So that hey men of thys lond, that of her blod come, 5 Holdeth alle thulke speche that hii of hem nome. Vor bote a man couthe French me tolth of hym wel lute; Ac lowe men holdeth to Englyss and to her kunde speche yute. Ich wene ther ne be man in world contreyes none That ne holdeth to her kunde speche, bot Engelond one. 10 Ac wel me wot vor to conne both wel yt ys; Vor the more that a man con, the more worth he ys. So that high men of this land, that of their blood come, Hold all the same speech that they of them took ; For but a man know French men tell (reckon) of him well little : But low men hold to English and to their natural speech yet. I wen there not be man in world countries none That not holdeth to their natural speech but England (al-) one. But well I wot for to know both well it is: For the more that a man knows, the more worth he is. NOTES. 2. Ne... bote, only. There is something of the double negative in this phrase too. Her, their; same as here of preceding extract. 5. Thulke, later thilk, the ilk, that same. Nome, pret. plur. of nimen (Ger. nehmen), to take. Corporal Nym in Shakspeare seems to have got his name from his propensity for taking and appropriating what was not his own. 6. Tolth, fr. tellen, to reckon. Compare the phrase "tale of bricks" in Exodus, and Milton's "Every shepherd tells his tale," i. e., reckons his sheep. 9. Kunde, later kindly (naturally, by kind), as "the kindly fruits of the earth." 10. Me wot, one knows; me (men, man) is indefin. pron. as before. Vor to conne. We see from this phrase that to is already coming to be regarded as an inseparable adjunct of the gerundial infinitive; so far in any case as to be preceded by another preposition for. "But what went ye out for to see?" St. Luke, vii. 26. D.-MIDDLE ENGLISH; THIRD STAGE (1350-1500). 9. The Vision of Piers Ploughman. 1362. (History, p. 35.) SATIRE OF LAWYERS. 1 per hovep an hundret And poundes pe lawe; 10. John Gower, d. 1408. Confessio Amantis. (History, p. 37.) TALE OF THE COFFERS OR CASKETS. The casket scene in "The Merchant of Venice" may possibly have been suggested to Shakespeare by this passage. From the Fifth Book. 1 In a Cronique thus I rede: 5 Some of long time him hadden served, And some also ben of the route, These oldè men upon this thing, 2. Must-nede, must be, of necessity; nede is here used adverbially. 4. Route, a company, fr. O. Fr. rote, L. L. rupta, a troop, company. 8. Ben, plur. ind. pres. fr. O. E. beon, to be. Even Milton uses it as a pure indicative, "If thou beest he." 11. Olde; the e final here indicates the plural of the adjective. Among hemself compleignen ofte : The king it wiste, and als so faste, Of hem that pleignen in the cas, That one may fro that other knowe: His ownè hondes that one chiste The which out of his tresorie 16. Wiste, pret. of witen, to know. "Wist ye not," is knew ye not. Als, as; still found in also (als-swa). 18. Shope, pret. of shapen, to plan, devise, create. 23. Let ... make, caused (men) to make. "To let blood," strictly means "to cause blood to flow;" "let me know," cause me to know. Compare Ger. lassen. 25, 26. So like that no one lives at this same-time (throwe, O. E. thrag) that may know the one from the other. That other that is here the definite article merely. In course of time the final t was attracted from the first word to the second, and the phrase by rapid pronunciation became the tother; as is also the case in the tone (that one). 28-38. Wot, knows, pręs. indić. of witen. Stede, place, as in instead, bedstead (once the place for the bed in a recess of the bower, or general sleepingroom). Therto, for that purpose. Sih, saw, one of the many early preterites of see. Perie, jewelry. Mull, rubbish; Chaucer uses mullok. 39. Meyned, i-menged, past part. of mengen (mingle), to mix. So that erliche upon a day A bord up set and fairè spred : Upon the bord, and did hem sette. And seidè to hem in this wise. There shall no man his hap despise : Of that ye unavanced be, Chese which you list of bothè two; 65 Ye shall be richè men for ever: Now chese, and take which you is lever, But be well ware ere that ye take, For of that one I undertake Ther is no maner good therein, 70 Wherof ye mighten profit winne. 41. Erliche, early. The modern suffix gelingen to happen. "This coil is long ly is shortened for lich, like. 43-50. Tofore, at the front of. Faire; e is adverbial termination. Fetté, to fetch. Tho, those. Grutched, grumbled; grudge retained this meaning long into the Modern English period. Anon, on an, in a moment, continuously. 55-57. Along on... belong on, owing to, fr. O. E. gelang, which came from of you" (Shak.); and it is still a provincial usage. 62-66. Witeth, know, imperat. Begon, adorned, covered with; it is the latter component in "woe-begone." Chese, choose. You is lever, is dearer (preferable) in your eyes. 69-77. No maner, no kind of. This phrase did not take the sign of the genitive after it. Now goth together of one assent, So shall be shewed in this place That no defaltè shal be myn. They knelen all, and with one vois 85 To what issue they be falle) A knyght shall spekè for hem alle : Tho toke this knyght a yerd on honde, He leith his yerde upon one, 95 And seith the king how thilke same The king, which wolde his honor save, Goth, imperat. But I, if I do not. Afyn finally (ad finem). 82. Hem avise, take counsel among themselves. 91, 92. Yerd, yard, rod; O. E. gyrd. There as, where. 96. Reguerdon, reward; the French gu becomes w in English; the double forms guise wise, guile wile, guard ward, &c., owe their existence to this law. 102-15. Seie, seen. Wel more, a great deal more. Forthy, therefore; thy (thi) is here the ablative of the demonstrative, and still exists in the the of "all the better," &c. Wite, blame. That, that which. |