For all this, the old editions turned the form into efters, and Bell follows them! Moreover, eftures is gravely quoted in Halliwell's Dictionary, with a reference to Sir T. Malory. The passage is:—'Pleaseth it you to see the eftures of this castle?' bk. xix. c. 7 (p. 444 in the Globe edition). Here eftures is a mere misprint (in Caxton's original edition) for estres, due to reading the long s (ſ) as an f. Efters and Eftures are mere 'ghost-words,' the products of ignorance.

[1716, 7]. 'Tecta petunt; custos in fore nullus erat'; l. 738.

[1720]. Dischevele, with hair hanging loose. Malice, evil.

[1721]. 'Ante torum calathi lanaque mollis erat'; l. 742. Of course 'our book' means Ovid; yet Thynne reads 'saith Liui.'

[1729]. A fine line; but I think Chaucer has wholly misunderstood l. 752 of the original.

[1732-9].

'Desinit in lacrimas, intentaque fila remittit,

in gremium uultum deposuitque suum.

Hoc ipsum decuit: lacrimae decuere pudicae,

et facies animo dignaque parque fuit'; l. 755.