Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various
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sense, but not the words, of the neighbouring passage in Chaucer (ll. 23–25). Further literal imitations are pointed out in the Notes to l. 85 in the same chapter, and elsewhere. See, for example, the Notes to Book ii. ch. iv. 4, 14, 20, 61; ch. v. 15, 57, 65, 67, 79; ch. vi. 11, 30, 74, 117, 123, 129, 132, 143; ch. vii. 8, 14, 20, 23, 30, 39, 50, 74, 95, 98, 105, 109, 114, 117, 130, 135, 139, 148; &c.
Those who require conviction on this point may take such an example as this.
'O! a noble thing and clere is power, that is not founden mighty to kepe himselfe'; (p. 70, l. 20).
'O! a noble thing and a cleer thing is power, that is nat founden mighty to kepen it-self'; Ch. Boeth. bk. iii. pr. 5. 5–7.
The Latin text is: 'O praeclara potentia quae nec ad conseruationem quidem sui satis efficax inuenitur.' I see no reason for supposing that the author anywhere troubled himself to consult the Latin original. Indeed, it is possible to correct errors in the text by help of Chaucer's version; see the last note on p. 461.
§ 12. We get the clearest idea of the author's method by observing his treatment of the House of Fame, 269–359. It is worth while to quote the whole passage:—
'Lo! how a woman doth amis
270
To love him that unknowen is! …
Hit is not al gold that glareth; …
Ther may be under goodliheed
275
Kevered many a shrewed vyce;
Therefore be no wight so nyce,
To take a love only for chere,
For speche, or for frendly manere;
For this shal every woman finde
280
That som man, of his pure kinde,
Wol shewen outward the faireste
Til he have caught that what him leste;
And thanne wol he causes finde,
And swere how that she is unkinde,
285
Or fals, or prevy, or double was …
Therfor I wol seye a proverbe,
290
That "he that fully knoweth th'erbe
May saufly leye hit to his yë" …
Allas! is every man thus trewe,
That every yere wolde have a newe, …
305
As thus: of oon he wolde have fame,
In magnifying of his name;
Another for frendship, seith he;
And yet ther shal the thri de be,
That shal be taken for delyt …
332
Allas, that ever hadde routhe
Any woman on any man!
Now see I wel, and telle can,
335
We wrecched women conne non art …
How sore that ye men conne grone,
Anoon, as we have yow receyved,
340
Certeinly we ben deceyved; …
For through you is my name lorn,
And alle my actes red and songe
348
Over al this land on every tonge.
O wikke Fame! …
Eek, thogh I mighte duren ever,
354
That I have doon, rekever I never …
And that I shal thus juged be—
"Lo, right as she hath doon, now she
359
Wol do eftsones, hardily."'
If the reader will now turn to p. 54, l. 45, and continue down to l. 81 on the next page, he will find the whole of this passage turned into prose, with numerous cunning alterations and a few insertions, yet including all such words as are printed above in italics! That is, he will find all except the proverb in ll. 290, 291; but this also is not far off; for it occurs over the leaf, on p. 56, at l. 115, and again at p. 22, ll. 44–45! Surely, this is nothing but book-making, and the art of it does not seem to be difficult.
§ 13. The author expressly acknowledges his admiration of Troilus (p. 140, l. 292); and it is easy to see his indebtedness to that poem. He copies Chaucer's curious mistake as to Styx being a pit (p. 3, l. 80, and the note). He adopts the words let-game (p. 18, l. 124) and wiver (p. 129, l. 27). He quotes a whole line from Troilus at p. 27, l. 78 (see note); and spoils another one at p. 34, ch. viii. l. 5, a third at p. 80, l. 116, and a fourth at p. 128, ch. vii. l. 2. We can see whence he took his allusion to 'playing raket,' and to the dock and nettle, at p. 13, ll. 166, 167; and the phrase to 'pype with an yvè-lefe' at p. 134, l. 50.
It is further observable that he had read a later text of Piers Plowman with some care, but he seems to quote it from memory, as at p. 18, l. 153, and p. 24, l. 118. A few other passages in which he seems to have taken ideas from this popular and remarkable poem are pointed out in the Notes. It is probable that he thence adopted the words legistres and skleren; for which see the Glossary, and consult the Notes for the references which are there given.
§ 14. The author is frequently guilty of gross inaccuracies. He seems to confuse Cain with Ham (p. 52, ll. 107, 109), but Cayn, says Mr. Bradley, may be Thynne's misprint for Cam, i.e. Ham. He certainly confuses Perdiccas with Arrhidæus (p. 52, l. 116). He speaks of the eighth year, instead of the seventh, as being a sabbatical year, and actually declares that the ordinary week contains seven working-days (p. 24, ll. 102–104)! He tells us that Sunday begins 'at the first hour after noon (!) on Saturday' (p. 82, l. 163). Hence it is not to be wondered at that some of his arguments and illustrations are quite unintelligible.
§ 15. The title of the work, viz. The Testament of Love, readily reminds us of the passage in Gower already quoted in vol. iii. p. xliii., in which the goddess Venus proposes that Chaucer should write 'his testament of love,' in order 'to sette an ende of alle his werke.' I have already explained that the real reference in this passage is to the Legend of Good Women; but I am not prepared, at present, to discuss the connection between the expression in Gower and the treatise by Usk. The fact that our author adopted the above title may have led to the notion that Chaucer wrote the treatise here