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And also she hath not one good partlet to put upon her neck, nor but one good coif to put upon her head.

Early in the opera it transpires that Constance Partlet, the daughter of a humble pew-opener at the Parish Church, has a doting love for the vicar, Dr. Daly.

Hence partlet, a hen, on account of the ruffled feathers, a term used alike by Chaucer and Shakespeare.

Partlet, p�rt′let, n. a ruff or band worn round the neck or shoulders by women: a hen, from its habit of ruffling the feathers round its neck.

Again, in the “Nuns’ Priest’s Tale” the “poure wydwe, somdel stope in age,” with her smoky cottage and the humble stock of her yard, are just the subdued and tender background which the poet needs for the mock-chivalric glories of his Chanticleer and Partlet.