sought to embrace him. They asked him how he had fared, and he told them all that had chanced to him- the adventure of the chapel, the fashion of the knight, 5 the love of the lady - at last of the lace. He showed them the wound in the neck which he won for his disloyalty at the hand of the knight; the blood flew to his face for shame as he told the tale. guise to yon fair hall to test the truth of the renown that is spread abroad of the valor of the Round Table. She taught me this marvel to betray your wits, to vex Guinevere and fright her to death by the man who spake with his head in his hand at the high table. That is she who is at home, that ancient lady, she is even thine aunt, Arthur's half-sister, the daughter of the Duchess of Tintagel, who after- 10 ward married King Uther. Therefore I bid thee, knight, come to thine aunt, and make merry in thine house; my folk love thee, and I wish thee as well as any man on earth, by my faith, for thy true deal- 15 token of my covenant in which I was ing.' But Sir Gawain said nay, he would in no wise do so; so they embraced and kissed, and commended each other to the Prince of Paradise, and parted right there, 20 on the cold ground. Gawain on his steed rode swiftly to the king's hall, and the Green Knight got him whithersoever he would. Sir Gawain, who had thus won grace 25 of his life, rode through wild ways on Gringalet; oft he lodged in a house, and oft without, and many adventures did he have and came off victor full often, as at this time I cannot relate in tale. The 30 hurt that he had in his neck was healed, he bare the shining girdle as a baldric bound by his side, and made fast with a knot 'neath his left arm, in token that he was taken in a fault- and thus he came 35 in safety again to the court. Then joy awakened in that dwelling when the king knew that the good Sir Gawain was come, for he deemed it gain. King Arthur kissed the knight, and the 40 queen also, and many valiant knights 'Lo, lady,' he quoth, and handled the lace, this is the bond of the blame that I bear in my neck, this is the harm and the loss I have suffered, the cowardice and covetousness in which I was caught, the taken. And I must needs wear it so long as I live, for none may hide his harm, but undone it may not be, for if it hath clung to thee once, it may never be severed.' Then the king comforted the knight, and the court laughed loudly at the tale, and all made accord that the lords and the ladies who belonged to the Round Table, each hero among them, should wear bound about him a baldric of bright green for the sake of Sir Gawain. And to this was agreed all the honor of the Round Table, and he who ware it was honored the more thereafter, as it is testified in the book of romance. That in Arthur's days this adventure befell, the book of Brutus bears witness. For since that bold knight came hither first, and the siege and the assault were ceased at Troy, I wis Many a venture herebefore Hath fallen such as this: May He that bare the crown of thorn Amen, 6. holt, wood, grove. heeth, heath, open country. 7. croppes, shoots. yonge sonne, young sun,young because it had recently entered upon its annual course through the signs of the zodiac. 8. Hath ... y-ronne. Ram, one of the signs of the zodiac, Aries. 'Hath run his half-course in the Ram " means that it was past the eleventh of April. 9. fowles, birds in general. corages, so nature excites them in their hearts (feelings). 13. palmers, pilgrims to foreign parts. Originally, a palmer was one who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and brought home a palm-branch as a token. strondes, shores. 14. ferne halwes couthe, distant shrines known. 16. wende, go. 17. blisful, blessed. martir, Thomas à Becket. seke, seek. 18. That seke, who hath helped them when they were sick.' Notice the riming,- seke seke, of identical forms that have differ ent meanings. 19. bifel, it befell. 20. Southwerk, Southwark, on the south bank of the Thames, across from London. Tabard, an inn, of which the sign was a tabard, or sleeveless jacket. 22. corage, heart. 24. wel, full, quite. 25-26. by aventure fallen into association. felawshipe, by chance 27. wolden ryde, wished to ride. 28. wyde, spacious. 29. esed atte beste, accommodated in the best manner. 30. to reste, gone to rest, set. 31. everichon, every one. 32. of hir felawshipe anon, of their company im. mediately. 33. forward, agreement. 34. ther you of. 35. natheles, nevertheless. 37. Me able. resoun, it seems to me reason 38. condicioun, standing. 39-40. Of. . . degree, Of each of them, as it appeared to me, and of what sort they were, and of what social class. 41. eek, also. array, dress. 43. worthy, honorable. 45. chivalrye, knighthood. 46. fredom, liberality. 47. werre, war. 77. late y-come from his viage, lately come from his journey. 79. Squyer, esquire, one who attended a knight. 80. lovyer, lover. lusty, joyful, gay. bacheler, a young candidate for knighthood. 81. lokkes cruile, locks curled. 83. evene lengthe, good stature. 84. delivere, active. 85. chivachye, military expedition. 89. Flaundres, Flanders, an ancient country of Europe, extending along the North Sea from the Strait of Dover to the mouth of the Schelde. Artoys, Picardye, Artois, Picardy, ancient provinces of northern France. 87. space, length of time. 88. lady, genitive singular, without 's. 95. coude, knew how. endyte, relate, compose. 98. sleep, slept. 99. lowly, modest. servisable, helpful. 100. carf, carved. 101. yeman, yeoman: a servant of the next degree above a groom. namo, no more. 102. him liste ryde, it pleased him to ride. 104. A sheef of pecok arwes, a sheaf of arrows fitted with peacocks' feathers. 106. takel, implements; here arrows. 109. not-heed, hair closely cut. 111. bracer, a guard for the coat-sleeve, used by archers to avoid the friction of the string against the cloth. 112. bokeler, buckler; a small shield. 114. harneised, equipped. 115. Cristofre, a figure of St. Christopher, used as a brooch (Wright).' 116. bawdrik, baldric, belt. 117. forster, forester. 119. coy, quiet, modest, 148. weep, wept. 149. yerde, rod. 150. conscience, tenderness. 151. wimpel, a covering for the neck. pinched, closely pleated. 152. tretys, long and well-proportioned. 153. ther-to, besides. 156. hardily, certainly. undergrowe, undergrown, stunted. 157. fetis, neat, well-made. 159. peire, set. gauded al with grene, provided with green gawdies. Gawdies were the larger beads in the set. 160. heng, hung. shene, bright. 162. Amor vincit omnia, love conquers all things (Virgil, Eclog., X, 69). 164. chapeleyne. The prioress has a female chaplain. 165. a fair for the maistrye, a fair one for su periority. 166. out-rydere, outrider, the monastic officer who visited the outlying manors belonging to the house. venerye, hunting. 172. Ther as, where. keper, head. celle, cell; a small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger one. 173. seint Maure, St. Maur (d. 584). seint Beneit, St. Benedict (d. 543). St. Benedict founded the Benedictine order, and St. Maur was his disciple. 174. som-del streit, somewhat narrow, strict. 175. ilke, same. 176. space, course. 177. yaf, gave. pullèd, plucked. 182. thilke, that. 184. What, why. wood, mad. 185. poure, pore. 186. swinken, work. 187. Austin, St. Augustine (d. 604), after whor the Augustinian Canons were named. 187. bit, contracted from 3d. person singular pres ent, biddeth. 188. swink, toil. 189. pricasour, a hard rider. 191. priking, riding. 193. seigh, saw. purfiled, fringed. 194. grys, costly grey fur. 199. anoint, anointed. 200. in good point, in good condition. Cf. French en bon point. 201. stepe, prominent. 202. stemed, shone. Leed, caldron. 203. botes souple, boots soft. 205. for-pyned goost, tormented ghost. 207. palfrey, riding-horse. 208. frere, friar. wantown, brisk, lively. 209. limitour, a begging friar to whom was assigned a certain district, within which he might solicit alms. ful solempne, very important. 210 ordres foure. The four orders of mendicant friars were: (1) the Dominicans, or Black Friars; (2) the Franciscans, or Grey Friars; (3) the Carmelites, or White Friars; (4) the Augustin, or Austin Friars: These orders arose in the early part of the thirteenth century. can, knows. 211. daliaunce and fair language, gossip and flattery. 216. frankeleyns, wealthy farmers. over-al, everywhere. whelpe, exactly as if 318. purchasour, conveyancer. 258. love-dayes, days fixed for settling differences by umpire, without having recourse to law or violence. mochel, greatly. 260. cope, an outer vestment for a cleric. 262. semi-cope, short cope. 319. fee simple, held in absolute possession. 320. purchasing, conveyancing. infect, invalid. 323. In termes alle, he had (in mind) exactly all the cases and decisions. 325. Therto, moreover. endyte, draw up. write. make, 339. array, costume. 331. Frankeleys, a wealthy farmer. 332. berd, beard. dagesse, daisy. 333. The old school of medicine, following Galen, supposed that there were four humours," 312. hot, cold, moist, and dry, and four complexions or temperaments of men, viz. the sanguine, the choi eric, the phlegmatic, and the melancholy. The man of sanguine complexion abounded in hot and moist humours (Skeat). See note to line 421. 334. by the morte, in the morning, a sop in wyn, wine with pieces of cake in it. 335. delst, pleasure. wone, custom. 336. Epicurus (d. 270 B. C.), a Greek philosopher who assumed pleasure to be the highest good. 337. pleyn, full, 340. Seynt Iulian; St. Julian was eminent for providing his votaries with good lodgings and accommodations of all sorts (Chambers).' 341. alwey after oon, always up to the standard. 342. envyned, stored with wine. 343. bake mete, meat pie. 344. plentevous, plenteous. 345. snewed, snowed. 347. after, according to. 348. soper, supper. 349. mewe, coop. 350. breem, bream, a fresh water fish. luce, pike. stewe, fishpond. 351. but-if, unless. 352. gere, utensils. 353. table dormant, a table fixed to the floor, irremovable. The Franklin kept open house. 355. sessiouns, meetings of the justices of the peace. 357. anlas, a knife or dagger. gipser, pouch. 358. heng, hung. morne, morning. 359. shirreve, governor of a county (Skeat)'; our modern word sheriff. countour, accountant. 360. vavasour, a sub-vassal of a king's vassal. 362. Webbe, weaver. Tapicer, upholsterer. 363. in o liveree, in one livery. 364. solempne, dignified. fraternitee, gild. 365. hir gere apyked, their apparel trimmed. 366. y-chaped, provided with chapes, caps of metal at the end of the sheath. 368. everydeel, every part. 369. burgeys, burgess, citizen. 370. To hall. deys, to sit on a dais in a gild 371. Everich, each. can, knows. 372. shaply, adapted, fit. 373. catel, property. ynogh, enough. rente, in come. 376. y-clept, called. 377. vigilyës. 'It was the manner in times past, upon festival evens, called vigiliae, for parishioners to meet in their church-houses or church-yards, and there to have a drinking-fit for the time (Speght).' al bifore, before all the others. age, pilotage. 404. Hulle, Hull. Cartage, Carthage. 405. undertake, assume responsibility. 408. Gootlond, Gottland, an island in the Baltic sea. Finistere, Cape Finisterre, on the northern coast of Spain. 409. cryke, creek, inlet. 414. astronomye, astrology. 415. kepte, watched. 416. houres, astrological hours. 'A great portion of the medical science of the middle ages depended upon astrological and other superstitious observ ances (Wright)." 417. fortunen, predict. ascendent, the point of the zodiacal circle which happens to be ascending above the horizon at a given moment. 418. images. It was believed that images of men and animals could be made of certain substances and at certain times, and could be so treated as to cause good or evil to a patient, by means of magical and planetary influences (Skeat).' 421. humour. The four elementary qualities, or humours, were hot, cold, dry, and moist. The excess of some one humor was thought to cause disease. The mixture of humors in a man determined his complexion, or temperament. The sanguini complexion was thought to be hot and moist; the phlegmatic, cold and moist; the choleric, hot and dry; the melancholy, cold and dry. 422. parfit practisour, perfect practitioner. 424. bote, remedy. 426. drogges, drugs. letuaries, electuaries, syrups 428. Hir, their. 429. Esculapius, Esculapius, god of medicine. 430. Deiscorides, Dioscorides, a Greek physician of the 2d century. Rufus, a Greek physician of the 1st century. |