'Mody meneþ so doþ mo,
Ichot ycham on of þo,'
i.e. 'The moody moan as others do; I wot I am one of them.' Somewhat similar is the expression oþer mo, where we should now say others as well, Piers Plowman, C. Text, Passus v. 10."—Rev. W. Skeat, in note to l. 1039 of Chaucer, Clerke's Tale, Clarendon Press Series. Mo is also used in the same sense in [67, 11], p. 154.
[E392] "Verlets," originally a servant to a knight, below page or squire, though often used in French Romance as equivalent to a squire. "Pages, varlets, ou damoiseaux: noms quelquefois communs aux ecuyers."—Cotgrave. Ducange (Gloss. M. et I. Lat.) has: "Valeti valecti appellati vulgo magnatum filii, qui necdum militare cingulum consecuti erant: vassallorum filii vassaleti dicti." Levins (Manip. Vocab.) says: "Varlett, verna." See Wedgwood, Dict. Eng. Etymology, s.v. Valet.
[E393] "Ruleth the roste;" to rule the roast is to preside at the board, to assign what share one pleases to the guests; hence it came to mean to domineer, in which sense it is commonly used in our old authors. See Nares, s.v.
[E394] With this description of an envious neighbour compare Langland's picture of Invidia (Envy) in Piers Plowman, B. Text, E. E. Text Soc., ed. Skeat, Passus v. l. 76.
[E395] "His hatred procureth," etc., his hatred takes pains to bring bad to worse, his friendship is like that of Judas who, etc., i.e. is selfish.
[E396] "His lips out of frame," i.e. are out of order, are not kept in order. Cf. the expression "loose in the haft."
[E397] "Spials;" so Spenser, Faery Queene, i. 4:
"And privie spials plast in all his way,"
Levins (Manip. Vocab.) has "Spyall, arbiter."