BOOK IX. ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPOSI TION. 20 The improvement which our prose style received from the cultivators of our vernacular poetry, is shewn in the prose works of the venerable Hermit of AND PROSE Hampole, whose poems we have already noticed, and who has not received his due portion of fame, for the activity of his intellect, and the utility of his works to our infant English. He wrote several professional compositions in prose; from one of which his" Crafte of Deyng," a passage may be cited, illustrative of the last devotions recommended at that time. As Rolle died in 1349, he belongs to the reign of Edward II. and to the first part of Edward III. In the same MS. that contains this piece, is another prose work of the same period, and apparently by the same author, which, like the former, shews a lucid and flowing style. One passage, a simile, pursued at some length, may amuse.22 It is taken from Leve dogter Cordeille! to sothe thou seidest me; That as muche as ych hadde, y war worth. They ne levede the. 21 It is a MS. in the British Museum :- Also aftirwarde, with alle the instance and devocion that he may, with hert and mouth, let him cry to our blessed Lady Seynt Mary, that is moste spedefull and moste redy. mene, and helpe of alle synfull men to God, seynge thus, ' O gloriouse Quene of heven! Modir of mercy and refuge of alle synfull men! reconsile me to thi swete Son my Lord Jhu, and pray for me, synfull wreche, to his gret mercy, that for love of the, swete Lady, he wolde foryeve me my synnys.' Than lete hym prey to Aungelis and sey thus, Holy Aungels of heven! I besech you, that ye wold assiste to me, that shall now passe out of this worlde, and myghtyly deliver and kepe me from alle myne enemys, and take soule unto youre blissed company. And namely thou, gode blissed Aungell! that haste bene my contynuell keper, ordeynyd of God.' Than let hym pray the same wyse, devoutly, to all the apostilis, martiris, confessours and virgyns, and specially to the Seynt, which he loved and worshipped moste specially in his hele, that thai wyll help hym.' Hampole's MS. Bib. Reg. 17. C 18. p. 34. my 22 The sevynth profet of tribulacion is, that it spredith abred or opynyth thyne hert to receyve the grace of God; for golde, with many strokys of the hammyr, spredith abrode a pece of golde or of silver, to make a vessell for to put in wyne or preciouse liquore-And considre, as the more II.. the twelve profits of tribulation," We may place CHAP. both these specimens about 1340. They shew a freedom of style and manner that would not disgrace PROGRESS the reign of Henry VIII. They prove that our English prose was then well formed. OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Of English composition in the year 1356, we have COMPOSI an example in the curious work of sir John Man- TION. deville. At the end of his "Voiage and Travaile," which he wrote in English as well as in Latin and French, he says, that he "fulfilled these thinges and put them in his book," in this year. An extract from his prologue and conclusion will shew sufficiently his style.23 He died at Liege in 1371. His book is preciouse metalle is more ductible and obeynge to the strokes of the goldsmyth; so the more preciouse and meke herte is more paciente in tribulacion. And alle thogh the sharp stroke of tribulacon turmenteth the, yet comforte the; for the goldsmyth, Alle-myghty God, holdyth the hammer of tribulacion in his hond, and knoweth full welle what thou maiste suffir, and mesurith hys smytynge after thi frele nature: he wille not thou be than as metalle in a boystros gobett, withoute spredynge of shape, as harde hertis bene without techyng-Ne wolle thou not be as an olde friynge pan, that for frelte of a litell stroke al to breste in mannys brekynge. MS. Bib. Reg. 17. C 18. p. 19. We oughte for to chalenge the heritage, that oure fadre lafte us, and do it out of hethene mennes, hondes. But nowe pride, covetyse and envye han so enflawmed the hertes of lordes of the world, that thei are more besy for to disherite here neyghbores, more than for to chalenge, or to conquere here righte heritage before seyd. And the comoun peple, that wolde putte here bodyes and here catelle, for to conquere our heritage, thei may not don it withouten the lordes. For a semblee of peple withouten a cheventeyn, or a chief lord, is as a flock of scheep withouten a scheppardie; the which departeth and desparpleth, and wyten never whedre to go. But wolde God, that the temporal lordes and alle worldly lordes weren al gode accord, and with the comen peple, woulden taken this holy viage over the see. Thanne Itrowe wel, that within a lityl tyme, oure righte heritage before seyd scholde be reconsyled and put in the hondes of the righte heires of Jesu Crist. And for als moche as it is longe tyme passed, that ther was no generalle passage ne vyage over the see; and many men desiren for to here speke of the Holy Lond, and han thereof gret solace and comfort; I John Maundeville, knyght, alle be it I be not worthi, that was born in England, in the zeer of our Lord 1322, in the day of Seynt Michelle; and hidre to have ben longe tyme over the see, and have seyn, and gen thorghe manye diverse londes, and many provynces, kingdomes, and iles, and have passed thorghe Tartarye, Percye, Ermonye the litylle and the grete; thorghe Lybdie, Caldee, and a gret partie of Ethiope; thorghe BOOK ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PROSE t a singular medley, of ancient fables, his own observations, and his compilations from travellers who had preceded him. In 1382, we have specimens of the common vulgar style of the populace, in the writings 'circulated among the mob at the time of the great insurrection in the reign of Richard 11.24 As they were meant to Amazoyne, Inde the lesse and the more, a gret partie; and thorghe out many othere iles, that ben abouten Inde; where dwellen many dyverse folkes, and of dyverse maneres and lawyes, and of dyverse schappes of men. Of whiche londes and iles, I schalle speke more pleynly hereaftre. And I schalle devise zou sum partie of thinges that there ben, whan time schalle ben, aftre it may best come to my mynde; and specyally for hem, that wylle and are in purpos for to visite the holy citee of Jerusalem, and the holy places that are there aboute. And I schalle telle the weye, that thei schulle holden thidre. For I have often tymes passed and ryden the waye, with gode companye of many lordes. God be thonked. And gee schulle understonde, that I have put this boke out of Latyn into Frensche, and translated it agen out of Frensche into Englyssche, that every man of my nacioun may undirstonde it. But lordes and knyghtes, and othere noble and worthi men, that conne Latyn but litylle, and han ben begonde the see, knowen and undirstonden, gif I erre in devisynge, for forgetynge, or elles; that thei mowe redresse it and amende it. For thinges passed out of longe tyme from a mannes mynde, or from his syght, turnen sone into forgetynge. Because that mynde of man ne may not ben comprehended ne witheholden, for the freeltee of mankynde.'--Voiage and Travaile, pp. 4-7. Printed from the Cotton MS. 1725-1727. At the end of his book, he says, Now I am comen hom, mawgree myself, to reste: for gowtes, artetykes, that me distreynen, tho diffynen the ende of my labour, aenst my wille; God knowethe. And thus takynge solace in my wreeched reste, recordynge the tyme passed, I have fulfilled theise thinges, and putte hem wryten in this boke, as it wolde come into my minde, the zeer of grace 1356, in the 34 zeer that I departede from oure countrees.' Ib. p. 383. 24 Knyghton has preserved these political squibs of the day: 'Jakke Mylner asket helpe to turne his mylne aright. He hath grounden smal, smal; the Kings sone of heven, he schal pay for alle. Loke thy mylne go aryght, with the foure sayles, and the post stande in steadfastnesse. With ryght and with myght, with skyl and with wylle, lat myght helpe ryght; and skyl go before wylle, and ryght before myght, than goth oure mylne aryght. And if myght go before ryght, and wylle before skylle, than is oure mylne mys adyght." Jakke Carter pryes gowe alle that ge make a gode ende of that ge have begunnen and doth wele, and ay, bettur and bettur: for at the even, men neryth the day. For if the ende be wele, than is alle wele. Lat Peres the plowman, my brother, duelle at home, and dyght us corne, II. PROGRESS AND PROSE affect the popular mind, they were of course com- CHAP. posed in their ordinary language. They have however all the air of modern phrase, and are proofs, that our prose style was not exclusively formed by: our writers, but arose amid the business and conver- LANGUAGE sation of common life. Courts and colleges in former times deviated into affected diction. The ordinary classes of life are always natural, simple, and easy their colloquial phrase, because they are not qualified to understand any other; and from such elements, a perspicuous and impressive style may most successfully be framed. in As Wicliffe died in 1384, the specimens of his English style may be inserted in this place.25 Tho at least fifty years later, it was not so cultivated as the hermit of Hampole's, nor even of some of his contemporaries. Whether this arose from his collegiate and I will go with gowe and helpe that y may to dyghte youre mete and youre drynke, that ge none fayle. Lokke that Hobbe robbyoure be wele chastysed for lesyng of goure grace, for ge have gret nede to take God with gowe in alle goure dedes. For nowe is tyme to be war.' John Balle gretyth gow wele alle and doth gow to understonde, he hath rungen youre belle. Nowe ryght and myght, wylle and skylle. God spede every ydele.-Stonde manlyche togedyr in trewthe and helpe ge trewthe and trewthe schal helpe gowe. Now regneth pride in pris, and covetys is hold wys, and lecherye withouten shame, and glotonye withouten blame. Envye regneth with tresone, and slouthe is taken in grete sesone.' Knyghton Chron. pp. 2637, 2638. 25 On many maneris oure religious desteyven hemself in vanite: first they refreynen noght here mouthe in praieris but forgeten to worche. As gif praieris weren the beste thing, bi whiche men serven & plesen to God. On that other manere relegious ben veyn, whanne thei lernen here owne reulis and leven the reule that god gaf; and ocupien hem in this lore to seye and synge withouten book, as gif this pleside most to God. On the thridde manere thes ordris ben veyn, that prechen japis to begge better and to susteyne here cloistris and houses and other godes, that thei coveiten; and certes thes himpes failen here as mouled gras that were unteddid; for that gras moot nedis rote and fade Knewen nought thes newe ordris and thes cloistris with newe houses and other rentis, that thei han founden what scholde move hem to love thus & leve relegioun, that God hath goven. It is a blaspheme and bileve houever that men speken here." Wicliffe's Postils, Claud. D 8. p. 145. LANGUAGE AND PROSE TION. BOOK life, his scholastic studies, or some want of facility IX. or fluency of thought, or clearness of his ideas, ENGLISH cannot be ascertained; but his Postils, which, being addressed to the people at large, ought to have been COMPOSI- in the most familiar phrase, are not so well expressed, nor so immediately intelligible, as either Rolles, or those which follow. His translation, however of the Prodigal Son,26 has all the merit of the best style of that time, and reads very interestingly in his venerable diction. Perhaps it would be diffi cult to make it unimpressive. 6 26 A man hadde twey sones: and the yonger of hem seide to the fadir,Fadir! geve me the porcioun of catel that fallith to me;' and he departide to hem the catel. And not aftir manye dayes, whanne alle thingis weren gederid togider, the yongere sone wente forth in pilgrimage into a fer cuntree, and ther he wastide hise goodis in lyvynge lecherously. And after that he hadde endid alle thingis, a strong hungur was maad in that cuntree and he bigan to haue nede. And he wente and drough him to oon of the cyteseynes of that cuntree, and he sente him into his toun, to feed swyn. And he coueitide to fille his wombe of the coddis that the hoggis eeten, and no man gaf him. And he turnede agen into himsilf: and seide, how manye hirid men in my fadir's hous had plente of looues: and I perisch here thorou hungur! I schal rise up and go to my fadir, and I schal seye to him: fadir I haue synned into heuene and bifore thee, and now I am not worthi to be clepid thi sone: make me as oon of thin hirid men.' And he roos up and cam to his fadir; and whanne he was yit afer, his fadir sigh him, and was stirid by mersy, and he ran, and fel on his necke, and kisside him. And the sone seide to him, ' fadir I have synned into heuene and bifore thee: and now I am not worthi to be clepid thi sone.' And the fadir seide to his seruantis swithe brynge ye forth the first stole: and clothe ye him, and gyue ye a ryng in his hond: and schoon on hise feet. And brynge ye a fat calf and sleygh ye: and ete we, and make we feeste. For this my sone was deed, and hath lyued agen: he perischide, and is founden:' and alle men bigunnen to But his eldre sone was in the feeld; and whanne he cam, and neighede to the hous, he herde a symfonye and a croude. And he clepide oon of the seruantis: and axide what these thingis weren. And he seide to him, thi brother is comen: and thi fadir slough a fatt calf, for he resseyuede him saaf.' And he was wrooth, and wolde not come yn: therfor his fadir gede out: and bigan to preye him. And he answerde to his fadir: and seyde, lo so manye yeeris I serue thee: and I neuere brak thi comaundement and thou neuere, gaue to me a kide that I with my frendis schulde haue etun. But aftir that this thi sone that hath deuourid his substance with hooris, cam, thou hast slayn to him a fat calf.' And he seide to him, 'sone thou art euermore with me: and alle my thingis ben thine. But it bihofte to make feest and to haue joye: for this thi brother was deed and lyuyde agen, be perisshide and is foundun." Wicliffe's Test. Baber's ed. p. 76. éte. |