The Rowley Poems by Thomas Chatterton (inspirational books to read .txt) 📖

or damage_. C.

 

Scille, E. III. 33. _Gather_. C.

 

Scillye, G. 207. _Closely_. C.

 

Scolles, Æ. 239. _Sholes_.

 

Scond, H. 1. 20. for _Abscond_.

 

Seck, H. 1. 461. for _Suck_.

 

Seeled, Ent. II. _Closed_. C.

 

Seere, Æ. 1164. _Search_. C.

 

Selyness, E. I. 55. _Happiness_. C.

 

Semblate, p. 281. 67. [=_Semblance_.]

 

Seme, E. III. 32. _Seed_. C.

 

Semecope, Ch. 87. _A short undercloke_. C.

 

Semmlykeed, Æ. 298. [as _Semlykeene_.]

 

Semlykeene, Æ. 9. _Countenance_. C. C.--G. 56. _Beauty, countenance_.

C.

 

Sendaument, p. 284. 126. [_Appearance_. The word has no authority; B.

and K. are silent.]

 

Sete, Æ. 1069. _Seat_.

 

Shappe, T. 36. _Fate_. C.

 

Shap-scurged, Æ. 603. _Fate-scourged_. C.

 

Shemring, E. II. 14. _Glimmering_. C.

 

Shente, T. 157. _Broke, destroyed_. C.

 

Shepen, p. 283. 97. [_Simple_, from K.'s shepen (O.), _simple,

fearful_.]

 

Shepstere, E. I. 6. _Shepherd_. C.

 

Shoone-pykes, p. 280. 44. _Shoes with piked toes_. The length of the

pikes was restrained to two inches, by 3 Edw. 4. c. 5.

 

Shrove, H. 2. 432. [It is difficult to discover the probable sense of

this word. Perhaps an allusion to an imaginary legend is intended; cf.

the reference (H. 2. 417) to Conyan's goats. Sk. has a note '_Shrove_

is the Rowleian for _shrouded_'; this is possible but hardly

convincing.]

 

[Slea, Æ. 18. _Slay_.]

 

[Sleeve, H. 1. 178. _Silk not yet twisted, floss._]

 

Sletre, Æ. 539. _Slaughter_.

 

Slughornes, E. II. 9. _A musical instrument not unlike a hautboy_.

C.--T. 31. A kind of clarion. C.

 

Smethe, T. 101. _Smoke_. C.

 

Smething, E. I. 1. _Smoking_. C.

 

Smore, H. 1. 412. [? _Smeared_ or _Smothered_.]

 

Smothe, Ch. 35. _Steam or vapours_. C.

 

Snett, T. 45. _Bent_. C.

 

[Sorgie, G. 17. _Surging_.]

 

Sothen, Æ. 227. _Sooth_, q?

 

Souten, H. 1. 252. for _Sought_. pa. t. sing. q?

 

Sparre, H. 1. 26. _A wooden bar_.

 

Speckle, H. 2. 525. [? _Spied_, or perhaps _Reached_.]

 

Spencer, T. 11. _Dispenser_. C.

 

Spere, Æ. 69. [_Spare, allow_.]

 

Spyryng, Æ. 707. _Towering_.

 

Staie, H. 1. 198. [B. has Stay, _stop, let, hindrance_; so possibly C.

uses it as a paraphrase for _armour_; or some special piece of armour

may be meant.]

 

Starks, T. 73. _Stalks_.

 

[Steeked, Æ. 1188. Not in K. B. or Speght, but Sk. notes that C. has

_steeked=stole_; so here the sense would be _stole upon_.]

 

Steeres, p. 25. 6. _Stairs_.

 

Stente, T. 134. _Stained_. C.

 

Steynced, Æ. 189. [?_Stinted_, from B.'s stent (Saxon),_stint_.]

 

Storthe, p. 287. 10. [_Death_; cf. _Storven_.]

 

Storven, Æ. 608. _Dead_. C.

 

Straughte, Æ. 59. _Stretched_. C.

 

[Stre, H. 2. 712. _Straw_.]

 

Stret, Æ. 158. _Stretch_. C.

 

Strev, Æ. 358. _Strive_.

 

Stringe, G. 10. _Strong_. C.

 

Suffycyl, Æ. 62. 981. [_Sufficient_.]

 

[Swanges, Ch. 210. _Swings_.]

 

Swarthe, Æ. 265. [A _swath_, or _swarth_ (so rarely, but cf. _Twelfth

Night_, II. iii, where Maria calls Malvolio 'an affectioned ass, that

cons state without book and utters it by great swarths') is as

much hay as the mower can cut at one movement of the scythe. So, an

unsubstantial thing compared with a _boddekin_.]

 

Swartheing, Æ. 295 [_Darkling_, _darkening_.]

 

Swarthless. II. 2. 563. [_Dark-less_, i.e. _pallid_.]

 

Sweft-kervd, E. II. 20. _Short-liv'd_. C.

 

Swoltering, Æ. 444. [?_Swallowing_.]

 

[Swote, E. I. 25. _Sweet_. C.]

 

Swotie, E. II. 9. _Sweet_. C.

 

Swythe, Swythen, Swythyn; _Quickly_. C.

 

Syke, E. II. 6. _Such, so_. C.

 

 

T.

 

Takelle. T. 72. _Arrow_. C.

 

[Talbot, H. 2. 89. _A kind of hunting dog_ (K.); _a dog with a

turned-up tail_(B.).]

 

Teint, H. 1. 462. for _Tent_. [_Bandage_.]

 

Tende, T. 113. _Attend, or wait_. C.

 

Tene, Æ 366. _Sorrow_.

 

Tentyflie, E. III. 48. _Carefully_. C.

 

Tere, Æ 194. _Health_. C.

 

Thoughten, Æ 172. 1136. for _Thought_, pa. t. sing. q?

 

[Thraslarkes, H. 2. 427. Presumably a kind of lark. K.B. and Speght

give no help.]

 

Thyghte, p. 283. 104. [II. 2. 578. _Well-built_.]

 

Thyssen, E. II. 87. _These_, or _those_. q?

 

Tochelod, Æ 205. [Perhaps a mistake for _Tochered_ = dowered. (Sk.)]

 

Tore, Æ 1020. _Torch_. C.

 

Trechit, H. 2. 93. for _Treget_; Deceit.

 

Treynted, Æ 454. [? _Scatter_, from K.'s Betreint (O.), _sprinkled_.]

 

Twyghte, E. II. 78. _Plucked, pulled_. C.

 

Twytte, E. I. 2. _Pluck, or pull_. C.

 

Tynge, Tyngue; _Tongue_.

 

 

U., V.

 

Val, T. 138. _Helm_. C.

 

Vernage, H. 2. II. _Vernaccia_ Ital. a sort of rich wine.

 

Ugsomeness, Æ. 507. _Terror_. C.

 

Ugsomme, E. II. 55. _Terribly_. C.--Æ. 303. _Terrible_. C.

 

[Virgyne, Ch. I. The sign of the zodiac, _Virgo_, which the sun enters

about the 21st of August.]

 

Unaknell'd, H. 1. 288. _Without any knell rung for them._ q?

[_unaknelled_ was Pope's reading of _unancaled_ in his edition of

_Hamlet_.]

 

Unburled, Æ. 1186. _Unarmed_. C.

 

Uncted, M. 30. _Anointed_. C.

 

Undelievre, G. 27. _Unactive_. C.

 

Unenhantend, Æ. 636. _Unaccustomed_. C.

 

Unespryte, G. 27. _Unspirited_. C.

 

[Uneyned, E. 516. _Blinded_.]

 

Unhailie, Ch. 85. _Unhappy_. C.

 

Unliart, P.G. 4. _Unforgiving_. C.

 

Unlift, E. III. 86. _Unbounded_. C.

 

Unlored, Ep. 25. _Unlearned_. C.

 

Unlydgefull, Æ. 537. [_Disloyal_.]

 

Unplayte, G. 86.--Unplyte, Æ. 1238. _Explain_. C.

 

Unquaced, E. III. 90. _Unhurt_. C.

 

[Unryghte. See Note I.]

 

Unsprytes, Æ. 1212. _Un-souls_. C.

 

Untentyff, G. 79. _Uncareful, neglected_. C.

 

Unthylle, T. 30. _Useless_. C.

 

Unwer, E. III. 87. _Tempest_. C.

 

Volunde, Æ. 73. _Memory, understanding_. C.--G. 140. _Will_. C.

 

Upriste, Æ. 928. _Risen_. C.

 

Upryne, H. 2. 719. [? _Raise up_, from B.'s uprist, _uprisen, risen

up_.]

 

Upswalynge, Æ. 258. _Swelling_. C.

 

 

W.

 

Walsome, H. 2. 92. _Wlatsome; loathsome_.

 

Wanhope, G. 34. _Despair_. C.

 

Waylde, Æ. 11. _Choice, selected_.

 

Waylinge, E. II. 68. _Decreasing_. C. [Wayled (O.), _grown old_ (K.).]

 

Wayne, E. III. 31. _Car_. C.

 

Weere, Æ. 835. _Grief_. C.

 

Welked, E. III. 50. _Withered_. C.

 

Welkyn, Æ. 1055. _Heaven_. C.

 

[Whaped, H. 2. 579. _Amazed_, from K.'s Awhaped (O.) _amazed_.]

 

Wiseegger, E. III. 8. _A philosopher_. C. [But used by C. as an

adjective.]

 

Wissen, Æ. 685. _Wish_.

 

Wite, G. 176. _Reward_. C.

 

Withe, E. III. 36. A contraction of _Wither_. C.

 

[Wolfynn, T. 51. &c. _Wolf_. Not in K. B. or Speght.]

 

Wolsome, Le. 5. See _Walsome_.

 

Wraytes. See _Reytes_.

 

Wrynn, T. 117. _Declare_. C.

 

Wurche, Æ. 500. _Work_. C.

 

Wychencref, Æ. 420. _Witchcraft_.

 

Wyere, E. II. 79. _Grief, trouble_. C.

 

Wympled, G. 207. _Mantled, covered_. C.

 

Wynnynge, Æ. 219. [The sense is 'which my father's hall had no

winning,' i.e. 'which I could never get in my father's hall.' Sk. is

almost certainly wrong here.]

 

 

Y.

 

Yan, Æ. 72. _Than_.

 

Yaped, Ep. 30. _Laughable_. C.

 

Yatte, T. 9. _That_. C.

 

Yblente, Æ. 40. _Blinded_. C.

 

Ybroched, G. 96. _Horned_. C.

 

[Ybrogten, Æ. 919. _Brought_]

 

Ycorne, Æ. 374. [Contracted for _ycorven_.]

 

Ycorven, T. 170. _To mould_. C.

 

[Ycrase, p. 287. 16. _Break_.]

 

Yceasedd, T. 132. _Broken_. C.

 

Yenne; _Then_.

 

Yer, E. II. 29. _Their_.

 

Yer, Æ. 152. _Your_.

 

Ygrove, H. 2. 434. [? _Shaped_, for _y-graven_.]

 

Yinder, Æ. 692. _Yonder_.

 

Yis; _This_.

 

Ylach'd, H. 2. 436. [? _Concealed_. B. has Lach, _catch_ or _snatch_;

but this is hardly to the point.]

 

Ynhyme, Ent. 5. _Inter_. C.

 

Ynutile, Æ. 198. _Useless_.

 

Yreaden, H. 2. 207. [_Ready_.]

 

Yroughte, H. 2. 318. for _Ywroughte_.

 

Ysped, M. 102. _Dispatched_. C.

 

Yspende, T. 179. _Consider_. C.

 

Ystorven, E. I. 53. _Dead_. C.

 

Ytfel, E. I. 18. _Itself_.

 

Ywreen, E. II. 30. _Covered_. C.

 

Ywrinde, M. 100. _Hid, covered_. C.

 

Yyne, Æ. 540. _Thine_.

 

 

Z.

 

Zabalus, Æ. 428. as _Sabalus_; the Devil.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX;

 

CONTAINING SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE LANGUAGE OF THE POEMS ATTRIBUTED

TO ROWLEY;

 

TENDING TO PROVE, THAT THEY WERE WRITTEN, NOT BY ANY ANCIENT AUTHOR,

BUT ENTIRELY BY THOMAS CHATTERTON.

 

    Tum levis haud ultra latebras jam quærit imago, Sed sublime volans

    nocti se immiscuit atræ.

 

    VIRGIL. Æ. X.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX, &c.

 

 

When these Poems were first printed, it was thought best to leave the

question of their authenticity to the determination of the impartial

Public. The Editor contented himself with intimating his opinion,

[Pref. p. xii, xiii.] that the external evidence on both sides was

so defective as to deserve but little attention, and that the final

decision of the question must depend upon the internal evidence. To

shew that this opinion was not thrown out in order to mislead the

enquiries and judgements of the readers, I have here drawn together

_some observations upon_ THE LANGUAGE[1] _of the poems attributed to

Rowley_, which, I think, will be sufficient to prove, 1st, that they

were not written in the XV Century; and 2dly, that they were written

entirely by Thomas Chatterton.

 

The proof of the second proposition would in effect carry with it that

of the first; but, notwithstanding. I choose to treat them separately

and to begin with the first.

 

I shall premise only one _postulatum_, which is, that Poets of the

same age and country use the same language, allowances being made for

certain varieties, which may arise from the local situation, the rank

in life, the learning, the affectation of the writers, and from the

different subjects and forms of their compositions [2].

 

This being granted, I have nothing to do but to prove, that the

language of the poems attributed to Rowley (when every proper

allowance has been made) is totally different from that of the other

English writers of the XV Century, in many material particulars. It

would be too tedious to go through them all; and therefore I shall

only take notice of such as can be referred to three general heads;

the _first_ consisting of words not used by any other writer; the

_second_, of words used by other writers, but in a different sense;

and the _third_, of words inflected in a manner contrary to grammar

and custom.

 

Under the _first_ head I would recommend the following words to the

reader's consideration.

 

ABESSIE. E. III. 89.

      Whylest the congeon flowrette _abessie_ dyghte.

 

ABORNE. T. 45.

      Snett oppe hys long strunge bowe and sheelde _aborne_.

 

ABREDYNGE. Æ 334.

      Agylted Ælla, thie _abredynge_ blynge.

 

ACROOLE. El. 6.

      Didde speke _acroole_, wythe languishment of eyne.

 

ADAVE. H. 2. 392.

      The fynest dame the Sun or moon _adave_.

 

ADENTE. Æ 396. ADENTED. G. 32.

      Ontoe thie veste the rodde sonne ys _adente_.

      _Adented_ prowess to the gite of witte.

 

ADRAMES. Ep. 27.

      Loughe loudlie dynneth from the dolte _adrames_.

 

ALATCHE. Æ 117.

      Leave me swythe or I'lle _alatche_.

 

ALMER. Ch. 20.

      Where from the hail-stone coulde the _almer_ flie?

 

ALUSTE. H. 1. 88.

      That Alured coulde not hymself _aluste_.

 

ALYNE. T. 79.

      Wythe murther tyred he flynges hys bowe _alyne_.

 

ALYSE. Le. 29.--G. 180.

      Somme dryblette share you shoulde to that _alyse_.

      Fulle twentie mancas I wylle thee _alise_.

 

ANERE. Æ 15.--Ep. 48.

      And cann I lyve to see herr wythe _anere_?

      ----Adieu untylle _anere_.

 

ANETE. p. 281. 64.

      Whych yn the blosom woulde such sins _anete_.

 

APPLINGS. E. I. 33.

      Mie tendre _applynges_ and embodyde trees.

 

ARROW-LEDE. H. 1. 74.

      Han by his soundynge _arrowe-lede_ bene sleyne.

 

ASENGLAVE. H. 1. 117.

      But Harold's _asenglave_ stopp'd it as it flewe.

 

ASLEE. Æ 504.

      That doest _aslee_ alonge ynn doled dystresse.

 

ASSWAIE. Æ 352.

      Botte thos to leave thee, Birtha, dothe _asswaie_

      Moe torturynge peynes, &c.

 

ASTENDE. G. 47.

      Acheke the mokie aire and heaven _astende_.

 

I stop here, not because the other Letters of the alphabet would not

afford a proportionable number of words which might be referred to

this head, but because I think these sufficient for my purpose. I

proceed therefore to set down an equal number of words under the

_second_ general head.

 

ABOUNDE. H. 1. 55.

 

  His cristede beaver dyd him smalle _abounde_.

 

The common sense of _Abound_, a verb, is well known; but what can be

the meaning of it here?

 

ALEDGE. G. 5.

 

  Lette notte thie agreme blyn ne _aledge_ stonde.

 

_Aledge_, or _Alege_, v. Fr. in Chaucer signifies _to alleviate_.

It is here used either as an adjective or as an adverb. Chatterton

interprets it to mean _idly_; upon what ground I cannot guess.

 

ALL A BOON. E. III. 41.--p. 23. l. 4.

 

  _All-a-boon_, fyr Priest, _all-a-boon_.

  Thys ys the onelie _all-a-boone_ I crave.

 

Here are three English words, the sense of which, taken separately,

is clear. As joined together in this passage they are quite

unintelligible.

 

ALLEYN. E. I. 52.

 

  Mie sonne, mie sonne _alleyn_ ystorven ys.

 

Granting _alleyn_ to be rightly put for alone, no ancient writer, I

apprehend, ever used such a phrase as this; any more than we should

now say--_my son alone_ for _my only son_. 5. ASCAUNCE. E. III. 52.

 

  Lokeynge _ascaunce_ upon the naighboure greene.

 

The usual sense of _ascaunce_ in Chaucer, and other old writers, has

been explained in a note on ver. 7327. of the Canterbury Tales. It

is used in the same sense by Gascoigne. The more modern adverb

_ascaunce_, signifying _sideways, obliquely_, is derived from the

Italian _a schiancio_, and I doubt very much whether it had been

introduced into the English language in the time of the supposed

Rowley.

 

ASTERTE. G. 137.

 

  ----You have theyr worthe _asterte_.

 

I despair of finding any authorized sense of the word _asterte_, that

will suit this passage. It cannot, I think, signifie _neglected or

passed by_, as Chatterton has rendered it.

 

AUMERE. Æ. 398.--Ch. 7. AUMERES. E. III. 25.

 

  Depycte wyth skylled honde upponn thie wyde _aumere_.

  And eke the grounde was dighte in its mose deste _aumere_.

  Wythe gelten _aumeres_ stronge ontolde.

 

The only place in which I remember to have met with this word is in

Chaucer's Romant of the Rose, ver. 2271. and there it undoubtedly

signifies _a purse_; probably from the Fr. _Aumoniere. Aumere of silk_

is Chaucer's translation of _Bourse de foye_. In another place of

the same poem, ver. 2087. he uses _aumener_ in the same sense. The

interpretations given of this word by Chatterton will be considered

below.

 

BARBED. Æ 27. 219.

 

  Nott, whan from the _barbed_ horse, &c.

  Mie lord