ABOVE ALL THING THOW ARTE A KYNG: FOOTNOTES

1 And to wear their gorgeous clothing

2 In the highways there [are] splendid palfreys (saddle-horses)

3 "Nor provide lively entertainment, joyful welcome" (RHR)

ABOVE ALL THING THOW ARTE A KYNG: NOTES

Refrain, line 3. MS and Greene goste; RHR gost.

4 The word money in the margin appears to indicate the refrain after each quatrain for the first nine stanzas and also 11-12; stanzas 10 and 13-20 have the phrase money &c.

5 place thow makyste. MS palce tomakt thou makyste.

8 But thowght. MS but so thowght.

10 galandes. Gallants -- what later ages would call "swells" -- were fashionably-dressed young men. In moral lyrics they became symbols or topoi of pride and presumption. See, for example, "an acrostic on the name 'Galaunt' (built on the Seven Deadly Sins)" as printed in A Manual of the Writings in Middle English, 5:1469, and the three poems on galaunts mentioned on page 1470 (§§ 161-63). The MS seems to read garlandes rather than galandes (= RHR's and Greene's reading).

jett. Derives from Lat. and Fr jactare, jetter but has the sense of "to carry oneself confidently or conceitedly, to talk boastfully of oneself, to boast, brag, vaunt oneself, make an ostentatious display" (OED s.v. Jet v.1). See also The Simonie 118 and note.

13 the. So Greene and RHR; MS they (anticipation of hey weys).

15 dysguysynges. "Allegorical entertainments, the forerunners of the Tudor masques" (Greene).

17 wantyth. MS yt written above the line.

18 a mated chere. "With the air of one checkmated or baffled" (Greene, cited by RHR).

19 springe. So RHR; MS sprnge.

22 As kyng. MS and RHR at kyng; Greene As.

23 tables. Backgammon, as in Chaucer's Book of the Duchess, line 51: "Then playe either at ches or tables."

25 and knyght . . . wyghte. MS and & knyght . . . wyghe. Emendations by Greene and RHR.

28 Theyr. MS thery; RHR theyr, Greene Theyr.

33 incresse. MS Icresse; Greene, RHR emend to Incresse.

35 the. So MS; Greene emends to the[y]. RHR directs to line 67 (the crye), where Greene also reads the[y].

36 faders. MS fath faders.

39 oft. So MS and RHR; Greene of[t].

41 Westmyaster. MS wystmyaster; Greene emends to Westmynster, RHR to westmynster.

43 ther. So MS and Greene; RHR there.

45 Whatesoever. MS Whate so euery; RHR Whate-so-euer; Greene Whatsoeuer.

48 Shale prove not. So Greene and RHR; MS shale not proue not.

52 moyeny. So MS (e inserted above the line); RHR emends to money.

53 that be in. So MS and RHR; Greene that in.

55 Sum cutte. So RHR; MS Su[m] knowe cutte.

57 dothe. So MS and RHR; Greene doth.

60 peyne. So MS and RHR; Greene payne.

67 oft the. So MS; RHR of them. Greene reads of the[y].

75 moné. So MS and RHR; Greene emends to mone[y].

76 That he ys. So RHR; MS that he r ys. Greene That i heys.

79 Yt ys. MS ys yt ys.