799. our aller cost, the cost of us all. 805. withseye, oppose. 807. vouche-sauf, grant. 809. shape me therfore, prepare myself for it. 810. othes swore, oaths sworn. 816. devys, direction. 819. fet, fetched. 820. echoon, each one. 823. our aller cok, cock of us all. 824. gadrede, gathered. 825. riden, rode. pas, foot-pace. 826. St. Thomas a Watering was two miles from Southwark. 828. herkneth; see note to 1. 788. if you leste, if it pleases you. 829. woot, know. forward, agreement. yow recorde, call to your mind. 830. If acorde, If even-song (vespers) and matins agree; i.e., if you are minded this morning as you were last night. 832. As ale, As surely as I ever hope to be able to drink wine or ale. 835. draweth, draw, 2d pers. plur. imperative. ferrer twinne, farther depart. 838. acord, agreement. 839. neer, nearer. londe,' 'my beloved has gone away.' Probably the refrain of a popular 842. wight, person. 844. sort, lot, destiny. 845. fil, fell. 847. resoun, reasonable. 848. forward, agreement. composicioun, compact. 850. saugh, saw. 854, a, in. 855. riden, rode. THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE 1. widwe, widow. stope, advanced. 2. whylom, formerly. narwe, narrow, small. 5. thilke, that. D. ladde, led. 7. catel, property. rente, income. 8. housbondrye, economy. 9. fond, found, supported doghtren, daughters. 11. highte, was called. 12. bour, bower, inner room. 13. sclendre meel, slender meal. 85 tweye, two. 86. deye, die. 287. recchelees, careless. 290. seint Kenelm. 'Kenelm succeeded his father Kenulph on the throne of the Mercians in 821 at the age of seven years, and was murdered by order of his aunt, Quenedreda. He was subsequently made a saint (Wright).' 292. Mercenrike, Mercia. mette, dreamed. 293. A lyte er, a little while before. 294. avisioun, vision. say, saw. 295. norice, nurse. del, part, bit. 296. kepe, guard. 297. For traisoun, for fear of treason. nas, was 216. to donge, to put dung upon. 222. upright, lying flat on his back. 223. ministres, officers of justice. 224. kepe and reulen, guard and rule. 225. Harrow, a cry of distress. lyth, lies. 226. What, why. 227. out-sterte, started out. 231. biwreyest, makest known. 301. legende, life of a saint. 302. yow, to you. 303-4. Macrobeus. Macrobius (early 5th cen. tury) wrote a commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis. 305. Affermeth, confirms. 307. loketh, look, 2d pers. plur. imperative. 308. Daniel. See Daniel, ii. 310-315. Joseph. See Genesis, xxxix-xli. 311. Wher, whether, or where. 312. falle, occur. 316. actes, history. remes, realms, kingdoms. 318. Cresus, Croesus. Lyde, Lydia. 319. Mette, dreamed. 409. al outrely, utterly. The dream of 410. morwe, morning. 321. heer, here. Andromacha. Andromache, wife of Hector, is recorded not in Homer but in the De Excidio Troiae of Dares Phrygius, a popular medieval authority on the Trojan war. 324. lorn, lost. 325. thilke, the same. 327. natheles, nevertheless. 330. ny, nigh. 331. as for conclusion, in conclusion. 420. bulte it to the bren, bolt it to the bran, i.e., sift the matter. 421. Augustyn. St. Augustine (d. 430), a great theologian. 422. Boece, Boethius (d. 525), wrote On the Con sclation of Philosophy, in which, among other things, he discusses God's foreknowledge and man's free will. Bradwardyn, Thomas Bradwardine, an Oxford theologian of the early 14th century, wrote On the Cause of God, in which he discusses the problem of free will and predestination. 423. forwiting, foreknowledge. 424. streyneth me nedely, constrains me necessarily. 428. forwot, foreknew. 429. Or not at all. del, Or if his knowledge forces wyf, Hasdrubal was 3. deceivable, full of deceit. king of Carthage when the Romans captured it, *46 B. C. 545. brend, burned. 547. sterte, started, rushed. 548. brende hir-selven, burned herself. 555. sely, simple, poor. 566. fered, frightened. 568. hem 558. syen, see. goon, go. breke, it seemed to them their quelle, kill. heart would break. 570. as men, as if men. 573. benedicite, an expletive. Pronounce in three syllables: ben-si-tā. 574-6. Iakke Straw. It is recorded that in 1381 Jack Straw led an uprising of peasants in an attack upon the Flemish weavers in England. 574. meynee, company, crowd. 578. bemes, horns. box, boxwood. 579. boon, bone. 588. as wis God helpe me, as surely as God may help me. 589. Turneth, turn, 2d per. plur. imperative. cherles, churls. 592. Maugree, in spite of; French malgré. 596. brak, broke. deliverly, quickly. 597. heighe, high. fleigh, flew. 598. sough, saw. 601. aferd, afraid. 602. hente, seized. 603. wikke entente, wicked intention. 606. shrewe, curse. 610. Do, make. winke with, close. 612. wilfully, willingly. thee, prosper. 614. undiscreet of governaunce, indiscreet of con duct. 615. iangleth, babbles. 616. recchelees, reckless. 620. Taketh, take, 2d pers. plur. imperative. 621. seint Paul seith; see 2 Timothy. iii, 16. 622. doctryne, teaching. y-write, written. y-wis, Sertainly. 22. Lenvoy, the envoy. An envoy is a postscript to a composition, to enforce or recommend it. 26. don, to be done. 27. castigacioun, punishment. THE COMPLEINT OF CHAUCER TO HIS EMPTY PURSE This pleasant begging poem must have been addressed to Henry IV immediately after he became king, Sept. 30, 1399, for Chaucer received an answer in the form of an annual grant of forty marks, on Oct. 3 of the same year. 1. wight, creature, person. 4. chere, countenance. 7. mot, must. 12. Sangreal, Holy Grail. 16. to-fore, before. 20. paynims, pagans. 24. Hector, son of Priam, and champion of the Trojans. 26. Alexander the Great (356-323 B. C.), the famous king of Macedon. b (col. 2). 1. Julius Cæsar (100-44 B. C.), the famous Roman general, statesman, and writer. 6. Joshua, the successor of Moses as leader of the Israelites. See the Book of Joshua. 7. behest, promise. 8. David, the second king of Israel, 1055-1015 B, C. 9. Judas Maccabaus (d. 160 B. C.), a famous Jewish patriot and warrior. 13. stalled, installed, placed. 18. Charlemagne, king of the Franks and emperor of the Romans. Crowned emperor, 800 A. D. 21. Godfrey of Boloine, Godefroy de Bouillon (1061-1100), a leader of the first Crusade. 24. King Edward the Fourth, king of England 4461-83. 25. instantly, insistently, earnestly. 20. a. 21. aretted, reckoned. 25. Glastonbury, a town in Somerset, England, seat of an abbey. 26. Polichronicon. Ranulf Higden (died c. 1363), a monk of Chester, wrote Polychronicon, a general history, in Latin. 29. translated, removed. 31. Bochas, Boccacacio (1313-1375), a celebrated Italian novelist and poet. De Casu Principum [On the Fall of Princes] recounts the misfortunes of fa mous men. 33. Galfridus, Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 11001152?), whose fabulous Latin History of the Kings of Britain purported to be based largely upon a 'British book.' Imperator, 'Noble 40-1. Patricius Arthur, Emperor of Britain, Gaul, Germany and Dacia.' b. 1. Camelot, a legendary spot in England where Arthur was said to have had his court. 23. conning, knowledge, skill, 25. emprised, undertaken. 21. a. 28. gat, begot. 36. assotted, infatuated, besotted. b. 43. did do make, had made. 47. made a parliament, called a council. 57. prefixed, set, decided upon. 22. a. 6. longed, belonged. 12. garnished, furnished, supplied. 14. wist, heard, learned. 21. prevail, avail. 29. sithen, afterward. 37. book and bell and candle, a reference to for Lial ecclesiastical curses. 49. orgulist, most arrogant, insolent. b. 1. sonds, messages. 12. made write, had written. 18. depraved, calumniated, vilified. 34. term, length of time. 46. new-fangle, fickle. 58. carracks, large, round-built vessels. 33. a. 1. let, preven |