The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume II Part 62

He describes the school:

Vicinae senior Carbonius[3] incola villae, 'Lingua vernacula idem quod ??????a?d???,

sends his son as a scholar: the stipend 20_s._ a year:

De stipe[103] consent.i.t genitor: Carbunculus intrat.

He describes the whipping-block, the judicious use of which saves boys from the gallows:

Iste caballus Non in perniciem, non urbis ut ille ruinam _the Trojan_ Sed curam imberbis populi, regimenque salubre: A triplici ligno[104] lignum hoc penate tuetur Praecipitem aetatem.

Young Coleman plays truant from school, and one day, when the school is empty, breaks and defiles the horse. He openly boasts of his feat, and returning another day to repeat his misdeed, is caught by Nisus, who mounts him on the injured horse, which, by poetical license, is made to whinny with content. The youth expects twenty cuts, and receives four:

Quattuor[105] inflixit tantum mediocriter ictus, Plures optet equus, plures daret arbiter aequus.

Coleman senior calls on the Schoolmaster, who remarks that payment for his son's schooling is in arrear. Coleman returns with Mrs.

Coleman, and demands a receipt for the payment, which he makes, as Nisus discovers, lest a counter-action be brought against him:

Vult sibi ut absolvens[106] accepti latio detur Consignata manu Nisi, atque a teste probata.

Then Mrs. Coleman shows herself deserving of the cucking-stool:

..... bona Carbonissa Inque caput Nisi c.u.mulata opprobria plaustro Digna et rixivomas sub aquis mersante[107] cathedra, Quinetiam manibus quasi pugnatura lacessit.

They bring their action for a.s.sault. (The English words in the marginal notes, placed below, are in black-letter:)

Nulla mora est, juristam adhibent, de fonte dicarum Qui populo Placita ad Communia[108] panditur, exit Schedula quod vulgo[109] Regis Breve dicitur: illo Mox capitur Nisus, geminoque sub obside spondet In responsurum praescripto tempore: tempus Cunctarum[110] lux est animarum crastini. Verum Actor quis?[111] Puer ipse, virum qui provocat, annos Nondum bis-senos superans. Sed et actio quaenam?

Quid crimen? Pravus atque atrox injuria, tristes Et tragicae ambages, ampullae sesquipedales, Quod[112] Regis contra pacem vi Nisus, et armis Insultum fecit, male tractans verbere saevo Verberibus diris adeo, plenisque pericli De pueri vita ut desperaretur.

The poem ends, leaving poor Nisus in the midst of his first law-suit:

Ecce Nisus, jam primum Nisus miser ambulat in jus:

and the marginal note is 'In causis litigiosis sive casibus inscriptionum stylus Johannes de Stiles versus Johannem de Nokes.' A concluding chronogram gives the year 1629:

LVDI MagIster LIte VeXatVr forI.

The Schoolmaster's friends have written him complimentary epigrams, which are prefixed to his poem. One is worth reproducing, ae it has an echo of Crashaw's:

Ad ??p?????s???ta Suavia nonnulli lutulento carmine narrant: Turpia tu nitido, Nise poeta, places.

In black-letter, as follows:

Some cloath faire tales in s.l.u.ttish eloquence: Thy tale is foule, thy verse is frankincense.

T. Lovering Artium Ludiq. Magister.

There seems little doubt that Crashaw's two poems were born of this anonymous tractate. Cf. 'rixivomas' (p. 310) with 'vomitivam' and 'rixosa volumina linguae.' Biographically they and others secular have a special interest and value. My good friend Rev. Richard Wilton, as before, has very happily translated these playthings. G.

Quid facis? ah, tam perversa quid volvitur ira?

Quid parat iste tuus, posterus iste furor?

Ah, truculente puer, tam foedo parce furori.

Nec rapiat tragicas tam gravis ira nates.

Ecce fremit, fremit ecce indignabundus Apollo.

Castalides fugiunt, et procul ora tegunt.

Sic igitur sacrum, sic insedisse caballum Quaeris? et, ah, fieri tam male notus eques?

Ille igitur phaleris nitidus lucebit in istis?

Haec erit ad solidum turpis habena latus?

His ille, haud nimium rigidis, dabit ora lupatis?

Haec fluet in miseris sordida vitta jubis?

Sic erit ista tui, sic aurea pompa triumphi?

Ille sub imperiis ibit olentis heri?

Ille tamen neque terribili stat spumeus ira; Ungula nec celso fervida calce tonat.

O merito spectatur equi patientia nostri!

Dicite Io, tantum quis toleravit equus?

Pegasus iste ferox, mortales spretus habenas.

Bellerophontaea non tulit ire manu.

Noster equus tamen exemplo non turget in isto: Stat bonus, et solito se pede certus habet.

Imo licet tantos de te tulit ille pudores, Te tulit ille iterum, sed meliore modo.

Tunc rubor in scapulas O quam bene transiit iste, Qui satis in vultus noluit ire tuos!

At mater centum in furias abit, et vomit iram Mille modis rabidam jura, forumque fremit.

Quin fera tu taceas; aut jura forumque tacebunt: Tu legi vocem non sinis esse suam.

O male vibratae rixosa volumina linguae, Et satis in nullo verba tonanda foro!

Causidicos, vesana! tuos tua fulmina terrent.

Ecce stupent miseri, ah, nec meminere loqui.

Hinc tua, foede puer, foedati hinc terga caballi Exercent querulo jurgia lenta foro.

Obscaenas lites, et olentia jurgia ridet Turpiter in causam sollicitata Themis.

Juridicus lites quisquis tractaverit istas, O satis emuncta nare sit ille, precor, At tu de misero quid vis, truculente, caballo?

Cur premis insultans, saeve, tyranne puer!

Tene igitur fugiet? fugiet sacer iste caballus?

Non fugiet, sed, si vis, tibi terga dabit.[113]

TRANSLATION.

PRISCIa.n.u.s BEATING AND BEING BEATEN.

What wouldest thou? why rolls thy wayward ire?

What means that rage of thine dirty and dire?

Ah, savage boy, such fury foul forbear, Nor let thy wrath those tragic b.u.t.tocks tear.

Apollo, all indignant, groans and sighs; The Muses flee, and hide them from thine eyes.

Thus dost thou seek to sit the sacred steed?

Thus to become a horseman fam'd indeed!

In such adornment shall he brightly s.h.i.+ne?

His firm flank lash'd by this base whip of thine?

His mouth to this loose bit shall he deliver?

O'er his poor mane this filthy fillet quiver?

In golden triumph thus shalt thou proceed, So rank a lord bestriding such a steed?