s. 26. An analysis of the rimes in the Minor Poems reveals an exceptional use of but one word ending in _-ore_, viz. the word _more_. On account, probably, of its frequency and utility, we find it used to rime with _heretofore_ and _heerbefore_; both examples occurring in the Book of the Duchesse, 189, 1127. This shews that the rime was permissible, and the difference extremely slight. Nevertheless we find, with the exception of these two instances only, that the Minor Poems again present two distinct sets of rimes: (1) from A.S. _[=a]_, the words _evermore_, _namore_, _more_, _sore_, _lore_, _rore_, _yore_, together with _tresore_ (of F. origin, from Lat. _thesaurum_); and (2) from A.S. _o_, the words _before_, _bore_, _wherfore_, _lore_ (A.S. _loren_), _herebefore_, _tofore_. s. 27. In the Legend of Good Women, the result is just the same. The exceptional rimes are shewn by _m[=o]re_ riming with _before_, 540, 1516; with _y-swore_, 1284; and with _therfore_, 443. But with these exceptions, we find, as before: (1) the set of words _more_, _yore_, _sore_, with the French words _store_ and _radevore_[27]; and (2) the set _bore_, _forswore_, _swore_ (all past participles), and _therfore_. s. 28. In the Canterbury Tales, we find from Mr. Cromie's Rime-Index, pp. 185, 189, that the word _m[=o]re_ is again used exceptionally, riming once with the pp. _bore_, A 1542, and frequently with _before_; but we find, further, that _before_ is also used exceptionally, riming once with _more_ and _lore_, E 789; once with _sore_, D 631; once with _more_ and _yore_, E 65; and once with _gore_, A 3237, from A.S. _g[=a]r_. Similarly, _therfore_ rimes with _yore_, E 1140. But, with these exceptions, we again find the two sets kept distinct, viz. (1) _evermore_, _namore_, _more_, _lore_, _hore_ (from A.S. _h[=a]r_), _gore_, _ore_ (from A.S. _[=a]r_), _rore_, _sore_; together with the French _restore_; and (2) _before_, _bore_, _y-bore_, _forlore_, _swore_, _therfore_, _wherfore_[28]. In spite of all the exceptional uses of the two words _more_ and _before_, we cannot but see, in the above examples, a most remarkable tendency to keep asunder two vowel-sounds which it must have required a delicate ear to distinguish. This is interesting, as proving exceptional care on the part of the author. We find, accordingly, that later writers did not take the same pains. Thus, in Lydgate's Complaint of the Black Knight, 218, we find _sore_ (from A.S. _s[=a]r_) riming with _tore_, pp. (from A.S. _toren_). In Fragment B of the Romaunt of the Rose, it is startling to find _more_ actually altered to _mar_ or _mare_ (the Northern form) in order to rime with _thar_ (for _there_), 1854; with _fare_, 2710; and with _ar_, 2215. s. 29. OPEN AND CLOSE [=O]. After making the above investigation, we shall naturally expect to find that Chaucer takes care to distinguish between the open _[=o]_ and the close one; and such is really the case.