William Langland

Name: The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman — Glossary
Author: William Langland

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

Summary

“The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman — Glossary”, published in 1887, is a work by William Langland. It explores elements such as Anglo-Saxon, Piers Ploughman and verb.

Quotes from The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (William Langland)

William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ GLOSSARY.
[The figures in the following Glossary refer to the page of the text. Words preceded by a †, occur only in the Creed. A.S. and A.N. distinguish the two different languages of which our own is composed, Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman.]
A.
a, prefixed to verbs of Anglo-Saxon origin, has sometimes a negative, sometimes an intensative power: before nouns and adjectives it represents on and at, as, a-brood, a-fore (æt-foran) , a-rowe (i. e. on a row) , a-loft (i. e. on high) , &c. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Among some old glosses in the Reliquiæ Antiquæ (vol. i, p. 7) , we find "scurra, a harlotte." In the Coventry Mystery of the Woman taken in Adultery (p. 217) , it is the young man who is caught with the woman, and not the woman herself, who is stigmatised as a harlot.
harpen (A.S.) to harp. pret. pl. harpeden, 394
harrow (A.N.) 430, an exclamation, or rather a cry, said to have been peculiar to the Normans, the origin and derivation of which have been the subject of much discussion among antiquaries. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Chaucer, C. T. l. 1701, speaking of Arcite and Palamon, says they—"foughten breme, as it were bolles two," fought as fiercely as two bulls. In the Romance of Sir Amadas (Weber, p. 250) a person is described as coming "lyke a breme bare," like a fierce boar. It appears to be most commonly applied to animals. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ It is preserved in a few words in our language, such as forbid, forbear, forlorn, &c. The following instances occur in Piers Ploughman:—
for-bete (A.S.) to beat down, beat to pieces, or to death, beat entirely. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Johannes Hocsemius (quoted by Ducange, v. Lollardi) says, in his chronicle on the year 1309, "Eodem anno quidam hypocritæ gyrovagi, qui Lollardisive Deum laudantes vocabantur, per Hannoniam et Brabantiam quasdam mulieres nobiles deceperunt," &c. The term, used in the time of Piers Ploughman as one of reproach, was afterwards contemptuously given to the church reformers. The writer of the Ploughman's Tale, printed in Chaucer, Speght, fol. 86, appears to apply it to wandering friars:—
i-cleped lollers and londlese. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ The writer of the romance of Kyng Alisaunder, in describing a battle (Weber, p. 159) , says,—
There was sweord lakkyng,
i.e. there was playing with the sword. Weber, in his Glossary, has very wrongly explained it by licking. It is the Anglo-Saxon poetic phrase, sweorda ge-lác, the play of swords
lakke (A.S.) 189, a fault, a lack, or something deficient or wanting
lakken, lacche (A.S.) 31, 40, 130, 220, 262, 309, 333, to obtain, catch, take. pret. s. laughte, 357, 388, 434. part. act. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Tyrwhit (Glos. to Chaucer) thinks this means lay clerks. In the Canterbury Tales, l. 7453, the friar says:—
And more we se of Goddis secré thinges,
Than borel folk, although that thay ben kinges,
We lyve in povert and in abstinence,
And borel folk in riches and dispence. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ The negative ne is combined with the verb to will, to be, &c.; as nelle, for ne wille, nel, nyl, for ne wil, nere, for ne were, nolde, for ne wolde, nyste, for ne wiste. It is sometimes combined with other verbs, as naroos, 399, for ne aroos. So we have such expressions as, wol he nele he, 427, i. e. whether he will or he will not
nede (A.S.) need
neddre (A.S.) 82, an adder, venomous serpent
nedlere (A.S.) 96, maker of, or dealer in, needles
neet (A.S.) 411, cattle. Farmers still talk of neat cattle
neghen (A.S.) to approach, to near. pret. s. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ See the next word
mayn-prise (A.N.) 70, 346, a kind of bail, a law term. "It signifieth in our Common Law the taking or receiving a man in friendly custodie, that otherwise is or might be committed to prison, and so upon securitie given for his forth coming at a day assigned: and they that doe thus undertake for any, are called mainpernours, because they do receive him into their hands." ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Chaucer, in his translation of Boethius, uses it to represent the Latin perditissimus. Compare the description of the lorel in the Ploughman's Tale (Speght's Chaucer) fol. 91:—
For thou canst no cattell gete,
But livest in lond as a lorell,
With glosing gettest thou thy mete.
losel (A.N.) 5, 124, 176, 303, a wretch, good-for-nothing fellow. It appears to be a different form of the preceding word. loselly, 240, in a disgraceful, good-for-nothing manner
losengerie (A.N.) 125, 176, flattery, lying
lothen (A.S.) to loath
looth (A.S.) loath, hateful. lother, 318, more loath. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Chaucer, C.T. l. 2960, speaks of the liche-wake, or ceremonies of waking and watching the corpse, still preserved in Ireland:—
Ne how the liche-wake was y-holde
Al thilke night, ne how the Grekes pleye.
In the romance of Alexander (Weber, p. 145) , the word is applied to a living body (as in Piers Ploughman) :—
The armure he dude on his liche—
⁠he put the armour on his body
likame, lycame (A.S.) the body
liken (A.S.) 455, to please, to like (i. e. be pleased with) . liketh, 17, 262. pret. s. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Thus in Chaucer, Cant. T. l 16102:—
His overest sloppe it is not worth a mite
As in effect to him, so mote I go.
It is al baudy and to-tore also.
baw (A.S.) 210, 419, an interjection of contempt. Whitaker says that the word is still used in Lancashire, and that "the verb means alvum levare"
bayard (A.N.) 72, a term for a horse. It means properly a bay horse
beau-peere (A.N.) 383, a common title for a monk. "Beau-pere, titre que l'on donnoit aux religieux." Roquef.
beche (A.S.) a beech-tree
bede, pl. bedes (A.S.) prayer. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ The preterite is frequently used as an auxiliary verb to form with others a kind of imperfect or preterite, as, gan drawe, 352, drew; gan despise, 374, despised
gyen (A.N.) 39, to rule
gyour (A.N.) 421, 429, a ruler, leader
girden (A.S.) 40, to cast, strike. pret. s. girte, 99. In the second Towneley Mystery of the Shepherds, p. 115, Mak says, "If I trespas eft, gyrd of my heede."
gyterne (A.N.) 260, a gittern, a musical instrument, resembling, or identical with, the modern guitar
gyven (A.S.) to give. pres. pl. gyven. pret. sing. gaf, yaf, 387. part. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ This, and most of the other similar Anglo-Saxon words, applied to their heroes and warriors, became degraded under the Anglo-Normans. We may mention as other examples the words, fellow, renk, grom, wye, &c.
†gaynage (A.N.) 462, profit
gaynesse (A.N.) 178, gaiety
galoche (A.N.) 370, a shoe. The word occurs in Chaucer
galpen (A.S.) 252, to belch
gamen (A.S.) play
gangen, gange (A.S.) to go
†garites (A.S.) 463, garrets
garnementz (A.N.) 379, garments, ornaments
gare (A.S.) to make or cause to do a thing. pret. s. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ An illustration of this word will be found in the passage from Whitaker's text given in the note on l. 2473
hakke (A.S.) 420, to follow, run after, cut along after
half (A.S.) half, side
halie (A.S.) 156, to hawl
hals (A.S.) the neck
halwe (A.S.) 327, to hallow, consecrate, make holy
hamlen (A.S.) †part. pas. y-hamled, 468, to tie or attach (?)
handy dandy (A.S.) 69, the expression still used in Shropshire and Herefordshire
hange, honge (A.S.) 348, 384, to hang (intransitive) . pret. s. hanged, 19
hange, hangen (A.S.) 39, 392, to hang (transitive) . pret. pl. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Madox, Form. Angl. p. 428. Testam. Joh. de Nevill, an. 1386. Item Domino archiepiscopo Ebor. fratri meo. i. vestimentum rubeum de velvet cum le Veronike in granis rosarum desuper broudata. It was usual for persons returning from pilgrimages to bring with them certain tokens of the several places which they had visited; and therefore the Pardoner [in Chaucer] , who is just arrived from Rome, is represented with a vernicle sewed upon his cappe."—Tyrwhitt. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ The word belonged properly to a particular class in society. See a detailed account of its derivation and signification in a note in my Political Songs, p. 369
ribaudie (A.N.) low profligate talk
ribaudour (A.N.) 121, a teller of low tales
ribibour (A.N.) 96, a player on the ribibe (a musical instrument)
riche, ryche (A.S.) a kingdom. hevene riche blisse, the joy of the kingdom of heaven
richen (A.N.) to become rich
riden, ryde (A.S.) to ride. pres. s. ryt, pl. riden. pret. s. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Chaucer, C. T. l. 1453:—
In derknes and orrible and strong prisoun
This seven yeer hath seten Palamon,
For-pyned, what for woo and for destresse.
And C. T. l. 205:—
He was not pale as a for-pyned goost.
In this latter place Tyrwhit seems to interpret it as meaning tormented
for-shapen (A.S.) to unmake. pret. s. for-shapte, 365
for-sleuthen (A.S.) 103, to be spoilt from lying idle
for-stallen (A.S.) 68, to hinder, forestall, stop
for-sweren (A.S.) 170, to perjure, swear falsely. part. pas. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ They occur once or twice in MS. Harl. 2253, which, in my Specimens of Lyric Poetry, I have shown to have been written in Herefordshire. They also occur in several other manuscripts which may probably be traced to that part of England. In the Romance of Horn, in the MS. just mentioned, we have the lines:—
Horn set at grounde,
Him thohte he wes y-bounde,
He seide, Quene, so hende,
To me hydeward thou wende.
Thou shench us with the vurste,
The beggares bueth a-furste.
i. e. the beggars are thirsty. Whitaker gives a very remarkable translation of a-furst and a-fyngred, i. e. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ If they helpe wolde.
hardy (A.N.) 413, bold, hardy, courageous. hardier, 354, more bold
hardie (A.N.) 321, to encourage, embolden
harewe (A.S.) 412, a harrow
harewen, harewe (A.S.) 412, 414, to harrow. pret. harewede, ib.
harlot (A.N.) 175, 270, 271, 303, 354, a blackguard, person of infamous life. The word was used in both genders. It appears to have answered exactly to the French ribaud, as Chaucer in the Romance of the Rose translates roy des ribaulx, by king of harlots. Chaucer says of the Sompnour (C. T. l. 649) ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ This word is used in the genitive case in such phrases as the following: of foure kynnes thynges, 151, of four kinds of things. othere kynnes men, 177, other kinds of men. none kynnes riche, 213, no kind of rich men, or rich men of no kind. many kynnes maneres, 359, many sorts of manners. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ With gyle, as I trowe.
tynen, tyne (A.S.) 416, to lose. part. pas. tynt, 377
titeleris (A.S. ?) 442, tattlers
tithe (A.S.) tenth, tithe
tixte (A.N.) 348, text
to (A.S.) too
to-, prefixed in composition to verbs of Anglo-Saxon origin, has the same force as the German zu-, giving to the word the idea of destruction or deterioration:—
to-bollen (A.S.) 82, to overswell
to-breken (A.S.) 156, to break to pieces, break down. part. pas. to-broke, 139
to-cleve (A.S.) 236, to cleave in pieces, cut open
to-drawen (A.S.) to draw to pieces, or to destruction. pret. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ To pynche his pylche with greet noyse and soun.
And in Caxton's Reynard the Foxe, cap. v, Reynard having turned hermit, bare "his slayvne and pylche, and an heren sherte therunder."
†pild (A.N.) 500, bald
pilen (A.N.) 422, to rob
pilour (A.N.) 371, 420, a thief
†pylion (A.S. ?) 500, a kind of cap
pyne (A.N.) peyne, pl. peynes, pain, punishment
pyne, 78. See wynen
pynynge-stoole (A.S.) 47, literally, a stool of punishment, a cucking-stool
pynne (A.S.) 442, to bolt
piones (A.N.) 95, the seed of the piony, which was used as a spice. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Its occurrence in Piers Ploughman shows that Weber was not right in supposing it a mere alteration of the word time for the sake of rhyme. See also Sir F. Madden's Glossary to Gawayne
tonder (A.S.) 362, tinder
†too (A.S.) pl. ton, 476, 489, a toe
torne (A.N.) 428, to turn. pret. s. tornede, 321, torned, 265, turned
torne, 325, turne, 324 (A.S.) to turn (intransitive)
toten (A.S.) 331, 459, 461, to look, observe, to peep. pret. s. toted, 471. pl. toteden, 476. part. past, y-toted, 464
touken (A.S.) to dye. part. pas. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ T.
tabard (A.N.) 88, a short coat or mantle. "Tabbard, collobium." Promp. Parv. One of the stage directions in the Coventry Mysteries (p. 244) is:—
Here xal Annas shewyn hymself in his stage, be seyn after a busshop of the hoold lawe, in a skarlet gowne, and over that a blew tabbard furryd with whyte. tacches (A.N.) 168, stains, blemishes
taillé (A.N.) 68, a tally, notched stick; an account scored on a piece of wood. See note
tailen (A.N.) to keep an account by notches on a stick, to give a tally for a thing. part. a. tailende, 156. part. pas. ”

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William Langland, The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman… (1887)

“ Phi, nota fœtoris, lippus gravis omnibus horis,
Sit phi, sit lippus semper procul, ergo Philippus!
fiers (A.N.) proud, fierce
fighten (A.S.) to fight. pret. s. faught, 391, 402. pl. foughten. part. pas. ”

William Langland

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