The nun's priest's tale - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 Excerpt: ...4133. as taak. For this obsolete use of 'as' introducing an imperative cp. Tr. and Cr., v. 522, 'as go we seene the paleis of Creseide '; A 3777, 'as lene it me.' The New English Dictionary quotes no instances of this use save from Chaucer. 4134. Up peril. This use of 'up' where we should now say 'upon' is chiefly found in Chaucer in the phrases 'up peyne' and 'up peril.' Cp. 'up peyne of los of lyf (a 2543); 'up peyne ot hanging' (b 795); 'up peyne of deth' (B 884); 'up peril of my lyf (d 1145). But in the Book 0f the Duchesse he has 'up condicioun' (750); and again, 'up al resoun so wel y-founded' (922). 4139. to herbes techen yow. For the use of the preposition with 'techen' cp. the Romance of Perceval, 2109: 'he taughte him sone to the kiste.' 4142. han of hire propretee by kynde: have naturally arising out of their special qualities. 4145. compleccioun, temperament, constitution. See Appendix A, §3 4149. a fevere terciane. Langland, Piers Plowman, A, xii. 82-85, mentions the three medieval fevers--quartan (every fourth day), tertian (every third), and quotidian (daily)--all together. 'My name is Feuere; on the ferthe day I am afirst athirst euere, I am messager of Deth; men haue I tweyne; That on is called Cotidian, a courour of oure hous; Tercian that other, trewe drinkeres bothe.' 31 4154. Or elles of ellebor that groweth there, see Appendix A, §5 4156. ther mery Is. 'Mery' seems to be used here, as in line 4261, to express pleasantness of situation. Instead of ther the Lansdowne manuscript reads that, which Dr. Skeat adopts and explains as an ironical allusion to the nauseousness of ivy leaves. 4157. Pekke hem up right as they growe and ete hem yn: a good example of the conversational freedom of Chaucer's later verse. 4158. fader, the unin...