Empryntith wel this lessoun on your mynde, For comun profyt, sith it may avayle: Ye archewyves, stondith at defens, Syn ye ben strong, as is a greet camaille, Ne suffre not that men yow don offens. And selendre wives, fieble as in batayle, Beth egre as is a tyger yond in Inde; Ay clappith as a mylle, I yow counsaile. Ne dred hem not, do hem no reverence, For though thin housbond armed be in mayle, The arwes of thy crabbid eloquence Schal perse his brest, and eek his adventayle: 2 In gelousy I rede eek thou him bynde, And thou schalt make him couche as doth a quayle. JOHN GOWER. From his Tomb in St. Saviour's, Southwark. John Gower's "Confessio Amantis" is an English poem devised towards the close of the fourteenth century, like Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," for the introduction of a number of good stories told in verse. It is so planned that the stories are grouped with a moral purpose into sections contrived each as a lesson, enforced by various examples, against one of the seven deadly sins. There is an eighth section that warns kings of their duty. In the poem next to be read, John Gower tells a story levelled against one of the five ministers of Pride, Presumption. He had found the tale in older collections. It was first told in the Spiritual Romance of " Barlaam and Josaphat,” written in Greek by a Greek monk, Joannes Damascenus, about the year 800, and translated into Latin before the thirteenth century. Vincent of Beauvais, who wrote a Historical Mirror, "Speculum Historiale,” about the year 1290, included in it this with the rest of the history of Barlaam and Josaphat. The tale had been repeated also in the "Gesta Romanorum," a mediæval collection of stories made for use in the teaching of the people. Thus it was told us by John Gower : GOWER SHOOTING AT THE WORLD. From Cotton MS.-Tiberius A. IV., page 8. THE TRUMP OF DEATH. I find upon surquederie 13 Wise and honest in all thing. 13 Surquederie, presumption; from Old French "surcniderie" and 'surquiderie "-there was also the form "outrecuidance "-from an old verb "cuider," to think, and "sur" or "outre," beyond. Chaucer And so befel upon a day, And that was in the month of May, And bridle them3 now in now out. 15 And how the grené leavés sprung, 70 80 50 Towards his king that was not heil,20 It fell so that in thilke dawe 22 There was ordained by the law A trumpé with a sterné breath, says, in his "Parson's Tale," "Presumption is when a man undertaketh an emprise that him ought not to do, or elles that he may not do; and this is called surquidrie." 1 Chare, chariot. 2 Amayed, attended by his mates or companions. There is another word "amayed" or "amated," from another root, meaning dismayed. * Bridlen hem, the same form in other passages. From the old form "hem" we get the contraction 'em for "them." 17 Mot, must or ought. First English unchanged: "ic mot, thu most, he mot, we móton;" past "ic moste." 18 Tho, then. 19 Through, by sounding of r, becomes a dissyllable, "thorough." 20 Heil (First English "hál"), whole, sound. 21 Lered, taught. 22 Dawe (First English "dæg"), day. How that the jugément is give Of death, which shall not be forgive. That he was sickerliché dede,5 To tender with the kinges herte, Of them that sawen thilké sight; 160 "That they must fligger, scoff, deride, and jeer, First English "flítan," to dispute, blame. And all at onés down they fall, If any pity may be found. The king which seeth them go to ground Why they be so despoiled there? That ye may worldés death respite." "Ha, fool, how thou art for to wite," 19 For that thou say'st thou art in doubt So that it may perchancé fail. Mine owné death through their imáge, Whereof I may no boté 22 find. Right such am I in my degree, 190 200 210 220 LONDON LICKPENNY. To London once my steps I bent, By froward chance my hood was gone, Till to the King's Bench I was come. And pray'd him for God's sake to take heed. Beneath them sat clerks a great rout, Which fast did write by one assent, Unto the Common Pleas I yode1 tho, I did him reverence, for I ought to do so, And told my case as well as I coud, How my goods were defrauded me by falsehood. I got not a mum of his mouth for my meed, And for lack of Money I might not speed. JOHN LYDGATE. From Harleian MS.-1766, page 5. the village of Lydgate, a few miles from Newmarket, was an ordained priest of the monastery of Bury St. Edmund's, where he taught rhetoric in the monastery school, and lived in repute over all the country as poet himself and teacher of the art of versifying to others. He wrote many legends of saints; he versified the tales of Troy and Thebes, and also the Falls of Princes, from a French metrical version of a Latin prose book by Boccaccio. His religious feeling will be illustrated in another volume. Here let us show that he could be lively when he pleased. describing a poor Kentish countryman who has come in search of justice to London, the licker up of pence, once had the widest popularity, and is even at this day well known to many readers. His poem Within this Hall, neither rich nor yet poor Would do for me aught although I should die. Which seeing, I got me out of the door Where Flemings began on me for to cry, "Master, what will you copen1 or buy? Finé felt hats, or spectacles to read? Lay down your silver, and here you may speed." 1 Yode, went. First English "gán," to go; present, "ic ga," I go; past, "ic eode," I went. The initial g has disappeared after becoming soft before the vowel sounds. The y in yode represents it. The past form now used with the verb "to go" is from another verb "to wend." 2 Silken hood, badge of a serjeant-at-law. 3 Ray, a rayed or striped cloth. ⚫ Copen (Dutch "koopen"), buy. So in Dekker's "Shoemaker's Holiday," the skipper whose wonderful ship is bought to make Simon Eyre's fortune, recommends it as "good copen," well worth buying. Then I conveyed me into Kent; For of the law would I meddle no more, "Strawberry ripe!" and "Cherries in the rise!"2 60 Then to the Cheap I began me drawn, Wheré much people I saw for to stand; Becausé no man to me took intent, I dight me to do as I did before. 110 Now Jesus, that in Bethlehem was bore, Geoffrey Chaucer, in his comic epilogue to the tale of "Griselda," counselled women not to imitate that heroine, "lest Chichevache you take." Among Lydgate's shorter poems is one written to accompany the public illustration of the popular myth, French in its origin, of Chichevache and Bicorn. French chiche (from the Latin ciccus, worthless) means niggardly, stingy; and vache is a cow. Chichevache means, therefore, the cow that has niggardly fare. Her husband, Bicornis the Two-horned, explains himselfas, indeed, Chichevache will also speak for herself-in the poem following. HEAD OF LYDGATE. From Harleian MS.-4826, between pages 1 and 2. BICORN AND CHICHEVCHE. First there shall stand an image in Poet-wise, saying these verses: O prudent folkés, taketh heed, Of the husbands and their wives, Of their accord and their strives, 6 Darrain, decide. From Latin "do," and "rationes," pleadings. The three words of the Roman Prætor in execution of his office were "do," "dico," "addico;" "do" in granting that a cause be brought for judgment; "dico" in pronouncing judgment; and "addico in adjudging to either disputant the matter in debate. To "arraign" was to call ad rationes to the pleadings; to "darraign" was to proceed to settling of the question. So Chaucer writes ("Knight's Tale," 772-4) "Two harneis hath he dight, Both sufficient and meté to darrain and Spenser ("Faerie Queene," I. iv. 40) "Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily Redoubted battail ready to darrain." |