Pœna delectabilis, tristis paradisus,
Arridens tristities, et contristans risus,
Visionis cæcitas, cæcitatis visus,
Odium amabile, et amor invisus.

Sitiens ebrietas, sitis ebriata,

Saties famelica, fames satiata,
Virtuosum vitium, virtus vitiata,

Inquietum gaudium, requies ingrata.

Then he proceeds to discuss the question:

Quis nisi mentis inops, hostis rationi,
Fletum confert gaudio, risum passioni,
Lutum gemmæ conferens, noctuam pavoni,
Flori fœnum comparat, Thersitem Adoni?

Ut pruinâ gratior dies est æstiva,
Floreque decrepito rosa primitiva,
Sic matronæ Venus est quasi positiva,
Cùm Venus virgunculæ sit superlativa.

Ergo non ulteriùs quæstio procedat,
Cùm se parti virginum ratio concedat,
Ergo nupta virgini in amore cedat,

Rt innupta quælibet nuptam antecedat.

About the year 1250 flourished our facetious countryman Michael Blaunpayn, from his country sometimes called Cornubiensis, who studied at Oxford,

and wrote epistles, and many poems 18. Henry de Avranches, poet laureate to Henry the third, having affronted the men of Cornwall in some of his poems, the insult was amply revenged in a Latin satire by Michael Blaunpayn, which was recited in the presence of Hugh Abbot of Westminster, and other great ecclesiastics, of which this is a short extract:

Est tibi gamba capri,-crus passeris, et latus apri,
Os leporis, catuli—nasus, dens et gena muli,
Frons vetulæ, tauri-caput, et color undique Mauri.
His argumentis quænam est argutia mentis?
Quòd non à monstro-differs satis hìc tibi monstro 19.

In another poem he says of England:

Nobilis Anglia-pocula, prandia-donat et æra.
Terra juvabilis et sociabilis-agmine plena.
Omnibus utilis-Anglia fertilis-est et amœna,
Sed miserabilis-et lacrimabilis-absque catervâ,
Neustria debilis-et modò flebilis-est quia serva.

Neustria, or Normandy, when it was taken by the French from king John 20.

18 Wood, Antiq. Oxon.

19 MSS. Arch. Bodl. c. 29. Warton, vol. i. p. 51, note. 20 Camden, P. 6.

Michael applied to Henry the third for a provision in these lines:

Regni Rector-miles ut Hector-dux ut Achilles,
Te quia sector-melle vector-mel mihi stilles 21.

The following severe verses were made when Edward the first and the Pope united in taxing the clergy:

Ecclesiæ navis-titubat, regni quia clavis
Errat; Rex, Papa—facti sunt unica capa:

Hoc faciunt, Do, Des,-Pilatus hic, alter Herodes 22.

The Fourteenth Century.

John Bridlington, studied at Oxford, was a canon regular of Saint Augustine at Bridlington, and afterwards prior, wrote three books of prophecies, foretelling events already past in the English history of which he was the contemporary. He was born in 1319, the thirteenth year of Edward the second, and dying in 1379, the third year of Richard the second, was canonized 23.

21 Camden, p. 301.

22 Ibid. p. 303. 23 Warton, vol. i.

P.

79.

From him prophecies became fashionable, and many of them now remain in manuscript.

Vaticinium cujusdam viri catholici, canonici de Bridlington, prædicentis futura sibi ostensa, ita incipientis 24:

PROCEMIUM.

Febribus infectus-requies fuerat mihi lectus :
Vexatus mente-dormivi nocte repentè :
Noscere futura-facta fuit mihi cura:

Scribere cum pennis-docuit me scriba perennis,
Me masticare-jussit librumque vorare.
Intus erat plenè scriptus, redolensque amœnè.
Jussit de bellis-me metrificare novellis.

1

Qui sedet in stellis-dat cui vult carmina mellis.
Si verè scribam-verum credas fore, scribam:
Scripsero si vanum,—caput est quia non mihi sanum,
Non mihi detractes,—sed falsa per omnia mactes.
Nullus deliro-credat pro carmine miro.

Capitulum Secundum.

Hic dicit quod dominus Edwardus (secundus) de Karnarvon in omni bello erit victus, et quod ipse

24 Bodl. MSS. Digby, 89. 186. where are other prophecies: there are other MSS. of this work in the Bodleian, and other places.

fecit decidi plures nobilis regni sui, et etiam cognatos suos, et alios qui loquebantur pro jure regni Angliæ, sicut Comitem Lancastriæ, et alios :

Rex insensatus-est bellis undique stratus:
Nobilis est natus-qui dicitur infatuatus :
Nam perdet gentem—regni pro jure loquentem,
Ac optimates-Nullos reddet sibi grates.
Perdet cognatos-Pendere sinet veneratos.
Rex pietatis carens-Christi non fit benè parens.
Regnans prodetur qui gentis non miseretur.
Mors infecta malis-consumet tempora talis,
Summis contritum-tandem faciet redimitum,
Sole sagittante-frigido Boreâ remeante.

Ex hirco taurum-gignet redimita per aurum.
Ex auris aurum-ventis componitur aurum.
Exiet et rediet firmatus nomine patris
Ejus, et intereet genitor terebratus in atris.
Arte suæ matris-regnum rapiet sui patris.
Funera post fratris quæret regalia matris.

Capitulum Tertium.

Docet Mores Edwardi de Wyndesore (the third.)

Taurus erit fortis-metuens nil tristia mortis,

Sobrius et castus-justus, sine crimine fastûş,