[5] P. 93, l. 19. bolt, sift, pass through a sieve.

[6] P. 95, l. 5. himpen, hampen. Cf.  “Hemton hamton” in Scot’s account of Robin, p. 135.

[7] P. 97, l. 18. night-raven, proverbially a bird of ill-omen.

[8] P. 98, l. 7. starkled, stiffened.  A dialect word, still in use.

[9] P. 98, l. 22. quills, spools or “bottoms” on which weavers’ thread is wound.

[10] P. 101, l. 8. the tune of Watton Town’s End.  See Chappell’s Popular Music, 218-20.

[11] P. 105, l. 18. bombasting, puffing up, frothing.

[12] P. 106, l. 1. Obreon.  The 1639 edition spells the name in the ordinary way, but it may be noted that the Pepysian copy of the broadside ballad (p. 144), begins—­

  “From Obreon in fairyland.”

[13] P. 108, l. 16. the tune of What care I how fair she be? This is the tune to George Wither’s famous—­

  “Shall I wasting in despair
  Die because a woman’s fair?”

See Chappell’s Popular Music, 315.

[14] P. 109, l. 5. the tune of The Spanish Pavin. (Pavin = Pavan.) See Chappell, op. cit., 240.

[15] P. 110, l. 13. the tune of The Jovial Tinker.  See Chappell, op. cit., 187.

[16] P. 110, l. 25. ax = ask.  The form “ax” was in use till the end of the sixteenth century, and continues in dialect.

[17] P. 111, l. 13. the tune of Broom.  See Chappell, op. cit., 458; but this song does not fit the metre.

* * * *

The Romance of Thomas of Erceldoune.

(Fytte I.)

See pp. 45-7.  In preparing the text, I have reduced in as simple a manner as possible the fifteenth-century spelling to modern forms.  Dr. J.A.H.  Murray’s parallel texts (see note on p. 46) have been consulted, but mainly I have followed the oldest of them—­that of the Thornton MS. in Lincoln Cathedral Library.  The footnotes explain all words save those that are or ought to be familiar to every reader.

[1] l. 1. endris, last.

[2] l. 6. meaned, moaned.

[3] l. 7. bered, sounded.  The woodwale is some kind of wood-bird.

[4] l. 14. wrable and ivry, ? wriggle and twist, i.e. in the attempt to describe her.

[5] l. 17.  See p. 54.

[6] Swilk, such.

[7] l. 21. roelle-bone; a commonplace in early poetry, as the material for saddles; meaning unknown.

[8] l. 24. crapotee, toad-stone.

[9] l. 32. overbegone, overlaid.

[10] l. 33. paytrell = poitrail, breast-leather of a horse; iral (?).

[11] l. 34. orphare = orferrie, goldsmith’s work.

[12] l. 38. raches, dogs.

[13] l. 39. halse, neck.

[14] l. 40. flane, arrow.