Nobles and squires

[Mark Kohut]

In feudal or medieval times a squire was a man-at-arms in the service of a knight, often as his apprentice. In later centuries, the term's meaning shifted. Squires are often known in current day as wealthy landowning people in rural England. 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squire


--- On Mon, 11/3/08, János Székely <miksaapja at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: János Székely <miksaapja at gmail.com>
> Subject: Nobles and squires
> To: "pynchon -l" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Monday, November 3, 2008, 11:17 AM
> Another cry for help:
> 
> *
> *
> 
> *While nobles are crying in their nights' chains, the
> squires sing.*
> (GR 701)
> Quite well-known but: is this a reference to a particular
> line which is
> bread-and-butter for an Anglophone, or just an imitation?
> If the latter, does "squire" mean 'page"
> here?
> 
> Thanks,
> János