The word _panter_ is curiously preserved in the mod. E. _painter_, a rope for mooring a boat. I quote the following from my Etym. Dict.: '"_Painter_, a rope employed to fasten a boat"; Hawkesworth's Voyages, 1773, vol. i. p. xxix. Corrupted (by assimilation to the ordinary sb. _painter_) from M.E. _panter_, a noose, esp. for catching birds. See Chaucer, Leg. of Good Women, 131; Prompt. Parv., p. 381; spelt _paunter_, Polit. Songs, ed. Wright, p. 344.--O.F. _pantiere_, a kind of snare for birds, Roquefort; _panthiere_, "a great swoop-net"; Cotgrave. Cf. Ital. _pantiera_, "a kind of tramell or fowling net"; Florio; _panthera_, "a net or haie to catch conies with, also a kind of fowling-net"; id.--Lat. _panther_, a hunting-net for catching wild beasts. Cf. _panthera_, an entire capture.--Gk. [Greek: panthêros], catching all; cf. [Greek: panthêra], the whole booty (a very late word).--Gk. [Greek: pan], neut. of [Greek: pas], every; and [Greek: thêr], a wild beast. 'The Irish _painteir_, Gael. _painntear_, a gin, snare, are forms of the same word [but were borrowed from English or French]. It is remarkable that, in America, a _panther_ is also called a _painter_. See Cooper, The Pioneers, cap. xxviii.' 132. _Upon_, against, in scorn of; cf. _in his despyt_, l. 134. _A-whaped_, scared. --A. 127. The A-text is hereabouts very imperfect, and some lines are too short. I supply words within square brackets, in order to fill out the lines, and to make sense. 145. See Parl. of Foules, 309, 683, and the note to the former passage in vol. i. p. 516. Birds were supposed to choose their mates on St. Valentine's day (Feb. 14). 146. _Chees_, chose: the past tense; A.S. _céas_. 154. _Tydif_, the name of some small bird, guessed by Skinner to be the _titmouse_; more probably the _tydy_ mentioned by Drayton, which is supposed to mean a wren. See _Tydy_ in Nares. Cf. Squi. Tale, F 648; id. 610, 611. 158. 'Provided that their mates would pity them.' 160. _Daunger_ usually means 'power to harm.' These allegorical personages were suggested by the Roman de la Rose. In the English version (l. 3018) _Daunger_ is the name of the 'foul churl,' who is set beside the Rose, to prevent strangers from plucking it. In Chaucer's Complaint unto Pite, he introduces such personages as Crueltee (corresponding to Daunger), Pite, Bountee, Gentilesse, and Curtesye. So here, we are told that although Daunger (i.e. power to harm or to repel) seemed for a time to have the upper hand, yet at the last Pity induced relenting, and caused Mercy to surpass (or prevail over) Right (or Justice). Just as Pity is opposed to Danger or Cruelty, so we find, in the old theological allegories, that Mercy is opposed to Justice. The pleading of Mercy against Justice will be found at length in Grosteste's Chastel d'Amour, in the Cursor Mundi, p. 550, and in the Gesta Romanorum, Tale 55. See my note to P. Plowman, C. xxi. 120. 163. 'By means of innocence and well-mannered courtesy.'