III.

AN ORIGINAL BALLAD BY CHAUCER.

This little fonnet, which hath escaped all the editors of Chaucer's works, is now printed for the first time from an ancient MS in the Pepyfian library, that contains many other poems of its venerable author. The verfification is of that fpecies, which the French call RONDEAU, very natu rally englished by our honeft countrymen ROUND O. Tho' fo early adopted by them, our ancestors had not the honour of inventing it: Chaucer picked it up, along with other better things, among the neighbouring nations. A fondness for laborious trifles bath always prevailed in the dark ages of literature. The Greek poets have had their wINGS and AXES: the great father of English poefy may therefore be pardoned one poor folitary RONDEAU.-Geofrey Chaucer died Oct. 25, 1400, aged 72.

Y

1. 1.

OURE two eyn will fle me fodenly,

I may the beaute of them not sustene,
So wendeth it thorowout my herte kene.

2.

And but your words will helen haftely
My hertis wound, while that it is grene,
Youre two eyn will fle me fodenly.

3.

Upon my trouth I fey yow feithfully,
That

ye ben of my liffe and deth the quene;
For with my deth the trouth hal be fene.

Youre two eyn, &c.

II. I. So

II. 1.

So hath youre beauty fro your herte chafed
Pitee, that me n' availeth not to pleyn;
For daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne.

2.

Giltlefs my deth thus have ye purchased;
I fey yow foth, me nedeth not to fayn:
So hath your beaute fro your herte chased.

3.

Alas, that nature hath in yow compaffed
So grete beaute, that no man may atteyn
To mercy, though he sterve for the peyn.
So hath youre beaute, &c.

III. I.

Syn I fro love escaped am fo fat,

I nere thinke to ben in his prifon lene;
Syn I am fre, I counte hym not a bene,

2.

He may anfwere, and fey this and that,
I do no fors, I fpeak ryght as I mene;
Syn I fro love escaped am fo fat.

3.

Love hath my name i-ftrike out of his fclat,
And he is strike out of my bokes clene:
For ever mother*' is non other mene,
Syn I fro love escaped, &c.

This. MS.

IV. THE

IV.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM

66

OR, THE WOOEING, WINNING, AND WEDDING
OF TIBBE, THE REEV'S DAUGHTER THERE.'

66

"

It does honour to the good fenfe of this nation, that while all Europe was captivated with the bewitching charms of Chivalry and Romance, two of our writers in the rudeft times could fee thro' the false glare that furrounded them, and difcover whatever was abfurd in them both. Chaucer wrote his Rhyme of fir Thopas in ridicule of the latter; and in the following poem we have a humorous burlesque of the former. Without pretending to decide, whether the inflitution of chivalry was upon the whole ufeful or pernicious in the rude ages, a queftion that has lately employed many good writers * it evidently encouraged a vindictive fpirit, and gave fuch force to the custom of duelling, that there is little hope of its being abolished. This, together with the fatal confequences which often attended the diverfion of the Turnament, was fufficient to render it obnoxious to the graver part of mankind. Accordingly the Church early denounced its cenfures against it, and the State was often prevailed on to attempt its fuppreffion. But fashion and opinion are fuperior to authority: and the proclamations against Tilting were as little regarded in thofe times, as the laws against Duelling are in thefe. This did not efcape the difcernment of our poet, who eafily perceived that inveterate opinions must be attacked by other weapons, befides proclamations and cenfures; he accordingly made ufe of the keen one of RIDICULE. With this view he has here introduced, with admirable humour, a parcel of clowns, imitating all the folemnities of the Tourney. Here we have the regular challenge-the appointed day-the lady for the prize -the formal preparations-the difplay of armour-the feucheons and devices-the oaths taken on entering the lifts-the various accidents of the encounter-the victor leading off the

* See [Mr. Hurd's] Letters on Chivalry, 8vo. 1752. Memoirs de la Chevalerie, par M. de lá Curne des Palais, 1759, 2 tom. 12mo. xc.

3

prize,

prize,-and, the magnificent feafting,with all the other folemn fopperies that ufually attended the pompous Turnament. And how acutely the Sharpness of the author's humour muft have been felt in thofe days, we may learn, from what we can perceive of its keennefs now, when time kas fo much blunted the edge of his ridicule.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM was fir printed from an ancient MS. in 1631, 4to, by the rev. Whilhem Bedwel, rector of Tottenham, who was one of the tranflators of the Bible, and afterwards Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland, where be lived and died, with the highest reputation of fanc tity, in 1641. He tells us, it was written by Gilbert Pilkington, thought to have been fome time parfon of the fame parish, and author of another piece, intitled, Paffio Domini Jefu Chrifti. Bedwell, who was eminently skilled in the oriental and other languages, appears to have been but little converfant with the ancient writers in his own, and he fo little entered into the Spirit of the poem he was publishing, that he contends for its being a serious narrative of a real event, and thinks it must have been written before the time of Edward III. because Turnaments were prohibited in that reign. "I do verily beleeve," fays he, " that this Turna. "ment was acted before this proclamation of K. Edward. "For how durft any to attempt to do that, although in port, "which was foftraightly forbidaen, both by the civill and "ecclefiafticall power? For although they fought not with "lances, yet, as our authour fayth, It was no childrens game. And what would have become of him, thinke 66 you, which should have flayne another in this manner of "jeafting? Would be not, trow you, have been HANG'D "FOR IT IN EARNEST? YEA, AND HAVE BENE BURIED 66 LIKE A DOGGE?" It is however well known that Turnaments were in ufe down to the reign of Elizabeth.

In the first editions of this work, Bedwell's copy was reprinted here, with fome few conjectural emendations; but Las Bedwell feemed to have reduced the orthography at least, if not the phrafeology, to the ftandard of his own time, it was with great pleasure that the Editor was informed of an

an

ancient MS. copy preferved in the Museum [Harl. MSS. 5396.] which appeared to have been tranfcribed in the reign of K. Hen. VI. about 1456. This obliging information the Editor owed to the friendship of THO. TYRWHITT, efq. and he has chiefly followed that more authentic Tranfcript, improved however by fome readings from Bedwell's

Book.

OF

F all thes kene conquerours to carpe it were kynde;
Of fele feyztyng folk ferly we fynde;

The Turnament of Totenham have we in mynde;
It were harme fych hardynes were holden by hynde,
In story as we rede

5

Of Hawkyn, of Herry,

Of Tomkyn, of Terry,

Of them that were dughty
And ftalworth in dede.

It befel in Totenham on a dere day,

10

Ther was mad a shurtyng be the hy-way:

Theder com al the men of the contray,

Of Hyffylton, of Hy-gate, and of Hakenay,

Tyl the day was gon and evyn-song past,

That thay schuld reckyn ther scot and ther counts caft; 20

Ver. 20. It is not very clear in the MS. whether it should be conts, or conters,

Perkyn