Menstralcy, minstrelsy, musical performance.

Ment, I, 110, knew?

Meny, attendants, fervants.

Menyé, I, 9, family, household, domesticks, attendants, fervants.

Merlyon, III, 177, merlin, a fpecies of hawk: emerillon, F.

Mess, I, 131, mass:

Mefe, the messes, difhes, dinner, or arrangement of the table.

Mefelle, a leper.

Mester, mystery, bufynefs: mestier, F.

Meteles, meatless.

Mette, mate.

Mewse, to muse, or meditate.

Mid, Mide, Myd, with. Mitte, with thee.

Misforfchapen, mishapeën.

Mister. See Myster.

Mo, Moo, more.

Mody, moody.

Moght, might.

Mold, Molde, I, 42, mould, earth; allso, head, or

crown of the head, as in 210, V. 940:

"Sche hadde a croune upon her molde,

Of ryche ftones and of golde,

That loffom lemede lyght:"

Mister Ellis, indeed, has been pleafe'd to put this conftruction and punctuation upon these lines, with the utmost violation of fenfe and reason:

"Sche hadde a crounne upon her, molde

Of ryche stones and of gold,

That lovefoine lemed lygt:"

as if MOLDE were the verb moulded, or model'd; of

which, it is believe'd, no parallel pasfage can be produce'd from any ancient poet: but whether or not, it is, certainly, not fo in this inftance; as wil be manifefted by feveral fimilar or appofite passageës, as, for example, from Lybeaus disconus, V. 841, 877, and 2083:

"A fercle upon her molde,

Of flones and of golde,

The best yn that enpyre." "A fercle upon her molde, Of flones and of golde,

With many a juall.”

"Whan the lady was come to towne,

Of golde and ryche ftones a krowne,

Upon her hedde was fette.”

Again: Allready, in Launfal, V. 238: "coronell on hur hedd fett."

"Hur heddys were dyght well withalle,
Everych had oon a jolyf coronall

With fyxty femmys and mo.”

So, in The fquyr of lowe degre, V. 719: "Ye ware the pery on your head,

Again:

With ftones full oryent, whyte and read."

"Farewell crown unto my hede.”

Again, in Sir Orpheo, V. 147:

"The king had a crowne on his hede,

It was no felver ne gold rede,

All it was of precious ftone.”

Molde is ftil apply'd by nurseës to the form of a childs fkul. Other fynonims for head are cawl, choll, costard, jowl, nowl, poli.

Mon, must.

Monhede, manhood.

Moni falde, I, 25, many fold.

Mornyng, mourning.

Mote, might, may. Mote, I, 140, moot, contend.

Mountance, Mountawnfe, Mountenaunce (III,165), amount, fpace of time it would take to walk or ride. Chaucer has, likewife, mountance; but, in Syr Tryamour, it is

mountenaunce:

"He had not ryden but a whyle,
Not the mountenaunce of a myle."

Mowne, may.

Moyles, mules.

Munftral, minftrel.

Munt, II, 124, mind.

Muscadell, a French wine.

Mustre, II, 290, minfter.

Mut, might.

Myddyllerd, Mydle-erde, I, 161, the earth, world, or

globe.

Mykel, much.

Myld, II, 94, mercyful.

Myn owe, mine own.

Myn, Mynne, less.

Mynge, II, 243, himself reminded, or mention made: myngian, S.

Mynt, I, 35, 144, threaten'd, aim'd, attempted. Mynt, I, 110, threat, attempt, aim.

Myrght, mirth.

Myslikeing, Myslykyng, dislike, or disguft.

Mysrede, misadvise, mistetch.

Mysfay, to belye, wrong, or fay what is amifs.

Myster, I, 33, Mystyr, need, want.

Name, Namm, Nom, Nome, took.

Nanes, I, 47, for the nanes, for the nonce, for the purpofe, or occafion; pro nunc, L.

Naft, (ne haft,) haft thou not.

Nay, neigh.

Neeve, III, 69, neif, fift, or clasp'd hand.

Neghed, nigh'd, drew near.

Neght, nigh.

Nell, wil not.

Nempne, name. Nempnede, name’d.

Nere, were not.

Nerre, nearer.

Nefe, a nofe.

Neffche ne harde, II, 63, foft nor hard: neɣe, S.
Nete, an ox.

Nevyn, name. Nevys, names.

Ney, eye. This, and fimilar words, are corrupted by changeing the fituation of the final n of the precedeing word; as my ney, for instance, or a newt, a nothe, instead of myn ey, an ewt, or an othe; and others, by removeing the first letter of the fecond word to the end of the firft, as an apron, an ouche, both which would be properly writen a napron, a nouche, as they are in the original French. Nobillary, I, 150, nobleness, nobility.

Nolde, ne wolde, would not.

Nome, name.

Nomeliche, namely.

Nones, Noonys, nonce, purpose, occafion. See Nanes. Noon, none.

Noonré, a nunry.

Nortour, nurture.

Not, ne wot, wot not, know not.

Noth, Nothe, oath.

Nouthe, II, 7, now; 273, nothing.
Nower, no where.

Nowther, neither.

Noyes, noife, grief, lamentation.

Nully, II, 138, ne wil i, i wil not.

Nufte, Nyfte, wift not, knew not.

Nuthake, III, 147, nuthatch, nut-jober, wood-cracker. Nycke, neck.

Nyghyng, approaching, drawing near.

Nys, nice, foolish: niais, F.

Nythyng, II, 99, a wicked or good for nothing-man, an

outlaw or vagabond.

Occient, occident, weft; much more probable than ocean. Odoun, down, or adown.

Odur, Odyr, other, others.

Ofte-fithes, oft-times.

Ogains, against.

Ogayne, again.

Oght, owe'd, own'd.

Ohtoun, II, 148.

Olyfant, elephant.

Olyroun. See the note on Launfal, V, 1023.

Olyve, alive, life.

Omell, among.

On, one.

Onane, anon.

Onde, II, 313, hate, hatred.

Oo, Oon, one.

Oolde, old.

Oones, once.

Ooft, hoft.