974. _lofte_. In the sense ‘women’s apartments’ seems to be of Norse
origin. Cf. Skeat, Etymol. Dict., also Wissmann, 928 Note. Cf. also
1050 L. It seems probable that the women’s apartments were in the
‘tower.’ Cf. also Kölbing (Engl. Stud. vi. 155).
1002-3. _dude_ seems to be used in the modern, intensive sense, and not
as ‘cause to’ or ‘put.’
1010-11. For similar situations cf. ‘Guy of W.’ 1315-16: _On huntyng Gye
went on a day, He mett a palmer by the way_. Also ‘Erl of Tolous’ 937-8:
_He rode on huntyng on a day, A marchand mett he be þe way_. Cf. also
‘Beues’ 1300 ff.
1021-2. _wedde_ : _bedde_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 31126-7 B: _he þat maide weddede,
and nam hire to his bedde_.
1024, H. _enimis_. Perhaps trace of OF. nom. sing. ending in _-s_, due
to French scribe. Cf. 123 Note.
1034. _bidere_, error for _bitere_ (?).
1056. _wringe_. Cf. ‘Ipomydon’ 876: _Hir handes fast gan she wrynge_.
1068. _linne_. Hortative (?).
1073. _kniȝt mid þe beste_. A common phrase. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 20449, etc.
1077-8. _sonde_ : _londe_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 28676-7: _and sende his sonde wide
ȝeond his londe_.
1089. _striken_. Stratmann suggests ‘strip.’
1091-2, H. _yronge_ : _ysonge_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 29441-2: _no belle irungen.
no masse isunge._
1093. _word bigan to springe_. Cf. ‘Havel.’ 959: _of him ful wide þe
word sprong_. ‘Lay.’ 26242: _Wel wide sprong þas eorles word_
(Wissmann). Also ‘King of Tars.’ 1065: _þe word wel wide sprong_. ‘Lyb.
Disc.’ 264 ff.: _Hys name ys spronge wide_.
1102. _sprunge of stone_. The simile is one of quickness that of a spark
from the stone in striking a light, like modern “quick as a flash.” Cf.
_He sprange als any spark one glede_, ‘Sir Isumbras,’ 451.
1103-4. _mette_ : _grette_. A very common rime. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 31041-2: _þer
he hine mette and fæire hine grette_. ‘Beues’ 2051-2: _þar wiþ a palmer
he mette, And swiþe faire he him grette_.
1117. _nolde_. Cf. ‘Lay’ 28900: _and seiden þat he nolde_.
1118 L. _ispused wiþ golde_. Reference, probably, to an old custom of
buying the bride.
1121. _Myd strencþe_. Cf. ‘Squire of L. D.’ 443 (Wissmann).
1132 ff. _chaungi wede_. Compare with this ‘Beues’ 2051 ff., where Beues
meets a palmer, learns from him the news, exchanges garments with him,
and in disguise goes to see Iosiane after an absence of seven years.
Disguises are an almost universal feature of these mediaeval tales. Cf.
Brian’s disguise in ‘Pierre de Langt.’ (Rolls Series), pp. 248-350. Cf.
also disguises in ‘Guy of W.’, ‘Layamon’ (17637 ff.), ‘Ypomydon,’ ‘Rich.
C. de L.,’ ‘Isumbras,’ etc. They are frequent in Germanic story from the
stories of Thor down.
1134. _sclauyne_. Cf. ‘Rich. C. de L.’ 611-12: _with pyke and with
sclavyn, As palmers were in Paynim_.
1139. _horn his_ = Hornes, evidently due to scribe’s mistake in hearing.
1144. _bicolmede_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 17700-1, _iblæcched he hæfde his licame:
swulc ismitte of cole_.
1147-8. _gateward_. Cf. ‘Ipomydon’ 245-6: _They com to the
castelle-gate, The porter was redy there at_.
1155. _abugge_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 3841, 8159 (Wissm.).
1158, L. _rake_. Cf. ‘Beues’ 2183: _Let me wiþ þe reke_.
1164. _ȝerne_. Cf. Ritson, II. 25, 589: _þe mayde cryde yerne_ (Wissm.).
1184 ff. Cf. the story of Brian, ‘Lay.’ III., pp. 234-8: Brian,
disguised as a palmer, enters the banqueting hall. Galarne, his sister,
the queen, serves the guests to drink from a bowl. She recognizes Brian,
and gives him a ring in token of recognition.
1185-6. _benche_ : _schenche_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 14963-4: _& heo gon scenchen
on þas kinges benche_. Cf. also ‘Beowulf,’ 1226-54.
1190. _so laȝe was in londe_. Cf. ‘Rich. C. de L.’: _Thenne as hit was
lawe of land_ (Wissm.).
1191-2. _Hye drank of þe bere To knyt and to squiere_. An old Germanic
custom. Cf. Wissmann, ‘Untersuchungen’ (‘Q. u. F.’ xvi. Strassb., 1876),
p. 110.
1202. _brune_. Cf. Wissm., 1142 Note, also Kölbing (‘Engl. Stud.’ vi.
156). Wissmann takes _brun_ to be a collective referring to ‘beer.’
Kölbing, with greater probability, takes _brun_ to mean an ordinary
brown horn, as distinguished from the _cuppe white_, which she has laid
down, 1201.
1204. _glotoun_. The same phrase in Wolfram’s ‘Parz.’: _si wænde, er
wære ein garzūn_ (Wissm.).
1206. _þing_, probably a mistake for _ring_. Cf. 479-80.
1240. _vnder wude liȝe_. Cf. ‘Lay’: _Ich eou wille leden forð to mine
lauerd i þon wade rime þer he under rise lið_ (Wissm.).
1259. _bi seint gile_. Cf. Wissm. 1197 Note. Cf. also 829 Note.
1275. _custe_. Cf. ‘Erl of Tolous’ 401: _And kyssyde hyt fele sythe_.
Cf. also 425 Note.
1281-2. _Heo feol on hire bedde_. Cf. ‘Erl of Tolous’ 871, 875: _He hent
a knyfe with all his mayn ... And fell {in} swoun upon hys bedd_; also
‘Ipomydon’ 871 ff.: _Uppon hyr bedde she gan downe falle_. Cf. also 458,
792.
1282, H. _gredde_. Cf. ‘Beues’ 2151: _After Bonefas ȝhe gan grede_.
1297, L, H. _kuste_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 15017-18, 5012-14.
1304. _wroþe_. Cf. 366 Note.
1311-12. _bure_ : _ture_. Cf. ‘Havelok’ 2072-3: _I shal lene þe a bowr
þat is up in þe heye tour_.
1321-2. _ywis_ : _blis_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 7605-7 B: _Mochel was þe blisse þat
hii makede mid iwisse_.
1335. _wunder_. Cf. Mätzner 1247 Note.
1336. _falsede_. Early instance of a hybrid word.
1398. _crouch_. Lat. _crucem_, OE. _cruce_.
1410. _hym agros_. Cf. 925 Note.
1419. _kepe þis passage_. Cf. ‘Beowulf’ 230 ff.: _se þe holmclifu
healdan scolde_, etc.
1420. _of age_. This phrase seems to have very nearly its modern
meaning, and if so, is probably the earliest recorded instance. Cf. New
Oxford Dict.
1422. _bi este_ C, _by weste_ L H. This confusion, here as elsewhere,
seems due to changing points of view. _Westernesse_ is of course west to
_Suddenne_, and both are east to _Yrlonde_.
1428. _þe riȝte_, direct. Cf. Wissmann, 1356 Note.
1462. _I blessed beo þe time_. Cf. ‘Havel.’ 1215; ‘Chron. of Engl.’ 705
(Wissmann).
1465-6. _teche_ : _speche_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 26544: _for þus we eou scullen
techen ure Bruttisce speche_, and 26834: _Nu is we wulle teche Bruttisce
spæche_. For a very similar use cf. ‘Lay.’ 18424-25: _we scullen heom to
teon & tiðende tellen_; 20605-6, _and we heom sculleð tellen Bruttisce
{spelles}_; 21698, _sorhfulle spelles_; 24942, _ȝeomere spelles_. In all
these instances, as in the phrase in K. H., the meaning seems to be to
inflict dire punishment. Cf. also ‘Lay.’ 23503-4: _& techen heō to riden
þene wæi touward Romen_.
1467-8. _sle_ : _fle_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 6417-18: _oðer mid fure he lette hom
slæn · oðer he heom lette quic flan_. Cf. also ‘Lay.’ 27376-7, 29049-50;
‘Life of Alex.’ 1734 (Wissmann). Cf. also ‘Havelok,’ 612: _He shal hem
hangen, or quik flo_. For details of the flaying, cf. ‘Havelok’ 2492 ff.
1469. _horn to blowe_. In both French versions of ‘Havelok,’ Havelok
proves his identity in Denmark by his ability to blow the horn which
Sigar presents to him, and which no one else can blow. Cf. also ‘Beues’
3377: _Saber is horn began to blow, þat his ost him scholde knowe_. Cf.
also Roland’s horn in the Song of Roland and a similar incident in the
German romance, ‘König Rother.’
1481-2. _wurche_ : _churche_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 10205-6: _chirchen he lettē
areren monie & wel iwhare_; also 29531-2.
1483-4. _ringe_ : _singe_. Cf. ‘Havelok’ 242: _Belles he deden sone
ringen, monkes and prestes masse singen_ (Wissmann).
1487, L. _cleten_. Scribal error for _clepten_.
1501-2, L H. _ston ... lym ..._ The combination of stone and lime is
probably a sign of French influence on MSS. L and H. Cf. R. H. 5047: _de
pere e de furment_. Cf. also ‘Erl of Tolous’ 467: _Was made of lyme and
stone_; also ‘Sir Eglamour,’ 252.
1509-10. _wende_ : _schende_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 1793-9: _Þe kaisere wende
Walwaī to scende_.
1516-17. For mode of marriage cf. ‘Rich. C. de L.’ 185-8.
1518. _newe werke_. Cf. ‘Rob. of Glouc.’ p. 449 (Wissmann).
1536. _wunder_ = harm, evil. Cf. Mätzner, 1247 Note, 1422 Note.
1537. _wundes fiue_. Cf. ‘King of Tars.’ 57: _þat suffred wowndes fiue_.
1574. _ginne_. Cf. ‘Lay.’ 30567: _þurh nanes cunnes giñe_ (Wissmann).