Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 — Notes to the Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

696. gobet, a small portion; O. F. gobet, a morsel; gober, to devour.

698. hente, caught hold of; from A. S. hentan, to seize.

699. 'A cross made of latoun, set full of (probably counterfeit) precious stones.' Latoun was a mixed metal, of the same colour as, and closely resembling, the modern metal called pinchbeck, from the name of the inventor. It was chiefly composed of copper and zinc. See further in the note to C. 350; and cf. F. 1245.

701. Cf. Wyclif's Works, ed. Matthew, p. 154; and the note to C. 349.

702. up-on lond, in the country. Country people used to be called uplondish men. Jack Upland is the name of a satire against the friars.

705, 706. Iapes, deceits, tricks. his apes, his dupes; cf. A. 3389.

710. alder-best, best of all; alder is a later form of aller, from A. S. ealra, of all, gen. pl. of eal, all. See ll. 586, 823.

712. affyle, file down, make smooth. Cf. 'affile His tunge'; Gower, C. A. i. 296; 'gan newe his tunge affyle,' Troil. ii. 1681; 'his tongue [is] filed'; Love's Labour's Lost, v. i. 12. So also Spenser, F. Q. i. 1. 35; iii. 2. 12; Skelton, Colin Clout, 852.

Chaucer's Apology.