A few more quotations are here subjoined, without comment.
I not which was the fyner of hem two; A. 1039. To make a certeyn gerland for hire heede; A. 1054. And hereth him comyng in the greues; A. 1641. They foyneden ech at other longe; A. 1654. And as wilde boores gonne they smyte That frothen white as fome frothe wood; A. 1658-9. Be it of pees, other hate or loue; A. 1671. [xx] That sche for whom they haue this Ielousye; A. 1807[16]. As he that hath often ben caught in his lace; A. 1817. Charmes and sorcery, lesynges and flatery; A. 1927. And abouen hire heed dowues fleyng; A. 1962. A bowe he bar, and arwes fair and greene; A. 1966. I saugh woundes laughyng in here rage, The hunt strangled with wilde bores corage; A. 2011-8[17]. The riche aray of Thebes his paleys; A. 2199. Now ryngede the tromp and clarioun; A. 2600. In goth the speres into the rest; A. 2602. But as a Iustes or as a turmentyng; A. 2720. And rent forth by arme foot and too; A. 2726. Of olde folk that ben of tendre yeeres; A. 2828. And eek more ryalte and holynesse; A. 3180. He syngeth crowyng as a nightyngale; A. 3377. What wikked way is he gan, gan he crye; A. 4078. His wyf burdoun a ful strong; A. 4165.
These examples shew that the Harleian MS. requires very careful watching. There is no doubt as to its early age and its frequent helpfulness in difficult passages; but it is not the kind of MS. that should be greatly trusted.
§ 15. THE ELLESMERE MS. The excellence of this MS. renders the task of editing the Tales much easier than that of editing The House of Fame or the Minor Poems. The text here given only varies from it in places where variation seemed highly desirable, as explained in the footnotes. As to my general treatment of it, I have spoken above (vol. iv. pp. xviii-xx).
One great advantage of this MS., quite apart from the excellence of its readings, is the highly phonetic character of the spelling. The future editor will probably some day desire to normalise the spelling of Chaucer throughout his works. If so, he must very carefully study the spelling of the Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS., which resemble each other very closely. By their help, it becomes possible to regulate the use of the final _e_ to a very great extent, which is extremely helpful for the scansion of the lines.