affords no pofitive indication of that date. It was published from an antient manuscript in the year 1631, and reduced to a more modern style, by William Bedwell, rector of Tottenham, and one of the translators of the Bible. He fays it was written by Gilbert Pilkington, fuppofed to have been rector of the fame parish, and author of an unknown tract, called PASSIO DOMINI JESU. But Bedwell, without the leaft comprehenfion of the scope and spirit of the piece, imagines it to be a serious narrative of a real event; and, with as little fagacity, believes it to have been written before the year 1330. Allowing that it might originate from a real event, and that there might be some private and local abuse at the bottom, it is impoffible that the poet could be ferious. Undoubtedly the chief merit of this poem, although not deftitute of humour, confifts in the defign rather than the execution. As Chaucer, in the RIME OF SIR THOPAS, traveftied the romances of chivalry, the TOURNA MENT OF TOTTENHAM is a burlesque on the parade and fopperies of chivalry itself. In this light, it may be confidered as a curiofity; and does honour to the good fenfe and difcernment of the writer, who seeing through the folly of these fashionable exercifes, was fenfible at the fame time, that they were too popular to be attacked by the more folid weapons of reason and argument. Even on a fuppofition that here is an allufion to real facts and characters, and that it was intended to expofe fome popular ftory of the amours of the daughter of the Reve of Tottenham, we must acknowledge that the fatire is conveyed in an ingenious mode. He has introduced a parcel of clowns and ruftics, the inhabitants of Tottenham, Islington, Highgate, and Hackney, places then not quite fo polished as at prefent, who imitate all In that morning fell a myft; And when oure Inglifs men it wift, Oure king and his men held the felde, And thoght to win his right; That war ful frek to fight. When fir Philip of France herd tell, It femid he was ferd for ftrokes, The king of Beme had cares colde, War faire feld in the ferene, Thaire heviddes for to hide. That king Edward was in ; The princes that war rich on raw, And full frek for to fight. Gladly thai gaf mete and drink, The wight men that thar ware: For thare than had the lely flowre That fo gat fled for ferd; a In glittering ranks, made the drums, &c. the folemnities of the barriers. The whole is a mock-parody on the challenge, the various events of the encounter, the exhibition of the prize, the devices and efcocheons, the difplay of arms, the triumphant proceffion of the conqueror, the oath before the combat, and the fplendid feaft which followed, with every other ceremony and circumftance which conftituted the regular tournament. The reader will form an idea of the work from a fhort extract". He that bear'th him beft in the tournament, Shal be graunted the gree" by the common affent, For to winne my daughter with doughtineffe of dent ̊, And Copple my broode hen that was brought out of Kent, my dunned cow: And For no fpence will I fpare, For no cattell will I care. He shall have my gray mare, and my spotted sow. There was many a bold lad their bodyes to bede*; Till it come to the day that they should do their dede" : They fett on their nowls1 Good blacke bowls *, To keep their powls' from battering of battes". They sewed hem in sheepskinnes for they should not brest”, And every ilk of them had a blacke hatte instead of a creft; A baskett or panyer before on their brest, And a flayle in her hande, for to fight prest", There was kid' mickle force. Who should beft fend' his corfe, He that had no good horfe, borrowed him a mare, &c*. It appears to me, that the author, to give dignity to his narrative, and to heighten the ridicule by ftiffening the familiarity of his incidents and characters, has affected an antiquity of ftyle. This I could prove from the caft of its fundamental diction and idiom, with which many of the old words do not agree. Perhaps another of the author's affectations is the alliterative manner. For although other specimens of alliteration, in smaller pieces, are now to be found, yet it was a fingularity. To those which I have mentioned, of this reign, I take this opportunity of adding an alliterative poem, which may be called the FALCON AND THE PIE, who fupport a DYALOGUE DESENSYVE FOR WOMEN AGAYNST MALICYOUS DETRACTOURS, printed in 1542". The author's name Robert Vaghane, P Ready. On they went. Kithed, i. e. fhewn. 'Defend. I have before obferved, that it was a difgrace to chivalry to ride a mare. The poems of this manuf.ript do not feem to be all precifely of the fame hand, and might probably once have been feparate papers, here ftitched together. At the end of one of them, viz. fol. 46. The lyfom ledys the Blynde, mention is inferted of an accompt fettled ann. 34. Hen. vi. And this is in the hand and ink of that poem, and of fome others. The TOURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM, which might once have been detached from the prefent collection, comes at fome diftance afterwards, and cannot perhaps for a certainty be pronounced to be of the fame writing. I take this opportunity of correcting a wrong reference to SIR PENI juft cited, at p. 93. It belongs to GALB. E. 9. MSS. Cott. or Vaughan, is prefixed to fome fonnets which form a fort of epilogue to the performance. For the purpose of ascertaining or illuftrating the age of pieces which have been lately or will be foon produced, I here stop to Bot fone frendes he finds that his bale betes ; Bot many man thretes and spekes full ill, Skottes broght him the kayes, bot get for A VISION on vellum, perhaps of the fame age, is alliterative. MSS. Cott. NERO, A. x. These are specimens. Ryzt as the maynful mone con rys f, 8 The even drove down the day-light, h Proceffion. i Summons. Notice. k All wore a crown. 1 White robes. |