Before hym went the council-menne, The freers of seincte Augustyne next Alle cladd ynne homelie russett weedes, Ynne diffraunt partes a godlie psaume Moste sweetlie theye dydd chaunt; Behynde theyre backs syx mynstrelles came, Thenne fyve-and-twentye archers came; From rescue of kynge Henrie's friends Bolde as a lyon came syr Charles, Drawne onne a clothe-layde sledde, Bye two blacke stedes ynne trappynges white, Behynde hym five-and-twenty moe Seincte Jameses freers marched next, Echone hys parte dydd chaunte; Thenne came the maior and eldermenne, And after them, a multitude Of citizenns dydd thronge; The wyndowes were all fulle of heddes, And whenne hee came to the hyghe crosse, At the grete mynsterr wyndowe sat To see Charles Bawdin goe alonge Soone as the sledde drewe nyghe enowe, The brave syr Charles hee dydd stande uppe, "Thou seest me, Edwarde! traytour vile! Expos'd to infamie; Butt be assur'd, disloyall manne! I'm greater nowe thanne thee. Bye foule proceedyages, murdre, bloude, Thou wearest nowe a crowne; And hast appoynted mee to dye, By power nott thyne owne. "Thou thynkest I shall die to-dai; And soon shall lyve to wear a crowne "Whylst thou, perhapps, for som few years, Shalt rule thys fickle lande, To lett them knowe howe wyde the rule "Thye pow'r unjust, thou traytour slave! Kynge Edwarde's soul rush'd to hys face, And to hys broder Gloucester Hee thus dydd speke and saie: "To hym that soe-much-dreaded dethe Beholde the manne! he spake the truthe, "Soe lett hym die!" Duke Richarde sayde; And maye echone oure foes Bende downe theyre neckes to bloudie axe, And nowe the horses gentlie drewe Syrr Charles dydd uppe the scaffolde goe, Of victorye, bye val'rous chiefs Gayn'd ynne the bloudie warre: And to the people hee dydd sai, For servynge loyally mye kynge, "As longe as Edwarde rules thys land, "You leave youre goode and lawfulle kyuge, Whenn ynne adversitye; Lyke mee, untoe the true cause stycke, Then hee, wyth preestes, uponne hys knees, Thenne, kneelynge downe, hee layd hys hedde The able heddes-manne stroke; And oute the bloude beganne to flowe, The bloudie axe hys bodie fayre And ev'rye parte, and eke hys hedde, One parte dydd rotte onne Kynwulph-hylle, One onne the mynster-tower, And one from off the castle-gate The crowen dydd devoure; The other onne Seyncte Powle's goode gate, A dreery spectacle; Hys hedde was plac'd onne the hyghe crosse, Ynne hyghe-streete most nobile. Thus was the ende of Bawdin's fate: Godde prosper longe oure kynge, And grante hee maye, wyth Bawdin's soule, Ynne Heav'n Godd's mercie synge! And learn the builder's vertues and his name; Of this tall spyre in every countye tell, And with thy tale the lazing rych men shame; Showe howe the glorious Canynge did excelle; How hee good man a friend for kynges became, And gloryous paved at once the way to Heaven and fame. ONN OURE LADIES CHYRCHE. [From a copy made by Mr. Catcott, from one in Chatterton's hand-writing.] As onn a hylle one eve sittynge, At oure Ladie's chyrche mouche wonderynge, Where glassie bubblynge Trymme doth roun." ON THE SAME. [From a MS. in Chatterton's hand-writing, furnished by Mr. Catcott, entitled, A Discorse on Bristowe, by Thomas Rowlie.] STAY, curyous traveller, and pass not bye, Until this fetive pile astounde thine eye. Whole rocks on rocks with yron joynd surveie, And okes with okes entremed disponed lie. This mightie pile, that keeps the wyndes at baie, Fyre-levyn and the mokie storme defie, That shootes aloofe into the reaulmes of daie, Shall be the record of the buylders fame for aie. Thou seest this maystrie of a human hand, The pride of Brystowe and the westerne lande, Yet is the buylders vertues much moe greete, Greeter than can bie Rowlies pen be scande. Thou seest the saynctes and kynges in stonen state, [pande, That seemd with breath and human soule disAs payrde to us enseem these men of slate, Such is greete Canynge's mynde when payrd to God elate. Well maiest thou be astounde, but view it well; Go not from hence before thou see thy fill, ON THE DEDICATION OF OUR LADIE'S CHURCH. [This poem was given by Chatterton in a note to the Parlyamente of Sprytes. The lines are here divided into the ballad length.] SOONE as bryght Sunne alonge the skyne, A troop of bolie freeres dyd, Then Carpenter yn scarlette dreste, And mytred holy¡ie; From Mastre Canynge hys greate howse Before hym wente a throng of freeres Who dyd the mass songe sound; The chyrche to Godde for aie, And after that another one Y preechen was bie mee: ON THE MYNSTER. [This poem is reprinted from Barrett's History of Bristol. It is said by Chatterton to be translated by Rowley, as nie as Engly she wyll serve, from the original, written by Abbot John, who was ynductyd 20 yeares, and dyd act as abbatt 9 yeares before hys inductyon for Phillip then abbatt: he dyed yn M.CC.XV. beynge buryed in his albe in the mynster."] WITH daitive steppe Religyon, dyghte in greie, Her face of doleful hue, [waie, Swyfte as a takel thro'we bryghte Heav'n tooke her And ofte and ere anon dyd saie "Aie! mee! what shall I doe; "See Brystoe citie, whyche I nowe doe kenne, Arysynge to mie view, "Thycke throug'd wythe soldyers and wythe Butte saynctes I seen few." [traffyckmenne; Fytz-Hardynge rose; he rose lyke bryghte sonne in the morne, "Faire dame adryne thein eyne, For 1 wylle rere thee uppe a mynster hie; "I shall ne be forelourne; Here wyl! I take a cherysaunied reste, And spend mie daies upon Fytz-Hardynges breste." ON HAPPIENESSE. BY WILLIAM CANYNGE. [This, and the two following poems, attributed to Mr. Canynge, are printed from Mr. Catcott's copies.] MAIE Selynesse on Erthes boundes bee hadde? Does yt agrosed shun the bodyed waulke, All hayle, Contente, thou mayd of turtle-eyne, Ne moe, ne moe, alass! I call you myne: I muste be gonne, botte whare I dare ne telle; For thee, O gould, I dyd the lawe ycrase; For thee, I gotten or bie wiles or breme; Ynn thee I all mie joie and good dyd place; Botte nowe to mee thie pleasaunce ys ne moe, I kenne notte botte for thee I to the quede must gue. THE ACCOUNT OF W. CANYNGES FEAST. BY THE SAME. Sir [This poem is taken from a fragment of vellum, which Chatterton gave to Mr. Barrett as an original. With respect to the three friends of Mr. Canynge, mentioned in the last line, the name of Rowley is sufficiently known from the preceding poems. Iscamm appears as an actor in the tragedy of Ælla, and in that of Goddwyn; and a poem, ascribed to him, entitled, The Merry Tricks of Laymington, is inserted in the Discorse of Bristow. Theobald Gorges was a knight of an ancient family seated at Wraxhall, within a few miles of Bristol. (See Rot. Parl. 3 H. VI. n. 28. Leland's Itin. vol. VII. p. 98.) He has also ap peared as an actor in both the tragedies, and as the author of one of the mynstrelles songes in Ella. His connection with Mr. Canynge is verified by a deed of the latter, dated 20th October, 1467, in which he gives to trustees, in part of a benefaction of 5001. to the church of St. Mary Redcliffe, "certain jewels of sir Theobald Gorges, knt." which had been pawned to him for 1601.] THIS mornynge starre of Radcleves rysynge raie, THE STORIE OF WILLIAM CANYNGE. [The first 34 lines of this poem are extant upon another of the vellum fragments, given by Chatterton to Mr. Barrett. The remainder is printed from another copy, furnished by Mr. Catcott, with some corrections from another copy, made by Mr. Barrett from one in Chatterton's hand-writing. This poem makes part of a prose work, attributed to Rowley, giving an account of painters, carvellers, poets, and other eminent natives of Bristol, from the earliest times to his own. It may be proper just to remark here, that Mr. Canynge's brother, mentioned in ver. 129, who was lord mayor of London in 1456, is called Thomas, by Stowe, in his List of Mayors, &c. | The transaction alluded to in the last stanza is related at large in some prose memoirs of Rowley. It is there said that Mr. Canynge went into orders, to avoid a marriage, proposed by king Edward, between him and a lady of the Widdevile family. It is certain, from the register of the bishop of Worcester, that Mr. Canynge was ordained Acolythe by bishop Carpenter on 19 September, 1467, and received the higher orders of subdeacon, deacon, and priest, on the 12th of March, 1467, O. S. the 2d and 16th of April, 1468, respectively.] ANENT a brooklette as I laie reclynd, Awhilst the cavys respons'd yts mottring souge, Dote yn the armour brace that Mychael bore, Orr, soone as theie dyd see the worldis lyghte, Fate had wrott downe, thys mann ys borne to fyghte. "Elle," I sayd, or els my mynde dyd saie, Next holie Wareburghus fylld mie mynde, Thus all mie wandrynge faytour thynkeynge The ethie ringletts of her notte-browne hayre Or veynes of brown hue yn a marble cuarr, Astounded mickle there I sylente laie, But I ne dyd once thyuke of wanton thoughte: Wyth sweet semblate and an angel's grace 1 Unauthorized. Dean Milles says it is the old English word nete or nought, with the prefix; to which corresponds the old French verb aneantised (annihilated) used by Chaucer. But there is no proof, that the word nete has ever been used as a verb, even if it exists. As when a bordelier onn ethie bedde, Immengde yn flanched ayre wyth Trouthe asyde. Strayte was I carryd back to tymes of yore, Whylst Canynge swathed yet yn fleshlie bedde, And saw all actyons whych han been before, And all the scroll of Fate unravelled; And when the fate-mark'd babe acome to sygthe, In all hys shepen gambols and chyldes plaie, He'd wytte enowe toe make a mayre at tenne. As the dulce downie barbe beganne to gre, Encreaseynge yn the yeares of mortal lyfe, He had a fader, (Jesus rest his soule!) But landes and castle tenures, golde and bighes, But soon hys broder and hys syre dyd die, And put hys broder ynto syke a trade, [made. Next Radcleeve chyrche (oh worke of hande of Whare Canynge sheweth as an instrumente,) I sawe the myndbruch of hys nobille soule I sawe what Pheryons yn hys mynde dyd rolle; Nowe fyx'd fromm seconde dames a preeste for lyfe. Thys ys the manne of menne, the vision spoke; Then belle for even-songe mie senses woke. HERAUDYN. A FRAGMENTE. [From a MSS. by Chatterton in the British Museum.] YYNGE Heraudyn al bie the grene wode sate, Hereynge the swote Chelandrie ande the Oue, Seeinge the kenspecked amaylde flourettes nete, Envyngynge to the birds hys love songe true. Syrre preeste camme bie ande forthe his bede-rolle drewe, Fyve Aves ande on Pater moste be sedde; Twayne songe, the on hys songe of Willowe Rue The odher one FRAGMENT, BY JOHN, SECOND ABBATTE OF SEYNCTE AUSTYNS MYNSTERRE. 66 [From Barrett's History of Bristol. It was sent HARTE of lyone! shake thie sworde, |