The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England Part 24

FOOTNOTES:

[410] The names of many have been lost, owing to the incompleteness of the records, or to the fact that no profession is indicated. A few are known from other sources to have been schoolmasters or private tutors; cp. Huguenot Society Publications, vol. x., _Returns of Aliens dwelling in London_; vols. viii., xviii., _Letters of Denization_.

[411] Evrard Erail, Onias Ganeur, Charles Bod, Robert Fontaine, Charles Darvil d'Arras, Jean Vaquerie, Baudouin Mason, and Adrian Tresol (Schickler, _eglises du Refuge_, i. p. 124). Of these names only that of Robert Fontaine is found in the _Returns of Aliens_. Charles Darvil and Adrian Tresol are again mentioned in connexion with the Church in 1564.

Baudouin Mason received letters of denization in 1565, and Adrian Tresol, a Netherlander, in 1562. In 1571 there were three other schoolmasters connected with the Church: Adrian Tressel, John Preste of Rouen, and Nicolas Langlois or Inglish. All these, however, are mentioned in the _Returns of Aliens_.

[412] Schickler, _op. cit._ i. p. 182.

[413] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. ii. pp. 228, 335.

[414] Duc d'Alencon, who died in 1584.

[415] Printed by Henry Dizlie for Thomas Purfoote. Reprinted by T. Spiro in the _Neudrucke fruhneuenglischer Grammatiken, herausgegeben von R.

Brotanek_, Bd. 7, Halle, 1912. It contains 75 pages, 8vo.

[416] Bellot's name does not occur in the Registers (vol. i., Lymington, 1908).

[417] 16, pp. 80.

[418] _Stationers' Register_, 19th February 1588.

[419] Hazlitt, _Handbook_, 1867, p. 36.

[420] Perhaps he was a member of the La Motte Fouque family whose name became so closely connected with the Protestant cause in France. In 1551 Rene La Motte left Saintonge and went to Normandy, where he died, leaving two sons and three daughters. Cp. Crottet, _History of the Reformed Church in Saintonge_, quoted by T. F. Sanxay, _The Sanxay Family_, 1907.

[421] "Estant donc refugie a l'ombre favorable du Sceptre de sa serenissime majeste, qui est le vray port de retraicte et asyle a.s.seure de ceux qui faisans profession de l'Evangile souffrent ores persecution soubs la Tyrannie de l'Antichrist, j'ay tasche de tout mon pouvoir de faire en sorte par mes labeurs que ceste n.o.ble Nation qui maintenant nous sert de mere et de nourrice peust tirer quelque proffit d'iceux, afin que par ce moyen je peusse eviter le vice enorme de l'ingrat.i.tude.

... Or entre toutes les belles et rares vertus dont la n.o.blesse angloise se rend tant renommee par tout le monde, admiree des estrangiers, et honoree en son pays, est l'Estude des bonnes lettres, et cognoissance des langues, qui leur sont si familieres et communes qu'il s'en trouve peu parmi eux, non seulement entre les Seigneurs et Gentilhommes, qui n'en parlent trois ou quatre pour le moins, mais aussi entre les Dames et Damoiselles, exercise veritablement louable, par lequel toute vertu s'honore et se rend immortelle et sans lequel nulle autre n'est parfait ni digne d'estre aucunement estime. Or c'est ce qui, outre la singuliere affection que naturellement ils portent aux estrangers et la grande courtoisie dont ils ont a coustume de les traicter, leur faict faire tant d'estat des Francois, si bien qu'il y en a fort peu qui n'en ait un avec soy."

[422] Who first went to Oxford in 1587. Foster, _Alumni Oxonienses_, ad nom.

[423] _Containing the rarest Sentences, Proverbs, Parables, Similies, Apothegmes and Golden sayings of the most excellent French Authors as well Poets as Orators._

[424] Arber, _Register of the Company of Stationers_, ii. 614. Miss Farrer in her book on Holyband takes this entry, _l'Alphabet Francois avec le Tresor de la langue francoise_, to refer to another edition of Holyband's _Treasurie_, which, she a.s.sumes, was prevented and superseded by the publication of his dictionary in 1592.

[425] Field was born at Stratford in the same year as Shakespeare; cp.

S. Lee, _Life of Shakespeare_, pp. 42 _et seq._

[426] _A Dictionary of Printers and Booksellers, 1557-1640_, Bibliog.

Soc., 1910: Index of London Addresses.

[427] 1625, 1631, 1633, 1639, 1647.

[428] In 1626 the work was made over to Miller by Field's widow. Arber, _Transcript_, iv. 157.

[429] How closely, may be judged by comparing the following selection with the description of Holyband's rules on p. 142, _supra_.

How do you p.r.o.nounce g before n? Comment p.r.o.noncez vous g devant n?

Gn is hardly p.r.o.nounced by Gn se p.r.o.nonce difficilement par Englishmen. les Anglois.

Notwithstanding if they will take Toutesfois s'ils veulent prendre heed garde how they do p.r.o.nounce _minion_ ... comment ils p.r.o.noncent minion, onion, companion, it will be more easy for them to il leur sera plus aise de p.r.o.nounce it: for though we le p.r.o.noncer: car encore que nous do write the selfesame words escrivions ces mesmes mots with gn, par gn, neverthelesse there is small neantmoins il y a peu de difference between difference de their p.r.o.nunciation and ours: leur p.r.o.nonciation a la nostre: let them take heed only seulement qu'ils prennent garde a to sound g mettre g in the same syllable that n is, en la mesme syllable que n, and then they et ils shall not finde any hardnesse ne trouveront aucune difficulte in his p.r.o.nunciation, en sa p.r.o.nonciation, as mignon ... mi-gnon. comme mi-gnon... .

[430] "Et pourroit a bon droict estre compare a quelques vieilles masures d'un bastiment ou il a tant creu de ronces et espines, qu'a grand peine il apert que jamais il y ait eu de maisons. Car devant qu'on eust trouve l'imprimerie, on l'a tant de fois coppie, et chaque ecrivain l'escrivant a la fantaisie et ne retenant l'orthographe francoise, que maintenant il semble qu'il n'y ait presque langage plus esloigne du vray Francois que ce Francois de vos loix."

[431] Bellot frequently refers to the _gent hargneuse_ and the "aiguillons envenimez des langues qui se plaisent a detracter les oeuvres d'autruy et qui deprisent tout ce qui n'est tire de leurs boutiques, iacoit que souvente fois leur estofe ne soit que biffes et hapelourdes."

[432] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. i. pp. xii, xiv.

[433] And again: "Or vous noteres qu'en tous les noms termines en _ent_, _t_ n'est pas exprime en la fin: quant aux verbes, il est p.r.o.nonce, mais bien doucement: donnes vous donc garde d'ensuivre en ceci les Bourgignons qui expriment leur _t_ si fort que de deux syllabes ilz en font trois: comme quand nous disons _ils mangent_ ... le Walon dira; _ilz mangete_." And yet again: "Sounde _ch_ as _sh_ in English: you shall not follow in this the Picard or Bourgignions, for they doo p.r.o.nounce _ch_ like _k_, say _kien_ for _chien_."

[434] French was widely used in the Spanish Netherlands, and there was hardly any opening for the teaching of any of the Germanic languages in England at this early time, when they were only learnt in exceptional cases. There were no doubt a few such teachers, here and there. We are told that in London "there be also teachers and professors of the Holy or Hebrew language, of the Caldean, Syriack or Arabicke or Tartary Languages, of the Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch and Polish Tongues.

And here be they which can speake the Persian and the Morisco, and the Turkish and the Muscovian Language, and also the Sclavonian tongue, which pa.s.seth through seventeen nations. And in divers other languages fit for Amba.s.sadors and Orators, and Agents for Merchants, and for Travaylors and necessarie for all commerce or Negociation whatsoever."

Buck, _The Third Universitie of England_, 1619, ch. x.x.xvii. "Of Languages." The earliest work for teaching Dutch to Englishmen was probably the _Dutch Tutor_ of 1660; cp. F. Watson, _Modern Subjects_, ch. xv. John Minsheu taught a number of languages in London, and wrote a _Ductor in Linguas_ (1617), in eleven languages.

[435] Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. ii. p. 81.

[436] _Returns of Aliens_, Hug. Soc. Pub. x. pt. i. p. xi.

[437] Moens, _The Walloons and their Church at Norwich_, Hug. Soc. Pub.

i. p. 90.

[438] _Cal. State Papers, Dom., Addenda, 1580-1625_, p. 294.

[439] _Victoria County Histories: Suffolk_, ii. p. 317.

[440] _Apologie for Schoolmasters._

[441] Sm. 4to, pp. 1-60, and 17-173. Printed by J. Wolfe. Licence dated 18 Dec. 1592. Preface dated 18 April 1593.

[442] Born 1574; at Oxford in 1588.

[443] Bellot, in his quality of "gentleman," compares his labours to those of Diogenes rolling his tub up and down a hill, in order not to be idle while the Corinthians were busy preparing to defend their city against Philip of Macedon. Eliote takes up the theme and turns it to ridicule.

[444] The first part is paged from 1 to 60, and has signatures A-L in fours. In _Eliote's first booke_ the pagination begins afresh at p. 17 and continues to p. 175 at the end of the work: it has signatures _c-y_ in fours.

[445] Palsgrave had accompanied his French quotations with similar indications:

"Au diziesme an de mon doulant exil Avdiziemavndemoundoulauntezil."

[446] He announces his intention of producing a book called _De Natura et Arte Linguae Gallicae_.

[447] _Advice given by a Catholike gentleman to the n.o.bilitie & Commons of France_, Lond., 1589; _Newes sent unto the Lady Princesse of Orange_, 1589; _Discourses of Warre and single combat ..._ from the French of B.

de Loque, 1591.

[448] Foster, _Alumni Oxon._, ad nom.

CHAPTER V