THE MAN OF LAWS TALE（第4页）

orelseoftyriusapollonius，

howthatthecursedkingantiochus

berefthisdaughterofhermaidenhead;

thatissohorribleataletoread，

whenheherthrewuponthepavement.

andthereforehe，*offullavisement*，*deliberately，advisedly*

wouldneverwriteinnoneofhisserns

ofsuc混♂kind*abominations;*unnatural

noriwillnonerehearse，ifthatimay.

butofmytalehowshallidothisday?

mewerelothtobelikenddoubteless

tomuses，thatmencallpierides

（metarphoseos

wotwhatimean），

butnathelessireckenotabean，

thoughieafterhimwithhawebake*;*lout

ispeakinprose，andlethimrhymesmake."

andwiththatword，hewithasobercheer

beganhistale，andsaidasyeshallhear.

plight:pulled;thewordisanobsoletepasttensefrom"p露ck."

norethanwillmalkinsmaidenhead:aproverbialsaying;which，however，hadobtainedfreshpointfromthereevestale，towhichthehostdoubtlessrefers.

depardieuxjeoasente:"bygod，iagree".itischaracteristicthatthesomewhatpompoussergeantoflawshouldcouchhisassentinthesemi-barbarousfrench，thenfamiliarinlawprocedure.

ceyxandalcyon:chaucertreatsoftheseintheintroductiontothepoemcalled"thebookoftheduchess."itrelatestothedeathofblanche，wifeofjohnofgaunt，dukeoflancaster，thepoetspatron，andafterwardshisconnexionbymarriage.

thesainteslegendofcupid:nowcalled"thelegendofgoodwomen".thenamesofeightladiesmentionedherearenotinthe"legend"asithasedowntous;whilethoseoftwoladiesinthe"legend"—cleopatraandphilomela—areheromitted.

notthemuses，whohadtheirsurnamefromtheplacenearuntolympuswherethethraciansfirstworshippedthem;buttheninedaughtersofpierus，kingofmacedonia，whomhecalledtheninemuses，andwho，beingconqueredinacontestwiththegenuinesisterhood，werechangedintobirds.

metarphoseos:ovids.

hawebake:hawbuck，countrylout;thenproverbialphrase，"toputarogueaboveagentleman，"maythrowlightonthereadinghere，whichisdifficult.