From MS. Trin. R. 3. 19, fol. 128; collated with the print of the same in (S.) Stowe's edition (1561). I note some rejected readings of the MS. 1. tymeros; tremlyng. 3. poort. 4. none. 9. matere. 10. Poemys; Virgile. 11. Galfride. 15. termys. 17. honoure. 18. wille; S. wil. 19, 20, 23. thowe. 24. the; anone. 25. miste.

28. litill. 29. courte. 30. bene. 31. beseche. 32. whate; nede. 34. woo. 35. soo. 36. myne. 39. kynde. 41. pleasure. 48. courte. 49. mounte. 51. maiestie. 52. sonne. 53. Cupyde; blynde; dignyte. 54. theire kne. 55. bidde; S. bid. in (read on). to pere (read tapere). 56. Marcury. 57. be; S. by. ferre. 58. whate; that it drewe (read to it drew). 59. courte. 60. se (read sey). 61. knewe. 62. courte; nye. 63. fulle faste; hie.

64. overtoke; seide. 65. Haile; wende. 66. Forsothe; one; mayde. 67. courte nowe goo. 71. withynne. 74. behelde. 76. bespredde. 77. stone; S. stones. werke. 79. thanne; emerawde. 80. Bales turkes. 82. bene. 83. shone; pease. 84. trespace; tweyne. 86. founde; faste. 87. harte. 88. maste. 89. gynith; S. ginneth. 90. please. 94. whate. 97. discrive; S. descrie. 98. sawe; none. 100. Withynne; oute.

102. sawe; verely. 103. whate; deyses; signifie. 104. floure. 105. yit; S. it. kepte; soioure. 108. obeide. 111, 117. theire. 112. whate; cowde. 113. nere (twice). 116. silke. 119. Helise. 121. beseen. 123. theire; sawe; twayn. 124. frett; payne. 125. drynke. 126. ryaltie; S. rialtee. 128. bene. 129. nere. 130. disdeyne. 132. I supply non. 133. ye; S. eye. 134. stode. 136. shapyn liche; darte. 137. Sherpe. 138. shone.

139. Disshivill crispe downe. 140. southly; spake. 141. the; faire. 143. weneth (S. wōneth). howe; eyre. 144. Grete; crafte; grete; delite. 146. occupie. 147. Cithare; nowe swete. 148. spake. 149. worde; harde. 150. myne; aduerte. 151. witte; harde. 152. bewtie; ferde. 154. Whenne. 155. whate. 157. sone. 162. howe; whate. 163. come; whate. 164. sene; Courte. 166. aske; grete. 167. none; come; courte. 171. Mercurius (see l. 56). 172. gentill feire; nowe. 173. whate thowe; S. what tho (i.e. then). 174. youre fre wille. 175. dide; wille.

176. reigne. 177. ease. ioylof; S. ialous (read iolif). 178. Youre dewtie; ferre; canne. 179. courte; youre. 181. knowe. 182. whanne youre fote; spanne. 183. be (for by); wilfull. 184. kepte youre. 185. youre (often). 186. motte. 188. S. Amidde the sea. rayne. 189. That(!); S. Then. payne. 190. suche; absente. 191. courte. 192. sone. 193. wille; youre coloure. 194. most bayte. 195. agoone. 196. drawe; Courte. 197. se howe rowhe (S. rough). 198. shewe; se. 199. myne; knele downe; aske. 201. welle; wolle none. 202. Comforte; none; councell; youre ease. 203. wille; thanne. 204. Iche. 207. please howe. 208. myne owen. 209. sprite.

211. the; S. that. 212. worche. 214. benigne harte. 215. myghtes (read might is). 216. lyste; correcte. 217. punyssh; enfecte. 221. gode; founde. 222. grounde. 223. cupide. 225. behild; S. behelde. 226. Seyng. 227. folke; wild (S. welde). 228. Theire; wele; case. 229. shone; wyndowes; glasse. 230. feire. 231. fressh. 232. bewtie. 235. penytyng (!). 237. aboute. 238. howe; feale. 239. stonyed; S. astonied. 240. thoo folke. 241. hade. 244, 245. theire. 246. To (!); read Lo; folke; blewe. 247. coloure.

248. signe. 249. southly. 250. calle. 251. bene. 252. ferre; sherpe. 253. whate done. 254. hermytes. 256. theire woo. 257. goo 258. Frely; suche libertie. 259. eche. 260. none. 261. made. 262. courte; fre; euerichone. 263. wille. 264. arraye. 265. mekely. 266. theire harte. 267. aboute. 268. se; come; high (S. hie). 269. commaunde. 270. -oute; courte; crye. 271. newe; wote; whye. 272. luste; youe sone. 273. Come nere; se; wille mote nede; done. 275. Tremelyng (S. Trembling); hewe. 277. unto the tyme (om. the); knewe. 278. yove (S. yeue); trewe. 279. laste. 280. sterne; whate. 281. ferre. 282. courte.

284. coude; espye. 285. myne; eny; myne ye. 286. gane. 287. nowe; submytte. 289. thowe; trewe. 290. seruen(!); thyne. 291. thanne. 292. Thowe shalte. 293. owe youre crowne. 295. sene; euerychone. 296. hie. 297. oure; shewe; one by one. 298. statutis; courte. 299. boke; leide; her (S. their); ye. 300. se whate; most. 301. courte. 302. redde. 303. statutis; courte; halle. 304. firste statute. 307. kynde. 308. coude thynke; harte; wille; mynde. 309. secunde statute secretely. 311. knowe; and (read or). 312. sowne. 315. kynde. 316. thridde statute. 317. om. the (supplied in S.). 318. None; woo.

319. brynde delite. 320. Withoute. 323. statute. 324. folke; fire. 325. aboute. 326. hote desire. 327. howe. 328. kepte; displease. 329. ease. 330. statute. 332. squymouse. 333. veryeuly (S. verely); statute. 335. crueltie. 336. harte exilyn. 337. statute. 339. bewtie. 340. thinke; I supply it. 341. thynke. 342. Howe. 343. woo. 344. statute. 347. helden (sic). 348. othe. 350. And shewing (om. And). 351. statute. 353. hourely laboure; grete attendaunce (S. enttendaunce). 354. harte entier.

356. fire; S. faire. 357. debonayre. 358. statute. 361. displease. 363. mekely; yerde. 365. statute; discerne. 367. thynke; arte; yerne. 373. thyne harte. 374. disdayne. 375. the. 376. yf (S. giue); reyne. 377. libertie. 378. ellis. 379. statute. knowe (read con). 380. Ie (for y). 381. lowe; kowigh (for cough). 382. ofte. 383. bring vp (om. vp). 384. moche resorte. 385. sporte. 386. statute. 387. payne; haste. 389. thou or thon (S. then); thynke; goo. 392. bette.

393. statute. 394. Whate; please. 395. thyne hartes. 396. think; I supply it; thyne ease. 397. sent (read send); harte pease (read herte apese). 398. letre; devise. 400. statute; shalte. 401. Formely; parte. 402. Wisshe. 403. thy nyghtes hartes wife (om. nyghtes). 405. whanne. 406. merely. 408. statute. 409. frende. 410. thynke. 411. shuld. 412. beste. 413. semyth (S. semth). 414. thinke; fayre. 415. Cowde. 416. thinke; wykked (read wikke); appaier. 417. Sklaunderyng; estate. 418. debate. 419. fawte; thyne ye. 421. statute. 422. counterfete. 423. honoure; -whare. 424. I supply for her; boldely. 425. gode; gostely. 426. harte.

428. Agayne; plesire. 429. wille. 430. shalte thowe. 431. crowe. 432. whate; the wille forbidde. 433. Eschewe; souerentie. 434. Hir appetide felawe (sic; S. appetite folowe). 435. statute. 436. please. 437. morowe. 438. drynke; thyne ease. 439. thyne; dyssease. 440. wynne; alle. 441. courte; shalle. 442. fewe thynke; statute. 443. reason. 445. please; ofte. 446. none othe; statute. 448. Nowe; garlant; folke. 449. (From this point, I cease to give minute corrections of spelling, such as are given above.) 451. fel (read ful). 452. delite. 455. hard; statute redde. 458. fonne. 460. In the remembraunce (I omit the). 461. And (read As).

466. It (read Yit). 468. gam; S. game. 469. bidde (read bit). 470. holy. 471. please. 476. mastresse. 481. but(!); read been. 483. the (for 1st they; S. thei). 490. be (for by). MS. savioure(!); S. soueraine. 492. hartes. 495. MS. revowe; S. renewe; I supply all. 497. made. 499. sene(!). 500. wonne; S. won. be (for by).

508. cherely (S. clerely); shone. 510. they (read ye). 517. herkyn. 518. othe; made. 519. loues (!); S. leaues. 523. bene. 524. statute (read statuts; see 520). 525. hie. 526. kepten ben. 527. ecchone. 528. owen. 531. youe; S. yeue. 534. guyse. 535. thengene.

541. be (for by). 542. sugre. 543. hart. 547. youen; S. yeuen. 548. Or; S. Of. yove; S. yeue. 551. widue; S. widowe. 552. Or (!); S. For. 554. guyde. 556. Cithera. 557. I supply the; enfluence. 559. ladis (S. ladies); please. 560. hart; ease. 561. prayer (for pray her). 563. hart. 565. filicite. 574. hote. 575. feele; S. fele.

579. woo. 580. blessedfull; S. blissedful. 581. bene. 582. ponysshe. 583. counterfete. 584. dye; S. deie. 587. Baron (read Barein); S. Barain. 588. alleide. 590. blisse. 592. eternel (read eterne); I-hired (read y-heried). 594. wanne. 595. woman vnto woman (!); S. woman unto man. 599, 613. hartes. 605. I supply to. 608. faute; excercised. 611. celcitude. 614. Compersion; S. Comparison. 615. made.

618. I supply that. 626. godely. 628. Beseche. 632. Lucorne; S. Liquor (!). 634. vse (!); S. vre. 635. harte. 637. blissed; S. blessed. 643. yove (S. yeue); to me (S. me aie, which seems better). 644. and nedely most (om. and). 648. be (for 1st by). 650. vision. 651. se (read sey). 654. I supply that; shone. 655. fercid.

663. by; S. be. 669. hartes hie. 671. guyde. 673. harte. 674. affeccion. 675. hart; styke. 679. hartes. 682. for to (om. for). 684. in kepen (!); S. I kepen. 687. preice. 689. harte; peice.

695. ye. 697. wounderly. 698. hie. 699. Who; read Whos. 704. harte. 705. piteously; S. pitously. 708. haue (!); read half. 710. Assliken (read Aslaken); S. Asken (!). 711. gryfe; S. grief. 714. womanhode (!). 717. meane; ease. 718. owen. 721. please. 724. witte. 725. spryngen (sic). 726. dowte. 729. sene. 730. sonne.

731. demeane. 732. spede; S. speke (a needless alteration). 733. MS. mir and ioye and blisse; S. mirrour ioye and blisse. 738. abeisen. 740. withouten. 742. is (read as); supply is; youen (S. yeuon). 745. be; S. by. 747. think; S. thanke. 749. the (= þe, error for ye); S. thei (!). 751. fayne. 755. opon. 756. piteously; S. pitously. 757. faier. 758. vertuse (sic). 759. heire (!). 760. ote (!); S. hote. 764. godely; whoes.

768. ye (read ee). 769. harte. 770. you (!); S. yeue. 772. grete. 776. toke. 777. harte. 781. lylly. 782. loueliessh (!); S. liuelishe. flawe (for flave). 794. prengnaunte. 800. stand. 801. one. 802. oders (!); S. odours; found. 803. switnesse; S. swetenesse.

806. pease; hidde. 807. bewry; S. bewraie. 808. bidde. 811. her intresse (read here in tresses). 812. kepte (perhaps for kempt). 820. I supply but. 821. I supply yet. MS. alcenia (!). 823. eurosa (!). 825. stode. 828. delite. 832. godely. 834. toke. 840. folowith. 841. I supply the and all. 843. I (!); S. ye.

846. give (!); read grief. 847. harte (!); read harm. 850. mekely. 852. require (!). 856. harte. 857. meke. 862. and me (S. me); read my. 868. rase. 870. delite. 871. please; harte. 872. I supply old. 874. thynkes (sic). 876. Eprent (for Enprent). 878. becommen. 879. owyn; S. owne. 880. most. 882. yf (= yif); S. giue.

883. one; harte. 884. refute. 886. allegaunce (!). 890. gode wille. 893. cheryssh. 894. gref. 896. southly. 897. and (!); read I. 902. sene (sic). 908. vppon; read on. 909. nete (error for note = noot). 910. hete (error for hote = hoot). 911. hart why (rest of line blank; I supply make it straunge). 914. For (!); S. Fro. 915. harte. 918. goddes (S. gods); read god.

921. harte. 922. beganne. 924. I supply lo; nobly (S. nobleye). 927. done (sic). 928. growen (sic); S. greuen. 939. clere; hatter (S. hotter); ye. 944, 945. done, sone. 946. ye. 948. syke; read seke. 950. serchynne; read serchen in. 951. wynne. 952. abide (read byde); thowe; kynne. 954. guyse. 955. rewth. 956. owen; lawly. 958. thowe. 959. most.

963. Cease (twice). 965. optayne. 968. rightwose (!). 970. ye may gise (or gife) this wounder wide (no sense). 973. Alas thanne youre (om. thanne); crueltie. 974. gote. 975. fostered and Ifedde. 977. Ispedde. 984. arst. 985. spritis. 993. sauf. 994. ar (for er).

998. Aryse anon quod (om. anon). 999. nytirtale. 1001. made. 1004. I supply ye. 1006. myne harte. 1007. harte; ease. 1008. please. 1009. steutes (!); error for statuts. 1014. most. 1018. thynke that it (I omit that). 1021. godely. 1023. phelobone. 1027. officers him shewe for (om. him shewe). 1030. easy pase. 1031. I supply ther.

1032. felowe. 1033. asperaunce. 1034. stode. 1035. aduersary (!). 1036. displesire (!); for Despair (see l. 1047). 1038. dysseyuene (!); error for dysseyuen. 1039. Throwest (!); S. Trowest. 1041. his (!); read hers; I supply they. 1043. gode; louith. 1048. hote. 1054. dye. 1059. Stode one. 1062. thynketh; S. thinkth. 1063. I supply hool. 1064. synne; begonne. 1065. reason. 1066. delite.

1068. appityde (!); stirre (S. stere). 1069. synne; reason. 1070. I supply dost; do wyn (read to win). 1071. synne. 1072. verely. 1073. synne; vise. 1074. synne. 1076. For verray loue may not thy freyle desire akkele (too long). 1077. I supply verray; synne. 1078. pynne. 1081. stode. 1083. woman (!). 1085. beawe. 1089. her; S. here. 1091. godely. 1094. abite. 1097. gode. 1098. sene. 1099. bene.

1106. synne. 1108. hire (!); S. here. 1114. monke; read monks. 1115. course (S. curse); abbes. 1120. aftir than other happly. 1122. libartie. 1124. appetide (!). 1127. matiers (!). 1134. revist. 1136. woo; petiously. 1138. beholde (perhaps read beheld); dispiteously. 1139. ye.

1142. gold (!); read gode or good. 1145. eas; gode. 1146. Not in the MS.; supplied by Stowe. 1150. prange (and so in S.). 1151. woo; boune. 1152. dye. 1156. stode. 1157. ware. 1159. mantaylles. 1161. there; S. their. 1168. shappe; bewtie. 1173. wordes (!). 1176. to endure. 1177. Sic. 1179. sent; perhaps read shent.

1182. blissed full (!). 1183. widue. 1184. my (read me); I supply of. 1186. forth (S. for). 1187. ded (for did). 1189. Chife. 1192. hode. 1198. toke. 1199. blasshed (for blusshed); darst (for durst). 1203. And (!); read As. 1205. harte (!); for art. 1206. previte. 1208. gaven (!). 1209. comonaltie. 1211. nede. 1214. thay (read we); secrites (!). 1215. ladys; certen. 1216. I supply per-. 1217, 1218. bryngyn; dispeire; heire.

1222. firste; I supply I; ded vowe. 1228. I supply in. 1229. lond. 1230. withstond. 1233. the (!); S. this. 1235. goith one; wotte; whate. 1236. Yonne. 1237. one. 1242. kynne; lier. 1244. ladys. 1245. vnshitte. 1246. That leith; S. Than lieth; witte. 1248. fantasie. 1250. canne; bette; reason guy. 1251. Be (for By). 1253. soiorne (!); S. soioure. 1255. rokketh (perhaps read rouketh); Cornor (!).

1259. methamorphosees; S. Methamorphosose. 1260. foo; gloose. 1263. hartes. 1269. Stode; ferre; abite. 1270. Yonne; I supply I; sprite. 1271. corious; S. curious. 1275. I supply a. 1277. bote. 1280. ferre; canne. 1285. Nowe; read Me. 1287. kyndelith. 1288. bodely. 1294. from (!); read to; I supply greet.

1299. I supply so. 1302. laday (!); S. lady. 1305. hoote or cold. 1306. withouten. 1307, 1308. harte, astarte. 1311. sene; cortis guyse. 1313. Twenty (!); read Twey. 1316. The tone. 1320. vnto; read to. 1322. sene. 1323. pleasaunce. 1324. shyne (S. shrine); rose. 1325. eke (!); S. eare. 1327. I supply it; blak (for brak). 1328. reiche (read reuth). 1329. and I me; read than I myself.

1331. not (!); read but. 1333. she (sic); read thou. 1335. taken (!); S. thanken. 1339. I supply to. 1341. heree (!); for her. 1343. reason. 1348, 1351. season. 1358. bewreye; S. bewrye. 1362. preced. 1363. oure owen. 1365. brenne; hote.

1366. Cely enarant. 1369. thus (!; S. this); hartily. 1375. dye. 1376. yf (for yive). 1377. signe (!). 1382. amoryly (!); sprong. 1383. I supply he. 1384. Sic. 1386. maketh; read make. 1387. toke. 1388. I supply as. 1389. mut; dyene; suppe. 1390. gife. 1398. south; purpose (!); read pursue. 1399. most. 1400. tue (!). 1403. on-lok. 1404. I supply a.

1406. light; read lyte. 1411. sang (!); read sing. 1412. lynette. 1416. kiȝt; S. kight. 1417. throwe. 1418. season. 1420. solempne. 1425. lest. 1431. goith. 1432. bleme (!). 1434. garlantis. 1435. reioyson; theire grete delite. 1441. smote; thrugh; I supply very; harte.

NOTES.

I. THE TESTAMENT OF LOVE.

The text is from Thynne's first edition (1532); the later reprints are of inferior value. No MS. of this piece is known. Rejected spellings are given at the bottom of each page. Conjectural emendations are marked by a prefixed obelus (†). In many places, words or letters are supplied, within square brackets, to complete or improve the sense. For further discussion of this piece, see the Introduction.

Book I.

Prologue. 1. The initial letters of the chapters in Book I. form the words MARGARETE OF. See the Introduction.

3. by queynt knitting coloures, by curious fine phrases, that 'knit' or join the words or verses together. For colours = fine phrases, cf. Ch., HF. 859; C. T., E 16, F 726.

7. for, because, seeing that; boystous, rough, plain, unadorned; cf. l. 12. The Glossary in vol. vi should be compared for further illustration of the more difficult words.

19. for the first leudnesse, on account of the former lack of skill.

21. yeve sight, enable men to see clearly.

30. conne jumpere suche termes, know how to jumble such terms together. Jumpere should rather be spelt jumpre; cf. jompre in the Gloss. to Chaucer. For such words, see the Glossary appended to the present volume.

but as, except as the jay chatters English; i.e. without understanding it; cf. Ch. Prol. 642.

43. necessaries to cacche, to lay hold of necessary ideas. Throughout this treatise, we frequently find the verb placed after the substantive which it governs, or relegated to the end of the clause or sentence. This absurd affectation often greatly obscures the sense.

45. The insertion of the words perfeccion is is absolutely necessary to the sense; cf. ll. 47, 50. For the general argument, cf. Ch. Boeth. iii. proses 10 and 11, where 'perfection' is represented by suffisaunce, as, e.g., in iii. pr. 11. l. 18.

50. Aristotle's Metaphysics begins with the words: πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῦ ἐιδέναι ὀρέγονται φύσει, all men by nature are actuated by the desire of knowledge. The reference to this passage is explicitly given in the Romans of Partenay, ll. 78-87; and it was doubtless a much worn quotation. And see l. 64 below.

58. sightful and knowing, visible and capable of being known.

61. David. The whole of this sentence is so hopelessly corrupt that I can but give it up. Possibly there is a reference to Ps. cxxxix. 14. me in makinge may be put for 'in makinge me.' Tune is probably a misprint for time; lent may be an error for sent; but the whole is hopelessly wrong.

64. Apparently derived from Aristotle, De Animalibus, bk. i. c. 5. The general sense is that created things like to know both their creator and the causes of natural things akin to them (ὀικεῖα).

67. Considred; i.e. the forms of natural things and their creation being considered, men should have a great natural love to the Workman that made them.

68. me is frequently written for men, the unemphatic form of man, in the impersonal sense of 'one' or 'people'; thus, in King Horn, ed. Morris, 366, 'ne recche i what me telle' means 'I care not what people may say.' Strict grammar requires the form him for hem in l. 69, as me is properly singular; but the use of hem is natural enough in this passage, as me really signifies created beings in general. Cf. me in ch. i. l. 18 below.

80. Styx is not 'a pit,' but a river. The error is Chaucer's; cf. 'Stix, the put of helle,' in Troil. iv. 1540. Observe the expression—'Stygiamque paludem'; Vergil, Aen. vi. 323.

86. I. e. 'rend the sword out of the hands of Hercules, and set Hercules' pillars at Gades a mile further onward.' For the latter allusion, see Ch. vol. ii. p. lv; it may have been taken from Guido delle Colonne. And see Poem VIII (below), l. 349. Gades, now Cadiz.

89. the spere, the spear. There seems to be some confusion here. It was King Arthur who drew the magic sword out of the stone, after 150 knights had failed in the attempt: see Merlin, ed. Wheatley (E. E. T. S.), pp. 100-3. Alexander's task was to untie the Gordian knot.

90. And that; 'and who says that, surpassing all wonders, he will be master of France by might, whereas even King Edward III could not conquer all of it.' An interesting allusion.

96. unconninge, ignorance. There is an unpublished treatise called 'The Cloud of Unknowing'; but it is probably not here alluded to.

98. gadered, gathered. Thynne almost invariably commits the anachronism of spelling the words gader, fader, moder, togider, and the like, with th; and I have usually set him right, marking such corrections with a prefixed obelus (†). Cf. weder in l. 123 below.

100. rekes, ricks. The idea is from Chaucer, L. G. W. 73-4.

101, 102. his reson, the reason of him. hayne, hatred.

110. Boëce, Boethius. No doubt the author simply consulted Chaucer's translation. See the Introduction.

115. slye, cunning; evidently alluding to the parable of the unjust steward.

117. Aristotle. The allusion appears to be to the Nicomachean Ethics, bk. i. c. 7: δόξειε δ' ἂν παντὸς εἶναι προαγαγεῖν, ... παντὸς γὰρ προσθεῖναι τὸ ἐλλεῖπον.

122. betiden, happened to me; the i is short. This sudden transition to the mention of the author's pilgrimage suggests that a portion of the Prologue is missing here.

Chap. I. 1. Copied from Ch. Boeth. bk. i. met. 1. ll. 1, 2.

12. thing seems to mean 'person'; the person that cannot now embrace me when I wish for comfort.

15. prison; probably not a material prison. The author, in imitation of Boethius, imagines himself to be imprisoned. At p. 144, l. 132, he is 'in good plite,' i.e. well off. Cf. note to ch. iii. 116.

16. caitived, kept as a captive; the correction of caytisned (with ſ for s) to caytifued (better spelt caitived) is obvious, and is given in the New E. Dict., s.v. Caitive.

17, 18. Straunge, a strange one, some stranger; me, one, really meaning 'myself'; he shulde, it ought to be.

21, 22. bewent, turned aside; see New E. Dict., s.v. Bewend. The reading bewet, i.e. profusely wetted, occurs (by misprinting) in later editions, and is adopted in the New E. Dict, s.v. Bewet. It is obviously wrong.

23. of hem, by them; these words, in the construction, follow enlumined. The very frequent inversion of phrases in this piece tends greatly to obscure the sense of it.

24. Margarite precious, a precious pearl. Gems were formerly credited with 'virtues'; thus Philip de Thaun, in his Bestiary (ed. Wright, l. 1503), says of the pearl—

'A mult choses pot valier, ki cestes peres pot aveir,' &c., or, in Wright's translation: 'For him who can have this stone, it will be of force against many things; there will never be any infirmity, except death, from which a person will not come to health, who will drink it with dew, if he has true faith.' See l. 133 below.

28. twinkling in your disese, a small matter tending to your discomfort. Here disese = dis-ease, want of ease. Cf. l. 31 below.

42. 'It is so high,' &c. The implied subject to which it refers is paradise, where the author's Eve is supposed to be. Hence the sense is:—'paradise is so far away from the place where I am lying and from the common earth, that no cable (let down from it) can reach me.'

59. ferdnes is obviously the right word, though misprinted frendes. It signifies 'fear,' and occurs again in ch. ii. ll. 9, 16; besides, it is again misprinted as frendes in the same chapter, l. 13.

63. weyved is an obvious correction for veyned; see the Glossary.

70. mercy passeth right, your mercy exceeds your justice. This was a proverbial phrase, or, as it is called in the next clause, a 'proposition.'

79. flitte, stir, be moved; 'not even the least bit.'

80. souded (misprinted sonded by Thynne), fixed; cf. Ch. C.T., B 1769. From O.F. souder, Lat. solidare.

83. do, cause; 'cause the lucky throw of comfort to fall upward'; alluding to dice-play.

96. wolde conne, would like to be able to.

99, 100. me weninge, when I was expecting. ther-as, whereas.

116. no force, it does not matter; no matter for that.

117-20. Evidently corrupt, even when we read flowing for folowing, and of al for by al. Perhaps ther in l. 119 should be they; giving the sense:—'but they (thy virtues) are wonderful, I know not which (of them it is) that prevents the flood,' &c. Even so, a clause is lacking after vertues in l. 118.

126. Thynne has ioleynynge for ioleyuynge, i.e. joleyving, cheering, making joyous. The word is riot given in Stratmann or in Mätzner, but Godefroy has the corresponding O.F. verb joliver, to caress.

Chap. II. 18. a lady; this is evidently copied from Boethius; see Ch. Boeth. bk. i. pr. 1. l. 3. The visitor to the prison of Boethius was named Philosophy; the visitor in the present case is Love, personified as a female; see l. 53 below.

20. blustringe, glance. But the word is not known in this sense, and there is evidently some mistake here. I have no doubt that the right word is blushinge; for the M.E. blusshen was often used in the sense of 'to cast a glance, give a look, glance with the eye'; as duly noted in the New E. Dict, s.v. Blush. The word was probably written bluschinge in Thynne's MS., with a c exactly (as often) like a t. If he misread it as blusthinge, he may easily have altered it to blustringe.

32. neighe, approach; governing me.

37. O my nory, O my pupil! Copied from Ch. Boeth. bk. i. pr. 3. l. 10; cf. the same, bk. iii. pr. 11. l. 160. In l. 51 below, we have my disciple.

60. by thyn owne vyse, by thine own resolve; i.e. of thine own accord; see Advice in the New E. Dict. § 6. Vyse is put for avyse, the syllable a being dropped. Halliwell notes that vice, with the sense of 'advice,' is still in use.

64. 'Because it comforts me to think on past gladness, it (also) vexes me again to be doing so.' Clumsily expressed; and borrowed from Ch. Boeth. bk. ii. pr. 4. ll. 4-7.

74-84. From Matt. xviii. 12; Luke, xv. 4; John, x. 11.

92. Love was kind to Paris, because he succeeded in gaining Helen. Jason was false to Love, because he deserted Hypsipyle and Medea. It is probable that false is misprinted for faire in l. 93; otherwise there is no contrast, as is implied by for.

93. Sesars sonke (sic) should probably be Cesars swink, i.e. Caesar's toil. I adopt this reading to make sense; but it is not at all clear why Caesar should have been selected as the type of a successful lover.

95. loveday, a day of reconciliation; see note to Ch. C. T., A 258.

96. 'And chose a maid to be umpire between God and man'; alluding to the Virgin Mary.

114-5. cause, causing, the primary cause, originating these things and many others besides. See note to Troil. iv. 829.

123-4. wo is him; Lat. ve soli, Eccl. iv. 10; quoted in Troil. i. 694.

125. Cf. 'weep with them that weep'; Rom. xii. 15.

138. Here the author bemoans his losses and heavy expenses.

143. For wolde endeynous I here read wolde ben deynous, i.e. would be disdainful; see Deynous in the Gloss. to Chaucer. The New E. Dict. adopts the reading wolde [be] endeynous, with the same sense; but no other example of the adj. endeynous is known, and it is an awkward formation. However, there are five examples of the verb endeign, meaning 'to be indignant'; see Wyclif, Gen. xviii. 30; Ex. xxxii. 22; Is. lvii. 6; Job, xxxii. 2; Wisd. xii. 27.

166. Copied from Troil. iv. 460-1:—

See the note on the latter line.

Wethercocke is a late spelling; the proper M.E. spelling is wedercokke, from a nom. wedercok, which appears in the poem Against Women Unconstant, l. 12.

173. a, an unemphatic form of have; 'thou wouldest have made me.'

180. voyde, do away with. webbes; the web, also called the pin and web, or the web and pin, is a disease of the eyes, now known as cataract. See Nares, s.v. Pin; Florio's Ital. Dict., s.v. Cateratta; the New E. Dict., s.v. Cataract; King Lear, iii. 4. 122; Winter's Tale, i. 2. 291.

191, 192. truste on Mars, trust to Mars, i.e. be ready with wager of battle; alluding to the common practice of appealing to arms when a speaker's truthfulness was called in question. See ch. vii. 10 below (p. 31).

Chap. III. 14. Come of, lit. come off; but it is remarkable that this phrase is used in M.E. where we should now say rather 'come on!' See note to Troil. ii. 1738.

21. mayst thou, canst thou do (or act)?

25-7. 'I never yet set any one to serve anywhere who did not succeed in his service.'

32. 'the nut in every nook.' Perhaps on should be in.

37-8. There is some corruption here. I insert Tho gan I to help out the sense, but it remains partially obscure. Perhaps the sense is:—'Often one does what one does not wish to do, being stirred to do so by the opinion of others, who wanted me to stay at home; whereupon I suddenly began to wish to travel.' He would rather have stayed at home; but when he found that others wanted him to do so, he perversely began to wish to travel.

39. the wynding of the erthe; an obscure expression; perhaps 'the envelopment of the earth in snow.'

40. 'I walked through woods in which were broad ways, and (then) by small paths which the swine had made, being lanes with by-paths for seeking (there) their beech-mast.'

42. ladels, by-paths (?). No other example of the word appears. I guess it to be a diminutive of M.E. lade, a path, road, which occurs in the Ormulum; see Stratmann. Perhaps it is a mere misprint for lades.

44, 45. gonne to wilde, began to grow wild; cf. ginne ayen waxe ramage, in l. 48, with the like sense. I know of no other example of the verb to wilde.

52. shippe, ship; not, however, a real ship, but an allegorical one named Travail, i.e. Danger; see ll. 55, 75 below. many is here used in place of meynee, referring to the ship's company; some of whom had the allegorical names of Sight, Lust, Thought, and Will. The 'ship' is a common symbol of this present life, in which we are surrounded by perils; compare the parable of 'the wagging boat' in P. Plowm. C. xi. 32, and the long note to that line.

58. old hate; probably borrowed from Ch. Pers. Tale, I 562; see the note.

64. avowing, vowing; because persons in peril used to vow to perform pilgrimages.

75. my ship was out of mynde, i.e. I forgot all about my previous danger.

84. the man, the merchant-man in Matt. xiii. 45.

105. enmoysed, comforted. Enmoise or emmoise is a variant of M.E. amese, ameise, from O.F. amaiser, amaisier, to pacify, appease, render gentle (Godefroy); answering to the Low Lat. type *ad-mitiare from mitis, gentle. See Amese in the New E. Dict. No other example of the form enmoyse is known.

111. of nothing now may serve, is now of no use (to you).

116. prison; the author has forgotten all about his adventure in the ship, and is now back in prison, as in ch. i.

118. renyant forjuged, a denier (of his guilt) who has been wrongfully condemned.

121. suche grace and non hap, such favour and no mere luck.

124. let-games; probably from Troil. iii. 527; spoilers of sport or happiness. wayters, watchers, watch-men, guards.

131. nothing as ye shulde, not at all as you ought to do.

148. feld, felled, put down, done away with.

153-4. For he ... suffer, a perfect alliterative line; imitated from P. Plowm. C. xxi. 212:—'For wot no wight what wele is, that never wo suffrede.' Clearly quoted from memory; cf. notes to bk. ii. ch. 9. 178, and ch. 13. 86.

157. happy hevinesse, fortunate grief; a parallel expression to lyking tene, i.e. pleasing vexation, in l. 158. These contradictory phrases were much affected by way of rhetorical flourish. For a long passage of this character, cf. Rom. Rose, 4703-50.

158. harse is almost certainly a misprint for harme; then goodly harme means much the same as lyking tene (see note above). So, in Rom. Rose, 4710, 4733, 4743, we find mention of 'a sweet peril,' 'a joyous pain,' and 'a sweet hell.'

Chap. IV. 2. semed they boren, they seemed to bore; boren being in the infin. mood.

18. For or read for, to make sense; for of disese, for out of such distress come gladness and joy, so poured out by means of a full vessel, that such gladness quenches the feeling of former sorrows. Here gladnesse and joy is spoken of as being all one thing, governing the singular verb is, and being alluded to as it.

25. commensal, table-companion; from F. commensal, given in Cotgrave. See the New E. Dict.

27. soukinges, suckings, draughts of milk; cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. i. pr. 2. l. 4.

36. clothe, cloth. This circumstance is copied from Ch. Boeth. bk. i. pr. 2. l. 19.

42. This reference to Love, as controlling the universe, is borrowed from Boeth. bk. ii. met. 8.

47. Read werne (refuse) and wol (will); 'yet all things desire that you should refuse help to no one who is willing to do as you direct him.'

56. every thing in coming, every future thing. contingent, of uncertain occurrence; the earliest known quotation for this use of the word in English.

61-2. many let-games; repeated from above, ch. iii. ll. 124-8. thy moeble; from the same, ll. 131-2.

64. by the first, with reference to your first question; so also by that other, with reference to your second question, in l. 71.

Chap. V. 8. Acrisius shut his daughter Danaë up in a tower, to keep her safe; nevertheless she became the mother of Perseus, who afterwards killed Acrisius accidentally.

14. entremellen, intermingle hearts after merely seeing each other.

16. beestes, animals, beings; not used contemptuously; equivalent to living people in ll. 17, 18.

20. esployte, success, achievement; see Exploit in the New E. Dict.

29. Supply don; 'and I will cause him to come to bliss, as being one of my own servants.'

35. and in-to water, and jumps into the water and immediately comes up to breathe; like an unsuccessful diver.

37. A tree, &c.; a common illustration; cf. Troil. i. 964.

43. this countrè; a common saying; cf. Troil. ii. 28 (and note), 42. And see l. 47 below.

45. 'the salve that he healed his heel with.' From HF. 290.

71. jangelers; referring to l. 19 above. lokers; referring to overlokers; in ch. iii. l. 128.

72. wayters; referring to ch. iii. l. 128.

77. 'It is sometimes wise to feign flight.' Cf. P. Plowman, C. xxii. 103.

85. cornes, grains of corn. I supply bare, i.e. empty.

86-7. Who, &c.; a proverb; from Troil. v. 784.

87-8. After grete stormes; see note to P. Plowman, C. xxi. 454.

92. grobbed, grubbed; i.e. dug about. Cf. Isaiah, v. 2.

95. a, have (as before). Lya, Leah; Lat. Lia, in Gen. xxix. 17 (Vulgate).

103. eighteth, eighth; an extraordinary perversion of the notion of the sabbatical year. So below, in l. 104, we are informed that the number of workdays is seven; and that, in Christian countries, the day of rest is the eighth day in the week! kinrest, rest for the kin or people; a general day of rest. I know of no other example of this somewhat clumsy compound.

110. sothed, verified; referring to Luke, xiv. 29.

113. conisance, badge. Badges for retainers were very common at this date. See Notes to Richard the Redeless, ii. 2.

117-9. Copied from P. Plowman, C. vii. 24, 25:—