Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 2: Notes
General
Selections from Early Middle English, 1130-1250. Part 2: Notes
English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500
37. #iledene# is regarded by Mätzner as for ledene, with otiose _i_
prefixed, as in ‘iliue’ 94/22; it would in that case be _pl. g._ of leod
as in ‘leodene king,’ L 5394. But ‘folk of the people,’ ‘nation-folk,’
Madden, is a strange expression (though leod-folc is common enough), and
it would be a meaningless repetition; besides _e_ for OE. #ēo# is rare
in L. Kellner, Archiv cxiv. 164, proposes ileuede representing OE.
#gelyfed#, advanced in age, and one MS. of W has ‘Tout li viellart et li
plus fort’ as a variant of ‘Tot li millor et li plus fort | Sont mis
fors del païs, par sort,’ 6193. But ileuede is not used elsewhere in L,
and would connote decrepitude. Geoffrey of Monmouth has ‘totius regni
iuvenes coram se venire praecipiunt (principes): deinde sorte proiecta
potiores atque fortiores eligunt,’ 82/20; something corresponding to
‘iuvenes’ is required here, such as iwepned; comp. L 9942-6.
38. #of#: see 80/47.
45. #feole# is impossible: Mätzner suggests the substitution of lot, as
in O, for beoþ, but that would require feol instead of feole. More
probably the scribe has been influenced by beoð into miswriting feole
for fallen: #beoð# is singular.
46. #for liue# &c. apparently means, for any consideration, at any
price, like ‘for love or hire.’
47. #for þan#, because of the, for fear of the.
49. #vnder lufte#, under heaven: comp. ‘nes þa na man vnder lufte[;] þe
cuðe betere cræftes,’ L 10104: lufte is Madden’s correction.
50. #þurh alle þing#, in every respect, qualifying Soð: comp. ‘he wes
god þurh alle þing,’ L 6894: somewhat different is ‘⁊ þar an hiȝinge[;]
þurh ut alle þinges,’ L 2358.
51 O. #wis . . . war#: comp. 18/16.
52. #sugge#: for the subj. comp. ‘geliefeð ðæt he swelc sie swelce he
gehierð,’ Cura Past. 110/11. #soðriht#, _adv._ truly; comp. ‘a þilke
time soh riht,’ L 9668, MS. O.
53. #þat . . . on#, and 54. #þe . . . to#: see 1/3.
55. #cnihtene# &c.: a recurring phrase, as 98/89, 102/152; ‘cnihten alre
hendest,’ 104/195.
57. #mode#, feeling: comp. ‘on his heorte he hauede grome[;] on his mode
muchele sco{m}e,’ L 4847, and with O, ‘þe leof hire weis on mode,’ L
4489. See KH 281 note.
58. #hope to#: see 178/89 note. #heoreð . . . mid mihte#, strenuously
exalt; from #herian#, to glorify: it might be from #hīeran#, to obey,
but the former meaning is more suitable here; comp. 102/139.
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