Upon the cop right of his nose he hade And that was most of synne and harlotries. For whethur that he payde, or took by taille, That he was ay biforn and in good state. 560 570 564.-stele corn. During the middle ages, millers enjoyed, above all other tradesmen, the reputation of being thieves; and their depredations were the more generally felt, as people in all classes of society carried their own corn to the mill to be ground, often in very small quantities. 565.—a thombe of gold. "If the allusion be, as is most probable, to the old proverb,-every honest miller has a thumb of gold, this passage may mean, that our miller, notwithstanding his thefts, was an honest miller,―i. e., as honest as his brethren."-Tyrwhitt. 567.—a baggepipe. The bagpipe was a very popular instrument of music in the middle ages, and figures in the illuminated manuscripts of various countries. In modern times its use has been restricted to Scotland (probably because minstrelsy was longer preserved there) until it was looked upon as the national music. Now is not that of God a ful fair grace, In many caas that mighte falle or happe; The REEVE was a sklendre colerik man, His top was dockud lyk a preest biforn. 580 590 588.-sette here aller cappe; i. e., outwitted them all. Conf. v. 3145. 591.-rounde. The MS. Harl. has neighe, but all the other MSS. I have consulted agree in the reading I have adopted in the text. This des cription is illustrated by the cut given on p. 13. His That they ne knewe his sleight and his covyne: His wonyng was ful fair upon an heth, Ful riche he was i-stored prively, His lord wel couthe he plese subtilly, To geve and lene him of his owne good, Of Northfolk was this reeve of which I telle, Tukkud he was, as is a frere, aboute, And ever he rood the hynderest of the route. A SOMPNOUR was ther with us in that place, 600 610 620 619-pers. The MS. Harl. alone reads blew; perse was a sky-blue colour. 622.-Baldeswelle. A parish in Eynford hundred, Norfolk. That hadde a fyr-reed cherubyns face, 630 For sawceflem he was, with eyghen narwe. A fewe termes hadde he, tuo or thre, Ay, Questio quid juris, wolde he crye. 640 626. cherubyns face. H. Stephens, Apol. Herod., i. 30, quotes the same thought from a French epigram, "Nos grands docteurs du cherubin visage." 648.-Questio quid juris. "This kind of question occurs frequently in Ralph de Hengham. After having stated a case, he adds, quid juris? and then proceeds to give the answer to it. See Heng. Mag., c. xi. Esto autem quod reus nullo modo venerit ad hunc diem, quid juris? &c. See also c. xii."-Tyrwhitt. He was a gentil harlot and a kynde; A bettre felaw schulde men nowher fynde. A good felawe to han his concubyn A twelve moneth, and excuse him atte fulle. In daunger he hadde at his owne assise The yonge gurles of the diocise, And knew here counseil, and was al here red. A garland had he set upon his heed, As gret as it were for an ale-stake: 650 660 649.-harlot. Chaucer gives us here an excellent picture of the class of society to which this name was applied in the middle ages. See the glossary. 664.-significavit. "The writ de excommunicato capiendo, commonly called a significavit, from the beginning of the writ, which is as follows: Rex vicecomiti L. salutem. Significavit nobis venerabilis pater H. L., episcopus, &c. Cod. Jur. Ecc., P. 1054."-Tyrwhitt. 665.—in daunger. The old meaning of the word danger was jurisdiction, or dominion whereby persons were liable to fine for certain offences to him in whose danger they were. Most of the MSS. have gise instead of assise. |