Much has recently been written upon the subject of an abortive
Renaissance within the Middle Ages. The centre of it was France, and its
period of brilliancy may be roughly defined as the middle and end of
the twelfth century. Much, again, has been said about the religious
movement in England, which spread to Eastern Europe, and anticipated the
Reformation by two centuries before the date of Luther. The songs of the
Wandering Students, composed for the most part in the twelfth century,
illustrate both of these early efforts after self-emancipation. Uttering
the unrestrained emotions of men attached by a slender tie to the
dominant clerical class and diffused over all countries, they bring us
face to face with a body of opinion which finds in studied chronicle or
laboured dissertation of the period no echo. On the one side, they
express that delight in life and physical enjoyment which was a main
characteristic of the Renaissance; on the other, they proclaim that
revolt against the corruption of Papal Rome which was the motive-force
of the Reformation.
Our knowledge of this poetry is derived from two chief sources. One is
a MS. of the thirteenth century, which was long preserved in the
monastery of Benedictbeuern in Upper Bavaria, and is now at Munich.
Richly illuminated with rare and curious illustrations of contemporary
manners, it seems to have been compiled for the use of some
ecclesiastical prince. This fine codex was edited in 1847 at
Stuttgart. The title of the publication is _Carmina Burana_, and under
that designation I shall refer to it. The other is a Harleian MS.,
written before 1264, which Mr. Thomas Wright collated with other
English MSS., and published in 1841 under the name of _Latin Poems
commonly attributed to Walter Mapes_.
These two sources have to some extent a common stock of poems, which
proves the wide diffusion of the songs in question before the date
assignable to the earlier of the two MS. authorities. But while this
is so, it must be observed that the _Carmina Burana_ are richer in
compositions which form a prelude to the Renaissance; the English
collections, on the other hand, contain a larger number of serious and
satirical pieces anticipating the Reformation.
Another important set of documents for the study of the subject are
the three large works of Edelstand du Meril upon popular Latin poetry;
while the stores at our disposal have been otherwise augmented by
occasional publications of German and English scholars, bringing to
light numerous scattered specimens of a like description. Of late it
has been the fashion in Germany to multiply anthologies of medieval
student-songs, intended for companion volumes to the _Commersbuch_.
Among these, one entitled _Gaudeamus_ (Teubner, 2d edition, 1879)
deserves honourable mention.
It is my purpose to give a short account of what is known about the
authors of these verses, to analyse the general characteristics of
their art, and to illustrate the theme by copious translations. So far
as I am aware, the songs of Wandering Students offer almost absolutely
untrodden ground to the English translator; and this fact may be
pleaded in excuse for the large number which I have laid under
contribution.
In carrying out my plan, I shall confine myself principally, but not
strictly, to the _Carmina Burana_. I wish to keep in view the
anticipation of the Renaissance rather than to dwell upon those
elements which indicate an early desire for ecclesiastical reform.