quod he, “ther is ful many a man that crieth ‘Werre! werre!’ that woot ful litel what werre amounteth.  Werre at his bigynnyng hath so greet an entryng and so large, that every wight may entre whan hym liketh and lightly fynde werre; but certes, what ende that shal ther-of bifalle it is nat light to knowe; for soothly, whan that werre is ones bigonne ther is ful many a child unborn of his mooder that shal sterve yong by cause of that ilke werre, or elles lyve in sarwe, and dye in wrecchednesse; and therefore, er that any werre bigynne, men moste have greet conseil and greet deliberacioun.”—­Chaucer, Tale of Melibeus,Sec. 12; and see the French version, op. cit., I, p. 191.

4.  II, p. 72-9.

5.  I, pp. 71-2.  These medieval games are very difficult to identify.  The learned editor remarks that bric, which is mentioned in the thirteenth century by Rutebeuf was played, seated, with a little stick; qui fery is probably the modern game called by the French main chaude; pince merille, which is mentioned among the games of Gargantua, was a game in which you pinched one of the players’ arms, crying ‘Merille’ or ‘Morille’.  Though the details of these games are vague, there are many analagous games played by children today, and it is easy to guess the kind of thing which is meant.

6.  I, pp. 13-15.

7.  I, 92, 96.

8.  The story of Jeanne la Quentine is reproduced in the Heptameron of Margaret of Navarre (the 38th tale, or the 8th of the 4th day), where it is attributed to a bourgeoise of Tours, but it is probable that the Menagier’s is the original version, since he says that he had it from his father; although, knowing the ways of the professional raconteur, I should be the first to admit that this is not proof positive.

9.  I, pp. 125-6.

10.  I, p. 139.

11.  This was a favourite saying.  It occurs in the story of Melibeus, ’Trois choses sont qui gettent homme hors de sa maison, c’est assavoir la fumee, la goutiere et la femme mauvaise.’—­Ibid., I, p. 195.  Compare Chaucer’s use of it:  ’Men seyn that thre thynges dryven a man out of his hous,—­that is to seyn, smoke, droppyng of reyn and wikked wyves.’—­Tale of Melibeus, Sec.15; and

’Thou seyst that droppying houses, and eek smoke,
And chidyng wyves, maken men to flee
Out of hir owene hous.’

—­Wife of Bath’s Prologue, LL, 278-80.

12.  I, pp. 168-71, 174-6.

13.  II, p. 54.  The Menagier also warns against running up long bills on credit.  ’Tell your folk to deal with peaceable people and to bargain always beforehand and to account and pay often, without running up long bills on credit by tally or on paper, although tally or paper are better than doing everything by memory, for the creditors always think it more and the debtors less, and thus are born arguments, hatreds, and reproaches; and cause your good creditors to be paid willingly and frequently what is owed to them, and keep them in friendship so that they depart not from you, for one cannot always get peaceable folk again.’