* * * * *
[1] The scribe is usually right. I only remember observing one MS. in which
the scribe is reckless; see vol. i. p. 47.
[2] To which add, as a twenty-third, the three stanzas on Gentilesse quoted
in Scogan's poem (no. 33).
[3] Now known to be Lydgate's; see vol. i. p. 35, note 3.
[4] I have lately made a curious discovery as to the Testament of Love. The
first paragraph begins with a large capital M; the second with a large
capital A; and so on. By putting together all the letters thus pointed out,
we at once have an acrostic, forming a complete sentence. The sentence
is--MARGARET OF VIRTW, HAVE MERCI ON TSKNVI. Of course the last word is
expressed as an anagram, which I decipher as KITSVN, i. e. Kitsun, the
author's name. The whole piece is clearly addressed to a lady named
Margaret, and contains frequent reference to the virtues of pearls, which
were supposed to possess healing powers. Even if 'Kitsun' is not the right
reading, we learn something; for it is quite clear that TSKNVI cannot
possibly represent the name of Chaucer. See The Academy, March 11, 1893; p.
222.
[5] No. 38 is not noticed in the Index, on its reappearance at p. 555.
[6] Originally (I understand) 1845. I have only a copy with a reprinted
title-page and an altered date.
[7] It should be--'and of _some of_ those other pieces'; for the 'Account'
does not profess to be exhaustive.
[8] See the pieces numbered 1-68, in vol. i. pp. 31-45. But four pieces are
in prose, viz. Boethius, Astrolabe, Testament of Love, and Jack Upland. Of
course Tyrwhitt rejected Jack Upland. He admitted, however, rather more
than 26, the number in the edition of 1845.
[9] The false rime of _now_ with _rescowe_ in st. 46 may be got over, it is
suggested, by a change in the readings. On the other hand, I now observe a
fatal rhyme in st. 17, where _upon_ and _ron_ rime with _mon_, a man. When
such a form as _mon_ (for _man_) can be found in Chaucer, we may reconsider
his claim to this poem. Meanwhile, I would note the curious word _grede_ in
st. 27. It does not occur in Chaucer, but is frequent in The Owl and the
Nightingale.
[10] Exception may be taken to the riming of _mene_ (l. 20) with open _e_,
and _grene_ with close e.
[11] Hoccleve's Poems; ed. Furnivall, p. 49; cf. p. 56.
[12] See the admirable remarks on this subject in Lounsbury's Studies in
Chaucer, i. 305-28. Much that I wish to say is there said for me, in a way
which I cannot improve.
[13] MS. Lansdowne (the worst of the seven) has _Alle_, and _Gyngelinge_;
Cm. has _Gyngelyn_; Hl. has _Euery man_; and that is all.
[14] The phrase _wel a ten_ (F. 383) is not precisely parallel.
[15] Thus, the Parson calls his Tale 'a mery' one (I. 46). Tyrwhitt has 'a
litel tale.'
[16] _Ielousye_ cannot rime with _me_.
[17] The latter line answers to A. 2018; lines 2012-7 being wholly omitted.
[18] Which, by the way, makes _come_ monosyllabic.
[19] Dryden had some reason; for whenever (as often) the editors omitted
some essential word, the line could not possibly be right.
[20] The explanation of these rules depends upon Middle-English grammar and
pronunciation; for which see the Introduction to vol. vi.
[21] A word like _taverne_ is _ta-vér-ne_, in three syllables, if the
accent be on the second syllable; but when it is on the first, it becomes
_táv-ern'_, and is only dissyllabic.
[22] Many of them were discovered by Dr. Köppell.
[23] It has been objected, that this makes the tournament to take place,
not on the _anniversary_ of the duel, but two days later. But see l. 2095,
where the anniversary of the duel is plainly made the day for _assembling
the hosts_, not for the fight.
[24] 'Thou were nought _skoymus_ to take the maydenes womb' is the reading
given in The Prymer, ed. H. Littlehales, p. 22.
[25] The black-letter editions have _mare_; and Tyrwhitt follows them. I
take this to be a mere guess.
[26] Spelt _Xeuxis_ in one MS., and _Zensis_ in another, in the same
passage; see Anglo-Latin Satirists, ed. Wright, ii. 303.
[27] This seems to be a mistake; the MSS. and old editions have simply 'god
you see.'
[28] The words _vel e contrario_ are in the margin of E., but not in the
printed edition.
[29] The reading _Burdeuxs_ actually occurs in MS. Camb. Univ. Lib. Ii. 3.
26. See _Boundys_ in the Glossary; and see vol. iii. p. 400.
[30] No quotation is given to support this assertion.
[31] Unluckily misprinted Poincy (vol. iii. p. 422).
* * * * *
Corrections made to printed text:
P. 31: A. 309. "cautious", corrected from "cautions".
P. 53: A. 635. "See Prov. xxiii. 31.", corrected from "xxxiii".
P. 87. A. 2313. "and in hell, Proserpina", corrected from "Prosperpina".
P. 249. B. 4032. "The white wine", corrected from "line".
P. 250. B. 4045. "reckoned from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M.'", corrected from
"reckon-" (split word at end of line not completed).
P. 252. B. 4123. "Burton's Anat. of Melancholy", corrected from "Bruton's".
P. 266. C. 306. "Hippocrates' sleeve", corrected from "Hippocates".
P. 278. C. 517. "fauces nostras transeat", corrected from "notras".
P. 345. E. 242. "In the next line he is emphatic", corrected from
"empathic".
P. 345. E. 2229-30. "In l. 2264, we again have Próserpýne", corrected from
"Próserpýn".
P. 345. F. 671-672. "In MS. E., after l. 672", corrected from "atfer".
P. 458. I. 411. "already occurred in A. 4061", "in" corrected from "it".