Erthe Upon Erthe Part 3

l. 38.

Be war{e}, erth, for erthe, for sake of thi sowle.

v. 6, l. 3.

Er uppon er be i soule hold.

The additional verses in MS. Cambr. bear some slight resemblance to other additional lines found in MSS. of the B type, and this is interesting as showing that the writer worked on the same lines in expanding his text, and was perhaps acquainted with some of the longer B texts. On the other hand characteristic differences in the treatment of the theme would seem to support the view that these verses are really individual additions and not derived from any of the other texts. The lines in question are given below:--

_MS. Cambr._ ll. 71-82.

G.o.d walkyd in erth as longe as he wolde, He had not in this erth but hong{er} & colde, And in this erth also his body was solde, Her{e} in this erth, whan {a}t he was x.x.x^ti ?er{e} olde.

_MS. Rawl. C._ v. 8.

Now he {a}t erthe opon erthe ordande to go Graunt {a}t erthe vpon erthe may govern hym so, at when erthe vnto erthe shall{e} be taken to, at e saule of is erthe suffre no wo.

G.o.d lytyd in erth, blyssed be that stou{n}de!

He sauyd hijs herth w{i}t{h} many a scharpe wounde, Ffor to sawe erth owght of h.e.l.l grou{n}de, He deyd in erth vpon e rode w{i}t{h} many a blody vou{n}de.

And G.o.d ros ovght of the est this erth for to spede, And went into h.e.l.l as was gret nede, And toke erth from sorowe {i}s erth for to spede, The ryght wey to heuen blys I{esus} Cryst vs lede!

_MS. Rawl. P._ vv. 31, 32.

Lord G.o.d that erthe tokist in erthe, And suffredist paynes ful stille, Late neuer erthe for the erthe In dedly synne ne spille.

But that erthe in this erthe Be doynge euer thi wille, So that erthe for the erthe Stye up to thi holi hille.

(Cf. Harl. 4486, v. 8; Lamb. v. 12; Laud v. 12).

It is therefore evident that the Cambridge text shows knowledge of both the A and the B versions, but the text in its existing form must represent either a corrupt copy of the original with frequent dislocation of lines, or, what is perhaps more likely from the instances of repet.i.tion of the same words or ideas which occur, a clumsy compilation from the two made by some one who perhaps had B before him and remembered portions of A imperfectly. Such repet.i.tions occur in verses 2 and 18, the latter repeating three of the rime-words of the former verse, as well as the phrase _scharpe schowris_; and again in verses 4 and 19, and in verses 6, 7, and 13. In any case the text must be regarded as later than the A and B versions, and not as forming a link between them. The dialect is Northern, but not uniformly so.

ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE POEM.

The question as to the source of the poem _Erthe upon Erthe_, and the relationship of the A and B versions to the original, and to each other, is a difficult one. The existence of a parallel Latin version in one of the oldest MSS. is clearly an important point to be taken into consideration in any attempt at an investigation of the origin of the poem, and it will be well before proceeding further to form some conclusion as to the relation in which the English and Latin stanzas in MS. Harl. 913 stand to each other. The correspondence of the two versions is not strictly verbal, but it is evident that either the English or the Latin stanzas represent a rather free rendering of the verses which accompany them. In favour of a Latin origin it may be pointed out that the metrical form of the Latin stanzas is one frequently employed in Latin poems of the time, that the subject is a favourite monastic theme, and that the manner of the poem is in keeping with contemporary Anglo-Latin compositions, such as the well-known _Cur mundus militat sub vana gloria_. The natural tendency would be to attribute a poem of the kind to Latin origin, especially if, as in this case, a Latin version were forthcoming.

On the other hand, it may be pointed out that the Latin text is not known to exist in any other MS., and appears indeed to have no separate existence from the English stanzas which accompany it, whereas English texts of the poem without trace of a Latin rendering or original are very common.[14] The text was one frequently used in epitaphs, but no Latin epitaph of the kind is known to have existed, although Latin was commonly used in epitaphs at the time when the poem was most widely popular.

Further, word-plays of the kind found here upon the word _erthe_ are certainly not common in Latin verse of the time, and the Latin text does not render the play as effectively as the English does, employing alternately the three terms _terra_, _vesta_, _humus_, in place of the English _erthe_, and failing to maintain these consistently. The play on the word _earth_, which is the most essential feature of the poem, could not have been given with the same effect as in English either in Latin or in any mediaeval language.[15]

Thirdly, in support of an English origin it may be urged that close verbal connexion can be traced between the English text of both versions, but more especially of the earlier (A), and other poems dating from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, particularly the various Dialogues of _The Soul and the Body_:--

_MS. Harl._ 913, l. 17 (A).

When er is in ere, e rof is on e chynne.

_MS. Cambr. Univ. Libr._ Ii. 4. 9, l. 25 (C) When erthe is in erth for wormys wyn, e rof of his hows xal ly on his chyn.

Cf. _Dialogues of Soul and Body_, (_Worcester fragment_) 12th cent.

'nu u havest neowe hus inne berungen, lowe beo helewes.

in rof li on ine breoste, ful . . . colde is e ibedded.

(_Bodl. Fragm._) 12th cent.

e rof bi ibyld ire broste ful neh.

(_MS. Auchinleck_) 13th cent.

Wi wormes is now ytaken in in, i bour is bilt wel cold in clay, e rof _shal take to_[16] i chin.

(_MS. Harl._ 2253) 14th cent.

When e flor is at y rug, e rof ys at y neose.

Cf. _Death_ 152 (13th cent.) in Morris, _O. E. Misc._, p. 168 (_Jesus MS._).

i bur is sone ibuld at u schalt wunyen inne, e rof _& e virste_[17]

Schal ligge on ine chynne.

Nu e schulen wurmes Wunyen wiinne.

_MS. Harl._ 913, l. 66 (A).

Er bilt castles, & ere bilt toures; Whan er is on ere, blak be e boures.

_MS. Harl._ 4486 (B); _so other_ B _texts_.

Erthe apon erthe wynneth{e} castelles & towres.

Then seythe erthe to erthe: 'These byth{e} alle owres'.

When erthe apon erthe hath byggede vp his bowres, Then schalle erthe for the erthe suffre scharpe schowres.

_MS. Cambr._ 63 (C).

Erthe bygyth hallys & erth bygith towres, When er is layd in erth, blayke is his bours;

_ibid._ 5-8 Erthe vpon erthe has hallys & towris _&c._

Cf. _Soul & Body Dialogues_ (_MSS. Auchinleck, Digby, Vernon, Laud_).

Whare be ine castels & ine tours, ine chaumbres & ine hei?e halle, . . . . .

Wrecche, ful derk it is i bour To morn ou schalt erin falle.

(_ibid._) Halles hei?e & bours bri?t Y hadde y bilt & mires mo.

(_MS. Harl._ 2253).

thi castles & thy toures.

Cf. _Death_ 29.

Ah seoen mony mon By-yet bures & halle, Fori e wrecche soule Schal into pyne falle.

_MS. Harl._ 913. 42 (A).

Be ou re ni?t in a rou?, i frendschip is ilor.[18]

Cf. _Visio Philiberti_ (_MS. Porkington_).

When ou art dede i frenschype is aslepe.

Cf. _Soul & Body_ (_MS. Auchinleck_).