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V.—An English Feiend of Charles of Orléans
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Extract
In 1907 M. Pierre Champion announced his discovery that the manuscript fr. 25248 in the Bibliothèque Nationale, consisting chiefly of poems by Charles d'Orléans, was to a great extent autograph, and where not autograph, was revised under the personal care of the poet. Important as is this discovery for the knowledge of fifteenth century French literature, there is one feature of the manuscript which may lead us, if the slender clues are followed, to an identification of a new English poet of the courtly school.
On page 346 of the ms . M. Champion finds, in the Duke's autograph, two roundels in English On pages 310–313, in an interpolated quire not originally part of the volume, are six roundels and a ballade in English. This quire contains no piece in the Duke's hand; but two pieces at the beginning of the quire are by him, and written in the hand of the earliest scribe of the volume.
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- Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1911
References
page 142 note 1 Le Manuscrit autographe des poésies de Charles d'Orléans, Paris, 1907 (Bibliothèque du XVe Siècle).
page 142 note 2 This view is confirmed by the fact that the Grenoble ms. of Orléans, which was probably derived through Orléans' secretary, and is fully as early in time as the fr. 25248, also contains these poems in English. See on the authority of this ms. Ch. d'Héricault: Poésies Complètes de Charles d'Orléans, Paris, 1874, ii, 287–288; and Aimé Champollion-Figeac; Les Poésies du Duc Charles d'Orléans, Paris, 1842, xxii–xxvii.
page 142 note 3 Champollion-Figeac, pp. 452–456; d'Héricault, 292.
page 143 note 1 Champion, pp. 5–6, seq.
page 143 note 2 The facts of Suffolk's career are too well known to require particular reference. His life in the Dictionary of National Biography gives full references to the contemporary documents.
page 145 note 1 Champollion-Figeac, p. 157.
page 145 note 2 La Bibliothèque de Charles d'Orléans, Paris, 1910.
page 145 note 3 Confirmatory evidence of the literary companionship of Orléans and Suffolk may be adduced from the fact that in ms. Harley 7333 (fol. 32v.), a ms. derivative from the same Shirley that elsewhere copied down Suffolk's French pieces with the details as to their origin, are two fragments of chansons by Orléans, hitherto unknown to the cataloguers, and, I believe, to editors of Charles. The poems may have come into Shirley's hands from the same source that may have furnished him with the work of the English duke, and with the details of Chaucer's minor poems, given in his rubrics; namely, from Alice Chaucer, Countess of Suffolk, through Lydgate.
Balade made by the duc of Orlience.
Mon cuer chaunte joyeusement
Quant il luy souient de la belle
Tout son plaisir se renouvelle
De Dieu en meulx certaignement
En espérant q'bien breuement
Jarre quelq bonne nouvelle
Dount je merci amoure et elle
Par chescun iour de foiz plus de cent
E.my las las dolant ami
Que fvege des or en auaunt
Quant jay perdue saunz nul recouvrement
Mon bien mamour ma Joye et mon ami
James naurey ne bon iour ne demi
ffors q'sussy payne et tourment
Peux menz q'soit desoulz le firmament
Joux a la mort Je nayerys q' lui.
My friend, Mr. J. J. Munro, has kindly made this copy, at my request.
page 147 note 1 Paston Letters, ed. Gairdner, i, p. 122, No. 91.
page 148 note 1 A space in the ms. is left blank. I supply a trisyllable.
page 148 note 2 Compare also the poem from Fairfax 16 printed below, xiv, 7–8.
page 149 note 1 Note the distinctly English setting of the Parlement, no. xx.
page 151 note 1 It may be possible to identify other poems than those here considered, as the work of Suffolk. Thus the “Ballade coloured and reversed,” in ms. Arundel 26, fol. 32v, and the Compleynt to Fortune, in Camb. Univ. Ff. 1. 6, fol. 178, are appended as in the manner of the Orléans translator and the Fairfax poet, and possibly by him. Neither has, I believe, been printed.
page 151 note 2 The numeration of the ms. is by pages, not by folios. Since Suffolk is called Earl throughout the rubrics, the ms. must antedate 1444, when Suffolk was created marquis.
page 151 note 3 I omit some details scribbled in by John Stowe, between Shirley's lines.
page 155 note 1 ms. cremir.
page 155 note 2 ms. hole.
page 155 note 3 ms. Palace.
page 156 note 1 ms. os. The ms. sometimes writes os, sometimes as. I have throughout written as.
page 156 note 2 ms. os.
page 158 note 1 ms. whille.
page 158 note 2 ms. whyt.
page 160 note 1 A recollection of Lydgate, Life of Our Lady, line 1, O thoughtful herte, plongyd in distresse.
page 160 note 2 ms. you.
page 160 note 3 ms. for.
page 161 note 1 ms. which that shulle dysplese.
page 161 note 2 ms. Sechyn.
page 162 note 1 ms. It.
page 168 note 1 Title from old table of contents.
page 169 note 1 This is certainly a burlesque of Lydgate's style.
page 169 note 2 This is certainly a parody on the moral poem by Lydgate, with the refrain, “ Who sueth vertu, vertu he shall leere.” (Halliwell, Minor Poems of Lydgate, 1842, pp. 216-220.)
page 170 note 1 Cf. Lydgate's poem, They that nowhile endure.
page 170 note 2 ms. thom.
page 170 note 3 ms. rapayr.
page 170 note 4 Cf. Oxford Chaucer, vol. vii, no. xiv, l. 19; “For they can laugh and love nat.”
page 171 note 1 ms, seyd.
page 171 note 2 ms. sene.
page 171 note 3 ms. hye state.
page 172 note 1 ms. for the.
page 172 note 2 This certainly refers directly to Poem xix, and to Lydgate in particular, who was a monk, and therefore had no right to attack Love.
page 173 note 1 ms. or.
page 173 note 2 ms. though.
page 175 note 1 ms. guippe.
page 175 note 2 ms. most.
page 175 note 3 ms. dowel.
page 175 note 4 ms. Thousches sic.
page 176 note 1 ms. ewer you.
page 176 note 2 ms. have.
page 176 note 3 ms. a vende.
page 176 note 4 ms. puyd.
page 176 note 5 ms. nuans.
page 176 note 6 ms. pauyd.
page 176 note 7 ms. with on thym.
page 176 note 8 ms. Ye.
page 176 note 9 ms. puyd.
page 177 note 1 See the Fairfax group, no. viii, above.
page 177 note 1 ms. speding.
page 177 note 2 ms. leeding.
page 177 note 3 ms. fynding.
page 177 note 4 ms. Wyeh.
page 177 note 5 ms. neding.
page 177 note 6 ms. dweling.
page 177 note 7 ms. wysshyngl.
page 177 note 8 ms. of tym.
page 177 note 9 ms. ys.
page 177 note 10 ms. speding.
page 177 note 11 ms. carydge, and so below, ll. 8, 14.
page 177 note 12 ms. confordinge.
page 177 note 13 ms. my.
page 178 note 1 ms. Hat that hade be.
page 178 note 2 ms. cariynger.
page 178 note 3 ms. How.
page 178 note 4 ms. abydynger.
page 178 note 5 ms. way.
page 178 note 6 ms. syngling.
page 178 note 7 ms. et.
page 178 note 8 ms. elake.
page 178 note 9 ms. et.
page 178 note 10 ms. come.
page 179 note 1 ms. theym.
page 180 note 1 ms. thowe.
page 180 note 2 Note initial and internal ryme in this poem.