38. Tregetours: tricksters, jugglers. For explanation of this
word, see note 14 to the Franklin’s tale.
39. Pythonesses: women who, like the Pythia in Apollo’s
temple at Delphi, were possessed with a spirit of divination or
prophecy. The barbarous Latin form of the word was
“Pythonissa” or “Phitonissa.” See note 9 to the Friar’s Tale.
40. Subfumigations: a ceremony employed to drive away evil
spirits by burning incense; the practice of smoking cattle, corn,
&c., has not died out in some country districts.
41. In certain ascendents: under certain planetary influences.
The next lines recall the alleged malpractices of witches, who
tortured little images of wax, in the design of causing the same
torments to the person represented — or, vice versa, treated
these images for the cure of hurts or sickness.
42. Medea: celebrated for her magical power, through which
she restored to youth Aeson, the father of Jason; and caused the
death of Jason’s wife, Creusa, by sending her a poisoned
garment which consumed her to ashes.
43. Circes: the sorceress Circe, who changed the companions of
Ulysses into swine.
44. Calypsa: Calypso, on whose island of Ogygia Ulysses was
wrecked. The goddess promised the hero immortality if he
remained with her; but he refused, and, after a detention of
seven years, she had to let him go.
45. Hermes Ballenus: this is supposed to mean Hermes
Trismegistus (of whom see note 19 to the Canon’s Yeoman’s
Tale); but the explanation of the word “Ballenus” is not quite
obvious. The god Hermes of the Greeks (Mercurius of the
Romans) had the surname “Cyllenius,” from the mountain
where he was born — Mount Cyllene, in Arcadia; and the
alteration into “Ballenus” would be quite within the range of a
copyist’s capabilities, while we find in the mythological
character of Hermes enough to warrant his being classed with
jugglers and magicians.
46. Limote and Colle Tregetour seem to have been famous
sorcerers or jugglers, but nothing is now known of either.