[642]. The shield was covered with horn, sinews or nerf, and skin or rind.
[651]. 'Who has given me a love-potion?'
[656]. for pure ashamed, for being completely ashamed, i.e. for very shame. A curious idiom.
[666]. envýous, envious person; accented on y, as in l. 857.
[677]. Ma | de; two syllables. The first foot is imperfect.
[681]. The astrological term 'house' has two senses; it sometimes means a zodiacal sign, as when, e.g. Taurus is called the 'house' or mansion of Venus; and sometimes it has another sense, as, probably, in the present passage. See Chaucer's treatise on the Astrolabe, pt. ii. § 37, on 'the equations of houses.' In the latter case, the whole celestial sphere was divided into twelve equal parts, called 'houses,' by great circles passing through the north and south points of the horizon. The first of these, reckoning upwards from the eastern horizon, was called the first house, and the seventh house, being opposite to it, was reckoned downwards from the western horizon. The first and seventh houses were both considered very fortunate; and it is here said that Venus was in her seventh house, i.e. was just below the western horizon at the moment when Criseyde first saw him. The same planet was also 'well disposed,' i.e. in a favourable sign of the zodiac; and at the same time was 'pleased (or made propitious) by favourable aspects' of other planets, i.e. other planets were favourably situated as regards their angular distances from Venus. Moreover, Venus was no foe to Troilus in his nativity, i.e. she was also favourably situated at the moment of his birth.
[716]. Imitated from Le Rom. de la Rose, 5765-9, q.v.
[746]. 'I am one (who is) the fairest.' The -e in fairest-e is not elided; neither is the -e in wist-e in l. 745.
[750]. I.e. 'I am my own mistress.'
[752]. lese, pasture; 'I stand, unfastened, in a pleasant pasture.' From A. S. lǣsu. Cf. Ho. Fame, 1768. It does not mean 'leash,' as usually said; Chaucer's form of 'leash' is lees, as in Cant. Ta. G 19.