387. It means—'and, moreover, the sun had risen but four degrees above the horizon'; i. e. it was not yet a quarter past six.
396. her hertes, their hearts. lighte, to feel light, to feel happy; an unusual use of the verb; but see F. 914. In l. 398, the sudden change to the singular she is harsh.
401. Again hastily written. Chaucer says—'The point for which every tale is told—if it be delayed till the pleasure of them that have
hearkened after (or listened attentively to) the former part of it grows cold—then the pleasantness of it passes off, on account of the prolixity in telling it; and the more so, the longer it is spun out.' Knotte is cognate with the Lat. nodus (written for gnodus), as used by Horace, Ars Poet. l. 191.
409. fordrye, exceedingly dry. The tree was white too, owing to loss of its bark. This reminds me of the famous Arbre Sec, or Dry Tree; see Marco Polo, ed. Yule, i. 119; Maundeville, ed. Halliwell, p. 68; Mätzner, Sprachproben, ii. 185.
428. faucon peregryn. 'This species of falcon is thus described in the Tresor de Brunet Latin, P. i. ch. Des Faucons; MS. Reg. 19 C. x. "La seconde lignie est faucons, qui hom apele pelerins, par ce que nus ne trove son ni; ains est pris autresi come en pelerinage, et est mult legiers a norrir, et mult cortois et vaillans, et de bone maniere" [i. e. the second kind is the falcon which is called the pilgrim (or peregrine), because no one ever finds its nest; but it is otherwise taken, as it were on pilgrimage, and is very easily fed, and very tame and bold, and well-mannered]. Chaucer adds that this falcon was of fremde lond, i. e. from a foreign country.'—Tyrwhitt.
435. ledene, language; from A. S. læden, leden, sometimes used in the sense of language, though it is, after all, a mere corruption of Latin, which is the sense which it most often bears. Thus, the inscription on the cross of Christ is said to have been written 'Ebreisceon stafon, and Grecisceon, and Leden stafon,' in Hebrew letters and in Greek and Latin letters; John, xix. 20. So also 'on Ledenisc gereorde,' in the Latin language; Beda, bk. iv. c. 1. Hence the word was used more generally in the sense of language; as, 'Mara is, on ure lyden, biternes,' i. e. Marah is, in our speech, bitterness; Exod. xv. 23. This extension of the meaning, and the form of the word, were both influenced, probably, by confusion with the sb. lēod, people. The student should learn to distinguish this word from the A. S. lēoð, G. lied, a song. Tyrwhitt notes that Dante uses latino in the sense of language; 'E cantine gli augelli Ciascuno in suo latino'; Canzone 1.
458. as dooth, so do, pray do. See Note to Cler. Tale, E. 7.
469. 'As verily as may the great God of nature help me.' Wisly, verily, is quite different from wysly, wisely; cf. Kn. Ta. 1376 (A. 2234).
471. 'To heal your hurts with quickly.' Note the position of with; and cf. l. 641.