Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...
Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ... Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...
44- NOTES.—XX.SIR THOMAS W^AT.The metre of Wiat's -Satires should be noticed. It is the terza rima,in which the lines rime alternately by threes. This is the metre ofDante's Divina Commedia, and was adopted by Lord B)Ton in hispoem entitled The Prophecy of Dante. In his preface to this, Lordiiyron says :—' The measure adopted is the terza rima of Dante, whichI am not aware to have seen hitherto tried in our language, except itmay be by Mr. Hayley, of whose translation I never saw but one extract,quoted in the notes to Caliph Vathek ; so that—if I do not err— thispoem may be considered as a metrical experiment.' From this it appearsthat Lord Byron was unaware of, or had forgotten, the three satireshere printed. Shelley's ' Prince Athanase ' is also in this metre.After some reflections on Wiat's poems, Warton adds :—' But Wyatappears a much more pleasing wTiter when he moralises on the felicitiesof retirement, and attacks the vanities and vices of a court, with thehonest indignation of an independent philosopher, and the freedom andpleasantry of Horace. Three of his poetical epistles are professedlywritten in this strain, two to John Poines -, and the other to Sir FrancisBr}an ; and we must regret that he has not left more pieces in a styleof compositionfor which he seems to have been eminently qualified.'Warton. Hist. Eng. Poetry, ed. 1840, iii. 46; ed. 1871. iv. 45.(A) Of the meane and sure estate.Of the first of these satires Warton says:— 'In another epistle toJohn Poines, on the security and happiness of a moderate fortune, hevei-sifies the fable of the City and Country Mouse wdth much humour.This fable appositely suggests a train of sensible and pointed observationson the weakness of human conduct, and the delusive plans of life.'—Hist. Eng. Poetry, iii. 48. It may be observed that the fable of themice is told by Horace, Sermonum Liber ii. Sat. vi. II.79-117; and alsoexceedingly well by the Scottish poet Robert Henr>'son ;see Chambers'sKncycl. Eng. Literature, i.47.Lint 3. Liuelod, livelihood, means of subsistence ; see the Glossary.Zi. At this iourney, she makes but a jest of the journey, thinks lightlyof the trouble of going there.* He seems to have been a person about the court. See ' Life of SirThomas Pope,' p. 46. (Warton's note.)
XX. (a) sir THOMAS WIAT. 44342. Pepe. This seems to be like our modern ' Peep, bo!' It wassaid shrilly, to startle the other mouse playfully.48. As it fell to purpose, as it happened suitably, at fitting times.53. Stemyng, gleaming. Compare'Of hise mouth it stod a stemAls it were a sunnebem.''Out of his mouth there stood a gleam, like a sunbeam.' Havelok theDane ; ed. Skeat, 1. 591. So, too, in the Promptorium Parvulorum, wefind—' Steem, or lowe of fyre. Flamma ' and again, ' Stetnyn, or lowynvp.Flammo.'54. The insertion of itvo improves the metre.58. Imitated from Chaucer :In fact,'For naturelly a beest desireth fleeFro his contrarie, if he may it see,Though he never er had seyn it with his ye ^eyel.'Nonne Prestes Tale, 1.459.Wiat has, throughout these satires, much of Chaucer's manner.78. Sergeant with mace. Wiat is thinking of the Roman consularislictor, as the passage is clearly imitated from Horace :'Non enim gazas neque consularisSubmovet lictor miseros tumultusMentis, et curas laqueata circumTecta uolantes.' Carm. ii. 16.A hawbart is a halberd, which was a lance fitted at the end with asmall battle-axe.86. The words bryers, ritiers, desire, form but an imperfect leash ofrimes. Warton proposes to read breeres (which is certainly a commonerold spelling), in order to rime with riueres ; but this does nottell us what to do with desire.88. Hayefor cotiies, snare for rabbits.97. Cf. 'nee te quaesiueris extra;' Persius, Sat. i. 7.100. Madde, i, e. ye mad ones ; he here addresses men's wretchedmindes ; see 1. 75.Continue; accented on theirs/ syllable, as in Sect. X. 1. 10. Thesentence means—' Mad ones, if ye wish to keep your disease, let thepresent pass, and gape after the future, and so sink yourselves stilldeeper in toil.' Cf. 1. 91.103. All and summe, the whole matter (collectively and particularly)a phrase used by Chaucer, Wif of Bathes Prol. 1. 91.105. A word is clearly wanting here; I supply bow because it ismonosyllabic; but the context rather requires be answerable to, be responsibleto.
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44- NOTES.—XX.SIR THOMAS W^AT.The metre <strong>of</strong> Wiat's -Satires should be noticed. It is <strong>the</strong> terza rima,in which <strong>the</strong> lines rime alternately by threes. This is <strong>the</strong> metre <strong>of</strong>Dante's Divina Commedia, and was adopted by Lord B)Ton in hispoem entitled The Prophecy <strong>of</strong> Dante. In his preface <strong>to</strong> this, Lordiiyron says :—' The measure adopted is <strong>the</strong> terza rima <strong>of</strong> Dante, whichI am not aware <strong>to</strong> have seen hi<strong>the</strong>r<strong>to</strong> tried in our language, except itmay be by Mr. Hayley, <strong>of</strong> whose translation I never saw but one extract,quoted in <strong>the</strong> notes <strong>to</strong> Caliph Va<strong>the</strong>k ; so that—if I do not err— thispoem may be considered as a metrical experiment.' From this it appearsthat Lord Byron was unaware <strong>of</strong>, or had forgotten, <strong>the</strong> three satireshere printed. Shelley's ' Prince Athanase ' is also in this metre.After some reflections on Wiat's poems, War<strong>to</strong>n adds :—' But Wyatappears a much more pleasing wTiter when he moralises on <strong>the</strong> felicities<strong>of</strong> retirement, and attacks <strong>the</strong> vanities and vices <strong>of</strong> a court, with <strong>the</strong>honest indignation <strong>of</strong> an independent philosopher, and <strong>the</strong> freedom andpleasantry <strong>of</strong> Horace. Three <strong>of</strong> his poetical epistles are pr<strong>of</strong>essedlywritten in this strain, two <strong>to</strong> John Poines -, and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>to</strong> Sir FrancisBr}an ; and we must regret that he has not left more pieces in a style<strong>of</strong> compositionfor which he seems <strong>to</strong> have been eminently qualified.'War<strong>to</strong>n. Hist. Eng. Poetry, ed. 1840, iii. 46; ed. 1871. iv. 45.(A) Of <strong>the</strong> meane and sure estate.Of <strong>the</strong> first <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se satires War<strong>to</strong>n says:— 'In ano<strong>the</strong>r epistle <strong>to</strong>John Poines, on <strong>the</strong> security and happiness <strong>of</strong> a moderate fortune, hevei-sifies <strong>the</strong> fable <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> City and Country Mouse wdth much humour.This fable appositely suggests a train <strong>of</strong> sensible and pointed observationson <strong>the</strong> weakness <strong>of</strong> human conduct, and <strong>the</strong> delusive plans <strong>of</strong> life.'—Hist. Eng. Poetry, iii. 48. It may be observed that <strong>the</strong> fable <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mice is <strong>to</strong>ld by Horace, Sermonum Liber ii. Sat. vi. II.79-117; and alsoexceedingly well by <strong>the</strong> Scottish poet Robert Henr>'son ;see Chambers'sKncycl. Eng. Literature, i.47.Lint 3. Liuelod, livelihood, means <strong>of</strong> subsistence ; see <strong>the</strong> Glossary.Zi. At this iourney, she makes but a jest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> journey, thinks lightly<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trouble <strong>of</strong> going <strong>the</strong>re.* He seems <strong>to</strong> have been a person about <strong>the</strong> court. See ' Life <strong>of</strong> SirThomas Pope,' p. 46. (War<strong>to</strong>n's note.)
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