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

IV. JAMES I {OF SCOTLAND). 383157. Lesly, lusty; i. e. pretty, as usual.Ravin, ravenous.158. To purpose, to my purpose, to my story.Furth, forth, along; the Scottish r makes this word almost dissyllabic—/wrT-^;??.times.In bye, in haste ; a mere expletive. Used by Barbour some hundred159. Spide is evidently a mistake of the scribe for aspide, the usualOld English form. See Chaucer.Cleuering, clinging ;are called in Old English clivers.holding on as a cat holds on by its claws, -which160. Glewis; a word is here omitted. I believe glewis to be not inappropriate.The old Eng. glew, modern glee, meant a game or sport, butwas used with particular reference to the tricks of fortune ; so that glewisanswers in sense to our modem freaks. See Glew in Jamieson's Diet.Instead of ^, the usual abbreviation for and, Mr. Chalmers prints anitalic Q_upside down, and supposes it to mean askewAnewis, probably rings, from Lat. annulus, O. Fr. anel, also speltaniau, aigniau. Sec.161. Degoutit, spotted.See Roquefort.Self, same ; alluding to the black tails with which white ermine isornamented.Chiere, cheer, demeanour.Alyte, put for a lyte, 3. little.Slake, i. e. slacken or leave off frowning, and so begin to smile.For must be inserted.At ane contenance, in one aspect.162. We must either read pitte, or insert as.163. Weltering, rolling, turning. Fortune's wheel is represented asturning on a horizontal axis, whilst numbers of men cling on to it. Assome suddenly clutch at it, or fall off into the pit beneath, it as suddenlyturns round.164. ' And, on the wheel (viz. near the highest point), there was asmall vacant space, nearly stretched across (like an arch) from the lowerto the higher part of it ;and they must be clever who long sat in theirplace there, so unsteadily, at times, she caused it to go on one side. Therewas nothing but climbing up and immediately hurrying down ;and therewere some too who had fallen so sorely, that their courage forvipagain was gone.'climbingFallyng is for fallen, the past participle. This singular speUingoccurs several times in the Scottish MS. of Lancelot of the Laik, ed.Skeat.