A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483 Part 47

Now ys sorw with shame fled yn to Fraunce, As a felon that hath forsworne thys lond; Love hath put owte malicius governaunce, In every place both fee and bonde; In Yorke, in Somersett, as y undyrstonde, In Warwikke also ys love and charite, In Salisbury eke, and yn Northumberlond, That every man may reioyce the concord and unite.

Egremond,[257] and Clyfford,[258] and other forseyd, Ben sett yn the same opynyone; In every quartre love is thus leide, Grace and wisdome hath the dominacione; Awoke welth, and welk in thys regione, Rewnde abowte in towne and cite, And thonke them that brought it to thys conclusion; Reioyse Englond the concord and unite.

[Footnote 257: Thomas Percy, third son of Henry 3rd earl of Northumberland. He was created Baron of Egremont 20th December 1449, and died in 1460.]

[Footnote 258: Thomas Lord Clifford. He succeeded to his honours in 1422, and died in 1454.]

At Poules in London, with grete renowne, On oure Lady day the pes was wrought; The kyng, the quene, with lords many one, To worshyppe that virgine as they oght, Went a prosession, and sparyd right noght, In sight of alle the comonialte, In tokyn that love was in hert and thoght; Reioice Englond the concord and unite.

There was by twene them lovely countenaunce, Whyche was grete yoy to alle that there were, That long tyme hadd ben in variaunce, As frynds for ever they went yn fere, They went togedre, and made good chere; O Fraunce and Bretayne, repent shall ye, For the bergeyne shalle ye bye fulle dere; Reioice Englond the concord and unite.

Our sovereyn lord the kyng, G.o.d kepe alway, The quene and the bisshope of Canterbury,[259]

And other that have labored to thys love day, G.o.d preserve them we pray hertly; And Londone for they fulle diligently, Kept the pees in trobull and in adversite; To brynge yn rest they labored ful treuly; Reioice Englond the peas and unite.

[Footnote 259: Cardinal John Bourchier. He was translated from Ely to the Archiepiscopal see, on the 22nd April 1454, and died on the 30th March 1486.]

Off thre things, y preys thys worshypfull Citee: The ferst, of trewe feythe that they owe to the kyng; The secounde, of love of eache comonialte; The thyrde, of good rule evermore kepyng; The whyche G.o.d mayntene ever long durynge, And save the Maire and all the hole Citee, And that ys amys brynge to amendyng, That Englond may reioice the pees and unite.

IBID.

[_From the Cottonian MS._ Vespasia.n.u.s B. XVI.]

Whan Charite is chosen with states to stonde, Stedfas and stille without distaunce, Than wrathe may be exiled out of this londe, And G.o.d oure gide to have the governaunce.

Wisdom and wellthe with alle plesaunce, May rightful regne and prosperite, For love hath underlaide wrathful veniaunce; Reioise Anglond oure lordes acorded to be.

Reiose and thanke G.o.d, for evermore; For now shal encrese thi consolacion, Oure enemyes quaken and dreden fulsore, That peas is made ther was division,

Whiche to them is a gret confusion, And to us ioy and felicite; G.o.d hold them longe in every season: That Anglond may reioise concord and unite.

Now is sorowe with shame fled in to Fraunce, As a felon that hath forsworn this londe; Love hath put out malicious governaunce, In every place bothe fre and bonde;

In Yorke, in Somerset as I understonde, In Warrewik also is love and charite, In Sarisbury eke, and in Northumbrelande; That every man may reioise concord and unite.

Egremown, and Clifford, with other forsaide, Ben set in the same opynyon; In every quarter love is thus laide, Grace and wisdom hath thus the dominacion:

Awake Welthe, and walke in this region, Rounde aboute in toun and cite, And thanke them that brought hit to this concluson; Reioise Anglond to concorde and unite.

At Poules in Londone, with gret renoun, On oure Ladi day in Lente this peas was wrought; The kinge, the quene, with lordes many oone, To wors.h.i.+p that virgine as thei ought,

Wenten a procession, and spariden right nought, In sighte of alle the comynalte, In token that love was in herte and thought; Reiose Anglond in concorde and unite.

Ther was bytwyn them lovely contynaunce, Whiche was gret ioy to alle that ther were, That long tyme hadden be in variaunce; As frendes for ever that had be in fere,

Thei wenten togeder, and made goud chere; France and Britayn repente shul thei, For the bargayn shul thei abye ful dere; Reiose Anglond in concorde and unite.

Oure soveraigne lord kyng G.o.d kepe alwey, The quene, and the archbisshope of Canterbury, And the bisshop of Wynchestre chanceller of Anglond, And other that han labured to this love day.

G.o.d preserve them we pray hertly, And London for thei ful diligently, Kepten the peas in trowbel and adversite, To bryng in reste thei labured ful truly; Reioise Anglond in concorde and unite.

Of thre thynges I praise the wors.h.i.+pful Cite; The first, the true faithe that thei have to the kyng; The seconde, of love to the comynalte; The thrid, goud rule for evermore kepynge;

The whiche G.o.d maynteyn evermore durynge, And save the Maier and alle the worthi Cite; And that is amys G.o.d brynge to amendynge, That Anglond may reioise to concord and unite.

Neither of the ensuing articles, the whole of which are the production of the indefatigable Lydgate, can possibly be a.s.signed to its proper date; and they are therefore arranged in the following order.

1. _A Balade sent by a Poursyant to the s.h.i.+rreves of London, acompanyed with theire Bretherne upon Mayes Daye, at Busshopes Wod, at an honurable Dyner, ech of them bringginge his Dysshe._

This Ballad, which occurs in Ashmole's Collection of Ma.n.u.scripts, is introduced from its having been addressed to the Sheriffs of London; but it contains little that is worthy of attention.

2. _London Lickpenny._

Of the numerous Ballads composed by 'The Monk of Bury,' this is perhaps the most curious and the best known; and, from its presenting a great deal of information relative to the Metropolis in the fifteenth century, it is of considerable interest. Two copies exist in MS. in the British Museum; one in the Harleian MS. 367, which is printed in Noorthouck's and Dr. Pugh's History of London, as well as in several other works; the other, in Stow's hand-writing, in the Harleian MS. 542: and as they differ very materially from each other, a copy of each is inserted. To this Ballad, it has been thought right to add another, by the same writer, which has never been before printed, on a very similar subject; namely,

3. _Upon the Emptiness of his Purse,--_

In which he treats this, perhaps the greatest of all human misfortunes, since it prevents the alleviation of almost all others, with singular address. The subject seems to have been a favourite one with our early poets; for there is a Ballad with nearly the same t.i.tle by Chaucer; and another is printed in 'The Boke of St. Albans.'

4. _On Forked Head Dresses._

The head-dresses of females in the reign of Henry the Sixth closely resembled the _cauchoises_ still worn by those of Normandy; and which excited the displeasure of Dan John in so great a degree as to have induced him to invoke the aid of his Muse in effecting their abolition. It seems no subject escaped that eternal scribbler's attention; and if his abilities had equalled his disposition, he would probably have become the Juvenal of his age. Upon this occasion, however, he appears to have soared on rather a higher wing than usual; and the moral of his lay is the truism which has since been so beautifully expressed, that loveliness

"Is when unadorn'd, adorn'd the most."

5. _On Fraudulent Millers and Bakers._

This short Ballad would appear, from the following pa.s.sage in Fabian's Chronicle, to have been written in the 15th of Edw. IV. A^{o} 1475, if it were not, that though the date of Lydgate's death has never been precisely ascertained, yet it is scarcely possible he could have lived to that year.

"This yere this mayer [Robert Ba.s.sett] dyd sharpe correccion upon bakers, for makynge of lyght brede; in so moche thatt he sett dyverse upon the pillory," &c.

A similar circ.u.mstance might however have occurred some years before, notwithstanding that it is not noticed by the writers of the period.

A BALADE MADE BY LYDEGATE, SENT BY A POURSYANT TO THE s.h.i.+RREVES OF LONDON, ACOMPANYED WITH THEIRE BRETHERNE UPON MAYES DAYE, AT BUSSHOPES WOD, AT AN HONURABLE DYNER, ECHE OF THEM BRINGGINGE HIS DYSSHE.

[_Ashmole's MSS. No._ 6943. _Vol._ 59. 2.]

Mighty Flourra, G.o.ddes of freshe floures, Whiche clothed hast the soyle in lousty grene; Made buddes springe with his swete showres, By influence of the sonnes so sheene, To do plesaunce of entent ful clene, Unto the states whiche that now sitte here; Hath veere doune sent hir owen doughter dere, Making the vertue that dured in the roote, Called of clerkes, the vertue vegytable, For to trascend moste holsome and moste sweete, Into the crope this saysoun so greable.

The bawmy lykour is so comendable, That it rejoythe with the fresshe moysture, Man, beeste, and foole, and every creature, Whiche hathe repressed, swaged, and bore doune, The grevous constreinte of the frostes heere; And caused foolis for joye of this saysonne, To cheese their mates, thane by natures loore, With al gladnesse theire courage to restore, Sitting on bowes fresshly nowe to synge, Veere for to save at his home comynge; Ful pleinly meninge in theire ermonye, Wynter is goone, whiche did hem gret peyne; And with theire sweete sugre melodye, Thanking Nature theire G.o.ddesse sovereyne, That they nowe have no mater to compleyne, Hem for to proygne every morowneynge, With lousty gladnesse at Phebus uprysinge; And to declare ye hys magnifysence, Howe vere inbringethe al felicytee, After wynter's mighty prevolence Avoydinge stormys of al adversytee.

For shee hathe brought al prosperitee To alle the states of this regyoun, At his comynge to fore youre hye renoun, To the mighty prynces, the palme of theire victorie; And til knighthode nowe, she dothe presente n.o.blesse in armes, laude, honnour, and glorie; Pees to the people, in al hir best entente, With grace and mercy fully to consente, That provydence of hys discressioun, Avoyde discorde and al derysyoun.

Wynter shal pa.s.se of hevynesse and trouble; Flowres shal springe of perfite charite; In hertes there shal be no meninge double; Buddes shal of trouthe and unytee; Plenty for to exyle duplicytee; Lordes to regne in theire n.o.ble puissance; The people obeye with feythful obeyssaunce; Of alle estates there shal bee oone ymage; And princes first shal ocupye the hede; And prudent juges to correcte outrages, Shal trespa.s.sours consteynen under drede, That innosentes in theire lowlyhede, As truwe comunes may bee theire socour, Truwly contune in theire faithful labour; And by the grace of oure lorde Jhesu, That holly chirche may have pa.r.s.everaunce, Bee faythfull founde in al pertinaunce, Mayre, provost, s.h.i.+rreff, eche in his substaunce, And aldremen, whiche have the governaunce Over the people, by vertue may abyde, That noone oppression bee done to the pourayle.

Thus as the people of prudent pollycye, Prynces of the right shal governe; The chirche preye; the juges justefye; And knighthode, manly, and prudently discerne, Til light of trouthe so clerely the lanterne, That rightewysnesse throughe this regyoune, Represse the darknesse of al extorcyoune.

Thes be the tythinges wheeche that wee have brought: Troubles exylinge of wynters rude derknesse; Wherfore rejoye yowe in hert, wille, and thought; Somer shal folowe to yowe, of al gladnesse; And sithen she is mynistre of l.u.s.tynesse, Let her be welcome to yowe at hir comyng; Sith she to yowe hathe brought so glad tythinge, The n.o.ble princesse of moste magnifisence, Qweene of al joye, of gladde suffisaunce, May I be nowe comen to youre hye excellence, Presenting yowe prosperous plesaunce, Of al welfare moste foulsome haboundaunce; As shee that hathe under hir demayne, Of floures fresshe, moste holsome, and sovereraine.

L'ENVOYE TO ALLE THE STATES PRESENT.