POEMS OF THOMAS CHATTERTON. ECLOGUES. The three first Eclogues are printed from a MS. furnished by Mr. Catcott, in the hand-writing of Thomas Chatterton. It is a thin copy-book in 4to. with the following title in the first page: Eclogues and other Poems by Thomas Rowley, with a Glossary and Annotations by Thomas Chatterton. There is only one other poem in this book, viz. the fragment of Goddwyn, a Tragedie. The fourth Eclogue is reprinted from the Town and Country Magazine for May 1769, p. 273. It is there entitled, Elinoure and Juga. Written three hundred years ago by T. Rowley, secular priest. And it has the following subscription: D. B. Bristol, May 1769. Chatterton soon after told Mr. Catcott, that he (Chatterton) inserted it in the magazine. ECLOGUE THE FIRST. WHANNE Englonde, smeethynge from her le thal wounde, [awaie, From her galled necke dyd twytte the chayne Kennynge her legeful sonnes falle all arounde, (Myghtie theie fell, 'twas honoure ledde the fraie,) Thanne inne a dale, bie eve's dark surcote graie, Twayne lonelie shepsterres dyd abrodden flie (The rostlyng liff doth theyr whytte hartes affraie,) And wythe the owlette trembled and dyd crie; First Roberte Neatherde hys sore boesom stroke, Then fellen on the grounde and thus yspoke. ROBERTE. Ah, Raufe! gif thos the howres do comme alonge, Oh Raufe, comme lyste, and hear mie dernie [dale. tale, Come heare the balefull dome of Robynne of the RAUFE. Saie to mee nete; I kenne thie woe in myne; RAUFE. Here I wille obaie untylle dethe doe 'pere,' Here lyche a foule empoysoned leathel tree, Whyche sleaeth everichone that cometh nere, Soe wille I fyxed unto thys place gre. I to bement haveth moe cause than thee; Sleene in the warre mie boolie fadre lies; Oh! joieous I hys mortherer would slea, And bie hys syde for aie enclose myne eies. Calked from evrych joie, heere wylle I blede; Fell ys the Cullys-yatte of mie hartes castle stede. Mr. Tyrwhitt asserts that this word is not to be found elsewhere. * This word is explained, as Chatterton has interpreted it, by Kersey and Speght. But the compiler of Gloss. Ur. has observed, that obay, in the single passage of Chaucer, in which it occurs C. T. ver. 12034 is a misprint, and should be abeys, as it is printed in the last edition from the best MSS. The inference is plain enough, from whence the author of the poems got his word obaie, with its interpretation. Tyrwhitt. 3 This word appears to have been formed upon a misapprehension of the following article in Skinner: "Calked, exp. cast, credo cast up." Chat ROBERTE. Oure woes alyche, alyche our dome shal bee. Peace fledde, disorder sheweth her dark rode, And thorow ayre doth flie, yn garments steyned with bloude, ECLOGUE THE SECOND. SPRYTES of the bleste, the pious Nygelle sed, To ken syke large a flete, syke fyne, syke breme. The water slughornes wythe a swotye cleme . The Sarasen lokes owte: he doethe fecre, That Englondes brondeous sonnes do cotte the waie. [there, Lyke honted bockes, theye reineth here and Onknowlachynge inne whatte place to obaie. terton did not attend to the difference between casting out, and casting up, i. e. casting up figures in calculation. That the latter was Skinner's meaning may be collected from his next article. "Calked for calculated. Ch. the Frankeleynes tale." It is probable too, I think, that in both articles Skinner refers, by mistake, to a line of the Frankeleins Tale, which in the common editions stands thus:- Full subtelly he had calked al this," where calked is a mere misprint for calculed, the reading of the MSS. Tyrwhitt. • Alone is never used for only; solus for unicus; seul for unique. The distinction I believe subsists in most languages. If the learned persons do not yet apprehend it, I would advise them in the following passage of Shakspeare, "Ah! no-it is my only son"-to substitute my son alone, and to judge for themselves whether the difference in the idea suggested arises merely from the different position of the words. Tyrwhitt. The banner glesters on the beme of daie; spere. The jynynge shieldes doe shemre and moke Sprytes of the bleste, and everyche seyncte ydedde, 'Mr. Bryant has a curious remark upon this and Lyche a battently low mie swerde shall brend. Goddwyn. 50. Now what have we similar by which these descriptions can be explained? Nothing that I am apprised of, now a days. But I think that there were of old some phenomena, mentioned by the more early historians of this country, which will illustrate the point greatly. In the Saxon Chronicle we read, that in the year 1032, there were earthquakes in many parts of this kingdom; ayd that a sad mortality ensued; and what is very particular, there were seen fires of an uncommon appearance, such as were never seen before. They broke out of the earth in different places and did a great deal of mischieft. Simeon Dunelmensis takes notice of earthquakes happening, and of a like fire appearing a few years after, anno 1048. He speaks of it as breaking out in Derbyshire and • Gron signifies undoubtedly a marshy place: but also solid ground. P. 154. See also Roger de Hoveden, p. 440. Hence we may perceive that the artificial fire called wild fire at this day, took its name from the similitude it bore to these battent lowes and gron Shakspeare, Henry IV. p. 1. fires, which broke out in the times specified. 5 When I will wear a garment all of blood, And stain my favours in a bloody mask. some neighbouring counties, and being of an Hence it was natural for persons, who were treating of those times, to introduce those circumstances, which so particularly marked them. For the justice of these comparisons was very apparent in those days: which fituess and propriety is lost if they are introduced at a later season, and by another hand. It is from such remote and secret references that I am induced to think that some of these poems are of a greater antiquity than has generally been attributed to them. As to the person who has attempted to explain them, it is manifest that he proceeded merely by surmise and conjecture. He was not acquainted with the latent purport of these references; and the conclusion which necessarily follows, is, I think, very plain. * See an account of a similar phenomenon in Germany mentioned by Tacitus. They happened anno 1135, in the last year of Henry the First, See Polydore Virgil, p. 195. Armoure on armouredynn, shielde upon shielde; The foemen fal arounde; the cross reles hye; And beereth meynte of Turkes onto the greene; Doeynge syke marvels, strongers be aston. The fyghte is wonne; kynge Rycharde master And everych one haveth it onne his bayre; Twyghte into lovynge armes, and feasted eft; Lette thyssen menne, who haveth sprite of Bethyncke untoe hemselves how mote the meetynge proove. And again 407. Blake stondeth future doome, and joie doth mee alyse, is explained open, exposed; and blakied is made the participle from an imaginary verb, to blakie, signifying to open. 3 Mr. Tyrwhitt says, "the only passage, I believe, in which these eight letters are to be found together in the same order, is in Chaucer, C. Tales, v. 9492. "And alderfirst he badle hem all a bone." This the dean of Exeter considers as authority, ar uing that the words in Chaucer should be connected: but al is there evidently an adjective connected with the pronoun hem. Syke ys the waie of lyffe; the loverds ente Mooveth the robber hym therfor to slea, Gyf thou has erhe, the shadowe of contente, Beleive the trothe, theres none moe haile yan thee. [bee? Thou wurchest; welle, canne thatte a trobble Slothe moe wulde jade thee than the roughest daie. Couldest thou the kivercled of soughlys see, Botte lette me heere thie waie of lyffe, and Heare thou from me the lyffe of odher menne. MANNE, I ryse wyth the sonne, Botte of the maydens, oh! 1 daunce the beste heiedeygnes, On everych seynctes hie daie Wythe the mynstrelle am I seene, All a footeynge it awaie, Wythe maydens on the greene. But oh I wyshe to be moe greate, In rennome, tenure and estate. SYR ROGERRE. Has thou ne seene a tree uponne a hylle, Whose unliste braunces rechen far toe syghte; Whan fuired unwers doe the Heaven fylle, Itte shaketh deere yn dole and moke affryghte. Whylest the congeon flowrette abessie♦ dyghte, Stondethe unhurte, unquaced bie the storme: Syke is a picte of lyffe: the manne of myghte Is tempest-chaft, hys woe greate as hys forme; Thieselfe a flowrette of a small accounte, Wouldst harder feile the wynde, as hygher thee dydste mounte. Evidently from the French abaisser, but cor ruptly and indeed unintelligibly formed. It is used by no other writer. Tyrwhitt. |