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oh, oh,ch!

1. 1900. Lut not the lede, bowed not to the man, made no obeisance to the fellow: lut, from A.S. hlútan, to bow.

1. 1902. Hade bir at his bake, had a strong favourable wind: this phrase is very common in Scotland, and is very expressive. Bir is used in various senses (see Gloss.), all more or less connected with rapid motion, what causes it, or what it produces: as in, 'the boat birred thro' the water;' 'it gaed thro' wi' a birr;''gie your stroke birr;' 'he's a man of some birr;' 'the arrow birs thro' the air, and wi' a loud birr, gied him a birr on the breast.' Sometimes it becomes 'birle,' as 'a birr on the breast, or, a birle on the breast,' as in ll. 1224, 9061. Bir is said to be derived from A.S. béran, to bear, to produce, to carry, to excel; and I have set it so in the Gloss., but its applications by the old Scottish writers, in this work, and at the present time, connect it more closely with Isl. by, a strong wind, a tempest, and Su. Goth. boer, the wind, or with Isl. figer life, vigour. See Jamieson's Dict. and Suppl. under Beir, Bir. arnyng

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1. 1919. onryng (should be orryng) an error for touryng, a form of ournyng, shrinking, wincing: prob. from A.S.? or-wen, hopeless. In the West of Scotland ourne is still used meaning to hang back, to shrink from, to be dowie and sad; and oorie meaning cold, chilly, shivering, shrinking: see Burns's 'Winter Night,' stan. 3., For other meanings of ournyng, see 11. 2203, 2540, 4767, 12711, and Gröss.

1. 1920. at sad wordes, in plain words: at is so used in l. 1757. 1. 1928. vs qwemes noght, in no way entice us, do not at all concern us: qweme, from A.S. cweman, to please, to delight, has various meanings in this work: see Gloss.

1. 1939. for and pou do, for if you do and is often used so throughout this work.

1. 1945. Braid vp a brode saile, hoisted a broad sail: compare various meanings of braid given in Gloss.

1. 1952. mekyt should be mefyti? why not melk s.i. lenire.

1. 1961. vnsell, lit. misfortune, mischance; but here implies that which caused the misfortune, viz. silliness, stupidity.

1. 1976. with austerne wordes, on account of (those) angry words: austerne, stern, severe, from L. austerus, or A.S. styrn, stern. The phrase occurs in Mort. Arth., 1. 306.

11. 1977-8. fere should be ferd; and next line, 'Lest the tyrand in his tene hade turnyt hym to sle.'

1. 1983. The passage which begins here is a fine specimen of our poet's power. Scenes of battle and tempest are his delight, especially the latter; and again and again he seizes on what in the original is a mere statement or outline, as in this case, and elaborates a splendid scene. Observe too on every such occasion the marked change in the language and measure: he seems to adopt the language of an earlier period that he might have fuller scope and freer measure: indicating that the trammels of translation were irksome, and that the style was assumed for the occasion. In short, when working at the story he

employed the language of books and the style of a favourite author; and when he had a sketch to fill in, he laid aside the Dictionary and the author, and adopted the speech and style of the educated higher classes. For examples of what is here alluded to, compare the ordinary story with passages headed, The Poete, A Prouerbe, A Tempest on pe See, &c.

on pe torres hegh, on the high sea: lit. on pe high hills: torres, pl. of tor, a hill; no doubt from its towering.

1. 1984. a rak, a thick mist: in Norfolk called a roke. The word occurs in Douglas's Virgil both as rak and roik,—p. 203, 1. 26; p. 74, 1. 12; p. 432, 1. 19. See rug, 1. 9652.

1. 1986. routond, roaring, rushing, bellowing.

1. 1988. a levenyng light, a gleaming or flashing light :—as a low fyre, like that of a blazing fire, or, as of a flaming fire.

1. 1993. pat no lond hade, that was not on the land, or, that was on the sea.

1. 1995. clent hille, rocky or precipitous hill: clint and clinty are still used in the Lothians, and in the same sense: clinty clewes occurs in Doug. Virg., p. 200, l. 15; and clinty craigs, in Ramsay's Poems.

1. 1996. dump, rush down, sink: dump in pe depe occurs again in l. 13289; and damp into helle, in 1. 10713: dump is still so used in Scotland.

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1. 2002. to seke, to go on pilgrimage to.

1. 2003. prappit, contended, strove, battled: from A.S. preapian. Compare 1. 8362 with 1. 2152.

1. 2026. gayne-come, return, 'back-come.'

1. 2031. rekont by row, reckoned (recounted) one by one, or, related seriatim.

1. 2036. fere, fear, or cause to be afraid.

1. 2046. wackons vp werre, war arises, or war bursts forth: waknys wer occurs in Wallace, Bk 7, 1. 185.

1. 2061. wrixlit, from A.S. wrixlan, to change; but here evidently to cause to change, to overbear, to master.

1. 2064. to myn on, to recall and dwell on, to brood over: the phrase is still common. See note, 1. 30.

1. 2071. to hit, to come true, to be verified: hit is still used in this sense in Scotland: for other meanings, see Gloss. tas, takes of the same form as mase, gais.

11. 2080-1. þar not, needs not, has no cause: from the A.S. pearf, need, cause. lip, slip, stumble, fall: still used in the East of Scotland.

1. 2086. dungen to dethe, hurried to death, worried to death, killed: a common phrase still, and with many applications: see 1. 2135. 1. 2089. ges matir, givest cause: in common use still. Note the various applications of matir in this work; the word is so used throughout the Lowlands of Scotland. mony day after, for many a

year to come: note the absence of the prepos. here, and often through

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out the work: the idiom is very common still; see in 1. 2340, mony day past.

1. 2126. wintors, should be winteris.

1. 2128. no faute, no want, no lack, or, lack of nothing: faute also means fault, offence, as in 1. 4850.

1. 2140. Similarly in Mort. Arth., 1. 298,

"Of this grett velany I salle be vengede ones."

1. 2156. pere ynnes, their homes: generally implies temporary place of abode; but often used for dwelling, place of abode.

1. 2159. wan, begat: for other meanings, see Gloss.

1. 2178. the slaght, the slaughter: occurs again and again: is slagh in 1. 13609. The word is still used.

1. 2203. ournand, sinking, drooping: see note, 1. 1919.

1. 2217. any erdyng in erthe, any inhabitant of the earth, any one on earth. euenyng to us, equal to us (in rank), or, really our match,— as in the common expression, 'dinna strike the laddie; he's no an evenin' to you:' see euyn, equal, just, fair, in 1. 2287.

1. 2219. þat the mysse tholis, that endures the insult, or to whom the indignity is done.

11. 2239-40. our gate, our conduct or plans. ne no torfer betyde: compare Mort. Arth., 1. 356, ‘Hym salle torfere betyde;' and compare the line with Mort. Arth., 1. 1956, 'to tene and torfer for ever.' 1. 2247. the fer end, the conclusion: see note, 1. 95; and compare with the last end' of 1. 2254. We still speak of the fore end,' or beginning; the far end, or conclusion; and the last end,' or result, outcome, the afterwards.

1. 2261. to wisshe you with wit: see note, 1. 4.

1. 2286. Or all so myght, &c. or to embitter for ever all who might so venture for her.

1. 2293. The same idea in almost the same words in M. A., 1. 1693.

1. 2341. leut, left, or lent, dwelling, abiding,—as in 1. 13857.

1. 2354. hym one, all alone, by himself: like Scottish 'his lane.'

1. 2359. I wilt, I wandered: see note, 1. 2369.

1. 2363. I tynt hym belyue, I by-and-bye lost him, or, I soon lost him the expression is still used.

1. 2369. wyll of my gate, lost in error as to my road, wandered: so in l. 12823, will of his wone, at a loss for a home, all homeless: will or wyll is astray, or, to go astray; left to one's own will, or, to follow one's own will, hence, to wander, to be in want of: from A.S. wild, no following one's own impulse or will, hence, wilder, bewilder. A common expression in Scotland regarding one who has lost his senses is, 'he's clean wile,' or 'he's clean will,' or 'he's will o' wit.' The word is used by Wyntoun, Barbour, Blind Harry, Douglas, and Ramsay: see Jamieson's Dict. for illustrations. Barbour has, in The Bruce, 'will off wane,' Bk 1, 1. 328, and Bk 5, 1. 525; and it occurs in Blind Harry's Wallace, Bk 6, l. 182.

1. 2374. ouer-hild, overspread, covered; so in Douglas's Virgil, p. 169, 1. 45.

1. 2406. That ye faithfully shall falle, that you shall assuredly get: similarly in 1. 8953, 'who shuld falle it.' Both forms are used by Burns, "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face;" and, "Guid faith, he mauna fa' that!"

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11. 2437-8. I wackonet with pat, thereupon I awaked: the expression is still common in Scotland: with pat then, afterwards, thereupon, &c., is very common. grippet my gayre, seized my weapons: gayre, gere, geire, goods, property, dress, armour, arms (see Gloss.), is still common: it occurs in The Bruce, Wallace, and Mort. Arth.; and Burns has, among other examples,

66

"But, Davie, lad, ne'er fash your head

Tho' we hae little gear."-Epistle to Davie.

& my gate held, and held on my way, resumed my course: when starting on a course or journey, it is, 'toke the gate,' as in 1. 2877; and in 'Tam o' Shanter,'

"And folk begin to tak the gate."

1. 2446. faynhed, gladness: observe the number of words with the termination hed, hede hood, which our author uses.

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1. 2462. toke tent, took heed, considered: still used.

1. 2478. eftesones, afterwards, next in order: in 1. 7424 we have eftirsons.

1. 2481. warpet these wordes, uttered these words: to warp words, and to warp out words, are forms used both in this work and in Mort. Arth. See 11. 360, 2683, and Mort. Arth., ll. 9, 150: also note, l. 1297.

1. 2483. you blenke, deceive you: the expression is perhaps founded on the effect which the dazzling of the sun produces on a person looking at anything immediately after: the word is still used in the sense 'to deceive.'

1. 2512. Seyit furth, fell back, withdrew: seyit, from A.S. sigan, to fall, to incline, to sink down, to drop away: hence the various meanings in Gloss.; and in 1. 6579 we have, 'sodenly he seit doun;' and in 1. 7129, þai seyn to pe yates.'

7. greida.

1. 2536. shuld be graithe, should be skilled, sure, or certain: graithe, from A.S. geraedian, to make ready, teach, instruct: hence, gerad, ON. ready, instructed, learned, skilled. In Piers Plowman we find 'pe graith gate' the direct road (Pas. 1, 1. 203: Claren. Series).

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1. 2541. ournes, shrinks: see note, l. 1919.

1. 2549. redy to rode, ready for the voyage: see note, 1. 1045.

1. 2572. Shapyn in shene ger, arrayed in bright armour.

11. 2608-12. This is very like what Arthur says in Mort. Arth., 11. 144-151.

1. 2617. pat at longis to lenge on, that which is bound to rest on, or, that which in the long run must rest on, or, that which is to remain, for long, on according as 'at longis' means, that belongs, or, at long is in the long run is, for long is.

1. 2622. A praty man of pure wit, a worthy man of the highest knowledge; or, a splendid man-of-genius: a pretty man means either a graceful, dignified, worthy man, or, a highly accomplished man. "We are three to three: if ye be pretty men, draw!" (Scott's Rob Roy.) 1.2630. nomekowthe, famous, renowned: occurs in Douglas's Virgil, p. 163, 1. 21,

"The namekouth hous quhilk Labyrinthus hait."

In 1. 2638, nome kouthe name well-known or famous.

1. 2635. ye mon sure fynde, you must (by-and-bye) find true, or, you must assuredly experience: the expression is still used: mon is mun in 11. 3477, 12720.

1. 2649. wheme, sometimes queme, qweme (see Gloss.), good, loved. 1. 2674. at parys to wende, that Paris should set out, or, with Paris for proposing or intending to set out: this idiom is well known in Scotland, as in the common parental monition, "I'm no pleased at you to gae there," which means, I am displeased that you should go there, or, I am displeased with you for purposing to go there. However, the first rendering seems to be the one intended, for next line tells that the people affirmyt hit fully.'

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1. 2681. with a birre, with a loud cry of horror and dismay: the expression is still used regarding such an outburst: so in Douglas's Virgil, p. 116, 1. 11,

"With langsum voce and ane full pietuous bere;"

and in Christ's Kirk of the Green,'

"Quhyn thay had berit lyk baitit bullis."

1. 2693. on sum qwaint wise, in some strange, unusual, or long outof-mind way.

1. 2717. wond in his weile, abode in its grandeur, lived or lasted in

its glory.

1. 2744. on the shyre water: in Morte Arth.,

schyre waters."

1. 3600, 66 ouer the

11. 2757-8. the grete, the request, the prayer: refers to the command

in the preceding lines.

And shope hom, &c.: in Morte Arth., 1. 3599,

"And thane he schoupe hym to chippe & schownes no lengure."

1. 2784. Our knighthode to kythe & our clene strenght: similarly in Morte Arth., 1. 1652,

"Wille kythe for hir kynge lufe craftes of armes ? "

1. 2835. þai girdon o rowme, they hold away from it, they give it a wide berth see rowme in Morte Arth., 11. 1454, 3470.

1. 2837. hade kennyng of other, had knowledge of the other any notice of the other, or paid any attention to the other.

= took

1. 2852. waited vppon hor wirdes, sought out their fortunes, i. e. went (to the temple) to inquire what was their fate: going to a fortuneteller is still called waiting one's wirdes. for wynnyng of godys, in order to secure the favour of the gods or goddess.

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