Deliverly; Nimbly. The word is plainly formed The Italians use suelto, or from the FR. libre. sciolto, in the same sense. Ver. 85. in chevachie] Chevauchée. FR. It most properly means an expedition with a small party of Cavalry; but is often used generally for any military expedition. Hollinshed calls it a rode. Ver. 89. Embrouded] Embroidered, from the FR. Broder, originally Border. Ver. 91. floyting] Playing on the Flute. So in H. F. iii. 133. "And many a floite and litlyng horne, And pipes made of grene corne." The first syllable for a time retained the broad sound of its original. See Du Cange. Flauta. Kilian. Fluyte. In some copies it is changed to flow ting. Ver. 97. nightertale.] Night-time; from the SAX. nihtern dæl; nocturna portio. Lydgate uses nightertyme. Traged. fol. 141. b. 156. b. Ver. 100. And carf before his fader] The practice of Squiers, of the highest quality, carving at their fathers' tables has been fully illustrated by M. de Ste Palaye, Acad. des Insc. t. xx. p. 604. Ver. 101. A Yeman hadde HE] The late Editions call this character the Squier's Yeman, but improperly. The pronoun IE relates to the Knight. Chaucer would never have given the Son an attendant, when the Father had none. Yeman, or Yeoman, is an abbreviation of Yeonge man, as Youthe is of Yeongthe. Young men being most usually employed in service, servants have, in many languages, been denominated from the single circumstance of age; as rais, puer, garçon, boy, grome. As a title of service or office, Yoman is used in the Stat. 37 E. III. c. 9 and 11. to denote a servant of the next degree above a garson, or groom; and at this day, in several departments of the Royal Household, the attendants are distributed into three classes of Serjeants or Squiers, Yeomen, and Grooms. In the Household of the Mayor of London, some officers of the rank of Yeoman are still, I believe, called Young men. See Chamberlain's State of Great Britain. In the Statute 20 R. II. c. 2. Yomen and Vadletz are synonymous terms. The Chanones Yeman, who is introduced below, ver. 16030. is a common servant. See also ver. 2730. The title of Yeoman was given, in a secondary sense, to people of middling rank, not in service. So the Miller, ver. 3947. is careful "To saven his estat of yemanrie." The appropriation of the word to signify a small landholder is more modern, I apprehend. Ver. 104. peacok arwes] Arrows with peacock feathers. See Mr. Warton's illustration of this passage. Hist. of Eng. Poetry, vol. i. p. 450. There is a Patent in Rymer, 15 R. II. de arte sagittandi per Valettos Regis exercenda. The Yeomen, and all other Servants of the Royal household, of whatever state or office, under the degree of Yeoman, are ordered to carry bows and arrows with them, whenever they ride, &c. in the King's train. Ver. 109. A not-hed] A head like a nut; from the hair, probably, being cut short. It has since been called a Round-head, for the same reason. Ver. 115. A Cristofre] I do not see the meaning of this ornament. By the Stat. 37 E. III. Yomen are forbidden to wear any ornaments of gold or silver. Ver. 119. simple and coy] V. Saintré, T. iii. p. 577. Ver. 120. St. Eloy] In Latin, Sanctus Eligius. I have no authority but that of Ed. Urr, for printing this Saint's name at length. In all the Mss. which I have seen, it is abbreviated, St. Loy, both in this place and in ver. 7146. The metre will be safe, if othe be pronounced as a dissyllable. Ver. 124. And Frenche she spake] It has been mentioned before, Essay, &c. n. 55. that Chaucer thought but meanly of the English-French spoken in his time. It was proper however that the Prioresse should speak some sort of French; not only as a woman of fashion, a character which she is represented to affect, ver. 139, 140, but as a religious person. The instructions from the Abbot of St. Albans to the Nuns of Sopewell, in 1338, were in the French language. See Auct. Add. M. Paris, p. 1171. Ver. 127. At mete] The following circumstances of behaviour at table are copied from Rom. de la R. 14178-14199. Et bien se garde qu'elle ne moeille Ses doys au brouet jusqu' ès jointes, &c. Que sur son pied goutte n'en chèe Et doit si bien sa bouche terdre Ver. 159. gauded all with grene] Having the Gawdies green. Some were of silver gilt. Monast. V. iii. p. 174. Tria paria precularium del Corall cum le gaudeys argenti deaurata. So in Gower, Conf. Am. f. 190. A paire of bedes blacke as sable She toke and hynge my necke about. Was wryte of gold, pur reposer. Ver. 163. Another Nonne, &c.] See Disc. p. 108. Ver. 165. a fayre for the maistrie] We should say, a fair one; but in Chaucer's time such tautology was not, I suppose, elegant. So below, ver. 189. Therfore he was a prickasour, a right. As to the phrase for the maistrie, I take it to be derived from the French pour la maistrie, which I find, in an old book of Physick, applied to such medicines as we usually call Sovereign, excellent above all others. Ms. Bod. 761. Secreta h. Samp de Clowburnel, fol. 17. b. Ciroigne bone pur la maistrie a briser et a meurer apostemes, &c. Medicine magistrel pur festre, &c. Medicine pur la maistrie pur festre, &c. And in another treatise in the same Ms. Medulla Cirurgia Rolandi, similar phrases are used in Latin, fol. 77. Pocio bona pro magisterio ad vulnera sananda, &c. fol. 79. Contra lupum, &c. medicamen magistrale. In the same sense the Monk is said to be fair, for the maistrie, above all others. The phrase is used by Robert of Gloucester, p. 553. An stede he gan prikie wel vor the maistrie. several chemical preparations known by the name of Magisterium of Lead, Bismuth, &c. I conceive to have originally acquired that name from their being considered at first as masterly operations. The Ver. 166. loved venerie] i. e. Hunting. If the word in Chaucer's time had borne any other sense, he would hardly have put it into the mouth of Emilia in ver. 2310. The monks of that age are represented as fond of field-sports. See below, ver. 189-192. and P. P. fol L. a. Knighton says, that an Abbot of Leicester, who died in 1377, in venatione leporum inter omnes regni dominos famosissimus et nominatissimus habebatur. X. Scriptor. p. 2631. He adds indeed, that the Abbot was used to assert, what perhaps may have been partly true, se non delectasse in hujusmodi frivolis venationibus, nisi solum pro obse |