[252]. þat, so that.
[256]. A mixed construction combining (i) that one esteems nothing of thy song, values thy song at nothing, and (ii) thy song is worth nothing; with the latter comp. ‘nis noht wurð þratte; buten þer beo dede æt,’ L 26555, with the former 124/265 note; ‘Thei tolde right nauȝt of thyn awe,’ Laud Troy Book, 2178. of þar, thereof, of thy song.
[258]. wel unwreste, right feebly.
[261]. Be the song pleasing beyond all measure, ever so pleasing. ne does not negative the verb, but goes with and strengthens neuer; comp. ‘Ne beo he nefre swa riche, forð he scal þenne is dei cumeð,’ OEH 35/21; similarly 23/168, 43/225; ‘treouðe nefde he nane; to nauer nane monne,’ L 25471.
[262]. þat is not the correlative of so in the preceding line, which is a conditional clause; it is an illogical repetition of ‘þat’ in ll. 256, 258: the sense is, though the song be ever so pleasing, it must appear unpleasing, if it continues &c. For ne, see 25/240.
[263]. ouer unwille, ‘beyond what is desirable,’ Specimens, but in the glossary unwille is translated, displeasure. Wells takes unwille as an adverb qualified by ouer, ‘too unpleasantly.’ Probably ouer is written for ower which with unwille would form an adverbial phrase, against your will, or pleasure, representing OE. ūrum unwillum, the latter element being pl. d. of unwilla; comp. ‘ure gast biþ swiþe wide farende urum unwillum,’ Boethius 152/4. Similar combinations descending from OE. unwill are seen in ‘þe man . . . here wuneð on wanrede ⁊ þoleð his unwille hwile druie, ⁊ hwile wete,’ OEH ii. 123/5; ‘hire unwilles,’ 140/25; ‘hire unwil,’ 141/136, HM 31/32; ‘min unwil,’ SM 13/3: see [140/25 note].
[264]. aspille, waste.
[268]. unmeþe: comp. 118/47.
[276]. so foruorþ iladde, carried so far, i.e. she had said so much. foruorþ, lit. far onwards; but forþ comes to mean simply, far; comp. ‘uorþ ase ȝe muwen,’ AR 46/10; ‘ouer al ase forð as imei,’ SJ 47/6. With iladde comp. ‘Of ðis kinge wil we leden song,’ GE 699; ‘talewise men þe speches driuen,’ OEH ii. 193/27.
[278]. ifare, ‘conveyed,’ Specimens, as if a strong pp. from the weak verb ferian. But the writer has elsewhere (l. 1709) ifare as pp. of faran, and the sense yielded, ‘should not be presented, conveyed, aright,’ does not suit the context. Weorðan, wurðen are sometimes used with past participles of intransitive verbs, ‘Denum eallum wearð | æfter þam wælræse willa gelumpen,’ Beowulf 823; ‘swa hit agangen wearð | eorla manegum,’ id. 1234; ‘þa þat forme ȝer; wharð forð igan,’ L 4942; and similarly ‘þe arcebiscop ongan to tellende . . . hu hit gefaran wes,’ AS. Chron. ed. Plummer, i. 130/30: the natural meaning of ariht faran is, to fare well, to prosper, and the present phrase may well mean, that her answer might not turn out prospered, well.