OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
sche wol not duelle in housé half a day, 5934. 
my fourthé housbond was a revelour, 6033, 6085, 
- 6169, 6669. 
that sche so long a counseil scholdé hyde, 6548. 
and therefor, levë housbond, I conclude, 6753. 
and be to yow a trewé humble wyf, 6803. 
so long he wenté hous by hous til he, 7347, 
17161. 
to Crist that he the sendé hele and might, 7528. 
his syké heed is ful of vanyté, 7790. 
womman of many a scolé half a clerk is, 9302. 
in straungé hond and thus I tellé yow alle, 9314, 
15814, 15867, 17210. 
or for that ilk man schuldé helpen other, 9327, 
your herté hongith on a joly pyn, 9390. 
that I schul havé myn heven in erthé heere, 9521. 
o servaunt traitour, falsé homly hewe, 9659. 
for he couthé with it bothé hele and dere, 10554. 
and how and whan it schuldé harded be, 10559. 
for his honour as oft[ ë] happeth so, 10906. 
or to gret sorwé held it in distresse, 11228. 
ye schal your trouthé holden by my fay, 11784. 
of aventuré happed hiré to mete, 11805. 
by ordre as ofté herd I my lord neven, 12749. 
as thilké holy Jew oure eldres taught, 13779. 
therforé with wildé hors he dede hem drawe, 15044. 
o yongé Hughe of Lyncoln, slayn also, 15095. 
he couthé hunt at wildé deer, 15147. 
that bereth the reedé heepé, 15158. 
his brighté helm was his wonger, 15320. 
in allé hasté cum to me he saydé, 16493. 
but er he haddé half his cours i-sayled, 16585. 
So, when Palamon the larké herdé syngé, 2212. 
. that is in mar?agé honey sweté, 9270. 
and geve hem sugré, hony, breed, and mylk, 
10928. 
of every planté, herbé, tre, and flour, 11344. 
But in these cases the e might have been pre- 
served, even before a vowel, by exsura; see $ 82. 
In v. 8634 the participle, in 8642, 11796, 12919 
the infinitive, and in 10439 the preposition (withouté), 
should probably have an n; haddé hight, 11822, 
might possibly be hadde y-hight. 
§ 78. It is very probable that some liberty was 
allowed with regard to elision of e before h. A few 
cases are added where the practice (so far as it can 
be determined by a very few examples) seems to 
VOL. VIII. 63 
485 
have varied, and a few other instances, which, if the 
reading is correct, are exceptions to § 77. 
now wol I speke[n] of my fourth[e] housbonde, 
6084. . 
now wol I telle[n] of my fourt[he] housbonde, 
6062; but fourthé, 6035, 6085, 6169; y-had fyve 
housbondes, 5599, should probably be, had fyvé. 
the thrid[de] hour inequal that Palamon, 2273. 
fyve houres for to slepe upon a night, 14512. 
But, the nexté hour of Mars folwynge this, 2369. 
that is to seyn, trouthe, honour, and knighthede, 2791. 
of the bodyes and the grete honour, 999. 
(grete, 11399, should be gret.) 
that verray neede unwrappeth al thy wounde hyd, 
4523. 
bothe halle and chambur ylik [in] heré degré, 8139. 
and that he woldé come hastily ageyn, 11151. 
and eek the clernes[se] hool of sapience, 12039. 
bothe harp and luté, gitern and sauterie, 17200. 
$ 79. An accented final e (including e coming from 
French é, even when the accent has been cast back) 
is of course not elided. 
and yet hath lové maugré here eyghen two, 1798. 
he wolde noon auctorité alegge, 9532. 
of pité on this sike Damyan, 9853. 
the beauté of the gardyn and the welle, 9910. 
til Canacé hath in hir lap[pe] ytake, 10789, etc. 
$ 80. The e of monosyllables is commonly not 
elided, except in the case of the article the and the 
negative particle me. 
ne that a monk whan Aë is cloysterles, 179. 
and in his armes A hem alle up hente, 959. 
he may not flë it though he schuldé be deed, 1172. 
and se his lady wel neih day by day, 1409. 
so send mé him that most desireth me, 2327. 
al bë it that it bé agayns his kynde, 2453. 
which that sché hath, i-wis I weré to nyce, 10308, 
etc., etc. 
But, me athinketh that I schal reherce it heere, 3170. 
$ 81a. The e of the is much more frequently 
elided than not, and before e almost invariably. The 
consonant is frequently united to the following word.* 
but to the effect, it happed on a day, 1191. 
* So also with the verb the — thrive, in the forms 
theek, theech, 3862, 12857, 14362. 
