6. Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn,
“cweorn,” a mill,
7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.
8. Busiris, king of Egypt, was wont to sacrifice all foreigners
coming to his dominions. Hercules was seized, bound, and led
to the altar by his orders, but the hero broke his bonds and slew
the tyrant.
9. The feats of Hercules here recorded are not all these known
as the “twelve labours;” for instance, the cleansing of the
Augean stables, and the capture of Hippolyte’s girdle are not in
this list — other and less famous deeds of the hero taking their
place. For this, however, we must accuse not Chaucer, but
Boethius, whom he has almost literally translated, though with
some change of order.
10. Trophee: One of the manuscripts has a marginal reference
to “Tropheus vates Chaldaeorum” (“Tropheus the prophet of
the Chaldees”); but it is not known what author Chaucer meant
— unless the reference is to a passage in the “Filostrato” of
Boccaccio, on which Chaucer founded his “Troilus and
Cressida,” and which Lydgate mentions, under the name of
“Trophe,” as having been translated by Chaucer.
11. Pres: near; French, “pres;” the meaning seems to be, this
nearer, lower world.
12 Chaucer has taken the story of Zenobia from Boccaccio’s
work “De Claris Mulieribus.” (“Of Illustrious Women”)
13. Odenatus, who, for his services to the Romans, received
from Gallienus the title of “Augustus;” he was assassinated in
A.D. 266 — not, it was believed, without the connivance of
Zenobia, who succeeded him on the throne.
14. Sapor was king of Persia, who made the Emperor Valerian
prisoner, conquered Syria, and was pressing triumphantly
westward when he was met and defeated by Odenatus and
Zenobia.