going to vigils (See lines 451-2); and (3) to have a mantle royally carried. 'It was the manner in times past upon festival evens, called vigils, for parishioners to meet in their churchhouses or church-yards, and there to have a drinking-fit for the time. Here they used to end their quarrels betwixt neighbour and neighbour. Hither came the wives in comely manner, and they that were of the better sort had their mantles carried with them, as well for show as to keep them from cold at table.' -Speght. THE COOK. 383. poudre marchaunt. What this was is doubtful. There were several famous powders, as the poudre imperiale made in grande chartreuse, but the most celebrated powder of ancient times was the poudre du duc, made of canelle and white sugar, and taken after repasts Cf. Poivre, canelle et garingal -Flore et Blanchefleur 2029. Possibly this was the same, or similar. galyngale, the root of the sweet sharp, tart, and galls the tongue. galingale.' cypress, the juice of which is Spenser calls it the 'chearful • 384. Wel coude he know, &c. An ale-konner or ale-kenner, that is, one who knows good ale, was an officer regularly appointed by Corporations to test the quality of the ale sold within their bounds. The Cook knew it by his frequent potations. Several of the pilgrims had more than was good for them, but he was drunk. Londone ale was the best and dearest in old times. 385. roste, sethe, broille, and frie. Roste is a French word of Teutonic origin. The Old Eng. is rôstan, the Ger. rösten, and the Old French rostir. It means to cook meat usually, by suspending it either over or before the fire. sethe, A.S. seothan to boil in a pot. broil, Fr. bruler, to roast on the braise, or glowing coals. frie, Fr. frire, to fry, as in P. P. 8157. 'Egges y-fryed with grese.' 386. Mortreux, Fr., a kind of soup, so called, because the ingredients were brayed in a mortar. Lord Bacon speaks of a mortress made with the brawn of capons, stamped and strained. The ingredients seem to have varied-flesh, fowl, or fish being at different times the main item. It was a favourite dish, perhaps not unlike the bouillibaisse of Marseilles. It is frequently referred to in Piers Ploughman. See lines 8107-14, and 8154-5. also Numb. xi. 8. See pye. The Fr. pie meant originally the magpie, but it also denotes a leg of mutton broiled after the greater part of the meat has been eaten off it. It is not easy to trace a connection between the two meanings, either in French or English. 'Then I hyed me into Est-Chepe, One cryes "rybbes of befe" and many a pye.' -Lydgate. 388. schyne, A.S. scin, scina, the shin, because in that part of the leg, there is nothing but skin over the bone. mormal, Fr., the cancer or gangrene. In imitation of this passage, Ben Jonson describes a cook with an old mortmal on his skin.' Sad Shepherd, Ac. ii. sc. 6. Morphew, meaning a scab, or scurf, also occurs in Old English. 389. blankmanger, Fr. now = blamange. THE SHIPMAN OR SAILOR. = could hold 500 vessels. 390. wonyng fer by weste = dwelling in the west country. 391. Dertemouthe Dartmouth, in the south of Devon, famous as a port from of old. It was here that the Crusaders embarked for the Holy Land in 1190. The harbour is well protected, and Some years ago, a Royal Commission gave the preference to it as a packet station, but Southampton continues to hold the privilege of being the first in the island. 392. rouncy, Fr. roncin, a nag, as distinguished from a warhorse or a courser. Cf. 'Of Dyomedes stable "By my rouncy as he couthe He brought out a rabble, Of coursers and rounces With leapes and bounces.'-Skelton. as he was able. In the middle ages, as now, sailors seem to have been proverbially bad walkers and bad riders. 393. falding, a kind of coarse cloth. "The term falding signifies a kind of frieze or rough-napped cloth, which was pro bably supplied from the north of Europe, and identical with the woollen wrappers of which Hermoldus speaks-"quos nos appellamus Faldones." Cf. His presse y-covered with a falding red.' -The Miller's Tale. 394. laas. This word is not uncommon in Old French, and is spelt in various ways, as, las, latz, lacs, laqs, and lactz. It is the same as our modern words lace, lash, and latch, that which binds or ties, as lashed to the mast.' 396. the hoote somer. Which summer? If the summer of the preceding year, it was long past. The summer of 1351 was called 'the hot summer' by pre-eminence, but it could not affect the Sailor specially. It most likely means 'hot summers in general.' 397. a good felawe. The meaning attached to this expression may be found by comparing lines 647--8 with this. 399. Burdeux-ward. It is reported that in 1372, two hundred English ships arrived at Bourdeaux for wine, at the same time. See Barne's History of Edward III. It has been frequently chapman, A.S. ceap-man, a merchant. remarked, that in French there is no adjective corresponding to our adjective cheap, and English travellers have not been slow to draw their own inferences therefrom. But when traced back to the Saxon, our word cheap is found to be an elliptical expression for good cheap, good sale, or good bargain, thus corresponding to the French bon marché. Chap is a vulgar contraction for chapman. 400. nyce conscience. Nice has two distinct meanings—(1) foolish, and (2) scrupulous or fastidious. The first is the meaning of the word in French: took he no keep; to take keep is prendre garde, to take care. 403. craft, A.S. craft, skill, ability. rikne, A.S. recan, to tell, number, or explain. Note that there are six things the Sailor knew well—(1) the tydes, with which many nautical problems are connected; (2) his stremes, the currents, or ocean streams; (3) his dangers, the perils of waters, winds and rocks.'-Merchant of Venice. (4) his herbergh, from A.S. here, an army, and beorgan to protect, literally, the protection of an army. In later times, it meant a place of shelter, a house for people, and a port for ships. Cf. Fr. herberge; (5) his mone, the moon, most of the calculations in Navigation being based on Lunar observations; (6) his lodemenage, pilotage, or management of the lead. Cf. So happy is her lodemanage With needle and stone her course to dress.' -Chaucer. 306. From Hull to Carthage. During the 13th century and later, Hull, under the name of Wyke-upon-Hull, had considerable trade in the export of wool and leather, and in the import of wines. Edward I. changed its name to Kingston-upon-Hull and began the formation of its harbour. In the reign of Edward III., it was able to supply towards the siege of Calais, 16 ships and 500 men, London at the same time supplying only 25 ships and 700 men. At that time, it was the third seaport, and traded with Prussia. Carthage was one of the most remarkable ports of the old world. It consisted of an outer harbour for merchantmen and an inner harbour for ships of war, the latter being surrounded by 220 docks, at the entrance to each of which stood two Ionic pillars. 410. Scotland. In 1386, it was 'accordit that special assurance sall be on the see, fra the Water of Spee (Spey) to the Water of Tamyse (Thames), for all merchandes of both the Roiolmes and their godes.'-Faedera VII., 526. Cape of Fynestere-the Finis terrae of France towards the west, called also Cape St. Matthieu, the most westerly point of Bretagne. 411. cryk, Fr. crique, a little bay or nook in a harbour. Bretagne, Bretagne or Brittany. barge, Old Fr. barge. Barge, barque, and bark, are varying forms of the same word. THE DOCTOR OF PHYSIC. There are six points to be attended to in the portrait of the physician (1) His skill in magic, diagnosis and practice; (2) his relation to the apothecaries; (3) the medical authors whose works he studied; (4) his diet; (5) his dress; and (6) his love of gold. 415. To speke of. Is this an instance of Chaucer's sly humour? of physik and of surgerye. The distinction between these two divisions of medical science thus seem to have been made by this time, though not long before. Both words are from the French, and may be traced back through the Latin to the Greek language; phisik thus meaning something pertaining to nature and surgerie, an operation performed by the hand. 416. groundid in astronomye. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the most eminent physicians were also famous astronomers, and in the statutes of the New College at Oxford, given in 1387, medicine and astronomy are mentioned as one and the same science. Charles V. of France established a college in the University of Paris for the study of medicine and astrology. For further information on this point, see Warton's Hist. of Eng. Poetry I., 439-440. 418-420. In houres by his magik naturel, &c. He that will be a physician, according to Homer's prescription, ought to be skilful in Astronomy and Magic Natural. Cf. also, 'And clerkes eke which konne wel All this magike naturel, That craftly doon her ententes -House of Fame 174–180. When certain planets were in the ascendent, doctors used to make images for their patients; for example, the stamp of Aries was supposed to heal diseases of the head, the stamp of Leo, diseases of the reins, &c. 'He 421-3. the cause of every maladye, &c. Cf. Cardan's diagnosis of the case of Archbishop Hamilton (1552) Life II. 114. believed that the thin fluid expectorated was partly serous humour, partly condensed vapour, which descended from the brain into the lungs, not through the cavity of the wind pipe, for if so, it would be coughed out during its downward passage, but through its coats, as water soaks through linen. This thin humour and vapour, he supposed to be originally drawn into the brain by the increased rarity in the substance of that organ, caused by undue heat. Heat makes all things rare; and rarefaction in one part of the body, to express the idea roughly, produces suction from another.' This will serve to shew of how recent an origin the science of medicine is. avons changé tout cela.' But now, nous 426. boote (A.S. bote from betan to repair), a remedy. 427. apotecaries from the Greek, meaning (1) a store for keeping things; (2) the person who kept a store; (3) one who sells drugs. The trade of apothecary, though not distinct from the profession of physician, goes as far back as the beginning of the |