15. The fair gem virtueless: possessing none of the virtues which in the Middle Ages were universally believed to be inherent in precious stones.
16. The crop and root: the most perfect example. See note 29 to the Knight’s Tale.
17. Eme: uncle; the mother’s brother; still used in Lancashire. Anglo-Saxon, “eame;” German, “Oheim.”
18. Dardanus: the mythical ancestor of the Trojans, after whom the gate is supposed to be called.
19. All the other gates were secured with chains, for better defence against the besiegers.
20. Happy day: good fortune; French, “bonheur;” both “happy day” and “happy hour” are borrowed from the astrological fiction about the influence of the time of birth.
21. Horn, and nerve, and rind: The various layers or materials of the shield — called boagrion in the Iliad — which was made from the hide of the wild bull.
22. His brother: Hector.
23. Who gives me drink?: Who has given me a love-potion, to charm my heart thus away?
24. That plaited she full oft in many a fold: She deliberated carefully, with many arguments this way and that.