2935 boles bulls
2938 werken… ful wo do harm to
2941 Ne do no fors of attach no importance to
2944 Up upon
2945 conseille advise
2949 techen direct
2950 heele health prow benefit
2951 tho those
2952 by kinde by nature
2953 I.e. both laxative and emetic
2955 colerik dominated by the humour of choler complexioun temperament
2956 Ware take care that
2957 replet of filled with
2958 leye a grote bet a groat (g.)
2959 terciane tertian (reaching a climax every third day)
2960 agu fever be youre bane be the death of you
2961 digestives digestive medicines
2963 lauriol spurge laurel centaure centaury fumetere fumitory
2964 ellebor hellebore
2965 katapuce caper spurge gaitris beryis ?buckthorn berries (n.)
2966 herbe yve buck’s-horn plantain (n.) merye pleasant
2968 fader kin father’s kindred
2970 graunt merci of your loore thank you for your advice
2975 moore of auctoritee of greater authority
2976 so mote I thee as I may prosper
2977 revers contrary
2979 significaciouns signs
2983 preeve experience
2984 auctor writers
2989 streit of herbergage short of accommodation
2990 o one
2991 ylogged lodged
2992 mosten had to
2993 departen part
2995 And took his lodging as chance determined
2996 That oon one
2997 Fer a long way off
2999 aventure chance
3000 as in commune on an equal footing
3002 mette dreamed
3008 abraide woke suddenly
3010 He turned over and paid no attention to this
3011 vanitee foolishness
3014 slawe slain
3016 morwe-tide morning
3018 donge dung
3020 Have that cart stopped without delay
3022 point detail
3023 hewe complexion
3026 in lodgings
3028 After for
3029 hostiler inn-keeper
3030 is agon has left
3034 lette delay
3036 donge spread dung on
3039 hardy bold
3042 upright on his back
3043 on against
3044 kepe govern
3047 out sterte rushed out
3049 al newe recently
3051 biwreyest reveal
3052 wol out will become known
3053 wlatsom loathsome
3055 heled be to be concealed
3059 hent seized pined tortured
3060 engined tortured
3061 biknewe confessed
3062 anhanged hanged
3063 to drede to be feared
3066 gabbe nat do not lie
3071 That stood very pleasantly by the side of a harbour
3072 again the even-tide towards evening
3074 Jolif cheerful
3075 casten hem decided
3076 that o man one man
3078 Towards day he dreamed a wonderful dream
3082 dreint drowned
3084 viage journey lette postpone
3088 agaste frighten
3089 That I will put off carrying out my business affairs
3091 japes delusions
3093 maze delusion
3094 shal shall be
3096 forslewthen idle away tide time
3097 it reweth me I am sorry
3099 yseiled sailed
3100 Noot I nat I don’t know
3101 casuelly by chance botme bottom
3106 leere learn
3107–8 recchelees Of careless about
3109 soore seriously
3113 A lite er a little before
3114 avisioun dream
3115 expowned interpreted
3116 kepe him guard himself
3117 For against
3118 And therefore he took little account
3120–21 By God, I would give my shirt for you to have read his legend, as I have
3123 writ (= writeth) writes
3129 Whether he considered dreams foolishness
3131 Wher whether
3135 effect consequence
3136 remes realms
3138 Lyde Lydia
3142 sholde lese was to lose
3144 lorn lost
3148 anon immediately
3150 dwelle linger
3155 venimes poisons
3156 deffye reject never a del not at all
3157 stinte leave off
3159 large grace great good fortune
3162 It causes all my fear to vanish
3163 siker sure
3164 see n.
3165 sentence meaning
3168 ride mount (sexual sense)
3170 solas pleasure
3172 fley flew
3175 corn grain of wheat
3176 Real regal aferd afraid
3177 fethered covered with outstretched wing-feathers (while copulating)
3178 trad mounted (in a sexual sense) prime
9 a.m. (g.)
3180 rometh strolls
3182 chukketh clucks
3185 in his pasture feeding
3186 his aventure what happened to him
3188 highte is called
3194 yronne run
3196 kinde nature loore teaching
3197 stevene voice
3198 is clomben has climbed
3200 worldes blis worldly happiness
3204 fil befell
3207 rethor rhetorician faire endite write well
3209 notabilitee notable fact
3211 also as
3214 sentence subject
3215 col-fox fox with black feet, ears and tail
3216 woned lived
3217 imaginacioun forncast premeditated scheming (n.)
3218 brast broke
3219 ther where
3220 repaire resort
3221 wortes greens
3222 undren mid-morning (g.)
3223 Waitinge watching for
3224 gladly customarily homicides murderers
3225 in await liggen lie in ambush
3226 mordrour murderer
3228 dissimulour dissembler
3229 al outrely utterly
3231 flaugh flew
3234 forwoot has foreknowledge of
3235 After according to
3237 altercacioun wrangling
3240 bulte it to the bren sift out the valid arguments
3243 forewiting foreknowledge
3244 Streineth constrains nedely necessarily
3245 simple necessitee see n.
3248 wroght created
3249 witing knowledge
3250 But except necessitee condicionel see n.
3251 of with
3253 conseil advice with sorwe more’s the pity
3255 met dreamed
3256 colde fatal
3262 in my game in jest
3266 devine imagine
3267 sond sand
3268 Lith lies
3269 Again the sonne in the sun free noble
3270 mirier more sweetly
3271 sikerly for a certainty
3276 Nothing ne liste him he had no desire at all
3277 sterte sprang
3280 contrarye enemy
3281 erst before
3282 gan him espye caught sight of him
3287 wolde were to wish
3288 youre conseil for t’espye to spy on your private affairs
3291 stevene voice
3293 feelinge skill
3296 gentillesse kindness
3299 for men speke of singinge since singi
ng has been mentioned
3300 As I live (lit. as I may have the use of my two eyes)
3303 of herte from the heart
3305 so peine him make such an effort
3306 moste winke had to shut
3307 tiptoon tiptoes
3308 smal thin
3315 nice foolish
3316 benefice ecclesiastical living
3320 seinte charitee holy charity’s sake
3321 countrefete imitate
3323 espye detect
3325 flatour flatterer
3326 losengeour sycophant
3332 cloos shut
3334 stirte sprang atones at once
3335 gargat throat hente seized
3337 sewed pursued
3338 eschewed evaded
3339 fleigh flew
3340 ne roghte nat did not take any notice
3343 Sin that since
3346 suffre allow
3347 soverain supreme
3349 shot an arrow soore bitterly
3350 sentence wisdom loore skill
3353 pleine lament
3354 peine suffering
3357 streite swerd drawn sword
3360 clos yard
3361 seyn seen
3362 sovereinly pre-eminently shrighte shrieked
3365 brend burned
3367 wilfully voluntarily sterte leaped
3375 sely poor
3377 stirten rushed
3378 syen saw
3380 Weilaway alas
3382 staves staffs
3386 fered for frightened by berking barking
3388 They ran so hard they thought their hearts would break
3390 as as if quelle kill
3391 flowen flew
3394 meinee followers
3398 bemes trumpets box box-wood
3399 powped tooted
3400 skriked shrieked howped whooped
3408 Yit then
3410 pestilence plague
3412 Maugree youre heed in spite of all you can do abide remain
3416 deliverly nimbly
3417 fley flew
3418 say saw
3420 trespas wrong
3423 entente intention
3426 shrewe curse
3430 Do me to singe cause me to sing
3432 thee prosper
3434 governaunce behaviour
3435 jangleth chatters
3436 recchelees careless
3443 chaf chaff
3448 breche breeches stoon ball, testicle
3451 tredefoul hen-shagger, stud
3453 The were nede you would need
3455 braunes muscles
3457 sparhauke sparrow-hawk
3458 dyghen dye
3459 brasile dye made from brazilwood grein of Portingale scarlet dye from Portugal
3460 faire falle yow blessings on you
1 ministre servant norice nurse
2 clepe call
3 delices pleasures
4To avoid, and to oppress by means of her (Idleness’s) opposite
5 leveful bisinesse legitimate activity
6 doon al oure entente take great pains
7 feend devil hente lay hold of
8 slye subtle
9 waiteth lies in wait biclappe trap suddenly
11 lightly easily
12 lappe sleeve
13 hath him in honde has control of him
14 oghte us we ought withstonde resist
15 dradden nevere were not to be at all afraid
19 hir holdeth in a lees confines herself
21 othere swinke others produce by labour
23 so such
24 doon my feithful bisinesse made an honest effort
25 After according to legende saint’s life
26 passioun martyrdom
27 wroght made
30 list likes
32 do m’endite enable me to write
37 welle fount
38 chees chose wone dwell
40 nobledest ennobled so ferforth to such an extent
41 Makere… of kinde Creator of nature
43 blisful blessed sidis sides (of the body)
45 the trine compas the three ‘worlds’ (heaven, earth and sea)
46 out of relees without ceasing
47 herien worship wemmelees undefiled
48 dweltest remained
54 benignitee graciousness
55 frely generously
56 leche healer
58 flemed exiled galle bitterness
59 Cananee Canaanite
60 whelpes dogs crommes crumbs
61 been yfalle have fallen
63 bileve faith
65 wit and space ability and opportunity
66 I be quit I may be free from thennes from the place
69 Theras where Osanne Hosanna
71 lighte illuminate
73 wighte weight
74 lust pleasure
75 refut refuge
77 me dresse turn
79 do no diligence take no pains
80 subtilly artfully
81 sentence content
82From him who, in honour of the saint
85 wolde I I would like
86 Expowne explain
89 honestee purity
91 swote savour sweet smell
95 conjoininge conjunction
96 in figuringe symbolically
98 lasting bisinesse constant activity
100 Wantinge lack
101 sapience wisdom thewes clere pure morals
108 every weye in every direction
109 goostly spiritually free gracious
110 Sayen saw magnanimitee lofty-mindedness
114 brenninge burning
117 perseveringe perseverance
119 declared explained highte was called
121 kinde family
125 drede reverence
126 kepe hir maidenhede preserve her virginity
131 corage heart
132 sat ful faire sat very well on her
133 yclad hire clothed herself haire hair-shirt
134 organs rgan (n.)
136 gye keep
137 Unwemmed undefiled confounded led into perdition
139 faste (= fastede) fasted
140 bidding in hir orisons saying her prayers faste earnestly
141 moste had to
143 prively privately
145 conseil secret and if
146 fain gladly
147 So that provided that biwreye reveal
148 faste solemnly
149 for no cas under no circumstances
150 neveremo never
151 at erst first
153 wherso whether
154 my body for to kepe to protect my person
155 out of drede without doubt
156 in vileinye in a shameful way
157 sleen kill with the dede in the act
159 clene chaste
162 corrected disciplined
168 sle kill
169 anon-right at once
170 yow list it pleases you
171 So that provided that trowe on believe in
173 stant (= standeth) is located
174 povre poor
178 nedes business entente purpose
182 twinne depart
186 buriels tombs (see n. to SN 172) lotinge lurking
192 conseil intention hierde shepherd
196 thral servant
201 cleere shining
205 say saw up hente raised up
207 O one withoute mo alone
208 Cristendom baptism
211 rad read out
212 Levestow (= levest thow) do you believe
214 sother truer
215 no wight no one may can
216 Tho then niste did not know
218 fint (= findeth) finds
221 Corones crowns bar carried
223 yaf that oon gave one
224 make husband
229 lese lose swote sweet
231 But unless vileinye shameful acts
233 conseil advice
234 boone request
235 tho then
241 blisful feste blessed feast
242 coom came
243 undernoom perceived
245 faste intently
252 kinde nature
257 leve beloved
259 knowen acknowledge
261 soothnesse truth
264 at erst for the first time
265 wostow (= wost thow) do you know
266 devise tell
268 reneye renounce
269 clene pure
271 Preface see n.
276 chambre marriage-chamber gan… weive gave up
277 shrifte profession of faith
278 bountee goodness shifte assign
282 wist learned
286 dombe dumb deve deaf
287 leve renounce
291 espye discern
292 allye kinsman
300 mowe may
303 whider I shal where I shall go
304 with right good cheere cheerfully
306 Til to
308 It seems to me that that would be an amazing thing to do
310 dampned condemned
311 And lives in hiding-places, always here and there
312 putte forth his heed show himself
313 brennen burn
318 Algate entirely ybrend burned
320 skilfully reasonably
322 living oonly the only life
324 ne drede thee noght do not doubt
326 wroght created
327 skilful rational
329 souled endowed with a soul
332 ther where wone exist
338 sapiences kinds of intelligence
339 engin imagination (n.)
342 bisily earnestly
343 come coming
345 withholde kept in bondage
346 doon… remissioun win pardon for
347 cares colde suffering
353 Parfit perfect
355 say saw in time and space in due time
356 boone request
357 sped accomplished
361 sergeantz city officers
363 opposed interrogated
366 Swap of strike off
367 yow devise tell you about