How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme. The Arte of English Poesie | ||
1.7. How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme.
And this appeareth euidently by the workes of many learned men, who wrote about the time of Charlemaines raigne in the Empire Occidentall, where the Christian Religion, became through the excessiue authoritie of Popes, and deepe deuotion of Princes strongly fortified and established by erection of orders Monastical, in which many simple clerks for deuotion sake & sanctitie were receiued more then for any learning, by which occasion & the solitarinesse of their life, waxing studious without discipline or instruction by any good methode, some of them grew to be historiographers,
Sivis incolumem, sivis, te reddere sanum
Curas tolle graues, irasci crede prophanum
Nec retine ventrem nec stringas fortiter annum.
And all the rest that follow throughout the whole booke more curiously then cleanely, neuerthelesse very well to the purpose of their arte. In the same time king Edward the iii. him selfe quartering the Armes of England and France, did discouer his pretence and clayme to the Crowne of Fraunce, in these ryming verses.
Anglorum regno sum rex ego iure paterno
Matris iure quidem Francorum nuncuporidem
Hinc est armorum variatio facta meorum
Which verses Phillip de Valois then possessing the Crowne as next heire male by pretexte of the law Salique, and holding out Edward the third, aunswered in these other as good stuffe.
Regno materno priuaberis atque paterno
Prolis ius nullum vbi matris non fuit vllum
Hinc est armorum variatio stulta tuorum
It is found written of Pope Lusius, for his great auarice and tyranny vsed ouer the Clergy thus in ryming verses.
A quo discordat Lucius iste parum
Deuorat hic homines, hic pidcibus insidiatur
Esurit hic semper hic aliquando satur
Amborum vitam silanus equata notaret
Plus rationis habet qui ratione caret.
And as this was vsed in the greatest and gayest matters of Princes and Popes by the idle inuention of Monasticall men then raigning
Mollificant dura peruertunt omnia iura.
And this verse in disprayse of the Courtiers life following the Court of Rome.
Vita palatina dura est animaeq ruina.And these written by a noble learned man.
Eximius status est, sed non sic itur ad astra.
And this other which to the great iniurie of all women was written (no doubt by some forlorne louer, or els some old malicious Monke) for one womans sake blemishing the whole sexe.
Haec quinque vere statuit Deus in muliere.
If I might haue bene his Iudge, I would haue had him for his labour, serued as Orpheus was by the women of Thrace. His eyes to be picket out with pinnes, for his so deadly belying of them, or worse handled if worse could be deuised. But will ye see how God raised a reuenger for the silly innocent women, for about the same tyming age came an honest ciuill Courtier somewhat bookish, and wrate these verses against the whole rable of Monkes.
Vos estis Deus est testis turpissima pestis.
Anon after came your secular Priestes as iolly rymers as the rest, who being sore agreeued with their Pope Calixius, for that he had enioyned them from their wiues, & railed as fast against him.
Quondam Presbiteri, poterant uxoribus uti
Hoc destruxisti, postquam tu Papa fursti.
Thus what in writing of rymes and registring of lyes was the Clergy of that fabulous age wholly occupied.
We finde some but very few of these ryming verses among the
Pascua quotq haedos tot habet tua Roma Cynaedos.
And this was thought no small peece of cunning, being in deed a matter of some difficultie to finde out so many wordes beginning with one letter as might make a iust volume, thought in truth it were but a phantasticall deuise and to no purpose at all more then to make them harmonicall to the rude eares of those barbarous ages.
Another of their pretie inuentions was to make a verse of such wordes as by their nature and manner of construction and situation might be turned backward word by word, and make another perfit verse, but of quite contrary sence as the gibing Monke that wrote of Pope Alexander these two verses.
Scandere te faciunt hoc decus eximium.
Which if ye will turne backward they make two other good verses, but of a contrary sence, thus.
Copia, non virtus, frans tua non tua laus.
And they called it Verso Lyon.
Thus you may see the humors and appetites of men how diuers and chaungeable they be in liking new fashions, though many tymes worse then the old, and not onely in the manner of their life and vse of their garments, but also in their learninges and arts and specially of their languages.
How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme. The Arte of English Poesie | ||