Lancelot of the Laik Part 35

643. _cwre_, care.

P. 20, l. 649. _nemmyt_, named.

652. _were_, war.

654. _or than to morn_, earlier than to-morrow.

660. _our few_, over few.

677. _northest_, north-east.

P. 21, l. 686. _fechteris_, fighters.

688. _holde_, held.

691. _presone_, prison.

697. _peite_, pity.

699. The metre of Lancelot's lament is that of Chaucer's "Cuckoo and Nightingale," and was very possibly copied from it. _Qwhat haue y gilt_, what crime have I committed.

702. _ago_, gone.

703. _nat_, naught; _me glaid_, gladden me.

706. _til haue_, to have.

709. _Sen thelke tyme_, since that time.

P. 22, l. 718. _of remed_, for a remedy.

719. _sesith_, ceaseth.

723. _with this lady_, by this lady.

728. _laisere_, leisure.

731. _diuerss wais sere_, divers several ways.

733. _bur_, bore.

735. _cher_, car.

740. _dout_, to fear.

745. _but were_, without doubt. This expression often occurs.

P. 23, l. 751. _few menye_, small company; an oddly sounding expression to modern ears.

753. _cold_, called.

754. _hot_, hight, was named.

755. _but in his c.u.mpany_, unless he had with him.

757. _He saith_; the speaker is the captain of the hundred knights, called in l. 806 _Maleginis_.

768. _als fell_, just as many.

777. _hard_, heard.

781. _clepit_, called.

P. 24, l. 793, _as he wel couth_, as he well knew how.

796. _sen_, seen.

800. _sen_, since.

806. _was hot_, was hight, was named.

809. _In myde the borde and festinit in the stell_, In the midst they encounter, and fastened in the steel. See l. 850.

812. _Rout_, company.

815. _ferde_, fourth.

817. _sauch thar latter batell steir_, saw their last division stir.

P. 25, l. 820. _gane his mortall fell._ A word seems here omitted; if after _mortall_ we insert _strokis_, the sense will be, "His enemies began his mortall strokes to feel."

825. _worth_, worthy. It would improve the metre to read _worthy_ (l. 875).

828. _In to were_, in war, in the strife.

829. _hyme bure_, bore himself.

839. _to-for_, heretofore.

841. _Atour_, i.e. _at over_, across.

842. _a.s.sall_, a.s.sault. The rime shews we should read _a.s.saill_, as in l. 855.

849. _socht atour_, made their way across. The use of _seke_ in Early English is curious.

P. 26, l. 861. _set.i.th his payn vpone_, devotes his endeavours to.

868. _al to-kerwith_, wholly cutteth in pieces.