e dilated utterance of a heart that melts with its
own thoughts, no longer the consecration of the verse to its matter, no
longer the softness, the light, the fragrance, the charm--no longer, in
a word, the old manner. Here is, in short, the philosophical observation
touching love, "the saw of might" still; but the love itself here is
not. A kindly and moved observer speaks, not a lover.

In one of the above-cited stanzas, Urry seems to have misled Wordsworth.
Stanza iv. verse 4, Chaucer says:--

"And whoso that he wol, he lougheth or siketh."

The sense undoubtedly is, "and whosoever HE"--namely, the God of
Love--"will, HE"--namely, the Lover--"laugheth or sigheth accordingly."
But Urry mistaking the construction--supposed that HE, in both places,
meant the god only. He had, therefore, to find out in "lougheth" and
"siketh," actions predicable of the love-god. The verse accordingly runs
thus with him,

"And who that he wol, he loweth or siketh."

Now, it is true, that, after all, we do not exactly know how Urry
understood his own reading; for he did not make his own glossary. But
from his glossary, we find that "to lowe" is to praise, to allow, to
approve--furthermore that "siketh" in this place means "maketh sick."
Wordsworth, following as it would appear the lection of Urry, but only
half agreeing to the interpretation of Urry's glossarist, has rendered
the line

"To humble or afflict whome'er he will."

He has understood in his own way, from an obvious suggestion, "loweth,"
to mean, maketh low, humbleth; whilst "afflict" is a ready turn for
"maketh sick" of the glossary. But here Wordsworth cannot be in the
right. For Chaucer is now busied with magnifying the kingdom of love by
accumulated antitheses--high, low--sick, whole--wise, foolish--the
wicked turns good, the proud shrink and fear--the God, at his pleasure,
gladdens or grieves. The phrase under question must conform to the
manner of the place where it appears. An opposition of meanings is
indispensable. "Humble or afflict," which are both on one side, cannot
be right. "Approveth or maketh sick," are on opposite sides, but will
hardly pick one another out for antagonists. "Laugheth or sigheth," has
the vividness and simplicity of Chaucer, the most exact contrariety
matches them--and the two phenomena cannot be left out of a lover's
enumeration.

Chaucer says of his 'bosom's lord,'

"And most his might he sheddeth ever in May"--

renowning