[205]. ȝe don, may ye do, do ye.
[207]. ahnes, own; a gen. sing., corresponding to OE. āgnes, in a sort of apposition to ower: so aunes in C: the construction is probably the same in ‘His ahȝenes þonkes he þrowede for us,’ OEH i. 121/27. With ones N 193, alone, comp. 147/163; ‘mid his ones mihte,’ AR 160/10, where T has the curious anres as here; ‘wið his anes wit awarpen,’ SK 591, 1283; as in Latin, ‘Mea unius opera respublica salva est.’ In OE. are found, ‘mid þines anes ȝeþeahte,’ Boethius, ed. Fox, 128/19; ‘ðæt ge ures nanes ne siendon,’ Cura Past. 211/14, where the possessive has conformed to the adjective.
[209]. cumeð &c., pay a visit to your maids for relaxation. With froure comp. ‘iuvencula quaedam quae ei (sanctimoniali) ad solatium fuerat deputata,’ Caesarius Heisterbach., ii. 216. cumeð . . . to þe þurl: comp. the rule as to visits of the recluse’s friends, ‘ȝif eni haueð deore gist, do hire meiden ase in hire stude te gladien hire uere, ⁊ heo schal habben leaue to openen hire þurl enes oðer twies ⁊ makien signes touward hire of one glede chere,’ AR 68/22. earunder, before undern, noon: undern is from nine to twelve, sometimes twelve as here and at 206/323, sometimes nine as at 220/205: comp. ‘ereyesterday,’ the day before yesterday, quoted from Coverdale in NED iii. 267. With ouerunder, after undern, comp. ‘ofer non,’ Wulfstan, 205/9; ‘ouernon,’ afternoon, R. of Gloucester, ed. Wright, 7302, 7487; ‘mydouernoon,’ Hymns to the Virgin, 84/49; ‘þy feorþan dæge ofor undern,’ BH 93/14. The dialectic overday, overnight, overyear refer to the past day &c.
[210]. note gastelich, spiritual occupation, duties.
[211]. sitte &c.: do not remain at the window talking to them past the proper time for compline.
[213]. hurten heorte, wound another’s feelings, if retailed: that readily works mischief. Comp. AR 256/1-7, where the devil is said to be busy about separating the sisters with gossip.
[215]. lokeð, watches over, preserves; see 4/20. edhalden, entertained: comp. ‘Prohibemus . . . ne aliqua . . . praesumat alicui hospiti dare carnes . . . nec aliquem balneare, vel minuere vel ultra unam noctem retinere,’ Gilbertine Rule, p. *lxxxv. ꝥ beo, let it occur.
[218]. plohien is subj. pr. pl., Let not the anchoress or her maiden play; it represents OE. pleogian as ME. pleien does OE. plegian. Possibly the dialect word ploy, amusement, usually explained as aphetic for employ, is connected with this form. The gomenes would be backgammon, chess, and the like.
[219]. ticki to gederes, pat, caress each other, or possibly, romp, play the child’s game of ‘ticky.’ See NED s.v. Tick, v.1 for examples of the phrase ‘tick and toy.’
[220]. fleschlich froure: the reference is perhaps to ‘Venientibus quippe ad religionem non est consideranda carnis fragilitas, ut ei delicate subserviatur, sed impedimenta fervoris spiritus, ut sollicite fugiantur,’ Opera, i. 370 b.