So wodely that hys witte was forveten, 1750 And ay the more he was in dispaire, The more he coveteth, and thoghte hire faire; On morwe, whanne the brid began to synge, 1755 Unto the sege he cometh ful pryvely, And by himselfe he walketh sobrely, The ymage of hire recordyng alwey newe; Thus lay hire heer, and thus fressh was hire hewe, Thus sate, thus spak, thus spanne, this was hire 1760 chere, Thus faire she was, and thys was hire manere. Al this conceyte hys herte hath newe ytake, 1765 For mawgree hire, she shal my lemman be: Happe helpeth hardy man alway,' quod he, 'What ende that I make, hit shal be soo!' 1770 And gyrt hym with his swerde, and gan to goo, And he fortheryghte til he to Rome ys come, And al allon hys way thanne hath he nome, 1775 1750. wodely, madly, furiously. 1763. al to-shake, all betossed; see note on al to-rente, v. 820. 1765. quappe, be agitated; see quappe, v. 865. 1770. mawgree hire, in spite of herself; Fr. malgré;-lemman, mistress; supposed to be from the Fr. l'aimante, by an incorporation of the article. 1771. happe, hap, chance, luck;-hardy, bold; see v. 1526. 1772. What ende that I make, i. e., what end or object I propose to myself. 1775. nome, past part. of nime, taken. Unto the house of Colatyne ful ryghte; Doune was the sonne, and day hath lost his lyghte. And in the nyghte ful thefely gan he stalke, Whanne every wyghte was to his reste broghte, 1780 Quod he; but and thow crye, or noyse make, 1778. halke, corner. 1779. stalke, to take long, slow, and stealthy steps. "Into the chamber he stalked him ful stille."-C. T. 8401. And sodeinly, er she it wiste, Beclipt in armes he her kiste." Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 1, sect. 5. "And to the bed he stalketh stille, Where that he wiste was the wife, And in his honde a rasour knife He bar, with whiche her throte he cut." Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 2, sect. 3. "Jason, that wolde his time kepe, Goth forth stalkend all prively 1785 Unto the chambre."-Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 4. "He stalketh upon every side And sought aboute with his honde That other bed, till that he fonde, Where lay bewimpled a visage." Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 11. "Into the chamber wickedly he stalks And gazeth on her yet unstained bed." Shakspeare's Rape of Lucrece, st. 53. 1782. gynne, sly means. 1788. but and, but if. Be thilke God that formed man on lyve, 1790 1795 1800 That hath hire by the throte, with swerde at herte! She axeth grace, and seyde all that she kan. 'Ne wolt thou nat?' quod this cruelle man; 'As wisly Jupiter my soule save, I shal in the stable slee thy knave, 1805 And lay him in thy bed, and lowde crye, That I the fynde in suche avowtrye; And thus thou shalt be ded, and also lese Thy name, for thou shalt nat chese.' Thise Romaynes wyfes loveden so hire name 1810 At thylke tyme, and dredden so the shame That what for fere of sklaundre, and drede of dethe, 1790. Be thilke God, by that same God;-on lyve, early form of alive. 1791. ryve, thrust. 1796. fynt, pres. tense, 3d sing. of finde, findeth. The Fairfax MS. reads "Right as a wolfe that fayneth a love allone." This 8 evidently a mere clerical error.-Bell. 1798. hardy, bold; see v. 1526. 1799. wote, pres. tense of witen, know. 1800. asterte, escape. 1804. wisly, certainly, truly. 1805. slee, slay;-knave, servant. 1807. avowtrye, adultery. 1808. lese, lose. 1809. chese, chose. 1811. thilke, that same. She loste both attones wytte and brethe; Tarquynyus, that art a kynges eyre, 1815 1820 But now to the purpose; in the story I rede, Whan he was goon al this myschaunce ys falle. Thys lady sent after her frendes alle, 1825 Fader, moder, housbond, alle yfere, And disshevelee with hire heere clere, She sytte in halle with a sorowfull syghte. 1830 Hire frendes axen what hire aylen myghte, And who was dede, and she sytte aye wepynge. A worde for shame ne may she forthe oute brynge, Ne upon hem she durste nat beholde, But atte last of Tarquyny she hem tolde 1835 This rewful case, and al thys thing horryble. That she and alle hire frendes made attones. Hyt myghte have maked hem upon her rewe, 1840 She sayde that for hire gilte ne for hire blame 1817. eyre, heir. 1819. verray, true. 1824. myschaunce, misfortune. 1826. yfere, together. 1839. al, although. That nolde she nat suffren by no wey. And they answerde alle unto hire fey, 1845 That they forgave hyt hire, for hyt was ryghte. But al for noghte, for thus she seyde anoon : I wol not have no forgyft for nothinge.' But pryvely she kaughte forthe a knyfe, And therwithalle she rafte hire selfe hire lyfe; 1850 1855 1860 Thurgh al the toune, that men may see and here 1865 The horryble dede of hire oppressyoun. Ne never was ther kynge in Rome toun Syn thilke day; and she was holden there 1844. nolde, ne wolde, would not. 1845. fey, faith. 1853. rafte, past tense of reve, bereft. 1870 1862. and let the peple calle, caused the people to be called; so in the 2d verse below: let cary hire, caused her to be carried. 1871. Titus, Titus Livius, lib. 1, c. 57. 1874. sadde, steady, firm. |