#  Glosses for quiz #1 of the Prioress's Tale (Lines VII.453-564) 

 



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**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.