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III.

AN ORIGINAL BALLAD BY CHAUCER.

This little fonnet, which hath efcaped 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 natu rally englished by our honest countrymen ROUND O. Tho' fo 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 bath always prevailed in the dark ages of literature. The Greek poets have 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.

YOURE two eyn will sle me fodenly,

I may the beaute of them not fuftene,
So wendeth it thorowout my herte kene.

2.

And but your words will helen haftely
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.

II. 1. So

II. 1.

So hath youre beauty fro your herte chafed
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 chafed.

3.

Alas, that nature hath in yow compassed
So grete beaute, that no man may atteyn
To mercy, though he fterve for the

So hath youre beaute, &c.

III. I.

peyn.

Syn I fro love escaped am fo fat,
I nere thinke to ben in his prison lene;
Syn I am fre, I counte hym not a bene.

2.

He may anfwere, and fey this and that,
I do no fors, I fpeak ryght as I mene;
Syn I fro love efcaped am fo fat.

3.

Love hath my name i ftrike out of his felat,
And he is ftrike out of my bokes clene :
For ever mo *ther is non other mene.

Syn I fro love efcaped, &c.

#This. MS.

IV. THE

IV.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM :

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

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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 rudeft times could fee thro' the falfe glare that furrounded them, and difcover whatever was abjurd in them both. Chaucer wrote his Rhyme of fir Thopas 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 chi vairy was upon the whole useful or pernicious in the rude ages, a queftion that has lately employed many fine pens *, it evi-· dently encouraged a vindictive fpirit, 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. Accordingly 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 those times, as the laws against Duelling are in thefe. not escape the difcernment of our poet, who eafily perceived that inveterate opinions must be attacked by other weapons, than proclamations and cenfures; he accordingly made ufe 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 regular

This dia

* See [Mr. Hurd's] Letters on Chivalry, 8vo. 1762. Memoires de la Chevalerie par M, de la Curne des Palais, 1759, 2tom, 12mo, &c,

regular challenge-the appointed day-the lady for the prize -the formal preparations-the dijplay 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 feafiing, with all the other folemn fopperies, that ufually attended the exercife of the barriers. And how acutely the sharpness of the author's humour must have been felt in those days, we may learn, from what we can perceive of its keenness now, when time has fo much blunted the edge of his ridicule.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM was first printed from an ancient MS. in 1631, 4to, by the rev. Whilken Bedwell, rector of Tottenham, and one of the tranflators of the Bible: he tells us it was written by Gilbert Pilkington, thought to have been fome time parfon of the fame parish, and author of another piece 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 ferious narrative of a real event, and thinks it must have been written before the time of Edward III, becaufe Turnaments were prohibited in that reign. "I do verily beleeve, fays he, that this Turnament was acted "before this proclamation of K. Edward. For how durft any to attempt to do that, although in fport, which was fo flraightly forbidden, both by the civill and ecclefiafticall power? For although they fought not with lances, yet, as our authour jayth, "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 be not, trow you, have been HANG'D FOR IT tr IN EARNEST? YEA, AND HAVE BENE BURIED LIKE 66 A DOGGE?" It is however well known that Turna→ ments were in ufe down to the reign of Elizabeth.

66

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In the former editions of this work, Bedwell's copy was tranfcribed here, with fome few conjectural emendations; but as Bedwell feemed to have reduced the orthography at least, if not the phrajeology, to the fandard of his own time, it was

4

with

with great pleasure that the Editor was informed of an ancient MS. copy preferved in the Mufeum [Harl. MSS. 5396.] which appeared to have been tranfcribed in the reign of K. Hen. VI about 1456. This obliging information the Editor owed to the friendship of THO. TYRWHITT, efq; and he has chiefly followed that more authentic Tranfcript, improved however by fame readings from Bedwell's

Book.

F all thes kene conquerours to carpe it were kynde;
of fele feyztyng folk ferly we fynde;

The Turnament of Totenham have we in mynde;
It were harme fych hardynes were holden byhynde,

In ftory as we rede

Of Hawkyn, of Herry,

Of Tomkyn, of Terry,

Of them that were dughty;

And ftalworth in dede.

It befel in Totenham on a dere day, '
Ther was mad a fhurtyng be the hy-way :
Theder com al the men of the contray,
Of Hyffylton, of Hy-gate, and of Hakenay,
And all the fwete fwynkers.

Ther hopped Hawkyn,

5

1Q

15

Ther daunfed Dawkyn,

Ther trumped Tomkyn,

And all wer trewe drynkers.

Tyl the day was gon and evyn-fong past,

That thay schuld reckyn.ther foot and ther counts caft: 20

Perkyn

Ver. 20. It is not very clear in the MS. whether it should be conts, or

conters.

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