3954. So also the Wife of Bath had 'gay scarlet _gytes_'; D. 559. Spelt _gide_ in MS. Ln., and _gyde_ in Blind Harry's _Wallace_, i. 214: 'In-till a _gyde_ of gudly ganand greyne,' where it is used of a gay dress worn by Wallace. It occurs also twice in Golagros and Gawain, used of the gay dress of a woman; see Jamieson. Nares shews that _gite_ is used once by Fairfax, and thrice by Gascoigne. The sense is usually dubious; it may mean 'robe,' or, in some places, 'head-dress.' The _g_ was certainly hard, and the word is of F. origin. Godefroy gives '_guite_, chapeau'; and Roquefort has '_wite_, voile.' The F. Gloss. appended to Ducange gives the word _witart_ as applied to a man, and _witarde_ as applied to a woman. Cf. O. F. _wiart_, which Roquefort explains as a woman's veil, whilst Godefroy explains _guiart_ as a dress or vestment. The form of the word suggests a Teutonic origin; perhaps from O. H. G. _wît_, wide, ample, which would explain its use to denote a veil or a robe indifferently. Ducange suggests a derivation from Lat. _uitta_, which is also possible. 3956. _dame_, lady; see A. 376. 3959. _wold-e_, wished, seems to be dissyllabic; see note to l. 3941. [119] 3960. _boydekin_, dagger, as in B. 3892, q. v. Cf. note to l. 3931. 3962. 'At any rate, they would that their wives should think so.' _Wenden_, pt. pl. subj. of _wenen_. 3963. _smoterlich_, besmutched; cf. _bismotered_ in A. 76. Tyrwhitt says: 'it means, I suppose, smutty, dirty; but the whole passage is obscure.' Rather, it is perfectly clear when the allusion is perceived. The allusion is to the smutch upon her reputation, on account of her illegitimacy. This explains also the use of _somdel_; 'because she was, in some measure, of indifferent reputation, she was always on her dignity, and ready to take offence'; which is true to human nature. Thus the whole context is illuminated at once. 3964. _digne_, full of dignity, and therefore (as Chaucer says, with exquisite satire) like (foul) water in a ditch, which keeps every one at a proper distance. However, the satire is not Chaucer's own, but due to a popular proverbial jest, which occurs again in The Ploughman's Crede, l. 375, where the Dominican friars are thus described:-- 'Ther is more pryve pride in Prechours hertes Than ther lefte [_remained_] in Lucyfer, er he were lowe fallen; They ben _digne as dich-water_, that dogges in bayteth' [_feed in_]. And, again, in the same, l. 355:-- 'For with the princes of pride the Prechours dwellen, They bene _as digne as the devel_, that droppeth fro hevene.' Hence _digne_ is proud, repulsive. 3965. 'And full of scorn and reproachful taunting'; like the lady in Lay de Freine, l. 60 (in Weber's Met. Romances, i. 359):-- 'A proud dame and an enuious, Hokerfulliche missegging, Squeymous and eke scorning; To ich woman sche hadde envie.'