1541. 'But let every woman beware of her promise.' [400]

1544. _withouten drede_, without doubt; as in B. 196. So also _out of

drede_, E. 634; _it is no drede_, F. 1612.

1575. _dayes_, days of respite, time to pay in by instalments.

1580. _To goon a-begged_, to go a begging. Here _begged_ is for _beggeth_,

a sb. formed from the verb _to beg_. The spelling _gon a-beggeth_ actually

occurs twice in the Ilchester MS. of P. Plowman, C. ix. 138, 246. In the

latter case, we even find _gon abribeth and abeggeth_, i. e. go a-robbing

and a-begging. So in Rob. of Gloucester, l. 7710--'As he rod _an-honteth_,'

as he rode a-hunting; and l. 9113--'he wende _an-honteth_,' he went

a-hunting. This suffix _-eth_ answers to the A. S. _-aþ_ or _-oþ_. 'On

f[=e]awum st[=o]wum w[=i]ciaþ Finnas, on huntoþe on wintra, and on sumera

on fiscaþe'; the Fins live in a few places, by hunting in winter, and by

fishing in summer; Ælfred's tr. of Orosius, 1. 1. In M. E. _-eth_ was

changed to _-ed_ by confusion with the common suffix of the pp. See also

the notes to C. 406, D. 354; and to P. Plowm. C. ix. 138.

1602. _apparence_, an illusion caused by magic.

1604-5. Corruptly given in MS. Hl. (note by Wright).

1614. I. e. 'as if you had just made your first appearance in the world.'

An idiomatic allusion to the creeping of an insect out of the earth for the

first time. It is obvious that there was nothing offensive in the phrase.

1622. _as thinketh yow_, as it seems to you. 'The same question is stated

in the conclusion to Boccace's Tale; Philocopo, lib. v.--"Dubitasi ora qual

di costoro fusse maggior liberalità," &c. The Queen determines in favour of

the husband.'--T. The questions discussed in the medieval Courts of Love

were usually of a similar character.

* * * * *

[401]

Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 — Notes to the Canterbury Tales · 第 648 / 960 题