thus in 1. 1437,

Whan kynled was the fyre, with pitous cheere,

the word fyre is a true monosyllable, and the old form is not fyr-e or fyr-a, but simply fyr; and this may serve to show that the question we are now dis- cussing requires peculiar care.

As another example, we may eite duke (1. 94), which is also a monosyllable, the e being merely or- thoepic. The French form is simply due, and hence we find the spelling duk used in 1. 2. It has been already remarked that owre, youre, hire, here are commonly monosyllables ; but it should be further noticed that words like alle, which are in very com- mon use, are on that account peculiarly liable to lose their final -e, even when grammar would de- mand that it should be preserved. Thus while we find uUe in 1. 54, it is clipped down to all in 11. 77 and 86.

As the question of the pronunciation of the final -e has excited the attention of scholars, the follow- ing table of references is added, as throwing some light upon the subject : —

190 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

(a.) Final -e sounded as being the sign of the infinitive mood ; 11. 15, 201, 241, 292, 350. 412. 564, 654.

(6.) Final -e sounded in the past participle ; 11. 6,404, 406, 497,612.

((.'.) It is sounded also in other parts of the verb, especially in the past tense; 11. 2, 35, 44, 57, 73, 90, 102, 132, 201, 246, &e. But it is silent in 11. 45, 470.

(d.) In oblique cases of a substantive ; 11. 4, 5, 93, 95, 186, 417, 591, 739. Not silent, but rapidly pronounced in herts in 1. 239.

(c.) In oblique cases of the adjective; 11. 13, 28, 37, 39, 118, 306, &c.

(f.) In adjectives plural, 11. 1, 29, 54, 76, 153, &e.

(</.) In adjectives in the nominative, preceded by the, or a possessive pronoun ; 11. 24, 67, 80. 198, 210, &c. Silent in 1. 405 ; or rather, he is redundant. The word trewe in 1. 101 is a dis- syllable, because its old Saxon form is so.

(/?.) Li Saxon substantives in the nominative case, 11. 96, 239, 286, 307, &c. ; the original words being dissyllabic, viz. hcorte, bana, lagu.

{%.) In adverbs ; 11. 164, 409, 449, 454, &c. ; the original words being sona, ofte (?), mceve, or mcera.

(7i\) In French nouns, m&feste (48), sege (79), eese (111), rose (180), selli (518), cause (710), face (720), in most of which cases it may be ob- served that the preceding vowel has an open sound ; for tbe final -e is most frequently clipped when pre- ceded by another e, with two intervening consonants.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 191

Examples of this, reyae. beste, feste, have been already cited ; yet at 1. 48 we find feste.

These instances, coupled with the preceding re- marks, seem to leave very little unexplained with respect to this question.

All the instances here given are selected ones, taken from lines where the accent seems not doubt- ful. For I must repeat, that the great difficulty of coming to a decision on some of these points is caused almost wholly by the caprice of the poet as to accentuation. For one final and remarkable in- stance of this, I need only cite the word Arclte. This is pronounced as a trisyllable, Arc'tta, in 1. 478, and in 1. 254, where it is spelt Arcitej the final e is clipped in 1. 667, before a vowel, unless it be utterly" dropped, as in 11. 670, 497, where it is but a dissyllable; whilst, on the other hand, we find A'rcite in 1. 294, and A'reite (dissyllable) in 1. 778. Instances of all four methods of pronunciation abound throughout the story; whilst, on the other band, the supposition of a change of accent renders the lines where they occur so perfectly melodious that there can be little doubt but that the author intended it.

§ XII. The second kind of metre used by I 'haucer is where the lines have still five accents, but arc arranged in stanzas.

The remarks on the lines in couplets apply equally to these ; but it should be observed that in this second metre, the lines are cast, as it were, in a stricter mould. Eleven-syllable lines seem to be less common, though the first stanza of the The Man of Lawes Tale contains certainly three, and

102 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE AND

perhaps five; but the difficulty of finding triplets of double-rhymes acts as a restriction on their use. iVine-syllable lines are also used much less fre- quently, as they disturb the flow of the stanza. Yet they occur sometimes, as in the Clerkes Tale, Pt. 4, 1. 57,—

Deth | may make no comparisoun ;

and in the Second Xonncs Tale, 1. 110,

Seen | of faith the magnanimite;

in the first of which Tyrwhitt inserted not, and in the second changed seen into saiven.

It merely remains to describe how these lines are arranged into stanzas.

1. We find stanzas of seven lines, where the 1st and 3rd lines are rhymed together, the 2nd, 4th, and 5th together, and the two last together. The poems in this metre arc The Man of Lawes Tale, The Clerkes Tale, the Prioresses Tale, The Second Xonnes Tale, and many of the minor poems; but the most ambitious and longest of all the poems in this metre is the tale of Troi'lus and Cresseide, which may be considered as the most perfect ex- ample of it.

2. The eight-lino stanzas have also one general model, being arranged so that the 1st and 3rd lines rhyme together, and the Gth and 8th, whilst the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th, all terminate in the same rhyme. The best example of this metre is perhaps The Monkes Tale. Other examples are The Com- plaint of the Black Knight, (last two stanzas), Chaucer's A. B, C, The Complaint of Venus,

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 193

L'Envoy do Chaucer a Bukton, and A Ballade of the Village.6?

3. We also find a few nine-line stanzas, the best example being The Complaint of Mars. Here the arrangement of the rhymes is as follows: lines ] ,2,4, 5, rhyme together ; also lines 3, G, and 7 ; whilst the two last are paired off together. The arrangement of the ten-line stanza at the end of The Complaint of Venus is the same, with merely an additional line tacked on at the end. Another example is The Complaint of Annelida, where the rhymes have a dif- ferent order, viz. 1,2,4, 5, 8, and 3, 6, 7, 9 ; but some of the stanzas vary,70 and one, the 11th, pos- sesses nine consecutive rhymes.

4. The Cuckow and the Nightingale a'ives an example ofJlve-Yme stanzas, the arrangement being 1, 2, 5, and 3, 4. This stanza is unusual.

XIII. Of the metre in which the lines are arranged in couplets, each line having four accents, and each foot being generally of the iambic form, we have examples in the Eomaunt of the Eose, The Boko of the Duchesse, The House of Fame, and Chau-

69 The Complaint of Venus, it will be noticed, has an " En- voy" at the end suggesting that it is written in a metre of unusual difficulty. On closer examination, the reader will see that the rhymes in the first stanzas are alike, also those in the next three, and again those in the last three ; whilst the first three have the same burden or final line, and so for the next three, and the next. No doubt, the metre is difficult enough.

70 These variations are worth study. Thus the rhyme-end- ings in the 6th and 7th stanzas are the same, but are differently arranged. In like manner, stanzas 13 and 14 are complementary to each other; whilst the 8th and 15th stanzas are alike, and involve infernal rhymes: as,

My swete foo — why do ye so — for shame. VOL. I. 0

194 ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE ASD

cer's Dream. The best examples of this metre in our language are, perhaps, Milton's L' Allegro and II Penseroso, and the former furnishes us with an ex- cellent instance of lines where the first foot consists of a single syllable only ;

Haste | thee, nymph, and bring -with thee Jest | and youthful jollity, &c.

These lines are often mistakenly called trochaic, but (although they have a trochaic effect) it introduces much less confusion to scan them as I have marked them. There is then little difficulty in scannin<>- the couplet,

Such | as hang on Hebe's cheek, And love | to live in dimple sleek.

So too, in Chaucer, we find plenty of these lines, which serve to vary the metre pleasantly. Exam- ples are,

Doun | ward ay in my pleiyng ; Next j covetise faste by ; Fur | red with no menyvcre.

These lines occasion no difficulty; "1 but they are of great service in suggesting that this was the prob- able origin of the m'tte-syllable lines occurring in the Canterbury Tales. It being perceived that the omission of the initial syllable did not spoil the har- mony of the verse of four accents, it might be sup- posed that it would not do so in a verse of Jive accents ; and hence Chaucer made trial of it. But

71 Further remarks on them may be found in my note on the metre of "Genesis and Exodus," ediwd by Mr. Morris, for the Early English Text Society.

VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER. 195

he did not introduce it very frequently, and later poets have decided against it, so that it is now perhaps almost unknown. How unpleasant it is to modern ears is apparent from the fact that Tyrwhitt seems to have held all such lines to be faulty, but Ms. authority is here against him.

XIV. The ballad metre of The Eime of Sir Thopas and the metre of the Virelai are readily understood. The latter, however, is rare, and in- teresting as having been imitated by Earl Rivers in the only extant poem by that accomplished no- bleman. See Percy's Eeliques of Ancient Poetry, Series n. Book i.

XV. The only metre remaining that requires no- tice is that of the Cokes Tale of Gamelyn. Of this suffice it to say, that each line contains four strongly accented syllables, and that the unaccented syllables are left to take care of themselves, being introduced very irregularly. The general effect of the lines may be described as anapaestic ; and the easiest method of scanning them is as follows :

Lith | eth and lest | ncth, and herk | neth aright || And ye | schul heere a talk | yng of a dough | ty knight || Sire Jon | an of Bofin | dy.i was his | right name || He cowde of n<5r | ture ynough | and md | chil of game || Thre s6n | es tie knight | had, that with his bo | dy he wan || &c.

The reader will find further illustrations of some of the points above considered in the Introduction to an edition of Chaucer's " Legende of Goode Women," by Hiram Corson. He gives upwards of a hundred examples, from Shakespeare, Spenser, and others, of the variableness of accent mentioned

196 VERSIFICATION OF CHAUCER.

at p. 185. He also cites many examples from Spenser's Fairie Qucene, such as these following,

And eke, through feare, as white as whales bone. (F. Q. 3.

1.15); Whose yielded pryde and proud submission. (F. Q. 1. 3. G) ; Now base and contemptible did appeare. (F. Q. 4. 5. 14);

which go to prove that English accentuation was much more fall, slow, and equable formerly than it is now.

Since writing the above, I have seen Professor Child's exhaustive treatise on this subject, a perusal of which beforehand would have made my remarks more valuable. They must be taken, therefore, only as exhibiting an easy popular view of the subject. But I do not think there is much thatreally needs either alteration or much modification. The most important point which I have missed is, that when a vowel is slurred over before the letter h, it will generally be found that h begins a pronoun or a part of the verb to have. This explains the scansion of 1. 24, noticed at p. 177.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE

TO THE CANTERBURY

TALES.

THE CONTENTS.

'HE Dramatic form of Novel- writing invented by Boccacc. The Decameron a species of Coined)'. § II. The Canterbury Tales com- posed in imitation of the Decameron. Design of this Discourse to give, 1. the general Plan of them, and, 2. a Review of the parts contained in this Edi- tion. § III. The general Plan of the Canterbury Tales, or originally designed by Chaucer. § IV. Parts of this Plan not executed. § V. Review of tbe parts contained in this Edition. — The Prologue. The Time of the Pil- grimage. § VI. The Number of the Company. § VII. Their Agreement to tell Tales for their diversion upon their journey. § VIII. Their Characters. Their setting out. The Knight appointed by lot to tell the first Tale. § IX. The Knightes Tale copied from the Theseida of Boccace. A summary account of the Theseida. § X. The Honk called upon to tell a Tale ; interrupted by the Miller. § XL The Miller's Tale. § XII. The Reeves Tale. The principal incidents taken from an old French Fabliau. § XIII. The Cokes Tale, imperfect in all the Mss. No foundation for ascribing the Story of Gamclyn to Chaucer. § XIV. The Prologue to the Man of Lawes Tale. The Progress of the Pilgrims upon theii journey. A reflection seemingly levelled at Gower. § XV. The Man of Lawes Tale taken from Gower, who was not the inventor of it. A similar story in a Lay of Bretagne. § XVI. Reasons for placing the Wife of Bathes Prologue next to the Man of Lawes Tale. § XVII. The Wife of Bathes Prologue. § XVIII. The Wife of Bathes Tale taken from the story of Florent in Gower, or from some older narrative. The fable much impioved by Chaucer. § XIX. The Tales of the Frere and the Sompnour. § XX. The Clerkes Tale said by Chaucer to be borrowed from Petrarch, whose work upon this subject is a m.re translation from Boccace.

200 CONTENTS.

§ XXI. The Marchaundes Tale. The adventure of the Pear-tree in the Latin fables of Adolphus. The Pluto and Proserpine of Chaucer revived by Shakespeare under the names of Oberon and Titania. § XXII, A new Prologue TO THE Squyers Tale connecting it with the Marchaundes Tale. § XXIII. The Squyers Tale, probably never finished by Chaucer. § XXIV. The Frankeleins Pro- logue, attributed to the Marchant in the common editions. Reasons for restoring it to the Frankeleyn. § XXV. The Frankeleyns Tale taken from a Lay of Bretagne. The same story twice told by Boccace. § XXVI. The Nonnes Tale not connected with any preceding Tale. Translated from the Life of St. Cecilia in the Golden Ligendc. Origin- ally composed as a separate work. § XXVII. Reasons for removing the Tales of the Nonne and Chanons Yeman to the end of the Nonnes Prestes Tale. § XXVIII. The Tale of the Ciianons Yeman, a satire against the Alchemists. § XXIX. Doubts concerning the Prologue to the Dortours Tale. § XXX. The Doctours Tale. The story of Vir- ginia from Livy. § XXXI. The Pardoners Prologue. The proper use of the Prologue in this work. The outline of the Pardoners Tale in the Canto Novelle Autichc. § XXXII. Reasons for transferring to the Shipman a Pro- logue which has usually been prefixed to the Tale of the Squier. The Shipmans Tale probably borrowed from some French Fableour, older than Boccacc. § XXXIII. The Prioresses Prologue and Tale. § XXXIV. Chaucer called upon for his Tale. His Rime of Sire Thopas a ridicule upon the old metrical Romances. § XXXV. His other Tale of Melibee in Prose, a translation from the French. § XXXVI. The Monkes Tale, upon the plan of Boccace' s work J)e Casibus virorum illustriuni. § XXXVII. TnE Tale op the Nonnes Preest. The ground-work borrowed from a Fable of Marie, a French Poetess. § XXXVIII. The Manciples Prologue. The Pilgrims advanced to a place called " Bob up and clown." The Maunciples Tale, the fable of Coronis in Odd. § XXXIX. The Poem, called " The Plowman's Tale,'" why omitted in this edition. § XL. The Person's Prologue. The time of the day. The Person's Tale, a Treatise on Penance. § XLI. Remarks upon what is commonly called the RE- TRACTATION at the end of the Person's Tale. Conclusion.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES.

§1-

HE Dramatic form, which Boccacc gave to his collection of Tales, or Novels, about the middle of the four- teenth Century,1 must be allowed to have been a capital improvement of that species of amusing composition. The Deca- meron in that respect, not to mention many others, has the same advantage over the Cento NovelJe anticke, which arc supposed to have preceded it in point of time, that a regular comedy will necessarily have over an equal number of single unconnected

1 The Action of the Decameron being supposed in 1384, the year of the great pestilence, it is probable that Boccace did not set about his work till after that period. How soon he completed it is uncertain. It should seem from the in- troduction to the Fourth Day, that a part (containing per- haps the three first Days) was published separately; for in that Introduction he takes pains to answer the censures^ which had been passed upon him by several persons, who had read his Novels. One of the censures is, " that it did not become his age to write for the amusement of women, &c." In his answer he seems to allow the fact, that he was rather an old fellow, but endeavours to justify himself by the. examples of "Guido Cavalcanti et Dante Alighieii gia vecchi ct Messer Cino da Pistoia vecchissimo." It appears

202 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

Scenes. Perhaps indeed there would be no great harm, if the Critics would permit us to consider the Decameron, and other compositions of that kind, in the lio-ht of Comedies not intended for the stao-e : at least we may venture to assume, that the closer any such composition shall copy the most essential forms of Comedy, the more natural and defined the Plan shall be ; the more the Characters shall be diver- sified ; the more the Tales shall be suited to the Characters ; so much the more conspicuous will be the skill of the "Writer, and his work approach the nearer to perfection.

§ II. The Canterbury Tales are a work of the same nature with the Decameron, and were, in all probability, composed in imitation of it, though upon a different, and, in my opinion, an improved plan. It would be easy to shew, that, in the several points above-mentioned, Chaucer has either been more judicious, or more fortunate, than his master Boccace : but, waiving for the present c that dis-

from a passage in the Laberinto d'Amore [Ed. 1723. t. iii. p. 24.], that Boccace considered himself as an elderly man, when he was a little turned of forty; and therefore the pub- lication of the first part of the Decameron may very well have been, as Salviati has fixed it, [V. Manni, 1st. del De- cam, p. 144.] in 1353, when Boccace was just forty years of age. If we consider the nature of the work, and that the Author, in his Conclusion, calls it repeatedly " lunga futica," and says, that li malto tempo" had passed between the com- mencement and the completion of it, we can hardly, I think, suppose that it was finished in less than ten years ; which will bring the publication of the entire collection of Novels, as we now have it, down to 1358.

2 I will only just, mention what appear to me to be funda- mental defects in the Decameron. In the first place, the Action is indefinite; not limited by its own nature, but merely by the will of the Author. It might, if he had been

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 203

quisition, I shall proceed to the immediate object of this Discourse, which is, in the first place, to lay before the reader the general plan of the Canterbury Tales, as it appears to have been originally designed by Chaucer ; and, secondly, to give a particular re- view of the several parts of that work, which are come down to us, as they are published in this edition.

§ III. The general plan of the Canterbury Tales may be learned in a great measure from the Prologue, which Chaucer himself has prefixed to them. Tie supposes there, that a company of Pil- grims going to Canterbury assemble at an Inn in Southwark, and agree, that, for their common amuse- ment on the road, each of them shall tell at least one Tale in going to Canterbury, and another in coming back from thence ; and that he, who shall tell the best Tales, shall be treated by the rest with a supper upon their return to the same Inn. This

so pleased, have as well comprehended twenty, or a hundred days, as ten ; and therefore, though some frivolous reasons are assigned for the return of the Company to Florence, we see too plainly, that the true reason was, that the budget of Novels was exhausted. Not to mention, that every day after the first may properly be considered as containing a new action, or, what is worse, a repetition of the Action of the former day. The second defect is in the Characters, which are so nearly resembling to each other, in age, rank, and even natural disposition, that, if they had been strictly sup- ported, their conversation must have been incapable of that variety which is necessary to carry the reader through so long a work. The third defect has arisen from the author's attempt to remedy the second. In order to diversify and enliven his narrations, he has made a circle of virtuous ladies and polite gentlemen hear and relate in their turns a num- ber of stories, which cannot, with any degree of probability, be supposed to have been suffered in such an assembly.

204 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

is shortly the Fable. The Characters of the Pil- grims are as various as, at that time, could be found in the several departments of middle Trie ; that is, in fact, as various as could, with any probability, be brought together, so as to form one company; the highest and the lowest ranks of society being neces- sarily excluded. It appears further, that the design of Chaucer was not barely to recite the Tales told by the Pilgrims, but also to describe their journey, And al3 the remenaunt of their pilgrimage j in- cluding, probably, their adventures at Canterbury as well as upon the road. If we add, that the Tales, besides being nicely adapted to the Charac- ters of their respective Relators, were intended to be connected together by suitable introductions, and interspersed with diverting episodes ; and that the greatest part of them was to have been executed in Verse ; we shall have a tolerable idea of the extent and difficult v of the whole undertaking : and admir- ing, as we must, the vigour of that genius, which in an advanced age 4 could begin so vast a work, we

3 Prologue, 1. 72-1.

4 Chaucer was born in 1328, and it is most probable, I think, that he did not begin his Canterbury Tales before 1382, at the earliest. My reason is this. The Queen, who is mentioned in the Legende of Goode Women, 1. 49G, was certainly Anne of Bohemia, the first Queen of Richard II. She was rot married to Richard till the beginning of 1382, so that the Legende cannot possibly be supposed of an earlier date than that year. In the Legende [11. 329, 332. 11. 417 — 428.] Chaucer has enumerated, I believe, all the con- siderable works which he had then composed. It was to his purpose not to omit an}'. He not only does not mention the Canterbury Tales, but he expressly names the story of Pa- lamon and Arcite and the Life of Saint Cecilia, both which now make part of them, as separate compositions. I am

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 205

shall rather lament than he surprised that it has heen left imperfect.

§ IV. In truth, if we compare those parts of the Canterbury Tales, of which we are in possession, with the sketch which has been just given of the intended whole, it will be found that more than one half is wanting. The Prologue we have, perhaps nearly complete, and the greatest part of the journey to Canterbury ; but not a word of the transactions at Canterbury, or of the journey homeward, or of the Epilogue, which, we may suppose, was to have con- cluded the work, with an account of the Prize-supper and the separation of the company. Even in that part which we have of the journey to Canter- bury, it will be necessary, in the following Review, to take notice of certain defects and inconsistencies, which can only be accounted for upon the supposi- tion, that the work was never finished by the Author.

§ Y. Having thus stated the general Plan of the Canterbury Talcs, I shall now, according to my promise, enter upon a particular Review of those parts of them, which are published in this edition, beginning with the Prologue.

It seems to have been the intention of Chaucer, in the first lines of the Prologue, to mark with some exactness the time of his supposed pilgrimage ; but

persuaded, therefore, that in 1382 the work of the Canter- bury Tales was not begun ; and if we look further and con- sider the troubles in which Chaucer was involved, for the five or six following years, by his connexions with John of Northampton, we can hardly suppose that it was much ad- vanced before 1389, the sixty-first year of the author's a pee.

206 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

unluckily the two circumstances of his description, which were most like to answer that purpose, are each of them irreconcileable to the other. When he tells us, that " the schowres of Aprille had perced to the roote the drought of Marche," [Prologue 11. 1, 2.] we must suppose, in order to allow due time for such an operation, that April was far advanced ; while on the other hand the place of the Sun, " having just run half his course in the Earn" [11. 7, 8], restrains us to some day in the very latter end of March ; as the Vernal Equinox, in the age of Chaucer, accord- ing to his own treatise on the Astrolabe,5 was computed to happen on the ]2th of March. This difficulty may, and I think, should he removed by reading in ver. 8, the Bull, instead of the Ram.() All the parts of this description will then be con- sistent with themselves, and with another passage,7

5 In this particular the Editions agree with the Mss. but in general, the printed text of this Treatise is so monstrously incorrect, that it cannot be cited with any safety.

6 This correction may seem to be authorised, in some mea- sure, by Lydgate, who begins his continuation of the Can- terbury Tales in this manner :

" Whan bright Phebus passed was the JRam, Midde of April!, and into the Bull came."

But the truth is, that Dan John wrote for the most part in a great hurry, and consequently without much accuracy. In the account which he proceeds to give of Chaucer's Tales, he not only confounds the circumstances of description of the Sompnour and Pardoner, but he speaks of the latter as —

" Telling a tale to anger with the Frere."

Storie of Thebes, ver. 32—5.

7 The Man of Lawes Prologue,!. 5.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 207

where, in some Mss. the eighte and twenty day of April is named as the day of the journey to Can- terbury.8

We will suppose therefore, that the preceding day, the seven and twentieth of April, was the day on which the company assembled at the Tabard. In what year this happened, Chaucer has not thought fit to inform us.9 Either he did not think it necessary to fix that point at all, or perhaps he post-

8 Most of the Mss. agree in reading eightetene, Harl. Ms. 1. 7334 reads thretttnthe,

9 It is clear that, whether the pilgrimage were real or imaginary, Chaucer, as a Poet, had a right to suppose it to have happened at the time which he thought best. He was only to take care, when the time was once fixed, that no cir- cumstances were admitted into his Poem, which might clash, or be inconsistent with the date of it. When no particular date is assigned to a fable of this sort, we must naturally imagine that the date of the fable coincides with that of the composition ; and accordingly, if we examine the Canterbury Tales, we shall not find any circumstances which do not perfectly suit with that period, which has been stated in a former note as the probable time of Chaucer's beginning to compose them. The latest historical fact mentioned in them is the Insurrection of Jakke Straw, which happened in 1381. (The Nonne Prestes Tale), and the earliest in which anv person of the Drama is concerned, is the siege of Algesir, (Prolog. 11. 56, 7,) which began in August, 1342 and ended, with the taking of the city, in March 1344. Mariana, 1. xvi. c. x. xi. The Knight therefore may very well be supposed to have been at that siege, and also upon a Pilgrimage to Canterbury in 1383, or thereabouts.

They who are disposed to believe the pilgrimage to have been real, and to have happened in 1383, may support their opinion by the following inscription, which is still to be read upon the Inn, now called the Talbot, in Southwark. "This is the Inn where Sir Jeffrey Chaucer and the twenty-nine Pilgrims lodged in their journey to Canterbury, Anno 1383." Though the present inscription is evidently of a very recent date, we might suppose it to have been propagated to us by

20tf INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

poned it, till the completion of his work should enable him to assign such a date to his Fable, as should be consistent with all the historical circum- stances, which he might take occasion to introduce into it.

a succession of faithful transcripts from the very time ; but unluckily there is too good reason to be assured, that the first inscription of this sort was not earlier than the last century. Mr. Speght, who appears to have been inquisitive concerning this Inn in 1597, has left us this account of it in his Glossary, v. Tabard. "A jaquet, or slevelesse coate, worne in times past by Noblemen in the wanes, but now onely by Heraults, and is called theyre coate of Armes in servise. It is the signe of an Inne in Southwarke by London, within the which was the lodging of the Abbot otfHyde by Winchester. This was the Hostelry where Chaucer and the other pilgrims mett together, and, with Henry Baihj their hoste, accorded about the manner of their journey to Canter- bury. And whereas through time it hath bin much decaied, it is now by Master J. Preston, with the Abbot's house thereto adjoyned, newly repaired, and with convenient roomes much encreased, for the receipt of many guests."

If any inscription of this kind had then been there, he would hardly have omitted to mention it ; and therefore I am persuaded it has been put up since his time, and most probably when the sign was changed from the Tabard to the Talbot, in order to preserve the ancient glory of the House notwithstanding its new title. Whoever furnished the date, must be allowed to have at least invented plausibly.

While I am upon the subject of this famous Hostelry, I will just add, that it was probably parcel of two tenements which appear to have been conveyed by William de Lude- garsale to the Abbot, &c. de Hydd juxta Winton, in 130G, and which are described, in a former conveyance there re- cited, to extend in length, " a communi fossato de Suth- werke versus Orientem, usque Regiam viam de Suthwerke versus Occidentem." Registrum de Hyde, Ms. Harl. 17G1. fol. 1G6 — 173. If we should ever be so happy as to recover the account-books of the Abbey of Hyde, we may possibly learn what rent Harry Bailly paid for his inn, and many uther important particulars.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 209

§ VI. A second point, intended to be defined in the Prologue, is the number of the company ; and this too has its difficulties. They are said in ver. 24. to have been nine and twenty, but it is not clear whether Chaucer himself is included in that number. They might therefore, according to that passage, be thirty ; but if we reckon the several characters, as they are enumerated in the Prologue, we shall find them one and thirty; 1 . a Knight ; 2. a Squyer ; 3. a Yeman ; 4. a Prioresse ; 5. an other Nonne ; 6. 7. 8. Thro Prestos; 9. a Monk; 10. a Frere; 11. a Marchaunt ; 12. a Clerk of Oxenforde ; 13. a Sergeant of Lawc ; 14. a Frankeleyn; lo. an Haburdasshcr ; 1G. a Carpenter ; 17. aWebbc; 18. a Deyer ; 10. a Tapicer ; 20. a Cook ; 21. a Schip- man ; 22. a Doctour of Phisik ; 23. a TO of Bathe ; 24. a Persoun ; 25. a Ploughman ; 20. a Mellere ; 27. a Maunciple ; 28. a Reeve ; 29. a Sompnour ; 30. a Pardoner ; 31. Chaucer himself. It must be observed however that in this list there is one very suspicious article, which is that of the thre Prestes. As it appears evidently to have been the design of Chaucer to compose his company of individuals of different ranks, in order to produce a greater variety of distinct characters, we can hardly conceive that he would, in this single instance, introduce three, of the same profession, without any discriminating cir- cumstances whatever ; and in fact, when the Nonnes Preest is called upon to tell his tale, [1. 44, p. 228, vol. iii.] he is accosted by the Host in a manner, which will not permit us to suppose that two others of the same denomination were present. This must »e allowed to be a strong objection to the genuine-

VOL. I. L'

210 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

ness of that article of the ihre Prestes ; hut it is not the only one. All the other Characters are particu- larly described, and most of them very much at large, whereas the whole that is said of the other Nonne and the ihre Prestes is contained in these two lines [11. 163, 4, p. (J, vol. ii.] at the end of the Prioresses character :

Anothur Nonne also with hire hadde she, That was hire Cliapelleyri, and Prestes thre.

Where it is also observable, that the single circum- stance of description is false ; for no Nonne could be a Chaplain. The chief duty of a Chaplain was to say Mass, and to hear Confession, neither of which offices could regularly be performed by a Nonne, or by any woman.10

It should seem therefore, that we have sufficient ground to reject these two lines, or at least the second, as an interpolation ; n by which means we

10 It appears that some Abbesses did at one time attempt to hear the Confessions of their Nuns, and to exercise some other smaller parts of the clerical function: but this practice, 1 apprehend, was soon stopped by Gregory IX, who has for- bidden it in the strongest terms. Decretal. 1. v. tit. 38. c. x. Nova quoedam nostris sunt auribus intimata, quod Abbatissas moniales proprias benedicunt ; ipsarum quoque confessiones in criminibus audiunt, et legentes Evangelium prsesumunt publice praedicare: Cum igitur id absonum sit et pariter ab- surdum, Mandamus quatenus ne id de enstero fiat cunctis firmiter inhibere. If these presumptuous Abbesses had ven- tured to say Mass, His Holiness would doubtless have thun- dered still louder against them.

11 My notion, I cannot call it opinion, of the matter is this ; that the first of these lines did really begin the cha- racter of the Nonne, which Chaucer had originally inserted in this place together with that of the Nonnes Preest, at as great length as the other characters, but that they were both Afterwards expunged, either by himself, or, more probably,

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 211

shall get rid of two of the Preestes, and the detail of the characters will agree with the gross number in ver. 24, Chaucer himself being included among the nine and twenty. As Novelists generally delight in even numbers, it is not improbable that the Host was intended to be the thirtieth. Though not under the same obligation with the other Pilgrims, he mio-ht nevertheless tell his Tale anions? them as a Volunteer.

§ VII. This leads me, in the third place, to examine what the agreement was, which the Pil- grims entered into, at the suggestion of the Host, with respect to the number of Tales that each per- son was to tell. The proposal of the Host stands thus, with very little variation, in all the Mss.

This is the point — says he, Prologue 11. 791 —

794:

That ech of vow, to schorte with youre weie, In this viage schal telle tales tweye, To Caunturburi ward, I mene it so, And homward he schal tellen othur tub —

From this passage we should certainly conclude, that each of them was to tell two tales in the journey

by those who published his work after his death, for reasons of nearly the same kind with those which occasioned the suppression of the latter part of the Cokes Tale. I suspect our Bard had been rather too gay in his description of these two Religious persons.

If it should be thought improbable that an interpolator would insert anything so absurd and contradictor)' to the Author's plan as the second line, I beg leave to suggest, that it is still more improbable that such a line should have come from the Author himself; and further, I think I can promise, in the course of the following work, to point out se- veral other undoubted interpolations, which are to the full as absurd as the subject of our present discussion.

212 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

to Canterbury, and two more in the journey home- ward: but all the other passages, in which mention is made of this agreement, would rather lead us to believe, that they were to tell only one Tale in each journey ; and the Prologue to the Parsons Tale strongly confirms this latter supposition. The Host says there,

— "Now lakketh us no tales moo than oon — "

and calling upon the Parson to tell this one tale, which was wanting, he says to him,

— "ne breke nought cure play, For every man, save thou, hath told his tale."

The Parson therefore had not told any tale be- fore, and only one tale was expected from him (and consequently from each of the others) upon that journey.

It is true, that a very slight alteration of the passage first cited would reconcile that too to this hypothesis. If it were written —

That ech of vow, to schorte with youre weie, In this viage schal telle tales tweye ; To Caunturbury ward, I meue it, o, And homward he schal tell anothur to —

the original proposition of the Host woidd perfectly agree with what appears to have been the subsequent practice. However, I cannot venture to propose such an alteration of the text, in opposition to so many Mss., some of them of the best note ; and therefore the Header, if he is so pleased, may con- sider this as one of those inconsistencies, hinted at above, which prove too plainly that the author had not finished his work.

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VIII. The remainder of the Prologue is em- ployed in describing the Characters of the Pilgrims, and their first setting out upon their journey. The little that it may be necessary to say in illustration of some of the Characters I shall reserve for the Notes. The circumstances of their setting out are related succinctly and naturally; and the contrivance of appointing the Knight Inj lot to tell the first tale is a happy one, as it affords the Author the opportunity of giving his work a splendid opening, and at the same time does not infringe that apparent equality, upon which the freedom of discourse and conse- quently the ease and good humour of every society so entirely depends. The general satisfaction, which this appointment is said to give to the company, puts us in mind of a similar gratification to the secret wishes of the Grecian army, when the lot of fighting with Hector falls to Ajax ; though there is not the least probability that Chaucer had ever read the Iliad, even in a translation.

§ IX. The Knightes Tale, or at least a Poem upon the same subject, was originally composed by Chaucer, as a separate work. As such it is men- tioned by him, among some of his other works, in the Legende of good e women, 11. 420, 1, under the title of — '•' al the love of Palamon and Arcite of Thebes, thogh the storye ys knowen lyte — ; " and the last words seem to imply that it had not made itself very popular. It is not impossible that at first it was a mere translation of the Theseida of Boccacc, and that its present form was given it, when Chaucer determined to assign it the first place among his Canterbury Tales. As the- Theseida,

214 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

upon which this tale is entirely founded, is very rarely to he met with,12 it may be not unpleasing

'- The letter, which Boccace sent to the Fiammetta with this poem, is dated di Napoli a 15. d' Aprile, 1341. Lettere di xiii. Uomini Illust. Yen. 1564. I believe that date is a true one, and it is remarkable, as being the very year and month, in which Petrarch received the Laurel at Rome. See Petr. Ep. Famil. XII. 12. The long friendship, which subsisted between these two extraordinary men, must pro- bably have commenced in the preceding winter, when Petrarch came to Naples in order to be examined by King Robert, previously to his going to Rome. Boccace seems to have been present at some of the conversations between him and the King. [Geueal. Deor. 1. xiv. c. xxii.]

The first Edition of the Theseida, according to Quadrio [t. vi. p. 402], was without date, and under the mistaken title of Amazonide, which might have been proper enough for the first book. It was soon after however reprinted, with its true title, at Ferrara, in 1475. fo!. Dr. Askew was so obliging as to lend me the only copy of this edition, which I have ever heard of, in England. The Reverend Mr. Crofts has a later edition in 4to. printed at Venice, in 1528, but in that the poem has been riveduto e emendate, that is, in plain Eng- lish, modernized. I cannot help suspecting that Salvini, who has inveighed with great bitterness against the corrup- tions of the printed Theseida, [Manni, 1st. del. Decani, p. 52.] had only examined this last, edition ; for I observe that a Stanza which he has quoted (from some Ms. as I suppose) is not near so correct as it is in the edition of 1475. As this Stanza contains Boccace's own account of the intention of his Poem, I shall transcribe it here from that edition. It is the beginning of his conclusion,

Poi che le Muse nude cominciaro Nel conspeto de gli omeni ad andare, Gia fur de quelli che [gia] le exeicitaro Con bello stil'j in honcsto parlare, E altri in amoroso lo operaro; Ma tu, o libro, primo al lor canta-ie Di Marte fai gli affanni sostenuti, Nel vulgar latino mai piu non veduti.

This plainly alludes to a passage in Dante, de Vulgari Elo-

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 215

to the Keader to see here a short summary of it, which will shew with what skill Chaucer has pro- ceeded in reducing a poem of about ten thousand lines to a little more than two thousand, without omitting any material circumstance.

The Theseida is distributed into twelve Books or Cantos.

B. I. contains the war of Theseus with the Amazons ; their submission to him ; and his mar- riage with Hippolyta.

B. II. Theseus, having spent two years in Scy- thia, is reproached by Perithous in a vision, and immediately returns to Athens with Hippolyta and her sister Emilia. He enters the city in triumph ; finds the Grecian Ladies in the temple of Clemenzia ; marches to Thebes ; kills Creon, &c, and brings home Palemone and Arcita, who are

Damnati — ad eterna presone. B. III. Emilia, walking in a garden and sing-

quentia, 1. ii. c. ii. where, after having pointed out the three great subjects of Poetry, viz. Anna,Amorem, et Rectitudinem, (War, Love, and Morality,) and enumerated the illustrious writers upon each, he adds: Armavero nullum Italian adhuc invenio poctasse. Boccace therefore apparently prides himself upon having supplied the defect remarked by Dante, and upon being the first who taught the Italian Muses to sing of Arms.

Besides other variations for the worse, the fifth line in Salvini's copy is written thus;

Ed altri in dolcimodi l'operaro —

by which means the allusion to Dante is rendered incom- plete.

210 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

nig, is heard and seen first by Arcita,13 who calls Palemone. They are both equally enamoured of her, but without any jealousy or rivalship. Emilia is supposed to see them at the window, and to be not displeased with their admiration. Arcita is re- leased at the request of Perithous ; takes his leave of Palemone, with embraces, etc.

B. IV. Arcita, having changed his name to Pen- thco, goes into the service of Menclaus at Mycense, and afterwards of Pelens at iEgina. From thence he returns to Athens and becomes a favourite ser- vant of Theseus, being known to Emilia, though to nobody else ; till after some time he is overheard making his complaint in a wood, to which he usually resorted for that purpose, by Pamphilo, a servant of Palemone.

P. V. Upon the report of Pamphilo, Palemone begins to be jealous of Arcita, and is desirous to get out of prison in order to fight with him. This he accomplishes with the assistance of Pamphilo, by chano'incr clothes with Alimeto, a Physician. He goes armed to the wood in quest of Arcita, whom he

13 In describing the commencement of this Amour, which is to be the subject of the remainder of the poem, Chaucer has entirely departed from his author in three principal cir- fumstances, and, I think, in each with very good reason. 1. By supposing Emilia to be seen first by Palamon, he gives him an advantage over his rival which makes the catas- trophe more consonant to poetical justice. 2. The picture which Boccace has exhibited of two young princes, violently enamoured of the same object, without jealousy or rivalship, if not absolutely unnatural, is certainly very insipid and unpoetieal. 3. As no consequence is to follow from their being seen by Emilia at this time, it is better, I think, to suppose, as Chaucer has done, that they are not seen by her.

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finds sleeping. At first they are very chil and friendly to each other.14 Then Palemone calls upon Arcita to renounce his pretensions to Emilia, or to fight with him. After many long expostulations on the part of Arcita, they fight, and are discovered first by Emilia, who sends for Theseus. When he finds who they are, and the cause of their difference, he forgives them, and proposes the method of decid- ing their claim to Emilia by a combat of an hundred to each side, to which they gladly agree.

B. VI. Palemone and Arcita live splendidly at Athens, and send out messengers to summon their friends, who arrive ; and the principal of them are severally described, viz. Lycurgus, Peleus, Phocus, Telamon, etc. Agamemnon, Menelaus, Castor, and Pollux, etc. Nestor, Evander, Perithous, Ulysses, Diomedes, Pygmalion, Minos, &o. with a great display of ancient history and mythology.

B. VII. Theseus declares the laws of the com- bat, and the two parties of an hundred on each side are formed. The day before the combat, Arcita, after having visited the temples of all the Gods, makes a formal prayer to Mars. The Prayer, be- ing personified,15 is said to go and find Mars in his

" En sieme se fer festa rli bon core,

E li loro accidenti si narraro. Thes. 1. v.

This is surely too much in the style of Romance. Chaucer has made them converse more naturally. He has also judi- ciously avoided to copy Boccace in representing Arcite as more moderate than his rival.

13 Era alor forsi Marte in exercitio

Di chiara far la parte ruginosa Del grande suo e horribile hospitio.

218 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

temple in Thrace, which is described ; and Mars, upon understanding the message, causes favourable signs to be given to Arcita. In the same manner Palemone closes his religious observances with a

Quando de Arcita la oratiox pietosa

Perverme li per fare il dato offitio,

Tutta ne lo aspecto lagriraosa ;

La qual divene di spavento muta,

Come di Marte hebbe laca veduta. Tlies. 1. vii.

As this contrivance, of personifying the Prayers and send- ing them to the several deities, is only in order to introduce a description of the respective temples, it will be allowed, I believe, that Chaucer has attained the same end by a more natural fiction. It is very probable that Boccace caught the idea of making the Prayers persons from Homer, with whose works he was better acquainted than most of his con- temporaries in this part of the world; and there can be no doubt, I suppose, that Chaucer's imagination, in the expe- dient which he has substituted, was assisted by the occa- sional edifices which he had himself seen erected for the de- coration of Tournaments.

The combat, which follows, having no foundation in an- cient history or manners, it is no wonder that both poets should have admitted a number of incongruous circum- stances into their description of it. The great advantage which Chaucer has over his original in this respect is, that he is much shorter. When we have read in the Theseida a long and learned catalogue of all the heroes of Antiquity brought together upon this occasion, we are only the more surprised to see Theseus, in such an assembly, conferring the honour of Knighthood upon the twro Theban chieftains.

E senza stare con non piccolo honore

Cinse le spade a li dui scudieri,

E ad Arcita Poluce e Castoie

Calciaro d'oro li sproni e volontieri,

E Diomede e Ulixe di cuore

Calzati a Palemone, a cavaJjeri

Ambedui furono alora novelli

Li inamorati Theban damigieli. Thes 1. vii.

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prayer to Venus. His Prayer, being also personi- fied, sets out for the temple of Venus on Mount Citherone, which is also described ; and the petition is granted. Then the sacrifice of Emilia to Diana is described ; her prayer ; the appearance of the Goddess ; and the signs of the two fires. — In the morning they proceed to the Theatre with their re- spective troops, and prepare for the action. Arcita puts up a private prayer to Emilia, and harangues his troops publicly ; and Palemone does the same.

B. VIII. Contains a description of the battle, in which Palemone is taken prisoner.

B. IX. The horse of Arcita, being frighted by a Fury, sent from hell at the desire of Arenus, throws him. However, he is carried to Athens in a triumphal chariot with Emilia by his side ; is put to bed dangerously ill ; and there by his own desire espouses Emilia.

P. X. The funeral of the persons killed in the combat. Arcita, being given over by his Physicians, makes his will, in discourse with Theseus, and de- sires that Palemone may inherit all his possessions and also Emilia. He then takes leave of Palemone and Emilia, to whom he repeats the same request. Their lamentations. Arcita orders a sacrifice to Mercury, which Palemone performs for him, and dies.

B. XI. Opens with the passage of Arcita's soul to heaven, imitated from the beginning of the 9th Book of Lucan. The funeral of Arcita. Descrip- tion of the wood felled takes up six Stanzas. Palemone builds a temple in honour of him, in which his whole history is painted. The description

220 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

of this painting is an abridgment of the preceding part of the Poem.

B. XII. Theseus proposes to carry into execution Arcita's will hythe marriage of Palemone and Emilia. This they both decline for some time in formal speeches, but at last are persuaded and married. The Kings, &c. take their leave, and Palemone re- mains— " in gioia o in diporto con la sua dona nebile e cortese."

From this sketch of the Theseida it is evident enough that Chaucer was obliged to Boccace16 for

10 To whom Boccace was obliged is a more difficult sub- ject of enquiry. That the Story was of his own invention, I think is scarcely credible. He speaks of it himself as very ancknt. [Lett, alia Fiammetta. Biblioih. Smith. App. p. cxli.] Trovata una antichissima Storia, e al pin delle genti non manifesta, in latino volgare, aceiocche piu dilettasse e mas- simamente a voi, che gia. con sommo titolo le mie rime esal- taste, ho ridotta. He then tells her, that she will observe that what is related under the name of one of the two lovers and of Emilia, is very similar to what had actually passed between herself and him ; and adds — Se forse alcune cose soperchie vi fossono, il voler bene coprire cio che non era onesto manifestare, da noi due in fuori, e'l volere la' storia seguire, ne sono cagione. I am well aware however that declarations of this kind, prefixed to fabulous works, are not much to be depended upon. The wildest of the French Romances are commonly said by the Authors to be translated from some old Latin Chronicle at St. Denvs. And certainly the Story of Palemone and Arcita, as related by Boccace, could not be very ancient. If it was of Greek original, as I rather suspect, it must have been thrown into its pre- sent form, after the Norman Princes had introduced the manners of Chivalry into their dominions in Sicily and Italy.

The Poem in modern Greek political verses De nnptiis Thesei et Emilia;, printed at Venice in 1529, is a mere trans- lation of the Theseida. The Author has even translated the prefatory epistle addressed by Boccace to the Fiammetta.

THE CANTEKBUKr TALES. 221

the Plan and principal incidents of the Knightes Tale ; and in the notes upon that tale I shall point out some passages, out of many more, which are literal translations from the Italian.

§ X. When the Knight has finished his Tale, the Host with great propriety calls upon the Motile, as the next in rank among the men, to tell the next Tale ; hut, as it seems to have heen the intention of Chaucer to avail himself of the variety of his Cha- racters, in order to distribute alternate successions of Serious and Comic, in nearly equal proportions, throughout his work, he has contrived, that the Hostes arrangement shall be set aside by the intru- sion of the drunken Miller, whose tale is such as might be expected from his character and condition, a complete contrast to the Kniglites.

§ XI. I have not been able to discover from whence the story of the Millers Tale is taken ; so that for the present I must give Chaucer credit for it as his own invention, though in general he seems to have built his Tales, both serious and comic, upon stories, which he found ready made. The great difference is, that in his serious pieces he often fol- lows his author with the servility of a mere trans- lator, and in consequence his narration is jejune and constrained : whereas in the comic, he is o-cnerallv satisfied with borrowing a slight hint of his subject, which he varies, enlarges, and embellishes at plea- sure, and gives the whole the air and colour of an original ; a sure sign, that his genius rather led him to compositions of the latter kind.

§ XII. The next tale is told by the Reeve (who is represented above, 1. 589. as "a colerik man")

222 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

in revenge of the Miller's tale. It has been gene- rally said to be borrowed from the Decameron, D. ix. N. 6. but I rather think that both Boccace and Chaucer, in this instance, have taken whatever they have in common from an old Fabliau or Conte, of an anonymous French rhymer, De Gombert et des deux Clers. The Reader may easily satisfy himself upon this head, by casting his eye upon the French Fabliau, which has lately been printed with several others from Mss. in France. See Fabliau et Contes, Paris, 1756. t. ii. p. 115—124.

§ XIII. The Cokes -Tale is imperfect in all the Mss. which I have had an opportunity of examining. In some Mss. it seems to have been entirely omitted ; and indeed, I cannot help suspecting, that it was in- tended to be omitted, at least in this place, as in the Manciples Prologue, when the Coke is called upon to tell a tale, there is no intimation of his having told one before. Perhaps our Author might think, that three tales of liarlotrie, as he calls it, together would be too much. [The Story of Gamelyn, an- nexed to the Cokes Tale, is much more archaic in its dialect than any of the Canterbury Tales ; and judging from its manner, style, and versification, wc might reasonably conclude that it is not the produc- tion of Chaucer. But as it is found in some of the best Mss. which have been collated for this edition, it is here printed as it stands in the Harleian Ms , being valuable as a rclique of our ancient poetry, and interesting as the foundation of Shakespeare's As you like it.~]

% XIV. In tiie Pkologite to the Man op La wes Tale Chaucer recalls our attention to the

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 223

Action, if I may so call it, of his Drama, the jour- ney of the Pilgrims. They had set out soon after the day bigan to sprynge, 1. 822 and f. When the Reeve was beginning to tell his tale, they were in the neighbourhood of Deptford and Greenwich, and it was passed prime j11 that is, I suppose, halfway past prime, about half hour after seven a.m. [vol. ii. p. 121. 1. 52.] How much further they were ad- vanced upon their road at this time is not said ; but the hour of the day is pointed out to us by two cir- cumstances. We are first told [vol. ii. p. 170, 11.

1, 3.], that

— " the Sonne The arke of his artificial day hath i-ronne The fourthe part, of half an hour and more ; " —

and secondly [vol. ii. p. 170. 12.], that he was "five and forty degrees high ; " and this last circumstance is so confirmed by the mention of a corresponding phenomenon that it is impossible to suspect any error in the number. The equality in length of shadows to their projecting bodies can only happen, when the Sun is at the height of five and forty de- grees. Unfortunately however this description, though seemingly intended to be so accurate, will neither enable us to conclude with the Mss. that it was " ten of the clock," nor to fix upon any other hour ; as the two circumstances just mentioned are not found to coincide in any part of the eighteenth.18 or of any other, day of April1^ in this climate. All

17 Tyrwhitt reads halfa-mj prime. is Tyrwhitt reads twenty-eight.

19 The 28th day of April, in the time of Chaucer, an- gering to our 6th"or 7th of May, the Suu in the latitude of

224 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

that we can conclude with certainty is, that it was not past ten of the clock.

The compliments which Chaucer has introduced upon his own writings are modest enough, and quite unexceptionable ; hut if the reflection [vol. ii. p. 172. 11. 78. 81. and f.] upon those who relate such stories as that of Canace, or of Tyvo Apollonius, was levelled at Gower, as 1 very much suspect, it will be difficult to reconcile such an attack to our notions of the strict friendship, which is generally supposed to have subsisted between the two bards.20 The at- tack too at this time must appear the more extraor-

London, rose about half hour after four, and the length of the artificial day was a little more than fifteen hours. A fourth part of 15 hours (=3h. 45m.) and half an hour and -more — may be fairly computed to make together 4 hours 5, which being reckoned from 4§, A.M. give the time of the day exactly 9, a.m. But the Sim was not at the altitude of 45°, till above half hour after 9. In like manner, if we take the eighteenth day (according to all the Editions and some Mss.) we shall find that the Sun indeed was 45° high at 10, a.m. exactly, but that the fourth part of the day and half an hour and more had been completed at 9, A.M.

20 There is another circumstance, which rather inclines me to believe that their friendship suffered some interrup- tion in the latter part of their lives. In the new edition of Confessio Amantis, which Gower published after the acces- sion of Henry IV. the verses in praise of Chaucer [fol. 190. b. col. 1. ed. 1532.] are omitted. See Mss. Had. 3869. Though perhaps the death of Chaucer at that time had ren- dered the compliment contained in those verses less proper than it was at first, that alone does not seem to have been a sufficient reason for omitting them, especially as the original date of the work, in the 16 of Richard II. is preserved. In- deed the only other alterations, which I have been able to discover, are toward the beginning and end, where every thing which had been said in praise of Richard in the first edition, is either left out or converted to the use of his suc- cessor.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 225

dinary on the part of our bartl, as lie is just going to put into the mouth of his Man of Latoe a tale, of which almost every circumstance is borrowed from Grower. The fact is, that the story of Canace \< related by Gower in his Conf. Amant. 13. iii. and the story of Af>olIoiilus'n (or AjxJIijnus, as he is there called) in the YHIth book of the same work ; so tbat, if Chaucer really did not mean to reflect upon his old friend, his choice of these two instances was rather unlucky.

§ XV. The Man of Laayes Talk, as I have just said, is taken, with very little variation, from Gower, Conf. Amant. 13. ii. If there could be any

-' The History of Apollonius King of Tyre was supposed by Mark Welser, when he printed it in 1595, to have been translated from the Greek a thousand years before. [Fabr. Bib. Gr. V. 6. p. 821.] It certainly bears strong marks of a Greek original, though it is not, that I know, now extant in that language. The Rhythmical poem, under the same title, in modern Greek, was re-translated (if I may so speak) from the Latin — a7ro Aaru'iKJ/e tig Pwpaiicriv yXiocaav. Du Cange, Index Author, ad Gloss. Grcec. When Welser printed it he probably did not know that it had been pub- lished already, perhaps more than once, among the Gesta Romtinorum. In an edition, which I have, printed at Rouen in 1521, it makes the 154th chapter. Toward the latter end of the Xllth Century, Godfrey of Viterbo, in his Pantheon, or universal Chronicle, inserted his Romance as part of the history of the third Antiochus, about 200 years before Christ. It begins thus [Ms. Reg. 14 C. xi.] :

Filia Seleuci regis stat clara decore Matreque defuncta pater arsit in ejus amore. Res habet effectum, pressa puella dolet.

The rest is in the same metre, with one Pentameter only to two Hexameters.

Gower, bv his own acknowledgment, took his Story from the Pantheon ; as the Author, whoever he was, of Pericles Prince of Tyre professes to have followed Gower. VOL. T. q,

226 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

doubt, upon a cursory perusal of the two tales, which of them was written first, the following pas- sage, I think, is sufficient to decide the question. At 11. 988, 989 (p. 203, vol. ii.) Chaucer says,—

Som men wolde seye, that hir child Maurice Doth his message unto the Emperour: —

and we read in Gower, that Maurice is actually sent upon this message to the Emperour. ^re may therefore fairly conclude that in this passage Chau- cer alludes to Gower, who had treated the same subject before him, but, as he insinuates, with less propriety.

I do not however suppose that Gower was the in- ventor of this tale. It had probably passed through several hands before it came to him. I find anions the Cotton Mss. Cal. A. ii. fol. GO. an old English Jlhyme, entitled " Emare?'** in which the heroine under that name goes through a series of adventures for the most part23 exactly similar to those of Con- stance. But neither was the author of this Ehyme the inventor of the story, for in fol. 70. a. he refers to his original " in Bomans" or French, and in the last Stanza he tells us expressly —

Thys ys on of BrytaynS layes That was used by olde (laves.

Of the Bfitaine layes I shall have occasion to speak

22 Printed in Ritson's Metrical Romances.

23 The chief differences are, that Emari is originally ex- posed in a boat for refusing to comply with the incestuous desires of the Emperor her father; that she is driven on the coast of Galiis, or Wales, and married to the king of that country. The contrivances of the stepmother, and the con- sequences of them, are the samo in both stories.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 227

more at largo, when I come to the FranJcclein's Tale.

§ XVI. The Man of Lawes Tale in the best Mss. is followed by the Wife of Bathes Prologue and Tale, and therefore I have placed them so here ; not however merely in compliance with authority, but because, according to the common arrangement, in the Merchant's Tale 24 there is a direct reference to the Wife of Bathes Prologue, before it has been spoken. Such an impropriety I was glad to remove upon the authority of the best Mss. though it had been acquiesced in by all former Editors ; especially as the same Mss. pointed out to me another, I be- lieve the true, place for both the Merchant's and the Sender's Tales, which have hitherto been printed immediately after the Man of Lawes. But of that hereafter.

§ XVII. The want of a few lines to introduce the Wife of Bathes Pkologue is, perhaps, one of those defects, hinted at above, which Chaucer would have supplied if he had lived to finish his work. The extraordinary length of it, as well as

34 Vol. ii. p. 331. 11. 441-443. Justine says to his brother January —

The Wif of Bathe, if ye ban understonde, Of mariage, which ye han now in honde, Declared hath ful wel in litel space —

alluding- very plainly to this Prologue of the Wife of Bath. The impropriety of such an allusion in the mouth of Justine is gross enough. The truth is, that Chaucer has inadvert- ently given to a character in the Merchant's Tale an argu- ment which the Merchant himself, might naturally have used upon a similar occasion, after he hail heard the Wife of Bath. If we suppose, with the Editions, that the Wife of Bath had not at that time spoken her Prologue, the impropriety will be increased to an incredible degree.

228 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

the vein of pleasantry that runs through it, is very suitable to the character of the speaker. The greatest part must have been of Chaucer's own in- vention, though one may plainly see tbat he bad been reading the popular invectives against mar- riage and women in general ; such as, the Roman de la Rose ; Valerius ad Rueinum de non clu- cendd uxore ; and particularly IIieronymtjs contra Jovinianum."5

§ XVIII. The Wiee of Bathes Tale seems to have been taken from the Story of Florent in Gower, Conf. Amant. 13. i. or perhaps from an older narrative, in the Gesta Romanorum, or some such collection, from which the story of Florent was itself borrowed. However that may have been, it must be allowed tbat Chaucer has considerably im- proved the fable by lopping off some improbable, as

25 The Holy Father, by way of recommending celibacy, has exerted all his learning and eloquence (and he certainly was not deficient in either) to collect together and aggravate whatever he could find to the prejudice of the female sex. Among other things he has inserted his own translation (probably') of a long extract from what he calls — " liber aurenlus Tluophrasti de nttptiis."

Next to him in order of time was the treatise entitled " Epistola Valerii ad Rvfiman de non ducendd uxore." Ms. Beg. 12 D. iii. It has been printed, for the similarity of its sentiment, I suppose, among the works of St. Jerome, though it is evidently of a much later date. Tanner (from Wood's Ms. Coll.) attributes it to Walter Map. Bib. Brit. v. Map. I should not believe it to be older; as John of Salisbury, who has treated of the same subject in his Polycrat. 1. viii. c. xi. does not appear to have seen it.

To these two books Jean de Meun has been obliged for some of the severest strokes in his Human de la Rose; and Chaucer has transfused the quintessence of all the three work?, upon the subject of Matrimony, into his Wife oj Bains Prologue and Merchant's Tale,

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well as unnecessary, circumstances ; and the trans- ferring of the scene from Sicily to the Court of King Arthur must have had a very pleasing effect, before the fabulous majesty of that court was quite obliterated.

The old Ballad entitled " The Marriage of Sir Gawaine," [Ancient Poetry, vol. iii. p. 11.] which the learned Editor thinks may have furnished Chaucer with this tale, I should rather conjecture, with deference to so good a judge in these matters, to have been composed by one who had read both Gower and Chaucer.

§ XIX. The Talks of the Fbere and the SoMPNOtm are well ingrafted upon that of the Wife of Bath. The ill-humour which shows itself be- tween those two characters is quite natural, as no two professions at that time were at more constant variance. The Regular Clergy, and particularly the Mendicant Freres, affected a total exemption from all Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, except that of the Pope, which made them exceedingly obnoxious to the Bishops, and of course to all the inferior officers of the national hierarchy.

I have not been able to trace either of these tales to any author older than Chaucer, and possibly they may both have been built upon some traditional pleasantries, which were never before committed to writing.26

23 I am obliged to Mr. Steevens for pointing out to roe a story which has a great resemblance, in its principal inci- dents, to Hie Freres Tale. It is quoted by d'Artigny, Mi- moires d'Histoire, &c. T. iii. p. 23S. from a collection of Sermons, by an anonymous Dominican, printed about the beginning of the XVlth Century, under the title of " Ser-

.230 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

§ XX. The Ceerkes Tale is in a different strain from the four preceding. He tells us, in Iris Prologue, that he learned it from Petrarch at Padua; and this, by the way, is all the ground that I can find for the notion that Chaucer had seen Petrarch-' in Italy. It is not easy to say why

mones discipuli.'' [An abridged form of the Freres Tale is to be found in Wright's Selection of Latin Stories, p. 70, under the title of De Advocate et Diabolo.~]

27 I can find no older or better authority for this notion than the following passage in Speght's life of Chaucer, pre- fixed to the Edition in 1597. "Some write, that he with Petrarke was present at the marriage of Lionell Duke of Clarence with Violante, daughter of Galeasius, Duke of Millaine: vet Paullus Jovius nameth not Chaucer; but Pe- trarke, he savtb, was there." It appears from an instru- ment in Rymer [Liberat. 42 E. III. m. 1.], that the Duke of Clarence passed from Dover to Calais, in his way to Milan, in the spring of 1368, with a retinue of 475 men and 1280 horses. That Chaucer might have attended the Duke upon this occasion is not impossible. He had been, probably, for 3ome time in the king's service, and had received the year before a Grant of an annuity of 20 Marks— pro bono servitio, quod dilectus Valettus noster, Galfridus Chaucer nobis im- pendit et impendet in futurum. Pat. 41 E. III. p. 1. m. 13. ap. Rymer. There is a curious account of the feast at this marriage in the Chronica di Mantoua of AHprandi [Mu- rator. Antiq. Med. j32vi,yo\. v. p. 1187, & seq.], but he does not give the names of the

" Grandi Signori e Baroni Ingh;:sse,"

who were, he says,

" Con Messere Lionell' in compagnia."

The most considerable of them were probably those 26 (Knights and others) who, before their setting out for Milan, procured the King's licence to appoint Attorneys general to act for them here. Franc. 42 E. 111. m. 8. ap. Rymer. The name of Chaucer does not appear among them. The embassy to Genoa, to which Chaucer was appointed

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 231

Chaucer should choose to own an obligation for this tale to Petrarch rather than to Boccace, from whose Decameron, D. x. N. 10. it was translated by Pe- trarch in 1373, the year before his death, as ap- pears by a remarkable letter, which he sent with his translation to Boccace, Opp. Petrarch, p. 540 — 7. Ed. Bas. 1581. It should seem too from the same letter that the story was not invented by Boc- cace, for Petrarch says, " that it had always pleased him ivhen he heard it many years before," -s whereas he had not seen the Decameron till very lately.

in November 1372, might possibly have afforded him another opportunity of seeing Petrarch. But in the first place, it is jncertain whether he ever went upon that Embassy. If he did, the distance from Genoa to Padua, where Petrarch re- sided, is considerable ; and 1 cannot help thinking that a reverential visit from a Minister of the King of England would have been so flattering to the old man, that either ha himself or some of his biographers must have recorded it. On the other hand, supposing Chaucer at Genoa, it is to be presumed, that he would not have been deterred by .the difficulties of a much longer journey from paying his respects to the first literary character of the age; and it is remark- able, that the time of this embassy, in 1373, is the precise time at which he could have learned the story of Griseldis, from Petrarch at Padua. For Petraich in all probability made his translation in that very year, and he died in July of the year following.

The inquisitive and judicious author of M6 moires pour la vie de Petrarque gave ns hopes [Pref. to t. ii. p. 6.], that he would show that Chaucer was in connexion (enliaiso7i) with Petrarch. As he has not fulfilled his promise in a later (I fear, the last) volume of his very ingenious work, I suspect that his more accurate researches have not enabled him to verify an opinion, which he probably at first adopted upon the credit of some biographer of Chaucer.

23 Cum et mihi semper ante multos annos audita placuisset, ct tibi usque adeo placuisse perpenderem, at vulgar! earn stylo tuo censueris non indignam, et fine opens, ubi rheto-

232 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

§ XXI. The scene of the Marciiants Tale 13 laid in Italy, hut none of the names, except Damian and Justin, seem to he Italian, hut rather made at pleasure ; so that I douht whether the story be really of Italian growth. The adventure of the Pear-tree I find in a small collection of Latin fables, written by one Adolphus, in Elegiac verses of his fashion, in the year 1315. As this fable has never been printed but once, and in a book not commonly to be met with, I shall transcribe belowc9 the material parts of it, and I dare say the Reader will not be very anx- ious to see any more.

Whatever was the real origin of this Tale, the .Machinery of the Faeries, which Chaucer has used so happily, was probably added by himself; and indeed, I cannot help thinking, that his Pluto and Proserpina were the true progenitors of Oberon and

rum disciplina validiora qutelibet collocari jubet. Petrarch, he. cit. M. L'Abbe* de Sade [Mem. de Petr. t. iii. p. 797.] says, that the Story of Griseldis is taken from an ancient Ms. in the library of M. Foucault, entitled, Le parement cles Dames. If this should have been said upon the authority of Manni [1st. del Decani, p. 603.], as I very much suspect, and if Manni himself meant to refer to M. Galland's JJiscours sur qnelqws anciens Paetes [Mem. de l'Acad. des. I. et. B. L. t. ii. p. 686.], we must look still further for the original of Boccace's Novel. M. Galland says nothing, as I observe, of the antiquity of the Ms. Le titre (he says) est Le pare- ment den Dames, avec des explications en Prose, ou Ton trouve l'histoire de Griselidis que feu M. Perrault a mise en vers : but he says also expressly, that it was a work of Oli- r ier de la March e, who was not born till many years after the death of Boccace.

aD Adolphi FabulcB, ap. Levser. Hist. Poet. Medii iEvi, p. 2008.

Fahula 1. Cajcus erat quidam, cui pulcra virago —

THE CaNTERBUR? tales 233

Titania,30 or rather, that they themselves have, once at least, deigned to revisit our poetical system under the latter names.

In curtis viridi resident hi cespite quad am

Luce. Petit mulier robar adire Pyri. Vir favet, amplectens mox robur ubique lacertis.

Arbor adunca fuit, qua latuit juvenis. Amplexatur earn dans basia dulcia. Terrain

Incepit colere vomere cum proprio. Audit vir strepitum : nam srepe carentia sensus

Unius in reliquo. nosco, vigere solet. Heu miser! exclamat ; te lsedit adulter ibidem.

Conqueror hoc illi qui dedit es^e mihi. Tunc Deus omnipotens, qui condidit omnia verba.

Qui sua membra probat, vascla velut figulus, Restituens aciem misero, tonat illico; Fallax

Feinina, cur tanta. fraude nocere cupis?

Percipit ilia viruin. Vultu respondet alacri:

Magna dedi medicis ; non tibi cura fuit. Ast, ubi lustra sua satis uda petebat Apollo,

Candida splendescens Cynthia luce mera, Tunc sopor irrepsit mea languida corpora: quaidam

Astitit : insonuit auribus ilia meis. Ludere cum juvene studeas in roboris alto;

Prisca viro dabitur lux cito, crede mihi. Quod feci. Dominus ideo tibi munera lucis

Contulit; idcirco munera redde mihi. Addidit ille fidem mulieri, de prece cujus

Se sanum credit, mittit et omne nefas.

The same story is inserted among The Fables of Alpnonsc, printed by Caxton in English, with those of JEsnp, Avian and Pogf/e, without date ; but I do not find it in the original Latin of Alphonsus, Ms. Reg. 10. B. xii. or in any of the French translations of his work that I have examined.

3I) This observation is not meant to extend further than the King and Queen of Faery ; in whose characters, I think it is plain, that Shakespeare, in imitation of Chaucer, has dig- nified our Gothic Elves with the manners and language of the classical Gods and Goddesses. In the rest of his Faery system, Shakespeare seems to have followed the popular su- perstition of his own time.

234 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

§ XXII. [The Prologue to the Squyer's Tale is omitted in all the editions of Chaucer prior to Tyr- whitt's, who has the following remarks :]

The Prologue to the Squyer's Tale appears now for the first time in print. Why it has been omitted by all former Editors I cannot guess, except, perhaps, because it did not suit with the place, which, for reasons best known to themselves, they were determined to assign to the Squyer's Tale, that is, after the Man of Laive's and before the Mar- cJiaunfs. I have chosen rather to follow the Mss. of the best authority in placing the Squyer's Tale after the Marchauufs, and in connecting them together by this Prologue, agreeably, as I am persuaded, to Chaucer's intention. The lines which have usually been printed by way of Prologue to the Squyers Tale, as I believe them to have been really composed by Chaucer, though not intended for the Squyers Prologue, I have prefixed to the Shiqnaan's Tale, for reasons, which I shall give when I come to speak of that Talc.

§ XXIII. I should have been very happy if the Mss. which have furnished the Squyers Prologue, had supplied the deficient part of his Tale, but I fear the judgment of Milton was too true, that this story was " left half-told " by the author. I have never been able to discover the probable original of this tale, and yet I should be very hardly brought to believe that the whole, or even any considerable part of it, was of Chaucer's invention.

§ XXIV. We are now arrived with the common editions, though by a different course, at the Fraxke- leynes Tale ; and here again we must be obliged

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 2oO

to the Mss. not indeed, as in the last instance, for a neiu Prologue, but for authorising us to prefix to this Tale of the Franheleyn a Prologue, which in the common Editions is prefixed to the Tale of the Mar- chaunt, together with the true Prologue of that Tale, as printed above. It is scarce conceivable how these two Prologues could ever be joined together and given to the same character, as they are not only entirely unconnected, but also in one point di- rectly contradictory to each other; for in that, which is properly theMarchaundes, he says expressly [vol. ii. p. 317, 1. 21] that he had been married " monethes tuo and not more ;" whereas in the other the Speaker's chief discourse is about His son, who is grown up. This therefore, upon the authority of the best Mss. I have restored to the FranJceJeyn ; and I must observe, that the sentiments of it are much more suitable to his character than to that of tJie Marchaunt. It is quite natural, that a wealthy land-holder, of a generous disposition, as he is de- scribed [prolog. 11. 333 — 62.], who has been Sheriff, Knight of the Shire, etc. should be anxious to see his son, as we say, a Gentleman, and that he should talk slightingly of money in comparison with po- lished manners and virtuous endowments; but nei- ther the character which Chaucer has drawn of his Marchaunt, nor our general notions of the profession at that time, prepare us to expect from him so liberal a strain of thinking.

§ XXV. The Frankeleyns Tale, as he tells us himself, is taken from a BritisJi Lay ;31 and the

31 Les premieres Chansons Francoises fnrent nommfies des Lais; says M. de la Kavaliere, Paett.du Tioi. de Nav. t. i.

236 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

names of persons and places, as well as the scene and circumstances of the story, make this account

p. 215. And so far I believe he is right. But I see no foundation for supposing with him, in the same page, that the Lay was une sorts d'Elegie, and that it was derived da mot Latin Lessus, qui signifie des plaintes ; or [in p. 217.] that it was la chanson — leplus majestueuse et laplus grave. It seems more probable that Z.ai in French was anciently a ge- nerical term, answering to Song in English. The passage which M. de la Ravaliere has quoted from Le Brut,

" Molt sot de Lais, molt sot de notes" —

is thus rendered by our Layamon. [See before, Essay, &c. n. 50.]

Ne cuthe na mon swa muchel of song.

The same word is used by Peirol d'Alvergna, Ms. Crofts, fol. Ixxxv. to denote the songs of birds, certainly not of the plaintive kind.

Et li ausell s'en van enamoran

L'uns per l'autre, et fan vantas (or caritas) et lais.

For my own part I am inclined to believe, that Liod, Island. Litd, Teuton. Leoth, Saxon, and Lai, French, are all to be deduced from the same Gothic original.

But beside this general sense, the name of Lay was par- ticularly given to the French translations of certain Poems, originally composed in Armorican Bretagne, and in the Ar- morican language. I say the French translations, because Lay, not being (as I can find) an Armorican word, could hardly have been the name, by which a species of Poetry, not imported from France, was distinguished by the first composers in Bretagne.

The chief, perhaps the only, collection of these Lais that is now extant, was translated into French octosyllable verse by a Poetess, who calls herself Marie; the same, without doubt, who made the translation of Esope, quoted by Pasquier [llech. 1. viii. ch. i.] and Fauchet [L. ii. n. 84.], and placed bv them in the reign of St. Louis, about the middle of the XHIth Century. Both her works have been preserved toge- ther in Ms Hail. 978. in a fair hand, which I see no reason to judge more recent than the latter end of that Century.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 237

extremely probable. Tbe Lay itself is either lost, or buried, perhaps for ever, in one of those sepulchres

The Lais, with which only we are at present concerned, were addressed by her to some king. Fol. 139.

En le honur de vous, noble rcis, Ki tant estes pruz e curteis, A ki tute joie se incline, E en ki quoer tuz biens raeine, M'entremis des lais assembler, Par rime faire e reconter. —

A few lines after, she names herself,

Oez, Seignurs, ke dit 3Iarie.

The titles of the Poems in this collection, to the number of twelve, are recited in the Harleian Catalogue. They are, in general, the names of the principal persons in the several Stories, and are most of them evidently Armorican ; and I think no one can read the Stories themselves without, being persuaded, that they were either really translated from the Armorican language, or at least composed by one who was well acquainted with that language and country.

Though these Poems of Marie have of late been so little known as to have entirely escaped the researches of Fauehet and other French Antiquaries, they were formerly in high estimation. Denis Piramus, a very tolerable versifier of the Legende of St. Edmund the King [Ms. Cotton. Dom. A. xi.], allows that Dame Marie, as he calls her, had great merit in the composition of her Lays, though they are not all true —

E si en est ele mult loee, E la ryme par tut amee.

A translation of her Lays, as it should seem, into one of the Northern languages was among the books given by Ga briel de la Gardie to the University of Upsal, under the title of Varia Britannorum Fabulce. See the description of the book bv Stephanius, in Cat. Libb. Septent. at the end of Hickes, Gr. A. S. edit. 1689,4t0. p. 180. That Chaucer had read them I think extremely probable not only from a pas- sage in his Dreme [11. 1820—1926.], which seems to have been copied from the Lay of Elidus, but also from ihe

2'3S INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

of Mss. which, by courtesy, arc called Libraries ; but there are two imitations of it extant by Boccace, the first in the Vth Book of bis Philocopo, and the second in the Decameron, D. x. N\ 5. They a^ree in every respect with each other, except that the scene and the names are different, and in the latter the narration is less prolix and the style less flowery

manner in which he makes the Frankelein speak of the Bretons and their compositions.

However, in Chaucer's time, there were other British Lays extant beside this collection by Marie. Emare has been mentioned before, § XV. ,'An old English Ballad of Sir Gomther [Ms. Reg. 17 B. xliii.'J is said by.ttie writer to have been taken out of one of the Layes of Britanye: in another place he says — the first Lay of Britanye. The original of the Fankelein's Tale was probablj' a third. There were also Lays, which did not pretend to be British, as Le Lay d'Aristote', Li Lais de I'Oiselet [Fabliaux, torn. i.J. L.e Lai du Corn by Bobeit Bikez [Ms. Bod. 1G87.] is said by him to have been invented by Garaduc, who accomplished the adventure. In the ballad, entitled " the Boy and the Mantle," [Anc. Poet. v. iii. p. 1.'] which I suspect to have been made up out of this Lay and Lc Court Mantel, the successful knight is called Cradock. Robert Bikez says further, that the Horn was still to be seen at Cirencester."

Q'fust a Cirincetre A une haute feste, La purcit il veer Icest corn tout pur veir. Ceo dist Robert Bikez —

In none of these Lays do we find the qualities attributed to that sort of composition by M. de la Ravaliere. According to these examples we should rather define the Lav to be a species of serious narrative poetry, of a moderate length, in a simple style and light metre. Serious is here opposed (not to pleasant) but to ludicrous, in order to distinguish the Lay from the Conte or Fidtliau; as on the other hand its mode- rate length distinguishes it from the Geste, or common Roman. All the Lays that I have seen are in light metre, not ex- ceeding eight syllables.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 239

than in the former, which was a juvenile work.35 The only material point, in which Boccace seems to have departed from his original, is this ; " instead of " the removal of the rocJces" the Lady desires " a garden, full of the flowers and fntits of May, in the month of January ;" and some such alteration was certainly necessary, when the scene came to be removed from Bretagne to Spain and Italy, as it is

33 I saw once an Edition of the Philocopo, printed at Venice, 1503, fol. with a letter at the end of it, in which the Publisher Hieronymo Squarzaficho says (if I do not misremember), " that this work was written by Boccace at twenty-five years of age (about 1338), while he was at Naples in the house of John Barrile." Johannes Barrillus is called by Boccace [Geneal. Deo. 1. xiv. c. 19.] magni spi- ritus homo. He was sent by King Robert to attend Petrarch to his coronation at Rome, and is introduced by the latter in his second Eclogue under the name of Idaus ; ab Ida, monte Cretensi, unde et ipse oriundus fart. Intentionea Eclogarum Franc. Petrarchw, Ms. Bod. 558. Not knowing at present where to find that Edition, I am obliged to rely upon my memory only for this story, which I think highly ] -reltable, though it is not mentioned, as I recollect, by any of the other Biographers of Boccace. A good life of Boccace is still much wanted.

The adventures of Florio and Biancofiore, which make the principal subject of the Philocopo, were famous long before Boccace, as he himself informs us, 1. i. p. 6. Ed. 1723. Hier- onymo Squarzaficho, in the letter mentioned above, says, that the story "anchora si nova insino ad ogi scripta in un librazolo de triste et male composto rime — dove il Boccaccio i i i cavo questo digno et elegante libro." Floris and Blancaflor are mentioned as illustrious lovers by Mat/res Eymeiigau de Bezers, a Languedocian Poet, in his Breviari d'amar dated in the year 1288. Ms. Reg. 19 C. i. fol. 199. It is probable however that the Story was enlarged by Uoccacc, and par- ticularly I should suppose that the Love-questions in 1. v. (the fourth of which questions contains the Novel referred to in the text) were added by him.

240 EVfllODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

iii Boccaco's novels.33 I slioulcl guess, that Chaucer has preserved pretty faithfully the principal incidents of the British tale, though he has probably thrown in some smaller circumstances to embellish his nar- ration. The long list of virtuous women in Dori- gene's Soliloquy is plainly copied from Hieronymus contra Jovinianum.

§ XXVI. The Secounde Xonnes Tale is almost literally translated from the life of St. Cecilia in the Legenda aurea of Jacobus Januensis. It is men- tioned by Chaucer, as a separate work in his Legends of goocle women [1. 426.] under the title of " the life of Scint Cecile," and it still retains evident marks that it was not originally composed in the form of a Tale to be spoken by the Nonne.™ How- ever there can be no doubt that Chaucer meant to incorporate it into this collection of Canterbury Tales, as the Prologue of the Cha.nouns Yeman expressly refers to it.

§ XXVII. In all the early editions the Tales of

33 The Conte Boiardo, the precursor and model of Ariosto, in his Orlando inamorato, 1. i. ca. 12. has inserted a Tale upon the plan of Boccace's two novels, but with considerable alterations, which have carried the Story, I apprehend, still further from its British original.

31 The whole introduction is in the style of a person writing, and not of one speaking. If we compare it with the Introduction to the Prioresses Tale, the difference will be very striking. See particularly The Secounde Xonnes Tale, vol. iii. p. 31, 1. 78.

Yet pray I you, that reden that I write —

and in 1. G2, the Eelater, or rather Writer, of the Tale, in all the Mss. except one of middling authority, is called " unworthy sone of Eve." Such little inaccuracies are strong proofs of an unfinished work. See before, p. 209,

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 241

the Nonnc and the Chanones Yeman precede the Doctoures, but some35 Mss. agree in removing those Tales to the end of the Nonnes Preestes. When the Monk is called upon for his Tale the Pilgrims were near Rochester, but when the Chanon overtakes them they were advanced to Boughton under Blee, twenty miles beyond Bochester, so that the Tale of the Chanounes Yeman, and that of the Nonne to which it is annexed, cannot with any propriety be admitted till after the Monkes Tale,&\\& consequently not till after the Nonnes Prestes, which is insepa- rably linked to that of the Monk.

§ XXVIII. The introduction of the Chanounes Yeman to tell a Tale, at a time when so many of the original characters remain to be called upon, appears a little extraordinary. It should seem, that some sudden resentment had determined Chaucer to interrupt the regular course of his work, in order to insert a Satire against the Alchemists. That their pretended science was much cultivated about this time,36 and produced its usual evils, may fairly be

34 Tyrwhitt says the best Mss.

36 The first considerable Coinage of Gold in this country was begun by Edward III. in the year 1343, and according to Camden [in his Remains, Art. Money] " the Alchemists did affirm, as an unwritten verity, that the Rosenobles, which were coined soon after, were made by projection or multiplication Alchemical of Raymond Lully in the Tower of London." In proof of this, " besides the "tradition of the Babbies in that faculty," they alleged "the Inscription; Jesus autem transiens per medium eorum ibat ; which thev profoundly expounded, as Jesus passed invisible and in most secret manner by the middest of Pharisees, so that 'gold icas made by invisible and secret art amidst the ignorant." But others say, " that Text was the only amulet used in that credulous warfaring age to escape dangers in battles." Thus Camden. I rather believe it was an Amulet, or Charm, principally

242 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

inferred from the Act, which was passed soon after, 5 IT. IV. c. iv. to make it Felonie to multiplie gold or silver, or to use the art of multiplication.

§ XXIX. [The Prologue to the Doctoures Tale is omitted in Harl. Ms. 7334. In one of the editions consulted by Tyrwhitt there is a Prologue, the first line of which reads thus : —

" Ye, let that passen,'' quod ouve Hoste, "as now."

used against Thieves; upon the authority of the following passage of Sir John Mandeville, e. x. p. 137. " And an half myle fro Nazarethe is the Lepe of oure Lord : for the Jewes ladden him upon an highe roche for to make him lepe down and have slayn him : but Jesu passed amonges hem, and lepte upon another roche ; and yit ben the steppes of his feet sene in the roche where he alyghted. And therfore seyn sum men whan thei dreden hem of Thefes, on onv weye, or of Enemyes ; Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat : that is to seyne ; Jesus forsothe passynge be the myddes of hem he unite : in tokene and mynde, that oure Lord passed thorghe out the Jewes crueltee, and scaped saflv fro hem; so surely ir<owe men passen the perile of Thefes." See" also Catal. Mss. Harl. n. 2966. It must be owned that a Spell against Thieves was the most serviceable, if not the most elegant, Inscription that could be put upon Gold Coin.

Ashmole, in his Theatrum Chemicum, p. 443, has repeated this ridiculous story concerning Lully with additional cir- cumstances, as if he really believed it; though Lully by the best accounts had been dead above twenty years before Ed- ward III. began to coin Gold.

The same Author (Mercuriophilus Anglicus, as he styles himself) has inserted among his Hermctique Mysteries (p. 213,) an old English Poem, under the title of Hermes Bird, which (he says in his Notes, p. 467.) was thought to have been written originally by Baymund Lully, or at least made English by Cremer, Abbot of Westminster and Scholar to Lully, p. 465. The truth is, that the Poem is one of Lyd- qate's, and had been printed by Caxton under its true title, The Chorle and the Bird; and the fable, on which it is built, is related by Petrus Alphonsus (de Clercali Disciplina Ms. Beg. 10 B. xii.) who lived above two hundred years before

T n'lly.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 243

" The first line," says Tynvhitt, " applies so natu- rally and smartly to the FranJcelein's conclusion, that I am strongly inclined to believe it from the hand of Chaucer." The request of the Host for " a tale of some honeste materre" seems to contain a direct reference to theChanounes Yemannes Tale, and sanctions the order of the Tales adopted by the Harl. Ms.]

§ XXX. In the Doctouhes Tale, beside Livy, who is quoted, Chaucer may possibly have followed Gower in some particulars, who has also related the story of Virginia, Conf. Amant. 33. vii. but he has not been a servile copyist of either of them.

§ XXXI. The Pardoneres Tale has a Prologue which connects it with the Dodoures. There is also a pretty long preamble, which may either make part of the Prologue, or of the Tale.

The mere outline of the Pardoneres Tale is to be found in the Cento Novelle Antiche. Xov. lxxxii.

§ XXXII. The Tale of the Scliipman in many of the best Mss. has no Prologue. What has been printed as such in the early Editions is evidently spurious. [In the Harl. Ms. 7334 the Prologue is evidently mis- placed, being prefixed to the Squyres Tale, hut in this edition it is restored to what seems to be its proper place.] The Pardoneres tale may very pro- perly be called "a thrifty tale,'" and he himself "a learned man;" and all the latter part, though highly improper in the mouth of the curteis Squier, is perfectly suited to the character of the Shipinan.

This tale is generally supposed to be taken from the Decameron, D. viii. X. 1. but I should rather believe that Chaucer was obliged to some old

244 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

French Fableour, from whomBoceace had also bor- rowed the ground-work of his Novel, as is the case of the Iievcs Tale. Upon cither supposition, a great part of the incidents must probably have been of his own invention.

§ XXXIII. The transition from the Tale of the ScMpman to that ofthePrioresse is happily managed. I have not been able to discover from whatLegendo of the Miracles of our Lady the Pbiobesses Tale is taken. From the scene being laid in Asia, it should seem, that this was one of the oldest of the many stories, which have been propagated, at different times, to excite or justify several merci- less persecutions of the Jews, upon the charge of mnrthcring Christian children.3? The story of Hugh of Lincoln, which is mentioned in the last Stanza, is placed by Matthew Paris under the year 1255.

37 In the first four months of tlic Acta Sanctorum by Bol- 1 and us, I find the following names of Children canonized, as having been murthered by Jews : xxv Mart. IVillielmus JVorwicensis, 1144. llichardus, Parisiis, 1179. xvii Apr. liudolplius, Bernce, 1287. Wernerus Wesaliae, an. eod. Al- berttts, PolonicB, 1598. I suppose the remaining eight months would furnish at least as many more. See a Scottish Ballad [Rel. of Anc. Poet. v. i. p. 32.], upon one of these supposed murthers. The Editor has very ingeniously conjectured that "Mirryland" in ver. 1 is a corruption of "Milan." Per- haps the real occasion of the Ballad may have been what is said to have happened at Trent, in 1475, to a boy called Simnn. The Cardinal Hadrian, about fifty years after, men- tioning the Rocks of Trent, adds, "quo Judsei oh Simonis caidcm ne aspirare quidem audent." Praf. ad lihrum de Serm. Lat. The change of the name in the Song, from Simon to Hugh, is natural enough in this country, where si- milar stories of Hugh of Norwich and Hugh of Lincoln had lony been current.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 245

§ XXXIV. Xext to the Prioresse Chaucer himself is called upon for his Tale. In the Prologue he has dropped a few touches descriptive of his own person and manner, by which we learn, that he was used to look much upon the ground ; was of a cor- pulent habit ; and reserved in his behaviour. His Rime op Sire Thopas was clearly intended to ridicule the '-palpable-gross" fictions of the com- mon Rhymers of that age, and still more, perhaps, the meanness of their language and versification. It is full of phrases taken from Isumbras, Li beans desco)ius, and other Romances in the same style, which are still extant.

§ XXXV. For the more complete reprobation of this species of Rhyming, even the Host, who is not to be suspected of too refined a taste, is made to cry out against it, and to cut short Sire Thopas in the midst of his adventures. Chaucer has nothing to say for his Byrne, but that it is the beste he Icnoivs, and readily conseuts to tell another Tale ; but having just laughed so freely at the bad poetry of his time, he might think it, perhaps, too invidious to exhibit a specimen of better in his own person, and there- fore his other Tale is in prose, a mere translation from Le Livre de Melibee et de dame Prudence, of which several copies are still preserved in Ms.33 It is in truth, as he calls it, " a moral tale vertuous" and was probably much esteemed in its time, but, in this age of levity, I doubt some Reader will be apt

38 Two copies of this work are in the Museum, Ms. Reg. 19 C. vii. and 19 C. xi. in French prose. Du Fresnoy, Bibliot. des Romans, v. ii. p. 248. mentions two copies of the same work en vers, dans la BiOliotheque Seguier.

246 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

to regret, that he did not rather give us the remain- der of Sire Thopas.

§ XXXVI. The Prologue of the Monkes Tale connects it with Melibee. The Tale itself is certainly formed upon the plan of Boccace's great work de casibus virorum illustrium, but Chaucer has taken the several Stories, of which it is com- posed, from different authors, who will be particu- larized in the Xotes.

§ XXXVII. After a reasonable number of me- lancholy ditties, or Tragedies, as the Monk calls them, he is interrupted by the Knight, and the Host addresses himself to the Nonnes Preste, to tell them " swiche tiling as may their hertes glade."

The Tale of the Xonne Pbeste is cited by Dryden, together with that of tlie Wife of Bath, as of Chaucer's own invention. But that great Poet was not very conversant with the authors of which Chaucer's library seems to have been composed. The Wife of Bathes Tale, has been shown above to be taken from Gower, and the Fable of the Cock and the Fox, which makes the ground of the Nonne Prestes Tale, is clearly borrowed from a collection of iEsopean and other Fables, by Marie a French Poetess, whose collection of Lais has been mentioned before in n.31 As her Fable is short and well told, and has never been printed, I shall insert it here at length,40 and the more willingly, be-

^ Wright thinks that this Tale is taken from the fifth chapter of the old French Metrical Roman de Renart, en- titled Si Conne Renart prist Chant eckr le coc (ed. Meon. torn. i. p. 49.)

40 From Ms. Han. 978, f. 76.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 247

cause it furnishes a convincing proof, how able Chaucer was to work up an excellent Tale out of very small materials.

D un cok recunte, ki estot Sur un femer, e si chantot. Par de lez li vient un gupilz, Si l'apela par muz beans diz. Sire, fet il, muz te vei bel ; Unc ne vi si gent oisel. Clere voiz as sur tute rien, Fors tun pere, qe jo vi bien ; Unc oisel meuz ne chanta; Mes il le list menx, kar il cluna. Si puis jeo fere, (list li cocs. Les eles bat, les oilz ad clos, Chanter quida plus eleremeut. Li gupil saut, e sil prent; Vers la forest od lui s'en va. Par mi un champ, u il passa, Curent apres tut li pastur ; Li chiens le huent tut entur. Veit le gupil, ki le cok tient, Mar le guaina si par eus vient. Va, fet li cocs, si lur escrie, Qu sui tuens, ne me larras mie. Li gupil volt parler en haut, E li cocs de sa buche saut. Sur un haut fust s'est muntez. Quant li gupilz s'est reguardez, Mut par se tient enfantille, Que li cocs l'ad si enginne. De mal talent e de droit ire La buche comence a maudire, Ke parole quant devereit taire. Li cocs respunt, si dei jeo faire, Maudire Toil, ki volt cluiner, Quant il deit guarder e guaiter, Que mal ne vient a lur Seignur.

Ceo funt li fol tut li plusur, Parolent quant deivent taiser, Teisent quant il deivent parler.

The resemblance of Chaucer's Tale to this fable is obvious ;

248 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

§ XXXVIII. In the Prologue to the Man- ciples Tale, the Pilgrims are supposed to he ar- rived at a little town called " Boh up and down, under the blee, in Canterbury way." I cannot find a town of that name in any Map, but it must have lain between Poughton, the place last mentioned, and Canterbury.41 The Fable of the Crow, which

and it is the more probable that he really copied from Marie, because no such Fable is to be found either in the Greek ./Esop, or in any of the Latin compilations (that I have seen) which vent about in the dark ages under the name of vEsop. Whether it Avas invented by Marie, or whether she translated it, with the rest of her fables, from the Anglo- Saxon version of yEsop by King Alfred, as she says herself, I cannot pretend to determine. Though no Anglo-Saxon version of iEsop be now, as I can find, extant, there may have been one formerly, which may have passed, like many other translations, into that language, under the name of Alfred ; and it may be urged in support of the probability of Marie's positive assertion, that she appears, from passages in her Lais, to have had some knowledge of English. I must observe that the name of the King, whose English Version she professes to follow, is differently stated in dif- ferent Mss. In the best Ms. Harl. 978. it is plainly Li reis Alured. In a later Ms. Vesp. B. xiv. it is Li reis Henris. Pasquier [Recherches, 1. viii. c. i] calls him Li roy Auuert, and Du Chesne (as quoted by Menage, v. Roman) Li rois Mires; but all the copies agree in making Marie declare, that she translated her work " de V Anglais en Roman.''' A Latin /Esop, Ms. Reg. 15 A. vii has the same story of an English version by order of a Rex Anglia Affrus.

41 Bob-up-and-down appears to have been the popular name of the village of Harbledown, a short distance of Can- terbury, which by its situation on a hill, and the ups and downs on the road, merits well such an appellation. It stands on the edge of the Ble or Blean forest, which was formerly celebrated for its wildness. Erasmus, in one of his colloquies, the Pilgrimage for Religion's Sake, describes this place exactly, when he tells us that " Those who journey to London, not long after leaving Canterbury, find themselves

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 249

is the subject of the Maunciples Tale, has been related by so many authors, from Ovid down to Gower, that it is impossible to say whom Chaucer principally followed. His skill in new dressing an old story was never, perhaps, more successfully ex- erted.

§ XXXIX. After the Tale of the Maunciph the common Editions, since 1542,42 place what is called

in a road at once very hollow and narrow, and besides the banks on either side are so steep and abrupt that you cannot escape." (Wright).

42 In the Edition of 1542, when the Plowman's Tale was first printed, it was placed after the Person's Tale. The editor, whoever he was, had not assurance enough, it should seem, to thrust it into the body of the work. In the subse- quent Editions however, as it had probably been well re- ceived by the public, upon account of its violent invectives against the Church of Rome, it was advanced to a more honourable station, next to the Manciple's Tale and before the Person's. The only account which we have of any Ms. of this Tale is from Mr. Speght, who says (Note prefixed to Plowman's Tale), that he had "scene it in written hand in John Stowcs Librarie in a booke of such antiquitie, as seemed to have been written ueare to Chaucer's time." He does not say that it was among the Canterbury Tales, or that it had Chancers name to it. We can therefore only judge of it bv the internal evidence, and upon that I have no scruple to declare my own opinion, that it has not the least resem- blance to Chaucer's manner, either of writing or thinking, in his other works. Though he and Boccace have laughed at some of the abuses of religion and the disorders of Eccle- siastical persons, it is quite incredible that either of them, or even Wicliff himself, would have railed at the whole govern- ment of the Church, in the style of the Plowman's Tale. If they had been disposed to such an attempt, their times would not have boine it; but it is probable, that Chaucer, though he has been pressed into the service of Protestantism by some zealous writers, was as good a Catholic as men of his understanding and rank in life have generally been. The necessity of auricular Confession, one of the great scandals

250 INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE TO

the Plowman's Tale; but, as there is not the least ground of evidence, either external or internal, for believing it to be a work of Chaucer's, it is not ad- mitted into this Edition.

§ XL. The Pehsones Pbologtje therefore is here placed next to the Maunciple's Tale, agreeably to all tbe Mss. which are known, and to every Edi- tion before 1542. In this Prologue, which intro- duces the last Tale upon the journey to Canterbury, Chaucer has again pointed out to us the time of the clay ; but the hour by the clock is very differently represented in the Mss. In some it is ten, in others two : in most of the best Mss. foure, and in one Jive.43 According to the phenomena here men- tioned, the Sun being 29° high, and the length of the Shadow to the projecting body as 11 to 6, it was between four and Jive. As by this reckoning- there were at least three hours left to sunset, one

of Popery, cannot be more strongly inculcated than it is in the following Tale of the Person.

I will just observe, that Spenser seems to speak of the Au- thor of the Plowman's Tale as a distinct person from Chaucer, though, in compliance, I suppose, with the taste of his age, he puts them both on the same footing. In the epilogue to the Shepherd's Calendar he says to his book, —

Dare not to match thy pipe with Tityrus his stile, Nor with the Pilgrim that the Ploughman plaid awhile.

I know that Mr. Warton, in his excellent Observations on Spenser, v. i. p. 125, supposes this passage to refer to the Visions if Pierce Ploughman ; but my reason for differing from him is, that the author of the Visions never, as I re- member, speaks of himself in the character of a Ploughman.

The Pilgrimes Tale has also, with as little foundation, been attributed to Chaucer (Speght's Life of Ch.).

45 The reading of the Ilarl. Ms. 7334 is ten ; but Tynvhitt reads foure.

THE CANTERBURY TALES. 251

does not well see with what propriety the Host ad- monishes the Person to haste him, because " the Sonne tool acloun," and to be "fructuous in litel space" and indeed the Person, knowing probably how much time he had good, seems to have paid not the least regard to his admonition ; for his Tale, if it may be so called, is twice as long as any of the others. It is entitled in some Mss. " Tractatus de Pcenitentid, pro Fabula, ut dicitur, Eectoris ;" [and is a translation' or rather adaptation of some chapters of a work, entitled Li libres roiaux de vices et de ver- ttis, by Frere Lorens.44 The original text may be read in Cottonian Ms. Cleop. A. v.] I cannot re- commend it as a very entertaining or edifying per- formance at this day ; but the Header will be pleased to remember, in excuse both of Chaucer and his Editor, that considering the Canterbury Tales as a great picture of life and manners, the piece would not have been complete, if it had not included the Religion of the time.

§ XLI. What is commonly called the Retracta- tion at the end of the Person's Tale, in several Ms. makes part of that Tale ; and certainly the appellation of " litel tretise" suits better with a sina'le tale, than with such a voluminous work as the whole body of Canterbury Tales. But then on the other hand the recital, which is made in one part of it of several compositions of Chaucer, could properly be made by nobody but himself.

Having thus gone through the several parts of the Canterbury Tales, which are printed in this

41 It was composed for the use of Philip the Second, King of France, a.d. 1279.

252 THE CANTERBURY TALES.

Edition, it may not be improper, in the conclusion of this Discourse, to state shortly the parts which are wanting to complete the journey to Canterbury : of the rest of Chaucer's intended Plan, as has been said before, we have nothing. Supposing therefore the number of the Pilgrims to have been twenty- nine (see before, § VI.), and allowing the Tale of the Chanones Yeman to stand in the place of that which we had a right to expect from the Knightes Yeman, the Tales wanting will be only those of the five City-Mechanics and the Ploughman. It is not likely that the Tales told by such characters would have been among the most valuable of the set ; but they might, and probably would, have served to link together those which at present are unconnected ; and for that reason it is much to be regretted that they cither have been lost, or, as I rather 45 believe, were never finished by the Author.

44 When we recollect, that Chaucer's papers must in all probability have fallen into the hands of his son Thomas, who, at the time of his father's death, was of full age, we can hardly doubt that all proper care was taken of them ; and if the Tales in question had ever been inserted among the others, it is scarce conceivable that they should all have slipt out of all the Copies of this work, of which we have any knowledge or information. Nor is there any sufficient ground for imagining that so many Tales could have been suppressed by design; though such a supposition may per- haps be admitted to account for the loss of some smaller pas* sages. See above, n. 8.

APPENDIX A Chaucer's Piioxtjnciatiox.

^H>^HE pronunciation of English during the fourteenth century differed ma-

terially from that now in use. The whole subject has been recently in- vestigated in an elaborate treatise on " Early English Pronunciation/' by Alexander J. Ellis, F.R.S., who has furnished the following abstract of the conclusions at which he has ar- rived respecting the pronunciation probably in use among the highly educated southern speakers for whom Chaucer wrote, together with directions for modern readers who wish to imitate it.

A long=ah, as in father, alms, ore; the usual continental sound of long a. The present pronun- ciation of a, as al in ivait, was not 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 provinces ; the usual continental sound of short a. The present very different pronunciation, as a in cat, was not established till the seventeenth cen- tury ; those, however, to whom ah is difficult may use this a in cat.

254* chaucer's pronunciation.

AA, the same as A long.

AI = ah' ee, a diphthong consisting of ah pro- nounced briefly but with a stress, and gliding on to ee in one syllable ; sometimes used now in aye, and in the second s}-llable of Isaiah, as distinct from the first ; the German sound of ai, nearly the Italian alii! and the French ai. The modern sound ai, as in wait, was not established till the seventeenth century. See EY.

AU = ah'oo, a dipthong consisting of ah pro- nounced briefly but with a stress,, and gliding on to oo in one syllable ; not used in modern English; the German au, nearly the Italian an in Laura, the French aou. The modern sound of au, as in Paul, was not established till the seventeenth cen- tury.

AW, the same as AU.

AY, the same as AI.

B, as at present.

C=h before a, o, v, or any consonant, and=s before e, i, y. It was never called sh, as in the present sound of vicious, which then formed three syllables, vi-ci-ous.

CCR = tch, as in fitch.

CE=ch, as in such, cheese, and in Greek words occasionally h, as at present.

D, as at present,

E long = e in there, ai in pair, a in dare; that is, as ai is now pronounced before r, 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

Chaucer's pronunciation. 255*

too difficult may say at as in all. The sound of ee in eel was not established till the beginning of the eighteenth century.

E short=e in met, pen, well. E final = e, or short e lightly and obscurely pro- nounced, as the final e in the German cine herrliche gute Gale; nearly like the present 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 he, his, him, hire = her, here = their, hem = them, and occasionally before hath, hackle, have, how,her,here=here. It was never pronounced in hire = hev, /jere = their, owre = our, ?/o«re=your ; and was frequently omitted in hackle = had, were, time, more. It was occasionally, but rarely omitted when necessary for the rhyme and metre, and for force of expression, in other positions, especially when it replaced an older vowel, or marked an oblique case, precisely as in modern German. As this pronunciation of the final e gradually fell out of use during the fifteenth century, when most of the MSS. of Chaucer now in existence were written, the final e is often incorrectly inserted and omitted.

EA, the same as long E, like ea in break, great, wear, tear, tear ; seldom used except in the words ease, please. The modern sound of ea as ee in eel, was not established till the eighteenth century.

EE, the same as long E, that is, as e'e in e'er;

256* chaucer's pronunciation.

in frequent use. The modern sound of ee was not established till the middle of the sixteenth century.

EI, the same as AI, with which it was con- stantly interchanged by the scribes. The modern sound as ee, belongs to the eighteenth century. See EY.

EO, the same as long E ; seldom used except in the word peopel, often spelled pepel. The modern sound of eo as ee, dates from the sixteenth century.

ES final, the mark of the plural, was generally pronounced as es or is, even in those cases where the e is now omitted.

EU=w in the Scotch puir, the long sound of the French u, German u, in all words of French origin. This became like our modern ew during the seventeenth century, and. may be so pronounced by those to whom the French sound is too difficult. In words not of French origin, eu = ai'oo, a diph- thong consisting of ai pronounced briefly, but with a stress, and gliding on to oo in one syllable, as in the Italian Europa. Neither sound is now used. See EW.

EW = «i in the Scotch pair, or else ai'oo, precisely as EU. The following words, generally written with ew in Chaucer, had the sound of id, or French u ; blur, due, eschew, glue, a mew for hawks, remew, stew, sue. The following had the sound of ai'oo : drorikeletU),few, hew, hue, knew, new, 7*ew = row, rue, spew, shrew, threw, true.

EY, the same as AY, with which it is constantly interchanged by the scribe. The modern sound as ee, belongs to the eighteenth century. AY, EY were pronounced as e in there during the fifteenth

chaucer's pronunciation. 257*

century, in the north and west midland counties, and hence occasionally interchange with long e in some later or northern MSS.

F=/, as at present.

0=g hard in all words not of French origin, and=j before e, i, in words of French origin. Sometimes it was j before other vowels in words where the c usually inserted was omitted by the scribe, just as at present in judgment, gaol.

GE final, or before a, o, in French words ==/, but the e was sometimes omitted.

GH=M, the Scotch and German sound of ch, produced by making the contact for h so imperfect that a hissing sound can be heard. After e, i, the tongue was raised higher, so that kh approached to the sound of a hissed y ; and after o, u, the lips were often rounded, giving the effect of the mo- dern Scotch quh ; the former sound fell into y and short i, the latter into wh and/, or into oh, oo. Gh may be conveniently always called kh, but it will have to be occasionally omitted where written, and pronounced where not written, on account of the negligence of the scribes.

II initial =h, just as at present; but it seems to have been generally omitted in unaccented lie, his, him, hire = h.er, here = their, fam = them, and often in hath, hadde, have, just as we still have Fve told 'em ; and in some French words, as host, honour, honest, ifcc. it was probably omitted as at present. H final represents a very faint sound of the guttural kh (see GH), into which it dwindled before it became entirely extinguished.

I long was not at all the modern sound of /.

258* CHAUCER'S PRONUNCIATION.

It was the lengthened sound of i in still, which was nearly but not quite ee ; compare still, steal, in singing " Still so gently o'er me stealing," in which also the last syllables of gently and stealing are lengthened with the same vowel. Those who find it difficult to lengthen this vowel, which, when short, is extremely common in English, but is not known in French and Italian, may say ee, as in mien, mean, but they will be quite wrong if they pronounce it as at present in mine.

I short =i; as in pit, stiff, pin; not as in French or Italian. Compare English jinny, fish, with French fini, fichc.

I consonant ==/.

IE, was the same as long E, with which it was often interchanged by the scribe. The modern sound of ee dates from the seventeenth century.

J =j, was not distinguished from I in MSS.

K, as at present.

L, as at present.

LE final, probably as at present in UttlesszliCi, except when e is inflectional.

LH was the same as simple L. It was scarcely ever used, but in the thirteenth century it was probably a hissed /, not unlike (but not the same as) Welsh 11.

M, as at present.

N, as at present. There is no reason to suppose that it was nasalized in French words as in modern French. An, on, in French words were often written aun, oun, and were probably always sounded as these combinations in Chaucer's orthography, that is as citioon, oon.

chaucer's pronunciation. 259*

NG had probably three values, as at present in sing singer, linger, change. It is not possible to determine with certainty whether it was generally a simple ng as in singer, or an ng followed by g, as at present in longer, linger, finger, when medial or final, so that the modern custom alone can be followed.

0 long = o« in oar, boar, o in more, that is a somewhat broader sound than oa in moan, o in stone, and with no tendency to taper into oo. It is still heard in the provinces, and is like the Italian o aperto ; approaching au, but not so broad. Those who find the sound difficult to pronounce may say oh, which Avas not established till the seventeenth century. In a few words short 0 had also occa- sionally the sound of short u in hull, push, put ; where it replaced Anglo-Saxon u, and was pro- nounced u in the sixteenth century. These cases correspond almost precisely to those in which it is now pronounced as u in hut, as sonne, wonder.

0 short — da, the short sound of the last, the regular sound of short o on the continent, very common in the provinces, but not so broad as the modern o in got, which was not established till the seventeenth century, but may be used for oa by those who find the proper sound too difficult. It had also the sound of oo, generally in those words where it is still oo, as prove, move, or where it has become u in hut, as love, shove.

OA does not seem to have been used in Chaucer. It was introduced for long o in the sixteenth cen- tury.

OE is very rarely used, chiefly in poepd for

260* chaucer's pronunciation.

people and in reproeve for repreve,to show the change of sound. It was the same as long E.

01 =oo'ee, a diphthong consisting of the sound of oo pronounced briefly, but with a stress, gliding on to ee in one syllable, as sailors pronounce buoy, almost as in rvooing, or Italian lux, and very like French oui, as distinct from out.

00, the same as long 0, with which it is con- stantly interchanged. The modern sound of oo in pool dates from the middle of the sixteenth century.

OU had three sounds, properly it was = oo long, as in loud, hous, called hod, hoos ; occasionally it was used for u in bull, as in ous, outlier; and some- times for the diphthong oa'oo, that is, the sound of long 0 gliding into modern oo, almost the same as in modern soul, except that the first sound was broader. The three cases may be distinguished pretty accurately thus : — OU = oo, where it is now pronounced as in loud; OU=m, where it is now pronounced as in double; 0U = oa'oo where it is now occasionally pronounced oh'oo, as in sold.

OUGH must be considered as OU followed by GH. In drought it was drobkht, in plough it was plookh; in fought, bought, where it has now the sound of au, it was probably oaoo-kh, or ncarfy our modern oh followed by Teh.

OW was the same as OU, but was. more com- monly used when final.

OY was the same as 01.

P, as at present.

1*11=/, as at present.

OU, as at present.

II as r in ring, herring, carry ; always hilled;

CHAUCER'S PRONUNCIATION. 261*

never as now in car, serf, third, cord. Hence it did not lengthen or alter the preceding vowel, so that her in herd must have the r as well trilled as in herring, as now in Scotland and Ireland.

RE final, probably the same as ER, except when e was inflectional.

RH=r as now.

S was more frequently a sharp s when final, than at present, thus wys, was, is, all had s sharp. But between two vowels, and when the final es had the e omitted after long vowels or voiced con- sonants, it was probably z, a letter which some- times interchanged with s, but was rarely used. S was never sh or zh as at present, thus vision had three syllables, as vi-si-on.

SCH =s/*, as in shall.

SH sometimes used for SCH and pronounced as at present.

SSH, used occasionally for double SCH when the sound of sh followed a short vowel.

T, as at present, but final -tion, was in two syl- lables, -si-on.

TH had two sounds, as in thin, then, and there is no means of telling whether these sounds were distributed differently from what they now are, except that with probably rhymed to smith. They should therefore be pronounced as at present.

U long only occurred in French words, and always had the sound of Scotch ui, in puir, or French u, German u. Those who find this sound too difficult, may pronounce as the present long English u in tune, which was not established till tho seventeenth century.

262* CHAUCER'S PRONUNCIATION.

U short was generally short u, as in bull, pull, the modern sound of u in but not having been es- tablished till the seventeenth century. Occasionally, however, it was used for short i or short e, precisely as in the modern busy, bury; these cases can gene- rally be distinguished by seeing that they would be now so pronounced. Probably the u then repre- sented an ancient sound of short French u.

U consonant = u. In the MSS. u and v are confused as vowel or consonant, and u vowel initial is commonly written v.

V vowel, the same as U.

V consonant, the same as now.

W vowel, used in diphthongs as a substitute for U, and sometimes used absolutely for oo, as wde = oocle, herberw =herberoo.

W consonant, the same as now.

WH, a blowing through the lips when in the position for w, something like a whistle ; still gene- rally pronounced in the north of England, but commonly confused with w in the soutb. To fo- reigners, when initial, it sounds hoo, as in whan = hoodhn nearly, but whahn correctly. In Chaucer it often occurs final in place of GH (which see) when pronounced as the Scotch quh. It was the tran- sition sound of GH from Teh to the modern /.

WR was probably pronounced as an r with rounded lips, which produces the effect ofaw and r sounded together, as in the French roi. Those Who find a difficulty in speaking it thus, may pronounce w'r, with the faintest sound of a vowel between the w and r, almost ivereet'e for itrite.

X was ks, as at present.

CHAUCER'S PRONUNCIATION. 263*

Y vowel, long and short, had precisely the same value as I long and short.

Y consonant was generally written with the same character as GH, which resembled a z, and may have had that sound of GH which resembled a hissed y. But probably it had become thoroughly y in Chaucer's time, and should be so pronounced.

Z=z, as now, and never zh.

The position of the accent was not always the same as at present. French words seem to have been pronounced with equal stress on all the syl- lables, as at present. Some English terminations, as and, ing, ly, always had a considerable stress, even when a preceding syllable was accented.

If we adopt most of the easy modern English substitutes for the difficult old sounds, as pointed out in the preceding table, but use dh for the flat sound of th in thee, u for u in bull, ui as in Scotch for French u, and ahy, ahw for ah'ee, ah'oo, as de- scribed under AI, AW, and indicate the accent, when it does not fall on the first syllable only, by ('), we may write the pronunciation of the first lines of the Canterbury Tales as follows. Observe that the first line begins with an accented syllable, without a precedent short syllable, as is not un- frequent in Chaucer.

^V"l]an dhat Ah'pvecl' with 'is shooriis swohte Dhe drookht of March hath pcrsed toh dhe rohte, And bahdhiid evree valivn in swich lec'koor' Of which ver'tui' enjen'dred is dhe floor; Whan Zefirus, aik, witli 'is swaito braithe Enspee'red hath in evree holt and haitha Dhe tendre kropes, and dhe yiinge siine Hath in dhe ram 'is lialfe koors irun'e,

264* chaucek's pronunciation.

And smahle fooliis mahkcn meluhdee'e

Dhat slaipen al dhe nikht with ohpen ee'e, —

Soli priketli 'cm nah'tuir' in 'er kohraa'jes,

Dhan longen folk toh golm on pilgrimaa'jes,

And palmerz for toh eaiken strahwDje Btrondea

Toll feme halwez kooth in sundree londe's,

And spes'ialee', from evree sheeres ende

Of Engelond, to Kan'terber'ee dhahy wende

Dhe hohleo blisful marteer for toh eaike

Dhat hem 'ath holpen whan dliat dhahy wair saike.

Beefel' dhat in dliat sai'zoon' on a dnhy

At Soothwerk at dhe Tab'ard' as Ee lahy,

Redee toh wendeii on mee pilgrimah'je

Toh Kan'terber'ee with ful devoot' kohrah'je,

At nikht was koom in'toli' dliat ostelree'e

Well neon and fcwentee in a kumpanee'e

Of siindree folk, bee ah'ven'tnir' ifal'e

In fel'ahw'sheep', and pilgrimz wair dhahy alb;,

Dliat tohwcrd Kan'terber'ee wolden reede.

Dhe chahmbrez and dhe stahb'lz wairen weede

And wel wai wairen aized ate beste.

And shortlee, wban dhe siinii was toll reste

Soli had Eo spchken with 'em evreech olm,

Dhat Ee was of 'er fel'ahw'sheep' anohn',

And mahde forwerd airlee for toh re< ze

Toh tabk onr wahv dhair as Ee yoo devecVi,

APPENDIX B.

On the Genuineness of the Romaunt of the

Rose and the Poems attributed

to Chaucer.

r^CN the Temporary Preface to the Six- Text edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, pp. 107-111, Mr. Furnivall says that the following Poems in the present edition of Chaucer's works are held by .Mr. Bradshaw " not to be Chaucer's, though they have been assigned to him by previous editors": — The Court of Love, iv. i.

The Boko of Cupide, or the Click ow & the Nightingale, iv. 51.

The Flower and the Leaf, iv. 87. Chaucer's Dream, v. 86. The Romaunt of the Rose, vi. 1. The Complaynte of a Loveres Lyfe, or The Black Knyght, vi. 235.

A Goodly Ballade of Chaucer, vi. 275. A Praise of Women, vi. 278.

2G6* ON THE GENUINENESS OF

Leaulte vault Richesso, vi. 302 (printed by Pinkerton as " Pious Lines").

? Proverbes of Chaucer, vi. 303 ; the next two stanzas are a separate poem,1 " The worlde so wyde, the ayer so remuable," attributed by Shirley, who " dyed in 1456, aged 90 years," to " Halsam, squiere," in " MSS. Harl. 7333 " (Ritson, Bill. Pod. pp. 57, 102).

Roundel, vi. 304.

Virelai, vi. 305.

Chaucer's Prophecy, vi. 307.

If I understand Mr. Bradshaw rightly, all these poems contravene the laws of rhyme observed by Chaucer in the works, both of youth and old age, that are certainly his, while the evidence for most of the poems in the list above being Chaucer's, is merely editors' guesses; and in the case of the Romaunt of the Rose, which Lydgate names as a work of Chaucer, Mr. Bradshaw holds that there is no so strong internal evidence of the poem we possess with that name, being Chaucer's, as to re- but the evidence of the false rhymes.2 For instance, if in Chaucer's undoubted works you find that mal-a-dy-e or Cur-tei-si-e is four syllables, and rhymes only with other nouns in y-e or i-e, proved

1 This poem is printed in Lydgate's Minor Poems, for the Percy Society, p. 193, and in Relig ice Antiques, i. 234.

2 On pages 251, 252, of my English Pronunciation you will see all the bad rhymes in Chaucer, and see reason to discredit the Court of Love, Dream, Flower and Leaf, and Romaunt at once, — so far as the editions we have, are con- cerned. But the number of errors is not enough for me to discredit, at present, more than these editions. A very detailed examination is necessary for the rest. — A. J. Ellis.

THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE. 267*

by derivation to be a two-syllable termination, and with infinitives in y-e, then if you find in the

Bomaunt

Sich joic anoon thereof hadde I

That I forgate my maladie 1^0

Sonc he was unto Curtesie,1

And he me grauntid fulle gladly 29S3

you get a rhyme that isn't Chaucer's ; for he didn't

mix false rhymes and true ones, as the Bomaunt

does : compare the above with

That yvelle is fulle of curtesie,

That knowith in his maladie 2294

and the following

with

So thou thee kepe fro folye,

Shalle no man do thee vylanyc2 29M

I curse and hlame generaly

Alio hem that loven vilanye 2180

If oon be fulle of vilanye,

Another hath a likerous ighe 3 «C4

To riden out / he loued chiualrie

Trouthe and honour / fredom and eurteisie.

Cant. Tales, A. 46. lie for despit and for his tirannye To do the dede bodyes vileynye.

Cant. Tales, A. 942. < vileynye 2729 ( vilonye(Vol.ii.p. 335,1. 547). I cowardye I espye (infin.)

And smale foweles / maken melodye That slepen al the nyght / with open eye

Cant. Tales, A. in. This prison caused me nat for to crye But I was hurt right now thurgh out myn eye.

Cant. Tales, A. 1096. j Emelye ( eve 2CG0

268* ON THE GENUINENESS OF

So, too, the treating of an infinitive e as nothing, and making a two -pliable y-e rhyme with an adverbial -ly, as in the Romaunt, -would be im- possible to Chaucer.

And thus enduryng shalt thou lye, And ryse on morwe up erly 264s

May no man have good, but he it bye, A man loveth more tendirly 2738

or again

At prime temps, Love to manace •}

Ful ofte I have been in this caas.2 3374

Take also Jelousie : at one time it has four syl- lables, at another, three :

Which hath ordeyned Ielousie,3

An olde vekke for to espye 42sg

Now it is tyme shortly that I

Telle yow som thyng of Ielousie mo (and 3909-10)

It will be well to prepare oneself, by previous independent work, to accept or contest Mr. Brad-

1 At every tyme he lokith in hir face, But in his hert he gan hir to manace.

Cant. Tales, vol. ii. p. 333) 11. 507-8. He rubbith hir about hir tendre face, And saydo thus : " Alias ! I mot trcspace."

Ibid. vol. ii. p. 336, 11. 583-4.

2 And shortly / for to tellen as it was Were it by aventurc / or sort or cas.

Ibid. A. 844.

( caas 797 ( alias c was 135.1, 23Gi r cas 1 solaas \ cas 107-1 ( alias t w

( was ( paas f cas (event) 2357 ( las (lace)

I caas 2110 ( was 221 8 ( caas (sheath) ( allaa

Was 1412, 2080 2.'! 90

I spelce / as for my suster Emelye

ffor whom ye hauc / this strif & Ialousye.

Cant. Tales, A. 1834.

THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE. 209*

shaw's argument and conclusions when they appear. They will not be of the poohpoohable kind, as they are the result of careful and honest hard work by a man with a pair of eyes and a head. But I, for one, am not prepared to give up the Romaunt as Chaucer's, without a fight, — willingly as I let go the other poems I have examined, the Dreme, Flower & Leaf, Goodly Ballade, and Praise of Women, in the present stateof some of their stanzas. The difficulty of the question in the case of the Romaunt is great, because we have only one 15th century MS. of it ; and the question is, how far may we suppose the late scribe to have gone in altering the rhymes of his original ? There is a notion abroad that scribes didn't alter rhymes : but that won't do. Just take a couple of instances from my edition of the two versions of the Com- pleynt of Christe, from the Lambeth MS. 853, ab. 1430 a.d., and the Lambeth MS. 306, ab. 1460

A. D.

1430 A.D. 1460 A.d

But y my J to aftirward bo

saaf Lcto not my soule come in lioll caaf

Political, Religious, Sf Love Poems, p. 179, U. 16

But )jou wolt affter-warde mo

save

Leve nat my soule in helle

cave Love Poems, p. 17! 168; p. 178, 11. 299, 301

cave

r,

ffor loue of yow / and for my Ialousye And Iupiter / so wys my soule gye.

Cant. Tales, A. 2785. (Sec too ' frie ' (infin.) 'jalousie,' vol. ii. p. 22, 11.488, m).

i Emelye irsi c thou slialt dye r( flateryc

1 I shal dye i Emelye i5ss I Ialousye 1923

1 Emelye 23ii c moot dye j gye (Infin.)

I gan to tiye \ Emelye 2762 I Emelye 2Sia

270* ON THE GENUINENESS OF

be moppis J7.1t pi clobis etc.

pi drinkis pat sowren & pi mowlid mote

the mothes that thy clothys

etys thy drynkis sovreren, pou mouledest metis Ibid. p. 181, 11. 208, 210; p. 180, 11. 342, 344. Take another case involving the infinitive and adverbial e from the Vernon MS. ab. 1375 a. v., and the Lambeth MS. 853 above-named, ab. 1430 a. d., where the later MS. is grammatically better than the earlier one, if rigid grammarians are to be believed :

1375 a.d. Such lust vn leueful . let hit

pas . . . pat founden is so foul trespas.

1430 A. d. Such lust vnleefful, late it

passe . . . pat founden it is so foule a

trespase And loke pou, neiper more ne

lasse . . . Lest pou singe is song, alas.

And lokes . pat nouper more

nc las . . . Lcate pou synge . pis songe alias.

Hymns to the Virgin and Christ, p. 118, 11 74-6-7-9 ; p. Ill, 11. 58, 60-1-3.

Compare these with Chaucer's rhymes in the Canterbury Tales :

Thou art so fals and so unkynde, alias !

Now, goode men, God foryeve yow your trespas'

Vol. iii. p. 104, 11. 441, 442.

• •••••

That may assoyle you, hothe more and lasse "Whan that the soule schal fro the body passe2

Vol. iii. p. 105, II. 477, 478.

1 to trespace (infin.)

grace (sb.) vol. iii. p. 207, 11. 190, 102.

place (sb.) vol. iii. p. 219, 11. 574, 676. 9 passe, vol. iii. p. 244, 11. 491, 492.

thasse

THE ROM AUNT OF THE ROSE. 271*

But as a child of twelf month old or lesse,1 That can unnethes eny word expresse

Vol. iii. p. 123, 11. 32, 33.

Still, it is more than doubtful whether any later scribe could have made such alterations in the Komannt, etc., as must have been made if Chaucer ever wrote these poems on the same rhyme-laws as his other poems. But are poets always con- sistent in their rhymes during their whole lives ? "

1 sikernesse rlchesse lesse gesse, vol. iii. o. 139, 11, s'} ss.

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GLOSSAHY.

GLOSSARY.

^AS, sb. ace, v. am- bes aas,ii.l74/27.* I Abaischt, abaisshed, abaissht, abaiste, adj. humbled, abashed, ashamed,

ii. 187/470, 288/121, 309/73,

312/170; iv. 270/1073. Abawed, adj. abashed, v. 173/613 Abaysed, timid, iv. 275/1184. Abegge, v. to suffer for, atone for,

ii. 123/18. Abide, abtden, v. await, wait for,

ii. 29/69, 151/337, 159/604,

337/644; v. 83/n. Abieth, v. atones for, suffers for,

vi. 9/272. Abil, adj. able, ii. 251/174. Abit, sb. habit, vi.188/6162,6170. Abode, v. received, v. 162/247. Abodes, sb. delays, iv. 259/805. Abood. sb. delay, v. 54/1307,

269/873. Aboot, v. delayed, v. 125/1292. Abnughte, v. atoned for, v. 73/

1770. Aboven, prep, above, ii. 3/53,

259/7, &c.;iv. 368/1651. Abouten,abowten, prep, about, ii.

1 12/459, 253/232, 254/271.

Abrayde, abrayede, v. to start up suddenly, arise (out of sleep), ii. 130/270; iv. 270/1064 ; v. 275/1069.

Abreyde, v. to awake, v. 161/192, 226/51.

Abregge, abrigge, v. to abridge, ii. 92/2141, 329/370, 330/ 413.

Abroche, v. to begin, literally to tap, set a vessel of liquor abroach, ii. 211/177.

Abrod, adv. abroad, ii. 368/95.

Abusioun, abusyon, sb. impro- priety, abuse, iv. 340/962, 343/1032.

Abyde(imj)er.Abyd,Y>p.Abyden), to abide, suffer, stop, delay, 92/2124, 96/21, 23, 139/24, 185/413, 211/169 ; iv. 191/ 935.

Abye, abyen, v. to atone for, ex- piate, ii. 137/29, 273/455 ; iii. 134/111; vi. 182/5979.

Abyl, sb. habit, ii. 43/520.

Acute, achate, sb. purchase, ii 18/571.

Accesse, sb. approach of a fever ; a fever, ague, iv. 76/39, 206/ 1315.

i.e. Volume \\. page 174, line 27.

25G

GLOSSARY.

Accidie, sb. 6loth, negligence, iii. 323/19.

Accioun, sb. action, v. 79/c.

Accordaunce, sb. agreement, union, vi, 178/5850.

Accustomuunce, sb. usage, wont, v. 9-4, 256.

Ach, sb. ache, iv. 329/700.

Achatnurs, sb. buyers, dealers, ii. 18/568.

Acheve, v. to accomplish, suc- ceed, vi. 179/5886.

Acheked, v. checked, v. 273/ 1003.

Acheved, v. achieved, accom- plished, iv. 209/1392 ; v. 262/ 648.

Achyved, v. accomplished, vi. 33/1068.

Acord, sb. agreement, ii. 26/830, 95/2224, 177/146.

Acordant, adj. according, agree- ing, ii. 2/37

Acorde, v. to agree, ii. 26/830.

Acorde, sb. friendship, v. 269/ 874.

Acorde, to agree, ii. 26/818, 38/ 356, 102/115, 105/216, 177/ 140.

Acordyng, part, according, ii. 104/177.

Acorse, sb. to curse, iv. 268, 1023,334/8111.

Acoye, v. to make quiet, vi. 109/3564.

Acqueintance, acqueintaunce, sb. knowledge, ii. 247/44, 249/ 100, 334/543 ; v. 6/129.

Acqueyntaincez, sb. acquaintan- ces, vi. 188/6179.

Acquitaunce, sb. acquittance, ii. 103/141, 138/47.

Acquite, v. to acquit, release, ii. 225/301.

Acquyte, v. to equal, ii. 307/152.

Acquytaunce, sb. acquitance, v. 80/u.

Acquyte, v. set free, be quit, ii.

171/37. Acusemente, sb. accusation, iv.

322, 528. Adamaund, sb. magnet, diamond,

iv. 56/148 ; vi. 37/1182. Adaice, v. to wake up, come to

life, ii. 353/1154. Ademauntz, sb. adamants, dia- monds, ii. 62/1132. Adight, adj. arrayed, set in order,

fared, ii. 160/628, 161/641. Adoun, adv. down, downward,

ii. 35/245, 63/1165, 261/68, 69,

81/1758, &c. Adrad, adj. in dread, afraid, ii.

19/605, 106/239, 158/562 ; v.

170/492, 181/878, 237/420. Adradde, vb. afraid, vi. 38/1228. Adventayle, sb. aventayle, the

visor of a helmet; that part

raised a ventuille to give the

wearer air, ii. 315/28. Atlversaire, sb. adversary, iv.

36/1035. Adversayre, sb. adversary, v. 78/

A.

Advertence, advertens, sb. atten- tion, thought, v. 52/1258 ; iv. 328/670.

Advoutrie, advoutry, sb. adul- tery, ii. 324/191 ; iii. 144/29, 341, 18.

Advocacies, sb. law suits, iv. 212/ 1469.

Afer, adv. far from, v. 246/125.

Aferd, aferde, afered, adj. afraid, frightened, ii. 20/628, 47/660, 127/175; iv. 177/606; 244/ 433.

Affect, aff'ecte, sb. pretence, iv. 281/1342; vi. 167/5189.

Affered, adj. in fear, afraid, iii. 119/400.

Affermed, v. affirmed, ii. 72/1491

Affile, v. to file, polish, iv. 221/ 1681.

GLOSSARY.

25 'i

Ajf'raie, v. disturb, vi. 4/91. Affray, sb. fear, ii. 204/1039;

disturbance, 273/456. Affraye, v. to frighten, affright,

ii. 273/436, 292/7. Affrayed, v. afraid, iii. 119/400,

243/465. Affye, v. to trust, confide in, vi.

167/5483. Ajfyle v. to make smoothe, to

polish, ii. 23/712. Afore, prep, before, ii. 161/656,

166/792/806. Aforyeynes, adv. opposite, iv. 201/

1188. A/ray, sb. fright, v. 208/337. Afhiyed, v. frightened, v. 138/ ' 1730, 164/296. Agast, adj. aghast, frightened, ii.

72/1483, 90/2073, 143/1 28,230/

798, &c. . I gaste, v. to frighten, v. 312/216. Agayns, a^aynes, adv. against,

ii. 55/929, 76/1593, 306/127;

351/1081. Ageyn, adv. again, ii. 34/231,

125/112, &c. Aggregged, v. increased, iii. 143/

26. Agilt, v. was guilty of, sinned,

trespassed, ii. 218/392 ; iii.

194/21; iv. 310/233; v. 70/

1698. Agilted, v. offended, iii. 268/19. J^ilten, v. to offend, v. 289/436. Ago, agon, agoon,v. gone, ii. 40/

418, 72/1478, 298/22, 334/520,

346/914 ; yore, agon, long ago,

56/955, 60/1083. Agre, agree, gre, adv. in good part,

willingly, vi. 133/4349. Agreeved, agreved, v. offended,

displeased, ii. 64/1199; 293/

52. Agreef, adv. offensively, in bad

part, ii. 212/191 ; iv. 69/543. Agieen, v. to agree, iv. 230/82.

Agrej'e, adv. in grief, in displea- sure, iv. 291/1572. Agrise, v. frighten, terrify, ii.

257/351. Agroos, v. was afraid, shuddered

with fear, iv. 190/930; v. 301/

125. A-gryefe, adv. in grief, amiss, iv.

325/585. Agryse v. to be afraid, iv. 211/

1435. Aguler, sb. nsedlecase, vi. 4/98. Agylte,v. sinned against,offended,

iv. 259/791. Aisschen,aisshen, aifches, sb. ashes,

ii. 121/28,362/246, 247. Ahe, v. to ache, iv. 288/1511. Aketoun, sb. acton, part of the

armour of a knight, iii. 135/

149. Akkele, v. to cool, iv. 37/1076. Al,aU,'ala;& whole, iii. 20 58. Al and somme, one and all, v. 197/

29. Alambic, sb. alembic, iv. 321/ 192. Ahrged, v. given largely, v. 91 '

156. Alauntz, alauns, sb. wolf-dogs or

greyhounds, ii. 66/1290 Alayes, sb. alloy, ii. 314/229. ALbificacioun,sb. (chemical term ),

making white, iii. 53/252. Alcamister, s\. alchemist, iii. 66/

193. Alder beste, adj. the best of all,

iv. 149/1008, 290/1518 ; v.

162/246, 182/906. Alderfayreste, adj. fairest of all, v.

187/1049. Alder firste, adj. first of all, iv.

334/804. Aldertest, adj. last of all, iv. 132/

604. Alderlevest, adj. best beloved,

diarcst of all, v. 24/576. Aldemext, adj. next, or nearest

of all, iv. 114/152.

258

GLOSSARY.

Aldir, sb. alder-tree, ii. 90/2063. Alegge, v. to allege, instance,

produce, ii. 330/414; iv. 237/

248. Ale-slake, sb. a stake set up before

a ale-bouse as a sign,ii. 2/667;

iii. 86/35. Aleis, alevs> sb. lote-tree, ii. 351/

1080 ; vi. 42/1377. Algatf algate, algates, adv. al- ways, nevertbeless, although,

yet, ii. 18/571,123/42, 142/115,

154/449, 186/422, 229/756,

362/216, 352/1130, 362/238;

iii. 38/318; iv. 225/24; v. 41/

1071, 188/1086. Algatis, adv. thus, v. 190/1169. Aiite, adj. a little, iv. 324/575;

v. 10/214. Alkaroun, sb. the Koran, ii. 180/

23 k Alle-if, conj. although, iv. 241/

349. Alleand some, sb. one and all,

iv. 249/558. Alter, adj. of all; her aller, of

them all, ii. 19/586 ; 150/321 ;

v. 81/l. Alliaunee, sb. alliance, union, ii.

91/2115, 289/161. Allien, v. to contract alliance or

marriage, ii. 323/170. Allies, sb. relatives, ii. 215/301. Allan, ullone, alloone, adv. alone,

ii. 84/1867,85/1921, 109/357,

151/357 ; 190/557, 264/154,

328/317 ; v. 43/1026. Almagest, pr. sb. The Arabs call

the Meyato Zwto^i; of Plo-

temy Almaghesthi, or Aim

egisthi, acorruptionof Mtyia-rn ;

ii. 99/22, 211/183, 216/325. Almandres, sb. almonds, vi, 42/

1363. Almes-dede, sb. alms-deed, gifts,

ii. 205/1058. Almcsse, sb. alms, ii. 175/70.

Allnath, pr. sb. The first star in

the horns of Aries, whence the

first mansion of the moon

takes its name ; iii. 18/545. Al-newe, adv. anew,iv. 294/1650. Aloft c, adv. above, overhead, iv

252/621. Along, alonge, prep, on account

of, 3/57/, iv. 257/734. Alonged, v. longed for, ii. 160/

636. Aloone, adv. alone, ii. 292/16 ;

iv. 324/564. Alose, to make famous, praise,

iv. 360/1445. Alowe, v. to allow, approve,

ii. 159/578, 190/557. Alpes, sb. bulfmches, vi. 21/658. Als, adv. also, as, ii. 134/397; iv.

85/303, 315/357. Also-faste, adv. immediately, ii.

3/83. Also, conj. as, ii. 10/287, 23/

730. Alsiva, adv. also, ii. 127/165. Alllier, adj. of all, 'your alther,'

of you all, ii. 25/779. Altherbest, adj. best of all, ii. 23/

710. Alther-fastest, adv. fastest of all,

v. 274/1041. Altlier-jirst, adv. first of all, iii.

42/423 ; v. 190/1172. Allhirjirst, adv. first of ail, ii.

329/374. Althur, adj. of all, 'althur oure,'

of us all, ii. 26/823. Altogidere, adv. altogether, ii.

164/730. Alto, prep, unto, iv, 269/1050. Ahceii, adv. alway, always, ii.

121/34, 327/285, &c. Amalgamyug, sb. (chem. term), amalgamating quicksilver witli other metals, iii. 5/2. A mange, prep, among, iv. 328/

69.

GLOSSARY.

259

Amayed, v. dismayed, iv. 83/232,

326/613. Ambages, sb. ambiguities, v. 37/

897. Amhassatrye, sb. ambassadry, ii.

177/135. Ambes Aas, sb. both aces, at dice,

see Aas. Ambusioun, sb. craft, ii. 176/116. Ameevyd, v. moved, ii. 293/50. Amendit, v. mended, ii. 274/475. Amenisith, v. decreases, dimin- ishes, iii. 290/30. Ameniiside, v. decreased, dimin- ished, iii. 337/28. Amercimentes, sb. fines, iii. 331/

20. Amonges, prep, among, amongst,

ii. 167/836, 195/730, 342/784 ;

iv. 260/809. Amonestyng, sb. admonishing, iii.

307/2. imorettes, sb. amorous women,

wanton girls, vi. 28/892, 145/

4758. Amoreux, adj. amorous, capable

of loving, iv. 225/17. Amortised, v. destroyed, killed,

iii. 277/22. Amounteth, v. means, signifies,

matters, ii. 121/47, 187/471,

358/100. Amphibologies, sb. ambiguities,

iv. 357/1378. Amyddes, prep, amidst, ii. 62/

1151, 367/63. An, conj. sometimes written and,

ii. 5/116, 7/182 ; v. 206/304,

&c. Ancile, sh. maid servant, v. 82/0. Anes, adv. once, ii. 127/151. An ese, adv. in ease, pleasantly,

iv. 202/1225. Anguissheous, anguisshons, adj.

full of anguish, iii. 284/18;

vi. 142/4675. Angwyshous, adj. sorrowful, iv.

258/767.

An-highen, adv. on high, v. 274/ 1062.

Anhovged, v. hanged, iv. 219/ 1620.

Aulas, or anelas, sb. knife, dagger, ii. 12/357.

Annentissched, anentised, v. re- duced to nothing, iii. 161/10.

Annueler, sb. a chanting priest, one endowed to sing masses annually for the founders of the chantry, iii. 60/1.

Anoush, adv. enough, iv. 213/ 1478.

Anoyful, adj. disagreeable, iii. 144/25.

Anoynten, v. to anoint, flatter, vi. 33/1057.

Anoyous, disagreeable, hurtful, iii. 160/33, 291/19.

Anslets, sb. a slop or smock, iii. 297/14.

Antiphonere. sb. a book contain- ing the antiphonesor anthems for the ecclesiastical seasons, iii. 124/67.

Antrous, adj. daring, adventu- rous, iii. 137/198.

A-nyglu, adv. at night, ii. 62/ li49.

Anyghles, adv. at night, vi. 1/18.

Apaire, v. to impair, v. 232/218.

Apalled, appalled, v. made pale, ii. 94/2195, 366/19.

Aparceyve, v. to perceive, ii. 310/ 80.

Apayd, apayde, apayed, v. paid, pleased, ii. 58/1010, 311/114, 326/268, 328/321 ; iv. 83/231.

Apes, sb. dupes, fools, ' to pat in his hood an ape,' to make a fool of him, to befool him, ii. 22/706, 104/203, 131/282 ; iii. 250/44.

Aperceyve, sh. to perceive, iv. 326/628; vi. 192/6317.

Aperceyvyng, v. perceiving, vi. 192/6320.

2G0

GLOSSARY.

Apertly, adv. openly, iii. 283/19.

Apese, v. to appease, iv. 261/838.

Apeyde, apeyede, v. paid, be- stowed, pleased, v. 52/1249 ; iv. 326, 614.

Apeyren, v. depreciate, detract from, ii. 97/39.

Apotecaries, sb. apothecaries, ii. 14/425.

Appaired, v. made worse, iii. 143/26.

Apparaunt, adj. apparent, v.

Apparceyve, v. to perceive, ii. 296/152.

Apparceyvynges, sb. perceiving's, ii. 363/278.

Apparence, sb. appearance (illu- sory), ii. 361/210.

Appai/d, v. pleased, satisfied, level appayd,' displeased, ii. 353/1145.

Appaire, v. to impair, iv. 35/1016

Appert, adj. open, vi. 187/ 6153.

Appertinent, belonging' to, apper- taining to, ii. 309/72.

Appese, v. to pacify, ii. 291/237.

Appiere, v. appear, ii. 237/174.

Appreve, v. to approve, v. 276/21.

Approche, v. to approach, ii. 65/ 1237, 197/805, 211/178.

Approvour, approver, informer, ii. 247/45.

Aprocheu, v. to approach, v. 1/1.

Aqueyntaunce, sb. acquaintance, ii. 8/245.

iqueynie, v. to become ac- quainted with, v. 171/531.

Acquitaunce, sb. liberty, dis- charge, ii. 138/47.

Ar, adj. ere, before, ii. 142/96.

Ar, v.'are, vi. 173/5692.

Arace, v. to tear away, draw away by force, ii. 312/165 ; iii. 22/657 ; iv. 266/966 ; v. 40/954

Araised, v. raised, v. 120/1138.

Arblasteres, cross-bows, engines

to cast darts, vi. /4196. Archdiacre, sb. archdeacon, v.

151/3038. Archewyvesf sb. wives who seek to rule their husbands, ii. 315/19. Arede, v. to interpret, iv. 214/

1505, 345/1084 ; v. 164/289. Aresone, v. to call to reason or to account, to reason with, vi. 189/6224. Arest, sb. rest (armoury), ii.

80/1744 ; iv. 96/282. Areste, sb. constraint, delay, ii.

41/452. Areste, v. to stop, ii. 26/827. Avet, arette, v. to ascribe, im- pute, account, ii. 84/1871 ; iii. 369/2; v. 131/1501. Arguwe, v. to argue, iv. 181/694,

320/469. Arist, v. rises, ii. 178/167; iii.

265/9. Arive, sb. arrival, landing, ii.

3/60. Armitage, sb. hermitage, v. 96/

330. Armgret, adj. as thick as a man's

arm, ii. 66/1287. Armoniac, armoniak, sb. sal am- moniac, iii. 53/237, 54/271. Armypotent, armypotente, adj. powerful in arms, ii. 61/1124, 75/1583. Am, v. are, ii. 288/1 16. Ar, os, v. arose, iv. 1/7/611. Aroume, abroad, v. 225/32. Arrage, sb. a rage, wantonness,

vi. 101/3292. Arrerage, sb. arrears, ii. 19/602. Arreyse, v. to support, ii. 271/401. Arrest, sb. arrest, rest, abiding, constraint, ii. 270/548, 319/38. Arreste, sb. arrest, ii. 41/452. Arriont, sb. probably an error for ariont, rioting, iii. 208/210.

GLOSSARY.

261

A rat, adv. first, ii. 157/538; iv. 185/798, 207/1340.

Arsmetrik, arsmetrike, sb. arith- metic, ii. 59/1040, 275/522.

Arte, v. art thou, v. 48/1161.

Arte, v. to urge, iv. 2/46, 123/ 388.

Artow, v. art thou, ii. 179/210, 213/240, 249/94, 255/689.

Arue, sb. arrow, ii. 4/104, 4/ 107, 61/1108, 64/1222, 73/ 1550, 248/13, 270/368, 331/ 429 ; iii. 13/384 ; v. 202/188.

As-blyje, at once, iv. 6/161.

As-blyve, adv. at once, iv. 214/ 15i3.

Ascape, v. escape, ii. 282/67.

Ascaunce, ascaunces, as though, as much as to say, ii. 260/37 ; iv. 120/291.

Ascauns, conj. as though, as much as to say, iii. 54/285.

Ascencioun, ascent, iii. 53/225.

Ascri/, sb. shout, alarm, iv. 177/611.

Asegid, v. besieged, ii. 28/23.

Aseuraunce, sb. assurance, con- fidence, v. 52/1258.

Aslake, v. slake, abate, perish, ii. 55/902, 109/367, 282/81.

As-now, adv. at present, iv. 211/ 1436 ; v. 161/216.

Asp, sb. aspen-tree, black poplar, ii. 90/2063.

Aspe, sb. vi. 43/1384.

Aspen, adj. Aspen (tree) ii. 258/ 3.

Aspien, Aspye, v. to espy, see, keep watch, he on the look-out, ii. 44/562, 102/107, 110/380, 115/541, 131/275,156/490, 217/ 357, 323/169 ; iii. 44/500 ; iv. 271/1086; vi. 43/1384.

Asure, adj. sharp, fierce, iv. 361/ 1473 ; v. 55/1326, 197/26.

Assaut, sb. assault, ii. 31/131.

Assay, sb. trial, essay, ii. 215/290,

297/12, 300/88, 313/200, 314/

228. Assay, v. to attempt, ii. 235/86,

317/17. Assaye, to try, essay, ii. 56/953,

214/286, 311/116, 317/17,333/

481. Assayes, sb. trials, ii. 315/228. Assayinge, sb. essaying, v. 73/

1774. Asschen, adj. Ash (tree), ii. 41/

444, 43/506. Assen, sb. asses, ii. 214/285. Asseth, sb. satisfaction, sufficiency,

vi. 171/5603. Assemlede, v. assembled, iv. 216/

1567. Assenten, v. to agree to, ii. 180/

246, 328/326. Asseghe, v. to besiege, iv. 110/

60. Assentyn, v. to agree to, ii. 283/

120. Asseure, v. to trust, iv. 135/680. Asslien, sb. ashes, iv. 304/91 ; v.

202/176. Assoile, asoylen, v. to absolve,

ii. 154/449, 157/516 ; iii. 88/

101 ; v. 60/1454. Assoitlyng, sb. absolving, abso- lution, ii. 21/661. Assomnned, v. summoned, iv. 7/

170. Asondur, adj. apart, ii. 16/491. Assurance, sb. confidence, ii. 180/

243. Assure, sb. assurance, pledge, v.

207/334. Assure, v. to assure, ii. 340/739. Assuren, v. to assure, to make

sure or binding, ii. 29/68, 60/

1066, 281/37. Astaat, sb. 6tate, station, ii. 86/

1932, 100/43, 199/875, 210/ . 147; iii. 7X1377. Asterte, v. to start away, escape,

ii. 50/737, 183/339, 184/377,

262

GLOSSARY".

235/112; iii. 11/29-1; iv, 268/

1021. Astoned, astoneyd, v. astonished,

amazed, 73/1503, ii. 288/120,

288/141. Astonye, v. to astonish, v. 245/84. Astry'labe, sb. astrolab, ii. 99/23. As-swithe, as-swylhe, adv. at once,

immediately, iii. 57/383, 60/

19. As-yerne, adv. at once, immedi- ately, iv. 231/102, 308/173. Asweved, adj. dreamy, stupified

as in a dream, v. 226/41. Aswone, asuoune, aswowne, adv.

in a swoon, ii. 118/640, 312/

141 ; v. 208/357. At, with, ii. 2/42. A t after supper, after supper time,

iii. 16/483. Atake, v. to overtake, iii. 46/3. Atumyd, v. commenced, iii. 228/

52/ Atempre, atempered, adv. tempe- rate, mild, v. 141/1817, 165/

311. Ath, oth, sb. oath, iv. 270/1062. Athamaunte, sb. adamant, ii. 41/

•117. dthinketh, v. seemeth, ii. 98/62. /Ltones, atonys, adv. at once, iv.

239/301, '307/155; vi. 175/

5736. At-rede, v. despise, get rid of, ii.

75/1591; iv. 359/1428. At-rennc, v. to run from, iv.359/

1428. Attained, v. disgraced, v. 120/

1130. Atte, prep, at the, at, ii. 2/29, 3/

56 ; v. 174/618. Atte Jul, to the full, completely,

ii. 134/385. Alleigne, v. to attain, ii. 292/251 ;

vi. 169/5540. Attemperaunce, sb. moderation, iii. 77/

Attemperely, adv. temperately, moderately, ii. 270/553, 331/ 435 ; iii. 178/21.

Attcmperel, adj. temperate, mo- derate, iii. 141/10.

A ttempre, v. to temper, moderate, iii. 229/18; v. 119/1102; vi. 5/131.

Attempry, adj. moderated, tem- pered, v. 135/1007.

Atteyne, v. to attain, ii. 39/385.

Attendaunce, sb. attendance, ii. 234/77.

At tone, adj. at one, reconciled, iv. 248/516.

Attoumynge, sb. tournament, ii . 65/1237.

Attwexen, atwixe, atwixeu, prep, betwixt, between, v. 20/472; 37/886 ; vi. 27/854.

A-two, adv. in two, ii. 110/383, 118/632 ; v. 8/180.

A-twynne, adv. in two, asunder, ii. 111/403, 150/317; iii. 65/ 159; iv. 293/1617, 366/1586.

Auctor, auctour, sb. author, ii. 243/356, 313/202 ; v. 45/1088.

Auctorite, sb. authority, ii. 92/ 2142, 206/1, 243/352, 245/12, 329/353, 330/414.

Augrym, sb. a corruption of al- gorithm, augrym-stones, coun- ters, ii. 99/24.

Aument, v. to augment, vi. 171, 5500.

Aunceter, auncestre, aitncetre, sb ancestor, ii. 240/275, 241/300 241/304, 242/316.

Aungelyke, adj. angelic, v. 283/ 236.

Auntre, v. venture, ventured, ii. 131/285, 131/290, 146/217, 161/666.

Autentyke, adj. authentic, v. 118/ 1085.

Auter, sb. altar, ii. 59/1047, 69/ 1394, 71/1434, 72/1473, 73/ 1497, 75/1657.

GLOSSARY.

263

Avale, v. to descend, ii. 96/14 ; iv. 250/577.

Avantage, sb. advantage, ii. 40/ 435.

Avanting, sb. boasting, vaunting, ii. 121/30.

Avaunce, v. to advantage, pros- per, ii. 9/246; iv. 281/ J 337.

Avauncementf sb. advancement, ii. 153/418.

Avaunce, Uivaunce, v. to advance, iv. 129/518.

A vaunt, sb. boast, vaunt, ii. 8/ 227, 324/213.

Avauntage, sb. advantage, profit, ii. 174/48, 176/118, 192/631 ; v. 122/1191 ; vi. 177/5811.

Avaunte, v. to boast, ii. 218 l > I, 237/158 ; v. 206/299.

Acauntes, sb. promises, boasts, iv. 236/240.

Avaunlour, sb. boaster, iv. 237/ 259.

Avenaunt, adj. pleasant.beautiful, vi. S9/1263.

A venture, sb. cbance, bap, adven- tures, danger, ii. 2/25, 25/795, 34/216, 37/328, 39/377, 40/ 430, 337/633, &c.

Averous, adj. full of desire, ava- ricious, iii. 16/482, 182/15. Some Mss. read amerous, amor- ous, in the first passage.

4 vis, sb. advice, opinion, ii. 58/

1010,130/268,135/9. Ivisand, sb. notins", taking note of, observing, v. 143/1881.

I vised, adj. careful, ii. 135/9, 327/284.

I I isement, avysement, sb. caution, consideration, ii. 172/16,172, 86, 327/287.

Ain/s, sb. advice, opinion, ii. 25/' 786, 58/1010, 130/268 ; iii. 161/21; iv. 243/404.

Avyse, v. observe, look to, be "cautious, ii. 98/77, 11

130/268, 190/566, 289/154,

303/13, 326/280; iii. 167/21. Auysing, v. observing, taking

note of, remarking, iii. 79;

v. 69/1671. Avysioan, avysyoun, sb. vision, ii.

26 1/150 ; 'iii. 238, '294 ; vi. 1/9. Avijsith, v. bethinks, considers, ii.

2 13,372. Avoulier, sb. adulterer, ii. 248/75. Avoutrie, sb. adultery, ii. 246/6. Avow, sb. vow, ii. 69/1378, 74/

1556, 152/378, 189/236. Auarde, v. to award, decide, iii.

81/202. Aivaped, adj.awhaped, astounded,

vi. 241/168. Awayt, sb. watch, secrecy, ii.

257/359 ; iv. 243/408. Awaytand, v. waiting, watching,

ii. 270/552. Auayie, sb. watch, iii. 241/405. Atvauting, sb. watching, v. 205/

253. Auev, adv. away, ii. 18/548,

101/97, 167/824. Awhaped, adj. confounded, stu-

pified, iv. 121/316; v. 201/218. Aumere, awmener, sb. purse, vi.

64/2087, 70/271. Awok, awook, v. awoke, ii. 185/

399, 259/39. A ivreche, adv. in wretchedness,

v. 208/341. .In reke, v. revenged, avenged, ii.

63/723, 275/511. Awreken, v. avenged, iii. 3/56. Awrie, adj. awry, vi. 10/291. Awroken, v. avenged, revenged,

ii. 115/564. Axe, axen, v. to ask, ii. 99/9,

99/11,105/227, 113/475, 206,

21 ; iv. 327/644. Axen, sb. access, fever, V.87/S5. Axing, aiyng, sb. petition, de

maud, asking question, u. 5;/

'.'.Mi; in. 42/423; v. 156/33.

2G4

GLOSSARY.

An, adv. alway, ii. 183/329. Ay, sb. egg, ii. 160/610. Ayayiif adv. again, iii. 5/111. A~yein,ayeine, adv. again, against,

'towards, ii. 148/255, 158/548,

165/771, 778, 259/33 ; iv. 193/

981. Aueins, prep, against, iii. 2/20. Aveinstonde, v. withstand, iii. 329/

"18. Aueinnarde, adv. back, again, iv.

'342/9999. Auel, sb. a grand-father, ii. 76/

1619. Ayen, adv. again, ii. 157/528. Ayens, avenis, prep, against, ii.

'226/675 ; v. 48/1166. Ayer, sb. air, iii. 92/57. Ayerissh, adj. aerial, v. 238/457. Ave ii n, adv. again, ii. 3/66, 359/

"144; iv. 195/1057. Ayeyn, prep, against, ii. 3/66. Ayens, prep, against, ii. 47/651. Ayeynward, adv. back again, iv.

"255/70. Ayle, v. to ail, ii. 106/238.

Ba, to kiss, ii. 219/433. P.uai; v. bore, ii. 6/158. Bacheler, sb. bachelor, a knight,

ii. 3/80, 319/30. Bachelerie, sb. knighthood,

knights, ii. 286/74. Bacoun, sb. bacon, ii. 212/217,

218/418, 261/45. Bad, v. bade, ii. 25/787, 127/

174, 327/298. Bafige, v. to swell, disdain, or

perhaps to look askance, v.

174/622. Buggungly, adv. awry, squint-

ingly, vi. 10/292. Baitlif, sb. baily, custody, go- vernment, ii. 19/603. Baitlye, baily, sb. bailiff, ii. 163/

709, 250/il9.

Buh, (or bratt,) sb. a coarse man- tle, iii. 56/328.

BaAc, v. baked, ii. 11/343.

Bakke, sb. back, v. 184/956.

Bakward, adv. backwards, ii, 133/361, 196/764, 230/793.

Balaiuice, sb. jeopardy, suspense, iii. 47/58; iv. 363/1532.

Bale, sb. loss, mischief, sorrow, sickness, ii. 139/32, 140/34, 160/631; iii. 74/470; v. 162/ 227.

Balkes, sb. baulks, roof timbers, rafters, ii. 112/66, 112/440.

Balle, sb. ball, ii. 80/175, 176.

Ballid, ballyd, adj. bald, ii. 7/ 198, 78/i660.

Banes, sb. bones, ii. 127/153.

Band, v. bound, ii. 127/162, 129/218, 322/120.

Bane, sb. death, ii. 34/239, 52/ 823 ; v. 25/602.

Baner, sb. banner, ii. 74/1552, 80/1725, 1728.

Banyscht, part, banished, ii. 4/ 105, 54/867.

Bar, v. bore, conducted, be- haved, ii. 4/108, 4/111, 5/116, 44/547.

Bar, 6are,Y. barest, ii. 311/130.

Barbe, sb. a hood or muffler which covered the lower part of the face and the shoulder.

Barbie, adj. barbarous, ii. 178/ 183.

Barbour, sb. barber, ii. 63/1167.

Bare, adj. naked, open, barren, ii.22/683, 55/900, 901,327/304.

Bareune, bar eyn, bar eyne, bar eigne, adj. barren, devoid, ii. 39/386, 61/1119, 172/68, 292/252.

Barfoot, adj. barefoot, ii. 146/215.

Bargaret, sb. a sort of pastoral

song, iv. 99/348. Bargayns, sb. bargains, ii. 10/282.

Bargevn, bargeyne, sb. bargain, vi. 150/4932,"l81/5951.

GLOSSARY.

2G5

Barm, sb. lap. iii. 204/76.

Barme, sb. cloth, an apron, ii. 100/50.

Barm-cloth, sb. apron, ii. 100/50.

iJa/o;iuge,sb. barons, ii. 177/141 ; vi. 177/5815.

Barres, sb. bars of a door or win- dow, stripes, ii. 11/329, 34/ 217,168/852,860,867.

Barreyn, adj. barren, ii. 172/68.

Bastyng, v. sewing, ii. 214/287 ; vi! 4/104.

Batail, bataile, batailles, sb. battle, ii. 3/61, 28/21, 31/130, 32/150, 65/1239, 77/1654, 78/1682.

Batayl, sb. battle, ii. 51/774, 57/995, 74/1544, 84/1883.

Baiayled, embattled, vi.127/4162.

Bathe, prep, both, ii. 17 540, 127/167, 128/192.

Bathud, v. bathed, ii. 1/3.

Baude, adj. joyous, ii. 248/56; vi. 173/5677."

Bauderye, sb. pimping-, pander- ing, ii. 246/5 ; iv. 241/348.

Bawdes, sb. bawds, ii. 217/41.

Baundon, sb. power, jurisdiction, disposal, vi. 36/1163.

Bawdrik, sb. scarf, ii. 5/116.

Bawdy, adj. dirty, iii. 48/82.

Bawme, sb. balm, v. 260/596.

Bayard, sb. bay horse, a horse in general, ii. 128/195.

Bauety, hayty, sb. bailiff, steward, ii. 49/94, 49/98, 250/119.

Bayte, v. to bait, feed, ii. 184/ 368 ; iv. 7/194.

Buyten, v. to feast, iv. 115/193.

Be, v. been, ii. 3/56, 360.

Beautes, sb. beauties, ii. 35/256, 260 ; v. 284/25 1.

Bedes, sb. beads, ii. 6/159.

Bede, v. to offer, v. 82/o.

Bede,v. bidden, v. 161/194.

Beden, v. bid, iii. 145/30.

Bedes bede, v. said his prayers, vi, 224/7374,

Bedred, adj. bedridden, ii. 261/61. Beedv, v. offer, iii. 61/54. Been, v. to be, ii. 52/323, 53/859. Beende, sb. bond, ii. 167/837. Been, sb. bees, iv. 355/1328. Bee'-, beere, bier, ii. 62/1160,

88/2013, 2019, 89/2012, 114/

507; iv. 335/835. Beesles, sb. beasts, ii. 151/359. Beete, v. to heal, mend, alleviate,

ii. 70/1395, 71/1434, 122/7;

iii. 297/11; iv. 135/665. Beten, beeten, v. to beat, ii. 134/

388, 395. Bejel, belli, v. befell, v. 156/66,

193/1257. Begge, v. to beg, ii. 259/4. Begonnen, v. begun, vi. 2 '13. Begyle, v. to beguile, ii. 105/218. Behsie, bihette, v. to promise, iv.

65/436. Behnte, v. to promise, v. 174, 620. Bek, sb. beak, ii. 367 72. bckked on, beckoned to, iv. 2< 1 1

1260. Belamy, sb.good friend, iii. 86, 32. Bele, 'adj. pretty, ii. 219/447,

221/510. Bele-chose, pudenda muliebria,

ii. 219/417. Belece, sb. belief, v. 25/593. Belik, adj. belike, likely to be,

ii. 100/40. Belmarie, belmary, sb. belmarv,

ii. 3/57, 81/1772. Berne, sb. trumpet, v. 217/150. Ben, v. were, ii. 51/778. Ben. v. been, ii. 3/61, 3/64, &c. Bend, sb. band, tie, ii. 155/457;

vi. 33/1079. Bene, sb. bean, ii. 116/585, 172/

94; v. 16/363. Be>iet/icite,int. hiss us, ii.55/927. Benesoun, sb. blessing, ii.

121. Benignitc, sb. goodness, ii. 183/

318.

266

GLOSSARY.

Bent, the bend or declivity of a '

hill, ii. 61/lll23. Beoth, r. be, ii. 110/592. Berd, bade, sb. beard, to malte

one's herde, to cheat him, ii.

9/270, 115/549, 554. Ber, v. carry, ii. 241/283. Berdys, sb. beards, v. 2,30/181. Bere', v. bear, ii. 18/548, 66/1292. Bere, sb. bier, ii. 224/587. Bere, v. to pierce, ii. 70/1398. Berme, sb.yeast,barm, iii.5 1/260. Berne, sb. barn, ii. 101/72, 232/

15; iii. 88/111. Berstles, sb. bristles, ii. 18/556. Besaunt, besannte, sb. a gold

coin (of Byzantium), vi. 170/

5595. Besechen, v. to beseech,v. 256/464. Beseine, adj. beseen, v. 146/1994. Beseken, v. to beseech, ii. 29/60. Beseye, adj. beseen, v. 180/828. Besiden, prep, besides, ii. 144/

171. Beshreue, sb. to curse, vi. 168/

5514. Beso^hte, v. besought, v. 280/

155. Best, sb. beast, ii. 237/178, 270/

347. Balis., bestys, sb. beasts, ii. 128/

187; iii] 115/272. Besy, adj. busy, ii. 11/321,72/

1462, 176/90. Besyiy, adv. busily, iii. 11/323. Beirgo bet,' hasten, iii. 96/205. Bet, v. beat, v. 131/1502. Bet, adj. better, ii. 104/184,

111/418, 129/224, 142/112,

267/243. Bet and bet, better and better,

iv. 254/665. Bete, adj. beaten, ii. 221/511. Bete, v. ornament, iii. 76/17. Bele, adj. ornamented, v. 197/27. \\clen, v. beaten, ii. 142/115. Beten, v. adorned, vi. 26/837.

Belen, v. to enkindle, enflame,

iv. 12/324. Beleth, v. beat, ii. 142/111. Beth, imp. be 'ye,' ii. 177/131;

iv. 286/1465, 269/1047. Betraise,v. to betray, v. 74/1797. Betraised,betraysede, bytiayed, v.

betrayed, iv. 367/1620;' v. 74/

1794, 189/1119. Bett, bette, adj .better, ii. 114/530,

137/42 ; v. 186/1042. Bette, adj. beaten, ii. 137/42. Betten,v. kindle, light, iii.44/518. Betueyne, prep, between, v. 45/

1086. Betwix, betwixe, prep, between, ii.

9/277, 51/774. Bet im/xen,prej). betwixt, v. 40/971. Bety'd, betyde, v. betide, happen,

if. 253/225; v. 271/958. Bewte, bewte, sb. beauty, ii. 74/

1527, 175/60,61; v. 283/245. Bever, adj. beaver, ii. 9/272. Bewreye, bewrie, bewrye, v. to

betray, discover, ii. 69/1371 ;

iv. 47/1358. Beye, v. to buy, redeem, iii. 48/

84; v. 76/1857. Beyyng, v. buying, ii. 18/569. Bi, "prep, by, ii. 62/1157. Bibbed, v. drank, ii. 130/242. Bibled, adj. covered with blood,

bloody, ii. 62/1144. Bicchid (boones), adj. dice, iii. 96/

194. Bide, v. to remain, v. 21/496. Bier, sb. buyer, vi. 181/5931. Bifalle, v. 'befallen, ii. 25/795,

'56/947, 105/232 ; iv. 243/1041. BifaUynge, sb. befalling, happen-

ing, iv. 341/990. Bifel, bifell, v. befel, ii. 82/1817,

174/52. Bifom, prep, before, ii. 18/572,

35/248, 36/290, 305. Bigan, v. began, ii. 42/496, 211/

285.

GLOSSARY.

2G7

Eigile. bigilen, v. to beguile, v.

52/1266; vi. 33/1055. Bigdi/ng, sb. deception, guile,

vi. '189/6210. Bigoo (u-elt bigao), delighted,

joyous, vi. 22/693. Bigoon, v. begone, ii. 198/820. hthalve, sb. behalf, iv. 212/1458. Bihcct, v. promise, ii. 166/789,

204/1034. Biheeld, v. beheld, ii. 166/787. Bihciglite, v. promised, iv. 238/

270. Bihetith, sb. promises, iii. 283/6. Bihighte, v. promised, ii. 76/

1614; v. 22/510. Biholde, biholden, v. to behold, ii.

43/505, 71/1435 ; iv. 314/333. Biholdyng, sb. beholding, vi. 29/

921. Bihovely, adj. fitting, seemly, iii.

293/31. Bihund, prep, behind, ii. 130/

244. Bijuped, adj. duped, befooled, iii.

253/41. Biknew, v. knew, iii. 236/241. Biknowe, v. acknowledge, con- fess, ii. 197/788. Bilden, v. to build, v. 213/43. Bildyiiges, sb. buildings, v. 269/

876. Biles, sb. bills, v. 235/360. Bileeve, v. to believe, ii. 97/54,

107/270. Bilcve, v. to remain, ii. 187/476 ;

v. 20/478. Bilieve, v. to believe, ii. 8/215,

242/322. BUi/nne, or bli/nne, v. to cease,

iv. 280/1316". Bilyve, adv. quickly, iv. 132/595. Biquath, v. bequeathed, ii. 151/

360. Biquelhe, v. to bequeath, ii. 210/

265, 241/308. Biraft, byraft, bireft, v. bereft, ii.

220,475; iii. 23/702; iv. 311/

249, 255. Biseche, v. to beseech, ii. 152/

375, 153/399. Bheged, v. besieged, ii. 214/

264. Biseke, v. to beseech, ii. 151/140,

230/807, 258/5. Bisemure, reproach, ridicule,

scorn, ii. 13/402. Bisette, v. beset, employ, estab

lish, ii. 10/279, 93/2154. Bishet, v. shut up, iv. 249/553. Bit-ides, prep, besides, ii. 13/

402. Bisoughte, v. bcsoughtest, ii. 128/

198, 185/418 ; v. 72/1748. Bischop, sb. bishop, ii. 178/155,

191/618, 246/19. Bissemare, sb. abusive speech, ii.

123/45. Bistadde, v. bestead, placed in

peril, vi. 38/1227. Bistoice, bystowe, v. bestow, place,

iv. 147/967, 277/1222. Bit, byt, v. biddeth, ii. 322/133,

363/283. Bit, v. abides, remains constant,

vi. 162/53:53. Bitaitgh'te, v. recommended to, ii.

151/338. Bithynke, v. think of, imagine,

iv. 294/1645. Bilide, bitiden, v. to befall, hap- pen, iv. 313/1029; v. 31/

750. Bitit, v. may be, happens, iv. 155/

48. Bitueene, prep, between, ii. 95/

2247. Bitwix, bilicixe, prep, between,

ii. 37/322, 111/401, 202/977,

204/1017, 244/391, 270/345. Biivaule, biwaille, v. to bewail, ii.

294/82 ; iv. 311/244. Biwepen, or biwopen, v. bewepf,

drowned in tears, iv. 337/888.

268

GLOSSARY.

Biureye, v. to make known, iv. 240/318, 328.

Bladde, sb. blade, ii. 20/618.

Blah, blake, adj. ii. 10/294, 18/ 557, 66/1286'.

Btaked, v. blacked, iii. 206/141.

Blankmanger, sb. blanc-mange, ii. 13/387.

Blate, sb. blaze, iv. 807/156.

Blasen, v. to blow, v. 264/712.

Blaunche fevere, sb. the green sickness, iv. 145/916.

Blaundisshe, v. to flatter, iii. 292/ 30.

Blende, v. to blind, deceive, iii. 51 ; iv. 214/1496.

Blent, v. blinded, deceived, ii. 344/869; iii. 62/66.

Blente, blent, v. blinds, iv. 299/ 1776 ; iii. 71/380.

Blere, v. to blind, blear, ii. 126/ 129.

Blered, adj. bleared, iii. 257/148.

Bleryng, sb. blearing-, blinding-, ii. 120/11.

Blesful, adj. blissful, blessed, ii. 147/252 ; vi. 3/89. _

Blessen, v. to make" sign of the cross, ii. 106/262.

Bleve, lileven, v. to abide, endure, remain, iv. 250/574, 322/511.

Bleyne, sb. blain, vi. 18/553.

Bli i/nte, v.blended. started aside, withdrew, ii. 34/220 ; iv. 280/ 1297.

Blode, sb. child, iv. 177/594. This word occurs in Early Eng- lish Alliterative Poems, the Cur- sor Mundi, and the Story of Genesis and Eiodus.

Blndeshedynges, sb. bloodshed- dings, v. 247/151.

Biod, sb. blood, ii. 190/559.

Blody, adj. blood v, ii. 32/152, 188/509.

Blondren, v. to blow, puff, iii. 49/117.

Bloo, adj. blue, v. 259/557. Blosme, blossme, v. to blossom, ii.

326/218. Btobined, adj. blossomed, vi. 4/108. Blossemy, blosmy, sb. blooming",

in flower, ii. 325/219 ; iv. 186/

821. Blynne, v. to cease, iii. 65/160 ;

vi. 201/6613. Blyie, adj. quickly, ii. 139/19,

218/391, 253/222; iv. 215/

1537. Bobaunce, sb. pride, boast, ii.

223/569 ; v. 81/l. Boee, boche, sb. botch, boil, iii.

297/17. Bucler, sb. buckler, ii. 15/471,

125/99. Bode, bod, sb. abode, v. 2/29. Boden, v. bidden, iv. 253/

642. Bod yes, sb. corpses, ii. 30/84,

86, 31/139. Boef, sb. beef, ii. 266/226 ; 323/

176. Bnght, v. redeemed, bought, v.

81/l. Boist, sb. box, iii. 85/21. Boystously, adv. roughly, ii. 303/

7 ; iv. 107/595. Boistousnesse, sb. boisterousness,

roughness, v. 88/64. Bolt, boke, sb. book, ii. 71/1436,

171/52. Bohelcr, sb. buckler, ii. 4/112,

143/136. Bokelyng, v. buckling, ii. 77/

1645." Boket, sb. bucket, ii. 48/675. Bolas, sb. the bullace plum, vi.

42/1377. Boldelych, adv. boldly, ii. 163/

717. Bole, sb. bull, ii. 66/1281; iii.

166/2. Bolle, sb. bowl, iii. 66/199. Botlyn, adj. swollen, vi. 239/101.

GLOSSARY.

269

Bolt, ndv. straight, ii. 153/347. Bonairete, sb. courtesy, iii. 183/

19. Bond, sb. bond, prison, ii. 95/

2236, 153/401, 409, 154/440. Bond, v. bound, ii. 92/2133, 167/

818. Bood, v. abode, remained, ii.

137/35. Boone, boon, sb. petition, request,

ii. 70/1411, 144/149, 152. Boor, boore, sb. boar, ii. 51/800,

53/811, 263/121 ; v. 51/1238. Boord, sb. board, ii. 106/254. Boost, sb. boast, ii. 124/81. Boote, sb. remedy, alleviation,

recovery, ii. 139/32, 140/

34,160/631, 220/472; iii. 74/

470 • ' do boote,' do eood, pro- fit. Boot, sb. boat, iv. 125/416. Boras, sb. borax, ii. 20/630. Bord, sb. joust, tournament, or

table, dais, ii. 3/52. Borde, v. to board with, ii. 222/

528. Bordels, sb. brothels, iii. 346/

12. Bordillers, sb. keepers of brothels,

vi. 214/7036. Bore, v. born, borne, ii. 4/87,

48/684, 364/318. Bore, sb. boar, ii. 62/1154, 64/

1212. Borel, adj. poor, common, lay- men (it literally signifies made

of coarse cloth), ii. I

264/164. Boren, v. borne, ii. 2 1 1 Borne, v. to brighten, iv. 121/

327. Horned, adj. burnished, bright,

iii. 76/38. Borngh, sb. pledge, surety, iv.

150/1038. Borne, pi. borwes, sb. pledge, se- curity, also to pledge, render

secure, ii. 50/764, 146/204,

154/441, 155/481, 156/485,

j 7. v 7, 337/635 ; iii. 193/22. Bos, bosse, sb. swelling, protu- berance, ii. 101/80. Bosarde, sb. a buzzard, vi. 123/

4033. Bost, sb. boast, ii. 209/98; iii.

99/302. Boste, sb. boast, iv. 235/199. Boste, v. to boast, ii. 258/8. Bot, conj. but, iii. 49/120. Bote, sb. remedy. See Boote. Bote, sb. boat, v. 93/230. Botet, sb. bottle, ii. 160/625. Boieles, adj. bootless, remediless,

iv. 140/782. Boter/u'e,sb.butterfly,ii.350/1060 Bothen, adj. both, ii. 160/625. Bothom, bothum, sb. a cowslip, vi.

90/2960, 91/2973, 92/3009, 6tc. Botiller, sb. butler, v. 227/84. Botme, sb. bottom, depth, iv.

120/296, 174/535. Bolmeles, adj. bottomless, v. 59/

1432. Botus, sb. boots, ii. 9/273. Bougeron, si), a Sodomite, in Old

English bovger signifies also a

liulgarian, a hen - Boughte, v. atoned for, v. 75/

15. Bouk, sb. body.i . 81/1888. Btulte,r. io sift meal, iii. 241/412. Boun, adj. ready, destined ; iii.

25/759; iv. 40/1151. Bcunte, sb. goodness, ii. 1 1

301; vi. 39/1278. Bounteioits, adj. bounteous, iv.

Bow, bowre, sb. room, chamber,

ii. 104/181, 153/405, 215/300;

v. 245/96; vi. 31/101. I, urde, sb. jest, ii. 168/858, 226/

680; iii. 100/316. Bourdon, sb. a staff, vi. 104/3101.

125/40.'.'.

270

GLOSSARY.

Rowdier, sb. butcher, ii. 63/1167. Bn'.ii'n, v. to bend, to yield, ii.

219/440; iv. 118/257. Bowgh, sb. bough, ii. 160/633;

v. 163/423. Bowres, sb. rooms, chambers, ii.

113/491. Boydekyns, sb. bodkins, ii. 123/

40; 224/711. Boyle, v. to boil, ii. 13/380. Boyst, sb. box, iii. '253/33; v.

274/1039. Boijstonsly, adv. boisterously, ii.

303/6. Bracer, sb. armour for the arms,

ii. 4/111. Bragat, sb. a sweet drink made of the wort of ale, honey and spice, ii. 101/75. Braid, sb. start ' in a braid,' in a turn, at once, iv. 41/1173; vi. 41/1336. Braide, v. to rise, v. 106/662. Braide, v. revived, v. 104/585,

106/662. Brak, brake, v. broke, uttered, ii. 46/610, 149/298 ; iv. 218/1600. Bias, sb. brass, ii. 12/366. Brant, v. burst, ii. 149/298, 260/

42 ; iv. 309/209 : v. 199/97. Braste, r. would burst, v. 8/

180. Braun, sb. brawn, flesh, ii. 18/

546, 260/42. Braunches, sb. branches, ii. 34/

209, 240/272. Brawnes, sb. muscles, ii. 66/1277. Bruyde, sb. start, vi. 312/241. Brayde, v. start, arise, awake, ii. 230/799, 133/365; iv. 309/20'.'. Bred,v. bred, ii. 181/226,210/143. Bred, sb. bread, ii. 210/145. Brede, sb. breadth, ii. 90/2058 •

v. 69/1671. Brede, adj. broad, ii. 117/623. Breed, 6b. bread, ii. 6/147. 118/ 634, 129/217

Breede, sb. breadth, ii. 61/1112. Breede, v. to arise, iv. 288/1497. Breeth, sb. breath, ii. 1/5. Brck, broke, v. to break, ii. 18/ 551, 30/96, 143/142, 157/524. Breken, v. to break, v. 15/355. Brekke, sb. breach, opening-, v.

183/939. Brem, sb. bream-fish, ii. 12/350. Brembre, adj. bramble, iii. 132/35. Breme, adj. fierce, fiercely, ii. 53/

841; iv. 307/156. Bremslone, sb. brimstone, ii. 20/

629. Bren, sb. bran, ii. 126/135; iii.

241/420. Bread, adj. burnished, bright, ii. 67/1304, 260/23; vi. 34/1109. Breiide,brenden,brended,v. burnt, ii. 73/1526, 75/1545, 75/1567. Brenne, v. to burn, ii. 88/2009. 199/866, 230/186, 241/286 ; iii. 38/313. Brennede, v. burnt, vi. 10/297. Breinien,v. to burn, ii. 173/13,

74/1546 ; v. 13/303, 217/374. Brennyng, sb. burning-, ii. 72/

1480 ;' vi. 6/188. Breimynge, adj. burning-, ii. 31/

138; iii. 32/114. Brennungly, adv. burningly, ii.

49/706. Brent, brente, v. burnt, ii. 217/

375; v. 200/118. Brere, sb. briar, vi. 27/858. Brest, sb. breast, ii. 5/115, 5/

131, 84/1885, 124/55. Brente, bresten, v. to burst, ii. 239/

247; iv. 283/1385. Brest-plat, sb. breastplate, ii. 65/

1262. Bretful, adj. brimful, ii. 22/687,

67/1306. Breth, sb. breath, ii. 86/1948; v.

260/594. Bretlwren, sb. brethren, ii. 139/ 7, 164/736, 253/231, 249/107.

GLOSSARY.

271

Brethern, sb. brethren, iv. 211/ i 1438. Brethurfiede, sb.tbe brotherhood,

a religious community, ii. 1?/

511. Breyde, v. to start, iv. 314/320/ Bieyde, v. started, went, in. 11/

299. Breyne, sb. brain, iv. 286/145.5. Bribe, brihen, v. to bribe, steal,

ii. 138/53, 248/80. Bribours, sb. bribers, thieves, ii.

248/69. Briddes, briddis, sb. birds, ii. 90/

2071 ; vi. 19/618, 20/620. Brige, sb. contention, iii. 187/2. Brigge, sb. bridge, ii. 122/3. Bntheren, sb. brothers, vi. 182/

5963. Brittilnes, sb. fickleness, v.92/199. Brocage, sb. a treaty by a broker,

agent, or gobetween, ii. 104/

189. Bruch, brache, sb. brooch, ii. 6/

160 101/79, iv. 281/1321. Bmd, brode, brood, adj. broad, ii.

93/2166, 101/80. Broder, adj. broader, ii. 258/24. Broke, adj. broken, ii. 37/310. Broke-bak,sb. crook-back, ii. 163/

720. Brome, sb. broom, heath, v. 246/

136 ; vi. 28/902 ; Brand, sb. brand, torch, ii. 72/

1480, 1481. Brood, brode, adj. broad, ii. 6/

155, 18/549, 23/7.i;». Broste, brosten, v. burst, broken,

ii. 118/641; iv. 192,976. Brotel, adj. brittle, fragile, frail,

iv. 258/771. Brotehiesse, sb. fickleness, v. 76/

1846. Brather-heed, bIj. brotherhood,

ii. 249/101. Brook, brouke, brouken, brnwke,

v. to enjoy, brook, ii. 1 18/273,

149/297r 151/331, 153/407, 158/567, 350/1064; iii. 243/ 480.

Broun, adj. brown, ii. 4/109.

Bi owdid, part, braided, embroi- dered, ii. 33/191, 100/52.

Broudyng, sb. embroidery, ii. 77/164D.

Browken, v. to enjoy, v. 282/194.

Brnti/, adj. brittie, ii. 319/35.

Brutilnesse, sb. brittleness, ii. 319/35, 348/997.

Bruyd, sb. a bride, ii. 335/574.

Bryd, sb. bird, ii. 114/513, 115/ 538, 117/617.

Bryk, adj. lowstate, ruin, iii. 214/ 400. The O.E. bryche, is the same word, and signifies low, mean.

Buish, sb. bush, ii. 317/96i.

Buisshel, sb. bushel, ii. 134/392.

Bolt, v. to bolt, sift, iii. 241/120.

Bumblith v. bums, makes a hum- ming noise, ii. 235/116.

Burdoun, sb. the bass in music, ii. 21/673, 130/246.

Buret, adj. humble. See Borel, in. 1/8.

Barges, burgeis,sb. citizen, bur- gess, iv. 314/317 ; vi. 109/ 6222.

Burgeys, sb. citizen, ii. 12/369, 24/75 1.

Burghe, sb. borough, ii. 2.32, 11.

Bun.els, sb. sepulchre, tomb, iii. 34/186.

Burned,v. burnished, ii. 61/1125 ; v. 251/297.

Burnet, burnette, sb. fine cloth of brown colour, vi. 8/226, 115/ 4759.

Burynge, sb. burial, v. 62, 151 -'.

BuJt, sb. bush, vi. 2/5 '■■

Bussche, si), bush, ii. 47/659,48/ 669. 49/721, 6 ! L155, 233/23.

But-if, bat-ill, conj. unless, ii.

341/817; iv.257,,746; v.201/157

272

GLOSSARY'.

Buxom, adj. obedient, ii. 310/87,

319/43. Bdxomiy,&iv. obediently, civilly,

ii. '284/130. Buye, ubtie, abegge, v. to expiate,

ii. 211/167. By-and-by, adv. separately, sing-

ly, ii. 32/153, 129/223. Byblolte, v. be-blot, smear, iv.

'194/1027. Bucause, conj. because, ii. 6/

*174, 243/369. Byd, byde, v. to abide, ii. 132/

"317 ; iv. 214/15, 19. By-daffed, v. befooled, ii. 315/

15. Bydde, v. to pray,iv. 157/118. Bye, abye, v. to atone for, v. 205/

258. By/alien, v. befall, v. 40/962. Bylel, byjil, v. befel, ii. 2/19,32/

151. Bvfoie, bitforu, byforne,j>rep. be- fore, ii'. 4/100, 12/377, 43/518,

528. Bygcm, v. to begin, ii. 24/758. B ugamie, sb. bi gam v, ii. 207/33,

54, 208/86, 209/96. Bygat, v. begot, ii. 164/748. Bygiled, bygill, v. beguiled ii.

'122/60, 13J/401 ; in. 71/374. Byzonne, v. begun, ii. 3/52, 671

'1315, 211/169, 254/262. Bygyle, v. to beguile, ii. 102/114. Bysynne, v. begin, ii. 2/42, 111/

428. Bygynne, sb. I3eguin,vi. 234/7368. Biigyitnyng, sb. beginning, ii.

172/200. Byheete, byhete, sb. promise, ii.

'152/378, 153/418 ; iii. 50/154;

iv. 130/539. Bykest, byheste, sb. promise, com- mand, behest, ii. 171/37,41,

42, 238/203. Byhighte. v. promised, iii. 20/

"591.

Byholde, v. behold, ii. 41/413,

"56/942, 182/320. Byliute, v. to promise, ii. 57/996 ;

vi. 136/4447. Biihovr, bilwve, v. to behove, iv.

'311/976,979. Byhovelv, adj. needful, iv. 163/

'261. " Byhynde, prep, behind, ii. 33/

'192, 100/53, 132/323. Bujapcd, adj. duped, befooled,

mocked, ii. 49/727 ; iii. 71/374 ;

iv. 129/531. Byhenne, v. to commend, iii.

85/6. Byher, sb. quarrel, v. 359/100. _ Byhiowe, v. to acknowledge, iii.

"271/27. Byleved, v. left, ii. 141/86, 142/98. Byloved, adj. beloved, ii. 45/570. Bylyuiip, v. to cease, stop, ii.

158/557. Bynne, sb. corn-bin, ii. 19/593. Bynt, v. binds, vi. 262/47,48. Bynymelh, v. takes away, iii.

"288/6. Biquethe, v. (pret. biquath,) be- queath, to bequeath, ii. 85/

1910, 142/99,144/157. Byraft byrej't, v. bereft, ii. 42/

"503, 172/83 ; iv. 309/197. Bureeve, bureve, v. to take away,

'ii. 141/85, 142/97 ; iii. 43/482. Byreyned, v. berained, rained

upon, iv. 347/1144. Byschrewe, v. to curse, ii. 231/

'811. Busechvng, bysehe, v. to beseech,

ii. 141/63,181/281. Byset,v. beset, ii. 267/241. Bi/seyn, b'mye, v. beseen, condi- tioned, iv! 204/1262. Byside, prep, beside, ii. 15/445. Bysmoterud, v. smutted, ii. 3/76. Bysonghle, v. to beseech, ii. 145/

193. Byspalc, v. bespoke, ii. 142/101.

GLOSSARY.

273

Bysplt, adj. spit on, iii. 281/25.

Bijitad, adj. placed, circumstan- ced, ii. 162/676, 189/551.

Bystadde, v. imperilled, vi. 82/ '2670.

Bystowe, v. to give, ii. 124/61, '209/113.

Bystrood, v. bestrode, ii. 145/ 189.

Bysyde, adv. beside, ii. 31/109.

Byt, v. bids, ii. 7/187 ; 322/133.

Bytake, v. assign, commend, ii. '115/562. 295/111.

Bute, v. to bite, ii. 20/631, 115/ '557.

Byteche, v. to band over, assign, iii. 138/6.

Byten, v. to bite, iii. 86/36.

Bylhouvlit, bythi/nke, v. to think, 'ii. 24/767, '229/772.

Bytouve, sb. bittern, ii. 235/116.

Bytraien, v. betray, v. 29l/486.

Bytrayed, v. betrayed, v. 52/1247.

B'utre'nt, v. twisted, entwined, iv. '275/1182.

Bytwyxe, prep, betwixt, iv. 345/ "1081.

Bytwyxen, prep, betwixt, be- tween, iv. 235/205.

Bvtydde, v. befell, iv. 155/55.

Bytyden,v. to befall, iv. 178 623.

Bytyme, adv. betimes, iv. 345/ 1077.

Bytynge, adj. piercing, ii. 78/1 688.

Byuaylynge, sb. bewailing, iv. '351/1223.

Bu-uovde, sb. proverb, iv. 331/ 741.

Bvwraye,bitwreye, v. bewray, dis- close, ii. 193/675, 22 .', 533, 235 92.

Cacche, v. to catch, ii. 128/185. Carhche, v. to catch, v. 178/780,

184/968. Cuteueis, sb. sweet, pe:ir,^, vi.

214/7045.

Calkulynge, sb. calculation, iv.

It 1/171. Caite, sb. a species of cap, cowl,

ii. 237/162 ; iv. 256/726. Cam, v. came, ii. 18/547, 86/

1951, 230/803. Camois, eamoys, adj. crooked,

curved. Tyrwhitt explains it fat, ii. 122'/14, 124/54. Canel, adj. channel, v. 183/942. Canelle, sb. cinnamon, vi. 42/

1370. Cantel, ph. fragment, ii. 92/

2150. tV;/)//, caple, capul, sb. ahorse, ii.

127/168, 128/185,254;-:.-. Caraigne, carayne, careyne, sb.

carrion ii. 62/1155 ; iii. 221/

634 ; iv. 57/177. Cardiaele, sb. pain in the heart,

iii. 85/27. Carf, v. carved, cut, ii. 4/100;

iii. 220/611. Cu/7,sb. a churl, rustic, ii. 18/545. Carole, v. to carol, v. 181/848. Carpe, v. to talk, ii. 15/474. Cam'fcjSb. a large ship, ii.258/24. Cas, sb. chance, iv. 119/271. Caste, sb. plan, design, contri- vance, v. 245/88. Caste, casta;, v. to cast, ii. 103/

144; iv. 213/1485; v.245/80';

iv. 151/1071. Catapus, sb. a species of spurge,

266/145. Catel, sb. tattle, wealth, ii. 17/

540, 124/59; vi. 1615379,

166/544.', 169/551.:.. Caterurauet v. logon acaterwra-

■act, to go ii caterwauling, ii. 17/354. Cause, ' a cause fyshe,' to fish

out a cause, to find occasion

or cause, iv. 272/1113. Causeles, adj. without cause, iv.

■266/96-2, 360/1412; v. 204/

274

GLOSSARY.

Cautels, sb. sleight, craft, device,

vi. 276/43. Cavillaciflun, sb. cavil, ii. 272/

436. Cayiif, cautijf, sb. wretch, ii. 48/ 694; iv.' 304/76; vi. 7/211; 36/1155. Celcilude, highness, iv. 21/611. Cely, adj. happy, fortunate, iii.

124/60 ; iv. 360/1462. Cerclen, v. to encircle, iv. 297/

1718. Cered, v. dried, burnt (?) iii. 53/

255. Certeinliche, adv. certainly, v. 5/

100. Certeis, sb. a courteous one, vi.

155/5084. Certes, adv. certainly, ii. 28/17, 29/69, 40/407, 114/533, 116/ 591, 239/237. Cevteijtite, sb. certainty, v. 4/35,

6/166. Cessc, v. to cease, ii. 283/98 ; iv.

323/547. Ceteuale, sb. the herb valerian, ii.

99/21. Chuar, sb. car, chariot, iii. 220/

604. Chaas, sb. medley, chaos, ii. 32/

162. Cluicc, v. to drive, harass, ii.

290/197 ; v. 80/f. Chaffare, sb. trade, business, ii.

137/25. lliafj'are, v. to chaffer, exchange, iii. 72/410; vi. 180/5923, 5925, 181/5928, 5936. ('hulaitnrlre, clielaundre, sb. a

kind of lark, vi. 21/663. Chamberere, sb. chamber-servant

iv. 6/158 ; vi. 150/4933. Champalne, sb. plain, v. 148/

2061. Chawparti/e, sb. a share of land, a partnership in power, ii. 60/ 1091.

Champyon, v. champion, knight,

iv. 211/14207. Chante-plure, sb. a sort of pro- verbial expression for singing and weeping successivelv, v. 207/323. Chapman, sb. merchant, dealer,

ii. 13/397 ; vi. 170/5594. Charbocte,charboucle, sb. carbun- cle, vi. 35/1120. Charge, sb. load, v. 197/35, 253/

349. Chargeant, chargeous, adj. bur- densome, iii. 160/33, 325/16. Charmeresses, sb. female charmers

v. 247/171. Chartre, sb. charter, ii. 103/141. Chaungen, v. to change, iv. 302/

31, 319/457 ; vi. 163/5336. Chaungynge, v. changing, vi,

165/5427. Chaunterie, sb. chantry, an en- dowment for the payment of a priest to sing mass agreeably to the appointment of the founder, ii. 16/510. Clieere, chere, chiere, sb. cheer, countenance, disposition,

manner, ii. 23/728, 24/747, 111/432, 295/87. Chees, cheese, v. to choose, chose, ii. 98/69, 346/921; iv. 172/ 470 ; v. 82/o, 291/513. Cheeve, v. come to an agree- ment or conclusion, iii. 66/214. Chekhere, sb. chess-board, v. 175/

659. Chehiundre, sb. goldfinch, vi.3/81. Chep, chepe, sb. abundance, iv.

251/592 ; v. 269/884. Cheris, cheers, sb. looks, vi. 29/

936. Chere. See Cheere. Chericen, cheryce, v. to cherish,

iv. 232/126 ; v. 290/472. Cherisaunce, sb. comfort, vi. 102/

GLOSSARY.

AW*1

2/0

Cher I, cherle, sb. churl, ii. 98/

74, 122/63, 241/302. Cherlisch, cherlysshc, adj. churl- ish, ii. 98/61 ; vi. 6/177. Cherys, sb. cherries, vi. 42/1376. Ches, v. chose, ii. 235/59 ; v. 60/

1545. Chese, v. to choose, ii. 50/737,

75/6, 238/204, 243/376 ; lii.

13/358 ; iv. 191/955, 307/161 ;

v. 144/1920. Chesse, sb. chess, v. 174/618. Chesse, ches, v. chose, iv. 65/

417. Cheste, sb. debate, iii. 310/19. Chesteun, sb. chestnut, ii. 90/

2064 ; vi. 42/1375. Chesyng, sb. choosing, ii. 283/

106; iii. 151/30. Chevuche, sb. military expedi- tion, riding, vi. 265/144. Cheventen, sb. a chieftain, ii. 79/

1697. Chevesaile, sb. collar or necklace,

vi. 34/1082. Chevisaunce, chevysaunce, sb. an

agreement for borrowing- money, iii. 117/329. Chevise, v. to come to terms, vi.

271/289. Cheyn, cheque, sb. chain, ii. 42/

485, 92/2130, 2133; v. 206/

287. Chiche, adj. niggardly, sparing,

vi. 170/5591. Cliiche, chikne, sb. chick, ii. 13/

380 ; vi. 17/541. Chideresse, a female scold, vi.

5/150. Chierte, sb. tenderness, affection,

iii. 6/153. Childehede, sb. childhood, vi.

179/3888. Childely, adj. childlike, childish,

v. 188/1094. Chilindre, sb. a pocket horologe; (stomach is the reading of one MS.) iii. 113/206.

Chimb, sb. chime, ii. 121/42.

Chinche, adj. niggardly, greedv, iii. 183/14.

Cliirchehawe, sb . churchyard, iii. 336/32.

Chiihe, v. to chirp as a sparrow, ii. 262/96.

Chirhynges, sb. chirpings, creak- ing noises, ii. 62/1146 ; iii. 316/3 ; v. 268/853.

Chiteren, v. chattel-, chirp, iii. 72/386.

Chileryng, v. cluttering, chirp- ing," ii. 101/72 ; iv. 155/68.

Chivuche, sb. riding, expedition, iii. 250/50. See Clievache.

Chiveleyns. sb. chiefs, iii. 293/32.

Choghe, a chough, iv. 62/315.

Chois, choys, sb. choice, ii. 283/ 98, 114"; iv. 343/1031.

Chttppen, v. to clap, v. 264/731.

Chymhe, sb. the prominent part of the staves beyond the head of a barrel, ii. 121/41.

Chiimeneiie, sb. fire-place, iv, 271/1092.

Chynche, sb. a niggard, vi. 183/ 6001.

Chxincherie, sb. greediness, iii. i82/16.

Cliyncliy, adj. niggardly, vi. i83/6005.

Chyvahie, sb. chivalry, knight- hood, vi. 37/1207.

Cierges, cerges, wax-tapers, vi. 190/6251.

Circumscrive, v. circumscribed, v. 77/1879.

Cite, citee, sb. city, ii. 30/81, 31/

131, 48/686, 232/1 1. Citezeyn, sb. citizen, v. 237/422. Citole, sb. a stringed instrument,

ii. 61/1101. Citrination, sb. a chemical term, iii. 51/263. Arnoldas in Ro- sario Als. 1. i.e. 5. Citrinaca nihil aliud est quam complete

276

GLOSSARY.

albedinis digestio nee albedo est aliud quam nigredinis ab- latio. Gloss. Carpent. in v.

Clamben, v. to climb, v. 274/ 1061.

Clapers, sb. rabbit-burrows, vi. 43/1405.

Clappe, sb. clap (of thunder), v. •240/532.

Clappe, sb. loud noisy talk, ii. 97/35.

Clapsud, v. clasped, ii. 9/273.

Clarionynges, sb. clarions, v. 247/ 152.

Clarre, sb. 'wine mixed with honey and spices, and after- wards strained till it is clear, ii. 46/613, 336/599.

Clatren, v. to clatter, ii. 73/1501.

Clawen, v. to claw, iv. 329/700.

Cledde, v. clad, ir. 287/1472; v. 162/252.

Clennesse, sb. cleanness, ii. 17/519.

Clepe, clepen, v. to call, cleped, clept, called, ii. 12/372, 21/618, 55/930, 85/1892, 99/13, 106/ 246, 110/391, 401, 124/70, 133/ 344, 136/7, 226/671, 365/323; iii. 2/2 ; v. 38/914, 204/226, 281/164; vi. 29/920, 30/954, 955,41/1331.

Clepynge, v. calling', iv. 347/1129.

Clergeal, adj. learned, iii. 52/ 199.

Clevmen, v. to claim, v. 61/1488.

Cli'ket, sb. a latch, key, ii. 344/ 873, 345/877, 879, 907.

Clippe, v. to embrace, ii. 103/ 140; iv. 279/1295.

Clipsi, adj. eclipsed, vi. 163/5352.

Clobbet, sb. clubbed, like a club, iii. 198/10.

Clombe, ciomb, v. climbed, r. 243/28.

Cioote-leef, leaf of the burdock, or clote-bur, iii. 46/24.

C litter ,sb. enclosure, vi. 124/4069.

Chutes, sb. small pieces, ii. 339/ 709; iii. 87/62.

Clouted, v. patched, vi. 8/223.

Clove, adj. cloven, dimpled, vi. 17/550.

Clowes, sb. claws, v. 263/695.

Clow-gilofre, sb. a clove, iii. 42/1368, 132/51.

Clum, interj. "silence! ""hush!" ii. 112/452, 453. In the " Ayen- bite of lmvyt " clom is used as a substantive, silence, fear.

Clumbeu, v. climbed, ii. 112/450.

Clymbcn, v. to climb, ii. 112/439.

Clywe, v. to turn or twist, v. 261/ (512.

Cod, sb. bag. iii. 92/72.

Cofre, sb. coffer, treasury, coffin, 'ii. 10/298, 296/137; iii. 132/ 54 ; iv. 57/177 ; v. 287/380.

Cognisamice, sb. cognisance, v. 152/3092, 3093.

Coint, adj. quaint, v. 141/1826.

Colt, sb. cook, ii. 26/823.

Cokenay, sb. cockney, ii. 131/288

Cokewold, sb. cuckold, ii. 97/44, 100/40, 349/1012; iii. 88/96.

Col, a prefixal element denoting false, from an old verb coten to allure, deceive ; e.g. colfox, a false fox, ii. 83/1834 ; iii. 214/395.

Colet, coleet, sb. collar, ii. 100/53, 56, 101/79 ; v. 34/811, 69/1674.

Coltacioun, sb. meeting, confer- ence, ii. 288/129.

Comnitndeii, v. to command, iv. 230/91.

Combre, v. to encumber, iv. 311/251.

Combust, v. burnt, a term in astrology, when a planet is not more than 8° 30' distant from the sun, iv. 254/668.

Comelely, adv. comelilv, v. 180/ 847. "

Comeneden, adj . social, iv. 225/17.

GLOSSARY.

;< /

Commeve, v. to move, excite, v.

74/1797. Compaignye, compaignie, com-

paine, sb. company, ii. 99/18,

114/523,232/4; iv. 213/1488,

328/679. Compassing, sb. compass, designs,

v. 245/98 ; vi. 42/1350. Compere, sb. companion, gossip,

friend, ii. 138/55. Compersion, adv. comparison, iv.

22/614. Compleigne, compleyne, com-

pteynen, v. to complain, ii.

229/758 ; iii. 83/241 ; iv. 266/

956, 300/1794. Corap/er(o)(s-,sb.appects,v. 16/369. Compleunte, sb. complaint, iv.

330/714. ( oi.ipleynnynge, compleynynge,

sb. complaining, iv. 175/560,

309/213. Compountd, v.mixed, v.273/1018 Compte, v. counted, vi. 153/5029 Comth, v. cometh, ii. 128/188. Comune, adj. common, popular,

ii. 39/393 ; iv. 282/1366, 316/

364 ; v. 179/811. Con, v. can, did, v. 117/1023. Concluden, v. to finish, ii. 42/500. Concordunge, v. causing to agree,

iv. 296/1703. Concurbites, cucurbites, sb. (a

chemical term), gourd, vessel

shuped like a gourd, used in

distillation, iii. 53/241. Cotidiiyte, sb. conduit, v. 302/147. Comliiuse, sb. conduits, vi. 44/

141 k Conesiublerye, sb.award or divi- sion of a castle under the care •

of a constable. Conforming, v. submitting, ii.

295/98. Conforte, conforten,r. to comfort,

ii. 25/776, 30/100; iv. 329/

694 ; v. 10/234, 58/1397.

Confus, confuse, adj. confused,

iv. 314/328, 255/427. Congecte, v. to contrive, project,

vi. 211/6930. Conge ven, v. to give leave, v.

20/479. Conhaunce,conysannce, sb. know- ledge, vi. 167/5468, 169/5562. Conjeclh, v. conjecturest, iv.

342/998. Connies, sb. rabbits, vi. 43/1404. Conning, connynge, knowledge, ^ iii. 128/205 ; v. 90/152. Conningeste, the most knowing

v. 89/110. Conserve, v. to preserve, v. 13/

310. Conseytes, sb. conceits, opinions, _ iv. 257/755. Consistorie, sb. consistory, a court

of justice, iv. 302/37. Consite, v. to recite, v. 123/

1240. Constreigne, v. to constrain, ii.

202/88. Constrei/nte, sb. constraint, iv.

184/776, 330/713. Contek, sb. contest, iii. 232/112 ;

v. 61/1480. Contene, v. to contain, be full of,

iv. 245/453. Contra ire, adj. adverse, contrary, ■ vi. 165/5 114.

Contrarie, v. to contradict, ii. i 238/188.

Contrarious, adj. contrary, ad- verse, perverse, ii. 227/698,

229/780. Contrc, sb. country, ii. 27/5, 28/

11; v. 274/1045. Conlrefete, v. to feign, iv. 272/

1119. 6Wt)Vj/re,adj.opposite,iv.81/i 67. ( ■ • , v. to invent vi. 130/

4249. Contubernially, adv. familiarly,

iii. 332/12.

278

GLOSSARY.

Centime, v. to continue, vi. 163/

5335. Couynges, sb. rabbits, vi. 214/

7046. Coote, adj. coat, ii. 32/158, 67 /

1302. Cop, coppe, sb. top, head, ii. 18/

554 ; v. 244/76. Coruge, heart, strength, inclina- tion, spirit, tax, ii. 1/11, 2/22, 300/100; vi. 1/22, 40/1302. Coibctz, corbettes, sb. (a term in architecture). The capitals from which the arches spring. C orcle, v. to accord, agree, iv.

195/1043; v. 124/1250. Covdexrane, sb. Spanish leather,

iii. 131/21. Cornemuse, sb. a bagpipe, v.

246/128. Corniculere, sb. a Roman officer,

iii. 40/369. Corpus, sb. body, iii. 86/28. Curetted, v. corrected, ii. 226/

661. Corruwpe, v. to corrupt, ii. 84/

1888. Cors, sb. corpse, v. 31/742. Corsed, v. cursed, v. 77/1863. C0rse</>ie.w,sb.cursedness, crime,

iv. 340/966. Corseint, sb. a holy bodv, saint,

v. 114/942. Corsen, v. to curse, iv. 261/

847. Cortyns, sb. curtains, ii. 244/

393. Corumpable, adj. corruptable, ii.

93/2152 ; vi. 148/4859. Corven, adj. carved, cut, ii. 83/

1838 ; iii. 45/533 ; v. 88/82. Costage, sb. cost, expense, ii.

313/188 ; iii. 108/45. Costeiyng, v. coasting, going by

the shore or coast, vi. 5/134. Costey, v. to go by the bank or coast, to coast, vi. 236/36.

Costlewe, adj. expensive, costly

iii. 296/21. Costrel, sb. a drinking vessel, v.

359/105. Cote, sb. coat, ii. 18/564, 20/

612; iii. 229/16. Cote-armure, sb. coat armour, v.

69/1665, 249/236. Cotidien, adj. daily, vi. 74/2401. Couche, couchen, v. to lay, trim,

ii. 316/30, 90/2075; iii. 64/

141; iv. 58/215. Counseyle, sb. counsel, iv. 318/

411. Countenaunce, sb. face, pretence,

v. 89/99, 138/1706. Counterfeted, adj. artificial, v.

181/868. Counteru-ayte, v. watch against,

iii. 165/24. Countinaunce, sb. behaviour-, v.

89/93. Countre, sb. country, ii. 11/340. Countrefete, v. to counterfeit,

imitate, v. 246/122, 123. Countrepese, sb. counterpoise,

amends, iv, 282/1358; v. 262/

660, Countreplete, v. to plead against,

v. 290/476. CoupaMe, adj. culpable, iii. 296/

21. Coiiplyng, sb. coupling, ii. 130/

251. Courfew, sb. curfew, ii. 112/459. Courtepy, sb. a short cloak, ii.

10/290, 248/84 ; vi. 7/220. Coursur, sb. courser, iv. 194/

1011. Couth, part, known, ii. 307/4. Couth, couthe, v. knew, could,

ii. 11/325, 326, 327, 19/602 ;

iii. 48/72. Coveityug, coveitise, coceityse, co-

vetyse, sb. covetousness, ii.

121/130; iv. 281/1340 ; v. 280/

136 ; vi. 7/205, 208, 174/5717,

GLOSSARY.

279

Covenable, adj. meet, fit, iii. 264/

6 ; vi. 183/6023. Covent, sb. convent, iii. 59/45 4. Coverchief, sb. head cloth, ii.

237/162. "overcle, sb. cover or lid of a

pot, v. 233/284. Covert, adj. secret, vi. 187/6152. Covertlu, adj. secretlv, vi. 1/19,

186/6114. Ceieytoits, adj. covetous, iv. 281/

1324. Covyne, sb. secret contrivance,

ii. 19/604. Couardye, cowardyse, sb. coward- ice, ii. 84/1872 ; v. 18/412. Cowched, see Couche, ii. 67/

1303. Cowde, v. could, ii. 12/346, 101/

73; iii. 231/61. Cowthe, v. knew, v. 101. Coye, v. to quiet, soothe, iv. 18.5/

801. Coy Ions, sb. testicles, iii. 105/190. Coyne, sb. coin, iv. 43/1232. Coynes, sb. quinces, vi. 427

1374. Cracchyng, v. scratching, ii. 87/

1976. Crakkede, v. cracked, ii. 124/81. Crau mpe, sb. cramp, iv. 268/1022. Craumpyssheth, v. becomes cramp- ed, contracts violently, v.

202/174. Creuunee, sb. belief, iii. 116/

289 ; v. 80/n. Creke, crake,v. to quaver hoarsely

in singing, iv. 79/119. Crepe, ciepen, v. to creep, ii 132/

330; iv. 268/1020. Crepul, sb. cripple, iv. 359/1430. Crewel, adj. cruel, v. 287/377. Criande, v. crying, vi. 96/3138. Criden, v. cried, ii. 30/91. Crips, cri<pe, adj. crisp, v. 251/

296; vi. 26/824. Cmitf sb. cross, v. 80/n.

Croislet, croslet, cmsselet, sb. a

crucible, iii. 65/106, 107, 187. Croke, sb. deceit, iv. 14/378. Crokes, sb. crooks, v. 296/61. Crokedly, adv. crookedly, v. 202/

174. Crone, an old woman, ii..l83/

334. Crop, crope, sb. top, v. 2/25, 52/

1245,168/424; vi. 43/1396. Crope, cropen, v. crept, ii. 132/

339 ; iii. 28/870 ; iv. 266/

962. Crouke, sb.crock,eartben pitcher,

ii. 129/238. Croupe, sb. the ridge of the back,

ii. 254/261. Crouched, sb. crossed, ii. 332/

463. Crueliche, adv. cruelly, iv. 353/

1276. Cm lie, v. curled, ii. 3/81, 102/

128. Cruwel, adj. cruel, v. 25/599,

61/1469. Culpe, sb. guilt, iii. 288/6. Cutpons, culpouns, sb. shreds, ii.

22/679, 88/2009. Cultre, sb. coulter, ii. 116/575,

588, 117/597, 624. Cumpaignye, sb. companv, iv.

222/1713. Cuntre, sb. country, ii. 8/216,

139/17. Curat, sb. curate, ii. 8/219. Cure, sb. care, notice, ii. 10/303,

239/218; iv. 164/283; v. 280/

152. Cure, sb. recovery, v. 30/713. Currours, sb. couriers, v. 274/

1038. C uner, sb. courser, v. 4/85. Curtesie, curtesye, sb. courtesy,

ii. 23/720; v. 281/163. Curieis, curteus, adj. courteous,

ii. 9/250; iv. 225/26; vi. 17/

538.

280

GLOSSARY.

Curteisly, curteysly, adv. cour- '

teousiy, ii. 124/77; iv. 324/

562. Curtyn, sb. curtain, iv. 227/11. Curyous, adj. officious, vi. 33/

1052. Custommere, sb. customary, vi.

150/4939. Custume, sb. custom, ii. 226/682. Cut, sb. lot, ii. 838/845. Cynamone, sb. cinnamon, ii. 114/

'513. Cytryne, adj. citron, ii. 67/1309.

Daf, sb. a fool, ii. 131/288.

Dagge, sb. a slip or sbred, vi. 221/7260.

Dogged, adj cut into slips, iii. 297/9.

Dagger, sb. dagger, ii. 13/392.

Daggling, slitting-, cutting into slips, iii. 296/31.

Dagoun, sb. a piece, ii. 261/43.

Daliance, daliaunce, sb. pleasure, ii. 7/211 ; v. 283/356.

Dalten, v. dealt, ii. 140/45.

Dampne, v. to condemn, iii. 38/ 310, 215/425; v. 288/401.

Damysele, sb. damsel, vi. 24/776.

Dar, dare, v. 2nd pers. darst, pi. pres. dorre,durre, pret. dorste, durste, iv. 139/768, 145/906 ; v. 18/413.

Dare, v. to lie hid, iii. 110/103.

Darstow, v. durst thou, v. 53/ 1279.

Dasewyd, adj. dazzled, dim, v. 229/150.

Dasuen, v. to become dim, iii. 250/31.

Daun, dan, sb. lord ; a title com- monly given to monks. It is also prefixed by Chaucer to the names of other persons of all sorts, iii. 108/43.

Daunce, sb. dance, game, ii. 15/ 476.

Daunger, sb. danger, harm, diffi- culty, ii. 21/663 ; vi. 36/1147.

Daungerous, adj. dangerous, im- perious, haughty, ii. 17/517; vi. 19/59.

Daunte, daunien, v. to subdue, tame, iii. 281/1; iv. 169/399, 364/1561.

Dawe, v. to dawn, ii. 336/598.

Dawes, sb. days, iii. 15/460.

Dawnynge, sb. dawn, v. 164/292.

Dayerie, sb. dairy, ii. 19/597.

Dayesie, dayesye, sb. daisy, ii. 11/332 ; v. 277/43, 292/519, 524.

Debonaire, adj. courteous, vi. 105/ 3456.

Debonairly, debonayrly, debonerly. adv. gently, kindly, cour- teously, iii. 147/20, 285/23; iv. 204/1259, 231/107.

Debonairete, deboneirete, sb. courtesv, iii. 309/3 ; v. 185/ 985.

Debonayre, adj. courteous, v. 284/ 276.

Deceyvuble, adj. deceitful, vi. 147/ 4839.

Deceyven,v.to deceive, iv.164/285

Declamede, v. discussed, iv. 203/ 1247.

Decoped, v. cut down, vi. 26/843.

Dede, deed, adj. dead, v. 173/587.

Dedely, adj. deadly, iv. 336/870 ; v. 160/162, 169/462.

Deden, v. did, iii. 142/28.

Deedlich, adj, deadly, v. 23/536.

Deef, adj. deaf, ii. 15/446; iv. 138/753.

Deele, v. to have dealing, iv. 238/273.

Dees, sb. dais, v. 250/270.

Deeth, sb. death, v. 289/418.

De/a«/fe,sb.want,v.l62/223,241.

Dej'aute, defaulte, sb. defect, ' upon a defaulte yfalle,' missed the mark, v. 75/1810, 166/384.

GLOSSARY

2S1

Defende, v. forbid, iv. 169/413;

vi. 177/5803. Defence, sb. prohibition, iv.

230/89. Defet, v. cast down, v. 26/6.18. Detfye, v. defy, v. 289/138. Dejoule, v. to defile, vi. 183/6003. Defouled, adj. defiled, iii. 273/

27 ; v. 55/1339. Veguyse, guise, sb. a strange

fashion, iii. 296/27. Degyse, disguise, v. 66/1590. Deignous, adj. disdainful, iv.

119/290; vi. 110/3593. Del, part, "every del," every

whit, ii. 12/368 ; iii. 68/258,

96/208 ; v. 186/1013. Deten, v. to deal, divide, ii. 9/

247. Delibered, decided, iv. 308/183. Deintevous, adj. daintv, choice,

ii. 332/470. Detiheren, v. to deliberate, de- cide, iv. 307/1-11. Delices, sb. delicacies, delights,

iii. 273/11. Delilable, adj. delectable, iii. 7/

171. Deliverliche, delyverhj, adv. ac- tively, iv. 197/1083 ; vi. 70/

2283. Delle, ' dele,' deal, part, v. 162/

222. Delve, v. to dig, ii. 17/536. Delytuble, adj. delightful, v.

286/321. Deliver, adj. quick, active, ii. 4/

84. Deli/veraunce, sb. deliverance, iv.

308/174. Deli/verly, quickly, dexterously,

iii. 247/596. Demen, v. to deem, suppose, be- lieve, iii. 144/20; iv. 185/800,

256/714, 168/372. Demeimey sb. behaviour, iv, 26/

734.

Demeigne, sb. control, vi. 170/

5589. Demewie, v. to control, govern,

v. 238/451. Dent, dente, sb. stroke, dent,

blow, ii. 117/619 ; iv. 29/836. Departen, deparle, v. to separate,

v. 45/1073; vi. 161/5282. Depe, adv. deeply, iv. 176/570. Depeint, depeynted, depicted, iv.

4/100 ; v. 55/1612, 107/712. Depper, adj. deeper, iii. 36/250 ;

iv. 172/485. Dere, adv. dearly, v. 205/258. Dere, v. to hurt, iv. 134/65. Dere herte, sweet heart, iv. 256/

724. Dereling, sb. darling, ii. 117/

605. Dereyne, v. to contest, ii. 50/751. Derke, adj. dark, v. 160/155, 170. Derkenesse, sb. darkness, iv.

312/272; v. 278/63. Deme, adj. secret, ii. 99/14, 101/

92. Derre, dearer, iv. 115/174. Doblaine, v. blame not,iv. 153/17. Descrive, de^cryven, v. to describe,

ii. 333/493 ; v. 54/1314. Desdaun, sb. disdain, iv. 318/

1163. DesdaijnoHs, adj. disdainful, iv.

202/1217. Deieverunce, sb. distance, sepa- ration, iv. 27/783. Desesperaunce, sb. despair, iv.

174/530, 206/1307. Desolat, adj. desolate, v. 23/540. Despence, sb. expense, iii. 107, 5. Despende, v. to expend, iv. 337'

893. Despendours, expenders, spen- ders, iii. 185, 15. D«per<i?ire,sb.severity,iii.297/ 1 2. I)efpeyred,v. despaired, v.30/713. Despit, prep, in spite of, iv,

305/96.

282

GLOSSARY.

Desport, pleasure, ii. 321/83 ; iv. 1.12/592.

Desserve, v. to deserve, v. 40/973.

Dessespeir, dessespeyre, sb. de- spair, iv. 132/605, 153/6.

Desteyue, sb. destiny, iv. 339/ 931.

Destourben, v. disturb, iv. 357/ 1375.

Destruyne, v. to trouble, iv. 122/ 355.

Deslrer, sb. a war horse, iii. 137/202.

Destresse, sb. distress, iv. 203/ 1246; v. 30/715.

Desireyne, v. to constrain, dis- tress, v. 25/596.

Destrued, destroyed, v. 38/907.

Desturn, v. turn aside, iv. 254/ 669.

Detteles, adj. free from debt, ii. 19/582.

Deve, adj. deaf, iii. 37/286.

Dever, duty, ii. 308/28 ; vi. 162/ 5302.

Devineresse, sb. a female given to divination, v. 63/1535.

Devoutly, adv. ii. 16/482.

Devynef devvnen, to suspect, iv. 243/409, 256/716.

Devys, sb. direction, 'At poynt devys,' with the greatest ex- actness, ii. 114/503; vi. 20/ 651, 34/1112.

Devyse, devyaen, v. to speak of, iv. 243/409 ; v. 13/299.

Deye, sb. a dairy keeper, iii. 229/ 26.

Deye, deyen, v. to die, iv. 158/ 124, 166/327.

Deyinge, adj. dying, v. 173/587.

Deyne, v. to deign, iv. 277/1232 ; v. 202/184, 277/1232.

Deynons, adj. disdainful, ii. 123/ 21.

Deyntt, sb. rarity, dainty, ii. 12/ 346 ; iii. 10/2*75 ; v. 19/438.

Deyulevous, adj. choice, valua- ble, ii. 286/69.

Dey>, sb. dais, ii. 12/370.

Deyte, deity, iii. 11/319 ; iv. 266/ 967, 363/1515.

Diefe, sb. daily food, ii. 14/435.

Difl'ame, v. slander, defame, v. "257/491.

Di[fcnce, sb. prohibition, com- mand, iv.278/1250; vi.35/1142.

Di»bt, dibble, ad), arrayed, ii. 151/344; iv. 297/1724.

Digbte, digbten, v. to prepare, de- termine, ii. 33/183; iv. 348/ 1160, 132/1526.

Digne, adj. worthy, dignified, ii. 17/517 ; iii. 97/233.

Dignelicbe, adv. scornfully, iv. 191/1024.

Dir'ke, adj. dark, iv. 43/126.

Disuvau nce,\. to injure,iv. 173/511.

Disaventure, sb. misfortune, iv. 312/269, 330/727 ; v. 60/1449.

Disclainidre, v. to disgrace, iii. 317/27 ; iv. 323/536.

Discomfiture, disconforte sb. dis- comfort, defeat, ii. 84/1863 ; iv. 312/283 ; v. 207/329.

Disconsolat, adj. disconsolate, v. 23/542.

Discoi'dable, adj. discordant, iv. 296/1704.

Discovert, adj. uncovered, v. 86/6.

Discryven, v. to describe, v. 182/ 806.

Dhee, sb. trouble, iv. 193/987.

Ditese, disesen, v. to trouble, iv. 220/1650, 243/394, 353/1276.

Disesperat, adj. hopeless, v. 270/ 925.

Disfigure, sb. deformity, ii. 235/ 104.

Dhnisines, sb. fashion (extraor- dinary), iii. 296/19.

Dishivilt, dishevely, adj. with hail hanging loose, iv. 6/139, 316/ 319!

GLOSSARY.

283

Disjount,sb. a perplexity, difficult situation, iii. 119/411 ; iv. 245/ 447 ; v. 67/1631. Diskryve, v. to describe, v. 183/

915\ Disobeysaunt, adj. disobedient, iv.

65/429. Disordinat, adj. disorder!}', vi.

147/4819. Dispence, dispense, sb. expense, ii.

14/441, 227/700. Dispende, v. to spend, ii. 323/159 ;

vi. 173/5684. Disperacioun, sb. desperation, v.

79/c. Dispitesoun, desputesoun, sb. dis- pute, ii. 325/230. Dispitous.dispitouse, adj. cruel, ii. 17,516; iv. 170/435; v. 9 199, 174/623; vi. 5/156. Dispitously, adv. cruelly, v. 75/

1820. Displesaunce, sb. displeasure, iv.

244/431, 277/1246. Dispone, v. to dispose, iv. 339/

936 ; v. 13/300. Disporie, disporten, v. to please, amuse, iv. 221/1673, 271/1084, 329/696. Dispones, sb. amusements, v. 89/

105. Disreu-lilne, adv. irregularly, vi.

149/4903. Disserve, v. to deserve, v. 7/

147. Disseveraunce, sb. s sparation, iv.

283/1375. Dissimile, v. to dissemble, iv. 121/

322. Dissimilour, sb. dissembler, iii.

241/403. Dissimulen, v. to dissemble, iv.

242/385. Dissimulynge, sb. dissimulation, ii.

363/277 ; v. 67/1626. Disteyne, v. to discolour, v. 284/ 251, 262, 269.

Distoned, or dissoned, adj. disso- nant, vi. 128/4248. Distorbe, distourbe, distourben, v. to disturb, iv. 323/535, 545, 338/906, 345/1075, 1885. Distourble,v. disturb, vi. 53/1713. Distrexjne, v. to grieve, iv. 287 '

1479. Distroubled, v. disturbed, v. 171/

523. Distruye,r. to destroy, iv. 313/

1031. Ditchen, sb. ditches, v. 298/3. Doande, v. doing, vi. 83/2708. Dockud, v. cut, 'ii. 19/590. Dog7ifie.sub.daughter,v.279/114. Dole, dool, sb. grief, mourning,

iv. 38/1098: vi. 132/4318. Dolven, v. buried, v. 162/222. Dome, sb. doom, opinion, ii. 11/ 323 ; iii. 8/200, 80/163 ; ' To mi/ dome,' in my opinion, iv. 67/480 ; v. 90/148, 147/2023. Domesman, sb. judge, doomsman,

iii. 217/500. Don, done, v. to do, to be done,

iv. 156/72. Dong, sb. dung, ii. 17/530. Donne, adj. dun, iv. 62/334, 190/

908. Dore, dorres, sb. doors, ii. 18/ j50 ;

v. 22/531. Dormant, adj. fixed, ii. 12/

353. Dorste, v. durst, ii. 8/227 ; v. 48/

1169. Dontestow, v. durst thou, iv.

139/767. Dortour, sb. dormitory, ii. 264/

147. Dose, v, to doze, rest, iv. 206/

1306. Dossers, sb. a basket carried on

the back, v. 268/850. Doslow, v. dost thou, v. 285/315. U , v. to be foolish through age

or otherwise, to act foolishly, '>.' !. 0.

284

GLOSSARY.

Double face, doubleiiesse, sb. du- plicity, v. 104/611,201/161.

Doucet, sb. dulcet, v. 246/131.

Doughtren, sb. daughters, iv. 300/ 1793.

Doutable, adj. to be feared, vi. 165/5416, 191/6277.

Doutaunce, sb. doubt, iv. 46/191, 339/935, 342/1016.

Douteous, adj. doubtful, iv. 340/ 964.

Double, to double, iv. 336/875.

Dowe, v. to give, bestow, v. 10/ 230.

Dowfe, dowve, sb. dove, iii. 88/ 111, 162/250, 286/1417.

Dowte, sb. doubt, ii. 16/487.

Dozeyn, sb. a dozen, ii. 19/578.

Dradde, v. feared, iv. 197/1080.

Draf, sb. dregs, tilings thrown away as unfit for man's food, iii. 262/35.

Draf -auk, sb. a sack full of draf, or rubbish, ii. 131/286.

Dragges, sb. drugs, ii. 14/426.

Drasty, adj. like dross, rubbish- ing-, good for nothing. Tyr- whitt reads draf'ty, iii. 138/5.

Drat, sb. dreadsj iv. 238/279.

Draught, sb. stretch, v. 110/788.

Draughte, sb. draught, ii. 13/382, 396; v. 175/652,681.

Draueu, v. to compile, iv. 163/262.

Drecchc, v. to vex, trouble, delay, hinder, iii. 231/67; iv. 3o9J 1418.

Drecchyng, drecchynge sb. delav, iii. 359720 ; iv. 259/804.

Drede, dreden, v. to dread, pret. dredde, ii. 21/660 ; iv. 127/483, 171/455, 238/273 ; v 16/385.

Dredeful, adj. fearful, v. 288/104.

Dredefutleste, adj. most horrid, v. 11/248.

Dredeless, Dredles, adv. doubtless, iv. 150/1034, 1018, 160/183; v. 19'i/1271.

Dreint, r. drowned, v. 157/72. Drem, sb. dream, v. 52/1251,

1252. Dremen, v. to dream, v. 11/248,

16/378. Drenchen, v. to drown, iii. 291/

17; iv. 297/1712. Dren/nesse, sb. sorrow, iv. 136/

701. Dresse, dressen, v. to address, ap- ply, set in order, iii. 152/2 ;

iv. 156/71 ; v. 2/37. Dretche, sb. delay, iv. 204/1264. Dreweru, sb. courtship, gallantry

iii. 136/184. Dreye, adj. dry, iv. 348/1145. Dreunt, dreynte, v. drowned,

iii. 237/261, 291/17 ; iv. 338/

902; v. 159/148, 161/195,162/

229. Drifih, v. drives, v. 55/1332. Drive, v. pass, pursue, iv. 152/

1092 ; v. 60/1553. Drof, drofe, v. drove, iv. 265/

945, 364/1544 ; v. 26/628, 203/

193. Dronk,v. drank, v. 60/1441. Dronkelewe, adj. drunken, ii. 327/

289. Dronken, v. drunken, ii. 20/637 ;

iv. 281/1341. Dronkennesse, sb. drunkenness,

iv. 182/716. Droofe, drof, v. drove, passed,

employed, v. 20/475. Drough, v. drew, iii. 134/116;

v. 65/1571. Drovy, adj. troubled, iii, 338/21. Drueru, sb. gallantry, courtship,

vi. 26/844. Drugge, v. drag, ii. 44/558. Drye, v. to suffer, v. 208/336. Diynken, v. to drink, iv. 179/651. Drynkynles, adj. without drink,

iv. 182/718. Dryve, v. to pass (the time), v.

29/630.

GLOSSARY.

285

Dulle, dullen, v. to become dull,

iii. 62/82; iv. 195/1033, 360/

1461. Dunne, adj. dun, vi. 38/1213. Duracioun, sb. duration, v. 273/

1024. Dure, v. to last, v. 82/m. Dure, v. to dare, v. 35/840. Durense, duresse, v. constraint, v.

122/1201. Duresse, sb. hardship, v. 17/399. Durste, v. durst, ii. 15/454; 193/

1249. Dwale, sb. hemlock, iv. 35/998. Dwete, sb. duty, iv. 264/921. Dwined, v. wasted, vi. 12/360. Dyen,, v. to die, iv. 232/136. Dyke, v. to dig, ii. 17/536. Dymynucion, sb. diminution, iv.

279/1286. Dyverse, v. to vary, iv. 296/1703. Dyvynistre, sb. a divine, ii. 86/

1953.

Ibben, v. to ebb, iv. 346/1117. Ebrauk, ebreik, adj. Hebrew, ii.

185/391 ; iii. 125/108. Eche, v. to increase, add, iv. 104/

616, 136/705, 286/1461. Eched, ' in eched ' inserted, iv.

279/1280. Echonn, sb. each one, ii. 26/820. Eclips, sb. eclipse, vi. 163/5337. Editen, v. to indite, v. 287/371. Eek, adv. also, ii. 7/199, 18/ ^ 546.

Eelde, sb. old age, ii. 350/1055. Eem, erne, sb. uncle, iv. 159/

162, 163/309,168/388. Eene, sb. eyes, v. 87/47, 138/

1720. Eere, sb. ear, ii. 18/556. Eft, adv. again, iv. 285/1431. Ej'tsone, ejhnnes, adv. soon after,

afterwards, ii. 108/303. Ej't-s<mes,eJ lsonne,adv . afterwards,

iv. 307/153; vi. 186/6097.

Egal, adj. equal, iv. '230/bC,

_ 327/632. Egatht, sb. equality, iii. 354/7. Egalle, adj. equal, iv. 36/1041. Egally, adv. equally, iv. 13/365. Egge, sb. edge, sharpness, iv. _ 337/899. Egge, eggun, v. to instigate, iii.

356/6 ; vi. 6/182. Eggyng, eggement, sb. instiga- tion, ii. 195/744, 345/891 ; iii. 195/741. Egre, adj. sharp, iii. 156/8, 267/

14; v'i. 7/217, 167/5478. Eien, sb. eyes, vi. 10/296. Eigh, eighe, eighen, einlien, si), eyes, iv. 158/142, 163/253, 165/301,230/80; v. 279/100, 285/311. Eisel, sb. vinegar, vi. 7, '217. Ek, adv. also,v. 60/1444, 295/28. Elde, sb. old age, ii. 243/351 ;

v. 196/12. Elenge, eli/nge, sb. lonely, sad, sorrowful, iii. 114/222 ; iv.79, 115. Elengeness, sb. sadness, vi. 225/

7 106. Ellcsulier, adv. elsewhere, v. 202/

183. Eluysche, adj. faery-like, super- natural, iii. 54/289. Em, sb. uncle, iv. 181/692, 200/

1159. Embussade, sb. embassy, v. 1 16;

1997. Embosed, v. sheltered in a wood,

v. 165/353. Embusshement, sb. ambush, (Tyr ■ whitt reads emboytsement) iii. 165/24. Emeraudes, sb. emeralds, iv. 3/

79; vi. 35/1118. Emjarth, adv. according to, as far as. It is also written eit- forth, and seems to be a cor- ruption of emneforth, even-

28G

GLOSSARY.

forth, iv. 163/2i3, 193/997,

2651950. Empaire, v. to impair, ii. 317/

95.1. Eniperice, sb. empress, v. 281/

185. Emplustre, v. to plaster over, ii.

350/1053. Emprise, empri/se,sb.undertakincr,

iv. 209/1391; v. 188/1092. Enbalailled, adj. indented like a

battlement, vi. 5/139. Enbaicme, v. to embalm, v. 297/

67. Enbrace, v. to embrace, vi. 1 17/

4820. Enbrouded, enbrowded, adj. env

Encressen, v. to increase, iv

207/1337. Engendrede, engendrid, v. begot,

ii. 14/421; vi. 186/6119. Engendrare, sb. engendering-,

generation, iii. 200/59; iv.

61/306; vi. 147/1826, 148/

4852. Eii'zendmng, sb. begetting, vi.

186/6il7. Engregge, engreggen, v. to ag- gravate, iii. 163/26, 357/9. Engreve, v. to grieve, hurt, vi,

105/3141. Engyn, engine, sb. craft, deceit,

iii. 39/339 ; iv. 176/565, 236/

225 ; v. 225/20.

broidered, v. 249/237, 279 I Engyned, v. racked, tortured,

119.

Eiibrowden, v. to embroider, r. 319/125.

EnchauntementfSb. enchantment, v. 174/647.

EnchmiHien, v. to enchant, iv. 357/1367.

Encbesoun, sb. reason, iii. 181/ 33, 292/22 ; vi. 129/4242.

Encombred, v. fatigued, ii. 16/ 508 ; vi. 28/889.

Encombrouse, adj. cumbrous, te- dious, v. 235/354 ; vi. 273/340.

Encrecen, encresse, cncre^c;, en- cresen, encressent v. to increase, iv. 323/549, 551 ; v. 59/1437 ; vi. 175/5739.

Encrees, encres, sb. increase,ii. 9/ 275 ; iv. 207/1333, 351/1229.

Endelung, endelonge, endlange, adv. along, lengthways, side- ways, ii. 82/1820 ; iii, 10/264 ; v. 253/368.

Endry, v. to suffer, iv. '25/727.

Enfumynedf adj. hungry, v. 352/ 36. '

Englulyng, v. stopping with cement ; the MS. reads enlu- tyng, iii. 52/213.

iii. 236/240. Enhabit, v. possessed, iv. 318/

415. Enhaunsen, v. to raise, iii. 316/

OJ.

Enhort, v. to exhort, ii. 88/1993.

Enlumyned, adj. illumined, v. 23/548, 81/k ; vi. 163/5347.

Enquere, v. to inquire, iv. 292/ 1635, 341/982.

Ensuigne, sb. ensign, vi. 37/ 1200.

Ensample, ensonmple, sb. exam- ple, ii. 16,496, 505, 17/520; iv. 308/173.

Enseled, v. sealed up, kept se- cret, iv. 322/531 ; v. 7/151.

Ensure, eusuren, v. ensure, v. 273/1008 ; vi. 148/4853.

Entaile, entuyle, v. to shape, fi- gure, carve, vi. [19/609, 34/ 1081.

Entailled, v. carved, vi. 5/140.

Entame, v. to open, v. 81/k.

Entecbed, adj. endowed, marked, v. 35/832.

Entencintin, sb. intention, v. 32/ 767; vi. 162/5301, 175/5767.

Entende, v. to attend, iv. 242/375

GLOSSARY.

287

Entcnt, sb. intent, intention, iii.

15/448. Ententif, ententyf, adj. attentive,

easier, v. 243/30; vi. 22/685,

36/1156. Ententijiiche, adv. ententijfiif, at- tentively, iv. 121/332 ;" v. 228/

108. Entermelted, v. interspersed, vi.

28/906. Entermeie, v. to meddle with,

interpose, vi. 91/2966. Enteimes, sb. tunes, v. 164/309. Entrechangeden, v. interchanged,

iv. 280/1319. Entrecomm unen, v. to commune,

iv. 355/1326. Entremedled v. mixed with, v.

273/1034. Entremesse, choice dishes served

in between the courses at a

feast, iv. 73/665. Entremete, v. to meddle, vi. 181/

5949, 212/6973. Entremetith, entremettith, v. in- terferes, iii. 178/28; vi. 180/

5924, Entreparten, v. to share, iv. 132/

592. Entrihe, v. to entangle, deceive,

iv. 64/403; vi. 51/1642. Entum, v. to tune, iv. 299/1775. Entitlement, sb. enticement, iii.

356/2. Envoliped, v. wrapped, iii. 105/

480. Envenyme, v. poison, ii. 220/474 ;

vi. 30/979. Enviroun, envyroun, adv. about,

iv. 36/1031. Envye, v. to vie with, centend,

iv. 167/406. Envyned, adj. stored with wine,

ii. 11/342. Eorthe, sb. earth, iii. 272/28 Equipolences, sb. equivalents, vi.

215/7068.

Eqnytee, sb. equity, v. 288,

398. Er, prep, before, ii. 81/1789. Ere, v. plough, ear, ii. 28/28. Erith, sb. earth, iv. 332/760. Erliche, adj. early, vi. 153/1. Erke, adj. weary, vi. 148/4370. Erme, v. to grieve, iii. 85/26. E'rn, v. are, iv. 339/944. Ernes, sb. eagles, vi. 147/4841. En-atyk, adj. wandering, v. 75/

1826. Em, adv. first, iv. 806/140. Ert, v. art, iv. 134/648; v. 27/

650. Eiihlii, adv. earthly, iv. 336 854. Erfow, v. art thou", iv. 317/389,

326/613. Erys, sb. ears, v. 167/393. Escapen, v. to escape, iv. 275/

1193. Eschaunge, sb. exchange, iv.

322/531, 335/850 ; v. 230/189. Eschaufitna;, sb. heating, iii. 308/

26; 350/6. Escheve, eschuwe, eschne, v. to

eschew, shun, avoid, iii. 308/

26 ; iv. 9 1/1018, 181/696, 204/

1255, 316/361. Eschiew, adj. disinclined, iii. 356/

15. Esiliche, adv. easily, gently, iv.

121/317. Espiaille, v. spying, watching Esperaunce, sb. hope, iv. 36/1033. Espirituel, adj. spiritual, vi. 20

650. Espleiten, v. to display, vi. 188/

6177. Essoyne, sb.a legal excuse, iii.

271 110. Estat, estate, sb. state, ii. 7/203;

v. 76/1844. Estatelif, estatliche, adj. stately,

ii. 5/140, 10/281; v. 34/823. Estrannge, adj. strange, iv. VJij 1084.

288

GLOSSARY.

Estres, esters, sb. inmost parts of ' a house, vi. 45/1448, 111/ 362(5.

Esy, adj. easy, ii. 8/223.

Esulit, esely, adv. easily, ii. 8/ 223, 15/469.

Eteme, adj. eternal, iv. 225/11, 240/326 ; v. 80/r.

Elhe, adv. easy, v. 35/850.

Ethike, sb. ethic, v. 281/166.

EvangUe, sb. gospel, vi. 166/ 5456, 186/6102.

Eve, evetyde, sb. evening-, v. 2/3/ 1016, 300/65.

Evereich, eierich, eoerych, adj. every, iii. 28/864; iv. 200/ 1166; v. 234/309.

Everqchoon, pro. each one, v. 259/ 570, 261/627.

Evencristen, sb. fellow-christian, iii. 294/30.

Evenlych, adv. evenly, vi. 242/ 201.

Ew, sb. yew, vi. 43/1385.

Exaltate, adj. exalted, ii. 227/ 704.

Extcu trice, sb. executrix, iv. 250/568.

Existence, sb. reality, vi. 169/ 5552.

Exorsisaciouns, sb. exorcisms, v. 247/173.

Expans iieeres, a term in the Al- phonsine Astronomical Tables, signifying- the single years, with the motion of the heaven- ly bodies answering to them, beginning at 1, and continued on to the smallest collect sum, as 20, &c. hi- 18/538.

Expoune, expounden, v. to ex- pound, iii. 31/86; v. 53/1278.

En, an egg, iii. 53/253.

Ey,eygh,eh! iv. 158/128.

Eyen, eyghen,.eyn, eyhen, sb. eyes, 'ii. 7/201, 20/625, 22/684; v. 101/592; vi. 32/1023.

Eylen, v. to ail, iv. 161/211. Eytker, eijthir, adj. either, iv.

"306/140; v. 276/6. Eyre, sb. air, v. 232/257. Eyryssh, adj. aerial, v. 237/424.

Fubli/ng, sb. speaking false, vi.

169/5547. Fucound, sb. and adj. eloquence,

eloquent, iii. 77/50 ; iv. 68/521 ;

v. 183/925. Fadome, sb. fathom, vi. 43/1393. Fainest, adv. most gladly, v. 125/

1282. Fuldiing, sb. a kind of coarse

cloth, ii. 13/391. Falle (newe), adj. befallen re- cently, vi. 38/1214. Falle, v. to happen, befall, ii. 11/

324; iv. 341/994. Faltyiige,sb. happening, iv. 341/

993. Fulse, fahen, v. become false to,

to deceive, falsify, iv. 257/735,

258/757 ; v. 44/1053, 76/1859 ;

vi. 147/4836. Faltre, v. to falter, fail, ii. 193/

674. Famulier, adj. domestic, ii. 8/215. Fan, sb. a quintain or vane, iii.

250/42. Fand, v. found, ii. 22/701. Fanes, sb. vanes, v. 88/77. Fantasie, fantasi/e, sb. fancv, iv.

267/983, 286/1455, 308/165;

v. 11/261. Fardeles, sb. burdens, vi. 173/

5686. Fare, sb. proceeding, iv. 199/1144,

270/1057. Fare, sb. ' hoote fare,' hot affair. Fare, ferre, adj. distant, far off,

iv. 3/57. Faien, v. to behave, iii. 230/59 ;

iv. 344/1059 ; v. 15/359. Faien uei, v. to be successful, ir.

235/199.

GLOSSARY.

280

Farme sb. meal, v. 159/1752. Farsud, adj. stuffed, ii. 8/233. Farthf sb. 'farth uel,' farewell,

See Faren. Fasoun, sb. fashion, v. 32/1028,

173/611 ; vi. 47/551, 29/932. Faste, adj. close, ii. 23/719. Fattyssh, adj. somewhat fat, v.

^ 184/953. Faunede, v. fawned upon, v.

167/389. Fuverous, adj. favourable, vi.

3/84. Fane, adv. fair, gladly, iv. 336/

859 ; vi. 197/6478. * Faylen, v. to fail, v. 80/n. Fe'cche, sb. a vetch, iv. 263/887. Fecche,fecchen, v. to fetch, v. 21/

485. Fecchynge, sb. fetching, v. 37/

890. Federbedde, sb. feather bed, v,

162/251. Fedme, sb. a fathom, v. 168/422. Feendly, adj. fiendly, iii. 6/140. Feere, sb. companion, iv. 332/

763. Feere, v. to frighten, iv. 360/1455. Fees, sb. (plural of fee), money,

v. 163/206. Feestti'ige, sb. feasting, v. 19/455. Feet,' sb. a deed, ii. 291/233. Feff'e, v. to enfeoff', bestow upon,

present, iv. 32/932. 261/852;

v. 70/1703. Feintise, sb. deceit, iv. 105/519. Fel, sb. skin, iv. 111/91. Felawe, sb. fellow, ii. 13/395, 21/

653 , iv. 321/496. Felaueschipe, felawschyp, sb. fel- lowship, company, iv. 161/206,

241/354. Feldejare, sb. name of a bird, iv.

260/812 ; vi. 168/5515. Fele, adj. many, v. 244/17 ; vi.

6/189. Felen, v. to perceive, iii. 33/155.

Felle, adj. strong, fierce, iv. 301,'

16; vi. 5/151. Felon, feloun, adj. fierce, cruel,

v. 9/199; vi. 168/5530, 183/

6001. Felony, sb. crime, ii. 62/1138. Felijsshiippe, sb. fellowship, v.

184/977. Feminite, sb. womanhood, ii. 181/

262. Fen, or ferine, sb. the name of

the sections of Avicenne's

great work, entitled Cunun, iii.

103/428. Fende, sb. enemy, fiend, devil,

iv. 317/409 ; v. 184/977 ; vi.

30/974. Fendehi, adj. fiendlike, v. 173/593. Fer, adj. far, iii. 4/73 ; iv. 252/

611. Ferd, v. fared, iv. 194/1007. Ferde, v. went, fared, iv. 159/

153,287/1480;bebaved,ii.43/514. Ferde, sb. fear, iv. 130/557 ; v.

238/442. Ferde, fered, v. frightened, iv.

158/124; vi. 161/5281. Fere, sb. fire, iv. 265/929. Feere, sb. companion, iv. 108/

13; company, iii. 117/311 ; iv.

84/263, 273. Ferjorth, ferfoorth, adv. to such

an extent, far, iii. 62/76, 71/

379 ; iv. 198/1106, 286/1415. Ferforthelu, adv. far forth, to

such an extent, v. 297/103. Ferfullest, adj. most timid, iv.

171/450. Ferlu, adj. strange, marvellous,

ii. 30/253. Fermacye, sb. a medicine, ii. 83/

1855! Fermerere, sb. the officer in a

religious house, who had care

of the iujiniMrii, ii. 261/151. i'cniulu, adv. firmly, v. 21/495. Fermour, sb. farmer, v. 287/ fi

290

GLOSSARY.

Feme, adj. distant, remote, v. 99/

1176. Fene, adv. far, farther, iv. 350/

1218, 181/959, 227/92. Fewest, adj. farthest, ii. 16/494. Fers, (Persian I'hevz), sb. the

piece at chess next to the king,-,

v. 175/668, 680. Fern, fene adj. fierce, v. 196/1. Fevthe, adj. 'fourth, v. 50/1205,

285/287. Ferther, adj. farther, v. 290/112,

204/244, Ferthing,sb. a small particle, lite- rally a fourth part, ii. 5/134. Ferthren, v. to further, promote,

v. 71/1721. Ferventliche, adv. fervently, iv.

356/1356. Fesaunce, sb. pheasant, v. 97/354. Festeuniinges, sb. feasts, iv. 295/

1669." Festne, v. to fasten, ii. 7/195. Fete, adj. neat, iv. 38/1087. FetisJ'etus, adj. neat, well made,

iii. 91/16; v'i. 17/532, 35/1133. Fetislii, Fetvlii, adv. neatly, pro- perly, vi.*18/577, 26/837, 38/

1235. Felie, v. fetch, iii. 70/354; iv.

249/560, 254/674 ; v. 36/852. Fetonsli], adv. neatly, ii. 9/273,

18/570. ' Feyre, adv. fairly, gracefully,

vi. 4/108. Feiintixe, sb. deceit, guile, vi.

90/2947, 92/2988. Fey,sh. faith, iv. 198/1103. Ferine, Joyne, v. to make a pass

in fencing, to push, ii. 80/175. Feyne, v. to feign, iv. 272/1109. Feythed, adj. confident, iv. 149/

1007. Finance, sb. trust, confidence, vi.

167/5484. Fieble, adj. feeble, weak, v. 51/

1222.

Fieblene.tse, sb. feebleness, weak*

ness, iv. 188/863. Fiers, adj. fierce, v. 75/1820. Fierity, adv. fiercelv, iv. 296/

1711. Fil, v. fell, befell, pi. Jille, fil/en,

iv. 155/61, 173/498, 268/1003;

v. 163/275. Filde, v. filled, iv. 268/1003; v.

268/867. Fir, sb. fire, v. 20/184. Firy, adj. fiery, v. 283/235. Fiisch, fissche, sb. fish, ii. 7/180,

11/341. Fisihen, v. to fish for, vi.188/6185. Fithul, sb. fiddle, ii. 10/296. Flambes, sb. flames, v. 81/m. Flawe, yellow, iv. 27/782. Flat, sb. flatness, shortness, iv.

337/899. Flater, v. to flatter, vi. 181/5941. Flateri, Jiaterie, sb. flattery, ii.

22/705 ; vi. 184/6043. F/uff )•!/;!?<>, sb.flattery,v.l74/638. Flaumbe, sb. flames, iv. 304/90 ;

v. 13/302. Flawnes, sb. pancakes, vi. 214/

7044. Fleen, v. flee, iv. 161/194. Fleigh, fieegh, v. flew, iv. 161/

194, 190/931 ; 237/414. Flekked, spotted, iii. 46/12. Flemen, v. to banish, iv. 187/052 Flenmnge, sb. banishment, iv.

263/884. Flete, v. to swim, float, iv. 214/

1172; v. 202/185. Fleting, sb. swimming, iv. 155'

53 ; v. 145/1962. Flex, sb. flax, ii. 22/676. Fley,fieye, v. flew, iv. 85/287. Flei/nge, sb. flying, v. 79/ r,

160/178, 225/35. Flitte, v. to remove, change one's

abode,iv.l03/489; vi.163/5362. Flo (plu. Jione), an arrow, iii.

257/16D.

GLOSSARY.

291

Flokmel, adv. by companies, ii.

28/30. Floteru, v. waving, flowing', ii.

18/2025. Flour, sb. flowers, v. 277/38, 41,

42, 53. Floareless, adj. without flowers,

v. 142/1862. Flourettes, sb. small flowers, vi.

28/891. Flourouns, sb. flowers, v. 282/

217, 220. Flowen, v. to flow, iv. 296/1709;

v. 236/397. Flawry, v. flowery, v. 167/398. Flowryng, adj. flourishing', vi.

191/6259. Flowtours, sb. fluters, players,

vi. 24/763. Foisoun,foiisoiin, sb.plentv, abun- dance, ii. 85/406; vi. 42 1359. Folden, vb. folded, iv. 311/331. Folwe, folwen, v. to follow, ii.

17/528; iii. 12/325; iv.155/49. Fvlylo, adv. sb. foolishly, vi.

181/5945. Fomen, sb. enemies, iv. 301/14. Fon, sb. a fool, ii. 127/169. Fond, fonde, v. to seek, try, en- deavour, iv. 164/273 ; v. 15/

352, 186/1019, 193/1253. Fonde, fonden, found, iv. 274/

1169 ; vi. 23/730, 733. Fonde (his countenaunce), tried

to look, pretended to put on

a look, iv. 265/930. Fonde, to be foolish, iv. 16 158. Fone,joon, foos, sb. foes, iv. 51/

103 ; v. 260/578, 245/27 1,280. Foo, ' alter j'oo,' the enemy of us

all, v. 81/l. Fonge, v. to take, ii. liil 279. Fool-large, adj. foolishly liberal,

iii. 182/14. Forbede, v. to forbid, iv. 211/418. Forbere, v. to forbear, abstain,

iv. 232/124.

Forbet, v. forbids, iv. 132/717. Forbise, v. to give instances, iv

209/1390. Forbrosed, sorely bruised, iii.

221/625. Forbi/, ' f'orby paste,' passed bv,

iv.' 179/658. Forboden, v. forbidden, vi. 201/

6618. Force. See Fors. Fordon, fordoon, ruined, lost,

undone", iv. 70/1701, 129/525, ^ 34 4/1063. Fordoo, v. to ruin, destrov, iii.

26 813. Fordrede, sore afraid, iv. 254/678. Fordrunhen, adj. very drunken,

ii. 96/12. Ford r ti ye, very dry, ii. 367/63. For-dwiiied, wasted away, vi.

V->/:k]6. Fore, sb. conduct, ii. 209 110. Foregone, v. to lose, vi. 83/2710. Forei/ne, sb. a jakes, privy, v.

337/78. For fare, v. to perish, vi. 164

539, 171/5781. Forget.e, forgeten, forgotten, v.

167/410, 413. Forgroaen, adj. overgrown, iv.

88/45. Forheed, sb. forehead, vi. 27/860. For-kerve, v. cut through, iii.

259/236. For-Untie, v. cut, through, iii.

259/236. Forlele, v. forsake, leave,quit, iii.

265/12. Forleygne, or forloyne, a term of

the chase, signifying that the

game is far oil', v. 167/386. Forlese,v.to lose wholly,iii.335/20 Forleten, adj .forsaken, v.230/18b. mge, bd, furlong, iv. 350/

1209; v. 272/ Forloste, adj. ruined, iv. 236/

231, 330/728.

292

GLOSSARY.

Formel, sb. the female of a bird of

prey, iv. 63/, 371/373. Forme, first, iii. 150/32. Forme liche, adv. formally, iv.

320/469. Forncast, v. forecast, iii. 241/

397 ; iv. 246/472. Forneys, sb. furnace, ii. 7/202,

18/559. Forpyned, v. tormented, ii. 7/205. Fors, nofors, no matter, iii. 49/

99 ; iv. 168/378 ; v. 67/1629. Forseunge, sb. foreseeing, iv.

340/961. Forshapen, adj. transformed, iv.

155/66. Forsoke, v. forsook, v. 45/1087. Forshronke, v. sbrunk up, iv. 99/

358. Forslouthe, forsloivthe, jbrslugge,

v. to lose by sloth or negli- gence, iii. 324/20, 237/276. Forsongen, v. having over-sung,

vi. 21/664. Forsucre, v. to perjure, vi.182/

5973. Forsuorne, adj. perjured, vi. 182/

5971, 185/6075. Forihinke, v. to repent, grieve,

iv. 210/1414. Forthoughte, v. repented, vi. 51/

1671. Forthre, v. to further, iv, 208/

1368. Forllt ren, v. to further strengthen,

v. 278/71, 289/440, 290/472,

291/494. Forthi/, conj. therefore, where- fore, v. 47/1129. Fortroden, v. trodden down, iii.

273/22. Fortunede, v. happened, v. 164/

288. Forimked, v. having waked long,

ii. 188/498. Forwandred, v. having wandered

long, vi. 102/336.

For-irelked , adj. much wrinkied,

withered, vi. 12/61. Forwept, v. having wept much,

v. 141/1835. Forweried, aJj. very weary, vi.

8/235, 78/2564. Forwhi, adv. wherefore, v.226/45. Fonvounded, adj. much wounded,

vi. 56/1830. Forword, sb. promise, covenant,

ii. 26/829. Forwot, forwoot, v. foreknow,

iii. 241/414 ; iv. 343/1043. Forwrapped, adj. wrapped up,

iii. 98/256, 286/12. Foryaf, foruave, v. forgave, iv.

271/1080" 289/1528. Fori/edej v. forewent, relin- quished, iv. 207/1330. Foryelde, v. to repay, v. 290/457. Foryele,foryeten, v. to forget, iv.

227/6 ; v. 5/98, 189/1124; vi-

147/4841. Foryeve, foryeven, v. to forgive,

iv. 177/595, 270/1057, 273/

1129, 1134 ; v. 8 5/8. Foryive, v. to forgive, v. 17/387. Fostryng, sb fostering, nutri- ment, vi. 186/6116. Fote-hote, immediately, in haste,

v. 166/375. Fothur, sb. a cartload, a large

quantity, ii. 17/530. Fond re, sb. lightning, v. 225/27. Foule, sb.fowl, v. 225/31, 277/37. Foules, sb. fools, v. 289/419. Founde,fonde, v. to try, v. 204/

244. Founden, v. found, iv. 338/916. Foundre, to fall, ii. 83/1829. Fourme, sb. form, iv. 364/1551 ;

v. 13/300. Fourtenyghie, sb. fortnight, v.

14/334, Foueles, sb. fowls, ii. 7/109 ; v.

281/167. F(>u>f/er,8b.fowler,v.280/132;138.

GLOSSARY,

293

Fox, adj. cunning as a fox, iv. 289/1516.

Forerie, sb. deceit, cunning, vi. 207-/6797.

Foyne, v. to make a pass in fenc- ing, to push, ii. 80/175.

Fraid, fraide, adj. afraid, terri- fied, v. 94/263, 102/521.

Frame, v. to build, iv. 246/481.

Frankeleyn, sb. free man, ii. 8/ 216, 11/331.

Frape; sb. company, iv. 241/361.

Fraunchis, sb. frankness, gene- rosity, hi. 25/780.

Fraiic, v. to frighten, scare, iv. 24/682.

Freendliteste,frendliiefte, adj. most friendly, iv. 152/i 079,161/20 1.

Freisshe, adj. fresh, ii. 12/365 ; iii. 7/185.

Freknes, sb. freckles, spots, ii. 67/311.

Fielte, sb. frailty, iii. 78/78.

Fremed,fremde, adj. strange, un- couth, unnatural, iv. 163/248, 246/480.

Freitdtii, freendelu, adj. friendly, iv. 58/149, 166/332 ; v.262/653.

Frendichip, sb. friendship, v. 8/ 185.

Frenesye, sb. frenzy, iv. 137/727.

Frenetihe, adj. frantic, v. 9 206.

Frere, sb. friar, ii. 7/208, 8/232.

Fret, sb. a band, ornament, v. 282/215, 283/225, 228 ; vi. 143/ 4705.

Frete, v. to eat, devour, iii. 205/ 114; iv. 33/940; v. 61/1471, 196/12,13 , vi. 12/387.

Fieifne, freuned, v. to ask, in- quire, iii. 42/433, 126/148, _ 194/31 ; v. 51/1227.

Fro, prep, from, ii. 368/9-1.

Frote, v. to rub, iv. 270/1066.

Frounced, adj. wrinkled, vi. 5 155,96/3^7.

Frounceles, adj. without wrinkles,

vi. 27/860. Fruytesteris, sb. female sellers of ^ fruit, iii. 91/16. Fuliche, adv. completely, fullv, iv.

121/316, 135/680. Fulle, adj. complete, perfect,

whole, sincere, iv. 133/610,

151/1059, 242/387 ; v. 29/683,

60/1552, 200/119. Fulsomnes, sb. satiety, ii. 367, 59. Fumosite. sb. fumes arising from

excessive drinking, iii. 93/105. Fumytere, sb. fumitory, iii. 233/

143. Fundament, sb. foundation, v.

228/128, 243/42. Fujte, adj. fifth, v. 50/1205. Fun, sb. end, conclusion, iii. '206/168 ; iv. 146/952, 185/

794 ; ' ledest the f tin,' bringesi

about, terminates, iv. 171/527. Fyne, v. to cease, iv. 212/1460. Fun, fyne, adj. fine, ii. 15/453,

456 ,r v. 282/221. Fynch, sb. a finch, a small bird,

' to pulle a fynch,' to strip a

man of his money, ii. 21/652. Fyr-reed, adj. fire-red, ii. 20/624. Fysic, sb. physic, vi. 175/5742.

Gabbe, v. to chatter, lie, ii. 108/

324 ; iii 236/246 ; iv. 237/252 ;

v. 187/1074. Gabbere, sb. a liar, chatterer, iii.

265/1. Gabbestow, v. liest thou, iv. 319/

458. Gadelyng, sb. vagabond, literally

a slanderer, ii. 142/106, 107 ;

vi. 29/939. Gadring, v. gathering, vi. 176/

5785. Gale, v. to talk, cry out, yell, ii.

-Ml 832; iv. 47/1356. Galingale, sb. swe«t Cyprus, ii.

13/36.

294

GLOSSARY.

Galoxie, sb. galaxy, milky way,

ii. 237/428. Galpyng, adj. yawning-, ii. 3(56/8. Galues, sb. gallows, ii. 226/

6.58. Gum, game, sb. a game, sport,

pleasure, iv. 231/587, 286/

1445 ; v. 206/282. Gamed, v. pleased, ii. 17/534. Gainen, sb. a gamen play, play a

game, try a plan, iv. 154/38,

235/201. Gape, v. to desire, long for, iv.

17/1133, 247/509. Gard-brace, sb. armour for arm,

v. 133/1556. (nii-get, sb. throat, iii. 244/515. Garisoun, v. to heal, vi. 99/3249. Garnement. sb. garment, vi. 28/

896. Garner, sb. granary, vi. 36/1148. Gamisoun, sb. garrison, iii. 167/3. Gaste, v. to make aghast, iii. 237/

268. Gate, sb. way, vi. 102/3332. Gattothid, gattathud, adj. having

teeth separated from one ano- ther, ii. 15/468, 224/603. Gaude, sb. an ornament, iii. 88/

103. Gaude, sb. a jest, a foolish trick,

iii. 320/31 ; iv. 167/351. Gaudid, adj. ornamented, ii. 6/

859. Gauren, v. gaze, ii. 197/814,

360/182. Gawre, gawicn, v. to gaze, ii.

179/214 ; iii. 213/379 ; iv. 200/

1157; v. 48/1153. Gaul, sb. jail, goal, vi. 145/

4748. Goulard, adj. gav. ii. 103/150,

136/3. Gayne, v. to avail, iv. 122/352, Gaylres-beriis, sb. berries of the

dogwood, iii. 233/145. Gcaunt, sb. giant, v. 35/838.

Geeres, sb. dresses, fashions, ii.

48/673. Gepouii, sb. short cassock, ii.

3/75. Geeste, sb. story, iv. 156/83. Geet, sb. jet, iii. 230/41. Gendruiige, v. engendering, v.

238/460. Generaunce, sb. generositv, iv.

211/1442. Gentilly, adv. nobly, iv. 160/187. Gentiliiess, sb. gentleness, iv. 159/

160, 282/1365. Gentrye, sb. nobility, v. 288/394. Gepoun or Gipoun sb. a short

cassock, ii. 3J75. Gere, sb. apparel, ii. 194/702. Gere, sb. gear, ii. 12/352, 365 ;

iv. 362/1495. Gerful, adv. changeable, ii. 48/

680; iv. 311/258. Gerlund, sb. garland, vi. 18/

566. Gerner, sb. garner, ii. 19/593 ; vi.

174/5707," 182/5991. Gesse, v. to deem, suppose, guess,

iv. 265/935 ; v. 67/1629, 287/

363. Gest, sb. stranger, iv. 198/1111. Gestes, sb. annals, deeds, adven- ture, ii. 225/642 ; v. 253/344,

255/428. Gestiours, sb. jesters, relaters of

gestes, v. 245/108. Get, sb. fashion, behaviour, ii.

22/682. Geten, v. to get, ii. 10/291 ; vi.

148/4855. Geti/nge, sb. gain, obtaining, vi.

170/5596, 174/5729. Geve, v. give, ii. 8/225. Gidynge, sb. guiding, v. 27/643. Glide, adj. glided, v. 165/338. Gile, sb. guile, vi. 166/5457. Giler, sb. beguiler, vi. 175/5762 Gilte, adj. golden, auburn (hair),

v. 283/249.

GLOSSARY

295

Giltelees, adj. guiltless, i\\ 166/

328, 208/1372; v. 45/1084. Giltif, adj. guilty, iv. 266/970. Giltid, v.been guilty, done wrong,

iii. 194/7. Gipe, n. a cassock, vi. 221/7262. Gipser, sb. a pouch or purse, ii.

12/357. Gir, sb. gere, dress, ii. 43/514. Girde, v. to strike, iii. 219/556. Girdihtede, sb. the waist, vi. 26/

826. Gise, sb.fashion,vi. 6/182, .'50/971. Gitern, giteme, gitterne, sb. a

guitar, ii. 103/147, 137/32 ;

iii. 257/164 ; vi. 71/2322. Glade, v. to rejoice, gladden, iv.

192/979, 206/1321 ; v. 49/

1184. Glader, sb. rejoicer, ii. 69/1365. Gladith,\. pleases, makes happy,

ii. 312/169. Gias, sb. glass, ii. 22/700. Glasi/nge, sb. glass-work, v. 165/

327.' Gle, i^lees, sb. music, songs, glees,

v. 82/n, 246/119. Glede gleede, sb. embers, sparks,

iii. 213/394, 309/28; iv. 313/

309; v. 13/303. Gledi/s, gleede, sb. burning coal

sparks, ii. 104/193, 121/29. Glente, v. glanced, iv. 350/1195. Gleniing, v. gleaning, v. 278/

Gleuve, sb. sword, iv. 19/544. Glim, v. fasten, v. 262/672. Glood, glod, v. went, glided, ii.

367/47 ; iii. 137/193. Glorifye, v. to rejoice, iv. 218/

1593, 232/136 ; v. 243/44. Glose, sb. comment, ii. 209/119. Glose, glosen, v. to gloss, iii. 106/

18, 357/1382. Glowmbe,v. to scowl, look gloomy

or 'glum' atone, vi. 133/ 1356. Gneio, v. gnawed, iii. 216/158.

Gnof, sb. miser, a churl, ii. 98/tf. Gobet, sb. a morsel, piece, ii. 22/

696. Goddys, sb. ' a Goddys halfe,'

'for God's sake,' v. 166/370. Goh/ardeys, sb. a buffoon, ii.

18/560. Gomme, sb. gum, v. 279/121. Gon, gonne, gunne, v. did, iv.

60/283, 158/150; v. 238/445,

238/494, 280/1 18. Gonfonoun, sb. standard, vi. 62/

2018. Gcnge, sb. a privy, iii. 346/13. te, sb. gun, v. 259/553, .

58. Gcodlich, gaodliche, adj. iii. 61/

42,190/11. Goodlijeste, adj. best, iv. 183/747.

188/880. Goofish, adj. foolish, iv. 248/535. Goolihead,goodelyhede, goodlyhede,

goodliihedytsb. goodness, good-

liness, iv. 187/8 12, 295/1681 ;

v. 66/1603, 89/89, 180, ! Goon, v. gone, ii. 15/450 ; v. 289/

427. Goot, sb. goat, ii. 22/688. Gospelere, sb. gospel writer,

evangelist, vi. 210/6889. Gore, a slip of cloth or linen, a

dress, ii. 100/51 ; iii. 133/78. Gossib, sb. gossip, godfather, iii.

3 19/5. Gost, goost, sb. spirit, ii. 7/205,

3 17/1 12,308/34; iii. 77/43; iv.

307/159 ; v. 275/1073, 279/

103. Goter, sb. gutter, iv. 257/738. Gote, sb. goat, vi. 164/5387. Goth, \ . oeth, ii. 193 672. Goune-cloth, gowne-cloth,sb. cloth

i nough to make a gown, ii.

276/547,552.

!). control, direc- tion, ii. 10/281 ; iv. 162/219,

172/467, 242/378, 244/432.

29fi

GLOSSARY.

Gownfaucoun, sb. banner, stand- ard, vi. 37/1201. Graithc, v. to make ready, iii.

220/604; iv. 12/320, 122/372 ;

vi. 224/7368. Grame, sb. grief, displeasure,

anger, iii. 72/392; iv. 267/

979, 321/501 ; v. 206/279. Cramer, sb. grammar, iii. 124/

84. Grapenel, sb. grapnel, a grappling

iron, v. 296/61. Graspe, v. to grasp, v. 10/223. Graunge, sb. a barn, a farm, v.

230/190. Graunten, v. to grant, iv. 265/

1292. Grave, v. to carve, engrave, iv.

284/1413. Grave, v. to bury, ii. 299/72. Grayn, sb. grain, iii. 128/210. Graythe, v. to deck, adorn, vi.

18/584. Gre, sb. willingness, (ingre,

willingly), iv. 313/293; vi.

175/5746. Grede, v. to cry, iv. 80/135 ; vi.

183/6005. Gredynesse, sb. greediness, vi.

171/5603. Gree, sb. degree, ii. 322/131 ; vi.

71/2306. Gree, sb. prize, ii. 84/1875. Grejiied, sb. complaint, ii. 175/

65. Grene, adj. fresh, iii. 31/90. Greneth, v. becomes green, vi.

132/4332. Grennyng, v. grinning, vi. 5/

156." Grepe, v. to gripe, seize, vi. 182/

5986. G res, sb. grass, iv. 174/515. Ureses, sb. grasses, v. 250/263. Gret, adj. great, ii. 10/306, 11/

312, 18/559. Crete, sb. the sum, the whole, iv. 52/35 ; v. 192/1243.

Cret-delle, adv. much, a great

deal, vi. 42/1356. Crete, v. to cry, vi. 125/4116. Gretnesse, sb. greatness, vi. 17/

552. Gretter, adj. greater, ii. 7/197;

v. 259/562. Gretlest, adj. greatest, iv. 307/

164. Grette, v. greeted, iv; 264/906,

289/1539 ; v. 170/502. Greves, sb. groves, iv. 99/367 ;

v. 47/1144, 167/417; vi. 92/

3019. Grew, sb. grain, ii. 19/596 ; v.

_ 230/183. Greyn-de-Parys,sh.a sort of spice,

vi. 42/1369. Crice, adj. grey, iii. 46/6. Grief, sb. grief, displeasure, iv.

260/813. Gripe, v. to seize, vi. 36/1156. Gripen, v. to gripe, vi. 7/204. Grislines, sb. horror, iii. 344/3. Grisly, adj. horrible, iii. 91/11,

272/15 ; v. 196/3. Gromes, sb. men, vi. 7/200. Grone, v. groan, iv. 175/557. Gront, v. groaned, iii. 224/718. Gmotes, sb. groats, coins, iii. 87/

90. Crop, grope, v. search, ii. 273/

441. Grope, v. to search, ii. 21/644. Grounded, v. established, ii. 14/

414; iv. 368/1644. Groyn, sb. pig's snout, iii. 270/

27. Groyn, sb. a stab, iv. 122/349. Groyne, v. to pout, mutter, vi.

2i5/7051. Groynyng, v. stabbing, ii. 76/

1602. Ci uche, grucchen, v. to murmur,

grumble, ii. 289/158 ; iii. 305/ 5 ; iv. 33/960, 251/594, Gruf, adv. flat, flat on the face, iii. 128/223 ; iv. 337/884.

GLOSSARY,

297

Gruntynge, sb. gnashing, iii.

275/13. Gruivel, sb. gruel, ' to casten al

the gruicel in the fire,' to make

a mess of it, to mar a plot, iv.

254/662. Gryl, adj. sharp, vi. 3/73. Grvmme, adj. fierce, sharp, v.

225/33. (•runt, v. grindeth, v. 264/708. Gmnte, v. ground, gnashed, ii.

273/461. _ Grys, sb. fur, ii. 7/194. Grysely, adj. grisly, horrible,

dreadful, iv. 222/1700. Guerdon, guerdone, sb. reward,

iii. 146/23; v. 77/1066; vi.

90/2949. Guerdon, guerdone, v. to reward,

iv. 30/854, 205/1295. G uerdonlesse, adj .without reward,

vi. 249/399. Guerdoning, sb. reward, iv. 66 /

455; vi. 73/2380, 180/5911. Gult, sb. guilt, ii. 239/240. Guileless, adj. guiltless, ii. 190/

576. Gullif, adj. guilty, ii. 190/570. Gu I ty, adj. guilty, ii. 21/660. Gunne, gunnen, v. began, did, v.

258/518. Gurdet, sb, girdle, ii. 194/691. Gurles, sb. young persons, either

male or female, ii. 21/664. Guue, v. to guide, direct, iv. 43/

1250 ; v. 196/6, 208/343. Gye, v. to guide, ii. 87/1957,

324/185 ; iii. 34/159 ; v. 23/5 16,

237/435. G vgges, sb. irregular sounds

produced by the wind ; gigue,

French, signified a musical in- strument like a fiddle, and

from thence a sort of light tune,

or jig, v. 268/852. Gyle, v. cheat, ii. 141/70. Gun, gynne, sb. contrivance,

means, iii. 61/151; v. 270 914.

Gyngevre, sb. ginger, vi. 42/1369. Gynne, gqnnen, v. begin, did, iv.

"299/1783; v. 28/657. Giinnyng, sb. be^innin?, iv. 180/

671; vi. 132/4332. G upoun, a short cassock, ii. 65/

1262. Gysarme, sb. axe, vi. 182/5981. Guse, sb. custom, manner, v. 69/

"1664. Gyternes, sb. guitars, iii. 90/4. Gytemiwse, v. playing the guitar,

'ii. 104/177. Gytes, sb. gowns, ii. 223/559.

Ha, v. have, vi. 170 5572. Haberjeoun, habu-rgeoun, sb.

coat of mail, ii. 3/76, 65/1261 ;

iii. 365/21. Habitudes, sb. dwellings, v. 245/

104. Habiten, v. to inhabit, frequent,

vi. 21/660. Habunduuncc, sb. abundance, vi.

170/5585. Hacches, sb. hatches, v. 296/69. Hacheney, sb. hack or hackney,

vi. 35/1137. Hude,Y. had, ii. 18/551. Haddestow, v. liadst thou, iv.

311/248. Haf, v. raised, ii. L07/284. Hair, sb. heir, ii. 193/668. Haire-dout, hair-cloth, iii. 98/

274. Huire, sb. hair-cloth, vi. 14/438. Hale, v. to drag, draw back, iv.

56/151; v. 80/i. liable, v. to hold, iv. 159/164. Hulfe, sb. siil.', part, v. 166/370. Halke, sb. corner, recess, iii. 14/

393,38/311. Ilutle, sb. hall, ii. 12/353. Hals, sb. neck, iii. 60/18 ; iv. 66j

158. Halse, v. to entreat, conjure, iii.

128/193. Halt,Y. holds, iii. 57/368.

298

GLOSSARY.

Halte, v. to perform, v. 174/620. Halle, halten, v. to halt, iv. 359/

1429 ; v. 174/621. Halvendel, the half, half part, ii.

143/272, 191/615; iv. 253/

658 ; v. 180/330. Halves, sb. saints, ii. 1/14, 202/

962, 226/657; iii. 276/30; v.

316/385. Holy, adj. holy, v. 289/422. JIameled, v. cut oft', iv. 192/964. Ham, sb. home, ii. 124/112. Han, v. to have, ii. 8/224, 21/

650, 25/795 ; v. 42/1000. Handlen, v. to handle, iv. 331/

744. Hangen, v. to hang, v. 263/692. Hap, sb. luck, chance, iv. 222/

1696. Happe, v. to happen, befall, ii.

19/585 ; iv. 154/29 ; v. 33/796. Happy, adj. fortunate, lucky,

iv. 209/1382 ; v. 126/1310. Hardement, hardimente, sb. bold- ness, iv. 321/505; vi. 104/

3392. Hurdnesse, sb. severity, iv. 203/

1245. Harlotes, sb. profligate persons

of either sex, vi. 7/191, 185/

6071. HaWoJrie,sb.profligacy,ii. 13/561. Hanieys, sb. armour, ii. 51/776. Harney se, v. to dress, vi. 81/2647. Havre, sb. a hinge, ii. 18/550. Harrow! interj. denoting alarm,

a cry for help, ii. 134/387 ; iii.

85/2. Harwed, adj. harrowed, ii. 108/

326, 272/407. Hary, v. to drag, iii. 271/30. Hasard, sb. playing at hazard, iii.

90/3. Hasardour, sb. gamester, iii. 94/

134. Hasardrie, sb. gaming in general,

iii. 94/137.

Hastif, adj. hasty, iv. 364/1539,

1510. Hastly, adv. hastily, iii. 5/111. Hastow, v. hast thou, ii. 109/318,

135/2223, 190/578, 215/306 ;

iv. 284/1406, 315/349. Hat, haten, v. to hate, v. 44/

1063, 72/1746, 1747. Hatte, v. be called, named, vi.

2/381. Hatter, adj. hotter, iv. 126/449. Haaberkis, sb. coats of mail, iii.

365/32. Hankyng, 'on liaukynge,' hawk- ing", iv. 297/1730. Haunte, hauntyn, v. to practise,

frequent, iii. 334/19; v. 65/

1569 ; vi. 174/5727. Haunt yng, sb. resort, vi. 185/

6084. Hauteyn, hauteyne, hawteyn, adj.

haughty, iii. 86/44, 316/31;

vi. 186/6104, 311/195. Hauteynly, adv. haughtily, vi.

177/5823. j Haven, v. have, ii. 10/292. ! Havene, sb. harbour, ii. 13/407. Haioire, sb. wealth, vi. 144/4723. Hawe, sb. farm-yard, iii. 102/

393. Haue, sb. hawthorn berry, iv.

259/805. Hawe-bake, sb. plain fare (lite- rally baked or dried haws or

hedge-berries), ii. 173/95. Hay, haye, sb. an enclosure,

hedge," vi. 2/54, 91/2987, 97/

3175, 105/3450. Hayis, sb. hedges, inclosures, iv.

239/302. Hayle, sb. hail, v. 296/76. Hayles, pr. sb. an abbey in Glou- cestershire, iii. 96/190. Haysogge, sb. hedge sparrow, iv.

72/612. Heale, sb. health, v. 90/133. Hed, hede, hedde, sb. head, iv.

GLOSSARY.

299

222/1696, 268/1006, 288/

1512 Hed. adj. hidden, covered, v.

282/208. tfeed, sb. head, ii. 7/198, 201,

18/551, 21/666. Heel, heele, sb. health, v. 285/

296,312/234. Heeld,\. held, ii. 11/337. Hi rude, adj. courteous, civil, ii.

101/86, 104/200, 105/211, 215,

118/644,120/2,225/628. Heep, heepe, sb. a number, ii. 18/

575 ; iv. 352/1253. Heepe, sb. fruit of the dog- rose,

iii. 132/36. Heer, sb. hair,ii. 19/589, 21/675 :

vi. 26/825. Heerdis, sb. hards, coarse flax,

vi. 38/1233. 1 1 eel, v. called. See highte, ii.

226/674; iv. 114/153. Hen 'J.e, sb. hedge, iii. 2 41/398;

iv. 275/1187; v. 41/1144. Heigh, adj. high, ii. 11/316; iv.

167/354. Heighere, adj. higher, iv. 217/

1586. Height, v. is called, iv. 332/762. Helde, v. held, v. 260/596. Hele, v. hide, vi. 210/6884. llele, sb. health, ii. 95/2244 ; iii.

13/359, 117/350, 270/19; iv.

238/272. Helelcss, adj. without health,

helpless, iv. 66/1607. Helen, v. to heal, iv. 206/1315 ;

v. 41/1049. Helme, si), helmet, iv. 179/638 ;

v. 13/307. Helmed, adj. wearing a helmet,

iv. 177/593. Helpen, v. to help, ii. 19/584. Hem, pro. them, ii. 10/302. Hemysperie, sb. hemisphere, iv.

283/1390. Hende, adj. courteous, civil, ii.

117/625; iv. 3/18; vi. 9/285,

102/3345. Heng, henge, v. hang, hung, ii.

1- 358, 22/676; iv'. 269/1030;

v. 159/122, 192/1215. Henue, adv. hence, ii. 121/35;

i v. 78/102, 283/1376, 350/1218. Henshemen, sb. henchmen, pages,

iv. 95/252. Hent, liente, henten, v. to seize,

drat;-, ii. 22/698, 29/46 ; iii.

35 -'05, iv. 299/1776; vi. 53/

1730. Hepe, sb, heap, number, v. 161/

295. Heped, adj. heaped, increasing,

iv. 309/208. Her, sb. hair, iii. 314/6. Heraud, sb. a herald, iv. 95/232. Herauldes, sb. heralds, v. 219/

231. Herber, sb. arbour, v. 282/203. Herbergh, sb. harbour, lodging,

ii. 13/403, 24/765. Herbergage, herburgage, sb.

lodging, inn, ii. 135/5, 8, 284/

5 ; iii. 234/169. Herber jom;, sb. providers of

lodgings, ii. 20.)/899. Herberwe, herberwe, v. to lodge,

entertain, harbour, ii. 186/

438 ; vi. 187/6148. Herberw, herberwe, herberwh, her-

borwe, herborowe, sb. harbour,

lodging, iii. 11/307, 128/199,

129/225, M:}j6 ; vi. 189/6204,

228/7495. Herbiforne, adv. here before,

v. 278/73. llerde, kierde, sb. keeper, ii. 19/

603. llerde, v. heard, ii. 20/641. Here, pro. their, theirs, ii. 2/32,

368; v. 88 8 '. Here, sb. bare, iv. 308 182. Heres, hi rys, sb. hairs, ii. 18/

555; v. 34/810, L67/394, 169/

456, 251/300; vi. 29/927.

300

GLOSSARY.

Herie, herien, herye, v. praise, ii.

196/774, 205/i057, 297/7 ; iii.

30/47, 122/7, 127/166, 209/

239 ; iv. 276/1207 ; v. 300/81. Herkenynge, sb. listening, v. 75/

1826. Herktie, herhnen, v. to listen, ii.

97/28 ; iv. 157/95. Heme, sb. corner, iii. 14/393. Hernnys, sb. gear, ii. 77/1634. Heroner, heroneer, sb. a heron- hawk, iv. 316/385 ; v. 311/

195. Heroun-sewes, sb. young herons,

ii. 357/60. Herte, sb. heart, ii. 8/229, 17/

533, 82/1791 ; v. 195/1312. Herteles, adj. heartless, without

courage, v. 66/1607. Hertely, herlly, adv. heartily,

vigorously, ii. 294/54 ; v.

277/33, 295/5 1. Herye, v. to praise, iv. 293/

1623. Heryng, sb. hearing, vi. 185/

6076. Herying, sb. praise, iv. 226/48. Hate, heeste, sb. behest, com- mand, ii. 181/284, 294/81,

296/120, 308/15; iii. 12/336;

vi. 184/6051. Ilete, sb. heat, ii. 14/420. Hete, v. called, named, v. 258/

514. Heten, v. to promise, vi. 192/

6302. Ueth, sb. heath, ii. 19/606. Hethenesse, sb. heathendom, ii.

3/49. Hething, sb. scorn, ii. 128/190. Hette, hete, v. to make hot, iv.

56/145. Hette, v. is colled, v. 14/319. Heved, sb. head, iii. 40/366 ; v.

226/42. Heven, v. to raise, commence, iv.

205/1289.

Hevenyssh, hevenysshe, adj. hea- venly, iv. 112/104 ; v. 75/

1827, 251/305. Hew, hewe, sb. colour, appearance,

ii. 13/394, 15/458; vi. 49j'

1577. Hewed, adj. coloured, coiu-

plexioned, iii. 17/509 ; v. 182/

904 ; vi. 7/213. Hext, adj. highest, v. 96/345. Heyue, hyne, sb. fellow, knave,

iii. 69/308. Heynous, adj. heinous, iv. 218/

1617. Heye, heyh, adj. high, ii. 10/305;

iii. 30/39. Hider, hidre, adv. hither, ii. 21/

672 ; vi. 19/603. Hidouse, adj. hideous, dreadful,

v. 83/r. Hidyng, sb. hiding place, vi.

187/6150. Hie, v. to hasten, v. 133/1552. Hierdes, herdes, sb. guardians,

iv. 250/570. Hight, highte, v. called, ii. 20/

616, 23/719 ; v. 253/429, 460/

583, 289/417 ; vi. 19/588. Highten, v. to promise, iv. 219/

1623. Hilde,\. held, iii, 236/235; vi.

8/239, 29/939. Himselve,himselven, pro. himself,

ii. 7/184, 17/528, 535. Hinge, v. hang, iv. 6/139. Hi,; hire, proT her, ii. 188/490,

292/10, 306/129 ; v. 309/153. Hiraude, v. to herald, v. 257/

486. Hire, pro. their, iv. 216/1568,

301/14 ; v. 309/130, 131. Hires, pro. hers, iv. 290/1559,

318/416. Hirnes, sb. corners, iii. 49/105. Hirselven, pro. herself, ii. 306,

110. Hirte, sb. hurt, v. 43/1045.

GLOSSARY.

301

Hcde, sb. hood, v. 48/1151. Hois, adj. hoarse, iv. 346/1119. Hokeiiy, adv. frowardly, iii.

313/16. Holies, sb. hooks, v. 296/62, 67. Hokir, sb. frowardness,ii. 123/45. Hold, v. holt, holds, iv. 295/

1671. Holde, sb. possession, vi. 178/

5846. Holde, v. beholden, iv. 162/241. Holdere, sb. supporter, iv. 179/

644. Holour, sb. whoremonger, iii.

318/4, 343/14. Holpen, v. helped, assisted, iv.

276/1221. Holsom, adj. wholesome, iv. 296/

1697. Holtes sb. holts, woods, woody

hills, ii. 1/6, 185/409,321/106;

iv. 239/303, 239/119. Holnghnesse, sb. hollowness, v.

75/1823. Holwe, adj. hollow, ii. 10/289. Holy, holly, hooly, adv. wholly,

ii. 19/599, 56/960 ; iv. 198/

1121, 333/784 ; v. 25/587 ; vi.

90/2961,108/3552, 255/555. Homicidy, sb. murder, iii. 312/7. Home-co'mynge, sb. returning

Honte, v. to hunt, ii. 52/816. Hontyng, sb. hunting, ii. 52/821. Hoo, sb. cessation, iv. 197/1083. Hoodeles, adj. hoodless, v. 186/

1027. Hool, adj. whole, healthv, v.

248/180 ; vi. 140/4593. Hoom, sb. home, ii. 13/400, 17/

512. Hoomly, adj. homely, ii. 11/328. Hoor, adj. hoarv, aged, v. 53/

1284. Hoof, hoote, adj. hot, ii. 13/394,

20/626, 22/687; iii. 17/510,

26,-/14. Hoppesteres, sb. dancers, ii. 62/

1159. Hove, adj. hoar, hoarv, ii. 274/

482. Horowe, adj. foul, vile, vi. 268/

206. Horse, adj. rough, hoarse, v.

165/347. Hosen, sb. hose, ii. 15/456. Hote, hoten, v. called, iv. 26/741. Bote, hoten, v. to promise, vi.

165/5425, 166/5447. Housbondes, sb. husbands, ii. 15

460. Housel, sb. the eucharist, vi.195

6388.

ome-comynge, »u. rauimug i v^w. _

home, ii. 335/550 ; v. 21/503. Housele, v. to administer the sa- Homly, adi. familiar, domestic, crament, vi. 196/6440

vi. "42/1373.

Homme, v. to hum, iv. 201/1199.

Honrf, /nmtfe, sb. hand, ii. 7/193 ; v. 201/161.

Honden, sb. hands, vi. 203/6667.

Hondling, sb. handling, v. 142/ 1838.

Honerous, adj. onerous, burden- some, vi. 171/5636.

Hongc, hongen, v. to hang, iv. 66/453, 203/1242

Ifouselyd, v. ' to be houselyd,' to eive the eucharist, iii. . ■■

23. // ved, v. abode, slaved, v. 2 33. 7/Wnf, sb. hound, iv. 308/182. Howpede, v. hooped, hollowed,

iii. 246/580. Houve, sb. cap, hood, iv.

726. Hud, v. hidden, ii. 273, 113,339

700.

Honouren, v. to honour, v. 6/ Huge, adj. great, it. 2ol/6°7.

110 Huljere, sb. holly, vi. 2 H), 129.

lion?,' honte, huntsman, ii. 52, IT nfctwd, v. hidden, vi. 187/6149.

820.

302

GLOSSARY.

Humblesse, sb. humility, v. 82/o,

228/122. Humblynge, sb. humming, v.

240/531. Hunte, sb. hunter, huntsman, v.

166/361, 375, 385, 171/540. Hupes, sb. hips, ii. 15/472. Hurtelen, v. to push, v. 295/59. Hint, v. hushed, iv. 269/1044. Huyre, sb. hire, ii. 16/507, 17/

538. Hyde, vb. to hide, hidden, iv.

320/468 ; v. 283/251, 284/

254. Hydestow, v. hidestthou, ii. 215/

"308. Hydously, adv. hideously, v.

258/509. Hye, v. to hasten, iv. 313/292. Hye, sb. haste, iv. 156/88. Hyghten, v. be called, iv. 140/

788. Hym, pro. himself, v. 199/98. Hynderest, adj. last, bindermost,

'ii. 20/622. Hyndre, v. to hinder, vi. 32/

1039, 178/5853. Hyne, sb. hind, servant, ii. 19/ ' 603 ; iii. 97/226. Hynge, v. to hang-, ii. 22/677. Hynte, henie, v. seized, iv. 200/

1145.

I before verbs generally ex- presses the perfect participle of the verb.

1-be, p. p. been, iv. 345/1080.

1-blent, p. p. blended, ii. 117/620.

I-blowe, p. p. blown about,spread abroad, iv. 306/139.

I-bore, p. p. borne, carried, ii. 13/ 378, 288/114, 293/36.

T-brought, p.p. brought, iv. 219/ 1638.

I-bounde, p. p. bound, ii. 319/41.

1-brent, p. p. burnt, ii. 30/88.

I-browdered, p.p. embroidered, iv. 28/811.

l-cau°;ht, p. p. caught, iv. 176j

583. Ich, iche, pro. I, iv. 232/140, 242/

372, 250/583 ; v. 66/1609. I-chapud, p. p. furnished with

chapes, ii. 12/366. I-clad, p. p. clad, v. 137/1703. I-cleped, p. p. called, iv. 320/476. I-closed, p. p. closed, vi. 91/2968. I-ccmen, p. p. come, iv. 293/1619. 1-corve, p. p. cut, iii. 127/159. 1-digh t, p. p. prepared, ii. 99/1 9. I-drawe, p.p. drawn, v. 198/73. 1-drede, p. p. dreaded, feared, iv.

297/1726. 1-dreynt, p. p. drowned, ii. 108/

334. 1-eased, p. p. eased, ii. 234/73. 1-jalle, p. p. fallen, iv. 260/810. I-fare, p. p. gone, iv. 248/528. I-fedde, sb. fed, iv. 34/975. I-feere, I-fere, adv. together, iv.

' 213/1477. I-feynit, p.p. feigned, ii. 294/81. I-founde, p. p. found, iv. 324/566. I-fostered, p. p. fostered, ii. 285/

17. Ighe, eye, vi. 130/4261. /-go, p. p. gone, ii. 10/286. I-graunted, p. p. granted, iv. 327/

637. I-gn)Hnrfe,p.p.ground,sliarpened,

iv. 301/15. I-hallowed, p. p. hallowed, v. 166/

379. 1-heried, Z-7nYed, p. p. praised, iv.

21/592, 225/7, 298/1755. I-hight, p.p. promised, iii. 147/29. I-holpe, p.p. helped, vi. 168/5508. I-japed, part, jested, v. 21/318. 1-knowe, p. p. known, ii. 14/422,

179/216 ; v. 250/246. I-kijsle, p.p. kissed, v. 317/412. I-lad, p. p. carried, ii. 17/530. I-lad, p. p. laid, ii. 169/884. I-laft, p. p. left, ii. 84/1888. I-lett, p. p. hindered, separated,

vi. 163/5338.

GLOSSARY.

303

Iliclie, adv. alike, iii. .55/297; v.

97/362. like, adj. same, ii. 23/721, 106/

261, 120/18, 226/651 ; v. 312/

247. Host, p. p. lost, iv. 261/847, 352/

1255. Jmedled, p.p. mixed, iv. 258/766. lmpartuble, adj. unbearable, iii.

220/612, 313/206; vi. 210/

6904. Importune, adj. importunate, vi.

171/5635. I-named, p.p. named, v. 150/3004. Inde, Ynde, adj. azure coloured,

vi. 3/67. In-fere, adv. in company, toge- ther, iv. 84/263, 273. Infernals, adj. (pi.) infernal, v.

16/368. Jnfortune, sb. misfortune, iv. 291/

1577, 307/157 ; vi. 167/5496. Infortiined, adj. unfortunate, iv.

330/716. Inhabit, adj. inhabited, v. 128/

1402. Inheritage, sb. possession, v. i 22/

1192. Inhieide, (imp.) v. to pour in, iv.

226/44. Inly, adv. deeplv, thoroughlv, iv. . 133/640. lnmyd, prep, in the middle of, v.

237/415. lune, adv. in, iv. 33/878. Xn&ugh, adj. enough, ii. 12 373;

iv. 217/1590 ; v. 39/9 11. I-nowe, adj. enough, sufficient,

iv. 304/79. Insted, prep, instead, v. 229/146. Intendesiow, v. intendest thou,

v. 20/478. hityl, prep, into, vi. 20/624. lnwith, prep, within, ii. 339 i -

351/1098; iv. 173 508, 286/

1450; iv. 4 ! Ip-isl, p. ]>. past, v. Ill 1813.

Ipeint, p. p. painted, v. 142/1847. 1-pill, p. p. placed, put, ii. 169/

894. Iplighte, iplught, p. p. pledged,

iv. 257/733; v. 204/280. Tproved, p. p. proved, ii. 16/485. 1-queint, p. p. quenched, ii. 116/

566. Ire, sb. anger, wrath, iii. 3/53. hulled, p.p. rolled, v. 44/1061. I-ronne, p. p. run, ii. 1/8. Irons, adj. passionate, iii. 152/

17, 317/12. I-schadeu-ed, p. p. shadowed, ii.

19/607. Ischave, p. p. shaven, ii. 22/690. 1 schreve, p.p. shriven, ii. 8/226. he, v. (imp.) see, iv. 204/1253. heut, p.p. sent, v. 200/116. Lef, p.p. placed, iv. 285/1439,

295/1682,307 156. he ne, p.p. seen, iii. 154/31. hluipe, p. p. shapen, iv. 241/362. hhoi n, p. p. shorn, cut oft', ii. 19/

589. I-slaw, I-shiue, p.p. slain, ii. 30/

85, 195/750. Tsoughte, p. [i. sought, iv. 278/

1268. hounded, p. p. sounded, iv. 174/

hpedde, p.p. succeeded, iv. 31/

977. hpoke, p.p. spoken, iv. 3 15/1080

350/1205. l-stt ke, p. p. confined, ii.150 329. Istope, p. p. stooped, bent I with

age), iv. 10/281. htored, p.p. stored up, ii. 19/

609. Ithe, v. to thrive, prosper, iv.

318/ 111. 1 ked, p. p. thanked, iv. 299/

17?;;.

e, p.p. thrown, iv.

i;;;...i.'. 1..1.

p. p. told, iv. 305/113.

304

GLOSSARY.

/- 11 axe, p. p. become, v. 193/1274. 1-uedde, p. p. wed, v. 1-18/2 '55. 1-uerred, p. p. warred, vi. 259/

665. Iwhere, adv, everywhere, v. 178/

775. I-wis, adv. truly, ii. 101/91. heist, p. p. known, v. 91/162. l-iconne, p. p. won, ii. 277/593. I-icreke, p. p. avenged, vi. 259/

663. Iivroughte, p. p. wrought, iv. 235/

212. I-wys, adv. truly, vi. 230/761. Inen, sb. eyes, vi. 161/5393. Jyeve, p. p. given, iv. 281/1327 ; ' 290/1562. Iy olden, p. p. returned, requited,

iv. 229/47.

Jagonnces, sb. precious stones

called jacinths, or hyacinths,

vi. 35/1117. Jalous, adj. jealous, iv. 261/850. Jalousye, sb. jealousy, iv. 265/

933'. Jambeaux, sb. boots, armour for

the legs, iii. 136/164. Jane, sb. a Genoese coin, ii. 309/

58, 61 ; iii. 132/24. Jangle, sb. talking, v. 268/870. Jangles, sb. chatterings, iii. 320/

28. Jangle, v. to jangle, talk, iv. 185/

800. Jangler, sb. chatterer, ii. 18/560,

225/638 ; iv. 66/457 ; vi. 278/4. Janglerie, janglerye, sb. chatter,

gossip, iii. 139/17; v. 32/755. Janglyng, sb. talk, vi. 178/5855. Jape, sb. trick, jest, mockery,

ii. 22/705, 118/654; iii. 18/

535, 69/301 ; iv. 146/937, 158/

130 ; v. 264/715 ; vi. 1/12. J.//>e, v. to cheat, trick, laugh at,

ii. 54/871 ; iv. 128/508.

Japen, v. to jest, iv. 200/1164. Japare, sb. jester, deceiver, iv.

167/340. Japerie, sb. jesting, mockery, ii.

330/412; iii. 265/1. Jeupardyes, sb. jeopardies, v.

175/665. Jogelour, sb. minstrel, juggler,

vi. 24/764. Joieux, adj. joyous, v. 90/128. Jolite, jolitee, jolytee, sb. gaiety,

pleasure, ii. 22/680; v. 230/

184; vi. 2/52, 19/616. Join, adj. pleasant, joyful, pretty,

iv. 197/1099 ; vi. 20/620, 639. Jolnf, adj. joyous, pleasing, iii.

192/9 ; vi. 19/610, 22/693. Jotnpre, v. jumble, iv. 195/1037. Joule, v. to toss about, v. 17/

409. Jordane, sb. chamber-pot, iii.

85/19- Jouste, v. to joust, iv. 295/1669. Jousts, sb. tournaments, v. 146/

1989. Joiceles, sb. jewels, vi. 1 05/5423,

165/5423. Jones, sb. jaws, v. 263/696. Joyeux, adj. joyous,, v. 151/3054. Joynynges, sb. joints, r. 245/

V7~. Jubbe, sb. a vessel (for holding

ale or wine), iii. 109/70. Jugelours, sb. jugglers, v. 247/

169. Jugge, sb. judge, ii. 194/716. Juggede, v. judged, vi. 192/6311. Juggen, v. to judge, iv. 153/21 ;

v. 50/1203. Jupurten, v. to put in jeopardy,

iv. 364/1538. Jit]>artye, sb. jeopardy, hazard,

iv. 172/465, 184/772, 260/819,

828 ; v. 61/1543. Juste, v. to joust, iii. 13/370. Juwyse, sb. judgment, ii. 54/

881.

GLOSSARY.

305

Kalkulynge, sb. calculation, iv.

357/1370. Kamelyne, sb. cloth made of

camel's hair, vi. 224/7367. Kan, v. shows, renders, iv. 161/

206. Kankerdort, sb. a state of gTeat

anxiety. The first element is

the modern word cancer, which

was formerly pronounced

hanker, iv. 224/1752. Kanstow, v. canst thou, iv. 318/

432. Karf, v. carved, cut, ii. 334/529. Karolxjng, sb. singing of carols,

vi. 24/754. Katuf, A-ai/ti/i'c, sb. prisoner,

wretch, ii. "53/859 ; v. 83/2. Keep, sb. attention, care, ii. 13/

398; iii. 87/66. Keepe, kepe, v. to notice, take

care, iv. 127/486. Kelt, v. to cool, iv. 27/775. Kembe, v. to comb, ii. 101/188 ;

iv. 19/599. Kemelyn, sb. tub, ii. 109/362. Kempe, adj. rugged, shaggy (li- terally bent), ii. 66/1276. Kempt,', v. combed, ii. 290 183;

vi. 18/578. Kenne, v. to know, be able, \.

168/438. Kepe, v. to guard, have care for,

iv. 237/245 ; v. 260 605. Kepe, sb. care, ii. 16/503 ; v.

159/138; vi. 162/5305. Keple,\. kept, ii. 17/512. Kepud, v. kept, ii. 9/276. Kernels, s!>. battlements, vi. 128/

4195. Kers, sb. cress, ii. 116/568. Kerve, kerven, v. to cut, carve,

ii. 359/150 ; iv. 166/325 ; vi.

29/945,58/1887. Kerving, kervynge, sb. cm

carving, iv." 133/632; v. 24 •

212.

Kesse, v. to kiss, ii. 311/119. Keverchef, sb. a kerchief, ii. 15)

453. Kevere, v. to recover, iv. 145/

917. Kichei, sb. a little cake, ii. 160/

39. Kidde, v. made known, vi. 67/

2172, 96/3132. Kirked, adj. crooked, vi. 96/3137. Kirtel, kirtle, sb. a tunic, ii. 102/

135 ; vi. 24/778. Knakkes, sb. tricks, devices, ii.

126/131 ; iii. 321/2 ; v. 186/

103.'. Knarre, sb. a knot, ii. 18/519. Knarry, adj. knotty, ii. 61/1119. Knave, sb. male servant, boy, ii.

141/70, 292/248, 251. Kned, v. kneaded, vi. 147/4814. Knette, v. bind, Unit, ii. 179/209 ;

iv. 296/1699. Kneen, knesse, sb. knees, iv. 269/

1031 ; v. 95/294, 99/436. Knoppes, sb. knops, buds, vi. 33/

1080, 52/1675, 1685, 1691. Knotty, adj. covered with knots,

vi. 29/927, 31/988. Knovce, ( pi. Icnowen ). v. to know,

ii. 23/730; v. 129/1425,175/

Knowi . ' < " ii, sb. knee, iv.202/

\: 2,264 9 14.

, knowynge, knowinge,

hnowlachynge, sb. kn i

v. 87/2U 17'' 785, 184 959,

185/995, 236 384; vi. L87,

6112. he, kowigh, v. cough, iv.

j I 3 25 1.

Konne, v. can, be aide, to know.

iv. j...' 776,21 1 ■'1197,2.-8 31:

v. 163/279, 247/175. Konniinge, sb. knowledge, iv.

950. Kmitlie, adj. familiar, known, ii.

: ii .•..."' 2 19.

306

GLOSSARY".

Kud, v. known, ii. 339/699. Kiuuie, v. can, am able, vi. 179/

5892, 188/6177. Kunnynge, sb. cunning, know- ledge, v. 271/966. Kurtel, sb. a tunic, iii. 27/8.16. Kutte, v. to cut, vi. 58/1887. K ii uthe, v. to make known, iii.

2/20. Kyke, v. to peep, ii. 118/653. Kymelyn, sb. tub, ii. 112/435. Kvnde, adj. natural, ii. 21/617 ;

v. 234/328. Kyndely, adj. natural, v. 231/

'222, 223, 226, 231/333, 334. Ki/ndetyche, adj. natural, v. 234/

321. ' Kynled, v. kindled, ii. 71/1437. Kynreae, kynreed, sb. kindred,

'ii. 123/47 ; v. 41/979. Kythe, v. to show, make known,

ii. 189/538; iii. 61/13 ; v. 201/

231, 225/20, 291/504 ; vi.

263/84.

Laos, sb. lace, snare, ii. 13/392 ;

iii. 46/21 ; v. 294/21 ; vi. 26/

843. Labbe, sb. a blabb, iv. 237/251. Labbyng, adj. blabbing, ii. 354/

10.' Lucette, sb. ' a flesby muscle,' so

called from its having a tail

like a lizard, Cotg. ii. 85/1895. Luches, lachesse, sb. negligence,

iii. 3'27/33. I.aeclie, sb. snare, vi. 50/1624. Lad, ladde, v. led, ii. 91/2098 ;

v. 197/42, 278/74; vi. 31/

1004. Laddie, sb. ladder, vi. 17/523. Laft, v. left, iv. 359/1433. Luft, lafte, v. left, ii. 16/492 ;

iv. 279/1289, 322/516. Lak, lukke, sb. want, fault, de- fect, iv. 190/909, 201/1178;

v. 34/814, 184/957, 200/113 ;

vi. 36/1147. Lake, adj. lake (whiter, a sort

of cloth, iii. 135/147. ' Lakke, lakken, v. to want, fail,

iv. 115/189, 362/1495 ; vi. 9/

284. Lambren, sb.lambs, vi. 214/7015. Lungage, sb. speech, ii. 7/211. Lan'ge, adj. long, iv. 198/1127. Lander, adj. longer, iv. 253/

650. Langour, langouve, sb. languor,

grief, iii. 214/417 ; v. 2/42. Lunguisshing, sb. languishing,

vi. 63/2042. Langwisshinge, v. to languish,

iv. 231/192 ; v. 203/208. Lappe, sb. skirt, ii. 22/688 ; iv.

171/148, 227/10, 255/693. Largesse, sb. largesse, liberality,

v. 78/b, 197/45, 231/237 ; vi.

72/2354. Laase, adj. less, ii. 307/2 ; v. 175/

674, 183/926, 932; vi. 93/

3015. Lasting, v. bending, ii. 77/1646. Lai, adj. late, iv. 169/398. Laten, v. to permit, let, ' lat be,'

cease, stop, iv. 163/248, 324/

571. Lathe, sb. barn, ii. 127/168. Latoun, sb. a metal like brass,

ii. 100/65 ; iii. 17/507. Latvede, adj. delayed, tardy, iii.

327/27. LaUian/e, sb. letuary, electuary,

v. 31/741. Laudes, sb. the service per- formed in the fourth or last

watch of the night, ii. 113/169. Launcegati, sb. a kind of lance,

iii. 132/41. Laughtre, sb. laughter, iv. 335/

838. Ljjunde, sb. plain, ii. 52/833. Laurer, sb. laurel, ii. 325/222,

342/793.

GLOSSARY.

307

Lavendere, sb. washerwoman, laundress, v. 287/358.

Laverokke, sb. lark, vi. 21/6662.

Lavours, sb. lavers, ii. 214/287.

Lawde, taude, sb. praise, t. 263/ 705.

Laue, adj. low, iv. 181/689.

Lunelle, lawhen, v. to laugh, ii. 15/474, 120/1; v. 181/848.

Lawghtre, laughynge, sb. laugh- ter, laughing, v. 173/599, 174/ 632.

Lav, sb. law, vi. 206/6571.

Lay, sb. lay, song, v. 289/430.

Layneres, sb. straps, thongs, ii. 77/1646.

Layser, sb. leisure, iv. 233/151, 245/461.

Layt, sb. light, lightning, iii. 341/16.

Later, lazar, sb. leper, ii. 8/242, 245.

Leaute, sb. loyalty, fidelity, vi. 182/5962.

Leavelesse, adj. without permis- sion, v. 88/74.

Lech, leche, sb. physician, sur- geon, iii. 30/56 ; iv. 143/857, 196/1066 ; v. 98/407, 123/ 1225 ; vi. 90/2944.

Lechecraft, sb. medical skill, the healing art, iv. 317/408.

Leched, v. healed, v. 112/873.

Leccherous, adj. lecherous, pro- voking, lechery, ii. 20/626.

Lecchour, sb. a lecher, ii. 220/468, 229/767 ; iii. 132/34.

Lectorn, sb. reading-desk, iv. 48/1383.

Leden, sb. language. See lydiie.

l.eeche,v. to heal, cure, v.l 12/854.

Lit/, leeve, adj. beloved, dear, precious, iii. 40/383, 74/456 ; v. 24/75, 25/592, 26/845, 847.

Leere, sb. skin, iii. 135/146.

Leere, v. to learn, iii. 47/54, 86/ 39; to teach, iv. 217/1580; v, 7/161.

/ • ■■; s, sb. falsehoods, lies. v. 253/

374; vi. 1/8, 175/5731. Lees, leese, sb. leash, snare, iii.

29/19; iv. 183/75-'. Lei se, v. to lose, iii. 52/192; iv.

303,6.3 : vi. 117/4817, 118/

5931, 190/6232. Leeste, adj. last, iv. 207/1330. Leet, leete, v. to let go, forsake,

iv. 361/1557 ; v. 262/671. Leeve, v. to believe, iv. 122/342. Lej, imp. leave, iv. 336/868, 162/

238. Leful, adj. lawful, permissible,

'iv. 266/971. Legge, v. allege, iv. 37/1065. Legge, v. to lay, ii. 123/17. Leggen, v. to ease, alleviate, vi.

153/5019. Leggus, sb. legs, ii. 19/591. Leif, adj. dear, lief, vi. 26/848. Le'igh, v. laughed, iv. 196/1077. Leke, sb. leek, ii. 20/634 ; v.

261/618. Lemes, sb. rays, gleams, vi. 163/

5319. Lemman, sb. sweetheart, love, ii.

101/94,114/533, 115/538, 132/

320, 327, 228/722; vi. 37/

1209, 185/6059, 192/6308. Lendes, lendus, sb. loins, ii. 100/

51, 102/li8, 155/458. Lene, leene, adj. lean, poor, ii.

10/287, 19/591 ; iv. 158, 132. Lene, v. to give, to grant, ii- 20/

611, 116/589; iii. 60/13. Lenesse, sb. leanness, vi. 10/3 - Lenger, adj. longer, ii. 11/330 ,

iv. 192/965. Leonesse, si), lioness, v. 301/100. Lepand, Lepynge, v. leaping, ii.

273/457; vi. 13 1103. _ Lepe, v. to leap, run, iv. 173/

512 ; v. 151/3066 ; vi. 191/95o. Lered, v. learnt, iii. 1/1 1, 84/

283; i v. 211/357.

308

GLOSSARY.

Lese, v. to lose, iv. 172/472; v.

156/33 ; vi. 168/5527 Lese, v. release, li. 153/401. Lese, lees, sb. leash, snare,

noose, v. 263/678. Leieynp, lesyng, sb. leasing,

lies, iii. 94/129 ; iv. 259/781 ; v. 273/1033. Lestue,v. to listen, ii. 158/551. Leswges, sb. falsehoods, lies, ii.

152/385, 161/659 , iii. 43/479 ;

vi. 1/2, 190/6225. Lessen, v. to become less, v. 59/

1439. Lest, leste,a<lv. last, iv. 167/362. Lest, le>te, v. to list, please, de- sire, ii. 81/1764, 297/10, 300/

107 ; iv. 69/550, 156/84, 195/

1051, 196/1059, 209/1394. Lest, les!e, lust, sb. pleasure, ii.

5/132,7/192. Let, sb. delay, ii. 287/104. Lele, v. to leave, forsake, ii. 301/

136; iii. 41/406; v. 81/i. Lette, v. to hinder, to let, ii. 28/

31, 338/660 ; iii. 138/8 ; v.

268/864; vi. 22/700. Lette, lettede, v. hindered, ii. 59/

1034; iii. 170/21 ; iv. 156/94. Lette, sb. hindrance, iv. 122/

361. Lette-game, sb. a spoil-sport, iv.

246/478. Lette-h, v. imp. cease, iv. 199/

1136. Lettrure, sb. literature, letters,

iii. 211/306; vi. 206/6753. Lettung, sb. hindrance, vi. 181/

5934. Letuarie, letuuru, sb. electuary,

ii. 14/426,335/565 ; iii. 85/21. Letynge, sb. leaving, v. 75/1824. Leve, leven, v. to believe, leave,

iv. 237/259, 354/1307 ; vi.

171/5658. Lever, adv. sooner, rather, ii. 10/

293,

I.evesel, levesselle, sb. a verandah, a portico. It signifies lite- raliv a hut of green trees, ii. 126/141; iii. 296/10.

Levest, adj. most agreeable, iv.

160/189. Leuede men, laj'men, ii. 156/505.

Leued, adj. ignorant, ii. 16/502, 179/217 ; iii.49/94 ; iv.241/349. Lew.dlu, adv. ignorantly, ii. 471/ 47; iii. 42/430.

Lewte, sb. loyalty, faith, ii. 161 657.

Lei/d, adj. trimmed, vi. 33/1076.

Lev.e, v. ' / leije,' 1 lay (a wager), iv. 214/1505.

Leyue, v. to lay up, vi. 6/184.

Leaser, sb. leisure, iii. 9/2 19.

Leusinges, sb. lesinges, lies, v. 229/168.

Liche, adj. like, v. 89/120.

Liche (wake), sb. the vigil or wake held over the dead body, ii. 91/2100.

Licoious, likerous, likorous, adj. gluttonous, lascivious, lecher- ous, ii. 100/58, 103/159, 220/ 466, 229/752, 285/18 ; iii. 14/ 391.

Licnrousnesse, sb. gluttonj', le- chery, ii. 224/611.

Lief, tieve, adj. beloved, iii. 36/ 257; iv. 251/596.

Liftode sb. life, livelihood, mode 'of life, iii, 324/18.

Ligge, liugen, v. to lie, iii. 137/ 200; iv. 252/611, 620, 287/ 1488, 325/598 , v. 18/411.

Liggyng, v. lying, ii. 32/153, 74/1532, 101/83 ; iv. 145/915.

Light, adj. joyful, light, vi. 3/ 77.

Lighte, v. to lighten, iv. 269/ 1633 ; v. 27/634.

Lightless, adj. dark, iv. 247/501.

Ligne, sb. line, lineage, v. 132 1519.

GLOSSARY.

309

Like , liken, v. to please, iv. 127/

481, 154/45. Likne, v. liken to, to compare,

ii. 7/180. Likynge, sb. pleasure, adj. pleas- ing, v. 199/78 ; vi. 27/868. Liltyng, adj. playing a lilt or

dance, v. 246/133. Limere, sb. a blood-hound. See

Lymerys. Limes, sb. limbs, iii. 76/35. Lipsede, v. lisped, ii. 9/264. Lisse, sb. abatement, iii. 17/502. Liste, sb. pleasure, iv. 278/1254. Liste, v. to please, ii. 289/157,

298/44, 321/100. Litarge, sb. whitelead, ii. 20/629 ;

iii. 52/222. Litargye, sb. lethargy, iv. 137,

730. Lite, adj. little, ii. 16/494. Lited, v. lighted, iii. 11/322. Lith, v. lies, ii. 38/360, 293 52. Lith, sb. limb, member, iii. 230/

55. Lithe, v. to lessen, alleviate, iv.

330/726. Lither, adj. bad, wicked, ii. 148/

256 ; iv. 75/14. Litherly, adv. wickedly, ii. 102/

113. Litheth, v. listen, hearken, ii.

138/1, 149/289, 151/341, 165/

769. Livand, v. living, v. 135/1630. Lilt, v. liest, speakest falsely, ii.

149/;. 97. Lodemi age, sb. pilotage, ii. 13/

403. Lodesti ?, Uidesterre, sb. loadstar,

North star, v. 10/232, 58/

1392. Logge, sb. lodge, dwelling, iii.

230/33. Logged, loggid, v. lodged, iii. 234/

176, 178. Loggyng, sb. lodging, iii. 231/ 17x5.

Loft, adv. 'of loft,' aloft, v. 11/ 259.

Loke, v. look, ii. 10/289.

Loken, p. p. locked, enclosed, iii. 230/55.

Lokkes, sb. locks of hair, ii. 22/ 677.

Lokynge, sb. appearance, sight, iv. 305/100; v. 75/183*.

Loller, sb. lollard, iii. 106/12.

Lomb, sb. lamb, ii. 188/519.

Lond, londe, sb. land, ii. 7/194, 194/703.

Longen, v. to long, v. 25/597.

Loos, sb. fame, renown, iii. 184/ 29 ; v. 258/530, 531, 536, 261/ 632, 264/727, 269/875 ; vi. 36/ 1161, 186/6106.

Lore, sb. instruction, learning, ii. 17/527; v. 2/21, 14/327.

Lore, sb. loss, v. 269/875.

Loret, sb. a good for nothing fel- low, ii. 214/273.

Lorey, sb. laurel, vi. 43/1379.

Loreyes, sb. laurel-trees.

Lorn, loren, loie, lorn, lorne, v. lost, ii. 195/745, 311/133; iii. 277/16; iv. 269/1027; v. 17; 747,308/123; vi. 288/77.

Los, sb. loss, ii. 78/1685.

Losengonr, losengeour, losenger, sb. liar, flatterer, in. 244/506; v. 287/352; vi. 33 1050, 1064, 1069,82/2693.

Lo^n^e>, sb. a quadrilateral figure of equal sides, but un- equal angles, in which the arms of women are usually i painted ; small figures of the same form in the fretwork of a crown, v. 219, 227; vi. 28/

Loteby, sb. bedfellow, vi. 193/

6342. Lotlier, adj. more disagreeable,

v. 282 491. Lothlu, adj. loathsome, ii. 239/

211.

310

GLOSSARY.

Loueliche, adj. lowly, iv. 27/

782. Lough, v. laughed, iv. 150/1037,

200/1163, 242/369. Loughter, laughter, iv. 49/1425.

Loulyhed, sb. humility, vi. 253/ 500.

Louse, adj. loose, v. 248/196.

Louie, v. to stoop, bow, iv. 253/ 632 ; v. 261/614.

Low, hive, adv. lowly, meekly, humbly, ii. 17/522 ; v. 199/ 98.

Lowe, lawe, sb. law, v. 96/324.

Loweluhed, humility, iv. 80/156.

Lowh', v. laugh, ii. 96/6, 120/4.

Lowke, sb. a good for nothing fellow, ii. 138/51.

Lowte, v. to bow, iii. 156/29.

Luce, sb. the fish called pike, ii. 12/350.

Lufsom, adj. lovesome, v. 20/ 465, 38/911.

Lure, sb. a device used by fal- coners for calling their hawks, iii. 251/72.

Lusschelnughes, sb. hase coins (first imported from Luxem- burgh), iii. 200/74.

Lust, luste, sb. desire, pleasure, ii. 7/192, 42/493, 495, 193/ 664, 298/51, 300/108; iii. 1/ 20 ; v. 25/592; vi. 19/616.

Lustiest e, adj. most pleasant, v. 298/11.

Lustiuesse, sb. pleasure, iv. 7/ 176 ; v. 89/103, 147/2010.

Lusty, adj. pleasant, brisk, fruit- ful, ii. 280/3 ; iv. 5/110, 197/ 1099 ; v. 89/108, 90/123, 126.

Luslyhede, sb. pleasure, mirth, v. "156/27.

Lusti/tu, adv. pleasantly, vi. 23/ 767,' 41/1319.

Lyard, sb. a grey horse, ii. 254/ 265.

Lybardes, sb. leopards,vi. 28/894.

Lyche, adv. like, vi. 165/5420. Lt/corice, sb. liquorice, vi, 42/

' 1368. Lydne, sb. language, ii. 368/8990. Lyfthalf, sb. leftside, vi. 6/163. LyJ'ly, adj. lifelike, ii. 64/1223. Lv/wde, sb. livelihood, vi. 171/

"5605. Lygge, v. to lie, iv. 145/915. Lykue, v. to liken, v. 174/635. Lym, Lume, lumme, sb. limb, mem- ber,' ii. 184/363,193/674,324/ 214, 325/221 ; v. 170/498 ; vi'. 226/7416. Lyma yle, sb. filings of anv metal,

iii. 55/300. Lyme, sb. lime, iii. 269/4 ; v.

296/70. Lyme, v. to smear with bird-lime,

to captivate, iv. 122/353. Lymerys, sb. bloodhounds, v.

166/362. Lymytour, sb. mendicant friar licensed to ask alms within a certain locality, ii. 7/209, 9/ 269, 232/10, 18. Lynde, sb. linden-tree, ii. 316/

35 ; vi. 43/1385. Lyssen, v. to ease, lighten, iv.

83/245. Lyslunesse, adj. enjoyment, iv. 7/

176. Lyte, adv. little, ii. 37/335 ; v.

200/110, 202/177. Lyth, sb. member, limb, v. 184/

925. Lytlie, v. to attend, listen, ii.

158/551. Lyve, sb. life, iv. 331/739 ; v. 8/

165, 161/205, 162/247. Lyvely, adv. life-like, v. 182/904. Lyveie, sb. livery, ration, ii. 12/

363. Lyves, adj. living, iv. 310/224. Lyvyug, tuvifuge, sb. life, mode of life, 'lifetime, v. 202/191 : vi. 162/5329.

GLOSSARY.

311

Maad, v. made, ii. 13/394, 21/

668. l\luut, adj. overcome, dejected,

iv. 314/314. Madde, v. to become mad, iv.

127/479. Maist, adj. most, v. 77/1879. Maister, sb. a skilful artist, mas- ter, (adj.) chief, ii. 9/261. Maistaw, v. mayest thou, ii. 66/

1276,311/132; iv. 191/1016;

v. 47/1130, 230/191, 291/501. Maistrese, sb. mistress, iv. 157/98. Maisti ie, maistriie, sb. skill,

power, superiority, v. 238/

400 ; vi. 37/1208. Maistrise, sb. masterly workman- ship, vi. 127/4172. Mahamete, sb. Mahomet, ii. 180/

235. Make, sb. a companion, ii. 79/

1698. Makeleas, adj. matchless, iv. 115/

172. Makestmv, v. makest thou, ii.

145/199,181/273; v. 81/i. Mukynge, sb. the writing of poe- try, v. 74/1803. Malapert, adj. pert, forward, iv.

228/38. Male, sb. mail, budget, ii. 22/

694 ; iii. 46/13. Malejice, sb. enchantment, iii.

288/30. Malencolye, sb. melancholy, v.

15/360, 68/1660. Mate-latent, sb. ill-will, vi. 9/

i.'73, 105/3438. Malisoun, sb. curse, malediction,

iii. 299/19. Malone, pro. me alone, iv. 150/

1028, 210/1401. Malt, malle, molte, v. melted, iv.

131/582 ; v. 237/114. Mature, misfortune, v. 104/601. Matvesie, sb. Malmesy wine, iii.

109/70.

Manace, v. to threaten, menace, iii. 176/21, 320/14.

Manace, sb. threat, iii. 320/13.

Mancyple, sb. an officer who has the care of purchasing victuals for an inn of court, ii." 125/109.

Mangerv, sb. feast, ii. 154/434.

Mangonel, sb. an engine of war, used in battering down walls, vi. 191/6282.

Manhod, munhode, sb. manhood, manliness, courage, iv. 180/ 676, 242/379, 321/501.

Mannes, sb. man's, ii. 18/574.

Ma/myssch, adj. human, mascu- line, manly, ii. 193/684; iii. 162/12 ; iv. 119/284.

Mansuete, adj. gentle, v. 9/194.

Mantel, sb. cloak, ii. 13/378.

Mantelet, sb. a short mantle, ii. 67/1305.

Marchaunte, sb. merchant, ii. 13/ 381; vi. 170/5594, 180/5908, 181/5942.

Marcial, adj. martial, iv. 368/ 1641.

Marcian, adj. martial, under the influence of Mars, ii. 224/610.

Market-beter, sb.a market dasher, market swaggerer, ii. 123/16.

Marqui.'esse, sb. marchioness, ii. 290/198, 307/4,

Marreiis, sb. marsh, ii. 235 114.

Mar tire, sb. torment, vi.78. 25 17.

Mary, sb. marrow, ii. 13/380; iii. 93/80.

Mase, sb. wild fancy, iii. 237/273.

Mused, adj. perplexed, astonish- ing, v. 155/12, 207/325.

Museli/n, maserin, sb. drinking- cup, iii. 135/141.

Masidnesse, sb. madness, ii. 311/ 123.

Masonerie, sb. masonry, v. 249/ 213.

Masterdome. sb. mastery, upper- hand, \.110'178>.

312

GLOSSARY.

Masterle, v. 'may asterte,' may

arisa, v. 56/13 13. Mate, adj. dejected, wearied, v.

202/179; vi. 97/3167. Mathynketh, v. ' me a thynketh,' it

appears to me, iv. 150/1050. Maugre, prep, in spite of, ii. 215/

315, 233/31 ; iii. 203/58. Maugree, sb. malice, ill-will, vi.

96/3144. Maids, muis, sb. a measure of

corn equal to about five quar- ters, vi. 170/5593. Man met, sb. idol, iii. 343/26. Ma unci pie. See manciple, ii. 18/

567, 19/586. Maundeinent, sb. mandate, ii.

247/48. Marys, sb. thrush, iv. 48/1338 ;

vi. 21/665. Mavyse, v. ' meavyse,' advise me,

iv. 164/276. May, sb. a maiden, ii. 196/753. Maystres, sb. masters, ii. 18/576. Ma'ite, sb. stomach, iii. 134/112. Mawgre, adv. despite, vi. 139/

4559. Mawmet, sb. idol, iii. 331/9. Mawmetrye, sb. the religion of

Mahomet, idolatry, ii. 177/138. Mayde, sb. maid, v. 291/499. MayinpriSf sb. bail, mainprize, ii.

16 1/744. Maysondewe, sb. house of God,

hospital, vi. 171/5622. Mayster, sb. chief, v. 1 65/375. Maysterful, adj. imperious, iv.

183/756. Maystow, v. mayest thou, iii.

39/336. Mcde, sb. meadow, iv. 155/53. Mede, sb. meed, reward, iv. 170/

423 ; v. 207/308. Medewe, sb. meadow, vi. 5/128. Medle, v. to meddle with, inter- fere, v. 273/1012; vi. 184/

6039, 6053.

Medled, v. mixed, iv. 313/311.

'A medled caote,' a coat of mixed

colours, ii. 11/328. Medlers, sb. medlars, vi. 42/

1375. Medlunge, sb. interference, iv.

306/139 ; vi. 28/898. Meele-tide, sb. meal times, iv.

216/1556. Meene, v. to mean, v. 5/104, 105. Meest, adj. most, greatest, v. 19/

440. Meete, v. to dream, iv. 279/1295. Megre, adj. meagre, vi. 10/311. Mekil, adj. great, ii. 230/809. Melancolye, melencolije, sb. me- lancholy, v. 26/662, 156/23. Melle, v. to interpose, meddle,

iii. 65/173, 178/29; v.102/538. Mellere, sb. miller, ii. 17/542,

18/545. Melodyous, adj. melodious, v.

24/577. Mende, to mind, care, iv. 166/329. Mene, sb. means, v. 65/1564. Mene, v. to mean, intend, iii.

30/28, 38/309; iv. 176/581,

231/115 ; v. 48/1150, 243/14. Mene, adj. middle, moderate, iv.

27/783. Mene, adj. mean, vi. 148/4847. Mene-uhile, mene-qwyle, adv.

meanwhile, iv. 256/727 ; v.

17/401. Menour, sb. ' friar menour,' friar

minor, vi. 193/6341. Menstratcies, sb. minstrelsies,

serenades, v. 246/127. Menstralcy, sb. minstrelsv,ii. 78/

1666. Mente, sb. mint, vi. 23/731. Menuse, v. diminish, iii. 292/31. Menyinge, sb. meaning, v. 48/

1147. Menyvere, sb. miniver, a sort

of fur, vi. 8/227. Mere, sb. mare, ii. 17/541.

GLOSSARY.

313

Merciuble, mercyable, adj. merci- ful, v. 57/1864, 78/a, 85/z, 286/347, 288/410.

Meriely, meryiy, adv. merrily, pleasantly," ii. 23/714; vi. 41/ 1329.

Merke, adj. dark, vi. 163/5342.

Merlion, sb. a merlin, the small- est of the British hawks, iv. 62/339.

Messager, messanger, messangere, sb. messenger, iv. 282/1368 ; v. 257/478, 501.

Messagery, sb. a fictitious at- tendant in the Temple of Venus, iv. 58/228.

Mese, messe, sb. mass, v. 150/ 3018.

Mesel, sb. leper, iii, 317/21.

Meselrie, sb. leprosy, iii. 318/2.

Messnile, v. me assail, iv. 365/ 1567.

Mester, sb. sort, hind, ii. 53/852.

Mester, sb. business, ii. 20/613".

Mete, sb. meat, ii. 11/343, 12/ 345.

Mete, v. to dream, iv. 55/115.

Metely, adj. well formed, vi. 26/ 822.

Meten, v. to meet, iv. 368/1657 ; v. 71/1717.

Meteyn, metayn, sb. glove, iii, 87/ 86^ 87.

Mete, v. to dream, iv. 288/1510.

Meth, sb. mead, 101/75, 10 1/192.

Metricien, one skilled in metre, iv. 2/29.

Mette, v. dreamed, iii. 238,'. . . v. 164/277, 286, 293, 168/ I 12, 195/1319, 1320, 226/52, 282/ 210.

Metynge, sb. dream, v. 16:;

Mere, v. to move, v. 234 317.

Meveable, adj. moveable, vi. 144/ 4739.

Mevynge, deportment, iv, 119/ 285, 289.

Mewe, sb. a cage for hawks, a

cage in general, confinement

' in meice,' in secret, ii. 12/

349. Meygned, v. for meymed,mn\med ;

meygned would signify mixed,

vi." 102/3356. Meync, meynee, meyn ye, sb.house-

hold, domestics, ii. 354/18 ; iii.

108/43 ; iv. 178/614 ; v. 22/

526, 309/134, 310/164, 313/

264, 314/297. Meyntenaunce, sb. behaviour, v.

180/833. Mighte, mighlen, v. might, ii. 11/

320, 18/568. Mirye, adj. pleasant, ii. 348/980,

351/1082. Misbeleved, adj. unbelieving

(ones), v. 84/r. Misboden, injured, ii. 29/51. Mischaunce, sb. ill-luck, iv. 253/

6 12. Misericord, sb. mercv, iv. 273/

1128. Missayde, v. said wrong, v. 171/

527. Misseye, v. to say wrong, v.

323. Mister, mester, business, ii. 20/

613. Mistyhed, sb. darkness, 3ecrscy,

vi. 276/35. Miswende,v. to go wrong, iv. 133/

655. Mb, moo, adj. more, ii. 18/544,

227/686, 232/8,292/1. Moble, mot hie, sb. furniture,

moveable goods, ii. 320 70;

iii. 45/540; iv. 359/1432; v.

i . „.'•>■ m. l;;i mil,;. Moche, adj. much, ii. 7/211,15/

467,16/494; v. 202/177. Moclic and iyte, great and small,

V. 200/110. Mi chel, sb. magnitude, size, v

169/454,181/860.

314

GLOSSARY.

Mochel, mochiel, adj. much, great, ii. 9/258 ; iii. 14/401, 179/795, 238/449 ; vi. 2/45.

Moder, sb. mother, ii. 194/688 ;

v. 286/3:58. Moeve, v. to move, vi. 184/6042. Mokre, v. to hoard up, iv. 281/

1326. Molte, v. melted, v. 1/10,244/55,

59. Move, moove, sb. moon, iv. 136/

696, 175/558 ; v. 11/250. Moueste, v. to admonish, vi. 109/

3579. Monyours, sb. coiners, vi. 207/

6814. Moo, adj. more, ii. 18/576, 171/

54 ; v. 52/1263, 293/559. Mooder, moodir, moodur, sb. mo- - ther, ii. 182/297, 299, 193/656,

274/502. Moore, sb. root, v. 2/25. Moordre, sh. murder, vi. 35/1136. Moost, moot, v. must, iv. 196/

1075, 283/1375. Mooten, v. might, ii. 8/232 ; iii.

168/28. Mordred, v. murdered, v. 177/

723. Mordrer, sb. murderer, ii. 301/

123 ; iv. 63/353. More, adj. more (delay), iv. 264/

924. Normal, sb. cancer, ii. 13/386. Morne, v. to mourn, v. 33/793. Mnrler, sb. a sort of wax-light,

iv. 350/1217. Mortherid, v. murdered, ii. 300/

116, 301/119. Mortreux, or mortrewes, sb. a

soup of pounded meat, ii. 13/

384. Morwe, morwenyng, sb. morning,

morrow, ii. "33/204, 192/614,

194/708 ; iv. 288/1514 ; v. 30/

725, 43/1030, 273/1016. 279/

108, vi. 266/151.

Morwe, ' o morwe,' on the mor- row, iv. 359/1415. Mosel, sb. muzzle, ii. 66/1293. Most, moste, v. pret. of mot, must,

ii. 295/102 ; iv. 214/1507; v.

169/465,201/158. Mot, mote, v. may, must, iv. 158/

135, 342/1008 ; v. 55/1329,

309/156. Mote, sb. moot, note on the

huntsman's horn, v 166/376. Motre, v. to mutter, iv. 175/541. Moule, v. to grow mouldy, ii.

120/16. Mounstre, sb. pattern, example,

v. 182/911. Mountance, sb. amount, space,

duration, ii. 49/712; iii. 102/

401; iv. 222/1707, 295/1683;

v. 285/307. Mounten,v. to mount, ascend, v.

238/442. Mourdaunt, sb. tongue of a

buckle, vi. 34/1094. _ Moveresse, sb. mover, vi. 5/149. Mo>r, mowe, mouen, v. to he able,

may, ii. 294/81, 82; iii. 38/

300, 50/128 i iv. 218/1594; v.

90/150, 161/208, 168/438. Mowe, v. l make the motce,' make

a mouth, to mock, iv. 299/

1778. Mowes, sb. mouths, v. 264/716. Moulen, to grow mouldy, ii. 171/

32. Mownstre, sb. prodigy, monster,

v. 174/627. Mopsoun, sb. harvest, growth, vi.

52/1677. Moysty, adj. soft, iii. 251/60. M liable, adj. changeable, iv. 258/

773. Murhcl, adj. much, great, iv.

196/1071, 220/1659, 230/90. Multok, sb. dung, rubbish, ii.

126/19; iii. 57/385. Multiplie, v. to make gold aud

silver, iii. 49/116.

GLOSSARY.

31;

Mnrtheles, without mirth, v. 71/

592. Murye, adj. pleasant, ii. 43/528;

iv. '288/1514. Musarde, a dreamer, muser, vi.

99/3256, 230/7562. Muse, v. to consider, wonder,

gaze, iv. 2/32, 248/514; vi.

19/1592. Muwe, sb. confinement, secrecy,

a place set apart for hawks to

moult in, iv. 123/381, 249/553,

297/1735, 320/468, 353/1282. Muwe, v. to change, iv. 294/1258. Minuet, adj. mute, v. 9/194. Mycehe, sb. amanchet, a loaf of

wheaten flour. Mi/ch, adv. great, vi. 53/1713,

169/5558. Mucliel, adj. much, vi. 145/4765. Muclier, sb. a niggard, miser, vi.

199/6543. Myghiely, adv. mightily, greatly,

v. 11/262. Mulken,v. to give milk, vi. 165/

'5421. Mi.lne stones, sb. mill-stones, iv.

209/1384. Mynde, sb. memory, v. 170/510,

226/56. Myne, mynen, v. to undermine,

iv. 256/718, 319/443 ; vi. 192/

6294. Mus, sb. wrong, v. 206/282. Uys, adv. amiss, iv. 351/1239. Mysacounted, adj. miscounted, v.

49/1185. Mysaventure, misadventure, iv.

136/706. Mi'sauise, v. to advise wrongly,

ii. 213/230. Mysbileoed, adj. unbelieving, iv.

259/789. Mysbore, v. misconducted, ill.

197/7. Mvschaunce, sb. misfortune, iv. "162/222, 281/1336, 308/175; vi. 231/7581.

Myscheves, sb. mischiefs, vi. 176/

5784. My^coveiting, sb. desiring

wrongly, vi. 7/196. Musdepaite, v. to distribute

wrongly, ii. 173/9. Musese, sb. uneasiness, iii. 272/

13. Mysseye, to slander, iv. 41/1171. Mysseyde, sb. missaid, slandered,

v. 289/440. Mi/sfille, v. was unfortunate, ii.

? 1 1530. Mysforyafe, misgave, iv. 35?>j

1398. My<n;oon, v. to go wrong, ii. 131/

298. Mysgyed, v. misdeemed, iii. 21;:/

'543. Myshappyng, v. falling amiss, vi.

'169/5546. Muslfden, v. to miscarry, iv.

302/20. Muduved, adj. unfaithful, iv.

313/302. Mys-meleie, v. to spoil the metre

"of verses by writing or read- ing them ill, v. 75/1810. Mys-satle, v. sat amiss, v. 183/

940. Mys>ed, v. lost, iv. 243/396. Mussette, v. misplaced, v. 191/

1209. Myssey, v. to missav, slander,

v. 207/320; vi. 68/2205. Mysspeke, v. speak amiss, ii. 97 '

31. Mysier, sb. need, vi. 171/5617. Myster-J'clk, craftsmen, iv, 8/

227. Mysiriste, v. to mistrust, iii. 87/

'83; iv. 170/431. Mystruste, mystrusten, v. to mis- trust, iv. 365/1578. Mysturnyng, sb. misturn, vi.

169/5548. Mystyde, v. mishap, in. 187 Mysu^en, v. abu.-", iii. 49/96.

316

GLOSSARY.

Mt/swent, v. went wrong1, iv.

133/633 ; vi. 228/7490. _ Mysuev, sb. wrong wav, vi. 145/

4769. Myswrite, v. to write wrongly

v. 74/1809. Myte, sb. mite, iv. 259/783.

Na, adj. no, ii. 130/263. Naclieveth, v. achieves not, ac- complishes nothing, iv. 185/

808 ; v. 33/784. Nude, nadde, v. had not, ii. 116/

565; iv. 278/1270. Nakers, sb. kettle-drums, ii. 77/

1653. Nule, 'atte nale,'=l atten ale,'

at the ale-house, ii. 247/51. Nam, v. am not, ii. 25/264, 40/

416; v. 52/1216. Nam, v. took, iii. 68/286. Numtif, vamelxt, uameliche, adv.

especially, iii. 125/125, 369/9 ;

iv. 138/943, 354/1306; vi. 19/

596. Namore, adv. no more, iv. 241/

341. Karive, adj. close, narrow, ii. 20/

625, 198/848 ; v. 294/21. Narowe, adv. straitly, v. 202/186. Narte, v. art not. v. 79/d. Nas, v. was not, ii. 11/321, 18/

550, 45/590, 65/1247, 239/222 ;

v. 239/476, 310/189. Nassuyeth, v. essay eth not, tries

not", v. 33/784. Nut, adv. not, ii. 40/405 ; v. 55/

1339. Nuth, v. hath not, ii. 29/65. Natheles, adv. nevertheless, ii.

282/92, 290/181, 296/132. Naught, adv. not, v. 25/598. Navauntour, sb. ' ne uvaunieour,'

not a boaster, iv. 182/724. Navie, sb. navy v. 107/702. Nuie, ' ne axe,' ask not, v. 25/

594.

Nay, denial, ' it is no nay,' it

cannot be denied, ii. 130/263. Nuyle, v. to nail, fix, ii. 315/8. ATe, adv. and conj. not, nor, ii.

96/15,97/55. Necessuire, adv. necessarily, of

necessity, iv. 341/993. Neddir, sb. adder, serpent, iii.

287/22. Kedely, nedfully, nedly, adv. of

necessity, necessarily, iv. 341/

976, 978, 343/1026 ; vi. 186/

6126. Neet, sb. neat cattle, ii. 19/597. Neghen, neighen, v. to approach,

iv. 216/1555 ; v. 286/318. Neigh, adj. near, nigh. iv. 171/

449. Nempne, nempned, nempnen,

nempnyd, v. to name, ii. 185/

409, 297/161, 364/310; iii.

315/13; vi. 190/6227. Nenforce, v. ' ne-eiiforce,' enforce

not, iv. 341/988. ATe?it)i/e=' ne envye,' envy not, v.

74/1803. Ner, adj. nearer, iii. 51/168. AW, v. were not, ii. 28/17; v.

4/74, 252/333. Nerf, sb. nerve, sinew, iv. 179/

642. Nessh, adj. soft, delicate, iv. 38/

1092. Netheles, conj. nevertheless, vi.

185/6076. Nettle in dokke out, iv. 318/433. Nevene, v. to name, iii. 54/268,

74/462; iv. 295/1674; v. 226/

5, 247/163, 253/348 ; vi. 182/

5965. Neu-e, adv. newly, iv. 230/95 ;

vi. 18/558, 37/1205. NewJ'angelnesse,newfanglenesse, sb .

desire for change, longing for

novelty, inconstancy, v. 201/

144, 280/154. Neicfungil, adj. desirous of new

things, iii. 355/89.

GLOSSARY,

317

Nice, adj. foolish, ' nice fare,' a

foolish proceeding-, iv. 119/

1025. Nientene, adj. nineteen, v. 284/

283. Ni[savdi]e, adv. stinginess, iii.

112/i72. Nigktertale, n i/gh teitale, sb. night- time, ii. 4/97 ; iv. 35/999. Night-spel, sb. a night-charm, ii.

107/294. Niste, v. knew not, v. 94/284. Nobleii, nobteye, nobles, noblesse,

sb. nobleness, dignity, s;

dour, ii. 357/69 ; iv. 32/924,

368 '1642; v. 238/463. Nofors, adv. no matter, iv. 213/

1477. Aroi//ier,adv. neither, iv. 2 16 173. Nokked, adj. knotched, vi. 29 Nolde, v. would not, ii. 18/550,

83/1846, 97/51, 98/60, 105/

232 ; vi. 51/1645, 96/3127,

225/7583. Noldest, v. wouldest not, v. 169/

481. N> Idestoic, v. wouldst thou not,

iv. 276/1215. Nombie, sb. number, ii. 23/716. Nome, nomen, v. taken, iv. 2!'.'/

557; v. 22/514; vi. 165/5407. None, sb. noon, v. 20/:. Nones, sb. 'for the nones,' for the

once, ii. 13/379, 17/523. Nonne, sb. nun, ii. 5/118. Noon, adj.no one. none, ii. 22/

680, 193/654; iii. 48/63; v.

282/191. Noones, sb. See Nones, iii. 244/

513. Noot, v. wot not, knew not, ii.

42/482. Noote, sb. note, ii. 8/235 ; v. 164/

319, 169/4V2. Novice, noris, norys, noryshe, sb. nurse, ii. 215 199, '; iii.

2:58/295; vi. 165/54 'I. Norisching v. nursing, ii. 14/437.

Noriture, norlure, sb. nourish- ment, nurture, iv. 331/740 ; vi. 6/179.

Nortelrye, sb. nurture, education, ii. 183/47.

Nose-thnrles, sb. nostrils, ii. 18/ 557 ; iii. 275/13.

Noskunnes, adj. no kind of, v. 263/704.

Nost, v. knowest thou not. v.

271;

Note, v. 'neuot,' know not, vi.

165/5410. Note, v. need, business, ii. 127/ 1 18.

'tes, sb. nutmegs, vi. -! :/ 13 i

. sb. nuts, vi. 42/1377. Nother, ne other, nor other, vi.

192. Notys, sb. notes, v. 164/319. Nouchis, nowch.es, sb. nouchcs, clasps, or buckles, jewels, ii. 290/186; v. 25 1/260. Noumbre, v. to calculate, v. 168/

436. Nouthe, adv. now, iv. 148 5. Novelrye, nauetrie, sb. novelty,

iv. 185/756; v. 230/178. Novel, sb. Cliri iii. 1

Nououse, adj. , v.

61. Noysaunce, sb. annoyan

i, Duis tnce, v. 9 , 55, 97/

Ny,lne I,' not I, iv.

adj. foolish, ii. 13/398; iv.

Nifcelu, adv. foolishly, v. 48/

1152. \ a I: , nycetie, si), folly, ii.

-• nd, nygart, fil>. I, iv.

: . :. I

I, iii. 112/ 172. '

3L8

GLOSSARY.

Vyggaun, sb. niggard, ii. 150/ 323.

Nyl, v.— '«e ?!!//,' will not, ii.

50/752, '215/307, 319 ; iv. 292/

1593 ; v. 313/289 ; vi. 95/3099. Nit lie, v. pi. will not, vi. 147/

4816. Niiltow, v. wilt thou not, iv. 283/

1378, 310/222 ; v. 299/53. Nys, v. is not, ii. 29/43, 35/264,

39/388, 52/819. Nystf m/ste, v. knew not, ii. 181/

286; 'iii. 11/300 ; iv. 314/321 ;

v. 256/453 ; vi. 1 11/4626.

O, oo, adj. one, ii. 84/1875, 109/ 366, 171/52, 296/121 ; iv. 154/ 37; v. 53/1285, 299/45, 300/ 78.

Obeisaunt, adj. obedient, atten- tive, v. 115/968.

ObeLsaunce, vbeiisaunce, sb. obe- dience, iii. 196/2 ; iv. 244/429 ; v. 294/8.

Gbitinat, adj. obstinate, ii. 17/ 521.

Observaunce, sb. respect, iv. 264/ 921.

Oci/, ocu, sb. note of the night- ingale, iv. 79/124.

Odours, sb. perfumes, v. 280/123.

Of, adv. off, iv. 165/310.

Of-bove, prep, above, v. 108/ * 747.

Offered, adj. afraid, iv. 324/579.

Offendid, v. hurt, ii. 74/1536.

Offensioun, sb. offence, damage, ii. 74/1558.

Ojnew, ojnewe, adj. anew, iv. 153/820.

Ofte-sithe, oft-times, vi. 25/812.

Of-wiih, adv. off- from ; cf. ' in- uiih,' within, vi. 167/5473.

Oghte, ought, adv. anything', aught, v." 206/297, 278/70.

Oke, sb. oak, vi. 41/1384.

Ol'nerh, Oluvers, sb. olive-trees, vi. 41/1312, 43/1381.

Ohfte, aloft, adv. aloft, iv. 146/

950 ; v. 15/348. Omuger, sb. homager, servant,

vi. 100/3288. Omunge, omanges, prep, among,

iv. 302/37; v. 11/251, 29/

688, 66/1594. O-morow, in the morning, iv. 288/

1506. Oa-bak, adv. aback, ii. 134/116. One, ' mine one, myself, v. 117/

1021. Onde, sb. envv, malice, vi. 5/

148. Oneden, adj. united, iii. 273/31. Ones, oones, adv. once, v. 2/41,

299/56. Onloft, adv. aloft, vi. 168/5506. Onon, adv. anon, at once, iv. 122/

319. Ondeepe, asleep, v. 87/53. On-i/del, adv. in vain, iv. 147/955 Oo,' adj. one, ii. 9/253, 10/303,

110/397 ; v. 163/261, 194/

1292, 1294; vi. 72/2363. Ook, oohe, sb. oak, iv. 207/1335 ;

v. 168/447. Oon, adj. one, ii. 11/317 ; v. 201-/

222, 226/54. Oost, sb. host, army, v. 295/46,

53. Ooih, sb. oath, iv. 267/997. Open-ers, sb. the fruit of the med- lar tree, ii. 120/17. Opinuoun, opynyoun, sb. opinion,

ii. 11/337 ;'iv. 318/425. Opi/e, sb. opium, ii. 46/614. Or, ere adv. before, v. 104/585. Oratory, sb. chapel, closet, ii.

59/1047. Ordal, ordeal, sb. judicial trial, a

trial bv fire or water, iv. 267/

997. Orde, sb. point, v. 296/66. Ordeint, ordent, v. ordained,

ordered, v. 119/1098, 140/1802. Ordinate, adj. orderly, regular,

iii. 319/40.

GLOSSARY.

319

Ordinaunce, adj. orderly dispo- sition, plan, IV. 173/510.

Ordure, sb. filth, trash, v. 16/ 385.

Ore, sb. oar, v. 107/698.

Ore, s"b. grace, favour, ii. 115/ 538.

Orfrays, sb. gold embroidery, vi. '18/562.

Orisones, orisoun, sb. prayers, ii. 186/439; v. 141/1806.

Orisounte, orysont, sb. horizon, v. 12/276; vi. 235/6.

Orlogge, sb. a clock, iv. 63/350.

Orpiment, sb. a mineral so called, iii. 52/206.

Or ruble, adj. horrible, ii. 193/ 653.

Ost, sb. host, iii. 48/66.

Osielrie, sb. hostelrye, lodging- house, ii. 23/718, 722.

Ostiller, sb. innkeeper, ii. 8/241.

Other, othur, other, or, ii. 14/ 427 ; v. 168/420.

Ougline, oune, pro. own, iii. 64/ 143 ; v. 170/503.

Oughtestow, v. oughtest thou, v. 23/545.

Oules,sb. hooks, awls, ii. 260/22.

0 undue, adj. wavy, braided, v. 251/296.

Oare, adj. our, ii. 22/695 ; iv. 322/511.

Outake, outuken, v. excepted, ii. 178/179; vi. 29/948, 177/7'

Onterlii, Gutrely, adv. utterly, in- tently, entirely, ii. 226/664, 278/30; iii. 190/26; iv. 193/ 1004, 285/1437, 3391927; v. 70/1708. 192/1243, 287/368.

Outher, conj. either, iii. 64/138; iv. 320/482, 321/503.

Outraue, v. to be outrageous, ii. 298/34.

Outrageous, outragious, adj. ex- travagant, vi. 6/174, 39/1257.

Outreliche, adv. wholly, iv. 182/ 710.

Outslynge, v. to pull out, vi. 182/

5990. Overal, adv. everywhere, ii. 9/

249, 18/547; v. 160/171, 164/

300. Overest, adv. uppermost, ii. 10 ;

290. Overgilt, adj. covered with gold,

vi. 27/873. Overbid, v. overborne, iii. 198/

23. Overtoked, v.overlooked, perused,

v. 162/232. Over-ruden, v. ridden over, ii.

63/116 i. Ouershotte, v. missed, v. 166/383. Overakipte, v. omitted, v. 191/

1207. Overspradde, v. overspread, ii.

22/678 ; iv. 181/769. Overte, adj. open, v. 231/210. Orerthurt, overihuart, overt wert,

prep, across, iv. 253/636; v.

181/862 ; vi. 10/292. Overthraive, overthroice, v. over- thrown, v. 60/1461, 121/1154. Owen, oweth, v. ought, ii. 21/

660 ; iv. 346/1115. Owen, adj. own, ii. 193/661 ; v.

288/286. Owher, sb. anywhere, ii. 21/653 ;

iii. 55/305. Owhile, adv. a while, term, v.

345/1091. Ownded, adj. braided, iv. 330/

708. Owudyng, adj. waving, iii. 296/

27. Ounement, sb. ointment, ii. 20/

'631. Oynouns, sb. onions ii. 20/6:34. Oystre, sb. oyster, ii. 20/631.

Paas, sb. pace, v. 102/518, 113/

913, 284/284. Pace, v. to pass away, ii. Iii/

574; iv. 156/80, 241/421.

320

GLOSSARY.

Paid, adj. pleased, v. 124/1270. Pailet, sb. pallet, iv. 234/180. Paitrell, sb. breastplate of ahorse,

iv. 95/246. Pakoc, sb. peacock, iv. 116/210, Palasyns v. belonging to the pa- lace or court, vi. 209/6864. Pule, sb. a perpendicular stripe

on a coat of arms, v. 265/750. Pan, sb. head, skull, ii. 37/307. Pans, sb. pence, ii. 37/307; iii.

87/90 ; iv. 281/1326. Panter, sb. net, snare, vi. 50/

1621. Punyers, sb. panniers, v. 268/

849. Papelardie, sb. hypocrisy, vi. 207/

6798. Papyngay, sb. parrot, iv. 63/359 ;

vi. 3/81. Parage, sb. rank degree, ii. 213/

250; vi. 145/4762. Paramours, sb. lovers, iv. 162/

236; v. 7/158, 14/332; vi.

147/4834. Parauntere, adv. peradventure,

perchance, v. 287/362. Parcel, sb. part, iii. 360/11. Parde, pardieux, sb. a common

oath, ii. 18/563; v. 276/16. Parenteal, sb. kindred, iii. 349/3.

561, 335/555 ; iii. 122/4. Pardoner, sb. a seller of indul- gences, ii. 17/543, 21/669, 22/

692. Paregal, adj. equal, v. 35/840. Parchments, sb. ornamental furni- ture or clothes, ii. 77/1643 ; v.

310/181. Parlay, sb. bv my faith, ii. 113/

495,196/751,276/536. Partite, parfight, adj. perfect, ii.

14/420, v. 40/970. Parjitly, adv. perfectly, vi. 26/ j

771,' 190/6231. Parj'orme, parfoarme, parfouvne,

v. perform, ii. 335/555; iii. .'

122/4.

Parischens, sb. parishioners, ii.

16/482, 488. Purtie, part ye, sb. part, iv. 168/

394; v. 163/5341. Party, adj. party-coloured, iv. 41/

1192. Parvys, sb. a portico before a

church, ii. 16/310. Pas, ]iase, sb. pace, step, iv. 178/

627 ; v. 25/604, 94/277. Passant, 'adj. surpassing, excel- ling, ii. 65/1249. Passen, v. to surpass, v. 35/838,

238/467. Patren, v. to repeat the pater- noster, vi. 220/7243. Patrone, sb. patron, v. 182/909. Paved, adj. pleased, satisfied, v.

90/142. Payens, sb. pagans, v. 77/1863. Payleysse-uard, prep, towards the

palace, iv. 204/1252. Pai/ndemayn, sb. a sort of fine

white bread, iii. 131/14. Paysaunce, sb. trouble, v. 137/

1675. Peches, sb. peaches, vi. 42/1374. Pecunial, adj. pecuniary, paid in

money, ii. 246/16. Peer, sb. equal, peer, v. 75/1877. Pees, sb. peace, ii. 17/534, 195/

738; iv. 268/1008, 355/1318,

1324, 1325, 1331, 1332; vi.

191/6289. Peire, v. to impair, vi. 186/6106. Peise, v. weigh, iv. 24/689. Pel, sb. castle, fortress, v. 249/

220. Peler, pelere, sb. pillar, iv. 57/

177; v. 252/331. Pelet, sb. ball, v. 259/553. Pelowe, sb. pillow, v. 163/254. Penaunt, sb. one doing penance,

iii. 199/46. Pehitencere, sb. a priest who en- joins penance in extraordinary cases, iii. 360/18.

GLOSSARY.

321

Penner, sb. pen-case, ii. 337/635. Panel, sb. banner, streamer, v.

43/1043; vi. 191/6283. Pensijhede, sb. pensiveness, vi.

239/102. Penvble, adj. painstaking, iii.

211/310. Penytentys, sb. penitent, v. 85/2. Pepir, sb. peppermint, vi. 184.

6031. Peraunter, adv. peradventure, iii.

24/735. Perche, sb. a perch for birds, vi.

8/225. Pere, sb. equal, peer, v. 82/n. Pere, v. to appear, iv. 3/55. Perfit, per f ut, adj. perfect, ii. 11/

338, 17/532; v. 145/1964. Peritorie, sb. the herb pellitory,

iii. 47/28. Perjonette, sb. a young pear, ii.

100/62. Perle, sb. pearl, ii. 100/65 ; v.

282/221. Perochatl, adj. parochial, v. 151/

30, 35. Perie, perrey, perry, sb. jewels,

precious stones, ii. 216/344;

iii. 211/315; v. 251/303, 313/

276. Pees, sb. sky-coloured, of a bluish- grey, iii. 14/439. Persant, persaunt, adj. piercing,

iv. 29/849. Persly, sb. parsley, ii. 135/26. Pertorbe, v. to perturb, disturb,

iv. 323/533. Pertourben, v. to trouble, disturb,

ii. 29/48. Pervynke, sb. theherb periwinkle,

vi. 28/903, 44/1432. Perus, sb. pears, vi. 42/1375. Pesen, sb. pease, v. 296/69. Pestel, pestelle, staff, ii. 1 13/122,

128, 138, 141/152. Pesuble, adj. peaceable, vi. 226/

7413.

Peter, interj. 'by Peter,' v. 240/

526. Peyne, sb. pain, iv. 198/1127. Peyne, v. ' do my peyne,' take

pains, iv. 172/475. Peynen, (pret. peynede, peyned),

v. to take pains, endeavour, ii.

308/38; v. 8/171, 164/318. Peynt, part, painted, vi. 44/1436. Peynte, v. to paint, v. 163/259. Peyntures, sb. pictures, paintings,

vi. 5/142. Peytrelle, sb. breastplate of a

horse, iii. 298/19. Phitonisses, sb. a woman possessed

by Apollo with a spirit of di- vination, a witch, v. 247/171. Pie, sb. a magpie, prating gossip,

iv. 246/478. Pietus, adj. piteous, merciful, v.

19/451. Piggesneyghe, sb. a pansy, ii 101/

82. Pighte, v. pitched, iii. 122/19 ; v.

85/ x. Pike, v. to peep, iv. 227/11. Piked, v. trimmed, ii. 12/365. Pike-pun;, sb. pick-purse, ii. 62/

1110. Pikerel, sb. a young pike, ii. 323/

175. Piled, adj. bald, ii. 20/627, 134/

386. Filer, pilcre, sb. pillar, v. 177/

738, 252/338, 253/353, 367,

254/391, 407; vi. 247/348. Pilled, v. robbed, v. 315/337. Pilours, sb. plunderers, ii. 32/149,

162. Pilous, sb. pillows, iv. 243/395. Piluvbeer, sb. pillow-case, ii. 22/

694. Pipen, v. to pipe, ii. 122/7. Pirie, pirn, sb. pear-tree, ii, 351/

1080, 1098. Pistil, sb. epistle, ii. 311/216. PiUince, pitaunce, sb. a mess of

322

GLOSSARY.

victuals. It properly means an

extraordinary allowance of

victuals given to monasteries

in addition to their usual com- mons, ii. 8/224 ; vi. 188/6178. Pilous, adj. merciful, vi. 188/

6164. Pitouslyche, adv. piteously, piti- fully, v. 14/313. Place, sb. a market-place (or a

landing-place), iii. 131/9. Piastre, sb. plaster, vi. 167/

5477. Plat, adv. ' a plat,' flatlv, plainly,

iii. 96/186. Plat, platte, adj. and adv. flat,

flatly, ii. 359/154, 360/156 ; iii.

96/186, 225/766; iv. 135/681,

176/579. Platlu, adv. flatlv, plainly, iii.

303/21 ; iv. 257/737 ; iv. 337/

896. Plaunte, sb. plant, iv. 331/739. Ptcdutige, sb. pleading-, v. 173/

614. Pledges, sb. pledges, iii. 194/25. Pleii/ng, pleynge, plei/yng, v.

playing, iv. ^280/1319 ; vi. 5/

133, 41/1329. Plesaunce, plesaunse, sb. pleasure,

ii. 193/664; iv. 242/377,264/

922; iv. 331/1071. Plete, v. to plead, iv. 212/1468. Pleye, pleyeu, pleifghe, v. to play,

ii. 137/32, 113/130. Plei/n, adj. full, perfect, ii. 11/

337; v.78/1. Pleipite, sb. complaint, iv. 333/

779, 338/903 ; v. 72/1758. Plei/miiige, sb. complaining, v.

173/598. Plight, v. pledged, promised,

vowed, ii. 237/153; iv. 38/

1102. Plit, plite, sb. condition, iv. 223/

1738, 267/990, 285/1431. Plite, sb. plight, iv. 182/712.

Plowmes, sb. plums, vi. 42/1375. Plye, v. to bend, ii. 314/4168. Pluiihte, v. plucked, drew, iv.

156/74, 198/1120. Plyte, v. to join, iv. 202/1204. Plyte, sb. condition, plight, iv.

281/1328 ; v. 206/300. Plytede, v. folded up, iv. 181/697. Poeplissh, popular, iv. 368/1649. Poke, sb. pocket, ii. 116/592. Polax, sb. halberd, v. 296/63. Pole, sb. pool, pit, vi. 182/5969. Poikat, sb. pole-cat, ii. 102/393. Polyve, sb. pulley, ii. 360/176. Pomegamettus, sb. pomegranates,

vi. 42/1356. Pomely, sb. spotted with round

spots like apples, dappled po-

mele gris of a dappled grey

colour, ii. 20/616 ; iii. 46/6. Popet, sb. puppet, iii. 130/11. Popitlot, sb. puppet, ii. 100/68. Popler, sb. poplar-tree, vi. 43/

1385. Popped, v. dressed like a poppet

or doll, vi. 32/1019. Popper, sb. bodkin or dagger, ii.

122/11. Popynjay, sb. parrot, vi. 28/913. Poraile, sb. poor people, ii. 9/

247. Pore, v. to look earnestly, ii.

260/30. Porfurye, sb. porphyry, iii. 52/

222.' Puite-col>js, sb. portcullis, vi.

127/4168. Portos, sb. breviary, iii. 111/131. Portoius, sb. porters, v. 47/1139. Portraiture, portray t ure, portrei-

ture, sb. painting, v. 152/3070,

174/625 ; vi. 5/141, 6/172, 26/

827. Porlreyour, sb. painter, ii. 59/

1041. Portreu, v. to pourtray, paint, v.

179/782.

GLOSSARY,

323

Porveye. purveye. See pnrveue,iv. 173/504.

Pose, sb. a cold in the head, iii.251/62.

Pose, v. to ]iut the question, sup- pose, iv. 248/522, 237/261.

Posse, v. to push, v. 351/27. Posshed, v. pushed, vi. 141/4625. Putecary, sb. apothecary, ii. 102/

390. Potente, sb. walking-stick,

crutch, ii. 261/68; vi. 226/

7417. Poute, sb. St. Paul, ii. 16/509. Pounsed, v. punched with a bod- kin, iii. 227/9. Pounsyvg, punctures made with

a bodkin, iii. 296/50. Poure, v. to pore, iv. 222/1708. Poitrtreyn^e, sb. pourtraying, v.

30/716." Pons, sb. pulse, iv. 270/1065. Poiiste, sb. power, vi. 234/7679. Paver, poveie, adj. poor, ii. 213/

249; iii. 171/19. Pmvpede, v. made a noise with a

horn, iii. 246/579. Powren, v. to pore, v. 243/31. Poynant, adj. poignant, ii. 12/

352. Pnynt, v. to particularize, iv.

245/448. Poynt, devys, in detail, minutely,

with the" greatest exactness, v.

237/409 ; vi. 38/1215. Poyntel, sb. a style, ii. 260/34. Praiyng, sb. request, vi. 178/

5841. Pratety, adj. prettily, ii. 136/6. Preace, praise, pres, sb. press,

throng-, iii. 206/117; v. 91/267,

126/1315. Pnrc, v. to press, vi. 128/419. Prcc/iestou), v. preachest thou, ii.

217/366. Prechoures, sb. preachers, vi

170/5772.

Prechyng, sb. preaching, vi. 118/

5935. Predesteyne, sb. predestination,

iv. 339/938. Prees, pres, sb. press, crowd, iv.

71/603, 223/1718 ; v. 116/981,

986. Preice, preise, preisen, v. to praise,

iv. 24/687, vi. 3/70, 169/5557. Preianant, adj. pregnant, iv.

348/1151. Prenten, v. to print, impress, iv.

189/900. Fresl, sb. priest, ii. 16/501, 503,

505; iv. 244/436. Preste, adj, ready, iv. 185/785,

327/633. Preve, sb. proof, iii. 234/163 ; iv.

237/258, 266/953 ; v. 236/370,

239/480. Preve, preven, v. to prove, try,

ii. 18/547 ; iv. 69/534, 267/998. Prevely, adv. privily, secretlv, v.

201/141. Preyen. v. to pray, v. 200/125. Preysen, preisen, v. to praise, iv.

157/95. Preysynges, sb. praises, v. 228/127. Pricasour, sb. a hard rider, ii. 7/

189. Prideles, adj. without pride, ii.

307/146. Prike, v. to prick, iii. 134/100. Prikcn, v. to prick, instigate, iv.

325/605. Prikke, sb. point, v. 236/399. P, ikyng, sb. riding, ii. 7/191. P. He, v. for thrile, to pierce, vi.

33/1058. Prime, sb. first, ii. 68/1331, 121/

52 ; v. 20/472 ; vi. 103/3373. Primerole, sb. primrose, ii. 101/

82. Pris, sb. price, estimation, praise,

iii. 136/186 ; iv. 160/181 ; vi.

2/47. _

Prist=prest, adv. ready, iv. 262/

868.

324

GLOSSARY.

Prively, adv. secretly, ii. 19/609. Proce, sb. prose, v. 289/425. Procreacioun, sb. procreation, vi.

147/4825. Profrestoiv, v. professest thou, iv.

284/1412. Prolixite, sb. prolixity, iv. 216/

1564. Prolle, v. to prowl, search for a

thing, iii. 72/401. Protege, sb. prologue, iv. 336/865. Propretiche, adv. properly, ii.

311/117. Prospectyves, sb. perspective- glasses, ii. 362/326. Provable, adj. capable of being

proved, vi. 165/5417. Provende, sb. prebend, daily al- lowance, stipend, vi. 211/6933. Proverbe, v. to quote a proverb,

speak proverbially, iv. 237/

244. Praw, prowe, sb. profit, advan- tage, iii. 47/56, 8c/14, 119/

408 ; iv. 121/333; v. 33/789

226/71 ; vi. 177/5809. Pruder, adj. prouder, iv. 158/

147. Prune, v. to trim, ii. 341/767. Pryme temps, sb. spring, vi. 145/

4750. Pryme, adj. first, ' pryme face,'

prima facie, iv. 262/870 ; vi.

145/4750. Prys, sb. honour, value, iv. 154/

24,217/1585; vi. 10/300, 181/

5930. Pryve, adj. secret, familiar, iv.

257/738 ; vi. 19/600. Pryvely, adv. secretly, ii. 21/652. Pryvet'e, sb. secret, ii. 110/372. Puffen, v. to blow, v. 266/776. Pulcritude, sb. beauty, iv. 21/613. Pullaylte, sb. chickens, poultry,

vi. 214/7045. Pulte, v. pluck, ii. 21/652; vi.

182/5987. Pultrie, sb. poultry, ii. 19/598.

| Punice, punyssche, v. to punish, ii. 21/657", v. 71/1721.

Puptissche, v. to publish, ii. 291/ 219.

Pared, adj. refined, iii. 346/19.

Partite, sb. border, fringe, iv. 92/146.

Purfited, v. embroidered, fringed, ii. 7/193 ; iv. 98/318.

Purpos, sb. purpose, design, iv. 238/281 ; v. 8/176.

Purposen, v. to purpose, iv. 355/ 1322.

Purs, sb. purse, ii. 21/656, 657.

Pursevauntes, sb. pursuivants, v. 249/231.

Purtreye, v. to pourtray, v. 81/l.

Purveans, purveiaunce, parvey- aunce, purvyaunce, plot, fore- sight, prudence, ordinance, ii. 52/807, 184/385; iv. 174/ 527, 246/484, 340/972 ; v. 60/ 1447.

Purveied, purveyed, v. ordained, iv. 341/978, 980.

Purveyaiince, sb. providence, iv. 339/933, 343/1042.

Purveys, purveyen, v. to plan foresee, control, iii. 167/93 ; iv. 170/426, 200/1160.

Purveying, sb. providence, fore- sight, iv. 340/958, 341/987.

Pate, putte, sb. pit, iii. 125,119.

Putours, sb. whoremongers, iii. 346/15.

Putten, v. to put, place, iv 361/ 1480, 1484.

Pye, sb. pie, ii. 13/384; iii. 113/ '209.

Pyk, sb. pike (fish), ii. 323/175.

Pyke, to pick, trim, ii. 341/767 ; "iv. 204/1774, 341/767.

Pylted, adj. pointed, ii. 260/29.

Pyled, adj. bald,ii. 122/15.

Pylen, v. rob, iii. 332/32.

Pyment, sb. spiced wine and hone/, ii. 104/192; vi. la4J 6030.

GLOSSARY".

325

Pyn, pynne, sb. pine-tree, ii. 7/ "196, 8/234 ; vi. 43/1379.

Pynacles, sb. pinnacles, v. 245/ ~99.

Pynche, v. squeeze, ii. 11/326.

Pyne, sb. sorrow, torment, pain, labour, iii. 209/240, 236/239 ; iv. 180/676 ; v. 1/6, 255/422.

P linen, v. to torment, vi. 107/ 3511.

Pynoun, sb. ensign, ii. 31/120.

Pyntrees, sb. pine-trees, vi. 41/ "1312.

Pypen, v. to pipe, ' pypen in an ivy beef,' to be engaged in any use- less employment, ii. 57/980.

Quad, quade, adj. evil, bad, iii.

121/4. Quaile-pipe, sb. a pipe used to

call quails, vi. 221/7216. Qnakke, sb. an inarticulate noise

caused by an obstruction in the

throat, ii. 129/232. Qualm, sb. sickness, croaking (of

a raven), ii. 62/1156 ; v. 16/382. Quappe, v. to quiver, quake, iv.

227/8. Quarel, sb. square-headed arrow,

vi. 56/1823. Quayre, sb. a quire of paper, a

book, vi. 259/674. Quelle, v. to kill, destroy, iv. 302/

18. Queme, quemen, v. to please, iv.

185/803; v. 29/695; vi. 221/

7270. Quenche, quenchen, v. to quench,

iv. 268/1009, 320/183. Queue, sb. queen, v. 282/213. Queue, sb. harlot, vi. 214/7034. Queinte, queyent, queynte, adj.

strange, pretty, gay, trim

decked, ii. 72/1475, 111/419,

221/516; iii. 1/18 ; iv. 79/

123, 80/136 ; v. 171/530, 267/

835 ; vi. 3/65, 4/98, 19/610,

44/1435.

Queynt, queynte, v. quenched, ii.

72/1476, 1478 ; iv. 312/285. Queunte, sb. pudenda muliebra,

ii.' 101/90, 219/444. Queynte, p.p. quenched, iv. 358/

1402 ; v. 23/543. Queyntely, quentelych, adv. pret- tily, neatly, gaily, v. 18/569,

24/783, 267/833. Queyntise, sb. trimness, neatness,

cunning, iii. 329/17; vi. 26/

840. Queme, sb. a band-mill, iii. 204/

84; 264/708. Querrour, sb. one that works in

a stone quarry. Quest, sb. inquest, judicial in- quiry, ii. 166/786. Questemonger, sb. a packer of

juries or inquests, iii. 336/18. Que the, v. to say, declare, vi.

213/7001. Quick, adj. alive, ii. 32/157. Quiken, v. to quicken, kindle, iii. • 318/13. Quirboily, sb. tanned leather, iii.

136/164. Quod, v. said, v. 290/454. Quoke, quook, v. quaked, iv. 228/

44; v. 2/36, 111/847. Quook, v. shook, ii. 49/718. Quyk, adj. quick, ii. 10/306.

Quyke v. to kindle, quicken, light up, ii. 72/1477; iii. 11/ 322 ; iv. 244/135.

Quyk, Quyke, adj. living, alive, iii. 20/600; v. 158/121.

Quykken, v. to quicken, iv. 325/ 603.

Qu yn yble, sb. apart sung or played a fifth above the air, ii. 103/ 146.

Quysshen, sb. cushion, iv. 203/ 1229, 264/915.

Quyitroun, sb. a beggar or scul- lion, vi. 28/886.

326

GLOSSARY.

Quyt, quytt, v. requited, repaid,

iv. 163/242. Quyte, quyten, v. to requite, iv.

12/326.

Quyte, adj. ' o/ quyte,' wholly free, iv. '2G6/770.

Quyte, v. to pay for, release, re- pay, requite, ii. 115/558 ; v. 205/266, 229/162, 291/494.

Quyte, quytelu, adj. free, ii. 56/ 934 ; vi. 178/58 46, 180/5907.

Qua I me, sb. destruction, v. 269/ 878.

Ba, sb. roe, deer, ii. 1277166.

Hade, rultle, adj. hasty, rash, iii. 257/174,259/235; iv. 242/380, 283/1388, 291/1581, 292/1593.

Bacleuesse, sb. rashness, iii. 258/ 179.

Bacyne, sb. root, vi. 149/4884.

Badevore, sb. striped stuff tapes- try, v.'349/126t

Bud'de, v. read, iv. 197/1085.

Badde, v. advised, iv. 70/579.

Bajies, plays with dice, ii. 336/2.

Baft, v. bereft, v. 52/1258.

Bagerie, sb. wantonness, ii. 220/ 455.

Baled, araied, v. arrayed, iv. 28/ 819,318/432.

Bakes-stele, sb. handle of a rake, ii. 235/93.

Bahel, adj. hasty, rash, incon- siderate, iv. 151/1067.

B.ahet, sb. the game of racket, iv. 318/432.

Bamage, rammyssh, adj. wild, rank, iii. 56/334 ; vi. 164/5387.

Bampe, v. to ramp, rear, also to rage, iii. 198/16.

Bapc, adv. quickly, vi. 198/6518.

Bape, v. seize, iii. 72 411.

Bapely, raply, adv. quickly, ii. 146/219, 154/424.

Base, v. to depart, iv. 30/868.

Bathe, adv. quickly, soon, ii. 116/

580; iii. 110/99 ; iv. 197/1088,

308/177; v. 39/937. Bather, adj. former, earlier, ii.

350/1058; iv. 279/1288. Battis, sb. rats, ii. 102/392. Bought, raughte, raughien, v.

readied, turned, ii. 90/2057 ;

iii. 131/20; iv. 171/447 ; v. 42/

1018; vi. 32/1022 Baunsoun, sb. ransom, ii. 3P/347. Baveyn, sb. rapine, ii. 336/3. Ravine, sb. rapine, prey, iv. 62/

323. Bavysable, adj. greedy, vi. 214/

7018. Bavysshen, v. to ravish, iv. 326/

609, 615 ; v. 37/895. Bayed, adj. streaked, striped, v.

162/252'. Bayhyng (for raylyng), v. orna- menting ; some iMSS. read

naylyng, ii. 77/1615. ! Bay led, adj. decked, iv. 186/820. i Real, adj. royal, ii. 32/160, 286/

71 ; iii. 286/71 ; iv. 287/1485,

368/1639 ; v. 76/1844. Beally, rlally, adv. royally, ii.

13/378, 286/71, 308/17. Bealme, sb. kingdom, v. 93/250. Bear, v. raised, v. 107/712. Bebaudrye, sb. ribaldry, vi. 68/

2224. Becche, v. to care for, reck, ii.

69/1387, 70/1399; iii. 44/439;

iv. 199/1151, 359/1419. Becchetes, adj. reckless, careless,

ii. 293/40 ; v. 229/160. Beceyven, v. to receive, iv. 231/97. Pwchased, v. a term in hunting,

v. 166/379. Becomf'orte, v. to comfort, iii. 185/

27;' v. 58/1395, 126/1317. Becreaundise, sb. fear, cowardice,

vi. 65/2107. Becreuunt, sb. one who yields to

his enemy in single combat, iv.

141/1814.

GLOSSARY.

327

Recure, sb. recovery, vi. 259/681. Recured, v. recovered, vi. 258/

651. Red, rede, sb. advice, iv. 222/

1698 ; v. 14/327. Redde, p. p. read, advised, inter- preted, v. 31/737, 162/224,228,

163/281. Rede, v. to explain, advise, inter- pret, ii. 321/117; v. 53/1281,

163/279, 208/343. Redemption, sb. ransom, iv. 304/

80. Redoutingf sb. reverence, ii. 163/

1192. Redressen, v. to redress, right, iv.

192/969. Reed, reede, adj. red, ii. 10/294,

18/556, 129/230. Reeft, sb. a rift, fissure, vi. 81/

2661. Rees, sb. a rush, run, ii. 158/547 ;

iv. 314/322. Reeve, sb. a steward or bailiff, ii.

17/542,19/587, 599, 20/612. Refigurynge, v. calling to mind,

V. 20/473. Refreyde, refreyden, v. to grow

cool, iv. 207/i343. Refreyne, refreynynge, sb.refrain,

iv. 217/1571 ; vi. 23/749. Reft, v. bereft, v. 52/1260. Rej'ut, refute, refuyt, sb. refuge,

ii. 186/448, 196/754; iii. 31/

75 ; iv. 266/965 ; v. 78/b. Reherce, rehercen, v. to repeat, v.

278/73, 293/574. Rehersynges, sb. rehearsal, v.

277/24. Rehete, v. to cheer, entertain, vi.

198/651. Reighte, v. reached, v. 251/284. Rejoysse, v. to rejoice, v. 48/1165. Rejoysyng, sb. rejoicing, joy, vi.

166/5455. Rekene, v. to count, v. 168/436

437.

Rehke, v. to care for, v. 206/306,

287/365. Rekke, sb. assemblv, company,

ii. 169/881. Rehyes, sb. fresh set of hound',

v. 166/362. Religiouse, adj. belonging to a

religious order, iv. 183/759. Remenaunte, sb. remnant, ii. 23/

724 ; iv. 356/1348. Remeu-e, v. to remove, iii. 10/265 . Remorde, v. to cause remorse,

afflict, iv. 360/1463. Remuablr, adj. changeable, iv.

368/1651. Remue, v. to remove, iv. 136/691. Remys, sb. realms, iii. 238/316. Renubly, adv. reasonably, ii.252/

211. Reneye, v. to renounce, abjure,

iii." 37/268, 42/448, 219/571. Reneying, sb. renouncing, deny- ing, iii. 336/4. Renne, renuen, v. to run, iii. 72/

411 ; iv. 21/485, 28/656. Rennynge, sb. running, v. 160/

161. Renove'daunce, sb. renewal, v.

230/185. Renovele, renovclen, v. to renew,

iii. 195/21, 362/24 Reparations, sb. returns, v. 230/

180. Repeire, v. to repair v. 76/1851. Repression, sb. the power of re- pressing, iv. 267/989. Repreie, sb. reproof, iv. 199/1140. Requercn, v. to require, v. 67/

1613. Rere, v. to raise, v. 100/470. Reseaille, sb. the mob, v. 77/

1867. Rcseous, sb. rescue, deliverance,

ii. 81/1785; iv. 275/1193; vi.

206/6751. Rescowe,v. to rescue, i v. 260/808 ;

y. 10/231,291/515.

A A

328

GLOSSARY.

Resemblable, adj. alike, tj. 31/985. Resteles, adj. restless, without

rest, iv. 289/1535. Restoren, v. to restore, iv. 355/

1320. Restreyne, restryne, v. to restrain,

iv. 242/379, 338/912. Resseyve, resseyven, v. to receive,

vi. 192/6314, 6316. Ret, v, advises, iv. 169/413. Retenu, sb. retinue, ii. 248/57. Rethor, sb. an orator, iii. 240/

387. Retourne, v. to return, iv. 285/

1434,341/975. Retoumirnge, v. turning over,

v. 43/1023. Rette, v. ascribe, ii. 23/726. Reues, or reyes, sb. a kind of

dance, v. 247/146. ReuJ'ully, adv. mournfully, sor- rowfully, iv. 227/16. Reule, v. to rule, iii. 314/15. Reuthe, sb. pity, ii. 296/131. Reve, v. to bereave, iii. 292/4 ;

iv. 220/1659; vi. 191/6257. Revel, sb. sport, festivity, ii. 112/

466. ReveUnir, sb. a reveller, ii. 137/

27. Revelrie, sb. pleasure, v. 16/366. Reveling, adj. wrinkled, vi. 221/

7262. Reveste, v. to reclotbe, iv. 239/

305. Revoke, v. to recall (to life), iv.

270/1069. Reuardej sb. regard, v. 72/1750,

288/399. Reive, sb. row, order, ii. 88/2008. Reive, reiven, v. to have pity on,

to be compassionate, ii. 73/

1524, 104/176, 107/276, 168/

867, 196/756, 311/112 ; iv. 304/

70, 76 ; v. 11/260, 260/602. _ Rewthe, sb. pity, ii. 156/508 ; iv.

230/73 ; v. 314/324, 315/332.

Rewtheles, adj. pitiless, ii. 196/

765. Reyced, v. ridden, ii. 88/2008. Re'yne, sb. rain, ii. 16/492, 19/

595. Reyne, sb. sovereignty, iii. 2/27. Reysen, v. to raise, ii. 249/92. Reyve, v. bereave, iv. 12/331. Rialle, adj. royal, regal, v. 83/s. Rially, adv. royally, ii. 13/378,

58/1026. Ribaned, adj. bordered, vi. 145/

4755. Ribaniinges, sb. borders, welts, vi.

33/i077, 145/4755. Ribaude, sb. a profligate charac- ter, vi. 173/5676, 5677. Ribibe, a musical instrument, an

old woman, ii. 248/79. Richeliche, adv. richly, ii. 313/

192. Richesse, sb. riches, wealth, ii.

240/262. Ridled, v. perforated, vi. 38/1235. Riede, sb. reed, v. 246/131. Rigge, sb. 'rigge-bon,' back-bone,

ii. 157/537, 163/712. Rikne, v. to reckon, ii. 13/401. Ris, v. imp. rise, iv. 191/944. Ris, rys, sb. branches, twigs, ii.

103/138 ; vi. 32/1015. Rist, v. rises, iv. 347/1135. Rite, rit, v. rides, v. 3/60. Rivuge, sb. shore, v. 133/1541. Robben, v. to rob, vi. 173/5689. Robus, sb. robes, ii. 10/296. Roche, sb. rock, iv. 286/1448. Rochette, sb. rochet, loose frock,

vi. 145/4757. Rod, rode, v. rode, departed, v.

26/607, 27/653. Rody, adj. ruddy, iii. 76/33 ; v.

159/143, 182/904. Rogge, v. to shake, v. 360/149. Roghte, v. cared, recked, v. 162/

244, 294/26. Roial, adj. royal, v. 198/68.

GLOSSARY.

329

Roigrtous, adj. scabby, shabby,

rough, vi. 189/6193. Rokes, sb. rooks, v. -255/426. Roket, sb. a rochet or loose frock,

vi. '38/1240, 1242, 1213. Rokyng, sb. shaking, trembling,

vi. 59/1906. Rom, adj. roomy, spacious, ii.

128/206. Rombel, sb. a rumbling noise, ii.

309/59. Rombien, v. to rumble, v. 314/

293. Rome, sb. room, space, v. 133/

1567. Rome, romen, v. to walk about,

roam, ii. 187/460 ; v. 168/443,

248/203, 271/945. Rammer, adj. more roomy, ii.

129/225. Romynge, sb. walking, iv. 175/

555/222/1704. Ro>t, ronne, ronnen, v. ran, iv.

251/591, 252/628; v. 141/

1813, 160/163 ; vi. 10/320. _ Rong, range, rongen, v. rang, iv.

295/1676 ; v. 145/1950, ^190/

1163. Rood, v. rode, ii. 11/328, 13/390,

17/541, 20/622,21/669, 22/682. Ttoode-bem, sb. rood-beam, cross,

ii. 221/496. Roof, v. tore, pierced, v. 296/

82. Roos, sb. rose, iv. 206/1302 ; 61/

1480. Roote, sb. rote, iii. 11/327. Rapen, v. reaped, v. 27 K, ; I. Rore, sb. uproar, v. 3/45. Rare, v. to roar, iv. 315/31.'). llosalgar, resalgar, sb.red arsenic,

iii. 54/261. Rosen, adj. rosy, vi. 258/656. Roser, sb. rose-bush, iii. 343/17. Roste, v. roast, ii. 13/383. Rote, sb. a musical instrument,

ii. 8/236.

Roten, p. p. rotten, iii. 269/13. Rather, sb. rudder, v. 128/1379. Ron ghte, v. cared, ii. 299/76; iii.

244/520 ; iv. 211/1428. Rouke, v. to lie close, huddle, ii.

41/450. Route, v. to gad about, ii. 226

653. Roitne, rouned, rounen, v. to

whisper, iii. 56/341, 134/124 ;

v. 231/214, 240/522. Rouncy, sb. horse, ii. 13/390. Rounded, v. raised, v. 271/954. Roundel, roundelle,sh. roundelay,

a rhyme or sonnet that ends as

it begins ; ring, circle, iv. 74/

675 ; v. 233/283, 290, 289/423. Rounynges, sb. whispering, talk- ing, v. 268/870. Route, sb. company, assembly,

iv. 178/620 ; vi. 28/909. Route, v. bowl, snore, roar, ii.

112/461 ; iv. 255/694; v. 160/

172, 240/530. Route, v. go about openly, ii.

186/442. Rauthe, sb. pity, grief, sorrow, ii.

29/56, 186/431, 306/109; iii.

18/525; v. 296/90, 309/138,

316/386, 317/420. Routheles, adj. pitiless, v. 2047

233. Rove, sb. roof, v. 268/858. Row, rowe, adj. and adv. rough,

sternly, angrily, iii. 55/308 ; iv.

7/197; v. 109/774. Roue, sb. line of writing, v. 222/

458. Roue, sb. ' by rowe,' in order,

iv. 192/970. Rouel-boan, sb. ruel-bone,

rounded bone, iii. 136-167. Routs, sb. rays, streaks, vi. 260/2. Rowne, v. to whisper, ii. 237

165, 315/886, 361/208 ; iv. 248

519, 324/559. Route, rowtyngj sb. noise, Bnor-

330

GLOSSARY.

ing, ii. 130/246, 149/285; v.

268/843. Roiuthe, sb. pity, ii. 75/1561 ; v.

169/446. Royne, sb. sore, scab, vi. 18/553. Roytwus, adj. rough, scabby, vi.

31/988. Rubible, sb. a musical instrument,

ii. 103/145, 137/32. Ruddok, sb. robin red-breast, iv.

63/349. Rugvy, adj. rough, rugged, ii.

89/2025. Rused, v. made a feint, v. 166/

381. Ruth, sb. pity, v. 89/116.^ Ruyne, sb. ruin, iv. 315/35y ; v.

269/884. Ryal, adj. royal, ii. 47/639. Uyalter, adj. royaller, ii. 182/304. Ryban, sb. riband, v. 249/228. %ci/<?c/,adj. perforated, or plaited,

vi. 38/1243. Ryf, v. rive, split, iii. 101/366. Ryghtful, adj. righteous, v.83/n. Ryghiwis, adj. righteous, v. 287/

o7o. Rynde, sb. rind, iv. 179/642. Ryshe, sb. ' a ryshe ' at a rush

"(reed), iv. 272/1112. Ryste, v. rises, iv. 309/204. Ryt, v. rides, ii. 31/116, 123 ; iii.

47/55. Ryve, v. to tear, split, pierce, v.

65/1573; vi. 164/5396. Ryvere, sb. hawking at water- fowl, ii. 233 '28 ; iv. 316/385.

Saad, sad, adj, staid, sober, sor- rowful, ii. 309/64, 311/109.

Sacked freers, sb. friars wearing a coarse upper garment called succus, vi. 227/7462.

Sucre, sb. a sacred solemnity, iv. 151/3037.

Sadly, adv. steadily, carefully, strongly, ii. 30/1744, 192/646.

Sadnesse, sb. gravity, steadiness,

ii. 292/4. Saillouris, sb. dancers, vi. 24/770. Saine, v. to say, v. 93/242. Saistnw, v, sayest thou, ii. 215/

292, 302, 345/881. Salad, sb. helmet, v. 133/1556. Salowe, salewe, salue, saluen, sa-

luwe, v. to salute, iii. 19/574,

124/81 ; iv. 194/1016, 297/

1736 ; vi. 226/7431. Saluynges, sb. salutations, greet- ings, iv. 216/1568. Salwe, salwen, v. to salute, iv. 204/

1257 ; v. 285/315. Salues, sb. sallows, ii. 226/655. Samct, samette, sb. a rich silk,

vi. 26/836, 27/873. Sungwyn, adj. of a blood-red

colour, sanguine, ii. 11/333,

14/439. Sarlynysh, adj. for ' sarsynysh,'

sarcenet, a sort of fine silk used

for veils, vi. 37/1188. Sate, v. ' sate me,' became me, v.

192/1219. Satury, sb. satyrs, iv. 363/1516. Sauf, prep, except, ii. 22/683. Saujiy, adv. safely, ii. 305/86; iv.

354/1292. Saugh, sauh, v. saw, ii. 7/193,

195/750 ; iv. 234/192; v. 68/

1646, 273/U318. Suvucioun, sb. salvation, iv. 168/

381, 356/1354. Sure, conj. except, v. 277/36. Saveren, v. to delight in, iii.

339/8. Saverous, adj. sweet, pleasant,

vi. 86/2823. Suvete, sb. safety, vi. 209/6871. Saw, sawe, sb. word, saying, ii.

47/667 ; iii. 8/216, 50/138 ; iv.

357/1367; v. 2/38. Sawe, v. sown, iv. 123/385. Sawcefiem, sb. pimple, scab, ii

20/625.

GLOSSARY.

331

Saudan, sb. sultan, ii. 180/225. Saugli, saivh, v. saw, ii. 195/74? ;

v. 170/499, 180/847. Saws, sb. sauce, iii. 229/14. Sauier, sawtrie, sb. psalter, ii. 10/

296, 99/27, 102/119 ; vi. 224/

7371. Saictes, sb. assaults, vi. 650/418. Sai/nd = seand, v. singed, iii.

229/25. Scabbe, sb. scab, vi. 18/553. Scantilone, sb. scantling, pattern,

vi. 215/7066. Scapen, v. escape, v. 38/908. Scarce, adj. stingy, niggardly,

vi. 174/5701. Scarmich, scarmyche, sb. skirmish,

battle, encounter, iv. 177/611,

191/934; v. 63/1521. Scathe, sb. barm. iv. 308/179. Scalhles, adj. without harm, vi.

48/1550. Schaj't, sb. arrow, ii. 43/504. Scliattow, v. shalt thou, ii. 110/

389, 295/112, 325/242, 337 j

627. Schapen, v. formed, iv. 283/1381. Schaply, adv. shapely, fit, ii. 12/

372:

Schaice, sb. wood, grove, ii. 161/

608, 163/696, 166/788. Schcene, adj. bright, ii. 34/210. Scheldes, sb. French coins called

ecus, iii. 117/331. Sclienchith, v. pours out, ii. 332/

478. Schende, schenden, v. to ruin, de- stroy, ii. 217/376, 377. Schendful, adj. destructive, iii.

85/4. Schendschip, sb.ruin, punishment,

iii. 281/14. Schene, adj. bright, ii. 31/114;

iii. 11/317. Schent, schente v. destroyed, iii.

229/21, 342/14. Scheie, v. to cut, iii. 203/66.

Schette, schetten,v. shut, ii. 112/

458; iii. 44/517. Schilde, v. to shield or ward off",

iii. 112/166; iv. 191/10J9. Schipman, sb. sailor, ii. 13/388,

121/50. Schipne, stable, ii. 62/1142. Schirreve, sb. sheriff, ii. 12/3516. Schitte, schitcn, v. shut, ii. 108/

313. Scliivere, sb. slice, ii. 263/132. Scholde, v. should, ii. 21/657. Schon, v. shone, ii. 7/198. Schonde, sb. harm, iii. 137/197. Schoo, sb. shoe,ii. 9/253, 15/457. Schood, sb. hair of a man's head,

102/130. Schoon, sb. shoes, ii. 148/269. Schoap, v. formed, ii. 306/119, f 307/8.

Schop, shape, v. shaped, made, de- vised, planned, ii. 284/2, 342/ 780; iii. 4/81, 66/217. Schortliche, adv. shortly, iii. 8/

207. Scliot, adj. projecting, ii. 114/509. Schoten, v. shot, iv. 121/325. Schredde, v. clothed, dressed, ii.

290/182. Schreice, v. to curae, to beshrew,

iv. 84/250. Schreice, shreice, sb. a wicked, perverse person, ii. 146/230 ; iii. 52/193, 57/364. Schrychunge, sb. shrieking, v.

16/382. Schulde, v. should, ii. 7/184, 9/

249,16/500,18/519. Schuldres,v. shoulders, ii. 22/678. Schyue, sb. shin, ii. 13/386. Sclaunder, sb. slander, v. 136/

1668. Sclave, sb. s'ave, iv. 241/342. Sclender, adj. slender, ii. 229/13. Scochouns, sb. escutcheons, vi.

28/89 !. Sedan, v. to attend school, learn, ii. '10/302.

332

GLOSSARY.

Score, sb. breach, vi. 81/2660. Scornen, v. to scorn, v. 41/982. Scripture, sb. inscription, iv.

281/1320. Scrit, sb. scroll, scrip, iv. 199/

1130. Scrlppes, sb. bags, v. 273/1033. Scryvenyssh, scrivener-like, iv.

194/1026. Seche, v. to seek, v. 193/1254. Secree, adj. secret, iv. 237/263. Secre, sb. secret, ii. 203/63. Secche, seeken, v. to seek, ii. 16/

510; v. 121/1174. Seeke, adj. sick, ii. 2/18. Seely, adj. s^ood, simple, harm- less, ii. 111/415, 228/730,354/ 5 ; iii. 62/65. Sees, sb. seats, v. 246/120. Seignurie, sb. power, vi. 98/3213. Seine, v. say, pret. seide, ii. 7/

183/, 22/696; v. 112/880. Sent, v. saist, iv. 318/421. Seistow. v. seest thou, ii. 35/267,

214/273; v. 48/1161. Sekenesne, sb. sickness, v. 269/

876. Seker, certain, iv. 262/872. Sekertoiv, seekest thou, iv. 284/

1406. Sekir, adj. secure, iii. 169/4. Sekty, adv. sickly, ii. 297/16. Selde, selden, adv. seldom, vi. 207/

6802. Seles, sb. seals, iv. 284/1413. Selle, sb. cell, ii. 43/518. Selle, sb. door-sill, threshold, ii.

118/634. Sehe, adj. same, iv. 350/1212. Set ii, adj. joyful, happy, ii. 106/ 237, 210/132 ; iv. 273/1142 ; v. 45/1093, 312/232, 315/329. Selynesse, sb. joy, bliss, happi- ness, iv. 258/764, 776, 259/782. Sembluble, adj. like, ii. 326/256 ;

vi. 180/5914. Semblaunce, sb. resemblance, vi. 145.

Semblaunt, sb. countenance, ii. 307/144 ; vi. 5/152, 27/863.

Semelyhede, sb. seemliness, come- liness, 24/778, 35/1130.

Semycope, sb. a half cloak, ii. 9/ 62.

Semynge, appearance 'besetnynge,' apparently, iv. 119/284 ; v. 183/943.

Semysoun sb. a low or broken sound, ii. 114/511.

Sen, v. to see, iv. 268/1014.

Sendal, sb. a thin silk, ii. 14/440.

Senful, adj. sinful, ii. 17/516.

Senge, v. to singe, ii. 216/349.

Septemtrioun, sb. the north, iii. 216/477.

Sepulture, sb. burial, iv. 313/ 299 ; v. 13/299.

Sercte, sb. circle, v. 233/283, 286.

Sereyns, sb. mermaids, syrens, vi. 21/680, 682.

Sergeant-of-lawe (serviens ad le- gem), so called from his Laving been originally a servant of the king in his law business, ii. 10/ 309".

Sergeaunt, sb. a squire, an attend- ant upon a prince or nobleman, ii. 299/64.

Serke, sb. shirt, ii. 148/259.

Sermon, sb. discourse, iv. 192/ 965 ; vi. 189/6223.

Servage, sb. service, v. 178/768.

Scrvand, sb. servant, v. 135/ 1629.

Servise, sb. service, v. 164/302

Serye, sb. series, ii. 94/2209.

Sesed, v. possessed of, iv. 213/ 396.

Sessions, sb. sittings, ii. 12/355.

Sestow, v. seest thou, iv. 226/46 ; v. 63/1536.

Setewale, sb. the herb valerian, vi. 42/1370.

Seth, sethe, v. sees, ii. 13/383 ; v. 49/1183.

GLOSSARY.

333

Sethe, (p. seth), v. to boil, ii. 13/

383. Seththen, adv. since, subsequent,

ii. 141/76 ; iii. 2/26. Senr, adj. sure, iv. 291/1584,

317/393. Settlement, sb. security, surety,

iii. 26/790. Seurere, adj. the surer, vi. 182/

5961. Seurte, sb. surety, security, iv.

186/833,293/1629. Sewe, v. to follow, iii. 176/18 ;

v. 234/332. Set/, seyh,v. saw, ii. 149/299 ; iv.

204/1265. Seyestoiv, v. sayest thou, v. 53/

1291. Seygh, v. saw, iv. 199/1144. &y/, sb. sail, ii. 22/696. Seynt, sb. girdle, ii. 11/329. Seystow, v. sayest thou, ii. 173/

12. Shadde, v. fell in drops, iii. 225/

740. Shadewe, sb. shadow, v. 168/426. Shadued, adj. shaded, iv. 186/

821. Shaft, sb. arrow, vi. 30/973. Skal, owe, iv. 257/742. Shale, sb. shell, v. 248/191. Shalighte, she alighted, v. 8/189. Shalmyes, sb. shawms, v. 246/

128. Shalthou, shalthoic, v. shalt thou,

v. 2/28, 293/567. __ Shames, adj. shameful, ii. 352/

1131. Simp, shappe, sb. form, shape, iv.

180/662 ; vi. 39/1276. Shape, shappen, v. to plan, devise,

order, iv. 208/1362, 326/624,

353/1274; v. 204/246. Shapen,v. ordained, iv. 255/685. Sltawe, wood, grove, i v. 254/671. Shene, v. to shine, iv. 4/81. Sheue, theene, adj. shining, sheen,

bright, iv. 301/10, 350/1211,

358/1404; v. 12/276, 197/41,

198/76. Shende, shenden, v. to ruin, spoil.

destroy, iv. 177/590; v. 53;

1274; vi. 162/5313. Shent, y. ruined destroyed, v.

296/73 ; vi. 51/1658, 106/

3479, 192/6305, 279/32. Shepnes, sb. stables, sheepfolds,

ii. 232/15. Shere, v. to shave, vi. 189/6199. Sheris, sb. shears, iii. 296/31. Sherte, sb. shirt, v. 288/285 ; vi.

252/489. Sheryng, adj. cutting, v. 296/62. Shet, shete, shelte, v. closed, shut,

enclosed, iv. 197/1090, 251/

677, 255/700, 268/1007, 289/

1521 ; v. 23/534 ; vi. 34/1082,

41/1341. Shete, v. to shoot, v. 295/56 ; vi.

31/989, Shethe, sb. sheath, iv. 348/1157. Sheter, sb. shooter, iv. 57/180. Sheves, sb. sheaves, v. 274/1050. Sheueit, v. shown, v. 137/1700. Shitde, v. to shield, iv. 307/160. Shipe, sb. pay, reward, iii. 31 1/26. Shipmen, sb. sailors, v. 273/1032. Shit,shitte, v. shut, iv. 28/792:

v. 108/738. Sho, pro. she, v. 64/1545. Shade, v. shod, vi. 26/842. Shof, v. shoved, iv. 245/438 ; vi.

17/531, Shoke, shok, v. shook, v. 109/781. Sholdestow, v. shouldest thou, v.

15/351. Shoan, v. shone, v. 249/225 ; vi.

34/1109. Shoon, sb. shoes, vi. 26/8 13. Sltoop, v. prepared, got ready, v

295/46. Shope, v.=shop, purposed, dis- posed, iv. 247/502, 339/927. Shoten, v. shot, vi. 30/959. Sltotes, sb. arrows, darts, iv. 155/

58.

334

GLOSSARY.

ShoureSf sb.=$tourcs, conflicts,

strife, vi. 142/4658. Shrewes, sb. wicked beings, v.

265/740, 762/743. Shrewde, adj. wicked, v. 258/

529. Slucicrdenesse, sb. wickedness, iv.

188/858 ; v. 258/537, 265/163. Shright, shrighte, v. shrieked, ii.

87/1959 ; v. 104/595. Shright, sb. shrieking, iv. 346/

1119. Shroude, v. to hide, vi. 240/147. Shroude, sb. shroud, covering, vi.

3/64. Shrouded, v. clothed, vi. 2/55. Shryke, v. to shriek, iv. 40/11 19. Shul, v. pi. shall, iv. 325/598;

v. 259/544, 260/577. Shuldres, shuldris, shuldres, sb.

shoulders, iv. 221/1671; v.

252/320 ; vi. 26/825. Shullen, v. pi. shall, iv. '252/611. Shynful==shyndful, adj. disgrace- ful, shameful, vi. 9/259. Sib, sibbe, sb. related, allied, iii.

169/6, 7. Sich, siche, adj. such, vi. 3/76,

181/5942. Sicladoun, or siclatoun, a kind of

rich stuff", iii. 131/23. Sigge, v. to say, iv. 308/166. Sighte, v. sighed, iv. 285/1422,

269/1031 ; v. 3/58, 68/1646 ;

vi. 54/1746. Signifer, sb. the Zodiack, y. 42/

1020. Signifiaiaice, sb. significance,

meaning, vi. 1/16, 31/995. Sik, sike, sb. sigh, iii. 6/136 ;

iv. 215/1529, 286/1444, 315/

347 ; v. 66/1607. Sike, v. to sigh, ii. 111/433, 295/

97, 339/696 ; iii. 10/278, 27/

846; iv. 66/1 607, 217/1573,

313/309, 349/1185; vi. 316/

367.

Sike, adj. sick, ii. 8/245 ; iv. 214/

1516, 217/1572 ; vi. 42/1358. Siker, adj. sure, certain, ii. 94/

2191. Sikerlii, adv. securely, ii. 113/

487 ; iv. 255/697, 326/624 ;

v. 268/840 ; vi. 132/4342. Sikernesse, sb. security, ii. 183/ . 327, 321/111 ; iii. 267/13 ; iv.

265/933; yi. 63/2065, 179/5865. Sikerest, adj. securest, vi. 187/

6150. Sikirlik, adv. truly, ii. 121/37. Sikliche, adv. sickly, ill, iv. 215/

1528,215/1543. Siki/n, v. to sicken, iii. 277/6. Siliuble, sb. syllable, v. 242/8. Sis, sb. the cast of six, the highest

cast upon a die, iii. 222/671. Siser, sb. cider, iii. 203/65. Sisoure, sb. scissors, v. 230/182. Sistren, sb. sisters, ii. 32/161. Sit, sitt, v. sitteth, ii. 112/455. Sith, adv. afterwards, since, ii.

289/153, 314/211 ; v. 204/225 ;

vi. 191/6269. Sithe, sb. scythe, v. 296/67. Sithes, sb. times, ii. 16/485, 205/

1057. Siththen, adv. since then, after- wards, ii. 81/1759, 157/524

169/894, 898, 219/436, 441 ; v.

82/p. Sittande, adj. stitting, befitting,

vi. 69/2263.

Sitle

v. to sit, n. 12/370 ; iv.

342/998. Sittynge, adj. befitting, becoming, ^ iv. 317/409 ; vi. 31/986. Skaffault, sb. scaffold, vi. 127/

4176. Skulled, adj. scabby, ii. 20/627. Skant, adj. niggardly, v. 85/y. Skarslij, adv. scarcely, hardly, v.

163/284. Skath, skathe, sb. harm, hurt ;

adj unfortunate, ii. 15/446,

156/4S8 ; vi. 230/7567.

GLOSSARY.

335

Sheet, adv. quickly, ii. 145/187.

Sidle, skille, sb. reason, ii. 361/

197: iii. 196 '28; v. 231/218,

232/242, 235/359 ; vi. 95/3120,

162/5305.

Sidle, skyl, adj. reasonable, ii.

191/610 ; iv'. 251/597. Skilful, adj. reasonable, iv. 236/

238; v. 200/131. Skilfully, adv. reasonably, iv.

351/1237. Skipen, v. to skip, iv. 253/641. Sklendre, adj. slender, ii. 19/587. Skorne, sb. scorn, contempt, v.

207/308. Skorne, v. to scorn, v. 174/624. Skorned, adj. scorned, v. 183/

926. Skryppe, sb. scrip, vi. 225/7405. Skye, sb. cloud, v. 258/510. Stu=sle, v. to slay, iv. 278/1252. Slake, v. to slacken, abate, ii.

300/96, 303/18 ; vi. 10/317. Slane, v. slay, iv. 180/665, 348/

1158. Slauc, v. slain, iv. 254/1200, 350/

1200. Sle, slea, sice, sleen, v. to slay, ii.

21/661, 81/1775 ; iv. 321/394,

337/891 ; v. 92/198, 153/3112,

206/291, 317/396. Sleght, sleight, sb. craft, device,

contrivance, ii. 19/601; iv.

214/1512, 359/1431,1433; v.

32/773, 200/128, 299/29. Sleighe, adj. crafty, ii. 99/15; iv.

339/94 t. Sleigh ty, sleighely, adv. prudently,

craftily, ii. 45/586; iv. 201/

1185 ; v. 4/83. Men, v. to slav, put an end to,

ii. 198/8 12, '311/138 ; iv. 208/

1358, 351/1239. Slepe,slep, v. slept, v. 160/169,

201/140. Slepen, v. to sleep, iv. 190/913,

251/608.

Slepistow, v. sleepest thou, ii.

130/249. Slepynge, sb. sleep, v. 162/230,

241,195/1327. Sleth, v. slays, ii 297/19. Sleye, adj. crafty, v. 198/51 Sleynge-stones, sb. slin^-stones,

iv. 191/941. Slider, slidre, adj. slippery ii.

40/406 ; v. 296/69. Sligh, adj. crafty, sly, vi. 192/

6320. '

Slik, adj. such, ii. 129/210. Slo, sb. sloe, vi. 29/928. Slo, slco, v. to slay, vi. 140/4592,

168/5524,171/5616. Sloggardye, sb. sloth, ii. 33/184. Slogh, v. slew, v. 177/726. Slombrestoxv, v. sleepest thou, iv.

137/730. Sloppis, sb. a kind of breeches,

iii. 297/14. Slottische, adj. sluggish, iii. 48/

83. Slough, v. slew, ii. 197/796; iv.

314/336 ; v. 75/1820, 177/732. Slough, adj. slow, iii. 181/30. Sloumberynges, sb. slumbers, v.

11/216". Slouth, sb. sloth, idleness, ii. 186/

432 ; iv. 261/847. Sluwe, sb. a moth. vi. 145/1751. Sh'ggy? acU- sluggish, iii. 326/26. Sluttishnesse, sb. sloth, iv. 17/

472. Slyd, v. slides, iv. 51/3. Slyde, v. to depart, v. 172/566. Slye, adj. sly, v. 172/569. Slyke, adj. sleek, vi. 17/512. Slyvere, sb. slice, iv. 266/964. Smale, smalish, adj. small, ii. 11/

329, 22/688 ; vi. 26/826. Sine !<l, v. smelt, v. 260/595. Smerte, adj. smart, severe, iii,

52/215; v. 170/506. Smerte, v. to smart, ii. 8/230, 17/

534; iv. 197/1097, 231/97; v.

6/132, 291/502.

336

GLOSSARY.

Smertly, adv. smartly, quickly,

ii. 147/247. Smitted, adj. smitten, v. 64/1558. Smocles, adj. without a smock, ii.

305/91. Smok, sb. a shirt, ii. 305/91, 102,

353/H49. Smoterlich, adj. dirty, ii. 123/43. Smylen, v. to smile, vi. 33/1056. Smyte, smi/ten, v. to smite, v.

195/1324, 288/393. Snawe, snowgh, sb. snow, v. 49/

1176 ; vi. 18/558. Snaued, snewed, v. snowed,

abounded, ii. 12/345 ; vi. 18/

558. Snowissh, adv. snow-like, iv.276/

1201. Snyhbe, v. to snub, rebuke, ii. 17/

523. Sobbes, sb. sobs. iv. 315/347. Sobrelich sobreliche, soburly, adv.

soberly, staidlv, thoughtfully,

ii. 10/289 ; iv."l79/648 ; v. 13/

293, 39/929, 49/1173. Socour, socourse, sb. succour, help,

iv. 208/1354 ; v. 84/x, 317/

416. Socoure, v. to succour, iv. 276/

1215; vi. 161/5272. Sodeinly, sodeynly, sodeynliche,

adv. suddenly, ii. 298/33; iv.

228/33, 239/307, 257/751, 264/

907 ; v. 11/254. Sodeyn, adj. sudden, vi. 167/

5473. Soferen, v. to suffer, iv. 148/978. Soget, sb. subject, iv. 1/9. Sojourne, v. to sojourn, iv. 285/

'1435 ; v. 20/483. Solan, sb. toll, ii. 124/67. Sohyngly, adv. suckingly, gently,

iii. 180/33. Solas, sb. solace, mirth, comfort,

ii. 103/149 ; iii. 4/74. Solemjme, adj. solemn, ii. 12/364 ;

v. 164/302.

Solempnely, adv. solemnly, ii. 9/ 274.

Soleyne, adj. single, unique, v. 185/981.

Som, somme, adv. some, ii. 20/ 640 ; v. 274/1058.

Somdele, somdelte, adj. somewhat, ii. 15/446 ; iii. 229/1 ; iv. 177/ 603 ; v. 312/258 ; vi. 6/169, 53/ 1708, 58/1890, 78/2536, 103/ 3390.

Some, same, adv. together. See ' atle and some,' iv. 249/558.

Somer, sb. summer, ii. 13/394 ; v. 281/170.

Somme, sb. company, ' tenthe somme,' a company often. (The phrase ' Jiftene som,' a company of fifteen, occurs in the Ro- mance of ' Guy of Warwick.') iv. 203/1249.

Sommes, sb. sums (of money), iv. 302/32.

Sompne, v. to summon, iii. 174/3.

Sompnonr, sb. the summoning of- ficer of an ecclesiastical court, ii. 17/543,20/603, 21/673._

Semwhat, adj. somewhat, ii. 9/ 264.

Sond, sb. sand, v. 147/2020, 230/ 183.

Sond, sb. message, ii. 193/662, 195/728 ; iv. 245/443 ; v. 128/ 1396.

Sonded, adj. sanded, iv. 186/822.

Sone, sb. son, ii. 11/336.

Son*e songeri, v. say, sung, ii. 23/ 711 ; v. 27/645, 190/1157,285/ 296.

Sonken, v. sunken, v. 196/8.

Sonne, sb. sun, iv. 270/1059 ; v. 283/230.

Sonne-hemes, sb, sunbeams, vi. 163/5348.

Sonner, adv. sooner, iv. 180/686 ; vi. 31/969.

Sonny sshe, adj. sunlike, golden, iv. 330/708, 333/788.

GLOSSARY,

337

Soofriste, v. to suffer, iv. 285/

1418. Soar, score, adj. sore, sorrowful,

iv. 273/1145, 338/916; v. 27/

639. Soote, soot, adj. sweet, iii. 36/229. Sooty, adj. covered with soot, iii.

229/12. Sop, sb. a piece of bread dipped

in any sort of liquor, ii. 11/

334. Soper, sb. supper, ii. 12/348; iv.

249/546 ; v. 22/518. Sophime, sb. a sophist, ii. 278/5. Sorceresses, sb. sorceresses, v. 247/

172. Sore, v. to soar, ii. 358/115. Sore-sanure, sb. a wound healed

outwardly only, iii. 13/385. Sormonnte, v. to surpass, vi. 21/

667. Sort, sb. lot, iv. 111/76, 304/88. Sorted, v. destined, allotted, v.

76/1841. Sonce, sorwynge, sb. sorrow, ii.

193/660; 'iv. 305/104; iv. 173/

605'. Sorwe, sorwen, v. to sorrow, ii.

82/1794 ; iv. 316/366 ; v. 14/

325. Sorwest, sb. sorrowest, iv. 326/

612. Sorivfid, adj. sorrowful, iv. 172/

463. Soricfullyche, adv. sorrowfully,

v. 68/1646. Sothe, sb. truth, ii. 10/283,284,

226/666; iii. 3/42; iv. 199/

v. 1137; v. 226/55. Sotlie-sawes, sb. true sayings, v. j

229/168 ; vi. 187/6128. Sothenes, sb. reality, iii. 37/261. Somer, adj. truer, iii. 35/214. Sothfaste, adj. true, iv. 367/1612 ;

vi. 168/5516. Sothfastnesse, sb. truthfulness,

iv. 344/1052 ; vi. 67/2171,

148/4848.

Sothln, adv. truly, ii. 15/468, 84/

1863, 113/484. Sotil, adj. subtle, ii. 33/196, 101/

89. Sotilly, adv. artfully, cunningly,

vi. 24/774, 37/1183. Soudan, sb. sultan, ii. 177/141. Soudiours, sb. soldiers, vi. 129/

4234. Soudit, v. joined to, iii. 126/127. Souked, p.p. sucked, ii. 292/2. Soules, sb. souls, ii. 10/301, 16/

510. Soul/re, sb. sulphur, v. 255/418. Soun, sb. sound, ii. 21/674; iv.

1 98/1118 ; v. 150/2133, 160/

162, 164/309, 264/712, 715. Sounde, v. to prove, v. 204/245. Sonne, v. to sound, v. 28/678. Sonne, sounen, v. to sound, to

tend to, incline towards, iii.

206/168, 369/15 ; iv. 282/1365,

368/1648. Souning, tending to, v. 87/50. Soupen, v. to sup, iv. 247/511. Souple, adj. supple, pliant, ii. 7/

203 ; iii. 217/510. Sonplen, v. to bend to, vi. 69/

2244. Sourden, sourde, v. to rise from,

come out of, iii. 300/3, 305/24. Sours, sb. source, v. 66/1604. Sours, sb. soaring, v. 225/36, 43. Southly, soothlu, truly, v. 126/

1326. Souwes, sb. sow's, ii. 18/556. Soveyren, adj. sovereign, su- preme, iv. 343/1042. Smvdan, sb. sultan, ii. 175/79,

88, 176/106. Sowdenesse, sowdones, sowdonesse,

sb. sultaness, ii. 181/274, 182/

307, 199/860. Somen, v. to sow, iii. 106/20. Sow ted, v. endowed with a soul,

iii. 39/329. Sonne, sownen, v. to sound, re- late, ii. 18/565 ; iv. 176/573.

333

GLOSSARY",

195/1031, 232/140; v. 24/530,

75/182?, 190/1165, 246/112,

26 1/735. Sownede, v. tended to, inclined to,

v. 149/2074. Sownen into goode, tend to good,

iv. 50/1036. Sowning = sicotcning, swooning1,

v. 102/20. Sownynge, v. sounding, relating,

ii. 9/257, 10/307 ; v. 183/925 ;

vi. 22/715. Sowres, sb. bucks in their fourth

year,v. 168/429. Smvter, sb. cobbler, ii. 121/50. Sowi/s, adv. as truly, indeed, iv.

175/563. Spak, v. spake, ii. 9/274, 10/305;

iv. 271/1081 ; v. 239/470. Span-newe, adj. quite new, bran

new, iv. 293/1616. Spannyshinge, sb. expansion, ex- panding, vi. 111/3633, Sparand, adj. saving, vi. 163/

5366. Spare, v. to save, ii. 7/192 ; vi.

171/5633, 5640. Sparhauk, sb. sparrow-hawk, iv.

273/1143. Sparre, sb. a wooden bar, ii. 31/

132. Sparred, v. barred, bolted, vi.

101/3320. Sparth, sb. battle-axe, ii.78/1662 ;

vi. 182/5981. Sparwe, sb. sparrow, ii. 20/626. Spede, sb. success, iv. 150/1043,

153/9. Spejde, v. sped, hurried, suc- ceed, iv. 127/482, 206/1303;

v. 282/200. Speere, sb. sphere, iii. 18/544. Spek, imp. speak, iv. 270/1063. Spetle, sb. tale, story, iii. 136/

182. Spence, sb. a store room, a cellar,

ii. 154/424.

Spere, sb. sphere, iv. 53/59, 60 ;

v. 28/656. Spered, v. fastened, bolted, v. 22/

531. Sperhauke, spcrharvk, sb. a spar- row-hawk, iv. 62/338. Sperma, sb. seed. iii. 202/19. Spele, v. to spit, iv. 218/1617. Spiced, adj. nice, scrupulous, ii.

17/526. Spices, sb. species, kinds, iii. 266/3. Spicerye, sb. spicery, v. 297/96. Spille, v. to spoil, to ruin, iv. 14/

385 ; v. 25/588 ; vi. 166/5444. Spille, v. to perish, ii. 101/92. Spire, sb. stake, iv. 207/1335. Spitous*r^despitous, adj. cruel, mer- ciless, vi. 30/979. Spitously, adv. angrily, spitefully,

ii. 107/290. Sponne, v. spun, iv. 255/685. Spores, sb. spurs, ii. 15/473 ; iv.

211/1427. Sporne, v. to stumble, iv. 185/797. Spousail, sb. espousal, ii. 283/

124. Spradde, v. spread, iv. 358/1394;

v. 197/43, 278/64. Spray, sb. twigs, iv. 78/77. Sprei/nde, v. sprinkled, iii. 127/

188. Sprynge, v. to grow, v. 277/38. Spryngoldesf sb. machines for

casting stones and arrows, vi.

128/4191. Squames, sb. scales, iii. 52/206. Sqnaymous, sqeamous, adj. loth,

disinclined, scrupulous, ii. 103/

151 ; iv. 12/332. Squiretes, squyrels, sb. squirrels, v.

168/431 ; vi. 43/1402. SquierUi, adv. squire-like, vi. 226/

7415". Squir-eth, v.escorteth, ii. 215/305. Squyre, sb. square, vi. 215/7066. Staule=staal, v. stole, v. 166/381. StabiLite, stablenesse, sb. stability,

vi. 165/5425, 168/5505.

GLOSSARY.

339

Staf-slynge, sb. a sling fixed to a

staff, iii. 131/113. Slaire, sb. ladder, steps, iv. 116/

215. Stak, v. stack, iv. 281/1323. Stater, v. to stagger, v. 360/126. Stal, v. stole, iv. 111/81. Stalke, v. to step slowly and

stealthily, iv. 174/519. Stalkes, sb. the upright pieces of

a ladder, ii. 112/339. Stamyn, sb. woollen cloth, iii.

365/21. Slant, stanle, v. stands, iv. 245/

447, 356/1358. Stare, v. to look after, iii. 43/

467; v. 46/1119. Stare, sb. starling, iv. 63/348. Starf, starfe, v. suffered, died,

ii. 30/75, 178/185 ; iii. 206/

145 ; iv. 171/449 ; v. 60/1546,

76/1858; vi. 45/1468. Stark, adj. stiff, stout, ii. 324/214. Sturlinges, sb. pence of sterling

money, iii. 104/445. Staves, sb. staffs, v. 202/187. Steele, sb. place of, v. 231/233,

258/538. Steere, sb. rudder, ii. 195/735. Steere, v. to devise, to move, rule,

iv. 262/861, 359/1423. Stelae, v. to fasten, confine, ii.

134/118. Stele, sb. handle. See Rakes

stele. Stele, v. to steal, to steal (out),

ii. 18/562 ; v. 31/752. Slelte, sb. steel, vi. 29/946. Stellifye, v. to transform into a

star, v. 227/78, 239/491, 292/

525. Stemed, v. ' slemed as aforneys of

a teed,' sparkled (shone) as the

furnace of a copper, ii. 7/202. Stente, stenten, v. to stay, stop,

cease, ii. 29/45, 301/125, 308/

34, 310/85; iv. 275/1189; v.

314/315.

Stepc, adj. bright, ii. 7/201. "

Stere, v. to direct, guide, steer, ii. 183/341 ; iv. 277/1242, 311/ 254 ; v. 226/59.

Stere, sb. bullock, ii. 66/1291.

Stere, sb. rudder, iv. 153/4; v. 222/437.

Stereles, stiereles, adj. without a rudder, iv. 125/416.

Sterf, v. died, v. 77/1874.

Sterisman, sb. pilot, v. 222/436.

Sterlynges, sb. pieces of sterling money, v. 249/225.

Stemelich, adv. sternly, vio- lently, iv. 252/628.

Sterre, sb. star, ii. 9/268, 196/ 754.

Sterry, sterrie, adj. starry, iv. 52/ 43.

Sterte, v. to start, leap, run, es- cape, ii. 49/734, 223/573; v. 230/173.

Stert, sb. leap, ' at a stert,' at once, ii. 53/847.

Sterve, sterven, v. to die, ii. 44/ 540; iii. 103/426, 127/177; iv. 313/294, 360/1449 ;v. 193/ 1265, 294/26.

Sterynge, sb. movement, v. 233/ 292.

Sterynge, adj. stirring, moving, iv. 253/643, 275/1187.

Steien, sb. sound, voice ; a time of performing any action pre- viously fixed by message, order or summons, ii. 47/666, 359/ 142 ; iii. 240/377 ; v. 164/307, 226/53.

Steu-e, sb. a closet, a pond for fish, ii. 12/350.

Steices, sb. bawdy houses. See stywes.

Sterne, sb. stairs, steps, iv 186/ 813, 222/1705, 233/156.

Stiborn, ailj. stubborn, ii. 220/ 456.

Stidfastnesse, sb. stedfastness, v, 199/84, 201/146.

340

GLOSSARY.

Stiel, sb. steel, iv. 244/431, 313/

297. Stierne, sb. stern, v. 33/801. Stike, v. to stick, iv. 24/67. Stile, sb. a set of steps to pass

from one field to another, hi.

133/87. Stillatorie, sb. still, m. 47/27. Stiren, v. to stir, more, excite,

iv. 12/324. Stirpe, sb. race, kindred, iv. 1/16. Stirte, v. started, iv. 307/155. Stiih, stithe, sb. anvil, n. 63/

1168. Stiwurdz, sb. stewards, n. 19/579. Stokked, fastened, confined, iv.

240/331. Stonden, v. to stand, n. 334/519 ;

v. 8/171. Stont, v. stands, hi. 17/518 ; v.

207/33; vi. 170/5584. Stoon, sb. stone, iv. 319/439. Stoor, sb. steers, h. 19/598. Stoor, sb. store, estimation, h.

212/203. Stope, stopen, stoupen, v. bent

with age, h. 326/270; hi. 229/1. Stoppen, v. to stop, iv. 185/804. Stordy, adj. sturdy, iv. 209/1380. Store, v. to store, iii. 115/273. Storial, adj. historical, true, a.

98/71. Stot, sb. stallion, h. 20/61;). Stot, sb. stoat, weasel, n. 256/

332. . .

Stounde, sb. strokes (of affliction),

vi. 53/1733, 81/2635, 2639. Stounde, stownde, sb. time, in a

moment, a while, iv. 151/

1067,303/48,325/597; v. 204/

241 ; vi. 182/5988. Stounde-mele, adv. at intervals,

v. 28/674 ; vi. 71/2304. *our, >toure, sb. battle, conflict,

hi. 213/380 ; iv. 268/1015, 302/

19 ; vi. 39/1270.

i:uroeul to disturb^ in. 273/6.

Stourdynesse, sb. strength, sturdi-

ness, h. 300/91. Stoure, adj. giddv, headstrong,

ii. 352/1121. Stoute, adj. strong, brave, v. 60/

1455, 62/1494. Stowpen, v. to stoop, iv. 192/968. Stroke, v. to proceed directlv, v.

194/1311. Strangelynge, sb. strangling, v.

301/102. Straughten. v. pi. stretched, vi.

32/1021.' Straunge, adj. strange, ii. 15/

464 ; v. 203/205. Straungely, adv. strangelv, iv.

211/1423. Strayne, v. to press closely, vi.

45/1471. Stre, stree, sb. straw, iv. 224/

1745; v. 175/670, 177/717,

182/886, 192/1236. Streen, strene, sb. race, seed,

strain, iv. 13/370; vi. 148/

4862. Streght, streight, streyt, adj.

straight, direct, ii. 15/457, 21/

671 ; iv. 200/1173; v. 184/956. Strengthe, sb. force, v. 165/351.] Strenghest, strongest, iv. 149/

1007. Streyne, v. to strain, compress,

iv. 268/1022, 274/1156. Strepe, v. to strip, vi. 208/6820. Strike, sb. aline, a streak, a strike

(of flax), ii. 22/676. Strof, v. strove, disputed, v. 34/

819> Strok, stroolt, stroke, ii. 53/843.

Stronde, sb. shore, ii. 1/13.

Strow, sb. straw, iv. 260/810.

Strowted, v. strutted, ii. 102/129.

Strove, v. to destroy, ii. 151/345.

Stroyer, sb. destroyer, iv. 63/360. I Struye, v. to destroy, iii. 168/27. I Stuffen, v. to stuff, fill, crowd, v. I 192/6293.

GLOSSARY.

341

Sturneii), adv. strongly, v. 254/

408. Styborn, adj. stubborn, ii. 225/

637-. Styf, adj. stiff, bold, vi. 39/1270. Stunt, stynte, slunten, v. to stop,

stay, 'ii. 48/669, 82/1816, 97/

36 ; iii. 4/86 ; iv. 157/103, 168/

383, 203/1212, 208/1361, 270/

1057 ; v. 192/1212, 285/294. Styutynge, sb. stopping, v. 192/

1212. Styu-es, sb. stews, brothel, iii.

90/3. Styke, v. to stick. See stike. Subget, subgit, sb. subject, iii.

167/1 ; iv. 117/231 ; v. 74/

1804. Substaunce, sb. the majority, iv.

303/189. Subtilty, sb. cunning, v. 93/231. Subtily, adv. cunninglv, v. 88/

82. Succours, sb. succour, v.l 23/1229. Sucre, sucred, adj. sugary, iv.

168/384, 273/1145. Sue, v. to follow. See sewe. Suerde, sb. sword, v. 205/273. Suere, v. to swear, v. 207/334. Suffhciunce, sb. sufficiency, ii. 16/

490; iv. 278/1260; v. 32/763;

vi. 170/5586, 173/5693. Suffisant, adj. sufficient, v. 278/

67. SutUse, suffisen, v. to suffice, iv.

294/1043; v. 41/994. Suffvaunt, adj. patient, persever- ing, iv. 364/1556 ;v.l85, 1009. Suffren, v. to suffer, iv. 266 969,

972. Suget,sagett, subject, iii. 319/2 ;

vi. 108/3535. Sukkenye, sb. a loose frock or

rochet, vi. 38/1232. Surcote, sb. surcoat, ii. 20/617. Surmounte, v. to surpass, iv.

267/989.

Surmountede, v. surmounted, sur- passed, v. 180/825.

Surquidrie, sb. presumption, ar- rogance, iii. 295/16, 367/6; iv. 116/213 ; vi. 250/430.

Suspecious, adj. suspicious, vi. 186/6113.

Suspect, adj. suspected, ii. 295/93, 94 ; sb. suspicion, ii. 306/121.

Susten, sb. sister, pi. sustres, sus- tren, iii. 230/47; iv. 155/69, 255/683 ; v. 252/311, 294/13, 317/421 ; vi. 252/488.

Sustene, v. to sustain, v. 79/c.

Sute, sb. suit, v. 163/261.

Suwe, v. to follow, iv. 123/379.

Swa, adv. so, ii. 126/121.

Swal, swelted, ii. 235/111.

Swappe, sb. swoop, stroke, v. 225/35 ; v. to strike, ii. 296/138.

Swapte, v. beat, iv. 310/217.

Swart, adj. swarthy, v. 259/557.

Swayn, sb. servant, ii. 125/107.

Sweere, sb. neck, ii. 148/273.

Swelde, v. swooned, ii. 42/498.

Sicelte, v. to die, swoon, ii. 114/ 516,517; iv. 239/298.

Stcerd, sb. sword, ii. 18/558 ; iv. 331/743 ; v. 280/127.

Swere, sicerne, v. to swear, iv. 179/654 ; v. 59/1431 ; vi. 147/ 4837.

Swete, v. to sweat, iv. 215/1533.

Swette, v. sweated, iii. 133/65.

Swettenesse, sb. sweetness, v. 164/297.

Swetter, adj. sweeter, vi. 20/622.

Sweven, swevene, sb. a dream, iii. 225/749; v. 15/358, 16/362, 163/276, 279, 164/290, 168/ •1 12 ; vi. 195/1329, 1331, 1333.

Swevenyng, sb. dream, vi. 1/1, 2/ 26.

Swich, suiche, adj. such, ' suiclie tueye,' two such, twice as many, iv. 160/182. 'Suiche seven, seven times as many,

342

GLOSS ART.

v. 167/408, 193/1248, 279/120. ' Swich-fyve,' five such, five times as many, iv. 158/126, 128. Swire, sb. neck, vi. 11/225. Suithe, adv. quickly, iii. 100/ 334 ; iv. 330/723 ; V. 201/229, 225/30. Suilk, adj. such, ii. 130/253. Silo, adv. so, iv. 175/547. Swogh, sb. noise, loud sound (caused by the wind), iv. 59/

247 ; v. 240/523. Stuogh, sb. swoon, v. 240/154,

285/16. Swollen, adj. swollen, full, v. 9/

201. Swolowe, sb. 'whirlpool, v. 310/

179. Swolwe, v. to swallow, ii. 315/12. Suonken, v. to labour, ii. 132/ . 315.

Suoope, v. to sweep, iii. 57/383. Snoot, sb. sweat, iii. 46/25. Sivoote, adj. sweet, v. 309/152. Suope, v. cut off", iii. 40/366. Swot; v. swore, iv. 248/517, 270/

1060; v. 6/127, 22/510, 273/

1011. Sicote, adj. sweet, v. 32/1025 ; vi.

3/60, 5/128, 165/5415. Swough, sb. swoon, iv. 270/1071,

349/1184. Swough, sb. blow, iv. 209/1383. Swough, sb. noise (made bv

wind), sigh, ii. 111/433, 179/

198 ; v. 268/851. Swoitne, v. swoon, iv. 273/1141. Sivoice , sb. swoon, deep trance,

iv. 78/87; v. 161/215. Swowne, v. to swoon, iv. 176/574. Swyn, sb. swine, ii. 19/598. Suunenlmd, sb. pig's head, ii. 133/

342. Swynk, swynke, sb. toil, labour,

ii. 7/188, 17/540, 132/333 ; vi.

173/5690. Sivynke, v. to labour, toil, ii. 7/

186, 321/98; iii. 29/21, 49/

116; v. 12/272; vi. 66/2151. Swynkith, v. labours, vi. 173/

5678. Swynker, sb. worker, ii. 17/531,

209/6859. Swvnkyng, sb. labouring, vi. 204/

6705. Swynte, adj. squeamish, v. 263/

693. It has been interpreted

fatigued, as if an error for

swynked. The correct reading

may be qneynte, scrupulous,

nice. Swyve, Swyven,.v. to have sexual

intercourse, ii. 119/662, 130/

258, 133/346, 134/397, 138/58,

352/1132. Sygamour, adj. sycamore, v. 248/

188. Syghte, v. sighed, iv. 329/686. Syke, v. to sigh, iv. 64/404. Syke, adj. sick, ii. 14/424; v.

248/180. Sykes, sb. sighs, v. 28/675. Sykenesse, sb. sickness, vi. 147/ "4813. Syker, adj. assured, secure, iv.

"275/1188; vi. 88/2883. Syketiy, adv. certainly, v. 47/

"1122. Sykernesse, sb. safety, security,

ii. 193/675; iv. 275/1194, 361/

1484. Syn, sy>is, adv. since, afterwards,

"ii. 100/45; v. 283/229. Sunken, v. to sink, iv. 179/650. Sythe, adv. time, afterwards, v.

204/225, 208/357. Sythen, sythensy adv. afterwards,

iv. 142/833. Sytte=zsyt, v. sits, v. 188/11 j7. Sywynge, following, agreeing

with, v. 184/958.

Tabard, iabbard, sb. a loose frock, a herald's coat, ii. 17/541, 23/

719.

GLOSSARY.

343

Tabide, tahyde, v. to abide, re- main, delay, iv. 299/1761 ; v.

2/33, 15/353, 48/1155, 49/

1183, 132/1522. Tables, sb. a game so called,

backgammon, iii. 7/172. Tabouren, v. to drum, v. 287/354. Tabregge, tabridge, tabrigge, v. to

abridge, lessen, iv. 235/213,

237/246, 317/398, 337/897 ; v.

49/1183, 152/3081. Taccepte, v. to accept, v. 118/

1074. Tachche, sb. spot, blemish, iv.

82/192. Tacheve, v. to accomplish, iv.

303/51. Tacoie, v. to entice, v. 33/782. Tncorde, v. to accord, v. 79/ u. Taffata, sb. taffety, ii. 14/440. Taile taille, sb. tally, an account

scored on a piece of wood, ii.

18/570; iii. 119/416. Takel, sb. an arrow, ii. 4/106 ; vi.

53/1729, 57/1863. Tale, sb. account, estimation,

' letel tale' of little account, iv.

62/326. Tale, talen, v. to relate, iv. 279/

1275 ; v. 248/192. Talent, sb. desire, pleasure, iv.

231/96 ; vi. 187/6137. Tatkynges, taling, talyng, sb.

talk, conversation, story-tell- ing, iii. 120/434; v. 143/1896 ;

vi. 184/6045. Tallege, v. to allege, say, ii. 92/

2142. Tamende, v. to amend, v. 6/138. Tan, adj. the one, v. 20/475. Tan, tane, v. taken, v. 113/890,

136/1651 ; vi. 180/5897. Tapere, sb. taper, iv. 190/909. Tapes, bands of linen, ii. 100/55. Tupicer, sb. a maker of tapestry,

ii. 12/362. Tapinage, sb. skulking about,

lurking, vi. 22 t/7365.

Tapite, v. to cover with tape;ttry> ^ v. 163/260. Taproche, v. to approach, iv.

294/1647. Tapstere. sb. a female tapster, ii.

8/241. Tarede, v. to give advice, ex- plain, iv. 158/133, 361/1542. Targe, sb. target, shield, ii. 15/

471 ; v. 85/v, 197/36. Tarie tarien tar yen v. to tarry,

delay, ii. 357/65 ; iv. 194/

1019, 219/1622, 342/1001 ; v.

32/774, 47/1136 ; vi. 25/803. Tarmij, v. to array, dress, ii.

308/23. Tars, sb. ' cloth of Tars,' a sort of

silk, ii. 67/1302. Tasaie, sb. the essav, trial, v. 33/

783. Taspye, v. to espy, ii. 318/13. Tassaye, v. to essay, try, ii. 292/

6, 13, 311/137 ; 'v. 165/346. Tasseled, tatsid, adj. adorned with

tassels, ii. 100/65 ; vi. 33/1079. Tatarwa<;!:es, sb. rags, tatters,

vi. 221/7259. Tathenes. sb. to Athens, ii. 32/

165. Taunce, v. to dance, v. 238/438. Taverncr, sb. tavern-keeper, iii.

97/223. Tavyse, v. to advise iv. 202/1215. Taulager, sb. a collector of taxes,

vi. 207/6811. Tayle, sb. tail, v. 288/393. Teclies, techches, sb. vices, ble- mishes, iv. 263/886 ; v. 263;

688. Teeme, sb. theme, iii. 86/ 17. Teene, sb. sorrow, grief, anger,

ii. 119/303; iv. 82/209, 275

1177; v. 71/1728. Tellen, v. to tell, ii. 22/707. Temhrace, v. to embrace, v. 10/

22 1. Temen, v. to follow, v. 262/654.

Ii B

344

GLOSSARY

Temperelly. adv. moderately, iii.

115/262. Temps, sb. time, iii. 55/322 ; vi.

103/3373, 145/4750. Tencresce, v. to increase, iv. 279/

1286. Tendite, tendyte, v. to indite,

compose, iv". 181/700 ; vi. 279/

35. Tendre, adj. tender, v. 34/826. Tendrely, tcndrclich, adv. ten- derly, iv. 314/325, 341 ; v. 4/

82. Tendrenesse, sb. tenderness, v. 11/

242. Tcne, sb. sorrow, grief, v. to

grieve, afflict, v. 202/171 ; vi.

6/157, 145/4753. . Tenqueren, v. to seek, ii. 215/

316. Tentende, v. to intend, iv. 187/

853. Tenthe-some, sb. company or as- sembly of ten. The phrase

occurs in the Romance of ' Guy

of Warwick,' iv. 203/1249. Ikntnf, adj. attentive to, iii. 143/

17. Tercel, tercelet, sb. the male of

birds of prey, iv. 64/405. Terins, sb. a kind of song-bird,

v. 21/665. Termyne, v. to determine, iv. 69/

530. Terrestre, adj. terrestial, ii. 321/

88. Tery, adj. full of tears, iv. 333/

793. Tespien, v. to espy, ii. 323/166. Tester, sb a headpiece, or helmet,

ii. 77/164. TestiJ, adj. headstrong, ii. 125/83 :

v. 34/802. Tevery, to every, iv. 262/863. Textile I, adj. ready at citing texts,

iii. 262/57. Teyne, sb. a narrow, thin plate of

metal, iii. 66/214.

Thabbesse, sb. the abbess, v. 145/

1951. Thuccesse, sb. the fever, iv. 217/

1578. Thache, sb. a thatch, v. 140/

1773. Thacqueyniaunce, sb. the acquain- tance, knowledge, v. 6/122. Thadversite, sb. the adversity, ii.

301/147. Thaer, the air, ii. 26/231. Thaffeccion, sb. the affection, iv.

289/1541. Tliahhed, v. thumped, thwacked,

ii. 102/118. Thaleyes, sb. the paths, iv. 186/

820. Thamendys, sb. the amends, v.

171/525. Tliamorouse, sb. the amorous, iv.

358/1403. Thanh, sb. thanks, ii. 20/612. Thunhe, sb. thanks, good will,vi.

84/2741; 'his thankes' wil- lingly, ii. 51/768. Thankynges, sb. thanks, ATi. 184/

6044. Thanne, adv. then, ii. 17/535. Thannys, adv. thence, vi. 73/

2372. Thapples, sb. the apples, v. Ill/

826. Thar, ther, v. need, ii. 134/400 ;

v.Sl/K, 163/256. Thar, lhare, adv.there, iv. 61/196,

197. Tharray, sb.the array,ii. 23/716,

239/219, 356/55. Thassege, sb. the siege, iv. 360/

1452. Thavantaille, sb. aventaile, the

opening in the visor for breath- ing, v. 65/1571. Thinysyon, sb. the vision, v. 162/

285." The, then, v. to succeed, thrive

to prosper, iii. 85/23 ; vi. 148'

4844, 180/5902.

GLOSSARY.

345

Thcche, v. to increase, iv. 281/

1326. Thedom, sb. thrift, success, iii.

119/405. Thee, v. to prosper, v. 33/1067. Tliecch—the ich, thrive I; ' so

theech,' so may 1 thrive, iii.

57/376, 105/485. Thefect, sb. the effect, ii. 323/

151,361/314 ; iv. 306/116, 33(i/

862; v. 16/377, 312/255. Theigh, conj. though, iv. 196/

1073, 291/1581, 307/147, 339/

918. Thanbassadours, thembassatou rs,

sb. the ambassadors, iv. 305/

112,306/117. Themesperie, sb. the hemisphere,

ii. 335/555. Themprise, sb. undertaking, vi.

70/2286. Thencens, sb. the incense, ii. 70/

1419. Thenche, v. think, ii. 100/67. Thencheson, sb. the reason, v. 27/

632. Thende, sb. the end. ii. 218/404 ;

iv. 163/260. Then^yne, sb. the engine, iv. 19/

395'; v. 268/844. Thenke, v. to seem, v. 207/332. Thames, adv. thence, ii. 201/945. Thenvymise, adj. the envious, v.

174/6 11. Ther, v. grant, 'titer God,' God

grant, iv. 233/1388, 2115/1 120. Ther, adv. where, ii. 261/58;

there, ii. 260/12. Therfio, adv. therefrom, v. 231/

228. Therthe, sb. the earth, ii. 274/

496; v. 167/406. Theschaunge, sb. the exchange,

iv. 306/118, 130,132. Thestiit, sb. the state, ii. 23/716;

v. 99/125. Theves, sb. thiefs, v. 290/165.

Thewed, adj. behaved, vi. 31/

1093. Thetres, sb. manners, virtues, ii.

327/300 ; iii. 32/101 ; iv. 182/

723; v. 265/744,761. Thidder, v. thither, v. 231/329,

274/1054. Thilke, adj. the same, ii. 74/1545,

330/397 ; v. 162/2 12. Thinke, v. to seem, appear, ii.

111/429, 275/504, 505. Thirle, v. to pierce, ii. 83/1851,

203/214, 208/353. This, thise,&dj. these, ii. 22/701;

v. 16/382 ;" vi. 162/5304. Tho, thoo, adv. then, v. 187/

1053, 286/341, 298/13. Tho, adj. the, these, iii. 320/17,

18. Thobeisance, thobeysaunce, sb. the

obedience, respect, rule, v. 86/

2, 153/3117. Thoghte, v. thought, v. 283/239. Thole, v. to suffer, ii. 253/248. Thombe, sb. thumb, ii. 18/563. Thondur, sb. thunder, ii. 16/492. Thonke, thonken, v. to thank, iv.

159/155, 274/1154. Thunour, sb. the honour, ii. 324/

205. Thopynyomis, sb. the opinions, ii.

86/1955. Thore, there, vi. 57/1853. Thorisonte, sb. the horizon, ii.

335/553. Thorisoun, sb. the orison, prayer,

ii. 70/1403. Thorow, adv. through, iv. 170/

II.'. ; v. 86/4. Thorrible, adj. the horrible, ii.

181/375. Thorwgh-gyrt, pierced through,

iv. 325/599. Thoiivghout, prep, throughout, v.

69/1663. Thowed, v. thawed, v. 2 i 1, 53. ThraljSb. slave, iii. 180/5 ; 316/

388.

346

GLOSSARY.

Thralled, v. enslaved, vi. 177/

5810. Thrallen, v. to enslave, put in bondage, iv. 184/773 ; vi. 27/ 882. Thraste, v. thrust, iv. 200/1153. Threde, sb. thread, v. 34/812. Threete, v. to threaten, v. 299/4'.). Threisshe,v. to thresh, ii. 17/536. Threischfold, threisshjbld, thres- hold,'ii. 107/296, 287/92, 95. Threpe, v. to name, iii. 54/273, Thresle, v. to thrust, iv. 310/226. Thretyng, sb. threatening-, iii. 50/

145. Threttene, adj. thirteen, ii. 276/

559. Thridde, adj. third, v. 50/1205,

161/214, 285/287. Thries, adv. thrice, ii. 18/562,

576. Th rifle, sb. luck, fortune, iv. 260/ _ 822, 366/1602. Tlu-ijtie, adj. prudent, v. 203/

200. Thriftily, adv. prudently, wisely,

iv. 233/162. Thriftyeste, adj. wisest, iv. 183/

73?'. Thrin ging, v. thronging, crowd- ing, pressing, vi. 21/656. Throp, thrope, sb. village, town,

ii. 232/15, 284/3 ; iv. 63/350. Throstit. sb. cock, thrush, iii, 132/

58. Throie-bolle, sb. throat, ii. 133/

353. Throtys, sb. throats, v. 165/320. Throw, prep, through, iv. 207/

1332.

Throw, throwe, sb. a trice, short

space of time, ii. 292/2 ; iv.

181/687,315/356; v. 60/1462.

Thruste, v. durst, iv. 218/523.

Thrusiell-cok, sb. thrush, iv. 49/

140. Thrusteih, v. tLirsts, v. 58/1406. Thruslles, sb. thrushes, vi. 21/665,

Thvye, tin-eye, adv. thrice, iv. 172/

463, 205/1285. Thryj't, sb. fortune, luck, iv. 187/

847. Thrynge, v. to crowd, thrust, vi.

226/7219. Thrynne, adj. three, ii. 150/318. Thryste, v. to thrust, iv. 289/

1525. Thryven, v. to prosper, thrive,

v.' 32/759; vi. 178/5814. Thundringe. sb. thunder, v. 240/

532. Thurgh, prep, through, ii. 81/

1759 ; v. 276/18, 281/163, 295/

29. Thurghout, prep, through, v.

296/82. Thurrok, sb. hold of a ship, iii.

291/13. Thwite, v. to cut, v. 268/848. Thwitel, sb. a whittle, little knife,

ii. 122/13. Thynkestow, v. thinkest thou, iv.

209/1373. Tid, v. befallen, happened, iv.

162/224. [370/152.

Til, title, prep, to, ii. 91/2106, Tilye, v. to till, cultivate, iii.

181/27. Tipet, sb. tippet, v. 265/751. Tirauntes, sb. tyrants, v. 287'

374, 377. Tire, tyre, v. to tear, to feed

upon like birds of prey, iv.

140/787. Tit, v. betides, befalls, iv. 121/

OJJ.

Tiierynge, sb. courtship, iv. 224/

1744. Tixted, adj. apt at quoting texts,

iii. 259/212. 1 o as a verbal prefix is generally

intensitive. To, adj. dem. ' to yere,' this year, r _ iv. 78/79. To-barst, burst, ii. 157/537.

GLOSSARY.

347

To-bere, v. to bear away, v. 226/

60. To-beten, v. beaten to pieces, vi.

187/6129. To-braste, p. p. burst in pieces,

v. 104/594. To-breke, v. to break in pieces,

|T, 233/271. To-breste, v. to burst in pieces,

iv. 177/608, 363/1318. To-dasshed, p. p. smitten, dashed i about, iv. 179/640, 187/6129. Toder, adj. the other, iv. 36/

1049. To-for, to-fore, adv. before, ii.

334/529 ; iii. 35/203, 95/162 ;

iv. 193/992, 208/1362 ; v. 134/

1601 ; vi. 91/2969. To-gedres, to-gideres, v. tog-ether,

ii. 81/1766 ; iii. 58/407 ; iv.

354/1294 ; v. 179/808. To-go, v. to go away, v. 10/226. To-hewe, to-hewen, v. hewed in

pieces, ii. 183/332, 339 ; iv.

179/638. Tohennynge, sb. token, iv. 331/

751. Tole, sb. tool, iv. 133/632. Tollen, v. to take toll, ii. 18/562. Tolliianes, ' tables tollitanes,' the

astronomical tables, composed

by order of Alphonso X. of Cas-

tile.were called tubula: toletana,

from their being adapted to the

city of Toledo, iii. 18/37. Tombiesteris, dancing women, iii.

91/15. To-me-wardes, towards me, v.

123/1243, 124/1257. To-mome, adv. to-morrow, v.

115/950. Ton, sb. toes, iii. 230/42. Ton, tone, adj. the' one, part, iv.

36/1049. Tonfolde, v. to unfold, iv. 222/

1702. Tonged, adj.tongued, v. 183/926.

Tonne, sb. tun, iv. 54/104. Toon, adj. the one, vi. 169/5562. Toon, toos, sb. toes, v. 271/938. To-race, v. tear, ii. 296/124. To-rende, v. to tear in pieces, iv.

185/790. To-rent, to-rente,v. rent in pieces,

ii. 309/74; iv. 65/342, 185'

719, 314/313 ; v. 301/115. Toret, ring turret, ii. 66/1294. Tomes, sb. stratagems, ii. 147/

237, 241. To-slulered, v. patched, vi. 26/

840. To-sterte, v. to start away, iv.

192/980. Toihe-ake, sb. tooth-ache, vi. 34/

1098. Tether, tothir, adj. the other, vi.

162/5311, 5313, 169/5563. Totolere, sb. whisperer, v. 287/

oOo.

To-tore, v. torn asunder, dis- tracted, iii. 48/82 ; iv. 314/330 ; _ v. 134/1602. Toty, adj. dizzy, ii. 132/333. Touchen, v. to touch (upon), v.

41/996. Tough, adj. difficult, formal, iii.

118/379; iv. 194/1025, 228/

36; v. 5/101. Tour, toure, sb. tower, iii. 136/ ^ 195 ; v. 225/28. Tournay, sb. tournament, iv. 368/

1641. Tourne, sb. turn, vi. 16Y/5473. Tourneiung, sb. jousting, vi. 37/

1206/ Tourneunge, sb. turns, vi. 43/

1407'. Tournyng, sb. dance, vi. 24/761. Toute, towte, sb. backside, ii.

117/624,119/665. Towardes, prep, towards, iv. 358''

1390. Tough, adj. formal, v. 171/530. To-ueer, adv. this year, iv. 231/

192.

348

GLOSSARY.

Trims, sb. crowd, v. 285/285. Truce, v. to conduct oneself, vi.

175/5756. Traitorie, sb. treachery, v. 201/

159. Traitoursly, adv. traitorously,

vi. 147/4836. Transitorie, adj. transitory, float- in?-, iv. 258/778. Translacioun, sb. translation, v.

286/324. Transmutations, sb. changes, v.

269/879. Transmuted, adj. transformed, iv.

334/802. Trunsmuven, v. to transform, iv.

319/439. Trappe-dore, sb. trap-door, iv.

255/692, 256/710. Trasslied, betrasshed, v. betrayed,

vi. 99/3231. Trate. See virilratt. Traunce, sb. trance, iv. 206/1306,

253/641, 314/315. Truve, sb. a frame in which far- riers place unruly horses, ii.

101/96. Traveres, sb. curtains, ii. 101/96;

iv. 252/625. Tray sen, v. to betray, iv. 318/

410. Trayteresse, sb. traitoress, v.

174/619, 179/812. Tree, sb. beam, wood, ii. 116/

599. Trechoure, sb. a cheat, vi. 7/197. Trede-foul, sb. a cock, a treader

of liens, lii. 199/57. Treoedie, sb. tragedy, v. 74/1800. Treget, sb. guile, craft, trickery,

vi. 191/6270, 192/6315. Tregetour, sb. juggler, deceiver,

iii. 14/413 ; v. 247/170, 248/

187. Tregetne, sb. piece of trickery,

vi. 194/6377, 6384. Treitys, adj. well-proportioned,

vi. 29/932.

Tremour, sb. tremor, v. 11/255/

Trenchaunt, adj. cutting, ii. 122. 10.

Trepeget, sb. a military engine, vi. 191/6280.

Tresore, tresoure, sb. treasure, v. 181/853, 197/35.

Tresorere, sb. treasury, v. 82/o.

Tresoun, sb. treason, v. 189/1121.

Tresour, sb. an instrument used in tressing the hair; or an or- nament for the tresses, vi. 18, ^ 568.

Tresse, v. to adorn (the hair), vi. 19/599.

Tressed, v. adorned with tresses, % i. 18/569.

Tret, v. treads, iv. 167/347."

Tretable, adj. tractable, well dis- posed, v. 171/532, 183/922.

Trete, v. to treat, iv. 302/30, 355/1318.

Tretis, sb. treaty, iv. 222/1697, 302/36,305/108.

Tretys, adj. well proportioned, vi. 32/1016.

'Trace, trewes, sb. truce, iv. 297/ 1730, 302/50; v. 17/401.

Trewelich, adv. truly, v. 5/113, ^ 41/987, 44/1051.

Triucle, sb. antidote, remedy, iii. 86/28 ; v. 143/1902.

Trice, v. to thrust, iii. 218/535.

Trichour sb. traitor, vi. 192/6311.

Tritle, v. to turn, twirl, ii. 364 308, 313, 320.

Triste, sb. trust, iv. 278/1256 ; v. 286/333.

Triste, sb. a meet, a post or station, (hunting term), iv. 215/1534.

Triste, v. to trust, iv. 235/209. Tristelii, adv. faithfully, trust- fully, yi. 36/1166. Trompe, sb. trumpet, ii. 21/674;

v. 197/33. Trompes, sb. trumpeters, ii. 82/ 1813.

GLOSSARY.

349

Tronchoun, sb. a spear without a

head, ii. 80/1757. Trone, sb. throne, iv. 344/1051,

1058 ; v. 251/294. Troth, trouthe, sb. truth, faith,

pledge, 'iv. 187/842 ; v. 105/

626, 169/466, 284/260. Trouble, adj. dark, ii. 292/17. Trowe, troiven, v. to believe, ii.

17/524, 22/691, 105/230; iii.

41/420 ; v. 14/327, 48/1157,

230/191. Truandise, truandyng, sb. beg- ging, vi. 203/6666, 205/6723. Trumpe, sb. a trumpet, ii. 67/

1316; v. 258/534, 539, 259/547. Trumpen, v. to blow a trumpet,

v. 247/153, 266/774, Trusse, sb. a load; v. to load, ii.

22/681 ; v. 133/1555. Trusten, v. to trust, iv. 358/1400 ;

v. 50/1208. Truice, sb. truce, iv. 353/1284,

1286. Trye, pure, refined, iii. 135/145. Tuel, tuelle, sb. a pipe, funnel- hole, ii. 273/448 ; v. 259/559. Tukkud, adj. frocked, dressed, ii.

20/621. Tulle, v. to allure, ii. 129/214. Tunge, sb. tongue, ii. 9/265,23/

712. Tuo, adj. two, ii. 20/639. Turkes, turkeis, sb. a sort of pre- cious stone, v. 4/80. Turment, turmentrie, sb. grief,

torment, vi. 9/274, 145/4743. Turnaies, sb. tournaments, v.

146/1989. Turtles, sb. turtle doves, vi. 21/

662. . Tunes, sb. the plural of turf, v.

282/20 1. Tuskes, sb. tusks, v. 51/1238, 60/

1455. Tweye, tweyne, tweyen, adj. two,

ii." 22/704, 81/1767; iv. 258/

774; v. 281/260.

Twies, adv. twice, iv. 210/1399. Twight, v. plucked, ii. 254/265.

Twist, twiste, v. twist, wring, iv. 310/226 ; v. 232/267.

Twiste, sb. twig, iv. 275/1181.

Twye, adj. twice, v. 17/397. 4'wyghte, v. twitched, pulled, iv. 348/1157.

Twyne, v. to twine, v. 1/7.

Twynk, v. to wink, ii. 155/453.

Twynkele, v. twinkle, ii. 9/267.

Twynne, twynnen, v. to depart, separate, "iii. 34/182 ; iv. 294/ 1662, 337/876 ; v. 15/339, 28/ 679, 69/1676, 200/105._

Twynnynge, sb. separation, iv. 353/1275.

Twythen, v. whittled, chipped with a knife, vi. 29/933.

Tyde, sb. time, ii. 13/401 ; iv. 344/1049 ; v. 29/700.

Tykel, sb. fickle, unsteady, un- certain, ii. 106/242.

Tylyers, sb. tillers, husbandmen, vi. 132/4339.

Tymbester, sb. female dancer, vi. "24/769.

Tymbres, sb. timbrels, vi. 24/772.

Tynet, sb. tippet, ii. 8/232.

Tm-ew, sb. a riband, iv. 179/ 639.

Umble, adj. humble, vi. 187/

6157. Unavised, part, unadvised, vi.

145/4742. Uubodye, v. to leave the body,

become disembodied, v. 64/

1563. Unbokeled, unopened, ii. 96/7. Unbore, adj. unborn, iv. 236/

220 ; v. 124/1252. Unbroiden, adj. unbraided, un-

tressed, iv. 3t)/960. Uncertain, adj. uncertain, is'.

340/960. Unces, sb. ounces, ii. 22/677.

350

GLOSSARY.

Uncireumscvipt, ailj. uncircum-

scribed, v. 77/1879. Uncouplynge, v. letting loose, un- coupling, v. 166/377. Uncouth, sb. unknown, uncom- mon, v. 96/276. Uncouthly, adv. strangely, un«

commonly, vi. 18/582. Underlyng, sb. inferior, iii. 333/

31. Undermeles, sb. the time after the

meal of dinner, the afternoon,

ii. 232/19. Undent, sb. the third hour of the

day, 9 o'clock a.m., ii. 286/64,

309/43; iii. 241/402. Undernome, v. took up, received,

iii. 36/243, 295/10. Underpighte, v. tilled or stuffed

out, ii. 194/691. Underspore, v. to raise with a spar

or pole, as with a lever, ii.

107/279. Understonde, v. understood, ii.

186/422. Undigne, adj. unworthy, ii. 289/

163. Undirfbnge, v. to undertake, vi.

174/5712. Undirnethe, prep, underneath, vi.

187/6151. Undisguised, adj. not disguised, v.

130/1450. Undispitcous, adj. kind, v. 106/

676. Undispleased, adj. not displeased,

v. 114/925. Undon, v. to undo, unfold, iv,

255/692. Undoth, v. opens, vi. 1/9. Unfamouse, adj. unknown, v.

244/56. Unfestty, adj. unsuitable to a

feast ,~ii. 366/20. Unfettre, v. to unfetter, iv. 202/

1216. Unfeyned, adj. unfeigned, sin- cere, v. 206/292.

Ungiltif, adj. unguilty, iv. 266/

969.' Ungoodhi, adj. uncivil, vi. 114/

3741.' Ungrene, adj. not green, vi. 145/

4752. Unhap, unhappe, sb. misfortune

iv. 130/552, 171/456. Unhappi, unhappy, unfortunate,

iv. 354/1313 ; v. 126/1340 ; vi.

167/5495. Unhele, sb. misfortune, iii. 79/

116. Unhiled,adj. uncovered, ii. 141/

87. Unlioisom, adj. unwholesome, iv.

313/302. Unkindely, adv. unnaturally, iii.

91/23. Unknoue, unktioiven, adj. un- known, iv. 141/824; v. 66/

1592. Unkonnyng, adj. ignorant, ii. 74/

1535 ; v. 47/1139. Unkouth, unkouthe, adj. strange,

iv. 158/151. iv. 298/1748. Unkunnyng, sb. ignorance, vi.

257/607 ; vi. 22/686, 257/607. Unkynde, adj. unnatural, iv. 283/

1389. Unletted, adj. undisturbed, v.

141/1831. Unloven, v. to cease to love, v.

71/1712. Unlust, sb. dislike, iii. 324/2. Unmanhode, unmanliness, cow- ardice, iv. 141/824. Unmeke, adj. haughty, vi. 19/590. Unmete, adj. strange, extraordi- nary, large, vi. 24/752, 31/

990. Uumyghty, adj. weak, iv. 188/

858. Unnese, sb. discomfort, vi. 95/

3102. Unneste, adj. grievous, iv. 312/

277. It may be an error for

un-reste, troublesome.

GLOSSARY.

351

Unnethe, unnetlies, adv. not easily, scarcely, ii. 96/13, 273/468; iii. 2/8, 20/611; iv. 310/221: v. 2/31, 283/233.

Unpreyed, v. unprayed, iv. 321/

Unpurveied, adj. unprovided for,

iv. 20/561. Unpynne, v. to unbolt, iv.253/649. Unreste, sb. unrest, trouble, ii.

300/110; iv. 44/1278, 326/

851 ; v. 65/1580, 67/1617, 317/

414. Unrest y, adj. troublesome, v. 56/

1355'. Unright, adj. wrong, iv. 171/453;

v. 28/661. Unsad, adj. unsteady, ii. 309/67. Unsaive, adj. unsown, ii. 141/83. Unsely, adj. unhappy, ii. 131/

289 ; iii. 43/469. Unset, adj. not appointed, ii. 47/

666. Unshethe, v. to unsheathe, iv.

331/748. Unshette, unshiite, v. to open, iv.

43/1425 ; v. 268/863. Unsicke, adj. not ill, v. 122/1205. Unsittynge, adj. unbecoming-, vi.

165/307. Unskilful, adj. unreasonable, iv.

140/790. Unskilfully, adv. unreasonably,

iv. 32/927. Unslekked, adj. unslacked, iii. 53/

253. Unslept, adj. without sleep, v.

144/1835. Unspered, p. p. unfastened, un- locked, vi. 81/2656. Unsteadf mines, sb. unsteadfast-

ness, v. 92/200. Unsure, adj. not sure, v. 113/

894. Unsweil, v. to unswell, disburden,

iv. 346/1118; v. 10/214. Unteyd, v, untied, iv. 183/752.

Unihank, sb. ill-will, no thanks,

ii. 127/162. Unthonke, sb. displeasure, v. 29/

699. Unthrifte, sb. folly, iv. 317/403. Unthrifty, adv. unwise, iv. 362/

1502. Unto, adv. until, iv. 73J647. Untiewe, adj. untrue, iv. 268/

1004. Untrouth, untrouthe, sb. unfaith- fulness, untruth, iv. 265/935;

v. 46/1098, 60/1449, 200/121. Unlruste, sb. distrust, iv. 259/

790. Untyme, sb. an unseasonable

time, vi. 365/16. Unwar, tinware, adv. unawares,

unforeseen, iii. 20/620; iv. 29/

848, 120/304; v. 101/501. Unweelde, unwelde, adj. un-

wieldly, ii. 121/32; iii. 250/55. Unuemmed, adj. pure, undenled,

unspotted, iii. 33/137; v.81/m. Unwiste, umoyste, adj. unknown,

iv. 205/1294, 249/554, 256/

709, 721. Uuwityngly, adv. ignorantly, iii.

91/24. Unurie,unwre, v. to discover, un- cover, iv. 143/868. Unwytyng, adj. ignorant, iii. 8/

208. Unyolde, v. not having yielded, ii.

81/1784,84/1866. Unyte, sb. unity, vi. 161/5288. Upbreyde, v. to upbraid, v. 71/

1724, 200/121. UpluiJ, v. heaved up, ii. 75/1570. Upper, adv. higher, upwards, v.

238/453. Upright, adj. flat on the back, ii.

97/212. Uprist, v. uprises, iv. 359/1415. Uprisle, sb. uprising, ii. 33/193. I rpswal,v. swelled up,iii.l25/108. Urchoun, sb. hedgehog, vi, 9l ' 3135.

352

GLOSSARY.

Ure, sb. fortune, destiny, iv. 22/

634. Ured, adj. blessed, fortunate, v.

90/144. Usage, custom ,iv. 154/28. Usaunce, sb. custom, v. 89/94,

294/7; vi. 21/683. Vsaunt, usyng, adj. accustomed,

ii. 123/20 ; iii. 339/9. Usure, sb. usury, vi. 6/185, 177/

5800. Usurers, sb. usurer, vi. 173/5694,

5696. Uttrest, adj. uttermost, ii. 302/3.

Vacacioun, sb. spare time, ii.

226/683. Valewe, sb. worth, vi. 35/1116. Valour, sb. value, vi. 160/5239. Variable, adj. changeable, vi.

167/5491. Variaunce, sb. change, fickleness,

v. 69/1684 ; vi. 166/5441 , 167/

5485. Variauntf adj. changing, iv. 38/

1084. Vary en, v. to vary, alter, iv.

219/1621. Vasselage, sb. vassalage, valour,

ii. 94/2196; vi. 179/5871. V uvaser, sb. a small landholder,

ii. 12/360. Veirdit, veyrdite, sb. verdict, sen- tence, judgment, iv. 8/503, 69/

525. Vekke, sb. an old woman, vi. 131/

4286, 137/4495. Vendable, adj. to be sold, vi. 177/

5804. Veneri, venerie, sb. hunting, ii.

224/609. Venqui/sshed, adj. vanquished, v.

78/a. Ventusung, sb. cupping, ii. 84/

1889. Venymouse, sb. poisonous, v. 84/t. Verament, adv. truly, iii. 131/2.

Verdite, sb. judgment, sentence, ii. 25/787.

Verelaies, sb. songs, ballads, v. 115/975.

Vergere, sb. garden, vi. 110/ 3618.

Veriliche, verelu, ad v.verily, truly, iv. 37/1072," 358/1396.

Vermaiile, adj. of a vermillion colour, vi. 111/3645.

Vernage, sb. a wine of Verona, iii. 109/71.

Vernicle, sb. dimunitive of Vero- iiihe, ii. 22/685. A diminutive picture of Christ, supposed to have been miraculously im- printed upon a handkerchief preserved at the Church of St. Peter at Rome.

Verruilu, adj. truly, ii. 11/338.

Verre, sb. glass, iv. 188/867.

Verrely, adv. truly, v. 206/291.

Verreu, adv. very, true, ii. 14/ 422.

Veri/trot, sb. quick trot, ii. 116/ 582.

Vessel, vessealx, sb. plate, iii. 206/ 158, 208/204.

Viage, sb. journey by sea or land, ii. 25/792, 178/161,179/214; iii. 118/371.

Vicaire, vicarie, vicnry,vikaire, sb. vicar, iii. 261/22; v. 83/s ;vi. 184/6036, 234/7684.

Vice, sb. the newel, or upright centre of a winding stair-case, v. 126/1312.

Vilanye, vilotaie, sb. disgraceful conduct unbecoming a gentle- man, ii. 23/726 ; iii. 22/668.

Vinoleut, adj. full of wine, ii. 220/ 467.

Vireluyes, virrelayes, sb. rounds, songs, ballads, iii. 8/220; v. 289/423.

Viritrate. Tyrwhitt reads very trute, and makes trate equi-

GLOSSARY.

353

valent to trot, an old woman, ii. 254/284. Visage, sb. form, ii. 349/1029 ; v.

37/899. Vitaille, sb. victuals, ii. 9/248,

18/569. Voide, v. to remove. See vnyde. Voide, adj. empty, vi. 70/2282,

281/167. Vois, sb. voice, v. 279/93. Volume, adj. light, giddy, iii.256/

135. Volantyn, sb. a kind of wine, iii.

109/72. Tyrwhitt reads w/«-

ti/e, wild fowl, game. Volume, sb. will, vi. 161/5279. Votuper. sb. a woman's cap, ii.

100/55. Vouchesauf, vouchen-sauf, v. to

vouchafe, ii. 305/101 ; v. 77/

1872. Voyde, voyden, v. to empty,

move, depart, ii. 306/126 ; iii.

64/125; iv. 190/912; v. 206/

298. Vylayneus, adj. villainous, vi. 6/

178. Vi/negre, sb. vinegar, vi. 167/

"5479.

Wachet, sb. a sort of blue cloth,

ii. 102/135. Wafereres, sb. sellers of wafers or

small cakes, iii. 91/17. Wafres, sb. small cakes, ii. 102/

135. Wagge, v. to move to and fro, ii.

126/119. Waggynge, moving, waving, iv.

224/1745 Wailed, v.lamented, vi. 191/6274. Waimentaeioun, sb. lamentation,

v. 142/1855. Waische, v. washed, iii. 87/67. Wake, v. to watch, to keep awake,

v. 144/1906, 162/236. Maker, sb. watcher, iv. 63/358.

Walaway, int. well-a-day! alas!

woe ; iv. 269/1029, 294/1646.

Wald, walde, v. would, iv. 199/

1147,243/396, 245/453. Walet, v. wallet, ii. 22/681, 686. Walken, uwlkene, sb. skv, heaven,

welkin, iv. 247/502"; v. 165/

343, 167/409. Wallide, v. put a wall round, iii.

253/13. Walshe-note. sb. walnut, v. 248/

191. Walwe, v. to tumble about, wal- low, ii. 133/358, 239/229, 216 ;

iv. 12/334; v. 312/241. Wan, wanne, adj. pale, iv. 35/996,

174/551, 309/207. Wan, v. won, conquered, ii. 14/

442 ; v. 100/456, 163/267. Wane, v. to decrease, v. 273/

1025. Wanges, sb. cheek-teeth, ii. 125/

110. Wanhope, sb. despair, ii. 39/391 ;

vi. 30/981, 135/4432, 4433,

141/4711. Wantrust, sb. distrust, iii. 258/

177 ; iv. 140/794. War, ware, adj. aware of, ii. 10/

309, 161/640 ; iv. 326/622 ; v.

168/445. Warde, sb. guard, care, vi. 178/

5859. 11 'a rdecorps, sb. bodv-guard, ii.

217/359. Warden, sb. guardian, keeper, iv.

252/616 ; v. 49/1177, 299/48. Wardeyn,sb. warden of a college,

ii. 127/155. Wardrobe, sb. a house of office,

iii. 125/120. Ware, sb. goods, vi. 181/5929. Ware=derere, interj. a corruption

of the French garde arriere. ii.

128/181. Ware, v. to warn, ii. 21/662. Warice, warische, warishe, v. to

354

GLOSSARY.

heal, to recover from sickness,

iii. 6/128, 14/410, 104/444, 140/

31, 304/1, 359/13; v. 188/

1103. Warie, wary. v. to curse, abuse,

iv. 41/1171. Warison, sb. reward, vi. 47/1537. Warty, adv. warily, discreetly, iv.

243/405. Warmen, v. to make warm, v. 46/

1109. Warm, v. to refuse, iv. 231/100 ;

vi. 111/3652. Warnistore, v. to furnish, iii.

164/11. Warraunt, v. warrant, vi. 1/6. Wuryen, v. to curse, iv. 219/

1619. Wassth, v. washes, v. 85/z. Wastel bred, sb. a fine wheaten

bread, ii. 6/147. IVasten, v. to waste, iv. 239/399. Wastoiu; sb. spoiler, ii. 327/291. Wastow, v. knowest thou, v. 263/

694. Wat, v. knows, ii. 127/166. Watirles, adj. without water, ii.

7/180. Waive, sb. wave, ii. 185/410; v.

46/1109, 121/1153 ; vi. 144/

4715, 256/593. Wawy, adj. wavy, v. 107/697. Wax, waxe, v. become, increase,

v. 167/415, 295/36. Wuyke, adj. weak, ii. 28/29. Waylen, v. to bewail, iv. 316/

371. Wayloway, adv. well-a-day !

aias ! i'i. 145/197. Waymentyng, sb. lamentation, ii.

59/1063 ; iv. 155/65. Wayte, way ten, v. to watch,

wait for, ii. 17/525,18/571 ; iv.

245/442 ; v. 2/23. Webbe, sb. a weaver, ii. 12/362. ]Vede,sh. clothes, covering, dress,

ii. 32/148, 305/79 ; iii. 137/206 ;

iv. 283/1382; vi. 24/778,163/

5355. Wedde, sb. pledge, ii. 37/360. Weder, sb. weather, storm, iv.

251/608. Weike, adj. weak, vi. 8/225. Weive, iveyve, v. to forsake, de- cline, iv. 164/284. Weke, sb. week, iv. 204/1273. Wei, adv. well, ii. 8/226. Wel-bigoon, adj. joyous, vi. 18/

580. Welde, v. to govern, wield, ii.

266/239. Weldy, adj. strong, active, iv.

178/636. Weldynge, sb. governing, iii.

182/32. Wele, sb. weal, ii. 304/58 ; iv.

258/771. Weleful, adj. productive of good,

iii. 165/20. Welfarynge, adj. comely, v. 169/

452. Welk, weike, v. walked, iv. 174/

517; v. 111/830. Welken, sb. the sky, welkin, ii.

313/186; v. 165/339, 258/511. Welkid, adj. withered, iii. 99/

276. Welle, v. to well (up), v. 10/

215. Welme, v. to well up, vi. 48/1561. Welt, v. governed, iii. 202/20. Welwilty, adj. lucky, fortunate,

propitious, iv. 276/1208. Wem, sb. spot, blemish, ii. 358/

1 13 ; v. 29/930. Wemmeles, adj. spotless, pure,

iii. 30/47. Wende, v. to go, wend, ii. 91/

2107, 132/322. Wende, uenden, v. thought, in- tended, weened, ii. 107/288,

132/339, 299/82; iii. 20/605;

iv. 328/655, 329/688; vi. 226/

7441.

GLOSSART.

35.3

Wendynge, sb. departure, iv. 331/1316, 358/1408.

Wene, icenen, v. to think, sup- pose, ween, ii. 215/311 ; iii. 18/531,49/123,87/63.

Wene, sb. doubt, vi. 18/574.

Wenged, adj. winged, v. 273/ 1028.

Wente, sb. passage, road, path- way, iv. 257/738; v. 167/ 398.

Weminge, sb. weening, know- ledge, iii. 75/5; iv. "340/961; vi. 166/5439.

Wenyst, v. weenest, v. 177/743.

Wepe, v. to weep (pret. icep), ii. 8/230 ; iv. 146/941 ; v. 201/ 141.

Werche, sb. work, ii. 187/468.

Were, sb. doubt, fear, v. 194/ 1294, 239/471; vi. 167/5488, 171/5660, 173/5695, 174/5704.

Were, sb. wear, fishpond, iv. 226/35.

Were, v. to guard, ii. 79/1692.

Were, iceren, v. to wear, ii. 20/ 628, 22/680.

Wern, uerne, v. were, ii. 19/591, 194/1288.

Werne, v. to refuse, denv, warn, ii. 216/333; iv. 225/12, 304/ 83 ; v. 20/634, 35/1142, 78/n, 256/449, 264/707, 289/148.

Werraye,\. make war, iii. 2 1 2/342.

Werre, sb. war, v. 36/855, 173/ 614, 269/871.

Werre, v. to frighten, v. 82/p.

Werre, adj. worse, v. 173/615.

Werrene, v. to war against, v. 286/323.

Werreyour, sb. warrior, v. 291/ 18.

Werte, sb. wart, ii. 18/555.

Wers, adj. worse, v. 17'.» :'.!.!.

Werud, v. wore, ii. 60 10? I.

We-ry, v. to strangle, vi. 191/ 6i67.

We'vedy adj. wearied, v. 25/584.

Werye, v. to defend, ii. 107/299. IVessh, v. wash, iv. 326/618. Wessch, v. washed, ii. 70/1425. Westre, westren, v. to sink to- wards the west, vi. 276/24. Wete, v. to wet, iv. 270/1066. Wete, v. to know, to learn, v.

33/789, 158/112, 170/492. Wether, sb. a wether, vi. 191/

6262. Weting,wetynge, sb. knowledge,

iv. 340/961. Wex, sb. wax, ii. 21/675. II ex, iceex, v. increased, iv. 149/

1011. Weie, wexen, v. to grow, become,

(pret. wex), iv. 197/1088; v.

50/1443, 170/-188, 496, 197/

1088, 259/562. Wexwg, sb. growing, vi. 42/

1367. Westeii, pt. wist, knew, iv. 173/

501. Wey, adv. away, ii. 101/101. Wei/e, sb. way, road, ii. 15/467. Meyhe, weak*, v. 208/343. Weyked, adj. too weak, vi. 1 14/

4740. Weyghe, v. to weigh, ii. 15/454. Weyte, v. to wail, bewail, v. 9/

213. Weymentynge, sb. lamentation, ii.

29/44, 31/137 ; iv. 9/233. Weyve, tveyven, v. to waive, turn

aside, forsake, decline, ii. 179/

210 ; iii. 37/276 ; iv. 195/

1 I 151 1, . S2 1/574 ; v. 206/297, 302. What, interj. lo ! iv. 172/464. Whate, v. wat, knowest, iv. 7/

173. Wliat-so, adv. whether, ii. 17/

522. Whelk's, sb. blotches, pimples,

ii. 20/632. Wheuur, adv. whence, \i.

739. Wher, adv. whether, \. .'. '.'.»,/ 173.

356

GLOSSARY.

Whelte, v. to sharpen, v. 73/

1774. Whider, adv. whither, v. 21/486. FFfciei, si., wheel, iv. 142/839,

313/295. Whielen, v. to wheel, iv. 113/139. H7n'«7if, adj. white, ii. 13/561. WhU, adv. 'while, ii. 13/397. Whilke, adj. which, ii. 127/158. Whilom, adv. formerly, once, ii.

98/1, 280/8 ; v. 289/132. Whisprynges, sb. whisperings, v.

268/868. Whylom, adj. formerly, vi. 73/

2398. Wide-where, adv. wide-spread,

far and near, iv. 241/355. Widewe, sb. widow, ii. 9/253. Wierdes, sb. fates, destinies, iv.

250/568. Wifhode, sb. wifehood, the state

of a wife, v. 283/253. WifleSf adj. unmarried, ii. 318/1. Wifiii, adj. becoming a wife, ii.

291/233. Wight, sb. witch, ii. 107/293,

298. Wight, sb. person, ii. 17/537,

312/171. Wight, adj. active, swift, vi. 145/

4764. Wiket, sb. wicket, vi. 17/528. Wikke, adj. wicked, false, v. 250/

256. Wile, sb. craft, iv. 269/1628. Wilfully, adv. willingly, v. 181/

5944. Willing, sb. desire, vi. 179/5882,

181/5955. Willy, adj. favourable, ' leel

willy,' very favourable, vi.

257/627. Wilne, uiluen, v. to wish for, to

desire, iv. 237/216, 325/587;

v. 193/1261, 219/222. Willow, v. wilt thou, iv. 208/

1361.

Wily, adj. crafty, vi. 188/6186. Wirche, v. to work, ii. 102/122,

106/211, 113/478, 216/347,

322/139; iii. 45/545, 64/144,

173/8. Wirching, sb. working, ii. 293/

47. Wirken, v. to work, vi. 205/

6739. Wise, sb. manner, ii. 52/803. Widy, adv. truly, iv. 257/741. Wisshe, v. to wash, vi. 4/96. Wist, w iste, v. knew, perceive, ii.

19/595, 294/76 ; iv. 165/312,

241/355 ; vi. 132/4319. Wite, witen, v. to know, ii. 161/

614 ; iii. 48/68 ; iv. 308/170 ;

v. 276/7. Wite, unite, v. to lay the blame

upon, impute to, iv. 141/825. Witholde, v. withheld, ii. 17/511. Withouten, prep, without, ii. 17/

538 ; v. 146/1980. Withseye, wilhseyen, v. to con- tradict, deny, iii, 42/447 ; iv.

308/187. Witte, sb. senses, understand- ing, ii. 10/279; iii. 171/32. Witterly, adv. truly, iii. 102/387. Wittynge, sb.opinion, knowledge,

iv. 162/236. Wlatsom, adj. loathsome, iii. 221/

63-1. Wode, wood, adj. mad, violent,

ii. 63/1184. Wodenesse, sb. madness, iv. 257/

745. Wodewates, sb. the bird called

witwall, a woodpecker, vi. 21/

658, 28/914. Wodly, adv. madly, ii. 41/443. Wqfulleste, adj. most woful, iv.

312/275, 321/398. Woken, v. to become weak, iv.

346/1116. Wook, v. awoke, iii. 221/629. Wot, uvle, wolen. wollen, v. will,

GLOSSARY.

iii. 16/480; iv. 256/719; v.

313/262; vi. 163/5334. Wold adj. determined, v. 64/

1563. Wolde, v. would, ii. 7/192, 10/

308, 17/523, 18/548. Woldestow, v. would'st thou, v.

299/55. Wolt, v. wilt, ii. 109/345 ; v. 228/

123. Woltow, v. wilt thou, ii. 231/840;

v. 48/1157. Womanhead, ivommanhede, sb.

womanhood, iv. 278/1253, 296/

1691 ; v. 20/473, 89/90. Wommanisshe, adj. womanlike,

iv. 328/666. Wommanliche, adv. womanly, iv.

229/57,278/1247; v. 11/244. Ffonc/e, v. to desist through fear,

v. 313/262. Wonded, adj. wounded, iv. 178/

626. Wonder, wondur, sb. wonderful,

strange, ii. 16/502 ; v. 166/

3S5, 169/452. Wonderliche, wonderlych, adv.

wonderfully, iv. 252/629 ; v.

245/83, 249/237, 267; Wondren, v. to wonder, iv. 168/

368; v. 21/494. II imdrunve, sb. a wonder, iv.

154/35. Wonduvly, adv. wonderfully, ii.

14/415. Wone, sb. custom, habit, ii. 11/

335; iv. 166/318. Wone, sb. remedy, iv. 318/1 153. Wone, sb. deal, quantity, v. 169/

475; vi. 51/1673. Wone,wonen, v. to dwell, ii. 13/

388, 254/275, 273/163 ; v. 182/

888, 298/7. Wanes, sb. riches, iv. 191/201. Wonestow, v. dwellest thou, ii.

107/500. Wonger, sb. a support for the

cheek (wong), a pillow, iii.

137/201. Wonning, wonyng, sb. abode,

dwelling, ii. 19/606 ; v. 84/r,

94/282; vi. 185/6085, 186/

6122. Woo, sb. woe, ii. 12/351. Wood, sb. rage, vi. 9/276. Wood, adj. mad, violent, ii. 20/

636,49/720; iii. 85/1 ; v. 299/

31. Woode, v. to look madly, iii. 43/

467. Woodnes, woodnesse, sb. madness,

rage, ii. 62/1153, 106/266 ; in.

91/34, 175/9 ; iv. 281/1333. Woqf'ul, adj. woful, v. 57/1370. Wook, v. awoke, iii. 221/629. 11 oon, ivooue, sb. house, dwelling',

in. 1.33/90; v. 244/76. Woost, wost, v. knowest, iv. 211/

1429, 268/1004; v. 312. Woot, v. knows, ii. 106/264, 317/

5 ; iii. 21/621 ; iv. 241/550,

340/973 ; v. 16/371. Wopen, v. wept, v. 30/724. 11 orche, warehen, v. to work, v.

14/329, 179/814, 321/219 ; vi.

175/5740. Notching, worchynge, sb. 'work- ing, iii. 48/69'; vi. 191/6258. N ordlesse, adj. without words,

speechless, v. 101/516, 113/

879. Worschipful, adj. honoured, ii.

205. Wortes, sb. cabbages, iii. 241/

101. Worlhe, v. (o be, become, to get,

iii. 132/40; iv. 167/515, 191/

1011 ; vi. 184/6040. Wosloic, v. knowest thou, ii. 36/

298, 109/358, 225 562 : iii. 42/

444; v. 291/499; vi. 185/6078. Wot, v. know, knows, ii. 305/78. Wounder, sb. wonder, iv. 8/828. Wounder, adv. vvonderfullv, v,

182/1

358

GLOSSARY.

Woung,-toth, wong'toth, sb. check

tooth, iii. 203/54. Wow, wowe, v. to woo, v. 33/791,

45/1091. Wowke, sb. week, iv. 352/1250;

v. 21/492. Woxe, woxen, v. grew, grown, v.

42/1014, 57/1374, 1376, 101/

513. Wrastle, v. to wrestle, ii. 122/7. Wrastlynge, sb. wrestling, ii.

18/548. Wraththed, v. made angry, v.

190/1150. Wrawe, adj. peevish, angry, iii.

323/22, Wraweness, sb. peevishness, iii.

323/32. Wre, wrie, v. to cover, hide, con- ceal, iv.' 121/329, 168/380 ; v.

299/30. Wreche, wrecche, sb. wretch, ven- geance, ii. 190/581 ; v. 286/337. Wrechche,v!recches, adj. wretched, . v. 198/63, 237/411. Wreigh, v. covered, iv. 268/

1007 ; v. 313/276. Wreke, v. to avenge, v. 288/395. Wreker, sb. avenger, iv. 63 361. Wren, wre, v. to hide, iv. 174/

539. Wrenches, sb. stratagems, wiles,

iii. 62/70. Wrene, v. cover, vi. 2/56. Wreste, v. to force, vi. 237/47. Wreth, sb. wrath, anger, v. 7/

147. Wrethe, v. to make angry, iv.

232/125. Wretlicninfere, v. twisted toge- ther, iv. 89/57. Wreye, v. to betray, ii. 108/321 ;

iii. 8/216 ; iv. 236/235. Wreyingj v. betraying, iii. 320/11. Wriched, adj. wretched, iv. 255/

687. Wriches, sb. wretches, iv. 263/

884.

Wnede, v. turned aside, ii. 101/

97. Wright, sb. artisan, workman, ii.

20/614. Wrine, v. to cover, vi. 208/6821. Wringe, v. to twist, v. 273/1020. Writhe, v. entwined, iv. 275,

1182. Wroken, v. revenged, iv. 116/207. Wronge, v. wrung, iv. 330/710. Wroot, v. wrote, iv. 207/1325;

v. 66/1596, 1602. Wroote, wrote, v. to dig with the

snout, as swine do, iii. 270/27. Wroth, wrothe, adj. angry, ii. 15/

451; v. 194/1293. Wrye, wryen, v. to hide, to keep

secret, 'ii. 305/103; iv. 174/

537, 250/571. Wrythe, v. to turn, iv. 299/1780. Wundurliche, adv. wonderfully,

iv. 137/729. Wurchyng, sb. work, vi. 187/

6126\ Wyd, adj. wide, ii. 16/491. Wydder, adj. wider, v. 233/289. Wyfhode, s'b. wifehood, v. 292/

545. Wyghte, sb. weight, iv. 209/

1385 ; v. 283/231. Wyke, sb. week, iv. 170/430. Wykke, adj. had, vi. 29/925. Wyle, sb. device, craft, v. 93/

231, 175/672. Wyle, adj. crafty, iv. 164/271. Wymmen, sb. women, ii. 8/213

v. 291/484. Wympel, wympil, sb. head-cover- ing, v. 301/108, 114. Wymplid, adj. wimpled, ii. 15/

470. Wyn, sb. wine, ii. 11/334, 13/

396, 20/635. Wyndas sb. windlas, ii. 360/176. Wi/nd-meUe, sb. windmill, v. 248/

190. Wyndre, sb. to wind, enshroud,

vi. 32/1020.

GLOSSARY.

359

fl >innc, wynnen, v. to win, ob- tain, ii. 14/427, 19/594, 23/ 713 ; v. 33/792 ; vi. 176/5786.

Wynnyng, sb. gain, ii. 9/275 ; v. 269/875 ; vi. 174/5726, 5728.

Wynsyng, adj. lively, ii. 101/77.

II ynt, v. turns, v. 278/85.

IVyntennyte, sb. a common sort of covering- for the winter; myte signifies a mantle, also a cuff, glove, iii. 213/382.

II 'ys, adj. wise, ii. 10/309, 13/ 105.

U'ysely, adv. truly, iv. 203/1230, 286/1452.

IVysse, v. to teach, direct, v. 84/v.

Wysshe, sb. wish, v. 175/670.

Wyst, wyste, v. knew, ii. 23/711, 133/362; iv. 259/791.

Wyte, v. to blame, ii. 97/32 ; iv. 227/14,255/690.

IVyten, v. to learn, iv. 162/226 ; v. 55/1324.

Wyvere, sb. serpent, iv. 266/961.

Y, pro. 1,273/1027, 289/446. Yat, v. gave, ii. 8/227, 81/1877 ;

iii. 15/437; vi. 36/1159, 72/

2339. Yare, adv. ready, ii. 141/90. Yarhenyng, sb. jargon, vi. 22/

716. Yate, sb. gate, ii. 310/75; iv.

244/420 ; v. 248/204, 219/211 ;

vi. 174/5725. Y-bake, p. p. baked, v. 298/4. Y -be, y-ben, y-been,"p.p. been, iv.

Dl/190 ; v. 244/48, 259/248. ) bedded, p. p. laid in bed, v.

15/3 Hi. ) bete, v. beati a, iv. I'M..' 10, _ 272/1120; v. 240/533. Y-bleut, v. blinded, deceived, \.

174/616; vi. 50 1610. Y-blowe, p.p. blown, published,

iv. 123/384; v. 244/49, 260

574. i

Y-bore, y-borne, p. p. borne, iv. 165/298; v. 227/82; vi. *78/ 16. Y-bounden, p. p. bound, iv. 309/

201. Y-brend, y -brent, p. p. burnt, consumed, v. 13/309, 237/432. Y-broken, y-broke, p.p. broken,

v. 232/257, 262. Y-brought, p. p. brought, ii. 276/ " 568; v. 1/11.

Y-buried, p. p. buried, ii. 30/88. Y-callid, p.p. called, ii. 240/267. Y-cleped, y-clepud, p.p. called,

named, ii. 13/410; v. 258/535. 5 -closed, p. p. closed, iv. 192/

967. Y-comen, p. p. come, iv. 314/338 ;

v. 22/512. Y-corouned, p. p. crowned, v.

_ 282/219. Y-corven, p. p. carved, v. 248/

205. Y-crasyd, cracked, v. 165/324. Y-darted, p. p. pierced, iv. 309/

212. Ydel, adj . idle, v. 5/94. Y~delnesse,sb. idleness, v. 190/1154. Ydo, y-doo, ydon, p. p. done, iii.

16/468; iv. 203/1245; v. 192/

1235. Ydole, sb. idol, v. 174/625. Ydolastre, sb. idolator, ii. 35o/

1054. Y-doon, p. p. done, v. 261/722. Y-drawe, p. p. drawn, ii. 30/86;

iv. 259/804. Ye, sb. eve, iv. 24/695 ; v. 160/

184, 281/184. Ye, yea, ii. 114/533.

yeden, v. went, 68/270; iv.

191/936. Yeddynges, sb. the singing of ro- mance ballads, ii. 8/237. Yeeldyng, sl>. produce, ii. I 1/596 Yeer, sb. year, ii. 12/347, 19/601. Yeftis, sb. gifts, vi. 167/5484, c c

3G0

GLOSSARY.

Yeldehulle, sb. guild-hall, ii. 12/

370. Yelde, yehlen, v. to yield, give,

requite, ii. 261/64 ; iv. 151/

1054, 314/319. Yelowe, yelue, adj. yellow, ii. 21/

675; v. 181/856." Yelpe, v. to boast, ii. 69/1380. 1 ernan, sb. a servant of middling

rank, a bailiff', ii. 4/101. Yemede, v. kept, guarded, ii. 148/'

267. Yene, yen, sb. eyes, ii. 190/573,

195/750, 215/315 ; v. 96/352,

208/339, 251/291 ; vi. 17/544,

546. Yard, sb. rod, staff, yard, ii. 43/

529; iii. 110/97, 322/33 ; iv.

211/1427, 268/1017. Yeme, adj. brisk, quick, iii. 88/

112 ; iv. 240/327, 304/84. Yerne, v. to desire, iv. 231/103,

308/170; v. 188/1091. Ycmynge, sb. desire, vi. 181/

5954. Yeve, v. to give, ii. 8/223. 140/

48 ; iv. 320/478 ; vi. 36/1157,

73/2373, 2375. Yecynge, sb. giving, v. 29/685,

197/47. Y-falle, p. p. fallen, v. 166/384. Y-fare, v. goon,iv. 347/1141. Y-fere, together, iv. 195/1037,

203/1249, 246/466. Y-Jied, p.p. fled, iv. 327/633. Y-folowed, p. p. followed, v. 167/

390. Y-formed, p. p. formed, iv. 318/

423. Y-founde, p.p. found, v. 35/834. Y -founded, p.p. settled, v. 183/

921. *V'e> ygl'en> sb. eyes, ii. 195/

740 ; v. 174/633. Y-ghcn, eyes, sb. iii. 72/407. Y-glasyd, p. d. glazed, v. 1(55/

323.'

Y-goo, v. gone, v. 233/294.

y '-grave, p. p. buried, v. 160/164.

Y-grave, p. p. engraven, v. 244/

46. Y-grounde,Y).\->. sharpened, ii.78/

1691. Y-grounded, p. p. established, v.

183/920. Y-hedde, p. p. hidden, v. 16u/

175. Y-hid, p. p. hidden, ii. 291/230. Y-hight, p.p. called, v. 23/511. Yholde, p.p. holdcn, held, iv.

241/456; v. 248/196. Yhote, called, v. 261/629. Yif, v. give, ii. 260/38,42. Yiftes, sb. gifts, ii. 273/446, 320/

70; iv. 73/2381, 316/364. Yis, adv. yes, v. 235/356. Yit, adv. yet, ii. 10/291, 11/322 ;

v. 163/277. Yive, v. to give, ii. 8/234, 229/

771; v. 162/242, 317/398 ; vi.

176/5791. Yknet, p. p. knit, fastened, iv.

295/1685. Y-knowe, p.p. known, iv. 319/

455, 329/691 ; v. 167/392, 199/

99, 263/680. Y-knyled, v. kneeled, v. 314/307. Y-koude, v. learnt, v. 175/665. Y-laft, p. p. left, iv. 309/199 ; v.

179/791. Y-lik, yliche, adv. alike, ii. 234/

78, 275/515, 286/61 ; iv. 231/

95 ; vi. 111/3630. Y-limid, p.p. limed, caught as

with bird-lime, ii. 234/78. Y-lissed, eased, alleviated, iii. 15/

440; 152/1089. Ylk, ylke, adj. the same, ii. 330/

397; v. 163/265. Ylorn, ylorne, ylost, adj. lost, iv.

351/1222 ; v. 247/167, 277/27. Yli/che, adv. alike, v. 179/802, ^194/1287. Ymaade, p.p. made, v. 293/550.

GLOSSARY.

3G1

Ymdhed, p. p. made, v. 279/122. Ymugeries, sb. imageries, v. 2 I.V

100. Ymagynacioun, sb. imagination,

v. 287/355. Ymarked, p.p. marked, v. 243/

J. Y masked, p. p. meshed, entangled

in meshes, iv. 295/1685. Yment, p. p. remembered, v. 262/

£52 Ymet, p. p. met, iv. 176/586. Ymeqnd, ymeynt, p. p. mingled,

ii. 67/1312 ; vi. 251/157. " Ympes, sb. branches, vi. 192/

6296. Ympne, sb. hymn, v. 289/422. Ynfortune, sb. misfortune, vi.

169/5554. Ynli/, adv. exceedingly, v. 163/

276. Ynne, adv. in, vi. 20/623. Ynome, v. took, v. 9/190. Ynorissed, p. p. nurtured, v. 34/

821. Ynowgh} adv. enough, vi. 64/

2088. Yolde, ' ben yolde,' Lad yielded,

iv. 274/1162. Yolden, p. p. yielded, repaid, ii.

94/2194, vi. 139/1556. Yonde, adj. yonder, v. 108/732. Yonge, adj. young, ii. 21/66 1. Yonghede, sb. youth, vi. 11/351. Yore, yoore, adv. long ago, of

yore, v. 14/324. Youre, of you, iv. 306/1 10. Yow, pro. you, ii. 23/720. Yove, v. given, vi. 170/5572. Yoxe, v. to hiccup, ii. 129/230. YpteijiUed, complained, bewailed,

v.'66/1610. Yied, p. p. read, iv. 332/771. Yren, sb. iron, ii. 16/500. Yronge, p. p. rung, v. 259/565. Yronne, p. p. run, iv. 190/907,

228/35 ; v. 1 18 2072; n. 13,

1396.

Yrouiul, v. whispered, v. 273

1017. Ysuyede=ysayd, said, v. 163/270. Yscheite, p. p. shut, iv. 234/184. Yse, sb. ice, v. 243/40. Yse, yseye, ysene, ysee, v. see,

seen, ii. 19/592 ; "iv. 334/810 ;

v. 19/448, 161/205, 233/296,

251/277. Ysent, v. sent, v. 239/476. Yserved, p. p. served, v. 19/437,

71/1735. Yselte, p. p. placed, set, iv. 327/

646. Yshapen, p. p. ordained, iv. 275/

1191. Yshewed, p. p. shown, v. 52/

1251. Yshore, p. p. shorn, shaved, iv.

340/968. Yshove, p.p. spread abroad, v.

298/21. Yslaine, Vilai/n, p.p. slain, v.

120/1114. Yspoken, v. spoken, v. 232/258. Yspreynd, p. p. sprinkled, ii. 67/

1311. Ysonge, ysongen, p.p. sung, iv.

332/771; v. 44/1059,251/307,

284/270. Ysouen, p. p. sown, v. 254/398. Ystalled, p.p. installed, v. 250

274. Yiteke, adj. confined, ii. 158/563. Ystertf p.p. escaped, ii. 49/734. Ystrawed, p.p. strewn over, v.

174/628. Yswore, p. p. sworn, v. 316/360. Yt, pro. it, v. 279/107. Ytake, p. p. taken, iv. 274/1119. Y-teyed, p. p. tied, ii. 15/ 157. JTrressed, p.p. tressed, v. 84/810. Y-iwiinned, p. p. separated, iv.

332/760. Yvoyre, sb. ivory, v. 183/945. r'» i nfe, v. gone, v. 238/ 168. i'u is, adv. truly, vi. 19, i576.

302

GLOSSARY.

Yicmnie, p. p. obtained, iv. 203/

1236. Yworthe, p.p. become, v. 172/

578. Ywoxen, p.p. waxen, become, v.

12/275, 30/708. Ywrien, p. j). hidden, kept secret,

iv. 284/1402 ; v. 174/627. Ywriten, p.p. written, v. 44/

1059.

Yiorithen, p.p. twisted, ;'\. 6/

160. Ywroke, p. p. avenged, v. Qbj

589. Ywrouglit, p.p. worked, v. 165/

S%7. \ wrye, p. p. bidden, iv. 367/

1626. Yivys, ywiisse, truly, certainly, vi.

89/2914, 225/7398.

APPENDIX TO GLOSSARY

«&|WGRISE,v.to shud- der, ii. 188/516. Agroleyd, v. cloyed, surfeited, v. 3.52/ 61. Amorettes, sb. love- tricks, ticklings, dalliances, vi. 145/4758-9 ; primroses, vi. 28/842. Appose, v. to question, iii. 40/363. Attry, adj. poisonous, pernicious, iii. 313/14.

Barme, delete in Glossary. Behight, v. promised, iii. S/60.

Culkiled, v. calculated, iii. 18/

548. ('mi, v. knows, iii. 3, 'til. Cered poketts, sb. pots or bags

fastened with wax, iii. 53/

255. Chamayle, sb. a camel, ii. 315/20. Cheve, adj. chief, v. 327/292. Chyt, v. chidetli, complaineth,

in. 57/368. Colver, sb. a dove, v. 31 Come, sb. coming, advent, iii. 39/

3-13. rors, curse, ii. 165/779. Countour, sb. counting-house, iii.

109/85,114/249.

Crece, increase, offspring", vi. 149/ 1878.

Darrewe, v. to contest, ii. 51/ 773.

Deed, v. put to death, ii. 133/350.

lh ;ese, sb. grief, trouble, iii. 19/ 578.

Deyne, adj. fine, quaint (said ironically), ii. 123/44.

Diffame, sb. reputation (in a bad sense), ii. 301/121 ; v. 130/ 1 t55. (Compare defame, ii. 295/92.)

Drede, sb. doubt, ii. 298/25,304/ 51.

Draw, drowe, sb. drew, iii. 9/237.

Didcamon, sb. iv. 263/882. " A certain proposition found out by Pythagoras ; upon which account he offered an ox in sacrifice to the Gods, in token of thankfulness, and called it Dulcarnon. Whence the Word is taken by Chaucer, and other old English writers, for any hard knotty question or point." — Kesey's Phillips, ed. 1706.

n, v. to make old vi. 13/ 391,

304

APPENDIX TO GLOSSARY.

/ list, adv. ' never erst,' never before, iii. 9/253.

Ferde, v. behaved, ii. 43/514. Fest, sb. fist, iii. 262/35. i'or, prep, for fear of, ii. 9/276. For-drunken, adj. very drunk,

ii. 96/12. For-ofte, very often, vi. 149/

4879. For-old, very old, ii. 66/1284. For-tened, adj. utterly teened

(see teene), vi. 149/4878. Formes, forous, furrows, sb. vi.

300/12; vi. 318/12. Frot, sb. fruit, v. 270/927. Funslone, sb. fontstone (font),ii.

192/625.

Gehtilesce, gentilesse, sb. conduct befitting one of gentle birth, iii. 25/780, 783.

Gnodded, kneaded, vi. 317/11.

Grate, sb.? an error for gate, entrance, ii. 269/307.

Grave, sb. buried, iii. 9/248.

Hardily, adv. surely, certainly,

v. 47/1124, 54/1306. Heer, adv. here, ii. 314/232. Heven, sb. haven, iii. 31/75. Hevytee, sb. heaviness, v. 330/57. Hight, sb. promised, iii. 19/587.

Isteked, sb. stabbed, iii. 24/738.

Kynde, sb. nature, ii. 369/123 ; 'iii. 30/41 .

Leed, sb. cauldron, copper, ii.

7/202. Leede, sb. people, ii. 140/61,

141/71. Leve, v. allow, permit, grant, iv.

227/7; v. 73/1764. Likerovs, adj. desirous, iii. 14/

391.

Lister (Litestere), a dyer, vi. 301 /

17. Lolyng, v. lui-king, iii. 34/186. Lowlte, sb. a good-for-nothing

fellow, a thief, a decoy, ii.

138/51.

Maisty, adj. v. 263/687, fat, through feeding on acorns or mast.

Marchaunte, sb. merchant, vi. 170/5594, 180/5908,181/5942.

Manye, mania, madness, ii. 43/ 516.

Meke, v. to humble, iii. 187/5 ; vi. 108/3541.

Melle, sb. mill, vi. 300/6.

Monstre, a marvellous appear- ance, iii. 20/608.

Mothe, sb. word, v. 272/986.

Needes-cost, adv. of necessity, ii. 46/619.

On, adj. one, iii. 2/6. OonedfV. united, ii. 267/260.

Panade, sb. a long knife, ii. 122/9.

Pcssessioneres, sb. religious com- munities holding endowments, ii. 260/14.

Poudre-merchant-tart, a sharp flavouring powder for meat, ii. 13/381.

Poumage, pasturage (food of cattle), vi. 300/7; vi. 317/7.

Queinte, queue nt, queynte, adj.

cunning, ii. 101/89; 126/131,

217/361. Quyeme, sb. mill, vi. 317/6.

Rabewyures, sb. Speght reads babeuries, which he renders antiquets, v. 245/99.

i Rape, adj. quick, ii. 142/101.

I Rede, adj. red, v. 237/433.

APPENDIX TO GLOSSARY.

oG5

Remembre, v, 507.

to remind, iii. 17/

Repreve, v. to reprove, iii. 26/793. Rode, sb. complexion, ii. 102/

131 ; iii. 131/16. Rys, sb. boughs, brandies, ii.

166/771.

Saltoe, adj. sallow, v. 268/816. Sanure, see Sore-sanure, iii. 13/

385. Seih, v. saw, iii. 5/122. Smerte, sb. smart, pain, iii. 61

128. Simf, adj. solitary, ii. 313/836. Stamex, sb. a kind of cloth,

ct'. stamen, a kind of fine

worsted, v. 349/131. Siepe, adj. bright, ii. 21/753. Swete, sb. sweet one. sweet

heart, iii. 9/250. Swymbul, sb. a moaning sound,

ii. 61/1121. Sue, v. to sink, fall, v. 8/182.

Torettz, probably rings that will turn round, because they pass through an eye which is a little larger than the thick- ness of the ring, ii. 63/1294.

Tosked, adj. having a tusk, iii. 17/578.

Trental, sb. a service of thirty

masses, ii. 259/9. Triste, adj. faithful, v. 286/333. Tydif, sb. the titmouse, v. 280/

15 I .

Veyn, adj. vain, ii. 34/236.

Welde, sb. power, vi. 13/395.

IVcllyd, welde, sb.; weld, a plant producing a yellow dye " re- seda luteola;" cf. "uolde, herbe, or uoode (or wad or welde) san- dix." " II tide or uolde herbe, sandix, attriplex," (Prompl. Parv.),vi. 301/17; vi. 318/17.

U'ente, p. p. gone, v. 19/444, 23/ 546, 75/1822.

Wente, sb. the act of walking (or riding) up and down, v. 25/60, 50/1194.

Wike, sb. week, iii. 19/559.

Wisse, v. to teach, v. 270/934.

Woo, wo, adj. sorrowful, v. 182/ 895; vi. 10/312.

Woade, wod, sb. woad. vi. 301/17.

Wyndre, v. to bring to a point (by twisting), 6/32/1020.

Ydd, ' in ydel,' in vain, iii. 96/

180, 313/33. Voir, sb. a ewe, iii. 35-179.

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