What good they have as they suppose, 105 Which was fulfild with straw and stones: This king than, in the samè stede, Where as they sihen gret richesse, Lo! seith the king, now may ye se And bereth ye your ownè wite Thus was this wise king excused: 11. Chaucer. 1340-1400. (History, pp. 21-34.) To know when to pronounce and when not to pronounce the final e forms the chief difficulty in reading Chaucer. The nearest approach to a general rule is perhaps the following:-When the final e represents any grammatical inflection or form whatsoever, or is a modification of any old English verbal ending, or is the e feminine of French words, it is sounded before a word beginning with a consonant, elided before one beginning with a vowel. There are but few cases that may not be explained by this rule; and even those might be found regular could we recover an exact copy of the poet's text. In nouns this e final principally represents the dative singular; in adjectives the definite declension (i. e. the declension that follows the definite article, and a demonstrative or possessive pronoun), the vocative case and the plural; in verbs the present and preterite indicative, the infinitive and past participle. It is also a frequent adverbial termination, and often the Old English a, u, e, an, in a weakened form; thus time, soné, lippe, withouté, were tima, sunu, lippe, wiðutan, in Old English respectively. The young reader must also remember that in nouns the es of the genitive singular and nominative plural, and in verbs the ed of the preterite make distinct syllables; and that the accent in such foreign words as honoùr, virtue, statùre, viage, plesànt, devoccioùn, is almost always thrown on the last syllable; to which custom indeed many native words also occasionally conform. Generally speaking here (their), hire (her), oure, youre, are monosyllables. FROM THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. THE KNIGHT. 1 A KNIGHT ther was, and that a worthy man, Alexandria. Prussia. Lithuania. Russia. Granada. Algezir. Belmarie. 15 Of Algesir, and riden in Belmarie. At mortal batailles hadde he ben fitene, 20 And foughten for our faith at Tramassene 6. Ferre, father, fr. O. E. fyrre. 10. He had sat at the head of the table. 11-22. In alle e is the plural; in Greete, ilke, the definite declension of the adjective. Layas. Attalia. Tremassen. Palathia. 17. Greete see, the Mediterranean. 18. Arive, disembarkation, fr. arriver, which comes from L. L. adripare (ad ripam), to put into shore. 22. Thries. Twice, thrice, were once genitives of two and three. 25 And everemore he hadde a sovereyn prys. His hors was good, but he ne was not gay. Al bysmoterud with his haburgeoun. 25. He was in the very highest estimation. 28. Vilonye. Such language or conduct as is generally found in a villain (villanus), or boor. 29. Maner wight, kind of man. See note to line 69, extract 10. 31. For to telle. See note to line 10, extract 8. 33. Gepoun, a short cassock (jupon). 34. Bysmoterud, soiled, smutted, fr. bismoteren, L. Ger. smudern. Haburgeoun, a small coat of mail, hauberk, fr. O. E. healsbeorg (hals, the neck, and beorgan, to cover). THE SQUIRE. 1 With him ther was his sone, a yong SQUYER, With lokkes crulle as they were layde in presse. 5 Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, 1. Squire, fr. ecuyer (scutum), literally a shield-bearer. 3. Crulle, curled. 4. Yeer-this word, like hors, has no plural in Chaucer. 6. Delyver, active, nimble, dexterous; said to be the origin of our modern clever (d'lever). SPECS. ENG. LIT. 7. Chivachie, military expedition, Fr. chevaucher (cheval), to ride. Mr. Burton believes the phrase "Chevy Chase" to be merely a corruption of chivachie. 10. Lady grace :-lady is here a genitive with e fem. dropped (ladye). 11. Embrowdid, embroidered. C Syngynge he was, or flowtynge, al the day; He was as fressh as is the moneth of May. 15 Schort was his goune, with sleeves long and wyde. He cowde songes wel make and endite, Justne and cek daunce, and wel purtray and write. 20 He sleep nomore than doth a nightyngale. 16. Fairé:-the e is here, as in hoté afterwards, the adverbial termination. 17-19. Endite, rehearse. Justne, joust. Pourtray, paint. Nightertale, night time. 20-22. Sleep, slept. Carf, carved: -Strong preterites where we now use weak. THE PRIORESS. 1 Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, 15 In curtesie was sett al hire leste. Hire overlippe wypude sche so clene, That in hire cuppe ther was no ferthing sene 25 And ful plesant, and amyable of port, Ful semely hire wymple i-pynched was; 40 Hire mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed; Ful fetys was hire cloke, as I was waar. 17. Ferthing, farthing, a small portion (fourthing). 19. Raught, reached, old pret. 20. Sikurly, surely, fr. Lat. securus. Disport, playfulness. 22-24. Peyned hire, took pains, gave herself trouble. Estatlich, stately, dignified. Digne, worthy (Lat. dignus). 30. Wastel, finest cake, fr. O. Fr. gastel g âteau). 32. Men smot:-men is thought to be the indefin, pronoun here; as the plural would require at least a terminal e to the verb. 34. Wymple i-pynched, her wimple (covering for the head and neck) was gathered becomingly around her. 36-43. Therto, moreover. Hardily seems to mean certainly, surely, in this passage. Fetys, neat. Schene, bright. |