1890. _as wel as I_; said ironically. Chaucer is as corpulent as the host himself. See note to l. 1886 above. 1891. _were_, would be. _tenbrace_, to embrace. In the Romaunt of the Rose, true lovers are said to be always lean; but deceivers are often fat enough:-- 'For men that shape hem other wey Falsly hir ladies to bitray, It is no wonder though they be fat'; l. 2689. 1893. _elvish_, elf-like, akin to the fairies; alluding to his absent looks [183] and reserved manner. See _Elvish_ in the Glossary, and cf. 'this _elvish_ nyce lore'; Can. Yeom. Tale, G. 842. Palsgrave has--'I waxe _eluysshe_, nat easye to be dealed with, _Ie deuiens mal traictable_.' 1900. _Ye_, yea. The difference in Old English between _ye_ and _yis_ (yes) is commonly well marked. _Ye_ is the weaker form, and merely assents to what the last speaker says; but _yis_ is an affirmative of great force, often followed by an oath, or else it answers a question containing a _negative_ particle, as in the House of Fame, 864. Cf. B. 4006 below. THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. In the black-letter editions, this Tale is called 'The ryme of Sir Thopas,' a title copied by Tyrwhitt, but not found in the seven best MSS. This word is now almost universally misspelt _rhyme_, owing to confusion with the Greek _rhythm_; but this misspelling is _never_ found in old MSS. or in early printed books, nor has any example yet been found earlier than the reign of Elizabeth. The old spelling _rime_ is confirmed by the A. S. _r[=i]m_, Icel. _rím_, Dan. _rim_, Swed. _rim_, Germ. _reim_, Dutch _rijm_, Old Fr. _rime_, &c. Confusion with _rime_, hoarfrost, is impossible, as the context always decides which is meant; but it is worth notice that it is the latter word which has the better title to an _h_, as the A. S. word for hoarfrost is _hr[=i]m_. Tyrwhitt, in his edition of Chaucer, attempted two reforms in spelling, viz. _rime_ for _rhyme_, and _coud_ for _could_. Both are most rational, but probably unattainable. _Thopas._ In the Supplement to Ducange we find--'_Thopasius_, pro Topasius, Acta S. Wencesl. tom. 7. Sept. p. 806, col. 1.' The Lat. _topazius_ is our _topaz_. The whole poem is a burlesque (see vol. iii. p. 423), and _Sir Topaz_ is an excellent title for such a gem of a knight. The name _Topyas_ occurs in Richard Coer de Lion, ed. Weber, ii. 11, as that of a sister of King Richard I; but no such name is known to history.