Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

V. (b) REGINALD PECOCK, 387hear will langh with me; ' also Ps. xxxvii. 13, ' The Lord shall latigh athim,' and the like. Pecock is not happy in his instances.69- Pleie in word bi bourditig, play verbally in jesting, i. e. jest amongstthemselves. But certainly some case might be made out in favour ofjesting, running, &c. from Scripture.Elijah's reproof of the prophets ofBaal (i Kings xviii. 27) partakes much of the nature of jesting; the sunis spoken of as rejoicing ' as a strong man to nin a race,' Ps. xix. 5 ; whilst,as to s-hooting, there is the well-known story of David and Jonathan(i Sam. XX. 35-40), which Pecock seems to have forgotten. See theEnglish editor's preface to 'The Biglow Papers'; Triibner, 1861.76. Esement, i. e. pleasure. But cf. Eccles. ii. 8, where Solomon says'I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kingsand of the provinces ;I gat me men singers and women singers, and thedelights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.'This is clearly an allusion to other than sacred singing; Solomonintended it for his own eseme?it.S4. Ale or beer. Strong drink is frequently mentioned in the Bible asdistinct from wine, but the use of it is condemned. In Solomon's Songviii. 2, we read, ' I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juiceof my pomegranate,' which alludes to some drink not made from grapes.But the chief point of interest is Pecock's use of the word beer, as it is avery uncommon word in early English, whilst ale is very common. Fourexamples of the former word are given in Stratmann's Early EnglishDictionary, two of them being beore in Layamon, 1. 13542, and ber inKing Horn, ed. Lumby, 1. 11 12. Pecock also mentions cider and mead.93. And i,it ])07i ivolte seie. Here Pecock draws inferences which hisopponents would hardly have admitted.'104. Engliich tunge or langage. After this follows [in the MS.]neither latyn tunge or langage, but a later (?) hand has drawn a pen throughit, rightly. See Luke xxiii. 38. But very possibly Pecock wrote it,since he 'was capable of making such a blunder as to say that a cloak isnot mentioned in Scripture.'—Babington.(B) A defenceof images and pictures.See Babington's edition, vol. i. p. 212. The Wyclifites attackedpictures and images in churches, and the practice of going upon pilgrimage.Pecock defends images on the score of the ease with which theyrecall the stories of the saints represented.10. Purte?iancis, i. e. the special emblems by which various saints areknown. St. Catharine has her wheel, St. Barbara her tower, St. INIargarether dragon, St. Sebastian his arrow, St. Lawrence his gridiron, andso on. See Mrs. Jameson's excellent and most interesting book onC C 2