in SPIRITUAL BATAILE". The old collector of his ENGLISH WORKES has also preserved two shorte ballettes", or stanzas, which he wrote for his pastyme, while a prisoner in the Tower*.

It is not my design, by these specimens, to add to the fame of sir Thomas More; who is reverenced by posterity, as the scholar who taught that erudition which civilised his country, and as the philosopher who met the horrours of the block with that fortitude which was equally free from ostentation and enthusiasm: as the man, whose genius overthrew the fabric of false learning, and whose amiable tranquillity of temper triumphed over the malice and injustice of tyranny.

To some part of the reign of Henry the Eighth I assign the TOURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM, or The wooeing, winning, and wedding of TIBBE the Reeves Daughter there. I presume it will not be supposed to be later than that reign: and the substance of its phraseology, which I divest of its obvious innovations, is not altogether obsolete enough for a higher period. I am aware, that in a manuscript of the British Museum it is referred to the time of Henry the Sixth. But that manuscript affords no positive 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 says it was written by Gilbert Pilkington, supposed to have been rector of the same

parish, and author of an unknown tract, called PASSIO DOMINI JESU. But Bedwell, without the least comprehension of the scope and spirit of the piece, imagines it to be a serious narrative of a real event; and, with as little sagacity, 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 impossible that the poet could be serious. Undoubtedly the chief merit of this poem, although not destitute of humour, consists in the design rather than the execution. As Chaucer, in the RIME OF SIR THOPAS, travestied the romances of chivalry, the TOURNA

be no doubt that the poem is of equal antiquity.-EDIT.]

[The Rev. Wilhelm Bedwell, who published the Turnament of Tottenham, from an ancient MS. in 1631, 4to, says, in his Epistle to the reader, "It is now seven or eight years since I came to the sight of the copy, and that by the meanes of the worthy and my much honoured good friend, M. George Withers: of whom also, now at length, I have obtained the use of the same. And because the verse

was then by him (a man of so exquisite judgement in this kinde of learning) much commended, as also for the thing it selfe, I thought it worth while to transcribe it and to make it public," &c.— PARK.]

I take this opportunity of observing, that the stanza of one of Laurence Minot's poems on the wars of Edward the Third, is the same as Chaucer's SIR TOPAS. Minot was Chaucer's cotemporary. MSS. Cott. GALE. E. ix.

Edward oure cumly king
In Braband has his woning,
With mani cumly knight,
And in that land, trewly to tell,
Ordains he still for to dwell,

To time he think to fight.
Now God that es of mightes maste,
Grant him grace of the Haly Gaste,

His heritage to win;

And Mari moder of mercy fre,
Save oure king, and his menze,
Fro sorow, schame, and syn.

Thus in Braband has he bene,
Whare he bifore was seldom sene,

For to prove thaire japes;
Now no langer wil he spare,
Bot unto Fraunce fast will he fare,
To confort him with grapes.
Furth he ferd into France,
God save him fro mischance,

And all his cumpany;
The nobill duc of Braband
With him went into that land,

Redy to lif or dy.
Than the riche floure de lice
Wan thare ful litill prise,

Fast he fled for ferde;
The right aire' of that cuntre
Es cumen with all his knightes fre
To schac him by the berd.
Sir Philip the Valayse,
Wit his men in tho dayes,

2

To batale had he thoght;
He bad his men tham purvay
Withowten lenger delay,

Bot he ne held it noght.
He broght folk ful grete wone,
Ay sevyn ogains one,

That ful wele wapind3 were;
Bot sone when he herd ascry,
That king Edward was nere tharby,
Than durst he noght cum nere.
In that morning fell a myst;
And when oure Ingliss men it wist,
It changed all thaire chere:
Oure king unto God made his bone,
And God sent him gude confort sone,
The weder wex ful clere.

3 weaponed, armed.

MENT OF TOTTENHAM is a burlesque on the parade and fopperies of chivalry itself. In this light, it may be considered as a curiosity; and does honour to the good sense and discernment of the writer, who seeing through the folly of these fashionable exercises, was sensible at the same time, that they were too popular to be attacked by the more solid weapons of reason and argument. Even on a supposition that here is an allusion to real facts and characters, and that it was intended to expose some popular story of the amours of the daughter of the Reve of Tottenham, we must acknowledge that the satire is conveyed in an ingenious mode. He has introduced a parcel of clowns and rustics, the inhabitants of Tottenham, Islington, Highgate, and Hackney, places then not quite so polished as at present

Oure king and his men held the felde,
Stalworthly with spere and schelde,

And thoght to win his right;
With lordes and with knightes kene,
And other doghty men bydene,

That war ful frek to fight.

When sir Philip of France herd tell,
That king Edward in feld walld dwell,
Than gayned him no gle;
He traisted of no better bote,
Bot both on hors and on fote,

He hasted him to fle.

It semid he was ferd for strokes,
When he did fell his grete okes

Obout his pavilyoune.
Abated was than all his pride,
For langer thare durst he noght bide,
His bost was broght all doune.
The king of Beme had cares colde,
That was ful hardy, and bolde,
A stede to umstride:
[He and] The king als of Naverne
War faire ferd in the ferne

Thaire heviddes for to hide.

And leves wele, it is no lye,
The felde hat Flemangrye

That king Edward was in;
With princes that war stif ande bolde,
And dukes that war doghty tolde,
In batayle to begin.

The princes that war riche on raw,
Gert nakers strikes and trumpes blaw,

And made mirth at thaire might;
Both alblast and many a bow
War redy railed opon a row,

And ful frek for to fight.

Gladly thai gaf mete and drink,
So that thai suld the better swink,

The wight men that thar ware:
Sir Philip of Fraunce fled for dout,
And hied him hame with all his rout,
Coward, God giff him care.

For thare than had the lely flowre
Lorn all halely his honowre,

That so gat fled for ferd;
Bot oure king Edward come ful still,
When that he trowed no harm him till,
And keped him in the berde.

[This and the following specimens from Minot have been corrected by Mr. Ritson's editions of his poems.-EDIT.]

[Here Dr. Ashby remarks that Tottenham, &c. were always as near the capital, and consequently as much so then as now, comparatively. But what is more to the point, and as true as strange, the lower classes are little better than those of the same rank at a greater distance.-PARK.]

In glittering ranks, made the drums beat and trumpets blow.

who imitate all the solemnities 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 escocheons, the display of arms, the triumphant procession of the conqueror, the oath before the combat, and the splendid feast which followed, with every other ceremony and circumstance which constituted the regular tournament. The reader will form an idea of the work from a short extract a.

He that bear'th him best in the tournament,

Shal be graunted the greeb by the common assent,
For to winne my daughter with doughtinesse of dent,
And Copple my broode hen that was brought out of Kent,
my dunned cow:

And

For no spenced will I spare,

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 ";
Then they toke their leave, and hamward they hede ƒ ;
And all the weke after they gayed her wede3,

Till it come to the day that they should do their dede":
They armed them in mattes;

They sett on their nowls i

Good blacke bowls *,

To keep their powls' from battering of battesTM.

They sewed hem in sheepskinnes for they should not brest", And every ilk of them had a blacke hatte instead of a crest; A baskett or panyer before on their brest,

And a flayle in her hande, for to fight prest",

Forthe con thei fare".

There was kid' mickle force.

Who should best fend his corse,

He that had no good horse, borrowed him a mare, &c.'

It appears to me, that the author, to give dignity to his narrative, and to heighten the ridicule by stiffening the familiarity of his incidents and characters, has affected an antiquity of style. This I could prove from the cast 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 singularity. 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 support a DYALogue DefenSYVE FOR WOMEN AGAYNST MALICYOUS DETRACTOURS, printed in 1542". The author's name Robert Vaghane, or Vaughan,

I have before observed, that it was a disgrace to chivalry to ride a mare.

The poems of this manuscript do not seem to be all precisely of the same hand, and might probably once have been separate papers, here stitched together. At the end of one of them, viz. fol. 46. The lysom ledys the Blynde, mention is inserted of an accompt settled ann. 34 Hen. vi. And this is in the hand and ink of that poem, and of some others. The TOURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM, which might once have been detached from the present collection, comes at some distance afterwards, and cannot perhaps for a certainty be pronounced to be of the same writing.

u

Coloph." Thus endeth the faucon and pie anno dni 1542. Imprynted by me Rob. Wyer for Richarde Bankes."

I have an antient manuscript alliterative poem, in which a despairing lover bids farewel to his mistress. At the end is written, " Explicit Amor p. Ducem Ebōrr nup. fact." I will here cite a few of the stanzas of this unknown prince. [Qu. Edward Duke of York,

eldest son of Edmond of Langley? See Noble Authors, i. 183. ed. 1806.PARK.]

Farewell Lady of grete pris,

Farewell wys, both fair and free,
Farewell freefull flourdelys,

Farewell buril, bright of ble!—
Farewell mirthe that y do mysse,

Farewell Prowesse in purpull pall!
Farewell creatur comely to kisse,
Farewell Faucon, fare you befall!
Farewell amerouse and amyable,
Farewell worthy, witty, and wys,
Farewell pured pris prisable,

Farewell ryal rose in the rys.-
Farewell derworth of dignite,

Farewell grace of governaunce,
However y fare, farewell ye,

Farewell prymerose my plesaunce!

For the use of those who collect specimens of alliteration, I will add an instance in the reign of Edward the Third from the BANOCBURN of Laurence Minot, all whose pieces, in some degree, are tinctured with it. MSS. Cott. GALB. E. ix. ut supr.