In arenam logicus frustra semen serit,
Nam metendi tempore fructus nullus erit;
Circa ficum sterilem labor omnis perit.
Arbor qualis erit, talia poma gerit.

Licet sis ad apicem artium provectus,
Fies junioribus in brevi despectus ;
Dicunt de te," senio desipit affectus."
Emula quid cessas finem properare senectus?
Veræ pestilentiæ cathedra tu sedes,
Qui Thebanas lectitas vel Trojanas cædes;
Affluunt divitiis legistarum sedes,

Et modo vadit equis qui solet ire pedes.
Propter artes vigilans est revera stultus;
Cur circa Georgicam pateris singultus ?
Ager sic per steriles jaceat incultus,
Telluris si forte velis cognoscere cultus.

Propter leges merito labor est ferendus;
Ager reddens centuplum non est deferendus.
Est libellus pauperum pauperi legendus;

Hic tibi præcipue sit pura mente colendus.

The logician in vain sows his seed in the sand, for in harvest time there will be no fruit; upon a barren fig-tree all labour is lost. Such as is the tree, such will be the fruit it bears.-Although you be arrived at the summit of the arts, you will be in a short time despised by the younger aspirants; they will say of thee, "he doats, affected with old age." Old age, why do you emulous cease to hasten the end?—Thou sittest in the chair of a true pestilence, who readest the tragedy of Thebes or of Troy; [whilst] the seats of the legists abound in riches, and now he goes on horseback who used to go on foot.-He who sits up at night to study the arts is truly a fool; why do you yawn over the Georgic? thus the field may lie neglected and barren, while by chance you may be desirous of understanding the culture of the earth.-It is right that we should labour upon the laws; a field that produces a hundred-fold is not to be set aside. The book of the poor is to be read by the poor man; this chiefly is the book to be devotedly

Circa dialecticam tempus cur consumis,
Tu qui nullos redditus aliunde sumis?
Colat qui per patriam natus est e summis,
Dives agro, dives positis in fænore nummis.
Dives in fallaciis discat esse fortis ;
Discat capram facere de persona sortis.
Artes nunquam deserat citra tempus mortis.
Contentus fama lateat Lucanus in hortis.

Si forte deliquerit artibus imbutus,
Ad legistas fugiet si vult esse tutus:
Quia se defendere nescit plus quam mutus,
Græcorum studia nimium diuque sequutus.
Atria nobilium video patere;

Cum legista venerit dissolvuntur ceræ.
Exclusus ad januam poteris sedere,

Ipse licet venias musis comitatus, Homere.

Logicus araneæ potest comparari,

Quæ subtiles didicit telas operari,

Quæ suis visceribus volunt consummari;

cultivated by thee.-Why do you consume your time upon dialectics, thou who receivest no income from other sources? Let him cultivate it who is born of high family in the country, rich in land and rich in money laid out at interest.-Let the rich man learn to be strong in fallacies; let him learn to make a she-goat of the person of chance. Let him never desert the arts, before the hour of his death. Satisfied with fame, let Lucan lie hid in the gardens. If imbued in the arts he should chance to fail, he will fly to the legists if he will be safe: because he knows no more how to defend himself than one who is dumb, having pursued too much and too often the study of the Greeks.-I see the halls of the nobles open; when the legist comes, the bolts are undone; thou, shut out, mayest sit at the door, although thou thyself, Homer, shouldst come along with the muses. The logician may be compared to a spider, which learns to spin subtle webs, that are made out of its own bowels; the reward is a fly, if by 2 E CAMD. SOC. 6.

Est pretium musca, si forte queat laqueari.
Si fortuna logico favet in privigno,
Vultu namque logicum respicit benigno;
Si sit dives logicus hoc sub cœli signo;
Rara avis in terra nigroque simillima cigno.
Naturæ cognoscere si velis archana,

Stude circa physicam quæ dat membra sana :
Sat quicquid expostulat egestas humana,

Sat Galienus opes et sanctio Justiniana.

chance it can be netted.-If fortune favour a logician in his kindred, for she looks upon the logician with a benignant countenance; if a logician be rich under this sign of the heavens; he is a rare bird upon earth, and very like a black swan.-If you wish to know the secrets of nature, study physic which gives health to the limbs; what man's need requires is enough, Galen and the sanction of Justinian are riches enough.

The following English verses, composed at the same period, seem also intended as a satire upon the studies and arguments of the dialectitians.

[From MS. Harl. No. 913, fol. 58, vo. written in 1308.]

Hit nis bot trewth, I wend, an afte

For te sette nego in eni crafte;
Trewth so drawith to heven blisse,
Nego doth nost so i-wisse.

TRANSLATION.—It is contrary to truth, I believe, and ....—to set nego in any craft ;-truth draweth us to the joy of heaven,-nego does not so certainly.

For-sak and save is thef in lore,

Nego is pouer clark in store.

Whan menne horlith ham here and there,
Nego savith ham fram care.

Awei with nego ute of place!
Whose wol have Goddis grace;
Whoso wol agens the devil fizte,
Ther mai nego sit a-riste.

Ak loke that we never more
Nego sette in trew lore.

For whoso can lite, hath sone i-do,

Anone he drawith to nego.

Now o clerk seiith nego;

And that other dubito ;

Seiith another concedo;

And another obligo,

Verum falsum sette therto;

Than is al the lore i-do.

Thus the fals clerkes of har hevid,

Makith men trewth of ham be revid.

-Forsake and save is a thief in doctrine,-nego is a poor clerk in store.When men hurl them here and there,-nego saves them from care.-Away with nego out of the place !-whoever will have God's grace ;-he who will against the devil fight, there may nego sit rightly.-But see that we never more-set nego in true doctrine.-For he who knows little has soon done,-anon he draws to nego.-Now one clerk says nego;-and the other dubito ;-saith another concedo;-and another obligo,-with verum falsum set to it ;-then is all their learning done. Thus the false clerks of their head,-make men of truth through them be bereaved.

The Scottish wars occupied incessantly the remaining years of Edward's reign. The following song was composed probably in the September of the year 1306, soon after the battle of Kirkencliff, and on the immediate occasion of the execution of Sir Simon Fraser, who was taken prisoner there.

SONG ON THE EXECUTION OF SIR SIMON FRASER.

[MS. Harl. 2253, fol. 59, vo. of reign of Edw. II.]

Lystneth, lordynges, a newe song ichulle bigynne,
Of the traytours of Scotlond that take beth wyth gynne;
Mon that loveth falsnesse and nule never blynne,
Sore may him drede the lyf that he is ynne,

ich understonde:

Selde wes he glad

That never nes a-sad

of nythe ant of onde.

That y sugge by this Scottes that bueth nou to-drawe,
The hevedes o Londone brugge whose con y-knawe :
He wenden han buen kynges, ant seiden so in sawe;
Betere hem were han y-be barouns ant libbe in Godes lawe,

TRANSLATION.-Listen, lordings, a new song I will begin,-of the traitors of Scotland who are taken with a trap ;-he who loves falseness, and will never leave it, sore may he dread the life that he is in,-I believe :-seldom was he glad that never was sorrowful-for his wickedness and turbulence.

I say that of these Scots who are now drawn,-their heads on London bridge anybody may recognise :-they thought to have been kings, and said so in their talk; better was it for them to have been barons and live in God's law,-with