17366. ‘the ladies are not of that mind.’
17374. ainçois demein, ‘before the morrow’; ‘ançois’ as a preposition.
17417. Tobit iii. 8, and vi. 13, 14, but nothing is said distinctly of the reason here assigned. It may be thought that it is implied in Tobit viii. 9. The idea is fully developed in the Confessio Amantis, where the whole story is told with this motive and in connexion with the same argument about chastity in the state of marriage. See Conf. Am. vii. 5307-5381.
17450. regent, used here as a present participle.
17469. Naman: more correctly ‘Aman’ in 11075.
17472. retient, ‘saved’: it seems to be a preterite, cp. 8585, 9816, &c.
17484. volt avoir malbailly: so ‘volt avoir confondu’ below; perhaps a translation of the English ‘would have illtreated’ &c.
17497. fait bien a loer: see note on 1883.
17498. ‘it is good to marry the good’: ‘du’ for ‘de.’
17500. Ecclus. vii. 21.