By the KING.

Right Reverend Father in God, &c. signifying unto you, that it is shewed unto us, that our Servant and Solicitor Thomas Lynom, marvellously blinded and abused with the late Wife of William Shore, now living in Ludgate by our commandment, hath made Contract of Matrimony with her, as it is said, and intendeth to our full great marvel, to effect the same. WE, for many causes, would be sorry that he should be so disposed; pray you therefore to send for him, and in that ye goodly may, exhort, and stir him to the contrary: And if ye find him utterly set for to marry her, and none otherwise would be advertized, then, if it may stand with the laws of the church, we be content the time of marriage be deferred to our coming next to London; that upon sufficient Surety found of her good abearing, ye do so send for her Keeper, and discharge him of our said commandment, by Warrant of these, committing her to the rule, and guiding of her Father, or any other, by your direction, in the mean season. Given, &c. "RIC. Rex."

It appears from two articles in the same MS. that King Richard had granted to the said Thomas Linom the office of King's Solicitor (Article 134,) and also the Manor of Colmeworth, com Bedf. to him his heirs male (Article 596).

An original picture of Jane Shore almost naked is preserved in the Provost's Lodgings at Eton; and another picture of her is in the Provost's Lodge at King's Colloge, Cambridge: to both which foundations she is supposed to have done friendly offices with Edward IV. A small quarto mezzotinto print was taken from the former of these by J. Faber.

The following ballad is printed (with some corrections) from an old black-letter copy in the Pepys collection. Its full title is, "The woeful lamentation of Jane Shore, a goldsmith's wife in London, sometime king Edward IV. his concubine. To the tune of Live with me,' &c." [See the first volume.] To every stanza is annexed the following burthen :

Then maids and wives in time amend,
For love and beauty will have end.

I spred my plumes, as wantons doe, Some sweet and secret friende to wooe, Because chast love I did not finde

Agreeing to my wanton minde.

At last my name in court did ring
Into the eares of Englandes king,
Who came and lik'd, and love requir'd,
But I made coye what he desir'd:

Yet Mistress Blague, a neighbour neare,
Whose friendship I esteemed deare,
Did saye, It was a gallant thing
To be beloved of a king.

By her persuasions I was led,
For to defile my marriage-bed,
And wronge my wedded husband Shore,
Whom I had married yeares before.

In heart and mind I did rejoyce,
That I had made so sweet a choice;
And therefore did my state resigne,
To be king Edward's concubine,
From city then to court I went,
To reape the pleasures of content;
There had the joyes that love could bring,
And knew the secrets of a king.

When I was thus advanc'd on highe
Commanding Edward with mine eye,
For Mrs. Blague I in short space
Obtainde a livinge from his grace.

No friende I had but in short time
I made unto a promotion climbe;
But yet for all this costlye pride,
My husbande could not mee abide.

His bed, though wronged by a king,
His heart with deadlye griefe did sting;
From England then he goes away
To end his life beyond the sea.

He could not live to see his name Impaired by my wanton shame; Although a prince of peerlesse might Did reape the pleasure of his right.

I shall begin this Third Book with an old allegoric satire: A manner of moralizing, which, if it was not first introduced by the author of "Pierce Plowman's Visions," was at least chiefly brought into repute by that ancient satirist. It is not so generally known that the kind of verse used in this ballad hath any affinity with the peculiar metre of that writer, for which reason I shall throw together some cursory remarks on that very singular species of versification, the nature of which has been so little understood.

ON THE ALLITERATIVE METRE, WITHOUT RHYME, IN PIERCE PLOWMAN'S VISIONS.

We learn from Wormius*, that the ancient Islandic poets used a great variety of measures: he mentions 136 different kinds, without including rhyme, or a correspondence of final syllables: yet this was

See above, preface to No. XI, Book II.

+ This alludes to the painted effigies of Alabaster, anciently erected upon tombs and monuments. The

• Literatura Runica. Hafniæ 1636, 4to.-1651, fol. Islandic language is of the same origin as our Anglo-Saxon, being both dialects of the ancient Gothic or Teutonic. Vid. Hickesii Præfat. in Grammat. Anglo-Saxon, & Moeso-Goth, 4to, 1689.

occasionally used, as appears from the Ode of Egil, which Wormius hath inserted in his book.

He hath analysed the structure of one of these kinds of verse, the harmony of which neither depended on the quantity of the syllables, like that of the ancient Greeks and Romans; nor on the rhymes at the end, as in modern poetry; but consisted altogether in alliteration, or a certain artful repetition of the sounds in the middle of the verses. This was adjusted according to certain rules of their prosody, one of which was, that every distich should contain at least three words beginning with the same letter or sound. Two of these corresponding sounds might be placed either in the first or second line of the distich, and one in the other but all three were not regularly to be crowded into one line. This will be the best understood by the following examples*.

"Meire og Minne

:

"Gab Ginunga Enn Gras huerge."

Mogu heimdaller." There were many other little niceties observed by the Islandic poets, who, as they retained their original language and peculiarities longer than the other nations of Gothic race had time to cultivate their native poetry more, and to carry it to a higher pitch of refinement, than any of the rest.

Their brethren the Anglo-Saxon poets occasionally used the same kind of alliteration, and it is common to meet in their writings with similar examples of the foregoing rules. Take an instance or two in modern characterst;

I know not, however, that there is any where extant an entire Saxon poem all in this measure. But distichs of this sort perpetually occur in all their poems of any length.

Now, if we examine the versification of "Pierce Plowman's Visions," we shall find it constructed exactly by these rules; and therefore each line, as printed, is in reality a distich of two verses, and will, believe, be found distingushed as such, by some mark or other in all the ancient MSS. viz. "In a Somer Season, | when 'hot' was the Sunne, 1 Shope me into Shroubs, as I a Shepe were; In Habite as an Harmet | unHoly of werkes, Went Wyde in thys world | Wonders to heare," &c. So that the author of this poem will not be found to have invented any new mode of versification, as some have supposed, but only to have retained that of the old Saxon and Gothic poets; which was probably never wholly laid aside, but occasionally used at different intervals: though the ravages of time will not suffer us now to produce a regular series of poems entirely written in it.

There are some readers, whom it may gratify to mention, that these "Visions of Pierce [i. e. Peter] the Plowman," are attributed to Robert Langland, a secular priest, born at Mortimer's Cleobury in Shropshire, and fellow of Oriel college in Oxford, who flourished in the reigns of Edward III. and Richard II. and published his poem a few years

after 1350. It consits of xx Passus or Breaks*, exhibiting a series of visions, which he pretends happened to him on Malvern hills in Worcestershire. The author excels in strong allegoric painting, and has with great humour, spirit, and fancy, censured most of the vices incident to the several professions of life; but he particularly inveighs against the corruptions of the clergy, and the absurdities of superstition. Of this work I have now before me four different editions in black-letter quarto. Three of them are printed in 1550 by Robert Crowley, dwelling in Elye rentes in Holburne. It is re

markable that two of these are mentioned in the title-page as both of the second impression, though they contain evident variations in every paget. The other is said to be newlye imprynted after the authors olde copy. by Owen Rogers, Feb. 21, 1561.

.....

As Langland was not the first, so neither was he the last that used this alliterative species of versification. To Rogers's edition of the Visions is subjoined a poem, which was probably writ in imitation of them, intitled Pierce the Ploughman's Crede." It begins thus:

"

'Cros, and Curteis Christ, this beginning spede For the Faders Frendshipe, that Fourmed heaven, And through the Special Spirit, that Sprong of hem tweyne,

And al in one godhed endles dwelleth."

The author feigns himself ignorant of his Creed, to be instructed in which he applies to the four religious orders, viz. the gray friers of St. Francis, the black friers of St. Dominic, the Carmelites or white friers, and the Augustines. This affords him occa. sion to describe in very lively colours the sloth, ignorance, and immorality of those reverend drones. At length he meets with Pierce a poor Ploughman, who resolves his doubts, and instructs him in the principles of true religion. The author was evidently a follower of Wiccliff, whom he mentions (with honour) as no longer livingt. Now that reformer died in 1384. How long after his death this poem was written, does not appear.

In the Cotton library is a volume of ancient English poems, two of which are written in this alliterative metre, and have the division of the lines into distichs distinctly marked by a point, as is usual in old poetical MSS. That which stands first of the two (though perhaps the latest written) is intitled "The sege of I erlam," [i. e. Jerusalem], being an old fabulous legend composed by some monk, and stuffed with marvellous figments concerning the destruction of the holy city and temple. It begins thus:

"In Tyberius Tyme. the Trewe emperour Syr Sesar hymself. beSted in Rome Whyll Pylat was Provoste, under that Prynce ryche

The poem properly contains xxi parts; the word passus, adopted by the author, seems only to denote the break or division between two parts, though by the ignorance of the printer applied to the parts themselves. See Series III. preface to ballad III. where Passus seems to signify Pause.

That which seems the first of the two, is thus distinguished in the title-page, nowe the seconde tyme imprinted by Roberte Crowlye; the other thus, nowe the seconde time im printed by Robert Crowley. In the former the tolios are thus erroneonsly numbered, 39, 39, 41, 63, 43, 42, 45, &c. The booksellers of those days did not ostentatiously affect to mul tiply editions.

Signature. Tii.

Caligula A. ij. fol. 109, 123.

All-Weldynge God. Whene it is his Wylle

Wele he Wereth his Werke. With his owene honde For ofte Harmes were Hente. that Helpe we ne myzte Nere the Hyznes of Hym. that lengeth in Hevene For this," &c.

Among Mr. Garrick's collection of old plays is a prose narrative of the adventures of this same Knight of the Swan, "newly translated out of Frenshe into Englyshe, at thinstigacion of the puyssant and illustryous prynce, lorde Edward duke of Buckynghame." This lord it seems had a peculiar interest in the book, for in the preface the translator tells us, that this "highe dygne and illustryous prynce my lorde Edwarde by the grace of god Duke of Buckyngham, erle of Hereforde, Stafforde, and Northampton, desyrynge cotydyally to encrease and augment the name and fame of such as were relucent in vertuous feates and triumphaunt actes of chyvalry, and to encourage and styre every lusty and gentell herte by the exemply ficacyon of the same, havyng a goodli booke of the highe and miraculous histori of a famous and puyssaunt kynge, named Oryant sometime reynynge in the parties of beyonde the sea, havynge to his wife a noble lady; of whome she concey ved sixe sonnes and a daughter, and chylded of them at one only time; at whose byrthe echone of them had a chayne of sylver at their neckes, the which were all tourned by the provydence of god into whyte swannes, save one, of the whiche this present hystory is compyld, named Helyas, the knight of the swanne, of whome linially is dyscended my sayde lorde.' The whiche ententifly to have the sayde hystory more amply and unyversally knowen in thys hys natif countrie, as it is in other, hath of hys hie bountie by some of his faithful and trusti servauntes cohorted mi mayster Wynkin de Worder to put the said vertuous hystori in prynte..... at whose instigacion and stiring I (Roberte Copland) have me applied, moiening the helpe of god, to reduce and translate it into our maternal and vulgare english tonge after the capacitè and rudenesse of my weke entendement.". -A curious picture of the times! While in Italy literature and the fine arts were ready to burst forth with classical splendour under Leo X. the first peer of this realm was proud to derive his pedigree from a fabulous "Knight of the Swant."

To return to the metre of Pierce Plowman: In the folio MS. so often quoted in this work, are two poems written in that species of versification. One of these is an ancient allegorical poem, intitled "Death and Life," (in 2 fitts or parts, containing 458 distichs) which, for aught that appears, may have been written as early, if not before, the time of Langland. The first forty lines are broke as they should be into distichs, a distinction that is neg

lected in the remaining part of the transcript, in order I suppose to save room. It begins,

"Christ Christen king

that on the Crosse tholed; Hadd Paines and Passyons

to defend our soules; Give us Grace on the Ground the Greatlye to serve, For that Royal Red blood

that Rann from thy side."

our

The subject of this piece is a vision, wherein the
poet sees a contest for superiority between "
lady Dame Life," and the "ugly fiend Dame
Death;" who with their several attributes and
concomitants are personified in a fine vein of alle-
goric painting. Part of the description of Dame
Life is,

"Shee was Brighter of her Blee,
then was the Bright sonn:
Her Rudd Redder then the Rose,
that on the Rise hangeth:
Meekely smiling with her Mouth,
And Merry in her lookes ;
Ever Laughing for Love,

as shee Like would.

And as shee came by the Bankes,
the Boughes eche one
They Lowted to that Ladye,

and Layd forth their branches;
Blossomes and Burgens

Breathed full sweete;
Flowers Flourished in the Frith,
where shee Forth stepped;
And the Grasse, that was Gray,
Greened belive."

Death is afterwards sketched out with a no less bold and original pencil.

The other poem is that, which is quoted in the 96th page of this work, and which was probably the last that was ever written in this kind of metre in its original simplicity unaccompanied with rhyme. It should have been observed above in page 96, that in this poem the lines are throughout divided into distichs, thus:

Grant Gracious God,

Grant me this time, &c.

It is intitled "Scottish Feilde" (in 2 Fitts, 420 distichs.) containing a very circumstantial narrative of the battle of Flodden, fought Sept. 9, 1513: at which the author seems to have been present, from his speaking in the first person plural:

"Then we Tild downe our Tents,
that Told were a thousand."

In the conclusion of the poem he gives this account of himself:

"He was a Gentleman by Jesu,

that this Gest* made:

Which Say but as he Sayd
for Sooth and noe other.
At Bagily that Bearne
his Biding place had;

• Jest. MS.

↑ Probably corrupted for- Says but as he Saw.'