Lament from the Sea, New Method! f2r

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It is cowardise and lack of hartes and corage that kepeth the Frenchmen from rysyng, and not povertye; which corage no Frenche man hath like to the English man. It hath ben often seen in Englond that iij or iv thefes, for povertie, hath set upon vij or viij true men, at robbyd them al. But it had not been seen in Fraunce, that vij or viij thefes have ben hardy to robbe iij or iv true men. Wherefor it is right seid that few Frenchmen be hanged for robbery, for that they have no hertys to do so terryble an acte. There be therefor mo men hangyd in Eglnd, in a yere, for robberye and manslaughter, than ther be hangid in Fraunce for such cause of crime in vij yers.
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Middle English Dictionary:

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Chaucer Glossary This glossary does not include all Middle English words, but hopefully contains a selection of those you are most likely to find troublesome. Because of the great variation in Middle English spelling it has not been possible to include all the likely spellings of a particular word, and only the most common versions are listed. Where the same or very similar words can be used both as nouns and verbs, they are distinguished by (n) and (v) in the list. A abedde in bed; to bed abhomynable disgusting, detestable abyde to wait, be patient abye, abegge, abeye to pay for accompte, acounte to count, reckon up, evaluate accordaunt in accord with acomplice to fulfill, satisfy adoun downwards, down, below aferd, afered afraid affeccioun emotion, feeling, desire afferme confirm affraye (n) assault; outcry, uproar; fear affraye (v) to startle, frighten, disturb agaynward, ayenward back again agaste to frighten; be frightened ay always, forever; progressively algate, algatis in all ways, entirely; all the time, continuously als also, moreover; as amende to remedy, correct; make amends amyd, amydde in the middle of amorwe in the morning; the next morning anyght at night; by night anon, anoon at once, straight away apayd, apayed pleased, satisfied aperceyve to perceive; comprehend apert, appert plain, clear; not secret aperteneth befits, is suitable to; concerns areste, arresten to stop; seize, restrain aright correctly, truly array, aray preparation; arrangement; condition, appearance assaye, asay to test, tempt auctorite, autorite legal power; authority avaunt, avant to boast avysioun, avision dream, vision B bale suffering, misery benedicite (may God) bless you benygne, benyngne gracious, kind; mild (weather) berd beard; joke, trick bet better, more bidde to ask, beg; pray byde to stay, remain, wait bye, beye to buy, purchase bifalle, befalle to befall, happen biforn, byfore before, previously bigyle, begyle to deceive, defraud, betray biheste, biheeste promise bisy, besy active, busy; occupied bysynesse, besynesse work, activity, task bistowe to give, bestow bitake, betake to give, grant, hand over; entrust bithynke, bethynke to think, reflect, imagine bytymes, betyme soon, quickly biwreye, bewrye to betray; reveal bone, boone request, prayer borwe to borrow bote, boote advantage, help, benefit; relief, remedy bounte, bownte goodness, virtue; kindness, benevolence brenne to burn breste to break, burst bryd, bridd, byrde bird; girl, sweetheart brode, brood wide, broad; large, spacious C cache, cacche, kacchen to grasp, seize cas, caas, cace situation, circumstance, case caste to throw chaffare trade, business; merchandise charite Christian virtue of love, charity chaunge to change, vary chere, cheere face; appearance, manner; good humour, kindness cherl rough, common man chese, cheese to choose, select chide to criticize, scold clene, cleene clean; pure, chaste clepe to speak, say, call out; call ( a name) clere bright, shining compaignye, companye group; fellowship comunly, communely commonly, ordinarily confort, counfort (n) assurance, consolation; pleasure, delight conforte, comforte (v) to encourage; console conseil, counceil (n) a meeting, council; body of advisors conseile, counceilen (v) to teach, instruct; persuade, advise constreyne to compel, force contenance, countenaunce behaviour; appearance corage, courage heart, feelings; desire, determination; courage coroune crown, garland cors body, corpse coveite to covet, desire covenable suitable, appropriate curteis courtly, refined, courteous curteisie, curtesye courtliness, good manners D daliaunce sociable conversation; flirting dampnable damnable, worthy of condemnation debat, debaat quarrel, dispute; conflict debonaire gracious, courteous; also, a gracious person dede, deede action, deed deef deaf deye, dye to die deme, deeme make a judgement, give a verdict departe to separate, divide, break up dere, deere honoured, dear, excellent, fine; expensive derke dark despit, dispit disdain, scorn destourbe to hinder, prevent dethe, deeth death devyne to guess, conjecture dighte to prespare, arrange digne suitable, fitting; honourable; proud, haughty dignite worthiness, excellence dynt, dent loud clap (of thunder) disclaundre to defame, denounce discrecioun sound judgement dispende, despende to spend, waste (money, time) dispoillen despoile to undress, strip; rob disport, desport amusement, fun, pleasure dom, doom judgement, opinion doute uncertainty, doubt draughte drink drede, dreede (n) fear, anxiety drede to be afraid; hold in awe or reverence drenche to drown, sink, flood dresse to place, put, arrange E eft again, another time; immediately eke, eek also elde, eelde age; old age elles, ellis otherwise, else emprise enterprise; difficult task encres, encrees increase, growth endite to write, compose ensample, ensaumple example entencioun intention, purpose entende to plan, intend, strive entente purpose, intention er before, formerly erste before, earlier ese, eyse ease, comfort esy comfortable estat, estaat state, condition; rank, social status ete to eat everemo, evermoo always, continually everiche every, each everydele, everydeel wholly, completely expounen, expowne to explain, expound expres clearly, explicitly F face face, expression, appearance fade transgressor, intruder faile, faylen to fail, disappoint fair well, neatly, couteously, pleasantly fame reputation (good or bad) fantasye imagination; fancy, desire fare to go; act, behave faste tightly, closely fecche to fetch, bring feyne to make up, invent, devise feith religious belief; loyalty fel, felle fierce, cruel fer, far far, remote, at a distance feste, feeste to feast, dine fyn end, conclusion, outcome fynde to find, discover flessh human flesh; body; meat flour flower; virginity foo foe, enemy folwe to follow forme, fourme shape, form, appearance forsothe truly, indeed fortune chance, accident, destiny; Fortune (personified) foryeve to forgive foule, fowle ugly fre free, of noble status fresshe new, unfaded, young;lovely;vigorous fruyt fruit; product, result G gaye joyous, merry gentil noble, well-born gerdoun reward gyde to lead, direct gyse custom, manner gladde joyful, happy gon, goon to walk goodliche excellent, beautiful, pleasing gost, goost spirit, mind; Holy Spirit; demon gostly, goostly spiritually, devoutly gossip god-parent; close friend governaunce control, government; behaviour, manner grace, gras divine favour; providence gramercy thank you graunte to grant, allow grete, greet big, large; excellent, important grevaunce annoyance, pain, sorrow grone, groone to groan, complain grucche to complain, bear a grudge H hap chance, fortune, luck hardily, hardely certainly, surely; boldly han to have hede, heed, heved head heigh, heye high, lofty hele, heele health, wellbeing; prosperity; salvation hende courteous, gracious, pleasant hente to seize, grasp herberwe dwelling place; harbour herye to praise, worship herken to listen to, hear hertely heartily, sincerely heste, heeste command, commandment; vow, promise hete, heete, hote heat hevene heaven hevye heavy; sad, gloomy hewe colour, complexion hidouse hideous, terrible hye to hasten, hurry hol, hoole whole, entire; unhurt, healthy hom, hoom, ham home honde hand honge, hange to hang hote, hoote, hat hot; intense, eager hoten to be named, be called housbondrye careful management, economy I / Y (used as a vowel) ich, y I (personal pronoun) ydele futile, worthless ylyke alike, equal, the same in, inne in, within ynogh, ynough, ynowe enough, sufficient ire anger, irritability irous angry ysee to see ywis indeed, surely J jalouse, jelous jealous jape (n) trick, joke japen (v) to joke, jest; deceive, mock joly, jolyf merry, cheerful, playful; pretty, attractive jolitee merriment, pleasure; passion; attractiveness jugen, juggen to judge juste fair; exact K kene, keene bold, fierce; keen, sharp kynde nature, humankind, natural form; sort, species kyndely, kyndelich natural kirtel, kirtle tunic, simple gown knave boy, male child; servant; peasant, villain knytte, knette to join, fasten together kunne, cunne to know, be informed about; know how to kunnynge, connynge ability, skill; knowledge, understanding; intelligence L labour effort, work lay religious law, doctrine, belief lak, lakke lack, want; flaw, fault langage language, speech, words lappe loose part of a garment, hem; pocket large generous, bountiful lasse, lesse less laud praise leche physician, healer leye, leggen to lay, place lemman, leman loved one, sweetheart, mistress lere, leere to learn lesen, leesen to lose lewed, lewde ignorant, uneducated lyen, liggen to lie, recline, remain lyf life lyke, lyche like, similar to londe country, kingdom; farmland; land, the earth loth, looth displeasing, hateful lowe, logh, lough low, short; quiet, soft; low in rank, humble lust, lest, list desire, wish; object of desire lusty pleasing; vigorous, lively; eager M mageste majesty maydenhede virginity maister master; teacher maistrye mastery, dominion; skill; admirable achievement make mate, spouse manace menace manere, maneere manner, form, shape; way, means, method matere, mateere physical matter; business, subject matter maugree, malgre despite, in spite of mede, meede payment, reward; bribe meynee household, attendants; troop of followers merye, murye, myrie merry, cheerful, pleasant mervayle, mervaille marvel, wonder meschaunce misfortune, bad luck meschief trouble, misfortune myght power, strength mo more, others moeven to move morwenynge morning, dawn mot, moot must mowe to be able muche, moche, myche much, greatly N nay no nameliche namely, especially namo no more, no other namoore no more, never again narwe narrow, small nat not natheles, nathelees none the less, nevertheless nede, neede need, necessity nempne to name nye, nyghe, neigh near; nearly noo no (very emphatic) noyse noise, sound, clamour nombre, noumbre (n) number nombren, noumbre (v) to count nones, nonys occasion; that time, then norice to nourish O o on o, oo one obeisant, obeisaunt obedient obeisaunce homage, act of obedience observance, observaunce duty; ceremony, rite, custom occasioun cause office employment; role, function; religious rite offren to make a regious offering oft, ofte often, frequent, repeated olde, oold ols, aged on, oon one ones, onis, oones once ord sword, to an end ordinaunce decree, order orison, orisoun prayer outen display, make public outherwhile sometimes owen to owe; own; ought to P page servant, serving boy payen to pay paraventure, paraunter perhaps, by chance pardee, pardieux by God! indeed! parfit perfect, complete parten to divide, share, separate pas, paas pace, speed passioun passion, suffering, martyrdom; feeling, emotion peyne, payne punishment, penalty; pain; effort peple, puple, pepil people perce to pierce pes, pees peace pile to rob, plunder piled bald; thin, scanty pyne pain, misery plat, platte flat, blunt pleye amusement, game pleyne, playne to lament, complain pleyne, playn clear, simple, sincere plesaunce pleasure, amusement, delight poure, powren to gaze intently, pore over; peep poure, povere poor prechen to preach preyen, prayen to pray, beseech, plead pres, prees crowd, throng prest, preest priest preve, preeve to test; prove, demonstrate pryme 6.00am; the hours from 6.00-9.00am prys price, value; prize, reward pryve, privy secret; private, confidential propre (one’s) own; individual, peculiar purveiaunce foresight, providence; arrangement, preparations Q quake to tremble queynte ingenious, clever; tricky, contrived; pleasing thing quelle to kill quyke living, lively quiten to pay; reward; pay back, be avenged R rathere, rathir earlier, sooner; rather recchelees reckless, careless, negligent red, reed (n) advice, counsel red, reed (v) to read, study; advise redy ready refut refuge regne, reigne kingdom, country rekene, rekne to recount, tell; reckon, calculate remembraunce memory reneye to renounce renne to run renoun renown, fame repaire return repreven to blame, reprove requeren to ask, request resoun, reson, raison reason, judgement retourne to return reule, rewle (n) rule; code of behaviour reulen (v) to rule, govern; conduct oneself reven to rob, steal, take away rewen to have mercy on, feel pity for riche rich, wealthy, splendid roial, real royal route, rowte company, crowd routhe, rowthe pity, compassion; pitiful sight or occurrence routhelees without compassion, pitiless rowne to whisper rude rough, wild; humble, ignorant S sad, sadde serious, sober; steadfast, trustworthy sal shall, must sapience wisdom sauf safe, secure; except for, save for savacioun salvation; safety, preservation savynge except for savour taste; smell sawe saying; speech, what is said scathe, skathe misfortune, pity science knowledge, branch of learning secree secret, confidential information seyn, seyen to say seken to seek, look for selde, seeld seldom sely innocent; hapless, wretched, poor selve same semblaunt semblance, outward appearance semely, semly seemly; impressive sentence meaning, significance; theme; opinion, decision seson, sesoun season seuretee, seurtee safety, security; pledge, collateral, guarantee shamefast, schamefast modest; embarrassed shende, sheend to ruin, destroy shette to shut shrewe scoundrel syde side; behalf sike, siken to sigh siker safe; sure, true, certain sikerly truly, certainly syn since sithe, sithen since, since that time sklendre, sclendre lean, slender; weak, feeble slen, sleen to slay, kill sleighe sly, cunning sleighte, slyghte, sleghte trickery, cunning; adroitness, skill; ingenious plan, trick slepen to sleep smal, smale small smyten to strike; cut sobre grave, serious; sober, abstemious sodeyn sudden, unforeseen softe gently, tenderly, easily sojourne to remain, dwell solace to comfort, give pleasure solempne splendid, impressive; dignified, important somdel, somdeel somewhat somtyme once, formerly; sometimes, at times sondry various, differing sone, soone soon, quickly, immediately sore, soore sore, painful sorwe sorrow, lamentation sothe, soothe truth soveraynetee sovereignty, mastery speche speech, talk, conversation spede to succeed, prosper; hasten, hurry; help, give success to spende to spend, expend; pass time spille to put to death, kill; die sprynge to spring, rise up, leap stat, statt condition, rank, estate sterte to move suddenly or vigorously; leap; tremble sterve to die stevene voice stif strong, hard stille motionless, still; quiet, silent stynte to stop, cease (talking or an activity); hesitate, delay ston, stoon stone, gem; testicle stonde to stand stounde time, period of time straunge, estraunge foreign, strange, unknown; distant, unfriendly streit narrow, small stryve to quarrel, contend subtil, subtille, soutil ingenious, skillful suffisaunt sufficient suffre, soffre to allow, permit; endure, suffer swich, siche such swynke to work, labour swithe quickly, immediately swoote, swote sweet, sweet-smelling T tarien to delay, keep someone waiting; waste time teche to teach tellen to tell; count thef, theef thief ther, theere thare there, where therwith with that, whereupon, immediately thikke thick, dense; stout, sturdy thogh though, although thral, thrall enslaved tyde tide (of the sea); time too toe to-breke to break in pieces, shatter tobreste to break in pieces, shatter togidres, togedere together tomorwe tomorrow tonne barrel, cask tormentour tormentor, torturer touche to touch; touch upon, be concerned with toune town travaille, travayle effort, work;suffering tresoun, treson, traisoun treason, treachery tretee treaty, agreement; discussion, negotiation trete to speak about, discuss; negotiate trew, trewe true, faithful, honest trouthe, treuthe loyalty to one’s word, fidelity; truth, truthfulness U undirtake to undertake, begin an enterprise; declare, affirm, assert unkynde unnatural, cruel unkonnynge, unconnyng ignorant, unskillful unnethe hardly, scarcely unsely, unseely unfortunate, unhappy untrewe unfaithful, untrustworthy unwar unexpected, unexpectedly usage custom V vanysshe to vanish, waste away veyne, vayne idle, foolish vengeaunce revenge, punishment venquysse to vanquish verray, veray true, faithful; genuine, real; pure, sheer; truly verraily, verrayliche truly vertu power; moral excellence, virtue viage journey, expedition; business, undertaking vileynye, vilanye rudeness; shame, disgrace; evil, harm, injury vitaille food voyden to expel, remove, get rid of, empty voys voice W wayke, weyk weak waille, waylen to wail lament; bewail, bemoan wayte to wait, watch for; expect, desire wake to be or remain awake; pray all night wanhope despair war, ware beware; take notice of wede, weede clothes, clothing weder, wedir weather wey, weye path, road; way, manner, means weylaway, welaway alas! weyve to abandon, give up wel, wele, weel well; very much; very welken, wolken sky welle well, spring; source wenche girl, young woman (of low birth); servant girl wenden to travel, go, leave wenen, weene to suppose, think, expect wexen, waxen to grow, increase whan, whanne when wherefor why, for which reason whil time, a short time whit white; innocent, pure whoso, whooso whoever, anyone wy why, indeed wyd wide, roomy wydwe, widewe widow wight creature, person, being wyke, wowke, weke week wykke wicked, evil; miserable wyle stratagem, trick wilne to wish, desire wynde to wind, twist; clasp, wrap wynnen to win, conquer, earn wys wise, prudent wisly, wisely certainly, surely wit mind; intelligence, judgement wite to know withal, withalle     withal, indeed withstonden to withstand, resist witnesse testimony, evidence wo, woo woe wod, wode, wood mad, crazy woodnesse, wodnesse madness wombe belly, womb wommanhede femininity, womanliness wone (n) custom, habit wone, wonen (v) to dwell worthy respectable, worthy; distinguished, excellent wrappe to wrap, cover, conceal wrecche wretch, miserable person; exile wreye, wrie to reveal, betray wreken to avenge, revenge oneself wrothe, wroothe angry Y yelden to pay; yield, surrender, give up yeman yeoman, free-born servant; official yer, yeere year yerde, yeerd yard, garden yerne quickly yeve to give yift, yefte gift yis yes (emphatic) yond yonder yong, yonge young yore, yoore long ago, formerly