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 naturally englished by our boneft countrymen ROUND O. Tho Jo 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 hath always prevailed in the dawn of literature. The ancient Greek poets had their WINGS and AXES: the great father of English poefy may therefore be pardoned one poor folitary RONDEAU.-Dan Geofrey Chaucer died Oct. 25. 1400. aged 72.

I. 1.

OURE two eyn will fle me fodenly,

So wendeth it thorowout my herte kene.

2.

And but your words will helen hastely
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 fhal be fene.

Youre two eyn &c.

3

II. 1. Se

II. 1.

So hath youre beaute frø your herte chased
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,

4.

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

III. 1.

Syn I fro love escaped am so 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 not fors, I speak ryght as I mene;
Syn I fro love escaped am fo fat.

3.

Love hath my name i-strike out of his fclat,
And he is ftrike out of my bokes clene:

For ever mo

*this is non other mene.

Syn I fro love escaped &c.

* Ther.

IV. THE

IV.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM :

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

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 rudest times could fee thro' the falje glare that furrounded them, and difcover whatever was abfurd in them both. Chaucer wrote his Rhyme of fir Tropas in ridicule of the latter, and in the following poem we have a humourous burlesque of the former. Without pretending to decide, whether the inftitution of chivalry was upon the whole ufeful or pernicious in the rude ages, a queftion that has lately employed many fine pens*, it evidently encouraged a vindictive spirit, and gave fuch force to the custom of duelling, that it will probably never be worn out. 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. cordingly 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 escape the difcernment of our poet, who easily perceived that inveterate opinions must be attacked by other weapons, than proclamations and cenfures; he accordingly made use 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 Tournay. Here we have the

Ac

regular

*See [Mr. Hurd's] Letters on Chivalry, 8vo. 1762. Memoires de la Chevalerie par M. de la Curne de s. Palais, 1759.2 tom. 12mo. &c.

regular challenge the appointed day-the lady for the prize

the formal preparations-the difplay of armour-the fcucheons and devices-the oaths taken on entering the lifts-the various accidents of the encounter-the victor leading off the prize,-and, the magnificent feasting, with all the other folemn fopperies, that ufually attended the exercife of the barriers. And how acutely the fharpness of the author's humour must have been felt in those days, we may learn, from what we can perceive of the keenness now, when time has fo much blunted the edge of his ridicule.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM was publish'd from an ancient MS. in 1631 4to, by the rev. Wilhelm Bedwell, rector of Tottenham, and one of the tranflators of the Bible: he tells us it was written by one Gilbert Pilkington, thought to have been fome time parfon of the fame parish, and author of another treatife intitled Paffio Domini Jefu Chrifti. Bedwell, who was eminently killed in the oriental 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 Jerious 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, Jays he, that this Turnament was acted before this procla"mation of K. Edward. For how durft any to attempt to do that, although in fport, which was fo ftraightly forbidden, 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 you, which should have flayne "another in this manner of jeafting? Would he not, trow

66

66

66

you, have bene HANG'D FOR IT IN EARNEST? YEA, " AND HAVE BENE BURIED LIKE A DOGGE?" It is however well known that Turnaments were in ufe down to the reign of Elizabeth.

Without pretending to afcertain the date of this Poem, the obfoleteness of the ftyle fhews it to be very ancient: It will appear from the fameness of orthography in the above extract

that

that Bedwell has generally reduced that of the poem to the ftandard of his own times; yet, notwithstanding this innovation, the phrafeology and idiom fhew it to be of an early date. The poem had in other refpects fuffered by the ignorance of tranfcribers, and therefore a few attempts are here made to reftore the text, by amending fome corruptions, and removing Some redundancies; but left this freedom fhould incur cenfure, the former readings are retained in the margin. A farther liberty is also taken, what is here given for the concluding line of each ftanza, flood in the former edition divided as two: e.g.

Of them that were doughty,

"And hardy indeed :'

but they feemed most naturally to run into one, and the frequent neglect of rhime in the former of them feemed to prove that the author intended no fuch divifion.

O'

Fall 'the' kene conquerours to carpe is our kinde;
Of fell fighting folke a' ferly we finde;

The Turnament of Tottenham have I in minde;
It were harme fuch hardinesse were holden behinde.
In ftory as we reade,

Of Hawkin, of Harry,

Of Timkin, of Terry,

Of them that were doughty, and hardy in deed.

It befell in Tottenham on a deare day,
There was made a fhurting by the highway:

10

Thither come all the men of that countray
Of Hiffelton, of High-gate, and of Hakenay,

And

Ver. 1. thefe. P. C.
Ver. 8. indeed. P. C.

Ver. 2. 'a' not in P. C.