This have I herde ofte in saying,That man ne maie for no dauntingMake a sperhawke ofa bosarde.
This have I herde ofte in saying,That man ne maie for no dauntingMake a sperhawke ofa bosarde.
This have I herde ofte in saying,
That man ne maie for no daunting
Make a sperhawke ofa bosarde.
The original is,—
Ce oï dire en reprovier,Que l'en ne puet fere espervierEn nule guised'ung busart.
Ce oï dire en reprovier,Que l'en ne puet fere espervierEn nule guised'ung busart.
Ce oï dire en reprovier,
Que l'en ne puet fere espervier
En nule guised'ung busart.
bosten (A.S.)to boast.part. past, y-bosted,351
bote-lees (A.S.)381,without remedy
botenen (A.N.)to button. †part. past, y-botend,468,buttoned
bothe (A.S.)both. The genitive, botheres,of both, occurs. hir botheres myghtes,340,the might of both of them. hir botheres right,371,the right of each of them.
botrasen (A.N.)113,to make buttresses to a building
bouchen (A.N.)5,to stop people's mouths (?)
bouken (A.S.)274,306,to buck (clothes)
bour (A.S.)a bower, chamber
bourde (A.S.)a game, joke
bourdynge (A.N.)297,jesting
bourn,g.bournes (A.S.)a stream or river
bowe (A.S.)112,a bough, branch
bown (A.S.)37,ready
boy (A.S.)6(?)
boye (A.S.)214,a lad servant
breden (A.S.)to breed.pret. pl.bredden
brede (A.S.)breadth
breed (A.S.)bread
breeth (A.S.)388,breath
breken (A.S.)to break, tear.pret. s.brak,388.part. pas.y-broken, broke, y-broke,416
breme (A.S.)241,vigorous, fierce, furious. Chaucer, C. T. l. 1701, speaking of Arcite and Palamon, says they—"foughten breme, as it were bolles two,"fought as fiercely as two bulls. In the Romance of Sir Amadas (Weber, p. 250) a person is described as coming "lyke a breme bare,"like a fierce boar. It appears to be most commonly applied to animals. In the Towneley Mysteries, p. 197, Anna says to Cayphas, "Be not to breme,"be not too fierce
brennen, brenne (A.S.)360,to burn.pret. s.brende,367.part. pas.brent
bresten (A.S.)to burst,pret. s.brast,127
brevet (A.N.)5,a little brief or letter
brewestere (A.S.)14,47,a woman who brews
brid,pl.briddes (A.S.)a bird
bringen (A.S.)to bring.pret. s.broughte, broghte.part. past, y-brought, broght,235
brocage (A.N.)33,289,a treaty by a broker or agent. It is particularly applied to treaties of marriage, brought about in this way. In Chaucer's Romance of the Rose, l. 6971, Fals Semblant says,—
I entremete me ofbrocages.I maken pece, and mariages.
I entremete me ofbrocages.I maken pece, and mariages.
I entremete me ofbrocages.
I maken pece, and mariages.
So in the Miller's Tale (C.T. 3375), it is said of Absolon,
He woweth hire by mene and bybrocage,And swor he wolde ben hir owne page.
He woweth hire by mene and bybrocage,And swor he wolde ben hir owne page.
He woweth hire by mene and bybrocage,
And swor he wolde ben hir owne page.
That is, he wooed her by the agency of another person, whom he employed to persuade her to agree to his wishes.
broches (A.N.)brooches, jewels.
broches,362,matches(?)
brocour (A.N.)31,32,45,84,a seller, broker, maker of bargains
broke (A.S.)a brook
brok,pl.brokkes (A.S.)119,an animal of the badger kind
brol (A.S.)55,494,495,a child, brat. Reliquiæ Antiquæ, ii, 177:—
Whan hi commith to the world, hi doth ham silf sum gode,Al bot the wrechbrolthat is of Adamis blode.
Whan hi commith to the world, hi doth ham silf sum gode,Al bot the wrechbrolthat is of Adamis blode.
Whan hi commith to the world, hi doth ham silf sum gode,
Al bot the wrechbrolthat is of Adamis blode.
brood (A.S.)broad
brotel (A.S.)153,weak, brittle, unsteady
†brothels (A.S.)496,wretches, men of bad life. In the Coventry Mysteries (Ed. Halliwell, p. 308), the term is applied to the damned who suffer punishment in hell:—
In bras and in bronston thebrethellysbe brent,That wene in this werd my wyl for to werke.
In bras and in bronston thebrethellysbe brent,That wene in this werd my wyl for to werke.
In bras and in bronston thebrethellysbe brent,
That wene in this werd my wyl for to werke.
In another play in the same collection, p. 217, it is applied to the woman taken in adultery:—
Com forthe, thou bysmare andbrothelbolde.
Com forthe, thou bysmare andbrothelbolde.
Com forthe, thou bysmare andbrothelbolde.
brouke (A.S.)209,to enjoy, use, to brook
brugg,pl.brugges (A.S.)a bridge
bruneste (A.S.)brownest
buggen, bugge (A.S.)412,to buy.pres. pl.biggen.pret.boughte.part. act.buggynge,410
bummen (A.S.?)90,to taste(?)
burde (A.S.)44,404,a maiden, damsel, lady
burdoun (A.N.)108,a staff
burel (A.N.)a kind of coarse brown woollen cloth. burel clerkes,191. Tyrwhit (Glos. to Chaucer) thinks this meanslay clerks. In the Canterbury Tales, l. 7453, the friar says:—
And more we se of Goddis secré thinges,Thanborel folk, although that thay ben kinges,We lyve in povert and in abstinence,Andborel folkin riches and dispence.
And more we se of Goddis secré thinges,Thanborel folk, although that thay ben kinges,We lyve in povert and in abstinence,Andborel folkin riches and dispence.
And more we se of Goddis secré thinges,
Thanborel folk, although that thay ben kinges,
We lyve in povert and in abstinence,
Andborel folkin riches and dispence.
The hoste says (l. 15440)—
Religioun hath take up al the cornOf tredyng, and weburel menben schrympes.
Religioun hath take up al the cornOf tredyng, and weburel menben schrympes.
Religioun hath take up al the corn
Of tredyng, and weburel menben schrympes.
Borel folkandborel menevidently meanlaymen
burgage (A.N.)48,lands or tenements in towns, held by a particular tenure
burgeise (A.S.)burgess, inhabitant of a borough
burghe (A.S.)135,burgh, town
burghe (A.S.)castrated, applied to a hog. burghe swyn,34,a barrow hog
burjonen (A.N.)299,to bud, or spring
burn (A.S.)pl.burnes,a man. buyrn,341,346
†burwgh (A.S.)458,a castle, palace, or large edifice
busk,pl.buskes (A.S.)223,a bush
busken (A.S.)44,167,to busk, go, to array, prepare
buxom (A.S.)obedient. buxomnesse,obedience
C. K.
C. K.
C. K.
caas (A.N.)case
cacchen (A.S.)236,to catch, take.part. past, caught,361
cachepol (A.S.)372,373,a catchpole
kaiser, kayser (A.S.)404,an emperor
cammoke (A.S.)414, a weed more commonly known by the name ofrest-harrow (anonis)
kan (A.S.)can
capul, caple (A.N.)354,pl.caples,415,416,a horse(said to be derived from the Low-Latincaballus)
caractes (A.N.)233,characters
cardiacle (Gr.)266,430,a disease affecting the heart
careful (A.S.)pl.carefulle,403,full of care
carien (A.S.)to carry
caroyne, careyne (A.N.)carrion, flesh, a corpse
carpen (A.N.)356,400,to talk, chat, tell.part. pas.y-carped,313
†cary (A.N.?)475,a kind of coarse cloth
casten (A.S.)to cast
catel (A.N.)70,78,175,437,goods, property, treasure, possessions
cauken (A.S.?)223,241, a technical term, applied to birds at their time of breeding. It is found in the St. Albans Book of Hawking, 1496, sign. A. i.; "And in the tyme of their (the hawks') love, they calle, and notcauke."
kaurymaury,81,care, trouble?
†cautel (A.N.)469,a cunning trick
kaylewey (.)334(?)
kemben (A.S.)174,to comb
kene (A.S.)sharp, earnest
kennen, kenne (A.S.)355,396,410,to teach,pres pl.konne,3.imperat.kenne (teach),20.pret.kenned,67,241, kennede,409
kepen, kepe (A.S.)to keep, to abstain,60.pret. pl.kepten,235,404. have kepe this man,352,have this man to keep
kernelen (A.N.)113,to embattle a building, build the battlements
kerse (A.S.)174,cress
kerven (A.S.)to carve. †part. past, y-corven,460
kerver,184,a sculptor
cesse (A.N.)375,to end, cease
kevere (A.N.)445,to recover
kex (A.S.)361,the dried stalk of hemlock
chace (A.N.)351,to race, to go fast
chaffare (A.S.)131,292,301,305,338,to deal, traffic, trade
chaffare (A.S.)3,31,85,268,305,merchandise
chalangen (A.N.)to challenge, claim. chalangynge,82. chalanged,87
chapitle (A.N.)a chapter
†chaple (A.N.)485,a chapel
chapman (A.S.)a merchant, buyer
†chapolories (A.N.)483,chapelaries
†charthous (A.N.)490,Carthusians
chastilet (A.N.)a little castle
chatre (A.N.)287,to chatter
chauncelrie (A.N.)chancery
cheke (A.S.)68,the cheek, maugree hire chekes,68. We have in Chaucer,maugré thin eyen,maugré hire hed, &c. See Tyrwhit's Gloss, v.Maugre. One of these instances is exactly analogous to the passage of Piers Ploughman (C. T. l. 6467):—
And happed, al alone as sche was born,He saugh a mayde walkyng him by-forn,Of which mayden anoonmaugré hir heed,By verray fors byraft hir maydenhed.
And happed, al alone as sche was born,He saugh a mayde walkyng him by-forn,Of which mayden anoonmaugré hir heed,By verray fors byraft hir maydenhed.
And happed, al alone as sche was born,
He saugh a mayde walkyng him by-forn,
Of which mayden anoonmaugré hir heed,
By verray fors byraft hir maydenhed.
cheker (A.N.)the exchequer
chele (A.S.)176,439,cold
chepen (A.S.)296,to buy
chepyng (A.S.)68,135,market, sale
cherl (A.S.)210,pl.cherles,337,375,a serf, peasant, churl
†cherlich (A.N.)485,richly, sumptuously
chervelle (A.S.)134,chervil, a plant which was eaten as a pot-herb (cerefolium)
chese (A.S.)296,to choose
cheeste, cheste (A.S.)33,169,253,dissension, strife, debate
cheve (A.N.)375,to compass a thing, to succeed, or bring to an end, to obtain, adopt.pres. s.cheveth,287.pret. pl.cheveden,3, chewe,381,439. lat hem chewe as thei chosen,let them take as they choose
chewen (A.N.)26,490,to eschewe
chibolle (A.N.)134,a kind of leek, called in Frenchciboule
chicke,pl.chicknes,67(A.S.)a chicken
chevysaunce (A.N.)92,426,an agreement for borrowing money
chiden (A.S.)to chide
child (A.S.)a child.gen. pl.childrene,72
chymenee (A.N.)179,a fire-place
chirie-tyme,86,cherry-time
chyvelen (A.S.?)88,to become shrivelled
†chol (A.S.)464,the jowl
kidde,seecouthen
kirk (A.S.)a church
kirtel (A.S.)a kirtle, frock
kissen (A.S.)395,to kiss.pret. s.kiste,394
kith, kyth (A.S.)55,324,400,relationship, family connection. to kith and to kyn,268,to family connection and kindred
kitone (A.N.)kitten, young cat
clawe (A.S.)274,to brush, to stroke
clene (A.S.)pure, clean. clenner,410, purer. clennesse,purity, cleanness
clepen, clepe (A.S.)to call.pret.cleped,436.part. pas.cleped,174
clergie (A.N.)science, clergy
clerk (A.N.)pl.clerkes,gen. pl.clerkene,72,a scholar
cler-matyn (A.N.)135,a kind of fine bread
cleven (A.S.)to split, cleave(intransitive).pret. s.cleef,373
cleymen (A.N.)389,to claim.pret. s.cleymede,430
cliket (A.N.)114,a kind of latch key. cliketten,114,to fasten with a cliket. Tyrwhit explains the word simply as meaning a key—but in Piers Ploughman it is put so in immediate apposition with the word key, that it must have differed from it. In Chaucer, C. T. 9990, et seq. it appears to be the key of a garden gate:—
This freissche May, that I spake of so yore,In warm wex hath emprynted thecliketThat January bar of the smale wiket,By which into his gardyn ofte he went;And Damyan, that knew al hir entent,Thecliketcounterfeted prively.
This freissche May, that I spake of so yore,In warm wex hath emprynted thecliketThat January bar of the smale wiket,By which into his gardyn ofte he went;And Damyan, that knew al hir entent,Thecliketcounterfeted prively.
This freissche May, that I spake of so yore,
In warm wex hath emprynted thecliket
That January bar of the smale wiket,
By which into his gardyn ofte he went;
And Damyan, that knew al hir entent,
Thecliketcounterfeted prively.
In a document of the date 1416, quoted by Ducange, v.Cliquetus, it is ordered that, Refectorarius semper teneat hostium refectorii clausumcum cliqueto
clyngen (A.S.)276,to shrink, wither, pine. Reliq. Antiquæ, vol. ii, p. 210:—
When eld me wol aweld, mi wele is awai;Eld wol keld, andclingso the clai.
When eld me wol aweld, mi wele is awai;Eld wol keld, andclingso the clai.
When eld me wol aweld, mi wele is awai;
Eld wol keld, andclingso the clai.
clippe (A.S.)359,394,to embrace, enfold
clips (A.N.?)377,an eclipse
clyven (A.S.)367,to cleave, stick to
clokken (A.N.)45,to limp or hobble, to walk lamely
clomsen (A.N.)276,to shrink or contract. A verb used often in the Wycliffite Bible. In Prompt. Parv. aclomsid.
clooth (A.S.)cloth
clouch (A.S.)pl.clouches,a clutch
clouten (A.S.)to patch, mend.part. past, y-clouted,120
clucche (A.S.)359,to clutch, hold
knappe (A.S.)133,a knop, a button
knave (A.S.)14,66,a servant lad
†knoppede (A.S.)476,full of knobs
knowelichen (A.S.)to acknowledge.pret. s.kneweliched,239,407.part. act.knowelichynge,400
knowes (A.S.)98,knees
knowen, knowe (A.S.)408,to know,pres. pl.knowen.pret. s.knew,232.pl.knewen,237.part. pas.knowen, knowe
coffe (A.S.?)120,a cuff
†cofrene (A.N.)455,to put in a coffer
coghen (A.S.)367,to cough
coke (A.S.)a cook
cokeney (A.N.)134,some kind of meager food, probably a young or small cock, which had little flesh on its bones. This meaning of the word (which has been misunderstood) may be gathered from a comparison of the passage in Piers Ploughman with one in the "Turnament of Tottenham," where the writer intended to satirize the poorness of the fare:—
At that fest were thei servyd in a rich aray,Every fyve and fyve hada cokeney.
At that fest were thei servyd in a rich aray,Every fyve and fyve hada cokeney.
At that fest were thei servyd in a rich aray,
Every fyve and fyve hada cokeney.
Heywood, in his Proverbs, part i, chap. xi, gives a proverb in which the word is evidently used in the same sense, and appears to be intentionally contrasted with afat hen:—
—Men say,He that comth every daie shall havea cocknaie,He that comth now and then, shall have a fat hen;But I gat not so muche in comyng seelde when,As a goode hens fether or a poore egshell.
—Men say,He that comth every daie shall havea cocknaie,He that comth now and then, shall have a fat hen;But I gat not so muche in comyng seelde when,As a goode hens fether or a poore egshell.
—Men say,
He that comth every daie shall havea cocknaie,
He that comth now and then, shall have a fat hen;
But I gat not so muche in comyng seelde when,
As a goode hens fether or a poore egshell.
I think thatcokenayin Chaucer is the same word, used metaphorically to signify a person without worth or courage (C. T. 4205):—