A.B.C. A prayer to Our Lady by Geoffrey Chaucer (G > I)

Chaucer. England,16th century.
Note his beads. British Library [CC0]

This is the third in a series of posts publishing a remarkable English poem written in the 14th century in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

‘An A.B.C.', 'la Prière de Nostre Dame', was written by Chaucer in the 1370's. One of his earliest poems, it was based on a French work written by Guillaume de Deguileville  (1295 - c1358, a French Cistercian and writer).

Each of the 23 eight-line stanzas begins with a successive letter of the alphabet (but excluding the later letters J, U and W). The line numbers are indicated by (L-). The metre is iambic pentameter and the rhyming scheme is a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d.

The poem is reproduced below with explanatory notes. Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to footnotes that follow the relevant text. They are not hyperlinked so readers will need to scroll down.

Glorious mayde[1] and mooder, which that nevere
Were bitter, neither in erthe nor in see,
But ful of swetnesse and of merci evere, [L51]
Help that my Fader be not wroth with me.
Spek thou, for I ne [2] dar not him ysee,
So have I doon in erthe, allas the while, [L54]
That certes, but if thou my socour bee,
To stink[3] eterne he wole my gost[4] exile.

[1] mayde: A virgin; spec. the Virgin Mary ( †maid Mary); = maiden. 1385 Chaucer Knight's Tale 2330   Thow art mayde and kepere of vs alle..And whil I lyue a mayde I wol thee serue.
[2] ne: with not is a double negative; cf ne + pas in French.
[3] stink: stink or stench.  The eternal stench of Hell. See [24] And instead of a sweet smell there shall be stench...; Et erit pro suavi odore foetor... [Isa 3]. This is in stark contrast to the swetnesse of the glorous mayde and mooder. in L51. See THE FOUR LAST THINGS ---- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FATHER MARTIN VON COCHEM, O.S.F.C. (1625-1712).III. On the Vile Odors of Hell. 
Some editions have 'sink': A pool or pit formed in the ground for the receipt of waste water, sewage, etc.; a cesspool; a receptacle for filth or ordure; but the earliest example in the OED is c1440.
[4] gost: ghost, spirit, soul.

He vouched sauf, tel him,[2] as was his wille, [L57]
Bicome a man, to have oure alliaunce,[3]
And with his precious blood he wrot the bille [4]
Upon the crois[4a] as general acquitaunce[5] [L60]
To every penitent in ful creaunce; [6]
And therfore, ladi bright, thou for us praye.
Thanne shalt thou bothe stinte [7] al his grevaunce, [8] [L63]
And make oure foo to failen of his praye.

[1] vouched sauf: To show a gracious readiness or willingness, to grant readily, to condescend or deign, to do something. a1350   St. Stephen 207 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1881) 30   Gamaliell wouched safe To lay þat body in his awyn graue
[2] tell him: referring back to L53: spek thou.
[3] alliaunce: Union, bond, or connection through consanguinity. God the Son was one person with a hypostatic union of two natures, divine and human. He was of the hose of David according to thr flesh. He offered the hope and means for men to become adopted sons of God and co-heirs in Christ. 'Alliance' in French is used to refer to the Old and New Testaments.
[4] bille: A release from trouble, etc. (rare). Chiefly spec. (in allusion to Romans 5:15): release or deliverance from death or eternal punishment; forgiveness of sins; an instance of this. c1430  (▸c1370)   OED cites  Chaucer A.B.C. (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1878) l. 60   With his blod he wrot þat blisful bille Vp on þe cros as general acquetaunce [c1450 Cambr. Ff.5.30 acquitaunce] To euery penytent in ful cryaunce.
[4a]  crois: cross.
[5] acquitaunce: Release or exemption from something due, as a debt, obligation, etc. Also figurative. Chaucer Cook's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 47   His maister gaf hym acquitaunce And bad hym go..wt meschaunce. 
[6] ful creaunce: A possible play on words deriving from Credo, I believe. 1) The mental action or condition of believing; belief, faith, trust, confidence, credence. 1393   J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 366   Er Rome came to the creaunce Of Cristes feith. 2) To pledge oneself to pay; to take credit. c1386   Chaucer Shipman's Tale 289   We may creaunce whils we have a name, But goldles for to be it is no game. Christ, as the Redeemer, has through the shedding of His precious blood paid the debt due from men for their sin, as a general exemption (a) for those faithful (in ful creance) who repent of their sins; or (b) for every penitent in full settlement (of the debt due).
[7] stinte: To cause (a person) to cease action, to cause to desist. c1386   Chaucer Miller's Prol. 36   The Reue answerde and seyde ‘stynt thy clappe’. 
[8] grevaunce: Displeasure, indignation, offence, hurt.1390   J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 34   The bodely delices alle..Unto the soule done grevaunce. 
[9] praye: prey. Our Lady is entreated to pray so that the common foe, the devil, will fail to catch his prey.

I wot[1] it wel, thou wolt ben oure socour,[2]
Thou art so ful of bowntee,[3] in certeyn, [L66]
For whan a soule falleth in errour
Thi pitee goth and haleth[4] him ayein.[4a]
Thanne makest thou his pees[5] with his sovereyn [L69]
And bringest him out of the crooked strete.[6]
Whoso thee loveth, he shal not love in veyn,
That shal he fynde as he the lyf shal lete.[7] [L72]

[1] wot: from wit: To have cognizance or knowledge of; to be aware of; to know (as a fact or an existing thing). Pres. tense (Sc. and north. dial.) wot, (Sc. and north. dial.) wat; pa. tense and pple. wist; c1405  (▸c1387–95) Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. For aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe. 
[2] socour: Aid, help, assistance,forces; reinforcements.
[3] bowntee: bounty: Goodness in general, worth, virtue; Warlike prowess, valour; Kindness, beneficence; c1386   Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋451   Agayn wikked dede of his enemy, he shal doon hym bountee. Goodness shown in giving, gracious liberality, munificence: usually attributed to God.
[4] haleth: healeth from to heal; or hauleth, from to haul: To restore (a person) to health or soundness; to heal (an injury); to cure (a disease).c1330   Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 899 (MED)  To Ypocras anon he sent Þat he scholde come his sone to hale. To draw or pull > J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. vii. 351   Þat he be drawe and ihalid strongliche be þe here of his berd and of his hed.
[4a] ayein: again.
[5]  pees: peace. 
[6] strete: A narrow confined place or space or way generally. More generally: a road, way, path.OED 1370 Chaucer A.B.C. 70   Thanne makest thou his pees with his sovereyn, And bringest him out of the crooked strete.
[7] ? lete: the sense seems to suggest 'leave'.