25. Word, world; a common spelling in this poem; spelt ward in Lancelot of the Laik, 3184. The G. welt preserves the l, but it drops the r.
27. Seg, O man. The number of words for man in this poem is considerable, and many of them are in the vocative case. Cf. gome, l. 30; rink, l. 32; weiyy, l. 69; &c.
28.Fare, to journey, to go about among us. To is not used before infinitives, but only before gerunds, implying purpose. See l. 45.
35. Happili, by any hap or chance, haply. Of kynde, naturally.
50. Wende gref þolie, expected to suffer harm.
54. That hem bi ferde, that walked beside them.
62. 'Of other houses than are here we have no need.'
65. For, because; cf. note to l. 4.
71. 'That no death may harm us, we now ask.'
80. 'And, in order to win the world, goest so far (from home); d. La. 'discurris.'
81. 'How can you keep yourself from harm by your discernment and truth, (whilst endeavouring) wrongfully to bereave kingdoms of their kings.
85. Thei, tehy, i.e. the gods; a sudden change of number. So in l. 100, hur means their, whilst in l. 101 god is again in the singular.
87. 'Since I have favour, by virtue of that grant, to become the most dreaded, I should now act like a wretch and enrage the lord if, for pain of any death, I were to flee from my destiny, that is marked out for me (alone), and for no other king.' Woruthe and wraþede are past tenses subjunctive. So in l. 101 we have sente, i.e. were to send.
93. Ride ferþe, ride forth, ride away, go home.
110. 'Therefore I hasten to achieve (my lot), as my destiny is doomed for me.'
124. 'Amd fruit grew abundantly.' Grow is properly a strong verb; but growed is common in provincial English. "'Spec's I growed;" Uncle Tom's Cabin. Yet in l. 133 we have growe for growen, i.e. grown, the strong past participle.
132. 'That none should touch the trees, lest they should be delayed (in their way),' viz. by disease or death. On the verb trinen, to touch, see note to Piers Plowman, C.xxi.27.
138. Phison, Pison; Gen. ii.11. In l. 141 it is called Gena (Lat. text gagei, a mispreing for acc. gangen). "Fluvius vero Ganges iste est qui nobis vocatur Phison;" Palladius de Bragmanibus, ed. Bisse, p. 2.
Hy founden a water y-hoten Ganges.
Ther ben Inne eles strong[e],
That beth thre hundreth fet longe;"
King Alisaunder; ed. Weber, 5790.
"With regard to the Pison, the most ancient and most universally received opinion identifies it with the Ganges. Josephus, Eusebius, and many others held this;" Dict. of the Bible, ed. by Dr. Smith; art.
