PERCY'S RELIQUES.
[Pg ii]
[Pg iii]
RELIQUES OF
ANCIENT ENGLISH
POETRY
CONSISTING OF OLD HEROIC BALLADS, SONGS AND OTHER PIECES OF OUR EARLIER POETS TOGETHER WITH SOME FEW OF LATER DATE
BY
THOMAS PERCY, D.D.
BISHOP OF DROMORE
EDITED, WITH A GENERAL INTRODUCTION, ADDITIONAL PREFACES, NOTES, GLOSSARY, ETC.
BY
HENRY B. WHEATLEY, F.S.A.
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. III
LONDON: GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD.
RUSKIN HOUSE 40 MUSEUM STREET, W.C.1
Printed by the Riverside Press Limited, Edinburgh
Great Britain
CONTENTS OF VOLUME THE THIRD
BOOK THE FIRST. (Poems on King Arthur, &c.) Page 1.The Boy and the Mantle
3 2. The Marriage of Sir Gawaine 13 3. King Ryence's Challenge 24 4. King Arthur's Death. A Fragment 27 Copy from the Folio MS. 35 5. The Legend of King Arthur 39 6. A Dyttie to Hey Downe 44 7. Glasgerion 45 8. Old Robin of Portingale 50 9. Child Waters 58 10. Phillida and Corydon. By Nicholas Breton 66 11. Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard 68 12. The Ew-bughts, Marion. A Scottish Song 74 13. The Knight, and Shepherd's Daughter 76 14. The Shepherd's Address to his Muse. By N Breton 80 15. Lord Thomas and Fair Ellinor 82 16. Cupid and Campaspe. By John Lilye 85 17. The Lady turned Serving-man 86 18. Gil [Child] Morrice. A Scottish Ballad 91 Copy from the Folio MS. 100 BOOK THE SECOND. 1. The Legend of Sir Guy 107[Pg viii]
[Pg 1]
RELIQUES OF ANCIENT POETRY, ETC.
SERIES THE THIRD.
BOOK I.
"An ordinary song or ballad, that is the delight of the common people, cannot fail to please all such readers, as are not unqualified for the entertainment by their affectation or their ignorance; and the reason is plain, because the same paintings of nature which recommend it to the most ordinary reader, will appear beautiful to the most refined."—Addison, in Spectator, No. 70.
POEMS ON KING ARTHUR, etc.
The third volume being chiefly devoted to romantic subjects, may not be improperly introduced with a few slight strictures on the old metrical romances: a subject the more worthy attention, as it seems not to have been known to such as have written on the nature and origin of books of chivalry, that the first compositions of this kind were in verse, and usually sung to the harp.[1]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] [See Appendix.]
I.
THE BOY AND THE MANTLE
Is printed verbatim from the old MS. described in the Preface.[2] The Editor believes it more ancient than it will appear to be at first sight; the transcriber of that manuscript having reduced the orthography and style in many instances to the standard of his own times.
The incidents of the Mantle and the Knife have not, that I can recollect, been borrowed from any other writer. The former of these evidently suggested to Spenser his conceit of Florimel's Girdle, b. iv. c. 5, st. 3.
And wivehood true to all that did it beare;
Might not the same about her middle weare,
But it would loose or else asunder teare."
So it happened to the false Florimel, st. 16, when
They thought to gird, as best it her became,
But by no means they could it thereto frame,
For ever as they fastned it, it loos'd
And fell away, as feeling secret blame, &c.
That all men wondred at the uncouth sight
And each one thought as to their fancies came.
But she herself did think it done for spight,
And touched was with secret wrath and shame
Therewith, as thing deviz'd her to defame:
Then many other ladies likewise tride
About their tender loynes to knit the same,
But it would not on none of them abide,
But when they thought it fast, eftsoones it was untide.
Thereat all knights gan laugh and ladies lowre,
Till that at last the gentle Amoret
Likewise assayed to prove that girdle's powre.
And having it about her middle set
Did find it fit withouten breach or let,
Whereat the rest gan greatly to envie.
But Florimel exceedingly did fret
And snatching from her hand," &c.
As for the trial of the Horne, it is not peculiar to our poet: it occurs in the old romance, intitled Morte Arthur, which was translated out of French in the time of K. Edw. IV., and first printed anno 1484. From that romance Ariosto is thought to have borrowed his tale of the Enchanted Cup, c. 42, &c. See Mr. Warton's Observations on the Faerie Queen, &c.
The story of the Horn in Morte Arthur varies a good deal from this of our poet, as the reader will judge from the following extract:—"By the way they met with a knight that was sent from Morgan la Faye to king Arthur, and this knight had a fair horne all garnished with gold, and the horne had such a virtue, that there might no ladye or gentlewoman drinke of that horne, but if she were true to her husband: and if shee were false she should spill all the drinke, and if shee were true unto her lorde, shee might drink peaceably: and because of queene Guenever and in despite of Sir Launcelot du Lake, this horne was sent unto king Arthur." This horn is intercepted and brought unto another king named Marke, who is not a whit more fortunate than the British hero, for he makes "his qeene drinke thereof and an hundred ladies moe, and there were but foure ladies of all those that drank cleane," of which number the said queen proves not to be one (book ii. chap. 22, ed. 1632).
In other respects the two stories are so different, that we have just reason to suppose this ballad was written before that romance was translated into English.
As for queen Guenever, she is here represented no otherwise than in the old histories and romances. Holinshed observes, that "she was evil reported of, as noted of incontinence and breach of faith to hir husband" (vol. i. p. 93).
Such readers, as have no relish for pure antiquity, will find a more modern copy of this ballad at the end of the volume.
[For Percy's further notes on this ballad see the modernized version (book iii. No. 18). Professor Child prints the ballad in his English and Scottish Ballads (vol. i. p. 1) with a full notice of the various forms of the story by way of introduction. He writes:—"No incident is more common in romantic fiction than the employment of some magical contrivance as a test of conjugal fidelity, or of constancy in love. In some romances of the Round Table, and tales founded upon them, this experiment is performed by means either of an enchanted horn, of such properties that no dishonoured husband or unfaithful wife can drink from it without spilling, or of a mantle which will fit none but chaste women. The earliest known instances of the use of these ordeals are afforded by the Lai du Corn, by Robert Bikez, a French minstrel of the twelfth or thirteenth century, and the Fabliau du Mantel Mautaillé, which, in the opinion of a competent critic, dates from the second half of the thirteenth century, and is only the older lay worked up into a new shape (Wolf, Ueber die Lais, 327, sq., 342, sq.). We are not to suppose, however, that either of these pieces presents us with the primitive form of this humorous invention. Robert Bikez tells us that he learned his story from an abbot, and that 'noble ecclesiast' stood but one further back in a line of tradition which curiosity will never follow to its source."
Here follows a list of "the most remarkable cases of the use of these and similar talismans in imaginative literature." To these may be added the garland described in the curious old story of the Wright's Wife, which has been printed since the publication of Mr. Child's work.
In alle thys lond ys none yt lyche;
For ytt wylle euer be newe.
Wete þou wele withowtyn fable,
Alle the whyle thy wyfe ys stable
The chaplett wolle hold hewe;
And yf thy wyfe vse putry,
Or tolle eny man to lye her by,
Than wolle yt change hewe;
And by the garlond þou may see,
Fekylle or fals yf þat sche be,
Or ellys yf sche be trewe."
The Wright's Chaste Wife (E. E. Text Soc. 1865, 1. 55-66).]
To Carleile did come
A kind curteous child,
That cold[3] much of wisdome.
This child had uppon,
With 'brouches' and ringes[4]
Full richelye bedone.[5]
About his middle drawne; 10
Without he cold of curtesye
He thought itt much shame.
Sitting at thy meate:
And the goodly queene Guenéver, 15
I cannott her forgett.
I hett[6] you all to 'heede';[7]
Except you be the more surer
Is you for to dread. 20
And longer wold not dwell,
He pulled forth a pretty mantle,
Betweene two nut-shells.
Have thou heere of mee:
Give itt to thy comely queene
Shapen as itt is alreadye.
That hath once done amisse. 30
Then every knight in the kings court
Began to care for 'his.'[10]
To the mantle shee her 'hied';[11]
The ladye shee was newfangle, 35
But yett shee was affrayd.
She stoode as shee had beene madd:
It was from the top to the toe
As sheeres had itt shread. 40
Another while was itt greene;
Another while was itt wadded:[14]
Ill itt did her beseeme.
And bore the worst hue:
By my troth, quoth king Arthur,
I thinke thou be not true.
That bright was of blee;[15] 50
Fast with a rudd[16] redd,
To her chamber can[17] shee flee.
That clothe that had wrought;
And bade a vengeance on his crowne, 55
That hither hath itt brought.
Under a greene tree;
Then in king Arthurs court
Shamed for to bee. 60
And bade her come neere;
Saies, Madam, and thou be guiltye,
I pray thee hold thee there.
Shortlye and anon;
Boldlye to the mantle
Then is shee gone.
And cast it her about; 70
Then was shee bare
'Before all the rout.'[19]
That was in the kings court,
Talked, laughed, and showted[20] 75
Full oft att that sport.
That bright was of blee;
Fast, with a red rudd,
To her chamber can[1] shee flee. 80
Pattering ore a creede,
And he proferred to this litle boy
Twenty markes to his meede;
Willinglye to ffeede;
For why this mantle might
Doe his wiffe
Of cloth that was made, 90
Shee had no more left on her,
But a tassell and a threed:
Then every knight in the kings court
Bade evill might shee speed.
That bright was of blee;
And fast, with a redd rudd,
To her chamber can[21] shee flee.
And bade her come in; 100
Saith, Winne this mantle, ladye,
With a litle dinne.
And it shal be thine,
If thou never did amisse 105
Since thou wast mine.
Shortlye and anon;
But boldlye to the mantle
Then is shee gone. 110
And cast itt her about,
Upp att her great toe
It began to crinkle and crowt:[22]
Shee said, bowe downe, mantle, 115
And shame me not for nought.
I tell you certainlye,
When I kist Craddockes mouth
Under a greene tree; 120
When I kist Craddockes mouth
Before he marryed mee.
And her sines shee had tolde;
The mantle stoode about her 125
Right as shee wold:
Glittering like gold:
Then every knight in Arthurs court
Did her behold. 130
To Arthur our king;
She hath tane yonder mantle
Not with right, but with wronge.[23]
That maketh her self soe 'cleane'?[24]
I have seene tane out of her bedd
Of men fiveteene;
From her bedeene:[25][26] 140
Yett shee taketh the mantle,
And maketh her self cleane.
That kept the mantle in hold;
Sayes, king, chasten thy wiffe, 145
Of her words shee is to bold:
And a whore bold:
King, in thine owne hall
Thou art a cuckold. 150
Looking out a dore;[28]
[And there as he was lookinge
He was ware of a wyld bore.]
Wold have werryed a man:[29]
He pulld forth a wood kniffe,
Fast thither that he ran:
He brought in the bores head,
And quitted him like a man. 160
And was wonderous bold:
He said there was never a cuckolds kniffe
Carve itt that cold.
Uppon a whetstone:
Some threw them under the table,
And said they had none.
Stood looking upon them;
All their knives edges
Turned backe againe.[30] 170
Of iron and of steele;
He britled
Wonderous weele;
That every knight in the kings court
Had a morssell.
Of red gold that ronge: 180
He said, there was noe cuckolde
Shall drinke of my horne;
But he shold it sheede[33]
Either behind or beforne.
And some on their knee;
He that cold not hitt his mouthe,
Put it in his eye:
And he that was a cuckold
Every man might him see. 190
And the bores head:
His ladie wan the mantle
Unto her meede.
Everye such a lovely ladye 195
God send her well to speede.