In Troil. v. 9, most MSS. have _clere_, to rime with _grene_ and _quene_; a mere assonance. But, as some MSS. have _shene_ (see vol. ii. p. lxxii), it seems absurd to reject such an easy correction. In the Parl. Foules, 296, the same two words _grene_ and _quene_ rime with 'the somer-sonne _shene_'; a highly suggestive fact. And in the Cant. Tales, _shene_ rimes six times with _grene_, and three times with _queene_, and with no other word except _sustene_ (once); which is, again, a suggestive fact. Only one more instance is known, viz. in Troil. ii. 884, where _syke_ rimes with _endyte_ and _whyte_. It is not impossible that Chaucer wrote _syte_; see my note. These three doubtful instances, being all that have been found in the whole of Chaucer's works, compare favourably, to say the least, with the six indubitable instances occurring in Fragment B (only) of the Romaunt of the Rose; see vol. i. p. 5. In calculating in errors, we must observe the percentage. When every mistake, or rather slight inaccuracy or licence, that can be found in Chaucer's works, has been reckoned to his discredit, it will still be found that he observes certain laws with rigid persistence; and it is possible to use these observed peculiarities as tests whereby to enable us to reject decisively such poems as have been attributed to him with more zeal than judgement. It is my deliberate opinion, for example, that Fragment B of the Romaunt of the Rose shews so many deviations[51] from his known habits of riming as to render it impossible that he had anything to do with it. s. 51. ENDINGS IN -Y and -Y-E. The non-riming of _-y_ with _-y-[:e]_ (see vol. i. p. 5) is a test which cannot be ignored; and it is better to accept its guidance than to attempt to circumvent it, if we would be free from bias. Even on this point, Prof. Lounsbury is incorrect. In his anxiety to make out a case, he tells us (Studies, i. 389) that the adjective _dry_, 'whether used attributively or predicatively,' rimes always with words of the _-y[:e]_ group, whereas _sly_ is sometimes (correctly) monosyllabic. The two words are essentially different. _Sly_, from Icel. _sloegr_, is monosyllabic when used indefinitely; whereas 'dry' answers to M.E. _drye_, A.S. _dr[=y]ge_, and was never a monosyllable till its final _-e_ at last dropped off. Chaucer handles these two words in different ways, in strict accordance with their etymology.