We get a further glimpse of this sun-burned mariner in the prologue to his tale. The host, with a brace of oaths, calls upon the parson : The Person him answerde: "Benedicite! What cyleth the man, so synfully to swere?" For we schul have a predicacion; This loller heer wolde prechen us somwhat." Sayde the Schipman; "heer schal he naught preche, We levyn [believe] al in the gret God," quod he. "He wolde sowen some difficulté Or springen cokkil [tares *] in our clene corn. And therfor, Ost, I warne the byforn My joly body schal a tale telle, [And I schal clinken you so mery a belle Ne of physike, ne termes queinte of lawe; [Canterbury Tales. Aldine Edition of Chaucer's Works, ii., 13,— iii., 106-7. Cf. the text of Skeat's edition, 1894.] EXTRACT XVI. A.D. 1449. THE SCHEME OF THE REPRESSOR.' By REGINALD PECOCK. [The author, it will be observed, claims to write in the 'common Feople's language.' See p. 42.] 'Now that God for his godenes and charite ceese the sooner in the comoun peple such vnwijs, vntrewe, and ouerhasti vndirnyming and blamyng maad upon the clergie, and that for the harmes and yuelis therbi comyng now seid, y schal do therto sumwhat of mi part in this, that y schal iustifie xj. gouernauncis [practices] of the clergie, whiche summe of the comoun peple vnwijsly and vntreuli iugen and condempnen to be yuele; of which xj. gouernauncis oon is the having and vsing of ymagis in chirchis; and an othir is pilgrimage in going to the memorialis or the mynde placis [shrines, mynde=remembrance] of Seintis, and that pilgrimagis and offringis mowe be doon weel, not oonli priuely, but also openli; and not oonli so of lay men, but rather of preestis and of bischopis. • Cf. Extract XII.-The Parable of the Tares in the Wheat. And this y schal do bi writing of this present book in the comoun peplis langage pleinli and openli and schortli, and to be clepid The repressing of ouer miche wijting [blaming] the clergie: and he [it] schal haue v. principal parties. In the firste of whiche parties schal be mad in general maner the seid repressing, and in general maner proof to the xj. seid gouernauncis. And in the ije. iije. iiije. and va. principal parties schal be maad in special maner the seid repressing; and in special maner the proof to the same xj. gouernauncis; thoug alle othere gouernauncis of the clergie, for whiche the clergy is worthi to be blamed in brotherly and neigbourly correpcioun, y schal not be aboute to excuse neither defende; but preie, speke, and write in al pacience and doctrine, that the clergie forsake hem, leue, and amende.' [Pecock's Repressor, 1860, i., 4, Babington's Edition, Collection.] Rolls EXTRACT XVII. A.D. 1485. SIR ECTOR'S LAMENT FOR SIR LANCELOT. By SIR THOMAS MALORY. [After the death of King Arthur at the Battle of Camlan, Sir Lancelot visited Guenever at Almesbury. Passing thence he entered a monastery, and, there dying, his body was carried, by his own desire, to his castle of Joyous Gard, concerning which we are told in La Mort d'Arthure, 'some men say Anwick, and some men say it is Bamborow.' It is supposed to be Berwick. See p. 43.] 'And whan syr Ector herde suche noyse & lyghte in the quyre of Ioyous garde [Lancelot's castle] he alyght & put his hors from hym & came in to the quyre & there he sawe men synge wepe/ & al they knewe syr Ector / but he knewe not them / than wente syr Bors vnto syr Ector & tolde hym how there laye his brother syr Launcelot dede / & than Syr Ector threwe hys shelde swerde & helme from hym / & whan he behelde syr Launcelottes vysage he fyl [fell] doun in a swoun/ & whan he waked it were harde ony tonge to telle the doleful complayntes that he made for his brother /A Launcelot he sayd thou were hede of al crysten knyghtes & now I dare say sayd syr Ector thou sir Launcelot there thou lyest that thou were neuer matched of erthely knyghtes hande / & thou were the curtest [most courteous] knyght that euer bare shelde & thou were the truest frende to thy louar that euer bestrade hors & thou were the treuest louer of a synful man that euer loued woman / & thou were the kyndest man that euer strake wyth swerde / & thou were the godelyest persone pt euer cam emonge prees [press] of knyghtes / & thou was the mekest man & the Ientyllest that euer ete in halle emonge ladyes / & thou were the sternest knyght to thy mortal foo that euer put spere in the breste/' [Le Morte Darthur, Book xxi., Capitulum xiii. Facsimile reprint of Caxton's original edition of 1485, edited by H. Oskar Sommer, Ph.D., 1889, vol. i. p. 895*.] EXTROT XVIII. A.D. 1525. THE PARABLE OF THE TARES IN THE WHEAT. By WILLIAM TYNDALE. [See p. 46, and also pp. 277 and 283.] 'Another similitude put he forth / unto them saynge: The kyngdm off heven ys lyke unto a man which sowed good secde in his felde. Butt whyll men shlepte/ther cam his foo / and sowed tares amonge the wheate/ and went his waye: Whe the blade was sprōge up / ād had brought forth frute / the appered the tares also. The servaunts cam to the householder / and sayde unto him: Syr sowedest not thou good seed i thy closse / from whence then hath it tares? He sayde to them/ the ēvious man hath done this. Then the servaunts sayde unto hym wylt thou then that we go ad gader it? and he sayde / nay / lest whyll ye go aboute to wede out the tares / ye plucke uppe also with them the wheate by the rotts: let bothe growe together tyll harvest come / and in time of harvest / I will saye unto my repers / gadther ye fyrst the tares / ad bynd them in sheves to be brēt: but gadther the wheate i to my barne.' [Tyndale's black-letter New Testament (1525 or 1526). Fry's fac-simile. Bristol, 1862.] EXTRACT XIX. A.D. 1535. A LETTER FROM PRISON. By SIR THOMAS MORE. [Written 'with a cole . . . to hys daughter maistres Margaret Roper, within a whyle after he was prisoner in the towre.' See p. 46.] 'Myne own good doughter, our lorde be thanked I am in good helthe of bodye, and in good quiet of minde: and of worldly thynges I no more desyer then I haue. I beseche hym make you all mery in the hope of heauen. And such thynges as I somewhat longed to talke with you all, concerning the worlde to come, our Lorde put theim into your myndes, as I truste he dethe and better to by hys holy spirite : who blesse you and preserue you all. Written wyth a cole by your tender louing father, who in hys pore prayers forgetteth none of you all, nor your babes, nor your nurses, nor your good husbandes nor your good husbandes shrewde [clever] wyues, nor your fathers shrewde wyfe neither, nor our other frendes. And thus fare ye hartely well for lacke of paper. THOMAS MORE knight.' [The workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, smetyme Lorde Chauncellour of England, wrytten by him in the Englysh tonge. 1557, Vol. II. p. 1430.] EXTRACT XX, A.D. 1549. THE BISHOP AND ROBIN HOOD. By HUGH LATIMER. [See p. 47, and also p. 49.] 'Euer thys office of preachynge hath bene least regarded, it hath skante hadde the name of goddes seruyce. I came once myselfe to a place, ridyng on a iornay home warde from London, and I sente worde ouer nyghte into the toune that I would preach there in ye morninge because it was holy day, and me thought it was an holye dayes worcke, the churche stode in my waye, and I toke my horsse and my companye, and went thither, I thoughte I shoulde haue found a greate companye in the churche, and when I came there, the churche dore was faste locked. 'I tarried there halfe an houer and more, at last the keye was founde, and one of the parishe commes to me and sayes. Syr thys is a busye daye wyth vs, we can not heare you, it is Robyn hoodes daye. The parishe are gone a brode [abroad] to gather for Robyn hocde, I praye you let [prevent] them not. I was fayne there to geue place to Robyn hoode, I thought my rochet shoulde haue bene regarded, thoughe I were not; but it woulde not serue, it was fayn to geue place to Robyn hocdes men.' [Seven Sermons before Edward VI. on each Friday in Lent, 1549 (Arber's Reprint, 1869, 173).] EXTRACT XXI. A.D. 1557. THE PARABLE OF THE TARES IN THE WHEAT. From the GENEVA BIBLE. [See also pp. 277 and 282.] 'Another similitude put he forth vnto them, saying, The kyngdome of heauen is like vnto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, there came his fo, & sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprong vp & broght forth frute, then appeared the tares also. Then came the seruantes of the householder, & sayd vnto him, Syr soweddest not thou good seed in thy close, from whence then hath it tares? And he said to them, the enuious man hath done this. Then the seruantes sayd vnto hym, Wylt thou then that we go and wede them out? But he said, Nay, lest while ye go about to wede out the tares, ye pluck vp also with them the wheat. Let both growe together tyl haruest come, and in tyme of haruest, I wyl say to the repers, gather ye fyrst the tares, & bind them in sheues to be burned: but gather the wheat into my barne.' [Geneva Bible, 1557, as printed in Bagster's English Hexapla, 1841.] EXTRACT XXII. A.D. 1570. THE APOLOGY FOR THE SCHOOLMASTER. By ROGER ASCHAM. [See p. 69.] 'Wise men I know, will well allow of my choise herein: and as for such, who haue not witte of them selues, but must learne of others, to iudge right of mens doynges, let them read that wise Poet Horace in his Arte Poetica, who willeth wisemen to beware, of hie and loftie Titles. For, great shippes, require costlie tackling, and also afterward dangerous gouernment: Small boates, be neither verie chargeable in makyng, nor verie oft in great ieoperdie: and yet they cary many tymes, as good and costlie ware, as greater vessels do. A meane Argument, may easelie beare, the light burden of a small faute, and haue alwaise at hand, a ready excuse for ill handling: And some praise it is, if it so chaunce, to be better in deede, than a man dare venture to seeme. A hye title, doth charge a man, with the heauie burden, of to great a promise: and therefore sayth Horace verie wittelie, that, that Poete was a verie foole, that began hys booke, with a goodlie verse in deede, but ouer proude a promise.' Fortunam Priami cantabo et nobile bellum, And after, as wiselie, Quantò rectiùs hic, qui nil molitur ineptè, &c.' * THE FIRST ADVENTURE OF THE 'FAERY QUEENE.' By EDMUND SPENSER. [See p. 54.] In the beginning of the feast, there presented him selfe a tall clownish younge man, who falling before the Queene of Faeries desired a boone (as the manner then was) which during that feast she might not refuse: which was that hee might have the atchievement of any adventure, which during that feast should happen; that being granted, he rested him selfe on the floore, unfit through his The whole of the passage runs thus : 'Don't open like the cyclic, with a burst: "Troy's war and Priam's fate are here rehearsed." The mountain labours and a mouse is born. Far better he who enters at his ease, Nor takes your breath with empty flourishes: "Sing, Muse, the man who, after Troy was burned, Saw divers cities, and their manners learned."' Conington's Translation of the Satires, &c., 1871, 177. |