[281]. berþ grete ilete, assumes a haughty bearing; comp. 151/35, 171/358, and for pl. 110/273, 129/35.
[282]. So that he do not, through cowardice, give up his case, give way. hit is a vague object; comp. 42/214 note.
[284]. svicst: see footnote: Wells adopts the correction of the MS. and reads vicst, fightest, and Breier thinks the original had fihst; in Specimens niswicst is read without reference, and explained, ‘ceasest not.’ The readings of the MSS. may be accounted for thus. The author probably wrote biswicst (comp. 155/114, ON 930), deludest by a show of fight; the copyist of the exemplar common to CJ, with iswiken (geswīcan), cease, in his mind, altered to iswicst; C copied that, but noting its unfitness emended it to vicst, spoiling the rhythm, while J rejected i and adopted swykst, deceivest.
[286]. He will make a barrow-pig of a boar, i.e. he will climb down, from a fierce animal he will become quite tame. The boar is typically fierce, ‘brem as a bare,’ Sir Degrevant, 1240.
[298]. cumeþ to londe, comes to dwell with us, like ‘Þa æstre wes aȝeonge; and sumer com to londe,’ L 24241 (‘to toune,’ MS. O). See KH 153 note.
[299]. þe ille, the evil one, the devil; in modern dialect, the ill man, the ill thief: comp. ‘wurse’ 98/81. Wells says ‘the evil man.’
[305], 306. Nor would he mind though flocks (coarse felted stuff made of refuse of wool and cotton) were muddled up with fine carded wool and hair, that is, he would take a perverse delight in a confusion which would be troublesome to sort out. roȝte: pt. s. subj. appears to owe its time to wolde. With flokkes comp. ‘xv capella nigra . . . falsi operis et mixti de lana et flokkes,’ Munim. Gildh. Lond. iii. 433 (quoted in NED, s.v. flock2). Imeind bi: mengan, mengen mostly take wiþ, ON 131 or mid, 151/18, 38/142, ON 870; bi appears to be quite isolated.
[310]. fort: see 72/179.
[312]. for mine þinge, on my account: comp. ‘Ða ic þas stemne gehyrde and for minum þingum ongeat beon geclypode,’ Ælf. Lives ii. 32/485; ‘þat ich for þine þinge; mid sæxe me of-stinge,’ L 5033.
[313]. blisseþ hit can mean only, causes it to rejoice, comp. 14/50, 52. Alteration to hine would give a common reflexive use, rejoices; comp. ‘Ne mei nan mon . . . blissien him mid þisse wordle,’ OEH i. 33/29: hine would go with hiȝteþ also, as in ‘hyhte me myd my skentinge,’ ON 532; ‘ic . . . | ellen wylle | habban ⁊ hlyhhan | ⁊ me hyhtan to,’ Cod. Exon. ed. Thorpe, 456/19. J means, blesses my coming.