Book V

, Chaucer distinguishes between ([`o][`o]) and ([`o]) in a very marked manner, since the riming formula of the stanza is _ababbcc_, i.e. the first line rimes with the third, and the second with the fourth and fifth. Observe, that Chaucer emphasizes this variation by making a similar distinction between open and close _e_ in the preceding stanza. I here give the pronunciation of the whole stanza; and, in order not to confuse the marks over the (o) with those of accentuation, the accent is here denoted by (.) placed _after_ the accented vowel or syllable.

dhis-Troo.ilus. widhuu.ten r[`e][`e]d. or-l[`o][`o].r[*e], az-man. dhat-hath. iz-joi.ez aek. forl[`o].r[*e], waz-wei.tingg' on. iz-laa.di ev.erm[`o][`o].r[*e], az-shee. dhat-waz. dh[*e]-sooth.fast krop. [*e]nd-m[`o].r[*e] ov-al. iz-lust., or-joi.ez heer.toof[`o].r[*e]. but-Troo.ilus., nuu-far.wel al. dhii-joi.[*e], for-shal.tuu nev.er seen.-ir eft. in-Troi.[*e].

The same distinction is preserved throughout the whole of the poem of Troilus, as may be seen by the following references, where the numbers refer, _not_ to the _lines_, but to the stanzas.

_lore_, _more_; I. 93. _sore_, _more_, _sore_; I. 96; where the former _sore_ is from A.S. _s[=a]re_, adv., and the latter _sore_ is of French origin[26], _sore_, _more_, _lore_; I. 108, 156; II. 81, 192; III. 35. _more_, _sore_; III. 139, 151; IV. 19, 129, 161; V. 97, 106, 171. _rore_ (A.S. _r[=a]rian_), _sore_, _more_; IV. 54. _yore_ (A.S. _ge[=a]ra_), _more_; IV. 214; V. 8. _yore_, _more_, _lore_, V. 47. _evermore_, _more_; V. 117. _more_, _sore_, _evermore_, V. 194. _more_, _evermore_, _yore_, V. 248. Also: _more_, _Antenore_; IV. 95; where _Antenore_, being a proper name, may be treated much as the author pleases. And further: _more_, _restore_, IV. 193; V. 239; where the _o_ in _restore_ is due to Lat. _au_. And lastly, _pore_, _rore_, V. 7: where the _o_ in _pore_ is of variable quality, from O.F. _povre_ (Lat. _pauperem_).

On the other hand, we find another set of words in Troilus, in which the open _o_ was originally short. Examples are: _tofore_, _wherfore_, _bore_, i.e. born; II. 202: from A.S. _t[=o]foran_; from A.S. _hw[=ae]r_ combined with _fore_; and A.S. _boren_. _y-shore_, _bifore_, _therfore_; IV. 143; where _y-shore_, shorn, is from A.S. _gescoren_. _therfore_, _bifore_; IV. 149. _forlore_, _m[)o]re_, _heretofore_, V. 4; already noticed above.

In all the above examples, the open _o_ occurs before _r_; the only other examples of open _o_ from original short _o_ are seen in