2. He may answere, and sey this and that, 3. Love hath my name i-strike out of his sclat, IV. The Turnament of Tottenham: * OR THE WOOEING, WINNING, AND WEDDING OF TIBBE, THE REEV'S DAUGHTER THERE." Ir does honour to the good sense of this nation that while all Europe was captivated with the bewitching charms of Chivalry and Romance, two of our writers in the rudest times could see through the false glare that surrounded them, and discover whatever was absurd in them both. Chaucer wrote his Rhyme of Sir Thopas in ridicule of the latter; and in the following poem we have a humorous burlesque of the former. Without pretending to decide whether the institution of chivalry was upon the whole useful or pernicious in the rude ages, a question that has lately employed many good writers, it evidently encouraged a vindictive spirit, and gave such force to the custom of duelling, that there is little hope of its being abolished. This, together with the fatal consequences which often attended the diversion of the Turnament, was sufficient to render it obnoxious to the graver part of mankind. Accordingly the church early denounced its censures against it, and the state was often prevailed on to attempt its suppression. But fashion and opinion are superior to authority and the proclamations against tilting were as little regarded in those times, as the laws against duelling are in these. This did not escape the discernment of our poet, who easily perceived that inveterate opinions must be attacked by other weapons, besides proclamations and censures; he accordingly made use of the keen one of Ridicule. With this view he has here introduced with admi rable humour a parcel of clowns, imitating all the solemnities of the Tourney. Here we have the regular challenge-the appointed day-the lady for the prize-the formal preparations—the display of armour-the scutcheons and devices-the oaths taken on entering the lists-the various accidents of the encounter-the victor leading off the prize—and the magnificent feasting-with all the other solemn fopperies that usually attended the pompous Turnament. And how acutely the sharpness of the author's humour must have been felt in those days, we may learn from what we can perceive of its keenness now, when time has so much blunted the edge of his ridicule. : *See [Mr. IIurd's] Letters on Chivalry, 8vo. 1762. M6moires de la Chevalerie, par M. de la Curne des Palais, 1759, 2 tom. 12mo., &c. The Turnament of Tottenham was first printed from an ancient MS. in 1631, 4to., by the Kev. Wilhem Bedwell, rector of Tottenham, who was one of the translators of the Bible, and afterwards Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland, where he lived and died with the highest reputation of sanctity, in 1641. He tells us, it was written by Gilbert Pilkington, thought to have been some time parson of the same parish, and author of another piece, entitled Passio Domini Jesu Christi. who was eminently skilled in the oriental and other languages, appears to have been but little conversant with the ancient writers in his own; and he so little entered into the spirit of the poem he was publishing, that he contends for its being a serious narrative of a real event, and thinks it must have been written before the time of Edward III., because Turnaments were prohibited in that * This, MS. Bedwell, reign. "I do verily, believe," says he, "that this Turnament was acted before this proclamation of King Edward. For how durst any to attempt to do that, although in sport, which was so straightly forbidden, both by the civil and ecclesiasticall power? For although they fought not with lances, yet, as our author sayth, 'It was no childrens game.' And what would have become of him, thinke you, which should have slayne another in this manner of geasting? Would he not, trow you, have been hang'd for it in earnest? yea, and have bene buried like a dogge?" It is, however, well known that Turnaments were in use down to the reign of Elizabeth. In the first editions of this work, Bedwell's copy was reprinted here, with some few conjectural emendations; but as Bedwell seemed to have reduced the orthography at least, if not the phraseology, to the standard of his own time, it was with great pleasure that the Editor was informed of an ancient MS. copy preserved in the Museum [Harl. MSS. 5396], which appeared to have been transcribed in the reign of King Hen. VI. about 1456. This obliging information the Editor owed to the friendship of Thomas Tyrwhit, Esq., and he has chiefly followed that more authentic transcript, improved however by some readings from Bedwell's Book. Or all thes kene conquerours to carpe it were kynde; Of fele feyztyng folk ferly we fynde, The Turnament of Totenham have we in mynde; It were harme sych hardynes were holden Whoso berys hym best in the turnament, byhynde, In story as we rede Of Hawkyn, of Herry, Of Tomkyn, of Terry, Of them that were dughty And stalworth in dede. It befel in Totenham on a dere day, 10 Ther was mad a shurtyng be the hy-way : Theder com al the men of the contray, Of Hyssylton, of Hy-gate, and of Hakenay, And all the swete swynkers. Ther hopped Hawkyn, 15 Ther daunsed Dawkyn, Ther trumped Tomkyn, And all were trewe drynkers. Ver. 20, It is not very clear in the MS. whether it should be cont or conters. Ver. 48, dozty, MS. Ver. 49, coppled. We still use the phrase, "a copple-crowned hen." Thay sowed them in schepeskynnes, for thay schuld not brest: Ilk-on toke a blak hat, insted of a crest: 65 A basket or a panyer before on ther brest,' I make a vow, quoth Hud, Tyb, son schal Tyb on a gray mare was set up on loft 75 thou se, 100 Whych of all thys bachelery 'granted' is the gre: I schal scomfet thaym all, for the love of the; of me, Myn armes ar so clere: I bere a reddyl, and a rake, 105 On a sek ful of fedyrs, for scho schuld syt I vow to God, quoth Hawkyn, yf 'I' have the soft, 85 For when thay fyzt fastest and most ar in drede, lede: Ver. 57, gayed, P. C. V. 66 is wanting in MS., and supplied from, P. C. V. 72, He borrowed him, P. C. V. 76, I schall take Tyb by the hand, and hur away The MS. had once sedys, i. e. seeds, which appears to have been altered to fedyrs, or feathers. Bedwell's copy has Senvy, i. e. Mustard-seed. V. 77, And led hur to cap, MS. V. 83, Bedwell's P. C. has "Ruel-Bones." V. 84, safer stones, MS. V. 85, wrotyn, i. e. wrought, P. C. reads written. V. 86, No catel [perhaps chatel] they had spared, MS. V. 89, Then... faucon, MS. V. 101, grant, MS. V. 109, yf he have, MS. V. 110, the MS. literally has thr. sand bere. 'Thus' thay tugged, and rugged, tyl yt was | To that ylk fest com many for the nones; V. For the Victory at Agincourt. To Harfiue toune with ryal aray; THAT Our plain and martial ancestors could | He sette a sege, the sothe for to say, wield their swords much better than their pens, will appear from the following homely rhymes, which were drawn up by some poet laureat of those days to celebrate the immortal victory gained at Agincourt, Oct. 25, 1415. This song or hymn is given merely as a curiosity, and is printed from a MS. copy in the Pepys collection, vol. I. folio. 10 Then went owre kynge, with alle his oste, Deo gratias, &c. Ver. 218, trippand on, MS. 15 In the former impressions, this concluding stanza was only given from Bedwell's printed edition; but it is here copied from the old MS. wherein it has been since found 5 separated from the rest of the poem, by several pages of a money-account, and other heterogeneous matter. Ver. 199, Thys, MS. V. 204, hom for to fetch, MS. V. 208, about everych side, MS. V. 209, the gre, is wanting in MS. V. 210, mothe, MS. V. 212. And they ifere assent, MS. V. 214, had wed, MS. V. 215, The cheefemen, P. C. + Six-men's song, i. e. a song for six voices. So Shakspeare uses Three-man song-men, in his Winter's Tale, A. III. sc. 3, to denote men that could sing catches composed for three voices. Of this sort are Weelkes's Madrigals mentioned below, Book II. Song 9. So again Shakspeare has Three men Beetle; i. e. a Beetle or Rammer worked by three men 2 Hen. IV. A. I. sc. 3. |