641. for, &c.; because he shall never thrive. The Yeoman blurts out the truth, and is then afraid he has said too much. In l. 644, he gives an evasive and politer reason, declaring that his lord is 'too wise'; see l. 648.
645. That that, that which. In the margin of MS. E. is written—'Omne quod est nimium, &c.'; which is probably short for—'Omne quod est nimium uertitur in uitium.' We also find—'Omne nimium nocet.' The corresponding English proverb is—'Too much of one thing is not good' (Heywood); on which Ray remarks—'Assez y a si trop n'y a; French. Ne quid nimis; Terentius. Μηδὲν ἄγαν. This is an apothegm of one of the seven wise men; some attribute it to Thales, some to Solon. Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines; Horat. Sat. i. 1. 106. L'abbondanza delle cose ingenera fastidio; Ital. Cada dia olla, amargo el caldo; Spanish.' We also find in Hazlitt's English Proverbs—'Too much cunning undoes.'—'Too much is stark nought.'—'Too much of a good thing.'—'Too much spoileth, too little is nothing.' See also the collection of similar proverbs in Ida v. Düringsfeld's Sprichwörter, i. 37, 38.
648. Cf. Butler's description of Hudibras:—
'We grant, although he had much wit,
He was very shy of using it.'
652. Ther-of no fors, never mind about that.
655. The adj. sly here appears in the indefinite form, and rimes with hertely; correctly. Lounsbury (Studies, i. 388) admits the fact, but immediately proceeds to rate Chaucer for using the form dry-e (dissyllabic) as an indefinite form! The attack, being founded on an error, ignominiously fails. It so happens that sly is, etymologically, a monosyllable, whilst drye is etymologically dissyllabic; see sleh and druye in Stratmann.
658. A blind lane is one that has no opening at the farther end; a cul de sac.
659. theves by kinde, thieves by natural disposition.
662. the sothe, the truth. The reader should carefully note the full pronunciation of the final e in sothe. If he should omit to sound it, he will be put to shame when he comes to the end of the next line, ending with tó thee. A very similar instance is that of tyme, riming with bý me, G. 1204 below. The case is the more remarkable because