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Pynson's and Thynne's Editions of
Chaucer's House of Fame
by
A. S. G. Edwards
Thynne's edition of Chaucer's House of Fame in The Workes of Geffray Chaucer (1532) is the latest of the five substantive texts of this work.[1] It has been assumed that Thynne derives from Caxton's [1483] edition, the other substantive printed edition, and another unidentified source.[2] It is certainly true that Thynne used more than one source for his edition. But it seems open to question whether he actually used Caxton. It seems more probable that he used Pynson's [1526] edition of Chaucer's poem.
The relationship between Caxton's edition of the House of Fame and Pynson's is extremely close. Among the substantive texts, Caxton contains about one hundred and seventy unique variants. Pynson has all but nine of these. And even Pynson's variations do little to lessen the evidence of his dependence on Caxton. Five correct manifest typographical errors in Caxton: at 136 Caxton reads fleyng for Pynson's fletyng; at 169 dare for bare; at 906 Tat for That; at 1430 an for on; at 1572 Iy [sic] for In. And one seems to correct a compositorial error in Caxton: at 1946 Caxton reads of for Pynson's on apparently under the influence of of in the same position in line 1945.[3]
The remaining alteration Pynson made to Caxton's unique substantive readings are minor. Twice Pynson has made adjustments that are probably metrical: at 532 Caxton reads beholden against Pynson's beholde; and at 2071 Caxton reads Alas against Pynson's als. At one point Pynson introduces a unique reading of his own: at 2077 Caxton reads endressyng while Pynson reads redressyng (Thynne reads encreasyng).[4]
With the exception of this last (and the reading at 136 for which Thynne has an entirely different line), in all the readings noted above where Pynson varies from Caxton he is followed by Thynne. There are also a number of points where Pynson introduces new readings of his own and these readings are also followed by Thynne. These agreements by Pynson and Thynne against Caxton demonstrate the direct dependence of Thynne's edition on Pynson rather than Caxton.
The full list of these agreements which follows cites Caxton as the lemma, followed by the reading of Pynson and Thynne:
- 174. in al thys] all in
- 1091. o] om.
- 1095. poetical] potencyall
- 1488. wonder] wonders
- 1666. now] om.; ben] shalbe
- 1698. certayn] surely
- 1780. famous] famed
- 1822. I no wyl] I nyll
- 2072. tydyng] tidynges
Notes
Apart from the printed editions of Caxton and Thynne, the poem also appears in three earlier manuscripts: Bodleian Library Fairfax 16, Bodley 368 and Magdalene College, Cambridge Pepys 2006.
Cf. John Fyler in the textual introduction to his recent edition of the poem for The Riverside Chaucer, general ed. L. D. Benson (1987): "Th[ynne] derives from C[axton] but makes use of at least one other authority" (p. 1139).
It is, of course, conceivable that Pynson had access to a copy of Caxton's edition that had corrected these errors. For evidence of resetting among the surviving copies see C. F. Bühler, "Chaucer's 'House of Fame': Another Caxton Variant," Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 42 (1948), 140-143. The evidence Bühler presents does not, however, involve any of the readings discussed above.
I am concerned here with Pynson's treatment of Caxton's unique variants. There are a few other points where Pynson does introduce other unique variants of his own other than those discussed below, which are not followed by Thynne, but they do not affect the present argument. Two are probably compositorial errors: at 1141 Pynson reads And where all other witnesses read Any; and at 1424 Pynson reads of where all others read for (an error probably occasioned by of in the same position in line 1423). At 1568 Pynson regularizes syntax and metre by reading in the where all others have in. And at 1738 Pynson makes his contribution to a reading that gave all witnesses trouble: it reads hestes, Caxton and Pepys bestes, Fairfax and Bodley lestes and Thynne questes. Thynne could have corrected these from his additional source.
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