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EXTRACT XIII.

A. D. 1387.

THE SUBSTITUTION OF ENGLISH FOR FRENCH.

By JOHN OF TREVISA. [See pp. 29 and 40.]

'This apairynge [injuring or impairing] of the birthe tonge [the mother tongue, English] is by cause [because] of twey [two] thingis: oon is for [by reason that] children in scole, agenes [against] the usage and maner of alle other naciouns, beth [are] compelled for to leive her [their] owne langage, and forto constrewe her lessouns and her thinges a [into] Frensche, and haveth siththe [have since] that the Normans come first into England. Also gentil mennes children beth ytaught forto speke Frensche from the tyme that thei beth rokked in her cradel and kunneth [know how to] speke and playe with a childes brooche. And uplondishe [rustic] men wol likne hem self [themselves] to gentil men, and fondith [endeavour] with grete bisynesse [ pains] for to speke Frensche for to be the more ytold of [reckoned of].

This maner was myche yused tofore [before] the first moreyn [murrain or plague, probably that of 1348] and sithth [since] some del ychaungide [somewhat changed]. For John Cornwaile, a meastre of gramer, chaungide the lore [learning] in gramer scole and construccion [construing] of Frensche into Englische and Richard Peneriche lerned that maner techyng [manner of teaching] of hym. So that now, the yere of oure Lord a thousand three hundred foure score and fyve, of the secunde Kyng Rychard after the conquest nyne (i.e., the ninth year of the reign of Richard II.) in alle the gramer scoles of Englond, children leveth Frensch, and construeth and lerneth an [in] Englische, and haveth thereby avauntage in oon side and desavauntage in another. Her [their] avauntage is, that thei lerneth her gramer in lasse tyme than children were wont to do. Desavauntage is, that now children of gramer scole kunneth [know] no more Frensch than can her lifte [knows their left] heele. And that is harm for hem [them], and thei schul [if they shall] passe the see and travaile in straunge londes, and in many other places also. Also gentil men haveth now mych ylefte [leftoff] forto teche her children Frensche.'

[Trevisa's translation of Higden's Polychronicon, 1387, as quoted in Payne's Studies in English Prose, 1868, 33–4.]

EXTRACT XIV.

A.D. 13-(?)

THE VISION OF PHILOSOPHY.

By GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

[Boëthius, 470 ?-524 (from whom the following extract is translated), was a Roman patrician, imprisoned by the Emperor Theodoric. During his confinement he wrote his treatise, De Consolatione Philosophie. Chaucer's version was preceded by one by King Alfred. See pp. 36 and 13.]

In be mene while þat I stille recordede pise pinges wip my self [his opening complaint]. and markede my wepli compleynte wip office of poyntel [style]. I saw stondyng above þe heygt of my heued a woman of full greet reuerence by semblaunt hir eyen brennyng and clere seing ouer be comune mygt [might] of men. wiþ a lijfly colour and wip swiche vigoure and strenkeþ [strength] þat it mygte not be emptid [exhausted]. Al were it so bat sche was ful of so greet age. þat menne wolde not trowe in no manere bat sche were of oure elde. pe stature of hir was of a doutous iugement. for sumtyme sche constreynede [contracted] and schronk hir seluen lyche to be comune mesure of men. and sumtyme it semede pat she touchede be heuene wip þe heygte of hir heued, and when sche hef [raised] hir heued heyer sche percede pe selue heuene. so þat þe sygt of men loking was in ydel [in vain]. Hir clobes weren maked of rygt delye [thin] predes and subtil crafte of perdurable [lasting] matere. þe wyche clopes sche hadde wouen wip her owen hondes: as I knewe wel aftir by hir selfe. declaryng and shewyng to me be beaute. be wiche clopes a derkenes of a forleten [neglected] and dispised elde hadde duskid and dirkid as it is wont to dirken [darken] bysmoked [besmoked] ymages. &c.'

[Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's ' De Consolatione Philosophiæ,' edited, from the Additional MS. 10,340 in the British Museum, by Dr. R. Morris (Early English Text Society), 1868, 5.]

EXTRACT XV.

A.D. 1390.

THE PORTRAIT OF THE SCHIPMAN.

By GEOFFREY CHAUCER. [See p. 37.]

'A Schipman was ther, wonyng [dwelling] fer by weste :
For ought I woot, he was of Dertemouthe.

He rood upon a rouncy [horse], as he couthe,

In a gowne of faldyng [coarse cloth] to the kne.

A daggere hangyng on a laas [lace, lanyard] hadde he

Aboute his nekke under his arm adoun.

The hoote somer hadde maad his hew al broun;

And certainly he was a good felawe.

Ful many a draught of wyn had he drawe

From Burdeux-ward, whil that the chapman sleep.

Of nyce conscience took he no keep.

If that he foughte, and hadde the heigher hand,

By water he sente hem hoom to every land.

But of his craft to rikne wel the tydes,

His stremes and his dangers him bisides,

His herbergh [harbour] and his mone [moon] his lodemenage [pilotage],
Ther was non such from Hulle to Cartage.

Hardy he was, and wys to undertake;

With many a tempest hath his berd ben schake,

He knew wel all the havenes, as thei were,

From Scotlond [or Gottland] to the cape of Fynestere,

And every cryk in Bretayne and in Spayne;

His barge y-clepud was the Magdelayne.'

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 eyleth the man, so synfully to swere?"
Our Ost answerd: "O Jankyn, be ye there?
Now goode men," quod our Oste, "herkneth me.
I smel a loller [lollard] in the wind," quod he,
"Abideth for Goddes digne passion,

For we schul have a predicacion;

This loller heer wolde prechen us somwhat."
"Nay by my father soule! that shal he nat,"

Sayde the Schipman; "heer schal he naught preche,
He schal no gospel glosen heer ne teche.

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
That I schal waken al this compagnie ;
But it schal not ben of philosophie,

Ne of physike, ne termes queinte of lawe;
Ther is but litel Latin in my mawe."]'

[Canterbury Tales. Aldine Edition of Chaucer's Works, 1866, i1., 13,--iii., 106-7.]

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[The author, it will be observed, claims to write in the common people'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 ve. 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, Rolls Collection.]

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 when sir Ector de Maris heard such noise and light in the queere [quire] of Joyous-gard [Lancelot's castle], hee alighted, and put his horse away from him, and came into the queere; and there hee saw men sing the service full lamentably; and all they knew sir Ector, but hee knew not them. Then went sir Bors unto sir Ector, and told him how there lay his brother sir Launcelot dead.

'And then sir Ector threw his shield, his sword and his helme from him; and when hee beheld sir Launcelot's visage hee fell downe in a sowne, and when hee awaked it were hard for any tongue to tell the dolefull complaints that he made for his brother. "Ah, sir Launcelot," said hee, "thou wert head of all christen knights! And now I dare say," said sir Ector, "that, sir Launcelot, there thou liest, thou were never matched of none earthly knights hands; and thou were the curtiest knight that ever beare shield; and thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrood horse, and thou were the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved woman; and thou were the kindest man that ever strooke with sword; and thou were the goodliest person that ever came among presse of knights; and thou were the meekest man and the gentlest that ever eate in hall among ladies; and thou were the sternest knight to thy mortall foe that ever put speare in the rest."

[La Mort d'Arthure, edited by Thomas Wright, 1866, iii, 351—2.]

EXTRACT XVIII.

A.D. 1525.

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES IN THE WHEAT.

By WILLIAM TYNDALE. [See p. 46, and also p. 233.]

'Another similitude put he forth / unto them saynge: The kyngdm off heven ys lyke unto a man which sowed good seede 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 / ad 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 evious 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). fac-simile. Bristol, 1862.]

Fry's

EXTRACT XIX.

A.D. 1535.

A LETTER FROM PRISON.

By SIR THOMAS MORE. [Written to his daughter, Margaret Roper, within a whyle after he was prisoner in the Towre.' See p. 46.]

Myne owne 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 Lord put theim into your myndes, as I truste he dothe, 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] wyves, nor your fathers shrewde wyfe neither, nor our other frendes. And thus fare ye hartely well for lacke of paper.

'THOMAS MORE, knight.'

[Quoted in the History of the English Language, prefixed to Latham's Johnson, 1866.]

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