[15] l. 43.  See pp. 46-7 and note.

[16] l. 45. But-if, unless.

[17] l. 48.  For an elaborate investigation of the circumstances concerning the Eildon tree, see the special section in Murray’s edition.

[18] l. 49. rathely, quickly.

[19] l. 63. fee, beasts, cattle.

[20] l. 71. sekerly, truly.

[21] l. 79. ware, worse.

[22] l. 86. byrde, bride.

[23] l. 89. stead, place.

[24] l. 98. duleful, painful.

[25] l. 103. gone = go (old infinitive).

[26] l. 104. Middle-earth = Earth, the middle region in the old Northern cosmogony.

[27] l. 107.  Thomas is here addressing the Virgin.

[28] l. 111. beteach, entrust, hand over to.

[29] l. 114. derne, secret.

[30] l. 117. mountenance, space.

[31] l. 121. herbere, garden.

[32] l. 126. bigging, building.

[33] l. 127. papejoys, popinjays, parrots.

[34] ll. 131-6.  On the danger of eating fairy apples, see p. 53.

[35] l. 137. hight, command.

[36] l. 141. hight (MS. hye), ? pleasure.

[37] l. 143. pay, please.

[38] l. 145 et sqq.  See p. 46.

[39] l. 145. fair, pronounced as two syllables.

[40] l. 150. rise, brushwood, undergrowth.

[41] l. 155. teen and tray, pain and trouble.

[42] l. 167. me were lever, I had rather.

[43] l. 168. Or that, ere that, before that.

[44] l. 175. dess, dais.

[45] l. 183. main and mood, might and main.

[46] l. 188. kneeland = kneeling.  Cf. l. 191.

[47] l. 189. fand, found.

[48] l. 190. sawtery = psaltery.

[49] l. 191. ribib, rebeck, lute.

[50] l. 191. gangand = going.

[51] l. 196. store, plentiful.

[52] l. 199. brittened = brittled, cut up (the deer)

[53] l. 208.  This sudden and momentary change to the first person is found in all the older MSS.  See p. 47.

[54] l. 209. thee buse—­it behoves thee.  Cf. l. 234.

[55] l. 213. cheer, look, face.

[56] ll. 219-24.  See p. 54; also Sir Walter Scott’s introduction to the ballad of The Young Tamlane, in The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.

[57] l. 220. skill, reason.

[58] l. 221. To-morn, in the morning.

[59] l. 223. hend, noble, mighty.

[60] l. 226. hethen = hence.  Cf. sithen = since.

[61] l. 228. rede, advise.

[62] l. 232.  Four lines of the MSS. omitted here.

[63] l. 234. buse.  See note on l. 209.