Owing to my absence from England, I was unable to answer the Queries
which were put to me (No 94., p. 116.) by your respected correspondent
J. E. The word _guistroun_ (as also _Salhanas_) was merely an error of
the press; and with respect to the others, I concur, for the most part,
in the learned observations of MR. SINGER (No 96., p. 159.).
_Quistroun_, it may be added, is found in a MS. chronicle quoted in the
preface to the French version of _Havelok_, and with the explanation "de
sa quisyne." The singular form of _chaunsemlees_ is written
_chauncemele_ in the _Promptuar. Parvul._, and rendered _subtelaris_,
which, according to Ducange, would correspond exactly to _slipper_.
I now beg to present your readers with a fresh series of extracts from
the same volume. The first, though rather long, will not easily bear
abbreviation. It is somewhat in the style of Piers Ploughman, but
earlier by several years. The subject is the unfaithfulness of the
clergy in the former half of the fourteenth century:--
"Þis word is mekil agen þese clerkis
Þ't schuld kenne lewid folk good werkis,
And gader hem to goddis hord
Wiþ rightful lyf and goddis word.
Hem auhte þinke if þei wer wise
How þei schul stonde at goddis assise,
And gelden acountes of all hir wit
How þei in þ'e world han spent it.
Lord what schul þese persouns say
Whan þei schul come on domys day
To gelde of al hir lyf acounte
And what hir rentis may amounte,
Þat þei of lewid men take her
Hir soulis hele hem to ler,
And diden not so but lyued in lust
Of flesch, þ't makiþ þ'e soule rust.
For riche persouns louen mor now
Flesch-liking mor þan þ'e soule prow [_i.e._ profit];
þei wene to sewe cristis trace [_i.e._ follow His track]
Wiþ hunting and w't þ'e deer chace;
Þei fedin hir flesch wiþ good mete
Þ't lewid folk hem tilen and gete;
Þei lyuen on lewid folkis traueyle
And nouht to hem þei auayle.
For ther þei schuld w't sarmoun tille
Þe lewid folkis herte and wille
To right longing of heuene-riche bewhile,
Wiþ wikkid example þei hem begile:
For wikkid example þei hem geue
In wikkednes alway for to leue.
For þer þei schuld hem meknes schewe
Þei schewe hem pride and vnthewe,
And ther þei schulde teche hem dele
And parte w't god of hir catele,
Ther teche þei hem wiþ couetise
To spar hir good in euyl wise.
For we seen so these persouns spar
Þ't þei suffre pore men mysfar;
We see hem fayr grehoundis fede
And suffren þ'e pore to deyen for nede,
And euyl example þus þei gyue
To hir pareschyns euyle to lyue.
For me þinkeþ it is no ferly [_i.e._ wonder]
Þouh lewid folk lyue in foly,
Whan þei seen prestis and persouns
Mistake agen god as felouns.
Goddis felouns I hem calle
Þ't makiþ man in synne falle,
Wiþ example of euyl lyf
Þ't is now in þis world ful ryf.
Þerfor I rede persouns and prestis
Þ't þei ber god on hir brestis,
And þenk how al hir mete and drink
Comiþ of her pareschyns swink,
And teche þei hem how þat þei
Schul toward heuene take þ'e wei,
And after holde hem wel þerinne
And kepe hem fro dedli synne.
For wel is hem þ't wiþ preching
Mai tele [_i.e._ allure] soulis to heuene king."
2. Nor was the author of these sermons less severe in rebuking the
faults of the layman. The following is a specimen of his plain-spoken
fervour:--
"But crist of þ't man seyth wites [_i.e._ reproaches]
Þat in sarmoun not delytes.
For many folis heren a sarmoun
Wiþ outen ony deuocioun;
Þ't is in Englisch loue-longing,
Þ't auhte of mannes herte spring
Toward þ'e blisse þ't lastiþ ay,
And not toward þ'e worldis play.
But sum men sitten at sarmoun
Þ't wer better ben atte toun;
On worldis wele þink þei so mekil
Þ't is deceyuabil fals and fekil,
Þat sarmoun sauoureth hem nouht
So is hir herte menyng (?) in þouht.
And sum other seli gomes
Þ't for to her sarmoun comes,
And goddis word so litil kepiþ
Þ't at þ'e preching manye slepiþ:
At goddis word þei ben sleping
And at þ'e tauerne hous waking:
At lyche-wake [_i.e._ corpse-watching] and sinful plawes,
Þei ben waking til þ'e day dawes,
But whan þei come sarmoun to her
Þei ben so heuy and so swer,
Þ't hir heuedis þei may not hold vp
But hongen it in þ'e fendis cup."
3. Yet with regard to one class of questions, the tongue of the preacher
was restrained. After touching the subject of confession and the frailty
of some confessors, he adds in a significant way:
"Of þis mater coude I sey mar,
But God wod þ't I ne dar,
For beter is skilful pes to holde
Þan in speche ben to bolde."
4. The following extract will not fail to interest the student of
prophecy:--
"Get wone ful many iewis thore, [_i.e._ in captivity]
And so schul þei don euer more,
Til ageyn domes day,
Þan schul þei þens out-stray,
And ouer al þer þei go
Cristen folk schul þei slo;
And þei schul receyue antecrist
And wene þ't he be ih[=u] crist;
And sone after comiþ domes day,
As we in prophecye her say."
5. The last passage I shall cite is a curious exposition of the First
Commandment (p. 455.):--
"Þ'e first heste is þis: Þu schalt worschipen Þi lord god & him
alone seruyn. In þ't heste is forboden to don any sacrifice to
mawmettis or worschipe to fals goddis. In þ't heste also is
forboden al maner wicchecraftis, enchauntementis, wiþ seruys and
markis and al manere experimentis, coniuraciouns, as men wone to
do and maken for thynges i-stolen, in bacynes, in swerdis and in
certeyn names wreten and enclosed, holi water and holi candel and
oþere manye maneris whiche ben nought good to neuene. In þ't heste
also is forboden al maner iogelyng and for to tellyn of þing þ't
is to comen, be sterres and planets, or be metell, or be destene,
or be schynynge of þ'e pawme of mannes hond or eny oþere maneris.
For þei aproperen to man þing þ't oneliche falleþ to god, to witen
of þinges þ't arn to come," &c.