§ 2. METRE AND VERSIFICATION.

As I mentioned before, the romance of _Sir Torrent_ is composed in the

well-known tail-rhymed twelve-line stanza, and belongs to that class of

it in which the first and the second couplets have different

rhyme-sounds (cf. Koelbing, _Amis and Amiloun_, p. xiv ff.). Only the

incompleteness of many stanzas, and the many defects in reference to the

rhyme, can excuse Halliwell for not apprehending the character of the

metre. As to the structure of the eight lines of the four couplets, each

contains (or at least ought to contain) four accents, the _caudæ_ three;

but as we, unfortunately, possess only one MS., a conclusive statement

on this point is impossible. There is no doubt about the fact that

neither the really incorrect rhymes nor the wanting of them can be due

to the author of the poem: even when romance poetry was decaying, the

poets were fairly perfect rhymers: with all deficiencies in this

department, the copyists are to be charged.

_Consonant_ rhymes (s. _Schipper Altengl. Metrik_, p. 299) are found

in _Torrent_ in the following passages: l. 141 _rode--rode_ ags.

_rôd--râd_. 450 _the--the_ ags. _þeón--þe_. 1558 _indede--dede_. 2205

_lay--lay_, _sg.--plr. prt._

_Identical_ rhymes are frequent, especially in the _caudæ_: 81

_stond--stond_. 177 _there--there_. 500 _he--hee_. 1887 _there--there_.

2538 _blithe--blithe_. 39 _take--take_. 342 _bold--bold_, a. s. o.

_Assonances_: 195 _bon~--Rome_. 518 _undyrstond--strong_. 537

_name--alone_. 699 _yod--fotte_. 758 _name--tane_. 896 _bryng--wynd_.

1257 _overcom~--Aragon~_. 1768 _man~--cam~_. 2164 _anon~--fome_. 2544

_sithe--hide_.

Besides the rhymes we find abundant alliteration, as in most of the

Middle English Romances. On alliteration, cf. Regel, Die alliteration in

Laȝamon, _Germ. Stud._ I. 171; F. Lindner, The alliteration in Chaucer’s

Canterbury Tales, _Essays on Chaucer_, Pt. III., p. 197 ff. Koelbing,

_Sir Tristrem_, p. xxxvii, and _Amis and Amiloun_, p. lxvi. Lindner as

well as Koelbing has adopted Regel’s classification, and so shall I. The

most frequent is two alliterative words in one verse; they can be

classed in the following way:--

I. A. The same word is repeated in two succeeding lines; v. 456 f.:

_Forthe sche browght a {whyt} sted, As {whyt} as the flowyr in~ med_;

v. 618 f.: _In IV {quarters} he hym drowe, And euery {quarter} vppon a

bowe_. v. 2026 f.: _But ran into a {wilde}rnes Amongist beests that

{wyld} wes_. v. 2465 f.: _They axid {hors} and armes bryght, to

{hors}bak went thay in ffere_.

B. _Alliterative combinations, one part of which is a proper name._

_Torrent_ is several times combined with the verb _take_; 26: _Towarde

hym he {t}akythe {T}orrayne_; 224: _{T}orrent thether {t}oke the way_;

519: _{T}orrent {t}oke a dulful wey_; 2269: _Whan sir {T}orent was

{t}akyn~ than~_; 91: _Now, be my {t}rowthe, seyd {T}orent than~_; 1161:

_Alas, said {D}esoneƚƚ the {d}ere_; 2523: _As was {d}ame {D}esoneƚƚ_;

1906 = 1946 = 1969: _{M}ary {m}yld. To {s}end unto her {S}athanas._

v. 1091: _The {c}asteƚƚ of {C}ardon~._

II. A. _Words of the same root are alliterative._ 133: _Torrent, on

{kne} {kne}lyd he_; 671: _That on hys {kne} he {kne}ld_; 2502: _And

{kne}lid on her {kne}_; 205: _Torrent {kne}lyd on hys {kne}_ = v. 528;

881: _And {kne}lyd vppon ys {kne}_; 1883: _She {kne}lid down~ vppon~ her

{kne}_; 2563: _Down~ they {kne}lid on~ her {kne}_; 512: _By {d}ymmynge

of the {da}y_; 1158: _For her love {d}id I never no {d}ede_; 1801: _That

ylke {d}ede, that she hath {d}one_; 1943: _How she {fl}ew in a

{ffl}ight_; 2384: _{Liffe} and {lyv}elode, whiƚƚ I {lyve}_; 233:

_A {lyon~} & a {lyon}asse_; 1671: _For to {se} that {s}elly {s}ight_;

407: _For the {t}alles thou hast me {t}old_; 1466: _And fals {t}alis

hym~ {t}old_; 2578: _Euer we {wiƚƚ} be at youre {wiƚƚ}_.

B. Relations in which alliterative words stand to each other according

to their meaning.

_a._ Concrete ideas are joined together because they belong to the same

sphere of life. 2017: _{B}yrdus and {b}estis, aye woo ye be_; 113:

_{b}one and {b}lod_; 21: _{k}yng and {k}nyght_; 83: _And ryche

{c}astelles in that {c}ontre_; 251: _In lond with a {f}yndes {f}ere_;

102: _That {f}yndes {f}are for aye_; 1094: _Both at {k}nyght and

{k}nave_; 584: _Bothe in~ {f}rethe and in {f}eld_; 660: _Stomlyng

thurrow {f}rythe and {f}en~_; 1378: _Both be {h}old and be {h}yƚƚ_;

2398: _{l}ym~ and {l}ith_; 750: _{L}ytyƚƚ and {m}ykyƚƚ, {l}ese and

{m}ore_; 1899: _That was {l}ord of aƚƚ that {l}ond_; 2152: _Loo,

{l}ordys of euery {l}ond_; 2375: _With aƚƚ {m}aner of {m}ynstralsye_;

149: _He reynyd hys {st}ed vnto a {st}ake_; 1065: _{W}aytes on the

{w}aƚƚ gan blowe_; 13: _{w}ater and {w}ynde_.

_b._ In the same way abstract ideas are connected, so far as they belong

to the same sphere of life. 460: _That {d}ethe ys {d}ynt schalt þou not

thole_; 1600: _Of {d}eth yaue he no {d}out_; 782 = 2062: _{f}eyer and

{f}re_; 2153: _{F}alshode wyƚƚ haue a {f}oule end_; 1988: _{H}elpe and

{h}old I shaƚƚ hym yeve_; 1492: _They {s}at and {s}ong_; 683: _Cryst hym

{s}aue and {s}ee_; 1303: _That he was {s}ad and {s}ore_; 1612: _set

{s}adly and {s}ore_; 335: _God that {s}ofryd wonddes {s}ore_; 322:

_{st}yff and {st}rong_ = 1491 = 2590; 1205: _That {w}ekyd was and

{w}ight_; 1584: _{w}ekyd and {w}ight_; 1849: _Her one child {w}oke and

be-gan to {w}epe_; 1559: _And {w}ot ye {w}eƚƚ and not {w}ene_; 246:

_Sche {w}eppte_, _as sche were {w}od_.

C. The grammatical relations in which the alliterative words stand to

each other.

_a._ Subst. and adj. in attributive or predicative combinations. _As

{b}old as eny {b}ore_; _With {br}owes {br}od and wyde_; 142: _hys

{b}ugeƚƚ {b}old_; 307: _In a {d}ongon~ that ys {d}ym_; 82: _My {f}ayer~

{f}orestes {f}ellythe downe he_; 209: _The {f}eyer~ {f}yld_; 426:

_{gl}emyrryng ase the {gl}ase_; 1592: _{g}ood {g}ate_; 171 = 596: _the

{h}oltes {h}ore_; 1484: _To an {h}ye {h}yƚƚ_; 1183: _{s}ydes {s}are_;

154: _Thowe the {w}ey nevyr so {w}ykkyd were_; 2054: _{w}ekyd {w}eders_;

506: _In the {w}yld-some {w}ay_; 535: _{W}yldsom {w}eyes haue I {w}ent_;

2030: _She {w}ent on that {w}ilsom~ {w}ay_.

_b._ Verbs or adjectives combined with the adverb or substantive which

contains their secondary adverbial meaning. 1478: _To {b}e here at his

{b}ane_, cf. 1678: _That there his {b}ane hath {b}e_; 1944: _To her

{b}irdus was she {b}oun~_; 2016: _With {b}lis on euery {b}owȝe_; 135:

_That {b}owght hym with hys {b}lod_; 1045: _Thurrow the {b}ody he gan

hym {b}ere_; 1404: _To the {b}ote they {b}are_; 334: _Thus he {c}ovyrd

owt of {c}are_; 27: _That {d}owghtty ys in {d}edde_, cf. 1725; 98:

_With-owt {f}ere that he schold {f}are_; 603 = 977: _Also {f}ast ase he

myght {f}are_; 536: _With {f}yndes for to {f}yght_; 802: _To {f}yght

with that {f}yndes {f}ere_; 1262: _That was {gr}ow both {gr}ene and

{g}ay_; 1060 = 2330: _Torent be the {h}ond he {h}ent_; 270: _That

{m}eche ys of {m}yght_; 713: _That {m}eche wase of {m}yght_; 24: _For

God ys {m}ost of {m}yght_, cf. 1112: _To a {m}an off {m}yght_; 1879: _Vp

she {r}ose ageyn~ the {r}ough_; 2100: _Go {s}ech her in~ the {s}ee_;

2129: _And {s}ett hym~ oute in to the {s}ee_; 2469: _That {s}emely to

{s}e were_; 126: _And {s}ymly was to {s}ene_; 415: _That dare I

{s}othely {s}ey_; 1170: _Torrent {s}ett on hym~ so {s}ore_; 139:

_Serttes, yf I hym {sl}epyng {sl}one_; 181: _Torrent vndyr hys {sp}ryt

he {sp}rent_; 179: _But {st}ond {st}yƚƚ_; 2410: _He is so {st}iff at

euery {st}oure_; 987: _Torrent in~ the {st}orrope {st}od_; 1912: _For no

{st}roke wold she {st}ynt_; 2060: _By a {t}okyn~ I shaƚƚ the {t}eƚƚ_;

2397: _Or {w}alkyd in {w}ede_; 383: _In hys {w}alke ther ase he {w}ent_;

725: _And {w}ent forthe on hys {w}ey_; 107: _And on hys {w}ey gan he

{w}ynd_; 2030: _She {w}ent on that {w}ilsom~ {w}ay_; 989: _ale {w}yld at

{w}yle_; 2088: _In no {w}ise he {w}old_; 1206: _To {w}ed her to my

{w}yffe_; 749: _That {w}yt ys vndyr {w}ede_; 1315: _Aƚƚ men {w}onderid

on that {w}ight_; 33: _{w}orthyest in {w}ede_.

_c._ Substantives and verbs are combined in the relation of subject and

predicate. 2221: _Down {kn}elid that {kn}yght_; 854: _Whether the {f}ynd

can {f}yght_; 2390: _There that his {l}ady {l}ent_; 2064: _My {l}ove was

on the {l}ent_; 1219: _Gret {l}ordys to churche her {l}ed_; 170: _The

fyndes {sp}ere {sp}arrythe hyme nothyng_; 84: _No {st}on lettythe he

{st}ond_.

_d._ Verbs and substantives are combined as predicate and object. 2490:

_his {b}ak to {b}end_; 2532: _That {c}outh moche {c}urtesye_; 273: _Thy

{d}ethe than wyƚƚ he {d}yght_, cf. 1043: _Hys {d}ethe to hyme ys

{d}yght_; 1648: _Thy {d}eth now is {d}ight_; 2123: _What {d}eth they

wold hym {d}o_; 161: _My lordes {f}rethe thus to {f}eƚƚ_; 2235: _{F}ound

hym his {fi}ƚƚ off {ffy}ght_; 1743: _The {ff}orward ye to

{f}ulleffylle_; 651: _He {g}athyred svm of hys {g}ere_; 210: _Vpp both

his {h}andes he {h}eld_; 1799: _For Iesu is love, that {h}arood {h}eƚƚ_;

1820: _Whan they {l}ed that {l}ady ffre_; 2080: _{L}eve we now that

{l}ady gent_; 1663: _Ech on other {l}aid good {l}ode_; 1495: _To god

that {m}ade {m}an_; 435: _A gret {m}aynerey let he {m}ake ryght_; 264:

_To hym sche {m}ad here {m}one_; 645: _He {r}awght Torrent soche a

{r}owght_; 1172: _And aƚƚ to {sh}everd his {sh}eld_; 502: _Tho he be

{st}rod anoble {st}ede_; 2482: _Torent be {str}ode a stede {str}ong_;

281: _I schaƚƚ the {t}eƚƚ soche a {t}okyn~_; 2013: _Ne {w}anted she no

{w}oo_; 115: _He that schaƚƚ {w}end soche a {w}ey_; 439: _Hom-ward to

{w}end ther {w}ey_; 2448: _And than~ to {w}end her {w}ay_; 2457: _And to

her logyng {w}ent her {w}ay_; 1544: _Other {w}ayes yf I {w}end_; 207:

_That hathe thys {w}orld to {w}yld_.