or color or gyve lyfe to all other metaline bodyes. "OFFRAYES you expounde goldsmythes worke, whiche ys as nere to goldsmythes worke as clothe of golde; for this worde orefrayes, beinge compounded of the Frenche worde or and frays or fryse the Englishe; is that whiche to this daye (beinge now made all of one stuffe or substance) is called frised or perled clothe of golde; in Latyne, in tymes past, termed aurifrisium or aurifrizorium. A thinge well knowen to the Saxons in Englande before, as to the Normans after, the Conqueste; and therefore fullye to satisfye you thereof, I will produce two auctorities of the weavinge and vse thereof before the Conquest and since, wherein you shall playuely see what yt was, and in what accompt yt was holden, beinge a worke peculier to the Englishe. The lieger booke of Elye, speakinge of Ediswetha daughter to Brightnothus aldermanne erle or duke of Northumberlande before the Conquest, sayeth; cui tradita Coveneia, locus monasterio vicinus, vbi AURIFRIXORIE et TEXTURE secretiùs cum puellis vacabat; and a little after, tunica rubra purpura per gyrum et ab humeris AURIFRI. vndique circumdatum. Then, after the Conquest, Mathew Paris speakethe thereof aboute ornaments to be sente to the Pope. But because I haue not my Mathewe Paris here, I will vouche one whose name hathe muche affiny tye with him, and that is Mathewe Parker Archbyshoppe of Canterburye, who, in the Lyfe of Bonifacius Archbishoppe of that see, hathe these wordes. A°. Domini 1246, Rome multi Anglicani aderant Clerici, qui capis vt aiunt chorealibus, et infulis, ornamentisque ecclesiasticis, ex Anglice tunc more gentis, ex lana tenuissima 1810 et auro artificiosè intexto fabricatis, vterentur. Huius modi ornamentorum aspectu et concupiscentia provocatus Papa, rogavit cuiusmodi essent. Responsio est, AURIFRISIA appellari, quia et eminens ex panno et lana quam Angli FRYSE appellant, simul contexta sunt. Cui subridens et dulcedine captus Papa, Vere, inquit, (for these are the wordes of Mathewe Paris whiche lyved at that tyme,) Hortus noster delitiarum est Anglia, verus puteus est inexhaustus, et vbi multa abundant, de multis multa sumere licet. Itaque, concupiscentia illectus oculorum, litteras suas bullatas sacras misit ad Cistercienses in Anglia Abbates, quorum orationibus se devotè commendabat, vt ipsi hec AURIFRISIA speciosissima ad suum ornandum chorum compararent. Hoc Londoniensibus placuit, quia ea tum venalia habebant, tantique quanti placuit vendiderunt. In whiche discourse you not onlye see that orefryes was a wered clothe of golde and not goldsmythe worke, [but] that Englande had before and since the Conqueste the arte to compose suche kynde of delicate clothe of golde as Europe had not the lyke; for yf yt had, the Pope wolde haue made suche prouisione thereof in other places, and not from Englande. And because you shall not thinke that yt was onlye vsed of the Clergye, you shall fynde in a Record of the Towre that yt was also an ornamente of the kings garmente, since the Conqueste. For, in Rotulo Patentium 6. Johannis in dorso (in whiche the kinge comaunded the Templers to deliuer suche jewells, garmentes, and ornamentes as they had of the kings in kepinge,) are these wordes: Dalmaticam de eodem samitto vrlatani de ORFREYES et cum lapidibus. Whiche is to saye, the kings DalM maticall maticall garmente of the same samitte (spoken of before, whiche was crymsone) viled or bordrede (suche as we nowe calle garded) withe or freyes. gumma, acetum, urina, aqua maris, Moribunda, corporis virus emanabat "OUNDYE and CRISPE is by you expounded slyked and curled, whiche sence althoughe yt may beare after some sorte, yet the propryetye of the true sence of oundye (einge an "BEGYN and BIGOTT you exespeciall terme appropriate to the pounde supersticious hypocrites. arte of Heraldye) dothe signifye Whiche sence I knowe it maye wavinge or movinge, as the water somewhate beare, because yt sauor. dothe; beinge called undye, of Laethe of the dispositione of those tyne vnda for water. For so her haire was oundye, that is, layed in rooles vpp and downe, lyke waves of water when they are styrred with the winde, and not sly ked or playne, etc. You expounde not RESAGER, beinge a terme of Alchymye; as you leave many of them vntouched. This worde sholde rather be resalgar. Wherefore I will shewe you what resalgar ys in that abstruse science, whiche Chaucer knewe full well, althoughe he enveye againstę the sophisticall abuse thereof in the Chanons Yeomans Tale. This resalgar is that whiche by some is called ratesbane, a kynde of poysone named arsenicke, which the chimicall philosophers call their venome or poysone. Whereof I coulde produce infynyte examples; but 1 will gyve you onlye these fewe for a taste. Aristotle, in Rosario Philosophorum, sayethe, Nullum tingens venenum generatur absque sole et eius vmbra, id est, uxore. Whiche venome they call by all names presentinge or signifyinge poysone, as a toade, a dragon, a basilyske, a serpente, arsenicke, and suche lyke; and by manye other names, as in exercitacione ad turbam philosophorum, apperethe; where aqua simplex is called venenum argentum vivum, cinnabar, aqua permanens, Begins, or Beguines, for that ys the But empresses, and duchesses, And a little after, in the same Ro- That dame Abstinence streyned the thirde,) quidam in Alemania fodder. Bothe whiche properly canprecipuè se asserentes vitam et habi- nott stande in this place of Chaucer tum relligiones elegisse, in utroque in the Reves Prologue, where he sexu, sed maximè in muliebri, con- sayeth, my fodder is forage.' For tinentiam cuius vite simplicitate pro- yf forrage be fodder, then is the fitentes se voto privato Deo obliga- sense of that verse, iny fodder is runt. Mulieresque, quas BIGRINAS fodder. But fodder beinge a gevulgaritèr vocamus, adeò multipli- nerall name for meate gyven to cate sunt, quod earum numerus in cattle in winter, and of affynytie vna ciuitate, scilicèt Colonia, ad plus withe foode applied to menne and quam mille asseritur ascendisse, etc. beasts, dothe onlye signyfye meate. After whiche, speakinge yn the And so the sense is, my meate ys yere of Christe 1250 of the en- forage; that is, my meate is suche crease of Religious Orders, he harde and olde provisione as ys made sayeth, Item in Alemania et Francia for horses and cattle in winter. For mulieres, quas BIGUINAS nominant, so doth this worde forragium in Latyne signyfye. And so dothe Chaucer meane. For the word next before dothe well shewe yt, when the Reve sayeth, etc. "CITRINATIONE you do not expounde, beinge a terme of Alchymye. Whiche citrinatione is both a color and parte of the philosophers stone. For, as hathe Tractatus Avicenne (yf yt be his and not liber supposititius, as manye of the Alchimicall Workes are foysted in vnder the names of the best-lerned authors and philosophers, as Plato, Aristotle, Avicen, and suche others,) in parte of the 7 chapter: CITRINATIO est que fit inter album et rubrum, et non dicitur color perfectus: whiche citrinatione, as sayeth Arnoldus de Nova Villa, lib. i. ca. 5 nihil aliud est quàm completa digestio. For the worke of the philosophers stone, following the worke of nature, hathe lyke color in the same degree. For as the vrine of manne, being whityshe, sheweth imperfecte digestione; but when he hathe well rested, and slept after the same, and the digestione perfected, the vrine becomethe citrine, or of a depe yellow color; so ys yt in Alchymye: which made Arnolde call this citrinatione perfect digestion, or the color provinge the philosophers stone broughte almoste to the heighte of perfectione. "FORAGE in one place you expounde meate, and in another place "HERONER you expounde a certeyne kind of hawke. Whiche is true: for a gowshawke, sparrowehawke, tassel, &c. be kindes of hawkes. But this heroner is an especiall hawke (of anye of the kyndes of longe winged kawkes) of more accompte than other hawkes are. Because the flighte of the herone ys more daungerous than of other fowles, insomuch that, when she fyndeth her selfe in danger, she will lye in the ayre vppon her backe, and turne vpp her bellye towardes M 2 the the hawke; and so defile her enymye with her excrementes, that eyther she will blinde the hawke, or ells with her byll or talons pierce the hawkes brest yf she offer to sease vppon her. "The HYPPE is not simplye the redde berrye on the bryer, vnlesse you adde this epitheton and saye, the redde berrye on the swete bryer, (which is the eglantyne,) to distinguyshe yt from the comone bryer or bramble bearinge the blacke berrye; for that name bryer ys comone to them bothe; when the hyppe is proper but to one; neither maye yt helpe you that you saye the redd berrye, to distinguyshe yt from the blacke; for the blacke berrye ys also redde for a tyme, and then may be called the redde berrye of the bryer for that tyme. "NOWELL you expounde Christmasse, whiche is that feaste and more. For yt is that tyme, whiche is properlye called the Advente together with Christmasse and Neweyeres tyde. Wherefore the true etymologye of that worde ys not Christmasse, or the twelve dayes; but yt is God with us, or oure God; expressinge to vs the comynge of Christe in the fleshe: whiche per-, adventure after a sorte, by the figure synechdoche, you may seeme to excuse, placinge then Christmasse a parte of this tyme of Nowell for all the tyme that Nowell conteynethe. For in the same worde is conteyned sometyme xx, but for the most parte thirtye dayes before Christmasse, as well as the Christmasse yt selfe; that worde being deduced, as hathe Will. Postellus in Alphabet. 12 Linguarum, from the Hebrue worde Noell: for thus he writethe:-Noel, sonat DEUS NOSTER Sive DEUS NOBIS ADVENIT; solitaque est hec vox cuntaria plebe ante Christi Natalitia viginti aut triginta dies quodam desiderio. "PORPHERYE you expounde mer. ble. Whiche marble ys genus, but porpherye is species. For as there is white and grey marble, so ys there redd marble, whiche is this porpherye, a stone of reddish purple color, distinct or interlaced with white veynes as you may see in the great pillars entringe into the Royal Exchange or Burse in Cornhill. "SENDALE you expounde a thynne stuffe lyke cypres. But yt was a thynne stuffe lyke sarcenett, and of a rawe kynde of sylke or sarcenett, but coarser and narrower than the sarcenett nowe ys, as my selfe canne remember. "TREPEGETT you expounde a ramme to batter walls. But the trepegett was the same as the magonell. For Chaucer calleth yt a trepegett or magonell. Wherefore the trepegett and magonell being all one, and the magonell an instrument to flynge or cast stones (as your selfe expounde yt) into a towne, or against a towne-walles, (an engine not muche vnlyke to the catapulte, an instrumente to cast forthe dartes stones, or arrowes,) the trepegett must nedes also be an instrumente to cast stones or such lyke against a wall or into a towne, and not 4 ramme to batter walles; since the ramme was no engine to flinge auye thinge, but by mens handes to be broughte and pushed againste the walles; a thinge farr different in form from the magonell or catapulte, as appereth by Vigetius and Robertus Valturius de Re Militari. "WIVER you expounde not. Wherefore I will tell you, a wyver is a kynde of serpent of good bulke, not vnlyke vnto a dragon, of whose kinde he is; a thinge well knowen vnto the Heraldes, vsinge the same for for armes, and crestes, and supporters of manye gentle and noble inenne. As the erle of Kent beareth a wiver for his creste and supporters; the erle of Pembroke, a wiver vert for his creste; the erle of Cumberlande, a wiver gules for his supporters. "AUTENTICKE You expounde to be ant quytye. But howe you may seme to force and racke the worde to Chaucers meaninge, I knowe not; but sure I am, the proper signyficatione of autenticke is a thinge of auctoritye or credit allowed by menne of auctoritye, or the originall or fyrste archetypuin of any thinge; whiche I muse that you did not remember. "ABANDONE you expounde libertye; whiche in all Italiane, Frenche, and Spanishe, signifyeth relinquere, to forsake and leave a thinge; whiche methinketh you most hardely stretche to libertye, vnless you will saye that, when one forsakethe a thinge, he leaveth yt at libertyė; whiche ys but a streyned speche, although the Frenche Holly bande, not vnderstandinge the true energye of our tongue, hath expounded yt libertye; whiche may be some warrante vnto you.” ON CHIVALRY AND ROMANCE. [From Mr. BLACK'S LIFE OF TORQUATO TASSO] "WHE HEN the barbarous tribes over-ran the different provinces of the Roman Empire, the lands (distributed by lot, were thence called Allodial, and) were held in entire dominion by each proprietor, without any other obligation, than that of, on great occasions, defend ing the community. New tribes succeeded to the first, and subduing large tracks of country, many individuals occupied large landed estates, The king, or chieftain who had led them to conquest, naturally acquired the largest portion of territory. These Jands, he found it convenient to parcel out to his principal followers, subjecting them to certain aids, and military services. His example was imitated by his courtiers, who distributed, under similar conditions, portions of their estates to their de pendants. A feudal kingdom was thus a military establishment, and bad the appearance of a victorious army, subordinate to command, and encamped under its officers in different parts of the country. Amidst the turbulence and disorder of the middle ages, the allodial possessor found it convenient, both for personal safety, and the protection of his property, to subject his estate to the feudal services, and become the vassal of some great military baron. "The country was thus portioned out amongst a number of warlike chieftains, all of them considering themselves as independent of the sovereign, except during a period of national war. Possessed of large territories, and residing at a distance from the capital, they erected strong and gloomy fortresses in places of difficult access; and not only oppressed the people, and slighted the civil magistrate, but were often in a condition to set the authority of the crown itself at defiance. As the tenure by which the lands were held was |