[Ac1] so fayre a coronne nas never non ysene, And the ston is joye whereof hi schilleth never misse, &c. Ffele outrageous hete, and afterwards to muche colde; And so be ypyned that non schal other kenne', The whiche beothe nougt but fendes of helle, &c. That no synful man may therto tilles : The whuche holi men hadde heer to that place, Bot so brigt gold, ne non so clene, Was in this worlde never ysene, &c. I likne to wardes that wel were ydygt, And on silver and gold clenly anamayled", &c. The torettes of hevene grete and smale I likne to the torrettes of clene cristale, &c. I am not, in the mean time, quite convinced that any manuscript of the PRICKE OF CONSCIENCE in English belongs to Hampole. That this piece is a translation from the Latin appears from these verses. Therefore this boke is in Englis drawe Of fele matters that bene unknawe That con no latyn undirstonde". The Latin original in prose, entitled STIMULUS CONSCIENTIÆ, was most probably written by Hampole: and it is not very likely that he should translate his own work. The author and translator were easily confounded. As to the copy of the English poem given to bishop Grosthead, he could not be the science. Drough in Englishe, the Pricke of Con- Now have I firste as I undertoke And therfor this trétys oute drawe I wolde And prikke of conscience is this tretys yhote, &c. For the love of our Lord Jesu Christ now Praieth specially for hym that hit oute drow, And also for hym that this boke hath Whether he be in water other in londe the Editor's notice, makes mention of In the Cambridge manuscript of Hampole's PARAPHRASE ON THE LORD'S PRAYER, above mentioned, containing a prolix description of human virtues and vices, at the end, this remark appears. Explicit quidam tractatus super Pater translator, to say nothing more, if Hampole wrote the Latin original. On the whole, whoever was the author of the two translations, at least we may pronounce with some certainty, that they belong to the reign of Edward the Third.* noster secundum Ric. Hampole qui obiit A. D. MCCCLXXXIV. [But the true date of his death is in another place, viz. 1348.] MSS. More, 215. Princ. "Almighty God in trinite In whom is only personnes thre." The PARAPHRASE ON THE BOOK OF JOB, mentioned also before, seems to have existed first in Latin prose under the title of PARVUM JOB. The English begins thus: "Lieff lord my soul thou spare." In Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Laud. F 77. 5, &c. &c. It is a paraphrase of some Excerpta from the book of Job. THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS begin thus: "To goddis worschippe that dere us bougt." MSS. Bodl. Digb. 18. Hampole's ExroSITIO IN PSALTERIUM is not uncommon in English. It has a preface in English rhymes in some copies, in praise of the author and his work. Pr. "This blessyd boke that hire." MSS. Laud. F 14, &c. Hampole was a very popular writer. Most of his many theological pieces seem to have been translated into English soon after they appeared: and those pieces abound among our manuscripts. Two of his tracts were translated by Richard Misyn, prior of the Carmelites at Lincoln, about the year 1435. The INCENDIUM AMORIS, at the request of Margaret Hellingdon a recluse. Princ. "To the askynge of thi desire." And DE EMEN DATIONE VITÆ. "Tarry thou not to oure.” They are in the translator's own handwriting in the library of C. C. C. Oxon. MSS. 237. I find other antient translations of both these pieces. Particularly, The PRICKE OF LOVE after Richard Hampol treting of the three degrees of love. MSS. Bodl. Arch. B. 65. f. 109. As a proof of the confusions and uncertainties attending the works of our author, I must add, that we have a translation of his tract DE EMENDATIONE under this title. The form of perfyt living, which holy Richard the hermit wrote to a recluse named Margarete. MS. Vernon. But Margarete is evidently the recluse, at whose request Richard Misyn, many years after Hampole's death, translated the INCENDIUM AMORIS. These observations, to which others might be added, are sufficient to confirm the suspicions insinuated in the text. Many of Hampole's Latin theological tracts were printed very early at Paris and Cologne. * [Much about the same period, Lawrence Minot, not mentioned by Tanner, wrote a collection of poems on the principal events of the reign of king Edward the Third, preserved in the British Museum. MSS. Cotton. GALB. Eix.-ADDITIONS.] [The poems of Minot were published by Mr. Ritson in 1796. They are noticed hereafter, and a few specimens of his style are given.-EDIT.] SECTION VIII. THE next poet in succession is one who deserves more attention on various accounts. This is Robert Longlande, author of the poem called the VISION OF PIERCE PLOWMAN, a secular priest, and a fellow of Oriel college, in Oxford. He flourished about the year 1350 [1362]. This poem contains a series of distinct visions, which the author imagines himself to have seen, while he was sleeping, after a long ramble on Malverne-hills in Worcestershire. It is a satire on the vices of almost every profession: but particularly on the corruptions of the clergy, and the absurdities of superstition. These are ridiculed with much humour and spirit, couched under a strong vein of allegorical invention. But instead of availing himself of the rising and rapid improvements of the English language, Longland prefers and adopts the style of the AngloSaxon poets. Nor did he make these writers the models of his language only: he likewise imitates their alliterative versification, which consisted in using an aggregate of words a I have here followed a date commonly received. But it may be observed, that there is in this poem an allusion to the fall of Edward the Second. The siege of Calais is also mentioned as a recent fact; and Bribery accuses Conscience of obstructing the conquest of France. See more in Observations on the Fairy Queen, ii. § xi. p. 281. [Mr. Tyrwhitt has shown that the Visions must have been written after or during the year 1362, since they mention "the south western winde on Saturday at even," which is thus recorded by Thorn, apud Decem Scriptores. "A. D. MCCCLXII. 15 die Januarii, circa horam vesperarum, ventus vehemens notus australis Africus tantâ rabie erupit," &c. Of the author he has said in another place: "The Visions of (i. e. concerning) Pierce Ploughman are generally ascribed to one Robert Langland; but the best MSS. that I have seen, make the Christian name of the author William, without mentioning his surname; so in MS. Cot. Vesp. D xvi. at the end of page 1, is this rubric: "Hic incipit secundus Passus de visione Willelmi de Petro Plouhman." And in verse 5. of page 2. “And sayde sonne, slepest thou? the MS. has: And sayde Wille slepest thou? See also the account of MS. Harl. 2376, in the Harleian catalogue." This subject will be considered in a note at the end of this volume.-EDIT.] beginning with the same letter. He has therefore rejected rhyme, in the place of which he thinks it sufficient to substitute a perpetual alliteration. But this imposed constraint of seeking identical initials, and the affectation of obsolete English, by demanding a constant and necessary departure from the natural and obvious forms of expression, while it circumscribed the powers of our author's genius, contributed also to render his manner extremely perplexed, and to disgust the reader with obscurities. The satire is conducted by the agency of several allegorical personages, such as Avarice, Bribery, Simony, Theology, Conscience, &c. There is much imagination in the following picture, which is intended to represent human life, and its various occupations. And than gan I to mete a mervelyous swevene, That I was in [a?] wyldyrnese, wyst I never qwere: I saw a towr on a toft, ryaly emaked, A depe dale be nethe, a donjoun therein, With depe dykys and dyrke, and dredful of sygth: The following extracts are not only striking specimens of our author's allegorical satire, but contain much sense and observation of life, with some strokes of poetry. C с Fol. i. a. edit. 1550. By Roberte F. 39. seq. Pass. viii. seq. edit. 1550. Crowley, 4to. He printed three editions [This single passage has been collated in this one year. Another was printed with the Harl. MS. No. 3954. On fur[with Pierce Plowman's CREDE annex- ther inspection, this manuscript was not ed] by Owen Rogers, 1561. 4to. See only found incomplete, but essentially Strype, Ann. Reformat. i. 135. And varying from the printed copy of CrowAmes, Hist. Print. p. 270. ley. Its orthography has a strong pro travelyd ful sore. MS. |