Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

7. PERES THE PLOWMANS CREDE. 36209. Chymneyes, fireplaces. Langlande complains bitterly that therich often despise dining in the hall, and eat by themselves ' in a privyparlour, or in a chamber with a chimney.'Piers Plowman, B-text, Pass.X. 98, ed. Skeat (Early English Text Society) ; or ed. Wright, p. 179.211. Dortour, dormitory,212. Fermery, infirmary ; fde mo, many more. Chaucer }xses fermererefor the person who had charge of the infirmary; Sompnoures Tale,1. 151 ; dortour occurs in the same passage, just four lines above.216. Compare'Yif us a busshel whet, or malt, or reye,A Goddes kichil, or a trip of chese,Or elles what yow list, we may not chese,' &c.Sompnoures Tale, 1. 38.217. One^Z»c, with difficulty.219. Ytoted, investigated, espied ; see note to 1. 168.220. Friars are also accused of fatness in the following:'I have lyued now fourty jers.And fatter men about the neres5it sawe I neuer then are these frersIn contreys ther thai rayke.Meteles, so megre are thai made, and penaunce so puttes ham donn,That ichone is an hors-lade, whan he shal trusse of toun !Political Poems, i.. 264.222. ' With a face as fat as a full bladder that is blown quite full ofbreath ; and it hung like a bag on both his cheeks, and his chin lolled(or flapped) about with a jowl (or double-chin) that was as great as agoose's egg, grown all of fat ; so that all his flesh wagged about like aquick mire (quagmire).'228. The line, 'with double worsted well ydight,' occurs also in theComplaint of the Ploughman ; Political Poems, i. 334.229. The Mrtle was the under-garment, which was worn white by theBlack Friars. The outer black garment is here called the cope, and wasmade, very comfortably, of double worsted, reaching down toThe hrtle was of clean white, cleanly sewed, and was good enough m'^his heels.its ground or texture to admit of its being dyed in grain, i. e. of a fastcolour. See Smith's Student's Manual of the English Language, p. 55,and cf. Collier's Eccl. Hist. i. 612. The kirtle ' appears to have been akind of tunic or surcoat, and tohave resembled the hauberk or coat ofmail ; it seems, in some instances, to have been worn next the shirt, if^Neres, kidneys ; cf. German Niere. Rayke, wander about ; cf. 1. 72 of theCrede'. Hors-lade, a horse-load. Trusse of toun, pack off out of the town.