Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

synceritée of accord, may purport vnto vs, Charitée each too other, mutuall looue, agréement, & integritée of friendship withoout dissimulation. Az iz in thez: The too testamentes. The too tables of the Law. The too great lights, Duo luminaria magna, The Sun & Moon. . . . [And more in a similar figurative vein, the reference evidently being to the Queen and the Earl of Leicester. Cf. "Phoebus" and "Cynthia," p. 223 above.]

A characteristic piece of laudatory writing, full of hope of future advancement:

P. 56. As for vnto hiz Lordship, hauing with such greatnes of honorabl modestye & benignitée so passed foorth, as Laudem sine inuidia et amicos pararit, By greatnesse of well dooing, woon with all sorts to bée in such reuerens, az: De quo mentiri fama veretur. In synceritée of fréendship so great, az no man more deuooutly woorships.

Illud amicitiae sanctum et venerabile nomen.

So great in liberalitie, az hath no wey to heap vp the mass of hiz trezure, but only by liberall gyuing & boounteoous bestoing his trezure: foloing (az it séemez) the saw of Martiall, that sayth,

Extra fortunam est, quicquid donatur amicis;
Quas dederis, solas semper habebis opes.

Oout of all hazered doest thou set that to thy freends thoou gyuest:
A surer trezure canst thoou not haue euer whyle thoou lyuest.

What may théez greatnesses bode, but only az great honor, fame, & renooum, for théez parts héer awey, az euer waz vntoo thoz too nobl Greatz: the Macedonian Alexander in Emathia or Grées, or to Romane Charles in Germanye or Italy? which, wear it in me ony wey to set oout, no man of all men, by God (Master Martin), had euer more cauz, and that héerby consider yoo. It pleazed his honor to beare me good wil at fyrst, & so too continu. To haue giuen me apparail, éeuen from hiz bak, to get me allowauns in the stabl, too adua uns me vntoo this worshipfull office, so néer the most honorabl Councell, to help me in my licens of Beanz (though indéed I do not so much vze it, for I thank God I néed not), to permit my good Father to serue the stabl. Whearby I go noow in my sylks, that else might ruff in my cut canues: I ryde now a hors bak, that els many timez mighte mannage it a foot: am knoen to their honors, & taken foorth with the best, that els might be bidden to stand

bak my self: My good Father a good reléef, that hee farez mooch the better by; and none of theez for my dezert, eyther at fyrst or syns: God, hee knoez. What say ye, my good fréend Humfrey? shoold I not for euer honor, extol him, al the weyz I can? Yes, by your leaue, while God lends me poour to vtter my minde! And (hauing az good cauz of his honor, az Virgil had of Augustus Cezar,) wil I poet it a littl with Virgill, and say,

Namque erit ille mihi semper Deus, illius aram
Sepe tener nostris ab ouilibus imbuet agnus.

For he shalbe a god to me, till death my life consumez :
His auters will I sacrifice with incens and parfumez.

A singular patron of humanitée may he be well vnto vs, towarde all degréez; of Honor, toward hy Estates; and chéeflye, whearby we may learne in what dignitée, worship, and reuerens, her highnes iz to be estéemed, honored, and receiued, that waz neuer indeed more condignly doon then héer, so as neither by the bylders at first, nor by the Edict of pacification after, was euer Kenelworth more nobled then by thiz, hiz Lordship's receiuing hir highnes héer now.

The writer allows his egotism full play, exaggerating it for purposes of amusement and to fill in the character, which is a reflex of one side of himself:

P. 59. And héer doth my langagez now and then stond me in good sted, my French, my Spanish, my Dutch, and my Latten, sumtime amoong Ambassadours men, if their Master be within the Councel, sumtime with the Ambassadour himself, if hee bid call hiz lacky, or ask me whats a clok: and I warrant ye I aunswer him roundly, that they maruell to see such a fello thear: then laugh I, and say nothing. Dinner and supper I have twenty placez to go to, and hartly prayd to. . . .

:

In afternoons & a nights, sumtime am I with the right worshipfull Sir George Howard, az good a Gentlman as ony liuez And sumtime at my good Lady Sidneis1 chamber, a Noblewooman that I am az mooch boound vntoo, as ony poore man may bee vnto so gracyous a Lady: And sumtime in sum oother place; But alwayez among the Gentlwemen by

1 Mary, the sister of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, wife of Sir Henry Sidney, K.G.

[Their son, Sir Philip Sidney, was presumably at this entertainment, and perhaps also Mary Sidney.-E. G. H.]

X

LANEHAM'S LETTER”

277

my good will (O, yée kno that cum alweyez of a gentle spirite); & when I sée cumpany according, than can I be az lyuely to; sumtyme I foote it with daunsing: noow with my Gittern, and els with my Cittern, then at the Virgynalz:-Ye kno nothing cums amisse to mée:-then carroll I vp a song withall, that by and by they com flocking about me lyke béez too hunny: and euer they cry, "anoother, good Langham, anoother!" Shall I tell you? when I sée Misterz—(A! sée a madde knaue! I had almost tollde all!) that shee gyuez onz but an ey or an ear: why, then man, am I blest! my grace, my corage, my cunning iz doobled: She sayz sumtime she likez it, & then I like it mooch the better; it dooth me good to heer hoow well I can doo. And, too say truth: what, with myne eyz, az I can amoroously gloit it, with my Spanish sospires, my French heighes, mine Italian dulcets, my Dutch houez,' my doobl releas, my hy reachez, my fine feyning, my déep diapason, my wanton warblz, my running, my tyming, my tuning, and my twynkling, I can gracify the matters az well az the prowdest of them; and waz yet neuer staynd, I thank God. By my troth, cuntreman, it iz sumtim by midnight ear I can get from them. And thus haue I told ye most of my trade, al the léeue long daye: what will ye more? God saue the Quéene and my Lord! I am well, I thank yoo.

P. 62. Well, onez again, fare ye hartely well! From the Coourt. At the Citée of Worceter, the xx of August, 1575.

Yor countréeman, companion, & freend assuredly: Mercer, Merchantauenturer, the Clark of the Councel-chamber door, and also keeper of the same: El Prencipe negro. Par me, R. L. Gent. Mercer.

1 [Cf.

DE MAIESTATE REGIA
Benigno.

Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea linguae,2
Iactanter Cicero, ad iustius illud habe :

[ocr errors]

"My youthfulleste hollaes, hussaes, and sahoes,
But wretched allasses, Godhelpes, and woes.'
The Schollars Loove, Harvey Letter-book.
E. G. H.]

[The line used by Pedantius (in the play of that name) for his lecture

to the youth Parillus, on Eloquence :

"Ped. Notandum etiam est, haec legi plerisque sic, concedat laurea laudi, non autem linguae: sed eundem in finem ista recidunt. .

Par. Me habebis attentissimum; admiror enim elegantias tuas.

Cedant arma togae, vigil et toga cedat honori,
Omnia concedant Imperioque suo.

DEO OPT. MAX. GRATIAE.

Ped. Optime, sic enim eris ingenij nostri partus amens: Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea linguae. Quasi diceret, cedant Imperatores bellici Paedagogis pacificis . . .

Par. Moriar, si te quisquam esse possit copiosior."

On this Prof. Moore Smith, the editor of the play, has the following note : "Cicero's line quoted by himself in De Off. i. 22. 77 and elsewhere in the form Cedant laurea laudi.'-Quoted by Gosson, Sch. of Abuse, as here, and cp. Harvey, Musarum Lach. F. iii. verso: Vate ab eo cujus cedebat laurea linguae, Arma togae.”—E. G. H.]

CHAPTER XI

BACON AND GASCOIGNE (continued)

RETURNING to Gascoigne, let us consider the remaining "Court" piece, The Tale of Hemetes the Heremyte. From the dedication, dated 1st January 1576, it appears that it was presented before the Queen at Woodstock, where she paid a visit in September 1575 (" wherwth I saw yo' lerned judgment greatly pleased at Woodstock "). As I have already said, Gascoigne does not claim to be the author, but only to have turned it into "latyne, Italyan and frenche."1

1 The Tale was not printed until after Gascoigne's death, when it appeared, in 1579, in conjunction with a pamphlet stated to be by Abraham Fleming, who apparently wished it to be supposed that he was the author of the Tale :

"A Paradoxe, proving by reason and example that Baldnesse is much better than bushie haire, etc. Written by that excellent Philosopher Synesius, Bishop of Thebes, or (as some say) Cyren. A Prettie pamphlet, to peruse, and replenished with recreation. Englished by Abraham Fleming. Hereunto is annexed the pleasant tale of Hemetes the Heremite, pronounced before the Queenes Maiestie. Newly recognized both in Latine and Englishe by the said A. F. ἡ τῆς σοφίας φαλάκρα σημεῖον. The badge of wisedome is baldnesse. Printed by H. Denham. 1579."

Fleming was, of course, not the author of the Tale, and it is, therefore, very curious that he should have published it with another work of an altogether different character, and should have so worded the descriptive title as to make it appear that he was the author. But an examination of Fleming's other works proves beyond the possibility of reasonable doubt that he was not the author of the translation from Synesius, which is totally different in style, vocabulary and feeling. The style is Bacon's, and the work anticipates in many respects the harangues of Nashe. It is apparently a free translation (with additions) from a French translation of the original work. I feel certain that this is another example of the use by Bacon of another man's name for the purpose of getting his own work into print. Further evidence pointing to a Fleming "impersonation" will be found in William Webbe's treatise, A Discourse of English Poetric, 1586, Arber Reprints, pp. 34, 55 sq.

Mr. Cunliffe also draws attention to a little work, attributed to Gascoigne

« AnteriorContinuar »