p. 27, l. 940. «Baye» never means “sword,” as the editor of the Roxburghe Club ed. renders it, nor does this translation make any sense here at all; «baye» signifies “a wide, open room or space in a building.” See Mätzner’s «Wörterbuch», p. 164. Morris, in the Glossary to the «Alliterative Poems», has “bay = recess. The original meaning seems to be «opening of any kind». Cf. bay, space in a building between two main beams.” Halliwell, «s. v.» bay, has: “A principal compartment or division in the architectural arrangement of a building.” It appears to be etymologically the same word as Ital. «baja», French «baie», “bay, gulf, harbour,” the French «baie» being equally used for “opening of any kind.” The Catalan form for «baie» is «badia», which corresponds to the verb «badar», meaning “to open.” See Diez, «Etym. Wörterb.» I. 46. «Bay» is retained in the Mod. E. compound “«bay-window».” Cf. also the French “«la bée d’une fenestre»,” cited by Carpentier-Ducange, «s. v.» beare. With regard to the signification of «trende», the editor of the Roxb. Club ed. wrongly guessed again in explaining it as “drawn” or “trenchant, cutting.” «Trende» means “turned, bent, vaulted in the form of an arch.” See «Halliwell», p. 887, and «Stratmann», p. 572, «s. v.» trenden (= “volvere”). But I am at a loss how to explain why Mars is said to have put up his throne in an arched recess, or compartment, of a building. p. 28, l. 957. «some», a clerical error for «sone». p. 28, l. 965. «prymsauns of grene vere» = “the earliest days of green spring” (Glossary to the Roxb. Club ed.). This may be the sense; but what is the literal meaning of «prymsauns»? If we had «prymtauns», or «prymtaunce», we might be inclined to take it for a corruption of French «printemps», as we find «pastaunce» or «pastance» corrupted from «passe-temps». (See Skeat, «Spec. of Eng. Literature», 460/149 and 427/1096.) Cf. also the «Romaunt of the Rose», ll. 3373–74: “«At prime temps», Love to manace, Ful ofte I have been in this caas.” Or is «prymtauns» perhaps a clerical error for «entrauns» or «entraunce»? This would then make us think of such passages as the following one: “Che fu ou mois de mai, à l’«entree» d’esté, Que florissent cil bos et verdissent cil pré.” «Fierabras», ll. 5094–5. p. 28, l. 966. «spryngyn», the only instance of the 3rd person present plural ending in «-yn» (for the common «-en»). This perhaps is due to [p113] the scribe thinking already of the following «yn» in beg«ynne». But it must be stated that the whole passage is rather obscure. Neither the meaning of «springyn and begynne» nor the connection of l. 966 with the following lines is very clear. «Floures» occurring twice looks also somewhat suspicious. Moreover, these two stanzas do not well suit the context and might easily be done without; they are evidently borrowed from some other poem. Observe besides the alliteration in «f»loures, «f»rithe, «f»reshly.