The Rowley Poems Part 72

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.

1. ABESSIE. E. III. 89.

Whylest the congeon flowrette _abessie_ dyghte.

2. ABORNE. T. 45.

Snett oppe hys long strunge bowe and sheelde _aborne_.

3. ABREDYNGE. ae 334.

Agylted aella, thie _abredynge_ blynge.

4. ACROOLE. El. 6.

Didde speke _acroole_, wythe languishment of eyne.

5. ADAVE. H. 2. 392.

The fynest dame the Sun or moon _adave_.

6. ADENTE. ae 396. ADENTED. G. 32.

Ontoe thie veste the rodde sonne ys _adente_.

_Adented_ prowess to the gite of witte.

7. ADRAMES. Ep. 27.

Loughe loudlie dynneth from the dolte _adrames_.

8. ALATCHE. ae 117.

Leave me swythe or I'lle _alatche_.

9. ALMER. Ch. 20.

Where from the hail-stone coulde the _almer_ flie?

10. Al.u.s.tE. H. 1. 88.

That Alured coulde not hymself _al.u.s.te_.

11. ALYNE. T. 79.

Wythe murther tyred he flynges hys bowe _alyne_.

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

Somme dryblette share you shoulde to that _alyse_.

Fulle twentie mancas I wylle thee _alise_.

13. ANERE. ae 15.--Ep. 48.

And cann I lyve to see herr wythe _anere_?

----Adieu untylle _anere_.

14. ANETE. p. 281. 64.

Whych yn the blosom woulde such sins _anete_.

15. APPLINGS. E. I. 33.

Mie tendre _applynges_ and embodyde trees.

16. ARROW-LEDE. H. 1. 74.

Han by his soundynge _arrowe-lede_ bene sleyne.

17. ASENGLAVE. H. 1. 117.

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

18. ASLEE. ae 504.

That doest _aslee_ alonge ynn doled dystresse.

19. a.s.sWAIE. ae 352.

Botte thos to leave thee, Birtha, dothe _a.s.swaie_ Moe torturynge peynes, &c.

20. 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.

1. 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?

2. 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.

3. 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 pa.s.sage they are quite unintelligible.

4. 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.