To trentals, and to yeve, for Goddes fake, Not ther as it is wafted and devoured, Ne ther it nedeth not for to be yeven, As to poffeffioners, that mowen leven (Thanked be God) in wele and abundance. He fingeth not but o masse on a day. Delivereth out (quod he) anon the foules. 7300 7305 7310 Ful hard it is with flefhhook or with ouies Now fpede you haftily for Criftes fake. And whan this frere had faid all his entent, 7315 With qui cum patri forth his way he went. Whan folk in chirche had yeve him what hem left And a pointel ypolished fetifly, 7320 7299. To trentals] Un trentel, Fr. was a service of thirty masses, which were ufually celebrated upon as many different days, for the dead, Du Cange, in v. Trentale. And wrote alway the names, as he stood, 7325 7330 .7327. Afkaunce that be wolde for bem preye] The Gloffary interprets akaunce to mean afkew, afide, fideways, in a fide view, upon what authority I know not. It will be better to examine the other passages in which the fame word occurs before we determine the sense of it. See ver. 16306; Afcaunce that craft is fo light to lere. Tro. i. 285; Afcaunce, lo! is this not wifely spoken? Ibid. 292; Aftaunce, what! may I not ftonden here? Lydg. Trag. fol. 136, b.; Afcaunce I am of maners mofl chaungeable. In the first and laft inftance, as well as in the text, afkaunce feems to fignify simply as if, quafi; in the two others it fignifies a little more, as if to fay. This latter fignification may be clearly established from the third line, which in the Italian original [Philoftrato di Boccaccio, 1. i,] ftands thus ; Quafi diceffe, e no ci fi puo ftare? So that afcaunce is there equivalent to quafi diceffe in Italian.As to the etymology of this word, I must confefs myself more at a lofs. Iobferve however that one of a fimilar form, in the Teut. has a fimilar fignification. Als-kacks, quafi, quafi vero, Kilian. Our as is the fame with als,Teut. and Sax. ; it is only a further corruption of al fo. Perhaps therefore afcaunce may have been originally als-kanje. Kane, in Teut. is chance, Fr. and Eng.I will just add that this very rare phrase was also used, as I fuspect, by the author of The Continuation of The Canterbury Tales, firft printed by Mr. Urry. Prol. ver. 361; And al afcaunce the loved him wel, the toke him by the fwere. It is printed a staunce. .7329. A Goddes kichel] "It was called A Goddes kichel, A Goddes halfpeny, or a maffe peny, Or yeve us of your braun, if ye have any, A sturdy harlot went hem ay behind, He planed away the names everich on He ferved hem with nifles and with fables. 7335 7340 7345 Nay, ther thou lieft,thou Sompnour,quod the Frere. Pees, quod our Hofte, for Criftes moder dere Tell forth thy Tale, and fpare it not at all. So thrive I, quod this Sompnour, fo I shall. So long he went fro hous to hous, til he Came to an hous ther he was wont to be Refreshed more than in a hundred places. Sike lay the hufbond man whos that the place is; "becaufe godfathers and godmothers ufed commonly to give 64 one of them to their godchildren when they asked bles “fing," Sp. And fo we are to suppose a Goddes halfpeny, in ver. 7331, was called for the fame reafon, &c. But this is all gratis didum I believe. The phrafe is French, and the true meaning of it is explained by M. de la Monnoye in a note upon the Contes de B.D. Periers, t. ii. p. 107, Belle ferrure de Dieu ; “ Expreffion du petit peuple, qui raporte pieufement tout à Dieu. "—Rien n'eft plus commun dans la bouche des bonnes vieilles, 66 que ces elpeces d'Hebraïfmes: il m'en coute un bel ecu de "Dicu; Il ne me rette que ce pauvre enfant de Dieu; Donez "moi une benite aumône de Dieu." 7351 Bedred upon a couche low he lay. Deus hic, quod he; O Thomas! frend, good day, Sayde this frere all curtifly and foft. Thomas, quod he, God yelde it you, ful oft 7355 Here have I eten many a mery mele. And fro the benche he drove away the cat, And eke his ferip, and set himself adoun: 7360 Forth with with his knave, into that hoftelrie Wher as he fhope him thilke night to lie. O dere maister! quod this fike man, And specially for thy falvation 7365 Have I fayd many a precious orifon, And for our other frendes God hem bleffe. I have this day ben at your chirche at meffe, 7370 And said a fermon to my fimple wit, Not all after the text of holy writ, For it is hard to you as I fuppofe, And therefore wol I teche you ay the glofe. 7375 And ther I faw our dame; a! wher is she? Yonder, I trow that in the yard fhe be, Sayde this man, and she wol come anon. Ey maister, welcome be ye by Seint John, 7380 And hire embraceth in his armes narwe, 7385 And kiffeth hire fwete, and chirketh as a sparwe Thanked be God that you yaf foule and lif In all the chirche, God fo fave me. Ye God amende defautes, Sire, quod fhe, Grand mercy, Dame, that have I found alway. In fhrift, in preching, is my diligence 7390 7395 7400 Now by your faith, o dere Sire! quod fhe, 7405 Chideth him wel for Seinte Charitee: |