Glosses for quiz #1 of the Prioress's Tale (Lines VII.453-564)
Compare your translations with the glossed text:
458 Parfourned is, for on the brest soukynge
soukynge: suckling
459 Somtyme shewen they thyn heriynge.
heriynge: praise
466 Of bountee, next hir Sone, and soules boote.
soules boote: remedy for the soul
468 O bussh unbrent, brennynge in Moyses sighte,
unbrent: unburned
489 Amonges Cristene folk a Jewerye,
Jewerye: ghetto
491 For foule usure and lucre of vileynye,
usure: usury lucre of vileynye: shameful (excessive) profits
495 A litel scole of Cristen folk ther stood
scole: school
503 A litel clergeon, seven yeer of age,
clergeon: schoolboy
504 That day by day to scole was his wone,
wone: custom
517 As he sat in the scole at his prymer,
prymer: elementary school book
519 As children lerned hire antiphoner;
antiphoner: book of antiphonal hymns
523 Noght wiste he what this Latyn was to seye,
wiste: knew seye: mean
526 T'expounden hym this song in his langage,
t'expounden: to interpret
529 Ful often tyme upon his knowes bare.
knowes: knees
533 Hire to salue, and eek hire for to preye
salue: greet
536 I lerne song; I kan but smal grammeere."
kan smal grammeere: know but little grammar
540 To konne it al er Cristemasse be went.
konne: learn
541 Though that I for my prymer shal be shent
shent: scolded
560 Up swal, and seide, "O Hebrayk peple, allas!
swal: swelled
562 That swich a boy shal walken as hym lest
boy: brat hym lest: he pleases (lit. it pleases him)
563 In youre despit, and synge of swich sentence,
sentence: subject, meaning
To grade yourself give 5 points for each correct answer (there are twenty lines in all). If you get a total of 80 or better, you did well (if you got a hundred you did great!). If you got a total of 75 points or less, you should go back and read carefully through this part of the Prioress's Tale, paying close attention to meaning and availing yourself of the page glosses, the explanatory notes, and the glossary. Then continue your reading of this tale.