#  Glosses for Quiz on the Wife of Bath's Tale (Lines III.857-1254) 

 



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

867 That serchen every lond and every streem,  
 **serchen**: haunt  
  
878 Wommen may go saufly up and doun.  
 **saufly**: safely  
  
887 Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,  
 **maugree hir heed**: against her will, despite all she could do  
  
898 To chese wheither she wolde hym save or spille.  
 **spille**: put to death  
  
909 A twelf-month and a day, to seche and leere  
 **seche**: search **leere**: learn  
  
911 And suretee wol I han, er that thou pace,  
 **suretee**; pledge  
  
922 But he ne koude arryven in no coost  
 **coost**: coast (region)  
  
941 That we nel kike, for he seith us sooth.  
 **nel kike**: will not (*nel = ne wil*) kick back  
  
944 We wol been holden wise and clene of synne.  
 **holden**: considered  
  
950 Pardee, we wommen konne no thyng hele;  
 **hele**: hide, keep secret  
  
965 But nathelees, hir thoughte that she dyde  
 **dyde**: would die  
  
970 Doun to a mareys faste by she ran --  
 **mareys**: marsh  
  
989 And in his wey it happed hym to ryde,  
 **it happed hym**: he chanced  
  
999 A fouler wight ther may no man devyse.  
 **devyse**: imagine  
  
1030 And afterward this knyght was bode appeere.  
 **bode appeere**: commanded to appear  
  
1059 I woot right wel that swich was my biheste.  
 **biheste**: promise  
  
1069 Sholde evere so foule disparaged be!"  
 **disparaged**: degraded by union with someone of lower birth  
  
1120 For which we clayme to been of heigh parage,  
 **heigh parage**: noble lineage  
  
1136 Pryvee and apert thanne wolde they nevere fyne  
 **fyne**: cease  
  
1142 Yet wole the fyr as faire lye and brenne  
 **lye**: blaze  
  
1152 And he that wole han pris of his gentrye,  
 **pris of his gentrye**: praise for his noble birth  
  
1161 Which is a strange thyng to thy persone.  
 **strange thyng**: thing foreign to, not naturally part of  
  
1189 But he that noght hath, ne coveiteth have,  
 **have**: to have (anything)  
  
1209 Were in no book, ye gentils of honour  
 **gentils**: nobles  
  
1216 Been grete wardeyns upon chastitee.  
 **wardeyns**: guardians

Score 4 points for each correct answer; if you made an 80 or more, congratulations. If you scored 76 or less, go back and again read carefully through The Wife of Bath's Tale (III.857-1254), paying close attention to meaning and availing yourself of the page glosses, the explanatory notes, and the glossary.