211. _daliaunce and fair langage_, gossip and flattery. _daliaunce_ in M. E. signifies 'tittle-tattle' or 'gossip.' The verb _dally_ signifies not only to loiter or idle, but to play, sport. Godefroy gives O. F. '_dallier_, v. a., railler.' 212. 'He had, at his own expense, well married many young women.' This is less generous than might appear; for it almost certainly refers to young women who had been his concubines. As Dr. Furnivall remarks in his Temporary Preface, p. 118--'the true explanation lies in the following extract from a letter of Dr. Layton to Cromwell, in 1535 A. D., in Mr. Thos. Wright's edition of Letters on the Suppression of the Monasteries (Camden Soc.), p. 58: [At Maiden Bradley, near Bristol] "is an holy father prior, and hath but vj. children, and but one dowghter mariede yet of the goodes of the monasterie, trystyng shortly to mary the reste. His sones be tall men, waittyng upon him; and he thankes Gode a never medelet with marytt women, [26] but all with madens, the faireste cowlde be gottyn, and _always marede them ryght well_."' 214. _post_, pillar or support, as in Troil. i. 1000. See Gal. ii. 9. 216. _frankeleyns_, wealthy farmers; see l. 331. _over-al_, everywhere. 217. _worthy_, probably 'wealthy'; or else, 'respectable.' Cf. l. 68. 219. The word _mór-e _occupies the fourth foot in the line; cf. n. to l. 320. It is an adj., with the sense of 'greater.' 220. _licentiat._ He had a licence from the Pope 'to hear confessions, &c., in all places, independently of the local ordinaries.'--T. The _curate_, or parish priest, could not grant absolution in all cases, some of which were reserved for the bishop's decision. See Wyclif's Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 394. 224. _wiste to han_, knew (he was sure) to have. _pitaunce_ here signifies a mess of victuals. It originally signified an extraordinary allowance of victuals given to monastics, in addition to their usual commons, and was afterwards applied to the whole allowance of food for a single person, or to a small portion of anything. 225. 'For the giving (of gifts) to a poor order.' _povre_, O. F. _povre_, poor; cf. _pover-ty_. See _pov-re_ in l. 232. 226. _y-shrive_ = _y-shriven_, confessed, _shriven_. The final _n_ is dropped; cf. _unknowe_ for _unknowen_ in l. 126. 227. _he dorste_, he durst make (it his) boast, i. e. confidently assert. _avaunt_, a boast, is from the O. F. vb. _avanter_, to boast, an intensive form of _vanter_, whence E. _vaunt_. 230. _he may not_, he is not able to. _him sore smerte_, it may pain him, or grieve him, sorely. 232. _Men moot_, one ought to. Here _moot_ is singular; cf. l. 149.