The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (free ebook reader .txt) 📕

29. Reign of Mary the Bigot, 1558 to 1553.—Example written about 1555.

"And after that Philosophy had spoken these wordes the said companye of the musys poeticall beynge rebukyd and sad, caste downe their countenaunce to the grounde, and by blussyng confessed their shamefastnes, and went out of the dores. But I (that had my syght dull and blynd wyth wepyng, so that I knew not what woman this was hauyng soo great aucthoritie) was amasyd or astonyed, and lokyng downeward, towarde the ground, I began pryvyle to look what thyng she would save ferther."—COLVILLE: Version from Boëthius: Johnson's Hist. of E. L., p. 29.

30. Example referred by Dr. Johnson to the year 1553.

"Pronunciation is an apte orderinge bothe of the voyce, countenaunce, and all the whole bodye, accordynge to the worthinea of such woordes and mater as by speache are declared. The vse hereof is suche for anye one that liketh to haue prayse for tellynge his tale in open assemblie, that hauing a good tongue, and a comelye countenaunce, he shal be thought to passe all other that haue not the like vtteraunce: thoughe they have muche better learning."—DR. WILSON: Johnson's Hist. E. L., p. 45.

31. Reign of Edward VI, 1553 to 1547.—Example written about 1550.

   "Who that will followe the graces manyfolde
    Which are in vertue, shall finde auauncement:
    Wherefore ye fooles that in your sinne are bolde,
    Ensue ye wisdome, and leaue your lewde intent,
    Wisdome is the way of men most excellent:
    Therefore haue done, and shortly spede your pace,
    To quaynt your self and company with grace."
                    ALEXANDER BARCLAY: Johnson's Hist. E. L., p. 44.

32. Reign of Henry VIII, 1547 to 1509.—Example dated 1541.

"Let hym that is angry euen at the fyrste consyder one of these thinges, that like as he is a man, so is also the other, with whom he is angry, and therefore it is as lefull for the other to be angry, as unto hym: and if he so be, than shall that anger be to hym displeasant, and stere hym more to be angrye."—SIR THOMAS ELLIOTT: Castel of Helthe.

33. Example of the earliest English Blank Verse; written about 1540.

The supposed author died in 1541, aged 38. The piece from which these lines are taken describes the death of Zoroas, an Egyptian astronomer, slain in Alexander's first battle with the Persians.

   "The Persians waild such sapience to foregoe;
    And very sone the Macedonians wisht
    He would have lived; king Alexander selfe
    Demde him a man unmete to dye at all;
    Who wonne like praise for conquest of his yre,
    As for stoute men in field that day subdued,
    Who princes taught how to discerne a man,
    That in his head so rare a jewel beares;
    But over all those same Camenes,[49] those same
    Divine Camenes, whose honour he procurde,
    As tender parent doth his daughters weale,
    Lamented, and for thankes, all that they can,
    Do cherish hym deceast, and sett hym free,
    From dark oblivion of devouring death."
                       Probably written by SIR THOMAS WYAT.

34. A Letter written from prison, with a coal. The writer, Sir Thomas More, whose works, both in prose and verse, were considered models of pure and elegant style, had been Chancellor of England, and the familiar confidant of Henry VIII, by whose order he was beheaded in 1535.

"Myne own good doughter, our Lorde be thanked I am in good helthe of bodye, and in good quiet of minde: and of worldly thynges I no more desyer then I haue. I beseche hym make you all mery in the hope of heauen. And such thynges as I somewhat longed to talke with you all, concerning the worlde to come, our Lorde put theim into your myndes, as I truste he doth and better to by hys holy spirite: who blesse you and preserue you all. Written wyth a cole by your tender louing father, who in hys pore prayers forgetteth none of you all, nor your babes, nor your nources, nor your good husbandes, nor your good husbandes shrewde wyues, nor your fathers shrewde wyfe neither, nor our other frendes. And thus fare ye hartely well for lacke of paper. THOMAS MORE, knight."—Johnson's Hist. E. Lang., p. 42.

35. From More's Description of Richard III.—Probably written about 1520.

"Richarde the third sonne, of whom we nowe entreate, was in witte and courage egall with either of them, in bodye and prowesse farre vnder them bothe, little of stature, ill fetured of limmes, croke backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right, hard fauoured of visage, and such as is in states called warlye, in other menne otherwise, he was malicious, wrathfull, enuious, and from afore his birth euer frowarde. * * * Hee was close and secrete, a deep dissimuler, lowlye of counteynaunce, arrogant of heart—dispitious and cruell, not for euill will alway, but after for ambicion, and either for the suretie and encrease of his estate. Frende and foo was muche what indifferent, where his aduauntage grew, he spared no mans deathe, whose life withstoode his purpose. He slew with his owne handes king Henry the sixt, being prisoner in the Tower."—SIR THOMAS MORE: Johnson's History of the English Language, p. 39.

36. From his description of Fortune, written about the year 1500.

   "Fortune is stately, solemne, prowde, and hye:
    And rychesse geueth, to haue seruyce therefore.
    The nedy begger catcheth an half peny:
    Some manne a thousaude pounde, some lesse some more.
    But for all that she kepeth euer in store,
    From euery manne some parcell of his wyll,
    That he may pray therefore and serve her styll.
      Some manne hath good, but chyldren hath he none.
    Some manne hath both, but he can get none health.
    Some hath al thre, but vp to honours trone,
    Can he not crepe, by no maner of stelth.
    To some she sendeth chyldren, ryches, welthe,
    Honour, woorshyp, and reuerence all hys lyfe:
    But yet she pyncheth hym with a shrewde wife."
                                       SIR THOMAS MORE.

37. Example for the reign of Henry VII, who was crowned on Bosworth field, 1485, and who died in 1509.

"Wherefor and forasmoche as we haue sent for our derrest wif, and for our derrest moder, to come unto us, and that we wold have your advis and counsail also in soche matters as we haue to doo for the subduying of the rebelles, we praie you, that, yeving your due attendaunce vppon our said derrest wif and lady moder, ye come with thaym unto us; not failing herof as ye purpose to doo us plaisir. Yeven undre our signett, at our Castell of Kenelworth, the xiii daie of Maye."—HENRY VII: Letter to the Earl of Ormond: Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 147.

38. Example for the short reign of Richard III,—from 1485 to 1483.

"Right reverend fader in God, right trusty and right wel-beloved, we grete yow wele, and wol and charge you that under oure greate seale, being in your warde, ye do make in all haist our lettres of proclamation severally to be directed unto the shirrefs of everie countie within this oure royaume."—RICHARD III: Letter to his Chancellor.

39. Reign of Edward IV,—from 1483 to 1461.—Example written in 1463.

"Forasmoche as we by divers meanes bene credebly enformed and undarstand for certyne, that owr greate adversary Henry, naminge hym selfe kynge of England, by the maliceous counseyle and exitacion of Margaret his wife, namynge hir selfe queane of England, have conspired," &c.—EDWARD IV: Letter of Privy Seal.

40. Examples for the reign of Henry VI,—from 1461 back to 1422.

"When Nembroth [i.e. Nimrod] by Might, for his own Glorye, made and incorporate the first Realme, and subduyd it to hymself by Tyrannye, he would not have it governyd by any other Rule or Lawe, but by his own Will; by which and for th' accomplishment thereof he made it. And therefor, though he had thus made a Realme, holy Scripture denyd to cal hym a Kyng, Quia Rex dicitur a Regendo; Whych thyng he did not, but oppressyd the People by Myght."—SIR JOHN FORTESCUE.

41. Example from Lydgate, a poetical Monk, who died in 1440.

   "Our life here short of wit the great dulnes
    The heuy soule troubled with trauayle,
    And of memorye the glasyng brotelnes,
    Drede and vncunning haue made a strong batail
    With werines my spirite to assayle,
    And with their subtil creping in most queint
    Hath made my spirit in makyng for to feint."
        JOHN LYDGATE: Fall of Princes, Book III, Prol.

42. Example for the reign of Henry V,—from 1422 back to 1413.

"I wolle that the Duc of Orliance be kept stille withyn the Castil of Pontefret, with owte goyng to Robertis place, or to any other disport, it is better he lak his disport then we were disceyved. Of all the remanant dothe as ye thenketh."—Letter of HENRY V.

43. Example for the reign of Henry IV,—from 1413 back to 1400.

"Right heigh and myghty Prynce, my goode and gracious Lorde,—I recommaund me to you as lowly as I kan or may with all my pouer hert, desiryng to hier goode and gracious tydynges of your worshipful astate and welfare."—LORD GREY: Letter to the Prince of Wales: Bucke's Classical Gram., p. 145.

44. Reign of Richard II, 1400 back to 1377.—Example written in 1391. "Lytel Lowys my sonne, I perceve well by certaine evidences thyne abylyte to lerne scyences, touching nombres and proporcions, and also well consydre I thy besye prayer in especyal to lerne the tretyse of the astrolabye. Than for as moche as a philosopher saithe, he wrapeth hym in his frende, that condiscendeth to the ryghtfull prayers of his frende: therefore I have given the a sufficient astrolabye for oure orizont, compowned after the latitude of Oxenforde: vpon the whiche by meditacion of this lytell tretise, I purpose to teche the a certame nombre of conclusions, pertainynge to this same instrument."—GEOFFREY CHAUCER: Of the Astrolabe.

45. Example written about 1385—to be compared with that of 1555, on p. 87.

"And thus this companie of muses iblamed casten wrothly the chere dounward to the yerth, and shewing by rednesse their shame, thei passeden sorowfully the thresholde. And I of whom the sight plounged in teres was darked, so that I ne might not know what that woman was, of so Imperial aucthoritie, I woxe all abashed and stonied, and cast my sight doune to the yerth, and began still for to abide what she would doen afterward."—CHAUCER: Version from Boëthius: Johnson's Hist. of E. L., p. 29.

46. Poetical Example—probably written before 1380.

   "O Socrates, thou stedfast champion;
      She ne might nevir be thy turmentour,
    Thou nevir dreddist her oppression,
      Ne in her chere foundin thou no favour,
      Thou knewe wele the disceipt of her colour,
      And that her moste worship is for to lie,
    I knowe her eke a false dissimulour,
      For finally Fortune I doe defie."—CHAUCER.

47. Reign of Edward III, 1377 to 1327.—Example written about 1360.

   "And eke full ofte a littell skare
    Vpon a banke, er men be ware,
    Let in the streme, whiche with gret peine,
    If any man it shall restreine.
    Where lawe failleth, errour groweth;
    He is not wise, who that ne troweth."—SIR JOHN GOWER.

48. Example from Mandeville, the English traveller—written in 1356.

"And this sterre that is toward the Northe, that wee clepen the lode sterre, ne apperethe not to hem. For whiche cause, men may wel perceyve, that the lond and the see ben of rownde schapp and forme. For the partie of the firmament schewethe in o contree, that schewethe not in another contree. And men may well preven be experience and sotyle compassement of wytt, that zif a man fond passages be schippes, that wolde go to serchen the world, men mighte go be schippe all aboute the world, and aboven and benethen. The whiche thing I prove thus, aftre that I have seyn. * * * Be the whiche I seye zou certeynly, that men may envirowne alle the erthe of alle the world, as wel undre as aboven, and turnen azen to his contree, that hadde companye and schippynge and conduyt: and alle weyes he scholde fynde men, londes, and yles, als wel as in this contree."—SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE; Johnson's Hist. of E. L., p. 26.

49. Example from Rob. Langland's "Vision of Pierce Ploughman," 1350.

   "In the somer season,
    When hot was the Sun,
    I shope me into shroubs,
    As I a shepe were;
    In habit as an harmet,
    Vnholy of werkes,
    Went wyde in this world
    Wonders to heare."

50. Description of a Ship—referred to the reign of Edward II: 1327-1307.

   "Such ne saw