Cross. ↩
Early. ↩
As applied to a young woman of light manners, this euphemistic phrase has enjoyed a wonderful vitality. ↩
Urry reads “meritote,” and explains it from Spelman as a game in which children made themselves giddy by whirling on ropes. In French, virer means to turn; and the explanation may, therefore, suit either reading. In modern slang parlance, Gerveis would probably have said, “on the rampage,” or “on the swing”—not very far from Spelman’s rendering. ↩
Recked, cared. ↩
Gave. ↩
A proverbial saying: he was playing a deeper game, had more serious business on hand. ↩
Something to do. ↩
Bag. ↩
Handle. ↩
Before; German, eher. ↩
Dear, love. ↩
Engraved. ↩
Improve the jest. ↩
Peal, clap. ↩
Blinded. ↩
Breech. ↩
Thought. ↩
Mad. ↩
Mad. ↩
Found nothing to stop him. ↩
Sill of the door, threshold; French, seuil, Latin, solum, the ground. ↩
Stare. ↩
Mad. ↩
Terrified. ↩
Peep, look. ↩
Jest. ↩
Dear. ↩
Enjoyed. ↩
Care. ↩
Company. ↩
Were diverted. ↩
Left. ↩
Murmur. ↩
Little. ↩
Or “so the ik,” so may I thrive. ↩
Match, recompense. ↩
Dimming his eye; playing off a joke on him. ↩
Age takes away my zest for drollery. ↩
Head. ↩
Grown mouldy. ↩
Medlar. ↩
Same. ↩
On the ground or in the straw. ↩
Dance. ↩
Continually. ↩
Smoke. “Ev’n in our ashes live their wonted fires.” ↩
Glowing coals (of passion). ↩
Relate, describe. ↩
Covetousness. ↩
Unwieldy. ↩
A wanton humour, a relish for pleasure. ↩
Certainly. ↩
The rim of a barrel where the staves project beyond the head. ↩
Long. ↩
Dotage is all that is left them; that is, they can only dwell fondly, dote, on the past. ↩
Cobbler; Scottice, sutor; from Latin, suere, to sew. ↩
Surgeon. “Ex sutore medicus” and “ex sutore nauclerus”—seaman or pilot—were both proverbial expressions in the Middle Ages. ↩
Halfway between prime and tierce; about half-past seven in the morning. ↩
Like “set their caps;” see note 201. Hove or houfe, means “hood;” and the phrase signifies to be even with, outwit. ↩
To repel force by force. ↩
The illustration of the mote and the beam, from Matthew. ↩
The incidents of this tale were much relished in the Middle Ages, and are found under various forms. Boccaccio has told them in the ninth day of his Decameron. ↩
Cambridge. ↩
Prepare. ↩
Shoot. ↩
Poniard. ↩
Dagger. ↩
Flat; French camuse, snub-nose. ↩
Peeled, bald. ↩
A brawler, bully, in full or open market. ↩
Lay. ↩
Suffer the penalty. ↩
Called “Disdainful Simkin,” or little Simon. ↩
Magpie. ↩
Hood, or headgear. ↩
Gown or coat; French jupe. ↩
Use freedom. ↩
Unless. ↩
Always. ↩
So behave themselves. ↩
Dirty. ↩
Nasty; akin to dung. ↩
Ill-nature. ↩
Scandal, abusive speech. ↩
Should not judge her hardly. ↩
Nurturing, education. ↩
Doy. ↩
Because of her beauty. ↩
He made it matter of consequence or difficulty. ↩
Spent. ↩
Toll taken for grinding; custom. ↩
Especially. ↩
The hall or college at Cambridge with the gallery or upper storey; supposed to have been Clare Hall. ↩
Suddenly. ↩
Steward; provisioner of the hall. ↩
Thought certainly. ↩
Ado. ↩
Cared the miller not a rush. ↩
Talked big. ↩
Headstrong, wild-brained; French, entete. ↩
Short time. ↩
Boldly. ↩
Take away. ↩
Tyrwhitt points to Anstruther, in Fife: Mr. Wright to the Vale of Langstroth, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Chaucer has given the scholars a dialect that may have belonged to either district, although it more immediately suggests the more northern of the two. ↩
Equal. ↩
Servant. ↩
Expect. ↩
Grinders, cheek-teeth; Anglo-Saxon, wang, the cheek; German, wange. ↩
Amusement.
