Recoy, ‘requies,’ ‘ quiet

Notes.

. Flans, ‘ flawns,’ a kind of custard.

. Perdus, in English, ‘ buttered,’ ‘ scrambled,’ or ‘mumbled ’ eggs.

There is another reading, ‘ perdrix."

. The mason requiring both by convenience and guild-regulations

his labourer to supply him.

. La Riviere. Near Salins, in the present department of the Jara.

Genèvois, Genoese, not Genevese.

. Ostrelins, Easterlings, the Hanseatic League. . Faisans charter droict. Literally, ‘making each other go

straight,’ that is, acting as a check on each other.

. Rasibus, ‘ close to.’ . Roy de France, Charles the Simple.

. Frisques, ‘brisk,’ ‘lively.’ This piece is taken from the pro-

logue to Coquillart’s principal work.

. Confit en ymages, ‘fanciful ;’ ‘ideological’ in Napoleon’s word. . Ramaiges, ‘arboreal,’ i.e. ‘ rude,’ ‘ savage.’

. Saffres, ‘ lively.’

. Topiqueurs, ‘ reasoners on topics.”

. Decliqueurs, ‘ chatterers.’

. Duisantes, ‘ pleasant,’ ‘ seductive.’

. Traditives, ‘methods of teaching.’

. Curialistes, ‘ of the court.’

. Ressors, in a technical sense, ‘ jurisdictions.’

. Trainacer le patin, literally, ‘wear out the shoe,’ = loiter about

in idle company.

. Fériaulx, ‘at times of festival.’

. Lourd. A play is supposed here on the Eng. ‘lord.’ . Moustier, as ‘ monsticr, supra.

. Saulticr, * the first stomach,’ ‘ paunch.’

. Foisselle, a peculiarly shaped cheese.

Franc Gontier, ‘free companion,’ ‘ good fellow.’

. Melle, telle, ‘such.’ . Mesticr. In the sense ‘ business.” ‘ When that was our object,’

‘ when we cared to do so.’

. Naveaulx, ‘navets, ‘ turnips.’

. Challumelles, \ater ‘chalumeaux,’ ‘ rustic pipes.’

. Rainceaulx, * branches.’

. Bouclles =‘ boyaux,’ ‘stringed instruments.’ In the next line one

would rather expect ‘sous treilles.’

. This piece is a dignified example, as the following is an ex-

ayveration, and that of Collérye (p. 26) a burlesque, of the R'hdtoriqueur classicism of phrase.

A tn

Notes. 545

This line seems to mean, ‘ thou inclinest thine ear,’ ‘thou givest me an opportunity of addressing thee.’ The subject of the following stanzas is the sufferings of France in the latter part of the Hundred Years’ War, and her humiliation before England.

. Latdure, ‘ outrage.’ . Autrus would now be ‘d'autrui.’ The mediæval case-order

and a few remnants of the inflexions still survived. Pis =‘ pectus,’ ‘ breast.’

. Faconde =‘ facundia,’ ‘eloquence ;’ osts/ =‘ outil.” . Estorée, Eng., ‘ stored.’ . Parfons, ‘ deep,’ ‘deeply.’

Existence scientifique, in a scholastic sense.

Traditive, either as above, ‘ method of teaching,’ or =‘ tradition’ in the technical sense of ‘conveying a fief,’ ‘they have endowed him with the executive power as of a right arm.’ The ‘clerk of their consistory ’ is less farfetched.

. Lustrateur, in a Latin sense ‘ explorer.’

Godinette, ‘ pretty.’

. Hauvay. A refrain with no special sense.

. Merray =‘ menerai.’ . Saindray =‘ ceindrai,’ ‘ will gird on.’

Pose =‘ pause,’ ‘a moment.’

Soulltez, ‘ you were accustomed.’

Saye =‘ soie,’ ‘ silk,’ in Old Eng. ‘say.

Il frappe. This sudden change of person is not at all uncommon in popular poetry of all countries.

. In this line the captured defenders of thc ‘ danjons’ are supposed

to speak ; the rest is the reply of the besiegers.

16. These two spirited lines are commented by Villon’s Epstaph, which tells more distinctly the kind of ‘mass’ and ‘ matins” that the ravens (corbins) sing to the gibbeted victims.

. Meult, ‘grinds.’

. Fumeuse, ‘cross.’

. Précieuse, ‘fastidious,’ ‘ elegant.’

. ‘He has no use of his five senses left him.’

. Succumber, transitive, ‘to make to succumb.’

. Ebloiques, supposed to =‘ diabolic,’ from Eblis.

Brancher, ‘hang.’

. Blactes, ‘ cowardly.’ . Gazophilant, ‘loving riches.’

Befleurs repudiques, ‘ triflers fit to be repudiated.’ Nn

Notes.

Margouller, ‘hit on the face,’ ‘ rebuff."

. Esmes =‘ âmes ;’ impistiques, ‘ faithless.’ . Lassus, =‘la sus,’ ‘up there.’

Se fume, as‘ fameux’ above. strive, ‘strives.’

. Three synonyms for ‘ grumblers.’

ÆHillot =‘ helot.’

. Avies for ‘ vous aviez,’ as often.

. Esselle =" aisselle.’

. Saye here, not, as before, ‘ silk’ in general, but some silk garment. . “With a tickling in his throat,’ that is to say, chuckling over his

exploit ; or else ‘ careful of his throat ’=afraid of the gallows.

. Donner le saut is probably akin to the more modem idiom

‘ faire faire le saut,’ to make a person change his employment.

. Camille Desmoulins is said to have made the same pun on his

way to the scaffold.

. Héronnière, ‘ as thin as a heron’s leg.’

. Bague, a disrespectful term for a woman, ‘ as great a jade.’ . Ores, ‘now.

. Plein = ‘plains.’

. Vexelle =‘ vaisselle.”

. Bastante, ‘sufficient.’

. Tient ung quartier de la lune, ‘is slightly lunatic.’

. Canne =‘ cane,’ ‘duck.’

. This is supposed to mean that Gascons, being specially quarrel-

some, were specially liable to have their ears cropped. Ravasserie, ‘ réverie.’ VIT Colliget, a pretended reference to chapter and verse in the usual form of citation from legal and medical works. Croustelevé, ‘ covered with sores.’ Liberes =‘ libres.’ Gourrier, ‘caparisoned.’ Carme =‘ carmen,’ ‘ verse ;’ oraison solue, ‘ prose.’

22-43. 33. The less familiar words in this characteristically Rabe-

laisian avalanche of technical terms will be explained ¢ tinuously to economise space. Military terms, such as ravelsn, which have become common to both languages, are omitted : Escurotent, cleared out; enduisoient, plastered with fresh earth ; moyneaux, sentry-boxes on wheels; faluoient, ‘made the talus,’ sloped ; exclavotent, app. inserted ; darbacanes, not ‘barbicans,’ but ‘ loop-holes ;’ asserotent, strengthened ; Aerses sarrazinesques, portcullises (sarrazine is a Kind of portculiis made on Eastern patterns’ ; cafararctes, doors not shutting, but

Notes.

moving up and down portcullis-fashion ; forissoient, put forth (Lat. foris) ; alecrets, large iron jerkins ; dardes, complete suits of horse or man armour; davi2res, part of the visor; armets visors; brassalz=brassards; fassettes, taslets, thigh pieces ; hoguines, steel leg-guards ; amines, corslets of scale-armonr : caliges, military boots; solerefs, armour for the feet ; phalavices, heavy javelins hurled by machinery; micraines, explosive bullets; cercles à few, round fireworks; Aelépolides, complicated machinery for town-taking; vouges, long pikes; rancons, said to be instruments used in weaving ; Aanicroches, a kind of gaff for pulling horsemen from their saddles; velains, coopers’ hatchets; fourches-fieres=* fourches ferrées;’ Bade» laires, broad sabres; paffus, low Lat. paffurta, double-edged swords; verduns, weapons made at Verdun; mandousianes, short swords: al/umelles, differently explained as ‘swordblades,” and ‘furnaces’ for tempering them ; rail/ons, arrows ; palle, ‘pallium,’ garment ; opistographes, parchments written ‘on both sides; Aersoit, lit. ‘harrowed;" matfoit, lit. * covered with nets,’ but in this and other cases it is clear that the word is used more for its sound than for its sense ; haraffoit, properly used of butter-making ; ¢abwstoit (later tarabustoit), worried ; #réfoit =tréprignoit ; fimpoit, made it sound; ériquotoit, struck with a trigue, or stick ; elavoit, nailed; bracguoit, bricquoit, rolled it à bric et à brac,’ here and there ; clabossoit puzzles the commentators, here=éclabousser? afestoit, repaired; affustoit, got ready, as of artillery: méttonnoit, wrapped it up ; dimbelotoit, teased it; vreloppoit, planed, Of chaluppoit the sense seems wholly uncertain,