NOTES.

1. 6127. vnwyly should be vnwysly.

1. 6133. leue should be lene, lend, grant; from A.S. læn, a loan.

503

1. 6176. The vb. loute (A.S. hlútan) is used both with and without the prep. to following: here, and in 11. 6213, 6235, without it; but in 1. 6251, with it.

1. 6186. takell, weapons, bows and arrows: sometimes means an arrow, as in Doug. Virg., p. 300, 1. 20; Christ's Kirk,' st. 10; Chaucer's Cant. Tales, Prol., 1. 106. The word is still used in Scotland in the sense of arms, instruments; and is common among workmen when speaking of the tools with which they work.

1. 6256. fer, contr. for ferre, further.

1. 6258. stert vpon stray, begin to move, attempt to stir out of his proper place the phrase is capable of different applications, and occurs twice in Golagros and Gawane (11. 19 and 992).

1. 6265. bes (imper. pl.), be ye. ware, wary. By combination we have our present form, beware.

waytys (imper. pl.), watch, carefully attend. Wayt occurs as a sb. in ll. 6270, 7352: in l. 6270 = a watch, a guard; and in 1. 7352, we have waites = watchmen, or, the watches:-the word is still used in both senses.

=

1. 6325. qwat should be pat; but the line is still imperfect: probably it should be, " And þat so tendit to be [ton, þe] totheris was all " and what harmed the one, was the other's harm too. 1. 6368. Polidarius the porknell: see ll. 3837-42. 1. 6394. Toke his horse with his helis struck the spurs into his steed toke is thus used again and again in this work, as in 1. 7508, toke hym in the face; 1. 8224, toke hym on pe hed, &c. These expressions are still in use.

1. 6407. Compare with Morte Arthure, 1. 2069.

1. 6409. Compare with 11. 5939, 7004, 7340, and with Morte Arthure, 11. 2254, 2975.

1. 6439. for wepyn or other

used in this sense.

11. 6510-17. Compare with Morte Arthure, Il. 1792-9, 2086-92.

1. 6613. at probably should be had a very likely mistake for a scribe writing to dictation.

1. 6640. 30p, more commonly 3pe: see Glossary.

1. 6663. Luggit, dragged (Su.-Goth. lugga): is still used.

1. 6730. luskit to ground, dashed to the ground, laid flat on the earth lusk seems like the Ger. lauschen, to lurk, to lie flat, to lie in wait.

1. 6745. odmony, a great many. For the various meanings of od, see Glossary: some of them are still in use.

1. 6789. Mony lyue of lept: compare with Morte Arthure, 1. 2084, some leppe fro the lyfe.

1. 6822. gyuen bake, turned about, gave way: seo 1. 6860.

1. 6823. fight should be flight. fay worthit, were cut down.

1. 6838. refe hyn his fos, snatch him from his foes: the omission of the preposition in such phrases is pretty frequent in this work.

1. 6865-6. no noy feld, felt none of the brunt. baners on brede occurs in Morte Arthure, 1. 3646.

1. 6941. in holl qwert, safe and sound: in qwert seems to have been used as the phrase "hale and hearty" is now: it occurs in The Awntyrs of Arthure,' 1. 244, and in Golagros and Gawane, 1. 586; and Sir F. Madden, in his Glossary to these pieces, renders quarte, quert = good spirits, joy.

1. 6992. said ought to be sad, as in ll. 1277.

1. 6998. Issit, rushed, dashed: in 1. 5784 it occurs as ysshit: see, Glossary.

1. 7005. þe slade moue, the mouth or entrance of the valley: moue, the mouth, is still common.

1. 7033. blody beronyn, run over with blood, i. e. covered with it. It occurs in 'Death and Liffe' in the Percy Folio MS.

1. 7019. wirdis, destiny, fate: cf. Ger. werden, to become.
Rubric. By Ector, with reference to Hector.

1. 7107. tuk of a trump, blast of a trumpet. phrase still used: see Jamieson's Dict.

Tuck of drum is a

1. 7122. And ay worth vnto werre, and always became worse and

worse.

1. 7149. for, on account of-i. e. as a provision against.

1. 7171. Venus: the alliteration here makes it Wenus, as in 1. 2987. 1. 7197. syttyn, sitting-i. e. fitting, suitable: see, under Sitte, Glossary.

1. 7207. þe tru vp = the (time of the) truce run out as in 'the

time 's up.'

=

1. 7273. dernly ought to be deruly derfly, quickly, hastily. 1. 7302. launchand, rushing, bounding: in 1. 5810, the vb. is launse; and in William of Palerne, 1. 2755, it is launce. Cf. Fr. se lancer.

1. 7308. Compare this line with Morte Arthure, 11. 979, 1388, 2182, 2201: indeed, the whole passage (7304-10) may be compared with M. A., 1382-90, and 2197-2203.

1

small

1. 7346. hondqwile hand-while, commonly hanla-while = handywhile, a short time: just as a hand-full = a small quantity, a number. See Jamieson's Dict.

1. 7398. stere = stir, commotion, strife: is still used. Compare the next two lines with Morte Arthure, 11. 2095-6.

1. 7430. swagit

=

swacked similarly, haggit

Both words are still used in Scotland.

1. 7458. In Morte Arthure, 1. 2079,

hacked, 1. 10023.

"The stede and the steryne mane strykes to the grownde."

Compare also 1. 11091 with M. A., ll. 1488, 3823.

1. 7491. naited pere strenght, plied their strength, exerted themselves to their utmost. See Jamieson's Dict. under Nate, Note: Ger. nützen. 1. 7496. caupit: see note, 1. 7533.

NOTES.

1. 7507. aykeward

=

awkward, i. e. sideways.

505

1. 7512. sad for various meanings see Gloss., and Gloss. to Wm.

of Palerne.

1. 7533. Keppit the caupe, received the stroke, arrested the blow: kep is still so used. caupe = Ital. colpo, a blow, is the root of the

verb caupit in l. 7496.

1. 7551. sute, pursuit: in 1. 6014, suet.

1. 7570. oure side londes, our wide, or, broad lands: side, A.S. sid. 1. 7619. skewes, clouds, heavens: A.S. scua, a shade, a shadow. See Gloss.

1. 7621. waynit, rushed, gushed. Compare this meaning with that in 1. 676, which is still used; and for other meanings in this work, see Gloss. see also Gloss. to Wm. of Palerne.

1. 7628. teghit, tugged, pulled: A.S. teon.

1. 7651. reueray, clamour, scolding: Fr. resverie, idle talking, raving. See Jamieson's Dict.

1. 7724. his stepe loke, his deep-set eyes, or, his out-shot, glaring eyes stepe is still used in both senses. See 1. 3758, and Chaucer's Prologue, 1. 747.

1. 7733. Compare with Morte Arthure, 1. 449.

1. 7758. Mawhown, monster, devil: a term of opprobrium that tells of Crusading times, and is still applied to the devil, as in 'The Deil's Awa Wi' the Exciseman,' by Burns.

1. 7766. Vnbest =

un-beast, i. e. misshapen beast.

The line

1. 7861. maitles, perhaps should be maicles, matchless. seems to run thus: And though we are (by entertaining the proposal of a truce) ruining our superiority, let us do so no longer.'

1. 7983. Omit the comma after have.

1. 8029. Bresaide: this is surely a muddle between Briseis and Cressid.

1. 8037. ses hym, make him to cease.

1. 8046. Compare with 11. 8705, 9454, 10365, 10567, 10761-2, and these with Morte Arthure, 11. 715-16, 2961-2, 4247, 4273.

1. 8053. fir, probably should be firre

1. 8120. file

= further, as in 1. 4782.

defile. The line runs thus:-'Every man will

blame you, and defile your fair fame,'

1. 8176. yomeryng, sorrowing (at their parting). yettyng, shedding: A.S. geótan: Mos.-Goth. giutan: Dutch, gieten.

1. 8194. thristy, bold, brave: thristliche, boldly (used poetically) occurs in Wm. of Palerne, 1. 191.

1. 8231. Mony ledes with his launse out of lyfe broght. Compare with 11. 7683, 8633, 9892, 10158, and with Morte Arthure, l. 1820,— Many lede with his launce the liffe has he refede." The phrase, out of lyfe broght, is in Morte A., 11. 1775, 1800, 3520, broghte oute of lyfe: also, in 1. 1282 of this work, we find, and hym o liue broght; and in M. A., 1. 802, and broghte hyme o lyfe.

1. 8296. dernly, a misprint for deruly, fiercely.

1. 8313. tes, raises, elevates; hence, adores: is still in use. See Jamieson's Dict.

1. 8341. foale, a horse: still a common word among farmers and horse-dealers.

1. 8386. Rowchet, a mistake for cowchet = alliteration demands, See Kowchit in 1. 11789.

inlaid, set, which the

1. 8418. How odd!-a Parliament of Kings, Lords, and Commons during the siege of Troy! Evidently, from the way in which our author speaks of them here and elsewhere, such a parliament was the only kind he had known: note too the mode of affirming the truce. in order.

1. 8437. by tale

=

1. 8677. gawlyng, yelling, lamenting: still in use in the form gol ing. See Goulen in Gloss, to Havelok (ed. Skeat): also Jamieson's Dict. 11. 8695-6. woke, watched: in the same sense as at the Irish wake. Remyng, crying, lamentation: A.S. hreman, to cry, to weep, to lament. rauthe reuthe, ruth: A.S. hreów, reów, grief, sorrow. 1. 8732. to fele, to perceive, to smell.

1. 8753. As a gate, as a way, i. e. the steps were a way to go up by. 1. 8810. fynet not to bren, ceased not to burn, never went out. 1. 8850, what dem þar us ellus what (part of our) destiny must we yet work out: þar need, as in the Prick of Conscience, 1. 2167 (Morris).

1. 8884. to fylsy, to swell out, to increase: the word is still used as an adj.-filschy. See Jamieson's Dict.

1. 8924. gyng, gang, followers: A.S. genge, a flock.

1. 8963. unfittyng, should be unsittyng 1. 8970. pase = passus.

=

unseemly.

1. 8994. pere fos found for to greue, (they) go with the design of punishing their foes.

1.9024. triet, great, splendid: see Gloss. to Wm. of Palerne,

under Trie.

=

1. 9049. forset for-set, hemmed in, cut off, prevented (in the old sense of the word): the alliteration suggests that the accent is on set. 1. 9061. birlt & pirlet are still used. Compare with Morte Arthure, 11. 1413, 1858, 2167.

1. 9085. entiret

burial.

interred in 1. 9106 we find entierment In some of the country districts of Lanarkshire both words are still so pronounced.

II. 9127-33. sourcher =

sour-cher, evil cheer, sadness, choking agony. facid defaced: see facing, 1. 9215. vn on.

=

1. 9141. moron or moru mylde: in Dunbar's 'Twa Maryit Wemen,' 1. 513, we find,— The morow myld wes and meik,' &c.

1. 9153. hatnet, heated, inflamed.

1. 9159. grym is here

form greme. Sce Gloss.

=

grief: more commonly anger, and in the

1. 9210. dreghly can syle, slowly began to compose himself.

1. 9242. In pat at

=

in that which, as far as.

11. 9268-70. seruet deserved. ekys increases: eke is still used both as a verb and a noun = to add to, an addition.

1. 9320. This line is another proof that our author had read Piers Plowman in Wright's ed., p. 10, we find :

"And comen to a counseil for the commune profit."

1. 9337. leuet = lived, remained: see also in 1. 9358.

1. 9406. He gird hym thurgh the guttes with a grym speire. In the Morte Arthure, 11. 1369-70, we have,—

"He gryppes hym a grete spere, and graythely hym hittez

Thurghe the guttez in-to the gorre he gyrdes hym ewyn." Compare also 11. 10701-5 with Morte A., 11. 2167-8; II. 9431-2 with M. A., 4116-7; and 11. 9539-40 with M. A., 4251.

1. 9448. me tenys, (which) pains me. of out of, from.

1. 9454. Sweyt, slipped, sunk. Swe (to swing, to swing round, to swing gently backward and forward, hence, to turn over gently, to slip, to sink) has been omitted in arranging the Gloss, it is still used as here.

11. 9465-9. Compare this passage with Morte Arthure, II. 2123-5 : also 11. 9181-3 with M. A., 1771-4.

11. 9511-3. chrickenede, were terrified: Ger. schrecken, to terrify. This word is wrongly rendered in the Gloss.

scrive, noise, roar (of the flames): any rushing noise is still called a scrive or screve. wappond, lashing, dashing in all directions. loghys,

in 1. 9512, may be rendered either lowes tents, as in 1. 4951.

=

flames, or, lowes

=

lodges,

1.9625. the gre, the degree, highest place, post of honour: still in use. 1. 9639. Donkyt, damped, suffused compare with 1. 512 of Dunbar's Twa Maryit Wemen.'

1. 9707. Ne was hit not, nay, was it not, or, was it not: like the French, n'était il pas.

1. 9794. Evidently this is another line from Piers Plowman: see

Wright's ed., p. 44:

"Than laughte thei leve, thise lordes, at Mede."

1. 9903. Perhaps hym should be inserted before titly.

1. 9928, but no wothe in but not mortally, or, but not deeply. 1. 10022. Pa lit, drove, cut their way compare with mallyng, in l. 9520, and both verbs with the term pell-mell.