Poëta illustrissimum Christianissimorum Regum Franciæ genus à laniis Parisiensibus deducit, utique tam vere, quam ille tenebrio nostrum à scalarum fabro: quas mirum, ni auctor generis in suspendium eorum parabat, quos vaticinabatur illustri nobilitate suæ obtrectaturos."
Now the charge of a ladder upon their shield was certainly borne by the several branches of this family long before any of them became masters of Verona; and I should suggest that it originated in some brilliant escalade of one of the first members of it. Thus, of course, it would remind us all of perhaps the earliest thing of the kind—I mean the shield and bearings of Eteoclus before Thebes:
"Εσχημάτισται δ' ἀσπὶς οὐ σμικρὸν τρόπον·
Ἀνὴρ δ' ὁπλιτης κλίμακος προσαμβάσεις
Στείχει πρὸς ἐχθρῶν πύργον, ἐκπέρσαι θέλων."
H–n, Jan. 28. 1851.
INEDITED BALLAD ON TRUTH
I send you herewith a copy of an ancient ballad which I found this day while in search of other matters. I have endeavoured to explain away the strange orthography, and I have conjecturally supplied the last line. The ballad is unhappily imperfect. I trust that abler antiquaries than myself will give their attention to this fragmentary poem.
"What more poyson . than ys venome.
What more spytefull . than ys troozte.1
Where shall hattred . sonere come.
Than oone anothyr . that troozte showthe.
Undoyng dysplesure . no love growthe.
And to grete2 men . in especyall.
Troozte dare speke . lest3 of all.
"And troozte . all we be bound to.
And troozte . most men now dothe fle.4
What be we then . that so do.
Be we untrewe . troozte saythe ee.5
But he yt tellethe troozte . what ys he.
A besy foole . hys name shalle ronge.6
Or else he hathe an euyle tonge.
"May a tong . be trew and evyle.
Trootze ys good . and evyle ys navtze.7
God ys trootze . and navzt ys ye devyle.
Ego sum veritas . or8 lord tavzt.9
At whyche word . my conceyt lavzt.10
To se11 our Lorde . yff12 foly in hym be.
To use troozt . that few doth but he.
"To medyle wt trouthe13. no small game.
For trouthe told . of tyms ys shent.
And trouthe known . many doth blame.
When trouthe ys tyrned . from trew intent.
Yet trouthe ys trouthe . trewly ment.14
But now what call they trouthe . trow ye.
Trowthe ys called colored honestè.
"Trouthe . ys honest without coloure.
Trouthe . shameth not in no condycyon.
Of hymself . without a trespasowre.
By myst and knowne . of evyle condycyon.
But of trouthe thys ys ye conclusyon.
Surely good ordre there ys brokyne.
Where trouthe may not . nor dare be spokyne.15
"Trouthe many tyms ys cast.
Out of credence . by enformacyon.
Yet trouthe crepthe16 out at last.
And ovyr mastrythe cavylacyon.17
That I besech Cryst . every nacyon.
May use trouthe . to God and man.
* * that he * not * syn * * ."
* * * * * *
I would fill up the lacuna—
"Now that he do not syn . we can."
Perhaps, I repeat, some more able antiquaries will give their attention to this, and satisfy me on the points of punctuation, date, &c.
Minor Notes
Ayot St. Lawrence Church (Vol. iii., pp. 39. 102.). Ayot St. Lawrence, Herts, is another deserted church, like that of Landwade,—in fact a ruin, with its monuments disgracefully exposed. I was so astonished at seeing it in 1850, that I would now ask the reason of its having been allowed to fall into such distress, and how any one could have had the power to build the present Greek one, instead of restoring its early Decorated neighbour. I did not observe the 2 ft. 3 in. effigy alluded to in Arch. Journ. iii. 239., but particularly noted the elegant sculpture on the chancel arch capital.
I would suggest to Mr. Kelke, that the incumbents of parishes should keep a separate register, recording all monuments, &c. as they are put up, as existing, or as found in MS. church notes, or published in county histories. In the majority of parishes the trouble of so doing would be trifling, and to many a pleasant occupation.
Johannes Secundus—Parnel—Dr. Johnson.—In Dr. Johnson's Life of Parnel we find the following passage:—
"I would add that the description of Barrenness, in his verses to Pope, was borrowed from Secundus; but lately searching for the passage which I had formerly read, I could not find it."
I will first extract Parnel's description, and then the passage of Secundus; to which, I suppose, Dr. Johnson referred.
"This to my friend—and when a friend inspires,
My silent harp its master's hand requires,
Shakes off the dust, and makes these rocks resound,
For fortune placed me in unfertile ground;
Far from the joys that with my soul agree,
From wit, from learning—far, oh far, from thee!
Here moss-grown trees expand the smallest leaf,
Here half an acre's corn is half a sheaf.
Here hills with
Truth, I presume, is meant, though it does not seem to agree with the context, which is pure nonsense in its present condition.
Great.
Least.
Flee.
Yea.
Ring, I fancy.
Naught.
Our.
Taught.
Laughed.
See.
If.
Here the orthography changes.
Meant.
I think there must be some allusion here, which can only be arrived at by knowing the date of its composition.
An elision for creepeth; possibly an intermediate etymological state of
From "to cavil."
