#  Glosses for quiz #3 of the Shipman's Tale (Lines VII.304-434) 

 



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**Compare your translations with the glossed text:**

306 He let his lyf, and there I lete hym dwelle.  
 **let his lyf**: leads (*let = ledeth*) his life, conducts himself  
  
309 With crowne and berd al fressh and newe yshave.  
 **crowne**: head  
  
316 Have hire in his armes bolt upright;  
 **bolt upright**: flat on one's back  
  
326 To Seint-Denys he gan for to repaire,  
 **repaire**: go, return  
  
328 And telleth hire that chaffare is so deere  
 **chaffare**: merchandise  
  
329 That nedes moste he make a chevyssaunce,  
 **chevyssaunce**: loan  
  
330 For he was bounden in a reconyssaunce  
 **reconyssaunce**: formal pledge  
  
331 To paye twenty thousand sheeld anon.  
 **sheeld**: unit ofexchange  
  
334 A certeyn frankes; and somme with him he ladde.  
 **a certeyn**: a certain number of  
  
336 For greet chiertee and greet affeccioun,  
 **chiertee**: fondness   
  
341 As freendes doon whan they been met yfeere.  
 **yfeere**: together  
  
343 And he hym tolde agayn, ful specially,  
 **ful specially**: in great detail  
  
344 How he hadde wel yboght and graciously,  
 **graciously**: successfully  
  
350 That ye in heele ar comen hom agayn.  
 **beele**: good health  
  
354 Lente me gold; and as I kan and may,  
 **kan and may**: know how and can  
  
359 By certeyn tokenes that I kan hire telle.  
 **tokenes**: confirmatory details, proofs  
  
366 Creanced hath, and payd eek in Parys  
 **creaunced**: obtained credit  
  
367 To certeyn Lumbardes, redy in hir hond,  
 **Lumbardes**: Lombard bankers **redy in hir hond**: promptly and in cash   
  
369 And hoom he gooth, murie as a papejay,  
 **papejay**: parrot  
  
371 That nedes moste he wynne in that viage  
 **viage**: undertaking  
  
372 A thousand frankes aboven al his costage.  
 **aboven**: in addition to **costage**: expense  
  
379 And up he gooth and maketh it ful tough.  
 **maketh it ful tough**: is unrelenting in his demands  
  
381 And wantownly agayn with hym she pleyde  
 **wantownly agayn**: wantonly in return  
  
386 That ye han maad a manere straungenesse  
 **straungenesse**: estrangement  
  
390 By redy token; and heeld hym yvele apayed,  
 **By redy token**: in cash (by clear evidence) **heeld hym yvele repayed**: he considered himself ill-used  
  
405 What! Yvel thedam on his monkes snowte!  
 **yvel thedam**: bad luck  
  
408 To doon therwith myn honour and my prow,  
 **prow**: profit, benefit  
  
409 For cosynage, and eek for beele cheere  
 **cosynage**: kinship **beele cheere**: good cheer, hospitality  
  
411 But sith I se I stonde in this disjoynt,  
 **disjoynt**: difficulty  
  
413 Ye han mo slakkere dettours than am I!  
 **slakkere**: slower (to repay) **dettours**: debtors  
  
416 I am youre wyf; score it upon my taille,  
 **score it upon my taille**: mark it on my tally, charge it to my account; see n.  
  
423 Ye shal my joly body have to wedde;  
 **to wedde**: as a pledge  
  
431 But, by thy lyf, ne be namoore so large.  
 **large**: free-spending  
  
434 Taillynge ynough unto oure lyves ende. Amen  
 **taillynge**: credit

How did you do? It is not necessary to get every line right to do well; some of the words in any passage from Chaucer are likely to be quite rare even in his own usage. Likewise, you need not supply exactly the same translation as that in the gloss; a number of different words can be used to translate almost any one of these glosses. If in doubt consult the glossary in *The Canterbury Tales Complete* and look at the notes on pages 435-37.

In you did well (got the great majority right), congratulations! If not, you should go back and read carefully through this part of the Shipman's Tale, paying close attention to meaning and availing yourself of the page glosses, the explanatory notes, and the glossary.