TR5.1576 Ănd óftĕ týme hĕ wás ĭn púrpŏs grétĕ
TR5.1577 Hy̆msélvĕn lík ă pílgry̆m tó dĕsgísĕ
TR5.1578 Tŏ séen hĭre; bút hĕ máy năt cóntrĕfétĕ
TR5.1579 Tŏ bén ŭnknówen ŏf fólk thăt wérĕn wísĕ,
TR5.1580 Nĕ fýnde ĕxcúse ăríght thăt máy sŭffísĕ
TR5.1581 Ĭf hé ămóng thĕ Grékĭs knówĕn wérĕ;
TR5.1582 Fŏr whích hĕ wép fŭl ófte ănd mány ă térĕ.

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translations (Windeatt: 1998):  And he often seriously intended to disguise himself as a pilgrim, so as to see her. But he could not pass himself off so as to be unrecognized by people in the know, nor devise an excuse that would do if he were recognized when among the Greeks, and so he very often wept a great many tears.
• Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): そして彼女に会うために変装して巡礼のようになろうかとしばしば真剣に考えた。しかし目ざとい人びとに知られないように装うことはできないし、もしギリシャ人の中にいて見破られたら、彼らを十分納得させられる言い訳をまったく見いだせなかった。そのためにたびたびさめざめと泣き、多くの涙を流した。
• Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 好几次他差些决定扮做游僧去探视她；但凭他如何装扮，总难免被明眼人识破，万一被希腊人觉察，就再也解说不清；因此他忧泣不止。

Word Information

• Etymology: OE
• Addresser: Narrator
• Addressee: N/A
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): 8.4
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: will (purpos: purpose, intent)
• Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: Not quoted
• MED: (Quoted) 4. (d) serious, solemn; of thought: deep, intense; of evidence, witness, security: firm, solid; ~ Thursdai, Maundy Thursday; (s.v. grēt, adj. & adv. & n.)

• Commented in other previous works:
• Windeatt (2003: 335): was in purpos grete: fully intended
• Fisher (1989: 528): yn purpose grete: in full intent
• Benson (1987: 581): in purpos grete: filled with intention
• Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
• Donaldson (1975: 988): grete: i.e., firmly
• Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

considerable in degree, intense; serious, solemn

Comments from the Editor

As noted by Windeatt (1998: 187), a pilgrim is a frequent wartime disguise in medieval literary and historical texts.