934. Golias, Goliath. See I Samuel xvii. 25.
940. See the story of Holofernes in the Monkes Tale, B. 3741; and the note. I select the spelling Olofernus here, because it is that of the majority of the MSS., and agrees with the title De Oloferno in the Monkes Tale.
947. In l. 465, Chaucer mentions the 'Strait of Marrok,' i. e. Morocco, though there is no mention of it in the French text; so here he alludes
to it again, but by a different name, viz. 'the mouth of Jubalter and Septe.' Jubaltar (Gibraltar) is from the Arabic jabálu't tárik, i. e. the mountain of Tarik; who was the leader of a band of Saracens that made a descent upon Spain in the eighth century. Septe is Ceuta, on the opposite coast of Africa.
965. shortly, briefly; because Chaucer here again abridges the original, which relates how the Romans burnt the Sultaness, and slew more than 11,000 of the Saracens, without a single death or even wound on their own side.
967. senatour. His name was Arsemius of Cappadocia; his wife's name was Helen. Accent victorie on the o.
969. as seith the storie, as the history says. The French text relates this circumstance fully.
971. The French text says that, though Arsemius did not recognise Constance, she, on her part, recognised him at once, though she did not reveal it.
981. aunte. Helen, the wife of Arsemius, was daughter of Sallustius, brother of the Emperor Tiberius, and Constance's uncle. Thus Helen was really Constance's first cousin. Chaucer may have altered it purposely; but it looks as if he had glanced at the sentence—'Cest heleyne, la nece Constaunce, taunt tendrement ama sa nece,' &c., and had read it as—'This Helen ... loved her niece so tenderly.' In reality, the word nece means 'cousin' here, being applied to Helen as well as to Constance.
982. she, i. e. Helen; for Constance knew Helen.