II.

ON THE DEATH OF K. EDWARD THE FIRST.

We have here an early attempt at elegy. Edward I. died July 7, 1307, in the 35th year of his reign, and 69th of his age. This poem appears to have been composed soon after his death. According to the modes of thinking peculiar to those times, the writer dwells more upon his devotion than his skill in government, and pays less attention to the martial and political abilities of this great monarch, in which he had no equal, than to some little weaknesses of superstition, which he had in common with all his contemporaries. The king had in the decline of life vowed an expedition to the Holy Land, but finding his end approach, he dedicated the sum of _£_32,000 to the maintenance of a large body of knights (140 say historians, eighty says our poet), who were to carry his heart with them into Palestine. This dying command of the king was never performed. Our poet, with the honest prejudices of an Englishman, attributes this failure to the advice of the king of France, whose daughter Isabel, the young monarch, who succeeded, immediately married. But the truth is, Edward and his destructive favourite, Piers Gaveston, spent the money upon their pleasures. To do the greater honour to the memory of his heroe, our poet puts his eloge in the mouth of the Pope, with the same poetic licence as a more modern bard would have introduced Britannia or the Genius of Europe pouring forth his praises.

This antique elegy is extracted from the same MS. volume as the preceding article; is found with the same peculiarities of writing and orthography; and tho' written at near the distance of half a century contains little or no variation of idiom: whereas the next following poem by Chaucer, which was probably written not more than fifty or sixty years after this, exhibits almost a new language. This seems to countenance the opinion of some antiquaries, that this great poet made considerable innovations in his mother tongue, and introduced many terms, and new modes of speech from other languages.

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[When Henry III. died, highly laudatory songs were sung in honour of the new king, but when Edward I. died the people were too grieved at their loss to sing the praise of his successor. The present song is printed by Mr. Thomas Wright in his _Political_ _Songs of England_ (Camden Society, 1839, p. 246), where he also prints a French version, and points out that the one is clearly translated from the other, adding that the French song was probably the original. In verse 27, Percy printed hue (_i.e._ she) with a capital H, under the impression that it was "the name of the person who was to preside over the business."]

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Alle, that beoth of huerte trewe,[41] A stounde herkneth[42] to my song Of duel,[43] that Deth hath diht[44] us newe, That maketh me syke, ant sorewe among; Of a knyht, that wes so strong, 5 Of wham God hath don ys wille; Me-thuncheth[45] that deth hath don us wrong, That he so sone shall ligge stille.[46]

Al Englond ahte[47] for te knowe Of wham that song is, that y synge; 10 Of Edward kyng, that lith[48] so lowe, Yent[49] al this world is nome con springe:[50] Trewest mon of alle thinge, Ant in werre war ant wys,[51] For him we ahte oure honden wrynge,[52] 15 Of Christendome he ber the prys.

Byfore that oure kyng was ded, He spek ase[53] mon that wes in care, "Clerkes, knyhtes, barons, he sayde, "Y charge ou by oure sware[54], 20 "That ye to Engelonde be trewe. "Y deye, y ne may lyven na more;[55] "Helpeth mi sone, ant crouneth him newe, "For he is nest to buen y-core.[56]

"Ich biqueth myn herte aryht,[57] 25 "That hit be write at mi devys,[58] "Over the see that hue be diht,[59] "With fourscore knyhtes al of prys, "In werre that buen war ant wys, "Ayein the hethene for te fyhte, 30 "To wynne the croiz[60] that lowe lys, "Myself y cholde yef[61] that y myhte."

Kyng of Fraunce, thou hevedest[62] 'sinne,'[63] That thou the counsail woldest fonde,[64] To latte[65] the wille of 'Edward kyng'[66] 35 To wende to the holy londe: That oure kyng hede take on honde All Engelond to yeme ant wysse,[67] To wenden in to the holy londe To wynnen us heve[n]riche[68] blisse. 40

The messager to the pope com, And seyde that our kynge was ded: Ys oune hond the lettre he nom,[69][70] Ywis[71] his herte was full gret:[72] The Pope him self the lettre redde, 45 Ant spec[73] a word of gret honour. "Alas! he seid, is Edward ded? "Of Christendome he ber the flour."

The Pope to is chaumbre wende, For dol[74] ne mihte he speke na more; 50 Ant after cardinals he sende, That muche couthen[75] of Cristes lore, Bothe the lasse,[76] ant eke the more, Bed hem bothe rede ant synge: Gret deol me myhte se thore,[77][78] 55 Mony mon is honde wrynge.

The Pope of Peyters[79] stod at is masse With ful gret solempnetè, Ther me con[80] the soule blesse:[78] "Kyng Edward honoured thou be: 60 "God lene[81] thi sone come after the, "Bringe to ende that thou hast bygonne, "The holy crois y-mad of tre,[82] "So fain thou woldest hit hav y-wonne.

"Jerusalem, thou hast i-lore[83] 65 "The flour of al chivalrie "Now kyng Edward liveth na more: "Alas! that he yet shulde deye! "He wolde ha rered up ful heyye[84] "Oure banners, that bueth broht[85] to grounde; "Wel longe we mowe clepe[86] and crie 71 "Er we a such kyng han y-founde."

Nou is Edward of Carnarvan King of Engelond al aplyht,[87] God lete him ner be worse man 75 Then his fader, ne lasse of myht, To holden is pore men to ryht, And understonde good counsail, Al Engelond for to wysse ant dyht;[88] Of gode knyhtes darh[89] him nout fail 80

Thah[90] mi tonge were mad of stel, Ant min herte y-yote[91] of bras, The godness myht y never telle, That with kyng Edward was: Kyng, as thou art cleped[92] conquerour, 85 In uch[93] bataille thou hadest prys; God bringe thi soule to the honour, That ever wes, ant ever ys.

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[***] Here follow in the original three lines more, which, as seemingly redundant, we chuse to throw to the bottom of the page, viz.:

"That lasteth ay withouten ende, Bidde we God, ant oure Ledy to thilke blisse Jesus us sende. Amen."

FOOTNOTES:

[41] [are of true heart.]

[42] [for a while hearken ye.]

[43] [grief.]

[44] [wrought.]

[45] [methinketh.]

[46] [lie still.]

[47] [ought.]

[48] [lieth.]

[49] [through.]

[50] [his name spread abroad.]

[51] [in war wary and wise.]

[52] [hands wring.]

[53] [as.]

[54] [I charge you by your oath.]

[55] [I die, I may not live more.]

[56] [next to be chosen.]

[57] [rightly.]

[58] [devise.]

[59] [she be sent (see Glossary).]

[60] [cross.]

[61] [I would if.]

[62] [hadst.]

[63] Ver. 33. sunne, MS.

[64] [try.]

[65] [hinder.]

[66] Ver. 35. kyng Edward, MS.

[67] [govern and teach.]

[68] [heavenly.]

[69] [took.]

[70] Ver. 43. _ys_ is probably a contraction of _in hys_ or _yn his_.

[71] [verily.]

[72] [grieved.]

[73] [spake.]

[74] [grief.]

[75] [knew.]

[76] [less.]

[77] [great grief might be seen there.]

[78] Ver. 55, 59. _Me_, _i.e._ Men, so in Robert of Gloucester, _passim_.

[79] [Peter's.]

[80] [there they began.]

[81] [give.]

[82] [cross made of wood.]

[83] [lost.]

[84] [high.]

[85] [are brought.]

[86] [very long we may call. Percy printed this incorrectly, Well longe.]

[87] [entirely.]

[88] [to govern and order.]

[89] [need.]

[90] [though.]

[91] [cast.]

[92] [called.]

[93] [each.]