The sunne, quoth he, is clomben vp on heaven
Fortye degrees and one, and moore, ywis, &c.
And that this shoulde be mente xxxij dayes after Marche, and the seconde of Maye, there be manye reasons, besides those that Chaucer nameth; which are, that the sonne was not farre from the middle of his ascentione, and in the signe of Taurus. ffurther, since I am now in Chantecler’s discourse, I must speake of one woorde in the same, deservinge correctione, whiche I see you overslipped; and because I thinke you knewe not what to make of yt, (as indede by the printinge few menne canne vnderstande yt,) I will sett downe the correctione of the same; Mereturicke is a corruption of Merecenrycke, or the kingdom of Mercia. being the worde Mereturicke, farr corrupted for Mercenricke, in saxon[A] Meþecenþÿke which is the kingdome of Mercia, for so was Kenelme the sonne, and Kenulphus the father, both kinges of Mercia; the one reignynge 36 yeres, and the other murdred by his sister Quendrida, as ys before noted. And that yt is the kingdome of Mercia, the etymon of the woorde doth teache; for þÿk in the saxon tonge signyfyethe a kingdome; meþcen signyfyethe markes or boundes or marches of Countryes. So that Mercenricke is regnum Merciæ, or the kingdome of Mercia, or of the boundes so called, because almost all the other kingdoms of the saxons bounded vppon the same, and that lykewise vppon them, since that kingdome did lye in the middle of England, and conteyned most of the shires thereof.
Pilloures of silver borne before Cardinalls. Fo: 90. pa: 2. for pilloure you will vs to reade Pellure, signifyinge furres. but althoughe the Clergye ware furres, and some of them had their outwarde ornamentes thereof when they came to their service, as the Chanons had their Grey amises; yet in this place, to shewe the proude and stately ensignes of the Clergye, he there nameth the popes crowne, and the Cardinalls pilloures, yf I be not deceved. for euery cardinall had, for parte of his honorable ensignes borne before hym, certein silver pillers; as had Cardinall Wolsey, in the tyme of kinge Henrye the eighte, and Cardinall Poole, in my memory. So that pilloure in that place is better than pellure, because pilloures were a note of more pride and maiestye (againste whiche the Plowmanne dothe enveye in those woordes,) than in the weringe of furres.
Liketh best the old reading of “change of many manner of meates.” Fo: 90. pa: 2. for these wordes, with change of many manner of meates, you wolde have vs reade, They eate of many manner of meates. Touchinge whiche, althoughe the sence stande well, yet sure Chaucer followeth this matter in many staues together with this prepositione (cum, with,) and this coniunctione (et, and;)—as, “With pride misledd the poore, and with money filled manye a male, &c.” so he contynuethe yt still with that prepositione, “with change of many meates;” whiche is as good as the other, for euery one knoweth Chaucers meanynge to be that they eate of many meates, when they haue change of many meates; for why sholde they haue change of meates, but for varyetye to please the palates taste in eatynge. And also the old reading of “myters” more than one or two for the sake of the meter. In the next staffe, (for myters moe then one or two) you teache vs to reade, “myters they weare mo then one or two;” whiche, methinkethe, nedeth not. For the wearinge of their myters is included in these woordes, And myters more then one or two. Whiche wordes are curteyled for the verse his cause, that the same mighte kepe an equall proportione and decorum in the verse, whiche would be lengthened one foote or sillable moore than the other verses, yf your readinge shoulde stande. But yf you saye, that in this and other thinges I am overstreyghte laced and to obstinatlye bente to defende the former printed editione, in that I woulde rather allowe one imperfecte sence, and suche as must be vnderstoode, when yt ys not fully expressed, than a playne style, I will answere withe a grounde of the lawe, quod frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora, and quod subintelligitur non deest. Wherefore yt is nedelesse to make that playner by additione of woordes, when yt maye be as well conceyved in any reasonable mens vnderstandinge without such additione. But on these and suche petit matters, I will not nowe longe insiste, (being things of no greate momente,) vntill I haue further examyned more written copyes to trye, whether wee shall reade the olde texte or your newe correctione.
The lordes sonne of Windsore is in the French Romant of the rose, but is there spelled Guindesores. Fo: 122. pa: 2. The lordes sonne of Windsore.) Vppon these woordes you saye, this maye seme strange bothe in respecte that yt is not in the frenche, as also for that there was no lorde Windsore at those dayes. But yt semeth to me moore strange that these woordes shoulde seme strange to you, not to bee in the frenche, where you shall fynde them. For thus hathe the frenche written Romante, as maye appere in the old frenche vsed at the tyme when the Romante was composed, in this sorte:
Pris a Franchise lez alez
Ne sai coment est apelles,
Biaus est et genz, se il fust ores
Fuiz au seigneur de Guindesores: