Now, take as miswritten the words yow and to-samne in the first line, and substitute respectively be and to-famen, and sense is obtained. New Guise has overheard Mercy saying that too much corn for a horse makes it unruly and unmanageable. "Good!" says New Guise, "you are no liar, for I fed my wife so well that she has given me a clouting—here is the plaster!... If my wife were your horse she would be altogether famished. I trow if ye were the King's palfrey-man a good horse would go empty or be scarce (King's horses, for parade purposes requiring plenty of the best fodder). The misscripts are not unlikely ones, and—well, 'tis but a suggestion." "Steuen wille vs traueile and famen vs to dede."—Robert de Brunne, p. 122.
Ghost, Ghostly (passim), soul, breath, spirit, will; spiritual, not carnal or secular, religious: Ger., geistlich. As, his holy ghost (of the will of a man), ghostly purpose, ghostly enemy, ghostly solace ghostly comfort, ghostly, ghostly to our purpose, father ghostly, ghostly reason.
Ginneth, "when she ginneth wane" (N[44],a), beginneth. "This lessoun thus I ginne."—William of Palerne, 1929. "Into hyr bedde the boy gan crepe."—Octovian, 176.
Ginst, "ginst to err" (N[52],b), see previous entry.
Gis, "by Gis" (passim), Jesus: also Jis and Gisse.
Give, "give the rope just to thy neck" (M[35],d), put, adjust.
Godamighties (R[225],a), a term applied to any person or thing greatly idolised: also and mostly, now-a-days, in sarcasm, e.g. a little God-almighty (of a conceited prig), etc. Avarice is speaking of his money bags.
Godigod (R[182],c), "God give you good [day]," a gloss of Prof. Brandl's. Also (R[258],c), Godigod eve and Godigod speed.
God's Good, "a hat of God's good" (R[229],b), yeast; sallet = helmet (see E.E.D.S., Anon. Plays, 1 Ser. 274a). People means that instead of being well enough off to get a helmet to serve the king, he is fain to be content with a yeast tub; probably it was meant also as a bit of "business" for the groundlings' sake.
Goss, "by Goss" (R[194],c), God.