164. 'But I do not call folly, or false pity, by the name of innocence'; i.e. the poet does not approve of immodesty or weakness, because in all things the chief virtue is moderation, or the 'golden mean.' Beauty should be neither too yielding nor too pitiless. 166. _Etik_, Lat. _Ethica_; alluding to the Ethics of Aristotle, in which happiness and virtue are discussed, and the nature of virtue is said to shew itself in its appearing as the medium or mean between two extremes. Similarly, Gower in his Conf. Amantis (ed. Pauli, iii. 153) refers us to Aristotle's advice to Alexander, to keep the mean between avarice and prodigality. See also Gower's remarks on _ethique_; id. iii. 140. Cf. Lounsbury, Studies in Chaucer, ii. 387. 170. So in the Parl. of Foules, 680, the birds are described as joining in the roundel--'Now _welcom somer_, with thy sonne softe.' 171. Here again is a reminiscence of the Roman de la Rose, ll. 8449-51:-- 'Zephirus et Flora, sa fame, Qui des flors est deesse et dame, Cil dui font les floretes nestre,' &c. i.e. Zephirus and his wife Flora, who is the goddess and lady of flowers, these two make the little flowers grow. See Book of the Duchesse, 402; and the note upon it. 184. 'The daisy, or, otherwise, the eye of day'; see note to l. 43. 186. 'I pray that she may fall fairly,' that she may light upon good fortune. All the MSS. have _she_; otherwise we might read _her_, as such is the more usual idiom, in which case it would mean--'that it may befall her fairly.' We have a similar case in the Manciple's Prologue, H 40, where six MSS. have the usual idiom 'foule mot _thee_ falle,' whilst the Ellesmere MS. alone has 'foule mot _thou_ falle.' For a similar variation, cf. l. 277 below with A. 180, i.e. with the corresponding line in the earlier text. 191. 'For, as regards me, neither of them is dearer or more hateful than the other; I am not yet retained on the side of either of them.' The sense _with-holden_ is detained, kept back, hence reserved to one side, committed to a particular view. 195. _Thing_ = _werk_ (A. 79), i.e. poem. _Of another tonne_, out of quite a different cask. Cf. 'Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne Er that I go'; C. T., D 170. Cf. Rom. Rose (French Text), 6838. 196. _Swich thing_, such a thing as the strife between the Leaf and the Flower. The A-text (l. 80) helps us here, as it reads 'swich stryf.'