3066. _Unconninge_, ignorance; cf. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 131; Prick of Conscience, l. 169. 3067. _Misborn_, borne amiss, misconducted. See Life of Beket, l. 1248. THE MONK'S PROLOGUE. 3079. The tale of _Melibee_ (as told above) is about a certain Melibeus and his wife Prudence, who had a daughter called Sophie. One day, while Melibeus is absent, three of his enemies break into his house, beat his wife, and wound his daughter. On returning, he takes counsel as to what must be done. He is for planning a method of revenge, but his wife advises him to forgive the injuries, and in the end her counsels prevail. 3082. _corpus Madrian_, body of Madrian: which has been interpreted in two ways. Urry guessed it to refer to St. Materne, bishop of Treves, variously commemorated on the 14th, 19th, or 25th of September, the days of his translations being July 18 and October 23. Mr. Steevens suggested, in a note printed in Tyrwhitt's Glossary, that the 'precious body' was that of St. Mathurin, priest and confessor, commemorated on Nov. 1 or Nov. 9. The latter is more likely, since in his story in the Golden Legende, edit. 1527, leaf 151 back, the expressions 'the precious body' and 'the holy body' occur, and the story explains that his body would not stay in the earth till it was carried back to France, where he had given directions that it should be buried. 3083. 'Rather than have a barrel of ale, would I that my dear good wife had heard this story.' Cf. _morsel breed_, B. 3624. _lief_ is not a proper name, as has been suggested, I believe, by some one ignorant of early English idiom. Cf. 'Dear my lord,' Jul. Caesar, ii. 1. 255; and other instances in Abbott's Shakesp. Grammar, sect. 13. 3101. 'Who is willing (_or_ who suffers himself) to be overborne by everybody.' 3108. _neighëbor_, three syllables; _thannè_, two syllables. 3112. Observe the curious use of _seith_ for _misseith_. 3114. _Monk._ See him described in the Prologue, A. 165. 3116. _Rouchester._ The MSS. have _Rouchester_, (Hl. _Rowchestre_), [225] shewing that _Lo_ stands alone in the first foot of the line. Tyrwhitt changed _stant_ into _stondeth_, but all our seven MSS. have _stant_. According to the arrangement of the tales in Tyrwhitt's edition, the pilgrims reach Rochester _after_ coming to Sittingborne (mentioned in the Wife of Bath's Prologue), though the latter is some eleven miles nearer Canterbury. The present arrangement of the Groups remedies this. See note to B. 1165, at p. 165. 3117. _Ryd forth_, ride forward, draw near us. 3119. _Wher_, whether. _dan_, for Dominus, a title of respect commonly used in addressing monks. But Chaucer even uses it of Arcite, in the Knightes Tale, and of Cupid, Ho. Fame, 137. 3120. The monk's name was _Piers_. See B. 3982, and the note. 3124. Cf. 'He was not pale as a for-pyned goost'; Prol. A. 205. Jean de Meun says, in his Testament, l. 1073, that the friars have good pastures (il ont bonnes pastures).