Lines 7337-7698 Summary

Fals-Semblance and Streyned-Abstinence disguise themselves as pilgrims where he is a monk and she is a nun. However, he carries a concealed knife in his sleeve. They approach Wikked-Tonge and begin to negotiate for the release of Bialacoil, reassuring WIkked-Tonge of the innocence of the narrator in a pious-sounding sermon. Fals-Semblance then offers to shrive Wikked-Tonge for his sin of gossip and lies.

Lines 7337-7698 Analysis

Allegorically, the young man is complying with the code of Courtly Love by acting secretly and thus silencing scandal and rumor by pretending to be innocent and sexless.

Historically, this passage is interesting because of the description of how Fals-Semblance and Streyned-Abstinence are dressed. The romance clearly describes their disguise as being perfect, so this gives us an idea of what pilgrims and nuns wore in those days.

When the plot is considered, the focus...