For he, Almachius, with ful wikke entente Three strokes in the nekke he smoot hir tho, But half-deed, with hir nekke y-corven there, And hem she yaf hir moebles55 and hir thing, 400 405 410 And to the pope Urban bitook hem tho, And seyde, 'I axed this at hevene king, To han respyt three dayes and na-mo, To recomende to yow, er that I go, 415 Thise soules, lo! and that I mighte do werche Seint Urban, with his deknes,57 prively Hir hous the chirche of seint Cecilie highte," 425 "Message. 58Was called. "Staunched. 65 Furniture. Make. 67 Deacons. THOMAS OCCLEVE c. 1368-1450 Thomas Occleve, government clerk and poet, was born about 1368. Nothing definite is as yet known concerning his parentage or the place of his birth. What little has come to light about him is to be gleaned from his work. That he was a close follower of Chaucer and one of his ardent admirers is clear not only from the nature of his poetry but also from the fact that he left us the only Chaucer portrait that we possess. Although his work shows the Chaucerian influence, in the quality of his narrative art as well as in his poetic sense, Occleve never rose to the level established by his master. He cannot be numbered among the great ones of literature, although among his numerous writings there are a few worthy of preservation—as much, perhaps, because they reflect something of the temper of men's minds in his day as that they show a not undistinguished poetical art in an unpoetic age. His principal work is the Regiment of Princes, a long poem upon the ways of wise government. The date of his death is generally believed to be 1450. TRIBUTES OF HONOUR TO CHAUCER I WITH heart as trembling as the leaf of asp, Father! syn that ye rede1 to do so; Of my simple conceit will I the clasp But, wellaway! so is mine hearte woe 5 That the Honour of the English Tongue is dead; O, Master dear! and Father reverent! My Master, Chaucer! Flower of Eloquence! O, universal Father in science! Alas! that thou, thine excellent prudence, 1Advise. 'Greatness. 'Advice. "Fruitful. 'Perception. 10 In thy bed mortal, mightest nought bequeath! O, Death! thou didst not harm singular, In slaughter of him; but all this land it smarteth! But, natheless, yet hast thou no power His name slay! His high virtue astarteth," Unslain, from thee! which aye us lively hearteth That are, to all this land enlumining. Hast thou not eke my Master, Gower, slain? 15 20 For to descrive, I wot well in certain! For to slay all this World thou hast ymeant!® 25 But syn our Lord Christ was obedient To thee, in faith! I can no further say! His creatures mosten thee obey! II Simple is my ghost,10 and scarce my Literature, Unto your Excellence for to write Mine inward love; and yet in adventure 30 Will I me put, though I can but lyte. My deare Master (God his soule quite!") And Father, Chaucer, fain would have me taught; 35 Alas! my worthy Master honourable! This land's very Treasure and Richesse! 40 Also, who was higher in Philosophy To Aristotle, in our tongue, but thou? The steppes" of Virgil in Poesy 45 Thou followed'st eke, men wot well enow! That Cumber-world, that thee, my Master! slew, To run on thee, and 'reave thee thy life! Death hath but small consideration Unto the Virtuous, I have espied! She might have tarried her vengeance a while, God bade her so! I trust as for the best! O, Master! Master! God, thy soul rest! III 50 55 60 The first Finder of our fair language Hath said, in case semblable,16 and others mo, 65 So highly well, that it is my dotage For to express, or to touch any of tho!17 Alas! My Father from the world is go! Alas! My worthy Master, Chaucer! him I mean. 70 As thou well know'st, O, Blessed Virgin! With loving heart and high devotion, In thine honour, he wrote full many a line! 75 14 Foot prints. 15 Ignorant. 10 Similar. 17Those. How he thy Servant was, Maiden Mary! Although his life be quenched, the resemblance Of him hath in me so fresh liveliness That, to put other men in remembrance Do make; to this end, in soothfastness, That they, that have of him least thought and mind, 80 [Here occurs, in the margin, Occleve's celebrated coloured portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer.] JOHN LYDGATE c. 1370-c. 1450 John Lydgate, priest and poet, was born in Suffolk about 1370. Very little is actually known concerning him. He is supposed to have received his early education at the hands of the Benedictines and later to have attended both Oxford and Cambridge. He was ordained priest in 1397 and opened a school in the monastery at Bury. In 1423 he became prior at Hatfield Broadoak, but his interest lay more in poetry than in the duties of his office. In 1434 he returned to Bury, where it is assumed that he remained until his death about 1450. Lydgate was not a great poet; following the death of Chaucer there set in a period which was hardly conducive to the composition of great poetry. What he lacks in quality, however, he makes up in sheer bulk, writing in all some 250 poems, the most noteworthy among them being the Troy Book, the Falls of Princes, the Life of Our Lady, and the Dance of Death. All these are somewhat tedious in style and of considerable length. He wrote, however, a number of short devotional pieces, many of which are not without merit. Not a few of Lydgate's poems have been lost; several remain as yet in manuscript form. Perhaps if we could examine everything he wrote, we should find something else comparable to The Child Jesus to Mary the Rose, for the discovery of which not only scholars but lovers of Catholic verse as well are indebted to Dr. Henry Noble MacCracken, President of Vassar College. Painting. |