IV. Rimes which appear imperfect, but may be perfect. _Riche_ answers to _like_, 132, but the true spelling is _rike_, answering to _sike_, 290. _Mithe_, 196, should probably be _moucte_, as in l. 257, and it would thus rime with _þoucte_. _Blinne_, 2670, should certainly be _blunne_; cf. A.S. _blinnan_, pt. t. s. _ic blan_, pt. t. pl. _we blunnon_; and thus it rimes to _sunne_. _Misdede_, 993, is clearly an error for _misseyde_, as appears from the parallel passage in ll. 49, 50; and it then rimes with _leyde_. So in l. 1736, for _deled_ read _deyled_, as in l. 2098. _Boþe_, 430, has no line answering to it, and a line may have been lost. _Nicth, lict_, 575, is a perfect rime. _Halde, bolde_, 2308, may also be perfect. _For-sworen_ answers to _for-lorn_ (pronounced _for-loren_), 1423; _bitawte_ to _authe_ (pronounced _aute_), 1409; _yemede_ (pronounced _yem-dè_) is not an improper rime to _fremde_, 2276; _anon_ rimes with _iohan_ (if pronounced _ion_ or _John_, as indicated by the spelling _ion_ in l. 177), 2562, 2956. Yet in another instance it seems to be two syllables, _Jo-han_; see _wimman, iohan_, 1720.[43] Speche should be _speke_, and thus rimes to _meke_, 1065. _Stareden_ should perhaps be _stradden_, or some such form, rightly riming to _ladden_, 1037. Under this head we may notice some rimes which throw, possibly, some light on the pronunciation. Thus, for the sound of _ey, ei_, observe _hayse, preyse_, 60; _leyke, bleike_, 469; _laumprei, wei_, 771; _deye_ rimes to _preye_, 168; _day_ to _wey_, 663; _seyd_ to _brayd_, 1281; but we also find _hey, fri_, 1071; _hey, sley_, 1083, _heye, heie_, 1151; _heye, eie_, 2544; _leye, heye_, 2010; _heye, fleye_, 2750. _Fram_ rimes to _sham_, 55; yet the latter word is really _shame_, 83; _gange_ is also spelt _gonge_, _halde_ rimes with _bolde_, 2308. The pronunciation of _ware_, _were_, or _wore_, seems ambiguous; we find _sore, wore_, 236; _wore, more_, 258; _ware, sare_, 400; _wore, sore_, 414; _were, þere_, 741; _more, þore_, 921. For the sound of _e_, observe _suere, gere_, 388; _suereth, dereth_, 648; _eten, geten_, 930; _yet, fet_, 1319; _stem, bem_, 592; _glem, bem_, 2122; also _yeue, liue_, 198; _liue, gyue_, 356; _lyue, yeue_, 1217; _her, ther_, 1924; _fishere, swere_, 2230. For that of _i_, observe _cri, merci_, 270; _sire, swire_, 310; _swiþe, vnbliþe_, 140; _fir, shir_, 587; _sire, hire_, 909; _rise, bise_, 723; _fyr, shir_, 915; _lye, strie_, 997; _hey, fri_, 1071; _for-þi, merci_, 2500. For that of _o_, observe _two, so_, 350; _do, so_, 713; _shon, on_, 969; _hom, grom_, 789; _lode, brode_, 895; _anon, ston_, 927; _ston, won_, 1023; _do, sho_ (shoe), 1137; _do, sho_ (she), 1231; _stod, mod_, 1702; _ilkon, ston_, 1842; _shon_ (shoon), _ston_, 2144; _croud, god_, 2338; _don, bon_, 2354; _sone_ (soon), _bone_, 2504; _bole, hole_, 2438.[44] Only in a few of these instances would the words rime in modern standard English. For the