fast she fled, nor ever looked behind,

Full > Very, exceedingly

2 As if her life upon the wager lay,

upon the wager lay > [were at stake]

3 And home she came, where her mother blind
4 Sat in eternal night: naught could she say,

she > [the damsel]

5 But, suddenly catching hold, did her dismay
6 With quaking hands, and other signs of fear:
7 Who, full of ghastly fright and cold affray,

ghastly > frightful, terrible
affray > terror

8 Gan shut the door. By this arrived there

Gan > Did
By this > At this; by this time

9 Dame Una, weary Dame, and entrance did require.

require > request

103.13

Which when none yeelded, her vnruly Page
2 With his rude clawes the wicket open rent,
And let her in; where of his cruell rage
4 Nigh dead with feare, and faint astonishment,
She found them both in darkesome corner pent;
6 Where that old woman day and night did pray
Vpon her beades deuoutly penitent;
8 Nine hundred _Pater nosters_ euery day,
And thrise nine hundred _Aues_ she was wont to say.

1 Which when none yielded, her unruly page

none > no one; none was

2 With his rude claws the wicket open rent,

rude > rough, violent
wicket > door, small door

3 And let her in; where, of his cruel rage
4 Nigh dead with fear and faint astonishment,
5 She found them both in darksome corner pent;
6 Where that old woman day and night did pray
7 Upon her beads, devoutly penitent;

beads > rosary beads

8 Nine hundred paternosters every day,

paternosters > (The Lord's Prayer, especially in Latin; _pater
noster_ = our father)

9 And thrice nine hundred _Aves_ she was wont to say.

_Ave_ > (_Ave Maria_, Hail Mary)
wont > accustomed

103.14

And to augment her painefull pennance more,
2 Thrise euery weeke in ashes she did sit,
And next her wrinkled skin rough sackcloth wore,
4 And thrise three times did fast from any bit:
But now for feare her beads she did forget.
6 Whose needlesse dread for to remoue away,
Faire _Vna_ framed words and count'nance fit:
8 Which hardly doen, at length she gan them pray,
That in their cotage small, that night she rest her may.

1 And to augment her painful penance more,
2 Thrice every week in ashes she did sit,
3 And next her wrinkled skin rough sackcloth wore,
4 And thrice three times did fast from any bit:

bit > morsel [of food]

5