304 



OBSERV 



CONFESSIO AMANT1S. 



few. By noteworthy instances is meant cases in 

 which a final e, that by general laws should be 

 sounded, is required by the metre to be silent. 

 Some of the apparent exceptions can be easily 

 explained away. A few cannot. Thus, we find, 

 helpe, help, i. 30, 204, 331 : ii. 22 : iii. 215 (twice), 

 224, 267, eight cases, to nine of helpe : queue, ii. 

 212 : iii. 338, but queue twenty-seven times : sight, 

 ii. 243, 321 (rh. night), but sighte six times: food, 

 ii. 362 ; iii. 26, 30 (rh. good), but fode five or six 

 times : time, ii. 167, but time everywhere else : nede, 

 i. 155, but nede elsewhere : spede, i. 88, 186 : ii. 

 395, and spede about as often : I rede, iii. 47 : i. 

 117, elsewhere rede. We also find " now tell, my 

 sone : my fader, what," i. 317, but elsewhere sone 

 always ; " for than he woll his hope reherse," ii. 216, 

 elsewhere hope ; " for erth which meined is with 

 steel/' i. 25 : " her gold under the erth begrave," ii. 

 197, elsewhere erthe ; u I have an herte liche unto 



thine/' i. 359: "his hert stod(e) in a sory plit(e)," 

 i. 75 : " thy hole hert fro the she tok(e)," ii : 

 279 : " min hert stant ever in o stede," ii. 3, 

 herte in innumerable cases ; " for I dar(e) unto 

 this trouth dwelle," ii. 226, elsewhere trouthe ; 

 " that his eye might he nought witholde," ii. 315, 

 elsewhere eye. 



In these last instances we should perhaps 

 read, 



now tell, mv sone : fader, what. 



for than he woll his hap reherse. 



for erthe which is meind with steel. 



her gold under the erthe grave, 



(or, under the erthe her gold begrave.) 



I have an herte lich to thine. 



his herte stod in sory pi it. 



thy hole herte fro the tok. 



min herte stant ever (ev'r) in o stede. 



for I dar to this trouthe dwelle. 



that his eye he might nought witholde. 



skill occurs, but only as a rhyme to will, i. 42, 49, 



I 



104 : ii. 330 : iii. 59, 180, 185, 227. Elsewhere 

 we find skille (11 cases), and even rh. wille, i. 

 277, 292, 352 : ii. 312 : so that we should prob- 

 ably read skille, wille, in all the above instances, 

 bride ( i. 102), flore, iii. 337, probably belong with 

 the exceptional feminine nouns noted under 

 § 17, and if so should have no e. Hond, night, 

 world, might have been expected from the pecu- 

 liarity of those nouns in Saxon, but honde, 



nighte, worlde also occur. See § 17. 



CONTBACTIONS. 



§ 93. Final er is very frequently contracted 

 especially under circumstances in which final e 

 would suffer elision : e. g. 



adder ( = addr) : in likenesse of an adder he slipte, 



ii. 72. 

 after ( 



ifh 



better (=bettr).: that but thou be the better 

 avised, i. 94 



that better him is to flee than save, iii. 220. 

 chambre ( = chain br) : somtime in chambre, som- 



time in halle, ii. 39. 

 over ( = evr) : and ever hath do, sith it began, 

 i.36. 



that never hereafter shall be lassed, i. 103. 

 that he never after gete may, ii. 2., 

 that I never yet to chirche went[e], ii. 371. 

 yet might I never have o repaste, iii. 32. 



fader ( 

 83, 237. 



/< 



and hinder hem all that ever I may, i. 228, 



177. 



lenger: me thenketh (thenkth) is ay the lenger 



(lengr) the ferre, i. 281. 

 letter : this letter as thou hast herd devise, i. 192. 

 lever : for him was lever in the bataile, ii. 66. 

 monster : a cruel monster, as saith the gest, ii. 304. 

 other : to warne all other of such deceipt, i. 237. 



if o woman an other beguile, ii. 234. 



above all other the moste chef(e), iii. 11. 

 suster : that to my suster ne to my brother, i. 148. 

 tender : was faire and fressh and tender of age, i. 68. 

 thunder : with thunder and lightning is forsmite, 



and shove another out[e] 



iii. 308. 

 weder : the weder was merie and fair inough, i. 112. 

 whether (= whe'r) : wher(e) that he love or love 



nought, i. 226. 



wher(e) she be clothed or be naked, ii. 350. 

 se wher(e) this were a noble wif(e), iii. 364. 



So, iii. 5, 110, 231, 303, 322, etc. 



