272. _Valence_, explained by Urry as Valentia in Spain. But perhaps it may
refer to Valence, near Lyons, in France; as Lyons is especially famous for
the manufacture of silks, and there is a considerable trade in silks at
Valence also. Probably 'thin silk' is here meant. Boccaccio merely speaks
of 'texture so thin,' or, in the original 'Testa, tanto _sottil_,' which
accounts for Chaucer's 'subtil.' Coles's Dict. (1684) gives:
'_Valence,-tia_, a town in Spain, France, and Milan.' In the Unton
Inventories, for the years 1596 and 1620, ed. J. G. Nichols, I find: 'one
covering for a fielde bedde of green and _valens_,' p. 4; 'one standinge
bedsteed with black velvett testern, black _vallance_ fringed and laced,'
p. 21; 'one standinge bed with yellow damaske testern and _vallence_,' p.
21; '_vallance_ frindged and laced,' p. 22; 'one bedsteed and testern, and
_valance_ of black velvett,' p. 22; 'one bedsteed ... with _vallance_
imbroydered with ash couler,' p. 23; 'one bedsteed, with ... _vallance_ of
silke,' p. 29. It is the mod. E. _valance_, and became a general term for
part of the hangings of a bed; Shakespeare has 'Valance of Venice gold,'
spelt _Vallens_ in old editions, Tam. Shrew, ii. 1. 356. Spenser imitates
this passage, F. Q. ii. 12.77.
275. Compare the well-known proverb--'sine Cerere et Libero friget Venus';
Terence, Eun. 2. 3. 4.
277. Read _Cipryde_, not _Cupide_; for in l. 279 we have _hir_ twice, once
in the sense of 'their,' but secondly in the sense of 'her.' Boccaccio also
here speaks of Venus, and refers to the apple which she won from Paris.
_Cipride_ is regularly formed from the accus. of _Cypris_ (gen.
_Cypridis_), an epithet of Venus due to her worship in Cyprus. Chaucer
found the genitive _Cypridis_ in Alanus de Planctu Naturæ (ed. Wright, p.
438); see note to l. 298. Cf. 'He curseth Ceres, Bacus, and _Cipryde_';
Troilus, v. 208.
281. The best way of scansion is perhaps to read _despyt-e_ with final _e_,
preserved by cæsura, and to pronounce _Diane_ as _Dián'_. So in Kn. Tale,
1193 (A 2051), which runs parallel with it.