3941 His name was hoten he was called deinous scornful, haughty
3943 person parson
3944 panne of bras brass pan
3946 nonnerye nunnery 3948–9 Unless she was well brought up and a virgin, to preserve his standing as a yeoman
3950 peert spirited, uppity pie magpie
3952 halidayes (religious) feast days
3953 tipet hanging part of a hood
3954 gite gown
3956 but ‘dame’ anything but ‘my lady’
3957 hardy bold
3958 rage banter
3960 boidekin dagger
3962 Algate at any rate wenden thought
3963 somdel smoterlich of rather doubtful reputation
3964 digne proud
3965 hoker scorn bisemare disdain
3966 Hir thoghte it seemed to her hir spare hold herself aloof
3967 nortelrye education
3972 propre page fine boy
3976 heer hair
3978 In purpos was intended
3979 catel property mesuage house
3980 straunge he made it of he was fussy about
3981 hye into high position
3982 auncetrye ancestry
3983 despended spent
3987 Greet soken a thriving trade
3992 in a stounde at one time
3993 maunciple see n. to GP 567
3994 wysly for sure
3995 stal stole
3997 therbiforn previously curteisly ‘decently’ (in ironic sense)
3998 outrageously flagrantly, without restraint
3999 wardein head of the college chidde complained made fare made a fuss
4000 sette… noght a tare did not care a jot
4001 craked boost blustered
4004 Testif headstrong lusty keen
4005 mirthe fun reverye amusement
4006 Upon… crye entreat bisily eagerly
4007 stounde while
4009 hardily boldly leye wager
4010 pekke peck (a quarter of a bushel)
4011 sleighte cunning reve rob
4013 highte was called that oon… that oother one… the other
4016 gere things
4019 bokeler small shield
4022 Al hail good health to you
4026 nede has na peere necessity has no fellow
4027 He who has no servant must serve himself
4029 hope fear
4030 The molar-teeth in his head ache so much
4031 forthy therefore
4032 ham home
4033 I beg you to send us away as quickly as you can
4036 hoper hopper (n.)
4037 howgat how, in what way gas in goes in
4039 til and fra to and fro
4040 wiltow swa will you do so
4041 croun crown, top of head
4042 mele meal
4043 sal shall desport amusement
4045 ille bad, incompetent
4046 of hir nicetee at their foolishness
4047 but for a wile only for a trick
4048 wene think
4049 by my thrift as I prosper blere hir eye hoodwink them
4050 sleighte cleverness
4051 queinte crekes clever stratagems
4053 bren bran
4055 whilom once upon a time
4056 I care not a jot for all their learning
4057 prively secretly
4058 softely stealthily
4060 ybounde tied
4061 levesel arbour of leaves
4062 faire cheerfully
4063 strepeth of strips off
4064 laus loose
4065 fen see n.
4066 wehe a whinnying noise thurgh thikke and thenne through thick and thin
4067 gooth again returns
4068 note business pleyde joked
4070 sakked put in a sack
4071 fint (= findeth) finds
4073 banes bones
4074 Step on thy feet step on it Com of hurry up at anes at once
4075 lorn lost
4077 housbondrye household affairs
4078 whilk which gane gone
4079 ren run
4082 Unthank a curse
4083 knit tied
4085 alswa also
4086 wight agile, swift wat knows ra roe
4087 bathe both
4088 Why did you not put the horse in the barn
4089 Il hail curse it fonne fool
4090 sely poor
4094 knede knead
4095 aferd suspicious
4096 make a clerkes berd get the better of a clerk
4097 art study
4099 lightly easily
4102 Ga go
4105 capul horse
4110 til to hething mockery
4113 namely especially
4114 pleineth laments
4115 Bayard traditional name for a horse, as ‘Dobbin’
4116 fond found
4118 bisoght asked
4119 herberwe lodging ese hospitality
4122 streit confined, restricted in space art logic
4126 rowm roomy gise practice
4128 Ay is thou mirye you are always humorous
4129 taa take twa two
4130 Slik such
4132 make us cheere give us hospitality
4134 tulle lure
4136 sende (= sendede) sent
4138 bond tied up
4140 chalons a kind of tapestry bedspread made of a figured woollen material named after Chalonssur-Marne
4143 by and by alongside
4145 rowmer herberwe roomier accommodation
4146 hem to solace to entertain themselves
4147 at the beste to their heart’s content
4149 vernisshed given a shine to
4150 for dronken because of being drunk
4151 yexeth hiccups
4152 on the quake hoarse on the pose suffering from a cold
4154 light merry jolif gay
4155 So much had she drunk
4157 sowke suck
4158 crowke crock, jug
4161 dwale sleeping-potion
4162 wysly heavily bibbed tippled
4163 fnorteth snores, snorts
4165 burdon accompaniment
4166 routing snoring
4167 par compaignye in accompaniment
4170 slik such sang song
4171 whilk a what a complin compline, the last of the seven daily services sung by monks and priests (jokingly applied to the miller’s family snoring in concert) imel among
4172 wilde fir destructive fire
4173 Wha who ferly frightful
4174 sal shall flour of il ending worst possible fate
4175 This long night I shall meet with no rest
4176 na force no matter
4177 als evere moot I thrive as I prosper
4178 swive lay (sexual sense)
4179 esement compensation shapen us devised for us
4181 gif if
4182 releved compensated
4183 it is na nay it cannot be denied
4184 il fit unlucky time
4185 nan no
4186 Again in return for
4187 saule soul
4188 avise thee take thought
4190 gif if abraide wake suddenly
4191 vileinye injury
4193 rist (= riseth) rises
4194 upright on her back faste deeply
4196 hadde been would have been
4197 at oon in agreement
4199 a furlong wey two or three minutes
4200 maketh routhe and wo laments
4201 wikked jape bad joke
4202 ape fool
4203 somwhat for his harm something in return for the injury done him
4205 He took a chance and has got what he wanted
4206 as a draf-sek like a sack of ch
aff or rubbish
4207 tald told
4208 I shall be considered a fool and a wimp
4210 Unhardy cowardly unsely unfortunate
4212 hente seized
4213 baar it softe carried it quietly
4214 leet left off
4218 misgoon gone astray
4220 foule ysped made a mess of it
4222 alwey forther still further
4225 niste did not know
4226 creep crept
4227 caught a sleep gone to sleep
4228 leep leapt
4230 fit bout
4233 singe crow
4234 Alein grew weary at dawn
4235 swonken laboured
4237 bide stay
4239 awen own swa have I sel as I prosper
4240 lemman sweetheart
4242 wendest go melle mill
4243 dore bihinde back door
4246 heelp helped
4249 uprist (= upriseth) gets up dawe grows light
4252 wrang wrong
4253 toty dizzy swink labour
4257 a twenty devel way devil take it
4259 wende have cropen intended to creep
4262 swines-hed numbskull
4263 saule soul
4266 Swived laid (sexual sense) bolt-upright flat on her back
4268 hast have you
4271 disparage disgrace
4273 throte-bolle Adam’s apple
4274 hente seized despitously violently again in turn
4275 smoot struck
4277 to-broke bashed in
4278 walwe thrash about poke bag
4280 sporned stumbled
4282 wiste knew nice strif foolish quarrel
4283 a litel wight for a short time
4285 breide awoke suddenly
4286 cros cross
4287 In manus tuas into thy hands (n.)
4288 is on me falle has fallen on me
4290 oon someone wombe stomach
4292 sterte up jumped up
4293 graspeth gropes
4295 estres interior
4297 shimering glimmer
4300 sikerly assuredly
4303 voluper night-cap
4304 ay ner and ner ever nearer and nearer
4305 Intended to hit Alein fairly and squarely
4306 smoot struck piled bald
4307 That so that
4308 bette beat lete him lie left him lying there
4309 greithen hem get ready
4312 ybake baked
4313 ybete beaten
4317 swived fucked
4320 Anyone who does evil need not expect good (in return)
4321 gilour trickster
4322 heighe on high
4326 clawed scratched
4328 sharp unpleasant
4329 herbergage lodgings
4332 herberwing taking in guests
4333 avised for to be to take care
4334 privetee private environment
4336 sith I highte since I was named
4337 yset a-werk set to work
4338 jape trick
4339 stinten leave off
4343 fil happened
4346 pastee pasty, pie laten blood let blood, i.e. drained (n.)
4347 Jakke of Dover see n.
4349 Of from
4350 of… fare the wors are the worse for persely parsley
4351 stubbul goos fatted goose (i.e. one fed in the stubble-fields)
4354 wrooth for game angry at a joke
4355 seye ful sooth speak truly
4357 sooth pley, quade pley a true joke is a bad joke (n.)
4362 quit paid back
4365 prentis apprentice whilom once
4366 craft of vitaillers guild of victuallers
4367 Gaillard gay shawe copse, wood
4368 propre fine
4369 ykembd combed fetisly elegantly
4370 jolily friskily
4371 Perkin Revelour Fun-Loving Pete
4372 paramour amorousness
4375 hoppe dance
4377 riding procession
4381 meinee retinue
4382 disport amusement
4383 setten stevene arranged a rendezvous
4384 dis dice
4387–8 free Of his dispense generous in spending in place of privetee in a private place
4389 chaffare trade
4390 box strong-box
4392 haunteth indulges in riot debauchery
4393 abye pay for
4394 no part of no share in
4395 convertible interchangeable
4396 see n. to Mil 3331–3
4397 trouthe honesty
4398 ful wrothe at odds with each other
4399 bood remained
4400 prentishood apprenticeship
4401 snibbed reprimanded
4403 –5 him bithoghte… Of called to mind paper accounts, papers
4407 rotie rot
4408 This is the case with a dissolute servant
4409 pace go
4410 shende ruin
4411 yaf him acquitaunce discharged him
4412 with sorwe and with meschaunce curse him
4414 He can riot all night or not (as he pleases)
4415 lowke accomplice
4416 sowke squeeze out
4417 bribe pilfer
4418 array clothes
4419 compeer companion, intimate
4421 for contenaunce for appearance’s sake
4422 swived for hir sustenaunce earned her living by prostitution
2 ark of his artificial day semicircle of its daytime course (n.)
3 ferthe fourth
4 depe ystert in loore far advanced in knowledge
5 eightetethe eighteenth
7 shadwe shadow
10 took his wit derived his opinion
11 Phebus Phoebus, the sun
12 was… clombe had climbed
15 plighte snatched, pulled
16 route company
17 ferthe party fourth part, portion
19 Leseth lose as ferforth as as far as
21 what partly
22 wakinge period of wakefulness
27 catel wealth
28 shendeth destroys
29 drede doubt
32 mowlen grow mouldy
34 forward agreement
37 Now fulfil your promise
38 devoir duty
39 depardieux certainly
40 breke forward break an agreement entente intention
41 Biheste is dette see n. fain gladly
43 wight person
45 Thus wol oure text so the saying goes
46 thrifty respectable
47–8 kan but lewedly On knows little about
51 leeve dear
54 made of mencioun mentioned
56 What why sin since
58 sithen afterwards
59 eke also
61 Cleped called
66 pleinte lament
69 dreinte drowned
73 hals neck
76 with the beste among the finest
83 Birafte deprived
85 pavement (paved) floor
86 of ful avisement deliberately
87 sermons writings
88 unkinde unnatural
89 reherce repeat
90 doon act
91 Me were looth be likned I would not want to be compared
94 recche noght a bene do not care a bean
95 hawe-bake baked haws, i.e. meagre fare
97 cheere expression
101 thee shameth makes you ashamed
104 Maugree thin heed in spite of all you can do
105 Either steal, beg or borrow your means of subsistence
107 misdeparteth distributes unfairly
108 witest blame
109 to lite too little
110 rekne render an account
111 brennen in the gleede burn in the fire (of hell)
112 nedefulle the
needy
113 sentence maxim
115 selve very
116 thy reverence the respect shown to you
117 sentence saying
118 wikke wretched
119 prikke condition
122 wele wealth
124 ambes as two ones, a double ace (n.)
125 But with ‘six-five’ that runs in your favour (n.)
127 seken explore
128 th’estat the condition
129 fadres fathers, originators
130 debat war
131 were would be desolat destitute of
132 Nere were it not goon is many a yere many years ago
134 Surrye Syria whilom once
135 chapmen merchants sadde and trewe dignified and honest
136 wide-where far and wide spicerye spices
138 chaffare merchandise thrifty high-quality
139 hath deintee to chaffare is delighted to do business
141 sort company
142 Han shapen hem determined wende go
143 Whether it was for business or pleasure
144 message messenger
145 the ende the long and short of it
146 avauntage convenient
147 herbergage lodging
149 fil to hir plesaunce suited their pleasure
151 Custaunce Constance
152 with every circumstaunce in full detail
154 devise relate
155 vois opinion
156 God him se may God protect him
158 rekne evaluate
160 sustene sustain
161 wolde would wish
163 grenehede immaturity
168 fredam generosity almesse alms-giving
170 to purpos to the matter in hand
171 han doon fraught hir shippes newe had their ships loaded afresh
172 blisful blessed sayn seen
174 doon hir nedes perform their business yoore formerly
175 wele prosperity
176 stode in grace enjoyed the favour
177 Sowdan Sultan
178 straunge foreign
179 curteisye kindness
180 Entertain them well and eagerly seek to discover
181 sondry different leere learn about
183 specially in particular
185 ceriously minutely, in detail
186 caught so greet plesaunce experienced such great pleasure
187 figure image
188 lust delight bisy cure earnest concern