the shire for Kent, and in 1392-3 he was residing at Greenwich. He
evidently knew something of the Kentish dialect; and he took advantage
of the circumstance, precisely as Gower did, for varying his rimes.
The earliest example of this is in his _Book of the Duchess_, l. 438,
where he uses the Kentish _ken_ instead of _kin_ (A.S. _cynn_) in
order to secure a rime for _ten_. In the _Canterbury Tales_, E 1057,
he has _kesse_, to kiss (A.S. _cyssan_), to rime with _stedfastnesse_.
In the same, A 1318, he has _fulfille_, to fulfil (cf. A.S. _fyllan_,
to fill), to rime with _wille_; but in Troilus, iii 510, he changes it
to _fulfelle_, to rime with _telle_; with several other instances of a
like kind.

It is further remarkable that some Kentish forms seem to have
established themselves in standard English, as when we use _dent_ with
the sense of _dint_ (A.S. _dynt_). When we speak of _the left hand_,
the form _left_ is really Kentish, and occurs in the _Ayenbite of
Inwyt_; the Midland form is properly _lift_, which is common enough in
Middle English; see the _New English Dictionary_, s.v. _Left_, adj.
_Hemlock_ is certainly a Kentish form; cf. A.S. _hymlice_, and see the
_New English Dictionary_. So also is _kernel_ (A.S. _cyrnel_); _knell_
(A.S. _cnyllan_, verb); _merry_ (A.S. _myrge_, _myrige_); and perhaps
_stern_, adj. (A.S. _styrne_).

There are some excellent remarks upon the vocalism of the Kentish
dialect in Middle English by W. Heuser, in the German periodical
entitled _Anglia_, vol XVII pp. 73-90.