THE TALE. <1>
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Chaucer, Geoffrey and Purves, David Laing
10. Him and her on which thy limbes faithfully extend: those who in faith wear the crucifix.
11. The four spirits of tempest: the four angels who held the four winds of the earth and to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea (Rev. vii. 1, 2).
12. Thennes would it not in all a tide: thence would it not move for long, at all.
13. A manner Latin corrupt: a kind of bastard Latin.
14. Knave child: male child; German “Knabe”.
15. Heried: honoured, praised; from Anglo-Saxon, “herian.” Compare German, “herrlich,” glorious, honourable.
16. Beknow: confess; German, “bekennen.”
17. The poet here refers to Gower’s version of the story.
18. Stound: short time; German, “stunde”, hour.
19. Gestes: histories, exploits; Latin, “res gestae”.