'The children of Mercurie and of VenusBen in hir wirking ful contrarious.'
'The children of Mercurie and of VenusBen in hir wirking ful contrarious.'
'The children of Mercurie and of Venus
Ben in hir wirking ful contrarious.'
47.Veneriens, followers of Venus; taken from Ch. C. T., D 609.
52.that ben fallas; that is to say, deceptions. SeeFallacein the New E. Dict.
60.sote of the smoke, soot of the smoke of the fire prepared for the sacrificed ox; 'bos ductus ad uictimam'; Prov. vii. 22.
61.it founde, didst find it; referring, apparently, tothy langoring deth.
67-8.thilke Margaryte, the church; by serving which he was to be delivered from danger, by means of his amendment.
70.disese, misery, discomfort; because he had to do penance.
74. He had formerly sinned against the church.
80. 'And yet thou didst expect to have been rejected for ever.'
83.lache, loosen (it); from O.F.lascher, to loosen, relax. Or it may mean 'turn cowardly.'
85. 'Inueni Dauid seruum meum; oleo sancto meo unxi eum'; Ps. lxxxix. 20 (lxxxviii. 21, Vulgate).
93.openly; hence the author had publicly recanted.
Book III.
Chap. I.This chapter is really a Prologue to the Third Book.
2.discrete, separate;tellinge, counting.
3.Threewas considered a perfect number; see below.
6. Time was divided into three ages; first, the age of Error, before the coming of Christ; all that died then went to hell, whence somewere rescued by Christ when He descended thither. The second, the age of Grace, from the time of Christ's coming till His second advent. The third, the age of Joy, enduring for ever in heaven.
Deviacion; Thynne printsDemacion, an obvious error forDeuiacion(mforui); in l. 26, it is replaced byErrour of misgoinge, which has the same sense, and in bk. ii. ch. 8. 126, it is calledout-waye-going. The New E. Dict. has no quotation fordeviationolder than 1603; but here we find it.
25. I. e. Book I treats of Error or Deviation; Book II, of Grace; and Book III, of Joy.
28.whiche is faylinge without desert, which is failure without merit; these words are out of place here, and perhaps belong to the preceding clause (aftershewedin l. 26).thilke, &c.; amending that first fault.
29. Perhaps forandreadan; it refers to guidance into the right path.
37. He says that the English alter the nameMargarite-perleintoMargery-perle, whereas Latin, French, and many other languages keep the true form. Cf. Lat.margarita, O.F.marguerite,margarete, Gk.μαργαρίτης, Pers.marwārīd, Arab.marjān; all from Skt.manjarī, a pearl.
45.the more Britayne, greater Britain (England and Scotland), as distinguished from lesser Britain (Brittany); see note to bk. ii. ch. 12. 47 above. Pliny says (tr. by Holland, bk. ix. c. 35):—'In Brittaine it is certain that some [pearls] do grow; but they be small, dim of colour, and nothing orient.'
56.conninge, certain knowledge;opinion, uncertain knowledge, supposition; as he proceeds to say.
62. We thus learn that it was at this date an open question, whether the sun was bigger than the earth; there were some who imagined it to be so.
68. He here mentions thequadrivium, or group of four of the seven sciences, viz. arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy; see note to P. Plowman, C. xii. 98.
73. These are the four cardinal virtues, Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude; see note to P. Plowman, C. i. 131.
79. Why 'two things' are mentioned, is not clear. It was usual to introduce here thetrivium, or second group of the seven arts (see note to l. 68); which contained logic, grammar, and rhetoric. For the two former he has substituted 'art,' the general term.
99.twey, two; viz.naturalandreasonable; cf. l. 53. The third ismoral. Hence we have the following scheme.
122. I. e. 'so that harm, (as punishment) for harm, should restrain evil-doers by the bridle of fear.'
125.contrarioustee of, that which is contrary to.
130.and unworthy, even if they be unworthy.
professe and reguler; the 'professed' were such as, after a year of probation, had been received into a monastic order; the 'regular' were such as were bound by the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
131.obediencer, bound by obedience; used adjectivally; cf. Low Lat.obedientiarius.
134. Thus the author was himself bound by monastic vows, and was one of the 'regular' clergy.
146-7.abouten, about (me), near at hand.eche, to increase, lengthen.
156.refrete, refrain, burden of a song; O.F.refrait,refret(Godefroy). 'Sobs are a ready (ever-present) refrain in its meditations'; wherehis(its) refers togoost, or spirit, in l. 155.
157-8.comming about I not than, recurring I know not when. Forthanreadwhan, to make sense.
160.he, Christ; referring to Matt. xxi. 16.
161.whos spirit; 'Spiritus ubi uult spirat'; John, iii. 8; 'Spiritus, diuidens singulis prout uult'; 1 Cor. xii. 11.
170.wyte that, lay the blame for that upon. Such is the right idiom; cf. 'Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I yow preye'; Ch. C. T., A 3140. Thynne printswithforwiteorwyte, making nonsense of the passage.
Chap. II.14.lybel of departicion, bill (or writ) of separation; taken fromlibellum repudiiin Matt. v. 31, which Wyclif translates by 'a libel of forsakyng.'
16. 'I find, in no law, (provision for) recompensing and rewarding in a bounteous way, those who are guilty, according to their deserts.'
19.Paulyn, Paulinus. But there is some mistake. Perhaps he refers to L. Aemilius Paulus, brother of M. Aemilius Lepidus the Triumvir. This Paulus was once a determined enemy of Caesar, but was won over to his side by a large bribe.
21-3. I cannot explain or understand this clause; something seems to be omitted, to which it refers.
23. Julius Caesar was accounted as following Cato in justice. The statement is obscure.
25. Perdiccas, according to the romances, succeeded Alexander the Great; see note to Bk. ii. c. 2. 116. I do not find the anecdote referring to Porus. It is not improbable that the author was thinking of Philip the physician, who revealed to Alexander 'a privy hate' entertained against that monarch by Parmenion; see the Wars of Alexander, ed. Skeat, 2559-83.
49.right as mater. Cf. 'sicut ad formam de forma procedere materiam notum est'; an often quoted passage in Guido delleColonne's Historia Troiae; see note to Legend of Good Women, 1582 (vol. iii. p. 329).
65.and right, if right-doing were not in the original working.
82.muste do good nedes, must necessarily do good.
87.ende, object. The reference seems to be to Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bk. i. c. 1, c. 2, or c. 5.
90.goodly, with a good motive. In l. 99, it simply means 'a good motive.'
112.praysing ne lacking, praise nor blame.
115. The Latin would benemo inuite beatus; but I do not know where to find it.
128.free arbitrement, Lat. liberum arbitrium; introduced in order to lead up to a discussion of free will, necessity, and providence; as in Boeth. bk. v.
140.closing, including, implying.
154-60. Cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 3. 1-18.
Chap. III.Cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 3 and pr. 4.
26. Cf. the same, pr. iii. 29, and the context.
58.for I love, i.e. because (or since) I love.
74.commende, coming; probably the original MS. hadcommand, the Northern form. We have a similar formlykende, in l. 133 below. In ll. 82, 83, the usual formcommingappears.
82-3. In many places,commingis used nearly with the sense of 'future'; cf. ll. 177-8.
126. Here again we have the usual ridiculous contradictions; the sense is—'being wet, I burn; without wasting, I fade.' Cf. Rom. Rose, Eng. version, 4703-50.
128. Thynne has (here and in ch. 6. 147, p. 132)vnbyde, an obvious error foronbyde, i.e. abide, remain; see ch. 7. 161, 163.
131. 'God grant (that) that thing may soon draw nigh to thee.'Neighis here a verb, as in Bk. ii. ch. 12. 14.
164.that, that which;with nothing, yet not so as to be constrained by anything else.
171.rysinge of the sonne, rising of the sun; this example is borrowed from Ch. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 6. 103, 165.
Chap. IV.Cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 6. 157-89.
29.and nedeful is, 'and it is necessary that, in order to desire (a thing), he may alsonotdesire (it)'; otherwise, he does not make any choice.
30-1. The words 'But thilke ... the same to wilne' arerepeatedin Thynne's edition, to the destruction of the sense.
59.as now, present; cf. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 6. 28-32.
96-9. A clear case of reasoning in a circle.
112. 'Constituisti terminos eius, qui praeteriri non poterunt'; Job, xiv. 5.
121-6. See Rom. viii. 29, 30.conformes; the Vulgate has: 'Nam quos praesciuit, et praedestinauitconformesfieri imaginis Filii sui.'
129. Cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. v. pr. 6. 35, 71-8.
140. Cf. the same, 12-9, 28-33, &c.
152. Referring to ll. 121-6 above.
165.close and one, are closed and united; herecloseandoneseem to be verbs.
169.by, with reference to.
198-9.no art, in no way (?); but surely an error fornat, aswrytest natis repeated in l. 200.
206.defendeth, 'forbids something to be movable,' &c.
220. Too obscure to deserve the encomium for perspicuity which follows in ll. 222-5.
232.for right, &c.; 'for nothing at all exists there (i.e. in eternity) after the manner of that which is temporal.'
243.ben to ben, are to come because of God's knowledge.
249.philosophical poete; Chaucer, because he translated The Consolation of Philosophy, and introduced passages from it into his poem of Troilus, notably in Book iv. 963-6, 974-1078. In l. 254, Troilus is expressly mentioned. Most likely, the allusion is to Bk. iv. 974-1078; although this deals rather with predestination than with the origin of evil.
257.storiers, gen. pl. ofstorier, a teller of a story; cf. O.F.historieur, an historian (Godefroy). Thynne printsstarieres; which gives no sense.
262.two the laste, the last two; chapters 13 and 14; but chapter 14 has little to do with the subject.
Chap. V.4. 'Or as an ook comth of a litel spyr'; Troil. ii. 1335.
33-7. The wordwelkedoccurs twice in Chaucer, C. T., C 738, D 277; andwiveronce, Troil. iii. 1010.
57.with yvel ... acomered, desires not to be encumbered with evil.
63. 'Why, as soon as one has sprung up on high, does not the other spring up also?' Here 'one' and 'the other' seem to refer to 'will' and 'bliss'; cf. ll. 16, 17, 70, 71.
73-6. Cf. HF. 737-46; Boeth. bk. iii. pr. 11. 98-101.
Chap. VI.4-7. Imitated from Ch. Boeth. bk. i. met. 6. 5-11.
10.seconde boke; cf. Book ii. ch. 11. 51-69, 102.
12.setling; misprintedsetteles; but seesetlingin ch. 5. l. 23.
17. He here contemplates the possibility of yielding to persecution and threats.
50-1. Thefive witsare the five senses; P. Plowman, C. ii. 15, and the note.
60.aptes, natural tendencies; used here only; see New E. Dict.
64.terme of equivocas, terms of like signification;termebeing an error fortermes. Answering to Lat.uerba aequiuoca, words of like signification; Isidore, Orig. ii. 26 (Lewis and Short).Equivocasis formed by adding the Eng. pl.-sto the Lat. neuter plural (New E. Dict.).
Cf. the passage in P. Plowman, whereLiberum-arbitriumreciteshis names; C. xvii. 201. The first name, 'instrument of willing,' corresponds toanimus: 'dum uult, animus est'; but the rest vary.
68.reson. Compare the same passage: 'dum iudicat, racio est.'
73. Compare the same: 'dum recolit, memoria est.'
77.affeccion: a disposition to wish for sleep.
90.that lambes, who scorn and despise lambs.
104. Thynne hasvs, which is a not uncommon spelling of 'use.' I merely print 'us[e]' becauseuslooks so unintelligible. In l. 103, the word isusage; in l. 110, we haveuse.
140.thinges; viz. riches, honour, and power; discussed in Book ii. chapters 5-7.
147.onbyde, misprintedunbyde; see note above, to ch. 3. 128.
Chap. VII.11. The idea of this Tree is copied from P. Plowman, C. xix. 4-14. Thus in l. 11, the ground in which the tree grows is said to be 'ful in thyne herte'; and in P. Plowman, the tree grows incor-hominis, the heart of man. In P. Plowman, the tree is called True-love, the blossoms are Benign-Speech (cf. l. 16), and the fruits are deeds of Charity. See note to l. 69 below.
38. Cf. 'As, wry the gleed, and hotter is the fyr'; Legend of Good Women, 735.
50.pype; see Troil. v. 1433; C. T., A 1838 (and note).
53.no wode lay use, sing no mad song.
59.Aristotel. The reference appears to be to Aristotle, De Interpretatione (περὶ ἑρμηνείας), ch. 1.Voiceseems to mean 'a word unrelated to a sentence,' i.e. not related to something else as forming part of a sentence.
69. So in P. Plowman, C. xix. 29, the tree is attacked by three wicked winds; especially 'in flouryng-tyme,' l. 35.
97.A marchaunt; so in Chaucer, C. T., G 945-50.
99.So ofte; from Ch. Troil. ii. 1380-3; note the epithethappy, the use of the sb.sweighorswaye, and the phrasecome al at ones, in both passages.
101. Cf. 'Gutta cauat lapidem'; Ovid, Ex Ponto, iv. 10. 5.
lethy, weak; see Prompt. Parv., and Gloss. to P. Plowman.
117-121. Compare Bk. iii. ch. 2. 122-9.
123. 'Quod debuimus facere, fecimus'; Luke, xvii. 10.
145.al is, it is all to be accounted to her wholly.To wyteusually has a bad sense; as implying blame.
160.this lady; i.e. Heavenly Love suddenly took up its place in his heart. This is rather inartistic; no wonder that the author was much astonished at such a proceeding (ch. 8. 2 below). This of course puts an end to the dialogue, but in Thynne's misarranged print the lady speaks to him again, as if it wereout of his heart!
Chap. VIII.7.lynes, written lines of writing, which he imagines to be imprinted on his understanding; see ll. 8, 13, 14 below.
10.me might, one might;meformen=man, as often.
21.but for, except because; so in l. 22.wol, desires.
42.owe I not alowe, I ought not to applaud.
46.it make, cause it (to be so); as in Troil. ii. 959.
91. 'Quia Christi bonus odor sumus Deo, in iis qui salui fiunt; ... aliis quidem odor mortis in mortem'; 2 Cor. ii. 15-6.
120.ne had, had; disregardingne, which is inserted after the worddenyed.
123.without ... nede, without any kind of necessity.
125.him nedeth, something is lacking to him.
146.forward, thenceforward, afterwards.
155-6.in his owne comodité, in what is suitable for him;comodites, desires that are suitable. The examples of the word in this passage are older than any given, s.v.Commodity, in the New E. Dict. Cf. ll. 159, 165.
Chap. IX.7.destenee, destiny; cf. Ch. Boeth. bk. iv. pr. 6. 39, 44.
12.non inconvenient, convenient; i.e. befitting.
21.chapitre, chapter; viz. ch. 3 of Book iii.
46. Here Thynne's text returns to the right order.
52. The author now concludes his work with a prayer and a short recommendation of his book to the reader. Ll. 58-61 speak of its imperfections; ll. 61-6 tell us that the effort of writing it has done him good. In ll. 67-75 he anticipates future freedom from anxiety, and continuance 'in good plight.' He was then evidently unaware that his death was near at hand.
86. 'My dull wit is hindred by the stepmother named Forgetfulness.' A curious expression.
92.horisons, put fororisons, prayers.
98.sightful, visible; an obvious allusion to the eucharist (l. 100). Similarly, a gem denotes a pearl, or 'margaret'; and Margaret (a woman's name) denotes grace, learning, or wisdom of God, or else holy church.
104. From John, vi. 63.
107. From 2 Cor. iii. 6.
109, 110. Printed as prose in Thynne; but two riming verses seem to be intended. If so,al-leis dissyllabic.
II. THE PLOWMAN'S TALE.
Numerous references are given to Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, ed. Skeat (E.E.T.S.); a poem by the same author. See the Introduction.
9.tabard; a ploughman's loose frock; as in Ch. C. T., A 541.
11.saynt Thomas; i.e. his shrine at Canterbury.
30.therwith to fynd, to provide for thereby.
40.queynt, quenched; because, in the solemn form of excommunication used in the Romish church, a bell was tolled, the book of officesfor the purpose was used, and three candles were extinguished. See Nares, s.v.Bell, Book, and Candle. Cf. ll. 165, 1241.
44. Four lines are here lost, the stanza being incomplete. We might supply them thus:—
They have the loof and we the crust,They eten more than kinde hath craved;They been ungentle and unjust,With sinners shullen such be graved.
They have the loof and we the crust,They eten more than kinde hath craved;They been ungentle and unjust,With sinners shullen such be graved.
They have the loof and we the crust,
They eten more than kinde hath craved;
They been ungentle and unjust,
With sinners shullen such be graved.
53.stryf, strife. The struggle was between the secular and regular clergy on the one hand, and the Lollards on the other; see ll. 61-76. Each side accused the other of falseness, and the author hopes that the falser of them may suffer shame. He evidently sides with the Lollards; but, not caring to decide so weighty a question for himself, he contrives that the dispute shall be carried on by two birds, the Griffin and the Pelican.
55.sedes, seeds. The Lollards were accused of sowing tares (lolia). The author hints that seeds were sown bybothof the contending parties.
57.some; referring rather to the sowers than to the seeds. In any case, it refers to the two parties.
58.souple; the text hassouble, which is an obvious error. The O.F.souplemeans 'humble,' which is the sense here intended.
71.a-cale, chilled, frozen; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xxi. 439; and see the New E. Dict.
72.ever in oon, always in the same condition, without increasing in wealth.
73.I-cleped, called; the old text hasIclepeth, but some editions make this obvious correction.lollers, idle fellows; see the note to P. Plowman, C. x. 213.
74. 'Whoever looks on them (sees that) they are the reverse of tall.' Cf. 'atallfellow,' and 'atallman of his hands' in Shakespeare.
81.wro, nook; seewrāin Stratmann.
86.Griffon, griffin; a fabulous monster with the head and wings of an eagle, and the hinder parts of a lion; with probable reference to the Vulture. 'In that contre ben manygriffounes... thei han the body upward as an egle, and benethe as a lyoun.... But o griffoun is more strong thanne .viij. lyouns'; Mandeville's Travels; ch. xxvi. See l. 1317 below.
87. 'A Pelican laid his lure to (attracted to him) these lollers.' The Pelican was supposed to feed its young with blood which it drew from its own breast by wounding it, and was early considered as the type of Christian love or Charity, or of Christ himself; see l. 1293. See the illustration at p. 172 of Legends of the Holy Rood, ed. Morris. Hence it is here supposed to plead on behalf of meekness, in the long passages contained in ll. 95-716, 719-988, 991-1072, 1110-32, 1177-232, 1245-68. The Pelican is responsible for the greater part of thepoem, as the author distinctly says in l. 1373. Anything that is amiss, we are told, must be put down to the Pelican; the author is irresponsible, as it is only a fable.
106.pelure, costly fur; also speltpellour; butpylloure(as in the old text) is a bad spelling. See Gloss. to P. Plowman.
111.batail, battle. It was notorious that William Spenser, bishop of Norwich, used to lead military expeditions. Thus he led one such expedition into Flanders, in 1382. Cf. l. 128.
129. 'God is not the master of them that consider no man equal to them.'
130.peragall, equal; spelt 'peragal' or 'paragal' in Rich. the Redeless, i. 71. The old text haspermagall, where themis clearly forin; the spellingperingallbeing intended. Godefroy has O.F.parivel, alsoparigal,paregal,perigal,paringal[with intrusiven], 'adj. et s., tout à fait ègal, tout à fait semblable.' From Lat.peraequalis.
135. 'Painted and adorned with colours.' Cf. 'peynt and portred'; P. Pl. Crede, 192; 'portreid and paynt,' 121.
139.boystous, rough. The O.F.boistousmeant 'lame' (F.boiteux); but Godefroy shews, in his Supplement, that it was also applied to a very rough road (as being likely to lame one); hence, generally, rough, and finally, rude, noisy, as in the E.boisterous; a word of which the etymology has not yet been fully accounted for, but may be thus explained.
159.perrey, precious stones, jewellery; seePerreein the Glossary (vol. vi). The old text haspyrrey.
162.gown, an obvious correction; old text,gold, repeated from l. 161. For 'grene gownes,' see l. 925 below.
178. This line seems to be corrupt.
186.crallit, curled, twisted; cf.crullein Chaucer; see New E. Dict.
187.gold-mastlingis a compound word, and should have been printed with a hyphen. It means the same aslatoun, unlesslatounwas an imitation of an older and richer alloy. Thus, in Wright's A.S. Vocabularies, we find: 'Auricalcum, goldmæslinc,' col. 334, 10; 'Auricalcum, goldmestling,' col. 550, 34; 'Auricalcum,Anglicelatoun,' col. 567, 5. As tolatoun, see note in vol. v. p. 270. Cf. A.S.mæstling, G.Messing; words of uncertain origin.
193-4. Cf. 1 John, iv. 3.admirall, prince, chief.
198.demed; an easy correction; old text,done, which will not scan.
201.All-holyest, i.e.Sanctissimus(l. 230); a title given to the head of a religious order.
208. 'The very thing which Christ forbad to the apostles.'
212. 'They regard him (the pope) as wholly omnipotent.'
213-6.He, the Pope.another, (apparently) a head of a religious order, an abbot or prior.mystere, ministry, office.
220. 'He reserves nothing at all';opin, open, a thing that is free;joint, a thing that is connected.
226.An angell; see Rev. xxii. 9.
235. ReadChrist his; 'Christ keep his people from them'; the printer evidently regardedChrist hisas a form of the genitive case. The proper sense ofwisseis guide, or direct.
242.which of hem, which of the two popes. The rival popes were Boniface IX, elected Nov. 2, 1389, and Benedict XIII, elected Sept. 28, 1394. Clement VIII, predecessor of the latter, died Sept. 16, 1394.
245. 'Omnes enim, qui acceperint gladium, gladio peribunt'; Matt. xxvi. 52.
255. Swearing was a dismembering of Christ; see note to C. T., C 474 (vol. v. p. 275).
264. 'But curse all that oppose them.'
275. 'But he, who so acquires it, shall part from it.'
281.rent, income, profit; the method of doing this is explained in The Freres Tale, D 1371-4.
282. 'They anoint the sheep's sore'; as a shepherd does with tar; seeTar-boxin Halliwell; and cf. l. 707.
298.Maximien; Galerius Valerius Maximianus, usually called Galerius; emperor of Rome, 305-11; a cruel persecutor of the Christians.
297. 'They follow Christ (who went upward) to heaven, just as a bucket (that goes downward) into a well.' Said ironically; their ascent towards heaven is in a downward direction; cf. l. 402.wallfor 'well' is rare, but not unexampled; cf.walle-stream, well-stream, in Layamon, vol. i. p. 121, and seewallein Stratmann.
305. 'The truth has (often) slain such men.'
306. 'They comb their "crockets" with a crystal comb.' Acrocketwas a curl or roll of hair, as formerly worn; see the New E. Dict. There is a lost romance entitled 'King Adelstane with gilden kroket'; see footnote to Havelok, ed. Skeat, p. vi. Sir F. Madden remarks that 'the termcrocketpoints out the period [i.e. the earliest possible date] of the poem's composition, since the fashion of wearing those large rolls of hair so called, only arose at the latter end of the reign of Henry III.'
321. Cf. 'turpis lucri'; Tit. i. 7, 11; 1 Pet. v. 2.
322.meynall, perhaps better speltmeyneall. It is the adj. formed from M.E.meynee, a household, and is the same word as mod. E.menial. Wyclif usesmeynealto translate Lat.domesticamin Rom. xvi. 5. The sense here is—the exaction of tithes is, with these masters, a household business, a part of their usual domestic arrangements.
325. Lit. 'They betake to farm to their sumners,' i.e. they farm out to their sumners the power of harming people as much as they can; they let their sumners make exactions. The method of doing this is fully exposed in Chaucer's Freres Tale. Cf. ll. 328, 725.
333. 'Such rascals are sure to slander men, in order to induce them to win their favour'; i.e. by compounding.
338.call, caul or head-dress, richly ornamented, and therefore expensive; see note to C. T., D 1018 (vol. v. p. 318).
375. 'Or, to commit such a tool (instrument) to such cursed men.'
402. 'As good a bishop as is my horse Ball.' Said ironically; 'no better a bishop than,' &c. Ball was, and still is, a very common name for a horse.
406.nothing, not at all, not a whit.
410. Old text,one fors, withsattached to the wrong word.
417-8.goodes, property.somme totall, sum total of wealth.
421, 431.for Christes love, for love of Christ. The wordsforsakein l. 421, andwakein l. 431, are used ironically.
434.Lamuall, Lemuel; who was a king; Prov. xxxi. 1.
443.the stoon, the rock; Matt. xvi. 18; cf. 1 Cor. x. 4.
445.croysery, crusade, as in Rob. of Glouc. 9938. No serious crusade was intended at this time; however, the author affirms that the rival popes discouraged the idea; for each wanted men to fight for him.
464.hye seet, sat aloft; the formseetoccurs in Ch. C. T., A 2075.
471.fettes, fetch; observe the use of this Northern plural.
473. 'Their servants are unfaithful [or unserviceable] to them unless they can double their rental.'
477. The author can find no more rimes to rime withfall, so he proceeds to 'shew' or propose another word, viz.amend.
487. 'They tell men nothing, nor (explain) how; yet, in God's word, they tell of (or count) many a slip, or omission,' i.e. find errors in the Scriptures. SeeBalkin the New E. Dict.
490.offrend; O.F.offrende; cf. 'Offrande, an offering'; Cotgrave.
520. Readpunishëments, as in the old edition; it is a word of four syllables; from O.F.punissement(Godefroy), which often appears in verse as a word of four syllables.
531. 'They hate guests of the poor,' i.e. hate to entertain them; cf. l. 747.
542.careckes, characters, signs, marks; see the New E. Dict.
567. 'One, to curse to hell; the other, to slay men here (on earth)'; cf. Luke, xxii. 38.
575. 'A sword is no implement to guard sheep with, except for shepherds that would devour the sheep.' In later English, at any rate, asheep-bitermeant a thief (Halliwell). Cf. l. 583.
594.untrend, unrolled; not rolled up, but freshly pulled off.
605.Sathan, Satan; Heb.sātān, adversary, opponent.
610. Readreprende; cf.comprendein Chaucer.
625.ensyse, variant ofassyse, fashion, sort; 'they are, surely, of the same sort.' SeeAssize, sect. 8, in the New E. Dict. Bailey gives: 'Ensise, quality, stamp;Old word'; with reference, doubtless, to this very line. Cf.assyse, fashion, manner, in l. 843 below.
626.frend, evidently put forfremde, strange, foreign, averse; which was difficult to pronounce.
633. Readmaundements, i.e. commandments (trisyllabic). The formcommaundementesis too long for the line. Seemandementin Stratmann and in Chaucer.
642.to prison. Evidently written before 1401, when Lollards were frequently sent to the stake for heresy. Cf. l. 650; and see note to l. 827.
645. 'The king's law will judge no man angrily, without allowing the accused to answer.'
661.testament, a will; the friars had much to do with the making of wills.
681. 'For they (the people) are faster in their bonds, worse beaten, and more bitterly burnt than is known to the king.' For the wordbrent, see note to l. 827.
693.The emperour; Constantine, according to a legend which the Lollards loved to repeat; see the full note to P. Plowman, C. xviii. 220.
695.sely kyme, innocent (or silly) wretch.Kymeanswers to an A.S.*cȳma=*kūm-ja, lit. 'one who laments,' from the verb found in O.H.G.kūmjan, to lament,chū-mo, a lament; cf. Gk.γόος, wailing; Skt.gu, to sound. See O.H.G.cūm,cūmjanin Schade; and the Idg. rootgu, in Fick.
723. 'A title of dignity, to be as a play-mate to them'; a curious expression. Godefroy gives O.F. 'personage, s.m., dignité, bénéfice ecclésiastique; en particulier personnat, dignité ecclésiastique qui donnait quelque prééminence auchanoinequi en était revêtu dans le chapitre auquel il appartenait.' Cotgrave has: 'Personat, a place, or title of honour, enjoyed by a beneficed person, without any manner of jurisdiction, in the church.'
724. Possibly copied from P. Plowman, B. prol. 92:—'Somme serven the king, and his silver tellen.' These ecclesiastics often busied themselves in the law-courts, to their great profit. Cf. l. 790.
725. 'And let out to farm all that business.'
743.builde; so in P. Pl. Crede, 118: 'For we buldeth a burwgh, a brod and a large.' Cf. Wyclif's Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 380.
748. 'Nor (will they) send anything to Him who hath given them everything.'
759.gigges, concubines; see Stratmann. Roquefort has: 'Gigues, fille gaie, vive.' Cf.giglotin Shakespeare. (Initialgis here sounded asj.)
760. 'And provide them with fine clothes.'
773. Here all the 'seven sins' are mentioned except gluttony.
780. 'The wisdom of such willers is not worth a needle.'
791.jay; so also in Chaucer, C. T., A 642.
801.maynteyners, abettors of wrongdoers; see note to P. Plowman, B. iii. 90.
827.brent, burnt; still more strongly put in l. 1234. That heretics were sometimes burnt before 1401, is certain from Wyclif's Sermons, ed. Arnold, vol. i. pp. x, 205, as compared with p. 354. There is a case given in Bracton of a man who was burnt as early as in the reign ofHenry III. See the whole subject discussed in my edition of P. Plowman (E. E. T. S.), in the Pref. to B-text, p. v, Pref. to C-text, pp. xi-xiv, and the note to B. xv. 81, where Langland has 'ledeth me to brennynge.' Observe that the king is here spoken of as not presuming to burn heretics.
855. The seven sacraments of the Romish church; cf. l. 875.
856. Compare—'And also y sey coveitisecatel to fongen'; P. Pl. Crede, 146.
857. 'They want to meddle in everything, and to perform matters amiss is their amusement.'
868.sturte, variant ofsterte, start up;stryve, struggle.
870.at the nale=at then ale, at the ale-house; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. i. 43.
871. Cf. 'At marketts and miracles we medleth us nevere'; P. Pl. Crede, 107.
872. 'They dance and hoot with the cry of "heave and hale."'Heaveis here to use exertion; cf. Troil. ii. 1289; andhaleis to haul or pull.Heave and hale, orheave and hoe, was a cry used for men to pull all together; hencewith heve and halejust corresponds to the modern 'with might and main.' Cotgrave has (s.v.Cor) the phrase: 'À cor et à cry, by proclamation; also, by might and maine, with heave and hoe, eagerly, vehemently, seriously.'
878.they, i.e. the husbands;sory, aggrieved.
880.For, for fear of being summoned.
893.stocke, i.e. some image of a saint. An image of a favourite saint was honoured with many candles burning before it; whilst other saints were left in the dark, because they could work no miracles. The most favourite image was that of Mary; see l. 902, and cf. P. Pl. Crede, 79.
915. 'And alle povere in gost god himself blisseth'; P. Pl. Crede, 521.
918.Baudriks, belts;baselardes, short swords, sometimes curved. See note to P. Plowman, C. iv. 461.
927.counten ... of gownes, they think much (counten) of scarlet and green gowns, that must be made in the latest fashion, in order to embrace and kiss the damsels. An awkward sentence.
929.sewe, sue, suit, lit. follow; unless it be forschewe, i.e. shew.
930.pykes, peaks. Long-peaked shoes were much in fashion; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 219.
941. 'Such men will ask them (i.e. those that confess to them) for money for shriving them.'is=es, them; a curious form of the plural pronoun of the third person; seeesin Stratmann.
942. 'And they desire men to creep to the cross.' 'Creeping to the cross' was an old ceremony of penance, most practised on Good Friday; see note to P. Plowman, C. xxi. 475.
943.askes, ashes; alluding to the sacrament of penance. For all other sacraments (as baptism, confirmation, holy orders, the eucharist, matrimony, and extreme unction) men had to pay.
955.sans ... dyre, without (saying) 'if I may say so.' That is,ose je dyre, (dare I say it) is an apologetic phrase for introducing an unpalatable remark.
957. 'Either they give the bishops (some reason) why.'
961.agryse, dread, here used in an imperative sense; 'let such men dread God's anger.' Cf. ll. 964, 1216.
979.for he, because he would fain earn something.
993.Benet, Benedict; cf. Ch. C. T., A 173, and note.
1002. Cf. 'Of double worstede y-dight'; P. Pl. Crede, 228.
1035. Compare—'And his syre a soutere' (cobbler); P. Pl. Crede, 752.
1042-4.honged, hung upon, followed after. Cf. 'opon the plow hongen,' P. Pl. Crede, 421. And compare also the same, 784-8.
1050. The line is imperfect. I have suppliedbut, but the right word isnot. Forcherelichmeans 'expensive' or 'prodigal,' from O.F.cher, dear. This we know from the occurrence of the same rare form as an adverb in P. Pl. Crede, 582; where the sense is—'but to maintain his chamber as expensively (chereliche) as a chieftain.' Seecherelyin the New E. Dict. The parallel phrasenot lordlychoccurs in l. 1052.
1066.Crede, i.e. Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, written shortly before by the same author, and describing at length the four orders of friars.
1089.sad, sated, tired. The more usual old sense was 'staid.'
1097. 'If they were poor, filthy, and dirty.'
1102.honest, honourable, worthy of respect; cf. l. 1105.
1115.Maysters, masters; Matt. xxiii. 10. Cf. P. Pl. Crede, 574-6, 838; and C. T., D 2185, and the note (vol. v. p. 340).
1135. Readleve, notlyve;with hir leve, with what is permitted to them. Forleve(leave), see l. 1238.
1153.For ye woll, because you wish to.
1166.distaunce, disagreement, strife; see Mätzner.
1174. 'Why do ye meddle, who have nothing to do with it?'
1189.lette, to prevent men from living in that way.
1193.soule-hele, salvation for the soul.
1200. Pronouncethis isasthis.
1212.Wedding, matrimony; considered as a sacrament.
1222. 'subject or accident'; cf. note to C. T., C 539.
1231. The line should end with a semicolon.
1244. 'Unless ye will act otherwise.'
1271.cockes, euphemistic forgoddes.
1272.doule, small feather, down-feather. I derive it from O.F.doulle, variant ofdouille, soft, something soft, from Lat.ductilis. Hence it meant something downy, and, in particular, the 'down-feather' of a bird. This is clearly the sense in Shakespeare also, where Ariel uses the expression—'onedowlethat's in my plume'; Temp. iii. 3. 65; i.e. one down-feather (small feather) that is in my plumage. Dr. Schmidt is in doubt whetherplumehere means 'plumage,' but thestage-direction expressly says that 'Ariel enters like a harpy, and claps hiswingsupon the table.' It is very interesting to see how well this passage illustrates Shakespeare. See Mr. Wright's note for other passages wheredowlmeans 'soft down.' Of course, the wordsdowlanddownare in no way connected. See my note in Phil. Soc. Trans. 1888-90, p. 3.
1280.God wolde, i.e. oh! that it might be God's will. Cf.would God, Numb. xi. 29; Deut. xxviii. 67; 2 Kings, v. 3; Rich. II, iv. 1. 117.
1293. Christ was likened to the pelican; see note to l. 87.
1305.The foul, the former orbird-likepart of the griffin; see note to l. 86, and cf. l. 1317.
1315. 'Because bribery may break God's prohibition.'
1317. Referring to the form of the griffin; see notes to ll. 86, 1305.
1336.Y-gurd, lit. girt; hence, prepared, ready.
1339.ly, lie, i.e. deceive; because the lapwing tries to delude those who search for its nest.
1340.for-gerd, destroyed, utterly done away with; from M.E.for-garen.
1343.the Phenix. The Phœnix is here supposed, as being an unique bird, to be the king or master of all birds, and to execute vengeance on evil-doers.
1359. The sense ofofis here uncertain. Perhapsof flightmeans 'as regards my flight,' and so 'to protect my flight.'
1361. This line is somewhat 'set back,' as in the original. But there seems to be no reason for it.
1362. The original has: 'And the lambe that slayn was'; imperfect.
1367. Here the author speaks for himself, and excuses the Pelican's language.
III. JACK UPLAND.
To this piece, which is an attack upon the friars, a reply was made by one of them (probably a Dominican, see notes to ll. 100, 130), which is printed at length in Wright's Political Poems and Songs (Record Series), vol. ii. pp. 39-114; together with a rejoinder by Jack Upland, printed on the same pages. The friar's reply is often cited in the Notes below, where the number refers to the page of the above-named volume. See further in the Introduction.
1.Jack Uplande, Jack the Countryman, a nickname for one who is supposed to have had but little education; cf. thePlowman'sTale.
6.fellest folk, the wickedest people; referring to the friars.
7. The friar's reply copies several of these expressions: thus we find—'On wounder wise, seith Jak, freres, ye ben growun'; p. 42.
8. 'sowenin youre sectes ofAnticristishondes'; p. 42.
9.not obedient; 'unboxomto bishopis, notlege men to kynges'; p. 42. The friar asserts that theydoobey the bishops; but carefully adds—'although not so fer forth as seculer preestes'; p. 44.
11. 'wede, corn, ne gras, wil ye not hewen'; p. 42; repeated on p. 44. The friar retorts that they are not expected to cleanse ditches, like a Jack Upland; p. 44. We thus learn thatwoodein l. 11 is almost certainly an error forweede.
15.where to been, where they will (hereafter) go to.
21. See 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3.
27.skilfully, reasonably;skilloften has the sense of reason.
28. The friar evades the question as to the number of orders, and replies that he is of Christ's order; pp. 59-61.
35. Reply: St. James makes mention of two kinds of life, the active and the contemplative; we belong to the latter; pp. 63-6.
37.apostata, apostate; a term applied to a friar who left his order (see l. 42)afterhis year of probation had been completed, or else (see l. 42) after a probation of three months. See ll. 273-5, and 310-2 below; and the note to P. Plowman, C. ii. 98 (B. i. 104). The question here put was not answered.
40-1. Reply: it is shocking to speak of men leaving their wives like this; we are not wedded to our habit any more than a priest is to his tonsure; p. 67.
44. Reply: no. We are only punished for leaving off our habits because it implies forsaking of our rule. Our habits are not sendal, nor satin nor golden; pp. 67-8.
50. Reply: what, Jack, does your tippet mean? My wide cope signifies charity. My hood, patience in adversity. The scapulary denotes obedience to our superiors. As for the knotted girdle, ask the Franciscans; pp. 68-71.
52. Reply: Why do most of the Lollards wear gray clothes? p. 71.
58. No reply to this question.
60. Reply: see Eccles. iii. 7; Prov. xxv. 28; p. 71.
62. Reply: a question rather for monks than friars. Why do you not put your dining-table in your cow-house? p. 72.
65. Reply: perhaps some of us go to Rome for dispensations, but most of us have need to stay at home, to keep watch over Lollards; p. 73.
70. Reply: you have forgotten the text, 2 Cor. vi. 9; p. 74.
74. Reply: Christ, at His transfiguration, had only three witnesses from among His apostles. And He chose only twelve apostles, out of His many followers; and see Prov. xii. 15; p. 75.
77. Reply: a man is better than a beast; yet even for your beasts you make cattle-sheds and stables. Our houses are often poor ones. Did you ever see any that resembled the Tower, or Windsor Castle, or Woodstock? Your lies are shameless; pp. 77-8. I note here Jack Upland's rejoinder; he says that he does not object to the friars having houses, but he objects to the needless grandeur of them; for it does not follow that a man who drinks a quart of wine must therefore proceed to drink a gallon; p. 76.
83. Reply: you say that we let the whole realm to farm. Why, itis not ours at all! It belongs to the king. We have no more estate in the country than you have in heaven; pp. 78-9. The incompleteness of this reply is amazing.
86. The original reading must have been different here. The friar puts the question thus: Why do you pay no tribute to the king, whereas Christ paid tribute to the emperor? Reply: Christ did not pay it as a debt, but only to perform the law in meekness. The Jewish priests did not pay taxes like the commons. Priests may pay if they are willing, but not friars; pp. 79, 80.
90. Reply: we are glad to have the prayers of the poor, if their letters of fraternity are genuine; but we do not desireyourpaternosters; p. 80.
92. Reply: we do not make men more perfect than their baptism makes them; p. 81.
95. Reply: the golden trental, 'that now is purchasid of preestis out of freris hondis,' delivers no soul, except as it is deserved; p. 81. See note to Ch. C. T., D 1717 (vol. v. p. 331).
100. Reply: you are quite mistaken. Perhaps some Carmelite told you this, or some Franciscan. The Austin friars and the Dominicans do not say so; p. 82.
105. Reply: if you accuse us of stealing children, Christ practically did the same, by enticing disciples to follow him. See Matt. xix. 21; Luke, xiv. 33; John, xv. 19. To win souls is no robbery; pp. 83-4.
109.undernime, reprove. Reply: according to you, not even the king should maintain any discipline. The pope has a prison; and so has the bishop of Canterbury, and the bishop of London. But you do not like prisons, for you often experience them; pp. 85-6.
114. Reply: burial isnota sacrament, as you say. You contradict yourself; p. 86.
116. Reply: if, as you say, we never shrive the poor, why are parish-priests so angry with us for doing so? p. 87. Cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xiii. 21. Questions 26, 27, and 28 are passed over.
127. Reply: we do right to live of the gospel; see 1 Cor. ix. 14; Luke, x. 7; Rom. xv. 26.
130. Reply: God knows how much good the preaching of the friars has wrought; p. 89. The Dominicans especially were proud of their preaching.
133. The friar here remarks that the Wycliffites are heretics, and ought to be burnt; p. 90. The same remark is all the answer made to question 32.
141. Reply: the friars do notsellthe mass; they only freely give it to those who freely give to them. Even if we did sell it, surely the parish-priests receive money for the same; this is not simony; pp. 93-5. See note to Ch. C. T., D 1749; vol. v. p. 333.
149. Reply: we write down the names only to help ourownmemories; for special prayers are very profitable for souls; pp. 99, 100. See note to Ch. C. T., D 1741; vol. v. p. 332.
153.berest god in honde, accusest Christ. Reply: Christ was lord of all spiritually; but, as a man, he was needy. David says of Him, 'I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me'; Ps. xl. 17. I refer you to Matt. viii. 20; pp. 95-8.
156. No special answer is given to questions 36-9.
187. Reply: you expect your servant to call you 'master.' It is not the being called 'master,' but ambition, that Christ forbids; pp. 100-1. Cf. note to Ch. C. T., D 2185; vol. v. p. 340.
189. The reply is singular, to the effect that pope John XXIV wrote against this matter, and the friars Minors (Franciscans) against him. 'Examyne her actis, and loke who hath the beter; and knowe noon other ordre this perfitnesse approveth'; p. 101.
208. There is no reply to question 42.
211. Reply; going two and two together is a scriptural custom. Barnabas and Paul did so. So did Paul and Timothy. Besides, there weretwotables in the law,twocherubim in the temple, andtwoin the tabernacle. It was not good for Adam to bealone; pp. 101-3. Cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xi. 8; and to Chaucer, C. T., C 1740.
213. There seems to be no reply to questions 44-8.
246. As regards question 49, the friar replies to ll. 249-51, saying that, according to this, no one could pray for any one; for we cannot tell his future destiny; p. 103. Cf. note to Ch. C. T., D 2126; vol. v. p. 339.
258. Questions 50 and 51 do not seem to be noticed. Question 52 is partly answered in the reply to question 22. See l. 105.
277. Reply: you admit (l. 283) that God madeall thingsaccording to weight, number, and measure. But a friar issomething; ergo, God made friars according to weight, &c. Why are priests so numerous? As to a man's hand (l. 287), the number of fingers is fixed, and an extra finger is monstrous. But neither God nor holy church have fixed the number of priests or friars. 'Many hondis togider maken light werk'; pp. 105-6. Cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 270.
At this point the friar introduces a subject not discussed in the copy of Jack Upland here printed, viz. the subject of transubstantiation. He says that Jack accuses the friars of saying that the bread is not Christ's body, but mere roundness and whiteness, and accident without subject; and Wyclif is adduced as saying that it remains material bread, and only Christ's body in a figurative sense; pp. 106-10. The rest of the friar's reply (which goes but little further) is inapplicable to our text, so that the latter part of the treatise, ll. 294-end, is left unanswered. Perhaps sections 54-64 were, at first, a somewhat later addition.
296. This has been partly said before; see l. 77 above.
310. It was thought that to die in a friar's habit increased a man's chance of salvation; see l. 100 above.
320. Cf. note to P. Plowman, C. xiii. 21. See l. 246 above.
336. Cf. P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 323-72.
368. This enquiry takes up a large portion of the Ploughman's Crede. The jealousy of one order against the other was very remarkable. See note to l. 100 above.
399. See James, i. 27; cf. l. 36 above.
411. See Matt. xi. 30. Wyclif has—'For my yok issofte, and my charge light.'
421. The Franciscans claimed that St. Francis sat in heaven above the Seraphim, upon the throne from which Lucifer fell; see note to P. Plowman, C. ii. 105 (B. i. 105).
424-7. Evidently intended for four alliterative lines, but the third is too long; read—'And whan ye han soiled that I saide,' &c. Again, the first is too short; read—'Go,frere, now forth,' &c.
430.even-Christen, fellow-Christian; see Gloss. to P. Plowman.
433. 'Benefac humili, et non dederis impio: prohibe panes illi dari, ne in ipsis potentior te sit'; Ecclus. xii. 6.
IV. GOWER: THE PRAISE OF PEACE.
This piece has no English title except that printed at p. 205; for the Latin title, see p. 216. See the Introduction.
12, 13. Henry founded his title on conquest, hereditary right, and election. The first of these is referred to in ll. 9, 10; the second, in l. 12; and the third, in l. 13. See note in vol. i. p. 564, to XIX. 23.
17.boun, ready; better than the readingbounde.
21. I note here an unimportant variation. Forthis is, the MS. hasis this.
27. I find that there is no need to insertthe. Readrequeste, in three syllables, as it really had a finale, being a feminine substantive. Cf. 'Et lorrequestërefaison'; Rom. Rose, 4767.Requesteis trisyllabic in Troil. iv. 57; L. Good Wom. 448.
36. According to the romance of Alexander, the god Serapis, appearing in a dream, told him that his great deeds would be remembered for ever. Before this, Alexander had told his men that he hoped to conquer all the earth—'with the graunt of my god.' See Wars of Alexander, ed. Skeat, ll. 990, 1095.
57. This obviously refers to Bolingbroke's invasion, when he came, as he said, to claim his inheritance; cf. l. 65.
81.Of pestilence, out of pestilence, to free him from pestilence.
86.lyf, person, man; lit. 'living soul.' Common in P. Plowman.
174, 179. Matt. v. 9; John, xiv. 27.
185.out of herre, out of (off) the hinge; like mod. E. 'out of joint.' A favourite phrase of Gower's; see his Conf. Amant. ii. 139; iii. 43, 52, 203, 211.
197. Knights were expected to defend the faith; see note to P. Plowman, C. ix. 26. Cf. ll. 243-5.
202. I supplyalday(i.e. continually) to complete the line.
204.wayted, watched, carefully guarded; in contrast to l. 207.
211. Foranyperhaps reada; the line runs badly.
218. 'It is easier to keep a thing than acquire it.'
236.assysed, appointed; as in Conf. Amant. i. 181; iii. 228.
251. 'Let men be armed to fight against the Saracens.'
253. Three points; stated in ll. 254, 261-2, and 268; i.e. the church is divided; Christian nations are at variance; and the heathen threaten us.
281-3. These are the nine worthies; of whom three were heathen (281), three Jewish (282), and three Christian (283); as noted in Reliquiæ Antiquæ, i. 287. Sometimes they varied; thus Shakespeare introduces Hercules and Pompey among the number; L. L. L. v. 2. 538.Machabeus, Judas Maccabeus.Godfray, Godfrey of Bouillon.Arthus, King Arthur.
294. Formen, MS. T. haspes=pees; which perhaps is better.
295. Fortennes, as in Thynne, the Trentham MS. has the older spellingtenetz, which gives the etymology of 'tennis.'Tenetzis the imperative plural of the verbtenir, and must have been a cry frequently used in thejeu de paume; probably it was used to call attention, like the modern 'play!' This is the earliest passage in which the word occurs. 'No one can tell whether he will win or lose a "chace" at tennis, till the ball has run its course.'Chaceis a term 'applied to the second impact on the floor (or in a gallery) of a ball which the opponent has failed or declined to return; the value of which is determined by the nearness of the spot of impact to the end wall. If the opponent, on both sides being changed, can "better" this stroke (i.e. cause his ball to rebound nearer the wall) he wins and scores it; if not, it is scored by the first player; until it is so decided, the "chace" is a stroke in abeyance'; New E. Dict.
306.be gete, begotten, be obtained;begetegives no sense.
323.lyf, life; not as in l. 86. See 1 Cor. xiii. 1.
330.Cassodore, Cassiodorus. Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus, born aboutA.D.468, was a statesman and author; his chief work being hisVariarum Epistolarum Libri XII, which is six times quoted in Chaucer's Tale of Melibeus. Gower, in his Conf. Amantis, iii. 191, quotes this very passage again; thus—