35. been submitted, have agreed. This illustrates the common usage of expressing a perfect by the verb to be and the past part. of an intransitive verb. Cf. is went, in B. 1730.—M.
36. at my Iugement, at my decree; ready to do as I bid you. See Prologue, A. 818 and 833.
37. Acquiteth yow, acquit yourself, viz. by redeeming your promise. holdeth your biheste, keep your promise. Acquit means to absolve or free oneself from a debt, obligation, charge, &c.; or to free oneself from the claims of duty, by fulfilling it.
38. devoir, duty; see Knightes Tale, A. 2598.
atte leste, at the least. Atte or atten is common in Old English for at the or at then; the latter is a later form of A. S. æt þām, where then (= þām) is the dative case of the article. But for the explanation of peculiar forms and words, the Glossarial Index should be consulted.
39. For ich, Tyrwhitt reads jeo = je, though found in none of our seven MSS. This makes the whole phrase French—de par dieux jeo assente. Mr. Jephson suggests that this is a clever hit of Chaucer's, because he makes the Man of Lawe talk in French, with which, as a lawyer, he was very familiar. However, we find elsewhere—
'Quod Troilus, "depardieux I assente";'—
and again—
'"Depardieux," quod she, "god leve al be wel";'
Troilus and Cres. ii. 1058 and 1212;