Munimentae Gildhallae Londoniensis; Containing Translation of the Anglo-Norman Passages in Liber Albus, Glossaries, Appendices and Index (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1862 Excerpt: ...(558). It seems not improbable that the present Billiter Lane is meant under this name; though Stow says (Survey) that it was originally called 'Bel. 'zettar's Lane, ' from the first builder and owner thereof. bevere. Engl. Beaver. (605.) Beaver hats were not uncommonly worn by the wealthier classes at this period; in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, 1. 274, for example, the Merchant wore upon his head "a Flaundrisch bever hat." bief. Fr. A beef, beeve, or ox. (712). Billyngesgate (238, 261, 461, 463), Byllyngesgate (549), Byllynggesgate (578). Billingsgate, in the City of London. It is named, and is the only place so named, as the landing-place for foreign goods, in the days of King Ethelred: see the Institute Lundonia, in Thorpe's Ancient Laws and Institutes of England, p. 127. birlester (689), birlster (689), birlesteris, plur. (689). Engl. Abhister, birlsters. This name, given to hucksters or retailers of victuals from door to door, appears to be of but rare occurrence; it is probably to be met with only in the City books, temp. Edward III. bis. Fr. Brown. (264.) Applied here to bread made of coarse meal, and known as 'trait' or 'tretc.' M. Michel is of opinion (Eecherches sur les Etoffes de Soie, etc. i. p. 176, ir. pp. 10-13), that in some instances, where this adjective appears in conjunction with another adjective denoting colour, it is the Latin adverb ' bis, ' and means in such cases 'twice 'dyed, ' the same as the 'dibapha' of the ancients. The expression 'pourpre bis, ' for example, he takes to mean a purple doubly rich. It seems, however, at least equally probable that the meaning is, a purple shot with a sombre colour, brown, black, or grey; similar to the expression "medley "brune and porre colour ." (whatever 'porre' may mean...