369 corniculer assistant (n.)
370 hente took ladde led
371 weep wept
372 loore teaching
373 tormentoures executioners leve permission
376 gonnen… to reve took away
379 was woxen had become
380 ifeere together
383 leve beloved
385 armeth yow arm yourselves
386 ydoon performed
394 conclusioun outcome
395 nolde encense would not burn incense
397 sad steadfast
398 hevedes heads in the place on the spot
400 say saw bitide happen
403 cleernesse radiance
404 wight person
405 dide him… bete had him beaten
406 whippe of leed whip with leaden balls attached to the thongs gan lete lost
408 softely tenderly
414 at by
415 yaven gave
417 withouten difference i.e. between God the Father and God the Son
418 sentence opinion
420 with o vois unanimously trowen believe sterve were to die
421 doinge occurrence
423 alderfirst first of all axinge question
426 greve may displease
428 han bigonne have begun folily foolishly
429 conclude include
430 lewedly stupidly
431 similitude description
433 freined asked
434 Of from unfeined sincere
437 to drede to be feared
438–9 nis But is only
440 blowe inflated
441 leid ful lowe destroyed
443 yet still perseveraunce continuation
444 free noble
446 han penaunce be punished
447 But if unless withseye deny
448 quit free
449 nobleye nobles
450 wood sentence mad judgement
454 for because
457 For as
463 confus confused nicetee folly
466 dissimuleth dissembles audience court hearing
467 He restrains himself (outwardly) and mentally rages (n.)
468 Unsely miserable
475 side part
476 dedly to the death
479 maad a… lesing told a
481 quike bring to life
482 bireve take away
483 leve permission
486 naked weak
487 Do wey stop
489 recche care profre offer
490 suffre endure
493 nice foolish
495 That I did not recognize your foolishness by it
497 lewed ignorant vein justise worthless judge
498 –9 Your outer eyes have all the characteristics of blindness
502 rede advise
503 taste feel
507 woot know overal everywhere
510 profite do good
513 weex wrooth grew angry
516 bad ordered
517 gonne… shetten shut up
518 under underneath betten kindled
520 For al in spite of
521 wo pain
523 lete lose
525 sonde messenger
526 smoot struck
527 tormentour executioner for no maner chaunce under no circumstances
530 penaunce punishment
531 ferthe fourth softe or soore gently or hard
532 ne dorste did not dare
533 ycorven cut
536 shetes sheets yhent taken up
539 fostred taught
540 moebles movable property thing possessions
541 bitook entrusted
544 recommende commend
545 do werche have made
546 cherche church
547 deknes deacons
548 fette fetched
551 halwed consecrated
556 gan atake overtook
558 surplis surplice (n.)
559 hakeney horse pomely gris dappled grey
560 swatte sweated
561 priked galloped
563 unnethe with difficulty
564 peitrel straps going from the saddle round the horse’s chest foom sweat
565 pie magpie
566 male tweyfolde double bag croper crupper (strap attached to rear of saddle)
567 array gear
572 avised me reflected
573 chanoun canon
574 heeng hung laas cord
575 moore than trot or paas faster than a trot or a walk
576 lik as as if wood mad
577 clote-leef burdock leaf
578 swoot sweat
580 stillatorye still, vessel used in distillation
581 Were which was paritorye pellitory (a herb)
583 joly lively
588 morwe-tide morning
590 warned told soverain superior
591 fain eager
592 desport amusement daliaunce sociable conversation
593 good chaunce good luck
595 deme believe
596 jocunde entertaining leye bet
597 oght at all
598 glade may may entertain
601 Nat but inogh quite enough
602 And if
605 emprise enterprise
606 were would be
607 but unless leere learn
608 rit (= rideth) rides
609 prow benefit
610 forgoon lose
611 leye in balaunce wager
614 warne tell passing excellent
620 kan knows subtilitee skill
621 wite at learn from
622 And yet I help his work to some extent
625 clene completely
632 worship good repute rekketh cares
633 oversloppe cassock
634 As in effect in fact
635 baudy dirty to-tore torn
636 sluttissh slovenly
637 beye buy
638 acorde with agrees with
641 thee prosper
642 avowe acknowledge
645–6 overdoon carried to excess preve Aright turn out well
647 lewed stupid nice foolish
648 over-greet a wit too much intelligence
652 no fors no matter
653 konning skill woost know
655 sly cunning
656 if it to telle be if it can be told
658 hernes out-of-the-way places blinde dark
659 Whereas where by kinde customarily
660 privee secret
665 harde grace ill luck
666 used accustomed
668 wont accustomed prye gaze
669 swinke soore labour hard multiplye practise alchemy (n.)
670 blondren act in the dark pouren in gaze into
671 faille of fail to achieve
672 conclusioun successful result
673 doon illusioun deceive
676 wenen believe
679 after it we grope we search for it
680 so fer us biforn so far ahead of us
682 slit (= slideth) awey slips away
685 drough him drew
689 Thinks that everything is being spoken about him, for sure
691 sawe speech
694 abye pay for
696 that that which
697 whatso bitide whatever happens
698 threting threatening rekke nat a mite don’t care a farthing
701 privetee secrets
703 game fun
704 kan know
705 quelle kill
707 bihete promise
711 whatso whatever
712 smerte pain
713 meschief misfortune
716 longeth belongs
718 spare hold back
721 neer nearer
724 Ther whereas
725 array accoutrements
726 were an hose see n.
728 wan livid leden leaden
729 soore bit
terly rewe regret
730 swink labour
731 which what an multiplye see n. to CY 669
732 slidinge slippery
733 fare go
734 endetted in debt
736 quite repay
737 be war by take warning from
738 casteth him therto applies himself to it
739 thrift ydo prosperity done for
741 make his wittes thinne wear out his brains
743 jupartye taking risks
745 lese hir good lose their wealth
746 shrewes villains
747 disese hardship
749 no charge no matter
750 ff. see n. for technical terms in lines
750–853 thereas where
751 elvisshe magical
752 clergial learned queinte esoteric
753 feinte becomes exhausted
758 bisye me exert myself
759 orpiment trisulphide of arsenic brent burned iren squames iron flakes
760 smal fine
762 papeer pepper
764 lampe lamp-shaped vessel
766 enluting process of sealing with clay
768 esy fir slow fire smerte hot
769 care trouble
770 subliming sublimation
771 amalgaming blending calcening calcination
772 yclept called
773 sleightes tricks conclude succeed
774 sublimed sublimated
775 litarge lead monoxide porfurye porphyry slab
776 certein a certain quantity
778 spirites see n. ascencioun vaporization
779 fix stable, not volatile
782 a twenty devel weye in the devil’s name
785 apertening belonging
786 reherce repeat
787 lewed uneducated
789 sette hem in hir kinde classify them according to their nature
790 bole armoniak Armenian bole (a red clay) vertgrees verdigris boras borax
792 descensories retorts for distillation by condensation
793 Violes phials crosletz crucibles sublimatories vessels used for sublimation
794 Cucurbites gourd-shaped vessels used for distillation alembikes still-heads
795 deere inogh a leek not worth a leek
797 rubifying reddening boles bull’s
798 Arsenik arsenic compounds sal armoniak ammonium chloride brimstoon sulphur (see n. to CY 820–24)
800 egremoine agrimony lunarye ?moonwort
801 me liste it pleased me
802 lampes vessels
804 fourneis furnace
805 albificacioun whitening
806 Unslekked lim unslaked lime gleire of an ey white of an egg
807 donge dung
808 Cered poketz waxed bags sal peter saltpeter
809 cole charcoal
810 Sal tartre salt of tartar, potassium carbonate alkali an alkaline substance obtained from the calcined ashes of plants sal preparat prepared salt
811 combust burnt coagulat coagulated
813 alum glas potash alum berm yeast wort unfermented beer argoile crude potassium bitartrate
814 Resalgar realgar, disulphide of arsenic embibing moistening
815 encorporing process of forming a compound
816 citrinacioun the process of turning metal yellow
817 cementing process for testing metal
818 testes vessels used in assaying gold or silver
820 spirites see n.
821 nevene name
826 Sol the sun Luna the moon threpe call
832 theraboute on it
833 lese lose
834 outen display
837–8 see n.
839 al be he whether he is
842 nice silly
844 lewed lay subtiltee lore
846 And whether he is literate or not
849 multiplicacioun art of alchemy
850 Ilike equally
852 maken rehersaille enumerate
853 corosif corrosive limaille metal filings
854 mollificacioun softening
855 induracioun hardening
856 abluciouns cleansing processes (n.) fusible fusible, susceptible of being melted
857 bible book, treatise
858 owher anywhere
861 reise summon up rowe rough, savage
863 Elixir see n. sechen faste seek diligently
864 him it siker inow quite sure
867 sleighte ingenuity he it
869 wexen wood go mad
871 soore smerte suffer severely
873 supposing assumption
874 to seken evere always to be sought for
875 temps time dissevere part
877 sadde satiated
881 brat cloak of coarse cloth
883 stinte leave off
887 rammissh rank
889 savour smell
892 prively privately
893 unthriftily shabbily
894 rownen whisper
895 espied detected
896 slee kill
899 ydo placed
901 tempreth blends
904 Algate at any rate name reputation
905 renneth in incurs
906 wite ye do you know
907 to-breketh breaks in pieces
909 mowe may
910 But if unless
911 percen pierce
913 bitimes straightway
917 shrewe rascal
921 Everyone grumbles and considers himself discontent
922 long on on account of
924 fered afraid
925 lewed stupid nice foolish
929 so thee’ch as I may prosper
930 wheron it was long what it was on account of
933 war eftsoone wiser next time
934 right siker very sure crased cracked
935 However it may be, do not be dismayed at all
936 as swithe without delay
937 Plukke pluck
938 mullok rubbish ysweped swept
939 ycast thrown canevas piece of canvas
940 sive sieve ythrowe thrown
941 ypiked picked over many a throwe many times
946 We have to put our wealth at risk
950 sauf safe
951 fonde try
952 plite condition
953 wite blame
955 over-hoot too hot
957 That we always end badly
962 as like
964 at eye to the eye
965 clappe jabber
968 preef test
971 By that by the time that
974 greet large Ninivee Nineveh
975 Alisaundre Alexandria
979 falshede deceitfulness nis his peer there is none equal to him
980 termes jargon
981 sly wily
983 doten become a fool
984 But it a feend be unless it is a fiend
989 governaunce behaviour
990 audience a hearing
993 desclaundre slander
995 shrewe rascal
997 rewe do penance for o singuler one individual
998 nothing not at all
999 that is mis what is wrong
1001 othere mo others
1005 By concerning
1006 herkne listen to
1007 covent (religious) house
1008 Remove him promptly, I advise you
1010 nothing not at all
1012 preest annueleer priest who is retained to celebrate memorial masses for the dead
1014 plesaunt agreeable servisable attentive
1015 at table at board
1016 suffre allow
1017 wente he nevere so gaye however finely dressed he was
1018 spending-silver pocket money right inow in plenty
1019 no fors no matter
1024 lene lend a certein a certain quantity
1025 quite… agein pay back
1026 marke sum of money equivalent t
o £ but only
1029 do hange me have me hanged hals neck
1030 took gave as swithe at once
1031 ofte sithe many times
1035 Wherof at which fain pleased
1036 nothing anoyeth me it is no trouble to me
1037 noble gold coin (g.)
1040 breke… his day fail to pay punctually
1043 thing yfallen occurrence al of newe for the first time
1046 ellis God forbede God forbid that it should be otherwise
1047 siker surely Crede Creed
1048 in good time at a propitious moment (n.)
1049 ivele apaid dissatisfied
1052 privetee private affairs
1053 goodlich kind
1054 And shown me such great kindness
1055 quite with repay
1056 yow list to lere it pleases you to learn
1058 philosophye alchemy
1059 seen at eye see with (your own) eyes
1060 maistrye tour de force
1061 Ye yes
1065 bede offer
1066 profred volunteered
1068 verifye prove true
1071 impresse are fixed
1072 meschief misfortune
1073 dissimulinge dissembling
1074 Noght wiste did not know delte was dealing
1076 sely simple
1077 blent blinded
1078 gracelees unwary conceit mind, understanding
1080 yshapen planned
1081 wrenches tricks flee escape
1083 refereth to concerns confusioun destruction
1084 Unhappy unfortunate me hie hasten
1085 unwit stupidity
1087 konning ability
1088 wene think
1091 kan knows
1093 dulleth distresses
1096 Algates at any rate
1097 reednesse redness
1098 fumes vapours
1099 reherce list
1103 quiksilver mercury anoon without delay
1105 as faste immediately
1106 sey saw
1110 anon again straight back
1112 took gave
1113 faire carefully
1114 coles coals
1116 yfet fetched
1117 crosselet crucible
1122 philosofre alchemist
1126 mortifye harden (see n. to CY 1431–40)
1131 And otherwise consider me false and unfit
1134 Shal which shall
The Canterbury Tales Page 175