268. _Ypermistre_, Hypermnestra; whose Legend occurs at l. 2562. _Adriane_, Ariadne; whose Legend occurs at l. 1886. For further remarks, see my long note to the Man of Law's Tale, B 61. 270. Bell remarks that the above beautiful Balade has been often imitated; and cites a poem by Surrey with the title 'A Praise of his Love, wherein he reproveth them that compare their ladies with his,' and beginning--'Geue place, ye louers, here before That spent your bostes and bragges in vaine.' See Tottell's Miscellany, ed. Arber, p. 20. Another such poem occurs in the same collection, at p. 163; beginning--'Geue place, you Ladies, and begon'; this, it appears, was written by John Heywood; Warton, Hist. E. Poet. (1840), iii. 56 (note). With respect to Surrey's verses, Warton (Hist. E. P. 1840, iii. 33) remarks that 'the leading compliment, which has been used by later writers, is in the spirit of Italian fiction.' But it is probable that we here see Surrey's original before us. Among the beautiful songs on this theme, we should not neglect 'You meaner beauties of the night,' by Sir Henry Wotton. Cf. ll. 274, 275 below. 271. _By_, with respect to. _My lady_ is the queen Alcestis, whose name Chaucer is supposed not to know as yet. See l. 432. 277. See note to l. 186 above. 278. _Nadde_ = _ne hadde_. 'For, had not the comfort of her presence existed.' We should now say, 'Had it not been for the comfort.' Cf. Spec. Eng. Literature, pt. iii. note to § xv (_b_). l. 96. 295. _For the nones_, for the once, for this special occasion. See the note to Chaucer's Prologue, l. 379. The phrase was first explained, carefully and fully, by Price, in a note to Warton's Hist. Eng. Poet. ed. 1840, ii. 74, 75. 298. 'That bears away the prize from us all in external beauty or figure.' _Our alder_, of us all; where _our_ = A.S. _úre_, gen. pl. of the first personal pronoun, and _alder_ is a more emphatic form of _aller_ (A.S. _ealra_), gen. pl. of _all_. See Chaucer's Prol. 586, 710, 799, 823. Hence _alderliefest_, dearest of all, in 2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 28; probably borrowed from _alderlevest_ in Chaucer's Troilus, v. 576 (in vol. ii.). Prof. Corson cites _altherbeste_, best of all, from Gower, C. A. ed. Pauli, i. 106; _althermest_, most of all, from the same, i. 147; _althertrewest_, id. i. 176; _altherwerst_, id. i. 53. In Chaucer's Minor Poems the reader will find _our alder_, of us all, ABC, 84; also _alderbeste_, Book Duch. 246; _alderfaireste_, id. 1050; and _aldernext_, Parl. Foules, 244. 300. _A-compas enviroun_, in a circle, all round about. 304. _By and by_, one after another, in order; see the New E. Dict. 307. _Furlong-wey_, lit. two minutes and a-half; or the time of walking a furlong, at 3 miles an hour. See Anelida, 328; Ho. Fame, 2064. 314. _Hit am I_, it is I; the usual M.E. idiom. See Kn. Tale, A 1736; Man of Law's Tale, B 1109, and note. _Him neer_, nearer to him: _neer_ is the comparative of _neh_ or _nigh_; cf. l. 316.