200. of mene, make mention of. Cf. 'hit is a schep[h]erde that I of mene'; Ancient Metrical Tales, ed. Hartshorne, p. 74.
Chap. VII. 10. profered, offered wager of battle; hence the mention of Mars in l. 11. Cf. note to ch. ii. 191 above, p. 455.
23. he, i.e. thine adversary shall bring dishonour upon you in no way.
34. Indifferent, impartial. who, whoever.
38. discovered, betrayed; so that the author admits that he betrayed his mistress.
46. that sacrament, that the oath to which you swore, viz. when you were charged upon your oath to tell the truth. That is, his oath in the court of justice made him break his private oath.
49. trewe is certainly an error for trewthe; the statement is copied from Jer. iv. 2:—' Et iurabis ... in veritate, et in iudicio, et in justitia.' So in l. 58 below, we have: 'in jugement, in trouthe, and rightwisenesse'; and in l. 53—'for a man to say truth, unless judgement and righteousness accompany it, he is forsworn.'
54. serment, oath; as in l. 52: referring to Matt. xiv. 7.
56. 'Moreover, it is sometimes forbidden to say truth rightfully—except in a trial—because all truths are not to be disclosed.'
60. that worde: 'melius mori quam male vivere'; for which see P. Plowman, C. xviii. 40. Somewhat altered from Tobit, iii. 6:—'expedit mihi mori magis quam vivere.'