857. 'They want to meddle in everything, and to perform matters amiss is their amusement.'
868. sturte, variant of sterte, start up; stryve, struggle.
870. at the nale = at then ale, at the ale-house; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. i. 43.
871. Cf. 'At marketts and miracles we medleth us nevere'; P. Pl. Crede, 107.
872. 'They dance and hoot with the cry of "heave and hale."' Heave is here to use exertion; cf. Troil. ii. 1289; and hale is to haul or pull. Heave and hale, or heave and hoe, was a cry used for men to pull all together; hence with heve and hale just corresponds to the modern 'with might and main.' Cotgrave has (s.v. Cor) the phrase: 'À cor et à cry, by proclamation; also, by might and maine, with heave and hoe, eagerly, vehemently, seriously.'
878. they, i.e. the husbands; sory, aggrieved.
880. For, for fear of being summoned.
893. stocke, i.e. some image of a saint. An image of a favourite saint was honoured with many candles burning before it; whilst other saints were left in the dark, because they could work no miracles. The most favourite image was that of Mary; see l. 902, and cf. P. Pl. Crede, 79.
915. 'And alle povere in gost god himself blisseth'; P. Pl. Crede, 521.
918. Baudriks, belts; baselardes, short swords, sometimes curved. See note to P. Plowman, C. iv. 461.