14th century. In 1345, Edward III. settled a pension of 6d. a day upon one Coursus de Gangeland, 'an apothecary of London,' for his attendance on his Majesty while he lay sick in Scotland. Cf. The Pardoner's Tale

'And forth he goth, no lenger wold he tary

Into the toun unto a potecary,

And praied him that he him wolde sell

Som poison that he might his ratouns quell.'

428. dragges. Some read drugges, and others suppose the word to be from the French dragée, a digestive powder taken after meat, and hence any comfits or sweetmeats. Draught is from drag may dragges not mean draughts? We still say a black draught, &c. In that case it would be equivalent to potions. letuaries, Fr. electuarie, Mid. Lat. electuarium, literally, a medicine which has to be licked. Cf. Sir Thos. Elyot's phrase, 'By potions, electuaries or pylles.'

431-6. (1) Esculapius, the god of medicine in ancient Mythology, and sometimes appropriated by physicians. (2) Deiscorides, not known. (3) Rufus, a physician of Ephesus about the time of Trajan. Part of his works, written in Greek, are still extant. (4) Ypocras, Hippocrates, born at Cos, B.C. 460. To him is ascribed the credit of having made medicine a distinct science, and he is usually entitled 'the father of medicine.' His works have been several times reprinted, and largely commented on, among others, by Asclepiades, Rufus, Celsus, and Galen. (5) Haly, an Arabic astronomer and physician of the 11th century, best known as a Commentator on Galen. (6) Galen, one of the most celebrated of the ancient writers on medicine. He was born at Pergamum in 131 A.D., and practised in Rome. His works, which are very voluminous, were written in Greek, but numerous editions have been published in Latin; and most of them exist also in Hebrew and Arabic. (7) Serapion, John, an Arab physician of the 11th century. (8) Razis, an Asiatic physician of the 10th century, who practised at Cordova in Spain. (9) Avycen, the most eminent of the Arabic physicians of the 11th century. (10) Averrois, born at Cordova, of an ancient Arabic family. He was a professor in the University of Morocco, wrote a Commentary on the Works of Aristotle, and died about 1160. (11) Damascen was Secretary to one of the caliphs, had seen the Greek philosophers, and wrote on various sciences. He lived probably about the 7th century. (12) Constantyn lived in the 11th century.

He was born at Carthage, studied for 39 years in the schools of Bagdad, and returned to Africa. Thereafter, he became a monk of Cassino in Italy, and while in that learned society, translated into Latin various works of the Arabic and Greek physicians. (13) Bernard, or Bernardus Gor 3, appears to have been professor of medicine at

Chaucer's contemporary. He w... Montpelier, and wrote several works on the subject. (14) Gatisden was a fellow of Merton College about 1320, a professor of physic at Oxford, and the most distinguished English physician in Chaucer's day. (15) Gilbertyn, possibly Gilbertus Anglicus, a physician of the 13th century, who wrote a popular compendium of the medical art. See Warton's History of English Poetry, I. 440-3. This long catalogue of the medical authors, whose works the Doctor had studied, makes the stroke in line 440 more stinging.

441-2. The Costume of a physician and a servant from a MS. of the 13th century, will be found in Strutt's Dresses, Plate 55; and the Dress of the Physician in the 14th century, on Plate 69.

in sangwin, that is, in cloth of a blood-red colour. In the beginning of the 'Vita Nuova,' Dante, in describing Beatrice's apparel, describes her 'vestita di nobilissimo colore umile ed onesto sanguino,' and a close gown of scarlet cloth, fastened by a girdle of leather, was the usual dress of Florentine ladies at that period. In Henryson's Testament of Cresseid is a picture of a Doctor of Physic in the same dress.

'Doctour in phisic clad in skarlet gown,

And furrit well as sic ane aucht to be

Honest and gude, and not ane word could lie.'—250–2.

in pers, that is, in cloth of a sky-blue colour.

6

Cf. And if thow diete thee thus,

I dar legge myne eris,

That Phisik shall hise furred hodes

For his fode selle,

And his cloke of Calabre

With alle the knappes of golde.

-Piers Ploughman 4337-42.

In modern times, a velvet cap embroidered with silk and gold, is supposed to be the coiffure peculiar to a physician. It is strange that Chaucer says nothing of the Doctor's cap.

taffata, Fr. taffatas, of doubtful origin-a sort of thin silk, used for lining, but also for dresses.

sendal, Fr. sendal, a very thin silk.

Cf. The courteins were of sendall thyn.'

-Gower's Conf. Aman.

'Of silk, cendall, and syglatoun,
Was the Emperour's pavyloun.'

-King Richard.

443. esy in dispence, moderate in expenditure.

444. wan in pestilence, earned during the time of the plague. Chaucer lived through three great pestilences, which, according to various estimates, carried off from one-fourth to two-thirds of the inhabitants of Europe. The first or great pestilence lasted for sixteen months, from the summer of 1348 to the autumn of 1349, and is usually called the Black Death. The second lasted from August 1361, to May 1362, and the third raged during the months of July, August, and September 1369. See Hecker's Epidemics of the Middle Ages p. 29; Michelet's History of France III. 342-9; Piers Ploughman 165-172, &c.

THE WIFE OF BATH.

'It is to be observed that she lived in the neighbourhood of Bath, a country famed for cloth-making to this day.'

-Warton I. 437.

Bath is one of the oldest cities in England, and its springs were renowned in the days of the Romans. What it was in the time of Chaucer may be inferred from Macaulay's description of it at the time of the Revolution. See Hist. of England I. 271-2. 447. of byside Bathe, perhaps Bathwick.

448. somdel, A.S. some part or somewhat.

skathe, A.S. sceathe, hurt or damage. Cf. the use of harm line 387. What we should now say was a pity, is by Chaucer called harm or scathe..

449. cloth-makyng. From the Rot. Parl. 1376, we learn that 'fil de layne appellé wolyn yerne,' was forbidden to be exported except to Calais. At that time cloth was extensively manufactured in houses, and many ladies of quality superintended the making of it.

haunt (Fr. hanter, to frequent), means practice or custom.

450. ypris, 'cloth of ypris' used to be written 'd'ipre' or 'd'ypres.' and the phrase was supposed to be the origin of our word diaper.

But it is not so. Diaper is from the French diapré, Old Eng. diapred, variegated, or figured.

Gaunt, Ghent, the principal manufacturing city in Flanders. It is from the name of this town that the French word gant, and our word gauntlet are derived.

451. parisshe, Fr. paroisse, an ecclesiastical district.

452. offryng. On relic-Sunday, the congregation went up to the altar in succession to kiss the relics, and it was usual to leave an offering.

455. keverchefs (Fr. couvrir and chef), coverings for the head. Chaucer illustrates its derivation in the following exquisite lines:

'Hire litel child lay weping in her arme,
And kneeling piteously to him she said,
"Pees, litel sone, I wol do thee no harm";
With that her couverchef of hire hed she braid,

And over his litel eyen she it laid

And in her arme, she lulleth it ful fast,

And into heven hire eyen up she cast.'

When a covering for the head was used in the hand, it was called a hand-kerchief, and when it began to be carried in the pocket, a pocket-handkerchief-one of the most strangely formed words in the language.

ful fyne of grounde, of very fine texture. The cloth of Rennes was reckoned very fine, and cost 1/2 per yard; but the napkins of Paris were finer still, and cost 6/8 per yard.

458. hosen, Old Fr. houseaux, coverings for the legs. The original idea of the word is a covering, and is applied to the pod, husk, or skin enclosing a grain. It may be allied to the Gall. cas, cos, a foot. Cf. our word house, the German haus, and the Latin casa.

scarlett reed. The origin of the word scarlet has been disputed. The Old Fr. is escarlate, the Ital. is scarlatto, and the Ger. scharlach. Cf. the following passages :

'Hy clothen hem with grys and ermyne,

With gold and silver and skarlet pers fine.'

'She was clad in red scarlett.'

-Kyng Alisaunder 4986–7.

-Marriage of Sir Gawayne.

'He had a faire companion of his way,

A goodly lady clad in scarlet red,

Purfled with gold and pearle of rich assay.'
-Faery Queen I. 2.

'All sodainely she saw transfigured
Her linnen stole to robe of scarlet red.

-Ibid. V. 7. Marsh gives a long explanation of the use of this word, and concludes that scarlet pers means deep blue, and scarlet red, deep red ; and also that the French escarlete noir means deep black, and escarlate vert, deep green. His explanation is not quite satisfactory, however. It seems more natural to suppose that scarlet, which Isaac Taylor ('Words and Places' p. 289) derives from the Arabic, was the name of a particular kind of stuff; and the following line from an old French play helps to support the conjecture-Et des draps d' escarlate de diverses couleurs.'

-Anc. Theat. III. 327. 459. moyste, from the Old Fr. moyste, moîte, damp. Chaucer applies it to ale in the sense of new (Lat. musteus), as—

'Were it win or old or moisty ale.'-Manciple's Tale. 'A draught of moist and corny ale.'—The Pardoner's Tale. Cf. Burns' Lines to the Scotch Representatives—

'Scotland, my auld respected mither!

Tho' whyles ye moistify your leather' !

462. Housbondes atte chirche door. Marriages used to be performed in the porch of the church, and after the ceremony, the couple went forward to the altar and partook of the sacrament. At the southern entrance of Norwich Cathedral, a representation of the espousals or sacrament of marriage is carved in stone : for, here the hands of the couple were joined by the priest, and great part of the service was performed. Here also the bride was endowed with what was called 'Dos ad ostium ecclesiae.' This ceremony is exhibited in a curious old picture engraved by Mr Walpole, where King Henry VII. is married to his queen, standing at the facade or western portal of a magnificent Gothic Church. Warton's Hist. of Eng. Poet. I. 437.

465-9. She had been-(1) at Jerusalem, where was the Holy Sepulchre; (2) at Rome, to visit the tombs of the two apostles, and see the head of Christ. It shews how common the practice of making pilgrimages must have been, that at least three English words denoting modes of travelling have been formed from the place visited. There is canter from Canterbury, saunter from sainte terre, the Holy Land, and roam from Rome.