The Disguising at Heord | Page 6

made examynacyoun
Of other partye, and
inquysicyoun.
He considerethe, and makethe Raysoun his guyde,

As egal iuge enclyning to noo syde.
Not with standing, he hathe
compassyoun
Of the poure housbandes trybulacyoun, [230]
So afft
arrested with theyre wyves rokkes
Which of theyre distaves haue so
many knokkes,
Peysing also in his regallye
The lawe tht wymmen
allegge for theyre partye,
Custume, Nature and eeke prescripcyoun,

Statuyt vsed by confirmacyoun,
Processe and daate of tyme oute of
mynde,
Recorde of Cronycles, witnesse of hir kuynde.
Wher fore
the Kyng wol al this nexst yeere
That wyves fraunchyse : stonde
hoole and entier, [240] And that no man withstonde it ne withdrawe,

Til man may fynde some pcesse oute by lawe
That they shoulde by
nature in theyre lyves
Haue souerayntee on theyre prudent wyves,

A thing vnkouthe, which was neuer founde.
Let men be ware ther
fore, or they beo bounde.
The bonde is hard, who soo that lookethe
weel.
Some man were leuer fetterd beon in steel.
Raunsoun might
help his peyne to aswaage,
But whoo is wedded lyuethe euer in suage.
[250]
And I knowe neuer, nowher fer ner neer,
Man that was gladde
to bynde him prysonier,
Thoughe that his prysoun, his castell, or his
holde
Wer depeynted with asure or with golde.

Explicit.
Glossary, Stage directions, Notes
line
5 vigyle of this nuwe yeere = this new year's eve
6 froward of
ther chere: lacuna made up from Stow
7 fallen on ther kne: lacuna
made up from Stow
13 importable = unbearable
16 dotage =
feeble-mindedness
20 woodnesse = madness
24 Rebecke = fiddle;
ellas = alas!
25 stage direction - demonstrando vj Rusticos
27 traas
= course
28 possible lacuna follows here?
37 bolling at the nale =
quaffing at the ale-house
39 iowsy nolle = juicy noddle
40 pouped
= gulped
42 dolled = mulled
44 cely = silly, i.e. simple, innocent

45 harome = harm
46 growell = gruel
48 cokkrowortes = stale
brew-mash
53 to chawf with his bloode = to chafe his blood with

54 metyerde = meteyard or yardstick
55 stage direction -
demonstrando pictaciarium
57 preost = priest
60 rigge = back
62
reheete = attack, scold
65 qwytt = requited; ther was no thing to
seeche = it was plain to see 67 meen = middle way
68 wan = earned;
clowting = mending
71 oonys = once
74 leeve = believe
77 ryveld
= shrivelled
78 Wit = with; manase = menace
79 Mabyle = Mary

80 Koude yif hir list = could if it please her
84 wol be wrooke = will
wreak revenge
85 thoo men = those men
87 Tendure = to endure

88 meede = reward
90 so = to?
91 stage direction - demonstrando
Carnificem
95 holde chaumpartye = divide power, or resist
104
skumour = skimmer; reeche = strike; heued = head
111 qwytt him by
and by = repaid him in due time
112 quarter sowde = surrender sued
for
113 wt = with
115 stage direction - demonstrando the Tynker

117 styth = anvil
119 bokeller = buckler, shield
121 cleped = called

122 she nad no maner fer = she feared not
123 thakke his pilche =
thwack his great-coat; stoundemel = sometimes 124 Thikker = more
stoutly
126 wafurer = waferer, i.e. pastry-cook
129 or = ere
130
heres = ears
135 preued = proved
139 fetird = fettered
140 him =
them
145 Regallye = regality
147 that yee list = if you please;
asselen = authorize
150 medle = mingle
153 thyraunye = tyranny


156 tht = that; stage direction - distaves
157 Seothe = see
162 that
gif no force = that are of no consequence
166 darrein = decide;
chaumpcloos = tilting-field
167 Iupart = imperil; raathe = soon
169
of = or
171 Maugre the feonde = in spite of the devil
174 assayes =
attempts, i.e. attacks
177 longethe = belongs; clappen = clatter or
prattle
183 dokked = trimmed
184 herdes = coarse flax, 'hards'

186 fette = fetched
192 hir = our?]
193 rent = torn
194 shent =
injured
197 lowte lowe = bow, make reverence
205 leese = lose

206 gruchche = grumble; cheese = choose
218 vnavysed = unadvised

220 doome = judgment
222 paryll = peril
223 Pourposithe him =
He purposeth
231 rokkes = distaffs, also as rocking, set-backs
233
Peysing = weighing
234 tht = that
239 the Kyng wol = the king
wills
242 pcesse = process
248 were leuer fetterd beon = were
rather to be fettered
250 suage = s(er)vage, servitude
End of Project Gutenberg Etext of The Disguising at Hertford, by
Lydgate
from http://www.dertz.in/