36. The reference is to the proverb quoted in the note to C. T., B 2297 (vol. v. p. 208):—
'Vento quid leuius? fulgur; quid fulgure? flamma.
Flamma quid? mulier. Quid muliere? nichil.'
Hence light in l. 37 should be leit, as it means 'lightning'; which explains 'passeth in a throw,' i.e. passes away instantly. We also see that Lydgate's original varied, and must have run thus:—
'Aëre quid leuius? fulgur; quid fulgure? uentus.
Vento quid? mulier. Quid muliere? nichil.'
43. Curiously imitated in the modern song for children:—
'If all the world were paper, And all the sea were ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese, What should we do for drink?'
The Baby's Bouquet, p. 26.