that yt fynde you not repleat of humors hotte,
for yf yt do, &c.
But this correct{i}one (savinge, as I sayed, correct{i}one)
semeth not so good as the former texte.
[Sidenote: Kenelm slain by Queen Drida.] Fol: 86. pa: 2. Vppon
these woordes, (Lo, in the lyfe of Kenelme we reade,) you saye
that Kenelme was sleyne by his sister Quenda, whiche sholde be
Quendrida; as Williame of Malmsberye and Ingulphus have. Whiche
Quendrida dothe signyfye Quene Drida; as the author of the
Antiquyties of Seint Albons and of the Abbottes thereof
(supposed to be Mathewe Paris) dothe expounde yt. for that
auctor, speakinge of the wyfe of Offa the greate kinge of
Mercia, (a wicked and proude womanne because she was of the
stocke of Charles the greate,) dothe saye, that she was called
Drida, and being the kings wyfe was termed Quendrida, id est,
Regina Drida.
[Sidenote: Master Speight mistaketh his almanack.] Fo: 87. p: 1.
Vppon these woordes of "Taurus was fortye degrees and one," you
saye that this place ys misprinted, as well in not namynge of
the sygne, as of the misreckonynge of the degrees, that the two
and twentye of Marche the sunne is in Aries, and that but eleven
degrees or thereaboutes, and hathe in all but thirtye degrees.
In whiche, in semynge to correcte the former printe (whiche in
truthe deseruethe amendement, but not in that order,) you seme
to mee to erre, as farre as heauen and yerthe, in mistakinge
Chaucers meanynge and his woordes, as well for the daye of the
monthe, as for the signe. for where yo{u} suppose that Chaucere
meanethe the two and twentithe daye of Marche, you mistake yt.
for although yt should be the 22 of the monthe, as the printed
booke hathe; yet canne yt not be the 22 daye of Marche, but must
of necessytye be the two and twentythe of Aprille: and so the
signe Taurus trulye named. But first I must saye, the number of
the dayes are misprinted, for where yt is twentye dayes and two,
yt must be (and so are my written copies) thirtye dayes and two,
whiche must be the seconde of Maye, as yo{u} shall well see by
the woordes of Chaucer, for whether yowe recken thirtye two
dayes, withe the truthe, as hathe the written copye, or xxii
dayes, withe the printe: yet must yo{u} begynne to recken them
from after the last of Marche. for so dothe Chaucer, sayinge
Marche was compleate, in these woordes:
When the month in whiche the worlde began,
That hight Marche, when God first made man,
Was complete, and passed were also
Since Marche byganne, &c.
Wherebye yo{u} see, that yo{u} must begynne to recken the nomber
of dayes from the tyme of marche complete; and then woulde the
signe fall out to be in Taurus. Yf yo{u} holde yo{u} to the
printe (for the 22 daye after Marche, which is the 22 daye of
Aprill in which the sonne is aboute xi degrees in Taurus;) or to
the written copye of thirtye two dayes, (w{hi}che is the seconde
of maye at what tyme the sonne ys also aboute some xxi degrees
in Taurus;) the signe is not misreckoned or misnamed, as yo{u}
suppose. nether canne these woordes, since Marche beganne, helpe
you to recken them from the begynnynge of Marche, (as you seme
to doo;) because they muste answere and be agreable to the
former wordes of Chaucer, w{hi}che sayethe M{ar}che was
complete, and, for that we shoulde not dobte thereof, he addethe
also farther, And passed were also since Marche beganne; where
the worde beganne ys mysprinted for be gonne, that is, since
marche be gonne, this word begonne being put for is gonne, or
gonne bye, or departed. so that the genuyniell sence hereof is,
When march was complete, and also were passed, since march is
gonne, or gonne by, or departed. for, in many olde inglishe
woordes, this syllable (be) is sett before to make yt moore
signyficante and of force, as for moone we saye bemone, for
sprincled, besprincled; for dewed, bedewed, &c. as in this case
for gonne ys sett downe begonne. But although there be no
misnaminge of the [Sidenote: The degrees of the signe are
misreckoned, not the signe itself.] signe; yet yt is true the
degrees of the signes are misreckoned, the error whereof grewe,
because the degree of the signe, is made equall with the degree
of the sonne ascended above the Horizon, beinge at that tyme xli
degrees in heighte from the Horizon. But to remedye all this,
and to correcte yt accordinge as Chaucer sett yt downe in myne
and other written copies; and that yt may stande w{i}th all
mathematicall proport{i}one, whiche Chaucer knewe and observed
there, the print must be corrected after those written copies
(whiche I yet holde for sounde till I maye disprove them) having
these woordes:
when that the month in whiche the worlde beganne,
that hight Marche, when god first made manne,
was complete, and passed were also
since marche begonne thirty dayes and two:
befell that Chanteclere in all his pride,
his seven wives walkinge him beside,
cast vp his eyen to the bright sonne,
that in the signe of Taurus had yronne
Twentye degrees and one and somewhat moore;
And knewe by kynde and by noone other loore
That yt was pryme, and crewe with blisful steven:
The sunne, quoth he, is clomben vp on heaven
Fortye degrees and one, and moore, ywis, &c.
And that this shoulde be mente xxxij dayes after Marche, and the
seconde of Maye, there be manye reasons, besides those that
Chaucer nameth; which are, that the sonne was not farre from the
middle of his ascent{i}one, and in the signe Taurus. ffurther,
since I am now in Chantecler's discourse, I must speake of one
woorde in the same, deservinge correct{i}one, w{hi}che I see you
overslipped; and because I thinke yo{u} knewe not what to make
of yt, (as in dede by the printinge few menne canne
vnderstande yt,) I will sett downe the correct{i}one of the
same; [Sidenote: Mereturicke is a corruption of Merecenrycke,
or the kingdom of Mercia.] being the worde Mereturicke, farr
corrupted for Mercenricke, in saxon Meþecenþÿke which is the
kingdome of Mercia, for so was Kenelme the sonne, and Kenulphus
the father, both kinges of Mercia; the one reignynge 36 yeres,
and the other murdred by his sister Quendrida, as ys before
noted. And that yt is the kingdome of Mercia, the etymon of the
woorde doth teache; for þÿk in the saxon tonge signyfyethe a
kingdome; meþcen signyfyethe markes or boundes or marches of
Countryes. So that Mercenricke is regnu{m} Merciæ, or the
kingdome of Mercia, or of the boundes so called, because almost
all the other kingdoms of the saxons bounded vppon the same, and
that lykewise vppon them, since that kingdome did lye in the
middle of England, and conteyned most of the shires thereof.
[Sidenote: Pilloures of silver borne before Cardinalls.] Fo: 90.
pa: 2. for pilloure you will vs to reade Pellure, signifyinge
furres. but althoughe the Clergye ware furres, and some of them
had their outwarde ornamentes thereof when they came to their
service, as the Chanons had their Grey amises; yet in this
place, to shewe the proude and stately ensignes of the Clergye,
he there nameth the popes crowne, and the Cardinalls pilloures,
yf I be not deceved. for euery cardinall had, for parte of his
honorable ensignes borne before hym, certein silver pillers; as
had Cardinall Wolsey, in the tyme of kinge Henrye the eighte,
and Cardinall Poole, in my memory. So that pilloure in that
place is better than pellure, because pilloures were a note of
more pride and maiestye (againste whiche the Plowmanne dothe
enveye in those woordes,) than in the weringe of furres.
[Sidenote: Liketh best the old reading of "change of many manner
of meates."] Fo: 90. pa: 2. for these wordes, with change of
many manner of meates, yo{u} wolde have vs reade, They eate of
many manner of meates. Touchinge whiche, althoughe the sence
stande well, yet sure Chaucer followeth this matter in many
staues together with this preposit{i}one (cu{m}, with,) and this
coniunctione (et, and;)--as, "With pride misledd the poore, and
with money filled manye a male, &c." so he contynuethe yt still
with that prepositione, "with change of many meates;" w{hi}che
is as good as the other, for euery one knoweth Chaucers meanynge
to be that they eate of many meates, when they haue change of
many meates; for why sholde they haue change of meates, but for
varyetye to please the palates taste in eatynge. [Sidenote: And
also the old reading of "myters" more than one or two for the
sake of the meter.] In the next staffe, (for myters moe then one
or two) you teache vs to reade, "myters they weare mo then one
or two;" whiche, me thinkethe, nedeth not. For the wearinge of
their myters is included in these woordes, And myters more then
one or two. W{hi}che wordes are curteyled for the verse his
cause, that the same mighte kepe an equall proport{i}one and
decorum in the verse, whiche would be lengthened one foote or
sillable moore than the other verses, yf your readinge shoulde
stande. But yf yo{u} saye, that in this and other thinges I am
overstreyghte laced and to obstinatlye bente to defende the
former printed editione, in that I woulde rather allowe one
imperfecte sence, and suche as must be vnderstoode, when yt ys
not fully expressed, than a playne style, I will answere withe a
grounde of the lawe, quod frustra fit per plura quod fieri
potest per pauciora, and quod subintelligitur non deest.
Wherefore yt is nedelesse to make that playner by addit{i}one of
woordes, when yt maye be as well conceyved in any reasonable
mens vnderstandinge without such addit{i}one. But on these and
suche petit matters, I will not nowe longe insiste, (being
things of no greate momente,) vntill I haue further examyned
more written copyes to trye, whether wee shall reade the olde
texte or your newe correctione.
[Sidenote: The lordes sonne of Windsore is in the French Romant
of the rose, but is there spelled Guindesores.] Fo: 122. pa: 2.
The lordes sonne of Windsore.) Vppon these woordes you saye,
this maye seme strange bothe in respecte that yt is not in the
frenche, as also for that there was no lorde Windsore at those
dayes. But yt semeth to me moore strange that these woordes
shoulde seme strange to yo{u}, not to bee in the frenche, where
yo{u} shall fynde them. For thus hathe the frenche written
Romante, as maye appere in the old frenche vsed at the tyme when
the Romante was composed, in this sorte:
Pris a Franchise lez alez
Ne sai coment est apelles,
Biaus est et genz, se il fust ores
Fuiz au seign{eur} de Guindesores:
Whiche is thus englished: Next to Franchise went a young
bacheler, I knowe not howe he was called, he was fayre and
gentle, as yf he had byn sonne to the lorde of Windsore. Where
in olde frenche this word fuiz (vsed here as in manye places of
that Booke) is placed for that whiche we wryte and pronounce at
this daye for filz or fitz, in Englishe sonne. and that it is
here so mente, you shall see in the Romante of the Roose turned
into proese, moralized, by the french Molinet, and printed at
Paris in the yere 1521, who hathe the same verses in these
woordes in proese. A Franchise s'estoit prins vn ieune Bacheler
de qui ne scay le nome, fors bell, en son temps filz du
seigneure de Guindesore. Whiche yo{u} mighte have well seene,
had you but remembered their orthographie, and that the latyne,
Italiane, frenche, and spanyshe have no doble w, as the Dutche,
the Englishe, and such as haue affynytye with the Dutche, since
they vse for doble w (a letter comone to vs) these two letters
Gu, as in Gulielmus, which we wryte Willielmus; in guerra, which
we call and writte warre, in Gualterus, which we write Walter;
in guardeine, which we pronounce and write wardeyne; and suche
lyke; accordinge to whiche in the frenche yt is Guindesore for
Windesore. [Sidenote: Master Thynne knoweth not clearly why the
Baron should be called of Windsor.] for your other coniectures,
whye that Chaucer sholde inserte the loordes sonne of Windesore,
they are of [{no}?] great momente, neque adhuc constat that
Chaucer translated the Romante, whene Windsore Castle was in
buildinge. for then I suppose that Chaucer was but yonge;
whereof I will not stande at this tyme, no moore than I will
that there was no lord Windsore in those dayes; althoughe I
suppose that sir William Windsore, being then a worthye knighte
and of great auctorytye in Englande and in the partes beyond the
seas under the kinge of Englande, mighte be lord Windsore, of
whom the Frenche tooke notice, being in those partes, and by
them called seigneure de Windesore, as euery gouerno{r} was
called seigneure emongst them. But whether he were a Baron or no
in Englande, I cannott yet saye, because I haue not my booke of
Somons of Barons to parliamente in my handes at this instante.
[Sidenote: The ordeal was not tryall by fier only, but also
by water, nor for chastity only, but for many other matters.]
Fo: 171. pa: 2. by ordall, &c. Vppone whiche yo{u} write thus.
"Ordalia is a tryall of chastytye, throughe the fyre, as did
Emma, mother of the Confessor, or ells over hoote burnynge
culters of yrone barefotte, as did Cunegunde, &c." But in
this describinge definit{i}one, you have commytted manye
imp{er}fect{i}ons. first, that ordell was a tryall by fyre,
w{hi}che is but a species of the ordell; for ordaliu{m} was a
tryall by fyre and water: secondlye, that yt was a tryall of
Chastitye whiche was but parcell thereof; for the ordale was a
tryall for manye other matters. [Sidenote: The fyery ordeal was
by going on hote shares and cultors, not going through the fyre.
The mother of Edward confessor passed over nine burnynge
shares.] Thirdlye, yo{u} saye yt was by goinge throughe the
fyre. when the fyery ordale was onlye by goinge one hoote shares
or cultores, or by holdinge a hoote pece of yrone in the hande,
and not going through the fyre. fourthlye, that Emma, mother to
Edwarde the confessor, receued this tryall by goinge through the
fyre: But she passed not through the fyre as you bringe her for
one example of your ordale but passed barefotte vppone nyne
burnynge shares, fowr for her selfe, and fyve for Alwyne
Bishoppe of Winchester, with whome she was suspected with
incontynencye, whiche historye you maye see at large in
Ranulphus Higden, in his policronicone li: 6. ca: 23, and in
other auctors; of whiche ordale I colde make a longe and no
commone discourse; of the manner of consecrating the fyre and
water, how yt was vsed emongst the saxons before, and the
normans since, the Conqueste, and of many other thinges
belonging vnto yt. but I will passe them ouer, and only deliuer
to you a thinge knowen to fewe, [Sidenote: The ordeal taken away
by the court of Rome, and after by Henry III.] how this ordale
was contynued in Englande in the tyme of kinge Johne, as
appereth in Claus. 17. Joh[-i]s, m. 25, vntill yt was taken
awaye by the courte of Rome; and after that, in Englande, by the
auctorytye of kinge Henrye the thirde, whereof you shall fynde
this recorde in the towre Patente. 3. H. 3. mem. 5, where yt
speakethe of iudgmente and tryall by fyer and water to be
forbydden by the Churche of Roome, and that yt sholde not be
vsed here in Englande; as apperethe in the woordes of that
record: Illis vero qui mediis criminibus vectati sunt, et quibus
competeret iudiciu{m} ignis vel aquæ si non esset prohibitum, et
de quibus si regnum nostru{m} abiurarent, nulla fieret postea,
maleficiendi suspitio, regnu{m} nostru{m} abiurent &c.
[Sidenote: The stork bewrayeth not adultery but wreaketh the
adultery of his owne mate.] Fo: 246. pa: 1. speaking of the
storke, you saye that Chaucers woordes "wreaker of adulterye"
shoulde rather bee "bewrayer of Adulterye;" w{hi}che in truth
accordinge to one propryetye of his nature may be as you saye,
but according to another propryetye of his nature, yt sholde be
"the wreaker of Adulterye," as Chaucer hathe; for he ys a
greater wreaker of the adulterye of his owne kynde and female
than the bewrayer of the adulterye of one other kynde, and of
his hostesse one the toppe of whose howse he harborethe. for
Aristotle sayeth Bartholomeus de proprietatibus reru{m} li: 12.
cap. 8. with many other auctors, that yf the storke by any
meanes perceve that his female hath brooked spousehedde, he will
no more dwell with her, but stryketh and so cruelly beateth her,
that he will not surcease vntill he hathe killed her yf he maye,
to wreake and revenge that adulterye.
These and suche lyke in my conceyte are worthye to be touched in
your Annotac{i}ons, besides other matters whiche you haue not
handled; whereof (because tyme requirethe after all this tedious
treatyce to drawe to one ende) I will not now treate; but onlye
speake a little moore of fyve especiall thinges, woorthye the
animadvers{i}one, of which the fyrste ys, [Sidenote: The
plowman's tale is wrong placed.] that yo{u} make the Plowmans
tale to go next before the persons tale, suffering the persons
corrupted prologue to passe with this begynnynge, "By that the
plowmanne had his tale ended," when all written copies, (whiche
I coulde yet see,) and my fathers editione, haue yt, "By that
the mancyple had his tale ended." And because my father colde
not see by any Prologues of thee other tales, (whiche for the
most parte shewe the dependancye of one Tale vppone one other,)
where to place the plowmans tale, he putt yt after the persons
tale, whiche, by Chaucers owne woordes, was the laste tale; as
apperethe by the persons prologue, where the hooste sayethe,
that "euery manne had tolde his Tale before." So that the
plowmans tale must be sett in some other place before the
manciple and persons tale, and not as yt ys in the last
edit{i}one.
[Sidenote: Chaucer's proper works should be distinguished from
those adulterat and not his.] One other thinge ys, that yt would
be good that Chaucers proper woorkes were distinguyshed from the
adulterat and suche as were not his, as the Testamente of
Cressyde, the Letter of Cupide, and the ballade begynnynge
"I have a ladye where so she bee," &c. whiche Chaucer never
composed, as may sufficientlye be proved by the things
themselves.
[Sidenote: There were three editions of Chaucer before William
Thynne dedicated his to Henry VIII.] The thirde matter ys, that
in youre epistle dedicatorye to Sir Roberte Cecille, yo{u} saye,
"This Booke whene yt was first published in printe was dedicate
to kinge Henrye the eighte." But that is not soo. for the firste
dedicatione to that kinge was by my father, when diverse of
Chaucers woorkes had byn thrise printed before; whereof two
editions were by Will{ia}m Caxtone, the firste printer of
Englande, who first printed Chaucers Tales in one columne in a
ragged letter, and after in one colume in a better order; and
the thirde edit{i}one was printed, as farre as I remember, by
Winkin de Worde or Richarde Pynson, the seconde and thirde
printers of Englande, as I take them.[11] [Sidenote: The first
editions being very corrupt, William Thynne augmented and
corrected them.] Whiche three edit[i]ons beinge verye unperfecte
and corrupte occasioned my father (for the love he oughte to
Chaucers learnynge) to seeke the augmente and correct{i}one of
Chaucers Woorkes, w{hi}che he happily fynyshed; the same being,
since that tyme, by often printinge much corrupted. of this
matter I sholde have spooken first of all, because yt is the
first imperfect{i}one of your paynfull and comendable labors:
Yet because the proverb ys better late than never, I hold yt
better to speake of yt here then not at all.
[Footnote 11: _Caxton_, 1475-1481-2. _Wynkyn de Word_,
1495-1498.]
[Sidenote: Master Speight hath omytted many auctors vouched by
Chaucer.] The fourthe thinge ys, that, in the catalogue of the
auctors, you haue omytted many auctors vouched by chaucer; and
therefore did rightlye intitle yt, moost, and not all, of the
auctors cited by Geffrye Chaucer.
[Sidenote: It should be Harlottes, and not Haroldes.] The fyfte
matter ys in the Romante of the Roose, fo. 144, that the worde
Haroldes in this verse,
My kinge of Haroltes shalte thou bee,
must, by a mathesis or transpositione of the letters, be
Harlotes, and not Haroltes, and the verse thus,
My kinge of Harlottes shalt thou bee