271. 'It is a hard matter to control a thing that no one would willingly
keep.' Simply translated from Theophrastus (see note to l. 235), who
has--'Molestum est possidere, quod nemo habere dignetur.'
272. _helde_, a variant form of _holde_, hold, keep; from A. S. _healdan_.
As Chaucer usually has _holde_ (see D. 1144), _helde_ is probably used for
the sake of the rime. Note that it is the _only_ example of a rime in
_-elde_ in the whole of the Canterbury Tales; indeed, the only other
example is in Troil. ii. 337-8. We find the same rime in King Horn, l.
911:--
'Mi rengne thu schalt welde,
And to spuse helde
Reynild mi doghter.'
275. Again from Theophrastus (near the beginning):--'Non est ergo uxor
ducenda sapienti. Primum enim impediri studia philosophiae,' &c.