And of great Assuerus, &c.]
“Even scripture-history was turned into romance. The story of Esther and Ahasuerus, or of Amon or Hamon, and Mardocheus or Mordecai, was formed into a fabulous poem.” Warton, note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 178. (where some lines of the romance are quoted from a MS.) ed. 4to.
v. 741. Vesca] i. e. Vashti.
v. 742. teene] i. e. wrath: see the Book of Esther.
v. 745. Of kyng Alexander] See Weber’s Introduction, p. xx. sqq., and the romance of Kyng Alisaunder in his Met. Rom. i.; also The Buik of the most noble and vailȝeand Conquerour Alexander the Great, reprinted by the Bannatyne Club, 1831.
v. 746.—of kyng Euander] As the lady declares (v. 756) that she was slightly acquainted with Virgil, we may suppose that her knowledge of this personage was derived from The Recuyel of the Historyes of Troy, and Caxton’s Boke of Eneydos.
Page 74. v. 751. historious] i. e. historical.
v. 752. bougets and males] i. e. budgets and bags.
v. 754. sped] i. e. versed in.
v. 760. mo] i. e. more.