EXPLANATION OF THE OBSOLETE WORDS USED IN THIS POEM. ARCHIMAGE—the chief or greatest of magicians or enchanters. Apaid-paid. Appal-affright. Atween-between. Ay-always. Bale-sorrow, trouble, misfortune. Benempt-named. Blazon-painting, displaying. Breme-cold, raw. Carol-to sing songs of joy. Caucus-the north-east wind. Certes-certainly. Dan-a word prefixed to names. Deftly-skilfully. Depainted-painted. Drowsy-head-drowsiness. Eath-easy. Eftsoons-immediately, often, afterwards. Eke-also. Fays-fairies. 184 EXPLANATION OF OBSOLETE WORDS Gear or Geer-furniture, equipage, dress. Han-have. Hight-named, called; and sometimes it is used for is called. See Stanza VII. Idless-Idleness. Imp-Child, or offspring; from the Saxon, impan, to graft or plant. Kest-for cast. Lad-for led. Lea-a piece of land, or meadow. Libbard-leopard. Lig-to lie. Lithe-loose, lax. Losel-a loose idle fellow. Louting-bowing, bending. Mell-mingle. Moe-more. Moil-labour. Mote-might. Muchel, or Mochel-much, great. Nathless-nevertheless. Ne-nor. Needments-necessaries. Noursling-a child that is nursed. Noyance-harm. Perdie (Fr. par Dieu)—an old oath. Prankt-coloured, adorned gaily. Prick'd through the forest-rode through the forest. Sear-dry, burnt up. Sheen-bright, shining. Sicker-sure, surely. Smackt-savoured. Unkempt (Lat. incomptus)—unadorned. Ween-to think, be of opinion. Weet-to know; to weet, to wit. Wight-man. Wis, for Wist-to know, think, understand. Wroke-wreakt. [N. B. The letter Y is frequently placed in the beginning of a word, by Spenser, to lengthen it a syllable, and en at the end of a word, for the same reason, as withouten, casten, &c.] Yborn-born. Yblent, or blent-blended, mingled. Yclad-clad. Ycleped-called, named. Yfere-together. Ymolten-melted. Yode (preter tense of yede)-went. |